Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth and Mistborn era 1.The Stormlight Archivebook 5,Wind and Truth, answered some long-standing questions and concluded several prominent character arcs, but it also created new questions about Roshar, its residents, and the broader Cosmere.Wind and Truth’sendingis devastating in many ways, but it’s not without hope, as most of the beloved main protagonists have survived and will persist into the next arc of the series. Now that the first five books are concluded,there will be a time-jump of roughly ten in-world years before events pick up inStormlight 6.
Aside from just the events of the mainStormlight Archiveseries,Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere continuesto grow more complex and expansive with every volume. Even for dedicated fans, all the lore and information can be an immense challenge to keep track of, especially as ideas pertaining to the Cosmere, the Shards, begin to factor into the narrative of each series. While this will mostly pertain to matters related toThe Stormlight Archiveand its characters, some broader events are hard to ignore.
10What Happened With Adolin’s Shardplate?
How Do The Oathless Work?
Adolin Kholin has one of the most enjoyable but ultimately heartbreaking narratives inWind and Truth, coming around to forgive his father in the heat of battle while also understanding his own life philosophy. Adolin isn’t meant to be a member of the Knights Radiant, and he realizes that it’s becausehe believes in promises rather than oaths.
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In the battle with Abidi the Monarch, Adolin’s shardplate awakens and returns to him, demonstrating its own autonomy, which had been hinted at throughout the novel. Importantly, the deadeyes arrive from Shadesmar and arm Adolin’s companions with plate and blades as well.Adolin has become the first “Unoathed,” with his compassion bringing back the deadeyes. With the absence of Stormlight on Roshar, it will be interesting to see the properties of how the Unoathed work and if what happened to him can be replicated.
9Is Gavinor Bound To Odium?
Gavinor Might Be The Most In Need Of Therapy
Gavinor being Odium’s champion was among thebiggest reveals inWind and Truthand one that audiences had anticipated. After Dalinar’s immediate refusal to fight Gavinor, however, Odium froze him in place. Gavinor was used by Odium, andDalinar saves him in his last moment before dying, leaving Elhokar’s now aged-up son to be a character in arc 2.
He may need the help of Therapist Kaladin even more than the Heralds at this point.
Given everything that’s happened to him, Gavinor is one of the characters in the worst shape heading into the next set ofStormlight Archivebooks. The biggest question remaining is whether he’ll stay loyal to Odium after realizing that he was used. He’s essentially been bread from childhood with the sole purpose of killing Dalinar, so now that Dalinar is dead, it’s difficult to imagine how he’ll feel. He may need the help of Therapist Kaladin even more than the Heralds at this point.
8What Will Ba-Ado-Mishram Do Now That She’s Out?
Is She Friend Or Foe?
Ba-Ado-Mishram isone of the most powerful beings on Roshar, and one whom even Odium fears. For her to be released from the Spiritual Realm and not have any significant impact at the end ofWind and Truthmeans she’s being set up as a prominent character in the next five books. Perhaps Renarin and Rlain will continue working to bridge the gap between singers and humans and use their new connection with the Unmade to help.
Odium will have a lot on his plate going forward, as not only will the remainder of the Cosmere’s Shards put a target on his back, but he’s also having to flee Roshar. In his absence, Ba-Ado-Mishram could easily take up the power and influence she once held, ridding Odium of a significant portion of his army. While she might be an uncontrollable factor for the humans, Shallan releasing her seems to be ultimately positive.
7Who Or What Is Nohadon?
Could Nohadon Be More Than Just A King?
The obvious answer to this question is that Nohadon is the author of the in-world text,The Way of Kings, and was a monarch of a kingdom called Alethela. With that in mind, Dalinar’s final meeting with him during the contest of champions seemed to suggest that there might be more to Nohadon than what we’ve known since book 1.Even Dalinar asks, “Who are you, really?“Nohadon does not provide a clear answer.
Readers have already begun speculating about Nohadon’s identity, suggesting any number of possibilities. He could be one of the Shards, perhaps one who’s in hiding on Roshar (more on that later), orhe could even be Adonalsium himself. Or, at least, a fragment of what remains of Adonalsium after the Shattering. Some have even considered the possibility that Nohadon is another version or splinter of Tanavast.
6Where Is Azure?
Has Azure Given Up Her Search For Nightblood?
Azure, originally named Vivenna, first appeared in the bookWarbreakerbefore joiningThe Stormlight Archive’scharacter ensemble inOathbringer.She came to Roshar in search of Vasher, who’s been using the name Zahel, and the sword Nightblood, which is held by Szeth inWind and Truth. Both of those characters appeared in the latest novel, but Azure is nowhere to be found.
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At one point in chapter 35, Nightblood and Kaladin actually have a conversation about Zahel creating Nightblood. Nightblood suggests that Kaladin find Vivenna, who said she’d come looking for him if he got stolen, implying that she’s still somewhere searching. Funnily enough, Kaladin doesn’t know who he’s talking about, though he has met Vivenna and just knows her by Azure. Nightblood even goes as far as to say Kaladin and Azure would be an interesting romantic pairing because they’re both grumpy.
5Why Did Talanel Try To Kill Cultivation?
