DSCrankshaw

I figure there's a decent chance all the Heralds are replaced by the end. I think that most of them have been looking for a way out. Ishar was training Szeth to be a Herald long before Jezrien died. I think it was a trial run for replacing all of them. It's interesting considering who the replacements might be. But as for Kaladin, I'm going with Kalahan, using the h replacement.

Brandon pretty much gives the game away with the chapter titles for day 10, many of which are direct quotes from death rattles.

I agree, somewhat. I think Warlight will be usable by Radiants, but it will be hard to come by. Retribution won't like his people trading it to the Radiants, and I expect there to be numerous attempts to crack down on smuggling. So it won't be impossible to get Warlight, but it will be difficult.

Hmm. Noura's explanation in Chapter 65 doesn't make it sounds like the Azish were negotiating in bad faith, and I wouldn't really trust the communication in Chapter 12, as there were quite a few lies in it, as the Azish were not at all trusting of the Alethi warlord. Anyway, from what Noura said, it was the singers who broke off negotiations, when their leaders managed to get them moving. Frankly, I doubt the Alethi and their Parshmen ever could have settled things peacefully, as they both were strongly influenced by Alethkar's warlike society and the Thrill, but I suspect the Azish, and maybe the Thaylens, could have come to some settlement if not for the Fused and the Voidspren, and above all, Odium.

So, a couple of things: aside from the Truthwatcher, there were a bunch of Edgedancers on their way to Azir with the army. They should have arrived by the time of the last scene we have of Adolin. But, without Stormlight, I doubt there's much they could do. And even if Radiants can use Warlight, that's hard for them to come by. By the time any healing is possible, it's probably too late for Adolin. He's just going to have to settle for a Shardplate leg. Now if he ever becomes Radiant, that could change. Personally, I think Bondsmith fits him best, not least because "I will lead them" sounds like a Bondsmith Oath, and because forming Connections, and sometimes altering them (Gallant, Maya), comes naturally to him. Also, he seems to be drawing unusual spren in this book (a Betrayalspren and a Sincerityspren, and that was a lot of Gloryspren on the first day, considering), similar to how Navani draws spren.

I don't see Dalinar coming back. Visions of Dalinar by those who knew him, like Dalinar's visions of Nohadon and Evi, or Kaladin's vision of Tien? Definitely. Renarin, Jasnah, Adolin, even Kaladin, one or all may have visions. By the way, I don't see Honor picking a new vessel. I think Honor is the Vessel. And won't that terrify the rest of the Shards when it happens?

I would say that the location of the Well is strongly implied to be in the mountains south of the Southern Roughs in Shadows of Self, according to the "Visitors from Other Worlds" article in The House Record. The accompanying illustration has a strong Fused vibe.

He did get a nice prosthetic at the end, with built-in intelligence and a neural interface.

Personally, if we're going to get a new Bondsmith Herald, I'd rather it be Adolin, as he's all about making Connections, even without the Surges. But I do agree that Syl seems to be gearing up to take the Stormfather's place, at least to some extent.

It's not just experimentation either. If you want to manufacture guns, tanks, and planes, you need an industrial base, so that you can get all the components you need, in standardized units, or the machines you need to make those components, without having to make each piece by hand. Right now, in the real world, every country in the world has access to the knowledge of modern technology. Not every country has the industrial base needed to operate a factory without importing components and machinery. (Even those that theoretically could, do not do so.) The industrial revolution takes decades, and Roshar has lost at least 60 years.

A common theory is that the Nohadon Dalinar spoke to is Adonalsium, the god who was Shattered ten thousand years ago by the likes of Tanner, Rayse, and Koravellium Avast, whose Shards they took up to become lesser gods. My personal theory is that the Iriali religion about everyone being pieces of the One experiencing itself, Wit's claim that God lived in people's hearts, and Dalinar's belief in the God Beyond are all essentially correct. I think every mortal soul in the Cosmere bears a piece of Adonalsium, a splinter from his Shattering, and as people die and their souls go to the Beyond, those pieces are gathering, bringing with them the experiences of the people whose lives they shared, coalescing into a reformed Adonalsium. An alternative theory is that those souls are the pieces of Adonalsium, but I suspect that it's more like the Roman concept of the genius (a personal guardian spirit who kinda-sorta was the person), or the musicspren cohabiting with Rhyshadium: sharing their lives, without being them. When someone talks to the dead, like Dalinar to Nohadon, or Kaladin to Tien, is that actually the person's soul, who at the very least has a Connection to Adonalsium and access to much that person wouldn't have known in life, or is it the piece of Adonalsium that shared their life, or perhaps Adonalsium remembering being that person? That I don't know the answer to.

