Difference between revisions of "Cosmere"

The underlying mythology of the cosmere revolves around [[Adonalsium]], the power of creation, which was broken into sixteen pieces called [[Shard]]s. The Shards are effectively gods, and magic is derived from their power.

 

[[File:Shadesmar (TWoK).jpg|thumb|right|350px|A map of [[Shadesmar]]--a part of the Cognitive Realm{{qa ref|1070|3|Is Shadesmar just a name for the Cognitive Realm or is there a difference?|date=Mar 4th, 2014}}--from [[Roshar]]'s perspective. Expanses on this map represent other planets in the cosmere.]]

 

There are also other forces outside of things derived from Adonalsium. One is a force that opposes Adonalsium, which still exists{{qa ref|979|85|Before Adonalsium shattered, was it consciously opposed by something, be it people or another cosmic force? Is whatever opposed it still around?|date=Apr 15, 2013}}, and some say there are "subtle forces" being manifest, separate from Adonalsium, perhaps referring to the [[God Beyond]].{{qa ref|836|44|There are those who would say there are other subtle forces being manifest|date=Sep 22nd, 2012}}{{17s ref|post|274433|There is belief in a God who is not one of the Shards|date=June 5th, 2015}}

 

 

There are currently eleven known planets in the cosmere. Three of these planets (Ashyn, Braize, and Roshar) are known to be in the same solar system.{{17s ref|post|62323|Q&A at Spokane Barnes & Noble|date=09 August 2013}} Two of these, Threnody and First of the Sun, are minor Shardworlds.{{17s ref|topic|7544|Names of minor shardworlds|date=April 12th, 2014}} Note that the following chart lists Shards currently on the planet, and may have had other Shards there at other points in time.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Harmony]] is the combination of two Shards, [[Ruin]] and [[Preservation]], that are intermingled since they are under the control of [[Sazed|one individual]].{{qa ref|979|174|If Sazed were to die, would he drop the shards Ruin and Preservation, or would he drop the shard Harmony?|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} Harmony is referred to as a Shard,{{qa ref|642|10|Were Ruin and Preservation two shards or one?|date=Nov 21st, 2011}} though it is not one of the original sixteen Shards of Adonalsium.

 

{{for|Chronology|a more specific chronology of events and the books in which they occur}}

 

 

Little is known of the extremely distant past of the cosmere: the time before the Shattering of [[Adonalsium]] and the [[Shard]]s. It is not even clear who or what Adonalsium exactly is. Is it a god, the God? Is it a force, or person? It isn't clear if it was self-aware or not. Regardless, it is sometimes described as the power of creation,{{qa ref|727|45|The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself.|date=Oct 16, 2008}} possibly a thing with incredible amounts of Investiture (since Investiture is a piece of Adonalsium{{qa ref|1086|3}}), and a power which does not vanish.{{qa ref|977|196|Why does Preservation fueling Allomancy not weaken Preservation compared to Ruin?|date=Sep 2012}}{{qa ref|1116|3|Investiture can not be created or destroyed|date=Mar 25th, 2015}}

There was a force that opposes Adonalsium{{qa ref|979|85}} which created a weapon,{{qa ref|1103|1|There was a weapon created by the opposition of Adonalsium|date=Mar 4th, 2014}} but important specifics, such as if it is still around, or if it had played a role in Adonalsium's Shattering, are unknown. There was once a plot to destroy Adonalsium, which failed.{{qa ref|1104|1|Long ago there was a plot to destroy Adonalsium. It failed|date=Jan 6th, 2015}}

 

Through unknown means, Adonalsium was broken, in an event called the Shattering. Hoid was present,{{qa ref|747|11|Hoid was at the Shattering of Adonalsium|date=Mar 17th, 2012}} and due to Hoid being from Yolen, it is thought that this event occurred on Yolen. This Shattering happened intentionally,{{qa ref|1075|1|Was Adonalsium shattered intentionally?|date=Mar 5th, 2014}} and occurred all at once.{{qa ref|1109|2|Was Adonalsium shattered all at once?|date=Jan 6th, 2015}}

 

Adonalsium split into sixteen pieces, referred to as Shards of Adonalsium, each taking a particular facet, or [[intent]], of the greater power of Adonalsium. Sixteen people took up those Shards, effectively ascending into godhood. Hoid and [[the Recipient]] knew these sixteen people prior to their Ascension, as they were familiar with their original names.{{epigraph ref|sa1|23}}{{epigraph ref|sa2|69}}{{epigraph ref|sa2|70}} Some of these individuals and the Shard they took up are: [[Aona]] ([[Devotion]]), [[Skai]] ([[Dominion]]), [[Ati]] ([[Ruin]]), [[Leras]] ([[Preservation]]), [[Tanavast]] ([[Honor]]), and [[Rayse]] ([[Odium]]). Another individual who took up a Shard was [[Bavadin]], whose Shard's intent has been revealed in interviews with Brandon to be [[Autonomy]] . There are two more known Shards: [[Cultivation]], whose holder is female but otherwise unknown, and [[Endowment]], whose holder is not known.

