Sand Master

I felt like it was that Besk had known him as a child, but not gone on his earlier adventures (though Kai did decide to give him the draught of long life, so maybe he was there on later quests). The first option you present is certainly possible, but it seems to me that when saying someone was a child, you mean physically so. If Besk had meant the times when he acted like a child, I think he would have said something more like "I'm reminded of how childish you used to be," or "I'm reminded of the immature person you were".

I understand where you're coming from. However, I think that with how technologically advanced the Knighthawk Foundry has made everything, using radios isn't even something most people would consider. It's like saying that if someone was using Morse Code, they should be able to understand it because we're more advanced now. Morse Code hasn't been used in so long though, that most people aren't going to know how to use it. Same with the radios. As for your comment about how the drones can't stop a High Epic, I was thinking the same thing. But even though they mention that multiple attacks have been tried on the Knighthawk Foundry, they never mention any of those attacks coming from Epics. And honestly, why would the Epics want to attack them? They provide an extremely useful service that benefits the Epics as well as everyone else. If an Epic just leveled the place, suddenly their mobiles wouldn't work, which would be a huge inconvenience, even for them. I think it likely that an Epic could have launched a successful attack on the Foundry if they wanted, but there's just no reason to.

After looking through the links that gwslow helpfully provided, I realize where I was wrong. The scene I was thinking of was in the alternate version, and Hoid was actually the Terris leader. Thanks for helping guys.

So I've read in a few different places now that Sanderson has confirmed the existence of Hoid in WoA, mainly by saying that it's Hoid's footprints in the ash at the Well. However, despite searching through my copy (ebook, so I can look for keywords like "print", "foot", "feet", and "footprint") I can't find any mention of said prints. Can anyone give me an exact chapter or specific line that would make it easier to search? Would really appreciate it.

Thanks you guys. Wasn't sure but you confirmed what I thought it might be. Love all the other ideas and discussion too.

I apologize if this has already been answered somewhere else. I searched and couldn't find any answers. In both Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, Shallan deliberately uses the ten heartbeats of summoning a Shardblade when summoning Pattern. However, we know this is not necessary when the Knight's spren is alive, as Pattern obviously is. I feel like there's some significance to why she makes it the full ten heartbeats. Maybe in her mind summoning Pattern immediately would be the same as admitting to herself that everything she tries to avoid thinking about in her childhood actually happened. That doesn't seem quite right to me though, so if anyone knows why, or has any thoughts on it, I would appreciate the input.

I doubt it. If someone betrayed me and my father, not only trying to kill us but also trying to kill thousands of innocent soldiers under our command, I would certainly feel no guilt in returning the favor. Sadeas deserved to die, and while I was surprised when it finally happened, I certainly wasn't disappointed by it. I don't see Adolin feeling any different about it, and I honestly can't say that I think anyone but Ialai would have any problem with him doing it. If I might paraphrase another great book series, anyone who attempts to take someone's right to live their life away from them automatically forfeits their own right to life. I don't even know that I'd say that Syl would have disapproved, except that even Syl sometimes doesn't seem to know what determines how she feels about things (i.e., when Kaladin asks if killing the Parshendi wasn't wrong).

There is a picture in the book of two LoV, with one having a larger amplitude than the other, and the notes around then saying that this one is stronger. Not sure how much less vague that could get. Edit: spelling correction

I'm still fairly new to the site, but am I the only one that doesn't get this? I listened to the episodes of the Shardcast before this, with the three people talking about Cosmere stuff, but this? I've read WoR and I know what she's talking about, but seriously? It's just a bunch of squealing and moaning. I don't mean to sound mean, but that's what it is. Where's the actual commentary? And sorry if I sound ever more picky, but the presentation of this wasn't great. The only thing we can hear are the reactions, and have to spend half the time figuring out exactly just what she's reacting to. The fact that she skips places doesn't help either. It would be a lot clearer if she was actually reading the book out loud, and responding to it as she did.

