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That's exactly what I said tho... I'm proposing that since each metal is a key to a different power, Lift would naturally be able to treat each metal as one. She breaks food down into Investiture. Food isn't Invested and has no realmatic properties, atleast no food I know of. Definitely not the food lift is eating. So if she can take something as mundane as food and turn it into fuel for surgebinding, I'm 100% sure she can do some incredibly wonky things with a magic system that uses ingestion as it's conduit.

The only thing I could think is maybe she could power every metallic art with any one given allomantic metal. She basically transforms food into raw Investiture, and each metal is just a "key" to Harmonys Investiture. So I think she would probably break every metal into it's most basic/raw form of Investiture, which, like the mists, would power all allomantic powers. Every metal would be a skeleton key.

Honestly that gap is pretty great imo. It gives enough time for everything on both sides to solidify for the most part. The KR will have decent numbers and so will the Voidbringers. Alliances will have fallen into place, people will have to unite themselves a little in that time before the real storm hits so we can read about it.

One thing I wanna point out is that whatever method it was, it acts so similarly to hemalurgy that in-world characters would consider it the same thing. So it has to have ripped out a chunk of Jezrien, we just don't know what chunk that was. It could be Odiumlurgy (that's what I'm going with atleast) can only target one attribute which happened to be one that a CS needs to live. Or maybe whatever u hate when crafting the spike drives the Intent of it, so each spike needs to be made specifically and by someone passionate about the goal? Idk, I'm sure im of base but my point is Odiumlurgy steals an attribute of some sort in exact same manner as Hemalurgy, but if Brandon says he considers them 2 seperate systems, then there must be something that sets them apart. And since we've seen them produce the same effect and also seen that how they're used is the same (stabbing completely through someone) the only thing that can be different is how they're crafted, besides the obvious choice of metal.

Also, can you even put Breathe into a hemalurgic spike? It's already Invested, so I wouldn't think you could, or atleast it would be difficult.

I'm not gonna take the time to even try and find the WoB, but I remember seeing one a few years back saying that WoK does the same thing for SA. I'm sure it'll be relatively obvious what line/lines he meant when book 10 comes out lol.

damnation, I didn't take timelines into account lol. And there's no way in hell he didn't bond that spren. Just saying.

Ok so we know Hoid bonded a cryptic at the end of OB, and we know it's hard to get a spren/shardblade off planet, though if anyone could it would be Hoid. But is he effectively stuck on Roshar until he can figure out how to get his spren off world? And how hard will it actually be? Like does he need to have shardblade status first or what?

@QuaN7umVo1D well I'm not really sure but my best guess is that Nightblood has either some imperfection/flaw in its design or that the... strain? Wrong word probably but whatever. But the strain of keeping a normally non - sentient thing sentient permanently requires regular Investiture, which Nightblood can retain and use when sheathed but leaks when not. Or what if Nightblood is an Awakeners version of a Returned??

Yeah, I get that. What I'm saying is when he's unsheathed but also not actively being wielded by anyone. There's atleast one scene in Warbreaker I can think of when this happens (boat scene and at one point stabbed into the ground so make that 2) and still the black smoke

This would imply that the distance Renarin and Odium can see into the future is the same, which is kind of interesting.

Going off this, cuz I don't think it's worth a new question and idk if we even have a definitive answer on this, how long does Nightblood retain the Investiture he absorbs? Because every scene I can recall of him being unclasped has him leaking black smoke even when he isn't actively receiving Investiture from someone. Edit: specifically scenes where Nightblood is out of his sheath for awhile, like 30 minutes atleast in Warbreaker if I remember correctly. And he was still leaking Investiture.

Ok. Well tbh I got more it if that question than I was expecting so thanks. Maybe I'll try and email Brandon and see what how long it takes me to get a RAFO lol

@hwiles that makes sense but what about if Nightblood had an external source of Investiture? Like in the middle of a Highstorm or if the Dor is something Nightblood can absorb directly without using someone as a conduit. Edit: also, how would Nightblood function of he's being used without a source of Investiture? As a regular sword or still as a supercharged one? I wonder this because of a couple WoB I saw recently about how Nightblood is slowly consuming the Investiture in the cosmere, but since Investiture cannot be destroyed maybe he's storing it but can't use it??? Idk

So Nightbloods sheathe is made of aluminium, right? And that stops him from being able to eat anyone's Investiture. So if you made a gauntlet out of aluminium would you be able to wield Nightblood without having to keep up a constant stream of Investiture?

