Difference between revisions of "User:Windrunner/Hoid"

His particular style of storytelling in which he manipulates sand or smoke to illustrate his stories, as in [[Warbreaker]] and [[The Way of Kings]], does not originate from [[White Sand]], but from another unpublished story, [[The Liar of Partinel]].{{qa ref|590|40}} In Warbreaker, Siri asked Hoid where he learned his style of story telling. Hoid answered, “I"I learned it many, many years ago from a man who didn’tdidn't know who he was, Your Majesty. It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died. But that is unimportant.”" His origin will be revealed in the [[Dragonsteel]] series,{{qa ref|622|135}} and so it is commonly believed Hoid is from [[Yolen]], the world of Dragonsteel and Liar. He also has a "home base" somewhere in the cosmere.{{17s ref|post|42472}}

|I had thought that when he rejected the rest of us, he would stop interfering. I should know better than to trust an implication from him. Half the time you can’tcan't trust his outright promises. . . .

Very little of Hoid's origin is known beyond the fact that he was present at the [[Shattering]] of [[Adonalsium]] on [[Yolen]].{{twg ref|7302|0}} He knew at least some of the original [[Vessel]]s personally, was friends with [[Rayse]],{{qa ref|1105|1}} and [[Tanavast]] once bought him a drink.{{book ref|sa2|epilogue}} Hoid was once offered a Shard at the time of the Shattering, but refused to take it.{{wob ref|date=2017-3-24|3337|Leipzig Book Fair}} He also did something in his past that he regretted.{{wob ref|date=2017-11-13|8225|Oathbringer release party}}

| There is beauty in every disaster, friend, if you are clever enough to find it.”"

Hoid arrived on Scadrial, likely through Ruin's Perpendicularity in the Pits of Hathsin. He took up the guise of an informant, pretending to have bad eyesight in order to make himself less threatening to people seeking information from him.{{book ref|mb1|19}} At some point he became known to both [[Dockson]] and [[Ashweather Cett]]. Kelsier, pretending to be a nobleman contacted Hoid, requesting information on House Renoux. Hoid (closed shop, smoking tobacco) met with Kelsier on the streets of Luthadel and told him that House Renoux was buying large amounts of weapons and armor from various noble houses and that Lord Renoux was considering a marriage between Valette and Elend Venture. He also claimed that Renoux was rumored to have some sort of leverage on Venture and that he knew [[Shan Elariel]] to be a [[Soother]]. At some point following this, he left Scadrial to attend to other business, again likely via the Pits.{{wob ref|1552|Mistborn: Secret History Continuity Notes|date=2016-01-27}}

Hoid's appearance varies dramatically from book to book. He's often in disguise, which makes his true appearance difficult to ascertain. Couple this with the fact that he can most likely Lightweave his appearance in order to look however he wants, it makes it nearly impossible to know for sure what he looks like. To the best of our knowledge, his face is lined,{{book ref|twok|54}} hawk-like and arrow shaped. Hoid is tall and thin{{book ref|twok|12}} and also has a sharp nose and jaw with delicate eyebrows.{{book ref|twok|54}} He tends to cock his head to one side{{book ref|twok|57}} and has keen blue eyes.{{book ref|twok|12}} Hoid's hair is white, although he occasionally dyes it.{{book ref|twok|i|1}} There is a particular reason for his hair being white, which will be revealed in the future.{{wob ref|date=2018-2-23|9236|English Reading Series at BYU 2018}}

Hoid's true personality, while also usually disguised, is more easily seen as he occasionally drops whatever part he is playing. One of his overall most noticeable traits is his sharp wit and intelligence. The characters he plays often have a penchant for jokes and mockery but when he removes the facade his personality often seems mysterious and grave.{{book ref|twok|epilogue}}{{book ref|twok|57}} If he was asked about whether he called himself a good man personality-wise, Hoid would reply with a "No".{{wob ref|date=2016-11-22|1704|Arcanum Unbounded release party}}

