User:Lyht/questions

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This will be my page of personal questions I come up with while reading the books.

Top Questions[edit]

  • there seem to be two definitions for "focus". 1) Something required for magic control. 2) The theme or common attribute of all the magic on a planet. Those two are not always the same, (like on Nathis). Do you have different terms for those concepts? For which one do the shards have a weakness? (He seems to be using catalyst.)
  • Does every planet have a number of importance or power? Or every shard? Or a combination of the shards on a planet?
  • Is the drunk in the prologue of the Way of Kings one of the Heralds?
  • Could an Aluminum metalmind be used to heal physical wounds?
  • Are there other ways, in other magic systems, to do what Hemalurgy does, specifically to create a work-around in the spiritual DNA to give you access to other magic systems? Could Forgery do it?
  • If you have used a Soulstamp on yourself, and then worldhopped, would it still work on the new world for at least the rest of the day? The next day?
  • If Harmony left Scadrial, would Allomancy still work on the planet?
  • Did Hoid ever have a chat with the shard Preservation?
  • The names & characters of the Unmade seem to all be based on characters of religion and mythology. Who is Sja-anat based on?
  • Which world is currently the most technologically advanced?
  • Do all worldhoppers we have seen have the ability to worldhop on their own or do some of them hitch a ride with another worldhopper?
  • Is Frost on Roshar? Is Frost human? (I think the answer to both is no)
  • You have mentioned there was a Terriswoman with a cameo in Warbreaker. Have we also seen her in any other book, either the Mistborn series or others?

White Sand - Taldain[edit]

Open[edit]

Unpublished

  • is it lichen that covers the sand?
  • does water trigger some magic from the lichen? There is a flash. But if it is, how is it doing that?
  • why are there prismatic light effects from the sand?
  • how does the tip of one thread kill another?

Graphic Novel

  • Why did all the arrows seem to go to his father.
  • Why did his power go away when it did?
  • Why did it come back when it did?

Closed[edit]

Elantris - The Emperor's Soul - Sel[edit]

Open[edit]

  • Why is it hard to worldhop to and from Sel? Is it because both of the Shards are dead and Splintered? Or is it because most of the magic is location based? I read a WoB that said it was dangerous to go to the shadesmar on Sel. Is that why it is hard to get there? Why would be dangerous? It seems that most people that go in the shardpool get disintegrated, they have to be very strong will to not. Is that related? WoB: It has to do with the Dor and the lack of an entity controlling much of the power [i.e. the two shards] Odium left in his wake on Sel. WoB about how you can worldhop, something about Raoden did not correctly interpret one of the Aons. Is part of the reason related to the fact there were two conflicting intents uncontrolled?
  • Seons communicate with other seons through the cognitive Realm?
  • Seons don't have access to extra information in the cognitive realm? They don't seem to be able to talk to each other without seeing them? (Sarene’s Seon, Ashe, seemed he had to go find some other Seons) Except they can connect across distances? Only if they know them?
  • Do Seons only exist near Elantris, because they are Aons, and because of the geography? They seem to have been created there, but they can go anywhere? (There was a quote by Brandon a about seonds traveling to other planets)
  • Seons sleep? “He didn’t like being disturbed after he had fallen asleep”
  • How do Seons travel? Mai was broken in Elantris, and they awake in Teod. Did s/he wander over there? Dio was in Teod, then showed up on the wall of Elantris to talk to Hrathen. And he had to make that trip quickly, because he was sent when word got back to Eventeo that Salene was in Elantris, and showed up there after two or three days.
  • Keseg's teachings? Who was Keseg?
  • How does Odium fit into all of this. We know he killed Devotion and Dominion. Is he gone? Any of his influence still felt? (WoB: Q: I know that you’ve answered this before, but we don’t have citation yet. Was the earthquake caused by Odium’s visit to Elantris? You’ve answered that one before, I believe. A: I don’t know if I have. I think I’ve given implications without a strict, direct answer on that one. Q: and what are the implications, so I can know if I’m thinking of the right answer? A: What do you think I’ve said? Q: I think you’ve said, no it isn’t. A: The Seons existed before the earthquake. Q: But was the earthquake caused by Odium? A: when Odium visited there were no Seons. Q: Okay. But that doesn’t answer the question about the earthquake, so that’s interesting to note. A: See what I’m saying?)
  • Why do Elantrians sleep?
  • Why do Raoden’s pains have a much stronger hold on him? Why is it affecting him more quickly that it does everyone else? “It drew strength from the Dor, bringing him a little closer to submission with it’s every assault”. And later he glowed, like the Dor was trying to break through. I marked it. But why him? They talked about how it is stronger in some people, but is that enough of an explanation?
  • Did Elantrians not become the glowing powerful beings they are before the city was built with it’s Aon? Before that, how did someone gain the power to draw Aons? Did they only have the power to draw, and not the health and whatnot of being full Elantrians? When they “snapped” before, was is not obvious like on scadrial?
  • Why does this “snap” seem gentler than on other worlds? Where is the crack in their soul?
  • What was the white sphere on the other side of the lake? Some people think it is the sun visible in shardsmar.
  • Keseg taught unity. (There was a conversation about it. Don't remember where) Could that be a unity between Devotion and Dominion? Or is Unity just Devotion? Or could it just be a reoccuring theme of the cosmere?
  • Dilaf’s hatred seems excessive for Dominion. Could he be affected by Odium? When did Odium Splinter Devotion and Dominion? Was he still around, or could his influence still be felt?
  • What is the Dor? Is it the Splintered power from both Dominion and Devotion, and all of that is mostly just floating around in the Cognitive right now?


