QuantumHarmonix

@Vikorr I really like that argument. It also ties into how I think shardblades are created. The oaths widen the cracks in the soul while binding a piece to the cognitive realm. Then as the piece of soul becomes more apart of the cognitive realm it could cross over to the physical realm, just like the cognitive spren are able to cross realms. So when the Radiant has fully realized their oaths that piece can be summoned into the physical realm as a shardblade, literally a shard of their soul. If gravity is just an agreement between spren. Wouldn't that imply that spren exist on the cognitive plane of every world, and its only something special about Roshar that lets spren leak into the physical world?

To add to the OP, I wonder if Odium's plans for the Roshar system have changed because of Harmony? That could make for an interesting twist to the Stormlight Archives, if Odium changed his game-plan after putting the last desolation into motion. He might now be more interested in using rather than destroying Roshar.

Is there a way to make this topic stand out a little more to new posters? It seems like it should be in something like a faq for new members, as I had to look it up after joining as well. I also think the rules for what material needs use spoiler brackets for the various forums would be another useful thing to include in that faq.

For a real world example you could look at the Proto-Indo-European Language. From what I understand linguists have reconstructed a possible root language to Sanskrit, Latin, and German. And while they were able to find enough similarities between all of those languages to connect their evolution, I'm not sure how much knowing German would be in learning Hindi.

I kind of think that is what Honor did to create the Heralds. I don't have any evidence, just a gut feeling.

Isn't it possible that in Hoid's case he could just be using an illusion to make you think he is speaking your language with an accent that you would expect?

Of the options I'd probably go with Surgebinding and choose the Elsecallers. Since I could go anywhere and create anything I would need, seems very self-sufficient. What I would really like is something like what Hoid can do, as he seems to have parlayed his abilities into something greater than the options in the poll.

True, I seem to like making up theories that have no real legs to stand on. I just think that Honor's comment about the spren duplicating what he did with the Heralds will end up indicating some sort of parity between the Heralds and Knights. So that the way they get access to surges and blades will be similar but done with a lesser power.

Here's a slight modification. What if the Stormfather was Jezrien's Nahel Bonding spren? Then each Herald would have a ruling spren that governs the lesser spren that form Nahel bonds with the Herald's corresponding order of the Knights Radiant. So just like the Windrunners follow Jezrien, the Honorspren follow the Stormfather.

Isn't the distinction between light-eyes and dark-eyes already pretty close to eugenics?

I need a little help with this theory, but I think there is a reference to needing a broken soul in order to have access to the magic systems. If this is correct this is what I think happened. Before they became Heralds something happened to them that resulted in them having broken souls. After they agreed to the oath pact, Honor bonded them as his Heralds which gave them access to surges. This oath pact was now part of them, which let Honor turn that broken part of their soul into their Honorblade. In this way the Honorblade is part of the Herald and represents the oath pact. The spren then duplicated this process by bonding with people who had broken souls to give them access to surges. Then after the Radiant made their oaths apart of themselves, the spren were able to turn that part of their souls into a shardblade. This would make the shardblade, a shard of your soul that represents your oaths. If Szeth has Jezrien's Honorblade he would in essence have a part of Jezrien's soul, which could explain the eye color change and access to his surges. Then giving up your oaths would entail giving up your blade, part of your soul, and possibly your surgebinding ability.

I seem to remember they talked about how to force the Highprinces into accepting the duels, because they thought it was a real possibility that they would refuse to duel Adolin for shards. And as gut wrenching as targeting Renarin would be, you can't deny that it would be somewhat effective. The only reason to not do it, is if you fear the retaliation that would engender.

I have a scenario in my head where Adolin is poisoned before he is supposed to fight Sadeas' champion. If he doesn't fight the Kholin's will be forced to forfeit their shards, so Renarin volunteers to be the Kholin's champion. But at the last minute they reveal Sadeas's champion to be Amaram, which causes Kaladin to take Renarin's place. Preferably with Kaladin wearing the plate of one of the Kholin brothers so nobody realizes the switch right away. The fight would end when Kaladin unlocks the plates true form with all the glowing symbols.

