Trevalion

I remember Hoid pointing out that it was interesting that Rosharians call axehounds what they do, without recalling what a hound is.

I hope so. Sometimes it seems like Brandon has to torture his main characters ...

Here's a likely event. Dalinar says at the end of the book, "Now that he saw those pillars from this perspective, he recognized that there was one of them in Kholinar. It made up the dais upon which the palace and royal temple had been built." Shallan also points this out and in the Lhan interlude, he points out the gate as the Circle of Memories, as was just pointed out in another post. So this fact has had a lot of highlighting. We know Kaladin will be heading there, faced with saving large numbers from voidbringers, unmade, the Everstorm and riots. What better way than to wheel the Kholin treasury of stormlight filled gems into the circle, tell the public to head in, perhaps if the riots are in looting phase, tell them to enter the castle and help themselves, open the circle and transport the whole castle and temple to Urithiru. Then that gate will be open, and while you won't be able to travel from there to Urithiru easily, you could hop to Stormseat and onto Urithiru and back easily. I'm sure it won't play out that simply, but it seems like a needed plot twist and besides that, it would just be cool.

Jasnah is willing to kill to make a point and assassinate those in her families way and Taravangian can slaughter his own people. I agree, if their way leads to victory, it will be a hollow or a Pyrrhic one. This is the Sanderson, not GRRM!

It does have the ring of being the end of Kaladin's story, but the Stormlight Archive is bigger than just his story. Not that I have a better answer!

I think Taln had to break and say uncle. See Diagram Epigraph from Chap 83. "The Ancient of Stones must finally begin to crack. It is a wonder that upon his will rested the prosperity and peace of a world for over four millennia." I think Taln, Stonesinew, is the "Ancient of Stones."

By the way, another sign Ym was (maybe is) an Edgedancer is the chapter heading was double Vedeledev. Hard to be sure of the time course with the Lift interlude, but that would be 2 edgedancer spren at once.

Shinintendo's 2nd question was basically answered. If the Parshendi are not of Honor or Cultivation or Odium, they are very likely to be the indigenous residents of the planet who developed on Roshar without a Shard's intervention. This has a couple of interesting implications, such as Nightblood not being able to rip out their "souls" as is it only takes investiture given by a Shard. It might also be the secret that Mr. T holds, as it could be incredibly disheartening to the knights to learn that humanity is the aggressor here and the Parshendi are stuck in the middle of a war between gods and spren they never wanted or deserved.

A side note, but I really do think Brandon uses violet as a cluebat to suggest the influence of Odium or trouble brewing. Jasnah is of course a hero and a favorite character, but she can be ruthless, having no problem with assassination if she sees it is needed. if she found the evidence that Mr. T mentions in his coded message that was just cracked, she might be the one that will fulfill his prediction of "One will betray the others," if she believes it is the logical thing to do. Eye color is such a theme in the books, that I don't think anyone's eye color is completely random.

Herald spren, wow, these almost have to exist after multiple millennia of thought and devotion. Can't remember any odd spren who would fit though, unless Cusicesh, who takes something from the people watching them when he records their faces, such as what Shallan does when she takes a memory of them, is a Spren with a capital S of Shallash. Don't see the ocean connection though.

Brandon could just be teasing us with this suggestion of Palah from chapter 33 in WoK when Shallan sees a woman walking though the Palanaeum, "Lit that way -- with her figure hidden but the light streaming between the shelves -- it looked as if one of the Heralds themselves were walking through the stacks."

I think Threnody is a significant shardworld, and is the home of both Shadows of Silence and Six of the Dusk and is the home of a shattered Justice and Mercy. I posted my rather longwinded theory about this here, when we were given the samples in the Steelhunt. It makes sense that worldhoppers had spent time there. http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4685-thoughts-on-sixth-of-the-dusk/

In my re-read, I've been on the lookout for violet as a sign of Odium. I was wondering if we had any clues that Venli was his and sure enough, on page 168 of the hardback regarding Venli's eyes, "In the right light, they had a violet cast." In Roshar, violet is in general a sign of Odium's influence. By carryover if his moon Salas is mentioned, the violet one, likely in that scene you will see his influence.

Answering Grinachu about motivation, the Heralds may want to pursue right goals in ways familiar to them, but they are broken in shame and self-hate. They migrate to arenas and jobs that fit them before, trying to do something meaningful, but they can't bring themselves to take up their old work as before, they despise themselves too much. And so I think you're on to something, Odium would do all he could to fuel that self hate and in their broken actions and rationalizations, doing the opposite of their purpose, they worsen their self-hate in a downward spiral.

The Heralds who broke faith have all been broken with their promises and now pursue a path nearly opposite their original one. (Shallash destroys instead of creates, Nin/Nalan uses "justice" as a cloak for murder and Jezrien only leads by leaving an example of what not to do with your life. So the ardent killing people in Taravangian's hospital whom Taravangian calls Dova, on page 906, is likely Veleledev, whose real name is Vedel (Taln says "Vedel will train your surgeons" in his repeated speach). She went back to a familiar place, a hospital, like Shallash goes to art galleries and Jezrien was in a palace, but kills instead of heals, finding an excuse in the work of Taravangian.