Guessed[edit]

  • Why is the elantrian magic so freaken powerful? On Roshar you have to convince an object to change, or use a fabrial and pay for it with your health, plus it is never quite right. Over in MaiPon (Emperors Soul) you have to write a plausible history for the object that could-have-been, and the seal must remain attached. In Elantris, you just draw up the correct Aon, and BAMB, garbage is food. (someone's comment: In a word, Elantris. It's a massive power booster the size of an entire city. The weak, pitiful effects prior to Raodan fixing the Aon are the normal, unboosted level of Aondor power. There's also been some theorizing that prior to the creation of Elantris, all Arelons could use Aondor just like Forging, Dakhor, etc, and that Elantris concentrated that power into a select few, those struck by the Shaod, and thus gave them an extreme powerup. My comment: could this be called compounding?) WoB, something about the way it accesses the Dor. (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/358/#e10728)
  • How did the Seons come into being? A: We know that Seons are splinters of Devotion, and they did not exist before Odium kill and splintered Devotion. So they were not likely created by purpose by a shard. They are most likely splinters that gained sentience after Devotion splintered. However, they have Aons at their center, which doesn't seem to me to be something that would happen by accident. Sounds like someone found a way to draw an Aon in the air, with a control that would keep the Aon from getting triggered. But when they did, the splintered power built up behind the Aon, enough that the splinter gained sentience.

Closed[edit]

  • Seons, have aons at their center, like pattern? But their aons would be constant, and mean something, wouldn't they? A: Yes.
  • Do the power of the Aons drop because you are far from Elantris (with it’s Aon) or far from Arelon (the base of all Aons?) If it is the second, then if you got far enough away, the Aon would stop working at all. If it is the first, then the power would drop down to the level of power that Raoden found when the City Aon was still broken, and it would level off there no matter how far away you were. It would also mean: Normally, Aons have a lesser amount of power, but with the City Aon in place, everything is boosted. A: WoB: Q: Aons look like Arelon; soulstamps look like MaiPon. Aons get weaker when you get further from Arelon, right? That's not just cause Elantris acts like a focus? A: That's right, it's based on distance. That's why there are no stamped objects in Elantris. Q: So do soulstamps get weaker further from MaiPon? if you left Sel via Shadesmar and went to another planet, would the soulstamp stop working? A: That's correct. Q: Could soulstamps be carved that used Arelon as a base form instead of MaiPon? A: That's very interesting, isn't it?)
  • When Raoden fixed the Aon of the city, would he not have needed to put an extra line on both sides? A: Sounds like no. Sounds like only one chasm line is needed, no matter how many other copies of the base lines are in the Aon. http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=979#154
  • The seons don't have a religion? Ashe says “If He has brought me to you, then He has his first Seon convert”. A: WoB Q: Ashe says to Sarene "your god" (emphasis added). Do Seons (and Skaze) have a religion/god? A: They have an inkling of the nature of their original Shards, which they would consider their gods. Q: Kind of like a first, a prime, a parent? A: Yes. They kind of know what happened that created them, and they also know this is not the god being worshipped (by Sarene), so... http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4254-chicago-steelheart-signing-2-wheeling/#entry66703
  • Hoed? Hopeless? Damaged beyond repair? A: Those that have given into the pain, and just repeat a final phrase. Their consciousness hides deep in their mind, where they don't have to feel pain any more.
  • How does the magic of Sel work away from the location where it is based? Does the magic relate to the people born in a location, or someone who lived there for a while? Which would mean they can be away from their location (far away? on a different planet? no) and their magic still works? But someone born in another location would have different Aons? A: The magic of Sel get progressively weaker the farther it gets from the source. There are no soulstamps in Elantris. Although there likely could be, it would just have to include the base Aon to make it work, which would make it's source location Arelon.
  • And speaking of which, does the splintering make the magic weaker? Will the magic go away? A: No. The power is there regardless of it is currently held. However, if the power is not held long enough, it starts to become sentient on it's own, and it starts to bleed out into the physical realm in the form a sentient creatures like the Seons and the Skazed.
  • Domi = Devotion, Jaddeth = Dominion? A: Yes.
  • Shu-Keseg is the religion of who? Shu-Dereth and Shu-Korath are sects? Korathi follow Domi, and Derethi follow Jaddeth? A: Yes

Mistborn - Alloy of Law - Scadrial[edit]

Open[edit]

