Random Observations R Me

Another, somewhat related question: Which is more effective, Shardplate, or the monks enchantments in Elantris? Shardplate can be cracked and broken with enough strikes from a hammer, axe, or sword, though it does stop shardblades. Swords in Elantris only scratch the monks' skin. Or, is this a case of A) people in Elantris aren't as used to war and physical brutality as those in Stormlight Archive, and (this should be a "B" with a ")" after it) Different tools for different jobs... unless the monk's enchantments could stop a shardblade? Thoughts?

During the climax of Words of Radiance, the Stormfather brings a "storm of cleansing." Does this mean a storm traveled all the way across Roshar in order to arrive at this massive battle? Or, did he create it right near the fight? I know this is largely meaningless, but the implications are... interesting and terrifying.

I get classified as a Lightweaver most often during these quizzes. So, going along with the whole honesty motif of the order, I'll go with them.

I wasn't so much referring to his personality as opposed to Kal's purpose. His paladinian state of being. The "I will protect people because it's right, because it is right." I see your point, though.

Or, just to make it play along with the whole "rise above the darkness" theme of the series... maybe the kid ends up as a Knight Radiant... Not all of them are as nice and shiny as Kaladin.

53% Lightweaver 53% Windrunner 35% Elsecaller 28% Truthwatcher 28% Skybreaker 24% Edgedancer 22% Stoneward 11% Willshaper 11% Dustbringer 6% Bond... James Bondsmith I have to admit, I'm really tired of being classified as a Lightweaver. Sadly, it's probably really, really accurate. Or, at least, the most accurate if I was ever to end up in one of the Orders. I was really surprised by the Windrunner one, though.

I'm actually just messing with you. I'm not female in real life. Though, I am curious what made you assume a female gender. Are you saing hamsters don't have organs that distinguish them as physically male or female?

Does anyone else find it odd that the spren interested in honor and doing what is right hides from people and is annoyed when she is asked to show herself, while the spren interested in lies is visible by default? Or, am I just missing something?

I'd like to see him become one of Kaladin's lieutenants, since the POV with him implied he's one of Kal's squires. I'm curious what he'd do if he actually got his glowing powers, and if the girls will actually love it.

Awesome! Though, what makes you think I'm not female? What's my bane? Granted. The Only Joe. Your bane is that you can't eat wood chips. I wish to be a hamster.

Granted. Your curse is that you cannot see sunlight. Other light, however, you can see. I wish to be a Windrunner.

This is what tips him off that she isn't a "normal wind spren." Sticking objects together is what tips him off that she isn't a "wind spren" at all.

I might just be really slow, or hallucinating. I'm not sure which. But... could there be more Windrunners on the way? Syl claims to be the only Honor Spren who was sent. But, that doesn't exactly fit. It is mentioned that wind spren occasionally bind things like bowls to other things. However, that same trait is what tips Kaladin off that Syl isn't a wind spren in chapter 57 of WoK. Thoughts?

Ah, cool. Thanks for the correction. I thought the 50% sounded odd.

Both of those are really nteresting During WoK, Kal notes during a flashback chapter that the older boys snicker about the chances they get to see a girl's safe hand. He doesn't get what the big deal is. If Roshar years are 50% longer, shouldn't he be about fifteen at this time(by earth years)? Unless the humans on Roshar are significantly different biologically, shouldn't he already be in puberty? Come to think of it, Dalinar notes that he's in his forties during book two(the scene where he's getting his shoulder patched up). Wouldn't that make him sixty-something? Admittedly, my grandparents are in really good shape. But, not even they could keep up on a battlefield. I doubt they could use shardplate either. I wonder how long she had those powers?

Please forgive me if this has been suggested before. Somewhere I remember it being suggested that the powers of the Radiants and the Heralds were bound to the recurring nature of the Desolations. We know that the Oath Pact bound both Odium and the Heralds. I seem to remember it suggested somewhere that the Radiants' powers were as well. I wonder if that is what they discovered, and why they abandoned their Oaths. Ironically, it would make their actions almost honorable. If this has been suggested before, feel free to delete this thread.

I clearly have too much time on my hands, because I calculated how old Shallan was. You were correct. Shallan was 11. She claims to be 11 in the flashback "Red Carpet, Once White" and is 17 in the actual story(though I couldn't find the quote again if I tried). EDIT: Curse the audio book version! I now feel stupid. It gives the whole "X years earlier" bit as "6 years earlier" right before the segment recorded. So, it ends up at the end of the previous chapter instead.

