Erklitt

I don't think we have much to go on, but considering the little I remember, to me your theory sounds pretty well possible. The Aimians certainly are intriguing. I think I'll read the Axies chapter in WoK and the scene in WoR again, to see if I can come up with a more informed comment and maybe some extending ideas, but at first sight I definitely like it! Edit @Chull #445: Reading that scene again, it sounded to me like the 'curse of kind' is connected to the shadow pointing the wrong way. And since Jasnah's experience, I've come to connect that with spren / the Nahel Bond / proximity to Shadesmar - something like that. And 'proximity to Shadesmar' also fits the strange abilities of the Aimians to reconfigure their bodies - as if they don't wholly belong to the physical world. What do you think? Do you disagree, or see any way to incorporate that into your theory?

In my opinion, that doesn't make the 'I am a stick' scene any less funny...

You all shatter my world! I thought Hoid being a Dragon was a canonical fact, even if I had no idea what exactly that was. I don't know how I got the idea, but I know where I got it: here on this forum. Guess I'll have to change my signature soon... (and I liked it so much). Can any of you point me to some sources that exist on Dragons, so I can form a better picture? Would appreciate it! [Edit] I do have that 'Liar of Partinel' fragment, but nothing more so far except for published works.

Thanks for this link. Being rather new, I had never seen this.

The revelation comes 10 chapters later (55 The Rules of the Game), when Shallan meets Wit. (Note Adolin's undying words, one of my favorite scenes: "You hugged Wit!")

My edition has different page numbers, so to make sure you find it (since I started this) : it's the last few pages of ch. 45 Middlefest

There are wide-spread theories that we've seen Kelek and Jezrien, too, both at the feast where Gavilar was killed. In WoR, Jasnah listens while 'Darkness' (Nalan) talks to someone else, who's worried about 'getting worse' ("Shalash is getting worse... am I getting worse?") who is supposed to be Kelek. He talks about "That creature (Szeth) has my Lord's (Jezrien) own blade" which makes him likely a herald, and as he is obviously neither Taln nor Nalan nor Jezrien and doesn't fit Ishar's description, that would make him Kelek. Jezrien is more dubious: In WoK, Szeth passes a drunken beggar. In WoR Nalan exclaims at some point (quoted from memory): "Praise to Yesier - if he ever stops drooling". Not very compelling evidence, but there it is... 1) I have no idea... I think we have hardly any information about former desolations apart from the fact that they happened, and the scant memories of heralds we have seen. 2) Though @Oversleep warned against reading too much into it, there is that paragraph in WoR (Epigraph to Chapter 42) where Ishar demanded the KR be bound by precepts and laws, or he would destroy them all. If the Stormfather has anything to do with it, I would suspect that concerned only the rules of Honorspren, whom he considers his children and who seem indeed more rigid in an ethical sense then other spren. I don't think he would concern himself much with Cultivation's spren....

Thanks, you make me feel a little less dense (whether you're serious or not )

You recall correctly - though as far as I know, only one herald has been explicitly mentioned as having been reluctant to accept his order: Nalan with the Skybreakers. It's in the WoR epigraph to Chapter 43. Not to stop you from asking questions - they are always welcome - but have you discovered the Coppermind yet? If not: I'm sure you'll like it. Best way to find information in my experience is googling for 'coppermind' and <catchword(s)>, like "coppermind heralds" (works better then internal coppermind search) and the top result will probably lead you to exatly what you're looking for.

I have to admit that the whole Stormlight / Knight Radiant thing stayed pretty vague in my head during my first read. When getting information overload I tend to concentrate on following the characters, letting information about magic systems etc. slip in through one ear and out the other. One extreme instance of this - and therefore a facepalm moment - was when I finally understood what happened in that scene when Hoid was testing Shallan's lightweaving abilities as a child. It was, I think, my forth (!!) read-through.

During my latest reread, the thought struck me what it will be like for Dalinar to have the Stormfather as his bonded spren. Kaladin has Syl - who exerts herselfs quite a great deal to 'keep him honorable'. Shallan has Pattern, who helps her explore the nature of truth and lies. Both 'couples' like to chat quite a lot. Dalinar has the Stormfather. The one who sent a highstorm to clean away their dead bodies from the plains. The one who started his bond with these encouraging words: "Go, Bondsmith. Lead your dying people to failure." Dalinar is supposed to unite people. To unite Alethkar, probably (non-Stormform-)Parshendi and Humans, maybe all Anti-Odium forces of Roshar. More directly, he is supposed to lead ten orders of KR, who probably contain people of very different moods and mindsets, to bring and keep them together for a common purpose. All of which needs a great deal of empathic skill, flexibility and generosity. And what help can he expect from his new 'bosom companion'? Has anyone tried to imagine what that will look like? I hope we may be in for some dry humor here. Maybe some harsh verbal sparring. But I fail to picture it... Ideas anyone?

