Leuthie

I don't think so. Heightenings are the effects of grafted Investiture on the human sensory systems. Grafted is a word I'm using to describe Investiture that is grafted onto your Spirit Web. Breaths are Investiture that aren't lost over time. They don't "leak". When you obtain a breath, it becomes part of you, attached. When it is transferred to someone else, it grafts to them. Since it's part of your Spirit Web, your senses and other innate abilities are increased. There might be some control of which are increased by a Shard's Intent, but the increase is imparted by the grafted Investiture, no matter the source. The heightened senses that Rysn experiences are simply a consequence of having Investiture grafted to her Spirit Web.

I'm finding it hard to keep track of all of Shallan's personas. Which two teamed up to kill Taravangian? The Cryptic and the Chull farmer, right?

Quick aside: We have talked with 2 dead/dying Shard holders: Leras and Tanavast. In both cases, they repeated a command to people: Leras repeated "Survive" to at least Kelsier and I believe someone else. Dalinar is hearing "Unite them" repeated since bonding Stormfather. Stormfather says it isn't him Tanavast's Cognitive Shadow and a large Splinter of Honor "ride the storm" with the Stormfather It has also been said that Honor began to care more about the letter of oaths rather than the spirit as Tanavast was nearing death. It's quiet possible that Shards and their holders revert to their base Intent as they are dying. In Leras-Preservation, this meant Survival. In Tanavast-Honor, this meant Unity. All of which support the OP, although with a small sample size and a few leaps of logic.

Success!

Is Jasnah really pregnant?

Gender fluid isn't like having multiple personalities. You still have a single perception of who you are, it just isn't clearly male or female.

It definitely couldn't be Odium providing a god metal that sucks in Investiture. That would be crazy!

Knightly Oaths We've Taken Horrible book title, but doesn't use "of" and fits.

I don't think the maps and writings were made at the same time. The Willshaper actually did map the undersea caverns and leave maps in Akinah prior to the Scouring. The maps were probably stolen and used by the pirates who made the writings. It's a much simpler explanation (Occam's Razor style) and much more likely.

He spent half of the annotation explaining exactly why he decided to be specific and reveal it outside of the book.

Right on! His freezing up and inability to say the 4th Ideal are directly in line with his inability to understand Lirin's ability to detach from his patients. Okay, this arc is becoming way too clear. Kaladin spends time as a surgeon. After time spent in the field, he sees the necessity of separating himself from the result of his attempts to save people (as a surgeon). At the Urithiru fight, he freezes up deciding how to protect people from Singers while also protecting the Singers (probably ones he spent time with in Oathbringer, who now hate him because they were punished for his "help"). This freeze up threatens an immense personal loss (probably his family) and he finally accepts that he has to treat his military protection the same way he treats his surgical work: let go of the ones you can't save to remain able to save the ones you can. He 4th Ideal Oaths help him remove the threat just in time (his family remains in tact). He then doesn't return to surgery work full time because 1) they need him elsewhere and 2) he can now better deal with his past and perform his Windrunner duties without freezing up. Since it's so clear, I'm pretty sure it will be completely subverted somehow and we'll all be wrong.

I'm having a hard time coming up with positive versions of these. Mixing hate with things doesn't lend itself well to positive interpretations (for me). Odium + Devotion = Stalker (can't think of a better word for it) Odium + Dominion = Persecution Odium + Ambition = Antagony (One of my favorite) Odium + Cultivation = Malignance (Another good one) or Invidious Odium + Honor = Vengeance (A pact of hatred) or Nemesis

I'd have to reread the first part of his story, but I remember him always wanting to be a surgeon. He followed Tien to the military out of a need to protect him and stayed in the military out of a need to protect others to make up for failing to protect Tien (which is the basis for a character arc that should culminate in Kaladin's 4th Ideal Oath). His need to protect will always pull him out of his interest in being a surgeon (unless he changes perspective and can see surgery as an act of protection), especially since his Nahel Bond is specifically based on protecting others. However, the back of the book synopsis of Way of Kings describes Kaladin as "the surgeon, forced to put aside healing, to become a soldier in the most brutal war of our time." In short, it makes perfect sense for Kaladin become a surgeon again. We've just forgotten why.

