Govika

Sorry for the repition post hoser, I didn't see you posted similar stuff until after I posted. (All quotes are in Hardcover version.) I wondered this as well. We know from Rysn's interlude in TWoK that Highstorms break apart before they reach Shinovar (last sentence pg 432). Since Shinovar comprises most of the Western coast of Roshar, we can guess that Aimia receives little to no Highstorm weather and therefore nothing further West. Unfortunately Chapter 46 does not say when Kaladin arrives in Shinovar as the storm or if he does at all. It merely says "he neared the western ocean" (pg. 648). I believe something as strange as grass would be mentioned if he flew over Shinovar. So, the story must have either taken place when the mountains of Shinovar did not exist, or he sailed from Iri, Alm, Liafor, Steen, Tukar, or even Aimia. (Interesting to note on pg. 803, Derethil's mission was "to seek the origin of the Voidbringers, the place where they had spawned." Is that speculation?) DocHoliday brings up a good point on the shape of the world. We don't know if this is the only continent. Maybe voidbringers existed on other continents and Derethil sailed West towards the Origin as opposed to away from it. Hoid does not give us clear details.

Phantom I can't tell if that's sarcasm or some info we don't have... I'm going with sarcasm

That would make me happy

This is way too broad, but do you think Sanderson will connect all his stories eventually with some sort of Great Cosmere battle between the shards? It seems like it could happen, but I don't know (it may be several years before any evidence of this comes out too, since Stormlight is 10 books long... ) I know it may seem too daunting, but Hoid is very prevalent and seems to be setting things into motion for some kind of something (Sorry for the distinct details). I dunno, that's how it seems to me. Thoughts?

I thought Adolin got blade and plate from Dalinar winning it from Parshendi ( I know he got some for Elohkar but also for Adolin )?

That would mean that Syl has an "Honorblade" of sorts. She only uses it to defend, which is what they were meant to do. But when people use shards for offensive killing, the honor (perhaps the glow at the Day of Recreance?) fades or becomes too terrible for Syl, someone of Honor, to handle. So basically unless it's an honorblade or held for honor's sake, it is terrible.

Maybe the Parshendi knew of the Radiants. Perhaps Gavilar was told. When Dalinar is sent in his vision to fight Midnight Essence, he describes a place similar to the Western Shattered Plains. I think maybe the Parshendi are a key to the Radiants, but I don't know how. However, they must know something given their ambiguity and power.

On a sidenote, it sounds like from the conversation above that Honor used to rule the Spiritual Realm, Cultivation rules the cognitive and Odium used to rule the physical. However, the lowest desire the best so there was a war and Honor was cast down, probably splintered or dead (depending on timeframe and whatnot; the point is that Odium and Honor switched places) and started the desolations. That's why they fight for the Tranquiline Halls.

Interesting to note that 1000 days is two years, especially since during the last, I believe, two years of Gavilar's life were the visions and Elhokar has a foreboding tone when talking of Dalinar's visions. So Dalinar has less than 2 years. Also note that symmetry is paramount. It's been 4500 years, which is 9 sets of 500 years. Notice how 500 more years would make it perfect 5000 years, or 10 sets of 500, a symmetrical set. Foreboding?

My only discrepancy that I keep mentioning in my posts is how Sharplate glowed until the day of Recreance. I believe the glow is related to the fact that Radiants can Surgebind, such as in Dalinar's vision. I believe this glowing of the armor is influenced directly from something good, as opposed to something evil, such as Odium. The Radiants used Sharplate to protect, not monger war like the lighteyes. It may also be interesting to note that the Almighty tells Dalinar to "give the men the Shards they once bore" so that "the Knights Radiant [may] stand again." (edit and emphasis mine) This means that before the lighteyes came into power and seized all the blades (at least in Alethkar) the Shards belonged to every race. Also, I believe that the rise of Vorinism came from Shardblades and plate. Perhaps the early ardents used the lighteyes, who may have had the majority of Shards, "rulers" so they seemed in favor. (I haven't researched that.) Another question I have for anyone is did the Heralds wear Shardplate? I know they mention Shardblades (or honorblades), but what about what armor they wore? DId they? When Kelek sees the Radiants in the Prelude, he talks about the plate. Why would he if he himself wore any? He wouldn't have looked over to the Radiants and mentioned it, it would have been mentioned when he saw Jezrien. Just a thought.

