Author Topic: I would like your opinion on the source of the dying visions (minor spoilers).  (Read 5708 times)

Kykeon

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Do you think they are messages like the ones Dalinar sees, or are they recollections from  the former lifes of the people who experience them?

Guinevere

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Well, I think something Taravangian said to Szeth has a big part of it.  He said that the dying words didn't happen until about the time right before Galivar's death. 

"We do not know why some speak when others do not," Taravangian said.  "But the dying see something. It began seven years ago about the time when King Gavilar was investigating the Shattered Plains for the first time." (pg. 976 US Hardcover version)

There is a lot implied there (and a lot that happened around that time).  Perhaps it is related to the Parshendi. It could have something to do with the Parshendi hive-mind that might be projecting into certain minds that are susceptible to it.  Perhaps it is related to why the Shattered Plains looks the way it does--which is commented on several times throughout the book, but never explored.  Perhaps it has to do with both AND something to do with what Gavilar found out that made him so ready to make a treaty with the Parshendi--which I have a feeling goes beyond simple gemhearts. 

My guess is that Gavilar discovered something that changed his course of action, which brought the Final Desolation much closer.  The simple act of discovering and interacting with the Parshendi might have brought it closer.  (You might want to take out the "minor" part of your spoilers): Since we discover that parshmen are the Voidbringers, this interaction and ensuing war could be what started the Final Desolation.

Cheese Ninja

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I'm gonna copy and paste the epigraphs from the spren and hoid thread:

Quote
1. “The love of men is a frigid thing, a mountain stream only three steps from the ice. We are his. Oh Stormfather…we are his. It is but a thousand days, and the Everstorm comes.”—Collected on the first day of the week Palah of the month Shash of the year 1171, thirty-one seconds before death. Subject was a darkeyed pregnant woman of middle years. The child did not survive.
2. “You’ve killed me. Bastards, you’ve killed me! While the sun is still hot, I die!”—Collected on the fifth day of the week Chach of the month Betab of the year 1171, ten seconds before death. Subject was a darkeyed soldier thirty-one years of age. Sample is considered questionable.
3.“Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone?”—Collected on the second day of Kakash, year 1171, five seconds before death. Subject was a lighteyed woman in her third decade.
4.“A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.”—Collected on the 4th of Tanates, year 1171, thirty seconds before death. Subject was a cobbler of some renown.
5.“I’m dying, aren’t I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky.”—Collected on the 3rd of Jesnan, 1172, 11 seconds pre-death. Subject was a Reshi chull trainer. Sample is of particular note.
6.“I have seen the end, and have heard it named. The Night of Sorrows, the True Desolation. The Everstorm.”—Collected on the 1st of Nanes, 1172, 15 seconds pre-death. Subject was a darkeyed youth of unknown origin.
7.“I’m cold. Mother, I’m cold. Mother? Why can I still hear the rain? Will it stop?”—Collected on Vevishes, 1172, 32 seconds pre-death. Subject was a lighteyed female child, approximately six years old.
8.“They are aflame. They burn. They bring the darkness when they come, and so all you can see is that their skin is aflame. Burn, burn, burn….”—Collected on Palahishev, 1172, 21 seconds pre-death. Subject was a baker’s apprentice.
9.“Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn.”—Collected on Ishashan, 1172, 18 seconds pre-death. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.
10.“Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.”—Collected: Jesachev, 1173, 12 seconds pre-death. Subject: one of our own ardents, overheard during his last moments.
11.“Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.”—Collected: Chachanan, 1173, 84 seconds pre-death. Subject: a cutpurse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent.
(12) Gadol spit up blood, coughing. “They break the land itself!” he hissed, eyes wild. “They want it, but in their rage they will destroy it. Like the jealous man burns his rich things rather than let them be taken by his enemies! They come!”