  • was the deepness just the mists? Or did Ruin send some of his own mists, dark ones that choked the land so as to force the rise of the hero of ages?
  • is the well of ascension really the shardpool, or is it an outlet of the full pool like in the alternate ending?
  • In the alternate ending, why was the lake a dark color and the pool a light color? Were those actually two separate shard pools, the dark one for ruin?http://brandonsanderson.com/mistborn-2-alternate-ending-part-two/
  • Is there a limit to how much can be stored in metalminds? It seems so, like Sazed's rings held a little bit, but his bracers could hold a bunch. But if so, how do you hold the extra amount that is possible with compounding? Maybe it doesn't work that way. You are not actually storing power, you are pushing power through time. So maybe the limit is a time limit. So if you are burning at a higher level, the level takes up the same time space.
  • Brandon once said that the ending of Mistborn was hidden in the first chapter epigraphs. What does that mean?
  • Tan (Alloy, chapt 1) said He saw God, death and life. which I assume is ???, Marsh and Kelsier. Is there a Kandra (TenSoon?) still playing the part of Kelsier?
  • The other weird thing is the entire display of dead people seemed to be for Wax's benefit, like he knew he was coming. Hoid is supposed to have some way to know the future a bit. Some feruchemical way. Although I think it probably has to do with an Atium alloy.
  • "Drop of red glass colored like blood". What is that? Not likely to be something to be with the ghostbloods. But still, what is it?
  • why does tan keep talking about being puppets? What he just crazy, or is there something more going on?
  • Soulbearer Ferrings can store Investiture in a nicrosil metalmind. And pull some out later? What good is that? If that was your only ability, you could not do anything with it. But if you were twin born, you could boost your other power. Better question, store enough in there and does your metal mind gain sentience?
  • Miles was influenced by something? What would that be? Some being like Kelsier hanging around? A bit of Ruin that Harmony has siphoned off? Harmony himself from his Ruin side? (WoB: Q: Miles Hundredlives, is he possessed by a svrakiss from Elantris? B: *long pause* That’s a RAFO, you are onto something… I wouldn’t say possessed, but influenced by something is definitely a possibility. You are not 100% on. SLCC Transcript 2014)
  • So how did leslee actually get shot the first time? And why did she not just sluff it off? did harmony actually take full control of her, make her move in front of the bullet, and play dead?
  • Who is Trell?
  • how did bleeder stay conscious with one spike? Is it possible the spikes were already invested?
  • how did bleeder change so quickly into the Governor after being shot, and even had time to go down the tunnel and leave a message? Just all through speed?
  • is there a difference between how Atium works and other metals? All other metals are just the key to pull investiture which would power the magic. Pulling that investiture is pulling a bit of preservation. And we know the the mists are also part of the body/power of preservation. But Atium itself is part of the body/power of Ruin. So, Atium isn't a key? Or it is Both?
  • Wayne says "Blarek" in the first book when he gets poisoned by th Butler. What does that mean?

Closed[edit]

  • What is compounding? Compounding is pushing some attribute into a metal through Feruchemy and burning it through Allomancy, which gives you a bigger boost than normal, then re-saving some back into the metal through Feruchemy.
  • Why are koloss still here in Alloy? Do they just keep replicating by killing new people or finding dead or dying people and spiking them?

No, Sazed fixed them a bit. Made them better and able to have children.

  • Constable-General Brettin was not acting like himself at the end. Was he Kandra? A: Yes. He was TenSoon. WoB: http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=706#9, http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=706#12
  • Marsh said "His brother's work", is that Kelsier? A: Yes, and Kelsier is still meddling. http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=706#6 although it was actually just in reference to Kelsier's original goals of taking care of those that could not take care of themselves. http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=1151#79
  • What is the pun from mistborn of “Holds the future of the world on his arms”? Just that the wording sounds like “In his hands”, or hold it “In his arms”. But because it is “On” it really means the copperminds? Yah, got to be.
  • Can someone from another planet burn Larasium and become mistborn? In other words, does larasium require sDNA to work, or does it change sDNA? It seems that Hoid was sure it would change him, so it must change sDNA and modify your spiritweb (and pDNA and cDNA as well) to make it work.
  • Brandon once said “I wonder what Sazed is doing with the extra power from Ruin to keep the power in balance?” I am sure it was RAFO tease, but yah, what IS he doing with it? What COULD he do with it? He would have to push it off some of it somewhere. I can only think of two options: 1) physical investiture (shardpool) in liquid, solid or gas form, 2) or splinter some off into living creatures or make spren. It doesn't look like it can be the second. (Q: Are there still no Splinters on Scadrial, after the events of the Alloy of Law? A: Yes, there are no Splinters on Scadrial. Unless they've been brought. [Several people cried out "Hoid!"] There are no Splinters of Ruin or Preservation. http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4254-chicago-steelheart-signing-2-wheeling/#entry66703)

He is sending it back into the pits again, as we found out in the second book.

