Young Bard

I thought I should mention here: Rend (played by Turos) and Lorn (played by me) are pairing up, as agreed by PM. Not exactly how to do that, seeing as the two appear to be heading down the war path, but I'll work that out as I go along. EDIT (didn't want to double post): I think we should set a date for the pottery exhibit, as most people will want to be there for it. I'll leave that up to Venture and Mist to decide.

Done. It looks like there are only 40 votes, though, which is slightly worrying.

Okay. There were way more posts here than I was expecting. Please note, there were a lot of interesting posts made here, and I'm responding to them in no particular order, except in the order I think of them. First of all, thank you all for being able to talk calmly about this. Can I just say, I would be afraid to post this virtually anywhere else on the internet. You guys are awesome! Second of all, I have added a "Christian-Other" choice in the poll, pending some peoples concerns. I probably should have thought of that before, but never mind. Kudos to you, Comatose. Next, I had a sort of different interpretation of the definition of agnostic and/or atheist to Argent. I'm not trying to contradict you, but I'd always been led to believe that Agnostics did for certain believe in a god, they just didn't identify with any religion (e.g. Catholicism, Hinduism, etc.) while atheists didn't currently believe in a god. And re. Orlion, I did specifically put Mormon down, because I was curious as to whether there was a limited fanbase in terms of religion like there were with other authors. It was one of the reasons why I was against using simply the term "Christian" as an option, though I did consider it when I first made the post. Also, as this is a mostly American community, I figured there would be more people who identified with Christianity than any other religion. Also, @Kaymuth, I had no idea that Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek religions were still around. I found it particularly interesting reading about the changing names, etc. I intend to do more research into that. It sounds intriguing. @Nait Sabes, I technically agree with Kipper. If theoretically there were a god (which I don't believe there is, but more on that later), then wouldn't they define what is right and wrong? Just a query. Regarding singing, I agree with Chaos that I usually prefer the melody of a piece of music than the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, there are some pieces of music that could be considered religious that I think are fantastic. But I think it is fantastic because of it's melody. Also, is there a particular song that you hear when you see the words "Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints" that I haven't heard about? Or is it just a random thing that has nothing to do with Mormonism whatsoever? Okay. I suppose I should talk about my religion (or lack of it). I have always defined myself as atheist (though by Argent's definition, I would define myself as agnostic). My parents weren't religious, but there were a few other reasons involved as well. For a start, as I was growing up, I kept hearing about the scandals in the Catholic Church that were just beginning to be exposed. In my mind, that completely devalued any worth the comment "It's right, because God said so." ever had. Also, I had a colleague once who kept on trying to convert everyone he ever clapped his eyes on. If anything, it had the opposite effect. I suppose it's unfair for me to dislike religion because one annoying person kept trying to convert me to it, but I did anyway. Kaymuth raised an interesting point as well when he mentioned how much the perception of Egyptian mythology has changed. I couldn't help wondering, how much has the Christian religion changed? Certainly, a few hundred years ago, they were putting people under house arrest for saying that the earth orbited the sun (something which, by the way, it took them until 1992 to admit they were wrong about in any official capacity). So, if the Bible were absolutely correct, why are they changing their stance on these issues (including women's rights, astronomy, and everything else they changed their stance on). And if they're wrong, then why should we believe in it? I know I've focused on Catholicism a lot here, and not a lot on the other religions. But I guess my last argument can be carried over to most religions I am aware of. I would go into specifics, but I don't want to start a flame war. As it is, if anyone has an issue with what I've said, then feel free to post/PM me and I'll try and find a less offensive way of presenting my arguments. Thanks again, guys (and girls).

Or just as a joke to mislead you. Don't forget that. Also, how deep does he go in his worldbuilding. Would he be able to reply if we were to ask "Name 30 Ishian people who are not related to the plot of the Stormlight Archive, would he be able to answer us?

