Darvys

@Kersplattle We know so little about the recreance, my brain always balks at the prospect of speculating about it, but still, nothing better to do with the little we got this week. I'll get nowhere with this, but oh well ... It's already hard enough to try to justify it as a group action, but if we take the knights individualy, what could possibly push someone like Kaladin to not only turn his back on humanity, but on Syl, knowing it would kill her ? i can't imagine it's something others have done or are doing, that's why i always entertained the idea of a betrayal by the spren. The stormfather's unwillingness to speak of it and Taravangian's belief that the same secret could destroy the orders again doesn't help, why would the current radiants care what happened millenia ago ? unless the same lies or whatever are still being perpetuated. I'm always thrown back to Kaladin's exchange with Syl back in WoK, about how a parshendi bonded to an honorspren would have been compelled to fight against him, it really shows, to me, how the knights can be chained to fight for a questionable cause, imposed by the side of the conflict they happen to fall in. Convenient then that parshendi can't be bonded for no apparent reason, despite their becoming closest to Honor from what we've seen. Right now I'm really curious about how this all started, more than i am about how it will end. Odium's champ can go to hell, give me a prequel please, i'm dying. Bah, i'm just rambling, i don't know what to make of any of this, just go back to bashing each other about your favorite love stories, i'm growing sick of all the pairings before they even had a chance to happen.

Is there any WoB or accepted theory about how a lightweaver can break his oaths ? Supress the same truths he gave his spren or just dig himself deeper in denial of some unrelated matter ?

Right now they'll need someone who can stop the human armies from slauthering them on sight, Rlain is the only listener even close to a position to do that, and that only through Kaladin, so ...

He scratched off the chalk marking only, not the wall i think.

Now i'm reminded, how did she even know he could do that ? i doubt she would have discussed the extent of his abilities in bladeform seeing how unwilling she is to confront that side of him. Probably just a matter of shape anyway, nevermind.

Anyone else got a bad feeling when Syl was ready to help Kaladin slaughter helpless parshendi ? I don't really trust the spren, and little things like this always make me anxious.

It's strange, the only explanation i can think of is that there aren't enough voidspren to go around, because what could a parshman do that a voidbringer bound to Odium's will (i assume) can't do better ?

@Elena True, i'm also far more interested in Elhokar's reaction than Dalinar's when they find out, especially since we'll also probably get to know the details of the whole Roshone incident. I figure he'll have a fit at first as he's wont to, before taking a moment and trying to understand how it came to happen. But now that you mention Dalinar's plan to open the oathgate ... Am i the only one amazed at how retarded it is ? Did everyone forget Szeth already ? Kaladin could walk like a god through the rioting city, if his mere presence doesn't stop the chaos in a wide radius around him, you can at least be sure that no one will try to hinder him. He doesn't need a team, he doesn't even need to sneak in, he could walk right to the temple, blow the door open if he has to, and activate the device in less than a minute. Well, now i'm going to go wait patiently for tomorrow's fix, see you all then.

It would take him weeks to reach the capital on foot from the shattered plains, and weeks for any reinforcement he asks for to get there, so no, the smart move is to wait for the oathgate to be opened. What makes you yawn will happen but we won't need to see it, we don't follow characters through their whole day, he'll have plenty of time to get involved with the more important matters. If Elhokar isn't suited to solve the Kholinar riot, then Adolin isn't much better, he's also nothing but a lighteyed prince taking part in the opression by your own take on the rebellion. This isn't much of a discussion if all you offer is the author will think of something better, i don't even think of it as an arc, his father has been neglecting his duties as Highprince for a while, Adolin and his officers were left in charge, all this will do is officialise the transition. And you need to make up your minds, either the Highprince position is time consuming and will prevent Adolin from doing anything else of import, or it's a meaningless role that Dalinar can keep since the princedom runs itself ... The middle ground is where you'll find me, taking charge of the princedom will come with some responsibilities, but not nearly enough to chain Adolin down and restrict him to the role. I'll be really curious to know what inate qualities you believe make a person a born good leader or doomed to failure ... Elhokar is neither brilliant nor stupid, he is average, average can get you a long way if you're willing to put in the effort. What do you even think leading an army to Kholinar entails ? he's spent enough time around presumably great military minds to pick up what he needs to know to pull out a basic task like this, he won't be formulating intricate strategies, he'll be bringing order to a city in chaos, the Kholin army can do this in their sleep, he won't have to give a single order. Anyway this will go nowhere, Elhokar will have to wait with everyone for the portal to be opened, unless Dalinar screws up and gives him the blade. Most human interactions can be perceived as munipulative, intent is what matters, Elhokar's was never to undermine his uncle, in the context of his paranoia, it makes sense to try anything to see who he can trust. Elhokar was spoiled, yes, Dalinar's fault not his, as even Sadeas pointed out, doesn't make Elhokar evil, it just adds a hurdle to his path toward bettering himself. I agree with you he is still lying to himself, he'll soon be desabused of the idea, and we'll have to wait and see how he'll take it, but if we're throwing our opinions around, then i think he'll surprise you and accept to set foot on the harder path. For the flawed pov, i distance myself enough from the characters to not take their impressions at face value, so no,i don't believe Elhokar is fooling me, i took in all his appearances and put 1 and 1 together. I find your comment about Adolin turning evil amusing, as i believe your theory about Elhokar walking this path nearly as baseless. The nearly part is why i'm willing to discuss it whereas i simply ignore the former.

