The One Who Connects

Not sure about what happened to the Listeners, but there was an idea about the Shattered Plains years ago building off of Kasbal's Cymatics Lesson. Cymatics involve vibrational phenomena making patterns. Lightweavers aren't limited to visible light, they can do sound too. Sound is a vibration of air molecules. What else is a vibration of air molecules? The original idea was that a large group of Lightweavers created a shockwave that shattered the plains. With the advent of what Dalinar could do with Shallan and the map, coordination of multiple Lightweavers for mega-projects became a subject of discussion. A shockwave of that scale would count as a mega-project. The sheer volume of Stormlight needed is spread among multiple KR, and coordinated into one event via the presiding Bondsmith. That lets them bypass the limits of how much Investiture a human body can hold, and if a Highstorm had just passed, that'd be the source of all that Investiture. There aren't that many theories on it because there's a massive hole in our understanding of it too. Same problem, smaller scale, which is about where we're at for 1, 2, 5, & 7 too. Oh, here's something for you to think about. Take these 2 Assumptions and you get the number 11 The first Desolation started on it's own without a Herald breaking(around the time the Heralds were chosen) Each Herald breaks once(so a new one breaks each time), with Taln only breaking now Using those 3 assumptions, Aharietiam would be the 10th Desolation(The First One, then 9 Subsequently Broken Heralds), making this one Number 11(Taln's breaking). Aharietiam being on the Vorin Number is also part of their beliefs(which is where I got the 11 concept from) 99 Desolations, and then Aharietiam. That'd be 100, ending on a fittingly auspicious number. Number 101(or more accurately, 11) would be "something different," something that didn't happen before. Badly segued vague reference to that one theory that Cultivation's number was 11.

I tend to think they are a separate type of Spren composed of Investiture from H&C, rather than attached to them. Also, we know that the Nahel Spren are a mix of Investiture from Honor and Cultivation. I don't believe we know if any of them are solely of one of the Shards The gods the Parshendi abandoned are of Odium. The Unmade are Splinters of Odium. Make of these as you will. Personally, I don't think he did. Either way, he didn't have access to the Library that Re-Shephir was in. Returning to Jah Keved to reclaim the Sphere is a perfect opportunity for Brandon to showcase the chaos and unrest in the wake of Szeth's regicide, the wars it caused, and Taravangian's subsequent takeover. Speaking of whom, whenever Szeth goes to Urithiru(either with Nalan, for the sphere, etc..) he might see Taravangian there. That could be.. problematic for all parties involved.

That could lead back to what Fifth of Daybreak said about the insult happening in front of the King. Witnesses are important, even in an honor duel. But my response was entirely dealing with what Dalinar said, and nothing to do with Adolin. It's an argument of whether attacking someone for impugning your honor is considered an honor duel or a murder. It might not automatically be murder in the eyes of those around there, and that was what I was trying to point out.

For the second time in a half hour, we don't know if he has Feruchemy. Taravangian thinks they do, so to him, "must" is correct. From our perspective, we are less certain, which seems to be what you were saying

"Such an insult would demand that I summon my blade and seek your blood." Taken separately, this line sounds to me like Sadeas insulted Dalinar's honor in some way. The usage of "demand" is probably the most important word in that paragraph. Honor duels are not necessarily sanctioned, but would be seen as necessary by a nobleman.

It's from Brandon. Each Book will cover a Flashback Sequence. Each Book will focus on a KR Order. I'd say that the Order it focuses on is the one we learn the most about in it, but Brandon might have actual criteria we don't know about.

That's an urban legend from Parshendi culture. I will note that "those ancient" does not necessarily mean Listeners(it most likely does, but technicalities abound) Rlain mentions them as such, but even disregarding the fact that in-world characters are wrong about a lot of things, that's hardly any different from someone on Earth saying that the souls of people like MLK JR or Mother Teresa would become Angels in the afterlife. Additionally, I'm pretty sure there's been more than just 9 people who "gave of themselves to destroy" over the millennia. I have too, but in the spirit of technicality, even if one is made when something not directly related to Odium(like a Herald breaking) happens doesn't mean that they aren't related to aspects of him anyway. They are Splinters of Odium, after all. That's another idea that's gotten some popularity recently. I still have my reservations about it, but to each their own.

