Kingsdaughter613

I would very much like to see a follow up where Kelsier ‘corrects’ Hoid’s facts with even more ridiculous ones, with several follow ups where the two attempt to one up the other. Ending with a final follow up from Marsh with ‘actually accurate Cosmere facts’ that, astonishingly, are actually accurate. But written in a totally exasperated manner. “Despite what this Hoid, or my idiot brother, would have us believe, I have not found the slightest trace of any such unshattering prophesy. Nor any prophesies involving anyone with Kelsier’s description, thankfully. His ego is bloated enough as it is. A dragon named Frost was remarkably helpful in this regard. Kelsier was rather less so, and Hoid was entirely unavailable.”

No one tells Thaidakar what to do - not even Brandon, lol! (By Brandon’s own admission, no less!) Mraize’s master is Iyatil. Iyatil has her own master, whom Shallan assumes is Thaidakar. We don’t actually know that this is Thaidakar. Thaidakar is the ultimate master of the Ghostbloods.

Going by what we’ve seen in the past, Thaidakar runs his group by telling his people what to do, them letting them do it. So he’s definitely responsible for policy, but less so for how it’s carried out. His method of running a group requires most of his people to be semi-independent operatives. This can be very effective, but it can also backfire. We saw it backfire back when his core crew consisted of less than a dozen people working within a small area. Is Kelsier responsible for Yeden getting the army killed? I’d say yes, but to what extent? Certainly Kelsier’s actions and policies with regard to his true plan instigated that result. But he didn’t order it; he certainly didn’t want it. He was horrified when he realized what Yeden had done. Now he’s running an organization across multiple worlds. Everything has to be done by proxy because Kelsier can’t leave Scadrial. He isn’t even directly responsible for recruitment! My guess is that Thaidakar gives general orders but leaves interpretation to the people on the ground, who may or may not end up doing what he wants. We’ve already seen how easily control can be lost: Thaidakar (probably) ordered Jasnah’s death, the Ghostbloods on Roshar contracted Tyn, Tyn hired (unbeknownst to the Ghostbloods) a third party in a foreign country, and that third party may have been responsible for hiring the fourth who were (probably) the people who attacked the Wind’s Pleasure. So yes, Thaidakar is at the head of the chain and does bear some responsibility. But he certainly didn’t know how the hit was ultimately carried out and he almost certainly did not intend for things to go down as they did. Let’s remember, this is the man Brandon made this statement about: “In book one, Vin learned to trust–and she learned one of Kelsier’s prime beliefs. That it’s better to trust, and be betrayed, than to always worry about everyone around you.” Kelsier’s greatest strength is his ability to trust his people. But when your people aren’t actually worthy of such trust, that strength can all too easily become a weakness. Put another way: If the Ghostbloods were run by anyone else they’d be a mess. They’re effective BECAUSE Kelsier creates cults of personality, so all his people are completely loyal to him. Which is a good thing (for him, anyway), because Kell doesn’t believe in oversight. So, yeah. Now that I think about it, two is actually more accurate than one. Kelsier’s crews only work because, well, he’s Kelsier. He creates policy and his people carry it out without oversight, often doing it in ways he probably wouldn’t approve of if he knew. Which he doesn’t, because he trusts them so doesn’t bother with oversight. And it works because they literally worship the ground he walks on... Seriously Kell... Man, I really feel sorry for Dox now. You know he’s the only reason anything got done. Kelsier is a terrible administrator. ”No, Kell. You cannot send people halfway across the Cosmere and expect them to do the job the way you want it.” ”... Why not?”

If she was trans she would have transitioned as soon as she had access to Lifelight. So she’s pretty obviously not. Lift has Peter Pan syndrome with related body dysmorphia.

Just to note: Shallan assumes it was the Ghostbloods. We’ve never received any evidence for or against it being them. And Kell is at least two levels away from the Rosharan GBs. My guess is that he’s quite a bit further even than that. BTW, Brandon confirmed it even earlier. Before we started asking questions he specifically asked that we don’t use Thaidakar’s real name, in such a way as to make it clear that he knew we knew and we were right. And his team erased any question straight up asking if Kelsier was Thaidakar immediately.

Maybe Kelsier did.

Wit isn’t to be trusted when it comes to Kelsier. They don’t like each other much. The Ghostbloods are built around trust. They don’t harm one another and can call upon each other at need. They’re run without direct oversight, which implies a massive amount of trust. Kelsier was fine with Breeze using soothing on different members. He himself manipulated his entire crew. Marsh was more amused than annoyed when Vin used emotional allomancy on him. Manipulation and ambition are fine; they just can’t reach a point where they harm the crew.

