Honorless

Oh he'll definitely make a play for Nightblood. But who knows, other Shards are mobilizing. Anti-Investiture is now a thing. One of the creators of Nightblood is here. (Maybe we'll get "Daybone" or something!) And Odium as a Shard, is better not being helmed by a Vessel or left alone to develop a mind. The only options are to Splinter it or... needs to be combined with another Intent and contextualized. The next book is Szeth's. It's supposed to have an Oathbringer-like ending, iirc. The contest of champions is not done yet. Then the Back 5. There will be a reprieve.

Yeah, who wouldn't?

Welcome aboard!

Hello Trevor! Welcome to the Shard!

Welcome to the Shard, gancho!

So... there's anti-liquid? anti-godmetal? Egad

I managed to predict some things in advance while reading RoW 1) Bunch of things in advance from hints, I'm counting them all in one, because they could've been guessed at that point anyway What the Rhythm of War was Restares' identity Thaidakar's identity etc. 2) This is the one I'm proud of: I managed to predict the Dawnsingers ability, not completely, but that they could use the Rhythms to alter things I was thinking about the Name of the Wind. Specifically the art of Naming. I looked at the names: "Listeners", "Singers", "Dawnsingers" and noticed the similarity and wondered what if. Then went *gasp* could it be? And I was right! 3) Found the topic! I noticed the thing about the pulses that Seekers heard and the Rosharan Rhythms and wondered how Investiture is sorted/keyed in the Spiritual Realm. I came quite close, I think: I hope I'm right and Spiritwebs are also like pulses/Rhythms in the Spiritual.

I think that was Tanavast's Spiritual self. The similarity to the Stormfather was because of the merging.

Hmm... Preservation and Ruin's power repulsed each other but they can interact without annihilating one another. They are not each other's anti-Investiture.

I think Thaidakar is *definitely* Kelsier. Mraize mentioned he was suffering from "an affliction similar to the Heralds"... Maybe... he's... going wonky too

Hoid's memories are open to Odium now. Hoid and Harmony were in communication.

I think that's why he chose the name. Preservation and Ruin in harmony.

I thought it was one of Autonomy's Avatars but now... I think that was Odium, somehow. Immortals. Men of red and gold. Narratively too, it seems more likely that it's Odium, as they, as a villain we know, would be more impactful. The timing of the books, with Mistborn era 2 set between Stormlight Archive's two halves makes it very likely. Plus Kelsier's interference on Roshar as Thaidakar.

