Leuthie

Thanks.

You would have to change the Perception or Identity, but you'd accomplish this through "convincing" the change via Connection.

With enough Connection knowledge and ability, you could convince the body to simply have the missing limb.

It actually seems conventional nuclear processes (conventional nuclear?) would be more efficient than Investiture annihilation, especially considering the opportunity cost lost by destroying so much Investiture.

There is some foreshadowing in the narrative that Dalinar will hurt the Stormfather somehow. This may be as a direct result of the Contest or as a indirect consequence, but Dalinar will accidentally hurt Stormfather enough to disrupt the Highstorm. No Stormlight, no crem, slow death of the land.

First of all, Odium didn't exactly plan for Dominion and Devotion to be left in the Cognitive Realm. It was a happy circumstance (for Odium) that they ended up "exploding" there: Odium isn't exactly able to do much about Honor's state. He's been stuck on Braize for about 4.5 thousand years. Honor's death isn't directly attributable to Odium (Odium was locked on Braize well before the Recreance and Honor died around that time) and Odium couldn't make something similar to Sel happen. There's really no evidence that Honor was actually Splintered in the same way Devotion and Dominion were. Tanavast died and the Shard hasn't been picked up. The narrative seems to indicate that the Stormfather commands or holds the bulk of the missing Shard. Considering Tanavast's other preparations prior to his death (the recording, giving more sentience to Stormfather, etc.), it's possible that Honor sacrificed himself for those preparations and Odium had little to do with it but likes to take credit anyway. In any case, Honor is in the hearts of men, in Stormfather, in the various spren inhabiting the Cognitive Realm. He's Splintered, but the Investiture is busy being useful or in safe keeping.

I always thought most of their insanity is due to the degradation of Investiture required to sustain CSness or a weakened Connection due to Honor's death. This is why local Radiant Ideal acceptance gives them some lucid time: the weakened Connection due to Honor's death is temporarily strengthened by the "level up" of the Radiant.

Accurate and precise are two different things.

My interpretation of things: Not all Investiture has Intent. All Light or Mist (the gaseous Physical manifestation of Investiture) that we've seen has Intent. Intents do not annihilate other Intents; ie, Ruin and Preservation are opposites, but Ruin's Investiture would not annihilate Preservation's Investiture. anti-Light does not have an Intent of a different Shard, but a modification of the same Shard's Intent as the Light it annihilates. In fact, there's evidence to suggest that the Tones and Rhythms of Lights of differing Intents change to be in better harmony with each other when in close proximity for long periods of time. This is evident in Sazed's choice of Harmony as the name of his combined Shard and suggests that all Intents seek to get along together, maybe even belong together (much bigger topic about whether or not Adonalsium should have been Shattered here). Navani and Raboniel discovered how to change Light Intent using Tones. Navani discovered a way to embed anti-Tones into this process to create anti-Light. The anti-Tones are the exact same Tones (there is no difference in the audible soundwave) with an "anti-Intent" (for lack of a better term) added by the one playing the Tone. Therefore, the anti-Light is the exact same Light with an "anti-Intent" embedded. Gaseous anti-Investiture does not annihilate Solid Investiture (hence why Raysium was not affected by anti-Voidlight) It even uses such solid Investiture as normal Investiture would use it (as a conduit in the case of Raysium). Solid anti-Investiture? Anti-Shards? Investiture annihilation results in Energy. Explosions are created when this Energy is contained in a vessel smaller than required to hold the Energy (as in a gem). Enough Investiture annihilated in the Physical air in a small space will result in an explosion because the pressure created by the sudden volume expansion creates it's own "container" by compressing local gasses. This is what any bomb does, of course. However, most gaseous Investiture in the Physical Realm is not compressed enough to result in such an explosion (at most resulting in many tiny explosions that would create a fast burn like someone spitting alcohol through a flame to "breathe fire"). I think that covers it. Reread the section where Navani creates anti-Voidlight. Anti-Light is the same Light just with a slight twist in its Intent imposed by the Tone and put into the Tone by the one playing the Tone. Navani played the same Tone but with the Intent to create a Tone that annihilated the Voidlight Tone. If you want WOB to support all of this, sorry to disappoint you. Not up for a search through the Arcanum right now.

