Who the quotes from the Knights of Wind and Truth belong to?

[Little_Dagger she/her]

My first thought was that it's Kaladin writing the book in the future, the way Sazed did in the Hero of Ages. Other ideas?

[alder24]

15 minutes ago, Little_Dagger said:

My first thought was that it's Kaladin writing the book in the future, the way Sazed did in the Hero of Ages. Other ideas?

I had the same thought, but I'm worried that it's too predictable and it's not Kaladin. In OB we had quotes from Oathbringer written by Dalinar, in RoW it was written by Navani, so sure, Kaladin can write a book for WaT - but as he is right now he can't write at all. And it would be a weird coincidence for epigraphs to tell "I was being watched" in the same chapter Kaladin hears a voice in his head for the first time.

It may be some book from the past (like WoK and WoR), but for now it doesn't feel like this. 

[the_archduke]

Brandon is making us think it is Kaladin in chapter 1, so clearly it isn't Kaladin.  Just like we were led to believe the Hero of Ages was other people than Sazed.  He wouldn't be that obvious.

[Little_Dagger she/her]

12 minutes ago, alder24 said:

I had the same thought, but I'm worried that it's too predictable

True, it does seem a little on the nose, but if Kaladin ascends, learning to write should take about a minute. 

Who are the other possible candidates then? It would be interesting if it was Szeth, as in the knight of Truth, who had thought himself Truthless

[Wadders]

Could it be Shallan? She must have been watched by the spren since early on.

[alder24]

4 minutes ago, Wadders said:

Could it be Shallan? She must have been watched by the spren since early on.

But she doesn't really know Winds like Kaladin does.

[Wadders]

1 minute ago, alder24 said:

But she doesn't really know Winds like Kaladin does.

But she is all about Truth and lies.

It could also be both of them working together.

[Subvisual Haze]

Kaladin as the Knight of Wind, Szeth as the Knight of Truth seems a good guess.  

The quote about dreams sounds more Szeth-like.

[alder24]

6 minutes ago, Wadders said:

But she is all about Truth and lies.

It could also be both of them working together.

I capitalized W in Winds because it was capitalized in ch 2 epigraphs. 

Quote

I first knew the Wind as a child, during days before I knew dreams. What need has a child of dreams or aspirations? They live, and love, the life that is.

That's important. Winds are treated as a person, as something alive. That's why it's unlikely Shallan is the author because she knows nothing about Winds.

[Wadders]

3 minutes ago, alder24 said:

I capitalized W in Winds because it was capitalized in ch 2 epigraphs. 

That's important. Winds are treated as a person, as something alive. That's why it's unlikely Shallan is the author because she knows nothing about Winds.

I thought you were just referring to the title.

I think Kaladin is likely involved in the book but I can't imagine him putting "and Truth" in the title. I think Shallan or Szeth as @Subvisual Haze suggests would be a likely candidate for that aspect. Could be a more collabrative text and undertext situation.

[who_slew_aicirtap she/they]

I think it's Szeth, especially considering the flashbacks that were released

[king of nowhere]

4 hours ago, the_archduke said:

Brandon is making us think it is Kaladin in chapter 1, so clearly it isn't Kaladin.  Just like we were led to believe the Hero of Ages was other people than Sazed.  He wouldn't be that obvious.

actually, in hero of ages, the first epigraph was pretty obvious. "i am, unfortunately, the hero of ages". the speech patters fit sazed perfectly. he also said "i am, unfortunately, in charge" somewhere else in the books.

so kaladin is not to be ruled out.

i think kaladin and shallan are the most likely, as both were watched by spren since childhood.

it could even be a collaboration? knights of wind and truth: kaladin for wind, and shallan for truth

[The Stick]

I can say I think it is definitely not Kaladin. The writing for it just doesn't sound like how I feel like Kaladin sounds. I think it is Szeth, and the revelation will be about his Highspren watching him since childhood. I know there is a WoB that we would learn more about the Highspren this book. Alder,  I summon you.

[teknopathetic he/him]

I thought Kaladin but then my brain started to think it sounded like Lirin. 

[LewsTherinTelescope]

I feel people aren't paying enough attention to the part after the Wind stuff:

Quote

I first knew the Wind as a child, during days before I knew dreams. What need has a child of dreams or aspirations? They live, and love, the life that is.

Kaladin always dreamed of glory, and Shallan had the darkness in her family Testament helped her fight against, neither of them fits. If it's any protagonist I think it's Szeth, this feels super reminiscent of his first flashback, but I don't know if Brandon wants to do that three books in a row.

[alder24]

11 hours ago, The Stick said:

I know there is a WoB that we would learn more about the Highspren this book. Alder,  I summon you.

Yyyy this one?

Spoiler

The Tack

Szeth’s spren has thus far been very distant Is this typical of highspren?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

The Tack

Is it maintaining a particular distance because of Nightblood, and would normally have permitted Szeth to summon it as a blade by now?

Brandon Sanderson

No, it’s not really Nightblood. There are other reasons, but… how about this, Book Five and Find Out. You’ll get another reason in Book Five.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 6 (Dec. 19, 2023)

[Lord Spirit he/him]

8 hours ago, LewsTherinTelescope said:

I don't know if Brandon wants to do that three books in a row.