Kaladin whirling between 6 Shardbearers in the duelling arena? Here is the drawing for those who have trouble with the download (I hope that's ok, Deep Dark Red Assassin )

Guess the truth of it is I've read it too often . Szeth's resurrection is already too much of a commonplace fact in my mind. Imagining to read it again for the first time, being surprised by this scene... well, I think you have finally convinced me. (Sigh... I liked the Mraize idea.)

Granted. The arm grows where your mouth used to be, so no more eating or talking. The leg grows where ... (and now my voice gets too low to be heard, for reasons of propriety). I wish my every wish were granted the moment I make it.

Having followed these forums for months before joining, this is one thing that always struck me as unusual, and very valuable: people identifying with the main characters' psychological problems, and drawing strength from them. My own case is a minor one: I know depressive moods and can identify with Kaladin to an extent, but I'm aware I'm a 'light case' in comparison. But I definitely appreciate the way Brandon is exploring those depths with a tact and depth of empathy that is truly unusual. I'm not very interested in labeling and defining the exact extent of a person's 'weirdness'. I'm more interested in individuals and their way of coping with issues. And there I find Brandon's work to be truly inspirational. Anything beyond this statement, I leave to your individual interpretation...

You're making a very good point !!! I'm not completely convinced, and, if challenged, would still set my money on Mraize as the reason for the chapter heading. BUT: I repeat, you're making an extremely good point, and the rest is RAFO. I'm very interested in how this will play out.

Granted. Cleaned from everything including chairs, tables and lamps... As for your tangent: I wish for a long vacation. (I'm tired, too.)

You wanna carry my bridge for me, crazy Horneater?

I'm no artist and don't know what I'm talking about, but the way I imagine him his scars would be more disfiguring. Like where they cross the eyebrow or the lips, they should have some real (destructive) impact on those said eyebrow and lips. Make a deep dent or something, you know what I mean? He seems just still too handsome for someone so scarred. But still, thanks for giving that man a distinctive face in my mind!

I disagree: Chapter headings are often extremely meaningful in SA, but at the very least they fit what's inside. Naming a chapter for a person who's not even indirectly relevant in that chapter would be extremely un-Brandon-like. And I don't see such a big relevance of Kaladin in that brief thought by Szeth. Szeth himself might be it and possibly is, in that case I think the Nalan scene must be foreshadowing something crucial. But I doubt it. As I said before: that smell of Red Herring stinks for a mile.

I'm sure the 17th shardglass is a group of well-behaved, friendly people without the slightest macabre or cannibalistic tendencies whatsoever Take one front claw of chasmfiend (about 5 kg). Leave out one highstorm for tenderizing, then stew for about 3 days until it can be cut like wevilwax. Add 500 g of powdered shalebark (green if available, pink will do. Not the blue one!) and 2-3 vine ranks (about 1 kg), cut to pieces Stew one more day. Add seasoning according to personal taste. Put through meat chopper, form small meatballs. Put 5 each on a meat skewer, alternated with lumps of freshly cut chasm moss. They will be the rage at your next barbeque!

Just for the record, that wasn't my theory about Odium being invested in the stones. I just followed it with interest. Indeed, the Dustbringers would make a lot of sense here. I'm still puzzled by this whole 'stones are holy' busyness, and by who those 'spitits / spren of the stones' are. Do they have their own agenda? Are they lying to the Shin? Or do they have a good reason not to want the KR returning?

Personally, I believe that is a classical red herring. Kaladin doesn't make any appearance personally, while in fact he features prominently as 'the man who owned the winds' in the previous chapter. Why then should this chapter be named for him, where he's not even on screen? And the Szeth scene is really short. All that makes me consider the theory that the heading really refers to Mraize all the more likely.

Don't have the book at hand either right now, but checked the chapter out for other reasons recently, so have it in memory more or less: A big part is Mraize confronting Shallan ('we know Veil is you, and you are still welcome to the Ghostbloods'). Then there's Amaram getting Taln out of the temple, and Nalan reviving and recruiting Szeth. Szeth remembers Kaladin as 'the man who owned the winds' who told him (Szeth) that he was a coward for killing against his wishes, just because he was commanded to do so. Kaladin himself doesn't make an appearance, iirc.

Edited the OP to a more fleshed out version. Becoming more and more convinced