#kowt theory

[daughter-heir-moved]

what's your syl theory?

SO glad you asked. Rhythm of War spoilers ahead for those who haven't finished the series yet!

First, let me start with this, which I know is a controversial topic: I don't think that Syl or Kaladin will die in book 5. I think that Kaladin's arc is about living and now that he has turned a corner it would be cruel for either him or Syl to die. I just don't think it would be a compelling wrap-up to his character arc in this half for him to experience even more pain. That would be the lazy way out that I don’t think Branderson would go for (please be right please be right please be ri-) 

BUT, with that being said, we know that the back five books are going to focus on characters who were in the background during the front half, and our main characters are going to fade into the background a bit. Kaladin, in my opinion, is just too much of a Main Character™️ to sink into the background UNLESS something happens to his powers. So I think that's how he gets sidelined. When does Kaladin lose his powers? When something happens to Syl. 

The tl;dr of this is that I think Ishar is going to manifest Syl in the physical realm and she will get stuck there.

Kaladin and Syl are headed straight towards Ishar right now. As we know, Ishar has been doing some fucked up experiments with spren and has been trying to get them to survive in the physical world with no success (Why? Who knows! Certainly not me.) But he does make an interesting note that Sigzil finds, which I have a hard time believing is just a throwaway observation:

"Our first honorspren lived nearly fifteen minutes. A new record, and orders of magnitude longer than all previous attempts. Honorspren seem to have the most humanlike essences. When transferred, the organs and muscles form most naturally. We must capture more of them."

What would make an Honorspren even more likely to survive in the physical realm? If they were bonded to a Knight Radiant of the Fourth Ideal. Syl has already gotten stronger in the physical realm– throughout RoW we've seen her progress by being able to change colors, and Kaladin is even able to feel her in the physical realm, first when he is falling and grabs her hand, and then after: 

“Syl landed beside him fully sized in a Bridge Four uniform. He could faintly feel her when she rested her head on his shoulder.” 

Syl’s arc in RoW was all about understanding Kaladin and humanity in general better. We’ve seen her become more and more human, and even go to Dalinar asking him to help her feel what Kaladin feels which results in her remembering Relador and her grief at his death. I think all of this combined– Kaladin needing to be sidelined somehow, their journey towards Ishar, his experiments with spren, and Syl’s own arc about understanding humanity– leads to the conclusion that Ishar will force her into the physical realm. Ishar seems dedicated to his experimenting with spren for whatever reason, so I think he would jump at the chance of trying to manifest a Radiant Honorspren if he saw one. Because Syl has a Nahel bond with Kaladin, she will be the first to survive. 

Would Dalinar or Navani be able to undo what Ishar did??? Maybe. But I don’t see Kal, Szeth, and Syl making it back to the Tower before the contest of champions is over and I think that will be a loss for Dalinar, and Navani at this point doesn’t know much about her Bondsmith powers. So I think that leaves Kaladin and Syl in the back half of the series without Radiant powers, on a quest to try to undo what Ishar did. 

Feel free to add to this (or refute it!) Also this isn’t a theory that I’ve seen floating around myself– but I’m sure someone smarter than me who has read the series multiple times has already thought of this. I also hope that this doesn’t happen and the only reason we don’t see Syl and Kal in the back half too much is because they are enjoying retirement <3

#ask #rckll-bllys #stormlight 5 #stormlight 5 theory #rhythm of war spoilers #sylphrena #kaladin stormblessed #knights of woeful title #kowt theory #stormlight archive #cosmere #also if anyone ever wants to theorize together let me know.... I literally love making theories so much #it's one of the main reasons I picked up Stormlight– unfinished series with many many years down the road to theorize #my ask if always open for theories!!!!!!!!

[kingjasnah]

Do you have any Stormlight 5 predictions you think for sure will be in the book? For me I am convinced that Dalinar will lose the duel due to refusing to kill the baby/child that odium makes his champion, also kaladin will become the new radiant ruler

i LOVE that we are all united in the idea that dalinar is gonna get his ass kicked cause there's no way they win that duel!!!!! my theories are still percolating, i kinda want to reassess with the entirety of mistborn era 2 in mind but right now my big end of arc 1 predictions are:

the ten day duel lasts the first half of the book

the oathpact is reformed, someone get braized. probably dalinar if losing the duel doesnt kill him

szeth dies. sorry. i love him but i think this is it.

