Difference between revisions of "Shard"

The '''Shards of [[Adonalsium]]''', or '''Shards''' for short, are pieces of the power of creation itself.{{qa ref|727|45}} They are named after a specific action or ideal, calledoften referred to as an [["intent]]," which represents the Shard's primary purpose or motivation. A mind must control a Shard. When a person holds a Shard, they are imbued with its power, but they also become the Shard.{{qa ref|697|21}} A person who has taken up the power of a Shard is the '''Vessel''' of that Shard.{{msh ref|5|2}}

Ten Shards have thus far been mentioned in the novels, and an additional one by Brandon. They were either referenced by their Shard's name or their Vessel. Those known by intent are [[Ambition]], [[Autonomy]], [[Cultivation]], [[Devotion]], [[Dominion]], [[Endowment]], [[Honor]], [[Odium]], [[Preservation]], and [[Ruin]]. An eleventh Shard which has been partially revealed just "wants to survive." It is unclear what the intent of this Shard is, as it could be Survival but also could be many other things. [[Trell]] may be one of the unknown shardsShards or an alternate name for a known Shard, as it is an unknown being of great power worshiped by [[Miles Hundredlives]], and served by the Set. Ruin and Preservation have been combined to form the new shard of '[[Harmony']], so Ruin and Preservation no longer exist as separate entities.

These Shards are named after their respective [[intent]], which represents the driving force of the power{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=58}}--an aspect of creation. However, after the Shattering, the Shards were left with no mind to control the power. For [[Realmatic]] reasons, a mind--Cognitive power--must be attached to the Spiritual power of the Shard. People eventually took up these Shards, like [[Rayse]] and [[Bavadin]], who share some history with whoever wrote [[the Letter]].

When a person takes up a Shard, the extreme power vaporizes the body, allowing the person's mind to expand.{{qa ref|727|45}} From then on, the person's consciousness feeds on the power of the Shard to remain alive{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=58}}, but the Shard's intent is the driving force of the power. Over an immense time--centuries, perhaps millennia--a Vessel’s mind begins to change, slowly molding to the Shard's intent.{{wob ref|Alloy of Law 17th Shard Q&A|5485|date=2011-11-5}}{{epigraph ref|sa1|18}}{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=57}}{{qa ref|691|17}}

While it is not a requirement for taking up a Shard, it helps to be able to utiliseutilize Investiture.{{qa ref|979|56}}

It is unknown what the exact definition of a Splinter is, but the term seems to refer to a specific kind of fragment of a Shard's power. Unlike Slivers, a Splinter has never been human.{{qa ref|699|8}} Lerasium and atium, despite being condensed essences of their Shards, are not Splinters. One distinguishing factor of a Splinter is that they often have an [[intent]], separate from their Shards'. {{ref|name=orullian}}

The idea is simple: a Shard's ability to see into the future is determined by the Shard's intent.{{wob ref|date=2014-08-09|2713|When Worlds Collide 2014}} Ruin is intent that has an immediate effect--Ruin wants to destroy ''now'', not later. Since Ruin is preoccupied with the present, he is particularly bad at seeing into the future. Preservation, on the other hand, is about protection. Protection is a long term thing, so Preservation is more looking into the future, so he is good at seeing into the future. It’s probably for similar reasons why Cultivation is skilled at seeing into the future.

|text=Do Splinters have their own Intentintent, in addition to the Shards'?