Hoid's Letter:
1.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.
2.I realize that you are probably still angry. That is pleasant to know. Much as your perpetual health, I have come to rely upon your dissatisfaction with me. It is one of the cosmere’s great constants, I should think.
3.Let me first assure you that the element is quite safe. I have found a good home for it. I protect its safety like I protect my own skin, you might say.
4.You do not agree with my quest. I understand that, so much as it is possible to understand someone with whom I disagree so completely.
5.Might I be quite frank? Before, you asked why I was so concerned. It is for the following reason:
6.Ati was once a kind and generous man, and you saw what became of him. Rayse, on the other hand, was among the most loathsome, crafty, and dangerous individuals I had ever met.
7.He holds the most frightening and terrible of all of the Shards. Ponder on that for a time, you old reptile, and tell me if your insistence on nonintervention holds firm. Because I assure you, Rayse will not be similarly inhibited.
8.One need only look at the aftermath of his brief visit to Sel to see proof of what I say.
9.In case you have turned a blind eye to that disaster, know that Aona and Skai are both dead, and that which they held has been Splintered. Presumably to prevent anyone from rising up to challenge Rayse.
10.You have accused me of arrogance in my quest. You have accused me of perpetuating my grudge against Rayse and Bavadin. Both accusations are true.
11.Neither point makes the things I have written to you here untrue.
12.I am being chased. Your friends of the Seventeenth Shard, I suspect. I believe they’re still lost, following a false trail I left for them. They’ll be happier that way. I doubt they have any inkling what to do with me should they actually catch me.
13.If anything I have said makes a glimmer of sense to you, I trust that you’ll call them off. Or maybe you could astound me and ask them to do something productive for once.
14.For I have never been dedicated to a more important purpose, and the very pillars of the sky will shake with the results of our war here. I ask again. Support me. Do not stand aside and let disaster consume more lives. I’ve never begged you for something before, old friend. I do so now.

After meeting with Kaladin:
Quote
“People see in stories what they’re looking for, my young friend.” He reached behind his boulder, pulling out a pack and slinging it on his shoulder. “I have no answers for you. Most days, I feel I never have had any answers. I’ve come to your land to chase an old acquaintance, but I end up spending most of my time hiding from him instead.”

Jasnah's notes:
1.“The ones of ash and fire, who killed like a swarm, relentless before the Heralds.”—Noted in Masly, page 337. Corroborated by Coldwin and Hasavah.
2.“They were suddenly dangerous. Like a calm day that became a tempest.”—This fragment is the origin of a Thaylen proverb that was eventually reworked into a more common derivation. I believe it may reference the Voidbringers. See Ixsix’s Emperor, fourth chapter.
3.“They lived high atop a place no man could reach, but all could visit. The tower city itself, crafted by the hands of no man.”—Though The Song of the Last Summer is a fanciful tale of romance from the third century after the Recreance, it is likely a valid reference in this case. See page 27 of Varala’s translation, and note the undertext.
4.“They changed, even as we fought them. Like shadows they were, that can transform as the flame dances. Never underestimate them because of what you first see.”—Purports to be a scrap collected from Talatin, a Radiant of the Order of Stonewards. The source—Guvlow’s Incarnate—is generally held as reliable, though this is from a copied fragment of “The Poem of the Seventh Morning,” which has been lost.
5.“I walked from Abamabar to Urithiru.”—This quote from the Eighth Parable of The Way of Kings seems to contradict Varala and Sinbian, who both claim the city was inaccessible by foot. Perhaps there was a way constructed, or perhaps Nohadon was being metaphorical.
6.“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, requoted in The Vavibrar, line 1804. What I wouldn’t give for a way to translate the Dawnchant.
7.“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.”—From The Poem of Ista. I have found no modern explanation of what these “Dawnshards” are. They seem ignored by scholars, though talk of them was obviously prevalent among those recording the early mythologies.
8.“Born from the darkness, they bear its taint still, marked upon their bodies much as the fire marks their souls.”—I consider Gashashson-Navammis a trustworthy source, though I’m not certain about this translation. Find the original quote in the fourteenth book of Seld and retranslate it myself, perhaps?
9.“Within a heartbeat, Alezarv was there, crossing a distance that would have taken more than four months to travel by foot.”—Another folktale, this one recorded in Among the Darkeyed, by Calinam. Page 102. Stories of instantaneous travel and the Oathgates pervade these tales.
10.“Death upon the lips. Sound upon the air. Char upon the skin.”—From “The Last Desolation” by Ambrian, line 335.
11.“Like a highstorm, regular in their coming, yet always unexpected.”—The word Desolation is used twice in reference to their appearances. See pages 57, 59, and 64 of Tales by Hearthlight.
12.“They lived out in the wilds, always awaiting the Desolation—or sometimes, a foolish child who took no heed of the night’s darkness.”—A child’s tale, yes, but this quote from Shadows Remembered seems to hint at the truth I seek. See page 82, the fourth tale.
13.“Yelignar, called Blightwind, was one that could speak like a man, though often his voice was accompanied by the wails of those he consumed.”—The Unmade were obviously fabrications of folklore. Curiously, most were not considered individuals, but instead personifications of kinds of destruction. This quote is from Traxil, line 33, considered a primary source, though I doubt its authenticity.
14.“Though I was due for dinner in Veden City that night, I insisted upon visiting Kholinar to speak with Tivbet. The tariffs through Urithiru were growing quite unreasonable. By then, the so-called Radiants had already begun to show their true nature.”—Following the firing of the original Palanaeum, only one page of Terxim’s autobiography remained, and this is the only line of any use to me.
15.“They take away the light, wherever they lurk. Skin that is burned.”—Cormshen, page 104.
16.“Radiant / of birthplace / the announcer comes / to come announce / the birthplace of Radiants.”—Though I am not overly fond of the ketek poetic form as a means of conveying information, this one by Allahn is often quoted in reference to Urithiru. I believe some mistook the home of the Radiants for their birthplace.
17.“Flame and char. Skin so terrible. Eyes like pits of blackness.”—A quote from the Iviad probably needs no reference notation, but this comes from line 482, should I need to locate it quickly.

