Bigmikey357

Furthermore, I believe their cousin spren are starspren. Could be wrong.

All the Orders are blended H/C. Some just lean towards one or the other more strongly.

Dalinar is a very different person from the beginning of WOK to OB. If Gavilar had actually achieved the bond sought after by Stormfather I believe his goals change just as much. He would have been a much different Bondsmith than the one we got but maybe as effective. Also had Gavilar lived King T doesn't visit Nightwatcher and become a knife in the back of all potential alliances.

With the Skybreakers and their strict adherence to law, it makes sense that their Ideals are more formalized than other Orders. After all, it's difficult to follow laws if you do not know them. Also, since their Order never broke they don't have to fumble around and learn as they go like everyone else (i.e. Windrunners).

Ask Renarin. Or the minor spren and the Seons. Or Kelsier, for that matter. There are things we just don't know enough about yet, and the limits of the bond is one of them While I can agree that we don't know the limits of the KR bond quite yet, I disagree with using Renarin as an example. He is obviously a special case, a KR with a corrupt spren. We have seen him having issues with his Illumination surge and the future sight falls outside of the traditional Truthwatcher power set. Unless you're proposing that Each of the Bondsmiths get granted different powers based on which Sibling they bond I really can't see an Odium spren being an integral part of an organization established specifically to fight him and his minions. As for your other examples, wiggy things are likely happening in their magic systems but that's not Roshar. Brandon has surpised me before so I can't absolutely rule it out, it's just my opinion at this point. On your second point, we know the Unmade have a local effect, but do Bondsmith Spren? They do grant their users Spritual Adhesion and distance is irrelevant when dealing with Sprit stuff.

I disagree that the Sibling is of Odium despite him being the 3rd Shard in-system for a couple reasons. One, it doesn't seem like Odium to have invested a Spren avatar which grants its bondmate a power with the potential to bind him. This is the same Shard that refuses to take up the power of shards he shattered so as not to be influenced by another's Intent. Two, Odium's investiture is different. His magic number is 9 instead of 10. His 'heralds' aka the Unmade, do not have 2 separate powers but only the 1. His Fused, the main advasaries of the Knights Radient, only have one Surge, not 2, and those surges are not powered by Stormlight. How could a Bondsmith of the KR bond a spren that grants powers that fall outside the Order? I think it's much more plausible that the Sibling got a Honor/Cultivation blend as suggested by an earlier post on this thread. As to which of the Siblings was bonded to Melishi, I believe it makes the most sense for it to be the yet unnamed one (not Stormfather or Nightwatcher). Nothing I've seen so far makes me think otherwise, though of course nothing is definitive yet. If that 3rd Sibling ran Urithiru then that's not consistent with it being Cusicesh. Guess we must keep searching.

Local Shard Investiture trumps ancient Investiture. It seems that although every world in the cluster has elements of all 16 Shards incorporated into it, the Shards that put down roots so to speak have a larger presence in their particular systems from a Realmatic perspective. Autonomy seems to be the only Shard able to use its portion of investiture on other words in a meaningful way to influence events even on worlds with an active Shardic presence. As an aside, if all worlds in the cluster have elements of all 16 Shards since the shattering of Adonolasium, is it possible that Odium was able to go on his early runs of shard-shattering because a.) He had help from Badvadin and/or b.) The Shards he killed weren't as strongly rooted to the systems they inhabited when Odium came to town so he was able to use that native Investiture to give him the edge?

I believe every spren of bonding level alive during the Recreance was damaged. In our meeting with Nightwatcher she didn't seem wrapped too tight either, and that's without the trauma of having her Shard die. While it's possible that Tanavast healed Stormfather of damage as a last gasp before shattering, I believe that's something he would have mentioned to Dalinar. I think it more likely that he had to watch as his Shard slowly lost his mind and thousands of his kind go zombie, that that would damage him enough to require intervention from a dying Shard. A broken bond with a Radiant isn't necessary to cause the type of trauma Stormfather displays, the hesitation in letting any spren bond a human. If he was bonded to Melishi at the Recreance then I think the trauma would have been more severe; he probably wouldn't remember the Recreance and the reasons for it as clearly. I mean we keep hearing how difficult it is to recover a deadeye, that it's nearly impossible, that just throwing a bunch of investiture at the problem won't work. Partially merging with a Shard might work I guess but even then I feel that there'd be gaps. YMMV.

If Cusicesh isn't the Sibling then there has to be an upper level Mega Spren at least at its level. And that Spren has to be damaged or a deadeye since that's the Spren that was bonded at the time of Recreance. I think it's pretty safe to say that neither Stormfather nor Nightwatcher was bonded to that Bondsmith. It does beg the question, what makes Cusicesh so important that Brandon goes out of his way to introduce it? I obviously believe it's the Sibling but you amazing posters have come up with enough points that my belief is teetering. I guess we will just have to RAFO. BTW, I like the Sibling as being blended H/C.

