User:LadyLameness/Shadesmar
{/{location |map=Shadesmar (TWoK).jpg |world=Roshar |universe=Cosmere |books=The Stormlight Archive }}
Shadesmar is a Rosharan word for the Cognitive Realm.[1] The word Shadesmar is sometimes used in non-Rosharan contexts when referring to that Realm.[2][3] It is known in Rosharan mythology as the kingdom of the spren.[4]
"Is this because he’s from the Cognitive Realm? The books say that the Spiritual Realm is a place of pure truth, while the Cognitive is more fluid." WOR Chapter 24, whatever this means
Geography and Ecology
The Shadesmar Map
The map of Shadesmar labels several areas in the Cognitive Realm, including regions called "Expanses" that are outside of Roshar. If you walk far enough (likely for days) in the direction of one of those Expanses, you can arrive on another world.[5] The areas labeled are as follows:
- Expanse of the Vapors: This area is confirmed to be Scadrial.[5]
- Expanse of the Densities: This area is confirmed to be Sel.[6]
- Expanse of Vibrance: This expanse's name was hidden behind the map's title.[7]
- Expanse of the Broken Sky
- Nexus of Imagination
- Nexus of Truth
- Nexus of Transition
- Sea of Regret
- Sea of Souls
- Sea of Lost Lights
Environment
Shadesmar is a overlay of the Physical Realm, filled with personified ideas, as well as the cognitive aspects of physical objects.{/{wob ref| }}[8] Space does not map directly between location, with distance depending on the amount of consciousness in or about a given place.
Geographically, Roshar in the Cognitive Realm appears like an inversion of the continent in the Physical Realm, with the land reflecting as a sea of beads and bodies of water as land made of obsidian.[9] + other refs
Black sky, and a strange, tiny,[9] white sun that hangs on the horizon in the far distance.[10][8] Clouds run towards the sun - combined with the sea of beads it gives the impression that the sun is at the end of a long tunnel[11] The clouds are straight and long and point towards the horizon.[4]
The "seas" are made of tiny, translucent,[8] dark glass beads[10][4] that represent objects that exist in the Physical Realm. These beads are bean-sized, or slightly larger than a fingernail.[12] The beads are attracted to Stormlight[10] and will force their way through barriers if possible (such as a hand over a mouth).[4] The beads represent "souls of objects." [13] It is possible to suffocate if drawn beneath the beads.[14] It does not seem possible to swim through the beads as bodies as they provide no buoyancy.[4] Sinking in the beads is similar to sinking through a viscous liquid.[4] The weight of individual beads differ based on their physical form, with larger objects correlating to heavier beads.[9] Spren can translate conversations between humans and beads though it is possible to speak to the cognitive aspect of the beads directly.[9]
The minds of sentient beings reflect in the Cognitive Realm as small[9] flames.[10] They give off light.[14] The differ in size, between species?consciousness?.[9]
When asked if this is the general rule, Sanderson said "there are places in Shadesmar that are different, and some are the same."[15]
Crystal looking trees can be found along the southern coast of Sea of Lost Lights, near the Expanse of the Vapors[9][16] The have spikey limbs made of glass, with no leaves.[9]
![[16]](#cite_note-Shadesmar_.28TWoK.29.jpg-16){kind=link}
Notable Location
Some spren are intelligent enough to build their own civilizations and live on cities in Shadesmar, while others are more like animals.[8]
Cryptics rule one of the greater cities in Shadesmar, though its name is unknown.[17]
Celebrant Lasting Integrity Unyielding Fidelity Sea of Lost Lights
Highstorm
History
It is likely that after the Recreance, Rosharans stopped travelling to Shadesmar, with Jasnah being one of the first, or the first, to interact with spren in a long time.[18]
The night of Gavilar's death, Jasnah enters Shadesmar when confronted by Ivory and makes the castle hallway + a knight out of beads.[4]
Cryptics in Kharbranth[19][20][10][11]
Shallan soulcasts in her room[10] Shallan Soulcasts near Jasnah and is saved by her[14] Jasnah researches Shadesmar from this point onward [8]
After being attacked aboard the Wind Pleasure, Jasnah Elsecalls to Shadesmar to save herself.[9] Shallan enters Shadesmar to Soulcast the Winds Pleasure in an attempt to save the crew from being slaughtered. Later, stick scene.[9]
While in Shadesmar, Jasnah caused quite a bit of strife with the spren. While there she learnt about the Everstorm and that it would transform the singers and knows that this has not happened before. She spent some time with the highspren who shared with her details of past Desolations and how the Fused return, which lead her to want to seek particular records upon her return to the Physical. At some point she began searching for a waypoint where the realms were close enough for her to Elsecall back to the Physical Realm. Shortly before she arrived back in the Physical Realm, it is implied she was in some sort of conflict.[18]
Both Orders can use the glass beads in Shadesmar to form various structures that can be used there. For example, Jasnah can create a raft out of Shadesmar beads that she could stand safely on.[14] While trapped in Shadesmar, Shallan uses this ability on several occasions. While attempting to use the Thaylen City Oathgate, she makes a wall physically appear there, rather than just being made of beads. This is called manifesting, and is described as being dangerous by Captain Notum.