More deathquotes:
13.“I’m standing over the body of a brother. I’m weeping. Is that his blood or mine? What have we done?”—Dated Vevanev, 1173, 107 seconds pre-death. Subject: an out-of-work Veden sailor.
14.“He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear!”—Dated Vevahach, 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. Subject: a prostitute. Back ground unknown.
15.“The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me.”—Dated Palaheses, 1173, unknown seconds pre-death. Subject: a wealthy lighteyes. Sample collected secondhand.
16.“A woman sits and scratches out her own eyes. Daughter of kings and winds, the vandal.”—Dated Palahevan, 1173, 73 seconds pre-death. Subject: a beggar of some renown, known for his elegant songs.
17.“Light grows so distant. The storm never stops. I am broken, and all around me have died. I weep for the end of all things. He has won. Oh, he has beaten us.”—Dated Palahakev, 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. Subject: a Thaylen sailor.
18.“I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.”—Dated Shashanan, 1173, 23 seconds pre-death. Subject: a darkeyed youth of sixteen years. Sample is of particular note.
(19)“And all the world was shattered!” Maps yelled, back arching, eyes wide, flecks of red spittle on his cheeks. “The rocks trembled with their steps, and the stones reached toward the heavens. We die! We die!”
20.“ReShephir, the Midnight Mother, giving birth to abominations with her essence so dark, so terrible, so consuming. She is here! She watches me die!”—Dated Shashabev, 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. Subject: a darkeyed dock-worker in his forties, father of three.
21.“Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew.”—Dated Betabanan, 1173, 45 seconds pre-death. Subject: a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.
22.“The death is my life, the strength becomes my weakness, the journey has ended.”—Dated Betabanes, 1173, 95 seconds pre-death. Subject: a scholar of some minor renown. Sample collected secondhand. Considered questionable.
23.“In the storm I awaken, falling, spinning, grieving.”—Dated Kakanev, 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. Subject was a city guardsman.
24.“The darkness becomes a palace. Let it rule! Let it rule!”—Kakevah 1173, 22 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed Selay man of unknown profession.
25.“I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.”—Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.
26.“They come from the pit, two dead men, a heart in their hands, and I know that I have seen true glory.”—Kakashah 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. A rickshaw puller.
27.“I see them. They are the rocks. They are the vengeful spirits. Eyes of red.”—Kakakes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed young woman of fifteen. Subject was reportedly mentally unstable since childhood.
28.“That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.”—Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. A middle-aged potter. Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years.
29.“Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep! Daigonarthis! The Black Fisher holds my sorrow and consumes it!”—Tanatesach 1173, 28 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed female street juggler. Note similarity to sample 1172-89.
30.“They named it the Final Desolation, but they lied. Our gods lied. Oh, how they lied. The Everstorm comes. I hear its whispers, see its stormwall, know its heart.”—Tanatanes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. An Azish itinerant worker. Sample of particular note.
31.“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.”—Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed mother of four in her sixty-second year.
(32) “The day was ours, but they took it,” the boy cried. “Stormfather! You cannot have it. The day is ours. They come, rasping, and the lights fail. Oh, Stormfather!”
33.“Above silence, the illuminating storms—dying storms— illuminate the silence above.”

