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Difference between revisions of "Splinter"

Splinter (edit)

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Discussed with Keepers, moving main part of this info to Shard page.
m (Discussed with Keepers, moving main part of this info to Shard page.)
At its core, a Splinter is a significant measure of a Shard's power that has been separated from the main body of Investiture. There is a notable difference between a physical manifestation of Investiture such as [[atium]] and [[lerasium]] or a [[perpendicularity]], and a Splinter. While a Shard's power is never truly separated from itself, as it is all connected through the [[Spiritual Realm]],{{wob ref|8605}} Splinters represent power that has been released or removed by a Shard.{{wob ref|986}} Splinters tend to not have much in the way of a Physical aspect. As a chunk of Investiture they tend to be more rooted in the [[Cognitive Realm|Cognitive]] and Spiritual Realms.{{wob ref|4066}} While many Splinters are composed of the Investiture of a single Shard, in the case of some Splinters they may actually be composed of the Investiture of two or more Shards.{{wob ref|13604}}
 
One distinguishing factor of a Splinter is that it may often have an intent of its own, separate from that of its parent Shard.,{{wob ref|10089}} although it may be thematically related.{{wob ref|15990}} Splinters are often sentient and have an associated personality,{{ref|group=fn|name=eyes|text=While Brandon has said on one occasion that Splinters must be self-aware,{{wob ref|10563}} elsewhere he has said differently and has explicitly referred to the [[divine Breath]] as a Splinter, despite its lack of self-awareness. That, combined with the fact that [[Khriss]] feels the need to specify that seons and skaze are self-aware Splinters,{{au ref|sel}} makes it clear that a Splinter need not necessarily be self-aware.}} although that personality may be destroyed{{book ref|sa2|87}} or its body tortured.{{book ref|sa3|110}} However, they do not necessarily need a personality to be considered a Splinter. Generally speaking, a Splinter has never been a person.{{wob ref|4541}} Therefore, by the strictest definition, a [[Cognitive Shadow]] may not be considered a Splinter, by some. However, there is an argument to be made that a Cognitive Shadow is just an imprint of a once-living being on Investiture,{{wob ref|8395}} and has therefore never truly been human.{{au ref|threnody}} Generally speaking, most would consider a Cognitive Shadow to be a type of Splinter.{{wob ref|8757}} Nevertheless, Splinters and Cognitive Shadows operate by similar rules and many Cognitive Shadows may be made of an amount of Investiture equivalent or potentially even greater than a typical Splinter. Whether or not an avatar of a Shard should considered a Splinter is also a subject of some debate.{{wob ref|13323}} While some would disagree, many people in the cosmere would be comfortable terming avatars Splinters.
 
It is certain that all Splinters do not contain the exact same quantity of Investiture, as a Splinter may be Splintered yet again into smaller fragments.{{book ref|sa3|1111}}{{wob ref|11677}} However, it is likely that there exists some threshold below which a quantity of Investiture is not considered to be a Splinter. For instance, a [[BioChromatic Breath#Types of BioChromatic entities|divine Breath]] is considered to be a Splinter,{{wob ref|4486}} but there is no indication that the lesser Breath possessed by normal people is considered to be one. In fact, the small amount of Investiture present in sapient beings, known as Innate Investiture, is also distinct from Splinters.{{wob ref|1072}}
There are a few common ways for a Splinter to come into existence, and most require the will of a Shard on some level. Perhaps the most common is that a Shard creates a Splinter by intentionally separating a bit of its power from itself.{{wob ref|9511}} This may be done for the purpose of creating some sort of synthetic race, such as the spren or seons. Another reason to create a Splinter is if a Shard wishes to prevent a soul from passing on to the [[Beyond#The Beyond|Beyond]]. They may make it into a Cognitive Shadow by either merging the Splinter with the soul or imprinting the soul upon the power, as is the case with the [[Fused]]{{wob ref|8693}} and the [[Returned]].{{wob ref|5995}} They could create an avatar of their Shard by using their Investiture and some would call that a Splinter.{{wob ref|13323}}
 
A Shard may also Splinter another Shard, tearing off one or many chunks of its power, typically for the purpose of diminishing it. This is a process that transcends the [[Realmatic Theory|three realms]]{{wob ref|7967}} and if a Shard is completely destroyed in this way it is said to be '''Splintered'''. Most commonly, a Splintering may happen as one titanic event that kills the [[Shard#Vessel|Vessel]] and disperses its power.{{msh ref|3|2}} Less frequently, a Vessel may be killed and then their Shard subsequently Splintered.{{msh ref|6|4}} Under certain circumstances, each Splinter would gain an aspect of the original Shard's Intent.{{wob ref|15990}} The Splintering of a Shard may also have serious consequences in the [[Physical Realm]]. The power of a Splintered Shard may ravage a planet uncontrollably if its Investiture is not contained.{{au ref|sel}} There may be other physical effects of a Splintering, such as the formation of an asteroid belt in the system.{{wob ref|13213}} The process of Splintering is somewhat similar to the process by which [[Preservation]] stole a piece of [[Ruin]]'s body to hide from him.{{wob ref|2804}}
 
A Splintered Shard cannot have a Vessel while it remains in such a state, but its Splinters may be reconstituted into a full Shard via an unknown process,{{wob ref|1070}} although it will not restore the original Vessel.{{wob ref|5993}} This is not known to have occurred yet in the cosmere.{{wob ref|5147}} If a Splinter's parent Shard is itself completely Splintered, there may be some impact on any extant Splinters.{{wob ref|13381}} Whether or not a Shard can Splinter another Shard is dependent upon the amount of raw Investiture that said Shard is able to make use of at the time,{{wob ref|9540}} as well as its ability to leverage said power, and its knowledge of the Splintering process.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{wob ref|9616}} There are more and less efficient ways to Splinter a Shard, and it may grow easier with practice.{{wob ref|9563}}{{wob ref|9616}} Even a successful Splintering is taxing on the Shard performing it and may require some recovery by the Shard afterward.{{wob ref|9881}} In some cases, whether or not a Shard is Splintered may be somewhat vague.{{wob ref|5072}} A Shard left on its own without a Vessel may also Splinter of its own accord, although that is not the only possibility.{{wob ref|1877}}
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