dvoraen

Not really. We more or less got a direct statement about him not really understanding why in WoR. It was when he was talking to Dalinar just before leaving to go find where Jasnah reappears.

Now I'm curious if what you're thinking is along the lines of what I'm thinking. If Brandon ever quantitatively answers which Orders do and do not have Squires, it'd at least give me a better hint. >.>

That does make sense. In a literal manner of speaking: "growing the words to say" or "speaking without friction", to put it another way. It also directly corroborates the epigraph about Edgedancers being articulate.

This is why I claim there's something else that was going on back when Shallan was still ten. I think she happened across one of Mother's dealings, something she eventually repressed, which is what led to Pattern choosing her.

Your <insert body part> always feels like it's asleep, with the prickling sensation that drives you mad. You become cognitively insignificant; no one really pays you attention, listens to what you say, and effectively you no longer exist in the eyes of others. You are literally unable to interact with others because they dismiss you so thoroughly. (Great for being a hermit or a thief; bad for needing anything from anyone.)

While the Diagram does seem to support this, there's one major catch: Szeth was made Truthless several months (a year?)* before Gavilar's assassination. To my recollection, the Diagram wasn't authored until after that event. Another factoid is that Moelach's Death Rattles began well before Gavilar's assassination as well, while he was leading that expedition towards the Shattered Plains. It's quite possible that Szeth simply ran across the effects of one of the Unmade waking up/returning and that alone is what caused him to raise a "false alarm". It could even be something as silly as Szeth seeing a Voidspren that was unmistakably a Voidspren. And this is the other reason I go :| over the subject of "Taln", because it's like you say regarding his state of being. However, it's very unclear if that's his skin glistening from physical exertion -- "Taln" is practically dragging the blade behind him after cutting his way in, and collapses right after his warning; this implies physical exhaustion -- or if it's from undergoing that process you mention. * "...Though he was in his thirty-fifth year -- and his seventh year since being named Truthless..." (I-3, p209 softback)

In answer to the thread topic-question, I currently hold to the idea that Szeth ran across "Taln", who told him to raise the alarm and gave proof of his ability to Surgebind, but there's one aspect of that which doesn't make sense, that being why Hoid's "event of importance" sense had him go to Kholinar rather than where and when Taln returned. (Though I could also argue that Hoid dragging Sigzil around the world was to try and catch up with "Taln", but that doesn't seem likely to me yet.)

It's quite possible that in the past the Weeping was as you say, but there's one possibility I think we'll run into with regards to Urithiru: Did the Radiants have tools (fabrials?) that allowed for them to stockpile Stormlight? We know they used fabrials in their work in the past (Oathgates, the possible Regrowth fabrial in Dalinar's vision with the Midnight Essence), so it stands to reason that they could have some that allowed for better retention of Stormlight.

I don't really have anything profound to contribute, but I do ask one question: Why is Cusicesh called 'the Protector'? Something tells me we're going to find out maybe as early as the next book, because I can't shake the feeling that this moniker was earned on account of the Desolations. There had to be SOME places safe from the fighting and destruction... right?

This is why I shouldn't post in forums after midnight. I could swear I read your post and didn't see that line. >.> One thing that's been bothering me, though, is that Adolin doesn't strike me as a 'broken' person yet. There are a couple other Nahel candidates ("Initiates"?) that struck me as odd as to why they were chosen. For example, if Tien was really undergoing the first steps towards being a Lightweaver, at such a young age, what 'broke' him? I feel like there's something missing insofar as Rosharan Initiation is concerned, regarding the semantics of the Nahel bond being placed.

We're in agreement that it's been a gradual process of rejection. The point I was trying to make was that he passed some sort of threshold where it was outright nauseating. Something changed internally at some point to cause it to be (dare I say) attacked by his "Spiritual(?) immune system". Rather than fighting the Thrill down as before, it was never accepted in the first place; it didn't take hold, and instead he felt nausea. I'm wondering if there was a specific event (offscreen, perhaps) that caused such a change, or if it's a matter of reaching a specific threshold towards gaining a true Nahel bond with his Shardblade.

