Surgebinding

Surgebinding
by Isaac Stewart
Related to	Honor, Cultivation
Prerequisites	Forming a Nahel bond with a spren or possessing an Honorblade
Type	End-Positive
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

“True Surges are of both Honor and Cultivation—Cultivation for life, Honor to make the Surge into natural law. Things must fall to the ground, so they created Surges to make it happen. ”

—Raboniel, lecturing Venli

Surgebinding is a prime manifestation of Investiture on Roshar. Surgebinders can manipulate ten fundamental forces locally known as Surges, with each Surgebinder having access to two of the Surges with overlap between them, by infusing objects or beings with Stormlight. Each Surgebinder's Surges come in a set combination, for example, it is possible to have the Surges of Progression and Illumination or Progression and Abrasion, but not Progression and Gravitation. It is often considered one of the most powerful Invested Arts in the cosmere, so much so that Rayse believes that there would be a war when Shards of other worlds find out about its power.

Rosharans will often refer to any Invested Art as "Surgebinding," though most cosmere scholars, like Khriss, would not consider such usage to be correct.

Prerequisites

Nahel bond
Order	Spren	Attribute	Surges
Windrunners	Honorspren	Protecting/ Leading	Adhesion	Gravitation
Skybreakers	Highspren	Just/ Confident	Gravitation	Division
Dustbringers	Ashspren	Brave/ Obedient	Division	Abrasion
Edgedancers	Cultivationspren	Loving/ Healing	Abrasion	Progression
Truthwatchers	Mistspren	Learned/ Giving	Progression	Illumination
Lightweavers	Cryptic (Liespren)	Creative/ Honest	Illumination	Transformation
Elsecallers	Inkspren	Wise/ Careful	Transformation	Transportation
Willshapers	Lightspren (Reachers)	Resolute/ Builder	Transportation	Cohesion
Stonewards	Peakspren	Dependable/ Resourceful	Cohesion	Tension
Bondsmiths	The Stormfather, Nightwatcher, and Sibling	Pious/ Guiding	Tension	Adhesion

Becoming a Surgebinder

Surgebinding is not innate to Rosharans, and can be gained in several ways. Originally the abilities were only granted to the Heralds by the Almighty via the Honorblades. Later, spren mimicked the effects of the Honorblades and started giving Surges to humans by forming a Spiritual bond called the Nahel bond with them. Humans also had the ability to manipulate the Surges on Ashyn before the Expulsion, but the mode is unknown. The Fused also have access to surges, granted to them by Odium.

The exact Surges that someone can manipulate depend on the specific Honorblade or Nahel bond that individual has, or which brand they belong to.

Radiants often learn their "anti-clockwise" Surge first.

Honorblade

For more information, see Honorblade.

Honorblades are the ten Shardblades that the Almighty originally gave the Heralds. Each of these Blades gives its wielder the ability to manipulate two Surges just like the Nahel bond, with Jezrien's Blade giving Adhesion and Gravitation, etc. They can be wielded by anyone, and they do not require the safeguards the spren do to avoid abusing these powers. Honorblades consume far more Stormlight than the Nahel bond. They also do not grant the additional abilities of the Nahel bond.

Nahel Bond

For more information, see Nahel bond.

The Nahel bond is a symbiotic relationship between humans and spren, through which the human gains Surgebinding powers and the spren gains sapience in the Physical Realm. The spren choose the people they bond with according to the actions and personalities of those people. There are ten types of spren that bond with humans—each granting access to two of the ten Surges, with overlap between them—and each of these types are attracted to different attributes in their bondmates.

Once the bond is established, the spren is pulled into the Physical Realm, although they retain very little intelligence and memories and act almost like lesser spren until the bond grows stronger. The strengthening of the bond is accomplished by the Surgebinder continuing to act in line with the attributes that attracted the spren in the first place, and swearing oaths that are related to those attributes. As the bond grows stronger, the spren regains their sapience, and the effectiveness of Stormlight for the Surgebinder increases. Once the bond is at sufficient strength, the spren can manifest as a Shardblade, and the eye color of the Surgebinder changes into the color their spren is associated with.

