Roshar
| Roshar | |
|---|---|
| |
| Shards | Honor, Cultivation |
| Investitures | Surgebinding, Old Magic, Voidbinding |
| System | Rosharan System[1] |
| Universe | Cosmere |
![[1]](#cite_note-Starchart_roshar_color.jpg-1){kind=link}
Roshar is the native name for the planet on which The Stormlight Archive is set. It is also the name of the supercontinent on which the main events of the series take place[2]. People from Roshar are called Rosharans.[3]
Nations
Roshar's population categorizes their history into a number of epochs. Most notable is the Silver Kingdoms Epoch, or the Heraldic Epoch, when the Knights Radiant kept the peace. They protected Roshar from their home, the great city of Urithiru. The Silver Kingdoms are:
In the the modern era, the Era of Solitude, the current division of countries and regions in Roshar are:
Calendar
The Rosharan calendar is divided up into ten months, with ten weeks each. Both the months and the weeks are named after the numbers on the Ars Arcanum, and are sometimes combined into abbreviations. Such abbreviations have the full name of the month and two suffixes, for week and day. Each week is five days, so the year in Roshar is 500 days, ultimately defined by the time between two Weepings.[4] Although the Rosharan year is 500 days long, these days are shorter than on Earth and a Rosharan year is equivalent to 1.1 Earth years.[5][6] As an example Chachel means it's the third day of the week.[7]
| Abbreviation | Month | Week | Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chachanan | Chach | Nan | Nan |
| Jesachev | Jes | Chach | Vev |
| Kaktach | Kak | Tanat | Chach |
Environment
Roshar is smaller than Earth and, as a result, its surface gravity is, at 0.7g, significantly weaker than Earth's. This is part of what allows some of the native creatures to grow so large.[8] At one point in Roshar's past there were no large landmasses.[9] The supercontinent was designed by Adonalsium, following the shape of a Julia set (a mathematical formula that gives a geometrical pattern when given a seed number). [10]
The rainwater in highstorms is laced with a sort of slurry called crem. When crem dries, it hardens into rock. Since the highstorms always sweep from east to west, crem builds up on the eastern side of anything that stays still and isn't regularly cleaned. This process occurs both on a local scale and on a continental scale. Over time, the continent is very slowly shifting across the planet as the highstorm causes erosion and leaves crem deposits.
Climate
With the exception of Shinovar and the occasional well sheltered lait, all of Roshar is frequently ravaged by powerful highstorms. These storms come frequent and, though they do not appear to follow a simple pattern, stormwardens are able to accurately predict their schedule through complex mathematics.[11] As a result, Shinovar is the only place on Roshar that has soil.[12]
The one consistent aspect of the Rosharan climate is the Weeping. The Weeping occurs every 500 days and consists of four weeks of steady crem-free rain. The middle day of those four weeks is known as the Lightday and alternates between being one clear day in the midst of the rain and being a high storm.[4] There are typically fewer highstorms in the weeks leading up to the weeping. [13] The seasons following the weeping typically have weaker storms, making them good for farming.[14] Beyond this, the seasons are about as random as the highstorms. They can be roughly predicted by stormwardens, but only tend to last a few weeks and don't follow any obvious pattern. The characteristics of winter, spring, summer and autumn line up fairly well with what we expect from those seasons on Earth.[15][14][13][16]
Flora
To cope with the frequent high storms, plant life across most of Roshar has adapted ways to retract and hide. As a few examples, the grass retracts back into the ground, rockbuds have particularly sturdy outerleaves that can fold up so that the plant resembles a large rock, and vinebuds have a durable but elastic stem that they retract back into. Many plants also have some form of tendrils or vines that waft in the air or can snake out in search of water or nutrients. Nearby motion causes many plants to retreat, though gardeners have cultivated some varieties that are less sensitive. These plants have also adapted to living in soil free environments.
In Shinovar, which is protected from the highstorms by the Misted Mountains and thus still has soil, the flora is much closer to that found on Earth. Visitors from the rest of Roshar find the still grass and plants that don't retract disconcerting.
Fauna
Rosharan fauna have adapted to their unique environment in a number of interesting ways. There are crustaceans (ranging from tiny crabs to lumbering chulls) and molluscs that retreat into their shells during the highstorms. Others have dens or pupate. There are also creatures, like the warm-blooded sarpenthyn, that vaguely resemble a tentacled mollusc with no shell and can ooze into the cracks between rocks.
Chulls are very important crustaceans in Roshar. They are herded like cattle, but pull large carts like oxen would.
