robardin

Totally agree with the above. In particular, I agree that dealing with her so-called DID (which is in some ways self-imposed, in this story, not as what might be the case IRL) is going to be something she needs to resolve to reach the next Ideal, and that narratively Shallan needs to reach the Fifth Ideal, so yes we will see it "resolved" (even if that resolution doesn't mean "integration into a single personality" - that remains to be seen). And would add that Pattern says as much, to her and to others, that she is blocked by lies she's telling and believing to herself about herself, and that her DID-style coping mechanism is not good for her (particularly with regards to her Ideals). Excerpts: In RoW Chapter 8, Shallan thinks to herself: And then in Chapter 9: The root of her... Shall we say, instability, is a lie to herself that she thinks Adolin and even Pattern might "leave her" over, impossible though that should seem for a Crpytic with a Lightweaver bond, and it's not about her killing both her mother and her father. A lie to which her "Shallan" identity is a capstone, which is why the closer she gets to confronting that lie, the more she wants to pull away from it. And then later, Radiant says to Kaladin at the tavern in Chapter 12: So-called "Formless" isn't a single persona but a collection of them, in various stages, ready to go as soon as Shallan lets them into the playground of her mind/body, and that is NOT good. For later, when Veil has gone off to play breakneck at other tables, Adolin and Kaladin discuss her (in)stability, and Pattern chips in: I would further infer that Radiant knows Shallan's next-level secret, because Radiant exhibited garnet Shardplate at Thaylen Fields. I doubt that's a coincidence, like by saying that Shallan is just projecting that her Radiant persona is an idealized Knight Radiant who therefore has her Plate. I bet one or more of the "Formless" identities encapsulate what she's been trying to forget, to suppress about herself.

Hmm, I believe she says that "you" (humanity) used to be of Odium; as she further says later, "you [humans] brought Odium with you" to Roshar. Right?

Taln's flashbacks may serve to give history and depth to the Story of the Stonewards, it doesn't mean he'd be the Stoneward Radiant of focus in the story. For all we know, since that book will be in the "back five" that takes places 15+ years after the first five (IIRC), that'll end up being Kaladin's little brother Oroden or someone like that.

Life Before Death. ... I will remember those who have been forgotten. I will listen to those who have been ignored. What if the way to revive a dead sprenblade, an artifact of a Radiant reaching the Third Ideal, is to embody all three Ideals of the spren's order... With respect to the shorted-out spren?

Rock's arc is one of the best already in Stormlight, partly because we have relatively few POVs from him, yet we have seen him so much from other POVs. I was hoping he'd have that arc continue past that teary-eyed farewell to Kaladin, but if that was the last passage I read of Rock for several years, storms it was a powerful one.

I would love to hear Syl's take on what has or is happening with Maya... For example, is Adolin still able to hear her and/or summon her in fewer than ten heartbeats, or was that an artifact of "Three Realms being very close" after Dalinar's UNITY moment while swearing the Third Ideal of the Bondsmiths in Odium's divine FACE? And you'd think sentient spren would have had some kind of jaw-drop moment to see a "deadeye" act with volition in Shadesmar the way she did to defend Adolin from the Fused! (Or at least, to avenge him... He'd already gotten a pretty nasty gut wound by then...)

Yes that is the slim chance I see as "wiggle room" in everything Rock has said about what is in store for him. The Horneaters, living as they do right on top of a Perpendicularity, may be exiling him to the CR somehow for what he's done.

Ah! No spoilers for me then (even in this Spoiler forum, haha); long ago I decided against listening to the "author readings" which are often out of chapter order and just go by (at best) "early released" chapters like is happening now ahead of the official release. But I take it this Lift reading is from a soon-to-be-published work, either Dawnshard or Rhythm of War.