True, but the final Cosmere arc will be a Mistborn story, while Roshar’s story will be the centerpiece.

I find this very interesting. I adore Kell, but I’ve felt the Ghostbloods could be his since WoR. I just didn’t expect Brandon to let him, but I always knew he would do it. So I was surprised to see how many people thought otherwise.

Yes, I did read it. This post is theorizing on why these two worlds in particular would end up in such a type of conflict.

I picture him as the Rock, despite knowing he has fair skin. Shrugs.

True, that’s why I said we need further clarification.

@Truthwatcher at the Rim We need another hint.

The Ghostbloods do know how to get Investiture off Roshar. This was explicitly stated in the book. Kelsier is unique because he’s a Sliver. So he may no longer follow the exact same rules as the Heralds. Originally he probably did. Brandon has been unclear about the Returned. The one you cited was several years older than the one I referenced. We really need more clarification on this.

It’s less that he likes people worshipping him and more that he tends to create cults of personality. We’ve only seen him deliberately create one religion, and that wasn’t supposed to take off until his death. (Which he had no expectation of surviving.) He doesn’t like worship; he likes adulation. He likes being viewed as a hero. He likes people to look up to him. However, he has a lot of personality. Over the centuries, what began as a the loyalty of a crew has become the devotion of the faithful. This was almost certainly unintentional, but it is a natural outgrowth of having an immortal leader with as much charisma as Thaidakar has. I’m not sure to what extent he’s even aware of it. The core Ghostblood leadership is likely made of Thaidakar’s personal picks, a group of people who know him well and aren’t afraid to call him out. He knows himself; he knows he needs that. Stuck as he is on Scadrial, Thaidakar doesn’t get to interact directly with most Ghostbloods. In many ways the GBs are more like the army than the crew. They’re a more natural outgrowth of the crew than the army was, but they’re not the same thing as the core group around Thaidakar himself.

Very true. Kelsier is unique among Brandon’s protagonists and antagonists. (And the fact that I can put him in both categories now cracks me up.) Most of Brandon’s protagonists are good people who are looking to do good. His antagonists tend to fall into two groups: good men who do evil, and evil men who do evil. Kelsier is unique because he’s the only character who is naturally inclined to evil, but wants to be good. Kell focuses himself at what he perceives as good causes so he can channel the dark parts of himself for good purpose. Kelsier is not a good man, but he WANTS to be. I think ultimately that is the character’s journey. He’s learning how to be a good man, one that is more selfless and caring and less egoistic and selfish. Yes, he’s going to mess up along the way. But as long as he keeps looking toward that goal, he won’t ever truly be a villain.

I’ve thought he could be Thaidakar since WoR so... I’m surprised Brandon let him do it, but I’m not surprised Kelsier is doing it. Because the Ghostbloods always felt like Kell’s thing. I don’t think Kelsier’s evil, not by a long shot. I think he’s chaotic neutral, the mythic trickster of the Cosmere. (Hoid is the folk trickster.) He’s trouble and the real question is who he’s causing trouble for. Kelsier is a liar, a trickster, a thief and a conman - and I love him for it. I think good or evil heavily depends on where and when you are viewing him. He isn’t either; he’s neutral. It’s our perspective that shifts with the character’s viewpoints.

Brandon has said he’d write it if he has time. I wouldn’t be surprised if TLM has some references though, now that RoW is out. We already know the origins though; the Mistborn crew was the original version of the Ghostbloods.

My older daughter has brain damage from encephalitis which cut off the flow of oxygen to her brain at two months. So it stood out to me a bit more than it would for most.

The Sibling said the damage would heal because Dabbid wasn’t born that way, so... It sounds like he has cerebral palsy caused by oxygen deprivation at birth.

Kelsier should be aware of how Shards change the Vessel - he was one, and remains a Sliver of it. I suspect, judging by what we know, he’s looking to con Autonomy out of hers. After all, that IS exactly what Saze needs. I don’t think we’ll find out much about the GBs until Era 3. TLM was supposed to release before we knew Kell was Thaidakar, after all.

The character is male, Invested and a worldhopper. Allomancers and Surgebinders are not inherently Invested. Sorry!

Ah, got it! For want of an Oxford comma... lol!

Demoux isn’t Invested though... That Elantrian in Shadesmar.

Vasher