Interludes! Lol, Hesina's dad sounds awesome. Hesina gets down to tacks of brass with Lirin, confronting him with why he's acting this way to Kal. Lirin felt guilty for locking horns with Roshone, and felt Tien's death was on him. Hesina asks him if he wants to lose another son. Oof but honestly, he deserved that. He meets the soldier with the PTSD he'd met who tells him his son gave him the will to live. Hesina gets Lirin to *listen*. A PoV from a Darkeyed child's perspective who wants to be a Windrunner. Social development is going to be such an uphill battle.. Taravangian is visited by Sja-Anat, who confirms what was hinted so far, that Odium and Rayse, the power and the mind are at cross-purposes which leaves him vulnerable, which must be what Taravangian saw. His deal with Odium leaves him unprotected from past promises the god made. Voidspren are afraid of Bondsmiths. Sja-Anat would lure Odium with her Corrupted spren that we saw in her interlude to Taravangian. She suspects Cultivation has a been playing a long game (squee!) Dalinar is tired of war. It sounds like Brandon is buttering up Argyle, lol. Ishar can apparently cause glyphs to appear willy-nilly. The Ghostbloods *did* say he was dangerous. Wit and Jasnah *are* together. Huh, looks like we might find out what Hoid wants sooner than expected, in this very series. He's really becoming a fleshed-out character here, his warning to Dalinar regarding himself, the one about watching Roshar burn comes to mind with what he sounds like here. His contract for a Contest of Champions to Odium would see Roshar destroyed but Odium contained. He confirms Rayse's nature as a megalomaniac and that he probably put all his eggs in one basket woven of blackthorn. Huh, sounds like Odium provokes other Shards into attacking him and then kills them as it weakens them to break their promises. Poor Kal is stretched to his limits. The Sibling contacts them that the last node was found and Raboniel is planning to kill all the Radiants and to send Rlain. Kal sends Dabbid to Rlain and then Navani; Teft, Lift to wake the Windrunners and rescue the other Radiants, while he gives Lezian what he wants. Dalinar talks with Yanagawn who's being watched eating (lol, I remember that from the deleted interlude in... WoR, I think) He asks Jasnah to write the undertext for Oathbringer, aw. They talk about undertexts (agree with both here), and what Dalinar's book would mean for Vorinism. Timbre is disappointed in Venli but assures her that she believes in her. Vyre left to where? This forces Venli to turn back to Urithiru. Raboniel uses Navani's notes to find anti-Stormlight. Navani finds comfort in prayer. Uh... someone has a plan? is that a Cultivation shout-out, ehehe? Raboniel protects Navani from Moash and sends him to destroy the node that Lezian is delaying after he refuses to try to kill Kal, which is good because she gave him a Raysium dagger with anti-Stormlight and White Sand to kill spren. Two Kal simps vs Kal & team is a go! So Honorblades can bypass the protection. Are people having their attention redirected? Kal remembershus sergeant in the well and Navani catches a glint of the discarded dagger conveniently. Direform: explain the new forms Branderson! I wonder if Shash would mean hope in the future, lol. *gasp* Syl in Bridge 4 uniform, someone call the artists! These epigraphs, who is El? Looks like Kaladin's fate is to be the lightning rod in this book. Teft and Lift get a Moash interrupt. Kaladin rips into Lezian's fragile mind, lol. Teft vs Moash! I like Phendorana, please don't kill her! Rlain can't get to Navani and is taken to Raboniel near the crystal pillar which is exactly where he needs to go to bond the Sibling! Congrats to those who predicted Rlain would Bond the Sibling! Lezian is scared of Kal now, lol and everyone's impressed with Kal, *again*. The dead inside and desperately hoping he remains dead inside Moash forces Teft to fight him by killing one of the comatose Radiants. Phendorana made herself visible, which is very dangerous, not that she knows. Phendoranablade blocks Jezrien's Honorblade (...for a moment I'd forgotten that *wasn't* Nightblood.. Pffff, god) ... Moash killed Phendorana with the dagger first and then killed Teft with the Honorblade. Teft died knowing he was loved. Okay then, Moash is *not* coming back from this. I'm surprised after his PoVs in OB and the beginning of this book, I feel like Brandon changed his mind on him because of the fandom's reaction. But yeah, this Moash gets an f u from me too. P.S oh look *another* Sanderlanche, seriously just *why* did the reviews say this book didn't have a Sanderlanche? Lezian flees. Moash wants, no *needs* Kaladin to break to justify himself. My, my what happened Lirin, *now* you want to resist again? Moash tells Lezian to kill Lirin in front of Kal if he returns to his senses. Odium wants Lift, for her Lifelight, for her Boon, for her connection to Cultivation. Gods, that's too much chull dung Kal has had to sift