Hi friends, I am new to the 17th Shard and this is my first post here. Now what I am about to discuss here is not entirely my theory, most of it has been theorized by the fandom for quite some time now. I am just gathering the most probable ones together and see if it fits to form a mostly cohesive narrative.
Spoiler Alert for all of Stormlight Archive, including the chapter of Wind and Truth released by Brandon.
So, with that complete I am going to discuss the possible ending of Stormlight 5 and maybe some plot points that can be expected in the back half. Now there are dozens of characters in the Stormlight Archive each having their own compelling stories, but predicting the ending for each of them is impossible. So I will be focusing on just 4 characters, the 4 most important characters to the narrative of Stormlight Archive, the 4 characters who started it all: Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar and Szeth.
Yeah, Brandon pretty much says they are the key. So, let's examine their paths and come to a conclusion for each of them. I think that will give us a pretty good idea of where Book 5 will end.
Shallan
So, Shallan. Her story is basically finding out who she is, confronting it and accepting it. Pattern said that Lightweavers don’t have oaths, but they have truths. This is because of their unique position as spies. Knowing their truths will keep them grounded, since they impersonate other people there is a possibility that they may get lost in the role they are playing so they must know who they are. This is why Adolin was the right choice for Shallan and not Kaladin. Adolin knew which one was the real Shallan, the woman he loves. So far Shallan has spoken 3 truths: She killed her father, She killed her mother, She killed her spren.
With the third truth Veil merged with Shallan and only Radiant is left. So, the next truth will be the one where she and Radiant merge and it will happen in Wind and Truth. One of the biggest Chekhov's guns that Brandon planted but never used in his the series so far is that Kaladin is the one who killed Helaran. And this is her reaction when she learns of it.
Yeah, she suppressed it. I am not suggesting that she is going to fight Kaladin in book 5 because of this, quite the opposite really. And it comes down to Shallan’s mother, the herald Chanarach.
Yes I believe Chanarach is Shallan’s mom especially after the release of Book 5 Prologue. Again it is not my theory but it is already there. The basic premise is, Chanarach has red hair just like Shallan and she had connections to the Skybreakers and tried to kill Shallan because she was a radiant. We also know that Taln didn’t break and this theory explains that too. In the book 5 prologue we learn that one of the heralds died on the day of Gavilar’s feast, which happened six years before the Way of Kings, exactly the same time period when Shallan killed her mother. She killed her mother Chanarach and sent her to braize. Chanarach endured the torture for 6 years before breaking. So, Taln didn’t break.
This will be Shallan’s final truth. She is the one who is (indirectly) responsible for the desolation. And I don’t think Shallan will be able to ignore or suppress the truth that she pretty much caused the end of the world. I think at this moment of shame all her suppressed emotions will come out including her brother’s death.
Then there is Chanarach herself, who will not be happy to learn that her eldest son was killed by Kaladin. This is my theory, Chanarach will confront Kaladin over Helaran’s death and try to kill him. At the same time, despite knowing that Kaladin killed her favorite brother, Shallan will choose to help Kaladin by fighting her own mother whom she very much still loves. Choosing Honor over revenge and her mother. Shallan will merge with Radiant and become a fully realized Lightweaver and possibly even revive Testament.
Shallan will also survive Book 5, and go on to transform her Lightweaver Radiants into a cosmere wide spy network with the help of Hoid (who is also a Lightweaver) in order to fight the Ghostbloods.
Dalinar
Dalinar is the one on whom I am most conflicted. I mean his character arc pretty much came to a conclusion in Oathbringer with the You cannot have my Pain moment. There is really nothing much to develop in Dalinar except for the Duel he has with Odium. Now, Taravodium is not that different from Raysodium.
So, Taravodium wants to rule over the entire cosmere and he thinks he will do a better job than the current shards. So, what he wants is simple, to be free of the Rosharan system, while also maintaining some control over it. So what is the way for Taravodium to get what he wants?
Brandon has removed Rayse and introduced Taravangian as Odium because Rayse doesn’t have that fear factor anymore. So I think Taravangian will get what he wants. So Dalinar will somehow end up breaking the contract. It wont turn the Stormfather into deadeyes but it will let Odium to corrupt the Stormfather, potentially ending his ability to supply Stormlight.
Szeth
Szeth’s character is all about finding the truth himself. First he followed his religion blindly, then he followed Nale blindly and now he is following Dalinar blindly. His character arc is to break free of this and learn to distinguish right from wrong by himself. To learn what is the truth without blindly following others.
Szeth’s fourth Ideal is ‘I will cleanse the Shin of their false leaders, so long as Dalinar Kholin agrees.’
And he will complete that successfully. But it won’t be the end for Szeth, by the end of book five he will be a 5th Ideal radiant.