When Shallan tries to use the corrupted Oathgate in Kholinar it transports all those in the control room to Shadesmar.[21] Azure tells them that the way to get out is to go to where the Horneater Peaks are in the Physical Realm and use Cultivation's Perpendicularity.[22]
Culture and Society
Spren Societies
- Main article: Spren
Spren are Splinters that reside mainly in the Cognitive Realm of Roshar. Spren are ideas personifed that have gained sentience,[8] and in some cases, sapience. Each spren represents an idea or concept, and are described as ideas that gained life.
Lesser spren can be pulled partially into the Physical Realm from Shadesmar by thoughts and emotions.[8] Emotion spren are attracted by emotions.[9] Radiant spren can choose to transition their minds from Shadesmar and into the Physical Realm, and can be pulled through temporarily to form Shardblades. Even when their minds have transitioned to the Physical, Radiant spren still exist mostly in the Cognitive and can sometimes be viewed if looking into Shadesmar.[9] This partial transition is also why Radiant spren are oftentimes invisible to anyone they have not chosen to reveal themselves to, though different spren have different skill levels at both appearing and disappearing.[23] Spren that have transitioned have barely any substance in the Physical making it difficult to touch them, and in some cases it should be impossible.[23]
When Radiant spren first transition their minds from Shadesmar, they lose much of their mind and memory,[9] and risk losing their sapience.{\{get reference to Syl at Honor Chasm}}
There is great variety among spren, both in appearance and in cognitive levels. Most spren appear physical differently in the Physical Realm.[17]
Many spren in Shadesmar are hostile towards humans due to their part in the Recreance. This makes getting information about Shadesmar, spren, their cities and their culture, quite difficult.[8]
Economy
Politics
There is a complex, but negative political relationship between Honorspren and Cryptics.[17] Jasnah has not been able to devote much time to learning about spren politics.[17]
Food and Drink
Languages
Spren have their own languages, with some knowing human languages.[24] Cryptics do not use human languages.[24]
Mythology(?)
General knowledge of the existence of Shadesmar has faded on Roshar and it has become mythology.[4]
The Ardentia are aware of Shadesmar to some extent and that it is possible to visit. This may not be widespread knowledge throughout the Ardentia.[25] There may be at least some literature that talks about Shadesmar.[25] and have used fabrials that allow them to Soulcast objects through it. Details of Shadesmar may have been changed or erased from written text by the Vorin church during the Hierocracy.[17]
Shadesmar is named in nursery tales.[4]
Jasnah writes publicly about Shadesmar in one of her earlier works.[17]
Investiture
Azure, Shallan, and Kaladin all get impressions from the beads they pick up while in Shadesmar, so it should be reasonable to say that any Invested person can manifest objects there. Adolin, not being an Invested person, gets only the vaguest impressions of the objects the beads represent.
Each bead gives a distinct impression of physical object when touched by someone who is Invested.[4]{/{book ref|sa3|Shadesmar chapters}/} This can include both their physical appearance and their 'soul'. They can be knitted together to form objects based of the cognitive aspect of a given bead. It is possible to make only part of an object. Bead objects can be commanded to move on their own, though not well.[4]
The beads gravitate towards Investiture and are able to give the impression to a person that they are after something.[4]
Stormlight (or an alternative source of Investiture) is needed[14] in order to control objects in Shadesmar, as well as for Soulcasting. Traveling there without sufficient Stormlight is considered to be perilous.