  • Tan (alloy, chapt 1) In the same instant, Tan yanked Lessie to the right. How did he know the timing? Options:
    • Atium. No, according to WoB
    • Electrum misting: He could have seen his own actions and known if he didn't do something he would be shot in the head. However, how did he get the timing right? And he was shot in the head later anyway.
    • Chromium ferring: Store up enough luck that he could get the timing just right?
    • Electrum/Chromium twinborn:
    • Chromium twinborn compounder: Super luck? Would it be needed?
    • Tin savant. Not likely, he didn't have anything shading his eyes.
    • Steel (speed) ferring, or steel compounder: But would "speed" be enough? The time it takes for his mind to register the gun shot, it might be to late to move fast.
    • Tin and Steel twinborn: Might help, he could hear Lesley blink.
    • Zinc (mental speed) ferring, zinc compounder:
    • Tin and Zinc twinborn, or Electrum and Zinc twinborn:
    • Hemelergy?
    • None of these, that Harmony actually forced Lesslie to move, to get Wax to move back to the city.
  • is there anything supernatural about Wayne's ability to mimic, mix accents? Nothing supernatural. (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/80/#e5278)

The Stormlight Archive - Roshar[edit]

Open[edit]

  • So many people seem to have Violet eyes. Usually light violet. Is there a reason? (I saw a WoB that eye color relates to the original KR Orders, which I think would mean the people we have seen are descendants of a a specific order)
  • I have seen several WoB quotes now about how all the Shards have been on Roshar at some time, or invested on Roshar. What up wit that? Can I find the quotes again?
  • What was the black sphere Gavilar gave the Szeth? It's likely voidlight, but does it hold a voidspren? Or an unmade?
  • So, Gavilar told Szeth to tell his brother to find the "Most important words..." which I have to think are the oaths of the Knights Radiant. However, his shardblade didn't seem to be a live blade... and he didn't seem to have any other powers, like healing, etc. So did he know them or not? Did he just know about them?
  • Someone figured out that Honor was Splintered, just from WoKs. Brandon said “Someone was paying attention” so it wasn’t obvious. Which tells me that just because Odium killed Honor, it doesn’t mean it was Splintered. So how do we know? Maybe Odium would not just kill, but Splintered all shards he killed, because he is trying to become most powerful. So is Cultivation still alive, and not Splintered? Maybe Odium doesn’t care about killing, but he only cares about Splintering, which requires him to kill. Another thought, it seems spren are the general outcrop from splintering, although they can be created by a non-splintered Shard, all the shards we know are splintered have spren.
  • There are three Honorblades out in the world. Who has them? Szeth had one, but now Kaladin has it. I thought for a second Dalinar had one, but now I don't think so. Nale has his, cause he went back and got it back, so the Shin never had it. But we still don't know who has Taln's. And is that it or are there any others out there.
  • Liss the assassin either has one of the Honorblades, or an unknown Shardblade, or is a surgebinder and has a live blade.
  • What is Rinarin’s box? (watch for it this time)
  • The stormfather acts like everything in his bond is new. But he has been bonded before, right? Whats up?
  • How does a Desolation actually end? All of the fused are killed?
  • Was Ilamar a potential Windrunner? WOK 382, Windspren danced past as he charged.

Guessed[edit]

  • Why does Szeth's eyes change color with his honor blade (Wor, pg 314) but Nale's don't, (don't remember for sure where), and Taln's don't (end of wok)

Closed[edit]