There’s Still A Lot We Don’t Know About Cultivation
Wind and Truthsees Dalinar working his way through time, learning more about the creation of the Heralds. In chapter 65, Ishar claims that he wants Talanel to become a Herald to bring balance to their group and because he has had interactions with the Gods. Jezrien explains thathis “interaction” was trying to kill Cultivation. Later in the scene, Taln comes face to face with Honor, who says, “You know whathedid.”
Wind and Truthseems to be setting up some narrative elements forStormlight 9, the book where Taln is set to be the main flashback character.
Talanel looks at Honor and accuses him of destroying his grandmother’s planet. He also mentions losing a weapon that Kalak gave him.Wind and Truthseems to be setting up some narrative elements forStormlight 9, the book where Taln is set to be the main flashback character. Arc 2 is meant to focus more on the Heralds, and Taln has become a fan-favorite throughout arc 1. Surely, book 9 will be an exciting one.
4Is Shallan Pregnant?
Probably, But Will She Make It Back To Adolin?
It seems pretty obvious that Shallan is pregnant, but it’s worth going over the implications anyway. She and Adolin conceived the child before they departed for their separate adventures inWind and Truth, and it unfortunately seems like they won’t be reconnecting for a long time. Of the four main characters inThe Stormlight Archive, Adolin is the only one who’s still in Roshar, whileShallan is trapped in Shadesmar and unable to return.
Finding a crafty way for Shallan to return without Stormlight seems to be a possibility in the cards, but going off-world puts her at risk, as she’ll age considerably faster on other worlds than she will in Shadesmar near Roshar. A reverse-Interstellarsituation seems like a move Brandon Sanderson would pull off with her character, having her need to worldhop to come back to Roshar, then having her plan go poorly and her ending up aging way more than she intended.
3What Is The Seventeenth Shard Doing?
Their Goals Still Aren’t Clear
ThroughoutThe Stormlight Archive, threeCosmere charactersfrom the booksMistborn,Elantris, and the graphic novelWhite Sandhave been traveling around Roshar in search of Hoid. They appeared inWind and Truth’sinterlude 11, and they gave up on their search, suggesting it was time for them to leave the planet.They disagree with Hoid’s intervention on various planets and plan on stopping him, but he doesn’t seem too afraid of them.
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It’s hard to say what their goals are at this point, but the name seems to implicate something. There are sixteen Shards throughout the Cosmere, so their name could suggest that they themselves intend to be a seventeenth source of power. Alternatively, it could suggest that there are actually seventeen Shards, and they’re searching for them. It could also refer to something related to Adonalsium.
2What’s The Deal With Roshar’s Fourth Moon?
Could The Fourth Moon Indicate A Fourth Shard?
Chapter 60 and chapter 120 both have mentions of a fourth moon, raising immediate questions. There was allegedly a fourth moon of Roshar that shattered and crashed into the planet before Honor arrived there. Importantly,every Shard related to Roshar has a moon, with those moons being colored to represent their respective gods. Read the statements about the fourth moon inWind and Truthbelow:
“The fourth moon. Now dead. Now fallen. With stone that is not quite stone. And when gods came here.”
- from Chapter 60
Worse, the shock wave of our clash surged beneath us, power rushing and vibrating with those terrible tones. I realized too late that there was something strange about this land, beneath this city.Pieces of something fallen. A . . . fourth moon? In splinters?It reacted to us, and I saw people there—new ones, watchers, who had been hidden from me. Those pieces of the sky . . . they sheltered from the eyes of God? That was not aluminum. It was something greater. Something . . . that responded to our clash, the ground liquefying in a pattern, dictated by the tone and the strange nature of the place.
- from Chapter 120
“We must travel to the Well of Control, within the shroud of the fragments of the dead moon.”
-from Chapter 40’s epigraph
With all of this in mind, thefourth moon could indicate a fourth Shard on Roshar. Valor is notably in hiding, and Tanavast couldn’t find her. Perhaps that’s because she’s been hiding right underneath his nose. Alternatively, the moon could be related to Adonalsium. Another question, especially now that connections toMistbornare increasing, is the nature of the metal. This could also tie back to the death rattle “Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns” fromThe Way of Kings.
1How Will Taravangian Manage Balancing His Two Shards?
Can Honor Vanquish Odium In Taravangian?
Wind and Truth’sbiggest game-changer is Taravangian taking up a second Shard, combining Odium and Honor to create Retribution. The name implies that Odium has more power than Honor at the moment, but this is something that’s subject to change over time. Fans of theMistbornbooksknow that Sazed takes up the Shards of Ruin and Preservation at the end ofThe Hero of Ages, becoming Harmony.
However,Wind and Truthmakes a note early on that “Only one of them held two Shards of power, but that one was unable to function properly"in Odium’s interlude 4. This is crucial foreshadowing, along with Taravangian’s final POV chapters, to show that him taking up the second Shard will put him at risk, especially if Honor’s power grows in futureStormlight Archivebooks. Taravangian may be extraordinarily powerful, but he’s going to have several internal obstacles to overcome.
The Stormlight Archive
The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar. The series follows multiple characters, each with their unique storylines, as they navigate political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and powerful magic. Central to the story are the Knights Radiant, legendary warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from impending destruction. The series explores themes of honor, leadership, and the burden of power.
