[WaT] Theory on ___ whereabouts and why ___ is not gone

Very spoilery hypothesis ahead!

After reading Wind and Truth, and all of the great theorising from the community, there are more secrets than ever to dig into. I can't get passed one specific question however:

Will we see Dalinar again?

And I know that Brandonalsium has been very clear that once characters go into the beyond, they are gone. I also know why that's important for the integrity of the cosmere as a series, for character deaths to mean something.

I'll keep this short, but I have a very loose hypothesis on why Dalinar might be the exception, and it comes down to the line in WaT, chapter 145

"You cannot have him, the powers said, for he has been claimed by another"

Here are the other questions this relates to:

  • What is "Beyond"?
  • Who is the "God Beyond"?
  • Where is Valor and how are they hidden from other shards?

I hypothesise that Valor is hidden in or near the Rosharan system, out of sight of other shards, in the beyond.

In this position, Valor has claimed Dalinar for a later use as he has been particularly Valorous, and will be needed in future battles.

My mind keeps coming back to Vorin teachings about the Tranquiline Halls, and the similarities to the Norse Myth of Valhalla - Valhalla being a Viking Paradise where warriors go after a valorous death, ready to fight in Ragnarok. I don't think I need to mention the comparisons between the Alethi warrior culture and Vikings.

What if this is a similar concept, where Valor is collecting the most Valorous beings before they go to the beyond? What if Valor is the God Beyond and has strategically placed itself so that it can connect to the most Valorous among the cosmere?

There are a couple of other questions this could relate to but I can't quite connect the dots yet:

  • Was the 4th moon Valor's equivalent
  • if so, why did the moon crash and what was the impact?
  • Is there something about braize's ability to attract souls that is at work here?

Keen to get your thoughts! Also apologies for no references to book chapters, death rattles or WOBs, I am new to this.