Lightflame

This theory messes with the mechanics of Stormlight, but that's okay because we don't understand it yet. In the prologue, Szeth mentions that the human body isn't a good container for Stormlight, as it continually leaks it. But the gems used to hold Stormlight are the same. They leak Stormlight, giving off light until they go dun. Sure it takes a while, but they eventually get used up. Only Voidbringers can hold Stormlight perfectly. However, I somehow came up with a new container for Stormlight. I believe that rocks somehow absorb Stormlight, but don't leak it. Instead, they sit around, loaded with Stormlight, but nobody can access its power. Since the entire world is essentially made of stone, everything is filled with Stormlight. That's where the Voidbringers come in. At the beginning of each Desolation, the Voidbringers show up and unleash the Stormlight within the stone, then disappearing when they've got all the Stormlight out. The goal of the Heralds and Radiants was to kill as many Voidbringers as possible before they could cause Stormlight chaos. Or maybe rocks hold Voidlight. I'm not sure. In that case, the Voidbringers show up and unleash Voidlight, causing all sorts of voidish creatures to manifest. Then they leave, while the Heralds and Radiants try to prevent them from escaping. Their goal is to wipe out all Voidbringers so that another Desolation won't happen. However, you can't kill a Voidbringer, so you need to "Bind" it instead, using the Dawnshards. The Heralds have to go back to their hell place so that the Voidbringers will stay bound. Taln alone wasn't enough to hold back the Voidbringers, so now every single Voidbringer is going to be showing up instead of just the ones that got away. The prelude doesn't mention Voidbringer bodies, and "telling them that we won" could mean telling the people that they bound all the Voidbringers. Hey, by the time another Desolation came, nobody would be able to find them. Notice how this theory amounted to pointless meandering. Ah well. I feel like there's some hidden meaning behind claims that Voidbringers come out when Highstorms happen.

That is an incredibly awesome thought, but the Parshmen have the same problem with touching the dead. Unless the Parshmen are somehow in tune with the Parshendi, that probably isn't it.

On the topic of Restares, we never actually get a gender for them. So Restares could actually be a woman, however unlikely that is. On the topic of this theory, it's definitely possible that Kaladin killed Shallan's brother.

And you essentially win here. 1+ rep for you. The Parshendi can't have full Honor, but they still probably have something. (I'm still going for "Unite Them" as why they killed Gavilar.) That sounds pretty good. I'll give you a 1+ as well. However, I came up with my own variant. Honor is confirmed to be Splintered (see 27 here), although I'm not sure if I was right about the Parshendi being his Splinters. Since the Parshendi have some sort of Hive Mind, then a few of them could have obtained Splinters, which is influencing all of them. What separates them from the Parshmen would still be unknown, but their honourable behaviour would be explained. Who knows where the rest of the Splinters went? Maybe Batman took them. (Or you could be right.)

If a Pulser was a martial artist, they use allomancy to demonstrate a move in slow motion. This could also help conserve the budget for movie special effects. You only need some metal to achieve slow-mo! (Allomancers will make big bucks in the film industry.)

In Chapter 16, Jost tells Kaladin and Laral that his father once killed a Shardbearer. Of course, Laral and Kaladin point out that Jost's father fought in the north, where there weren't any Shardbearers. This leads to the fight between Kaladin and Jost. However, what if there really was a Shardbearer in the north, one who happened to be there for some unknown reason? We know from Kaladin that no army ever sent one of their Shardbearers to the north, but I think someone mentions that about a third (or is it two thirds?) of the Shardblades that the people of Roshar had are unaccounted for. Maybe one of the missing Shardblades was used by someone up north? What would a Shardbearer be looking for up north? Perhaps there's something of great importance there, like Urithuru, the Honorblades, or the Ghostblood Hideout. If there is, Jost's father screwed up by killing him. As well, since there was never an official report on the northern Shardblade, the officer was either killed by the man who took the Shardblade, or someone who would hide the existence of the Blade (a Herald?). Also, the man who got the Shardblade would have had to not report getting it, so he probably had a hidden motive. What if he was a member of the Ghostbloods, and he was collecting Shardblades for some reason? It's a lot of thought for a story that probably isn't true, but I think we should all remember from Elantris.

There does need to be something to fight after Odium is defeated. That is, unless we end up with an amalgamation of evil Shards like Ruin, Odium, and other unrevealed evil Shards (provided they exist). Alternately, Adonalsium is a planet.