Great theory! Makes a lot of sense, and well thoughtout imo. But I've been thinking the Sibling is.... well ok, so both Honor and Cultivation have a God Spren, so I would think Odium has one too. He was recognized as a God long enough by enough people that he has to, realistically, with how Roshar works in regards to Spren. However I'm in line with the idea that the KR wouldn't bond with that Spren. I think the Sibling is people's perception of Odiums God Sprem like the brother/ sister of it.

Good catch. I'd be willing to bet your right atleast, as mentioned a few times, all the Orders we've seen so have followed the same progression I'm regards to getting their blades, but not all orders are the same in that. So Shallan is a good example of an Order we've seen progress but haven't seen how that progression works, and could be or first example of an Order that differs from the status quo so far. Honesty it would make sense if Lightweavers received Plate early on since their surges aren't particularly combat oriented, especially Lightweaving which they access first. Getting Plate would offset the strength differentials between Surges for weaker Orders while they gain "levels" and become more practiced with their Surges.

I was reading a thread the other day and wondered about this, because I could maybe see some mixture of Odium, Cultivation, and Honor making Unity if for no other reason then that their collective struggle against each other would make them Unity because of how polar opposite they are and then merging into one.... idk. But that's kinda Mistborn all over and SA is where Brandon's gonna introduce and clarify a lot of aspects of the cosmere and reforging a splintered shard is something he ALWAYS RAFO cards people about as soon as they get any sort of specific. So it would be a really interesting thing to not only see a splintered Shard put back together, but put back together combined with the power of another/ multiple other splintered Shards (ironically also splintered by Odium) to make a completely new shard. Now it's kind of unlikely as Dalinar would have to discover how to Worldhop and reforge a splintered Shard then go to Sel with Honor put back together already and snatch up a bunch of splinters, but it would be great to see.

It would definitely be interesting if Adolin went evil but I don't really see it. If he does he'll be a force to be reckoned with as a champion though, in a 1- on -1 fight he's a beast. But the same could be said if he's a champion on the good side. If he becomes KR that is, I doubt a non KR (or atleast invested in some way. Like a mistborn or awakener) could pose much of a threat to Odiums champion. It seems like something has to be in store for him with how much PoV he's gotten but I have no idea what it is, hoping he revives his blade.

From this WoB we know that a shard doesn't even have to invest in a planet for it's people to make use of its magic system. And while I still think Odium did invest in Ashyr, it doesn't look like he necessarily had to. Yes, he doesn't like to Invest in a planet, but we don't know why. Maybe it was a bad experience investing in a planet that made him that way. How do you know this?

That's exactly what I was saying, or basically. I'm proposing that each shard "carries" a magic system that is able to be used by people on planets they invest in, but what planet they invest in changes how that magic system works slightly. I thought that was pretty clear lol. He's already invested in Roshar as much as he would have had to invest in Ashyn, so he must be willing to invest atleast that much.

I appreciate it I'll try to change it. I'm sure I got a few other things things wrong too. My theory is that each Shard has it's own magic system and that humanities use of voidbinding is what destroyed their last planet. When they moved to Roshar humans forgoed the use of voidbinding but they began to take all the land. To fight back the Parshendi used Odiums corrupted spren and voidbinding and began the desolation

Ok so we know that the surges humans used on the last planet destroyed the planet. Another thing we know is that magic systems act and develop differently based on what planet they're on and what shards have Invested in that planet. And Roshar is special in the fact that Investiture is so easy to come by, replenishing an amount that is effectively infinite without an outrageous and unknown amount of gem stones/ other containers (KR, fabrials, misc.) pretty frequently. And surges now haves restrictions that may or may not have been there before. It's kind of unlikely that the planet humans originally came from also had spren and highstorms. It's even possible one person could access all 10, or possibly 9 if Odium was involved and not Honor, surges. My point is even though humans had access to surges, we don't know how that planets magic system worked. Yolen lightweaving is different from Rosharan lightweaving in a few ways. Depending on how a Shard effects a magic system many things could be different. I'm going to act on an assumption here that isn't canon or anything and a little unlikely. Shards don't effect a magic system, they are the magic system. Kind of. Each Shard has one magic system they grant to the inhabitants of planets they invest in, Ruin had Hemalurgy, Preservation had Ferucheramy, and the combined magic of Allomancy between the two, maybe resonance. Odium has voidbinding, Honor has Surges, and I'm not sure about Cultivation but we know a few others. Each of these magic systems differs based on what planet a shard inhabits and how Investiture is at work on that planet. So while humans originally lived on another planet they had access to voidbinding and misused it to the extreme. They destroyed their planet, fled to Roshar and were followed by Odium. Since they knew voidbinding was bad they stopped and began to follow Honor and Cultivation, but Odium corrupted the Parshendi and stuff happened. Desolation, more Desolation, KR form, misunderstanding over facts, Recreance.