chana shows up/the chanarach davar theory will be explicitly confirmed or denied. i feel like every herald should be accounted for by this book

there's another thaidakar scare (after the prologue) that suggests they figured out how to get stormlight off world. either this or we get an answer as to how hoid suspended his nahel bond with design to get to scadrial

adolin figures out how to restore maya and it has something to do with the sibling

i dont want to make any predictions abt kaladin cause im scared

#i have One Other Big theory that is heavily informed by an ssp so i will not mention her here. but those who have read the previews #are probably on the same page as i am about a certain someone #tbh i originally thought all the heralds would DIE by book 5 but shalash is like. the one pov character im certain will last until her book #asks #the thing with the sibling has been bugging me for a while like i know they werent a deadeye exactly #but it was implied some harm had been done to them and then they slumbered for a million years so idk i feel like theres an answer ther #kowt theory

[seducemewithyourpuns]

Is Adolin going to be Dalinar's champion in the fight against Odium?

He's always been considered the best duelist throughout Stormlight, and with the strange bond between him and Maya...

#stormlight archive spoilers #stormlight archive #adolin kholin #stormlight archive theory #kowt speculation #kowt #kowt theory

[wanderingchanneler]

I’m having thoughts about how Szeth followed the Oathstone for so long, then finally came to the realization that it really was just a rock, and how that could connect back to what little we know of his past so far. I still haven’t worked it out in my head quite right, so I’m sorry if this is inconherent

First, we know that Szeth followed the Oathstone for over seven years. For most of that time, he didn’t allow himself to entertain conscious questions about what he was doing. If he did, it would lead to a collapse of everything he’d held to so unwaveringly, which would lead to the end of his own personal world. Of course, that came to a head both times he fought Kaladin in Words of Radiance. Him realizing that he was never wrong was part of what ended their second fight.

In Oathbringer, Szeth has to consciously remind himself that he was never Truthless a few times. When he’s conflicted over what he should choose as his Third Skybreaker Ideal, Nightblood is actually the one that directs him to make the choice he does. The sword reminds Szeth of his years following the Oathstone, and Szeth starts to justify it by saying that he had no choice. Then he realizes that, ‘it had always been nothing more than a rock.’ So Szeth makes a decision other than the one Nale expected him to make, and swears himself to Dalinar instead.

In Rhythm of War, Szeth confronts Taravangian after Taravangian bates him by asking for an Oathstone. Szeth ignores most of what Taravangian tells and asks him, demanding to know why Taravangian wanted an Oathstone. At one point, Szeth says something like, “My stone…was only ever a stone.” He goes on to hint at something his father said in the past, but Taravangian interrupts by saying that Szeth’s father is dead.

I find two things interesting about that moment. First, this is the first time since that realization at the Battle of Thaylen Field that Szeth has verbally stated, on page, that his Oathstone was just a rock. True, he does tell Navani that he was never Truthless earlier on in RoW, but that verbal declaration still feels important, especially since Szeth says it to Taravangian, who played a large roll in making Szeth’s mental state even worse than it was before.

The second thing that interests me is that Szeth mentions his father, and (presumably) something he might have said about the Oathstone. In the reading of a Szeth flashback Brando did at NYCC, it seems that Szeth’s family doesn’t share Szeth’s level of commitment/devotion/adherence to the teachings of Stone Shamanism. They’re more willing to leave things up to interpretation/bend the prohibitions than Szeth is. So I wonder if at some point, Neturo tried to encourage Szeth to think of the Oathstone in a different way. We don’t know how long it took for Szeth to be named Truthless or what might have been involved in that process, so I can’t say much more about this. I’m just intrigued that Neturo might have had a different view on things. Whatever it might have been, we’ll have to wait for KOWT to be released before the pieces come together.

If I had a main point to make with this post, I don’t remember what it was. I’m just still trying to put what we know about Szeth’s past and Shin beliefs together to find answers that haven’t been revealed yet. I’m very curious to see how much of my speculation is in any way accurate when KOWT comes out

#Stormlight Archive #full series spoilers #Words of Radiance #Oathbringer #Oathbringer spoilers #Rhythm of War #Rhythm of War spoilers #szeth son son vallano #Szeth #Truthless #Oathstone #Shin #Shinovar #skybreakers #KOWT #KOWT speculation #KOWT reading #Szeth flashback #long post #no one asked for another of my Szeth theories #but I posted one anyway #I had to put this somewhere before I went to sleep #so here y’all go

[thestormlightnetwork]

RHYTHM OF WAR SPOILERS!!

Who Will Be Odium's Champion?

short answer: Adolin.

Long Answer: Adolin because of what happened in twok prime.

So, in case some of you have forgotten, in the end of Rhythm of War Dalinar and Odium make a deal to have a contest of champions, with what i think are very bad conditions. Since then, people are constantly speculating who will be Odium's champion, and I think the answer is hiding in plain sight.

