Editing Fain

{{lifeform
|world=Yolen
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Dragonsteel (series)|Dragonsteel]], [[Tress of the Emerald Sea]]
}}
The '''fain''' or '''fainlife''' is a class of lifeforms on [[Yolen]].{{au ref|scadrial}} Fain creatures generally have six limbs.{{wob ref|16020}}

Two of the three sapient species from Yolen, the [[Sho Del]] and [[Dragon (cosmere)|dragons]], are fain;{{wob ref|9676}}{{wob ref|16020}} the Sho Del fill the same niche in the fain ecosystem that humans fill in the normal one.{{wob ref|14342}} Another form of fainlife is [[Tamu Kek]]s, bones that are somehow similar to [[singer]] [[gemheart]]s and can be used for inter-[[Realmatic Theory|Realm]] communication in some way.{{wob ref|10319}}{{wob ref|14644}}

Though it originated on Yolen, the fain ecosystem has spread beyond that planet in significant ways.{{wob ref|15333}}{{wob ref|15686}} Knowledge of its existence is not uncommon among [[cosmere]]-aware people after the [[Shattering of Adonalsium]]; when discussing how [[Ruin]] and [[Preservation]] used the Yolish ecosystem as a model for [[Scadrial]], [[Khriss]] is able to mention without further explanation that "of course" this means the non-fain parts.{{au ref|scadrial}}

== Unpublished Works ==
{{unpublished|books=s ''[[{{b|liar}}]]'' and [[Dragonsteel Prime|''Dragonsteel'' Prime]]}}
In ''[[The Liar of Partinel]]'', the fainlife had rapidly grown to cover much of the planet, though humans eventually learned to keep it in check with something known as a '''trune ring''';{{wob ref|7825}}{{wob ref|13991}} '''trune''' was the name given to the regular, non-fain ecosystem.{{wob ref|14409‎}} A type of fainlife known as '''skullmoss''' heralded the advance of further fainlife. Its leaves would sometimes drift across a trune ring and some cities would gather them up and burn them, though this was not strictly necessary. Merely interacting with the fainlife was safe and some cities even used fain wood for construction, but eating any amount of fainlife was deadly to humans.{{wob ref|13991}}

In [[Dragonsteel Prime|''Dragonsteel'' Prime]], the Yolish version of the [[Shattered Plains]] was the only connection between the fain and non-fain parts of the world. At the Shattered Plains, Sho Del fought humans for a material known as Dragonsteel. According to [[Jerick]], at least some Sho Del had also made it past the Shattered Plains and killed civilians, and had attempted to kill his king.{{bws ref|page=dragonsteel-prime-chapter-31-bridge-four-4|text=''Dragonsteel'' Prime Chapter 31|date=2017-10-11}} In this draft, Tamu Keks were long, thin bones that came to a point at both ends that could be found on Sho Del; Jerick was able to sense the power coming off them and warned one of his companions not to touch them.{{bws ref|page=dragonsteel-prime-chapter-33-bridge-four-5|text=''Dragonsteel'' Prime Chapter 33|date=2017-10-16}}

In the non-canonical work ''The Traveler'', fainlife is described as looking like ordinary flora, though the plants and land overtaken by it are bone-white.{{wob ref|9518}}

== Trivia ==
* The Sho Del, dragons, and Tamu Keks are some of the few things from ''Dragonsteel'' Prime that are still part of the cosmere.{{wob ref|14645}}
* When writing ''[[Rhythm of War]]'', Brandon debated whether to have the communication box that [[Mraize]] gave to [[Shallan]] contain a [[seon]] or a Tamu Kek, but eventually settled on making it a seon because they have personalities whereas Tamu Keks are just bones.{{wob ref|14644}}
* The fainlife ecosystem was built from Brandon thinking about what sort of ecology would likely give rise to dragons and about what other evolutionary strains would exist in such an ecology.{{wob ref|16156}}

== Notes ==
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[[Category:Dragonsteel]]
[[es: Fain]]