What's a Seawolf?

That's a really good point. If Kal is in the vicinity when the punishment is going down, I could see him very easily doing the same thing Adolin did when Kal was punished. I'm trying to think if his oaths would get in the way, hard to protect others when you're stuck in jail or exiled, but just the threat of Kal doing it could sway the punishment to something lighter or none at all.

New theory: Adolin IS banished. However, unofficially, Dalinar is really sending him on a mission to somehow persuade uncooperative nations to join the cause. Adolin ends up in Azir and meets everyone's favorite street rat. Lift not only helps Adolin revive his blade, but teaches him how to Edgedance. Adolin goes from Highprince and at the top of polite society to surfing down hallways on his butt occasionally stealing dinner. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Lift is so going to be responsible for making Azir and Dalinar play nice. And she'll probably do it accidentally. Then she'll eat Dalinar's dinner right from under him.

Still think it's Navani.

And if I could add just one more thing... Am I the only one who gets absurdly excited whenever Azir is mentioned? Because Azir means a certain pancake eating shardfork bearing best character ever. And her interacting with all our mains is worth a series on it's own

Late to the party this week, but two quick points. Kal's brother is either a major player in the back half, or Odium's champion via the death rattle. Possibly both, assuming Kal refuses to kill him. (Which could make for some GREAT character development and introspective, being the one whose being alive is responsible for Odium being free.) Shallan being unable to draw Urithiru has to do with the city itself, not her. Maybe it had some serious cognitive defenses or properties, and she's picking up on that trying to sketch it. (Similiar to spotting the hiding liespren in drawings.) Her attempted sketches will lead to some critical discovery about the city.

I like it! Random thought: If Ishar is indeed the traitor among the Heralds, could he have been the one that broke the bond that killed Honor? I'm having a bit of a hard time reconciling that (once Ishar abandoned the Oathpact I can't imagine Honor allowing Ishar to bond him) but it would certainly give greater impact to 'one is almost certainly a traitor to the others.' The more I think about your theory the more I like the simplicity, but if true whoever had been bonded to Honor HAS to be a fairly major character. I don't see Brandon having Honor killed by generic Bondsmith #3. (And I know Honor says in one of the visions 'Odium has killed me' or something to that effect, but he could just have been referring to the mastermind behind the breaking of the bonds, Ishar/whoever being just a pawn.)

My first instinct was Navani, and I'm sticking with it. Quoting myself from another topic: 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.

*puts on tinfoil hat* Hesina was about to tell Kal that he has a new adopted sister. That sister's name is Lift. *takes off tinfoil hat* (Don't talk to me about timelines and distances, let me dream! )

I think Roshone's fate will either be exactly as you describe, or he will become a Radiant. The latter doesn't mean he avoids dying either, just that he will probably be around a little while longer than he otherwise would. (Side note: If Roshone does become a Radiant, and Gaz IS some sort of squire or proto-radiant himself... Kaladin is probably just going to throw his hands up and fly off into space.)

That is a brilliant yet terrifying thought. And something I can see Brandon pulling. This being Dalinar's 'book,' I had been assuming this whole time someone close to him was going to die (if he himself lives, anyway.) But him 'losing' Navani in that fashion could be all the more heartbreaking.

If I had to pick someone right now as the author of the Oathbringer pieces, it would be 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.

Syl's 'aunt' HAS to be Cultivation/the Nightwatcher, right? I know she refers to her aunt as an honorspren, but her memory is not exact. Also, "Besides, there was… another voice. Pure, with a song like tapped crystal, distant yet demanding…" Was that Cultivation (probably with the help of futuresight) calling Syl to Kaladin?

“Oh, I’m not objecting,” Navani said. “I’d let a confused dishwasher marry us." Is it bad that my IMMEDIATE thought upon reading that was scouring my brain for any confused dishwasher's that appeared in Brandon's other novels?

To tie the gold light/Odium discussion into one of my favorite theories, what if that scene is made to represent Odium blocking the Radiants Path to the Spirit Realm? The theory goes that the secret that broke the Knights Radiant is the discovery that when KR's die they are forced to go to Braize, just like the Heralds. The scene in Chp 1 COULD be symbolic of that. Odium and the Unmade standing guard to block the KR's path to peace after death.

This is now my favorite theory, and I haven't even read the books.

