predictions on Chekhov's Guns in Wok

[Aeshdan he/him]

New gun: Dalinar's curse/boon.

[Wispsy he/him]

I've always liked to think cultivation was near the purelake! But why would all of roshar get the crem from cultivation and not the one place she was in?

[fiveAM he/him]

Shinovar has dirt, rest of Roshar doesn't, the interlude mentions that and the narrator wonders about how it doesn't all get blown away, and then we're told there're no highstorms in Shinovar. Basically crem isn't necessary in Shinovar, so it doesn't matter if have crem or not. It actually might be harmful, who knows how crem and normal dirt nutrients differ in nourishing plants? The basic biology of absorbing nutrients could be totally different.

[Wispsy he/him]

It's not about whether it is necessary tho it makes things grow better, so I stick with y point, why would everywhere on roshar get benefits from cultivation (ye that's an assumption but more likely then it being honour or hate right) except for the one place that she lives....

There is a quote somewhere about scientists finding out something farmers have known for generations or something that plants grow better with stormwater that's basically all I'm basing this on also if you look at shin it's just normal grass, what makes you think oh a shard called cultivation must be here becaus it's the only place with normal plants, everywhere else they survive in ridiculous terrain and are far more active, infact they are damnation speedy.

[fiveAM he/him]

i'm not saying that just because there're normal grass there. I'm haven't even used the grass specifically as evidence. I'm talking about Shinovar's culture, or at least what we've seen of it, show great value in farming and farming related things and how it produces so much. I'm sure BS's contrast of the farming and warrior way of life in Roshar is no accident. We see it in the Horneaters (hierarchy and occupation of the sons), Shinovar, and even Kaladin's childhood chapters. Also, the interlude where we see Shinovar shows the Shin trading horses, chicken, cloth, and dried meats (page 435). All that related to farming, having to do with animals or plants, things that grow and are cultivated. With cultivation products such in such abundance in Shinovar, why would you say that Shinovar isn't getting any benefits from Cultivation? Not everything a Shard does has to be so dramatic and obvious. Soil eventually runs out of nutrients if farmed too much, which is why fertilizer are need and farmers rotate crops, and naturally rich soil is best for farming. Farming enough to have that as nearly the sole export of a small country mean they have VERY rich soil to produce so much.

You're saying that since crem isn't in Shinovar, so that doesn't make sense it can be a place of Cultivation. If Cultivation has a lot of influence in Shinovar's environment, would she limit her self to only that place? Cultivation could have easily had crem come in highstorms because the rest of Roshar would need it. Why would she have crem fall in Shinovar too? It's redundant. What if the soil in Shinovar has crem or a crem like substitute in it?

[Wispsy he/him]

Er their culture is presumably based off what they did when their was 10 nations each with a different task, in a similar way to alethkar and it being all about war. What do you think of the stone shamans connection to cultivation and their apparent confidence and desire to retrieve the shardblade should szeth die, also they still remember more specific things about at least windrunning then anywhere else we have seen, does this not sound more like things that would come from a past connection to honour instead of a sheltered life under cultivation?

Considering that it is one of the only places that there is dirt it would make sense that in the time of the heralds and kr and all that they would be the focus on producing food and animals and stuff instead of elsewhere which has the highstorms to contend with. And oh look just like the alethi have stuck with it an now have loads of armies and trained men, the reclusive shin have just gone along perfecting what their focus was. I do not believe there is enough evidence to just go and say well cultivation is prob in shin, cos we really don't have enough to say at all where she is and it would be foolish to rule out the misty mountains as one of the few places honour could have been based, considering there is people over most of roshar and urithiru hasn't been found! Mountains are one place that could take an awful long time to search and they haven't been swept, not saying honour was there but it's just as likely as cultivation sitting in shin

[fiveAM he/him]

Wow.. stupid internet messed up twice while posting...

But basically, we actually don't know if the Shin know more about windrunning than the rest of Roshar. We know Szeth can do Lashes, but as stated by BS we also know that it's not powered by Honor but something else. We know Szeth is Truthless, but why? Because his powers are not by Honor? Because he can do Lashes? Because he uses a Blade (we don't know if Szeth was given the Blade, or if he took it)? Something else entirely? We don't know WHY he's shunned, and some of these possibilities go against your Honor connection. So you have, as you've said, made a statement "without enough evidence" as well. But that's fine, what else is the point of theorizing on forums? If we couldn't do that, might as well ban theories all together.

I've felt a bit uncomfortable for a while now, as this topic has basically overrun the original one. If you want to discuss this more, feel free to make a new thread with a proper title, and maybe we'll get more people involved in this discussion too.

[Wispsy he/him]

Ah indeed, whilst theorizing on Brandons work tangents are far too common xD

One note tho, and ye i know i also have little evidence, but szeth himself calls them lashes and he knows things about the desolations and ancient times that even jasnah does not seem to. Brandon makes a very big point about doing things from in world characters perspectives, which means he learned the terms and things from somewhere. If i was to say anything more about it now i think i would purely be repeating myself and ive also felt we have somewhat monopolised this thread :/ lets agree to disagree for now! xD

[Lamguin]

Szeth's blade is almost certainly tied to his being Truthless due to one of his two rules dealing directly with his blade.