This is what Nale says regarding the fifth Ideal
So imagine, Szeth completes his 4th ideal and returns to Urithiru, to Dalinar and what does he see? Dalinar has broken the contract, the law. Szeth will be forced to confront the reality that Dalinar was wrong and following him is not the right way. This is when he rises higher and swears his fifth ideal, becoming his own man.
After that Szeth will kill Dalinar, thus stopping Odium’s corruption on the Stormfather from getting much worse. Since he would be using Nightblood to kill Dalinar this might even sever his bond to Stormfather and Honor. Odium will then transform Dalinar’s cognitive shadow into a Fused.
Kaladin
Well if there is one thing I am certain about our sad depressed bridgeboy, it is that he will live. The entire point of Kaladin’s character arc is that no matter how good and powerful he becomes there will always be those he cannot save, and he has to learn to live with it. And Kaladin finally achieved that in RoW, so killing him off in Winds and Truth even if it was a heroic self sacrifice will not be satisfying. Also he is being set up as a therapist for the Heralds. So, what do I think will happen with him? Well, he will Ascend to honor.
There are many references to this in the books. Kaladin’s very first POV chapter is named “Honor is Dead”. Then there is that moment in WoR where he says, “Honor is dead, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Brandon pretty much said that Kaladin never felt the Thrill because of Syl, but he was not bonded to Syl in Amaram’s army. Syl seems to remember Kaladin’s childhood despite not being bonded to him at that time. His connection to Aesudan as he recognizes the tune she is singing. He is also related to her by blood for some reason. In Oathbringer Kaladin killed, like actually killed a corrupted spren using Syl. The corrupted spren died like Phendorana.
Then in both Oathbringer and RoW he commanded the Windspren to blow back the storm itself and they did it. Honestly there is so much more to Kaladin that is very similar to Vin from Mistborn. There is the Child of Tanavast.
Overall?
So what is it that I am trying to say? Well the Duel of the Champions will not be the final act of the book. It will probably happen at the end of Part 3. The true final act, the Sanderlanch will not be at Urithiru or Shinovar, it will be at the Shattered Plains. There a loophole in the treaty
So after the Duel, there will be a final battle between the Radiants and the forces of Odium at the shattered plains. It will probably be for Ba-Ado-Mishram, each racing against time to get her for themselves. Only the Radiants will be low on morale and Stormlight due to Dalinar’s loss. They will be losing against the forces of Odium when the Singers led by Venli and Rlain join the battle to help the Radiants. Oh, and they will probably be riding on Chasmfiends as in RoW we saw them controlling one at the end.
It is after this Kaladin will ascend, and by this point I think he would have lost Syl. Syl would be alive, but he would have lost his bond with her. I think Ishar would have brought Syl into the physical realm by this point. So how will Kaladin ascend? This is what Hoid told Kaladin in one of the SA 5 chapters released by Brandon
What I think will happen is, during the battle Kaladin will play the Flute, and he will play the Rhythm of Honor. Just like how Navani produces Towerlight from a Rhythm, Kaladin will produce Stormlight with the Rhythm of Honor. This coupled with his near deity-like status in Urithiru among the Radiants and the recently forged alliance between Men and Singers will help Kaladin reassemble the Splintered Shard of Honor and Ascend. Maybe he might have help form Ba-Ado-Mishram, or Hoid, or Cultivation or even Dalinar. This will give the edge the Radiants need to defeat Odium’s forces.
Szeth will probably fight and then convince Nale to rejoin the side of the Radiants, thus bringing the Order of Skybreakers back to Honor.
Moash will have his redemption journey and will take Jezrien’s place as a herald. I am not sure exactly how this will happen but I am confident Moash is on a redemption path.
Once the battle is won, Kaladin as Honor will reform the Oathpact and seal away the Fused. Only this time he will go to Braize along with all the Heralds. His presence will allow the Heralds to fight back against the Fused and give Kaladin enough space and time to perform Mental Therapy on them.
The back half of the books will deal with the scarcity of Stormlight, the Men who have bonded Odium’s spren like Aesudan, The introduction of Lifelight through Lift. A shadowy war with the Ghostbloods over Investiture. Now although Odium is free from the Rosharan System, he has also pretty much lost control over Roshar and the Fused. So he will return in the end back half for a Final Confrontation.
This is when Kaladin and the Heralds return from Braize. By the end of Book 10 Dalinar will break free of Odium. Since there are so many Corrupted spren and unmades like Sja-anat who go against Odium, perhaps by the end of Book 10 Kaladin will splinter Odium and take it up himself and become War. After all, Kaladin is described as a passionate man many times. This will set the stage for an overall cosmere wide conflict. Harmony vs War vs Autonomy vs Endowment etc…