If the Surgebinder acts in a manner conflicting with their oaths, the bond grows weaker until, eventually, the spren "breaks" and is trapped in a cycle of agony after having a significant portion of its consciousness ripped out of it, and their bondmate loses all Surgebinding abilities. If the spren "breaks" while in Shardblade form, it reverts to its basic sword form, and can be temporarily revived by being linked to the heartbeat of a person using it. Spren cannot "unbreak" on their own, but can be revived if their bondmates take up their oaths again. It is possible, but extremely difficult, for a spren to be healed without its bondmate. A Surgebinder dying without betraying oaths is a very traumatic event for a spren, but it does not cause it to be broken.

Fused

For more information, see Fused.

A group of powerful singers known as the Fused are able to Surgebind; however, they differ from the Knights Radiant in several ways. As their power is granted by Odium, they are powered by Voidlight instead of Stormlight. There are only nine orders of them, rather than ten, and each has access to only a single Surge; Adhesion is considered to be "of Honor" and not accessible to Odium. Fused are not ordinary singers; they are souls of ancient singers who reincarnate into the bodies of willing, living singers and displace that soul. Each group of Fused, distinguished by its access to a unique Surge, is known as a brand.

Light

Surgebinding uses the Lights of Roshar as its fuel source. Most Surgebinders use Stormlight as their fuel, though the Fused used Voidlight. Additionally, Venli—and likely any Regal with a Nahel bond—can use both Stormlight and Voidlight; Navani Kholin—and likely any Bondsmith bonded to the Sibling—can use Towerlight; and, as a result of the Old Magic, Lift metabolizes food directly into Lifelight, but is incapable of drawing in Stormlight.

Surgebinders access the Lights simply by breathing them in. While it is possible to draw the Stormlight from any source infused with it, including directly from the highstorms themselves, the common practice is to use gemstones that have already been infused by the highstorms. It is possible to fuel Surgebinding with other sources of Investiture, like BioChromatic Breath. Human bodies are imperfect containers for Stormlight, so it leaves the Surgebinder's body over time, giving the Surgebinder a glowing effect with luminescent white vapor rising from the skin. Breathing out accelerates the leaking, but Stormlight substitutes for oxygen, so the Surgebinder does not need to breathe. The more Stormlight the Surgebinder holds, the faster it leaks out of the body. If holding a small amount of Stormlight, Surgebinders are able to breathe in and suppress the glowing effect. While doing this, they are able to talk without puffing out Stormlight.

In addition to fueling Surgebinding, Stormlight also greatly increases the physical capabilities of the Surgebinder, who gains superhuman strength, speed, endurance, stamina, and healing of both body and soul. Surgebinders can survive falling hundreds of feet and walk away, the damage being quickly healed by Stormlight. Almost any kind of injury can be healed, including bad eyesight, scar tissues, severed limbs, or Spiritual damage done by a Shardblade. This healing is based upon the Cognitive identity of the Surgebinder. For example, if a soldier sees the scars on his body as a part of his self, Stormlight would not heal the scars.

While inside the body, the Stormlight produces an intense adrenaline-like effect, urging the Surgebinder to action and motion, which may result in recklessness if the Surgebinder is not careful. It gives great energy, but when the Surgebinder runs out of Stormlight, they are left exhausted and feeling deflated, similar to after a pewter drag by a Pewterarm. Voidlight, on the other hand, causes a feeling of enhanced passion and emotions feel more vibrant.

Surges

Adhesion	Gravitation	Division	Abrasion	Progression	Illumination	Transformation	Transportation	Cohesion	Tension

The Surges, as well as their names, far predate the Knights Radiant. Surges existed on Ashyn prior to humans' arrival on Roshar, albeit without being restricted by Honor. Back then the Nahel bond had not yet been discovered and humans could Surgebind freely. Ishar was the first person that Odium tricked into experimenting with Surges. After Ashyn was destroyed by unrestricted Surgebinding and humans fled to Roshar, Honor started to put limits on the Surges, but with Honor Splintered, at least some of these restrictions are starting to loosen.

