KSub

My bad

RoW spoilers Also whose ready for nalthian cyborgs. Kalads phantoms but made of metal instead of stone.

I was over in the Ars Arcanum and went on a bit if a deep dive of WoBs today. Here's what I found Brandon keeps his cards close with this RAFO. Sometimes he let's something slip before dropping the RAFO hammer. But what does Odium mean? 'We killed you.' He says, right after Dalinar opens Honors perpendicularity. You is presumably Honor. The only other option that makes sense is Adonalsium but I think that the less likely option. But who is we? Brandon makes a point of saying 'at various points'. I think he is saying that Odium has worked with multiple shards. It's been implied that Mercy may have helped splinter Ambition and Autonomy helped splinter Dominion and Devotion. Brandon says that it is dangerous for one shard to attack another. So would Odium attack two shards. I think it's more likely he convinced another shard to come to Roshar? My guess is Odium would have convinced Autonomy. It was a dishardic world. That seems like something Autonomy would be willing to help with, as she did on Sel.

The Returneds purposes tend to be a pretty specific moment. Not to say there can't be character development leading up to it but we haven't seen more esoteric examples, like 'doing good deeds'. From what we've seen it can involve sacrificing themselves but sometimes they just fulfill their purpose then go on to live a life without purpose. I think that Vashers purpose is going to be something significant and since he started as a stormlight character it will likely happen in stormlight. Of course, it would be so fitting for Vasher to do some small thing and realise he had fulfilled his purpose after hundreds of years. Just standing there shocked like, "this is what you brought me back for, edgli?'

I hadn't paid too much attention to the Roshar maps after WoK when they didn't mean much to me. But, outside of the novellas and interludes we are almost exclusively on the eastern half of the continent. I mean Alethkar, Jah Keved, Herdaz, Thalenah and the unclaimed hills make up all of the eastern half aside from the frostlands which are a sparsely populated unclaimed territory. Here's a few things, not secrets, but interesting connections from the other side of the continent. Tashikk, to the south of Azir, has a religion that believes in Nun Raylisi, a representation of Odium, whom they must wear a religious wrap to hide from. Nun Raylisi is opposed by Tashi, who the country is named after and is likely Ishar. Then to the north of Azir is the Purelake. There the people believe in Nu Ralik, their God who bestows suffering and whose name they are not aloud to speak, sounds a lot like Nun Raylisi. Then there is his brother Vun Makak, who we know little more about than he likes lies.

I read through a ton of WOBs today and I have to say, I think this theory is broken. But I still dont think we have a firm understanding of how the magic system works. Check out my next discussion.

I was actually searching for some info on Odium and stumbled across that WOB earlier today. Thanks for clarifying though. So how does Odium influence someone? I think we saw him do that when Kaladin was fighting the Pursuer. I'm not sure if Odium was able to do that because Kaladin is a surge binder or if he just has the ability to do fuel someone's anger. Also, does that mean we have to look out for lightweavers through out the cosmere now?

When we think of Roshar the nations of Alethkar, Jah Keved and Azir spring to mind but who can forget the majesty of Tu Fallia, Steen and Prash. The tapestry of Roshar is made up of 26 nations... Wait that can't be right? 26?! That's right. You probably didn't even know that I made up those lesser known nations. Actually, I only made up one but you probably don't know which one. My point is there is so little we see of the rest of Roshar. So, rather than talk about radiants, voidbringers and alethi, let's take the road less traveled and discuss some of the lesser known places and things of Roshar. Map of Roshar The 17th shards Interactive map https://roshar.17thshard.com/#/en-US

How do we know this?

And oddly ligbtweaver was my lowest match at something like 20%.

Alright, I'm getting on board with this theory. So odium goes to attack scadrial and cultivation stays on roshar with dalinar as a splinter of honor to protect her. It's possible that Odium could turn out to be trell in era3. I think trell is connected to autonomy but maybe not. I just realized that the shards might use the power of the splintered shards to make someone a splinter who could act as a sort of avatar. Does that make sense?

I did the quiz a while back and I think I had the same result but couldn't remember so I did it again. 76% Truthwatcher 74% elsecaller It makes sense when I read the description. I often really connect with Renarin too, feeling like an outsider, quiet, in my head.

I see where you're going Valigus but why would she do that? What would be the benefit of swapping vessels, especially if she gave up her own shard? You are trying to match characters to the shard they best represent but that won't make someone able to better use the shards. The shards are singled minded in their intent to the extreme. Just because someone is an exemplar of what a particular shard represents, people are multifaceted. We see that even the highspren are more like people than the things they represent. Cultivation seems to have set up a regime change on Roshar but I don't think she intends to go anywhere.

Fair enough, so the Lord Ruler had the best of intentions. So would you argue that Rashek is a protagonist? If not why? The point I was originally trying to make is that we know Rashek is the bad guy. I don't think Era4 will be some moral Grey area where the knights radiants are at war with harmonys forces and we see both sides as right. Even if those are the sides in the conflict we will see one as the antagonist.

