Voidspren
| Voidspren | |
|---|---|
| Type | Spren |
| Abilities | Splinters of Odium |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Voidspren are spren that, instead of being connected to either Honor or Cultivation, are under Odium's control. They are similar to other types of spren in many ways, such as their ability to bond with things in the Physical Realm and their various shapes and habits. However, these spren fight on the opposite side of the Desolations, aiding Odium's goal to destroy the Rosharans and ultimately earn his freedom from Braize. Once they were entrapped by the Oathpact, the voidspren would torture the Heralds present in an attempt to get them to bend the bars of Damnation and release them back to Roshar.[1]
Bonding
Like the other types of bonding spren, voidspren can only bond to certain individuals during certain times. For many voidspren, the Everstorm is needed for the bonding process, likely because of its output of voidlight. The lesser spren that create Regals can bond during highstorms, likely because the Regals can't invest the voidlight. The bonding process in the previous Desolations is unknown since this is the first Desolation when Odium summoned the Everstorm.
Types
“ Hmm... There are many varieties, she says. Some of golden light, others are red shadows. Curious, yes. ”
There are many varieties of voidspren, and each type, similar to the other bonding spren, serves a different purpose. Some of them can form bonds, and some haven't revealed if they can or not.
Guiding Spren
“ That yellow spren isn't any better. Hurry up. Keep moving. She tells us that we're free, then with the very next breath berates us for not obeying quickly enough. ”
— Sah on the yellow voidspren[3]
These spren haven't shown any bonding abilities, and they serve Odium as guides and messengers. One such spren is Yixli. They appear as glowing yellow, shaped like windspren with eyes like a Shin. In order to put themselves at the height of humans on parshmen, they stand on a similarly colored pillar that rises from the ground. When they walk, another pillar will meet any moving foot, keeping them even.[4] These voidspren are seen guiding the multiple bands of newly made Voidbringers to settlements, cities and, in the case of Kaladin's group, to Kholinar[5]. They are able to detect the arrival of an Everstorm before it appears.[4] Any further purpose that these voidspren fulfill is unknown.
Screamers
These spren are similar to the above spren in their color, being yellowish-white, but instead of appearing similar to windspren, these look more like "vivid yellow spheres cackling with energy." They are used during the Siege of Kholinar to locate any fabrials being used in the city. If a fabrial is turned on, these 'screamers' will wail, then start twisting over each other above the area, alerting a quickly-following Fused. The screamers can also sense when a Lashing is used, but not when a lightweaving is created. Pattern explains that he and Shallan are quieter than Syl and Kaladin[6]. The screamers may be able to sense the output of stormlight, meaning that illusions aren't detectable because they burn through much less Investiture than a Lashing.
Regals
These are lesser voidspren who are capable of bonding during a Highstorm instead of the Everstorm. Two of their forms have been found so far; Stormform and Envoyform. Voidspren who create Stormform can take the form of either rolling lightning that moves across surfaces or a human shape with odd eyes[7]. The shape of a voidspren which grants Envoyform is unknown, as the only singer in Envoyform is Venli, and her voidspren is held captive inside her own gemheart by Timbre[8].