I like this theory, but I prefer a slight modification. I think it's the oaths themselves that are transformed into the blade. I think that the blades are a physical representation of the ideals of the knight, and they are created in much the same way that human personification of physical forces created spren. I think that once the knight has realized all of the oaths for their order, their spren helps them transform those cognitive oaths into a physical object. Of course I don't think there is much evidence for this theory, I just like it thematically and don't think anything rules it out. But it could explain why Sly seems to remember being bonded before, but is not currently stuck as a sword somewhere. Edit: Extra thought this could be thought of as turning part of your soul into the sword, and might explain the spiritual aspects of the shardblades as well.

We also know that the Shin treat warriors as their lowest cast, almost like slaves, and picking up a weapon makes you a warrior. So I wonder how much worse picking up a Shardblade would be to the Shin. Personally I like the theory that the Stoneshaman are guarding the honor blades. Szeth was then attacked by a Voidbringer and picked up a blade to defend himself. Later when trying to explain himself there was no proof of the attack, and the heralds had told the world that there were no more Voidbringers. That way his people would see him as lying about the Voidbringers and something worse than a regular warrior, hence Truthless.

I've been thinking something very similar. I'm just not sure how to fit in Wyndle and the Ring. Maybe just like the spren have cities they have different forms of government? Of course the Ring could be misleading and it could be referring to an entity like the Stormfather and Nightmother.

If Jezrien was Cosmere aware enough to know about Sel and still quit, that says something about his mental state at the end of the oath pact. I always got from the prelude that he hopes the honor pact will hold, but doesn't truly care anymore. I suppose that when Honor was splintered he could have realized his mistake and tried to fix it. I just don't think we know enough about him to be very confident that would happen, especially given the odd behavior of the other suspected Heralds. It just seems odd to me that the honorspren would take orders from a Herald. For one Honor told Dalinar that the bonding spren were a surprise, which I don't see as possible if the spren were following orders from the Heralds. I could see it being a surprise if the spren started bonding first, then started following the Heralds. But then given the spren's ability to hold a grudge with ordinary humans for the KR's betrayal, I cant see them forgiving a Herald that abandoned Honor. So I don't see it as likely that the spren would currently be following a Herald's instructions. Personally I like how the Stormfather being a spren could explain honorspren being cousins to the windspren. It also seems likely to me that if spren have cities, then they might also have different methods of governing themselves as well. So the honorspren would have something like a monarchy, with the Stormfather as their ruler.

What if the shards are somehow a physical manifestation of the Knights oaths? . So once a Radiant has learned all of their orders oaths they can turn them into shards, possibly while in Shadesmar. Then when the original Knight died, his oaths died with him. But the breaking of those oaths during the Recreance severed that connection. This would allow the shards to persist as a physical embodiment of that abandonment and betrayal, which could also explain why Sly doesn't like them.

My problem with Jezrien being the stormfather is that he abandoned the oath pact, so I don't see him jumping back on the bandwagon so to speak. I suppose that the remaining heralds could still be trying to help in their own way, but I think they were all too broken to take up that kind of burden. My theory is that the stormfather is one of the unique large type spren, like Cusicesh, and it created honor spren out of the spren it would have been most familiar with, i.e windspren.

Personally I think when the Radiants abandoned their blades they also cut their bonds with their spren. I agree with Malim that this would make the spren mindless and trapped in the physical realm. But I think the Radiants were tricked into doing it by a Herald that seems to equate surgebinders with bringing on the Desolations.

I don't see how suggesting a cosmere related narrative would be against the intended goals. That is as long as the questions are all about the writing process and not about realmatics. I would agree that asking questions about the cosmere would be a tad off topic. I also agree that Heb most likely died, but that would be the reason to use him. It would make the story definitely non-cannon but still an in-cosmere story. That way we could learn about how he writes a story and if we are lucky something extra about the cosmere. Additionally, since it is all non-cannon none of the information would have to be binding; although that might defeat the purpose of asking for an in-cosmere story in the first place.

How about the story of how Heb joined the Knight Radiant?

That's what I was thinking, and why I was looking at the heralds that should have the transportation surge. I think there is a WoB somewhere about a herald that retrieved their blade, so if they were having second thoughts they might be able to blink into the room to leave a message.

Ah, read the chart wrong. Then Transportation would be Battar or Kalak?

What about Shalash? As a herald she should have the transportation surge, and given what else is suspected about her current status it would make some sense. Also first post. I have really enjoyed reading all the different theories, but usually have nothing new to add.