WoB courtesy of Ironeyes: The information contained within your spoiler tag is not necessarily true. Aside from this, which supersedes this old WoB, we have no info on the subject whatsoever.

Magically aware is not the same thing as realmatically aware. So yes, realmatically was the wrong word to use in the earlier post. 1) The Heralds didn't stick around to give them the Honorblades in any capacity, so who's got the official capacity? The KR would keep them in Urithiru, I doubt any normal King would suggest somewhere that wasn't KR HQ or their own vaults for safekeeping, and the Aimians are a wildcard that might not have the authority to do so. 2) The KR were still around for about two millennia after the Heralds went AWOL. Even disregarding the potential for Shin KR over the centuries, I'm pretty sure they could pick up on a few terms here and there. Have a couple people go to train as squires and write home about the experience, or have some people help out with cataloging that big library in the basement. I'm sure there were some people like (Skar?) who wanted to test out Radiant powers and define what they could do. An inquisitive Shin on the team jotting it all down could pick up quite a few things. 3) See 2. Heck, it might be that the KR were more open with teaching and powers over those two millennia free of Desolations. The Shin could remember by virtue of being the only place to not burn anything associated with the KR after the Recreance/Hierocracy. This could also be why Szeth knows where Urithiru is. You forget that Urithiru is nearly in the dead center of Roshar. Limited Stormlight teaches a man about "the shortest distance between two points," and a central location is actually pretty likely to get crossed when going from one end to the other. Regicide should be in the capitol cities, yes? A straight line from Azimir(Azir) to Vedenar(Jah Keved) is pretty close to Urithiru. It'd directly cross The Valley. Kharbranth to Panatham(Babatharnam) is quite close, and a straight line from Kharbranth to Elia(Iri) is almost dead on. Azimir or Yeddaw(Tashikk) to Kholinar(Alethkar) is very close. Thaylen City to Kasitor(Iri) is also spot on. Don't think he went to Thaylenah, but it's a point in favor of the odds anyway. Sesemelex Dar(Emul?) to Mourn's Vault near Herdaz is also spot on. Don't know if he went to either, but they're big enough to be labeled on the map. Kurth(Riri) to Eastern Marat would be dead on. We don't know where the capitol of Marat is or if he went there, but it's worth mentioning. A dead on path from Rall Elorim(Iri) to Urithiru would continue directly across the middle of Greater Hexi, so that's good odds of hitting a capitol city.

Ugh, I love Song of Secrets as a title, and that conflict hadn't crossed my mind. WoK is technically "The Way of Kings" you know. He can title it "The Song of Secrets" and let us suffer with remembering the T in "tSoS." I know that it's probably not some of them, but we're so quick to match up every book order with their book character even though Brandon straight up told us they won't always match. All he has to do is not have Eshonai become a Radiant until Szeth's Book(Book 5), and he can have Book 4 be about literally any of the other orders Basically, my thing is we have WoB that just because it's their book doesn't mean they are alive for it. I took it to mean that it being "their book" means it's their flashback book, rather than a book about their stint as a main character. This means that Eshonai can be a medium size character and still have it be "her book," and we could learn primarily about the Order of another decently sized character, like what we learned about Windrunning in Book 2 or what we're learning about Lightweaving so far in Book 3.

I suppose you could do that, but is anyone else gonna see it that way? People have a funny thing with thinking the law isn't harsh enough when it affects someone who did them/their families wrong. I think a KR status would better absolve him in the eyes of the many, since as Navani said, "they must be good, right?" I'm paraphrasing an assumption between Nalan and Szeth here. Directly after stating that Szeth would be a perfect candidate for the Skybreakers, he says it's time to go to Shinovar for Szeth's training. Szeth assumes he is to bring judgement down on the Shamanate, and Nalan does not correct him. Instead, he says that Nightblood is a perfect match for his task. Nightblood destroys evil. Szeth was given an assignment that involves destroying evil in Shinovar as part of his training as a Skybreaker. What other assumptions can really be drawn from that? I'm aware of that("caused" was in quotes after all). However, Nalan has been killing them under the premise that they could cause it, so it is likely that he has put that belief into some of his subordinates, if only to justify the killing. This way, he can save face without admitting he was wrong by changing the mission now that the Desolation is here. I don't think he does either, but mankind probably held his word/counsel in high regard back in the day. It'd be an air of authority the people gave him, rather than him seeing himself as being above them. He doesn't have to see himself as above the law to be above it. If the people think he can do no wrong, then he can do no wrong, even when he does. I doubt he did any wrong back in the day, but who's gonna argue with one of the Almighty's Chosen if he did? If he felt that someone should be pardoned, odds are they got pardoned. If he felt a punishment was too severe/not severe enough, it probably got changed. That's not him flaunting his authority, that's people getting a second opinion and then putting all their faith in it. Nalan knows a lot of things, but he also doesn't know a lot of things. I'd say it depends on how much he knows about the Diagrammists and their activities. His eyes were focused on Szeth, so he might not have paid too much attention to the various hands that wielded him at any given moment. Fair enough. "Overawed" painted a different mental picture than "deep respect," so that's probably where the miscommunication happened.

