Shattering

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Shattering
by Connor Chamberlain
World	Yolen
Universe	Cosmere

“Sixteen people, together, killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascended. ”

—Khriss on the Shattering

The Shattering of Adonalsium (or simply, the Shattering) was a pivotal moment in the history of the cosmere when Adonalsium was killed using the Dawnshards. Prior to this, there were no Shards, which have been the dominant influence in the cosmere we've seen so far. It takes place roughly ten thousand years before the rebellion against the Cinder King on Canticle.

Prior to the Shattering

It is not clear how different the cosmere was prior to the Shattering, but the Shattering did have an effect on the magic. An example is the highstorms, natural phenomena that are central to the life cycle of many of the native inhabitants of Roshar; the highstorms were later infused with the power of Honor.

Participants and Aftereffects

Shard	Vessel
Odium	Rayse
Honor	Tanavast
Cultivation	Koravellium Avast
Ruin	Ati
Preservation	Leras
Devotion	Aona
Dominion	Skai
Endowment	Edgli
Autonomy	Bavadin
Ambition	Uli Da
Invention	Unknown
Mercy	Unknown
Valor	Unknown
Whimsy	Unknown
Virtuosity	Unknown
Survival Shard	Unknown
None	Hoid

For a list of all Shards, including current and past Vessels, see Known Shards.

The people who killed Adonalsium on Yolen all had different motivations, including a desire for power and a belief in the necessity of the action. Hoid was there at the Shattering and was offered a Shard, but he refused. Hoid participated in the plan to kill Adonalsium.

All of the Investiture in the cosmere was divided between and became associated with a Shard, with some exceptions like the Aethers and the Dawnshards. All of the sixteen Shards were created at once, and they all started with the same amount of Investiture.

It was not random which Vessel got which Shard; some chose Shards that they were particularly Connected with, while others chose Shards that they believed they could control well. It is possible for Adonalsium to have Shattered into different Shards than the Shards currently in existence.

Following the Shattering, the Vessels spread across the Cosmere, Investing into various planets, with Ruin and Preservation themselves creating the planet of Scadrial.

Various Shards fought amongst themselves for various reasons, leading to the death of Vessels and Splintering of the Shards. In particularly, this applies to Devotion, Dominion, Honor, and Ambition. All of these Splinterings had strong and lasting effects upon the planets they were Invested within, and are also largely the result of Odium having gone to kill every Shard he could. Ruin and Preservation were also later fused into one Vessel after the death of their previous holders, creating the hybrid Shard, Harmony.

Notes

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