Hoid cannot easily kill people "because of certain things in his past."{{qa ref|1044|9}} Rock says he cannot hurt man because it is forbidden by other gods.{{book ref|sa2|46}} He also tells a young Shallan, "You needn't fear me. I'm terribly ineffective at hurting people. I blame my upbringing."{{book ref|sa2|45}} Hoid apologizes to Kelsier after beating him in a fight, stating he doesn't have the inclination to do real harm to him.{{msh ref|2|1}} This aversion causes him to be nauseous when thinking about physically harming someone, and is sometimes bad enough to incapacitate him. However, this only extends to physical trauma- Hoid has no issues with mentally hurting someone or through inaction.{{wob ref|date=2017-6-24|2010|Supanova 2017 - Perth}} Hoid also has issues with harming himself physically, such as when he has to manipulate another man into punching him when he wants a tooth knocked out, rather than just doing it himself.{{book ref|sa3|epilogue}}{{wob ref|date=2017-11-21|8498|Oathbringer Chicago signing}} This is an involuntary trait.{{wob ref|date=2017-11-28|8687|Oathbringer London signing}}

On Roshar as [[Elhokar|King Elhokar]]'s Wit he appears to be in his mid-30's{{wob ref|date=2016-11-22|1705|Arcanum Unbounded release party}} and was described as

| Tall and thin, the King’sKing's Wit rode easily on a black gelding. He wore a stiff black coat and black trousers, a color matched by his deep onyx hair. Though he wore a long, thin sword tied to his waist, as far as Adolin knew, the man had never drawn it. A dueling foil rather than a military blade, it was mostly symbolic.

The blade is not magically invested but has personal value to Hoid.{{qa ref|1181|6|Brandon on Hoid|date=2016-12-03}} It is a symbol of office for the King's Wit, though Hoid "isn't even that good with a sword".{{wob ref|date=2015-1-21|896|Firefight Phoenix signing}}

Hoid does not yet have the abilities of every planet he's visited.{{qa ref|1110|5}} Some of his powers predate the [[Shattering]], but none of them are gained through [[Hemalurgy]].{{qa ref|1115|44}} Hoid is concerned about opening himself up to the influence of Shards, so he only gains access to manifestations of Investiture through *** ways.{{wob ref|date=2015-4-2|656|Minicon 2015}} Hoid has access to many types of magic, but certainly not a very large number.{{qa ref|1094|43}}

Hoid travels between various planets within the cosmere by making use of perpendicularities,{{wob ref|1472|Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing|date=2016-11-06}} places usually created by the presence of a Shard on a planet where the sheer power of Investiture causes the borders between the realms to be weakened.{{au ref|drominad}} A knowledgeable person such as Hoid is able to transition from the Physical Realm to the Cognitive Realm.{{wob ref|1472}} Hoid can then travel to a different world's subastral, as the distances between worlds in Shadesmar are much smaller than in the Physical Realm.{{wob ref|4132|General Reddit 2013|date=2013-03-14}} Hoid is very proficient at traveling in Shadesmar.{{wob ref|5981|Barnes and Noble Book Club Q&A|date=2009-07-08}} He can easily travel to any world that has an active [[perpendicularity]], even those worlds where the perpendicularities are dangerous to pass through such as the [[Well of Ascension]].{{msh ref|2|1}} Hoid is known to be aware of perpendicularities on Scadrial,{{msh ref|2|1}} Sel,{{book ref|Elantris|part=postscript}} and Roshar,{{book ref|sa2|46}} and likely knows of Nalthis's perpendicularity as well.{{book ref|wb|32}}{{wob ref|9501|JordanCon 2018|date=2018-04-20}} While Hoid typically makes use of natural perpendicularities in his travels, later in life he may also have access to an ability that essentially allows him to generate his own personal perpendicularity, much like the [[Surge]] of Transportation.{{wob ref|9294|Emerald City Comic Con 2018|date=2018-03-01}}