Adolin is stuck in the tower, same as everyone. And even if he wasn't, what do you expect him to do ? go help with the construction ? he'll get reports via spanreed and send his orders the same way, when the oathgate is opened, he can come and go as he pleases, as the portal is in his city. And restructuring and training their armies is not wasting him away, it's giving him an important task fitting his rank and qualifications. The exploring and micromanaging were Adolin's idea, to get his mind away from his current situation. As i said, they will soon realise that there is no time for games, they don't have time for them, and the author doesn't either. But yes, decisions will need to be made, some "boring" meetings will have to take place, what would you rather have him do ? Travel to some forgotten mountain on a quest to find his true self ? please. Adolin will still have to deal with what he did, and get over his insecurities, an eventual ascension changes nothing to that. Well, Elhokar just expressed that need, and Navani seemed to think it fair. Nobody mentioned it before because no one paused to think about it,and that's pretty telling to me. What Elhokar did was reach out to the man who neatly sidelined him in an attempt to get a workable solution to the whole usurpation problem. We know nothing of Elhokar's abilities, he's been kept away from any meaningfull role in the war effort, all we've been allowed to see of him is the foolish extent of his paranoia and his naivety, both are flaws that can be overcome. I don't expect him to suddenly dazzle us with his brilliance, but i believe he will stop letting any passing lighteye make a fool out of him, and start using the brain he's got in his skull for something other than whining. The rebellion is against the queen nof the king, for all the people know, he's been busy avenging their old king, fighting evil parshmen who turned out to be voidbringers. The author can spin this any way he wants. No one is born a good leader, Elhokar probably spent his life believing that by virtue of his high birth he already had the requisite qualities to be one, now he is starting to realise that he in fact isn't, and actually needs to better himself if he has any hope of becoming one.I wouldn't give up on him just yet. Manipulative liar ? Elhokar couldn't maneuver a fly out a window, he never tried to undermine Dalinar, his paranoia led him to grow suspicious of everyone around him, which in turn led to his 'test'. That one on one moment you seem so willing to discard was the first glimpse we had of Elhokar's true character, his budding self awareness and the lengths he'd be willing to go to be worthy of his title. And the point was never for him to abdicate, but to put clear lines separating his authority from Dalinar's, while allowing the latter to keep the upperhand as far as surviving the desolation is concerned. Can't believe i'm here defending the guy, never even spared him a second thought while reading, thought it was transparent ...

When did a storm ever blow from the west, ravaging every village and field in its way before now ? i'd guess highprinces will have to earn their wages in the coming weeks.

pretty much, not entirely, someone needs to make big decisions and give guidelines, someone who isn't sworn to care for the whole world, so as to avoid conflicts of interest.

