OKAY so I’ve always had this vague theory in the back of my head that Ash and Taln would volunteer to go back to Braize for a bit to ‘hold the line’ and buy everyone a little more time, and that would be the 15 year gap between book 5 and 6.
Now I always assumed it would be those two because they are Heralds and I thought they were the only ones who could do it because they’re bound by the Oathpact.
But then. The Syl interlude happened. She said that Bondsmiths were around for a long time, and that a Bondsmith made the Oathpact. And guess who she conveniently told that too?? DALINAR.
So what if Ash and Taln volunteer to go back to Braize, and Dalinar remembers that vital bit of info and is like “No, you’ve done more then enough for us. It’s our turn to fix things, allow some of us to go in your place” AND THEN USES HIS POWERS TO ADD PEOPLE TO THE OATHPACT??
Or alternatively, since we know that Nale and Kelek are trying to build a fabrial that lets them leave Roshar, what if some of the Heralds sever their connection to the Oathpact and that causes it to weaken further and Dalinar uses his powers to add people to replace them? And then the volunteers kill themselves to send themselves to Braize in order to buy everyone that 15 year time span so they can regroup and set up a new plan to defeat Odium?
