Clarification: Heralds and Surgebinding

[Macen he/him]

Ok. So, this may already be a conversation, but I just want to point out something.

 

Everyone keeps talking about heralds and how they are masters of x surgebinding. While that may be true, they are a master of it, most of them haven't had their honorblade for 4500 years....

 

This tells me two things:

 

One, they can't use their powers without their honorblades.

 

Two, they haven't used their powers in 4500 years - they may suck at it now. 

 

I Just wanted to get some clarification out there. Unless we have WoB stating that they can use their Surgebinding abilities without their Honorblade - can we please stop assuming the modern version of them can use their powers (We only have WoB that one of them went back to get their blade).


*EDIT* formatting got all messed up when I made the post. I fixed it.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Macen

[Kurkistan he/him]

Source:

So, the question that I ended up asking (during the book signing portion - there's no way he would have answered earlier) was:

 

Can the Heralds surgebind without their Blades and, if not, do they have the same restrictions that others would.

 

He almost didn't answer the question (I could tell a part of him really didn't want to answer), but then said "You've been waiting such a long time." (I was one of the first ones there)

 

 

His answer (slightly paraphrased, since I didn't think to record it because I didn't expect an answer):

The Heralds, without their Blades, are incapable of the powers that we are familiar with. That does not mean that they don't have special powers of their own.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Kurkistan

[Macen he/him]

Kurki,

That is perfect, and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

So, they don't have their surgebinding powers, but they do have other powers.

[Kurkistan he/him]

No problem. Might as well put all these quotes I've read to good use.

[Bloodfalcon he/him]

Another view of this to consider is the classic "It's not possible! How are you doing that!?" reaction from old timers in response to young-bloods using powers. If any of you have read Wheel of Time,

you know there was an Age of Legends where everyone who could use the One Power did all these great and spectacular things, but then we see some of our young main characters from the current Age doing things that just baffle them.

 

Experience can be overrated in magical worlds. 

Edited March 26, 2014 by Bloodfalcon

[DocHoliday he/him]

Something I didn't understand about WoR that was implied. Are KR more powerful than the Heralds? Or perhaps, which would have an easier time fighting of Desolation: 10 Knights or Heralds? The impression I received was that the Honorblades suck up alarming amounts of Stormlight compared to the Nahel bond, so barring individual swordplay, what has the greatest potential. 

Honor's chosen? Or the spren's partners?

[Argent he/him]

It should be the Heralds - but I believe our perspective is skewed by Szeth. Maybe the Honorblades are specifically attuned to their respective Heralds, and become much more efficient if wielded by them. Maybe it's Szeth who is the reason for the horrible waste of Stormlight - he really doesn't strike me as having the type of personality that would match Jezrien's Blade. Maybe there is a key to using an Honorblade correctly. 

 

Oh, and there is also the part where the Heralds have abilities that are not Surgebindings, but do not require their Blades.