Subvisual Haze

I'm guessing Dawnshard will show this naval victory.

Based on the new endpage artwork I think we have to entertain the possibility that she is descended from the Herald Chana.

These are both beautiful and both make me think of death. Nale the grim executioner dressed like Inspector Javert. Are those larkin flying around in the background? The little blue spren must be Mandra/luckspren. Chana with the transitional archway, bloodred colors, bloodgroove in the sword, and the autumn trees. Balancing on one toe could be a surge of friction thing? We've seen Lift and others negate friction to glide around, it seems logical you could also increase it. Her having reddish hair is surprising, usually that seems to be associated with Horneater/Singer ancestry. Could just be a reflection of her polestone being ruby.

I agree, they strike me as very Zen/Bushido. Thus, how can the 5th Dustbringer oath be anything other than "Duty is heavier than a mountain, death is lighter than a feather"

This is really good, thanks for sharing. Now to read all of Kierkegaard strips.

A monarchy one generation old simultaneously trying to abolish slavery as well as butting heads with the organized church one year into a regency seems like a recipe for disaster and social backlash. That and Jasnah seems a little overdue for a character flaw or personal failure to struggle against.

"the most possible good for the most people" oh no Jasnah is a utilitarian! Hopefully she starts estimating future policy impacts in terms of Utils/person/cost. Historically enlightened despots attempting to quickly enact widespread social reforms have not had much success. Hope it goes better for Queen Jasnah than it did for Emperor Joseph II.

I found this chapter a little dull. It's probably necessary after a timeskip to have these sort of establishing chapters to fill in where the various characters are and what they've been up to. This one read a bit like a bullet list of story elements to establish (summarize the war situation, Jasnah wants to free the slaves, the Heralds aren't very helpful, Hoid is hanging around Jasnah etc.) but didn't really have any action or much character development. The Oathpact being destroyed is certainly interesting. I wonder if the Heralds are going to start aging now and maybe grow/change in their personalities. Becoming more human again without the Oathpact having deleterious impacts on their personalities.. Jasnah remembering that Alethi caste society kind of sucks and trying to make it better is nice. I wish Kaladin had been present to voice his support. Jasnah+Hoid seems like an intentional distraction both to us readers and in world. Jasnah having the appearance of a possibly intimate partner might dissuade some unwelcome advances from others.

I think he's already completed the role Endowment originally intended. Traveling to Roshar early on, researching shard blades, traveling back to Nalthis, participating in the creation of Nightblood, killing his lover to prevent further Nightbloods from being created, and finally bringing Nightblood to Roshar. Nightblood is a rather permanent solution for the Fused problem, and appeared on Roshar at just the moment when the previous Oathpact solution was finally collapsing. He might possibly have a further role to play, but for now he seems completely checked out.

It's classic use of the audience knowing something the character's couldn't. For the characters within the story it's a logical enough action. We the readers know though that Nazh was able to recover Shallan and Jasnah's items from the bottom of the ocean, thus it is not a very smart hiding space.

I think it ties into the fact that humans on Roshar are abnormally tall compared to other Cosmere planets and the Alethi are especially tall even relative to other Rosharan humans. Specifically humans on Roshar (even more so in the east where the highstorm is strongest) are exposed to lots of Stormlight via the highstorms and living surrounded by gems filled with Stormlight. It's a similar mechanism, just more gradual, to how the gems+rhythms+lifespren help plants grow better for Rlain. Latent stormlight and lifespren have been helping humans grow exceptionally well (as well as make them relatively resistant to disease). So I think Gavinor's growth was suppressed due to being in the palace full of Odiumlight which naturally repelled stormlight. Also Gavinor is small relative to typical Rosharans, but he might be normal sized for a non-Rosharan human of his age.