  • The Knights all seem to have Regrowth, in addition to their two abilities. How does that work? Maybe Regrowth is different from general healing.
    • Answer: Universal healing is a general power.
    • WoB: question: is healing a universal stormlight power then? Answer: Yes, within reason. some are better at it, but it is a universal power.
  • Why does Kaladin’s bond only work to protect? Did he lose his bond because he made two conflicting oaths, so he could not keep both?
    • Answer: Not really. The only oath that really matters is the oath of the Knights Radiant, the words of the oath. If he breaks that however, he loses the bond, and kills his spren.
  • What would happen if Kaladin hangs onto the honorblade of Szeths? Would that be a compounding of his current abilities?
    • Answer: Some.
    • WoB: Q: If a non Windrunner picked up Jezrien's honorblade would they gain Windrunner powers as well? A: Yes
    • Q: If a Windrunner picked up that blade, would their abilities be enhanced? A: There would be some compounding but strength is not as much an issue with surgebinding as is the strength of the spren bond and how much Stormlight you are using.
  • Vasher/Zahel? Who is that? I guess we have seen him, but I dont remember who it is. I read the Vasher was on the Warbreaker planet and had Nightblood at some point.
    • Answer: Oh, that is the swordmaster. I thought he was a worldhopper.
    • WoB: Q: How long has Zahel been slumming it on Roshar? A: For quite a long time, on this planet he can get something quite easily that is much harder to get where he came from.
    • Q: Why is Vasher on Roshar? Is he trying to get back Nightblood? A: Kind of a RAFO. I won't go into all his reasons right now but there is one thing that was difficult to get on Nalthis that is much easier to get on Roshar. Going to Roshar solved that problem for him.
    • Can stormlight be used instead of Breath to keep Vasher alive?. Yes. [1]
  • What is the Stormfather, another spren or a Herald, or both?
    • Answer: He is a god-spren. A large powerful splinter of Honor.
  • Aren’t Ghostbloods an organization created by Taravangian?
    • Answer: No. His group is called the Diagram.
  • why would the diagram send Szeth to kill Dalinar and then a small group to kill the king? Why not Szeth for both?
    • Answer: The small group was not doing it on the direction of Taravangian. Groups have freedom to do what they want. And that group thought they had read and understood the plan, that it would be best served by killing the king. Even so, they planned on blaming it on Szeth.
  • Odium can affect people like Ruin did. How?
    • Answer: He can affect the Parsendi when they take on the stormspren, because those spren have a hole in them like what is caused by the spikes. But Ruin could also just push the people a bit, as could Preservation. But they could only do that because they created the people. Odium can affect people also, but has to do it through the unmade.
    • WoB: Can Odium influence people the same way that Ruin can?... etc orem signing 2014)
  • Dalinar did not have an Honorblade, because the stormfather called it an abomination, and I don’t think you have to bond with an HonorBlade. So either the Stormfather lied, or Taln is not Taln, the Herald? Because a Herald would not have an dead-spren ShardBlade.
    • Answer: Someone swapped blades.
    • (WoB: Q: At the very end of WoR, Dalinar touches a Shardblade and it screams at him. Should that particular Blade have been safe? A: No, it should not have. It's a clue that something has happened. There are other clues that something is wrong with what the story you've been told is.)
  • What is Elsecalling?
    • Answer: This is the ability to drop into the Cognitive Realm.
    • WoB: Q: Is Jasnah still alive at the end of the book, since the whole scene where she kind of appears… A: Yes, she is. Q: Why does she take so long to come back? A: Because Elsecalling is not precise even if you know exactly what you're doing, which she doesn't.
    • There was another WOB where he says she should know how to get back, but she has not figured that out yet.
  • I am not sure about the reason the Final Desolation is coming, It seems circular. The Final Desolation is going to be caused by the Parshendi turning into voidbringers, but that is happening because they saw surgebinders returning, but the spren are binding with men again because they sense the Final Desolation is coming.
    • Answer: the spren see the return of Odiums spren. It is the return that will cause it, everything else comes from that. WoR page 109, chapter 13 "spren of him. they come."
  • Dalinar wife? How did she die, and why can't he hear her name? I think he can’t hear her name because of a Nightwatcher curse... I can’t remember.
    • Answer Answered in Oathbringer. She died in a battle he caused. Cultivation erased his memory.
  • What is Nightwatcher? Old magic? She gives boons and curses. You ask for a boon and a curse comes with it, but how does that work?
    • Answer: She is a god-spren like the stormfather, a splinter of Cultivation. We see her in work (along with Cultivation) in Oathbringer.
    • (WoB: Q: Nightwatcher's curses all appear to be neurological in effect, are the boons limited in any particular manner? A: Yes.
  • What causes the Desolation? Why has it not happened for so many years? Taln was the only one left, and nothing happened for 4500 years.
    • Answer: The Desolation is caused by the Fuzed coming back. But they can't come back unless one of the Heralds agrees to let them come back, or if none of the Heralds go to Braize after the end of the last one.
    • WoB: Q: Is a Desolation caused when a Herald breaks under torture? A: This person is asking the right kinds of questions.
    • Q: What caused a Desolation to end? Was it just the defeat of Odium's forces? Because the Desolations start when the Heralds break under torture. A: Because the Heralds can no longer be in existence. There is a certain period of time that they can be there, and after that, if they're there, they will start a new one. So the Heralds do need to leave for a Desolation to end.
    • Q: Oh. So they've got a time limit. A: They do. Otherwise the Desolation will start again. What they discovered is not all of them have to. As long as one remains, the Desolation will not start again.
    • Q: So, by the nine leaving, did that actually break the Oathpact for them? Did it change the cycle of Desolations? A: They have not completely broken the Oathpact, despite what they may think.
  • What are Voidspren, vs regular spren?
    • Answer: Any Shard can create spren, especially on Roshar which had many non-intelligent spren before the Shattering of Adonalsium. Voidspren just belong to Odium.
    • WoB: Um, there are spren of all three shards. And those spren can work within the bounds of the magic that has already been set up on Roshar.)
  • What was the reason the Parshendi killed Gavilar? Were they afraid he would bring back the KR, which would cause them to bring back the Void Bringers?
    • Answer: Explained in Oathbringer. He had voidlight, and wanted to bring back the voidbringers, which he hoped would then bring back the KR.
  • I think Parshendi are different than Parshmen. There was some phrase like “our dullform makes it easy for us to blend”. If so, then will all parshmen turn into voidbringers? Or only the Parshendi spies?
    • Answer: Answered in Oathbringer. Parshmen have lost part of their sentience. They are different than dullform which is a choice. When Parshmen have that restored, they are just like other Parshendi. Then they could merge with a voidspren, or even worse, become a fuzed.
  • Are other species able to use magic?
    • Answer: yes, but each possible in different ways.
  • I am not clear about how everyone stopped the Desolations. It seems everyone broke out of what they were doing. The Parshendi turned to dullform, the KR gave up their shardblades and their oaths, the Heralds gave up their honorblades and their oathpact. But since I don't know why the desolations come, I don't know what that did.
    • Answer: These events happened at different times. The Desolations stopped because the Fused could not get back, because Taln took so long to break. However, it took about 2000 years after the end of the Last Desolation before the fighting fully stopped, after the Parshendi lost their Connection because of the capture of that one spren, and the KR broke their oaths.