Really? Do you mind explaining why you would think that? To me that....doesn't make a shred of sense. This begins on an assumption that we have little to no evidence of, the idea that David can absorb Epic powers. Then it assumes there's a time-travel power for him to absorb. Then it assumes that he would deliberately go back in time, only to, as you say, become Calamity and create the problems that have thrown the world into chaos? And that this would be in order to create the timeline that will result in the human race surviving and Epics going away, even though the Epics wouldn't have existed had Calamity (supposedly time-traveling David in this theory) not gone back in time and made them in the first place? Am I the only one this doesn't make sense to, or am I missing something here?

Do you mind telling me exactly where this is in the book? I couldn't remember that, and in looking for it I found a passage that said:"But I wasn’t an Epic. I had no doubt that she’d just tried to give me powers, as she said she could do. I had no doubt that I’d heard Calamity’s voice in my mind. It just hadn’t worked on me." That's literally David saying that it didn't work. As I said before, I suppose David could be wrong, and that we don't know for sure, but this seems pretty definitive to me.

I'm willing to admit that we don't know for sure whether or not David is actually an Epic, though I personally believe that he's not. I would like to know, however, why it seems to be so important to everyone? I was far more concerned with the implications of Prof going full evil, and Calamity being an Epic. The book practically said David wasn't an Epic. He said, "Not interested," to which Regalia replied, "Not... interested. It doesn't matter if you're interested or not! You don't get a choice." "Made one anyway." Now, I suppose David could be wrong, but at such a pivotal scene, where it's basically David choosing not to let his fears -- and the power that would come with them -- control him, it seems like if he later said, "Oh, yeah, thought I chose my own fate. Guess not. Oh well," that would be a huge letdown. For me, this was enough. I'm fine with David not being an Epic; it's worked out great for two books so far, and I feel that him being normal is part of what makes him so interesting a character. However, it seems that many people are not satisfied with this explanation, so all I ask is why? Is there something I'm missing that would make it so important that David actually became an Epic?

Not sure I follow. I was always under the impression that Prof had tried to gift powers to Megan to train her in using the tensors, and assumed that it had worked, but that Megan simply couldn't figure out how to use the power. Never does it mention that Prof succeeded in gifting Megan, only that she couldn't use the tensors. Then they say that Epics can't gift to other Epics. I wouldn't discount something stated that firmly so quickly. Is it so hard to believe that David just didn't get Epic powers?

Interesting that it seems most people are already thinking of Calamity as a normal Epic, subject to the Rending and such. I was under the impression that since he (supposedly, maybe, according to David's theory) is an Epic that just creates other Epics by gifting some power to them, there's really only one Epic, all the others being offshoots. Since the other Epics go on thier Rendings after getting Calamity's power, it poses the question: where did Calamity get his power in the first place? Is he really just a human turned Epic, and if so, how and why? Is he actually an angel, like Regalia and Obliteration seem to think? If that's the case, this series just went way theological. For my part, I kind of think that it is like one of the rumors that Steelheart mentions -- some scientists were doing stuff they really shouldn't have been, and they created Calamity in the process. This is all just a theory, of course. Definitely something to think about though.

Reading Firefight was like.... Aw, hell. Making bad metaphors (similes) really IS hard to do on purpose. Wait, I've got one! Reading Firefight was like a bomb in a toy store. Explosive, stressful, hilarious, and exciting, all at the same time.

Oh my god. Y u do dis to me.

Hm. Remind me to mention this book to anyone I know who ever gets worms. In their heart. *shudders*

Actually, Epics manifest weaknesses related to thier past. As far as we know, the powers have nothing to do with it. Take Mitosis, for example. How is something in his past going to translate into a power that lets him copy himself? Or Megan, who's power has nothing to do with fire? In fact, she says that Firefight is her dimensional opposite, as fire is his power, while it's her weakness.

