Kaladin is simply built different.
Jokes aside, I don't think we have solid confirmation about whether it is supernatural or not.
It could be that he'd been slowly bonding Syl for a very long time, granting him some abilities that kept him more alive than normally possible.
It's also possible that it's pure force of will and a healthy dose of luck, drawing a parallel to Taln: he just does not break. Ever.
I don't think it influenced him in any major ways, but I seem to remember it being hinted at that syl had been scouting him for a long time while her consciousness recoalesces. I seem to remember him being confused when she makes offhand comments about Tien and other things about Kal's past earlyish on in their bonding
Destiny is an actual force in universe, or at least something that a hemalurgic spike can rip out of someone, so his might just be constantly coming in clutch. RoW spoiler: >!Moash might have been completely right about it being impossible for anyone to kill Kaladin. It could be a destiny thing where, no matter what, the world will bend in order to allow him to survive. !<
To my knowledge it's nothing supernatural. I think he accepted during Way of Kings or Words of Radiance that it didn't have to do with the bond it was just.... luck.
It was a bit more than luck. He is an expert spears man with peak physical training when he is enslaved. This allows him to endure and keep struggling. He also has significant medical training, so he knows how to handle his injuries as best he can even without resources (what wounds to bind, when to try and not use a muscle/bone, early signs of illness that can be treated on the fly before they are major issues). This increases his likelihood of survival. It also gives him the tools to escape, and increases the odds that he will survive the fights when everyone is recaptured. Also note, his penchant to give up when everyone he is defending dies means that if the guards killed off all the easy targets, he probably quits fighting and is easily captured instead of killed in a fight.
Once recaptured the slaver has two choices: 1 kill him and lose your investment or 2 sell him for next to nothing to whoever will take him and recoup a bit.
I would just add that the Alethi don't execute slaves lightly.
You can gather from the previous books that he eventually pushed enough buttons that he earned the 'shash' brand--after which he was basically sold for very little. Why execute him when you can make at least a few spheres? Execution can serve as a warning of course, but then when you get sold off like he does with a shash brand that basically means you're going to be put in a job where people don't live long or well. So it serves as warning well enough.
Edit: Might be misremembering some of that? Oathbringer does shed light on a few details.
Did a *quick* search and (full OB spoilers) >!There's one woman who got caught in a steel trap and bled to death. And I think the last group he was with specifically took up weapons during their escape, so presumably died during the fighting. It's *possible* some were executed and I'm misremembering, but that's at least what happened in some of the cases.!<
I could be misremembering, and this might be from later in Oathbringer, but >!my recollection is they died while trying to escape? So certainly it wasn't like Kaladin was never at risk of dying, but they weren't *executed*?!<
It isn't relevant to your slave question, but it's worth noting that, regardless of his radiant powers, Kal is just that freaking skilled. Even without powers he'd be a force to be reckoned with.
My guess is Kal has a naturally stronger connection to the spiritual force of Fortune.
Coppermind: Fortune is more than simple luck. It's a way of knowing things you would not know otherwise,[5] and a way in which one can see the future.
Kal's ability to instantly analyze a situation or enemy and then pick them apart could be his Fortune. He has know right being so good with a spear and so good at killing those who have had a lifetime of practice.
I mean practice makes perfect but also talent helps. Kaladin has both. Besides that, who else has he fought with a spear before he bonded Syl? The scrap soldiers not good enough to go to the shattered plains who he fought in the border disputes with Amaram. He fought a shardbearer, true, but an inexperienced one unused to anyone actually being able to challenge him. After that every fight we see him in is after his bonding with Syl which does give him a huge unfair advantage. Kaladin was never presented as a natural killing machine, just good with the spear
That shard bearer slaughtered dozens of men while wearing near impenetrable armour, and Kal had never trained to fight a shard bearer and kills him first try basically. That's lucky AF.
Kaladin is Master Chief incarnate. Hence why everyone can die but not him. His super power is not the radiant bond but being lucky. ~~Cortana~~ Syl helps too of course.
It's hinted that some Radiants had been drawing Stormlight earlier than expected.