This really doesn't change much for Dalinar, he could not remain highprince in good conscience, he can't afford to prioritize his own people anymore or spare the time to answer their needs and oversee the princedom, Adolin was bound to take over the moment they set foot in the tower. This won't necessarily cripple his developpement, the time for internal Alethi politics is over, we'll have some drama about Sadeas's murder and the succession then we'll move on to bigger things. Besides the princedoms pretty much run themselves, Adolin won't be required to stay away from all the action, he'll remain in charge of the Alethi forces. As for Elhokar taking a step to wrest back some control over his own kingdom, it was long overdue, the way Dalinar is behaving, you'd think the Alethi armies were sworn to protect Roshar, running around from oathgate to oathgate while their homes lay ruined. Dalinar still needs to figure out what his role is, and how this war will have to be fought. Someone needs to speak for the Alethi when everyone is thinking of somehow saving the whole world, and it looks like that's going to be their king, fitting huh ? I also don't get all the suspicion towards Elhokar, what did he even say to warrant all of this ? that people should figure out what they want and seize it ? That's basic common sense, and we know since WoR what it is Elhokar wants, to be a hero, to be seen as a great king. And right now he got it in his head that ending the riots in the capital will get him closer to that goal. How you see duplicity and evil in this, i just don't know.

Drawback of weekly theorizing, sometimes consistancy and logic suffer in the wild speculations about the limited content.But we do get a few gems now and again, so it's still worth it.

Stil can't stop laughing whenever i remember Kaladin is running around impressing people with his radiancy while looking basicaly like a thug, way to give a lasting first impression.

Hmm, the part where Dalinar says some of his memories were coming back more vividly, is his bond with the Stormfather dispelling the Nightwatcher's interference ? Could he actualy soon remember what he did and why ? I always assumed it would be others who'd find out somehow (his sons mainly) and be affected while he remained ignorant.

Probably not the best place for this, and this was all probably said elsewhere, but oh well, since he's involved in the chapter ... I just don't see the need for a Mr.T as antagonist storyline at this point, sure i can understand killing Dalinar before he reached this point to leave the path open, but now ? When Dalinar is already working to unite Roshar, what would be the point of going on with the "King of everything" idea ? The deck is already stacked so unfavourably against the humans i don't think he can push his scheming too far without destroying his own chances at reaching his goal. I know we know nothing about his long term plans, but i can't think of anything right now to justify it. My guess is he'll be outwardly a strong ally to Dalinar, and his ploting will only revolve around measures Dalinar wouldn't deem ... radianty enough to agree with. If Mr;T is going to oppose someone, i think it'll be the various other secret societies flouriching on Roshar. That's why i find the theory having him become the "Cultivation" Bondsmith compelling, if his story evolves the right way. Any thoughts on this ?

The injuries he talks about are way older than that,though we don't know how long Renarin has been bonded, and i doubt it's long enough for him to have impacted the healing of Dalinar's multiple shoulder wounds, if he had recently started feeling better he'd have probably made a passing mention of it. Same reasoning applies for Dalinar himself having done it. I take that as just one more way to show just how tough Dalinar is, he'll just shrug off what would keep most in bed for a week.

You make them sound like suicidal adrenaline junkies when that's not at all how i understand it, they don't just choose to risk their lives for the sake of it, but say in a battlefield, if victory rests on a position being held at any cost, that's where you'll find the stonewards, they'll stand where other men and women would be overwhelmed. I don't see how that's any different from what you say Adolin would do. Still i'm completely sold on the blade revival path, it's something we have to see at some point and honestly what better candidate than Adolin ?

Well, Renarin was always sickly and Elhokar did need all the help he could get if the kingdom was to survive whereas Adolin was his reliable right hand, so i understand why they'd get more attention/support, it wasn't ideal parenting, but not exactly as bad as you make it sound. For the shards he gifted his brother, Adolin wasn't even born back then, so he didn't really choose Elhokar over him. And no, he won't give the Honorblade to his nefew just to sooth him, not after being warned of the danger its use represents. Besides Dalinar more than any radiant seems to focus on the importance of oaths, i doubt he'll be confortable with any surgebinder running around unchecked.

Hmm, is there any chance at all that Roshone actually accepts the punch as deserved and be the one to defuse the situation ? Crazy i know, but i've been thinking and we really don't know much about the guy, he's an cremhole sure, but we only saw him interact in some unusual situations : confronting a man he justly suspects of theft, arriving to the place he's been banished to, and in the grip of grief and anger after his son's death. All i'm saying is we don't exactly know what kind of man he is (within the sleazy lighteyed bastard category of course). Also for the punch bit, i'm not knowledgeable in any way but could it be related to the intent and circumstances of the punch ? Kaladin's hand is unprotected and his act is more a statement than a wish to inflict pain or injury (well a bit of pain anyway).