Death quotes I numbered in parentheses occurred during the book, not in an epigraph.

I wouldn't say that they're recollections from former lives.  More like Dalinar's messages, but not the same.  A number of them seem to be prophetic, the only ones we can easily associate with events in the book are 15 and 21. A few seem of historical significance.  A few are about voidbringers.  Only a few seem to come from the point of view of the dying individual.  3, and maybe 22 seems to be from a Radiant.  1 seems to indicate that there's only a thousand days from the day given until the Everstorm comes.  I wish they gave a few dates during the story, are their years 365 days, same as ours? and is it me, or are the names of the dates some combination of month+week, neither of which I'm particularly clear on?

prophetic: 1, 6, 4?, 14, 21, 26, 24, 30, 31

POV of dying patient: 2,5, 25

historical: 10?, 4?, 11, 12?,

voidbringers: 8, 9, 10, 27, 28

vague: 13, 4, 16, 19, 18, 20, 23, 24, 17, 29, 33

Baxil's mistress (only observed instance of eyegouging, of a statue)? 16

The Herald Taln 15

Kaladin's bridge leap 21

There's some overlap in these numbers, I was hurrying, and like I said, vague.

AndrewMM

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Cheese Ninja, I got to say that was an incredibly impressive bit of work you did there. As you read the book these things begin to fall into place and you form ideas. But, what you did with that post lays it out in a great way. Well done  ;D
Life before Death, Strength before Weakness, Journey before Destination

Stormblessed

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I think that when they die, they have a certain out-of-body experience which allows them to see something that most of the others cannot see. That's how I read most of the quotes, though some of the quotes are on the past, so I'm not sure how that fits in. But most of them comment on the coming hoard, so maybe the see what is really happening with the Parshendi or maybe they can gleam some of Odium's plan?
"You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me!
 -- Darkeyed Soldier

Harakeke

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(General spoilers for all sorts of things below.)

My thought was that as a person's soul is leaving their body for the afterlife, another mind starts leaking in -- specifically, the consciousness of Talenel, the Herald who is still bound by the Oathpact.  This is a precursor to his physical return, and explains why the visions have only started happening recently.

The lives of the Heralds (after joining the Oathpact) seem to have two parts: 1) terrible, furious fighting during the Desolations in which they accept their violent death is more or less inevitable and 2) something far worse that fills the intervening time in "the place of nightmares" (i.e. Shadesmar).  Presumably, at the moment of death each Herald's consciousness transfers to Shadesmar to live out some horrible torture until their return.  Possibly, this entails reliving the horrors of each Desolation they've lived through, with nothing to look forward to until the next Desolation.


Why Talenel, and not just random prophesey?  The visions seems to have personal knowledge of the Heralds, the Oathpact, and the Almighty.
Quote
“Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.”
“Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone?”

One specifically references the abandonment of the Oathpact:
Quote
“The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me.”

This one was particularly intreaguing:
Quote
“Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.”
Sixteen is not as significant number on Roshar as it is elsewhere the cosmere, yet it pops up here.  Possibly a reference to the 16 Shardholders, implying that Roshar was once managed by three Shardholders (Cultivation, The Almighty, and Odium), but now only one (Odium) is still in power.

Many of the other quotes are consistent with Jasnah's theory on the Voidbringers and seem to describe fighting between the Heralds and the Voidbringers, including the battle at the Shattered Plains
Quote
“That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.”


