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{{magic
'''BioChromatic Breath''', also known simply as '''Breath''', is the power of life on [[Nalthis]]. Every living being is born with a certain BioChromatic Investiture.{{book ref|wb|46}}{{annotation ref|wb|46}} Humans are able to use their Breath to perform [[Awakening]] as well as gaining benefits from having more than one Breath.▼
|related=[[Awakening]], [[Endowment]]
|type=[[Investiture]]
|world=Nalthis
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Warbreaker]]
}}
▲'''BioChromatic Breath''', also known simply as '''Breath''', is the
== BioChroma and Awakening ==
[[Awakening]] is the process by which an Awakener uses his stored BioChromatic Breath to animate an object. To do so, he issues a [[Command]] in his native tongue while visualizing the action he wants the object to complete. The Commands are the key part of Awakening, and the skill of an Awakener depends on his ability to use Commands correctly.
The process causes some portion of the Awakener's stored Breath to exit his body and become Invested in the Awakened object. Depending on the object, it may require any where from one to one thousand (or more) Breaths. Furthermore, color is drained from nearby objects as fuel for the Awakening process. This can manifest, for example, as a red scarf being bleached grey.
While anyone can benefit from possessing a Breath, a non-Nalthian possessor would 'probably have to jump through some hoops to Awaken' with it.{{
== Types of BioChromatic entities ==
[[Vasher]]
=== Type I ===
Spontaneous Sentient BioChromatic Manifestations in a Deceased Host, also known as the [[Returned]], are the only known natural BioChromatic entity. They retain sentience after being Returned (by [[Endowment]]) following death, and are endowed with a divine Breath. Returned are able to Awaken normally using any Breaths on top of their divine Breath,{{book ref|wb|55}} but giving away the divine Breath results in death.
The '''divine Breath''', a single powerful Breath that grants the powers of the first five Heightenings, is a [[Splinter]] of [[Endowment]].{{
===Type II===
Mindless Manifestations in a Deceased Host, also known as the [[Lifeless]], are non-sentient reanimated human remains. They have a functioning brain, and are able to interpret old Commands and have new Commands given.▼
▲'''Type II BioChromatic entities''' are Mindless Manifestations in a Deceased Host,
Type II entities are cheap to make, even with awkward Commands. This is due to the Law of BioChromatic Parallelism. However, Breath sticks so firmly to the construct that it is impossible to remove afterwards. They are able to be Awakened using a single Breath using the right Command, the knowledge of which was a contributing factor to the [[Manywar]]. [[Ichor-alcohol]] can also replace the blood of the remains to make the Awakening process easier.▼
▲Type II entities are cheap to make, even with awkward Commands (used to cost 50 breaths before the Manywar). This is due to the Law of BioChromatic Parallelism. However, Breath sticks so firmly to the construct that it is impossible to remove afterwards
Once a '''Lifeless''' is created, it will obey any instructions given to it that include a pre-determined '''Command Phrase'''(similar to a password). Human Lifeless are able to understand more abstract instructions than animal Lifeless. However, the skill of the [[Awakener]] who Awakens the Lifeless also affects its ability. Any Lifeless will retain a level of skill that it had in life. For example, a soldier's corpse would make a better soldier Lifeless than that of a farmer's.
The Lifeless can function for a long time if cared and repaired. Lifeless can withstand wounds, but too much damage will eventually cause the Lifeless to cease activity, which means that Lifeless bodies need to be maintained and repaired (e.g. by sewing its wounds shut) when needed, otherwise they are going to need a new breath. One innovation in Lifeless maintenance is the use of [[ichor-alcohol]], a substance discovered by [[Yesteel]] that could act as blood for Lifeless and that greatly prolongs their viability.
Lifeless created from bones encased in stone have the advantage of being extremely resilient and not needing [[ichor-alcohol]]. It is also possible to make stone Lifeless by transforming a dead body to stone (e.g. via [[Soulcasting]]) before Awakening it.{{wob ref|2781}}
The discovery of how to create Lifeless with just a single Breath eventually led to the Lifeless armies of the [[Manywar]]. One example of a single-Breath Lifeless Command is ''Awaken to my Breath, serve my needs, live at my Command and my word.''.
===Type III===
The process generally thought of as [[Awakening]] creates Type III entities, a BioChromatic manifestation in an organic host far removed from being alive. Examples include Awakened ropes, cloth, or skeletal remains. ▼
▲The process generally thought of as [[Awakening]] creates '''Type III entities''', a BioChromatic manifestation in an organic host far removed from being alive. Examples include Awakened ropes, cloth, or skeletal remains.
