Odium's_Shard

I partially like it, but the problem is, Odium wouldn't be constrained by this. It does not make sense. Honor would not be able to force him to do this, and then be unable to stop himself being killed. My personal pet theory is that the Shardblades are from Odium, and then will mysteriously 'fail' at the True Desolation, whereas the Honorblades were Honor's solution. However in order to get the power to create them, he made a pact with Odium/Roshar's third Shard (if you follow that theory) where those who volunteered to receive them were taken away when there wasn't a Desolation (to be tortured). And so the Honorblades must be found and 'returned to those who once bore them' (see the backcover of tWoK) in order to stop Odium. Taln's is the first to be found (right at the end of the book, he arrives to herald the beginning of the True Desolation). The others must follow, and the Heralds found (where did they go? Can they live forever? They must have, because for them to die, they must go back to the 'place of hooks and fire').

Try: Atium (for the capacity of mind to understand the shadows and overcome the problem of percieving where you're going) Misting and Steel Ferring, for sheer combat win. Ie, superhuman speed and ability to predict opponents (and then stopping it so fast) so that you can combat what they will do before they even start to do it.

He doesn't know that the Voice that whispers to him while in the Well is Ruin, or anything bad full stop. Or he wouldn't have listened to it about making Hemalurgical constructs (which is what Ruin wanted in order to have a perfect army when he was released). See: the near-destruction of Scadrial.

But that's... trafficking! It was in British news today that they are changing the legislation to 'forced exploitation', so forgive the pun, Americans.

Think: Atium Allomancy and Zincmind! Sheer win. Not only have the Allomantic ability to process the future better, but multiplied with Feruchemical ability, you could possibly see even farther into the future, or at least be even better at utilizing it! Possibly be able to defeat a normal Atium Seer with an Atium/Zinc twinborn?

At least similarly. But if you slot Hemalurgy into this, then it gets mixed by what it is possible to steal from which quadrant in a single place at once.. Confusing.

They don't get personally involved! They're freaking twisted to such an extent that they can't eradicate the source of their doom even with the full power of a Shard, not to mention help themselves from destroying the very people they made a pact to create! Evidence of this: See Vin the exact week she took up Preservation. Leras had millenia to do the same darned thing, but Vin immediately attacked and destroyed Ruin, releasing they power of the Shards into a new and awesome combination that is: Harmony!

See The Most Baseless Parshendi Theory Ever which practically argues exactly what you just said, making this entirely possible.

Firstly, about the Parshendi bodies in the chasms. Those people are screwed if they continually come back to life, just to be washed away and die, over and over again. Secondly, about what Kelek said when he mention that they were 'marked with fire' could tie into the end of Part 2, where Hoid is sat in the Alethi capital, and the gate is sliced open to reveal Taln, the Herald who didn't make it after the Last Desolation. He is described as 'charred'. Could this mean he is a Parshendi (looking)? Or just that the fire in those places they go to has burnt him?

Then that is, surely, the best place to hide it. Nan Batan is killed because he is second oldest. No Shardblade? Ah, how clever, they gave it to the youngest son! Killed, no Shardblade. Hm... well, it must have gone with the first brother, who went missing. Wild goose chase: Success. So they hide it with Shallan, who whips it out when the time is right, and gives it to a capable fighter to defend them.

That could be interesting. It could mean that these lines connect unadjacent orders together who share something other than a Surge?

Haha that could happen! Just like how my grandmother taught me to post on forums. Just kidding. Why would he give away his most potent technique to some passing (plainlooking) girl with red hair who just so happened to ask for it in order to Soulcast absolutely anything she ever disliked? He wouldn't. He's too cool respectable. Don't worry, this post is just a laugh (I'm not having a go because I realise your post is actually serious either).

That could be linked to how Shallan's memories are perfect (truthful) recreations, just like a photograph!

Or, as one comes to expect from Brandon, foreshadowing. The spren are going to be more important than Rishar thinks, hell, even we think! And I have posted on soo many threads rambling on about how spren are linked to Surgebinding, Soulcasting etc. Out of the box, they might be linked to Odium?

One can only hope... However, your theory about the recharging Hemalurgic spikes in your body couldn't work because there is so little decay while they are in your body that it would take a long time to see any noticeable diminishing. At which point, the construct would just slay another Allomancer/Feruchemist and create another spike. However, I can see why this wouldn't work for Inquisitors.. and they do live for a long time, enough for decay to be a problem... And I guess you couldn't remove the spikes, because when Marsh did it to disable the Inquisitors while Vin was fighting TLR, they all.. I'd say died, but you can't really classify a rough human form with two spikes sticking out of its eyes and multiple more out of its torso living. So the atium would be handy. Would this side effect ever diminish? For example, if Elend spat the lerasium bead back out (if that was physically possible), could another person (ew) eat it again and get the same effect? So if an Inquisitor got an atium spike, would this count as being eligible for the side-effect? And forever? If so thats damnation useful.