There aren't a whole lot of breadcrumbs to follow on the Recreance. We have a few unreliable narrators (current Roshar historians, Honor's recording, the gem archive) and that's about it. This is going to be a back 5 reveal that we just don't have enough to go on yet. There's no way every single Radiant agreed to break their bonds. It's very strange they did so in a showy way with their spren as weapons. It's super weird that a single order was left behind. One of my trains of thought: Why, exactly, did the spren turn into deadeyes? How could this not be noticed before EVERY Radiant had broken bonds, unless all bonds were broken at once. If all bonds were broken at once, this would REQUIRE some kind of magical intervention to synchronize. If there was magical synchronization in the process, was a non-Radiant or a Radiant that wasn't breaking bonds involved? Heralds? Skybreakers? Honor? Melishi? All could have used the Connection required for synchronization to create problems and all had reasons to do so.

Of course the bond works both ways. The spren becomes more Physical and more human through their bond with a Radiant. The most obvious case is with Stormfather. He has changed significantly since bonding Dalinar. Adolin isn't an entity made of pure Investiture, so changing his form into a sword wouldn't be possible, nor would he give Maya any magical abilities since he has no Connection to the fundamental surges of Roshar like a spren does. However, Adolin can share his humanity and Cognitive abilities with Maya, which is probably why she's awakening a bit. Because the reason for ending the bond has changed and the consequences for ending the bond aren't what she thought they would be?

The problem with assuming it's Roshar that Harmony was talking about would be the time periods involved. Scadrial has developed extremely fast compared to Roshar. The last time Roshar was destroyed was some 4 thousand years ago (the end of the Oathpact), maybe 2000 years ago (the Recreance). Sazed Ascended like 4 hundred years ago. Roshar has not progressed further than nothern Scadrial as of the time the statement was made. Timeline taken from here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JJtJhHwpKdow01n2-bsT3scVvqJd6lZh4uvpNwcslv8/edit#gid=0

The biggest hurdle to harvesting god metal from things like Shardblades and Honorblades, is convincing the chunks you take off that they aren't part of the whole. As soon as the whole changes form again (returns to the Cognitive Realm, for instance), that Physically solid manifested Investiture chunk you have will go with it, unless it no longer sees itself as part of the whole.

Not a whole lot of space to establish that character. Seems like that scene could just be an effective use of space. 1 page of prose tells us a lot about what Ishar is capable of and provides a little context to the difference between Cognitive and Physical beings (Physical beings can enter the Cognitive Realm but Cognitive beings can't enter the Physical). Doesn't really have to be more than that.

We don't know it's new. Even if it is, the coming of the Everstorm is a significant and related event that could easily trigger new psychoses in the functional Heralds. Also the death of Jezrien was directly felt and is significant. I don't think Ishar's actions are specifically leading anywhere. He's (figuratively) scratching and clawing at his eyes like Shalash.

Ash defaces art of herself. Her mental issues require her to do this. She was the Herald of beauty. Creativity. Honesty Kalek is paranoid and erratic, and believes that Roshar is already lost. Resolute. Builder. Taln is repeating a mantra and sitting staring into space. Dependable. Resourceful. Jezrien was a drunk beggar, speaking gibberish. Protecting. Leading. Nale spends his time killing budding Radiants for the crime of bonding spren, and helping Odium's forces because they are the righteous ones. Just. Confident. Ishar acts as god and brings spren into the Physical realm. Pious. Guiding. I think you're taking Ishar's experiments too seriously. He has as much purpose in doing what he's doing as Jezrien had. His madness has twisted his nature into becoming a god and guiding spren to the Physical realm. That's it.

I love seeing characters that have completed their narrative arcs continue to exist as side characters. It really needs to happen more often. Vasher, for instance. Kaladin will say the 5th Oath. He will also go run a "veteran" rehabilitation center for Radiants and non-Radiants alike. The 5th Oath will make this form of protection an imperative for him and we'll see him in the back 5 only when such a location is required or as consultation for the new set of main characters. He will NOT get the Luke Skywalker treatment (either the new Trilogy or the old EU). He will not be the continued savior of the story, nor will he be dragged back from some type of exile to die. He better not. He may get a sacrifice, but that better be a book 9 or book 10 save the world sacrifice.

I love the nod to Kingkiller Chronicles at the beginning. "If you find the place and wander inside, you’ll meet a young man behind the bar. He has no name. He cannot tell it to you, should he want to—it’s been taken from him. But he’ll know you, as he knows everyone who enters the inn. He’ll listen to everything you want to tell him—and you will want to talk to him. And if you ask him for a story, he’ll share one. Like he shared with me. I will now share it with you." I realize this is probably Wit talking about himself in the third person, but there's definitely a nod to Kvothe as Kote here.