Adhesion

The Surge of Adhesion can be manipulated to bind things together. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Bondsmiths and the Windrunners. Honorspren and windspren can use it, very weakly. This power is of Honor alone; it is referred to as "Honor's Truest Surge" and is difficult to suppress, with the Sibling calling it "the Surge of Binding and Oaths". On the other hand, this Surge is viewed as lowly among the singers. Raboniel referred to Adhesion as "not a true Surge" and no Fused has access to this Surge.

• Full Lashing: This ability creates an extremely powerful temporary bond between two objects. To use this ability, the Surgebinder infuses a surface with Stormlight, after which any object or person that comes in contact with the surface will be bound to it. Full Lashing does not necessarily require skin contact; surfaces can be infused by "spraying" the Stormlight onto them. Most objects would break apart themselves before the bond holding them would. The duration of this bond is determined by the amount of Stormlight infused. The bond ends when the Stormlight runs out. Someone wearing Shardplate is immune to Lashings, but any objects that they are touching can be affected. The bond also attracts bindspren.

• Spiritual Adhesion: Using the Surge of Adhesion to manipulate spiritual, rather than purely physical forces, a Bondsmith can touch another person and forge a spiritual Connection between them. This allows the Bondsmith to temporarily speak the other person's native tongue. Whether the Bondsmith must remain physically close to this other person for the ability to be continually used is unknown. It lasts for longer than a few hours, but shorter than a few days.

• Other Connection Abilities: The Surge can be used for other types of Connection as well, with known uses being Connecting a Radiant to the ground and causing their Stormlight to drain into it as if it were their body, seeing the past and the Connections of a given person, and even (with the Bondsmith Honorblade) stealing a Nahel bond. It is unclear if these abilities extend to Bondsmiths in general or are inherently related to the Herald Ishar.

Gravitation

The Surge of Gravitation can be manipulated to change the direction and strength of an object's gravitational attraction. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Windrunners and the Skybreakers. The Fused brand with access to this Surge are the shanay-im, or Heavenly Ones.

• Basic Lashing: This ability alters an object's or being's spiritual gravitational bond to the planet below, instead temporarily linking it to a different object or direction. It allows the Surgebinder to run up walls, or send objects or people flying off into the air. Lashings only affects gravitational pull and not mass, so different things with different masses will still fall at the same speed. Lashings can only send something in a particular direction and can not be locked into following an object. Lashing can also affect liquids. Surgebinders can rotate themselves in the air using wind resistance, and can also lessen the force of the wind while flying. Taking sharp turns while Lashing can cause the Surgebinder to black out. When Lashing multiple objects or beings at a time, it is possible to create a sort of channel around the group, which will keep them close together. Basic Lashing requires skin contact if the Surgebinder is trying to infuse an external object or being. Basic Lashing continually consumes the Stormlight with which the object is infused until the object runs out of Stormlight or the Surgebinder dismisses their Lashing; as such, the length of a Basic Lashing is dependent on the amount of Stormlight used. Advanced users of Basic Lashing can employ partial Lashings — a half-Lashing upward, for example, would make the Surgebinder effectively weightless, while a quarter-Lashing would halve the person's weight. It is also possible to use multiple Basic Lashings simultaneously so that the infused object or being will be pulled toward different directions at once or pulled toward a single direction but stronger than gravity normally would. It is possible to only Lash part of an object, though this requires skill.

• Reverse Lashing: By combining the Surges of Gravitation and Adhesion, a Windrunner can create a bubble around a surface that imitates its spiritual link to the ground beneath it. In effect, this makes the infused object pull other objects towards itself. It is much harder for Reverse Lashing to affect objects touching the ground, where their link to the planet is the strongest; objects falling or in flight are the easiest to influence. Other objects can be affected, but the Stormlight and skill required are much more substantial. This ability is believed to be a specialized version of Basic Lashing. Reverse Lashing requires constant skin contact for it to work, though it consumes comparatively little Stormlight. A Reverse Lashing can be powerful enough to bend the path of bullets, or tear the head of a Fused from its body. Objects infused with a Reverse Lashing do not glow with Stormlight, becoming darker instead along with other things in their vicinity, possibly by pulling light into the object.