 

At some point, some Shards traveled to other worlds. The Shards were now the primary source of magic in the cosmere,{{qa ref|979|160|Are there any magic systems in the cosmere that aren't shard based?|date=Apr 15th 2013}} and so they Invested some planets with their power, and in some cases, created humans and other species.{{book ref|mb3|76}}

 

The exact timeline of what the Shards did after the Shattering is not clear. Shards settled on specific planets, but could have gone to other places before residing upon the worlds they now stay.

 

Devotion and Dominion went to [[Sel]].{{epigraph ref|sa1|22}} During this early Selish era, magic was present on the planet, though different than the kinds seen later, utilizing the [[Dor]].{{17s ref|topic|2622|The things that they do in those books, couldn't have been done pre-splintering|date=Nov 29th, 2012}}

 

Ruin and Preservation, having intents that opposed each other so perfectly,{{qa ref|691|9|Because they're such perfect opposites|date=May 2010}} found themselves drawn to each other, which caused conflict. If Ruin tried to destroy, Preservation would stop him, and vice versa. At some point they both ended up on [[Scadrial]], but they could not act much without the other.{{epigraph ref|mb3|53}}

 

They came up with a deal: they would work together to create life, with the condition that Ruin would eventually get to destroy them.{{epigraph ref|mb3|54}} But Preservation wanted to create life that they had seen before--humanity{{book ref|mb3|76}}--and creating sapient life required more energy. Ruin was not willing to put in that extra energy, so Preservation did. This led to Preservation being slightly weaker than Ruin. Because of this, Preservation knew that Ruin would inevitably triumph and destroy what they created.{{epigraph ref|mb3|54}}

 

Preservation attacked Ruin with his mental power--the distinct mind controlling the Shard's power, rather than the power itself. This would trap Ruin's mind, making him mostly impotent.{{epigraph ref|mb3|55}} However, it cost almost all of Preservation's mind. Preservation knew that the moment he did this attack, he would not be able to help life on Scadrial. Preservation saw the future, creating the [[Terris Prophecies]], to give hope to humanity, and to let humanity know that he had a plan in mind.{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=81}} He also altered [[Allomancy]] so that there would be [[atium]] (and [[malatium]]) Mistings,{{qa ref|428|82| So he took out the most unlikely (difficult to make and use) metals for his sign to his followers|date=July 2009}}{{17s ref|post|89033|They were designed and created specifically to do what they did|date=Jan 23, 2014}} and set up his power--the mists--to Snap those Allomancers.{{epigraph ref|mb3|81}} And with that, Preservation gave up his mind, imprisoning Ruin in the newly created [[Well of Ascension]].

 

 

 

Odium wanted to become the strongest being in the cosmere.{{qa ref|1011|7|Odium wants to be the only Shard|date=Mar 16th, 2012}}{{qa ref|675|12|His goal is to destroy them all and be the only one left at his power level|date=Dec 15th, 2011}} He realized that if he ever took up another Shard, that Shard would change him, and Odium preferred his own.{{qa ref|944|8|Rayse knows this, and prefers to leave behind destroyed rivals as opposed to taking their power and potentially being overwhelmed by it|date=March 2013}} So, in his quest to become god of the cosmere, instead of absorbing all the other fifteen Shards, he decided to destroy the other Shards.{{qa ref|1011|7}} He developed a way to Splinter a Shard's power, and in the process, killing its holder.{{epigraph ref|sa1|22}}

 

Odium traveled to Sel for a short time to attack Devotion and Dominion, and Odium Splintered them.{{epigraph ref|sa1|22}} This left a lot of energy on Sel, and, with no release valve and entity to control the power, [[Shadesmar]] became incredibly hazardous on Sel.{{qa ref|944|7|Does Roshar have a similar problem, with Honor being Splintered?|date=March 2013|asker=Windrunner}} Selish magic itself changed,{{17s ref|topic|2622|The things that they do in those books, couldn't have been done pre-splintering|date=Nov 29th, 2012}} and perhaps the [[Dor]] was created--a force that can drawn upon but with no controlling entity. Odium left Sel after this event, and did not Invest any of his power on the planet.{{qa ref|944|7|Odium did not leave his power behind, one should note|date=March 2013}}