If he's hearing the lingering Spirit Web of those he killed, there are Connections. It could be those Connections that keep those screaming Spirit Webs around. The dead can't fully rest until Szeth forgives himself and releases those Connections. My post was to provide some reasoning for the existence of the Connections. Szeth didn't kill with detachment. He felt every one. He apologized for every one as he was performing the act. He felt them so much, he couldn't actually let go of them. He Willed a Connection to each person he killed and those people scream at him through those Connections.

I give Evi credit because he wouldn't have changed without her.

Profound. Every path starts at the beginning. The beginning actually defines the starting point of the path. A lot of paths are smaller pieces of longer paths. So, these paths start in the middle of those larger paths. What I'm saying is that sometimes a path to redemption starts in the middle. Look up: "There's no such thing as a selfless act."

Then let's fast forward to when the memories were returned and start the journey there. Let's bring in another character: "There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try to talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone, and this old man is all that's left. I got to live with that." - Red, Shawshank Redemption THAT'S where redemption starts. Want doesn't mean anything. Regret doesn't mean anything. Work doesn't mean anything. You accept what you were, accept where you are, and go forward. When Dalinar's memories returned, the gift was removed. He could have failed at that point. He didn't. He continued moving forward. He even let everyone know everything about his past. Not because he was proud of the change or proud of the journey, but because he knew it was all bu**s**t if people weren't aware of the wrongs he did. So you're entirely right, but you're ignoring the journey because you don't like how it started.

Intentions don't matter. Actions and their consequences matter. It doesn't matter WHY Dalinar took the first step, or even what he hoped that first step would lead to. The simple fact is, he took the first step. He wanted to change. There's your want. His actions from that point on have been toward becoming better. You wanting to take all of that away from him because the journey didn't start with perfectly pure intentions is hateful. The victim is dead. The value lost is completely determined by those left behind. Funerals aren't for the dead, they're for those left behind. We don't bury our dead and have ceremonies because it adds value to the dead. We do so because it's important to the community grieving process. These processes have often been codified using religious wrappings, like sending the dead off to Valhalla or making sure they rest easy, but that's all just created stories to make grieving easier. The value of the dead is entirely within those left behind. And maybe as fertilizer. When I die, I won't care about anything. I'll be dead. The people that will matter will be my wife, my kids, my friends. If I didn't have those, my death wouldn't matter in the least, nor would my life. My experiences, memories, joys, sorrows are my own and disappear when my brain stops firing. There's no lasting value to those things. All of the value I represent is in what I add to the lives of others. In short: there's no internal value to a person, only the value they bring to others. Of course, this results in an ultimate "ponzi scheme" of value where all of the created value of experience is lost with the death of the last person. Humans have been dealing with that and will continue dealing with that until that last person dies.

The "recordings" Dalinar was experiencing were recorded around the time of the Recreance and/or just after. It's quite possible that the Change Dawnshard came to Roshar after the recordings were made. The timeline slips my mind, but I believe the Scouring of Aimia was after the Recreance, and I'm almost certain the Scouring was directly related to the Dawnshard's arrival. What I'm saying is that it's possible that there was no Dawnshard available at that time. It could also be that Honor or another made the Dawnshard unavailable through some deal that Honor and his forces are bound to. If Honor's forces used a Dawnshard in their fight previously (and there's evidence that they have), then the Sleepless would really want to make sure that didn't happen again. In any case, Dawnshards definitely won't be part of Book 5, and I doubt they'll be part of the back 5. Brandon is teasing them in a bit, but won't really be bringing them out until he can detail them in Dragonsteel. I think he's said specifically that he doesn't want to tie his hands for that story by creating unnecessary canon regarding Dawnshards.

Ultimately, a Returned is "more mortal" because they need to keep their Divine Breath from being consumed. The Divine Breath is what anchors the Returned. Cognitive Shadows require consumption of Investiture, so regular Investiture consumption keeps the Returned from consuming the Divine Breath, destroying the anchor and killing the Returned. If the body is sufficiently destroyed, Breaths or other Investiture will be used up trying to sustain it (it takes more Investiture to sustain a broken body than a working one). Once that Investiture is gone, the Divine Breath will be consumed and the Returned will die. So the death of the body ultimately will kill a Returned