Ok so I know the traveler is kind of old news and been hashed over a bit already, but i just read it and it made me think. The "Hoids trying to restore adonalsium" theory has been theorized and retheorized countless times, but this article got me thinking, specifically this section This is, i think, Frost (feel free to correct me) talking to Hoid. What exactly is it that Hoid lost? Is it not possible, and maybe even plausible, that Hoid one held Adonalsium in is entirety and is now trying to reconstruct a 17th shard that has enough varying intent to, theoretically, not cause the essential lack of free will an intent causes. A shard of roughly equal power to the other 16 with complete free will would be powerful, and dangerous in the wrong hands.

Ok so since atleast one person was interested here's my essay, i just want to say that it's not my best work. I HATE analyzing the meaning behind books, i fall into the "the wall was just This post has been reported for attempting to skirt the rulesing blue!!!" camp, not saying it's not something that shouldn't be done, only that i don't like doing it. I love what we do on here, we analyze the in-world implications of things ,and theorize on whats going to happen, and how things work. Also, i didnt really give much context, only what i absolutely needed to support my point. So, with all that being said, here's my critical analysis of WoK, it only focuses on very shallow points about Dalinar and Kaladin and doesnt really capture their characters so dont say i didnt warn you. Also, most quotes are purely filler. Kinda rambling, i guess what im trying to say is dont judge me too hard. Jeff Tucker Prof. Richee Eng. 101 1/31/18 I’m Bad at Titles Many great works of literature exist in today’s society. This goes without saying. However, having said what needs not be said, not all of these works are worthy of closer examination. One book that immediately leapt to this writer’s mind as being worth a closer look was The Way of Kings. This is a fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson that manages to live up to its grand title and show, through the clever use of characterization and parable’s, as well as other literary techniques, that every person, no matter what they have done in life, can become a greater version of them self. The idea that anyone can improve them self is a common idea. But Sanderson has managed to make it fresh. This novel closely follows the lives of four main characters, Kaladin, Dalinar, Szeth, and Shallan as they struggle through life, face their demons, and attempt to save their nation. This essay will attempt to focus on Dalinar, as his transformation from what can only be described as callous and evil, to a man deserving of praise, was the most astonishing. It will then reorient to focus on Kaladin, who’s changes were subtler and more situational, but equally striking. The character who’s transformation is most obvious is Dalinar Kholin, a man that was once a self-acknowledged tyrant and a widely known terror as a soldier. Even from the beginning of the book he had already begun to become a better person. He was a man that had pillaged and burned towns, and destroyed all who opposed him without mercy. In fact, mercy was not a word in his vocabulary[jt1] . Though his nation was, once again, in a war, he maintained a sense of honor and dignity. Through the death of his brother he found this sense of honor, and he strove to uphold it daily. Even so, [jt2] he remained uncertain of whether he had changed. “Dalinar wasn’t a philosopher or idealist. He was a soldier. And- if he admitted the truth- in earlier years, he’d been a tyrant and a warmonger.[jt3] Could twilight years spent pretending to follow the precepts of better men erase a lifetime of butchery?” (Sanderson 468) This was a common train of thought for Dalinar, but it is obvious to any outside observer that Sanderson has made a character that is striving to become an ideal version of himself. In every society people have morals and values, though often they are loosely held. Some of these morals and values are societal, while others are personal; but what they all have in common is the fact that they are there to guide people in making good judgements and acting decently. People without these guiding ideas are, usually, also lacking in any sense of decency. A good way of going about the improvement of a person would be to have them take a hard look at what they believe in and adjust that belief to align with who they want to become[jt4] . That is precisely what Sanderson did, through characterization, to Dalinar. In times long before the main characters were alive, their people, the Alethi, followed certain codes of conduct during times of war. For a society that is always embroiled in war it was certainly smart to have these codes. But in Dalinar’s time they were a thing to be mocked. He, however, saw them for what they truly were. A way to enforce morals on those who lacked them. One way he improved himself was by forcing himself to adhere to these codes. “Despite six years at war, Dalinar wasn’t weakening in his resolve to hold to the Codes. If anything, his dedication to them was strengthening.” (Sanderson 298) These codes acted as a lifeline for Dalinar, something to hold onto and use to assert his will to change. Dalinar interpreted the codes to mean “Never ask of your men a sacrifice you wouldn’t make yourself. Never make them fight in conditions you would refuse to fight in yourself. Never ask a man to perform an act you wouldn’t soil your own hands doing.” (Sanderson 1018) While these codes might have seemed ordinary or logical to most[jt5] , in-world they were considered preposterous. No