Number 5 is interesting because the dying host is still lucid, and is quite clearly one of Tavarangian's "patients" who has realized that something is not right. 
Quote
“I’m dying, aren’t I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky.”

Note that the patient offers up a profoundly true statement "I'm dying, aren't I?".  He then sees Shallan's symbol-heads and has a glimpse of Shadesmar's sky. 
This parallels Shallan's own experience:
Quote
"'What am I?' she whispered. 'I'm terrified.'
This is true.
...
She found herself in a place with a black sky and a strange, small white sun that hung on the horizon, too far away."

Also interesting is the fact that Taravangian's scholars consider this sample to be "of particular note."  It seems Jasnah is not the only unconventional Soulcaster familiar with Shadesmar.

neverearth

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Cheese Ninja, I believe that the year on Roshar is longer than 365 days. The first epigraph in the book is dated "the first day of the week Palah of the month Shash." These dates are later abbreviated, such as "second day of Kakash," which would be the week of Kak in the month of Shash. The names of the dates follow the numbers on the Ars Arcanum in the back of the book. That means there would be ten weeks for each of the ten months. The highest dated day is the 5th day of a week, which means that there are at least 500 days in a year.

Stormblessed

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(General spoilers for all sorts of things below.)

My thought was that as a person's soul is leaving their body for the afterlife, another mind starts leaking in -- specifically, the consciousness of Talenel, the Herald who is still bound by the Oathpact.  This is a precursor to his physical return, and explains why the visions have only started happening recently.

The lives of the Heralds (after joining the Oathpact) seem to have two parts: 1) terrible, furious fighting during the Desolations in which they accept their violent death is more or less inevitable and 2) something far worse that fills the intervening time in "the place of nightmares" (i.e. Shadesmar).  Presumably, at the moment of death each Herald's consciousness transfers to Shadesmar to live out some horrible torture until their return.  Possibly, this entails reliving the horrors of each Desolation they've lived through, with nothing to look forward to until the next Desolation.


Why Talenel, and not just random prophesey?  The visions seems to have personal knowledge of the Heralds, the Oathpact, and the Almighty.
Quote
“Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.”
“Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone?”

One specifically references the abandonment of the Oathpact:
Quote
“The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me.”

This one was particularly intreaguing:
Quote
“Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.”
Sixteen is not as significant number on Roshar as it is elsewhere the cosmere, yet it pops up here.  Possibly a reference to the 16 Shardholders, implying that Roshar was once managed by three Shardholders (Cultivation, The Almighty, and Odium), but now only one (Odium) is still in power.

Many of the other quotes are consistent with Jasnah's theory on the Voidbringers and seem to describe fighting between the Heralds and the Voidbringers, including the battle at the Shattered Plains
Quote
“That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.”


Number 5 is interesting because the dying host is still lucid, and is quite clearly one of Tavarangian's "patients" who has realized that something is not right. 
Quote
“I’m dying, aren’t I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky.”

Note that the patient offers up a profoundly true statement "I'm dying, aren't I?".  He then sees Shallan's symbol-heads and has a glimpse of Shadesmar's sky. 
This parallels Shallan's own experience:
Quote
"'What am I?' she whispered. 'I'm terrified.'
This is true.
...
She found herself in a place with a black sky and a strange, small white sun that hung on the horizon, too far away."

Also interesting is the fact that Taravangian's scholars consider this sample to be "of particular note."  It seems Jasnah is not the only unconventional Soulcaster familiar with Shadesmar.

I like this theory. Maybe part of the process of the Heralds returning involves stealing people's bodies. Maybe they come back each time in a different body. So everytime someone dies, the soul flees and a heralds soul takes it over. But usually the body is too damaged to be of use, so the Herald only has time to give some sort of warning (which most people don't understand as its been too long since the last desolation) before they flee again. Then finally the Herald finds a body which is suitable and come back properly. (i know that this theory has a lot of holes in it, but its just a thought).

