Honorblade

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The Honorblades are the magical swords carried by the Heralds to fight the Voidbringers during the Desolations.

There are ten Honorblades total, one for each Herald. Every Honorblade is unique, covered in various glyphs and patterns. The respective hilts of each of the Heralds's Honorblades appear to be the same as the glyph that represents the order of Knights Radiant that that same Herald leads. Honorblades are technically a type of Shardblade but are likely more powerful. Honorblades can also be summoned and dismissed like a Shardblade. However, if the Herald holding the blade dies, the weapon itself vanishes too. It also doesn't automatically vanish when the holder accidentally lets go of it. One does not need to be a Herald in order to use an Honorblade either.

It seems apparent that the Honorblades are related to the Oathpact somehow. The Heralds all left them behind when the broke the Oathpact, so it is possible that they may have been what bound the Heralds to the Oathpact in the first place. Nine of the Honorblades were left stabbed into the rock at the location where the final battle of Aharietiam occured. It is unknown if they have been discovered. Talenel's Blade, which is shaped like a spike, is still with him when he returns to Roshar for the True Desolation.

Honorblades are not the same thing as the Dawnshards: Shallan refers to them as distinct things.

It has been theorized by readers that Honorblades inherently grant the ability to surgebind. Presumably each Herald's Honorblade would grant accesses to the same 2 surges of which their Knights Radiant order had access to. This theory is based off the fact Sanderson has confirmed in interviews that the character Szeth does not have a spren bonded to him in the same way Kaladin does, and so his power is granted to him by some other means.

Another hint that would seem to confirm this theory is from a preview of Words of Radiance in which Eshonai, a new Parshendi character viewpoint, is discussing what they witnessed of Kaladin's new powers in the climactic battle late in the first book. It's said "The humans have Surgebinders." to which Eshonai replies "Perhaps not. It could have been an Honorblade."

Notes

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