What do you mean? Dalinar is the only flashback character to write the title book. Rhythm of War was by Navani and Raboniel, not Venli or Eshonai. 

[LewsTherinTelescope]

2 hours ago, Lord Spirit said:

What do you mean? Dalinar is the only flashback character to write the title book. Rhythm of War was by Navani and Raboniel, not Venli or Eshonai. 

Navani is still pretty much the main character of the book alongside Kaladin, regardless of flashbacks.

[Lord Spirit he/him]

Just now, LewsTherinTelescope said:

Navani is still pretty much the main character of the book alongside Kaladin, regardless of flashbacks.

Yes, I definitely like Venli gets sidelined, but Ooficially it’s their book. So it’s not quite the same thing as Dalinar being the main character in OB. Szeth might not even end up as the biggest character in WaT. It was originally going to be Dalinar’s book until he switched it with book 3. 

[Vin(Diesel)]

14 hours ago, teknopathetic said:

I thought Kaladin but then my brain started to think it sounded like Lirin. 

It does sound more like Lirin or Szeth than Kaladin, and Kaladin had dreams and aspirations from quite a young age. I want it to be Lirin. I know it’s controversial, but I like Lirin a lot. Hope you’re right. It’s a little weird that, as far as we know, Lirin has never caught the eye of a Radiant Spren. It seems like honorspren and cultivationspren should be be swarming around him, and Kaladin did see him seem to glow once, when Lirin was facing down the thieves in Hearthstone.

[The Stick]

I read the quotes again, and I am way more sure of it being Szeth. The only thing that I don't think fully fits is the Wind. The part about children, to me, is amazingly similar to Szeth's observations of Gavinor. The part about dreams and aspirations makes me think of the entire character arc of Szeth, and the preview chapters where he wants other people to make decisions for him. The lines about dreams makes it sound like they are unique to a person, which seems to be the lesson Sanderson is gearing Szeth up to learning in KOWAT.

[ZenBossanova]

Having read the other snippets that Brandon has read from KoW&T, I think it is very clear who is speaking. There are a lot of tie-ins with the current quotes. 

This character has been very focused on the Wind. 

Although, now that I go to look for it, I don't see that reading. 

Edit: Here we are

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/504-new-york-comic-con-2022/#e15784

Edited August 7 by ZenBossanova

[LewsTherinTelescope]

11 hours ago, ZenBossanova said:

Having read the other snippets that Brandon has read from KoW&T, I think it is very clear who is speaking. There are a lot of tie-ins with the current quotes. 

Also this from Oathbringer (chapter 92):

Spoiler

"I knew a voice like yours once, sword-nimi."

The whispers?

"No. A single one, in my mind, when I was young." Szeth shaded his eyes, looking across the glistening lake. "I hope things go better this time."

 

On 8/6/2024 at 7:12 PM, The Stick said:

I read the quotes again, and I am way more sure of it being Szeth. The only thing that I don't think fully fits is the Wind.

His first flashback actually puts a lot of focus on his connection to the wind at the start, like Zen says:

Spoiler

Szeth-son-Neturo found magic upon the wind, and so he danced with it.

Strict, methodic movements at first, as per the moves he had memorized. He was as the limbs of the oak, rigid but ready. When they shivered in the wind, Szeth thought he could hear their souls seeking to break free, to shed bark like shells and emerge with new skin, pained by the cool air—yet aflush with joy all the same. Painful and delightful, like all new things.

Szeth scraped bare feet across packed earth as he danced, getting it on his toes, loving the feel of Cultivation’s embrace. He moved in a wide circle, getting just close enough to the edge to feel feet on grass before dancing back, spinning to the accompaniment of his sister’s flute. It almost seemed alive itself, providing him a partner for his dance, wind made alive through sound. The flute was the voice of air itself.

Time became thick when he danced. Molasses minutes and syrup seconds. Yet, the wind wove among them, visiting each moment to linger, before spinning away. He followed it. Emulated it. Became it.

More and more fluid he became. No more rigidity, no more preplanned steps. Sweat flying from his brow to seek the sky, he was the air. Churning, spinning, almost violent. Around and around, his motions worship for the rock at the center of the patch of ground. For when he was wind, he felt he could touch that sacred stone, which had never known the hands of man—but felt the wind each and every day.

 

Edited August 8 by LewsTherinTelescope
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[Erklitt]

On 8/6/2024 at 2:47 AM, king of nowhere said:

it could even be a collaboration? knights of wind and truth: kaladin for wind, and shallan for truth

At first I thought the same, and I still very much think the 'watched' one is Shallan. We know that she was watched by Cryptics from an early age and that the whole family was involved in secret stuff. And we almost know for sure now that she is the daughter of a herald.

Reading this thread, I now tend towards Szeth for the 'wind' parts. Apart from all the good points made here, I just can't see Kaladin starting to write a book (and with Shallan of all people??), but I can see both Szeth and Shallan doing it.

Edit: One more (though small) point in Szeth's favour that I don't think has been made yet (forgive me if it was and I overlooked it): he can already write. He wrote Gavilar's last words.

Edited August 8 by Erklitt

[teknopathetic he/him]

Szeth? Truthless to truth?