Philomath

Renarin?

Taln dies. It’s what he does. Makes some last crazy stand that he helps succeed while saving a bunch of people, but he himself dies in the process. And this time it will probably be in a last stand that saves all of Roshar. Another ending forshadowed from the beginning. Like in the series prologue. I can also see Szeth dying. He was supposed to. And his healing was not perfect. And he seems like the type who would sacrifice himself for a cause he believed in. Anyone else seems like fair game for me, but I don’t have any impressions one way or the other.

Taravangian?

Roial

Okay here’s the set up. We give a set of characters from across the Cosmere. Next person has to decide if these people would be friends, tolerate each other, or hate each other. And why they think that. Here’s my first set: Jasnah and Shai

Basically the title question. So let’s say someone had cancer and survived. If you stamped them and changed their history so the cancer got detected too late would they die? Or some other type of serious illness or injury that could be survivable or not given the correct circumstances? And if that would kill a person, let’s say that person had kids after surviving said illness or injury. Would their children cease to exist?

So I’m not quite sure how to insert a WoB, but I had a thought after seeing this one in another thread. “ceraius This is involving gemstones and their properties on Roshar. Given that Sapphire and Ruby are actually the same crystal - corundum - differing only in their impurities - how would you explain the differences in their properties, with respect both to their essences and their function in fabrials? For example, I am assuming that two identical fabrials, one made with a sapphire and one made with a ruby, would not function the same. To take it a step further, any corundum that is not ruby red is simply called a sapphire of whichever color it happens to be (blue sapphire, green sapphire, colorless sapphire, etc.). How does this play into things; would a blue sapphire have different properties than a green one or a colorless one? Brandon Sanderson This was a big part of the magic for me in working on Roshar, as I wanted the gems to work differently from Scadrials metals in order to avoid repetition. The fact that many gems are basically the same thing was one of the launching points actually. Let me say that you are on the right track. On Roshar, color of the gem is more important than actual crystalline structure.” I think it is an interesting connection that many gems are technically the same, but their different impurities is what makes them a different color. I think it is a great parallel to the characters of Stormlight (and people in general) that it is their own “impurities”; imperfections and weaknesses that truly make them who they are as people and Radiants. It makes them unique and helps them grow and progress. People have value and worth not despite their imperfections, but because of them. And I think this is a big part of Stormlight Archive. So many characters are broken and instead of viewing it is a problem, they can grow to let it be a part of what makes them beautiful.

I like this idea too. I wonder if Lift has a really strong self perception (so cognitive strength I guess) so when she asked to not change, Cultivation moved her closer to the cognitive realm which lets her cognitive view of herself change who she is physically. She strongly thought she was ten and stayed that way until something in her mind changed that grew her up a bit. Food is important to her so it remains extremely important to her.

I think the "woman" the Stormfather referred to is Cultivation, not Lift. Although I do wonder at Lift's age and backstory a lot too. I won't argue that she isn't changing/growing up/getting older now, but I just have this sense that it is more complicated. My theory is that she is actually hundreds of years old and Cultivation made changes to her like we know happened to others and only recently started reversing them when the time was right. But you do have a good point about a ten year old making a journey to the valley. Though Lift seems very resourceful so I wouldn't exactly put it past her.

Edwarn Ladrian?

So at one point during WoR I believe, Navani makes a comment to Dalinar about how he and Evi were really good together or a good match. Something like that. (I don't have an ebook and my hard copies are still in a box from a recent move. If anyone could help find the quote that would be great.) My problem with that statement is everything we saw in the Dalinar flashbacks says differently. Now I really loved Dalinar's arc and story in Oathbringer but this seems like a huge discrepancy to me. I know we really only got a few small glances at their relationship, but I just don't see how anything about it especially from someone as close to them as Navani could have been seen as "good for each other." I feel like the man Dalinar is now is the man Evi deserved and wished for him to be. And someone mentioned in a recent shardcast how it would have been an even harder flashback if they had been a better match. And I think it would have been a beautiful tragedy if that was the case. I don't know. Am I missing something? Or does anyone else find this odd?

When you are doing magnet science with your 5 year old and he discovers that it only works on metal... but not aluminum. And you just grin because Cosmere reference. And Brandon is awesome for using real life principles in his magic systems. Also, during said magnet science, your grandpa teaches you about stainless steel and how you can tell if it is good quality by if it is magnetic or not. Poor quality = still magnetic. Good quality = not magnetic. And then you wonder if stainless steel will make an appearance in a later MB era.

Dang. Nice job. You got it.

Nope and nope. Second clue: This character has been a leader.

@Herowannabe Those were some great clues. First clue: This character is honorable.

Spook

Vin?

Thanks @Calderis I had always thought for some reason that all soulcasters had three gem slots and was surprised that so many only had one type of gem for all three slots as compared to Jasnah's fake. I didn't know the ability to change the type of gemstone in each slot was a rare thing. I suppose that maybe they are each designed with a specific purpose. Other fabrials require specific gems to work so soulcasters could be the same unless designed with the express purpose to be interchangeable. Which is probably more complex. Does anyone have any thoughts about why we have seen so many soulcasting savants (I guess it is just 2-3) yet the implications of that never seem to be brought up by people? I feel like that is something that would be noticed. Although I do know there is a WoB somewhere saying that soulcasting savantism is really dependent on the person.

We have a winner!

Nope Okay last clue: This character likes the sea.

I have a follow up question to this. Jasnah's "soulcaster" had three different stones that would have given the ability to soulcast into three different things. Shallan didn't seem to think that odd at all. But many of the other soulcasters (devices) that we are shown only have one type of gemstone and the soulcaster (user) is having issues of savantism. But those issues don't come up much in common dialogue about soulcasters. So which is truly more common? Single use soulcasters with savants or multi use soulcasters that would seem to help prevent savantism?

Good guesses but no one has gotten it yet. 4th clue: This character is on Roshar.

When you listen to Shardcast enough that your son who loves Pokemon slips up and says "Who's that Cosmere Character!?!" instead...

No. But he is a good guess. Third clue: This character is a cheater.

Nope. Second clue: This character is multilingual.