Gloom

Yes, that certainly appears to be confirmation that Szeth killed the Prime prior to receiving his new orders. I think we can put that controversy to rest now.

I know, crazy right? So I know none of you will agree with me, but I think that because of Honors influence, Stormlight puts pressure on the physical to improve, to perfect, to make better. I also think that the more Stormlight a Windrunner holds, the more pressure it puts on the cognitive aspect to improve, to perfect, to make better. Because of this I believe that a time will come that Kaladin will reach an ideal, and his scars will disappear. That the physical and emotional scars of the past will fade and become memory. This would be impossible with Preservation because Preservation is about preserving what is. I believe Honor is about becoming the ideal, about becoming the best person you can be, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Yeah well, how are you going to explain it when Kaladins brands are healed by his own Stormlight?

Huh? I'm not sure we've had more than three sentences about the queen thus far. What makes you think she's working for Taravangian? or are you referring to Thaidakar? Not yet. I think he just barely stepped out of Shadesmar before arriving at the gate. No one saw him approach the gate, and I believe that Kholinar is an ancient city.

Yes, you're right, it was the War of Loss. The Sunmaker was the Alethi King.

I could see this being the case very easily. I doubt that Hoid would need to draw steel or use magic. I think his position and his ability to make other people look stupid will be more than satisfactory to clear a path through the opposition in the queens court and get Taln an audience with the queen. I believe that between them, they can convince the queen that the danger is real enough. I still think that they will encounter quite a bit of resistance, and that there will still be quite a few skeptics in the audience.

It's just a hunch really. I think that a lot of things happened during the Sunmaker War that we aren't aware of. It was a huge event, effecting almost every nation, and yet we know so little about it. I'm also leaning towards the idea that this is when the Heralds became cursed, not thousands of years ago.

I personally believe that this is because Sadeas is in league with Taravangian, and had up until recently felt he could handle Dalinar. So long as Taravangian had someone with Elhokars ear, the Alethi could be managed.

I think we can let the discussion on sexual orientation rest. What I see here isn't really an attempt by Zizoz to do anything further than promote his agenda. I personally believe that people have a right to feel however they feel. If you are gay, then you are part of a minority, and as such, some people will be uncomfortable with you because you are different. It doesn't mean they should be belittled or that you have the right to try to attack them for feeling uncomfortable with a sexual orientation that is different from their own. If I don't want to read a book where the lead character is gay, I don't feel that I have anything to be ashamed of. That's my preference, and if you expect me to accept your preferences, then I expect you to accept mine without attacking me over it. From what was said above, the author is intentionally using the word Homophobe as a form of attack against those who would think differently from him. I think this would be a better reason to downvote someone than a poorly crafted sentence. I personally don't care if your gay, and I don't care if you find this offensive. It wasn't meant to be offensive, but I'm sure it can be taken that way. It was meant to point out exactly what I see is going on here, and that I am not okay with it.

Well, Vorinism teaches that they won the last desolation already. So I don't find it terribly difficult to believe that people will reject information that doesn't agree with their beliefs. Kholinar is Dalinars princedom, but it's also the seat of the king. The person left in charge is likely going to be Elhokars queen of which we have seen nothing so far. I can assure you that Taln will have to prove he is who he says, because the queens ardents are going to be rather disdainful of Talns claim. How well he is received will depend on how convincing his proof is.

A handful of people have discovered that if they spout off a number of empty platitudes about Renarin, or mention how unbelievably awesome he is, then ship him with Lift or something, then they get upvoted for a post with very little substance. This is the very first thread I have been in where people are flat out jockying for upvotes, and getting them.

What we do know is that Darkness was present the night of Galivars assassination. We have reason to believe that Darkness was aware even before the assassination that Szeth was not a Surgebinder. We can feel relatively certain that should Darkness have sought a warrant to pursue Szeth, Elhokar would have given him every blessing to do so. It should also be considered a given that Jah Keved would also be more than happy to sign a warrant for Szeths head. So long as Darkness cornered Szeth in a territory that Szeth was wanted in and received the appropriate permissions he could legally hunt Szeth down. Darkness isn't interested in Szeth because he isn't a Surgebinder. Darkness has known this for over five years.

Szeth does do his research. He researched Taravangian, he took his time, he made a plan. But when his instructions are "I'm afraid it must be done quickly, before he can unite the Alethi highprinces. You will go to the Shattered Plains and end him. It must be done brutally I'm afraid.". Then I'm inclined to believe that his planning will be brief. I view his interpretation of the instructions based on his actions in the past when he received similar instructions, and the cover of WoR. I don't think that Szeth is going to put a great deal of planning into killing Dalinar. He will learn where Dalinar is, the complement of his guard, and what the best approach will be, he will try to determine how many Shardblades are in Dalinars camp, and how many set of Plate, but he isn't going to sneak into camp in the dead of night and stab him a hundred times in his sleep, he's going to mow through everyone standing in his way until he's burned Dalinars eyes out or die trying.

