OathKeeper

All good points, guys...but c'mon. Isn't there going to be a huge assault mounted in part IV of the book?

My friend who is not on this forum made a great point: we haven't seen any hint of voidbringers yet (since WoR). This is crafty of Odium. If United Roshar is his biggest threat, make them all disappear and let Roshar doubt Dalinar. Small raids would accomplish little and might work against Odium if it helped Dalinar consolidate power. But if everyone starts thinking Dalinar is crazy again, Odium can take his sweet time preparing an army. And yes, I think smoke form is one way he can accomplish this in the mean time.

I thought this too. Instead this teaches us something else about the bonding process- true spren of different orders may be waiting and watching, deciding whom to bond. This opens up some fun hypotheticals like, if Syl hadn't bonded Kaladin, would another kind of Soren have done? Could he have been, say, a Dustbringer? Or a Stoneward?

I think the flashback chapters are meant to highlight the POV character's recurring inner struggles. Dalinar struggles with self doubt. He seems to have pretty well overcome this until...enter Kadash. Kadash's point is that Dalinar isn't infallible, not that he isn't innocent. He is trying to remind Dalinar that he's been incorrect before and could be again. So in some way, Dalinar being incorrect led to shshshsh dying. I also think there will be a mirroring conflict of choosing between his oath to his wife and his oath to unite. I bet those commitments conflicted in the case of shshsh and he risked her life in favor of uniting Alethkar.

THANK YOU. I have, but never aloud. She is the one woman suited for him, even if she's not human. If BS commits to the Shaladin relationship so help me...

Vorin church is a growing antagonist and will definitely use Renarin's precognition against Dalinar. Dalinar hadn't done much by way of acknowledging Cultivation yet. Might the "higher god" just be the one of the two shards that still lives? If we assume he's interpreting things right, ch4 really messes with our understanding of the cosmere. I bet he killed his wife (maybe indirectly) to in order to unite Alethkar. And I bet his great internal conflict in this book will be to maintain both his 2nd oath and his oath to Navani when they come into conflict. I like the idea of Renarin authoring Oathbringer but I think Jasnah is more likely. How bent on surprising us is BS? But I bet that the title is a double entendre, referring to both Dalinar and a high spren she learned about while missing in WoR. I think the shardblade was named accurately for the spren it once was. Whatever is happening in hearthstone, I bet it's related to the Queen or Amaram. Besides, who IS the high prince now? Who succeeded Sadeas?

And I think this is referring to Eshonai. Apparently it will be a big victory for the KR and a blow to Taravangian's schemes if she becomes a KR. By the way, I think this was Gavilar's plan all along. I don't think the war he wanted to start was Alethi vs. Parshendi. He was going for an epic team-up.

Geez that OathKeeper...what a newb am I right?

I haven't seen any speculation about who the archer in black is. Sorry if it's out there and I've missed it. Any chance he's someone we've seen already? Or someone whose name we've read? I think if he was just another member of Dalinar's elite squad, Brandon would have given us a name for him. That said, I can't come up with a theory that I actually believe is likely.

So I'm sorry to sidetrack a bit, but let's bring cultivation into this. There are 3 shards involved on Roshar, right? Also 3 great spren and 3 bondsmiths. One theory I'm contemplating: Shard/Spren/Bondsmith/Champion Honor/Stormfather/Dalinar/Kaladin Cultivation/Nightwatcher/Taravangian/Moash Odium/???/???/Szeth I won't try and justify the Szeth thing here because it's the part I'm least confident on. I think cultivation is all about surviving and thriving but less interested in the morality of it all, thus different from Honor. I think the verb cultivation involves calculated, targeted nourishing and trimming. Nightwatcher follows this pattern with curses and boons, considering both vital to growth. Taravangian considers himself the gardener of the human race, cutting here and healing there for the sake of progress and survival. Moash is just a vulnerable man who had dabbled in honor and hatred and has been broken seeking each. Taravangian will groom him into a champion as he participates, reluctantly at first, in the diagram. But my main theory is the model above. What do you guys think?

My theory is that Elokhar is traveling with Kal and Kal's inner circle to Hearthstone, partly because that is the only way he'll feel safe (we know so little of the Diagram and a full-shardbearer high prince was just murdered in the depths of the tower) but also partly to study leadership from Kal. Kaladin reluctantly consents as when Rhenarin joined bridge 4. When they return, Elokhar is far better prepared to lead selflessly and earn his people's love and respect, but Dalinar finds it a struggle to entrust the de facto power back to Elokhar. I have not read any portion of the book besides the prologue. Pardon spelling mistakes. I've only done the Audible versions of the books.

Messed up. We are entitled to read these chapters 78 days early, not 77.6. I know that sounds sarcastic, but I'm dying here with the rest of you.

Because stormlight is sparse, Kaladin and his closest bridge 4 buddies (minus teft perhaps, who will sub in as head of the guard) will travel to hearthstone on foot/horse/boat. The journey will take up parts 1 and 2 of the book and will explore Roshar further. Perhaps the Horneater peaks? The crew of the Wind's Pleasure will be back and may transport Kaladin to Hearthstone or Shalan somewhere. Oathbringer turns out to be the name of a book, just like the previous two SA titles. The book is either a history of the sword or of the person or thing that the sword was named after. Helaran reappears, at least in passing, but is not reunited with Shalan. Kaladin's next oath, should it be spoken this book, will be to trust the counsel of those he leads, and the result will be that they gain/increase the capacity to surgebind as squires Moash gets a few more chapters as pov, at least in interludes. He rises in the ranks of the Diagram and is seduced by the doctrines at first but eventually flees to warn bridge 4, hoping to redeem himself. Kaladin teaches Elokar to be a leader. Elokar changes all our minds about him. Dalinar starts to feel threatened and realizes he doesn't actually want to yield power back to Elokar, competent or not.