If we're talking Splinters, well we know that the Rosharan System was an Adonolasium construct back before it got shattered. We also know that Stormfather at the very least and probably Nightwatcher predate the arrival of Honor/Cultivation in system because spren and Stormlight were both at the beginning. Sometime later, after the Shards arrival, Honor/Cultivation chose their personal avatars from among the Mega Spren. Of the 3, Stormfather/Nightwatcher got picked and therefore got an extra boost from a local Shard. Cusicesh didn't and so only has the original Adonolasium Investiture. Now, although I am stubbornly holding to my pet theory I could certainly be wrong. But if I am then the question becomes, where are the other spren like Cusicesh? A one of a kind Mega Spren, a step below Stormfather/Nightwatcher and a step above our common High Spren? Another question that comes to mind is, what spren was bonded to the last Bondsmith and, if Dalinar is true to form and Bondsmiths don't get Shardblades, what does a damaged Mega Spren look like, both Physically and Cognitively? If Cusicesh isn't the Sibling then there has to be something else in its weight class or higher that takes that role. The series is far from over and we haven't seen everything obviously. There could be another candidate. I just don't know what other spren could possibly be big enough to hold the massive abilities a Bondsmith is granted. Maybe a Mountain Spren? The other possibility is that there is a Bondsmith for an Splinter of Odium but that seems truly unlikely. Stormfather told Dalinar that another title for Bondsmith is Binder of Gods. I truly cannot see Odium making a move like that when he wouldn't even take up the Shards he shattered so as not to be influenced by their Intent. Besides, he's invested on Braize and has his Unmade.

The WOB doesn't completely invalidate my theory. The way I see it, Stormfather and Nightwatcher are a level above Cusicesh only because they got a Spinter of Honor and Cultivation respectively. Cusicesh didn't get invested but is still above the common High Spren and thus eligible for Sibling status. Cusicesh is the little brother without a Shard to call its own.

I believe that Cusicesh is the mysterious Sibling the Stormfather speaks of. This post will explain why I feel this is a plausible theory. First, we know that Spren are manifestations of the thoughts of sentient beings and in Roshar everything, no matter how large or small, gets manifested. Now, what's the largest concepts humanity tends to anthropromorsize? Land, Sky and Sea. Nightwatcher looks like living land. Stormfather manifests in the Physical Realm as a literal face in the sky. What does Cusicesh look like? Here's the quote: At precisely seven forty-six in the morning—the locals could use it to set their timepieces—an enormous, sea-blue spren surged from the waters of the bay. It was translucent, and though it appeared to throw out waves as it rose, that was illusory. The actual surface of the bay wasn’t disturbed. It takes the shape of a large jet of water, Axies thought, creating a tattoo along an open portion of his leg, scribing the words. The center is of the deepest blue, like the ocean depths, though the outer edges are a lighter shade. Judging by the masts of the nearby ships, I’d say that the spren has grown to a height of at least a hundred feet. One of the largest I’ve ever seen. To me, that seems like a perfect candidate for the Mega Spren personification of the Sea. That Cusicesh is important is obvious; Brandon would not waste an interlude describing it otherwise. However that isn't quite enough to come to any firm conclusion of its nature. For that, we turn to the Recreance. We know that at the time of the Recreance there was only one Bondsmith of the possible 3. We know that Bondsmith was not bonded to the Stormfather; Honor was Investing him before his Shattering. We can assume that the Nightwatcher wasn't the one who was bonded as she is still viable and operational. Also, Cultivation lives and seems to be holding her leash. We know that 9 of 10 Orders abandoned their Oaths. The Skybreakers stayed true; the Bondsmiths did not. So, one Bondsmith abandoned the Order. The Recreance damaged all the Spren who held a bond at the time. Stormfather and Nightwatcher may be crazy but they don't seem to be fundamentally damaged. That leaves Cusicesh, a Mega Spren, one of a kind, one who looks like the Ocean given form, and one who looks damaged as the Sibling bonded during the Recreance must be damaged. It is the perfect candidate for the third Sibling. Furthermore, I believe the faces displayed by the Spren are the faces of every Radient whose Oaths were abandoned during the Recreance, sort of a living memory of a forgotten time.

Ok. My thoughts on the subject are that the events listed lead to Adolin's Radiance and Maya's Revival, or at least the attempt at these things. Obviously you feel differently. Since we can agree that something is going on in regards to Adolin/Maya, do you have a competing theory? Realize that none of us can be proven right until the words are written. But Brandon studied under a master of foreshadow in Robert Jordan so I think the context clues, as slight as you may find them, actually lead somewhere instead of just throwing away pages in the interest of writing something cool. I'm not trying to insult, I really am trying to seek other viewpoints, other possibilities to what I believe is going on.