In Interlude 3, that one guy mentions the he stole a sphere from the Nightwatcher. Then Szeth is reminded of Gavilar's sphere. (I'll get quotes later if anyone wants them.) Who else has gone to see the Nightwatcher? Dalinar. I'm assuming that there's a connection here, which involves the Nightwatcher hoarding these spheres. Allow me to present two possibilities: 1. Dalinar received the sphere from the Nightwatcher along with his memory wipe. For some reason, he gave the sphere to Gavilar, who realized what the sphere was. To make this possibility seem more plausible, he could have used the sphere to zap some Parshmen into Parshendi (Dalinar was said to be the one to first come into contact with them), and then lent it to Gavilar, who was intrigued by it. Alternately, he saw it as worthless and was going to throw it away, only for Gavilar to ask to see it. OR 2. Gavilar and Dalinar went to see the Nightwatcher together. Gavilar received the sphere, while Dalinar got his memory wipe. Gavilar realized the importance of the sphere and had his "OMG!" moment. While we're on the subject of the Nightwatcher, I wonder why Dalinar went. When I was reading The Way of Kings, I was sure that he was shamed by the time he attacked Gavilar, so he went to the Nightwatcher. However, the timeline doesn't match up (he attacked Gavilar because they were fighting over Navani or something), so now I believe that it was due to the pain of his wife leaving him (he did spent three years courting her, and he is human). If so, his wife is most likely either Malise Gevelmar (Shallan's deceased stepmother, who Jasnah somehow knows about), or Shalash. (That's how she managed to get the statue in Kholinar. See the theory about Shalash being Baxil's mistress.) I'm not sure if Shalash would match up with the timeline of my theory unless it was taking a really long time for Gavilar to replace her statue, or he hadn't noticed. Also, I don't know enough about the timeline to be sure if it was Malise. Whatever. Feel free to support, be neutral on, or point out holes in either of my theories.

That's pretty good, and it makes me want to read more. However, it also leaves me with a feeling that there will be flashbacks to come. Still cool. @Comments on the Knights: Okay, thanks. Seeing as I have to mention the Knights at some point in the prologue, I can just have Kano say something like "so-called Knights", "those who call themselves the Knights", or "those armoured fiends called the Knights". Something like that. Their full title is "The Knights of Tavrion", but that would be really clunky before they got an explanation, so I just had Kano call them "the Knights".

I have a feeling this is a legitimate point, but I have no clue what you mean by "a darker"? Is this a typo? Either way, and explanation would be appreciated. Thanks!

@Observer: Sounds cool, but change the name Brom to something else. I associate it with Eragon, which is well known for how bad it is. You don't have to, but stuff like that pulls me out of the story. ("Narm" is used on TV Tropes to mean "Unintentional Comedy", so the bridgeman in WoK threw me out of the story every time he was mentioned.) It's not bad writing, it's simply bad luck.

Thank you for both the criticism and the praise. Reading over what I had written, I notice that I do have a serious problem with that. I was worried that the reader would stumble over a "he" or "his", wondering if I meant Kano of the man attacking him. I suppose I can fix that up. I should keep watch for it in my future writing. (I actually received the same criticism in a review of my Warriors fanfic, Golden Dawn: Lost Sunrise, but I ignored it because it was poorly worded.) Give me a moment, and I change some of the uses of Kano's name to pronouns. EDIT: Slightly revised version.

I did mention in my thread title that it was a bit of a baseless theory. I'm still only about 300 pages into my WoK reread, so I might actually find some evidence for my theory later on. Until then, it can go down in history as the most baseless theory on the 17th Shard. (Unless someone beat me there. Hoid really is right about timeliness.)

My story (series, really) is still in the very early planning stages, but I have the beginning of my prologue. The prologues POV character won't be one of the main characters, but he will be important later on. Context: What do you think? I'm not sure of my hook, so I'm excited for advice on improving it.

My new theory is that Spren are fragments of the Knights Radiant. Each Knight would presumably have the various aspects of them split into many Spren, sort of like Adonalsium. Reasons: 1. Spren didn't start appearing en masse until the Knights Radiant abandoned the people of Roshar. 2. Spren grant people the powers of the Knights Radiant. 3. There were female Knights in Dalinar's vision. Therefore, Syl could be a Radiant. (This isn't support for the Radiants being Spren. Instead, it means that it is possible for Syl to be a Radiant, regardless of gender roles.) 4. As his link with Syl grows stronger, the oaths of the Knights Radiant appear in Kaladin's mind. 5. The Knights Radiant gave up their Shardblades for some reason. Syl also has a strange hatred of Shardblades. 6. Syl comes to "remember" human concepts, almost as if she used to be a human. So, what do you think?

