Confused

I think this is a new character, an incipient Dustbringer. Don't Dustbringers have the ability to burn things and blow them up? In the Prelude, as Kalak passes through the carnage, he sees "Smoke curled from the occasional patches of growth or heaps of burning corpses...The Dustbringers had done their work well."

Thank you all for your kind and insightful comments. Some responses: 1. Shardlet: I'm sure Sadeas would have known of what Amaram was doing and why. He, along with Dalinar, were Gavilar's two closest advisors. Sadeas may even have suggested to Gavilar that Amaram should command the army and prosecute the war from Sadeas's territory. That would make the war look like a border dispute. Alethkar's national security needs don't change simply because the prior monarch had been replaced. I believe Amaram finally came to the Shattered Plains because the Ghostbloods abandoned the war after Shallan's father's death became known to them. That would have occurred fairly recently. 2. Moogle: Excellent ideas in your linked post. If I had known of the post, I would have simply cited it, rather than reinvent the same ideas. 3. Regarding the likelihood of Shallan killing a skilled assassin: First, Liss would have dressed in utilitarian clothing, which probably meant pants and a head covering, to keep her hair from interfering with her vision. In Shallan's limited experience, particularly at her age, that would have identified Liss as a man. I also suspect that Shallan showed her proto-surgebinding abilities at a young age (Pattern seems so to imply) - the reason her father coddled her? Couldn't a Lightweaver make herself invisible by bending the light around her? Or at least create an illusion of the room in which Liss and Shallan's mother appeared to be the only occupants? And the Interlude does not state that it was a "bloodbath," just that the "man" had "bled." Liss killed her mother with "little blood there" because she killed with her shardblade. In short, Liss was not "sloppy"; she just didn't anticipate a Lightweaver sneaking up on her from behind.

I'm not sure Shallan did kill him. One important aspect of the drawing Shallan made of his death scene was that he lay in a pool of blood. A shardblade wouldn't leave blood. Also, her view of the scene was from the far end of the room, and her father was already laying in blood, presumably dead. It is unlikely Shallan killed him and then paused on her way out to take her mental picture. There are a lot of reasons she may think he killed him. Maybe whatever happened caused her to blame herself for the death. Maybe she blanked out and Balat told her she killed him. He is, after all, a cruel and self-identified coward. Maybe her memory was inaccurate, caused by Pattern. Maybe in fact she did kill him, for whatever reason, but not with her shardblade. We'll find out soon enough...

Thanks, all, for your comments! Responses: 1. The Count and Natans: On reflection, and re-reading Alice Arneson's "Beta-Reading..." posting, you both are probably right. I didn't see Szeth attacking Dalinar when Dalinar was surrounded by his army out on the Shattered Plains. But in view of the "Bang, BANG, ULTRA-BANG" ending that Alice (and Natans) described, Szeth probably goes after Dalinar immediately after the Battle at the Warcamps, when Dalinar, Kaladin and the Bridgemen Bodyguard are all exhausted from the fighting. If Szeth has watched the Battle, he will know that Kalandin can surgebind and will be prepared for him. Alice made the following comment in her "Reflections" posting "(::stunned silence:: (Seriously. It took me several days to find anything coherent to say about this scene.) Please tell me it’s not true. I don’t know what I dare hope for; it won’t surprise me if it’s true, but I still want it not to be. I’m trying not to hope anything in particular, but this is tough." Although her comments were probably not in order, this sounds like an end-of-book comment. While we know that neither Dalinar nor Kaladin will die in WoR, perhaps before Szeth is stopped one of them becomes seriously wounded by his shardblade and loses the use of part of his body. 2. EvilKetchupCow: First, great name! I'm just confused...Second, thanks for mentioning this. I recalled that there are 500 days in a Rosharian year, but didn't know that there are only 10 months. It doesn't change the timeline, just my characterization of it. 3. Swimmingly: Yes, Kaladin began without understanding Parshendi honor and disrespected them and their culture. Shen was outraged to the core by what Kaladin did. (Shen's response was one reason that I think he's a spy - if a normal Parshman were souless, as Eshonai says, he might not have had that reaction.) But the Battle of the Tower changed Kaladin's attitude and understanding of the Parshendi. He came to respect them. As a result, Shen has become more integrated into Bridge 4, as evidenced by Rock's affection toward him at one of the evening cookouts. He may even know that Kaladin does not want to fight the Parshendi because of his respect for them. I do think in turn Shen has come to appreciate and respect Kaladin and Bridge 4. 4. Aminar: I disagree. First, it makes military sense to attack your enemy's weakly-defended base camp, stripping them of the ability to resupply and perhaps forcing them out of your territory completely. Why meet the Alethi army head-on when you are the numerically inferior force? Second, as Shinintendo points out, Shallan is the central figure of WoR. She must have a major role in the battle. She would not have accompanied Dalinar's expedition, and I can't imagine Adolin, as sexist as Alethi men seem to be, to permit his betrothed to join them. The battle must be at the warcamps for her to participate. 5. Shinintendo: Also a great name! I agree with you. Perhaps my posting didn't adequately express my feelings on this, but I think Shallan's lightweaving will preserve the Alethi defense until Dalinar and his army return. Alice Arneson's comment in her "Reflictions" piece - "As expected, the Parshendi receive some… illumination" - to me confirms that Shallan's role in the battle is critical. The stress of the battle will force her to state the Second Ideal and use her enhanced powers to blunt the attack. That's what happened to Kaladin at the Tower battle, and I expect to see the same happen with Shallan here. Thanks again, everybody!