 

Before Odium's confinement on Greater Roshar, at an some unknown time, he also killed another Shard in addition to Devotion, Dominion, and Honor.{{qa ref|1091|3|Odium has killed at least one more Shard than the ones we know about|date=Nov 29th, 2014}} There is also a [[Survival Shard|Shard who just wants to survive]], presumably against Odium's onslaught.{{17s ref|topic|2652|Give us the name of a Shard's intent we have not seen before|date=Dec 9th, 2012}}

 

 

Hoid was deeply concerned about Odium's involvement on Sel, and thought that his war would lead to devastate the whole cosmere.{{epigraph ref|sa1|28}} He sent a letter{{epigraph ref|sa1|23}}{{qa ref|944|8|Though you may have read that Hoid has specific beef with Rayse|date=March 2013}} to a [[The Recipient|person]] (possibly a dragon{{epigraph ref|sa1|19}}) to call off his "friends of the [[Seventeenth Shard]]" and help join Hoid.{{epigraph ref|sa1|26}} The recipient of Hoid's original letter did not see things as Hoid, and said that the reason these events have occurred is because of their involvement.{{epigraph ref|sa2|66}} As such, he advocated nonintervention,{{epigraph ref|sa2|74}} where Hoid meddled a great deal, on all main worlds.

There is not a universal language for all cosmere worlds that these worldhoppers speak.{{qa ref|977|71|Is there one universal language?|date=Sep 2012}}

 

 

On Scadrial, the [[Well of Ascension]], that power that came from Preservation, could be utilized by humanity. For much of Classical Scadrian history, a person called the [[Hero of Ages]] by the [[Terris Prophecies]] would take up the power and become a protector of mankind. They would live the rest of their lives blessing people with the power of Preservation, renewing Ruin's prison, and watch over the world.{{qa ref|727|43|What was Vin supposed to do at the end of Well of Ascension?|date=October, 2008}} The power did not vanish, instead returning every 1024 years.{{qa ref|691|3|The well refills every 1024 years|date=May 2010}}

 

Thus, when a [[Terris]] [[Worldbringer]], [[Kwaan]], claimed that [[Alendi]] was the Hero of Ages,{{epigraph ref|mb2|13}} Ruin saw an opportunity. He altered the Terris Prophecies to fit Alendi more perfectly.{{epigraph ref|mb2|40}} Alendi came to persuade kings and all the Worldbringers who denied him that he was the Hero, and under the threat of the Deepness, Alendi was their leader.{{epigraph ref|mb2|23}}{{epigraph ref|mb2|24}} So, to defeat the threat of the Deepness, Alendi traveled to the mountains of Terris, where the Well of Ascension lay, to take up the power, and release it to eliminate the Deepness.{{epigraph ref|mb2|50}}

 

Kwaan, however, had a fabled memory, and noticed that the Prophecies had changed.{{epigraph ref|mb2|45}}{{epigraph ref|mb2|46}} But Kwaan was not able to persuade Alendi that he was not, in fact, the Hero after they had argued for so long to prove that he was the hero of legend.{{epigraph ref|mb2|52}} So Kwaan, knowing something was awry with the Well, tasked a nephew, [[Rashek]], who hated Alendi, to be Alendi's guide through the mountains.{{epigraph ref|mb2|53}}{{epigraph ref|mb2|54}} Since Rashek was a [[Feruchemy|Feruchemist]], Rashek and his friends were easy picks for Alendi. If Rashek could not lead Alendi astray, he was to kill him.{{epigraph ref|mb2|56}}

 

And Rashek did murder Alendi. Rashek took the power of the Well himself, and in those few moments of [[Ascension of the Lord Ruler|Ascension]], he tried to stop the Deepness by moving Scadrial itself closer to the sun, to burn the mists. To counteract the heat, he created the Ashmounts.{{epigraph ref|mb3|4}} He also altered humans on Scadrial, creating [[skaa]] and [[noble]]s. He learned of the [[Metallic Arts]], developing Hemalurgic constructs, and with the discovery of [[Allomancy]], he figured out a way to combine Allomancy and his Feruchemy to become immortal (through Compounding).{{epigraph ref|mb3|9}} Rashek would be the Lord Ruler, the Hero of Ages, and protect the world from Ruin.{{book ref|mb3|48}}

 

Ruin saw the Lord Ruler's poor use of the power and saw that the Lord Ruler would be an agent of spectacular destruction.{{book ref|mb3|63}} So, subtly, Ruin manipulated him to destroy. The Lord Ruler did do things to stymie Ruin, such as hiding [[atium]],{{book ref|mb3|71}} but Ruin's subtle manipulations took a toll on the man, and led to him subjugating his own people, among other atrocities. But as destructive as the Lord Ruler was, a thousand years later, the Well of Ascension was about to refill. The Lord Ruler planned to retake the Well's power,{{annotation ref|mb3|part=2|chapter=63}} and Ruin would not have that happen.

