Waffles

Bondsmithing was also used to bind the surges in the first place so the power predates and is the core of surgebinding. The infinity loop diagrams are balanced artistic renditions of the surges but the reality is that Roshar's major indluencers are Adolnosium, The Shards, The Dawnshards, and the Bondsmiths, basically in that order. Likely Bondsmithing was tied to powerful spren not because they were more powerful but rather because the power needs more discretion and larger spren can be more choosy about who they bond.

Jasnah has literally killed people to make a point. Nale who is both a radiant and a herald, seems to have no problem killing children. Venli doomed an entire people to save her mother. Imo a radiant ending up in the champ battle would not be a problem. Though bondsmiths, heralds and unmade seem to outclass the regular radiants it seems like choosing something unkillable would be the easy choice. Of course, the possibility of Dalinar simply bringing 20 spheres loaded with antivoidlight to the duel might deter anything too spren-like. Imo, weaseling out of the battle is the only viable option for odium. Especially if the goal is to not fully destroy Dalinar.

Rather than choosing a child champion the same prophecies are fulfilled if Odium's champion kidnaps Gavinor, and attempts to execute him in the presence of people at Urithiru in an attempt to goad somebody who is not the champion prior to the fight to save him. This would violate the safe passage promise. and has some other advantages from the perspective of odium. 1) If the plan goes awry Odium's champion could still defeat Dalinar's champion because the plan doesnt require Dalinar being his own champion but it still might work if Dalinar is his own champion if somebody such as Kaladin is present (Possibly creating a Tien flashback moment) . Odium knows his predictive ability is not infallible so this is a far easier bet to hedge than say picking a child champion then having Szeth ram Nightblood into the kid's chest. 2) Instead of winning the contest it violates the terms, which is possibly a better outcome for Odium. 3) It fits with Taravangian's brutal, direct style 4) It could possibly lead to Dalinar becoming Odium's pet while still alive and because an oath is violated the stormfather possibly becomes a deadeye. 5) If odium loses in this case (Dalinar is champion and rescues Gavinor) it could still justify things like Dalinar permanently turning the stormfather into a sword by acting on his combat instincts instead of his judgement. 6) Narratively its more satisfying because it rubs personal salt in the wound and philosphy disagreement between Taravangian and Dalinar

I think it makes more sense that T's suspicions about Heleran are there to show he understood via either rumor or analysis that somebody in the Davar house was a surgebinder and T's guesses while generally close they are frequently wrong in the details. On the other side there's also the idea if Heleran was a skybreaker squire a normal shardblade may be impossible for him to carry due to spren screaming.

I think the back end of the series will be replacing the heralds by using Ishar's trick with transferring the oathpact bonds. If a bondsmith can transfer the oathpact to new L5 radiants then the oathpact can be restored. Likely bond transfer is also one of several ways deadeyes can be restored. afterthought: I'd like to speculate that not only Kaladin becomes a herald but also Lift since that would fulfill Cultivation's promise.

Is he a darkeyes or a lighteyes now?

This is a great observation. Moash's arc is very similar to Dalinars (starts out as a soldier, gains extreme power by embracing odium, does regrettable things etc) but Dalinars is a much darker, more conceited story. Moash I think now hates himself for basically acting like a lighteyes and killing his darkeyed friend (it may also be why his eyes sizzled- Moash became the thing he hates causing odium's investiture to burn his eyes out - now he can no longer see eye color and his hatred can no longer be acted on). If this is the ending at the end of book 5 perhaps wit will send him to see cultivation and ask him for help in righting his wrongs hopefully putting him on a better path than Dalinar or Wit will send him into the cosmere and we'll see him in lost metals or something.

Maybe the final Windrunner oath involves protecting people through leadership rather than fighting (and part of why Kaladin is more dangerous to odium as a doctor) "I will help people to protect each other" or even something bondsmith-ish "I will bring people together to help them protect each other"

I like the theory. This would also explain why the spren shardblades scream, it traps the echoes of their victim. I wonder if the honorblades specifically enhance this effect- the only other person to use one as an assassin onscreen also suffered side effects, though I suppose Nale and the other heralds would hear eternal screaming if this were the case. Maybe the effect is enhanced by killing people with investiture?

Gonna set up Kelek with Yalb b/c why not?

Renarlain (ren-nar-ruh-lain)

I recall the stormfather is implied by the parshendi as having switched sides. I would guess that if a vision was far enough back the stormfather would have been grouped other powerful and dangerous spren which may not have even been the current crop of unmade.

Assuming the deal Odium made with Taravangian is still valid as Todium, couldn't Dalinar choose literally anyone from Kharbranth and force him to lose no matter what happens?

Order: World Shifters Explorationspren Cause: To aid those who are lost Surges: Gravitation, Stoneshaping

Are the Ten Deaths just the 9 unmade plus the stormfather?

Do inquisitors go blind if they run out of steel?

I suspect Renarin because of the black arrow vision in ROW. The scene could entirely be cut from the book unless the vision itself was not important foreshadowing.

Gavilar appears to be heavily invested with Plotium.

Wouldnt this mean BAM is more similar to a fused and is a bit more than an unmade?

This resonates with me- windrunners are selfless. Thematically, something like "I will protect others, even from those I love/respect" makes sense,. growthwise. Something like "I will respect the wishes of those who do not want to be protected" could be another and it would be one that fits thematically with his dual role as a soldier surgeon.

I think this is actually true. As long as its in the spirit of the order and it is growth in the correct intention of direction then the oaths might differ wildly (Such as Szeth's very specific oath to Dalinar). I think possibly that Cultivation, Dalinar or Mishram could approve oaths that the Stormfather may not approve.

I think the champion just has to be at Urithuru at the appointed time. If the champion runs off and worldhops away well that would cause some problems

This makes me wonder if there's a loophole in the contest of champions favoring Hoid if nobody wins. I assume Hoid is still out of bounds to odium if the contest of champions never concludes (eg the popular but boring gavinor theory)

Lets pair it with oathbringer ch8

I think most people are ignoring this scene (to their own folly) as they're making predictions for the fifth book when this is one of the few scene's whose only purpose is to foreshadow the fifth book.