Keep in mind, Odium's color seems to be a "burning" gold. The knife used to kill Jezrien was a light gold. A godmetal or godmetal alloy as the Investiture conductor with the sapphire gem as the storage device. It's quite possible that there is some potential energy (potential Investiture?) difference that caused the sapphire to pull the high potential Cognitive Shadow that is Jezrien into itself. The material of the knife, how it was Connected to the gem, how it was Connected to the wielder and how the Connection was made to the target all provided a conduit between the shell of Jezriel (high potential) and the gem (low potential). Dalinar was able to use a large, perfect ruby to capture Nergaoul. The gem by itself was doing no pulling because there was no Connection. Dalinar had an existing Connection to Nergaoul, pulled on this Connection while holding the stone, and transferred that Connection to the gem using his Bondsmith Connection to the powers provided by the Stormfather Connection is the key term here. From what we've seen, in the Cosmere, physical phenomena are secondary effects to Connection and Investiture. Connection DEFINES Physical phenomena, allowing those phenomena to be altered by use of Investiture: a Windrunner Lashing changes the direction of effect of gravity (a secondary Physical phenomena that normally Connects Physical objects to the planet they're on) using Stormlight (Investiture) and a Bond (Connection) to a Spren (the Cognitive aspect of a Physical or phenomena). It's quite possible that gems that aren't holding Investiture are considered to be in low potential, and creating a Connection allows high potential (high Investiture). BTW, Stormlight isn't consumed. The relationship between Investiture, Energy and Matter is a fully conservative one. Investiture moves between one place, state or Realm and another, it is neither lost nor gained. I would postulate that the act of Healing, for instance, uses the innate Investiture of the object being Healed first. This creates a low potential state must be filled in by more Investiture for the action to continue. The Connection created by the Healing creates a conduit for Stormlight (where there is Stormlight there is a very high potential) to fill in the Investiture being used for the action. This shouldn't be considered consumption, as the "used" Investiture is being transferred to the Spiritual Realm to create the desired change. On Roshar, Honor's Perpendicularity creates a Connection between the Spiritual Realm and Physical to allow raw Investiture to be transferred in the form of Stormlight. Normally, this Perpendicularity is located in the Storm. The remnants of the Shard of Honor are creating the difference in potential that powers this whole cycle. I wish I could organize all that better. In any case, I like it. I do believe that Investiture and Connection define the Physical laws of thermodynamics and electromagnetism in the Cosmere, which allows for altering them via the magic systems. I also believe that Brandon means for Investiture to follow similar laws in doing so. So this all fits from a meta perspective, as well.

This is tough. "Voidbringer" refers to a tool of Odium. Humans were the original Voidbringers. The Fused and other current followers of Odium are the current Voidbringers. The parshmen awakened by the Everstorm are not, and comprise the largest part of Odium's armies. By referring to the parshmen as Singers instead of Voidbringers, you prop open the door allowing the awakened parshmen to be accepted into the forces against Odium. Calling them Voidbringers keeps that door closed This will be the basis of the war going forward. Venli's story in Rhythm of War will be her crusade to pull the awakened parshmen (Singers) from Odium's grip. Dalinar will, hopefully, see this and help her. Kaladin will be integral (I believe having to choose between helping singers or helping his family (and hurting the same singers) will be part of his 4th Ideal struggle) in this. The fight against Odium will depend on which side the majority of awakened parshmen go to

More active and more in line with Dalinar's 3rd Oath*: "I will let go of those I cannot protect so that I can continue to protect those that I can" *"I will take responsibility for what I have done. If I must fall, I will rise each time a better man." Brandon is definitely putting his family in place to be a catalyst for finally saying the 4th Oath. Brandon is also creating a narrative where Kaladin has to hit rock bottom to do so. He's already been seen very low. Based on previous events, the crescendo of this arc is going to follow something brutal. However, I don't think Brandon wants to mute the accomplishment by requiring a family member's death. Maybe just the perception or possibility of it.

