Krandacth

I would have thought his gas investiture is in the highstorms/is the highstorms, hence all the stormlight there and the similarity between Kaladin and Szeth fighting in the storm and Mistborn spoilers: Also, doesn't this happen in the teaser chapter from oathbringer in Jasnahs POV?

@Sishal and anyone else who was interested in my theory regarding the nature of the Nahel bond, link below. I'd like to point out that the quoted text does read like less than 10 heartbeats to me, and I always read his "thank you" as to his blade. Also, I do see Adolin as an Edgedancer, or at least holding the one ideal of theirs that we know, i.e. I will remember those that have been forgotten (e.g. The prostitute in Sadeas' camp in WoR). There are other less obvious examples, like his personal beef with Sadeas over the Tower (not so much "you betrayed us", as is Dalinar's primary concern, but "you let all those men, good men, die for your political games"). There are probably more, but am typing on my mobile, so cba to go into them now

My theory about the nature of the symbiosis in the Nahel Bond (posted a while ago, I may link if people are interested) actually accounts for dead Sprenblade-revival being almost necessarily accidental, or at least appearing so to the one for whom the Sprenblade is revived (their life could be manipulated to that end, but it would take some extreme planning and willingness to cause high levels of physical and or emotional pain to that person). Basically, it would require a person to: * Be bonded to a Shardblade. * Be broken in the same manner as the Blade's original KR was broken (similar traumatic event and near identical spiritual response). * To have adopted the same ideals as the Blade's original KR, without the guidance of a Spren. In other words, as far as the Spren is concerned, they need to be a spiritual clone of the original KR.

I like that first idea: Shallan stubbornly wants there to be some absolute morality, Jasnah tries to convince her there isn't one, but gets her betrothed to someone who embodies the ideal of such an absolute morality Anyway, I'm curious how you think Renarin or Elhokar has Vader-like potential... Both seem too inherently limited as people. Vader became Vader because of an abundance of personal ability that was limited by his less able "betters" at every turn. Both Renarin and Elhokar feel their inability to a painful degree. Also, you claim Adolin feels inferior. I agree with you when he contrasts himself to his father, or his brother (and most women he knows) intellectually, but he knows he is an amazing dualist and warrior, and that he isn't stupid. This has been shaken by Szeth, and his response to that was good. But I can imagine a sense of jealousy rising as he realises that Kaladin and even Shallan (probably) will be significantly more effective in the coming fight, simply because of their powers. It wouldn't be a jealousy for the power, but for the effectiveness, the ability to act on his morals in a meaningful way. That jealousy would arise from the frustration of his usually successful approach of "just keep trying" simply not cutting it in this case, as the ability they have was not earned through effort. Why were they so blessed and not him?

47% Elsecaller 35% Lightweaver 32% Windrunner 29% Bondsmith 28% Stoneward 22% Truthwatcher 18% Edgedancer 17% Willshaper 17% Skybreaker 17% Dustbringer A fairly mixed bag, but very fair.

@Odin1981 I know yours wasn't live or die, as you say :-) I was just linking two similar lines of thought about two different characters, and contrasting their circumstances/mindsets. My theory is very tenuous and mostly subjective, so it could still go either way!

I have made a similar argument regarding Moash recently (link below). However, based on the same logic, Adolin is not set to be bound to Odium or his splinters: Though he might have feelings of hate, they come not from an ideology of such but from another's flagrant disregard for Adolin's own ideals (which, to me, seem quite Edgedancer, but that is another point). Therefore he can't become bound to Odium because he doesn't have a hate-shaped hole in his soul, rather (as far as I can tell) a caring-shaped one. On another note, I would also like to point out Brandon's use of the word "snapped" preceding Adolin's tussle with Sadeas. I found that intriguing.

Following the pattern I've noticed (the event that broke a proto-surgebinder involving the utter failure of their future order's ideals, more below), Moash is perfectly placed to become the series first confirmed Voidbinder, probably to a Vengence Spren or something similar. We only have two examples to work with at the moment, as we don't know what actually broke Shallan initially, but: Kaladin, obviously, Broke His Promise, failing to Protect Tien; Dalian let his brother die because he didn't Uphold the Codes, and in so doing started the Kingdom on it's path to Breaking (here, the opposite of Unifying). If we take the events of Shallan's flashbacks as a re-breaking, then we see the collapse of her family as the result of not Acknowledging the Truth behind a well-meaning Lie. Moash let friendship Stand In The Way of Vengence, but acted against that friendship enough for his eventual failure to take revenge to shake him to his core (that his betrayal had been for nothing seems to have been his greatest regret, not the betrayal itself). Assuming the initiation of a Voidbinding bond mirrors that of the Nahel, as suggested more generally of the two systems in the Ars Arcanum, Moash seems perfectly placed. --- Note, I didn't subscribe to this theory til about halfway through writing it

*spits* Slaver.