To the rythmn of Duck season, Wabbit season: "I am a stick!" "You are fire!" "I am a stick!" "You are fire!" "I am a stick! "You are a stick!" "I am fire!!! ... Oh wait ..."

I have always pictured a classic love triangle back on Yolen ending with Rayse and the others standing next to the ruins of Adonalasium and watching the woman he's always dreamed of choosing to spend eternity with that storming Tanavast. To borrow a Prachettism, Narrative Causality demanded that he pledge his unending hatred, choose the evil shard and a planet next to her's, while fervently swearing "If I can't have.her, no one will!". Honorable Tanavast ensures her protection at his dealth and Rayse, having a twisted love for her was never inclined to kill het anyway. Once's he's made good on ending Tanavast he keeps her captive and a broodimg, heartbroken Cultivation can't help but leven her boons with a curse, out of the bitterness growing in her heart.

I was thinking the weakness was based on what they truely hated. It seems clear that Mitosis hated his bands music, Steelheart hated to not be feared and Fortuity hated women. The others are guesses though.

I put this same post in the the Shadows for Silence thread, but it fits in both spots and I wanted to post it here too as I think Shadows and Sixth are on the same world and I've got a combined theory for both of them. Stop reading if you want to read Shadows first, as major spoilers ahead: This is my first real post on this site, after joining to complete the Shardhunt and posting to say I did so, which brought me out from just reading and theorizing on the sidelines, and I'm going to lay down a theory that places Shadows of Silence in the Forests of Hell (SSFH has been recommended) and Sixth of the Dusk in the cosmere and starts to explain their magic systems. Ready? In SSFH, Silence says "Justice died in homeland." I think this means quite literally, Justice died in homeland, the home island/continent. He was shattered by Odium. From here, I’ve considered two options. The one I'm less in favor of is that he was first split into two parts, as there is a relatively clean break between the punishment of the guilt and the protection of the innocent, and the punishment of guilty half shard landed in Hell Island. The one I think more likely is that Justice is so degraded, or gave so much of his mind to the creation of humans on this planet, just as Preservation did, that he now works now on a very basic level of justice, attempting only to punish the guilty. When the piece of himself that is drawn to the spirits that he gave himself to create see bloodshed, they go insane to punish it. When they see someone run, they think they must be guilty and pursue. When they see fire, they are blinded, as a purifying righteous fire/oxidation was the body of Justice and it blinds his splinters like metal (non-silver metal) blinded Preservation and Ruin. These splinters believe that those who hide must be guilty, and they pursue. One of the reasons I think fire/oxidation is the body of Justice is that I think silver is the body of Mercy (more later). Honor and Cultivation started a civilization because they were in love, but Ruin and Preservation started a world because they needed the others balance to to create. It makes since that if Justice were to start a world, it would need to be in partnership with Mercy. I think Mercy was ruthlessly splintered by Odium as well, as his hate for her, a shard so counter to his own nature, would be great and I don’t see Mercy being able to fight back, as she would be bound to show mercy, even to Odium. I think she was so splintered that she now has to function at a very basic level, the level of microbes, which when infecting an animal such as the birds in Sixth, they protect those who are with them in the shelter and the nature of her Mercy, in the way that works best on this world which is shielding the mind, regardless of who they are helping or what that person has done. In Islands where she reigned, the shades do not appear. I like this theory better than the other half of Justice being at work on the Sixth islands. (see podcast from Writing Excuses http://www.writingexcuses.com/2013/04/21/writing-excuses-8-16-brainstorming-with-brandon-again/ if you haven’t done the Shardhunt for more about Sixth of the Dusk. One word from the Sixth story though. Where does Sixth say the other traders come from, his [homeland]. Silence’s ancestors were sailor/explorers who ventured from the “homeland” to a dangerous unpopulated island and settled there. Sound familiar? Conservation of worlds and Occam’s razor says were on the same planet. I bet silver is key to the function of these microbes. I think silver, a malleable precious metal that can be tarnished (oxidation/fire) but is of great value, is the body of Mercy and when Justice and Mercy collide, it’s like the oxidation of silver, you get a black compound, silver nitrite, such as we saw in SSFH. Last theory. In the forums someone reported that Brandon has said that Sixth is going to be part of a space travel story at some point. What world has been brought up where going there and taking the shards would have a largely positive impact on the people (save for making trouble for the traders whose birds may stop protecting them), where there are two shards so perfectly balanced, that when Harmony takes them up to prepare himself for his upcoming duel with Odium, he can stay himself, he can stay Harmony? This one. I think Harmony will be taking a working vacation with some trusted friends on a trip sometime soon (space trilogy time in Scadrial). As Hoid mused to Dalinar in WOK, can you pull a being apart, bloody chunk by bloody chunk and then put him back together again. He’s surely working towards it and Harmony is his best bet to see it happen. Likely the splintering of Justice and Mercy came after the first letter and I bet in the next one we see in the epigrams will speak of Odium’s further deeds of destruction against Justice and Mercy and their world. So, to recap, SSFH and Sixth are on the same world, where Justice and Mercy reigned and have been splintered thoroughly. Fire is the body of Justice and silver the body of Mercy. Harmony will come here and take up their Shards in the time of the Scadrial space triology, perhaps then being identified as the God Beyond, whom Silence refers to, coming to rescue them in the end. So, what do you all think?