So, I posted this in a different Firefight spoilers thread, but I guess it got moved or something. I'm still pretty new to all this. Anyway, here's my take on the whole thing: I half expected Calamity to be an Epic, though admittedly I thought it would be an epic named after the Calamity in the sky. I remembered from reading somewhere that the third book would be called Calamity, and the other two books have been the names of Epics so far, so it makes sense that the third one wouldn't deviate. I found David's interpretation -- that Calamity was simply an all-powerful Epic who gifts pieces of his powers to ordinary people -- to be very interesting. It seems like it fits, though as anyone who's read Sanderson's books knows, what seems obvious or fitting at first can be completely wrong in the end. Given that we don't know anything for sure, though, there's still the questions of who, what, where, why, and how, all in relation to Calamity himself. Can't wait to see what comes of that. I found the ending scene with Megan to be fascinating. We've never seen anything like her powers before, (though, granted, Prof's pretty unique too) and it makes me wonder if there's something special about her, or if she really is just another Epic. She said that her power is strongest just after reincarnating, and that's obviously true. When it wears off, she isn't all that powerful (as she herself said), but when she's in all her glory.... The ability to basically reshape reality to whatever you want, as long as in any of the infinite possible universes that exist there is at least one where what you want to happen happens, is pretty godlike. I was practically giggling when she moved Prof's force field bubble around and scared him. It'll be interesting to see if her powers get weaker again (though for plot's sake, I can't see any other option. Can you imagine having what is essentially God on your side?) or if they stay as powerful as they were when we last saw them. Similarly, I am also curious to know if -- now that she's come back once after facing her fears without corruption -- her powers can now be used without any corruption again, or if that was simply a one-time deal. As far as Dawnslight goes, I'm interested to see what happens to him. Regalia said that she wanted Prof there as a successor, so I think it's reasonable to assume that he'll take over rule of Babilar, (Babylon Restored --> Babyl R --> Babilar. Thought that was clever.) in which case, he'll also have control of Dawnslight, won't he? Dawnslight would be pretty difficult to move out of there, comatose as he is, and I'm guessing Prof will want to keep him alive and secure, much like Steelheart did with Conflux. Prof is pretty much evil now, but he's not stupid. He'll realize the effect that killing Dawnslight will have; all the food and light would suddenly be gone, and perhaps his plants holding up the buildings would die too. Not great circumstances for a stable government. However, considering how Dawnslight rebelled against Regalia, I wonder what Prof would do if Dawnslight did the same to him. This is why I mentioned that I'm interested to see what happens to him. On the one hand, he provides a necessary resource. On the other, he'd be defying a High Epic, and we all know they don't have much patience for insubordination. Honestly, I almost expect them to take down Prof relatively quickly in the next book. Presumably it will be the last in the series, and they'll have to deal with both Evil Prof and Calamity. For all that Prof is a huge danger and a fallen friend, I feel that Calamity will be the main focus of the book (and not just because of the title). I suppose it's possible that they could juggle dealing with both Prof and Calamity at the same time, or maybe they'll just deal with Calamity, removing all Epic powers (and therefore saving Prof and the rest of the world) in doing so. What follows was not originally in what I posted, but after reading what everyone else said, there's a couple things I'd like to mention. A big one seems to be David's innate ability to use Epic powers. While this seems like -- and could very well be -- important, I have a feeling it won't be. I feel about this much the same way as I do about David's ability to inspire people, in that it's just part of who he is. The two instances we have of his speedy learning curve aren't really all that similar, when you think about them. The "tensors" were really just a cover for Prof's gifted disintegration power, and the spyril was a machine based off an Epic's power. True, he learns to use both quickly, but as we've seen, David gets kind of obsessed about things. Though not in a nerdy way, mind you. I think it's entirely possible that he just learns quickly, particularly when it's related to something he's passionate about. I also mentioned his ability to inspire people and make them listen to him. Anyone who's read the Stormlight Archive knows that people say much the same things about Kaladin, and he's definitely not an Epic. It's just who he is. A bit more lackluster than the alternatives of David secretly having some latent power, I know, but I think that it's at least likely, if not true. Lots to think about, now I'm off to try to hibernate or cryogenically freeze myself until the next book comes out.

