Argel

Except that e.g. "The Greater Roshar system" could qualify as a valid answer.

Brandon has pretty much RAFO'd questions like that. I think even "from Braize" was asked at some point. We do know Brandon wants the SA to stand on it's own so not slip too much Cosmere stuff in. Howewever, if it's not particularly relevant to the Herald, then some could be world-hoppers from outside the Greater Rosharn system. Probably more likely ones that will not have a flashback book. Also, there are stronger ties to Warbreaker, so Brandon may allow more Warbreaker stuff to slip in. Though I think he will limit it to stuff that does not make the casual reader feel like they have additional books to read outside of SA.

I'm pretty sure there's a WoB on this that e.g. Syl can only transform into a single object (so e.g. no bow and arrow). I tried searching on Theoryland though, so it could have slipped into my headcanon. But even without a WoB, doubt the spren can slit themselves up into multiple parts. That doesn't really fit in with everything we've seen.

The concern is how much bulkier the shardplate is. If it juts out 3 inches further than what he is used to fighting in then he will need to adjust some of his fighting stances, maneuvers, etc.

Wow, a ten year old secret. Easier to keep for books, but still impressive given that it was part of the original pitch/plan! And that we won't have to wait several more years (unlike e.g. Warbreaker 2).

If Attica lost his life but will somehow find it again then not so dark after all. Not going to hold my breath on that, but we shouldn't rule it out. Also, what about his wife (ex-wife?)? Could her Talent bring Attica back?

I don't think they're that bad. More likely a looser interpretation such as I suggested above. Again, Brandon has stated the exact words do not matter.

Yeah, I mean, Shallan has been around Kaladin while Syl was still around (on patrol and when Shallan arrives at the Shattered Plains), so if they could sense each other, then there should have been a scene with Pattern and/or Syl complaining about the other one. Also, assuming Renarin is a Truthwatcher, Syl should have notice his spren. I assume Shallan and Renarin had to meet at some point as well, even if off-page, so Pattern would have had a chance to notice. Yeah, but was he a real Constable? And did he apply to become one as the himself? Did he truly qualify for that position (e.g. could being a a citizen of that country be a pre-requisite)? Did he come in at a lower position and work his way up to constable?? And how many countries does he need to do something like that in? And does he report to work like everyone else? It really feels more like he's assuming being a Skybreaker and/or the Herald of Justice covers that and is just making sure that the rest is actually valid for that country. But the reality is that it is vigilante justice.

From a purely writing standpoint, we've seen Kaladin do amazing things without it in two books now. Unless it's windrunner specific and sleek, I think it will just feel out of place for his character now. As an avid game player, I am also used to the heavy armor and the fleet-of-foot types of fighters, and basically we've seen Kaladin as the latter for two books now, and that will continue into SA3 at least for a short while. So, if he does get armor, I expect it to fall into line that type of fighter.

Haven't we seen Shallan's blade change length, like when she went to cut the handholds in the chasm cliff face? And didn't her father put it in his safe? That's not the same level of change we've seen with Kaladin, but it is evidence the others can change shape to at least some extent.

Well, Shallan had her bond at a ridiculously young age before losing it (or almost losing it) when her mother was killed and we have no hints she stopped aging/maturing. Supposedly Renarin has been bonded longer than we think, and it looks like Jasnah bonded either the night of her fathers assassination or shortly thereafter (recall that she enters Shadesmar). If Jasnah stopped aging for 6 years you would think it might start to stand out. Though I could see the case being made that it would be attributed to her stunning beauty. But in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, sometimes stuff that stops aging does so immediately, and you find 1000 year old beings that still look like a little kid. Other times, it does not prevent the being from growing to maturity. The former sounds more like Young Adult material, so I am not sure Brandon will go that route with a Cosmere magic system -- Lift's situation is probably good enough to cover some of those tropes (speculation is she is maturing physically but has not matured mentally -- sounds like she should have phrased her wish to the Nightwatcher better). Well, considering it's the only new story....

May memory is hazy on this, but there may be a WoB that Shallan isn't at Wit's level yet, so he would destroy her in a battle of insults. Though I also agree that it's less likely to happen because of their past encounters. Mild Cosmere spoiler: I think it would actually be more fun to see Shallan and Hoid tag teaming e.g. the Highprinces, shredding their feable souls with an insane barrage of razor sharp insults and killer puns.!

Agree with the others -- excellent question and it's impressive you did not get RAFO'd. I suspect Brandon rewarded you for a such a good question! Well done and an upvote. I think @Yata has it right -- this really helps explain why the vessels have taken such an interest in people, planets, etc. It probably also helps explain the magic systems on minor shardwords.