That Shinovar doesn't suffer highstorms like the rest of Roshar, that they have soil and normal plants, seems like evidence that Cultivation has taken a more direct hand there. The culture seems likely based on the Ten Nations each having a purpose. The rest of the world having plants that can survive massive hurricanes every few days also suggests Cultivation's hand, I'm thinking it was a desperation move when Odium started the highstorms.

Chekov's guns:

Adolin's courting and dueling. The courting is an interesting personality quirk. The dueling so far hasn't had a real effect on the plot because the battles are shardbearer vs everyone, rather than one on one.

Stone shamanism. Unmined metal, no walking on stone. This is super weird on a world where nearly everywhere, there is no such thing as soil. Gotta be important later. Probably not worldbringer important, but still.

Hair color. Rather than having varying shades, hair gets different patches and strips of color. Again, weird. Maybe it's just an interesting bit of flavor, but I doubt it.

Oh, the idea of cultivationspren and odiumspren is one I like. Like atium and larasium.

[fiveAM he/him]

Navani's pain fabrial might be a chekov's gun. Seems a bit suspicious to just be there, I think i'll show up again with more significance. Maybe.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

Adolin's current girlfriend. I have the feeling she'll have a bigger part to play in the next couple books.

[Wispsy he/him]

The person sigzil didn't murder

[Aeshdan he/him]

Sadeas having a Blade and Plate. (Look how dangerous he is w/ just Plate)

[Aeshdan he/him]

That Parshendi Sharbearer who was looking for Dalinar.

Shallan's Blade.

the Dawnshards

[CrazyRioter she/her]

you can edit your posts you know, no need to double post.

[Finallity he/him]

The Weeping. It's so well hushed up in the book, but if you think about it, what the heck is going on there?

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

The especially fun thing about the Weeping is that we are told there aren't any highstorms during that period, but I can't remember being told either when it happens or how long it goes on for, only that it happens at the same time every year.

And no highstorms = no stormlight (once the gems get used or go dull on their own over time) = no soulcasting or surgebinding or shardplate or fabrials or spheres used as lighting

And Soulcasting using the emeralds is a big part of how the armies get fed. Sure, they can stockpile some beforehand, but would it be enough?

[CrazyRioter she/her]

the Weeping lasts for four weeks (20 days) and there is a single highstorm in the middle of it, and the end of it is used to mark the beginning of a new year, since it's the only predictable weather, what with the screwy seasons and all.

[Aeshdan he/him]

you can edit your posts you know, no need to double post.

Sorry, i forgot i could do that.

[Aeshdan he/him]

Azies the Collector and the Purelake fisher whose name escapes me at the moment. These guys have got to be important, or Brandon wouldn't have introduced them this early.

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

Brandon has specifically said that the interludes are there to give a feel for the size and varied perspectives of the people living in the world without needing to add new, time-consuming POV characters that would bog the story down. Some of the things they do, say, or see might be important, but they themselves tend not to be, with the exception of Szeth, who is a major character.

So far in the interludes we've seen such things as Shinovar and their culture, Spren researchers and notable spren behaviors, and planet-hopping Hoid searchers, and a Herald who goes around destroying depictions of herself. Axies is the only PoV interlude character I think will come back to any significant degree, mainly because there aren't a whole lot of (either type of) Aimians left (I think). In a world full of races with strange skin, hair, and eye colors, the race which can alter their skin at will and has a shadow that goes backward is the strangest.

I fully expect an interlude from a Ghostblood who is relegated to a grunt work after failing a number of more major operations recently, such as the simple straightforward deaths of Jasnah and Amaram, and causing the loss of agents such as Kabsal and Helaran.

[Wispsy he/him]

Yes the interludes are to show different parts of the world without needing new pov characters but every single interlude shows very important stuff to people like us hehe I've always been a fan of purelake fish being magic!

[Meandering Monotreme]

One theory proposed here that I don't believe: the Odiumspren and Cultivationspren. The Odiumspren thing assumes that Odium was always on Roshar, which *NEW INFORMATION SPOILERS!* he wasn't. Also, I believe that spren are a thing of Honor, a theory which I won't go into right here because it is too much of a tangent, but it is fairly unlikely that Cultivation won't get a thing of Honor.

Anyway: Kaladin's parents.

Tien. Although this is just me liking Tien and wanting him back.

Why the Radients "betrayed humanity".

The Tranquiline Halls

Edited December 19, 2011 by Tangletalon

[Aeshdan he/him]

The missing statue of Shalash (see the Prolouge)

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

That just means that Shalash was there destroying her statue shortly before the events of the prologue. Someone must have removed the wreckage but not been able to put in a replacement statue yet. Brandon said that we would see other characters viewpoints from around that same time.