*{kara}*

But who does Huio hate if he doesn’t *exactly* hate the Lopen? And where does Huio’s hatred come from

I’m still a bit confused by what Huio’s 3rd ideal was, exactly. Could someone spell it out for me? Thanks

It may be crackpot, but I thought of it too There is still an element of mystery about Helaran. We don’t know what his affiliation was, and Shallan would definitely “know what to do when she sees him.” Probably freak out. And not kill him. Dreder would be another interesting CS/living person? as we are also unsure of his allegiance, and finding out he is Restares would clear that mystery up. Helaran feels like a better choice to me because he opens up a lot of interesting plotlines, but ultimately a CS does seem unlikely.

I agree, this chapter was sooo hard to read. I imagine it would be even worse if I related to that personally. I was kind of scared that Kaladin wouldn’t swear his 4th oath too, for a bit, but I don’t think he’ll be stagnant forever. I think he’ll have some breakthrough during his time off and it will lead to him swearing the ideal. A lot of his current guilt will be resolved by that oath, imo, so hopefully that will take a load off his back

What about Renarin? This wouldn’t be the first time he’s left anonymous messages, and the bad handwriting is explained by his recent literacy. And Glys could have explained fabrials and his opinion on them to Renarin, maybe even dictated the messages to Navani. Plus, Renarin was on the 4th Bridge. It wouldn’t have been that difficult to sneak into Navani’s room and plant the ruby.

Or they might have someone on the inside to remove it, like Ishnah idk I’m interested in exactly how “quickly” the poisoning via bloodstream takes place. If it really does take effect instantly, then Ialai must have been killed while she was in the side chamber, out of Shallan’s sight. The only people in that antechamber that we know of were Vathah and some of Adolin’s men. If the room is in the direction that Ialai’s people went, there could have been an assassin-type person who doubled back to shoot her. I’m having a hard time picturing the layout of the rooms though... storms I love murder mysteries!

Ishnah? I was thinking that she seemed trustworthy because of the way she approached Shallan. If she was an operative of the ghostbloods, she would have to be such a good actress. I guess we have seen that before in Mistborn with kandra—I just think it is unlikely that she’s the spy. Then again, that would just make her betrayal even spicier. Personally I suspect Ialai was killed by someone unaffiliated with the Kholin group. A needle reminds me of Iyatil and her darts, so maybe it was her. Depends on what Ishnah finds, really.

The red cape seems to be a theme on all the previous german covers... and it doesn’t seem to fit any character that we know of in all of the pictured scenes? It’s gotta be symbolic or, y’know, Hoid

Yeah, what Karger said. There are no exactly parallel Knight radiant orders to Voidbringer orders, because there are 9 voidbringer types. So the Heavenly Ones are like Windrunners and Skybreakers, because they use void!gravitation. I don’t understand why creatures given power by Odium have such a culture of honor. The Fused are supposed to be ancient listeners with a passionate hatred of humans. (correct me if I’m wrong) Does anyone have an explanation?

I like how you put that; they are on opposite sides of Lirin's war against death. It will be interesting to see how their relationship plays out if they end up in a battle situation again. The really curious part about Lirin's dream was having Tien as a surgeon. Tien had none of the natural talent or interest for it like Kal did. I wonder if Lirin has changed how he remembers Tien to be more like the son he wanted.

Haha I've also been thinking about Lirin a lot lately! You have an interesting idea... I think it would take a lot to make him break his code. The man is stubborn. However, I really want it to happen, because I think it is time for him to have an inner moral conflict about killing, protecting, and saving after what he has made Kaladin go through.

Hello! I'm a lurker who joined to talk about rhythm of war--so let's talk! Based on the chapters from RoW so far, Lirin will be showing up more, and I sense that it will be handy to get to know him. What do y'all think about Lirin's stance on pacifism, authority, and parenting? What made him the way that he is? Is he disappointed that Kaladin's a Knight Radiant, or only that he is a soldier? The way he pushed Kal to be a surgeon--and his imagined future from RoW chapter 1, with Kaladin AND Tien as surgeons by his side--is a little odd to me. Does he think that the only acceptable profession for his sons was to follow in his footsteps? I'm wondering if by forcing/expecting Kaladin to live by his "code of surgeons" he overstepped his role as a father? (This mirrors one of Dalinar and Adolin's conflicts in WoK, now that I think about it XD) Honestly, his disappointment in Kaladin's fighting is not doing Kaladin's mental health any favors. But also, I think that part of Kaladin's current and future depression comes from his unresolved conflict in Kholinar--there are good people on both sides, and he has to kill them--so maybe Lirin's not as culpable as I'm implying. Basically, Lirin is a very complex and interesting dude that I'm very excited to read about. Anyone agree? Or do you think his new spotlight will end in death? ',:-)