The Thrill was the first four Dalinar Flashbacks put together as a "mini-story" for the Unfettered II Anthology. If you've read the currently released chapters of Oathbringer, you've already read The Thrill. It's no longer new information, nor is it something that you can't get anywhere else. Read Oathbringer when it comes out and you'll be good. I think that at the time, the working title for his first flashback was "The Thrill," so he used that for the little collection title. Thank you for clarifying this.

People have primarily been using that line to imply that the author is Vorin, which is not the same thing as saying the book is written for a Vorin audience. It's like saying a book where they spell color as "colour" means that the author is automatically British, where it could just as easily be a Chinese fellow who wanted to publish in Britain. The way most people see it, it's gotta be a Vorin figure. The way I worded the light-bulb moment, even Szeth or the Aziri Prime could theoretically have written it.

I did say it would mess with it, rather than disprove it. In the spirit of being pedantic: And to the both of you, I realized later on that afternoon that the entry isn't as definitive as I first thought. Too many variables left uncertain. Have a short list of the things we don't know: Why it's fixed Who/What fixed it When it became fixed If it's permanently fixed If it being fixed is tied to something else being fixed etc..

The "character" was Harmony, so it had some weight to it. But the wording he used was "encourage the Mists." What was actually done to encourage them is up for debate, so there is still a bit of potential for a Shard influencing the power of another one, but it's not as certain as you thought. I originally thought that MB Spoilers Both of our ideas could work, but we won't know what actually happened until Brandon sees fit to tell us. No problem. Brandon has provided a lot of information that isn't in the books yet/at all, some of which changes how we view the info in the books. Either way, for a first theory, you made a pretty good one. Props for that

The epigraphs would be under the first, since they aren't about the future(usually). You're still right though. That's gonna be the primary big thing unless Brandon drops some massive revelations in the text later on. Makes a good bit of sense. Now it's a question of whether he'll use an entirely new one or fill in some of the gaps of one we already know about. Song of Revision has at least 280 stanzas and Song of Histories has at least 128, so there is certainly room to expand. Of the Seven Songs we currently know of, Song of Winds or Song of Secrets are the most likely picks. Discussing "Generic Words that sound cool" is gonna be an entertaining game to watch.

Being included in Unfettered II, which actually was officially released back in November of 2016 makes this uncertain territory

Punishment still needs to be meted out for the Shin Shamanate. Ishar has some explaining to do. The Desolation is at hand, meaning that Taln should be back. Urithiru has been rediscovered. It depends on his level of priorities. He's gotta be dealing with at least one of those things in the near future, so take your pick on which one happens first. He can just as easily change the plan without admitting that he was wrong. The punishments for the crimes our proto-KR were guilty of weren't actually death. Nalan made that decision himself, so changing their sentence to "mandatory combat time" isn't out of the question(not too different from being assigned to a bridge crew as a punishment). Forcing the to KR fight in the Desolation they "caused" is a valid punishment in the "reap what you sow" sense as well. He can also mention that since the Desolation is at hand, the rules have changed(Wartime Ordinances/Martial Law take precedence over civilian laws, and with Urithiru back in the picture...) He was killing them to prevent a Desolation, so that mission is pointless now that it's here. Heck, he's the Herald of Laws and Justice. He's probably the closest thing in the Cosmere to "my word is law" since the days of TLR. Back in the day, he probably had the authority to offer an official pardon to anyone that fights in the Desolations. After all, he seems to have pardoned Szeth, who's guilty of at least a dozen counts of regicide, just as many counts of mass murder, countless cases of first degree and voluntary second degree murder, willingly inciting war and civil unrest, multiple counts of vandalism, destruction of property, breaking and entering, and who knows what else. Nalan's willingness to not seek punishment for that may as well be an unofficial pardon. He certainly thinks its within his power to not punish Szeth for his crimes, or at least delay them indefinitely, and that says a great deal about the authority he feels he has. I highly doubt it. To quote myself: This is the man who learned that the devil killed god, and doesn't back down when being told to kill the devil. The Heralds might be deific figures, but at the end of the day they are still just men and women. He'll appreciate their help,he might let Ishar(his Patron Herald) give him some advice, but I doubt he's gonna stop and gawk at them.

