Szeth (spoilers)

[Stalagmite]

Spoilers Below, Leave Now If You Don't Want Them

 

 

     Now that Szeth has Nightblood, he's going to need a way to feed him investiture in the form of stormlight. So I think that either Nightblood will somehow grant him the ability to absorb stormlight or Szeth is going to get a spren and become a skybreaker. If he does that he'll have the ability to fly and lash like before, a shardblade/shield, and Nightblood. I think this combo would make him nearly undefeatable. What do y'all think is going to happen with him?

[Moogle]

I'm curious if you can 'bond' with Nightblood. My understanding is that Nightblood automatically bonds with everyone around it (hence his ability to speak in their mind). Can it (he?) choose to bond more fully with someone like Szeth and grant a version of Nalthian Surges, like the spren? If so, Szeth would be granted some very interesting abilities, I should think. I would think it would grant Szeth the ability to Awaken (with Stormlight) and also give him the ability to suck in Stormlight through Command.

 

Or maybe I'm crazy. I'm hopeful that Nightblood will grant abilities (while on Roshar, anyways) much like an Honorblade does, though.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Moogle

[FlatLine]

I'm curious if you can 'bond' with Nightblood. My understanding is that Nightblood automatically bonds with everyone around it (hence his ability to speak in their mind). Can it (he?) choose to bond more fully with someone like Szeth and grant a version of Nalthian Surges, like the spren? If so, Szeth would be granted some very interesting abilities, I should think. I would think it would grant Szeth the ability to Awaken (with Stormlight) and also give him the ability to suck in Stormlight through Command.

 

Or maybe I'm crazy. I'm hopeful that Nightblood will grant abilities (while on Roshar, anyways) much like an Honorblade does, though.

 

That's exactly what I'm thinking. Nightblood will probably act like a spren, it at least has it's own conscious and will talk to Szeth. Maybe it's like a voidspren, or something like that. It'll be very interesting to see it's effects.

[Moogle]

Q: If an Elantrian was bonded a seon and traveled to Roshar would that bond act as a Nahel bond?

A: The bond would act very similarly granting the bonded certain abilities but not exactly the same as the spren bond.   

 

Thanks to this new WoB (sadly paraphrased), I fully expect Szeth can still draw in Stormlight thanks to his new bond with Nightblood. My previous speculation likely is along the right lines.

[Magnanimous Taz]

I'm really excited to see how this will play out. I wonder if nightblood is actually able to "bond" with anyone. I don't think his telepathic communication is any evidence of bonding.

in warbreaker he talks to the fisherman before they come in physical contact

and the stormfather communicates with dalinar well before he showed any signs of radiantness. But if he did bond with szeth, would that protect szeth from the "cost" of wielding nightblood?

[Moogle]

I'm really excited to see how this will play out. I wonder if nightblood is actually able to "bond" with anyone. I don't think his telepathic communication is any evidence of bonding.

in warbreaker he talks to the fisherman before they come in physical contact

and the stormfather communicates with dalinar well before he showed any signs of radiantness. But if he did bond with szeth, would that protect szeth from the "cost" of wielding nightblood?

 

I found these in the Warbreaker annotations. You might like them:

 

 

Another note here is that Nightblood can sense where Vasher is. This is because Nightblood has ingested and fed off Vasher’s Breaths in the past. When he does that, it connects him to someone. It’s also, by the way, one of the secrets as to why Vasher doesn’t get sick when holding Nightblood, even though he’s a good person. It’s not simply familiarity (though that is part of it). Nightblood has a built-in test. If he feeds off you and you survive, then you become somewhat immune to his powers.

 

 

Nightblood is better at communicating with people who are mentally unhinged. He can influence them more easily. Really, Denth, you should have known to toss Nightblood someplace far deeper than the shallow bay.

 

I do think there's at least some sort of bonding done when Nightblood speaks into someone's mind. There's a Ruin sort of flavor to that last quote. But it seems that if you use Nightblood and survive, you get immunity to his sickness... seems like a bond to me. Szeth just has to use Nightblood once. But how can he use him once without dying if he needs Nightblood to draw in Stormlight in the first place? Many theories, few answers.

[Magnanimous Taz]

Thanks for the info. I'll agree that there must be a bonding going on. I still wonder if, since the bond will be different on roshar, will that affect nightblood's feeding and Its cost on the user. Maybe nightblood, cognitively speaking, is the equivalent of a high spren? Obviously not a splinter like the nahel spren, but possessing sufficient investiture and a similar cognitive intent.

