Darmad

I agree that you are all on to something. Are we sure that "Odium" is the shard's intent? From OB, chpt 56: "I'm the other one, Dalinar. They call me Odium." (emphasis mine) Odium is what he is called, but what is he really? Out of curiousity, I looked up odium on several dictionaries. The original latin word meant hatred, but an alternative meaning in modern english is hated. Maybe Odium is just a label assigned by those who knew Rayse, combined with the shards actual intent. I agree that Hunger or Excess seems more accurate. Or maybe Intemperance.

Renarin didn't have problems wearing the plate the way he did with the sword, did he? Every time he held the sword he heard the screaming of the dead spren, but there is no indication he had the same problem with the plate. No screaming, no spren is my guess. The fact that the plate feeds on stormlight while the swords do not is another difference. I kind of lean toward plate being lesser spren. The windspren gathered around Syl when Kaladin finally figured out lashing. Maybe they become plate when he figures out one of the later oaths.

WoB that "you can't bond an Honorblade, but it can be given to you." Seems to me that implies a Herald with an Honorblade would be a very different beast than someone who had it on loan. Seth got the capability, but not the instincts.

The spren are splinters, and the Heralds share in the power of the shards. What if the Nahel bond between spren and Knight drains power from the Herald? Eventually drain becomes so big that the Heralds can't withstand the torture anymore. I'm groping, but it seems that the Nahel bond is linked to bringing on the desolations. If the Heralds learned that they could keep Odium imprisoned longer by severing their bonds, would that be enough to cause the recreance?

Somehow I think the secret ties into the Stormfather's insistence that the Knights Radiant always kill their spren. Why are the "dead" spren still swords? The living ones we have seen are only a weapon when needed by their bondmate.

The Taravangian section suggests his motivation for becoming king of the world was Gavilar telling him about his visions on the night he was killed by Szeth. This suggests to me that T went to the Nightwatcher after Szeth was already Truthless.

I am in agreement that hold = don't tell. Mr T was frantically writing every thought that came to him on his day of unparalleled capability. That first sentence feels to me like him telling himself at the time "don't write it down". The flip side is that he would need to remember the secret on an less brilliant day if he didn't write it down, or he needed to have known it already.

I really don't like being a newbie...got to figure out how to make quotes work... Zebobes - the first instance of K was letter 171.

Honestly, whoever suggested that 101112 was "the" made the breakthrough. When I saw that show up, I knew I was on the right track.

I had lots of help. I spent 2 days just reading everything collected here! I usually lurk, but this group inspired me to join in. The idea came to me as I was falling asleep last night. I suggested it this morning and then ran with it. I tweeted Peter to confirm, but was trying to avoid giving away too much, so that other people could keep working it if they wanted. Apparently, giving away the first word was too much!

Completed code. Got lots of help reading everyone's ideas.

This is a spoiler test.

Code info removed. I will repost if requested (I am having browser issues).

I'm a long time lurker on several sites that is finally coming out of the woodwork thanks to WoR. Initially joined for the Shardhunt (great job on that btw), and now plan to participate in other discussions.

Code has been cracked. Do not read this if you want to solve it yourself.