Every Oath has multiple interpretations and permutations that apply to the specific bond. For Teft, the person he didn't want to protect even though it was right was himself. I think you're right that Kaladin's problem isn't thinking he can save everyone. He sometimes questions who is right to save, but rarely worries about that choice in the moment or after. His primary problem is dealing with the aftermath of failure. His failures have undermined his successes in his mind, stealing his confidence. The fear of failure has lead to paralysis. He needs to deal with these failures and cope with future failures to continue as a Radiant. Another Windrunner might have the problem of thinking they should be able to save everyone. Their Oath would be more along the lines of "not everyone can be saved". Just as with Dalinar's 4th Oath, this one deals with failure, however that failure manifests in the particular Radiant.

"I will let go of those I cannot protect" The sequence in Shadesmar where Kaladin failed to say the Words consisted of him listing all of those he failed to protect while Windspren appeared. His words at the point of failure were: "I. . .can't" "I can't lose him, but. . .oh, Almighty. . .I can't save him." Prior to that, Kaladin pulled Windspren to him while thinking of the oaths. This line of thought was triggered by: "The thought of Dalinar needing him now-while Kaladin was trapped and unable to help-brought a pain that was almost physical. He'd failed so many people in his life. . ." ...followed by a listing of the three Oaths he'd already sworn. In each case, thinking about the people he'd failed resulted in Windspren showing up. I think we can assume that the Windspren were attracted to him getting close to swearing the Oath. The Oath directly deals with people Kaladin knows he's failed. A person who has devoted his life to protecting others will inevitably fail and must learn to deal with that failure. That has to be the Fourth Oath. Power granted for learning that not everyone is savable and not every failure needs to be on the protector's shoulders. He failed because he was trying to say the Words specifically to save someone he knew he couldn't protect. "I can't save him" is the key to the whole sequence. He wanted to say the Fourth Oath to get the burst of power to get out of the current situation so he could save someone he knew he couldn't save. The contradiction meant he couldn't MEAN the Oath. "I will let go of those I cannot protect"

They are naturally Cognitive entities, with little cognitive abilities in the Physical Realm. The Nahel Bond allows them cognitive access to the Physical Realm. I'm guessing that a "dead" spren is one whose cognitive abilities are gone due to being too strongly in the Physical Realm when the bond was broken. Maya's Cognitive aspect is dead and gone. Adolin will have to initiate and progress the Bond/Connection himself with little input or help from Maya. He's already begun this and we've already seen evidence of it through Maya's actions in Oathbringer. As that connection reaches certain thresholds, Maya will respond more and more. She will be more Adolin than she will the old Maya. The "returned" Maya is and will be Adolin's Cognitive aspect shared through the bond.

I don't totally disagree with you in Pailiah. I think the artist was trying to reflect her ties to Cultivation, regrowth, etc. by having her in a twisty pose with the vines. It ends up looking a bit seductive. To be fair, though, the males look like generic pretty men and Chana looks as military as any of them. She doesn't have a stern look on, but Dustbringers are more about serene destruction, and the quirk of a smile does convey that serenity. The safehand wasn't a thing when the Heralds were created. By the youth of these pictures, I'm guessing these were intended to depict them as per-Herald or new Herald, so young.

Spren can't transform into different spren any more than a horse can transform into a chicken. If Maya fully awakens and initiates a bond with Adolin, Adolin will be a Edgedancer. Keep in mind that the influence really must work both ways. Kaladin always wanted to protect, but the need to protect has obviously become an almost uncontrollable obsession as the bond progressed. Shallan's obsessed with seeking out and exposing lies. Dalinar's obsession has an outside push ("Unite them"), but I postulate that his bond has increased his need to create bonds (standing in during a scholarly discussion just to support Renarin and give him a thumbs up). Adolin would make a fine Edgedancer and the bond will push him further. However, I'm convinced Maya will not awaken the way we think she will, and it will be a parallel with awakening the Sibling and Urithiru.