Division

The Surge of Division can be manipulated to have power over destruction and decay. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Dustbringers and the Skybreakers.

• Decay: Using the Surge of Division, the Surgebinder can touch an object and cause it to burn, turn to dust, or decay in other ways. The Surgebinder can exercise significant control, such as to burn a pattern into a piece of wood. It can also be used on humans. This splits the molecular bonds of the object the Surge is used on, but not the atoms themselves. It is likely to have the ability to ignite objects. Decay can be used to create types of sculptures, such as adding color when burning objects or grayscaling them.

Abrasion

The Surge of Abrasion can be manipulated to alter the frictional force between two surfaces. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Dustbringers and the Edgedancers. The brand of Fused with access are the shetel-im, or Flowing Ones.

• Slicking: This ability allows the Surgebinder to make their body frictionless. The Surgebinder can choose which parts of the body are affected and which parts are not; for example, the bottom of the feet can be infused so that the Surgebinder glides over any surface without losing momentum until the ability is suspended. Wind friction can also be affected. However, slicking doesn't reduce the force of direct collisions. People experienced in its use often move as though they were ice-skating on the ground. Slicking can also be used to escape any grasp, or slip through tight openings. It can also be applied to objects, making it so that only the Surgebinder can grip the object without it slipping.

Progression

The Surge of Progression can be manipulated to alter the growth and healing of organisms. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Edgedancers and the Truthwatchers. The brand of Fused with access are the Magnified Ones.

• Growth: This ability accelerates organic growth to tremendous speeds. The Surgebinder can infuse the seeds of a plant with Stormlight through skin contact, and in seconds, it will become fully developed. It is unknown if this ability only works on plants. The Fused with access to this Surge can use it to grow their carapace into tools and weapons.

• Regrowth: This ability heals the damage done to the body and the soul of a person instantly and without any scarring. The flesh, muscle, or bones can be completely regrown rapidly. The body can be refreshed and rid of fatigue. The Surgebinder can even reverse death with Regrowth; a body that has bled out or a soul that has been severed with a Shardblade can be healed with Regrowth and continue to function as if it has never been damaged. However, once the soul leaves the body and reaches the afterlife, it is impossible for the Surgebinder to revive the person. This ability may also fail to heal injuries that are too old. Regrowth is inferior to normal Radiant healing.
  • Surge Fabrial: A Surge Fabrial is able to mimic the Radiant ability of Regrowth. Ancient Radiants possessed fabrials constructed from a large topaz and heliodor that were able to "regrow" and repair injuries through manipulating the Surge of Progression. In the present day, they have been lost; however, the Herald Nale possesses one capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death.

Illumination

For more information about the original Yolish variant of this ability, see Lightweaving.

The Surge of Illumination can be manipulated to create auditory and visual illusions. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Lightweavers and the Truthwatchers. The brand of Fused with access are the mavset-im, or Masked Ones.

