aemetha

Absolutely, we can have that. I'd quite like that. When we look at candidates for radiants, I think you and I are looking at different things. You're looking for dedication to the greater good, right? I'm looking for an explanation as to why a person would develop that dedication to the greater good. Perhaps I'm pessimistic, but I don't think that humans are inherently good, I think they need to be motivated to do good or evil. I prefer a cognitive and evolutionary take on psychology in this regard over a humanistic take. We do good things because it improves our reproductive fitness and because reciprocal altruism is a net benefit to us. Take Lopen for example, I like Lopen, and I'd be very happy if he became a radiant, but I don't know why he's glowing. He's a nice guy, and very helpful, but what has he done that really distinguishes him? He's demonstrated a preference for the ideals, but I haven't seen yet the level of dedication to those ideals seen in Kaladin, Dalinar and Lift for example. When I compare Amaram to Lopen as candidates to become future radiants I understand why Amaram may be motivated to act in a manner consistent with the first oath and do so with that level of dedication that makes words become oaths. I'd be perfectly happy if none of the back story characters become radiants honestly, and the newly introduced orders had new characters. When someone does become radiant though, I want to know what drove them to it, I want it to make sense.

@maxal we may have to agree to disagree. The main thrust of my point isn't really that Amaram is a good candidate for a radiant, lightweaver or otherwise. My point is that in terms of back stories he has perhaps good reason to modify his behaviour become a good candidate for a radiant. The point that we have to stop thinking that everyone who lies to themselves would be a good lightweaver is well made, but I would also add that we have to stop basing our assumptions about the attitudes of all the orders on windrunners and Syl. Two orders we haven't seen at all have been described in ways that are a significant departure from what honorspren would approve of, and Brandon has said himself that there were disagreements between orders.

I think some of the Sons of Honor may well become radiants. I think that for some they may experience a driving motivation to redress their terrible mistake that makes them very suitable to certain orders. Ghostbloods are hard to say, we don't really know their motivations. They seem to oppose the Sons of Honor, so it's possible they are fighting for team Roshar using methods that we haven't seen yet in the radiants we've seen. They are world hoppers, at least some of them, so it's possible rather than fighting for team Roshar, they are fighting for team stop-Odium. If that's the case I'm not sure if they'll become radiants. I think it would be a mistake to underestimate Mraize, the blowgun is a passing fancy. He's likely a world hopper and may have magics and technologies from other worlds. Blow gun - not so scary. Aluminium rifle and bullets - now you're worrying a radiant. The diagram could quite easily become radiants I think. I don't think the ends justify the means philosophy they adopt disqualifies them from certain orders, and dustbringers in particular are referenced in respect to scorched earth and described as not behaving terribly differently from voidbringers for all their protestations against the confusion in the names. The 17th shard I doubt will become radiants. They seem far more concerned with stopping Hoid than with the fate of Roshar.

Oh I don't know. Marsh isn't seen a whole lot pre-transformation, and he could be made to look 30-40's without too much hassle for those parts. His age may actually be of benefit in depiction of post-transformation Marsh, lines around the eye spikes. Most of his body at that point was hidden behind robes. I think it could be done. It's more the intensity he communicates than the look that sells him for me. Just thinking about it though, perhaps Pedro Pascal could pull it off? His death in GoT was an extremely intense scene.

I like Alicia Vikander for Vin, I think she has the acting chops and look to pull off the right mix of meek and graceful. She could be a convincing urchin and a convincing noblewoman. I like John Malkovich for Marsh. He has an intensity about him that just screams Marsh.

^ This. As I understand it, Lift is planned as a focus character for the second story arc. I imagine that is quite consistent with Adolin being an edgedancer focus character in the first story arc. There is absolutely no chance of him surviving until the second story arc because his girlfriend has a shardblade, psychosis and a penchant for killing the people close to her!

@Calderis I can see it working that way. I think that Amaram not having followed his own code so far however doesn't disqualify him from future service as a radiant, and particularly as a lightweaver. Learning and coming to accept the error of his ways is uniquely qualifying as a lightweaver. I think his situation can also be very well applied to learning and saying the first oath in an interpretation that emphasises the lightweavers self awareness. Because he learns the cost in human lives of his plan should never have been paid. Because he learns that following his code is more important than giving in to the convenience of expediency. Because he's still here and he's still fighting. He strayed from the true path, but the true path is still there and he can still walk it if he chooses it. Basically, he can ascribe meaningful intent to the first oath. Of all the more minor characters described in the books, his story is probably easiest to relate back to the first oath. Or he'll just become a dustbringer and burn the world down to kill who needs killing ;). Is it stated what kind of orders blade Amaram wields? The flames in the description of it certainly sound dustbringerish. Maybe it won't be Adolin who awakens a blade at all, maybe it will be Amaram? Or maybe Adolin will awaken his, and Amaram will learn of it and replicate the feat? Or maybe... actually, maybe I should stop here before I write the books myself and get sued for copyright infringement by Brandon.