Warbreaker - Nalthis[edit]

Open[edit]

  • Did Vasher become a scholar before or after he returned?
  • Some people said Shashara was a Returned and she gave her Breath to Vasher. When?
  • What are the Five Visions? (Dont be selfish, even with one’s own blood. If you reject people because of their sins, you are being ostentatious? Patience, Understand your place? Try to understand others? Humility, sacrifice, seeing another’s problems before your own? Passing judgement on others is haughtiness?) Who saw them? Vo? The First Returned? Who was that, peacegiver?
  1. = “I saw men who placed themselves above others, and I saw them cast down.”
  2. =
  3. =
  4. =
  5. =
  • There is no “Snap” here. And it seems there is no sDNA either. Anyone here gets their basic breath, and if they add one more, away they go. Is that because “Endowment” gives everyone a little something?
  • I know Nightblood is like the Shardblades on Roshar, he is basically the same thing. Here is the question: Is he a Splinter? Because the Shardblades are made from Spren which are Splinters.

Quote from Tempus: Spren are splinters (WoB). Splinters have intent (WoB). Splinters are chunks of investiture (WoB). Chunks of investiture can gain spontaneous sentience (WoB). Nightblood is fundamentally the same as a spren (WoB), and is a chunk of investiture (Warbreaker), has been given an intent(Warbreaker), and is sentient(Warbreaker); thus he is a splinter (Deduction).

  • How or Why does Denth have the Royal Locks? WoB: Q Does Denth have the Royal Locks, independent of being a Returned? A Yes. (Good question.)
  • Why does Denth and the God King’s head priest have a variation of the same name? VaraTreledees and Treledees.
  • Why is lightsong so good at detective work?

Closed[edit]

  • If someone drops down in Breaths, do they drop in abilities? Yes.
  • How does Vasher keep his divine breath but give all the rest of the breath away? I guess you can’t give away divine breath, unless you give away your life. And WoB said somewhere that you basically invest your divine breath in a hidden part of yourself, then you can give the rest away.
  • If Vasher gave away all his breath but his divine Breath to an object, how can he hide from someone with aura sense? If Vasher only has his divine Breath left, is he not still at a level 5?

WoB: Q: How could Vasher become Drab, since he would have to give up his Big Breath to do so? A: The Divine Breath can be hid. Essentially, you have to view yourself NOT as a god at all, using a very specific bit of mental gymnastics. As a Returned, your body changes based on how you see yourself. (This, by the way, is an indication that Lightsong was more pleased with himself than he ever let on.) You don't lose your Divine Breath, but it does go into hiding, making you look like a normal person. But you're still Returned, and are consuming a Breath at one a week. If you give away your other Breaths, you retain this hidden one, but your body will still consume its own spirit if left to do so. So you still need a Breath a week to survive, and will die the week you don't get one. I left this as an intentional place to explore the magic in the sequel, which I had planned to be writing (and posting on my website) by the time Warbreaker was out in stores. The WoT has diverted me, and so I feel bad, since this ends up being a confusing question that a number of readers have had. The hints toward how this is working are very difficult to find. (The biggest one is probably in the opening, where Vasher thinks about how he could reach the Fifth Heightening instantly, if he wanted to.)

WoB: They have learned to suppress their divine Breath. This allows them to hide, but they must be careful never to give away all of their Breath. Denth has been a Drab before—he’s not completely lying—but never for longer than a few days. And his divine Breath is always there, suppressed. So he doesn’t know what it’s like to be a true Drab, which is why in this chapter he says he doesn’t think it changes you that much. He’s never felt it. (http://brandonsanderson.com/annotation-warbreaker-chapter-twenty-two-part-2/ show the spoiler)

  • Vasher (Talaxin, Kalad, Peacegiver) and Denth (VaraTreledees) are 2 of the 5 scholars? Along with Shashara, and Arsteel? Yes. The other is Yasteel.
  • Are all the scholars Returned? Other people are talking like they are. (WoB: Q: Are/were all the Five Scholars Returned? A: Yes.)
  • How are vivenna and siri descendants of Returned? Returned can't have children. Maybe they are not? Siri said maybe they are not, but Nightblood said Vivenna was like a Returned. Which is it? And later Vasher said she was. (WoB: question about something else: ...It involves the God King having a child. (Yes, it's possible.))
  • Hair change color skill, only works for children of the monarch? So Vivenna’s children would not have it, until or unless she becomes queen? What if the current King dies, would Vivenna lose the ability? How does that work? I think they were wrong, that they just believed it to be so, so it was so. And if they had known how they could have changed more than their hair.

WoB: Only Potential Heirs of Idris Have Royal Locks

This is true. It’s not a matter of genetics, but lineage. That’s a subtle distinction. Only the children of the person who ends up inheriting will have the Royal Locks. (Though there are a couple of notable exceptions to this, they won’t show up in this book, as it will take another novel to explain why and how the Royal Locks really work. If I ever write a sequel, that should be in it.)

This factoid about the Royal Locks should be one of several hints about the lineage of the Idrian crown. There is something odd about their heritage. (http://brandonsanderson.com/annotation-warbreaker-chapter-twenty-two/)

  • Denth’s speed. Where does that come from? Just skill? A bit of his Divine Breath? His ability to change himself?

