Difference between revisions of "Shardblade"

The second type-Blades are also long, but thin and edged on both sides. They are smaller than the others. A Blade of that type is carried by [[Szeth]].{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}}

Shardblades can cut easily through anything inanimate, like stone or steel.{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}} In contrast to this, they cut through flesh without leaving a mark or spilling blood. However, when passing through the spine of a human, his eyes smoke and burn, blacken and shrivel up in their head.{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}} It is said to sever the soul itself. However, once a creature is killed, the remains interact with the Shardblade like any other non-living material. Also, when the Shardblade cut through a limb rather than the spine of a creature, the limb is "killed" and is paralyzed beyond the point of healing, except to someone who has the ability to absorb stormlight, as this ability was not just limited to the Radiants. Healing a severed limb by stormlight required massive amounts of stormlight forced into the limb to reconnect that limb to the soul as was performed by Kaladin in both of his fights with The Assassin in White. Other types of magic could potentially heal such damage, though.{{qa ref|979|166|Healing "severed" limbs}}

When needed, the Shardblade can be summoned from an unknown place to appear in the hand of its Shardbearer. The process of summoning takes exactly ten of its wielder's heartbeats{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}}. When summoned, it forms as if condensing from mist, water beading along the metal length.

When the Blade is dropped, it disappears unless it is willed to stay; this is a protection from being the Blade being taken by the enemy during battle.{{book ref|b|wok|c|13}}

When the Shardbearer dies, the weapon appears next to the dead Shardbearer.{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}} When taken up by someone different, the Shardblade bonds with the person who picks it up. The bonding usually takes a week.{{book ref|b|wor|c|66,76}}

When the Knights Radiant abandon their Shardblades, the Blades continue to glow for some time before going dull.{{book ref|b|wok|c|52}}

Much is still unknown about the origins of shardblades but at some point in the past the [[Spren]] began forming [[Surgebinding#Nahel Bond|Nahel Bonds]] with humans in an attempt to copy what [[Honor]] had done when he created the [[Herald]]s.{{book ref|b|wor|c|4}} This bond not only granted the humans access to [[Surgebinding#Surgebindings|Surges]] but also allowed their spren to become shardblades when the bond had strengthened to a certain point.{{book ref|b|wor|c|84}} These surgebinding shardbearers later becoming known as the [[Knights Radiant]].

A sword was the base form for a shardblade since they were fashioned after the [[Honorblade]]s but they could become any shape the shardbearer needed such as a spear, hammer, or shield.{{book ref|b|wor|c|86}} It is currently unknown exactly why shardblades cut the way they do but legend said that they were "gifts of their god, granted to allow them to fight horrors of rock and flame".{{book ref|b|wok|c|prologue}}

At the [[Recreance]] the Knights Radiant, for unknown reasons, abandoned their [[Immortal Words|Oaths]] which broke the bonds with their spren. This action resulted in the spren losing their sentience in the physical realm and eternally locked them in the form of blades. The knights then abandoned both their plate and blades allowing soldiers who were present at the time to claim them{{book ref|b|wok|c|52}}. At that moment, at least 200 shardblades are believed to have existed.

When the [[War of Reckoning]] was fought, there were an estimated twenty Shardblades held by [[Alethkar]], another twenty for [[Jah Keved]], and approximately another forty spread out among the rest of the world. Those forty include five Blades held by [[Thaylenah]], some by [[Selay]] and one held by [[Herdaz]].{{book ref|b|wok|c|23}} Some Shardblades are held by the Parshendi.{{book ref|b|wok|c|18}}

[[Kharbranth]]{{book ref|b|wok|c|29}} and the [[Unkalaki]]{{book ref|b|wok|c|23}} do not have any Shardblades.

| {{book ref|b|wok|c|68}}

It is thought that [[Helaran Davar]] owned a Shardblade, until his death at the hands of [[Kaladin]].{{book ref|b|twok|c|47}} His blade would be the one now owned by [[Amaram]].{{book ref|b|twok|c|51}}