No, I don't think so. Rock has recognized Hoid as the same "powerful, but tricky" afah’liki he mentioned seeing in his youth in the Horneater Peaks back in TWoK, as being "here" (in Urithiru), likely as Jasnah's Wit (that phrase seems like it carries a LOT of weight). How Rock knows about Kaladin receiving, and then losing, Hoid's flute has an untold story, eh? Besides, where IS that flute? Left back in Sadeas' warcamp when Bridge Four packed up after being ransomed?

Ooh I just thought of something in terms of "Maya revival". Where WoBs have said reviving a dead spren would generally require the original Radiant to re-commit to the Ideals (or to reach the next one) the way that Kaladin did in WoR, or "some extraordinary circumstances" that have never happened, many of us immediately hoped (assumed?) that Adolin would be in such circumstances. What if one of those were... Being chosen by a spren of the same kind (cultivationspren) but rejecting the bond because he already "had" a cultivationspren, and the "revival" is some kind of spren fusion of the quick and the dead?

Everyone in Bridge Four but Rlain and Dabbid, plus pretty much everybody in Bridge Thirteen after squiring for Teft, plus a bunch of other squires-to-Bridge-Four-guys in other "Bridge" crews, have bonded honorspren, and Dalinar's vision of the Recreance at Feverstone Keep showed legions of Windrunners and Stonewards(?)... Being a Radiant isn't something rare, though of course there are only so many spren to go around; mostly a matter of opportunity (being around where the spren are congregating) and being worthy. And Adolin sure seems worthy. Definitely hoping his thing is with Maya, whatever that "thing" turns out to be (full or partial revival).

Yeah there are numerous WoBs that what we - and even some people in-world, possibly including Jasnah - think is required in terms of "cracking the soul" (Kaladin and Shallan level emotional trauma) for the Nahel bond is not quite right.

Ahhh, right. Something about finding a cache of shards there was mentioned in one of the earlier RoW chapters, I believe? And I guess Cord was along for the trip. Still, interesting that Rock considers her as the first Shardbearer from their people, when he'd already won two Blades and a set of Plate by then. Sure he'd them in a box, but they were his... I guess it doesn't count until you actually "bear" the Shards, eh?

Oh, and can someone explain (or is it unknown) what Shard(s) daughter Cord has got? Rock mentioned that "these Shards" (plural) that he'd won from Amaram are collecting dust in a box waiting for him to take them back to the Peaks. So that would be the full set of Plate and Blade, the one that Heleran had originally borne, and the Plate originally from Sadeas. The other Shardblade he'd won from Amaram, which was Oathbringer given to Sadeas to ransom the bridgemen, he returned to Dalinar. Has Cord become a Radiant? Or has Dalinar given Oathbringer to Cord (or given it back to Rock who gave it to her)? I don't think we know either yet, right?

Well, three people who Syl knows about, who are in Urithiru, and who would come to help deal with Kaladin. When you add that third factor that really eliminates Dalinar as well (he's the one who put him in the funk with the "reassignment"), Jasnah... Well let's just say, Adolin was absolutely the right choice. So I suppose Shallaradiveil is the third on on that list?

If Adolin had courted her in the past, I'm sure Dakhah is a lighteyes. In fact he mentioned that she's the daughter of one of Dalinar's generals. So yeah. Not Tarah.

The man is a walking highstorm who renews spheres and personally overcharges Radiants with Stormlight, leading them in a fight against a Voidbringer army that has conquired Alethkar and Herdaz among many other nations, and nearly destroyed Thaylenah. I think a lot of past misdeeds, especially those confessed to and repented and many of which were not technically "crimes" but arguably "acts of war" done in wartime which in Alethi culture has high value, can be... Overlooked with that factor. I mean, Sadeas didn't even think Dalinar had done anything excessive in burning all of Rathalas at the time it happened, knowing what he did at the time. Sure, Evi's death was tragic at a personal level, but "she brought it on herself" was surely his (Sadeas') POV on the subject; casting its blame on the people of Rathalas was actually convenient moral cover for the act as "Dalinar was temporarily mad with anger and grief" when in fact they (Sadeas and Dalinar) had been willing to do it over the attempted assassination of Dalinar and frame-up job of Sadeas (which two acts were probably "OK" under Alethi codes of warfare, just as killing the younger Tanalan as a boy was actually expected). I wonder if Dalinar will include an account of his rejection of Odium in his book. Imagine if Moash were to hear someone reading about Dalinar saying to Odium, You. Cannot. Have. My. Pain.... I will accept responsibility for what I have done. (Probably reflect, "I could never forgive myself" the way that Amaram did, who was actually present when it happened.)

