What's a Seawolf?

Any chance the Dustbringer could be Liss from WoR prologue? I tried finding a physical description of her, and what I found is limited (don't have the book with me,) but it doesn't seem to contradict what we have been given. And Mr. T would bring an assassin with him, because of course he would.

Could be a sign of Ishar (or whichever Herald's) madness. Claiming they are the bearer of the oathpact when in fact they abandoned it. Either as an internal way of avoiding reality and their actions, or in the sense of 'I bear the pain of the oathpact, what it's caused and the consequences of our decision.'

To go into more wild speculation territory: The voidspren is yellow/gold, which follows the golden light Dalinar sees in his vision at the end of WoR and in the Odium Champions vision. If we assume glowing red eyes is more of a Cosmere wide 'corrupted' (for lack of a better term) Investiture phenomenon, Odium could very well be related to yellow/gold. I also think there's some connection between the Shin and Odium. Between the voidspren looking like a Shin, and the Shin's reverence for stone (and to a degree the Listeners,) there's something going on there. (Aren't Thunderclasts or some evil thing of Odium made of stone?) I remember many moons ago reading a theory which postulated that stone was invested by Odium, or the only thing safe from Odium (polar opposites I know, but it's early and I can't remember,) and I think there's something to that. (And there have been WAY too many strata references for it not too mean something very significant.)

The Tezim=Ishar theory just went up a few points in my book. If the connection wasn't so blatant in Dalinar's chapter, I'd be fully on board. Likewise did the 'Dalinar asked to forget his wife' theory, and thus he is remembering Evi because he has a new wife. (If/when he starts forgetting Navani those scenes could be brutal to read.)

I know it's just a chicken, but walking around with a bird on one's shoulder reminds me explicitly of certain other ability granting avians... Cosmere Short Story spoilers

Also known as the greatest three chapters in Cosmere history.

What if Hoid becomes the new Adonalsium...but by accident? It seems Hoid is running around collecting various forms of Investiture from the various shards. Maybe he's doing this as a preservation (no pun intended) effort against whatever destroyed Yolen. In other words, he sees no way of halting some currently non-canon threat, and is going around collecting 16 forms of Investiture as a way to start over whenever that chance presents itself. Or maybe he thinks only by using the power of all 16 shards against this threat can it be defeated. Either way, he could in theory 'accidentally' end up in the role of new Adonalsium by the conclusion of the Cosmere's story. I tend to agree that (to us Sharders anyway) the idea of wanting to become a new Adonalsium is too obvious, so this is just a way for that to happen but from a different path.

Random thought: Seeing Dalinar's flashback chapters and the stark contrast between young and old Dalinar, could Adolin be on the opposite path? Incredibly honorable and good while young, but because of future events, eventually becomes more and more like the Blackthorn of old. Would be a nice juxtaposition between the two, and Adolin does seem concerned his killing of Sadaes makes him very unlike his father. It doesn't even have to be a big event that causes him to snap (like being banished,) just a slow build up of stress, worry and a general feeling that being honorable/like his father is just not going to be enough to keep everyone he cares about alive. (As a random example, let's say his relationship with Shallan continues evolving and keeps getting better. But Ialai is clearly right there not only trying to break/expose Adolin (and in his mind ruin his chances with Shallan) but Ialai is also threatening Shallan's safety or secrets. Maybe Adolin decides, either by thinking it through or having a snap moment like Sadeas, that Ialai needs to go. And makes it happen.)

"She sucked in the Light hungrily. She held her breath so it wouldn’t puff out when she breathed, and… suppressed the Light. She could do that, she’d found. To prevent herself from glowing or drawing attention. She’d done that as a child, hadn’t she?" Between that line and Shallan asking Pattern last week if she had killed her brothers...I think there's more to Shallan's childhood than killing her father and mother. She did something to her brothers, for good or ill intentions, and suppressed it like everything else.

I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but on a larger scale, with all the Radiants that are inevitably going to be popping up, someone is going to fail. It could make a very, very interesting story arc if it was someone whose head we've been inside. Not saying I want it to happen, but it would open up a whole slew of possibilities and story arcs. Yes Kaladin 'failed,' but he got Syl back. What about a former Radiant who doesn't? (Do they go dark and attract an Odium spren to make up the missing void?) I like this thought. I'm leaning towards Shallan having done...something to her brothers. No idea what, or even if it was good or bad, but the idea popped into her head when Shallan freaked and asked Pattern if she killed her brothers. To which Pattern replied, 'This isn't the lie.' Now that could mean a bunch of things, but I think there's some truth/lie hidden with Shallan and her brothers.