Maybe that quote 5 was the first time Taravangian realised that soulcasting could be done without a soulcaster. He then asked Jasnah over to test the theory, and it was confirmed. (an even wilder theory)

Cheese Ninja, I believe that the year on Roshar is longer than 365 days. The first epigraph in the book is dated "the first day of the week Palah of the month Shash." These dates are later abbreviated, such as "second day of Kakash," which would be the week of Kak in the month of Shash. The names of the dates follow the numbers on the Ars Arcanum in the back of the book. That means there would be ten weeks for each of the ten months. The highest dated day is the 5th day of a week, which means that there are at least 500 days in a year.

If anyone is really good at maths and seeing patterns and that sort of stuff (and if you have time) maybe you can attempt to work out how long each month is, how many months there are etc. Maybe someone can ask Brandon at a signing or email?
"You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me!
 -- Darkeyed Soldier

happyman

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My own personal guess is that dying people on Roshar have the same kind of experience as the Returned do; they see time laid out in front of them like a sheet that goes out to infinity.  Unlike the Returned, though, they only have a little time to say something about it.  They're probably vague because it's just so much information at once, and they can only see fragments.  The reason people started saying such nasty things recently is because the Final Desolation became imminent (maybe Odium did something, changing the future in significant ways.)
Nature hates being reified.

C12VT

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Quote
25.“I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.”—Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

I find this one especially interesting. It seems to be addressed to Taravangian's "healers", and implies that the dying man
(or the entity speaking through him) has some degree of consciousness and can choose not to speak.

In support of the "a different consciousness is inhabiting the bodies of the dying" theory: the sample taken from a young child, whose "diction improved remarkably".

And what to make of this quote? Is it from the point of view of a voidbringer? It seems quite different from the others.
Quote
9.“Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn.”—Collected on Ishashan, 1172, 18 seconds pre-death. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.

mycoltbug

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If anyone is really good at maths and seeing patterns and that sort of stuff (and if you have time) maybe you can attempt to work out how long each month is, how many months there are etc. Maybe someone can ask Brandon at a signing or email?

I can ask Brandon tonight at the Orem Library thingy.

neverearth

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I was randomly flipping through pages when this one stood out to me.

Quote
21.“Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew.”—Dated Betabanan, 1173, 45 seconds pre-death. Subject: a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.
This one seems to be about Kaladin; he jumps the chasm of the Tower with Bridge 4 behind him, Dalinar's army in front.He takes the stormlight from the Parshendis' beards, and then he says the Second Ideal.

Cheese Ninja

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I was randomly flipping through pages when this one stood out to me.

Quote
21.“Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew.”—Dated Betabanan, 1173, 45 seconds pre-death. Subject: a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.
This one seems to be about Kaladin; he jumps the chasm of the Tower with Bridge 4 behind him, Dalinar's army in front.He takes the stormlight from the Parshendis' beards, and then he says the Second Ideal.

I've mentioned that 5 or so times already.  It's pretty obvious.

neverearth

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I was randomly flipping through pages when this one stood out to me.

Quote
21.“Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew.”—Dated Betabanan, 1173, 45 seconds pre-death. Subject: a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.
This one seems to be about Kaladin; he jumps the chasm of the Tower with Bridge 4 behind him, Dalinar's army in front.He takes the stormlight from the Parshendis' beards, and then he says the Second Ideal.

I've mentioned that 5 or so times already.  It's pretty obvious.
Oh. Sorry. :-[
Sometimes it takes a while for me to catch up on things.

Cheese Ninja

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I do think it's interesting though, because it proves that some of these are prophetic, and also that they aren't completely impossible to interpret. 
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31.“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.”—Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed mother of four in her sixty-second year.
There's been a lot of life-saving going on in general, but slight less promise-killing. Someone mentioned that there is a quote on the back of the hard cover that one of the 4 main viewpoint characters so far(Shallan, Szeth, Kalidan, and Dalinar), "will destroy us". 

Since this is "Kalidan's book" I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few of these epigraphs were about him directly, besides the obvious one.  23 and 14 could be interpreted as such as well.  I'm wondering if the "heart" in 26 could be a gemheart, and the "pit" a chasm on the shattered plains, the only other pits we have are the duelling pits anyway, no idea on the 2 dead men.