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Messages - Melriken

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1
If you tilt your head, you can see that she's standing at an angle on a wall with Kredik Shaw in the background.

I don't see it. Love Vin tho.

Everything has been tilted about 45 degrees counter clockwise, to the right of her head you can see a balcony railing, once you see that it's pretty clear.
Look at her belt, the coin pouch is hanging down, use that to re-orient the picture, and as Arionhawk says the ladder looking thing in the background is a Balcony railing.

2
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: February 08, 2011, 06:22:08 PM »
Another thing. The Pashendi seem too Honor-bound to be servants of Odium. They may be powered by Odium (like the Kandra were with Ruin), but I think that they are of Honor. Kaladin recognizes their honor, and to a lesser extent, so does Dalinar.
Odium is...
Quote
o·di·um
   /ˈoʊdiəm/ oh-dee-uhm
–noun
1. intense hatred or dislike, especially toward a person or thing regarded as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant.
2. the reproach, discredit, or opprobrium attaching to something hated or repugnant: He had to bear the odium of neglecting his family.
3. the state or quality of being hated.

Origin:
1595–1605;  < Latin:  hatred, equivalent to od ( isse ) to hate + -ium -ium

—Synonyms
1.  detestation, abhorrence, antipathy. 2.  obloquy.

—Antonyms
1.  love.

Nothing there prevents some amount of honor, and we KNOW that Odium can be convinced to not only choose a champion, but abide by the outcome of whatever contest the champions engage in, otherwise Honor wouldn't suggest getting him to choose a champion.

3
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Nature of Shardblades? (Spoilers)
« on: February 08, 2011, 01:41:14 AM »
Just because the Alethi see honour in terms of dueling, with swords doesn't mean they are right about it. The book establishes that most of the Alethi don't know crap about what honour is.
The real world saw honor in dueling, but the honor in a duel isn't relavent, what is relevant is that Honor (AKA The Almighty) suggests getting Odium to pick a champion, which sounds like a duel to me, and then comments that you won't have much chance against the champion without the Dawnshards.

4
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: February 08, 2011, 12:54:31 AM »
As the parshendi either flee from kaladin or try and kill him, I don't think that they would be sent from the Almighty as they clearly knew that Kaladin was infused with stormlight.
Also, is it not possible that the original master of Szeth was working with the Parshendi (or by extension, the Nightwatcher, or Odium) as they took credit for Gavilar's murder and seemed to anticipate the siege of the Shattered Plains.
the original master of Szeth WAS the Parshendi... (well his master during the prologue, we know he was bought by a trader from the Shin, but that is a whole other story)

5
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: February 07, 2011, 06:40:00 PM »
Since this is a topic for the unhuman creatures known as Parshendi, does anybody else think that there is something connecting the Parshendi and the Aimia?
The Parshendi remind me of the Dakhor Monks.
How so? I mean, besides the enhanced physical abilities, which really aren't that unique to the monks.
The monks grew bone armor plates under the skin, while the Parshendi grow carapace above the skin the superficial similarities there are what make the Parshendi remind me of the Monks.

Also we don't know how the Parshendi get their armor.

6
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: February 06, 2011, 09:13:56 AM »
Since this is a topic for the unhuman creatures known as Parshendi, does anybody else think that there is something connecting the Parshendi and the Aimia?
The Parshendi remind me of the Dakhor Monks.

7
Brandon Sanderson / Re: What are the words?
« on: February 06, 2011, 09:03:00 AM »
It also reminds me a lot of Vin drawing in the mists, the breathes them in and then they swirl around her, oozing back out of her skin, especially when she exhales.

Definitely not a co-incidence, the Stormlight is clearly the power/"body" of a Shard, most likely Honor.
There is a chapter Epigraph in Part 3 that says the City of the Knights Radiant couldn't be built in Alethkar, but had to be built "farther west, closer to Honor".

The Origin is in the east, the Highstorms sweep east to west.

I don't think that Honor is the source of the Highstorms, despite the use of Stormfather as a title for the leader of the Heralds of the Almighty.

8
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: February 02, 2011, 10:30:52 PM »
Quote from: Page 838 of the hardback
Kaladin quickly determined that Parshendi physiology was very different from human physiology.

Though re-reading it he is mostly talking about all the "small blue ligaments" that hold the breastplate to the skin underneath.  Though there is also talk of there not being much blood (because it pooled in the corpse's back or leaked away already), so I think it fair to assume he didn't manage to cut away the breastplate without cutting through the skin a fair bit and seeing at least some of what was underneath.

But yes, the comment isn't as strong as I remembered it being.

9
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Cosmere Discussion ***SPOILERS for ALL books***
« on: February 01, 2011, 09:21:05 AM »
It seems to me that the recipient of the letter must have been there when Adonalsium shattered, or at least was involved personally with the people involved, but did not gain a shard himself.  Otherwise the whole tone of the letter seems off.
While that is possible, I read the first part to say that the person the letter is to was not immortal when Hoid first met them, and recently became immortal (followed shortly by a falling out between them, this letter marking the first real communication between then and now.

12 - Old Friend, I hope this missive finds you well. Though, as you are now essentially immortal, I would guess that wellness on your part is something of a given.

I would GUESS the recipient has been immortal for 300 years or less.

And as I mentioned above, Immortality does not require a shard, nor does planet hopping, or knowledge of the Shards.  Hoid manages all these (and may or may not have a shard), several members of 'The Crew' knew and/or know about the Shards, and there are some people known to not be shardholders who have planet hopped.

However when you put it all together it IMPLIES a shardholder, but you are correct, it doesn't require one.  I just think it likely enough that I would take the bet if someone offered.