So let's also discuss the "who knows what about who by now?" of past events stuff revealed here, and review what has yet to be even hinted at. The Dalinar confessional that is Oathbringer, plus the fact that Dalinar literally wrote it himself (is now literate), appears to be as yet unreleased yet widely known about and discussed. That Adolin had confessed to killing Torol Sadeas, though... That is not yet common knowledge. What about Szeth? Nary a mention yet of the Assassin in White becoming the only Skybreaker Radiant to serve Dalinar, nor what that means in their justice system, or how that's viewed by any allied nations like Azir. Though of course, Yanagawn (né "Gawx") wouldn't even be Prime had Szeth not done The Things. Well, what about the fact that Szeth did almost all of that under orders from Taravangian? Something Taravangian confessed to Dalinar, even before Szeth might have given that information to him? Yet apparently Dalinar still thinks Taravangian is working with him against Odium (or at least, Taravangian thinks Dalinar thinks that)?

Rock was able to draw Stormlight as a squire in Oathbringer, I assume he hasn't "pulled back" from that; and I think it's implied he could bond a spren if he wanted to, but that whatever allowed him to draw a Shardbow (even with Stormlight) is the clue. And yes, it's probably related to his ability to see spren as a alaii’iku, whatever exactly that is; and I'm almost certain whatever role it is that his wife implied he should have become or assumed after his brothers died at the hands of Torol Sadeas, is now thrust upon him after raising a weapon in combat. Since he recognizes Wit as the same "god" he saw emerge from the Shardpool all those years ago, and in fact live clustered around Cultivation's Perpendicularity which the last we saw, was taken over on the Shadesmar by the Fused... Maybe he's got a mission there? But why be so certain he'd never see Kaladin again (at least, not in the Physical world)?

Ha, I was thinking more along the lines of the bar from "Cheers". Like Adolin would walk in and everybody would greet him. Based on that show, at least, for comic effect he should have put in some kind of regular patron who acted as the house know-it-all, expounding his semi-expertise on every topic to everyone, obliviously even to those who clearly would know better first-hand. Like, someone who "couldn't help overhearing" butting in to mansplain to Kaladin about what Radiant spren really look for when he's suggesting Adolin give up his Shardblade.

Niiiiiice

So much pain from Kaladin.... And Threefold Shallan is holding back a small flood of wannabe joinees. Kind of worrisome. (Not to mention, getting a bit exhausting to deal with as a narrative...) Adolin is indeed looking Edgedancer-y, but in any case, his semi-bond to a semi-spren is indeed likely holding him back from forming a Nahel bond with another spren and he doesn't care. So, let's talk about Rock. He has not bonded a spren. But has become "something else" than a squire (though I assume he could still draw Stormlight while near Kaladin?) and is returning to the Peaks for whatever awaits him as a result of having taken up the bow. I suspect it is not a death sentence but an honor, title, or obligation he deferred after the death of his older brothers. What a beautiful farewell line for Rock to Kaladin. "You have had me. Now, I need me. It is time to return, my ula'makai. My captain. ... You gave me back my life; thank you for that, Kaladin, bridgeleader." (Remembering the first day that Kaladin took the center position from the surprised Horneater on a bridge run, then as a sour-faced Rock contributed his food in return...) "Do not be sad that now I choose to live that life." Not to die. To live. But forever apart from meeting "in this world". Hmm. And, a tragic echo and parallel to the words that Moash said to Kaladin upon accepting, instead of refusing, to take up Shards. "You're my captain, forever."