• Lightweaving: This ability creates visual and auditory illusions. The illusion is based upon not just what the Surgebinder imagines, but also desires to create, requiring both a mental picturing of and a Spiritual connection to the intended creation. Once the creation is shaped, the Surgebinder breathes out a cloud of Stormlight to form the illusion. The illusion can be created anywhere, but requires a constant source of Stormlight, so the Surgebinder — or a being the Surgebinder is Spiritually linked to — needs to keep in proximity to it. Because the illusion automatically feeds off the Surgebinder, the glowing effect common to the Surgebinders as the Stormlight leaks out of their bodies does not happen, as excess Stormlight is instead fed to the illusion. Unless the Surgebinder intentionally dissolves the apparition, it will stay active until they run out of Stormlight or leaves its proximity. It can even stay active while the Surgebinder is unconscious. It's possible for the Surgebinder to attach the illusion to themself, as well as a being they are Spiritually linked to such as the spren that forms the Nahel bond, so that the illusion automatically follows their movements. This way, an illusion of a disguise can mimic facial expressions or adapt to the clothing or the accessories they are wearing. Experienced practitioners of this art can also attach the illusion to an object that is infused with Stormlight, such as a sphere. The illusory image has no substance to it, and if an object physically passes through the illusion, the image fuzzes to Stormlight until the object withdraws. Light itself does not pass through the illusion; if the Surgebinder wants to see through it, they must put in viewing holes. The amount of Stormlight the illusion requires depends on the complexity of it. Lightweaving can manipulate all forms of electromagnetic radiation, including lasers. Lightweaving would be affected by aphantasia.
  • Interactions with Yolish Lightweaving: Rosharan Lightweaving is much more restrictive than the earlier Yolish variant, as it requires a spren and Stormlight to function. Yolish Lightweaving, however, seems to function imperfectly in the current day, and its users may need help from Rosharan Lightweavers to fully craft an illusion. A Yolish Lightweaver is able to guide a Rosharan Lightweaver's power. Gaining Rosharan Lightweaving allows for some supplemental ability with Yolish Lightweaving, and could allow Yolish Lightweavers to overcome their difficulties, although further impacts or resonances between the two are unknown.

Transformation

For more information, see Soulcasting.

The Surge of Transformation can be manipulated to change an object into one of the ten essences. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Elsecallers and the Lightweavers. The brand of Fused with access are the fannahn-im, or Altered Ones.

• Soulcasting: This ability transforms any material into one of the Surgebinder's choice. To Soulcast, the Surgebinder shifts their perception to see into the Cognitive Realm, and communicates with the Cognitive aspect of the object they want to transform. This is normally done through direct contact with an object, however, can be performed from a distance. Elsecallers are more skilled at doing this, though it is not impossible for a Lightweaver to be able to Soulcast from afar. Not every object is inclined to change, depending on how the object is seen by the sentient species and how it sees itself, so the Surgebinder may need to negotiate with it. Once the object is convinced into changing, the Surgebinder infuses it with Stormlight, and the transformation process takes place instantaneously. It is technically possible for the Surgebinder to transform anything into anything else, but transforming something into the pure form of an Essence is the easiest to accomplish, while transforming the object into something unfamiliar is a lot harder. It is possible to transfer a Soulcasting from one material to another, like a disease, without the Soulcaster directly Soulcasting them. It is unknown if objects can transfer a Soulcasting into a different material than what they turned into or if they can only transfer a Soulcasting to the same type of object they are. The target of Soulcasting can be both an inanimate item and a person, although a person will present greater difficulty, due to the innate Investiture they hold.
  • Surge Fabrial: A soulcaster fabrial is able to mimic the Radiant ability of Soulcasting. Most are only able to effect small, singular changes, such as turning stone into water, while about one in ten can affect any change. When Soulcasting, the fabrial draws Stormlight from the corresponding gemstone.
  • Savantism: Long-term use of Soulcasting, whether via Surgebinding or a fabrial, can lead to the user becoming a savant, transforming slowly into the essence they frequently transform other objects into. The effects of savanthood are much less pronounced for Surgebinders compared to fabrial users, and can take a different path in their manifestation, due to the Nahel bond. This process is different from simply having transformed a portion of oneself accidentally.

Transportation

The Surge of Transportation can be manipulated to achieve realmatic transition. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Elsecallers and the Willshapers. Using this ability Surgebinders are able to briefly look into the Cognitive Realm, which allows them to see hidden essences of others (such as if a singer is a normal singer, Regal, or Fused). The brand of Fused with access are the nex-im, or Husked Ones.