The lord ruler had children. Their descendants are still alive after the catacendre. Brandon has said they aren't important to the cosmere.

That makes Rashek sound selfish? He killed Alendi who was supposed to be the hero of ages to take the power for himself. He did it in part because khlennium conquered Terris. Then he went on to conquer most of the world himself, erase the terris religion, turn all the feruchemists into mindless mistwraiths. Then when they started turning up again he had them all castrated to protect his compounding secret. And those are his people. Then there's the subjugation of the skaa, countless wars, the canton of inquisition and soothing stations just so that he can maintain power. Rashek just wants people to rule over, he doesn't care who they are.

I agree with everything except Odium creating the Nahel bond. We know Honor did that to restrict the use of surgebinding. Also, the bond is formed when someone speaks the immortal words and the storm father accepts them. I'm not sure, was the stuff about investiture supposed to relate to the magic system?

Respectfully I disagree. You can argue that feruchemy isn't a separate magic system but just a resonance between the shards. I would say it's semantics but I will accept your definition. Regardless there are three different applications of investiture with allomancy being net positive, feruchemy being neutral and hemalurgy being net negative. We still don't have enough systems on roshar as there should be 1 or arguably 3 resonances and 1 system for each shard. What you describe as cultivation and honors systems are the internal and external attributes of surgebinding. Every system has internal and external skills. Shardblades could be a resonance, I'll agree to that. I don't think shards have any control over whether or not they create a magic system once they invest in a place. Stormlight is just investiture. When you hold any form of investiture it has the same effect. Stormlight is just a little more raw so you get those highs and lows. So it seems we are still short.

So you're saying adonalsium came from another civilization, created what we think of as the cosmere and when it reforms it will, go on and do that again? That's an interesting take if I understand you correctly. I'm curious to learn what the scar is. That may tie into your theory.

So your interpretation is that the image is not literal and more figurative. I can accept that. This leads me back to the classic question, what is adonalsium? Is it an aspect of the God beyond? If adonalsium is the power at the center of the spiritual realm they should be connected. Maybe I'm still thinking too literally. No one ever mentioned where this came from.

You're right ixthos. I should have said we know that there are 4 dawnshards and I believe they were involved in the shattering. I like your interpretation as well but I can't find a reason why the spiritual realm would be represented by a 4 pointed star. It could just be an image to represent the unknown but why do the four arcs represent the physical realm? and shouldn't the cognitive realm overlap the physical, or is the spiritual realm the thing connecting the two ? I'm not saying that your interpretation is wrong. I just feel like there should be something more to it.

The spren seem to have no qualms bonding children, as they also bonded lift. It seems that Kaladin and Tien had spren as children too, it just wasn't the formal bond we think of at that point. So who knows how many other children have spren following them. I'm going to make a controversial statement here and say that they aren't wrong to want to do that. At the very least not within the context of honor and cultivation. Children's minds are not fully formed. Thats precisely why the spren would want to bond them. Our family and culture inform who we become and if the spren act as a sort of imaginary friend helping children and encouraging personal growth and honorable actions that doesn't seem so bad. In a martial society like Alethkar, with the Everstorm approaching, it seems even more reasonable. The Alethi train children in the art of war. Is it any different from what the spren would do? Children are prone to making bad decisions and refusing to do what they know they should. I wouldn't want to be the spren bonded to a teenager. But the greater risk seems to be on the spren should the kids break their oaths. And we have also seen that spren can come back from this. If the payoff is better prepared radiants who are more dedicated to their oaths it really makes sense that the spren would do it. Imagine if all the windrunners were like kaladin and had a spren as kids. Shallan being bonded with a shardblade seems to be unusual and could be related to the Cryptics or the Ghostbloods.

It is definitely a possibility. Hoid always seems to be aligned with our heroes and he is doing good things in between annoying people so it doesn't feel right. Of course there's s lot of books left for that to change. I can't wait for the day Brandon gives us a hint of what Hoid is really up to.

I read the WOB. As you mention he says the villain at the end of Way of Kings. I checked the chapter summaries on the coppermind. The epilogue is hoid meeting taln but the end note is about one of taravangians men leaving a death rattle message for him. I want to believe he means Taravangian. But what if it's Taln! Dun dun dunnnn!

Okay Rosharans don't get things but sometimes a chicken really is a chicken. Surge binding is a thing that exists on Roshar and there was something they viewed as surgebinding on Ashyn. The argument about the Singers being forbidden to use surge binding has some merit, but does it specify when? Like was it something they had access to before or were they forbidden when the humans came and brought surgebinding? Also, we know the shards each manifest a magic system from mistborn. Do we know of any other magic systems on Roshar? There's the old magic, the bonds, surge binding, and maybe voidbinding but everything the fused do seems to be a slightly different version of the surges. I would say the two are the same, so the question is what magic is associated with each shard. The old magic is cultivation, the bonds are honor and that leaves odium and the surges. The only problem is that there should be more systems since Scadrial had three but I can't think of any others.