Could Kaladin be transported to the spiritual realm during the highstorm much like Shallan was transported to Shadesmar? In the Interlude of Geranid, Ashir says Shadesmar is the cognitive realm. There are three realms, and we for sure know 2 of the 3. Could Kaladin's "vision" be of the spiritual realm?

About the gems, is it the glass or gem or both that retain stormlight? If it's soley the gem, one could have gems implanted into the skin. What makes the spheres retain stormlight?

I think the symmetry can be produced by sounds since there are "Dawnsingers." I suspect they use some of the same sounds Kabsal shows Shallan, but with more sounds of course.

Do the Shards (Cultivation, Honor, so forth) also exist separately in the other realms (such as Shadesmar, cognitive, and the spiritual realm)? If so, could Honor still exist in Shadesmar (perhaps tying in Urithiru into Shadesmar since it's "near Honor." If not, then could some Splintters exist in Shadesmar, where who knows what the splinters will look like? Also, does size vary on the splinters (I would think so since it seems logical for different splinter sizes) and what do the diffferent sizes mean? Maybe Syl is a small fragment while something else, maybe something we haven't seen yet, is something larger.

To help, in Chapter 72 Veristitalian, Shallan is remembering what she read while Jasnah is telling her her theory: "Beings of ash and fire" (white and red) and "Flame and char. Skin so terrible" (black and red). She looks out over the balcony and sees the "Parshmen. With skin of black and red. Ash and fire." [pg. 979-980] As to why, I suspect it being pigmentation. Or perhaps ranking or certain Parshmen from Western Roshar and Eastern Roshar. I dunno. My thoughts.

Which is why he was in the vision during the highstorm, got it. Thank you!

Is Talenel the Herald of Honor? If so, he shows up in Kaladin's story, and Kaladin has Honorspren. IF this is correct, then perhaps each Herald will show him or herself in each book. I know it's holey, but maybe?

I think the Radiants quit in the middle of a battle since at Feverstone Keep one of the men says "They should be fighting the devils on the front line" (emphasis mine). Of course, that could be just a comment about a enemy not the enemy.

Perhaps they are just Parshendi from different parts of the world? Or from different descent? Ancestry may have an impact. (basically I have no idea.)

I didn't put this in there, but another reason I assumed was their blood smelled the same smell: moldy.

Does that mean he and Szeth can surgebind relentlessly during highstorms?

Is it possible that Elhokar is a Ghostblood? It may be possible since Taravangian wants to kill Dalinar, instead of Elhokar. Perhaps those men are some Ghostbloods. I don't have real proof, just idle theory.