I half expected Calamity to be an Epic, though admittedly I thought it would be an epic named after the Calamity in the sky. I remembered from reading somewhere that the third book would be called Calamity, and the other two books have been the names of Epics so far, so it makes sense that the third one wouldn't deviate. I found David's interpretation -- that Calamity was simply an all-powerful Epic who gifts pieces of his powers to ordinary people -- to be very interesting. It seems like it fits, though as anyone who's read Sanderson's books knows, what seems obvious or fitting at first can be completely wrong in the end. Given that we don't know anything for sure, though, there's still the questions of who, what, where, why, and how, all in relation to Calamity himself. Can't wait to see what comes of that. I found the ending scene with Megan to be fascinating. We've never seen anything like her powers before, (though, granted, Prof's pretty unique too) and it makes me wonder if there's something special about her, or if she really is just another Epic. She said that her power is strongest just after reincarnating, and that's obviously true. When it wears off, she isn't all that powerful (as she herself said), but when she's in all her glory.... The ability to basically reshape reality to whatever you want, as long as in any of the infinite possible universes that exist there is at least one where what you want to happen happens, is pretty godlike. I was practically giggling when she moved Prof's force field bubble around and scared him. It'll be interesting to see if her powers get weaker again (though for plot's sake, I can't see any other option. Can you imagine having what is essentially God on your side?) or if they stay as powerful as they were when we last saw them. Similarly, I am also curious to know if -- now that she's come back once after facing her fears without corruption -- her powers can now be used without any corruption again, or if that was simply a one-time deal. As far as Dawnslight goes, I'm interested to see what happens to him. Regalia said that she wanted Prof there as a successor, so I think it's reasonable to assume that he'll take over rule of Babilar, (Babylon Restored --> Babyl R --> Babilar. Thought that was clever.) in which case, he'll also have control of Dawnslight, won't he? Dawnslight would be pretty difficult to move out of there, comatose as he is, and I'm guessing Prof will want to keep him alive and secure, much like Steelheart did with Conflux. Prof is pretty much evil now, but he's not stupid. He'll realize the effect that killing Dawnslight will have; all the food and light would suddenly be gone, and perhaps his plants holding up the buildings would die too. Not great circumstances for a stable government. However, considering how Dawnslight rebelled against Regalia, I wonder what Prof would do if Dawnslight did the same to him. This is why I mentioned that I'm interested to see what happens to him. On the one hand, he provides a necessary resource. On the other, he'd be defying a High Epic, and we all know they don't have much patience for insubordination. Honestly, I almost expect them to take down Prof relatively quickly in the next book. Presumably it will be the last in the series, and they'll have to deal with both Evil Prof and Calamity. For all that Prof is a huge danger and a fallen friend, I feel that Calamity will be the main focus of the book (and not just because of the title). I suppose it's possible that they could juggle dealing with both Prof and Calamity at the same time, or maybe they'll just deal with Calamity, removing all Epic powers (and therefore saving Prof and the rest of the world) in doing so. TL;DR: OMG Can't wait to see what comes next, and the year can't go fast enough. Sorry for the huge post.

*Sigh* Really not sure how I missed it. I went and checked again after you said where it should be, and sure enough, there it was, plain as day. I'm just going to blame that on being tired in addition to sick. Thanks for the help.

Hi, I just created an account, and while I plan to do a ton on this site (find out more about Adonalsium & Hoid, figure out where everyone gets the information that doesn't come from the books, etc.), there's one thing I've been trying to do that has really been bugging me. How do I change my member title? I went through everything I could see in the "Edit My Profile" section, and couldn't find it anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.