Hoid has access to some sort of healing factor that is capable of repairing both the body and the [[Spiritweb|soul]].{{qa ref|1071|2}} He is able to regenerate any damaged body parts at will, including his head. Hoid is able to repress his healing factor in some way, preventing instantaneous healing, an ability that he makes use of in some of his disguises.{{book ref|sa3|epilogue}} This healing factor makes it very difficult to kill Hoid,{{qa ref|1044|9}} although he is still at least somewhat vulnerable.{{book ref|sa3|epilogue}} The name of the manifestation of Investiture responsible for Hoid's healing is unknown, but it is ancient,{{wob ref|date=2017-11-21|8498|Oathbringer Chicago signing}} likely originating from some Pre-Shattering source. It is uncertain whether or not this healing factor is at all related to Hoid's apparent agelessness.

|I have discovered a place that I must be, though to be honest I'm not exactly sure why I need to be there. This doesn’tdoesn't always work as well as I'd like it to.

Hoid has access to an ability that allows him to make use of the Spiritual attribute of [[Fortune]],{{wob ref|2567|Arcanumum Unbounded Fort Collins signing|date=2016-11-29}}, which grants him a limited amount foresight.{{wob ref|10011|Alloy of Law release party|date=2011-11-07}} Hoid's Fortune ability gives him an innate knowledge of where and when he needs to be.{{wob ref|10011}} While this ability may grant him knowledge of what he is to do,{{wob ref|2567}}{{wob ref|738|Calamity San Antonio signing|date=2016-02-26}} usually Hoid does not know why his ability has brought him to a specific place.{{wob ref|2567}} Hoid's Fortune ability is not infallible, occasionally it directs him to go somewhere, but either nothing notable is happening or he is unable to discover the reason why he has been led there.{{wob ref|5821|Words of Radiance San Diego signing|date=2014-03-04}} Hoid's fortune ability has let him know about instant noodles.{{wob ref|2753|Arcanum Unbounded San Francisco signing|date=2016-11-30}} (trivia?)

Hoid has access to some manifestation of Investiture that allows him to manipulate the Spiritual attribute of [[Connection]]. The full extent of this ability is unknown, but its primary known use is to help Hoid speak the various languages of the worlds of the cosmere that he visits. The ability allows him to Connect to whatever land he is in, temporarily altering his Spiritual aspect to believe that he was raised in that place, allowing him to speak as a native.{{wob ref|3759|Stormlight 3 Update #4|date=2016-09-10}} While Hoid has learned naturally how to speak some foreign languages,{{wob ref|9012|General Reddit 2017|date=2017-12-18}} and is decent with languages, he desires to pass as a local oftentimes, which requires something beyond natural learning.{{wob ref|223|JordanCon 2016|date=2016-04-23}} Generally he makes use of the his Connection ability to communicate in foreign languages.{{wob ref|9012}} This ability is not without fault though, as when Hoid speaks naturally it will fill in local idioms and phrases on its own, but if Hoid is careless and focuses on a specific word or phrase the ability may fail and he will say the word verbatim in his own tongue{{wob ref|3759}} or it may be said in an odd way.{{wob ref|3583|/r/books AMA 2015|date=2015-07-20}} Hoid is an expert in using his Connection ability, but even he sometimes makes mistakes. This is the reason he occasionally slips up and may say words that confuse others,{{wob ref|8185|Oathbringer release party|date=2017-11-13}} such as coin{{book ref|sa2|epilogue}} and bunny{{book ref|sa2|59}} on Roshar. As Hoid has demonstrated the ability to fluently speak foreign languages before the knowledge of unsealed metalminds became widespread,{{book ref|elantris|58}} it is unlikely that he is making use of Feruchemical chromium to maniupulate Connection.

