Rosharan subastral

Map of Shadesmar, the Cognitive Realm

Shadesmar is the Cognitive Realm, though its very existence was kept secret until the release of The Way of Kings. So far the only known characters to travel there are Hoid, Shallan Davar and Jasnah Kholin. Hoid's method for travelling there is not yet known.

Appearance

“... a place with a black sky and a strange, small white sun that hung on the horizon ... Flames hovered nearby ... Like the tips of candles floating in the air and moving with the wind ... An endless dark sea, except it wasn't wet. It was made of the small beads, an entire ocean of tiny glass spheres”

—Shallan Davar

Geographically it appears to be a reflection of Roshar, with its inland seas corresponding exactly to the shape of the land of Roshar.

Uses

It can be visited by those with an inherent Soulcasting ability in order to Soulcast. Entrance to Shadesmar is granted by beings that are theorised to be a type of spren. They appear in The Way of Kings to Shallan Davar and Elhokar Kholin, and one of these beings (unofficially called a symbolspren) is described by Shallan as

“a figure with a sharp, angular symbol hovering above its collar instead of a head”

—Shallan Davar

To be granted entrance to Shadesmar, the person wishing to go there must speak a truth about themselves to the symbolspren. Whilst Shallan is in Shadesmar, a voice speaks to her and causes her to Soulcast. It is theorised that this voice also belongs to a symbolspren.

Hoid uses Shadesmar to travel between worlds. The Seventeenth Shard may also use Shadesmar for inter-planetary travel, although this is not confirmed.

Notes

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