ChicagoWillshaper

Took it today.

My opinion is that spiritual cohesion is less about weakening and more emphasis on the molding. They literally shape will. Not mind control. More influence or persuasion. Maybe they not only free the oppressed but train them to fight and push their wills toward rebellion and esprit de corps. Maybe they're just very persuasive and charming. Expert hagglers and con men? Don;t know. Molding the hearts of people into something different is the idea I get. Haven't read any of the sample chapters or anything. I'm probably provably wrong by this point.

I think it is Hoid writing the letter. And I also agree that when he says old reptile he's writing to a dragon. If you look at the front cover chart in the background are two creatures biting the top middle big circle and clasping the lower middle one. They look like a cross between a dragon and a wasp. Big wings. Dragon head.

I like it... Honor to bind them. Hate to drive them apart. Works for me.

It is a lot of assumptions. I freely admit it's way too early in the game to be saying Hoid will be ripping shard splinters out of people. ;D Until we get more info I'll probably be throwing lots of crazy ideas. The element being tied to restoring Adonolsium is still not that goofy. Rayse may be the most terrible that doesn't make him a free agent. It may be a Master Blaster situation. One brain one brawn. Rayse/Odium sent out to do the dirty work like a mob enforcer. Either by direct order or some manipulation. It can't be hard to manipulate hate. Again speculating... With the shard collecting we don't know enough to say for sure, but we do know holding the shards over long periods changes the holder. Reasonable to assume that the guy holding the hate shard wouldn't want the love shard or even the cute puppy shard.

Not if Hoid collects those splinters. That may be why the 17th shard is after him. That assumes a lot though: The 17th shard group is from the world of the Elantris novel. People in Elantris have splinters of the shard in them which might explain their special nature. The 17th shard group is out to stop Hoid. Rayse certainly seemed convinced someone was out to collect them and went to great lengths to stop that from happening. Hoid seems to have a plan though. I think that Aona and Skai intentionally splintered their shards when they died so that Odium couldn't take them. I think the 'headers' in part two lay out that Rayse splintered them to prevent others form capturing them: Rayse may not want the shards to unite. He seems against unity in WoK. He was against the Almighty at least and the Almighty wanted unity. Maybe he doesn't like those parts/shards. He is hate after all. Maybe Adonolsium broke apart because of self-hate. Maybe Rayse thought collecting shards would make him target number one. Maybe in spite of being the most ruthless he still takes orders from someone like Bavadin.

My first post on the site. Hey everybody. I don't think it's lerasium, but something that changes the person like lerasium does. I believe the element may change whoever holds all the shards into Adonolsium. Just as lerasium makes someone a mistborn. If we assume that Hoid's plans were a success in Mistborn the biggest change is that Sazed holds two shards. If Hoid's plan is as some assume to restore Adonolsium simply reuniting the shards may not be enough. Some other element may be key that turns the ultimate shardholder into Adonolsium. If Hoid is united the shards into one subject a catalyst may be required to take it to the next level and return his friend/enemy/frenemy Adonolsium. That, in my opinion, is the element. What else would be so important to Hoid and his plans? Whatever the true identity of the element is it may be mentioned in another book. The only options are that Hoid obtained the element outside the pages of a Sanderson book, we see the plans of Hoid in another book involving the element, or we actually see Hoid obtain the element. It may have been somethign that seemed utterly trivial at the time. 2/3 isn't bad odds. Re-reading the other novels for some element may be worthwile. Anyway, sorry about the spelling.