My second post! In this one, I posit that Jasnah ordered Liss to assassinate Shallan’s mother. Shallan in turn killed Liss and took possession of Liss’s shardblade. Known Facts: Jasnah planned to assassinate her sister-in-law by using a shardblade-bearing female assassin named Liss and nicknamed “the Weeper.” Instead, she used Liss to “observe” Aesudan and gather information. Despite Liss’s voluptuous figure and long hair (at least for the palace maid assignment), hardly anyone knew she was a woman. She gouged out her victims’ eyes to hide the fact that she killed with a shardblade. One of the two corpses laid out in the room was Shallan’s mother (the “woman in white”). She was killed by a shardblade (reference to her “horrible eyes”). The other, according to Shallan, was a “man” with blood on him. Someone (presumably Shallan’s father) had flipped Shallan’s mother’s corpse face down to hide the eyes from Shallan. In WoK, Shallan had been surprised that Jasnah knew her family, minor rural nobility in a neighboring kingdom. Shallan’s father bore the tattoo of the Ghostbloods. WoB suggests that Shallan’s mother was someone important. Theory: The Ghostblood Conspiracy I believe the Ghostbloods desire to reinstate Hierocracy rule of Roshar to better prepare for the Desolation. (Thanks to my son for this insight.) I believe Taravangian is a Ghostblood (its leader?). His discussion with Szeth at the end of WoK suggests the Ghostbloods’ method for achieving their goal was to destroy Roshar’s political structure. One element of this plan was to put Shallan’s father in a position where he could lead Jah Keved to join the Hierocracy, but that tactic failed with his death. Immediately prior to Gavilar’s murder, Jasnah sees him conversing with Amaram. I believe Gavilar was ordering Amaram to lead a covert war against the Ghostbloods, the war in which Kaladin fought. It was covert in the sense that the war was portrayed as being about a border dispute. Gavilar initially thought that Thaidakar (the Ghostblood leader – alias for Taravangian? WoK Ch. 51) had hired Szeth. I believe Jasnah was also concerned about the Ghostbloods and suspected Aesudan, Elkohar’s wife, of working on their behalf to undermine Alethkar. After deciding to have Liss observe but not kill Aesudan, Jasnah discovered, through Liss, communications between Shallan’s mother and Aesudan. Shallan’s mother was someone high up in the Ghostbloods. Perhaps she was bribing or blackmailing Aesudan to weaken Alethkar. Jasnah ordered Liss to assassinate her. Shallan Kills Liss and Gains the Shardblade Shallan saw Liss enter Shallan’s mother’s room, or heard a commotion, or just entered the room at the wrong time. She saw Liss kill her mother. Liss then bent over Shallan’s mother to gouge out her eyes and remove the evidence of the shardblade. Shallan either held or found a knife, or took one from Liss while Liss was kneeling over her mother, and stabbed Liss in the back. (Perhaps Shallan unknowingly used Lightweaving to hide her presence.) Because Shallan killed Liss, she inherited her shardblade. Shallan thought she had killed a man because Liss dressed like a man (that is, not wearing a dress) and fell forward onto her stomach, hiding her female anatomy. Shallan was too traumatized to notice otherwise. When Shallan’s father showed up, Shallan was holding the shardblade. He realized what had happened. He asked Shallan if he could have the shardblade. Because she gave him permission to take it, he was able to put it in his safe – the “other monster.” First theory problem: what would make the shardblade glow? Perhaps Shallan inadvertently “Lightwove” the glow around the blade, at least in her own perception? Perhaps her heightened senses imagined the glow? Perhaps something else in the safebox glowed? Second theory problem: if Jasnah ordered the assassination, why did she later accept Shallan as her ward? Did she feel guilt? Did she know that Shallan had no knowledge of the Ghostbloods? Did she think she could learn more from Shallan than Shallan could learn from her? Did she want to co-opt Shallan? Thoughts?

