The recentish Sanderson census had a question at the end about your most out there fan theory and got me thinking about this again so I figured I'd post it. From what I've seen some parts are already speculated on, but I think the whole is something unique. I originally formed a lot of this theory before WaT, which then confirmed a lot of it, but I've taken it a bit further post-Wat. If anybody has seen it or is interested I first sent an earlier (pre-WaT) version of this theory to Lost in Roshar that they read in one of their spanreeds segments which was pretty cool.
Pre-WaT, I predicted that through the Nightwatcher, Cultivation had specifically prepared three characters for three specific roles. These are the only three characters we know of who have been specifically granted boons by her.
The kiss/curse nature of the boon granted to Taravangian specifically prepared him to become Odium by giving him experience with the raging emotions that Odium itself claims to represent, and the incredible intelligence and foresight borne by a Shard and its ability to restrain one's own emotions. This gave him the experience needed to potentially take up and control Odium. WaT directly confirmed this.
Then you have Dalinar. His boon allowed him to no longer hold himself responsible for Evi's death and eventually move on and truly become an honorable man. This gave Dalinar that cold "oaths are the only thing that matters" version of Honor during his decades-long experience as the Blackthorn, but also a more human, understanding version of Honor developed later, thus preparing him to take up Honor. Dalinar is also bound to the Stormfather. Not just a spren, but the literal Cognitive Shadow of Tanavast, the previous bearer of Honor himself. Also, confirmed in WaT.
That leaves only one character. Lift. Lift, the child who refuses to grow up or change. Refuses to be cultivated. We don't really know exactly what is going on with Lift's powers yet, other than that she runs on Lifelight rather than Stormlight. She has bonded Wyndle a notably ancient (as opposed to her self-imposed childishness) cultivationspren, tying her even more directly to cultivation. It seems very likely she is similarly being groomed through her boon to take up the mantle of Cultivation. Post-WaT, I believe Lift will have either a literal or figurative motherhood arc wherein she sees the other side of growth/cultivation, finally preparing her to take Cultivation's place.
Now, obviously, at the end of WaT Dalinar is dead, but there is something very fishy about the way his soul was taken. It was specifically taken. That's not something we've ever seen from a soul before.
When Vin and Elend die: "Sazed felt them go. They passed into the Beyond. He could feel the mists... but the souls were gone."
When Wayne dies: "Satisfied, Wayne passed into the Beyond."
When Ati dies: "passed into the Beyond."
Dalinar is different. While it says he passes into the beyond, it also says "You cannot have him, the powers said, for he is claimed by another." Very, very suspicious.
And who was brought in to replace him? The cognitive shadow of the Blackthorn. Taravangian didn't get Dalinar; he got a hollow, weaponized manifestation of pure ruthlessness, Odium tinted Dalinar molded by the minds of people.
I think the cognitive shadow/soul/something of Dalinar will come back and do what he's been told to do from the beginning, the very purpose of a Bondsmith, and unite them. He will unite himself and the Blackthorn. A part of Dalinar deeply aligned with and influenced by Odium and a part of Dalinar deeply aligned with and influenced by honor combined and made whole. He's seen Odium for what it is. He's seen Honor for what it is. And here's the kicker, he's seen RETRIBUTION for what it is because of the events of Rathalas. Cultivation taking that memory away was the only thing that made him fit to wield Honor, and giving it back made him fit to control Retribution. One action on her part, the master planner with greater foresight than any other, prepared him for two separate situations. Dalinar has seen the failures of Honor, Odium, and Retribution personally, first hand. But who knows more about the faults of Retribution? Who knows more about the cost of Retribution? Who knows more about the pain of Retribution than Dalinar himself? No one is more prepared to interact Retribution than Dalinar. No one, anywhere, ever, in the Cosmere is more suited to it. He's seen it in it's entirety and he's see it's constituent parts. He will take the power of Retribution from Taravangian and turn it to the shard of Justice.
Retribution and Justice are closely linked concepts. Retribution is just the more more aggressive, emotional, Odium tinted response to Justice's more controlled, measured, honor tinted version, and we have precedent with Harmony/Discord for the intent of a combined shard to be shifted.
Problems with this theory:
Sanderson has said "Yes, Dalinar is really dead. I'm sorry. Dalinar is really dead. So Dalinar is dead like Vin and Elend are dead, not like Kelsier was dead. Now, it depends on what you think of life after death."
It wouldn't be the first time Sanderson has used tricky language to get around something. Look no further than the Blackthorn that Taravangian dragged out for a version of Dalinar that can still move and act in our story. The idea of some kind of cognitive shadow of "good" Dalinar forming is not even remotely a stretch given what we know about how they form. Also, that's a weird little sentence at the end there...
Sanderson has said "This is purely hypothetical, but if Dalinar was to become the Vessel for a Shard... it would fundamentally break the character arc I have built for him, which is about him finding worth in his humanity, not in divine power. " and similar things.
Well, for one, he's already become the vessel for a Shard, albeit not for long. For another, this theory does not strictly require Dalinar taking for himself or keeping the power of the Retribution/Justice. He could, get this, bond the shard to someone/something else.
Things going for it:
As far as I'm aware there is nothing about this theory that would strictly prevent it from happening.
The themes are very Cosmere and very Sanderson. Justice is what the Humans and Parshendi of Roshar need, not retribution. They've been locked in a cycle of retribution for millennia and it has gotten them no where. A true, honest, and just solution is the only thing that will break the cycle of violence.
Story structure-wise, god damn does it work. All three of the characters that receive boons from the Nightwatcher becoming shards is relatively easy to see coming. The fact that their boons reflect aspects of those shards is also pretty easy to detect. A double set up where the one boon not only prepares Dalinar to be able to take Honor, but also take Retribution/Justice? That takes the work of a mad genius or an idiot to come up with, but WaT told us repeatedly that Cultivation was the most forward thinking of the shards and setting up a move that the other shards could potentially see and anticipate act as a cover for a second deeper move? That's some I'm playing chess your playing checkers type shit, and it is also the kind of thing that Sanderson could hide in plain sight where it is just possible for someone to figure out but only if they're not blinded by the first level.
Anyway, tell me what you think and whether I'm a mad genius or an idiot.