It happens twice. From a meta standpoint, that makes it likely to be significant. From an in-universe standpoint, Kaladin notes that rocks really shouldn't be able to change his mood, and he's too young for innocence to make him inexplicably happy. Something's up.

Parshendi don't actually have to be Voidbringers. Yes, it's Jasnah's big theory, but there have been plenty of discussions here about how it might not be completely correct, or even on the right track. Voidbringers could be Spren for all we know. Also, your idea is interesting. Let's wait and see how this turns out.

Today in my incredibly slow reread of The Way of Kings, I reached Cocoons, which is Chapter 16, running from pages 245 to 257 in the hardcover edition. At first, I didn't think anything of significance could be hidden in a Kaladin flashback chapter (I always underestimate Brandon), but I think I might have found something. On page 254, we have a moment where Kaladin goes into "battle mode". Actually, until I typed that quote I was going to go on a tangent about how the rock Tien gave to Kaladin chanelled "warrior's spirit" or something in him, but I just noticed something. That scene there, the cliche moment where the hero realizes that they're actually really badass, is accepted by our minds because we've seen it so many times. But this isn't any old "badass" moment. Kaladin just activated the Thrill, and he did it without a Shardblade. While my mind struggles to comprehend how that is possible, I'm going to go back to the topic I wanted to bring up. On page 247, Tien shows up and gives Kaladin a rock. Here, have some quotes. A strange rock that magically makes Kaladin happy, while also seeming to have a face in it? Either Tien gave Kaladin drugs, or something is up with those rocks. Seeing as the rocks magically improve his mood, something mystical like a Spren is probably hiding within them. They might have Stormlight, but Kaladin couldn't use Stormlight until he met Syl, and the rocks still retain their powers after he activates the Thrill. (Possibly. After Kaladin uses the Thrill, the first rock doesn't cause him to crack a smile, but the second one does. However, the first rock still retains its pattern.) If the rocks do have Spren in them, then that may suggest that Shardblades have Spren within them as well. After all, the translated notes Navani has reveal that , meaning that Shardblades are the only magic that doesn't use Spren. Also, the face in the rock could be the face of a Spren. Also, if the rocks do indeed have Spren, Tien finding them can't be a coincidence. He might have some special power which lets him detect Spren, or he might have a connection to the Radiants. The next thing to consider is Syl's hatred of Shardblades. She , so the Spren inside Shardblades must set her off. The only other thing known to set Syl off is the name "Odium". Make of this what you will. And there we have my theory. As I continue to reread The Way of Kings, I may draw new things that give my theory a more constructive purpose, but for now you have to make due with my conclusions based on that chapter.

This. Yes. Many good reasons why the Parshendi aren't Voidbringers put together in one awesome post. Anyway, I've been nursing a pet theory that Spren are Voidbringers, or at least shattered pieces of them. They change their shape, Truthspren can take you to Shadesmar (which could be considered "bringing the void"), they can be "bound" (shown in that interlude with the ardents), and they have a strange connection to Stormlight. Spren were used by the Knights Radiant, and Nohadon mentions them, but Power-Granting Spren seem to be different from the other spren. Either Spren has become a catch-all term for things floating around, or the Knights Radiant were using the powers of Voidbringers secretly. Also, someone mentioned the possibility of Gemhearts having spren in them. What if the "Voidbringer" picture Jasnah found indicated that a Voidbringer was controlling the Chasmfiend, not that the Chasmfiend was a Voidbringer? I'm probably completely wrong here, given that Brandon is a writing God whose plot-twists can't be prematurely comprehended by mere mortals, but I wanted to get the theory out there.

Curses. You traveled farther into the future and bought all the Cosmere books. Is the rumour that Adonalsium is Ronald McDonald true?

Through methods involving the sacrifice of several people who didn't want to be sacrificed, I've decoded the song of the Parshendi. Read it here, and be amazed. Amazing, isn't it?