I'll give you a rundown on the first three predictions we'll be making(and usually being wrong about ) Whether Eshonai is actually alive or not (may be revealed in Oathbringer, may not be) What Eshonai's Book is gonna be called (We've got no clues at all, but that doesn't stop us) What Order the book will be about (We've got 7 options, and we know that some won't match) If Eshonai will become a KR during it. (4th prediction so we can 3 if the first one is answered) Not really. First thing to do is the make connections/assumptions about the world/magic based on revelations in the book itself. (Case in Point: The things with Dalinar's Curse, the Oathbringer author, The "Is he Taln" debacle, etc..) The second thing we do is try and parse out the future.

Seeing the future(as a few Rattles have) involves peering into the SR. Distance doesn't matter in the SR, so they could be seeing Re-Shephir without her seeing them. Like a character on TV looking straight at the camera. They aren't actually looking at you, but in a dying haze compounded by fear and strange knowledge, you won't always know the difference. It could also be metaphorical. Of particular note is that it's not the only Rattle to reference someone being there to see them die. The first is a Cryptic, which we know are monitoring important people/places. That was seeing into the CR, at something that's actually there. As for the other three... I really don't know. Two of them refer to holding, so I can imagine them actually being there, but I just can't say for sure.

Unintentional callback to this thread? Making predictions about Book 3 a mere seven days after Book 2 came out. We were so much more obsessed back then.

If you know what signing it's from, a source in Events and Signings is 35 seconds away at most(unless you're on mobile). "Friday Signing" Spoiler Tag, [4:22] Entry. They got the Honorblades from Honor himself, IIRC. Even if Ishar's wrong, thinking that the blades tied them to the Pact is a reasonable assumption. At worst, it's them symbolically giving up their responsibility(like a sheriff handing in his badge). Picking up a sword is not interacting with Investiture of Honor. Using the power the blade grants is probably not something the Unmade could do, but picking up the blade is totally within reason. If the blade can make contact with them, they can make contact with it.

Technically, I don't believe it has been expressly confirmed, but we know that the CR has a lot of opposites compared to the PR. The PR of Braize is quite cold, so it stands to reason that the CR is very hot. Kalak and Taln both remember intense heat and flame when thinking about their stint on Braize. The logical conclusion is rather obvious at that point

I have a shortcut to the annotations in the "Assortment of Handy Links" on my Sig if you need it. As requested for @Zalocx, from the Warbreaker Epilogue Annotations: Backstory for Vasher technically. But backstory for him may as well be backstory for both of them. We know that Vasher and NB had a "falling out" at some point before Stormlight. We know that Vivenna is "looking for Vasher" at present. We know that Vasher was separated from both Vivenna and NB. That doesn't preclude the possibility of Vivenna having Nightblood for some reason, so your idea is technically possible. My biggest gripe is regarding why she would give NB to Nalan. Paragon of laws and justice he may be, but he's not exactly a paragon of sanity. Half Shards are much more recent that Nightblood. Nightblood was made roughly 600 years ago at this point. Brandon talks about Half Shards as if they're more recent than Gavilar's assassination. [Found It. It uses "new" rather than "recent"]

For the purpose of putting it in this discussion too, I'd say acting without orders. Shallan learns that she had been ordered to cause chaos. Not made to, but ordered to. As noted in the OP, Re-Shephir had a imitation studying Shallan while she put on her lightweaving play. I figured that perhaps she was expanding her imitations into other things, in order to learn. From there is was a quick leap in logic for me to assume that one of her imitations drew the images too. Watching the play could imply a fascination with Shallan... I'm probably wrong, but it'd be an interesting plot point either way.