Although the answer is probably the obvious, I really like the idea that the gold light is Honor or the Spiritual Realm. Not just because of the gold light Dalinar sees at the end of WoR, but who else wears gold when Dalinar sees him? Honor. And I'm pretty sure it was a completely gold outfit as well. How that would work with Honor being splintered I'm not sure, but as others have mentioned, having two symbolic representations of Odium is a little odd, and with 9 shadows sprouting from the 'champion,' that figure reminds me a lot more of Odium than a color previously associated with other things.

Most worrisome thing about these chapters is what the Lopen is going to do without all his one armed Herdazian jokes. Poor guy.

Love this theory. I'd much rather it be Ishar than Mr.T for a variety of reasons. Is it feasible that both Ishar and Mr.T were there? Taking an above comment that no one else in story has mentioned Mr.T being there the night of the assassination, he may very well have been in disguise. And being a king, isn't his usual garb something akin to robes? This is stretching very far with no evidence, but maybe the second soldier is Mr.T, wearing soldier gear instead of his usual kingly cloths to not be recognized. Now, Eshonai doesn't mention that there were two old men in the room, but from her perspective soldier armor/uniform is probably much more unique and identifiable then 'old.'

Jasnah. Just don't see the hype yet, but I'm betting it will come. (And probably in Oathbringer.) Lift, on the other hand, is one of the greatest characters ever. And that's with only one interlude and novella

Just finished Blood Mirror. Started the series a couple months ago. Was feeling eh about Black Prism (Brandon has gotten me hooked on great/well explained magic systems, and the first book did nothing for me in that regard.) But books 2 and 3 kept getting better and better, both in that regard and character development. Gavin Guile is one of my favorite characters ever. However, I HATED the twist at the very end of Book 3. Too out of nowhere for me, and felt more like a shock value twist as opposed to a natural one. (Which sometimes I don't mind, this just didn't feel like a shock value twist type series.) Book 4 was more gripping than I realized, simply because as I was reading I didn't realize how fast I was burning through it. I actually didn't mind the twist mentioned above, I think because it was explained rather well. (In theory, that one character could be lying about the whole thing. But that's highly doubtful.) However, I REALLY don't like that black luxin is basically a get out of jail free card to change nearly any plot development that happened previously. Maybe that's a bit hyperbole, and I get from a writing perspective it opens a lot of doors, but still, as of now I'm not that big a fan of that development. (Though I'd love to know all the effects of White Luxin.) Character development in book 4 was great, and there is more humanization and depth to most of the mains than I expected. I just HATE how the book simply...ended. Liv and the banes felt so, so rushed. And it felt like I was watching a movie that cut out with 30 minutes remaining. Still, after book 3 I was iffy about finishing the series, but now I'm hooked. Though I can't see how all the major plot points can be wrapped up in one more novel, no matter how long. (The White King war, sure, but right now I'm FAR more interested in the supernatural stuff - the Nine King's cars, that rarely seen librarian whose name I forget, the super villain that showed up briefly in book 3 etc.)

I just got to this part on my reread. The quote seems to imply (three not being uncommon for them) that other numbers were possible. And if they 'didn't seek to increase it by great bounds', then it was possible to have more than 3 Bondsmiths. I guess the question is why only three.

Didn't realize the feelings for WoA. Personally I loved it. Elantris is easily my least favorite work. There are many factors, one of which is the story structure. Not the biggest fan of the x-y-z story structure. But far bigger than that is I cannot in any way stand the Hrathen storyline. It's the one thing Brandon's written that my eyes just glaze over. The lead females chapters, forget her name, I also found very boring until about halfway to three quarters of a way through the story. Raoden's story is fantastic throughout, however.

If it does end up becoming a duel between champions, I really think the following death rattle is referencing Odium's choice. "I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw." I'm rereading WoK now, so maybe in WoR Kaladin's lessons from his father are less of an internal thought, but his father's 'you either take lives, or save them' mentality seems to be HUGE with Kal. I can see Kaladin as Honor's champion, and Odium countering with a baby.

“Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.” C'mon guys, you all remember Elementary School! What's black and white and red all over? A bloody penguin! Clearly Stormlight 10 will involve 10 million bloody penguins leaving Ashyn to kick the humans off Roshar for good. The quote is the culmination of the final battle, where only 10 radiants remain alive.