10
Brandon Sanderson / Re: [WIP] The Cosmere
« on: February 01, 2011, 09:01:38 AM »
Kelsier also had access to some of Preservation's powers for a while after he died, although we're not sure if he exactly counts as a shardholder in the same way that Leras, Vin, and Sazed did. Endowment should probably be Living, not Alive, and because we can reasonably guess that the pool in Elantris is related to Aona, (s)he's has been tentatively referred to as Relief.
Updated table.

Italicized data is unconfirmed.

#   Name (host)                     Shard              World    Series       Status
1AtiRuinScadrialMistbornDead
2LerasPreservationScadrialMistbornDead
2VinPreservationScadrialMistbornDead
1&2SazedRuin/PreservationScadrialMistbornLiving
3AonaReliefSelElantrisDead
4Skai??SelElantrisDead
5RayseOdiumRosharStormlight[/i]Living
6Bavadin????????
7??CultivationRosharStormlight??
8Elithanathile (AKA The Almighty)HonorRosharStormlightDead
9??EndowmentNalthisWarbreakerLiving
10??????????
11??????????
12??????????
13??????????
14??????????
15??????????
16??????????

I made the correction and addition (alive to Living and Relief for Aona) as well as added some spacing to the columns so they are a little wider then the longest element in them.

11
I can see the similarities.  Which play nicely into a theory I'm working on.  However there are some subtle differences.  I like the idea quite a bit though.  I'll have to mull it over with this bottle of wine for a little while.  Of course in the end I'll probably decide I'm just a woolhead.

Don't forget the Chapter Epigraph of Chapter 35 when mulling over your theory.

Quote from:
"Though many wished Urithiru to be built in Alethela, it was obvious that it could not be. And so it was that we asked for it to be placed westward, in the place nearest to Honor."
--Perhaps the oldest surviving original source mentioning the city, re-quoted in The Vavibrar, line 1804. What I wouldn't give for a way to translate the Dawnchant.

Highlight the area above to read it.

12
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: January 28, 2011, 09:11:28 AM »
Reading this makes me think... 'They changed, even as we fought them. Like shadows they were, that can transform as the flame dances.' Assuming this is really referring to the Voidbringers, and assuming the Voidbringers really are the Parshendi, we haven't seen a single indication that they can change forms, especially in a swift manner. Maybe they can grow their chitin-like armor at will, but it doesn't seem like that is a fast process.

Could this be an argument against the claim that the two are the same? Or maybe the Voidbringers aren't as human-like as Jasnah likes to think. Maybe the Parshendi are the Voidbringers, but somehow inhibited, weakened.
I think the Parshendi want war across the world. They are afraid of Alethkar uniting and then bringing the rest of the world together as well.

The best way to prevent that is to give the highprinces sport, and keep them out of the country so their people will fight with each other and other nations will be willing to attack Alethkar in minor boarder skrimishes (not afraid of Alethkar's shardbearers because they are all at the warcamps). Posing a REAL threat to Alethkar is the best way to get the exact opposite to happen, Unite the nation and bring others in to help them.

Thus the Parshendi send just enough forces onto the Plateaus to fight, but not overwhelm the Alethkar,  and they grow armor that is hard, but not impenetrable to normal troops.  They let Alethkar think it is winning to that it will stay fractured as 10 mini-kingdoms until they are ready to strike everywhere at once and truly begin the Desolation.

Also Kaladin has seen the insides of a Parshendi, and they are NOT human, not even close. And he has the medical training to know.

13
Too many sharp points to be artistic?
No, Too many sharp points to be written as a single continuous line without lifting the pen, and it is more the Vowels that have that problem (changes in direction aren't a problem, it is the re-tracing over previous lines that starts causing issue where you break the artistic quality of the piece because of failure to exactly re-trace your previous stroke).
And that's what makes writing an art form! Something doesn't stop being an art just because it's difficult.
So there are two ways to do something.  Both yield identical results such that once the thing is done you can't tell how it was done.

Way A takes 20 minutes and requires extreme effort.
Way B takes 3 minutes and requires almost no effort.

Way A is considered the 'correct' way, but literally has NO practical difference other then taking 17 minutes longer (it isn't safer, less accident prone, or in any way actually better).

In a real world application, given 100 people want to accomplish the task and no one will ever know which way they choose to accomplish it.  How many people do you think will choose way A and how many will choose way B?

My point is that 90+ people will do it Way B.

To ask the question another way.

You go to the store and buy 20 cans of soup for your brother (or sister or wife or husband or son or etc).  As you check out the sales attendant tells you that when you unload your car the correct way is to pick on one can with your right hand and carry it into the house, then go back for the next can, and to carefully carry only one can at a time, and always in your right hand into the house making sure to lock your car and close all the doors (while your car is in the closed garage).

Would you (A) follow the attendant's advice or (B) leave the cans in the paper bag and carry them all in in one trip, then unload them once you are in the house.

14
Brandon Sanderson / Re: What are the words?
« on: January 28, 2011, 01:45:13 AM »
Unless I am completely mistaken that trope has a large presence already in this book/series- 
i.e. Kaladin reviving from near death and jumping the bridge after accepting/saying/making an oath of  the Second Ideal...-
I think there's a slight difference between having full access to powers you've been using all along, and a magic sword appearing out of nowhere without already being bound to you. :P
who said it would make a sword appear out of nowhere?

Perhaps the Oaths cause a Shardblade to transform into a Dawnblade, or the extra power lets you get to Urithu, where the Dawnblades currently rest, etc.

15
Too many sharp points to be artistic?
No, Too many sharp points to be written as a single continuous line without lifting the pen, and it is more the Vowels that have that problem (changes in direction aren't a problem, it is the re-tracing over previous lines that starts causing issue where you break the artistic quality of the piece because of failure to exactly re-trace your previous stroke).

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