through, he better get a good retirement. Navani arms her fabrials and her dagger to kill Raboniel. Raboniel tells Navani to run as Moash is coming for her. This time Navani tricks Raboniel with her painrial. With Taravangian and Nightblood, over here Navani and anti-Voidlight, is Odium going to get killed / Splintered in this very book? We're close to the the end, which with Bran San doesn't add a "though" to the end of that question but rather amplifies the possibility! Squeeeeeeee! Navani the chad walks and crawls through the pain and kills Raboniel! Raboniel tells Navani to run, again, with her dying breath. I suppose, the best manipulations are the ones in which you show your true heart but not your mind, and your mind is willing to go against your own heart. Raboniel just wanted the war to end. Moash stabs Navani. Venli wonders again if she is a bad person for not grieving her sister as she watches Kal. Timbre tells her to tell Leshwi she's a Radiant but she recoils. Leshwi tries to protect Kal from the disgraced Lezian who does what Moash told him not to do, provoke Kaladin into aggression, Kal is now **__enraged__**, looking terrifying... with red-yellow glowing eyes?! Did he just spontaneously join a Voidbinding order out of sheer rage, what the-flow?! Holy! Kal lashed Lezian's body with Adhesion and used Reverse Lashing on the floor to tear his head off! Most of the Heavenly Ones flee in terror, Kal doesn't pay any heed to Leshwi or Venli. (but there was a Lezian PoV in Part 5, are we gonna get a PoV set in Braize?) Lezian's soldiers go to kill the Radiants. The Heavenly One with Lirin flees from Kaladin in a panic and throws Lirin over, Kal jumps. Syl can't remember the Words. A dying Raboniel grapples with Vyre. Navani hears the Rhythm of War from the Sibling's pillar. (So she'll have to mix Towerlight and Warlight?) Through Connection to the Spiritual the Stormfather and Dalinar can slow down, I assume, the perception of time in a limited area by dragging them partially into a vision. (I thought those were more of a mix of Cognitive and Spiritual than this, and ultimately located in the Cognitive, but it seems, at most, the Cognitive is an interpreter). Lezian's soldiers begin slaughtering the civilians who stand in the way. Venli turns away then begs Leshwi to stop it and find a better way. Venli shows Leshwi. Dalinar tells the Stormfather to be better than just a storm. Dalinar sees the Spiritual Realm and Connects Kal to... Tien. By the gods, Tien was too good for this world. Kal sees why Tien chose to die. (So the Spiritweb persists as long as it has Connections, so long as there are people who remember them). Journey before destination. Life before death. The Fourth Ideal "I accept that there will be those I cannot protect". Kaladin glimpses the Spiritual Realm. I think Honor somehow accepted his Words. Leshwi asks Venli if the spren have come back to them? Forgiven them? Leshwi and her Heavenly Ones start fighting Lezian's Singers killing the humans, Venli joins her. This act acts as an emulsifier, Honor and Odium joined together, the Rhythm of War. The Sibling tells Navani she's not worthy to Bond him. Rlain and Dabbid and Hesina help the survivors irrespective of their sides. They see Teft's dead body. Lift is bleeding out, she can't use Stormlight, they don't know about Lifelight. Heh, Rlain, of both worlds, an outsider, unites the two groups who've started squabbling. *How did Timbre capture the Voidspren in Venli's Gemheart? Is that what allows her to use Voidlight to power Radiant abilities?* Windspren part the storm around Kal, and Bond him, coalescing into Plate. Navani calls it chull dung that she's not worthy, finally confident in her self-worth, courtesy of Raboniel and going through hell. Calls out the Sibling's hypocrisy. Navani hums anti-Odium, helping the Sibling and hurting Vyre. Navani sings Honor's song, they sing Cultivation's. Together they sing the song of Towerlight. Human and spren, the Sibling realizes their purpose, they accept Navani's Words. Say hello to the newest Bondsmith in the block! Sorry peeps who wanted Rlain to Bond the Sibling, but this fits better no? Besides the Nightwatcher is still there, assuming Taravangian doesn't Bond her. Lirin and Kal make up. Kal's Plate has the Bridge 4 symbol and the brands fall away from his forehead. Sigzil flies Dalinar to Ishar, Szeth comes with, of course. Turns out Ishar was less wise man, more mad scientist tinkerer plus soldier, which makes sense. Ishar has his Honorblade, which was held by Neturo, Szeth's father. Okay, I'm pretty sure these cremlings are not being inhabited by Voidspren but are simply the Sleepless. Venli sent away the Reachers for their own safety (aw, I thought we'd get Fused Radiant Leshwi!). Well done, Brando pulls a big misdirection with the Rlain-Bondsmith business, I thought Renarin sent one of Sja-Anat's Enlightened spren to Rlain, but I forgot about it in the chaos! Ishar was considered average in skill?! How OP