Rock and Lift in the same poll is not fair I voted both, on the assumption they will meet and fly off with Hoid for the greatest spinoff series ever.

After the most recent chapters, I think it has to be an Unmade. (Perhaps feeding off strong feelings of hatred?)

It's a dead giveaway. Rock is the author.

That's a good point. I'm still of the mind that the Everstorm filled the holes in Dalinar's mind. The only way I can reconcile that with Lift, is Lift (as far as we know, I think) didn't have anything removed from her. Just altered. Dalinar most definitely seemed to have something removed by the Nightwatcher, which based on Kaladin's chapter, the Everstorm may have filled.

Is there a timeline for when the Parshmen were enslaved? Could it have been Ishar/the Heralds, rather than a regular Bondsmith KR? It's been implied numerous times that the Heralds had stronger/more powers than the KR's, I can see this being something they did to try and hinder Odium.

I just want to see Rock. And Teft. And the Lopen. And all Bridge Four. Except once they appear on screen they'll probably die. So maybe it's good they're on vacation.

And the copycat killer has to be an Unmade at this point. Both because of the nature of the murders, and from a storytelling perspective. Odium's name has been dropped more and more as time goes on, some of his 'generals' (loose term) have to make a notable, antagonistic appearance as well. Plus, an Unmade secretly taking residence in the Knights Radiance main base sounds like a clever thing for Odium to do.

With the talk in Kaladin's chapter about the Everstorm filling in Parshendi gaps that had been ripped out, could the Everstorm have somehow filled the gaps in Dalinar's mind as well? If there is anything that could overpower or erase the Old Magic (Cultivation,) it would be something of Odium.

I like the Nightblood thought just because of the out-of-universe context surrounding it. If I remember correctly, Warbreaker was written as an intro of sorts to Nightblood and Vasher, and that each were intended to be characters in Stormlight, not Warbreaker characters used for another purpose. Nightbloood as an evil spren and evil shardblade, whose thoughts can be used to draw such a drastic comparison to good guy spren, (especially with Nightblood thinking he's doing such good,) is exactly what I would picture Odiums champion wielding.

Lift will eat said rose before it is awarded, making the competition moot.

In front of Kal. To which Syl replies, out loud of course, 'See Kaladin, remember that the next time you want to complain about me.'

'Wanna divide by zero?' is the greatest pickup line ever.

I'm disappointed in you guys, missing some obvious connections. Massive Cosmere spoilers ahoy Also Lift, just because. In my honest and sleep deprived opinion.

I'm not as confident as I once was, but I'm sticking with Navani. Mentioning Shadesmar so soon seems like too obvious a hint for Jasnah, so it's probably a head fake. Navani is described as writing her memoirs early in Chapter 4, and may not be on the godless heretic level of Jasnah, but she is SURELY getting there, at least in the views of others. Plus with Navani's connection to all the Radiants popping up, her seeing into or visiting Shadesmar (even without being a Radiant herself) is well within the realm of possibility. And to add to that, it sounds like the in-world Oathbringer is going to be about what Dalinar sees or his new ideals. (In other words, something relating to his new KR this-is-how-we-save-the-world philosophy.) Navani is not just in prime position to write such a book, but is a scholar herself.

Awesome idea. Some random thoughts looking at the map -Whatever the creature or warlord is in Sesemalex Dar may very well head to Azir, once general knowledge of Urithiru and Oathgates becomes known. No other Oathgate is even remotely close, and Oathgates are going to become critical for both aggressive and defensive maneuvers. (Don't want an army dropping in right next door without warning.) -Lift grew up in Rall Elorim, which has an Oathgate. I anticipate a connection there at some point. -The four Oathgates in the Northwest portion of the map (counting Shinovar and Rira) seems a little odd with the story so far and general Rosharian power favoring strongly the eastern part of the continent. Obviously the Oathgates were created in a much different time period, but 40% of the Oathgates in one relatively small section is a little strange based on our current knowledge. -There is a large swath of land in the northeast and all the Reshi Isles that have no Oathgate.