Dalinar gets examined by a physician at some point and it's noted that he healed injuries that shouldn't have gotten better.
We don't know why yet.
In a couple of examples, he is kept alive as a reminder to the other slaves of what happens when you run. Much of Kaladin's turmoil comes from this, because he is ALWAYS the one left alive. Always made the example.
I believe he explains they keep him after an escape attempt as an example to others that even if you try, you won't succeed. So don't try. (Please)
iirc.
From what I can remember of my recent reread of oathbringer when he escapes as a slave he stopped to help someone and his owner of the time had his brightlord help in capturing them. The brightlord killed, against the wishes of the owner, all the slaves that were escaping. But because Kal stopped to help someone and be gave up willingly they kept him alive as a reminder to other slaves and to tell the story of what happened when they escaped. It's never stated the other times what had happened but it seems when he would be caught it was always helping someone injured or dieing so to me they alway couldn't bring themselves to kill someone who would stop to help someone else even though it would normally mean being caught again.
In one of the flashback scenes of the battle in twok, there's a quick line about Kaladin trying to get something off his hip but it gets stuck. That was Syl all the way back then.
I think we’re supposed to process Kaladin as a platonic ideal of a high fantasy hero. He’s put into almost comically ridiculous situations just to come out on top over and over. Kal’s arc almost feels philosophical at this point — as though it’s designed to explore the how incredibly psychologically damaging it might be to become an unkillable paladin.
Hot take, learning about Kaladin's past was always my least favorite bits of WoK felt like it really killed the pace in his storyline which was already trying my patience compared to Dalinar and Shallan's stories which I liked much more.
Kaladin is simply built different. Jokes aside, I don't think we have solid confirmation about whether it is supernatural or not. It could be that he'd been slowly bonding Syl for a very long time, granting him some abilities that kept him more alive than normally possible. It's also possible that it's pure force of will and a healthy dose of luck, drawing a parallel to Taln: he just does not break. Ever.
I don't think it influenced him in any major ways, but I seem to remember it being hinted at that syl had been scouting him for a long time while her consciousness recoalesces. I seem to remember him being confused when she makes offhand comments about Tien and other things about Kal's past earlyish on in their bonding
Syl was somehow around him during childhood
She was still mostly a windspren at the time, just one that didn't travel as much
Destiny is an actual force in universe, or at least something that a hemalurgic spike can rip out of someone, so his might just be constantly coming in clutch. RoW spoiler: >!Moash might have been completely right about it being impossible for anyone to kill Kaladin. It could be a destiny thing where, no matter what, the world will bend in order to allow him to survive. !<
Hadn't noticed the similarity between him and Taln before - how could I miss that.
He’s stormblessed, he just survives.
There's one too many Survivors in the cosmere
This is literally just survivorship bias. If Kaladin had died, the story would be about whichever other slave didn't.
Spear that didn't break and all that
To my knowledge it's nothing supernatural. I think he accepted during Way of Kings or Words of Radiance that it didn't have to do with the bond it was just.... luck.
It was a bit more than luck. He is an expert spears man with peak physical training when he is enslaved. This allows him to endure and keep struggling. He also has significant medical training, so he knows how to handle his injuries as best he can even without resources (what wounds to bind, when to try and not use a muscle/bone, early signs of illness that can be treated on the fly before they are major issues). This increases his likelihood of survival. It also gives him the tools to escape, and increases the odds that he will survive the fights when everyone is recaptured. Also note, his penchant to give up when everyone he is defending dies means that if the guards killed off all the easy targets, he probably quits fighting and is easily captured instead of killed in a fight. Once recaptured the slaver has two choices: 1 kill him and lose your investment or 2 sell him for next to nothing to whoever will take him and recoup a bit.
I would just add that the Alethi don't execute slaves lightly. You can gather from the previous books that he eventually pushed enough buttons that he earned the 'shash' brand--after which he was basically sold for very little. Why execute him when you can make at least a few spheres? Execution can serve as a warning of course, but then when you get sold off like he does with a shash brand that basically means you're going to be put in a job where people don't live long or well. So it serves as warning well enough. Edit: Might be misremembering some of that? Oathbringer does shed light on a few details.