I'm just curious. I wanted to see whether Brandon's books were more likely to be read by a certain religion. P.S. I did put cosmereism there as a joke. If you're okay with sharing, then I would much rather you answer truthfully.

I don't think it's anything bad, it's a fairly common thing to have 'favourite' letters. There are a number of theories, but the most common is a kind of miniature-synesthesia, e.g. they 'associate' that group of people or that aspect of their life with a certain letter, and consequently, will include it more often than other letters.

It sounds vaguely like the Harry Dresden Series. Also... Fill in the blanks. The name's B______. J_______ B______.

I really want to know more about Khriss and Nazh. We haven't seen Khriss yet in the books, and she knows more about the Cosmere than Hoid.

It's mostly found in the Sahara Desert, but is available in other regions too.

Wow. Just wow. Take a bow, my friend. You have just unwittingly posted one of the funniest things I have ever read.

Oh dear. I heard of one plan however, in which the government tried to get rid of this dangerous substance by diluting it in water . EDIT: By the way, I think there is a special process you can undergo to remove this substance. But it is not perfected, and many relatives and friends have said that the patient has... changed afterwards. They usually need to rest in a specially manufactured bed, and stay almost permanently in a safe underground environment.

WoR spoiler: Good for you!

Vasher?

Borderline INTJ/ENTJ.

By the way, if anyone asks, you're allergic to cookies. You said you're a lurker, so you might already know that, though.

Lorn:

Right. I'd better write about this new character of mine. His name is Lorn. He is a Seeker (which could create some interesting conflict with Cleo), and is highly skilled with weapons. He's not evil, but he has a strong distrust of police, due to an event in his past, where Inquisitors back on Scadrial killed both his parents. His father was skaa (I decided to swap it around from the norm), and he had fled to CC to escape. He grew up an orphan there. He can be somewhat grouchy most of the time, and has a few anger management issues. The Bard occasionally hires him for odds and ends, but neither of them trusts the other.

Got I've got that poem from The Broken Eye (Black Prism Series) in my mind now "Every light casts a shadow, Every shadow hides a secret, Every secret hides a truth, Every truth shines a light." As for guesses... Kalak/ any other herald? If they are phases of time, each object representative of a period in the Desolation cycle... 1. His relief at coming out of Braize, and the people's horror that he's here again (meaning another Desolation is approaching). 2. The Oathpact. 3. The Desolation. 4. The Torture on Braize between Desolations.

I had 12 names written up, and was writing up the 13th, when Kasimir posted. I had the other two in my head, as well. Anyway, medical texts? Pre-nineteenth century? I could probably come with 2-3 if I really tried, but there is no way I'll get five.

Okay. Ven needs to escape to distract the CCDT. Cleo, could you rescue him. Maybe, along the way, Ven could give you a hint where Arcus is. (Remember, he's stealing the beads to prevent Arcus from getting them.) As for why you're rescuing him? I don't know. If he hasn't escaped in 24 hours, I'll create a new character and free him. (I've been thinking I might create a new character for a while, now, as it gives me oppurtunity to be a bit more... useful).

I agree. Brandon's birthday is Koloss Head-Munching Day. Maybe we should have something similar for the 17th Shard. Inquisitor Head-Spiking Day?

By the way Skaa, nice Monty Python quote. I only worked it out a moment ago. (Of course, if it's just a co-incidence, I naturally knew it all along) Anyway, back to topic. Quiver: I have an important question to ask you, more important than perhaps any other question you will ever be asked. More important than mere pony related questions. More important, even, than my malevolent scheme to get your credit card details, only foiled due to your wily ways. But now, I have a true question to ask you, worth more than all other questions combined. It is a question to stop the strongest and bravest of men in their tracks, to shake empires to their very bones. The question is:

Vasher? 1. His Breath (not sure I would classify this as mundane, but...) 2. No idea. 3. Nightblood 4. Ichor-Alcohol (had to look this one up on the Coppermind for a little while)

What are your credit card details?