@Turbonator: Please use spoiler tags for non-SA stuff. Agree that Nightblood will give different powers though. Though we will probably have to RAFO it. Nalan says that, but we have no idea if he's still a Skybreaker. There are very strong hints the Heralds are "getting worse" and may all be insane. Shalash defacing statues comes to mind. And Nalan stalking KRs can just as easily fit in there. I think Nalan is far too rigid -- I don't see how thnat would work well for an entire order -- they would likely be banned from various kingdoms fairly quickly. Keep in mind that as far as we can tell he is meting out vigilante justice. It's like he verifies their was a crime serious enough to justify murder and then he executes it instead of the authorities, which arguably could make him a criminal.

Sounds like we will learn more about how healing, etc. works in Warbreaker 2 (Warbreaker and The Emporer's Soul spoilers):

I could see "casual" readers skipping them, especially considering the letters are spread out across chapters and books. So they could definitely be there for the hardcore fans. And any readers that start with SA and are interested in them will likely eventually learn about the Cosmere and join the hardcore fanbase. So, it does seem like one of the safest places to slip more in. Probably ditto for the Ars Acanum.

How does the Recreance even happen if they have lost their free will? We're not talking about proto-KRs back then, but experienced KRs, which according to this theory would have the least amount of free will left.

Warbreaker spoilers:

Brandon has stated that it's the intent that matters, not the specific words, and that we would see other KRs say some of the oaths worded differently. Would a really young Shallan say the exact above words? Probably not. But she is an artist, and in that context, the above could be expressed in many different ways. "I want to see the world before I die and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" might be good enough, and considering how much she likes to draw flora and fauna, it doesn't seem like a stretch. As a side note, Shallan has progressed the furthest of all the proto-KRs, which puts her at level 4.

It can be hard to track down, but there's a WoB -- actually, I think from an interview -- that his biggest concern is letting too much Cosmere stuff slip into SA, because he wants SA to stand on it's own. I doubt Hoid will reveal too much that is outside of the Roshar system. There are two other planets with sentient life though, so world-hopping between those could come into play. If nothing else, the Letters help establish that Hoid and Wit are the same person. Anyone remember which alias Hoid was using when he met Shallan and her father? The letters may be meant more for the Cosmere aware, just written in such a way as to not be too spoilery for those not Cosmere aware.

The problem with the silver/aluminum theory is that Mistborn Secret History Spoiler:

That could fit in with the Hiearcracy problems @skeene1 mention above, and they are probably one of the few orders that could pull off the "faking participation" theory. Now that I think about it more, doesn't one of the two above theories need to be true? That is, if one order just flat out did not participate then it would not be a secret, so whoever it was had to fake their participation in the Recreance or have a subset participate to mask that some did not. That's assuming the in-world WoR is accurate.

It's pretty clear from the context that question was so wide open that almost any answer could be valid -- e.g. that the 16 that caused the shattering could be considered a force. He goes on to say that there is no "devil" equivalent to Adonalsium. So basically, he answers the intent of the question (the devil part) and the rest is him toying with the fan for asking such an open-ended question. Reading anything more into it beyond that makes no sense (beyond that you should think long and hard about how to phrase your question). Edit: I think the unknown force mentioned above is the weapon that was used in the shattering. And no, Hoid was/is not that weapon. And Hoid and Frost were apparently involved and so far signs point to them being part of the conspiracy, so that's 2 beyond the 18. If Frost formed the 17th Shard then they could date back to the shortly after the shattering. I do not think we have any clue on when they were formed (or even if Frost formed the 17th shard or is leading it, though Hoid's letter suggests Frost is at least a member). But anyway, Brandon toying with a fan is a very weak foundation for any theories. The real takeaway is there was no "devil" opposing Adonalsium.

I've always thought of it as a plateau above the city and the city itself carved into a cliff side overlooking the sea.

Regarding the Loss of Free Will section: Kaladin felt betrayed by the Lighteyes because of how he was treated after Adolin's duel. That brought up many past memories of betrayal and stoked his hatred of Lighteyes, and that hatred/prejudice led to him wanting to murder instead of protect. The consequence of that shift in Kaladin is what broke the bond. This section really doesn't work for me at all, because we have PoVs from Kaladin that do not show it happening this way and have no real reason to believe there is some mastery level manipulation going on, when Kaladin's prejudices cover everything that happened just fine as is.