WoB: Denth’s Speed

Yes, Denth is inhumanly fast. He’s a Returned, after all, and has all of the physical enhancements that come with that. Even when he’s chosen not to manifest most of them, he’s still got an edge, just like Vasher does. (http://brandonsanderson.com/annotation-warbreaker-chapter-twenty-two-part-2/ show the spoiler)

  • Why did the child come to him. How did he make the dogs stop barking?

WoB: In this chapter, we also get the first hints that children and animals like Vasher. That’s another hint about his nature—though a very, very subtle one, since I haven’t talked about how animals and children all like Returned. They can sense the divine Breath within him, and it comforts them. (http://brandonsanderson.com/annotation-warbreaker-chapter-forty-nine/)

  • How much Breath do you get back from an Awakened object, when you take it back? 100%? A: Yes. (WoB: Q: Is Awakening and BioChroma an end-neutral system? A: Yes. The amount of Breath you use, you don't lose Breath in the process of Awakening. Link)

First of the Sun[edit]

Open[edit]

  • how do those one animals broadcast thought. the birds don't seem to.
  • But there are different kinds of broadcast.
    • animals and people broadcast to level 1. And one plant. Only certain animals can listen on level 1.
    • some animals broadcast on level 2. People cast listen on level 2. but you have to be close?
  • a Parasite makes the bird grant a power. could other animals do the same with the parasite? Could people have the parasite and do the same?
  • The birds all seem a bit preshent.

Cosmere[edit]

Open[edit]

  • What does investiture mean? Is it power or ability? Is it sDNA? Is a splinter? Is it stormlight, or breath? Fuel? Pattern? Focus?
  • Does the magic have to do with the world / environment, or with the focus of the shard? Both?
  • Would the magic stop working if the shard left the world? Or does a portion of the shard’s power get infused in the world, and if the shard were gone, the magic would keep working, but the magic would just eventually dry-up? Or can the magic work no matter how far away the shard is from the planet?
  • Is the shard’s focus always a blind-spot for the shard? So if the stormlight is the focus for the shards on Roshar, can they not see it? Brandon once said “Yes” to a question about shard “weakness”… I wonder if they may not all be “Blind”. Focus is pattern that calls the magic.
  • Is focus set by the shard, the intent of the shard, or the world?
  • How did the worlds get populated? All people were created by shards? I know some people were already on some planet before the shards got there… wait what? The planets were not all create by the shards? Best I can tell right now, humans started on Yolan, (at least WoB says that was the first planet they were on), and other sentient species existed on some planets.
  • If Preservation gave sentience, how did it happen on other worlds? It seems Endowment gives Breath which gives sentience, although Drabs don’t lose their sentience.
  • Does a shards intent affect it’s focus? What is the difference? Intent = name, like Ruin tries to break down? Focus = what? The way power is manifest or stored or utilized by humans, or accessed by humans? Focus, pattern of the magic. (WoB: Q: Are gemstones the focus of Surgebinding?

A: Defined how you mean focus for this conversation. Q: The definition you gave me a few years ago was that the Commands were the focus for Awakening, and Aons were the focus for AonDor, and metals are the focus for the Metallic Arts... and you haven't given us a proper definition. A: RAFO)

  • What are willshapers? On Roshar?
  • Are there tools on each world (other than a hemarleric spike) that can change the sDNA to match the world? Or are there other ways to do it, perhaps unique to each world? (leading to, how the heck is Hoid getting power from each world?)
  • Can Splintered shards be put back together? Can Adonalsium be put back together?
  • What is the 17th Shard’s purpose? To learn how to make a new shard? To put Adonalsium back together? But the letter makes it seem like they are related to the Dragon, who has a policy of non-intervention. (WoB: Q: What are you willing to reveal about the Seventeenth Shard?

A: They are a group of people who aren't convinced that Hoid should be doing what he is doing.)

  • Why does Aluminum have weird effects on all magic systems? (WoB: Q: You said that on Roshar the only reason they have aluminum is that they can Soulcast it, right? I think you said something like that … maybe? I was wondering how that would work, if an Allomancer were to-- A: Aluminum has some weird properties on all of the magic systems, not just allomancy. It does not have the same effect, but aluminum has some bizarre effects.)
  • Three sentient races on Yolen? (WoB: Q: Were the original sixteen Shardholders after the shattering all human? A: Uh … RAFO. There are three races on Yolen. Three sentient races.) We know of Human, Dragon, and ???
  • So who all was there for the Shattering? 16 + Hoid and the Dragon? Maybe none of them were actually there. Maybe they all just showed up later? Maybe it was only the 16.
  • How can Hemalergy work with other magic systems? Does it take the investiture or the sDNA from the host. I think the sDNA, but then what about other worlds where sDNA doesn't seem to mean as much as on Scadrial?
  • If you managed to create an Aon that would work on Roshar, which Shard would you be pulling power from?
  • Seons seem to sleep. Do Spren? Do they dream of cognitive sheep? Nightblood doesn't need to sleep. (WoB: Q: Does Nightblood need to sleep? A: (Laughs) Nightblood does not need to sleep, but he sure thinks he needs to. http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4254-chicago-steelheart-signing-2-wheeling/#entry66703)
  • Brandon once said a person needs to be connected to a world to not leave when they die. Spirit? Soul? What does it mean?
  • Ascension. Is it possible if the local shard is used? How can it happen? What does it mean, what do you become if not the shard?
  • Did preservation not Splinter when he died? Then Vin took the power. Did she un-splinter? Or was it never splintered?
  • So could someone pick up devotion or dominion? Or honor?
  • Smoke from shardblades: What is the relation between the smoke that emits when a shardblade cuts, and smoke from Nightblood? Are they the same thing? What are they? (http://theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=666#5 WoB: Q: Is there any relation between the smoke that is emitted when a Shardblade cuts somebody and the smoke that Nightblood emits in Warbreaker? A: Yes, there is.)
  • Some people are saying that Bavadin showed up on Sel. [3] What the heck? I can't find the original discussion on 17th shard to see where that is from.
  • Investeture can not be destroyed. [4] so what does Nightblood do? [5]

