Q10fanatic

Maybe I'm misreading Brandon here, but I thought "it's just a natural Lightweaver sort of thing" meant that it is something they are naturally good at, similar to their skill with art. Perhaps enhanced in some kind of Spiritual way, but not like a magic area of effect they have.

I'm not familiar with this specific WOB, so I can't say for sure. My understanding was more that Lightweavers are temperamentally very well suited to counseling/listening/empathizing and these things make people feel better. On top of that, I do think Shallan does this type of thing as part of "spiritual transformation"; so these skills can work together such that the line between them blurs.

I think this is the key point. The questioner seems to want the magic to follow our modern standards of classification, but Roshar isn't there yet. While there are a lot of Newtonian-esque rules that work on a general level, a lot of the nitty gritty details of magic depend on the magic users' own perceptions, beliefs, and understanding about how the magic system works. We see this understanding of magic changing as time goes on. Both Roshar and Scadrial in Era 2 have communities that are devoted to discovering the mechanics of their respective magic systems, but they lag behind the practical applications that people have discovered over time.

We've seen many examples of soul casting that was not strictly under the Ten Essences. One example that comes to mind is Jasnah's lesson to Shallan in the alley. She soulcasted multiple materials, including human bodies, clothing, and weapons. I suspect for a skilled soul caster, there is a matter of interpretation or association for most materials in the world. This is an art that has existed for thousands of years on Roshar, even through the poor record keeping that affected other knowledge. If nothing else, they've likely discovered which stones/essences apply to less obvious materials through trial and error.

1. Their identity has been confirmed. Brandon has gone so far as to describe Warbreaker as a prequel for the Stormlight Archive, which suggests that they could be fairly important to the series. 2. Have you read many of the other Cosmere books or have you been Cosmere-aware as you've been reading many of the books? Brandon likes to give little clues about Worldhoppers, they often seem a little out of place, common hints are their language or accents.

Wait, so do you think Shallan can do this without being fueled by stormlight?

Thanks! I suppose now I need to do some research and see if Brandon ever mentions if her spheres went dun while she was drawing.

We have seen Shallan, when she takes a memory and draws people around her, affect people's self-perception and the actions that they take. Two prime examples of this are the slaver guard in tWoK and Elhokar in OB. I believe, and I think I've seen this elsewhere, that Shallan is doing some kind of Spiritual transformation through her art, that she is literally (but benignly and in small ways) changing these people's spirit webs or Identity. I think this may be comparable in some ways to what Shai does in Emperor's Soul. If this is correct, could we see Shallan modify someone's Identity/spirit web in such a way that they don't accept a long-term injury and become amenable to Growth/Regrowth-style healing? I'm thinking of something like Kaladin's brand or Rysn's legs. Healing and Identity/spirit webs are something that we have seen the end results of but we don't understand the mechanics very well. If Shallan CAN do this, I think it would explain why she has struggled to perform traditional transformation (Soul Casting) in the way that soul casters and Jasnah do it. Her powers, while drawing on the shared surge of transformation, would be very different and far more subtle than Jasnah's (Spiritual Transformation vs Physical Transformation).

I will definitely be combing the next book for any references to a spear.

I've always thought that the "the Tower" was a reference to the rock formation where Sadeas betrayed Dalinar. That is where Kaladin swore his second oath right? And "the crown" is a reference to Elhokar, the king. Kaladin swore his third oath protecting Elhokar. He summons "the Spear" (Syl) and, by doing so, takes up the long lost title of Knight Radiant.

There's no great analogies for this though, it's never happened before. I would argue that Kaladin is much closer to the humans (biologically and realmatically) than either the singers or the spren.

Doubtful. That seems based on the fact that BAM hijacked the Singer's Connection (Spiritual mumbo jumbo) and her being sealed away ripped that connection out of them (almost like the Deadeyes after the Recreance). The Singers (and Spren) naturally have a spirit web that is designed for this type of deep bond/Connection/entanglement with others, as part of their natural life cycle. Humans are far more independent and closed off from other beings, spiritually speaking. We don't see Kaladin go comatose when Syl "died".

I really like this theory! It seems plausible, but we know so little about the other Bondsmith spren (especialy the Sibling) and the old Bondsmiths that we can't really support it much either. Is there a WOB that says whether Bondsmiths can have blades or do we only have the Stormfather's conversation with Dalinar to rely on?

My reading was that Odium wanted him to be and selected him, but Dalinar rejected him so that position remains vacant. Odium is bound not by legalese but by the intent of an agreement.

For Lightweavers alone, this seems plausible. But how do you think the other orders get shardplate? The most common theory is that lesser spren somehow make up shardplate for each order, including Lightweavers. Do you have an idea for the others?

Isn't there a WOB that says Shallan was higher than Kaladin at the end of Words of Radiance? So she must have been a 4 at that point, right? If that is right, do you think she won't get armor until the 5th ideal?

That’s true. I feel like he has been unable to remember/understand key things though. He mentioned to Dalinar that he understands the Heralds better now, after experiencing the bond. So we know he is changing. And how was affected by the death of Honor?

We have lots of evidence of spren not remembering key information in the moment, couldn't this be something similar?

This concept sounds familiar to me. Are you talking about a specific, academic definition of honor?

This is really interesting and seems plausible! I just wonder, how do you come to this connection between the Sibling and gemhearts? I love this possible connection between the 3 major spren and the Singers' lifecycle. That theory answers a lot of background questions about Roshar and the Singers. As a follow-up, do you think that BAM is still connected to the Sibling? If the Sibling awakens and then BAM is released/found, what do you think would happen?

It is not Moash's hatred for Elhokar or the assassination attempts, it is that he actively chose to spurn redemption already, in the assault on Kholinar. Moash is a smart guy and an extremely capable fighter. He enters the scene at a moment of maximum chaos but where the success or failure of the mission is not yet clear to the team or to the reader. He chooses not to assist his fellow humans or Kaladin, who placed so much faith in him that he gave up Plate and Blade for him and who Moash has seen perform literal miracles, but instead chooses to get his revenge in the most painful and theatrical manner possible to all who witnessed it. Moash saw the glow! He could hear the Words! They were about to get another Radiant in a desperate fight for their lives! Moash knows what Radiants are capable of! Moash could have seen that, decided that he wanted to rejoin Kaladin, and saved the king and his friend. Instead, he probably did more than just about any other non-Unmade at that battle to kill the team and he did so knowingly.

We've also seen the Lopen swear his oath when he was calm. In that case, he even said that he'd been trying to save it for a dramatic moment.

I actually don't expect Moash/Vyre to get redemption. I think he is going to become infamous in-world as Odium's assassin and he will continue to serve as the narrative's Dark-Kaladin. From a mechanical/magical standpoint, do we know if it is even possible to be redeemed once you pledge to Odium? When you "give up" your pain/passion/guilt to Odium, that seems like it could open up your spirit web to his greater influence. I think Moash is becoming an agent of Odium in much the same way that Kelsier I expect that some interactions with the Shards just can't be undone.

Hasn't Brandon suggested that Nightblood can destroy souls like that?

Don't worry too much that it doesn't make sense. Brandon loves to use the Unreliable Narrator in his works and he has emphasized over and over that historical records on Roshar are distorted or incomplete. Moreover, this information was released in a way as to cause maximum political damage to Dalinar. There are still many holes that need to be filled in this story and it is likely that some additional context will clarify how the early Desolations came about and what caused the alliances to shift.