I agree that everything you've said is potentially possible, but we obviously see Kaladin very differently. I do think Kaladin is passionate, but that passion doesn't run towards individuals, his passions are in his ideals. I don't ever really see Kaladin as someone who will pursue a relationship with another person. He may be pursued, and he may even be caught, but I see his focus directed elsewhere. Because of his focus and his world view, I don't believe he would bother to acknowledge feelings of intimacy directed towards him by a member of his sex. I believe that in order to capture Kaladins affection, his prospective partner would need to be patient and persistent. In other words, very much like Navani is towards Dalinar. Men aren't patient and persistent. We may be one, but we are rarely both. Adolin is neither. I could see Adolin having feelings for Kaladin, but I could never see Kaladin reciprocate those feelings. I am willing to respect the representation of sexual minorities, but I'm also aware that they are minorities. I don't think it's reasonable or realistic to ship multiple same sex relationships in a book where it isn't the cultural norm. I'm also aware that Brandon isn't comfortable that he could write such a relationship realistically. Obviously your free to write whatever you desire, but I feel obligated to respectfully argue against such a ship in a forum that is primarily centered on probabilities and theories because those ships, as pleasant as they may be for you to imagine, are highly unlikely to occur.

I seriously doubt that Szeth will get wind of the fact that there are Surgebinders about. They seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping their skills quiet. Szeth was told to make a scene. He was told to make noise and raise holy hell. He isn't allowed to take Dalinar down quietly. He has to hit Dalinar in his camp surrounded by his people to fulfill the letter of his orders.

I see Kaladin as an asexual hetero. I believe he finds women attractive, but he obviously doesn't spend much time dwelling on the subject. Then again, he hasn't really been around very many women that we've seen. Still, I don't believe Kaladin is driven to seek physical comfort, and he already has an emotional outlet in Syl. On the other hand, we can be pretty sure that Kaladin has no romantic interest in men. He has been surrounded by men constantly, we have seen how he views them from his own perspective. Any relationship Kaladin has with another man will be strictly platonic. Not deeply emotional, not flirtatious, and certainly not physically intimate. He doesn't seem to care what personal preferences other have towards the matter, but I see his ambivalence more as a matter of disinterest. He could develop a friendship with Renarin, but it would never be anything more than that. I don't really have a good handle on Renarin, but I don't think he is attracted to other men. Even if he was attracted to other men, I don't believe that he would ever acknowledge that attraction due to his social position, his responsibilities, his fathers ideals, and his own hunger to become what his physical infirmities have thus far denied him. So while some may draw up plans for that ship I'd be very surprised if it didn't rot in drydock.

It also makes it pretty obvious that Sadeas is working with them.

I wouldn't say everyone mistakes Darkness's purpose. I think anyone who read the Lift interlude should be able to reach the conclusion that he is interested finding justification for killing Surgebinders without much difficulty. His purpose however, at least according to him, is to prvent another Desolation. We will see how true that is when word of Talns arrival reaches him.

Taln was still upholding the Oathpact. The Radiants weren't part of the Oath pact, so their defection, while painful wouldn't have changed the parameters of the Oathpact in the slightest. edit: Added quote/corrected spelling.

I never knew Ashyns name, or that it had a Shard of its own, or that this was to be the location of The Silence Divine.

nah, it's all good

I don't think so. Honorblades are a type of Shardblade. You can't just take them away from the person they are bonded to. A Shardblade has to be willed to another if it is bonded (as Dalinar did when he thrust his Shardblade into the ground) or it's holder has to die for possession of the blade to transfer. So unless Taln is executed before he wakes up, it's unlikely that they will be able to take his Blade.

I'd agree that Nalan is Darkness I don't think we've seen Jezrien yet. I don't think he was attending the the treaty signing at all. If I'm wrong about the signing, I'll change my avatar to a Power Puff girl for a month. Don't tell Kurkistan! I believe that Szeth killed the Azish Primes prior to being ordered to kill Dalinar. Apparently, I've already been added on number four.

There is more to training for war than weapons practice. If Renarin ever wants to lead his spears, he has to know the tactics and formations of his spearmen and how they should be deployed. I'm sure Renarin has this knowledge on a conceptual level already. Renarin needs to learn leadership, logistics, tactics, and strategy. He needs to know when to send his men in and when to order them to withdraw. He needs to have experience with his officers and to be able to evaluate them. I believe Kaladin will give him practical experience.

Okay, it seems I may have ruffled a few feathers earlier, so I'll be a little more serious. I believe that there are three major factors that will play a part in Renarins development. Kaladin, Shardplate, and a bonding spren. Lets say Renarin gets his Plate. So he has his Plate and he seeks additional training in arms since he hasn't really had an opportunity to really practice the craft of war. It seems to me that since Kaladin has just set up a massive training program and since Renarin will be associating with Kaladin, he will do some of his training under Kaladins tutelage. Now, at the same time as Kaladin starts to influence how Renarin thinks of the glorious art of warfare, Renarin will have attracted a spren. I believe that Renarin will become competent in the arts of war, but will set them aside due to Kaladins influence, and the influence of his spren and instead become a master at creating fabrials and learning the secrets hidden in his Shardplate. I believe that Renarin is destined to become a Bondsmith and become the head of that Order. Now that lil Ren is out of the way, on to Adolin. I don't for a minute think that Adolin will become even a little bit dark. I also believe that he will eventually become a Radiant. I believe that by the end of book three that Kaladin and Adolin will be fast friends. Adolin just has to let go of his preconceptions about Kaladins place in the world and they will get on right as rain. I believe that Adolins friendship with Kaladin will help both of them become more well rounded people. The master of the sword and the master of the spear will stand side by side. It just has to end up that way.