[FlatLine]

Thanks for the info. I'll agree that there must be a bonding going on. I still wonder if, since the bond will be different on roshar, will that affect nightblood's feeding and Its cost on the user. Maybe nightblood, cognitively speaking, is the equivalent of a high spren? Obviously not a splinter like the nahel spren, but possessing sufficient investiture and a similar cognitive intent.

 

I could see Nightblood sucking in storm light, kind of like breaths, but I don't know if it will need it all the time, that would be hard for Szeth to always have stormlight.

[Magnanimous Taz]

I agree, and iirc nightblood went through several hundred breaths over the course of the few minutes that vasher was wielding him unsheathed. If we assume that nightblood can absorb stormlight (as vasher is able to), but likely at a less efficient rate, even if szeth becomes able to infuse again, I see him burning through stormlight far more quickly than ever before. That's going to be a difficult balance. Nigtblood is still pretty effective while sheathed tho. Wonder if he would interact differently with a shardblade while sheathed vs bare...

[FlatLine]

I agree, and iirc nightblood went through several hundred breaths over the course of the few minutes that vasher was wielding him unsheathed. If we assume that nightblood can absorb stormlight (as vasher is able to), but likely at a less efficient rate, even if szeth becomes able to infuse again, I see him burning through stormlight far more quickly than ever before. That's going to be a difficult balance. Nigtblood is still pretty effective while sheathed tho. Wonder if he would interact differently with a shardblade while sheathed vs bare...

 

I actually think that storm light is easier to get and more efficient than breath. BS stated that Vasher could get something more easily if he was here on Roshar. 

 

Found the quote! 

 

Q:  How long has Zahel been slumming it on Roshar?

A:  For quite a long time, on this planet he can get something quite easily that is much harder to get where he came from.

Edited March 21, 2014 by FlatLine

[Magnanimous Taz]

Certainly it's true that stormlight is far more available on roshar than breaths on nalthis. What is also true is that nightblood burns up investiture very quickly. I think that he will use up stormlight at an even greater pace, my assumption being that one breath is equivalent to a pretty hefty measure of stormlight. That may not be a valid assumption. Argent is right, we really need to find a way to compare quantities of investiture on different worlds.

[Stalagmite]

Certainly it's true that stormlight is far more available on roshar than breaths on nalthis. What is also true is that nightblood burns up investiture very quickly. I think that he will use up stormlight at an even greater pace, my assumption being that one breath is equivalent to a pretty hefty measure of stormlight. That may not be a valid assumption. Argent is right, we really need to find a way to compare quantities of investiture on different worlds.

If Szeth decided to take him on a rampage in a high storm, he could probably destroy anything because nightblood would have "infinite" investiture to draw upon. He could probably destroy an entire stone fortress with ease.

[Observer]

If Szeth decided to take him on a rampage in a high storm, he could probably destroy anything because nightblood would have "infinite" investiture to draw upon. He could probably destroy an entire stone fortress with ease.

Szeth is going to get all 10 honorblades by the end of book 5. He will then use all of his abilities at once while drawing Nightblood in a High/Everstorm collision, and he will suck up all the investures of both, finally bringing peace and balance to Roshar.

Yeah.

[Ren he/him]

Argent is right, we really need to find a way to compare quantities of investiture on different worlds.

If someone can ask Brandon on one of his Q&A/Singings something of the sort:

What is the ratio of Investiture comparing 1 Breath and 1 Infused Diamond Chip? Are they 1:1 or 1:10?

[Awesomeness Summoned he/him]

If someone can ask Brandon on one of his Q&A/Singings something of the sort:

What is the ratio of Investiture comparing 1 Breath and 1 Infused Diamond Chip? Are they 1:1 or 1:10?

He's been asked what the breath to stormlight equivalent is at signings. He said there was a rough estimate but that he didn't know off the top of his head and would have to locate the correct notes to answer it. He also said that if people keep asking he'll have to formalize it and provide an answer so please keep asking

[Chlehrma]

I do not think night blood will grant abilities like a nahel bond. More likely, he absorbs stormlight (investiture) and feeds it into the wielder or keeps it for himself. Imagine him fighting someone wielding an Honorblade. If he hits them, he drains their stormlight thus destroying their advantage. Perhaps if he blocks an honor blade he drains the abilities off of the blade and his wielder benefits by gaining access to the same ability. All speculation, but it would make Szeth equal to any herald or KR in combat.

What I want to know is if he severes nahel bonds or kills spren when he hits a shard blade. That would be devastating to KR.