Closed[edit]

  • Can the magic on one world even work on another? They require the spiritual and genetic codes of the people born on the planet, so someone on another planet could not gain the power. However, can planet jumpers use their powers on other planets? Can the power work that far away from the shard / planet? ANSWER: Yes. from Brandon: Question: Can magic systems from one world work in any given other? Answer: For some, it will take quite a bit of work, but it's possible to get them each to work. Sel's magics are regional, and so they are going to be tough. Scadrial's magics are the easiest.
  • If they can, can they be combined, (ie a planet jumper has a child with someone from another planet)? ANSWER: Yes. from Brandon: Question: A lerasium Mistborn’s kids would surely be Allomancers. If such a lerasium Mistborn traveled to, say, Nalthis, fell in love and had kids with a native Nalthisean, would those kids be Allomancers? Or something else? Answer: In most cases, they would still be Allomancers. Mixed, potentially, with something else depending on the native innate investiture. That mixture could do some strange things, though.
  • Spren and Seons seem to be the result of a Splintered Shard. Brandon said something about them existing as an outlet for unmanaged power.
  • Are there spren on all worlds? No. there are no spren on Scadriel. Spren only show up if the shard is splintered, or if the shard creates them.
  • Does the metal that connects allomancers to their power have to be from Scadrial? No. the source of the metal is not important, the pattern is. However, I would guess that if copper on one world had a different makeup, a different pattern, it might not work the same.
  • Where is Taldain? That is White Sand.
  • Who is Nazh? Who are they drawing everything for? A woman? Maybe Khriss? I am completely convinced it is Kriss. (WoB: Q: Who's Nazh? The person who retrieved Shallan's notebook...A: You have seen him before.) (WoB: Q: Is Hoid the most knowledgeable about what's going on in the cosmere? A: No, Khriss is the most aware by a long shot. Nazh knows a lot as well. Hoid might know more than Nazh but he is pretty in the know as well so it's close.)
  • Does every world have a cognitive realm? A version of shadesmar? (YES, they would have to since that seems to be the way to world hop, and it seems everything has a Cognitive and Spiritual nature)
  • Does Hemalergy require the death of the person the sDNA is pulling from? No, but in most cases it would cause it because it causes damage to the soul. (WoB: Q: Hemalurgy, does the person having the metal shoved through them have to die? B: It has to rip off a piece of their soul. That normally results in death. SLCC Transacription) (WoB, Miles would probably be dead if spiked. https://www.goodreads.com/questions/109483-could-miles-heal-back-his-allomancy-if-it and part two: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/14995-goodreads-qa/page-4#entry169380)
  • Who is the Author of the Ars Arcanum? What is it? (I think it is latin for “Art [of] Secrets” or Book of Secret Stuff.) Maybe Hoid wrote it? (Although the copper mind says no, it gives no reference) When was it created? Is it one book, or just a holding place for the secrets of each novel? It is one person, and not Hoid. Maybe Khriss? (WoB: Q: The Ars Arcanum in the back of [The Alloy of Law] - who is written by? A: Same person that's written every one of them.) (WoB: Q: A couple of days ago, you mentioned some person called Khriss. Has he actually appeared or been referenced in any of… A: She! has appeared and.... Q: I guessed as much because one of the pictures says "Dear woman!" toward the end of the book. A: She has appeared in--if you ask around about Khriss, she has appeared in unpublished books.Q: Is Khriss the author of some of the Ars Arcanums? A: [Teasing]Oh I dunno. That's very interesting Q: Does Khriss owe Nazh a new coat? A: [Long pause]I'll stay closed mouthed on Khriss.) (WoB: Q: In whose voice is the "Ars Arcanum" written? Hoid's? A: I've avoided answering that question. It's either Hoid or a member of the 17th Shard. That's as much answer as I'm giving anyone right now.) It is a woman that writes it, WoP: It is not a coicendence that the actor reading that part is a woman, http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/7131-nazh-in-words-of-radiance/page-2?qpid=166639. I am sure it is Khriss: link.
  • What is a “Dragon”? Someone from Yolin who has been around a while and done stuff? Some of which took up shards, and some of which did not? Dragons are dragons. They were one of 3 sentient species on Yolen. They can make themselves look human.
  • Can stormlight be used to increase your hightening level? No. [6]
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