ScarecrowBoat716

We know that Hoid specifically uses Fortune to end up where he needs to be, even without knowing why he needs to be there. I think Tress and rat Charlie coming back together is actually a function of Hoid's Fortune. The story really is his when you think about it. He needs to end up back in Riina's tower to break his curse. His natural Fortune converging other events together to get him there makes sense in that context. It isn't mere coincidence or fate that Tress ends up on the same ship as Charlie. It's exactly what Hoid needed to happen for him to eventually end up where he needs to be, like always. Like a dense star pulling other objects into its orbit, Hoid's Fortune has a way of shaping the stories of those around him. He sort of says as much in his narration at some point late in the story; I'm paraphrasing but he says something to the effect of "my secret power is ending up in the company of the right people."

Shards can't do anything they want to just like that. If it was that easy, Odium would have destroyed the Cosmere millenia ago. Anyways we know from TLM that Autonomy wants people to prove themselves. She wouldn't give her followers an easy route to taking over the planet just like that. She didn't give the Set all the answers and all the technology. She let them try and fail on their own.

No apology needed, thank you for throwing your arguments out there! Having a devil's advocate pointing at potential flaws in a theory is the best way to strengthen that theory.

Wyrn isn't the avatar in my theory; Jaddeth is. Wyrn is just the head of the Shu-Dereth. From my memory it is never made clear that he has any real communication with Jaddeth, right? It's just that followers of Shu-Dereth believe Wyrn speaks for him. So he isn't like Telsin at all. He's never held the will of a Shard like she has. Jaddeth is supposedly trapped(?) underground, unable to return unless the whole planet is converted. If he is indeed an avatar of Autonomy as Brandon heavily implied recently, there are as of yet unanswered questions as to why he is stuck underground. But he would not have a direct influence on how Fjorden chose to act in response to the Reod. He could only cause the earthquake and wait, hopeful that it was enough for Elantris to eventually fall.

Thank you for adding to the theory in evidenced ways! Excellent detail here.

Admittedly it's been a long time since I read Elantris. Why did they wait 10 years in the book? Whether caused by Autonomy or not it wouldn't have changed their timeline, right?

I'm about 3/4 of the way done with The Lost Metal, just at the part where Shai-I has transformed herself into an Elantrian. I prefer reading Brandon's books on a bit of a delay because it gives the cosmere-aware-internet time to catch up and have all the juicy little relevant Cosmere details and references posted that I can look up while I read. Anyways, based on some Sel-related Coppermind wikis I'd read while making my way through The Lost Metal I developed a theory that Jaddeth on Sel was likely an avatar of Autonomy. A few minutes ago I saw a WoB where he all but confirmed this to a reader who asked him. After patting myself on the back for making this connection before reading it online, I've taken my theory a step further - is it possible, even likely, that Autonomy in its avatar of Jaddeth caused the earthquake that created the Reod? This is a more specific theory I have not seen posted elsewhere, but apologies if I missed it. I have several pieces of evidence for my theory: 1) A WoB states that the earthquake which caused the Reod was not natural. It seems implied that the earthquake was purposefully caused. Whatever caused it must have had great knowledge of the geographical origin of Elantrian magic and great ability & control to create a very specific rift in a very specific region of the geography. A Shard being the cause is the obvious conclusion, and we know Odium had no influence on Sel at that point in the timeline. 2) On Sel, followers of Jaddeth (the Shu-Dereth) believe they must convert the whole world to their religion in order for their God to return. The Elantrians of course will never be converted. It makes sense that Jaddeth/Autonomy would therefore want to try and wipe them out or at least incapacitate them to further the goals of the Shu-Dereth. 3) It is said that Jaddeth lives underground and "cares for rocks under the earth." What better entity to cause an earthquake? Thoughts?

It's explained that she is trying to find a way to create the explosion that killed the ardents. Navani knows her best hope is to conceal her true purpose behind other research. In the end the explosion doesn't end up killing Raboniel but it was the best plan she had. The alternative was to do nothing while the Fused slowly found and destroyed each node. Plus Navani is realizing throughout the book that she is in fact a scholar at heart and the pure joy of learning is hard to give up. I don't understand why so many people are accusing her of being stupid. Her internal and external motivations for helping Raboniel are sensible. What other choice did she have? She's trying to uncover a way to defeat the Fused. She can't do all that research without letting Raboniel in on some of it or else Raboniel would not let her continue doing the research. Both Navani and Raboniel know the other is hiding certain things from them, and they both know that the other knows they are hiding things. Still they have to work together so that their true motives have a chance of succeeding. In fact both of them end up getting what they want because they were willing to work together and share smaller secrets in favor of the greater good. Which part of that plot is unrealistic to you?

Ooh I like that theory. When the Reod happened, any Seon that was Connected to an Elantrian became something very similar to a deadeye. My question is why did BAM's imprisonment cause something similar to the Reod among surgebinders? Did the humans experience any effects or just the spren?

Wow just finished the book and WHAT A TWIST! Tyler Durden and Shallan were the same person the whole time?? Sanderson does it again!

Reposting what I said in the other live stream thread.

I think he means like how copper ferrings can store memories but other ferrings can't access those memories. Memories are keyed to your Identity. They can be destroyed but not stolen.

Yeah Ba-Ado-Mishram's imprisonment must have caused an effect similar to the Reod. The Reod caused Elantrians to lose access to Investiture after transforming. So I'm thinking the same thing happened when BAM was imprisoned. Now spren that have their bonds broken somehow lose access to Investiture and since they are literally pieces of Investiture they become deadeyes. Maya might be starting to come back a little because her Connection to Adolin is giving back some of that access to Investiture. Kind of like drawing the chasm line restored the Aon Rao, establishing some semblance of a bond starts to restore deadeyes. Kind of a half baked theory on my part but it makes sense. Only thing I don't understand is why a spren of Odium would have such a large Connection to all spren on Roshar, but I suppose Odium's Connection to Roshar may have become as strong as Honor's and Cultivation's after living there long enough. So why are all the deadeyes congregating near Lasting Integrity? I'm guessing the trial has nothing to do with it. I think they can sense Maya's access to Investiture coming back and they're drawn to it. If BAM is released all of the deadeyes will be fully restored. Perhaps we will see the end of Shardblades that can be used by anyone on Roshar?

Maybe in the spiritual realm you can carry the spirts of items across vast distances in no time at all? In the cognitive realm that doesn't work but in the spiritual realm I suppose it could. It's possible Dalinar put them there when he gave Kaldin the vision, perhaps without even knowing he was doing it. Has it ever been revealed exactly how the oathgates work? I know there are spen that are connected to them but I would think there's a spiritual aspect to transporting physical bodies across the planet instantaneously. Might be something similar going on there.

I asked if Heralds can procreate and Sanderson said yes but not necessarily in the traditional way. Any descendants of Heralds that we've met? And what does non-traditional procreation look like?