Because it was happening earlier. The major sign, that I see, is when the Thrill began to no longer work, nauseating him instead. This also happens with Dalinar in WoK, though he had the visions start before this symptom. I think something else happened that is leading to Adolin manifesting as a Radiant, and while I do think it happened during WoR, it was before the Stormseat Oathgate expedition began. Somewhere between the encounter Adolin has with Eshonai (before she took on stormform, when she said she'd send a messenger*) and the expedition towards the end. Alternatively, he could very well have reached a point where he's been slowly changing the (Spiritual) Identity required to Nahel-bond with his blade, because he's been actively reaching out to it all this time (via his 'talks' and possibly more). * The Thrill was still affecting him at this point, is why I identify it as the earliest part.

We're in agreement that we'll see Nale come after our Radiants, and I would be surprised if he didn't show up at Urithiru to try and assassinate Shallan, Dalinar, AND a few others he identifies as bonded. Buuuuut: he seems to be practicing what he preaches, by and large, of obeying the laws of a given land, as shown in Lift's interlude. It could very well be that there is a 'law' that he knows that would actively prevent him from harming anyone within Urithiru. This would certainly be justification for going after Adolin, though, as it was a murder committed there, but it does assume (and I think correctly -- there are hints supporting this) that Adolin has started the process of ending up bonded. I'm not yet convinced he'll be an Edgedancer, though, because right now I'm kind of eyeballing the Releasers, though that's mostly because of the epigraph describing them as a bit hotheaded yet fiercely protective, and who can currently say if that's factual? Either way, I think Nale being outed as the Herald of Justice is what's going to up the ante further for our Final Desolation. The moment that the nine Heralds' betrayal becomes known, things are REALLY going to end up bleak, at least in Vorin Roshar. I'm also very curious to hear what it was specifically that Wyndle was detecting as 'not right' with Nale, too.

Another possibility is that it's somehow tied to the Heralds and/or their Honorblades. 9/10 are locked, just as 9/10 quit their job, so to speak. We don't know how Urithiru was built, for one ("by the hands of no man"), and it seems strange to me that the tower city would be built by itself without the Oathgate network coming along with it. Personally, I suspect Dalinar will be required (as a Bondsmith) for them to be reopened.

I figured Mraize was very clear that the Davar family had been involved with the Ghostbloods for quite some time; the way he says it made me think 'generations'. We know very little of Shallan's mother, and it seems fairly obvious to me that she was one of them. Why she would go after her own daughter is probably going to be the major question that Shallan will have to wrestle with before she hits her final truth, to say nothing of how Mraize will try to manipulate her by dangling tidbits in front of her before Shallan finally snaps.

If they look like wires in the Physical Realm, I'm a little scared to think of how they manifest in the Cognitive, and what they do there. Jasnah probably found out first hand.

I will have to digest the rest some more before I commit to a formal response to the idea of enhanced lifespans - currently I'm sitting at "maybe" - but I do agree with your point about Lift and her Cognitive aspect. I think that she got what she asked for, but the only way for the Nightwatcher to carry out the request was to 'save state' her Cognitive self by having it take greater hold over her, which is why she can touch spren directly as a result of it; Lift is an above-average Cognitive being, in other words (compared to normal humans and maybe even Elsecallers, Lightweavers and Willshapers). I wouldn't be surprised if she had an extended lifespan, simply because her Physical attributes were adjusted to make room for the increase in the Cognitive.

53% Truthwatcher, 37% Elsecaller, 25% Skybreaker I'm okay with this.

Based on a few hints (such as the WoB of what Duralumin + Atium does), I think we can safely say that Truthwatchers have the ability to either see into the Spiritual Realm, or have a higher connection ("Connection"?) to the Spiritual via their eyes. There's some clear precognition going on with them, and really the answer is built into their order's name. The Spiritual has to do with 'truth', and Renarin 'sees', so a + b = ab mixed together, in this case. They literally can see the truth.