Well they are adding Windrunners to Bridge Four, like Lyn or for that matter Renarin. They don't have the tattoo so it's a mark of the original actual bridge-carrying group. The designation of Bridge (Crew Number) X for a Windrunner squadron appears to have stuck, though. Does that mean Rial of Bridge Thirteen was also an original bridge carrier? Do we know? He's often suspected to be a worldhopper, which would be interesting as at the end of OB they "all went up as squires to Teft" and so are good candidates for forming a large portion of the full Windrunners we see in the early chapters of RoW.

The first WoB in the OP says getting "metal into the body in any way is going to work..." Where "to work" means "intermixing the nature of the metal with your soul in the cosmere, your Spiritual entity" as "what gives them that ability." Unlike with a metalmind, burning a metal physically destroys it: So if the mechanics of Allomancy mean pulling net-positive Investiture through a keyed filter (must be the right metal) that is intermixing with one's identity and literally burns it up with the power as a physical side effect, it makes sense that having that filter be usable in the "key sequence" means it needs to be maximally physically intersecting with one's sense of self: being inside the body. It's also a nice counterpoint to how metal worn on one's body, like non-metalmind jewelry, are no harder to Push or Pull on, but metal inside of one's body immediately becomes intermingled with the innate Investiture of a living person and thus much harder to use Allomancy on. Like the "old coin in the mouth" trick to hide a coin from ordinary (casual) Steelsight, that Zane used to hide a coin from Vin in one of their "sparring sessions" (and where BoMmed up Wax easily saw through the same move by Suit where he ordinarily wouldn't have). And if the metal serving as the conduit is only partly in your body, it should be the segment that is inside the body that is bridged first, the way that electricity uses the path of least resistance IRL. So while it's been WoB'ed as possible to Allomantically burn a hemalurgic spike stuck into you, I'd imagine the head of the spike or whatever portion was outside the body eventually falling away. Here's another WoB about burning a metal stuck through you (hemalurgically or more mundanely) that seems relevant: So a Coinshot could possibly burn away a knife stuck into them in a fight, but by implication, only the part actually stuck "in there". (And if the blade were Allomantically pure enough!)

Kaladin most definitely has this block, but it seems like it would be particular to Kaladin, which also means it probably isn't at the core of the Fourth Ideal. We know he started to say the Fourth Ideal in Shadesmar, but stuttered and "failed" after "I... I will...", which formula doesn't tell us much of what would have followed. But, we also know (since this is the RoW Spoiler forum) that not only has he not reached the Fourth Ideal in the year plus since that near-miss, no other Windrunner has, either - despite approximately 50 more people bonding honorspren and reaching the Third Ideal. And Yunfah, the lone unbonded honorspren who had lost his Radiant in combat: one might reasonably assume that meant at the hands of a Heavenly One (such as almost happened to Sigzil), which also apparently means reaching the Third Ideal as I don't think un-Bladed (or Speared) Radiants would be going up one-on-one against them. Yunfah's previous Radiant had died "a few months ago", yet had to have only formed the bond after Thaylen Fields, so... From First to Third in 8-9 months? So it would seem that many people have rather quickly advanced to the Third Ideal of the Windrunners. Teft commented on how Laran swearing the Third Ideal "was hard on her, as it was with most of us" (maybe not so hard for Lopen...? Hope to read that scene in Dawnshard!) - but surely, that block about "I can't save everybody" can't be shared with FIFTY PLUS other Windrunners? Kaladin himself wonders if they're somehow holding themselves back so as not to surpass him in the Ideals, but I don't think that's how the Nahel Bond works. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Kaladin's expression of the Fourth Ideal had to do with this, though. The Fourth is obviously tough, and Unknown Windrunner Blocked at the Third Ideal in the Urithiru gemstone archives commented, "Am I not supposed to want to help people?". But specifically, "I can't save everyone [else]!" is a Kaladin thing, just like how the person Teft had to overcome hating to actively protect was not someone like Elhokar or Roshone as it was for Kaladin, but himself.