Adolin will be Odium's champion, and I

Edit: I don't have so much good cause to think it will happen other than "he killed him in twok prime so he'll kill him again"

#cosmete theory #cosmere #the stormlight archive #odium's champion #odium #wind and truth #knights of wind and truth #kowt speculation #kowt #stormlight 5

[stardustravens]

If Chana is Shallan’s mother, there’s a good chance that her death is what brought Hoid to Roshar.

Hoid has made it clear that his primary objective on Roshar is keeping Rayse contained in the system, and with Taln on Braize he cannot escape - so it’s unlikely that Hoid would be particularly focused on the planet whilst it has reached an equilibrium.

But, if Shallan killed Chana, she would return to Braize, which would kickstart the Desolations again if she broke. (And, as we know, every Herald aside from Taln broke at some point.) Roshar is dangerous again - so Hoid ‘going where he is needed’ could lead him back to Roshar to prevent Odium from escaping.

This could also have something to do with Hoid being drawn to Shallan’s family and to Shallan herself by taking Helaran’s message to his father. He’s visibly shocked to see her (which is hinted to be a result of Shallan being a Radiant, but could also be a hint to her being unknowingly responsible for the precarious state of Odium’s captivity).

#unless it was gavilar being a delusional idiot #since i maintain that hoid should’ve been at the feast #tbh i didn’t like the chana theory until the stormlight five prologue but tbh it makes more sense now #cosmere #stormlight #stormlight archive #shallan davar #chana #hoid #kowt #kowt spoilers #stardust posts

[shouldprobablybereading]

Considering there where rumors about them among the nobility, in the previous book, it’s kinda funny for the new chapter to just start with jasnah and wit sleeping together in her bed. Like they’re not even trying to be subtle

I say her bed since she mentions hoid getting rid of her mattress, which sidenote uuh what is that normal? The bed is presumably not small just get two separate mattresses and put them next to each other in the bedframe

Also I’ll put it here, I do not believe shallan and adolin are returning with a fully revived maya or having visited ba ado mishram on day 2/10. Or maybe more accurately I hope either hasn’t happened yet. Brandon referred to shallans dealings with the ghostbloods as declaring war so I would hope it’s more related to that or something with the honorspren

#I take back my theory on nobody caring about previews because it’s szeth #we got a JASNAH chapter and I’ve seen 3 people including me talk about it #we never get jasnah chapters #to be fair it’s jasnah (rightfully) whining about her relationship with wit #which is not a universal fan favorite #sa5 #kowt #kowat #sa5 spoilers #kowt spoilers #I am so tired I almost called brandon dalinar before correcting myself to gavilar before getting it right

[koravelliumavast]

Ok this is my KOWT theory of the day. This Death Rattle is about Szeth.

#kowt theories #kowt speculation #cosmere #brandon sanderson #stormlight archives #kowt #stormlight 5 speculation #szeth son son vallano #death rattles

[lordgolden]

anyways can't wait to look back at my #kowt speculation tag after it actually comes out it's always fun to see how wrong I was lol

#kowt speculation #I dont have too much in it right now but as i reread boy. will i #nothing i love more than makign and talking theories it's so fun #if anyone wants to connect some dots in my inbox like that iasip meme feel free

[isdalinarhot]

i dont even know what im going to do with myself when kowt comes out. like i feel like ive been waiting for it to come out forever and when it finally comes out its going to feel so weird that its a real physical thing that we as a fandom are dealing with the ramifications of instead of a vague nebulous thing that we are all projecting our most wild hopes and dreams on and our worst most bad faith fears for cosmere future onto. like think about how much fanon has developed around the kaladin-szeth shinovar road trip and literally any of rlainarin's dynamic, think about how much moashcourse springs up when literally any moash speculation happens, think about all the fan theories that certain people just accept as canon that will most likely be disproven in some way when kowt comes out (chanarach is shallan's mother, etc), hell, think of zellion. thats all going to be impacted when we get Fresh New Canon Content

#luke.txt #greatest hits

[ultimateinferno]

With Stormlight, there's something that's simply ingenious with knowing that KoWT will be both an ending and not an ending. The knowledge that everything that's been happening for millions of words in the previous books is all coming to fruition in the next installment while also understanding that we'll only be halfway through the story is an absolutely terrifying prospect.

Like for many stories, even the best, the metanarrative can sometimes get in the way of your expectations. It's like when you're watching a mystery show and the characters confidently pins it on a suspect and you look down at the progress bar and there's still 30 minutes left in the episode. You instantly know that something will go wrong. There's dramatic irony in the situation.