Sitting in a car for about two hours waiting for my mom to finish shopping has its benefits. Said benefits being that the book I chose to bring was The Way of Kings. As I always do, I apologize in advance if someone has already made this theory. The thing is, I think this one is right. (Everybody does with their theories, but you know...) This theory needs other theories for it to work, so please bear with me as I lead up to it. If you don't feel like reading all this, there's a "too long; didn't read" version after the theory. The dying visions started happening about the same time that Gavilar discovered the Parshendi. I find that extremely significant. Dalinar has visions as well, and he supposedly yells out strange things when he has them. Dalinar's visions are brought on by Highstorms, while these visions come from death. Could there be a connection? I'd like to propose that the visions started appearing when Honor died. This would mean that Honor died seven years before the story began. Soon afterwards, King Gavilar heads out to the Shattered Plains and discovers the Parshendi, Parshmen unlike anything Roshar had seen before. See where I'm going with this? It's a theory many before me have come up with. Seven years ago, Odium killed Honor's Shardholder Tanvast (spelling?) and the visions began. To make sure that no-one would be able to take up the Honor Shard again, Odium splintered it. The Parshendi are the splinters of Honor. It makes sense. The Parshendi having seemingly endless numbers, act strangely honourable in battle, and weren't discovered until the time when Honor's Splintering is hinted to have happened. Jasnah wonders what "activated" the Parshmen to turn them into Parshendi. If they are in fact Honor's Splinters, then the Honor Shard "activated" a random group of Parshmen in the Shattered Plains, and could also activate Parshmen in other parts of the world. As well, consider this quote: The Parshendi Shardbearer's identity is a topic that has several theories made about it (I know Gavilar has been guessed. I wonder if there are any theories that it's Nohadon?), but what if they know Dalinar for a different reason? Honor chose Dalinar to receive the visions, so this Shardbearer could know Dalinar because he is the one chosen by Honor. (This leads into "Kaladin is Odium's champion because of his hatred", but let's leave that for a different time.) It makes sense, while allowing theories on this character's identity to continue. If I'm doing my job correctly, then by now your mind should be open to the possibility of the Parshendi being Honor Splinters instead of being Voidbringers. (Or "as well as being Voidbringers", but I'm not sure if even Brandon could pull off a twist like that.) That would be good, because my theory hinges on that theory. Now, onto why the Parshendi killed Gavilar. We already know a few things about the situation. The Parshendi hired an assassin to kill Gavilar, told him to be as showy as possible, then took credit for the assassination after the fact. In a Dalinar chapter (I forget where, since I was just flipping through the book, but I think it's one of his very early chapters.), someone even mentioned that the Parshendi seemed like they had been preparing for the war which would come when they killed Gavilar. The Parshendi didn't seem to care about Gavilar's Evil Glowy Rock of Doom, so that couldn't have been what they were after. Instead, it seems like they wanted to start a war. Honor's mantra throughout the book is, "Unite them." I believe that Honor's will for the Highprinces/people of Roshar was carried on within the Parshendi. They killed Gavilar and took credit for it so that the Vengeance Pact would be created, and the Highprinces would come together to fight them. Honor had some capacity for seeing the future, so they could have been able to see that the Vengeance Pact would come about from their actions. If not, then their time with Gavilar might have allowed them to guess what would happen. Also, the back of the book mentions that "Victory makes men lax" or something. The war could serve the purpose of putting them back into shape. Of course, considering the interactions between the Highprinces, they either failed horribly, or this is all part of an even bigger gambit by someone. So what do you think of this? Agree? Disagree? Has it already been guessed? Please tell me in your reply.

Well, Jasnah seems to be researching Gavilar's death, Voidbringers, and Urithuru. She concludes that the Parshendi are Voidbringers, so that logically brings me to the conclusion that her research into Voidbringers is because she wants to know if her hypothesis has anything to do with Gavilar's death. Urthithuru seems to be a random topic to research, unless it somehow ties into Gavilar's death. Perhaps the maps are the key to Urithuru, which the Ghostbloods and Pashendi are on the hunt for? Maybe Kasbal insisted that Urithuru was just a legend so that he could turn Jasnah away from locating Urithuru, which is the true goal of the Ghostbloods/the hideout of the Ghostbloods? On a less serious note, the water within Selatales looks like a beard.

I loved the first four, and would highly recommend them. However, book five was painful to read, as Gralaus being the villain was book clever and stupid. Also, Bracken is a massive Gary Stu. He's overpowered, everyone likes him, the love interest for the main character, has no flaws, is the son of the Fairy Queen (And she's a unicorn. What?), and has a lot of other Stu traits. I can him "Stu Horse".

I've been meaning to read but two, but I keep putting it off. I wish that there had been a bit more action by Eon(a) in book one. Finally figuring out the Mirror Dragon at the end was cool, but she felt too weak up until then.