Traditionally, the Elsecallers have been the prime liaisons with the 'great ones of the spren' and were happy to bring along people of other orders to assist them in their visits and interactions. Implied that Elsecallers had a higher affinity for Shadesmar than Lightweavers or Willshapers.[26]
Transformation
By touching beads, those with the surge of Transformation are able to change the physical form of the object in the physical realm through Soulcasting.[10]
It may be possible for Soulcasters to appear in Shadesmar with a given bead in their hands if they are holding the corresponding object when they peak into the other realm.[10]
Shallan is able to take Memories in the physical that capture Cryptics in the Cognitive even when she is not actively looking into the other Realm.[10]
Can control how far their mind travels into Shadesmar, allowing them to peak in without fully entering.[9] Also able to have their mind be full in Shadesmar? able to lose mind? even while peering if fully immersed and with not enough stormlight? {/{book ref|Shallan at end of WoK}}
Entering Shadesmar is described as objects popping into beads.{\{Shallan in WoK}}[9]
Weird Stuff
Jasnah[4] and Axies, backwards shadows. Misbehaving shadows are referenced in folktales as showing someone is cursed.[4] Jasnah notices this happening in the feast hall, when Ivory is not visible, and in the hall when he is. Implies this has been happened to her before.[4]
In Shadesmar, beings cast shadows towards the sun.[9]
Ivory pulls Jasnah into Shadesmar?[4]
Singers are closer to the Cognitive Realm than humans and this, in part, is what allows them to change forms.[27]
Lift is weird and partially in the Cognitive, allowing her to physically touch spren when it shouldn't be possible.[23]
If the person is strongly influenced by Odium (and presumably certain other Shards), the flame turns red.[28] A flame vanishes when the person represented by it dies.
Trivia
Ingesting the beads and then moving to the Physical Realm would not be good for a person.[29]
quotes and images [/[File:Shadesmar.png|thumb|left|300px|Shadesmar by LittleGreyDragon]] {/{quote | ... a place with a black sky and a strange, small white sun that hung on the horizon ... Flames hovered nearby ... Like the tips of candles floating in the air and moving with the wind ... An endless dark sea, except it wasn't wet. It was made of the small beads, an entire ocean of tiny glass spheres | Shallan Davar[10] }} [/[File:Elsecaller.png|thumb|right|150px|An Elsecaller in Shadesmar by LittleGreyDragon]]
{/{quote
| She stepped up beside the bead statue, noting for the first time the strange clouds overhead. They seemed to form a narrow ribbon of highway, straight and long, pointing toward the horizon.
| Jasnah Kholin's first visit to Shadesmar[4]
}}
something tugged on her leg, pulling her down. She screamed, slipping beneath the surface, tiny beads of glass filling her mouth. wok 70
Notes
- ↑ Barnes and Noble Book Club Q&A
— Arcanum - 2009-07-08# - ↑ Words of Radiance San Diego signing
— Arcanum - 2014-03-04# - ↑ Words of Radiance Omaha signing
— Arcanum - 2014-03-13# - ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Words of Radiance prologue#
- ↑ a b Orem signing 2014
— Arcanum - 2014-12-06# - ↑ Oathbringer San Francisco signing
— Arcanum - 2017-11-15# - ↑ Rithmatist Omaha signing
— Arcanum - 2013-05-17# - ↑ a b c d e f g h Words of Radiance chapter 1#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Words of Radiance chapter 7#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j The Way of Kings chapter 45#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 48#
- ↑ Oathbringer Portland signing
— Arcanum - 2017-11-16# - ↑ Oathbringer chapter 89#
- ↑ a b c d e The Way of Kings chapter 70#
- ↑ Words of Radiance Omaha signing
— Arcanum - 2014-03-13# - ↑ Map of Shadesmar
- ↑ a b c d e f Words of Radiance chapter 3#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance epilogue#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 29#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 42#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 87#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 93#
- ↑ a b c Words of Radiance interlude I-9#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 60#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings interlude I-8#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 53 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 32 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 116#
- ↑ Skyward Chicago signing
— Arcanum - 2018-11-16#
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