Sometimes that's great. Many stories are better for it. The entirety of the Tragedy genre hinges upon shit like this. That being said, there's also just something about being unable to predict what happens next.

I genuinely don't know what will happen in KoWT. With Sanderson informing us that there will be a ~15 year time skip between SA5 and SA6, and that KoWT will be wrapping up many present arcs established, the stakes established at the end of RoW have never been higher. Things can end well, badly, pyrrhically, or somewhere in between. I can just as easily see them barely succeeding and buying enough time to constitute the time skip as I can see them fail terribly falling back to lick their wounds and mourn those lost. I don't know what will happen and it's enthralling.

KoWT is a climax, but not an end.

If I'm to be so bold to throw out one concrete theory however, it's that it will end in a Draw. The way that Rayse and Dalinar's deal went is well defined and the consequences are clear. A victory implies a 1000 year time skip, which is why despite everything I said, I don't believe this will happen. It's the least likely outcome I think. Meanwhile, a loss is very obvious. While the Desolation will continue, it will be so catastrophic ending with Dalinar's corruption that it seems obvious.

Sanderson is very good at plot twists. He very much foreshadows the hell out of his revelations while still maintaining surprise ("I write these words in steel..."). The nature of how his plots work, in fact, all draw upon very clever application and twisting of the rules he put in place. With Todd at the end of RoW finding a way to win this conflict, in spite of the Pact being concocted in a way minimize our heroes losses, I'm very certain that Sanderson has a deceptively obvious way to force a draw and break the Pact, a hidden loophole that will change the way we see the Desolation.

But even then, I'm not certain. When its the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning, anything can happen. I so very much look forward to it.

#cosmere #cfsbf #stormlight #stormlight archive #rhythm of war #kowt #stormlight 5 #sa5 #row spoilers #literary analysis babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy #brandon sanderson #long post

[zibus]

My SA5 theory after reading Secret Project 4

So I don't think everything we learn that happened to Sigzil before The Sunlit Man can realistically happen in just KowT. Like, I know its going to be a big book, but there are so many pov characters in Stormlight and so much that has to happen, I can't see Brandon taking a tertiary character and giving him enough page time to turn the Sigzil of Stormlight into Nomad. So what will happen in SA5?

Sigzil's current Honorspren gets anti-lighted. This will allow Sigzil to eventually switch Radiant orders without breaking his oath. I don't think a Highspren would bond someone who has already broken a set of oaths. (I don't think he'll bond two spren at the same time. Yes, I know Shallan is double bonded, but Shallan has always broken rules and her spren are both Cryptics. I don't think an Honor and a Highspren would agree to let their knight bond someone else.)

This prompts Sigzil to reconnect with Hoid, or perhaps Hoid approaches Sigzil at his lowest point.

Sigzil will receive the Dawnshard, I'm guessing from Rysn? It would be insane if a 2nd Dawnshard gets involved in the series already, but not impossible. However it goes, Hoid convinces Sigzil to take up the Dawnshard for the greater good.

We will meet Auxiliary and he and Sigzil will bond. Perhaps he's a Highspren who doesn't like Nale? Perhaps Szeth is able to introduce Sigzil to a Highspren? Whatever the case, I think that will get set up. Whether its before or after Sigzil takes the Dawnshard is hard to know. The Sleepless were pretty adamant about Rysn not bonding a spren, so however it happens will be a bit odd, I feel.

I think everything else we learn will probably happen in SA6-10. I don't think there's anyway for Sigzil to realistically reach his 4th oath by the end of SA5, which we know he does cause he has access to living plate. That would be way too fast.

My guess is that all of Sigzil's greatest trauma's come at one moment - the vague illusion to him leading a group and them getting wiped out then causing him to consume Auxiliary in a moment of panic. The defeat of his men could happen at the same time as losing his og spren, but Auxiliary seems to remember that event as well, so I think it happens after they've bonded. So sometime in Stormlight backhalf, Sigzil is commanding a group that includes some members of Bridge 4, gets in massive trouble and nearly kills Aux using the power of the Dawnshard. Soon after this he surrenders the Dawnshard and becomes Nomad.

