"Magic is what makes fantasy fantastic," someone says, "you can't apply rules to them or else it loses wonder!" I respond, "Sure, but if you want to write them you will certainly want to know how they work." Writing is all about execution, and I find applying some basic laws of physics to magic systems make them more understandable and realistic. Here, I'm going to outline my basic method for developing a magic system.
Column by Chaos2651
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There are all sorts of theories about Szeth and a spren, some think he has one but we haven't seen it, some think he had one and has driven it away somehow, some think it's imprisoned possibly in his oathstone.Y'know, now that we know that fabrials have Spren imprisoned inside, I could see Szeth's oathstone being a fabrial.
Taking the Dawnshard, known to bind any creature voidish or mortal, he crawled up the steps crafted for Heralds, ten strides tall apiece, toward the grand temple above.
It could have something to do with the vision's command to "speak again the ancient oaths," which seems like it would refer to the Ideals of the Radiants, but I suppose it could refer to something else entirely.Since the vision says one of the Ideals right after saying "speak again the ancient oaths", I think it's pretty clear that's what he means.
I'm wondering if being Truthless could be a Shin cultural issue more than a spren/Herald/Oath breaking type thing.I think you're close.
In the Rysn chapter, Vstim mentions that he acquired Szeth by way of Thresh/the farmer. Vstim tells Rysn that the farmer's warriors are "the lowliest men like slaves" and they are "traded between houses by way of little stones that signify ownership". He says, "any man who picks up a weapon must join them and be treated the same." In another chapter, it was mentioned that the Shin gave Szeth the Shardblade and sent him out into the world.
Maybe Szeth was the farmer's slave and aspired to a higher social status, or maybe he picked up a weapon under some circumstance and refused to be treated like the other warriors? This could also fit if he was high born and picked up a weapon, but refused to be treated like a slave. In refusing a weapon, he was punished with carrying the Shardblade.
I don't know. I even looked up the word truthless to see if that would yield any clues. I found the following meanings: devoid of truth, dishonest; spurious (of illegitimate birth - maybe there's something here?); corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities; falsified or erroneously attributed; deceitful nature or quality.
I'm probably way off, but maybe being Truthless means something along these lines.
I could definitely see a situation where Sadeas goads Kaladin into attacking him to maneuver for political advantage. Since he has blade and plate, he probably thinks there's no way Kaladin could kill him.I think that many of these could refer to the next book, 31 seems like a perfect situation for Dalinar to get in, protecting Sadeas against the mysterious parshendi shardbearer, and this is where he would first discover his surgebinding powers
That's an interesting theory. My only question is, "I stand against the one who saved my life..." Either something happens in the next book where the Shardbearer saves his life, or he's talking about someone else... like say, Kaladin???
There are people in Roshar that live a ridiculously long time. There was that weird scholar dude, who could change his skin color that was immortal beyond normal people.Maybe Axies is a Knowledgespren!
Oh, I think it's very likely that his crimes were in Shinovar. I just don't think he tried to overthrow the government.He explains somewhere why he became Truthless, it's not some small paragraph, but it's either in the book or I'm quite insane, but the second is possible b/c I'm the voice in YOUR head, not my own.
Well, until you find some rock-solid quotes, I think things will stay as they are. The consensus seems to be against this idea. Szeth thinks about his crimes all the time, but there's no reason to assume they refer to anything before he left Shinovar.
Yeah, I... uh... really don't remember anything like that. And there's been a fair amount of discussion about Szeth's crime(s), and this has never come up before.He explains somewhere why he became Truthless, it's not some small paragraph, but it's either in the book or I'm quite insane, but the second is possible b/c I'm the voice in YOUR head, not my own.I believe you just might be insane, I can't recall reading something like that at all and generally I have a good memory of what I have read.
I have a wild theory.There's more than one Dawnshard, since the Almighty uses the word as a plural.
The Heralds entered into an oathpact which basically helps stop the voidbringers from taking over, but we have no idea what it is.
From what I have thought about, I think the oathpact basically states that the Heralds will fight the voidbringers on Roshar using a splinter from one of the shards (whether or not it is the Almighty or another shard I don't know) which is physically manifested in the dawnshard. But once the desolation is over they must go to this mysterious other place (Shadesmar possibly) and endur years of torture, in which that time the voidbringers are powerless, mindless creatures known as parshmen. But after some time the Heralds can no longer take the torture and return to Roshar, at which time the voidbringers come again, they fight, they win and return for more torture in an endless cycle.
Talenel has thus failed because he finally cracked under the torture and the voidbringers are returning for another desolation.
I am not convinced that the Parshendi are the ones to have Galivar killed. Maybe the alliance would have stopped the mass chaos that is sure to ensue in that world. perhaps the key to victory is in the shattered plains, after all if the Parshendi wanted Galivar dead why not kill him themselves or with there own assasin, why hire a Shin?Then why did they claim responsibility for the assassination?