Hoid has also gained access to Allomancy,{{wob ref|4877|Calamity Austin signing|date=2016-02-25}} almost certainly by burning a bead of lerasium stolen from the Well of Ascension.{{wob ref|1515|Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing|date=2016-12-06}} If true, this would grant him power equivalent to that of the ancient Allomancers.{{epigraph ref|mb3|22}} It is uncertain how practiced he is with these powers, but he does make use of emotional Allomancy{{wob ref|6933|Words of Radiance Washington, DC signing|date=2014-04-20}} on at least one occasion.{{book ref|sa2|45}} He also has access to [[atium]].{{wob ref|465|Teen Author Boot Camp|date=2015-04-11}} It is unknown whether or not Hoid has access to Feruchemy.{{wob ref|466|Teen Author Boot Camp|date=2015-04-11}} However, he does have access to some unkeyed metalminds,{{wob ref|1571|Boskone 54|date=2017-02-17}} which would not be useful to him without Feruchemical abilities. The particular attributes are stored in these metalminds is unknown. Hoid does not make use of Hemalurgy, to gain access to the Metallic Arts or any other manifestation of Investiture.{{wob ref|656|Minicon 2015|date=2015-04-02}}

As a Yolish man, Hoid was not himself born with any Biochromatic Breath.{{wob ref|3212|Holiday signing|date=2015-12-12}} However at some point Hoid has gained access to enough Biochromatic Breath to bring him to at least the Second Heightening.{{book ref|sa2|59}} This means Hoid has approximately two-hundred Breaths, which grant him the ability to recognize other Breath auras and judge about how much breath another Awakener has, as well as perfect pitch.{{book ref|wb|epilogue}} That is not to say that Hoid may not have reached a higher Heightening, just that the second Heightening is his minimum power level.{{wob ref|4655|Barnes & Noble B-Fest 2016|date=2016-06-11}} Hoid's level of skill with Awakening is still unknown, as he has only made use of it on one known occasion, Awakening a doll to allow it to walk.{{book ref|sa3|epilogue}} This makes it difficult to ascertain his knowledge of Commands or complex Awakenings. Hoid's level of control over Investiture does allow him to suppress his Breath aura, making it difficult to notice by others. However, there are various methods of detecting Investiture that could circumvent this suppression.{{wob ref|3437|/r/books AMA 2015|date=2015-03-12}} Hoid's perfect pitch does aid him in tuning instruments and making music.{{book ref|sa2|59}}

|“It"It's either go with me now or wait it out and get captured. I honestly don’tdon't even know if you’veyou've the mind to listen. But if you do, know this: I will give you truths. And I know some juicy ones.

* Lunu’anakiLunu'anaki{{book ref|sa2|46}}

* Cephandrius Maxtori{{17s ref|post|337235}}{{wob ref|date=Oct. 5, 2015|5882|69-shadows-of-self-release-party}}{{wob ref|date=Dec. 6, 2016|3985|131-general-reddit-2016}}

| What you saw belongs to you. A story doesn’tdoesn't live until it is imagined in someone’ssomeone's mind."<br>

* His favorite type of spren is a [[Cryptic]].{{wob ref|date=2017-11-13|8135|Oathbringer release party}}

* He has a good opinion of [[Khriss]], and they have met at least once.{{wob ref|date=2016-11-22|1707|Arcanum Unbounded release party}}

* Hoid has had a romantic interest in the past.{{wob ref|date=2016-10-22|1753|Paris signing}} In fact, there were several.{{wob ref|date=2018-3-14|9465|General Signed Books 2018}}

* He is the happiest when "getting away with something". When asked in what published book that was, Brandon responded with ''[[The Bands of Mourning]]''.{{wob ref|date=2016-10-22|1745|Paris signing}}

* Prior to the events ''Words of Radiance'', Hoid has not been hugged in "a long time".{{wob ref|date=2015-1-24|3169|Firefight Atlanta signing}}

{{qa ref|690|43|I’llI'll have to say Hoid is my favorite|date=Jul, 2009|asker=@pmrbluepat}}