Yolen

Yolen
Shards	None
Investitures	Yolish Lightweaving, Microkinesis
Universe	Cosmere

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“There is an original, shrouded and hidden somewhere in the cosmere. I've yet to find it, but I have found stories. ”

—Khriss

Yolen is a planet in the cosmere where the Shattering of Adonalsium happened. It's the homeworld of all the original Vessels, along with Hoid and Frost. The inhabitants of Yolen are called the Yolish.

Geography and Ecology

Very little is known about Yolish geography, other than that it has some unusual features. Its gravity and other measurements are considered the cosmere standard, also called the galactic standard, by cosmere-aware scholars like Khriss and Nomad. Its ecology is divided into two distinct parts. Parts of it are similar to post-Catacendre Scadrial, with similar flora and fauna. These parts are called trune. Other parts are covered in fainlife, a poorly-understood, parasitic ecosystem hostile to humans. Although fain has the shape of ordinary flora, the plants and land overtaken by it are bone-white. There is something similar to a perpendicularity on Yolen, despite the lack of a Shard.

One form of known fainlife are Tamu Keks, which are similar to singer gemhearts, and can be used for inter-Realmatic communication.

Yolen is home to three sapient races: humans, dragons and Sho Del. By Rosharan year 1174, Frost is the only known inhabitant, and though there are more people living there, the Yolish population is rather small. While not all humans originated from Yolen, it was the first world on which they've appeared. Many languages currently in use across the cosmere are derived from Yolish ones.

Yolen has a strange astronomy that would be impossible under ordinary laws of physics.

Yolen has a perpendicularity.

Culture

On Yolen, Dragons were seen and worshipped as gods. Before the Shards started getting involved with other planets, Yolen was one of the most technologically advanced planets in the cosmere, having reached the Bronze Age.

History

Yolen is one of the oldest inhabited worlds in the cosmere, and the first on which humans have appeared. It's also the world of Adonalsium, the entity believed to be the cosmere's creator deity. At some point, fain either appeared or traveled there, and began spreading, overtaking the original landscape. After some time, the original inhabitants learned how to deal with it and keep it back.

Eventually, Yolish society advanced to the Bronze Age, making it the most advanced planet in the cosmere during this period.

At several points in Yolen's history, Microkinesis was misused to explosive effect and resulting in disastrous consequences that are not fully understood.

People worldhopped to other planets on rare occasions over Yolen's history.

“I learned it many, many years ago from a man who didn't know who he was, Your Majesty. It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died. But that is unimportant.”

—Hoid referencing Yolen while explaining his style of storytelling to Siri.

The Shattering of Adonalsium

At some point, sixteen Yolish people, not all of whom were human, came together to kill Adonalsium for various reasons. The Shattering of Adonalsium, as it came to be known, dramatically altered the entire cosmere. All Investiture that once belonged to Adonalsium was divided between the Shards created by its death, and the preexisting magic systems were altered in how they functioned.

Following the Shattering, most Shards left Yolen to go their own separate ways. Many humans have also abandoned it, spreading across the cosmere. Over the following millennia, it has become hidden in some way, shrouded from prying eyes, making reaching and researching it extremely difficult. By the time of the True Desolation on Roshar, its remaining population is small.

Magic

Yolen appears to have several magic systems, though only two are known.

Lightweaving

For more information, see Yolish Lightweaving.

Lightweaving is the cosmere's original illusion magic. It's capable of creating auditory and visual manifestations, either independent or attached to a host. It can produce disguises, as well as alter the appearance of other substances, like smoke. It's most similar to the Surge of Illumination from Roshar, albeit less restrictive, not requiring a spren bond. Hoid learned this original form of Lightweaving on Yolen.

The Shattering appears to have changed something in Lightweaving, as the original magic is only semi-functional.

Microkinesis

For more information, see Microkinesis.

Prior to the Shattering, Yolen was host to some form of magic related to the manipulation of atomic particles, known as axi. The power allows its users to observe atoms and interact with them directly, although they are incapable of creating nuclear fission. Axi can also be used to refer to the smallest theoretical division of matter.

Notable Yolish

• Hoid
• Frost
• Xisisrefliel
• Leras (Preservation)
• Ati (Ruin)
• Tanavast (Honor)
• Uli Da (Ambition)
• Edgli (Endowment)
• Aona (Devotion)
• Skai (Dominion)
• Rayse (Odium)
• Bavadin (Autonomy)
• Koravellium Avast (Cultivation)
• Invention's Vessel
• Mercy's Vessel
• Whimsy's Vessel
• Valor's Vessel
• Virtuosity's Vessel
• Vessel of an Unknown Shard

Trivia

• Brandon Sanderson named Yolen after Jane Yolen, who wrote Dragon's Blood, one of the early fantasy books he read.
• The tree branch with writing on it from Mraize's collection comes from Yolen.
• The Shattered Plains, as well as the Bridge Four plot and the character of Lunamor, were originally on Yolen. Brandon moved them to Roshar upon seeing concept art made by Ben McSweeney for The Way of Kings.
• There is a saying on Yolen: "May two worlds become one to you." This is not referring to Realms.
• While gods existed and died on Yolen prior to the Shattering, these gods were not Shards. Current information suggests these gods were dragons.
• Yolen is the setting of the unpublished novels The Liar of Partinel, The Lightweaver of Rens and Dragonsteel Prime. Dragonsteel proper, the prequel to the cosmere as a whole, will be set there.

Notes

This page is probably complete!

This page contains most of the knowledge we have on the subject at this time.
It has yet to be reviewed.