Stark

The only thing this has me thinking is: Mistwraiths... Mistwraiths everywhere. And then quickly thereafter, how much would the Parshendi hate Mistwraiths if they ever shuffled their way onto Roshar?

So I'm going to run off in a completely different direction here. We have seen that Brandon likes to play with naming conventions, giving each world a unique feel, whether it is the Aonic root of the non-Fjordan Selish names, or the predominant doubling of the first consonant on Nalthis, or the imperfect symmetry of Rosharan names. Naming conventions are important in the Cosmere. Reya is a name unlike those we have seen before. But for some reason, it triggers something about the names from the Lord of the Rings for me, where members of the same family would have similar names. Which has me thinking, completely out of left field, what if Reya is Rayse's sister? Not necessarily Cultivation, but one of the other as-of-yet unnamed Shard's vessel. What if Reya's tear was shed for seeing what her brother had become as Odium? After seeing him destroy others, she may have decided to help imprison him on Braize, not destroy, as he is her brother. Which could have led to her appearing in Rosharan mythos, if she is not Cultivation, even though she is not the one of the System's shards. That is my thought, with no proof or substantiation. An important female character who we have not yet met. Thanks @Green Hoodie Mistborn for the WOB about Cultivation not being Reya.

I wish this had had spoiler tags on it. Saw it pop up on the feed for recent topics, saw no spoiler tags and decided to read it. I just got my delivery notification for my copy of AU today, and have not had a chance to read it... Though it could be argued that I should have known better than to look at any new topics on the boards before reading the new material. Interesting thought though.

Yes, she likely knows that. But we have to look at what the least awful option is, because she may not have a better choice. Note: These options do not account for anything happening on Scadrial, with whatever Trell is. 1) Odium dies, and they Splinter the shard. Upshot - Odium intent is not being driven by any cognitive force. Downside - The shard's splinters become evil spren that run rampant, each seeking out compatible people to bond - leading to rampant evil Spren and possibly an Odium flavored Stormfather to complement the existing one who already wants to erase humanity. This seems like an option to turn Roshar into an apocalyptic waste land. Overall Cosmere is better for the lack of Odium's influence. 2)Odium dies, a non-shard bearer takes up the shard. This would require someone who is already consumed with Hate to be compatible (See Secret Histories for why you need a compatible person) Cue in an Anakin Skywalker, and in a few years we have a new Odium who is less experienced than Cultivation, but still hell bent on killing everything. This is a neutral option that gives the heroes a chance to rebuild and prepare. The downside is the new Odium could be worse than the first, more willing to take up more power, and would be more free to act in different directions than their ruling intent until the shard "settles." Overall Cosmere, nothing changes much. 3)Odium dies, Cultivation takes the shard into herself. She may hate Odium enough after Tanavast's death to be able to do this. This option offers the most diverse possibilities, as we do not know what the combination of Cultivation and Odium will produce. It could become a balance of something that combines both, yet is neither, like Harmony. Or the intent of Odium could corrupt her into something far worse that wants to continue to grow and consume more shards (Corrupted Galadriel). Overall Cosmere is either significantly safer or significantly scarier. Of these three options, (1) I find highly negative for Roshar, if not the rest of the universe, and that may be Hoid's preferrence - burn this world to save the others, as he implied to Dalinar. But I do not see the Rosharan heroes fight to save their world, only to let it burn. (2) Seems least likely to me, as it solves nothing. You exchange the devil you know for the one you don't, hoping you can take advantage of the transition period (I fell the need to reference Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series at this point, specifically "For the Love of Evil") I don't see this happening. (3) Seems to offer the most potential for hope, and hope is something that requires Cultivation. I can see them taking the risk that she will be able to shift the intent of Odium when merging it to Cultivation. I can see a Cosmere where it helps. The drawback is that if it fails, it fails spectacularly. I can see Cultivation seeing the two options before her, like Electrum shadows, and deciding to Hope, gambling on the coin toss rather than burning her world by covering it in Splinters of Hate, or by taking a repreive while a new Odium grows into their power. So I agree with you @Yata, she will see the bad coming, but I think she will also see the good. And I think this will present the best of a host of bad options. Cultivation's corruption is only likely if there isn't alreadya bigger bad out there to take Odium's place(glaring at Trell a bit here, whatever it is) IFF the result of the first Pentology is that Odium loses and dies. If Odium wins, or is driven off and doesn't die, well all my speculation will have less substance than a Windspren on a becalmed day. Still fun to theorize though.

