Lifeless
| Lifeless | |
|---|---|
| World of Origin | Nalthis |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Awaken to my Breath, serve my needs, live at my Command and at my word. ”
Lifeless are a type of magical entity originating on the shardworld Nalthis, created by Awakening. They are classified as Type Two Biochromatic Entities: Mindless Manifestations in a Deceased Host.[2]
When an Awakener infuses a skeleton or a corpse (typically human) with a Breath, it becomes animate without becoming fully alive. This creature is then able to follow specific Commands much like any other Awakened creation.
However, Lifeless differ from other Awakened objects in several ways. Firstly, the Breath used to animate them cannot be reclaimed by the Awakener.[1] Secondly, they are much more flexible and intelligent in obeying orders; this is ascribed to the fact that they have a brain and are therefore less reliant on the cognitive impulse from the Awakener to determine their actions. Thirdly, they can be given further Commands, or have their previous Commands rescinded, without an infusion of more Breath.
Appearance
A Lifeless has all color drained from it upon its creation, bleeding to grey, the Awakening feeding off the body’s own colors to help fuel the transformation.[1] While their clothing is not drained of color, lifeless, like Clod, are often dressed in muted colors or greys.[3] They do not need to breath and their muscles do not involuntarily twitch, so they appear as still as a statue when they are not moving. Lifeless came in as many shapes and sizes as people.[4]
Self-Awareness
The soul of a Lifeless is so diminished that, while it is possible to make a Hemalurgic spike from one, you could only get the barest hint of a charge, producing a very weak spike.[5] Nonetheless, Lifeless retain a certain amount of self-awareness after their Awakening, although the implications of this are as yet unexplored.[6] The Lifeless known as Clod seems to help Vivenna beyond his Commands on multiple occasions.[7]
Command
All Awakening works by way of the Command, but Lifeless are particularly valuable because anyone can give them Commands after they have been created. So long as someone knows the Lifeless' security phrase, they can imprint that Lifeless with new Commands. This is not true for regular Awakened objects, which can only take a Command once in advance. In addition to this, Lifeless can remember a long list of complicated orders and are generally good about not misunderstanding them. Denth believes that this is because they retain a bit of their humanity.[3]
Maintenance
A Lifeless will remain animate and useful for several years as long as the body remains in good condition. This period of usefulness may be extended by injecting ichor-alcohol into the blood vessels of the Lifeless.[2] Physical damage to a Lifeless may be repaired to an extent; lacerations may be sewn shut, damaged muscles replaced.[8] Yet in time the accumulated modifications lessen its resemblance to a living thing, making it more difficult for Breath to keep it functioning as intended.[9]
Lifeless are useful soldiers due to the fact that they do not feel pain and require very little maintenance and no food[10]. Furthermore, the Lifeless retains a measure of the skill that it possessed when alive.[8] This makes it exceedingly economical to reuse the dead soldiers in one's army as Lifeless, as doing so saves money on training costs as well as upkeep.
Cultural Views on Lifeless
Hallandren
In Hallandren, lifeless are seen as emotionless tools.[10] They can be found guarding shops, acting as packmen, and sweeping walkways in the wealthier districts of T'Telir.[4] In wealthier areas, Lifeless aren't plentiful, but they also aren't uncommon and few will take heed of a lifeless performing mundane labor.[4] While they are not uncommon, most people will give them a wide berth. [3]
Idris
Just as Breaths and Awakening are seen as taboo in Idris, Lifeless are seen as the most unholy of abominations. Idrians believe that a person’s body shouldn’t be abused by making it come back to life and serve someone.[10]
Interactions with other Magic Systems
Corpses that have been Soulcast into stone could be Awakened, however, this will not reanimate the person who died. The existing Spiritual Connection of the deceased person, and the shape of the Soulcast stone, however, will make the stone easier to Awaken.[11] Unlike Kalad's Phantoms, corpses Soulcast into stone do not need bones imbedded in the rock to be Awakened.[12]
A spren that has had their cognitive form pulled into the Physical Realm will have a new body spontaneously form organs and muscles, but the spren will die within minutes.[13] These bodies can be made into Lifeless.[14]
Lifeless can tap unsealed metalminds, although some metalminds might cause the Lifeless to stop being a Lifeless.[15]
Trivia
- Around the time he wrote Warbreaker, Brandon has hoping to include a Lifeless viewpoint character in the Warbreaker sequel;[6] it is unknown whether or not this is still the case.
- An Awakener who is turned into a Lifeless using their own Breath, could theoretically reclaim Breath from objects they had Awakened while alive.[16]
Notes
- ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 21#
- ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 46#
- ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 22#
- ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 25#
- ↑ Words of Radiance Dayton signing
— Arcanum - 2014-03-19# - ↑ a b Warbreaker Annotations
— Arcanum - 2011-03-21# - ↑ Warbreaker chapter 31#
- ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 33#
- ↑ Warbreaker Annotations
— Arcanum - 2010-12-09# - ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 19#
- ↑ Shadows of Self release party
— Arcanum - 2015-10-05# - ↑ Tor.com The Way of Kings Re-Read Interview
— Arcanum - 2014-06-10# - ↑ Rhythm of War chapter 111#
- ↑ FanX 2021
— Arcanum - 2021-09-16# - ↑ JordanCon 2021
— Arcanum - 2021-07-17# - ↑ /r/books AMA 2015
— Arcanum - 2015-07-30#