 

Ruin was free once again.

 

 

Ruin could now directly affect the world, but the power of Preservation--in the form of the mists--still protected the planet.{{epigraph ref|mb3|58}} Ruin had been weakened since the Lord Ruler hid his essence, [[atium]], and so Ruin and Preservation were balanced again. Ruin could not find the atium personally, as he could not see metal, and the [[Steel Inquisitors]], had spikes in their eyes, and so had this same flaw. So, Ruin continued to use his pawn, Vin, along with Elend, to find the atium for him.{{annotation ref|mb3|part=2|chapter=63}}

Vin eventually caught onto Ruin's ploys, and would not find the atium for him.{{book ref|mb3|67}} Because of this, Ruin sent his Inquisitors, along with Marsh, his main Inquisitor, to kill Vin.{{book ref|mb3|72}} Marsh, though almost entirely under Ruin's direct control, held a small bit of himself back, and he used that shred of humanity to tear the Hemalurgic earring from her.{{book ref|mb3|72}} Vin could now access the mists--Preservation's power--fully, and upon burning it, she ascended, becoming Preservation.{{book ref|mb3|44}}

 

 

Upon Vin's ascension, she tried to oppose Ruin, but learned that she could not do much, for Ruin would oppose her.{{book ref|mb3|76}} On the ground, Elend and Sazed discovered the atium, and Ruin immediately sent his forces to destroy them.{{book ref|mb3|79}}{{book ref|mb3|80}} Ruin, through Marsh, killed Elend, and Vin realized Preservation's plan. Preservation needed someone who could preserve, but also destroy, and Preservation was too touched by his Shard to destroy Ruin. Vin knew she had little left to live for without Elend, and so, directly attacked Ruin with her power. She pressed in, not shying back, and in the assault, killed Ruin and herself in the process.{{book ref|mb3|81}}

Odium became aware of Harmony, is scared of him,{{qa ref|1094|40|Is Odium mad about Sazed having two Shards?|date=Sept 4th, 2014}} and is making plans regarding him.{{17s ref|topic|5616|He has "plans" for Harmony, and he is very much aware of Harmony's power|date=Jan 24th, 2014}}

 

When Brandon was beginning writing and trying to get published, he loved gigantic epic fantasy series. He knew, however, that starting with a big series might not be the best idea. If he wrote four books in a series, and the first one didn't get published, he couldn't submit his sequels.{{qa ref|847|3}} He decided instead to focus on standalones and trilogies. Not only would they be easier to market to publishers, but Brandon also wanted people to trust his writing before digging into something bigger.{{qa ref|622|49|Where did your idea for the Cosmere originate?|date=Aug 31st, 2011}}

 

There is a distinct beginning, middle, and end to the cosmere sequence, and a clear sequence Brandon wants to tell.{{qa ref|1052|52|there's a beginning, middle, and end to the shattering of Adonalsium and the involvement there.|date=Mar 21st, 2014}} There's about 36 main cosmere books, and Brandon has three "core" cosmere series: [[Dragonsteel]], [[Mistborn (series)|Mistborn]], and [[the Stormlight Archive]],{{qa ref|1077|17|How many series in the cosmere?|date=Mar 7th, 2014}}{{qa ref|112|30|Is it safe to say The Stormlight Archive will become the backbone series of the story of the cosmere?|date=Apr 16th, 2014}} which are well-planned out.{{qa ref|622|120|How much of the Cosmere and its story would you say you already have a plan for?|date=Aug 21st, 2011}} Dragonsteel is the start of the cosmere sequence that will tell [[Hoid]]'s backstory{{qa ref|689|5|When will we see a Hoid book?|date=Nov 8th, 2011}} and, presumably, the Shattering of [[Adonalsium]]. Mistborn will have three big trilogies, its last one being science fiction, deals heavily with the cosmere{{qa ref|977|206|When will be see the whole Cosmere-concept (Shards, the plans of Hoid) at the level of the books?|date=Sep 2012}} and has travel between the different planets of the cosmere.{{qa ref|1076|8|Will you ever have characters use the different systems of magic openly in front of each other?|date=Mar 6th, 2014}} Stormlight Archive is set in the middle of the cosmere sequence.{{qa ref|988|4|What time period do they all fit in, do they all fit in time- at the same time?|date=Dec 6th, 2012}} Generally, the cosmere will not come into the forefront until Dragonsteel or the final Mistborn trilogy,{{qa ref|1076|7|Are you going to expand on the cosmere in its own book?|date=Mar 6th, 2014}} and the final Mistborn trilogy is one of the last cosmere series, if not the last. Brandon has said it will all fit together, and thinks we'll be impressed.{{qa ref|675|5|Do you ever feel stifled?|date=Nov 14th, 2011}}