My first post! I began reading this forum when Tor posted the last set of preview chapters… I believe WoR climaxes with an invasion by the Listeners of the Alethi warcamps. Navani’s epigraphic Journal entries presage this disaster. The Listeners come in stormform, following a highstorm, and are joined by the Parshmen in camp. “Sixty Two Days, Death Follows” may have been a message that Dalinar received (purposefully or accidentally) stating the date the Listeners intended their attack. In fact, I think WoR’s entire narrative occurs over less than a three-month period, culminating in this battle. (And the much-anticipated Szeth vs. Kaladin fight won’t occur until Szeth’s book…) The Tor preface to the preview chapters states Dalinar and his armies are out on the Shattered Plains seeking the Listeners. The Listeners will use Dalinar’s absence to attack the Alethi home base. “The Ones Left Behind” in the camps are the women and children; merchants and other civilians (including Navani, Renarin, Shallan, and maybe Elkhoar if he didn't accompany Dalinar); the Parshmen (ouch!); the Bridgemen Battalion, and some troops from the other camps the Highprinces left behind as minders but not fighters. Amaram and his army will also stay, since they are inexperienced at combat on the Shattered Plains, and Dalinar will want some fighters in the camps besides the nascent Bridgemen Battalion. Shen Reveals Shen, I believe, is a Listeners spy. He knows when the attack will come. But honor will be returned for honor: Kaladin’s treatment of Shen and his respect for the Listeners will lead Shen to warn Kaladin that the attack is imminent. That will give Kaladin just enough time to organize the barest defense. Shen thus saves Kaladin’s life and many others. The “Glimpses” that Tor has released include someone (probably Kaladin) viewing the oncoming highstorm and seeing figures behind the front wall – the Listeners in stormform. Kaladin Flies With the outcome desperate, Kaladin will state the Third Windrunner ideal. This may also be when he first publicly reveals himself as a KR. The Third Ideal will combine the Windrunner leadership and protection attributes into something like “I will lead the defense of the defenseless,” only more elegantly stated. Because Kaladin will need a way to coordinate the defense of the warcamps, and because the battle occurs during a highstorm, I believe the Third Ideal will enable Kaladin to become a Windrunner in fact: he will fly from one battle scene to the next, organizing the resistance and fighting where he is most needed. Amaram Squeals: Amaram’s troops will be routed. We know they are poorly trained and undisciplined. Amaram himself will attract a swarm of Listeners, since he is a shardbearer. He will be beaten down, and Kaladin will come to rescue him. There is a thread entitled “Kaladin betrays Dalinar” that discusses the following epigraph (one of the “dying statements”) from WoK: “All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.” I believe this statement instead refers to Kaladin standing against Shen (who warned him of the attack) and rescuing Amaram. However Amaram acquired his shards, they cannot be allowed to fall into Listener hands. But Kaladin won’t fight Shen, so he raises his hand to fly up into the storm, carrying Amaram (and his heavy shards) to safety. Amaram may die from his wounds, after having fought honorably to defend the camps, thereby redeeming himself (at least in part…) Renarin Dies: With sincere condolences to FeatherWriter, I believe Renarin will die during this battle. He will sacrifice himself to protect his aunt and the other Kholin civilians. Kaladin will arrive just too late to save him (perhaps because he first tried to save Amaram?). If Renarin is an incipient KR, as many suspect, to me he most resembles Order 9 – Taln’s order – “dependable/resourceful” – always there for his father and brother, doing whatever needs to be done. Kalak states in the Prelude that Taln “had a tendency to choose seemingly hopeless fights and win them. He also had a tendency to die in the process.” That will be Renarin’s fate. Because the essence of Order 9 is talus, with soulcasting properties of rock and stone, I think he may collapse a wall or something similar as his dying contribution to the fight, using his shardblade to do so, and taking many Listeners with him. As others have suggested. the spren Renarin will see “that others will not see” (WoB) is a death spren. Kaladin’s late arrival will remind him of Tien’s death – once again unable to save someone he has grown to care for. (I believe that prior to this battle Renarin and Kaladin will have become friends and sparring partners.) Renarin’s death will exacerbate Adolin’s harsh feelings toward Kaladin. Dalinar may return from his futile hunt in time to end the battle. He will find Renarin dead and bloodied. That is when he will become a Bondsmith (from the Glimpses). And Shallan Will Lightweave Shallan may state her Second Ideal during the battle (assuming she utters the First sometime earlier). Given her attributes of creativity and honesty, it will be something like “I will illuminate the truth.” I can see her creating illusions to help the Alethi, culminating in a “Fifth Element” moment when she lights up the entire warcamp after the highstorm has darkened it. It’s possible the Listeners in stormform are affected by too bright light. I don’t see her summoning her shardblade, though, because where would she have learned to wield it? Final Predictions: Book 3, Szeth’s book, will begin with Sadeas and his allies maligning Kaladin as an untrustworthy and traitorous KR. They cannot allow his growing fame and power to continue unabated. He undermines everything Sadeas wants to accomplish. They will call him “traitor” because of his prior knowledge of the attack, which could only have been obtained from the Listeners (which it was). The fact that Kaladin’s actions saved many will be compared with the massive death and destruction the attack caused, including Dalinar’s own son. Shallan, on the other hand, may come to care for Kaladin, beginning in WoR. These initial feelings may only be respect and admiration, but they may grow over time. Until Kaladin saves Dalinar’s (and possibly Adolin’s) life while fighting Szeth, Adolin may begin to feel downright “odious” towards Kaladin… Thoughts?