I believe Adolin has the personality makeup to attract a cultivation spren and become an Edgedancer based on what we've been told about the Order and Lyft's unconventional example. I know the forum is split on this; I'm adding my voice to the pro-Adolin contingent. Now, crazy theory time. What if the reason Adolin hasn't attracted a spren so far is that Maya is giving off possession vibes due to Adolin's shows of respect and love for her? We've seen that spren become mighty possessive of their bondmates and vice-versa. Syl bats away gloryspren when Kaladin attracts them; Shallan begs Pattern not to die and leave her even though the Cryptics would send her another and her powers wouldn't be permanently lost. What Adolin and Maya have isn't a Nahel bond obviously but it is a bond, quite possibly a strong enough one to repel searching spren. It's certainly stronger than the average Shardbearer bond everyone else holding dead blades has. If it weren't then Maya couldn't possibly made herself heard by Adolin, couldn't have warned him of danger, couldn't have shown satisfaction at the opportunity to go toe to toe with the Thunderclast, couldn't have shown resignation when Adolin hands her off to someone wearing Plate. Last thing. We know that when a Radiant touches a dead blade they can hear screaming but the person bonded to that blade can hear speech (see 4 on 1 duel, Kaladin's Last Clap). Maybe Renarin can touch Maya to clear up the signal and her and Adolin can have a nice chat.

So if I understand your argument correctly then it's a question of timing. Anything that happens to a deadeye is written into their spiritweb whether they are conscious of it or not. Whenever a Radiant or just someone with the appropriate amount of investiture comes into contact with it then those deadeyes instantly have access to their spiritweb and the memories of its history. At all other times that deadeye is pretty much in a coma. If that's the case then we can logically conclude that Adolin is becoming a proto-Radient. Otherwise Adolin holding her doesn't allow communication in the Physical Realm. She cannot be there, conscious, without someone with investiture holding her. She cannot perform the actions she did in TC. I guess it could be argued that the Perpendiculary connecting the 3 Realms is what allows Maya to stay conscious despite not being held by a Radiant and her Connection to Adolin that allows her to be heard by her Shardbearer but I feel that may be overly complex. Also, it kinda makes Adolin and Maya's bond meaningless. Why would Brandon spend page time of a very long book emphasising that connection for it to turn out to be fluffer? I think it more likely that the deadeyes still have some vague awareness, and that awareness becomes more pronounced when drawn into the Physical Realm. I think that fits better due to the conversations we have observed in the narrative. For more supporting arguments, recall the conversation between Kal and Syl when he asks why she doesn't need 10 heartbeats to be summoned and why dead blades do. If I remember correctly she says it takes that long for them to wake up or something like that. BTW, if that wasn't your argument I apologize. Just trying to understand your reasoning.

Read that later. Got it. So does that mean you believe deadeyes retain their Spritual Connection despite being locked into one form in the Physical realm and nearly terminally damaged in the Cognitive realm? I think it's simpler if they are just aware of their surroundings albeit in a limited way, and probably only when they are actually summoned. To each his/her own i guess.

Oathbringer remembered Dalinar way before he had an active Nahel bond. This is confirmed by the Stormfather. Dalinar asked why the blade wimpered for him when all the other ones screamed. SF replied it remembered when he won the blade and also when he gave it up. This runs counter to the belief that the blades are unaware of the world around them. It may be limited awareness but the awareness is there.

I think it's unfair to say that Adolin enjoys killing. Sadeas is the only character on Adolin's bodycount that he felt anything approaching enjoyment. And even that had him questioning himself throughout OB. Mostly we see regret and at times even disgust with the act of killing. For textual evidence, refer to his scenes during the Battle of Narak. Weighing in on the Maya debate, I can see enough of Adolin and his behavior to consider him a possible Radient and a decent candidate for the Edgedancers. If it is indeed true that Adolin is reviving Maya then he is basically living the second Ideal. He's listening to one who has been ignored. Others have had differing opinions but I agree with those saying Adolin is on the path to Radiance through unconventional, unprecedented means.

I feel I must point out that at the time of the Kholinar infiltration they had no idea who Azure was, whether or not she was trustworthy or working for besieging forces or anything. When they get there, they don't even know she is a she. Putting your King or Highprince in a situation where they can be killed or captured by an unknown entity doesn't seem like a sound strategy to me. Kal is a bodyguard. Going in to sus out the situation with the wall guard is the most logical move to make in that particular situation. Also, if the Radients revealed themselves there is no guarantee that the population would have risen up with them. Aside from the mixed reputation of Radients across Roshar, there's also the fact that there are only 2 of them against an army of Voidbringers dropping down on top of their heads. Half the population of Alethi cannot read but they all can certainly count. Other instances of Kaladin keeping his powers secret were frustrating yet narratively consistent.