Glad you approve @Steelheart, I personally have a hard time coming up with a more terrifying outcome than Cultivated Hatred as a Shard combo. And it would have to be Cultivation absorbing Odium, not the other way around, as Brandon has already specified that Odium shatters Shards precisely to avoid picking them up or letting others have them. As an extra little thought supporting this, Brandon has expressed his fondness for taking classic Fantasy ideas and turning them on their heads(EX: The king becoming the beggar [Elantris], The Dark Lord winning [Mistborn], a God who disbelieves his own divinity [Warbreaker]) I can see Cultivation taking up Odium to safe guard the Cosmere, but being corrupted instead as a Lord of the Rings analog, where Galadriel didn't realize the danger and took the one Ring from Frodo when offered. Galadriel/Cultivation+Odium: " In the place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Morn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!" That is probably the scariest "oh crap" moment I can come up with on Roshar to end the first Pentology.

I also don't think we will see Odium Splintered. Odium has been too vague, too indirect a threat to our main protagonists to be splintered just yet. Especially seeing as what ever counter-stroke Honor launched at his death seems to have successfully trapped Odium on Braize. We saw Ruin die by the hands of the story's heroes because he was a direct and present threat to them. Roshar's heroes have only heard his name in passing as a concept, and are only just learning that their God is dead. While the last three books of the first half present more than enough time for Odium to become the main threat that is destroyed, I feel that is unlikely. Far more likely, to my mind, is that he will manage to get free by the end of book four, at the earliest. In book five, a minor (In the grand scale of the Cosmere at large) victory from the Heroes will force Odium to reconsider Roshar, and Cultivation as his next target, leading him to decide to choose another target whose Shardworld is unaware of the Shards, and unready for his intervention. This will give the Rosharans the time to forget about him, like they did in the 4000+ years after the Last Desolation, while they clean up the mess left by his escape, and whatever counterstroke he delivers when he exits. Maybe severely wounding, but not managing to kill, Cultivation - leaving her in a similar state to Preservation at the debut of Mistborn. The second set of five will have a Roshar that is far more cosmically aware, as they will not waste their respite by forgetting, but far less defended, as Honor is still splintered, and Cultivation is badly wounded - bearly able to protect the world if Odium returns, or quite possibly looking for a newer, less bound by intent vessel to take her place to defend the World from Odium's return. That's my thought. I don't think Odium will be splintered before we have a chance to see him directly assert his influence unhindered on a world, and I don't think Roshar will die, but it will not survive unscathed. Edit: I always have a last thought right after I post - Another option is that Odium will be defeated and killed in this series, but rather than splinter and leave all those slivers and splinters of Hate all over the Cosmere, Cultivation will take the shard onto herself to try to mitigate it and change the intent, like Harmony. Only in the space between the two series, the mixture of Cultivation and Odium will corrupt her into something more dangerous than Odium, and more free to act than Harmony, a being that exists solely to cultivate and grow the Hatred of the Universe, becoming the far scarier villain for Stormlight Pentology part 2.

For me personally, I accomplished my goal - Both got to 25 and stayed relatively stable there for two pages worth of the game. Whether a tie is acknowledged or the rule is changed to Hurt2/Heal1 (feels kind of Hemalurgic, ie End Negative, to me) I am content. So I think I will withdraw from the game and stop messing with it's progression. As a thought though: Preservation is definitely non-violent. Violence is the providence of Ruin. But Honor? Honor was likely one of the most combative shards, especially how he seems to have led the charge against Odium, managing to trap Odium with his honorable sacrifice. But also look at Alethkar, a society founded on being the honorable military might of the world, and how much glory the children of Honor ascribe to being warriors. The highest calling int their society is to be a warrior and earn a place in the Tranquilline Halls. Adolin's calling is to seek Honor through dueling... I'm going to disagree here and say that Honor is not non-violent. Just, and defendably violent, perhaps, but not peaceful. Let me know who wins, or if a tie is declared! I'm curious how this turns out.

Hurt Honor; heal Preservation 3. Preservation: 25 6. Honor: 25 Finally get to heal preservation, and really show case my neutrality. Though I think you made an error as to who you Hurt and who you healed @I_am_a_Stick

Honor Preservation, preserve Honor 3. Preservation: 256. Honor: 25 Just to get my two cents in, and preserve the uneasy truce that seems to exist between these two fallen heroes.

Hurt Preservation, heal Honor 3. Preservation: 25 6. Honor: 25

Heal Honor; hurt Preservation. 3. Preservation: 25 6. Honor: 25 I am highly amused that this continues. But at the same time, I wonder what the intent would be of a Shard that combines Honor and Preservation. The best I can come up with is Tradition, but that is not really an intent, though it is the essence of honoring that which you preserve. Any thoughts on what the Harmony equivalent would be from combining Honor and Preservation in equal parts?