We're now seeing the true loss from the death of otherwise terrible human beings Amaram and Ialai Sadeas: they were the last Alethi with any sense regarding spycraft and operational security. Jasnah herself at least has a personal sense of secrecy, but clearly nobody is providing any sort of leadership on this front. Hopefully The Mink as an insurrectionary leader could assert himself in this role. Dalinar allowing Szeth keep Nightblood is almost certainly the best possible decision there, lest it be passed around by soldiers like the Honorblade, among scholars like the unmade gem, or abandoned in the ocean like Neragoul's stone (where it totally won't leave a giant glowing "come get me" sign in Shadesmar).

He sometimes lacks subtlety when he tries to work in the representation stuff.

To capture an Unmade I think it is important to have a strong connection and frequent past interaction with them. Dalinar for example was able to lure in and capture Nergaoul due to a lifetime spent frequently under the influence of the Thrill. Familiarity creates connection, and connection gives you a pathway to influence the Unmade in turn. Similarly Shallan's family has been under the influence of an Unmade for a long period of time, causing the various destructive behaviors that have manifested in her Father and Brothers. Perhaps Shallan will be able to utilize this lifetime of negative influence from the Unmade to capture that Unmade in turn. The wording regarding Kaladin seems to be mostly just alluding to his personal struggles with depression and struggling to find a path. The wording at the end is interesting though. He can take none with him, save that which he alone can bring to life. He already did the kill and revive thing with Syl, so I doubt we're repeating that plotline. Is waking up the Sibling and Urithiru somehow related to him swearing his 4th oath? Comedy alternative answer: Moash is the one person that Kaladin alone can save (just to watch the reaction of Moash's many fans in the community). Or its just dark night of soul stuff and referring to Kaladin needing to learn to take care of and forgive himself.

Why not both? BAM was imprisoned right around the same time that the Sibling withdrew.

The original Biochromatic type classification system was divided based on (perceived) sentience. Specifically Type 1 Returned were differentiated from Type 2 Lifeless based on the belief that Returned were "sentient", but Lifeless were "mindless". We know from several WOBs that this isn't quite the case though, Lifeless do possess a level of sentience (I think Brandon even planned/plans to write a POV from a Lifeless' perspective in the Warbreaker sequel). Taking this into account (as well as Vasher's current even more bitter and unhelpful than usual personality) and I think Vasher was dramatically forced to confront the fact that Lifeless are not mindless. There's something like a soul animating them, however they can take no independent action without directions from their awakener. It sounds like a nightmare existence, being trapped in your own body with no control. And Vasher personally created armies of the things. e: I think this line reinforces my thought: What would be a weaker form of a Returned? A Lifeless. Both are now grouped together as Type 2s

Royal concubine

Combined with Adolin's comment in Chapter 12 And we've now had a couple very direct comparisons between Kaladin and Dalinar's style of command and personalities. Kaladin also spends a fair amount of time now thinking about how others perceive him, and purposefully projecting an image of control and confidence around others. I don't think he focused much on that before but it's always been a huge priority for Dalinar. Seems like we're setting up the idea that Kaladin is the natural successor to Dalinar as head of the armies.

I feel like those who haven't read Warbreaker probably think there's more to Vasher's dialogue here than there actually is. There's a very "if you read Warbreaker and you'll better understand this scene" vibe, but having read Warbreaker there's not very much actually being communicated here.

Kaladin loves fighting but hates losing people... Here's hoping this is set up for an 80s action movie of Kaladin going behind enemy lines as an unstoppable one man army.

Exactly, because it's precisely what someone specifically living in our culture at this particular place and moment of history would say. Roshar is physically an incredibly alien environment with a feudal based society yet people have extremely modern takes on social issues.

Rlain chiding Kaladin for trying to be a white human savior felt awkward and forced.

I doubt it will play out this way, but I'm kind of hoping Lezian the Pursuer just gets repeatedly clowned every time he takes a run at Kaladin.

Why would you trust anything Mraize says? He's a con man stringing Shallan along, and Shallan is a perfect mark who can't abandon sunk costs.

Accidentally conjuring a theophany in the traditional form of an illuminated whirlwind?