I was arguing that the Third Shard theory isn't necessarily true, not that Rayse is on Roshar. I agree with the people who say he isn't, and your quote backs us up. But perhaps you're right about the 'shock troopers'. That would explain why they kept coming back, and how they weren't there in between, ie they retreated to Odium's Shardworld, or they died, and he sent another wave. Perhaps this is why he gave them the Shardblades. They appear to have amazing power, and can slice through rock and souls alike, destroying any so-called Desolation that streaks its path. But when the True Desolation comes, and Odium appears in earnest, the Shardblades 'mysteriously' fail in Odium's wake. And without a back-up plan other than 'Use the other Shardblades in Alethkar', all of humanity is destroyed. And so the Honourblades were given by Honour so that they would stand strong during the True Desolation, in return for a slice of Odium's power. However, Odium then saw that the Honourblades would be a threat without the Heralds to control them (ie be in his hands until the Desolation), and so Shattered Honour in an attempt to negate the Honourblades. But it didn't work. However the Blades are lost, which works for Odium, and so he prepares to mount a Desolation like no other! 'Return to men the Shards they once bore': the Honourblades. Not the cheap, betraying Shardblades. However this would suggest the entire Knights Radiant would have been screwed if they were their during the True Desolation. And this would explain why Syl; an honourspren did not like the Blades, but had no issue with the Plate. Simple? EDIT: Too simple.

What like warp you into something with a personality akin to a Koloss/a rock? Or an Inquisitor with holes in your mind for Ruin to exploit. Gargh... the drama!

He might bend to the Intent of the more powerful Ruin, just like Ati. Sure he has Preservation to balance things out, but a part of Preservation's power is currently inside all humans on Scadrial, making it weaker.

King Travangian (if that's how its spelled..) specifically says: However I acknowledge that this is during the 'gentle King' act, and also he will probably not want one now since he has both a Shardblade and a capable warrior who will do whatever the hell you say to cause mayhem throughout any kingdom you desire without fail! Man, Szeth is beast a very respectable fighter in his thirties from Shinovar.

I... love it! It makes such complete sense that I am at this moment above to cry for lack of sight in this area. I am going to break down your post and give additional evidence. So they are just like blank people set to auto-pilot? This would make sense. Odium gives a single command and hazaar army of malicious fighters set in place all over the globe. So I propose that the Parshendi can Surgebind, or at least know of it. This would make sense when considering everything we know about them. When Kaladin uses the Reverse Lashing (extremely obviously) all Parshendi that see it immediately cry out and stop attacking. This could mean they fear him, as I always assumed, or that they revere him. The Parshendi Shardbearer who fights Dalinar realises that he is connected to Honour and says: in perfect Alethi. This... please, post this theory Vortaan, then I can espouse it officially! Until then, let it be known that I completely endorse this theory, and am upset that I cannot upvote it twice, if not thrice. Genius...

This. This, this this. Kaladin vs Bella: Dramatic hero with Shard-related superpowers vs Melodramtic (plain-looking) teen with issues giving birth to anything not undead/going to kill her /discussion Kaladin is in my opinion, Brandon's most balanced and well portrayed character yet. You can surely see that he is way more down-to-earth than someone like, say, Vin. He is just easier to relate to, more realistic (despite having the power to launch people into space just by touching them).

World-hopping could explain everything away, ie why Hoid is awesome, how Kaladin will get from A to B to save Roshar, how Dalinar could follow him, etc., etc. But I don't think that Brandon would resort to something like a Deus Ex Machina when dealing with a fundamental like the Nightwatcher. Maybe its not a Deus Ex Machina, but, whatever the answer is, it would have to make sense and agree with what we've already seen as part of the Cosmere.

I will edit that in to add clarity.

In that quoted reference on the BS Commentary page, he mentions that there may be life on the South Pole, and also on other planets in the cosmology surrounding Scadrial, and also that Ruin and Preservation have experience with these peoples. Interesting.

TLR's immortality was due to atium's Feruchemical effects, namely storing age. That's why he sat in that weird room filled with memorabilia (which coincidentally was over the WoA, which is where the lerasium was...) for a while to be old for a bit. But perhaps you're right, and that would explain all of the cracked pottery indicating used lerasium... It could be a bit of both. But that would make for an extremely expensive anti-aging cream. How does Lerasium regenerate? Atium does it in the Pits of Hathsin. Where is lerasium's deposits?