Forerunner

Repeat what he said.... Also, welcome! If you need help navigating, ask anyone but me!

Thank you. I believe I limited my search too much when I was going through Theoryland for WoB on this matter. Honor kicked back too many results. @Calderis and @The One Who Connects - Would you agree or argue that the abandonment of the Oathpact weakened Honor? Where do you stand on the theory of the Heralds bonding directly to Honor similar to the Nahel Bond the Knights Radiant have with spren?

I have been wondering how and when exactly Honor was shattered. If someone has a more definitive answer that I've missed, please link it. My theory postulates that Honor was shattered at the same time the Oath Pact was broken by nine of the Heralds in the Prelude to the Stormlight Archive. A few points of evidence I have for this theory: Kalak mentions feelings something "break" inside of him once he decides to give up the Oath Pact. This could be just a creative description/visual by Brandon explaining how the Heralds could not take anymore suffering; however, I think he used the word as a double meaning to mirror another piece of Honor's shard "breaking off" or creating a crack to weaken Honor. The remainder of Honor became a Cognitive Shadow known as the Stormfather. There were no mentions of Highstorms or gemstones in the Prelude and it seemed that the Herald and/or Knights Radiant could access Stormlight/Investiture without them. Now we have a WoB saying that the breaking of the Oath Pact is only tangentially related: Assuming that Honor bonded with the Heralds in the same manner as spren and KR, the Heralds weakened Honor by giving up the Oath Pact. This made Honor easier to shatter by Odium, but did not directly cause it. Side NOTE: If this is proven false, I also wonder if the inverse is the case. The Oath Pact was broken because Odium was in the process/had already broken Honor and the Heralds bond to it and their own honor was weakened.

Someone else pointed this out in another thread, but I'm having trouble remembering where. So, I'll just paraphrase. Perhaps Kaladin could take up both Honor and Odium, but it seems more likely for (Spoilers for end of WoR) That's the theory I'm most inclined to believe.

I must have missed that. With Sanderson's works I was half-expecting an equation of sorts. Like: SAP = LoT * [ (SI / VW) + PCSV ] Where, SAP - Shard Absorbing Personality LoT - Length of Time SI - Shard Intent VW - Vessel Willpower PC - Percent Compatibility between Shard and Vessel --- Thanks for clarifying.

Honestly, we'll need an official WoB or cannon timeline to determine the events order and it sounds like that won't come for several years (SA needs to wrap up the first 5 books IMO and possibly be past the next Mistborn trilogy). What I am more curious about is how long it takes before the shards intent consumes the personality of the vessel/holder. That could affect how everything plays out with Rayse/Odium and Cultivation. If I recall correctly, Ati and Leras seemed to hold out for thousands of years; however, Sazed is only 300 years in during the Wax/Wayne series and he is struggling to do more than "slightly" influence his will. Maybe the effect increases exponentially since he holds two shards now?

Perhaps Cultivation + Odium would be War or Torment?

I was beginning to type something something similar about the parallel to Ruin & Preservation and the Unmade when I saw your reply... Honor may have created the Oathpact/binding with the full intent of Cultivation being a referee of sorts. Tanavast had every intention of 'fighting' cleanly but wasn't stupid. I'm sure he expected Odium to do something underhanded and needed Cultivation to ensure the 'honor' of their deal was upheld. That's why Cultivation is the jailer (slammer), keeping Odium trapped now. She could have a oath/bind with Honor in that aspect. So long as she is able to Cultivate (Odium's anger, the land after desolations, etc.)

Sorry, I used the wrong term. I meant a Shard Holder (like Rayse), not Shardbearer. Thanks for pointing it out. And I'm thinking that asteroid belt, in the Arcanum Unbounded drawing of the Rosharan system, ties into binding the Shard Holder to the system. It can't be just there for aesthetics.

This is my first time posting a theory, so please be merciful! Feel free to poke holes in it or tear it apart. I'm always up for a lively discussion/debate. I trust you will find this post satisfactory, and remain yours faithfully, Forerunner

Hey @Tesh Kholin I love WoK also, but Vin and Kelsier capture me in a way that none of the other characters have besides Dalinar. Currently, he's my favorite of all the Cosmere. Strange, I know. Who's your favorite character?

Thanks for the cookie! *munches* Ahem... To answer your questions, my favorite book in the Cosmere is "Mistborn: The Final Empire". While others have provided equal entertainment and emotion, it's hard to beat the first one I read from the Cosmere - and who can resist a great heist story. Also, yes, I know what the cosmere is. Once I'm a bit more settled with the rules and etiquette of the forums, I will be diving into discussions regarding the various theories (my own and others). What is your favorite book @StrikerEZ ?

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the 17th Shard; however, I'm not new to Mr. Sanderson's works! I've been reading his wonderful stories for the last 3+ years. I've also had the pleasure of attending 3 of his signings for various book releases. I look forward to discussing theories about the future of his stories and debating the mechanics of his impressive magic systems. Outside of being a fan, I enjoy reading (no brainer), writing, sports, video games, music, and spending time with my wife and son - not in that order. Some other authors that I like are Dan Wells, Patrick Rothfuss, Ernest Cline, Marcus Sakey, and George R.R. Martin (to name only a few). I am an unpublished writer in my spare time and consume more episodes Writing Excuses than is necessary (long commute to work everyday). I trust you will find this introduction satisfactory, and remain yours faithfully, Forerunner