I think the reason that the Bondsmiths are so few in number is due to one simple reason: Their role is to basically be a leader and example for all to follow. "...their spren was understood to be specific..." which, to me, suggests that the Bondsmith Words are not individual-based as a Lightweaver's are. Thus, every Bondsmith fulfills a similar role. There's one problem, though, which is that having too many cooks in the kitchen trying to demonstrate leadership can effectively undermine that very concept. Too many people struggling to be the leader only results in a lack of leadership; thus, few Bondsmiths. Dalinar's genesis as a Bondsmith is very telling, I think, particularly the Second Ideal. As to their abilities, the one of most interest would be their non-Surge ability to manipulate bonds. If Dalinar can unbind a Shardblade just like that, without any concentration, then he could theoretically do similar to other people engaged in such a bond. Or to a Voidspren-bonded Listener, and so on. Plus, if the epigraph about how only a Bondsmith can encroach upon responsibilities meant for the Heralds, then they really get stuff done with their tertiary abilities. (It's why I think Dalinar will end up being the one to figure out how to 'reawaken' the potential of the Honorblades, and/or unlock the Oathgate network.)

I think he was attempting to keep it from the Ghostbloods. I can't exactly put my finger on why, but Jasnah somewhat corroborates this towards the end of the Way of Kings: "...then the Parshendi could hold the key to turning ordinary parshmen into soldiers...And we need to do it before someone else does, then uses it against us." This is what she says right before she reveals the existence of the Ghostbloods and their symbol to Shallan. Additionally, we know during WoR that the Ghostbloods were very interested into getting to Urithiru and how far the Sons of Honor had progressed in their own search for the Voidbringers and Urithiru. I get the feeling that the Ghostbloods have something very interesting up their sleeve with regards to a Desolation, but I haven't sat down to really work that out onto paper. To put it simply, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that they've discovered a means of harnessing Voidbinding in some manner. That said, on the subject of the sphere itself, I still current stand by my past statement that the black sphere is utilized by the Unmade in some manner (specifically, that spheres like it extend their reach). The real question is what's inside the sphere itself. Is it a perfect gem, which is why it hasn't lost Investment?

"Dalinar ran the entire way." So much conveyed in so few words, given the context of that line. (Right after hearing Kaladin came out of the chasms after his and Shallan's falls.)

Personally, I agree that Illumination is a crazy Surge in terms of what it can do, but there's one point I didn't see covered: Emulating other uses of Investiture. I'm not able to go into the huge details, but I'll just put it like this. If Illumination is the Surge of "Light, Sound, and other waveforms", then it stands to reason it could create waveforms that do exactly what other magic can do... provided the Surgebinder knew about them, of course. Even Shards seem to be a waveform of sorts; Vin doesn't hear Ruin's voice directly, she classifies it as something else: "It was a vibration that washed across her, like an Allomantic pulse." This, to me, sounds like it's a wave being emitted and interpreted. If that's true, then one could theoretically create any waveform with Illumination, and go on a rampant magic spree throughout the cosmere. (And I also think Illumination can detect any magic as well, like Seeker Mistings, have a nice day.)

Words of Radiance, Taravangian's interlude. Hardback page is 917; it's the last page of that interlude.

Gavilar's perspective would very likely be last. He's had all these mysterious secrets and plots going on, to say nothing of his final words, that seeing events of that night from his perspective would be... considerable from an information perspective. As far as the last two views go, there are plenty of options: - Taravangian: Gavilar confided the visions to him the night of his death. Taravangian, therefore, was either communicating via spanreed, or was in Kholinar for an undisclosed reason. - Eshonai, for reasons stated. - Elhokar: Why was he talking to Nale (and Kalak?) that night, and what about? - Any Herald, for a long list of possibilities as to why, but Nale would surely be near the top choice if not the choice.