in fighting skills are the rest then! Jezrien, Nale, Chana and Taln must've been inhuman then! Of course Taln was the best (Squeeeeeeee!). This fight is making me very anxious. Ishar can use Connection to draw out Stormlight (apparently by making the Stormlight think the ground he linked to the Radiants' soul was a part of them)! Dalinar opens Honor's Perpendicularity. Ishar can steal Connections! This man *needs* to die! Unfettered Bondsmith powers are wack! He tried to steal Dalinar's Nahel Bond and his Connection to Odium as his challenger but Szeth severed the Connection between him and Dalinar. Dalinar has become too passive... Nightblood collapsed the Perpendicularity. There's an Unmade in Shinovar. Dai-Gonarthis, I assume. Or... something else? How much of what Ishar is saying is crazy talk? Nightblood chipped Ishar's Honorblade! Ishar created a Perpendicularity (that's how he sent people into Shadesmar), gaining momentary sanity, he asks Dalinar to come to him in Shinovar and swear an Ideal next to him to grant him momentary clarity so he can reforge the Oathpact. (Ah so that's why Book 5 was contested between Skybreaker and Bondsmith. But there definitely won't be a renewed Oathpact, there will be something entirely new) Navani inhabits Urithiru like Dalinar rides the Highstorm, she sees all the fabrials that the Sibling manifested in the Tower and understood them. She has the resources and knowledge to eject the Voidlight from them. Ishar was the first on Ashyn that got tricked by Odium into experimenting with the Surges. (So, it was his guilty conscience that made him consider the Oathpact to punish himself, I assume.) Szeth gets permission from Dalinar to advance in his Ideals in his crusade against Shinovar, ehehe *ominous music* Wow, Kaladin can apparently make the Windspren form Shardplates around others! Heh, the Tower's protections are back in place, oof the Deepest Ones got stuck in the stone, lol. Ishar can make spren have physical bodies. He's been studying their cadavers. What the hell!!! Cryptics and Ashspren have the most inhuman physiologies, Honorspren the most human. That's why Ishar was hunting Honorspren. Moash feels again and does not like the experience. The experience leaves him blind. Judging by the epigraphs there's *still* a bombshell left in this book! His plan again in tatters, and Dalinar exhausted, Odium drags him into another vision, golden, of course. Odium's Light is violet (or ultraviolet?) then why does his form glow gold. It's *not* just his megalomania. The red is corruption but what is the gold? (Also, wow Roshar is going to be so OP in space-age Cosmere). Odium thinks Ishar taught him (Odium couldn't see Ishar either huh, makes sense though). Odium realizes Hoid wrote the contract. He explains a bit more but all stuff we know by now, this was just confirmation but glorious still. How did Honor chain Odium to the Rosharan system? (a Dawnshard? He did keep rambling about Dawnshards being required to defeat Odium. Plus the things we learned in the novella...) The Everstorm means that Odium can't agree, his forces are basically free, and he's natural to Roshar now. Odium confirms Hoid's thoughts that he plans to use the Rosharans, the Singers *and* the Surgebinders as troops against the other Shards (confirming that Rosharans are too OP). Odium really wants to get out of the Rosharan system and he's desperate at this point. His mind is still that of a human, an extraordinary one, but he's *stretched*) He offers to leave Roshar alone (which he won't do, he'll come back to collect his power... the back 5 books, perhaps?) Hmm so Odium *could* see what was happening in Urithiru, he just couldn't interfere. A compromise of maintaining the current battle lines, Odium asks Dalinar that if he, as his own champion loses, his soul will join Odium's side! Odium had the battlefields he wanted: Alethkar & Jah Keved, who are practiced in battle, the Iriali (from wherever their Long Trail originated), hmm... not Shinovar? If Odium wins he gets to keep the lands he won + Dalinar and still remains bound to the system, if Odium loses he'll give back Alethkar and Herdaz, and himself stay bound to the system but would still be able to use whom he conquered as his agents outside of Roshar either way. Raboniel is still barely hanging on. She asks Navani to mercy-kill her. The Sibling is much more understanding now. Taravangian draws more emotion spren when he's more emotional than intelligent, makes sense, why is it pointed out like that? *narrows eyes* "passions" *further narrowing*. What did Renarin see in Taravangian's future? Odium is coming, isn't he? He has Voidlight spheres to contact Odium. Edit: Sja-Anat's Corrupted Windspren not Voidlight, I can't believe I missed that. Lol, did he just accidentally manipulate Szeth? Odium is here! So is Nightblood! Szeth kills Taravangian's body and Taravangian stabbed Odium with Nightblood. Go Nightblood! DESTROY EVIL! Rayse is consumed, Nightblood sated. Taravangian