Surgebinding

Surgebinding
by Isaac Stewart
Related to	Honor
Type	End-Positive
World of Origin	Roshar

Surgebinding is a magic-system that can be found on Roshar. In accordance with every other magic system in the Cosmere, Surgebinding is a manifestation of Investiture.

Lore

During the events of The Way of Kings Surgebinding is poorly known by the Rosharan population. In previous times though, it was well known, due to the Knights Radiant who were practitioners of Surgebinding. The Ars Arcanum of the Way of Kings has some information about Surgebinding.

General Information

Surgebinding allows its practitioners to bind Surges. Surges are fundamental forces . Binding a Surge describes the manipulation of the fundamental force, which produces the desired effect. In order to Bind a Surge, the practitioner needs Stormlight. This means that the practitioner always needs infused gemstones. When Binding the Surge, Stormlight is used.

Access to Surgebinding

The ability to Bind Surges is not innate to native Rosharans. People are granted this ability depending on how they act. It is assumed that Surgebinding is the magic-system of Honor. So someone needs to act with honor to become a Surgebinder.

By acting honorably, one can attract a spren with which to form a bond. ^{[clarification needed]} An effect of that bond is that the bonded person has access to Surges.

Orders of Radiants

This page or section deals with theories or speculation.

Please read carefully and note that this is not necessarily canonical.

There are ten Surges. Every Surgebinder only has access to two of them. The combination of those two Surges makes him a special type of Surgebinder called an Order. There are ten of these Orders and each of these Orders shares his access to one Surge with the two adjacent Orders respectively.^{[clarification needed]} The Knights Radiant were organized in ten Orders along these limitations.

Windrunners

The Windrunners are the first Order of Knights Radiant. They have access to the Surges 'Gravity' and 'Atmospheric Pressure'.

They can perform three types of Lashings.

Windrunners are able to breath in Stormlight and hold it for a limited time. When holding Stormlight, they are granted increased health regeneration, reflexes, speed and endurance. They apparently do not need to breathe while holding Stormlight^{[clarification needed]}. Stormlight leaking from a human body can be seen by others.

Stonewards

The Stonewardens seem likely to be the ninth Order of Knights Radiant.^{[citation needed]} Their Surges are currently unknown. However in one of Dalinar's visions, they seem to be able to appear out of nowhere, which gives credence to the theory, that they have access to the Surge Travel.

Soulcasters

It is likely that Order Six utilizes the Surge of Transformation, although whether it is shared with Order Five or Seven is unknown.

Dustbringers

In the Prelude to The Way of Kings, Dustbringers have been mentioned. Those could be an Order of Knights Radiant.

Known Surgebinders

• Kaladin has access to the Lashings. He is on his way to become a Windrunner.
• Jasnah is able to perform Soulcastings.
• Shallan is able to perform Soulcastings.
• Szeth has access to the Three Lashings. Yet he is not going to become a Windrunner. Something different is happening to him. This may mean that Szeth is not a Surgebinder.