sane ruler would follow them, as to do so would be both suicidal and ruin the fun the Nobles of the time had come to take as their due. But this is what makes Dalinar stand out, he has taken a set of edicts from a time long gone that no one follows and used them to improve himself. “Never fight other men except when forced to in war. Let your actions defend you, not your words. Expect honor from those you meet, and give them a chance to live up to it. Rule as you would be ruled.” These are a few of the morals Dalinar has dedicated himself to. They come from an in-world book, as well as the novels own name, known as “The Way of Kings” a book Sanderson inserted that is full of parable’s, parable’s who’s meanings Dalinar takes to heart. One such parable goes as follows “I once saw a spindly man carrying a stone larger than his head. He stumbled beneath the weight, shirtless under the sun, wearing only a loincloth. He tottered down a busy thoroughfare. People made way for him. Not because they sympathized with him, but because they feared the momentum of his steps. You dare not impede one such as this. The monarch is like this man, stumbling along, the weight of the kingdom upon his shoulders. Many give way before him, but so few are willing to step in and help carry the stone…. I left my carriage that day and took up the stone, lifting it for that man… One can ignore a shirtless wretch doing such labor, but none ignore a king sharing the load.” (Sanderson 259) This is the story of a king sharing the work of his people. It shows that even the mighty can stoop to the level of common people and help in some way. That none are above helping our fellow man. While that is an easy thing to say, it is a very hard principle to live by. But Sanderson created a character that can exemplify these lofty ideals, even after having lived a deplorable life. Even more impressive is the fact that following these principles is irreconcilable with the man he was before. Where once Dalinar too would have simply moved out of the way or laughed in amusement, he became the man that would stop and aid the needy. While most of the improvements that Dalinar made were internal and mental improvements, readers also see external and situational improvements through Kaladin. This is not to say that none of his improvements were mental, but the vast majority were not. A former soldier turned slave, Kaladin was a man of many talents. At the start of the novel he was a beaten down, oppressed, and depressed slave, so he had almost nothing but improvements to make. “Once, men had called him lucky, Stormblessed. Those had been lies- if anything, Kaladin had bad luck… Every person he had ever tried to protect had ended up dead. Time and time again. And now, here he was, in an even worse situation than where he’d begun. It was better not to resist. This was his lot, and he was resigned to it.” (Sanderson 42) This is an excerpt showing his downtrodden mindset. It is not until later, after over-coming nearly impossible odds, putting in dedication to himself, and forging himself anew, that he becomes a man worth looking up to. An ideal version of the man named Kaladin. This change is much slower. With Dalinar most of the important character development had already occurred, and readers saw the aftermath, with preface to explain the man he was. However, with Kaladin readers can witness every stage of change. Because of this, his development is both more obvious, yet harder to pinpoint. It’s like owning a kitten. Another person might come over every couple weeks and say “Wow! He’s gotten so big!” and the owner sits there going “Has he? I didn’t realize.” This is because it’s easier to notice changes when you only see the end result. “He reached back across time, studying the man he had been. The man would still fought, and fought well. He couldn’t be that man again- he couldn’t erase the scars- but he could learn from that man, as a new squadleader learned from vicious generals of the past. Kaladin Stormblessed was dead, but Kaladin Bridgeman was of the same blood. A descendant with potential.” (Sanderson 170) This quote does a few things for readers. It hints to the man he was, shows his resolve to change, and shows an obvious transformation in thought process. Where once he was beaten down, now he will rise. When once he followed, now he will lead. Because not all great men were ever awful, but many slipped and lost their claim to greatness. This is what happened to Kaladin. He fell from distinction into hopelessness, then slowly reclaimed his dedication to leading and improving himself and others. Yet he is able to recognize that he cannot be the same man that he was. His situation, and his outlook, had been severely impacted by what he has been through. Humpy dumpty wasn’t put back together exactly how he was before, and neither was Kaladin. But Sanderson made a character that was able to take the pieces that were left after the fall, and still make use of them, even though they were in different places. This is a mark of greatness, anyone can accept their fate given enough time. But only the strongest can bounce back and become an even better person. While many astounding works of literature can be found today, not all are worth the time it takes to look at them deeper. “The Way of Kings” is a work that stood out among the masses of stories that are around today. It is obvious that Sanderson was demonstrating people’s ability to improve their morals and actions, even when once they were horrible. This is a theme that stood out among the many a reader could find in this book. [jt6] Works Cited Bibliography Sanderson, Brandon. The Way of Kings. Tor Books, 2010. Print.