Ascended and became Odium. What. (Will he have the same problem with the power as a certain someone had? They're both dead but this one naturally has more Connection. Long game indeed, Cultivation. Taravangian's Boon was *exactly* what he asked for) Rlain is also a Truthwatcher like Renarin, from an Enlightened spren. It was the spren, Tumi inhabiting the cremling'a gemheart. Hah! No, Tumi is not *just* of Honor and Odium, but also a bit of Cultivation! Rlain gets the spren he deserves. The Heavenly Ones, Venli and her Singers go back to the Shattered Plains. Oh, the Plate is *always* there. Taravangian still has two sides given to him by Cultivation: emotionless logic and unbridled emotions. Cultivation comes to pay him a visit. Teft gets a funeral. Kal is doing better. Odium and Cultivation talk. Taravangian still has a saviour's complex... uh-oh. (Hmm... you know who'd be good at wielding hatred? Kel, maybe, or not) Testament, Shallan's previous Cryptic, seems to also be getting better. The cube has a Seon inside! Of course! Simple answers, duh! The Seon's name is Ala. If hope they're not Bonded to Mraize. They aren't! Yes! Kalak has been telling Shallan about Ba-Ado-Mishram, and other planets. "Lord of Scars"? It *is* Kel! "his avatar"? That's quite the term to be using! "deal with your own stupid planet, you idiot", lol. Venli makes her way to the Listeners and her mother, hoping a Radiant Bond would heal her mind. Her Second Ideal is accepted by Cultivation. A Chasmfiend helped the Listeners! They're intelligent too, huh. The War of Reckoning was a war on three sides then. That's terrible. Kaladin asks to remain off-command. I'm so happy for him! "Few men have the wisdom to realize when they need help. Fewer still have the strength to go get it" This. And he's immediately asked to help Ishi, of course. Ha, Hoid's flute. The Aviar she found is fine too. (This is becoming *very* cross-over-y). El! El is a Fused with horns and is partially metallic... Intriguing. Lezian's title went to Vyre? El kills Lezian. I like El. Kal finds Tien's carving. He decides to go to the therapy group. Eshonai hums the Rhythm of War, refusing to die a slave in her own mind. The Stormfather accepted her Words though she couldn't speak them while drowning and she died Radiant, the Stormfather carried her on the Highstorm and showed her the world. Goodbye, Eshonai... Clearly Brandon has been heeding Hoid on story-telling, lol. Hoid entertains Corrupted / Enlightened Windspren. Wit meets the new Odium and realizes a bit too late it's not Rayse. He used Breaths to store his memories. Odium starts fiddling with Hoid's memories... Egad. Hmm... so much talk about misdirections... That was... a lot to process. At first, when Rayse died, I was pretty happy. The story would've turned from a war against a greater evil against which everyone had to unite... into a story about fighting against hatred. That can still happen of course. We'll see. I expected Hoid to remain untouchable for a while yet. But well, he is becoming a real character in this series, so it's only appropriate. This wasn't the Listener book. This was the human and listener book, which really fits beautifully. I did not expect the Taravangian twist... nay, twists at all. Looks like Trell... might have been Odium, or rather his power, somehow, after all. I'm happy with all the Navani & Raboniel science but I was also looking forward to some Venli science, which she apparently didn't do, it was all Ulim. I have so many questions about who tricked who to what degree with Taravangian, Cultivation and Hoid. Did Cultivation make a mistake or is there a bigger plan? Is the Boon/Bane still there, as a safeguard? Did Taravangian really trick Hoid into believing he was Rayse? Or did Hoid trick Taravangian into believing he successfully tricked him, given how much he talked about misdirections. Immortals can make mistakes, we saw that with Rayse. So Cultivation might've made a mistake, Hoid might've been tricked by a new player in the game. We'll see.

Welcome to the Shard! Speaking of hollering, did you yodel?

Hello and welcome! Who are your most favourite characters so far?

Welcome to the Shard! Huh, it's rare for someone to put something from White Sand as their favourite in anything!

Should've guessed by the name!

Welcome to the Shard!

Welcome to the Shard! P.S. Don't click on my profile! You might get spoiled on RoW!

Having no other fellow Sanderson reader irl is a common ailment here on the Shard, welcome!

Welcome back to the Shard! Careful about clicking on people's profiles (like mine!) till you've wrapped up RoW or you might get spoiled!

Welcome back to the Shard then, you can post your question in Cosmere Q & A as Aspiring Writer said: https://www.17thshard.com/forum/forum/81-cosmere-qa/

Welcome to the Shard, @Pandora's shard! What language is that?

Welcome to the Shard! Hope to see you around on the forums! P.S. don't click on my profile till your done with RoW, you might get spoiled!