Cryptic

Cryptic
by Joshua Carrenca
Type	Spren
Abilities	Nahel bond, Lightweaver magic, Splinters
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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“ One does not war with Cryptics, as one does honorspren. Cryptics have but one city, and do not wish to rule more. Only to listen. ”

— Ivory

Cryptics are a race of sapient spren that dwell primarily in the Cognitive Realm of Roshar. They are sometimes referred to as liespren.

Cryptics are the personification of the underlying mathematical truths that govern Roshar and the Cosmere. They are also one of the spren capable of forming Nahel Bond, granting the abilities of the Order of Lightweavers.

Appearance

In the Physical Realm, Cryptics manifest as complex, symmetrical geometric black patterns that are constantly shifting, slightly raised off a surface or object. On occasion, they can also manifest as a floating three-dimensional mass of twisting lines.

In Shadesmar, Cryptics take the form of tall, willowy figures in too-stiff robes that hang off them as if made from glass rather than fabric. Above their collars, where a human's head and face would be, they have a floating symbol full of impossible angles and geometries. Different individuals have slightly different head patterns.

History

by User:Sheep Cryptics watching over Elhokar

“ There were very few survivors. The one you call Stormfather lived. Some others. The rest, thousands of us, were killed when the event happened. ”

— Pattern

It's unknown whether the Cryptics were created deliberately by a Shard, or if they arose naturally from Roshar's loose investiture. During the Heraldic Epochs, the they, like many other sapient spren, began forming Nahel Bonds with humans, leading to the creation of the Order of Lightweavers. During the Recreance, vast majority of the older Cryptics died, leaving none alive to remember how the Nahel Bond worked.

Nonetheless, the Cryptics managed to recover somewhat, and by the late Era of Solitude, they ruled over one of the largest cities in Shadesmar, although they did not stray far from it often. They were one of the first spren groups to begin bonding humans again in anticipation of the True Desolation. Among others, they sent Pattern to bond with Shallan when she was only a child, as well as another Cryptic to bond with Tien, although only the former managed to bring the Bond to fruition, after long setbacks.

A group of them have been following Shallan for some time prior to her re-bonding Pattern. They also watched over Elhokar, unwittingly feeding his paranoia. They eventually sent another of their kind to bond with the king; however, Elhokar was killed before he could finish saying the First Ideal, and that Cryptic ended up bonding Hoid instead.

Culture

The Cryptics rule a city in Shadesmar, one that enjoys some renown. Unlike the honorspren, Cryptics do not have any inclination to conquer more territory, so other types of sapient spren do not war with them. They are content with listening and learning, but are seen as weird and discomforting even by other spren because of their fascination with lies and their mathematical approach to everything.

They are known to gather in groups wherever a falsehood is uttered. However, they do not like being called "liespren". A Nahel bond between a Cryptic and a human requires understanding truths as well as lies, and Cryptics themselves appear to be exceedingly honest. In fact, it is only through bonding with a human that a Cryptic could incorporate less straightforward ways to communicate like sarcasm and humor into his speech.

Cryptics as a whole are supportive of their members bonding with humans. One of the first Cryptics to do this in recent times is Pattern, who did so with the approval of his peers. Because of the Recreance, many of them believe that such a bond is a death sentence, but they also believe that the things they could learn from humans are worth it.

Abilities

Cryptics are one of the spren types capable of forming a Nahel Bond with humans. They grant their partner the power of Surgebinding with the Surges of Illumination and Transformation, making them a Lightweaver. Unlike with most Nahel Bonds, a Cryptic bond is progressed by uttering deep, personal truths about oneself by the bond holder, with the more powerful, impactful truths deepening the bond further. Past a certain point, the Cryptic gains the ability to transform into a shape-shifting Shardblade.

Cryptics are also able to let the Lightweaver peer into the Cognitive Realm. For inexperienced Lightweavers, they act as intermediaries in Soulcasting, relaying the words of souls to the Lightweaver. In fact, Cryptics have prodigious translation abilities, and seem capable of understanding any language, human on spren, with enough exposure. They are also adept codebreakers, a talent stemming from their in-depth understanding of mathematical patterns.

While in the Physical Realm, they can affect it in minor ways, allowing them to pick locks. Unlike other types of sapient spren, like honorspren or ashspren, Cryptics seem unable to turn invisible, meaning they have to hide in their environment to remain unnoticed.

Notable Cryptics

• Pattern - Shallan Davar's Cryptic, who bonded to her in childhood, but remained semi-dead after she used him to kill her mother. Even while their bond was dead, Pattern's presence allowed Shallan to see Cryptics hidden in the Cognitive Realm.
• Tien's Cryptic - a Cryptic who was attracted to Tien some time before the latter was forced to join the army. As Tien was killed in battle, the bond never came to fruition.
• Elhokar's and Hoid's Cryptic - the Cryptic who intended to bond Elhokar Kholin. While Elhokar was seeing Cryptics in mirrors for a while, he only began saying the First Ideal just before he died. Hoid later rescued the Cryptic from Kholinar and bonded it himself.

Trivia

• Before their name was revealed, Brandon said "truthspren" was a reasonably accurate way to refer to the Cryptics. This is perhaps a reference to the truth they require to strengthen their bond.
• If exposed to computers, Cryptics would like them very much, though they "might be offended that the computer isn't talking back to them, because they would think the computer's a pattern and should just be talking to them".
• The symbols that form the Cryptic's heads are not glyphs, but it is possible that readers would recognize them.
• In part four of Oathbringer, the group travelling through Shadesmar would originally encounter a pair of Cryptics in the lighthouse rather than Riino. This was eventually changed to give Kaladin a stronger motivation for travelling to Thaylen City rather than Cultivation's Perpendicularity.

Notes

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