Not an honorspren or a highspren perhaps. From what we've seen of voidbringers cultivationspren they'd probably just complain that it's difficult to garden if they can't tell which way is north, and cryptics seem to rather embrace that sort of contradiction. One could actually make an argument that it's not possible for a lightweaver to progress without some kind of lie to oneself that must be resolved.

I don't believe this is the case according to WoB. http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=1178#5 That of course doesn't rule Earth out. After all, if we assume Brandon originally came up with the wheel of time (which makes perfect sense, because book one (by Jordan) wasn't the beginning, but it was a beginning and it simply went full circle back to the original creator Brandon at the end) then non-humans may well have evolved and become shards on Earth by another name, Yolen, in an age that came and went from a beginning that wasn't the beginning, but was a beginning. Or I guess a cigar could just be a cigar .

Could the something more be intent? I haven't seen this exact WoB, but I know he has said or implied in a lot of his WoB's and in book references on Roshar and other worlds that it isn't just enough to say a thing, you have to think and believe it too. It's a little like the oaths themselves, the words are only a part of it, it's communicating an intent that makes it a radiant oath as far as the bond goes.

Could be a different kind of spren. Dalinar has a vision of the past showing something that could easily fit the description of a stone spirit, and have motive to tell Szeth he is truthless.

Hmm, for me the obvious flaw isn't in the morality of the issue. For me the obvious flaw here is that Taln alone makes an awful choice as a champion. It's made quite clear that his character is such that he chooses impossible battles to fight and usually dies doing the impossible. The problem with that as a champion is it gets you one in the W column for that battle, and leaves you without a champion for the rest of the war. I just don't see this saga being resolved in the first pitched battle.

Why is it assumed that this refers to the radiants at all? That particular passage appears in the book of the 2nd desk drawer, the previous two passages of which discuss the unmade, and then goes on to say they need to discuss the needs of kingship. I think given the context the reference probably refers to rulers or the unmade. The heralds is a possibility and there are two strong contenders for that, Ishar who seems to have deceived Nale intentionally or otherwise, and Taln who didn't make the same choice as the other heralds (through no fault of his own) and can therefore be seen as a traitor to them, though not a traitor to the oathpact or Roshar.

The general reluctance of kandra to kill humans might be a good indicator of who may be kandra. Obviously it's not binding like it was under the contract, but there are indications that their reluctance seems to persist with a few notable exceptions. Looking for pacifists might be a good avenue for exploration.

I don't really see windrunners as a hit and run force, that doesn't really fit with their oaths. I see them more as a force that moves quickly to defend others, but sticks to that task until the people no longer need protection. More of a rapid response to populations in need team than a scout team. More hit and less run in other words. I think the oaths could be quite good indicators of what roles they played. We've only seen a few oaths but it makes me think of the windrunners as I described, and edgedancers a bit like a delta force team, hard to pin down moving behind enemy lines to try and help those trapped and wounded. We have an idea of what the stonewards were like in combat from the words of radiance reference to them being best matched to their herald - they find the enemy and they fight until they win or they die. I'm sure there's some overlap there with the windrunners and they could easily find themselves fighting the same battles. I would liken it more to a case of windrunners fighting until the people they are protecting are safe, and stonewards fighting until the ground they are holding is secure though.

I think if his blade is restored it has to do with adolin talking to his sword like he does before his duels. Spren are cognitions made sentient. He thinks of and treats his sword like it lives, so it lives again and a new bond is formed.

The obvious solution is a shardarang. I'm not sure an Australian radiant is a good idea though .

That's the characters interpretation of the boon though. The actual boon could be something like making him more analytical so that he was able to deduce where a heap of good cloth was lost, or maybe he even already had the cloth but it hadn't occurred to him that there was opportunity in selling it (in other words the cloth wasn't the boon, being able to sell it for a good price because his thought process had changed was).

This is my first post here, so sorry if this has been raised before elsewhere. I interpreted the death rattle of King Valam as being linked to the secret that caused the recreance. "So the night will reign, for the choice of honor is life..." To me that sounds like Honor had an opportunity to stop Odium at cost of his own life, and chose not to. From the point of view of The Knights Radiant, why should they continue to fight in the name and tradition of Honor if he himself would not make the same sacrifices he requires of them? Is that death rattle attributed to some other event I am not aware of? I had a look on the coppermind but couldn't see it attributed anywhere.