Difference between revisions of "Shade"

Shades exist in two general states, enraged and non-enraged.{{book ref|sfs}} Shades are enraged when those around them violate the Simple Rules by moving quickly at night, lighting a fire, or drawing the blood of another. Whether or not a shade is enraged impacts both the behavior and appearance of a shade wildly. During the daylight hours, non-enraged shades are fully transparent and therefore invisible and respond to violations of the Simple Rules more slowly than they do at night. When night falls, non-enraged shades appear as ethereal, translucent, white figures that glow softly in the night. A shade's own luminescence is faint, but they may be illuminated more strongly by [[glowpaste]]. They move lazily, floating just above the ground with waves of white an arm's length long trailing behind them. As most shades are formerly people, they take the shape of the person they were before becoming a shade. However, older shades begin to lose their distinct human forms and their features begin to shift and become indistinct. A shade's eyes are said to be dead looking, void of emotion and any sign of life. Unlike many species of Cognitive Shadows, shades are not as self-aware as other Cognitive Shadow.{{wob ref|2110|General Signed Books 2016|date=2016-07-31}} They may retain some memory of the people they once knew in life, but even this is uncertain.{{book ref|sfs}} They do not typically react to people or events in the Physical Realm, although whether they cannot see or simply do not care is unknown. In their normal state, they wander aimlessly and without purpose unless their attention is drawn and they enrage. Shades are naturally lightly repelled by living creatures, unless they have become enraged. Populations of shades in specific regions of the Forests fluctuate, which can dictate how many people travel through that area.

Shades are a Cognitive Shadow generated when a person{{book ref|sfs}} or another animal{{wob ref|date=2016-2-20|7445|Calamity Philadelphia signing}} is killed by another shade{{book ref|sfs}} It is uncertain what mechanism controls this process. However it is known that the Cognitive aspect of the person is imprinting on extra available Investiture, allowing this Investiture to remain sentient after the death of the person's Physical form.{{au ref|threnody}} This is due to the high levels of ambient Investiture on Threnody,{{wob ref|8324|Oathbringer release party|date=2017-11-13}} possibly left over from the death of Ambition. The absence of any Shards on the planet itself however impacts the shades, causing them to behave differently than other Cognitive Shadows.{{wob ref|6891|Words of Radiance San Francisco signing|date=2014-03-06}} This is possibly the cause of their diminished self-awareness. The exact population of shades is uncertain but is known to number in at least the thousands and is in reality likely much higher.{{book ref|sfs}} As shades are themselves composed of Investiture, they struggle to leave Threnody's subastral, but would be able to survive elsewhere if they managed to do so.{{wob ref|8543|Oathbringer Portland signing|date=2017-11-16}} Other types of Cognitive Shadows that travel to Threnody do not become automatically shades themselves.{{wob ref|7444}}

The withering touch of a shade can only be reversed in a few specific ways. Application of silver powder may reverse a person's withering, either by application to the affected area or swallowing the powder itself.{{book ref|sfs}} The silver is consumed in this process as well, sparking with light and then blackening like silver used to wound a shade. This treatment also stops the freezing pain and numbness of a shade's touch, although some lingering cold remains for a few months afterwards. Unfortunately, if the withering is not treated quickly before it sets in, it becomes impossible to reverse. The blackened portions of their body will fade to grey with time however. Making use of [[Gold#Feruchemical_Use|gold Feruchemy]] can heal withering, as well as burning [[Aluminum#Allomantic_Use|aluminum]].{{wob ref|6374|Shadows of Self Chicago signing|date=2015-10-12}} Shades can also be wounded with weapons made silver, creating a shower of white sparks whenever they come into contact with the metal.{{book ref|sfs}} Despite a shade's incorporeal body, silver blades experience a slight tugging when they pass through a shade. Badly wounded shades may be cut nearly in half or collapse to the ground, rendered unable to attack further. However, once the silver is used it blackens and is ruined, making silver an expensive but crucial commodity. Silver set into the ground also serves as a barrier to shades, they are driven away from it, although that silver too must periodically be replaced.{{book ref|sfs}} As technology has developed, it appears that a type of Invested gun may have been developed that is capable of firing shades as projectiles, causing anything it hits to wither and crumble away.{{file ref |New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}