Unmade and Fused represent a pretty strong commitment of Investiture. Also, the longer a Shard spends in one place, the more their Investiture gets attuned to that place and the harder it is for them to leave. So Odium is over 4000 years too late to not be Invested in Roshar. There will only be 3 Shards in the first 5 books of the Stormlight Archive. The second 5 might open the whole thing up a bit, who's to say. But there is no hidden 4th Shard in this story. There's no narrative room for one. After three books, there simply isn't enough support for adding a whole other GOD to the mix. Even if Rhythm of War spends the entire 450,000 words setting up the entrance of a new god, it won't be a good narrative move as we've seen very little of one of the 3 gods we KNOW exist(ed). There just isn't room for a 4th god here and no amount of twisting around WOB, Death Rattles and all caps statements made in the heat of battle by a Shard that has been referred as the "Broken One" and thinks he represents Passion when he's obviously just a hateful son of a slontze will make it so.

Investiture can be stored in gems. See Stormlight. The simpler the Investiture, the less it leaks from imperfect and incompatible (wrong color, basically) gems. A Cognitive Shadow (which is what the Heralds, the Fused, Vasher (all Returned, actually), Kelsier, Spren, etc. are) is Investiture. The more complex the being, the more complex the Investiture. The more complex the Investiture, the harder it is to hold within a gem. Color and structure have to be in sync with the complexity of the Investiture. We know all this. Gems are a matrix of molecules, usually carbon. Metals are a matrix of molecules, as well. Hemalurgy generally refers to the storage of Investiture in metals via the piercing of the Physical in a location that allows contact with the correct part of the Spirit Web that the piercer wants to store. I would suspect that gems can also be used in place of metal to store more complex forms of Investiture. In the case of Jezrien and this gem, there isn't a particular part of the Spirit Web the stabber wants to store. All that's required is contact with any part. Connection between the Spirit Web, the metal of the dagger and the gem allows the gem to pull the Spirit Web into itself and lock it. Captured Jezrien Spren. I think the complexity of the Investiture that requires a gem for storage precludes it from being tacked on to a new Spirit Web the same way abilities are swapped in the first Mistborn series. Jezrien might be able to take over a new body in the same way that Fused take over Singers, should he be released. But I don't think he can be forced into one via another stabbing.

I don't see Bondsmith Resonances/synergies as being AOE and mass versions of whatever the primary is. The one we know of is Stormfather Bondsmith and a Lightweaver map. Basically, the Stormfather provides information to inform the map and the map is made more detailed. Like Dalinar providing others with Stormlight, he can also provide others with his spren's knowledge. This tells me the synergies will be much more subtle pairs than simply Windrunner plus Bondsmith = Protection from the Storm (or within the Storm), although that's a pretty good one. I also believe the synergies will work both ways. A Truthwatcher + Bondsmith synergy might be a much more organic "healing" of a destroyed building, or even the "growing" of structures. The Truthwatcher "Regrowth" abilities inform the Bondsmith's Adhesion. Of course, this would imply that every order could have a synergy or set of synergies with every other order. And why the heck not! Elsecaller and Bondsmith might allow transportation directly to wherever the Highstorm is via the Perpendicularity.

He's currently neither. His final status depends entirely on the perspective the stories where he is a major player are told. He doesn't know exactly how his plans will play out for specific individuals in the Cosmere, so he doesn't know whether specific individuals should trust/help him - so he warns them. His words and actions, so far and based on current perspectives, show good intentions. However, his actions could all be perfectly selfish and ultimately detrimental. I can imagine him being both in different future stories and neither/inconsequential in the ultimate plot.