There's a theory that has been thrown around a fair amount, that Honorblades are keyed to their Herald in a similar way to KRs getting more in sync with their spren through saying oaths. If this is the case then, as with full KRs, Nalan surgebinding with his own Honorblade would be very efficient, and so not require much glowing. (This also explains why others using the Honorblades are so inefficient: The blades aren't sentient, so can't refuse to bond, but aren't at all in sync with their wielder.) In either case, if he can moderate his intake (like Szeth and Kaladin do when drawing from spheres), and so hold only a small amount at a given time while taking in exactly enough to fuel his surgebinding, his glow would also be reduced, perhaps to the point of non-existence.

I get the same way. The strongest trigger I have experienced was at the end of Gladiator. I can just about hold it together through the fight and its aftermath, then the speech... But the bit when the Senator asks, "Who will help me carry him?" and all Rome seems to respond, that always pushes me over the edge. I personally find Dalinar's justification to Kaladin for his action after the fact more tear-jerking, in that way.

Ah, I forgot that Roshar knows of the spiritual realm too. However, their knowledge also states that everything that exists in one exists in the others, so the point still holds. Also, that interpretation of the Tranqueline Halls is heavily religious, and contradictory. If it is where people go when they die, but also where they come from originally, then their passage from there should be similarly transformative, e.g. Each persons birth would be their transition from the Tranqueline Halls. However, humanity apparently came from there at some single point in the distant past, as a race of people presumably of all ages, which does not fit with Rosharan knowledge of the SR, however patchy it may be (or with our knowledge of the SR, e.g. What was spoilered above). Finally, to a Veristitalian (such as Jasnah), Vorinism is not factually accurate but another source of myths that are assumed to have some historic factual root. So the fact that Vorinism claims that all people go back to join the fight for the THs is largely irrelevant (being about the subjective future rather the objective past). On the other hand, I don't presume to say that there is no basis in fact in the Vorin beliefs regarding the afterlife, which means that the implications regarding the spoilered content are still very interesting. Instead I claim that, whatever the factual basis is for Vorin teachings on the afterlife, it is almost certainly distinct from that of the creation story of humans coming to Roshar from elsewhere.

Yep, a Veristitalian would definitely conclude that Parshendi are the natives and humans are the aliens (or at least that the Parshendi arrived significantly before humans). Citations would include the Vorin creation story (their being cast out of the Tranqueline Halls onto Roshar suggests humans were originally from either another continent, another planet or another plane of existence), and the Listener Song of Spren (in which it is claimed that the spren used to favour the Listeners until humans became available, and are apparently more attractive to spren). The two combined also suggest that the Tranqueline halls are not another plane of existence, as the only other such plane to be referenced is Shadesmar, in which spren also manifest. Therefore, humans must have initially come from another continent (more similar to Shinovar than the Stormlands) or planet, with Parshendi being already established on Roshar at that point.

There are a couple of times early in WoR where established soldiers don't call Kaladin Sir, then (IIRC) he notes them glancing at the knots on his shoulders before adding the honorific. Of course, I am now doubting myself... Perhaps it was just an insignia... Though given the prevalence of varying knots of varying colours of rope to denote rank in most other places (e.g. Adolins noted as gold, when protecting the courtesan, again IIRC), it seems likely the Captains uniform (previously only worn by lighteyes) would have them too.

This, but for some fabrial Soulcasters too. It says in the WoK (Shallans pov, but on mobile so can't say exactly where) that Jasnahs is one of the more powerful kind of Soulcaster (implying others are known of) that can Soulcast any of the 10 essences, but that those aligned with the stones would be easiest. It might be that a bunch of the ardents are also proto-KRs, but that seems unlikely. PS: I think it is just after Jasnah Soulcasts the boulder to smoke, and Shallan notices the cracked smokestone, drawing the link as exposition about Soulcasters.