I agree. The Unoathed, at least as they initially appear, can be naturally explained by Adolin forging a Connection with Maya, and she in turn renewing her Connections with the Radiant spren whom she knew before the Recreance, in particular the Lost spren who had no other Connection, not even to human Shardbearers. Then they could use that Connection to come to the physical realm, similar to the Nahel bond, or perhaps more like the Shardblade-Shardbearer bond, but stronger, because the spren were willing partners. As I said previously, making Connections is not just a Bondsmith thing, though you could look at it as an organic form of Bondsmithing. Now the fact that they were able to continue after Retribution's formation broke normal Shardblades and Shardplate may require more explanation. Maya thinks it's a side effect of what the Heralds did, but that sounds like a guess, and I'd like to propose an alternate theory: Before giving up Honor, Dalinar thought of those with whom he was Connected showing honor in ways the Shard Honor couldn't understand. "'Almost ...' Dalinar said. 'The power needs time to learn, and ways to experience the lessons to change, but I can't give them either. [...]' The answer was so close. Today, Dalinar had seen true honor. As Adolin stood for Azir, and Renarin set right a terrible wrong. As Jasnah picked herself up from failure, and Shallan rose above what had been done to her. And Kaladin ... Blood of my fathers, Dalinar thought, realizing. Kaladin will preserve a piece ... That's what we need ..." (WaT, Chapter 142, p. 1277), After he gave up Honor, Dalinar told the Shard that it needed to learn, but that he couldn't be the one to teach it. "There are still lessons to learn, stories to tell, but you cannot learn them with me. For you are not Honor. Not yet. Honor is far more than an oath kept. Learn, see, and remember me, Dalinar told it. Ask yourself why." (WaT, Chapter 143, p. 1283) Finally, as Taravangian took up Honor, Dalinar saw pieces of it break off unexpectedly. "Go, Dalinar said. Watch. Learn. The power accepted Taravangian at Dalinar's urging. Though interestingly, a few small pieces of it split off and fled. Dalinar had not expected that." (WaT, Chapter 143, p. 1284) Where did those Splinters of Honor go? Most people think they went to reforge the Oathpact, to form Kaladin's Honorspear, and to empower Syl, but I'd like to propose that they went to all the people Dalinar was thinking of, whom he believed could teach Honor about other forms of honor. Kaladin was one of them, but so were Shallan, Jasnah, Renarin and Rlain, and ... Adolin. So I suspect that the Unoathed may be empowered by a Splinter of Honor that wishes to learn what honor means without Oaths.

So, to clarify, and make sure we're all on the same page, here's a timeline. Mistborn Era 1 - The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages; Secret History is concurrent with all three Stormlight Arc 1 Mistborn Era 2 - Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning, The Lost Metal Mistborn Era 3 - Ghostbloods Stormlight Arc 2 We're a little less sure about where various events at the end of Wind and Truth mesh with the timeline, but here's my guess: Wind and Truth, Chapter 146 (Wit Vaporized) Wind and Truth, Chapter 147 (Wit Arrives on Scadrial) Alloy of Law Wind and Truth, Epilogue (Wit interviews to become Waxillium Ladrian's driver) Shadows of Self The Bands of Mourning The Lost Metal Wind and Truth, Chapter 147 (Shallan speaks to Kelsier) Note that this places the events in the Epilogue before Shallan's conversation with Kelsier, which fits, as Hoid is Wax's driver in Shadows of Self, but Kelsier seems to think that Iyatil is alive in The Lost Metal. (Also, subjectively, the length of time for Shallan between Chapters 146 and 147 is shorter than the length of time for Wit between Chapters 146 and the Epilogue.) That said, Alloy of Law could be before Chapter 146 rather than after--I don't think there's enough evidence to nail it down.

Not to mention this: (emphasis added)

I do wonder if this will be the plot of the later books. Not a conflict between Retribution's forces and what remains of Honor's, but an outside invasion from another Shard, possibly from Scadrial, though we'll have to see Mistborn Era 3 first to see if that makes sense.

I'm going with Stormqueen, since Kaladin describes her that way: "She glanced at him, and as she did, he saw a storm in her eyes. Not a metaphoric one, but actual lightning and swirling clouds, filling them. In a moment, she wore something very different. A regal gown, fit for … for a queen." So yes, I think she inherited the Stormfather's role. I think that was something intentional on his part, and I think that there's a possibility that the Highstorm and Stormlight will return when she does.