They are between the two extremes of inorganic objects and dead bodies. Therefore, these have the advantage of requiring less Breath (still more than corpses, often over one hundred) to Awaken than inorganic objects while at the same time allowing for Breath recovery. They have the strength to easily strangle people. The more it resembled living beings, the easier it is to be Awakened, so a skilled Awakener would prepare human-shaped and organic clothes for Awakening purposes. When Awakened, it tends to mimic living things, forming muscle-like structures or shape of hand. They are understandably the most common type of BioChromatic host entities created. However, other types of BioChromatc hosts are generally more powerful.
===Type IV===
'''Type IV BioChromatic entities''' are sentient objects made by Awakening inorganic materials like metal and stone. This requires at least the [[Heightening#Ninth_Heightening|Ninth Heightening]]. [[Nightblood]], a sentient Awakened sword, is the only known object of this type. He was created by [[Shashara]] with the help of her husband [[Talaxin]], also known as Vasher, using a thousand Breaths and the Command "Destroy evil".
Nightblood is incapable of determining morality{{wob ref|3023}} and has a rigid way of thinking similar to a [[Spren]] on Roshar.{{wob ref|7257}} The large number of Breaths he contains also grants him incredible destructive power. The threat of more weapons like Nightblood being created eventually caused Talaxin to kill Shashara to prevent the knowledge of this form of Awakening from becoming public.
Stone is presumed to be similarly difficult to Awaken. However, Lifeless can be made by enclosing bones in stone, making near-indestructible warriors. [[Talaxin]] used this technique to create the legendary [[Kalad's Phantoms]].
[[Vivenna's Blade]] might also be a Type IV entity, though it has not been confirmed.
==BioChromatic Laws==
''The closer a host is to a living shape and form, the easier it is to Awaken.''
This is easily understood since BioChroma is the power of life, and seeks patterns of life.{{book ref|wb|46}}
===Law of Comparability===
''The amount of Breath required to Awaken something isn't necessarily indicative of its power once Awakened.''{{book ref|wb|46}}
A good example is that a piece of cloth cut into a square and a piece of cloth cut into the shape of a man take very different amounts of Breath to Awaken, but will serve essentially the same function once Awakened.
The number of Breaths for each Heightening are approximate. Depending on the quality of Breath, it may take fewer Breaths to realize a Heightening. Furthermore, very little is known about the upper Heightenings (above the Sixth). Very few individuals amass such a store of Breath.
If enough Breaths are collected, they can start to affect the personality of the person holding them. "Breaths do bring some things along with them,", but they are not "terribly individual" depending on their original owner.{{wob ref|4631}} For example, [[Vahr]]'s resolve was strengthened because of the similar mindsets of those he collected his Breaths from, but the effect only manifested due to the large amount of Breaths he had.{{wob ref|4633}} This "could be an issue in some of the things that will happen in the next book".{{wob ref|4633}}
==Heightenings==
== Drab ==
'''Drab''' is the colloquial name for anyone in [[Hallandren]] without a Biochromatic [[Breath]]. Terms such as '''Dull''' or '''Faded One''' are also used.{{book ref|wb|3}}
Without Breath, colors lose their vibrancy and their other senses are dulled. Contrary to what many people believe in [[Hallandren]],{{book ref|wb|3}} being without a breath has significant negative effects. They feel less emotion and are more susceptible to depression. A person's allure decreases, as does the strength of their immune system. The latter stems from the fact that Breath acts as a sort of magical booster for the body, and thus the body doesn't need to build up immunity.{{wob ref|7329}}{{wob ref|7340}} Due to these facts, they typically have a shorter lifespan. Drabs lack life sense (the instinctive feeling to know if someone is watching them) and do not register on the life sense of others.{{book ref|wb|35}} A drab is also incapable of Returning.{{wob ref|10032}}
Many people sell their Breaths when they are short of cash, then spend their time trying to earn enough money to buy back a [[Breath]]. However, some people who gave their [[Breath]] to a [[Returned]] out of their beliefs cherish their status as a Drab.
If someone is made into a [[Lifeless]] before [[Endowment]] [[Returned]] that person, Endowment's gift of a divine [[Breath]] would come down, strike the Lifeless, and 'all kinds of craziness' would occur. They would end up as a 'drab god'.{{wob ref|1138}}
== Trivia ==
* Breath is specifically named BioChromatic Breath due to some of the [[Five Scholars]] having visited other more advanced worlds that had a more scientific approach to the study of Investiture.{{wob ref|1804}}
* A person from another Shardworld (or an Earth human) would have more Innate Investiture than a Drab, but less than someone with one Breath.{{wob ref|182}}
== Notes ==
[[category: Awakening]]
[[category: magic]]
[[Category: Splinters]]
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