On the other hand, there are insects and amphibians that like the rain and spin cocoons that dissolve in water. One notable example are lurgs, which coat the inside of their cocoon with a mucus as they spin it so that it is water tight and keeps them from drying out between storms.
The skies of Roshar are populated by insects, skyeels, and a wide variety of chickens.
Mammalian life is limited outside of Shinovar, but rats and minks can be found in the wild. Domesticated hogs and horses exported from Shinovar to the rest of Roshar. There is some evidence that there may also be wild hogs.
Larkins are a rare form of creature found on Roshar which can suck the stormlight out of a surgebinder.[17]
It is easier for animals on Roshar to attain some degree of sentience because of something to do with Cultivation.[18]
When Hoid (as Wit) visits Kaladin in prison :
“ "Perhaps a story for a child," Wit said. "I will tell you one, to get you in the mood. A bunny rabbit and a chick went frolicking in the grass together on a sunny day."
"A chick...baby chicken? Kaladin said. "And a what?"
"Ah, forgot myself for a moment," Wit. "Sorry. Let me make it more appropriate for you. A piece of wet slime and a disgusting crab thing with seventeen legs slunk across the rocks together on an insufferably rainy day. Is that better?" ”
Celestial Bodies
Roshar is the second planet from its sun[20]. It has several notable heavenly bodies, including three moons. The first moon is Salas. It is violet, and is the smallest moon. The middle moon is Nomon, which is a bright, pale blue. And the final moon is Mishim, which is small and green. The Shin call the moons the Three Sisters, and call each moon by its order. So Salas is the First Sister, Nomon the Second Sister and Mishim, the Third Sister.
Taln's Scar, is a great swath of red stars that stand out against the white ones.[21] Taln's scar is important in Rosharan astrology, particularly its position on one's seventh birthday.[22]
The Tear is a particularly bright star in the Rosharan sky. It's name comes from the single tear shed by Reya in Rosharan Mythology.[23]
There are two other inhabitable planets in Roshar's solar system, which is known as Greater Roshar: Braize and Ashyn.[24]
History
- Eighth Epoch, 337
- The Midnight Essence attacking Heb's farm in Natanatan and being protected by two Surgebinders.[25]
- 4500 years before the War of Reckoning
- The Oathpact is broken.[26]
- prior to the Hierocracy
- The Day of Recreance.[27]
- 700(approx.)
- The end of the Hierocracy.[28]
- 1146
- Elhokar is born.
- 1156
- Tien is born.
- 1167
- Gavilar is killed by Szeth, who takes possession of the black light sphere.[34]
- Vengeance Pact is formed, beginning the War of Reckoning.
- 1172
- Kaladin rescues Amaram and gives up a Shardblade and Shardplate.[37]
- King Taravangian obtained Szeth's Oathstone.
- 1173
- Bridge Four rescues Dalinar's army.[38]
Notes
- ↑ Map of Roshar system
- ↑ It is a supercontinent
— 17th Shard forums - 26 September 2012# - ↑ Selish, Scadrian, Nalthian, Rosharan.
— 17th Shard forums - 26 September 2012# - ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 46#
- ↑ Roshar year is 1.1 Earth years
— 17th Shard forums - 25 January 2014# - ↑ Length of Roshar days and years
— 17th Shard forums - 12 February 2013# - ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 46#
- ↑ Did you have to do lots of research?
— Theoryland - Sep 16th, 2010# - ↑ I asked you at Minicon if Roshar had always been the only large landmass on the planet and I think you said that there was once no large land mass on Roshar. Did I hear you correctly?
— Reddit - Jul 15th, 2015# - ↑ The slice of the Julia Set was the one that stuck with me as feeling perfect for Roshar. As the continent was specifically grown by Adonalsium, you now know the seed that was used in-world to create it.
— Reddit - Sep 28th, 2016# - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 31#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings interlude I-4#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 25#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 4#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 18#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 54#
- ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-9#
- ↑ They're one of a few Rosharan animals with a degree of sentience. It's easier on Roshar for this to happen. (Kayla, to clarify: Because of Cultivation? Brandon: Yes.)
— Kogiopsis' Tumblr - Oct 7th, 2015# - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 59#
- ↑ Arcanum Unbounded#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 2#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 33#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 31#
- ↑ Correct spellings (by Eric)
— 17th Shard forums - 09 August 2013# - ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 19#
- ↑ Prelude to the Stormlight Archive#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 52#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 26#
- ↑ The Way of Kings interlude I-3#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 36#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 10#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 22#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 28#
- ↑ The Way of Kings prologue#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 44#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 8#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 51#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 68#