I have assumed that she can become any one conceptual thing. A group of leaves blown in the wind seem to move as a single writhing entity, more an expression of the single gust of wind driving them, and so she can be a group of leaves. She could not be a group of leaves scattered by the wind, because they cease to be conceptually joined. Under this assumption she may not become a sword and spear, but she might become a pair of brawling gauntlets, or (depending on your point of view) a pair of twin-swords (I'm looking at you, Zuko of the Fire Nation).

Also, given that Syl gets quite snippy with Kaladin when he tries to frame whether something is "right" in terms of the law ("I am no Highspren"), I bet Nale and Jezrien would rarely have seen eye-to-eye. And then the most bureaucratic, rule-centric society on Roshar decide to follow Jezrien instead of Nale as the primary God? I imagine this as the only time we see Nale let his feelings get the better of him, and he can't help making the spiteful jibe.

He isn't afraid of changing the Diagram. The primary use he has for death rattles is stated to be to "augment" the Diagram.

The crab cracks YOU!

I second @yata in this, being a sociopath doesnt make one evil, but does skew your values. It essentially removes individual emotion as a consideration. If the sociopath has positive aims, such as the "greater good" or "saving the world" then they arent evil, though they also arent likely to be a hero. Think anti-heroes like Sherlock. On the other hand, there is the possibility that what he needs to be able to save the world to get over the pain hes caused enough to properly apply his compassion to the Diagram. Or, if the Diagram is actually someone else's plan that Taravangian tuned into at his most dimwitted and empathetic, he also needs his intellect to interpret it. Either way, I see him as a good man in both states, and needing both sides of himself, each tempering the other, to save the world. His curse, in this case, seems simply that each side of himself has to deal with the frustrating/painful actions of the other.

I've proposed a theory on this that specifies a spiritual break, and potentially a different kind of spiritual break for each order (and even each form of magic in the cosmere). It is pure headcanon, but I think it's based on fairly good evidence and reasoning.

Wile I agree with your general point, I believe Elhokar was stated to be in the privy

I always assumed the Dawnsingers were the Parshendi. They would deserve the Dawn- part of the name, as they are known to pre-date humans (at least humans bonding spren) on Roshar, thanks the the Listener song (of Spren?) regarding the spren betraying them, giving their power to humans instead of them. We also know that Stormseat was shattered in the last battle against the Voidbringers a.k.a. the Listeners, in a manner directly related to Cynematics, which is also how the Dawnsingers are said to have produced the geographical templates for the 5 epoch kingdom capitals. Plus the Listeners, you know, sing If the higher-consciousness spren used to bond with Listeners, as per their songs, might they not have had Shards? And access to Surges? If they did have Shards, and they were the Dawnsingers, would those Shards not be the Dawnshards? And those Shards, if they still existed, would be older than the Desolations. Plenty of time to get lost, and their legends become so far removed from the truth that no-one would even know them to look at them.

Oh Harmony, the Reshi...

Firstly, the main thing I got from the Kaladin flashbacks was his indecision. He went back and forth like a seesaw. In fact, by the time of Tien's drafting, he had decided to go to Kharbranth (again selfishly: So he could learn to talk circles around lighteys). So saying it is a sad truth that he never wanted to go to Kharbranth is a bit of a stretch Secondly, Elhokar's conversations with Kaladin show he cares about whether he is good enough for his kingdom. Whilst this is self-centered, it is implicitly valuing his kingdom above himself. This is also the implication of Kaladin's dropping everything to go after Tien. The difference is that Kaladins course of action was obvious, and Elhokar is struggling to find his way (understandably). Thirdly, Kaladin refused to go back home because he had failed in his promise to keep Tien safe. If he hadn't made that promise, and by extension hadn't gone in the first place, he would have no reason to think they would blame him. Their reactions to him going made that plain. Furthermore, in failing to keep that promise he failed to give meaning to his original "betrayal" of their hopes for him, and his own decision to become a surgeon. Therefore he is doubly deserving of their disappointment and blame, in his eyes. Finally, in the highlighted sections above, you point to childishness and being spoilt as the underlying features of Elhokar that you feel make him unworthy of Radianthood, when these are the very traits you attribute to young Kal and Renarin, two people who have since developed into proto-KRs.