QuantumHarmonix

I think there is a chance that Retribution keeps the current system. Mostly because it was a deal that Odium made with Honor and Odium did not revoke his oaths. Tarrivangian even specifically points out that he was keeping his oaths to get Honor to join with him to form Retribution. I think the bigger issue is going to be how to get the investiture to power the surges now that Stormlight is gone and they would need to get Warlight from Retribution.

Isn't part of the contrivance of the books supposed to be that someone is using Connection to translate Rosharian to English? So I see it being not so much that modern language has suddenly sprung up, but that our awareness of more modern terms now has a better connection to the initial words meaning. But I can see that being kind of a meta explanation and could feel like watching someone pretend to be a time traveler at a ren fair. It didn't bother me but I can see it not being in line with the tone someone was expecting from a previously medieval or renaissance like setting. Personally, I started seeing the setting as more of a mix of science fiction and fantasy the more they pull in the rest of the Cosmere.

I think it is possible that with Dalinar revoking all of Honors oaths all the surges may now be available. It sounds like when they were on Ashen those that would become the Heralds had access to all the surges and were only limited by their oaths with Honor.

I don't see Retribution being able to forgive those that opposed him. A saying along the lines of his honor demands satisfaction to the slight comes to mind. So I don't see him letting them get warlight easily. I hadn't thought about them using the harmonics trick to blank towerlight and then tuning it so that it lasts outside. I'm also thinking there might be something with the natural tones of Roshar being able to give them access to surges now that the agreement between Honor, Odium, and Cultivation to limit access is broken.

From what I understood he needed people with a connection to Odium. I think they may have been the few invested enough when on Ashen to have their aging slowed and so were the only survivors that could be used for the binding oaths.

I could see Battar joining her to get free from her bonds to both halves of Retribution.

I think the contract is basically toast, but he has larger issues now. He can leave but would leave behind a lot of resources. With the Cosmere target on his back now I don't think he can afford to loose the investiture on the planet. I also don't think Honor or Odium would be very happy with him leaving to hide. Most of the countries are now on his side and Urithiru is in the bubble. Seems like the only thing that was really lost is that he is probably free to continue the war against Azir if he wanted. But Honor may not like that as I believe the peace was agreed to stand regardless of the outcome of his duel with Dalinar. I think you could argue that Dalinar's forfeit is just a loss and not a nullification, so the Honor part of Retribution will probably want to keep the peace deal.

At the time she wouldn't have been working for Odium, correct? I need to reread RoW, but I don't think Taravangian was even thinking he could be Odium at that point. So I don't think she would be considered a traitor at that point. I always read the broken line as from Jezrien's death back in Oathbringer. His death is what put the Oathpack on life support and required someone to replace him to reforge it. That said, I do think she will be an issue going forward. Ishar binding to the others and then taking in some of the power from Odium's well may have been what twisted the heralds intents, but they say a lot that their mental issues weren't all from that alone. The books also do a good job showing that mental recovery is a long process and does reoccur. So even if the supernatural flaw is fixed, I expect she will still have to deal with the real issues and consequences of her actions.

I'd say that Change is universal to all realms. Exist is Physical and I think Connection is Spiritual. Leaving something like Think, Feel, or Understanding for the Cognitive.

I feel like they should somehow relate to the three realms. It feels to me like they need something for emotion or thought for the Cognitive and something like Connect for the Spiritual.

We've seen the dawnshard's ability to attract each other. I could see them changing that connection to the aspects of adonalsium to pull them apart. Essentially he was drawn and quartered, pulled apart by the dawnshards. So it would make sense that the four aspects would in some way match the dawnshards.

I think it is interesting that his intelligence was also tied to how emotional he could be. So he was the most emotional when he was dumbest. Interesting that he now holds a shard that is extreme emotion. Seems like Cultivation may have been trying to limit Odium's ability to strategize.

I think it could also be related to what is wrong with Roshar's afterlife.

Personally, I'm wondering how they are going to make the deal come back and hurt Odium. I foresee a marriage boon.

I've been thinking that he would be most similar to what Venli has done, with a Radiant Spren and a void spren. I've also been wondering about the one surge that she seems to have control over, until bonding the Radiant Spren. It seems like the Fused have two, but the Regals only get one. What is odd is that the Regals don't seem to draw on voidlight in the way that Fused do, since I can't recall one of them ever being described as leaking black smoke. For Renarin, this makes for some interesting comparisons. I like the thought that his corrupted spren would result in one of the surges being corrupted. I think that would make him something like half Radiant and Regal. If the illumination surge was the one that was corrupted, that could help explain his problem with it. However, all the KR's seem to have more difficulties with one surge, so that is iffy. But hopefully if the Regals don't need voidlight to power their abilities, then Renarin shouldn't need it to activate the illumination surge. Personally, I think his visions of stained glass images are the result of the corrupted illumination surge. I think normal Truthwatchers would see "Truths" depicted, but the corruption is letting him see the future.