Not granted. The Nightwatcher doesn't know what a quote button is, since there is no such thing as a computer on Roshar. Instead, you can only say things that you have heard other people say within the last minute. Nothing else. I wish for the motivation to write the novel I've been wanting to write for the past two years.

I'm... not entirely certain how this thought came to mind, but... well, damnation. I feel rather stupid for not questioning this earlier, even though it brings up topics that have the potential to be highly disturbing. WARNING: The following is not for the weak of stomach. Fact One: We know that Shallan started doing her Radiant thing as a child. She was able to summon her Shardblade and everything, even if she didn't understand what was going on. Extrapolation: Other children, too, have done this throughout history. I find it highly unlikely that Shallan and Lift are the only two children to ever become proto-Radiants. Fact Two: The Desolations were horrible, terrible wars against the powers of darkness and hate, with casualty counts usually in the 90% range. Extrapolation: It sounds like no soldier could be spared during these potentially world-ending wars. This probably also means the Radiants. Heck, especially the Radiants. Questions: Does this mean that some of the Radiants that fought during the Desolations were child soldiers? Would a twelve-year-old Windrunner not going to battle when he could potentially save people count as him not living up to his oaths? Am I overthinking this? I know that we are told in WoR that only one-in-three Knights Radiant were warriors. But, again, 90% casualty rates makes it sound like pulling punches wasn't an option. What are your thoughts on this, everyone? Do you agree that those children were likely counted among the two-in-three that weren't fighters? Do you think the Radiants employed child soldiers when it was necessary? Or, do you have other thoughts on the matter?

I am currently in the middle of my college semester, and don't have the ability to make it to any of the events for the foreseeable future. So, I was wondering if anyone has received an answer for any of the following questions: 1) What do the surges we haven't seen yet allow the Knights Radiant to do? More specifically, what does Division allow them to do? 2) Has he provided any other oaths sworn by orders that we haven't seen yet, other than the "I will stand when others fall," one from a while back? Okay... so maybe I'm a little impatient to see what happens in the next book, and more Radiants in general.

I thought it was Skybreaker that Adoline couldn't be a member of, and that Sanderson specifically said Dustbringers would still take him? Could someone check on that for me? I'm not really sure where to begin... Also, I feel like the original question is based on flawed assumptions. The question you should be asking is: Given what the people have seen of Kal's abilities, and how little they know about his limitations, would any of them be brave or stupid enough to chalenge his honor? If he has the ability to walk into a back hall somewhere and murder someone - which is what they'd be claiming, wouldn't they want to be VERY careful about how they went about accusing him? Too, it seems like Alethi culture is largely Might Makes Right at this point. If you don't have the power to fight someone or assassinate them, you're not going to challenge them. Given Kal's healing abilities, it seems unlikely they'd try that approach either. If any of them have two brain cells to rub together at this point, they're not going to try and pin this on Kal. ... and I want this to be Adoline's and Dalinar's arc(but mostly Adoline).

I'm going to disagree with you here. I don't have the books with me in hardcover(only have my audio versions at the moment), but I seem to remember a point in Words of Radiance where Elhokar went to Kaladin's barracks and asked Kal to teach him how to be a leader. One of the comments he made during that conversation was something along the lines of "While you were there, the shadows went away." To me - though I could be totally wrong! - this says that they weren't Knight Radiant symbol-heads(I seem to remember this from somewhere involving Elhokar, but I can't remember where.). They were Bad Guy symbol-head/shadow... thing-y's. If anyone could confirm or disprove either the comment about Kal making the things go away or them actually looking like symbol-heads, I would much appreciate it.

I was listening to Pandora the other day, and a song came on "Don't Stop" by Innerpartysystem. I'm not really sure what prompted my train of thought on it after it started playing, but I began thinking that it was an interesting commentary on how people act if they become famous or influential and don't really know how to handle it*. That lead - oddly - to thinking about what kind of culture that would lead to(probably the result of some of my college classes). Anyway, that lead me to thinking that it had some striking similarities to the Light Eyes' court culture, and the abuses we've seen from them so far throughout the series. So, I'm curious: Are there any songs that make you think of Stormlight Archive, or any specific aspect of it? * I prefer that as the interpretation of what the song is about, rather than thinking the lyrics are actually how someone feels about life. However, I haven't actually done any background research on the song itself. Also, I apologize if this has already been done. I didn't see it when I checked.

Nope. Hoid's other car is a TARDIS, not a spaceship. I too can see the private jet.

I think it'd be hilarious for ALL of them to see a public pool for the first time. Not just Shallan. The reason behind this is simple, I think. Gandalf wanted the experience points. I mean, there's a reason he didn't let anyone else join in on the Balrog fight.