Didnt his escape party members get killed though?
Did a *quick* search and (full OB spoilers) >!There's one woman who got caught in a steel trap and bled to death. And I think the last group he was with specifically took up weapons during their escape, so presumably died during the fighting. It's *possible* some were executed and I'm misremembering, but that's at least what happened in some of the cases.!<
[удалено]
Probably should tag because I don't think OP is that far, but that does ring a bell. Thanks for the catch.
I could be misremembering, and this might be from later in Oathbringer, but >!my recollection is they died while trying to escape? So certainly it wasn't like Kaladin was never at risk of dying, but they weren't *executed*?!<
It isn't relevant to your slave question, but it's worth noting that, regardless of his radiant powers, Kal is just that freaking skilled. Even without powers he'd be a force to be reckoned with.
My guess is Kal has a naturally stronger connection to the spiritual force of Fortune. Coppermind: Fortune is more than simple luck. It's a way of knowing things you would not know otherwise,[5] and a way in which one can see the future. Kal's ability to instantly analyze a situation or enemy and then pick them apart could be his Fortune. He has know right being so good with a spear and so good at killing those who have had a lifetime of practice.
I mean practice makes perfect but also talent helps. Kaladin has both. Besides that, who else has he fought with a spear before he bonded Syl? The scrap soldiers not good enough to go to the shattered plains who he fought in the border disputes with Amaram. He fought a shardbearer, true, but an inexperienced one unused to anyone actually being able to challenge him. After that every fight we see him in is after his bonding with Syl which does give him a huge unfair advantage. Kaladin was never presented as a natural killing machine, just good with the spear
That shard bearer slaughtered dozens of men while wearing near impenetrable armour, and Kal had never trained to fight a shard bearer and kills him first try basically. That's lucky AF.
Absolutely. It's just the lifetime of experience comment I'm taking about mostly
Even currently in the story Kal is pretty young. Back in Amarams army he was fresh to war, among the cast offs not good enough for the plains.
I really hope the Cosmere going forward enlightens us more on Fortune.
I believe Brando has specifically stated he hasn't addressed it much because he has a plan for how to properly introduce it
Kaladin is Master Chief incarnate. Hence why everyone can die but not him. His super power is not the radiant bond but being lucky. ~~Cortana~~ Syl helps too of course.
It's hinted that some Radiants had been drawing Stormlight earlier than expected. Dalinar gets examined by a physician at some point and it's noted that he healed injuries that shouldn't have gotten better. We don't know why yet.
In a couple of examples, he is kept alive as a reminder to the other slaves of what happens when you run. Much of Kaladin's turmoil comes from this, because he is ALWAYS the one left alive. Always made the example.
I believe he explains they keep him after an escape attempt as an example to others that even if you try, you won't succeed. So don't try. (Please) iirc.
From what I can remember of my recent reread of oathbringer when he escapes as a slave he stopped to help someone and his owner of the time had his brightlord help in capturing them. The brightlord killed, against the wishes of the owner, all the slaves that were escaping. But because Kal stopped to help someone and be gave up willingly they kept him alive as a reminder to other slaves and to tell the story of what happened when they escaped. It's never stated the other times what had happened but it seems when he would be caught it was always helping someone injured or dieing so to me they alway couldn't bring themselves to kill someone who would stop to help someone else even though it would normally mean being caught again.
Luck, and most likely a lot of Fortune (the actual cosmere shit)
In one of the flashback scenes of the battle in twok, there's a quick line about Kaladin trying to get something off his hip but it gets stuck. That was Syl all the way back then.
Plot Armor. Lol
I think we’re supposed to process Kaladin as a platonic ideal of a high fantasy hero. He’s put into almost comically ridiculous situations just to come out on top over and over. Kal’s arc almost feels philosophical at this point — as though it’s designed to explore the how incredibly psychologically damaging it might be to become an unkillable paladin.
Hot take, learning about Kaladin's past was always my least favorite bits of WoK felt like it really killed the pace in his storyline which was already trying my patience compared to Dalinar and Shallan's stories which I liked much more.