Kill Ruin, Heal Honor And now we have that tie. I am content. 3. Preservation: 254. Ruin: 06. Honor: 25

Hurt Honor, heal Ruin 3. Preservation: 25 4. Ruin: 3 6. Honor: 22

So if we get both Honor and preservation to a level 25 each, do they call it a tie? Preservation would not want to destroy any of the shards, and Honor would want to respect Preservation's mission... Heal Honor, hurt Ruin 3. Preservation: 23 4. Ruin: 6 6. Honor: 21

Well that was mean. Won't let it Ruin my day though. Hope you don't find my response to odious. Heal Honor, hurt Ruin 3. Preservation: 23 4. Ruin: 8 6. Honor: 19

To be fair, it is true that we know Hoid was born like everyone else. But, knowing how sneaky Brandon can be when doling out his WOBs, there are possible interpretations of this: 1) Hoid was born like everyone else, and is Human - taken as read(as said for those who actually got to hear it). 2)Hoid was born like everyone else (in the Cosmere), and is Human - and everyone in the Cosmere, whether Human, Kandra, Spren, Seon or Nightblood, were all born as concepts on a page (or word doc if you want to be less poetic). Hoid may be the only one who stole his concept of self from his author. It would not be the first time there were fourth-wall breaking characters in fiction (Roland the Gunslinger [Stephen King], and many others) IT would be the first time we see this in the Cosmere, and it does seem plausible based on some things Hoid has said in Stormlight. It also gives some hints as to how he knows all the Cosmere life Hacks. But, if true, I doubt he will be as obvious about it as Wade Wilson is. I'll just add this to my ever-growing list of questions to ask if Brandon is ever in Montreal, or I am lucky enough to be in the same city as him: Is Hoid aware that he is a character in a fantasy universe?

Hurt Ruin, Heal Honor 3. Preservation: 23 4. Ruin: 9 6. Honor: 18 I'm looking forward to the death match to see if we will preserve Honor, or honor Preservation...

Hurt Autonomy, heal Honor 3. Preservation: 22 4. Ruin: 12 6. Honor: 14 9. Autonomy: 2

Hurt Autonomy; heal Honor. 3. Preservation: 21 4. Ruin: 13 6. Honor: 12 9. Autonomy: 4 Honor Lives!

Hurt Autonomy, Heal Honor 3. Preservation: 21 4. Ruin: 13 6. Honor: 11 9. Autonomy: 5

I must have read this in the annotations and convinced myself it was canon. Thanks for setting me right.

Well, these WOBs completely shoot down my thoughts about the splintering having something to do with the Reod.... Or at least directly. I think I read somewhere that the Seons could use their Aon once, as a one-shot release, similar to a Returned's Breath. Is that accurate, or am I hallucinating?

Yes, I agree, whether he is being shifty or not, we now can say that we know his physical aspect is the same (barring normal time related changes) and that his spiritual aspect is greatly altered, not unlike an Inquisitor. My concern is have we asked anything about how his cognitive aspect has evolved over time? Has the concept of Hoid changed since his first cannon appearance. Who and what is Hoid conceptually within the Cosmere, and has that remained as stable as his physical aspect over all his appearances, or has it altered as much as his Spiritual aspect?

Maybe I'm looking too hard for tricky Sanderson answers after Alcatraz reveal, but: He mentions that Hoid is the same physical entity. That is a far cry from saying he is human, or even that the cognitive force behind Hoid is the same every time. Its great that we have confirmation that the physical form behind the camouflage is the same every time, but his positive answers can often create far more questions than his negatives. I find myself now wondering if the Hoid we see is the same Cognitive and Spiritual entity every time as well as just physical.

You got there first We have plenty of scenes where someone else watches a shardblade be drawn, and no counts the heartbeats. Partially because none of them have hearing that good, and partially because you can't always tell when someone is drawing, unless they use the stereotypical position with one hand slightly behind. Even in the Chasms, Kaladin doesn't remark on how quickly Shallan's blade comes. As far as I can tell, that scene with Adolin is the only time someone with a 'dead' blade draws it without mentioning the 10 seconds. In fact, almost every other time someone has had to draw a blade after combat has started, the countdown appears in Italics, as it adds some tension to the scene. I figure there would have been some mention made of Adolin needing to dodge Eshonai for a 3-5 seconds (depending on his combat heart rate) while summoning. It is conceivable that that detail got left on the cutting room floor during editing, to stream line the fight. But that seems really unlikely to me, especially for a detail with as much potential for massive impact. As for Adolin not being an Edgedancer... Well, Spren are concepts, or ideas, given form and presence. But ideas and concepts can change over time. We have seen Syl evolve through her interactions with Kaladin. Who is to say that Adolin is not changing the Spren with his interaction with its 'corpse'? He could be changing the fundamental idnetity of the 'dead' Spren into something new and different - or he could just be an Edgedancer and our pre-conceptions of that order are all wrong because we don't actually know much about them. A lot of options to explore.