Agreed. Though it's possible AoL occurred after Hoid's evaporation and before the Epilogue (note that by this theory, Shallan's conversation with Kelsier occurs after the epilogue). Since Brandon has said that Era 3 occurs 50 years after Era 2, it sounds like it will happen before Stormlight Book 6.

Perhaps. Connection isn't just a Bondsmith thing. Bondsmiths can manipulate Connections, but everyone forms Connections. Forming them is something Adolin is good at, which implies he'd be a good Bondsmith, but not necessarily that he will be. It is true that many of the weird things that happen around him, such as forming a new type of bond with Maya, bonding with his Shardplate, creating a bond with the lost Shardblades, even bonding with Gallant when Rhyshadium aren't supposed to accept new riders, seem like Bondsmith things. But the way he goes about it, by forming relationships, caring for those around him and winning them over, doesn't look very supernatural. Perhaps we are seeing a more organic form of Bondsmithing.

Personally, I think the Deadeyes had less to do with Mishram than with Honor's betrayal of Mishram. Thus righting that betrayal began to bring about their recovery. As for why Maya's recovery began recently, I think it had to do with the fact that Adolin traveled to Shadesmar and met her. He always talked to his sword, always sort of perceived it as alive, but he didn't really begin to understand her until he met her, and began to see her as a person. I think that and his desire to make a Connection with her had more to do with it than any outside force. (Something he is unusually good at doing with everyone.)

I think more people will be angry at Dalinar than Gavinor. They know Gav didn't kill him, but they believe Dalinar failed anyway. His family seems ready to forgive him, but the only ones who show any understanding of what Dalinar did are Wit and possibly the Sibling ("No, he shattered it all. The contract, Honor—all done. All dead. It’s … it’s brilliant. And terrible," they said to Navani.) Considering that a considerable number of readers do sort of understand what Dalinar did and still blame him, I think he'll bear more of the blame than Gavinor. That doesn't mean Gav won't be ostracized. Considering the people trying to help him will be Jasnah and Renarin rather than Kaladin or Adolin, I have my doubts about how well he'll do. I think the best help he may receive would be from Lift and maybe Zahel.

I assumed it was Adonalsium, that there was something in what Dalinar did that spooked Rayse, and he saw--or thought he saw--Adonalsium in it. I don't think we're supposed to understand it, though I keep coming back to the religion of the One and what Wit said to Jasnah at the end of Words of Radiance: What if the Iriali religion, that everyone and everything is the One experiencing itself, and Wit's comments here, are both essentially true, and there's a piece of Adonalsium in everyone in the Cosmere, and that piece was revealed here as Dalinar proclaimed himself Unity--that this was, in some sense, that piece of Adonalsium made manifest? That is what Rayse saw and feared.

Adolin will become addicted to firemoss (hopefully not, but that was a definite risk that may yet materialize)

Nohadon said he needed help to get to Urithiru when he walked there. The only way we know to get there is to travel through the caves beneath, and it's not clear you can get there without Radiant help. And that's without Urithiru being surrounded by its current shield.

One thing that Taravangian was able to do that Rayse probably wouldn't have been able to manage is offer the nations a better deal. The rulers of Emul, Tashikk, and the rest had met him and considered him an ally as a mortal. They might not have fully understood or believed Dalinar's story of the conflict between the two of them, so when he made the offer of peace on his terms they were ready to consider it, and ultimately accept. It was this, more than conquest, that allowed him to win almost all of Roshar, with the only real battles in Azimir and the Shattered Plains. That is why he could afford to make the contest more about philosophy than victory, as the stakes had become much smaller by then.

Ultimately, I think that's why it couldn't have been Adolin. He may be a very good boy, but ultimately he's not an innocent. Odium's Champion needed to be someone who was not just an innocent, but someone that Dalinar would have acknowledged as an innocent. He knows that Adolin isn't innocent, especially after he killed Sadeas; and if Adolin could have been convinced to be Odium's Champion, one way or another, it would have been a choice knowing the stakes and consequences. On the other hand, it's impossible for Dalinar to see Gav, who was kidnapped and subjected to twenty years of indoctrination by Odium, as anything but an innocent. And that makes perfect sense, as long as you remember that Taravangian's goal is not to win the contest, but to win the argument.