 

At the start of Brandon's career, he wrote cosmere novels in chronological order, but there are books that are skipped, like Dragonsteel and White Sand,{{qa ref|988|4}} some of his earlier, unpublished novels. (Those unpublished novels would need to be rewritten from scratch, much like Brandon rewrote The Way if Kings.{{qa ref|810|24|Are you planning to revise these books that haven’t been published and to reinvent them, so to speak?|date=May 2012}}) He wanted these cosmere novels to not require knowledge of previous books in the hidden epic of the cosmere. Generally, clues to the cosmere are currently easter eggs, and will not be in the forefront. However, more hints to the greater universe are inevitable, and eventually the worlds will cross over and interact,{{qa ref|979|136|When do you expect to have more crossover between worlds|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} perhaps in the last Mistborn trilogy.

 

Brandon does generally plan out which cosmere hints to give to fans, but sometimes he gives hints on the fly. Usually, fans are able to pry much more than he initially intended to tell.{{qa ref|704|15|Do you decide what cosmere hints you'll let out before going to events?|date=Nov 14th, 2011}}

 

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The following are other confirmed upcoming cosmere stories.

 

*Era 4 Mistborn trilogy, the science fiction trilogy. [[Hoid]] is a main character of this.{{qa ref|689|5|Hoid is very involved in the third Mistborn trilogy|date=Nov 8th. 2011}} This will be one of the last known cosmere sequence, chronologically, and has much to do with the worlds coming together.{{qa ref|1076|7}}

 

The exact order of cosmere stories is difficult, as Brandon has typically not canonized it, as he wants to remain flexible for the behind-the-scenes stories with Worldhoppers and other unpublished works. An uncanonical timeline of the cosmere has the distance between the Shattering and the breaking of the [[Oathpact]] is about 6000 years.{{qa ref|1091|1|Current timeline, which I have NOT canonized, is around 6,000 years|date=Nov 29th, 2014}} Do not take that for exact fact, but it probably means that these time scales are in thousands of years, not millions of years.

 

[[Dragonsteel]] will be the beginning, before Elantris. Mistborn Era 3--the modern day trilogy--will be between the two halves of Stormlight Archive. Mistborn Era 4, the scifi trilogy is at the end.{{qa ref|112|30|Is it safe to say The Stormlight Archive will become the backbone series of the story of the cosmere?|date=Apr 16th, 2014}} [[Nightblood (book)|Nightblood]], the Warbreaker sequel, will be set closer to Warbreaker than Stormlight Archive.{{qa ref|1108|2|If you write Nightblood, the Warbreaker sequel, chronologically, will it come before or after Stormlight?|date=Mar 13th, 2014}}

 

The capitalization of the word "cosmere" is inconsistent at best from official sources. Generally, in the novels, like Stormlight Archive books, cosmere is uncapitalized,{{book ref|sa1|54}}{{epigraph ref|sa2|75}} but exclusively in [[The Alloy of Law]], its [[Ars Arcanum]] refers to it with a capital C.{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} Adding to the confusion, these Ars Arcanums are written by the same person,{{qa ref|988|10}} and [[Words of Radiance]]'s Ars Arcanum uses lowercase.{{book ref|sa2|part=ars}}

 

From interviews where Brandon types responses, Brandon sometimes capitalizes cosmere,{{qa ref|944|5}} and sometimes leaves it uncapitalized.{{qa ref|977|17|Hemalurgy really is an oddity in the cosmere|date=Sep 2012}} [[Peter Ahlstrom]], Brandon's assistant, has said that generally, cosmere is uncapitalized in books, but capitalized outside of them.{{tweet ref|607208955069100032|How is cosmere supposed to be capitalised?|date=June 6th, 2015}}

 

*[[Shard]]

*[[Adonalsium]]