#what do you guys think? did i miss any important clues? #the stormlight archive #cosmere #cosmere future #sigzil #ssp4 #ssp4 spoilers #the sunlit man #cosmere theories

[kingjasnah]

Do you have any cultivation predictions? Like is she playing everyone or is she chill and just gardening

ok so I think that setting taravangian up to have both his intelligence and his compassion after ascending WAS fr her endgame and she thinks it worked. like that was the extent of her big plan. so she's got the wool pulled over her eyes at the end of row just as much as hoid does. while it would be cool if she had a secret endgame past that i honestly think she played her hand and it failed. HOWEVER we gotta remember lift is still in the picture so if she makes another move I'm betting lift will be the vessel. i do not think cultivation is just chilling in her garden #unbothered though like once she figures out taravodium's deal she's gonna hit back

#sorry no specific predictions!!! just the linear line of thought that it will have smth to do with lift #lift my friend lift and the way her body uses stormlight #asks #kowt theory

[unraveling-plot]

Alright KOWT predictions let's get it

Dalinar gonna die

Anyway that's it thanks for reading my theory post

#found this in my drafts please enjoy #cosmere #stormlight archive #kowt #kowt predictions #yes I'm calling it kowt. kowat aint it.

[wanderingchanneler]

I’m thinking of Szeth’s time as Truthless , and why he was so devoted to the law of the Oathstone . We don’t know the process involved in making someone Truthless , but we do know a few relevant things about the Shin religion and Szeth’s view of it.

First, stone is holy. That seems to be a core tenant of Stone Shamanism.

Second, Stone Shamanism seems to have quite a few rules and expectations for religious practice.

Third, Szeth strictly followed his religion for years, and even clung to some aspects of it after being exiled from Shinovar.

Fourth, Szeth takes honor and the oaths he’s sworn very seriously.

So back to the Oathstone . Knowing that stone is holy to the Shin, that Szeth strictly followed his religion, and that he takes oaths seriously, I came up with a theory. I think there was a literal oath involved in making Szeth Truthless , and that he swore it on the Oathstone itself. There are a couple of passages from the books to back this up.

(I don’t know how to format the next bit of this. Tumblr continues to be difficult to navigate with a screen reader.)

From WoR:

“Have I not been faithful?” Szeth shouted, finally looking up to face the sun. His voice echoed against the mountains and their spirit-souls. “Have I not obeyed, kept my oath? Have I not done as you demanded of me?”

The killing, the murder. He blinked tired eyes.

SCREAMS.

“What does it mean if the Shamanate are wrong? What does it mean if they banished me in error?”

It meant the End of All Things. The end of truth. It would mean that nothing made sense, and that his oath was meaningless.

It would mean he had killed for no reason.

My thoughts:

An oath of some kind is mentioned twice in that passage, and it seems deeply intwined with Szeth’s status as Truthless . That status is something he’s been clinging to for over seven years of his life at this point, and it’s crumbling around him. The idea of a meaningless oath or one that was wrongly sworn is incredibly distressing for him.

From OB:

The sword made some soft hums, imitating a human deep in thought. You say you killed many people before we met. But the whispers...you didn’t take pleasure in destroying those who needed to be destroyed?

“I am not convinced that they needed to be destroyed.”

You killed them.

“I was sworn to obey.”

By a magic rock.

He had explained his past to the sword several times now. For some reason, it had difficulty understanding—or remembering—certain things. “The Oathstone had no magic. I obeyed because of honor, and I sometimes obeyed evil or petty men. Now I seek a higher ideal.”

My thoughts:

Szeth doesn’t say who or what he swore to, but I do think the Oathstone was involved somehow. He also says he obeyed because of honor. Like I said earlier, that would be very important to him. While he was Truthless , Szeth always chose his honor above his own morals, wants, and needs.

The Oathstone and Szeth’s nature as Truthless are mentioned a few times in RoW, but there’s nothing directly related to oaths or Szeth’s sworn word.

There are obviously still some pieces missing, but when they’re revealed, I won’t be surprised if it turns out that “ Oathstone ” is a very literal term. Swearing an oath on a sacred rock would hold enormous amounts of meaning to past Szeth, which could be only one of the reasons he held to being Truthless as devotedly as he did.

#Brandon Sanderson #Stormlight Archive #spoilers #Words of Radiance #Oathbringer #KoWT speculation #theory #analysis #Szeth-son-son-Vallano #Truthless #Oathstone #Stone Shamanism

[onlycosmere]

Cats

Cosmere.es: It's a random question, because we have chickens on Roshar, the other thing is are there cats in Shinovar?

Brandon Sanderson: So there were at least at one point cats in Shinovar. Whether cats are still there or not, you'll have to wait for book 5 to discover. But cats did make the jump. If they exist, they didn't make it past the mountains very far, but you'll have to see.

#the stormlight archive #rhythm of war #kowt #stormlight 5 #cosmere #cosmere future #cosmere theories #cfsbf #root #brandon sanderson