Okay, so I have a few theories that I want to propose. Some of them may be RAFO, and some are speculation (not necessarily theories) but I find them interesting and hope someone else does too. First. Are Elhokar and Sadeas in cahoots? Think about it, when Dalinar is talking to Sadeas and the king (Chapter 50) Elhokar is very insistent on Dalinar accepting Sadeas's bridges. It sounded like they were maneuvering him. Sadeas is always by the king, whispering in his ear, who is to say they had a way to get rid of Dalinar? I know in the early chapters (chapter 18) Elhokar is very foreboding about Dalinar, comparing him to his father who went insane during his last years alive. Is Elhokar in cahoots with Taravangian in killing Dalinar? Dalinar may not notice because he is too naive. Speaking of Elhokar, who were the men at the beginning of the prelude Szeth sees talking to him? The fact that Elhokar hates it when people compare him is understood, but the fact he becomes severely irate is strange. Did he have something to do with Gavilar's death? And speaking of foreboding, what about in chapter 27, when Rock is praising Kaladin for his kata, he calls him "Master Brightlord." Did Syl tell him about it and Rock know that Kaladin was a true lighteyes? Second, at the beginning of chapter 4 a Reshi chul trainer who is being bled speaks of Shadesmar. He describes it the sun he sees as "dark and cold shining in a black sky." When Shallan enteres Shadesmar, the same dark sky and distant sun are described. So, one can extrapolate, that some, not all, people when they die see Shadesmar. Sanderson explains in an q & a on Barnes & Noble[1] that there are three main realms: the physical. the cognitive, and the spiritual. Shadesmar appears to be the cognitive, but it may be the spiritual. I firmly believe the Heralds are either reincarnate in the forms of Kaladin and Szeth; Shallan and Jasnah; and Dalinar and someone else. Kaladin is the first to find his spren (spren are accompaniment to Heralds). It may also be that these characters are the Radiants alive whom need shardblades (that turn into honorblades) because the Almighty tells Dalinar "the Radiants must stand again." About Syl, notice how Syl starts following Kaladin after he kills the shardbearer. It was the fact Kaladin did not take the shardblade that made him personify honor, which is why and when Syl followed him. Syl hates shardblades. Do all spren hate shardblades? It seems that is why the Horneaters can see them, because Horneaters don't have any shardblades. If they were honorblades, would that change anything? I think the "shards men once bore" were honorshards, as evidence by their glowing. Once the honor left the Radiants (aka, the Day of Recreance) the shards became "mundane." Without honor, the blades and plate could not act as they should. It is interesting to note that Szeth says in the prologue how you cannot surgebind while wearing plate, but in Dalinar's first vision we see (chapter 19) the Radiants could surgebind (hence, why they "fell" from the sky). Maybe if Kaladin could get into plate, he could surgebind? Also note that, as I speculated above, Szeth may be a Herald, or Radiant, reincarnate. If this is so, the reason he hasn't found his spren, unlike Kaladin, is because he acts without a key ingredient. I do not know what this is; it may be honor or something else. Speaking of Szeth's honor, in the prologue we assume Szeth became Truthless because of his belief in the voidbringers. Whether that belief manifested itself into a resistance, or was merely heretical to Shin religion is up to debate. When Gavilar said "find the most important words a man can say," did he mean the Radiants codes? (May be why the next book is "Words of Radiance" because Dalinar finds them). When the Almighty tells Dalinar to "unite them" who is he talking about? Is he telling whoever (it just so happens to be Dalinar) to unite Alethkar or is it something more than that. Does he mean unite the people of Roshar? Maybe. I think he means Dalinar, or whoever because he doesn't know who's listening, to unite the Lost Radiants into a new Knights Radiant. This would bring back honor to them, especially if they follow the Codes and the Radiants Codes, and allow them to surgebind with shardplate 'n' stuff. Essential, have the shards become honorplates and blades. So, stormlight infuses itself into the spheres at a definite point during a highstorm. This is evident when Kaladin is in the highstorm. If the stormlight infused spheres throughout the storm, in duration, the sphere Kaladin held would still be lit (because the highstorm was not finished when he blacked out). That being said, is it possible to surgebind during a highstorm? I understand the human body may not hold it or even it may become overloaded. If it is overloaded that raises the question can you control how much stormlight you breathe in? I know you can control how much breath you inhale, but do you also control the amount of the stormlight itself that enters? Even so, I wonder if Kaladin and Szeth have the ability to surgebind unlimitedly during a highstorm, as long as they stay safe. Now here is a tricky one. It is based on speculation from a reading Sanderson did from a draft of "Words of Radiance" before it was called that. The taping took place before Christmas of 2012. After you hear it, come back and I'll say something I've been thinking. [2] So Sanderson states that Parshendi are that way because they bond to a spren. He may change that later or he may not, but it is interesting to note that the Parshendi need the gemhearts. Why is that? Alethi assume for soulcasting, but what if it is for some kind of religious ceremony? Isn't it interesting to note that yes the Shattered Plains are expansive, but the Alethi and Parshendi have been battling for 6 years and still there are more and more chasmfiends. Adolin notes after the chasmfiend is dead in chapter 15 that there are spren coming from it. There is also moldy smell of blood of the chasmfiend, also of the Parshendi. Could the chasmfiends be Parshendi that have evolved into a hulking monster? Eshonai talks of different forms that form different bodies. Perhaps the most revered place in Parshendi is to become a chasmfiend? The chasmfiends may become uncontrollable and turn hostile, which is why the Parshendi don't have any in reserve. That's all I got! But stay tuned for more! References [1] http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Fantasy-Science-Fiction/Post-Questions-For-Brandon-Sanderson-Here/td-p/354645/page/3 About halfway through (try ctrl + f and type "three;" it should be on there after a couple) [2] https://soundcloud.com/stringbean1982/brandons-reading Sanderson begins Stormlight talking about 8:53 and reading at 12:10

Hello, I'm Govika. I primarily started an account on the 17th Shard because I am full of questions and little conspiracies. I'd love to post a forum question containing them too. I have only read TWoK, and only know about that world. I do know Sanderson has other works, such as Elantris, and Mistborn, and will read them eventually. However, my main concern is TWoK. I do not mean to sound rude, only factual.