• Elsecalling: This ability allows the Surgebinder to travel between the Cognitive and Physical Realms by creating a miniature perpendicularity. A circular wall of Stormlight can be seen briefly at the target location before the Surgebinder arrives. The Surgebinder can also bring other beings and objects with them while transporting themselves. This allows many Surgebinders with Transportation the ability to worldhop. However, it's much harder to leave the Cognitive Realm than it is to enter it, and although it is possible to transition realms without a waypoint, those that are less skilled need to find a point where the two Realms touch to be able to leave.
  • Surge Fabrial: Oathgates are able to mimic the Radiant ability of Transportation. They allow the user to transport anything on top of their platform and in their control chamber between Oathgates in an instant. However, as far as is known, they function in pairs - an Oathgate in Urithiru only connects to one Oathgate outside, and the Oathgate outside only connects to one Oathgate in Urithiru. They can only be activated by Honorblades or living Shardblades. Transportation of more than one person through them requires use of more Stormlight.
• Nex-im: The Fused that have this ability, such as Lezian, use it very differently, evacuating their body into a spren-like red light before re-forming elsewhere.

Cohesion

Also called the Surge of Strong Axial Interconnection, the Surge of Cohesion can be manipulated to alter objects at a molecular level. This allows the user to alter the shape of solid objects, but not human flesh, with Surgebinders able to grab matter and stretch it, altering the object as though it was soft clay. Cohesion is highly resisted by Investiture, and even a small amount of Stormlight in an object would prevent it from working. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Willshapers and the Stonewards. The brand of Fused with access are the makay-im, or Deepest Ones.

• Stoneshaping: This ability manipulates the forces that bind axi together. It is considered a cousin to microkinesis, an Invested Art from Yolen that also manipulated axi, though Honor placed strict limits on Stoneshaping to prevent it from enabling the level of destruction possible with microkinesis. While in use, a Surgebinder can mold stone (or other materials) as if it were clay without the use of heat. Stone is able to sense the Intent of the Surgebinder and their past. Though stone tends to be the most difficult to Soulcast, it will easily obey through Cohesion.
• Makay-im: The Fused with this ability, while not shown to be able to mold stone, have instead used it to phase through stone. They can move through other materials, as long as they are solid.

Tension

Also called the Surge of Soft Axial Interconnection, the Surge of Tension can be manipulated to alter the stiffness of an object; for example, taking something flexible and making it rigid. Much like Cohesion, Tension is highly resisted by Investiture. The two orders of Knights Radiant with access to this Surge are the Stonewards and the Bondsmiths.

For Bondsmiths, the use of this surge is different from the Stonewards, as they can couple it with their affinity for Connection to repair inanimate objects as a complement to the Surge of Adhesion.

Notable Surgebinders

For a full list, see, see :Category: Surgebinders.

• Kaladin (bonded to Sylphrena)
• Lopen (bonded to Rua)
• Teft (bonded to Phendorana)
• Ki (bonded to Winnow)
• Nale (bonded to an unknown highspren, as well as through his Honorblade)
• Szeth (bonded to an unnamed highspren)
• Malata (bonded to Spark)
• Lift (bonded to Wyndle)
• Arshqqam (bonded to Dreaming-though-Awake)
• Renarin Kholin (bonded to Glys)
• Rlain (bonded to Tumi)
• Shallan Davar (bonded to Testament, then Pattern)
• Hoid (bonded to Design)
• Jasnah Kholin (bonded to Ivory)
• Venli (bonded to Timbre)
• Zu (bonded to Ua'pam)
• Dalinar Kholin (bonded to the Stormfather)
• Melishi (bonded to the Sibling)
• Navani Kholin (bonded to the Sibling)
• Ishar (through his Honorblade)
• Leshwi (via Odium)
• Raboniel (via Odium)
• Lezian (via Odium)

Knights Radiant

For more information, see Knights Radiant.

Knights Radiant are an organization of Surgebinders with the Nahel bond who live by the Immortal Words. They are comprised of ten different orders, with each order consisting of Surgebinders who have access to the same two Surges.

Notes

Footnotes

References

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