This is my first real post on this site, after joining to complete the Shardhunt and posting to say I did so, which brought me out from just reading and theorizing on the sidelines, and I'm going to lay down a theory that places Shadows of Silence in the Forests of Hell (SSFH has been recommended) and Sixth of the Dusk in the cosmere and starts to explain their magic systems. Ready? In SSFH, Silence says "Justice died in homeland." I think this means quite literally, Justice died in homeland, the home island/continent. He was shattered by Odium. From here, I’ve considered two options. The one I'm less in favor of is that he was first split into two parts, as there is a relatively clean break between the punishment of the guilt and the protection of the innocent, and the punishment of guilty half shard landed in Hell Island. The one I think more likely is that Justice is so degraded, or gave so much of his mind to the creation of humans on this planet, just as Preservation did, that he now works now on a very basic level of justice, attempting only to punish the guilty. When the piece of himself that is drawn to the spirits that he gave himself to create see bloodshed, they go insane to punish it. When they see someone run, they think they must be guilty and pursue. When they see fire, they are blinded, as a purifying righteous fire/oxidation was the body of Justice and it blinds his splinters like metal (non-silver metal) blinded Preservation and Ruin. These splinters believe that those who hide must be guilty, and they pursue. One of the reasons I think fire/oxidation is the body of Justice is that I think silver is the body of Mercy (more later). Honor and Cultivation started a civilization because they were in love, but Ruin and Preservation started a world because they needed the others balance to to create. It makes since that if Justice were to start a world, it would need to be in partnership with Mercy. I think Mercy was ruthlessly splintered by Odium as well, as his hate for her, a shard so counter to his own nature, would be great and I don’t see Mercy being able to fight back, as she would be bound to show mercy, even to Odium. I think she was so splintered that she now has to function at a very basic level, the level of microbes, which when infecting an animal such as the birds in Sixth, they protect those who are with them in the shelter and the nature of her Mercy, in the way that works best on this world which is shielding the mind, regardless of who they are helping or what that person has done. In Islands where she reigned, the shades do not appear. I like this theory better than the other half of Justice being at work on the Sixth islands. (see podcast from Writing Excuses http://www.writingexcuses.com/2013/04/21/writing-excuses-8-16-brainstorming-with-brandon-again/ if you haven’t done the Shardhunt for more about Sixth of the Dusk. How they brainstormed it is how he wrote it. One word from the Sixth story though. Where does Sixth say the other traders come from, his [homeland]. Silence’s ancestors were sailor/explorers who ventured from the “homeland” to a dangerous unpopulated island and settled there. Sound familiar? Conservation of worlds and Occam’s razor says were on the same planet. I bet silver is key to the function of these microbes. I think silver, a malleable precious metal that can be tarnished (oxidation/fire) but is of great value, is the body of Mercy and when Justice and Mercy collide, it’s like the oxidation of silver, you get a black compound, silver nitrite, such as we saw in SSFH. Last theory. In the forums someone reported that Brandon has said that Sixth is going to be part of a space travel story at some point. What world has been brought up where going there and taking the shards would have a largely positive impact on the people (save for making trouble for the traders whose birds may stop protecting them), where there are two shards so perfectly balanced, that when Harmony takes them up to prepare himself for his upcoming duel with Odium, he can stay himself, he can stay Harmony? This one. I think Harmony will be taking a working vacation with some trusted friends on a trip sometime soon (space trilogy time in Scadrial). As Hoid mused to Dalinar in WOK, can you pull a being apart, bloody chunk by bloody chunk and then put him back together again. He’s surely working towards it and Harmony is his best bet to see it happen. Likely the splintering of Justice and Mercy came after the first letter and I bet in the next one we see in the epigrams will speak of Odium’s further deeds of destruction against Justice and Mercy and their world and it may be that this has been what has been delaying the next desolation on Roshar. So, to recap, SSFH and Sixth are on the same world, where Justice and Mercy reigned and have been splintered thoroughly. Fire is the body of Justice and silver the body of Mercy. Harmony will come here and take up their Shards in the time of the Scadrial space triology, perhaps then being identified as the God Beyond, whom Silence refers to, coming to rescue them in the end. So, what do you all think?