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  1. Stomlight/Mistborn era 1/2 spoilers in here. Had this theory stewing for a while and wanted to get it off my chest. Disclaimer: I'm not fully up to speed on all WoBs/interviews and the main theories present from people. I'm also not going all out with finding quotes here, though I'm pretty sure you can do that. So, the basis of my theory is that either era 4 or the back half of the stormlight archive will focus on a shardic conflict between the shards featured in Mistborn and Stormlight. Where all the shards on each side are combined: Honor, Odium, and Cultivation against Harmony and Autonomy, setting up a set of novels where there is no true 'bad guy' - both sides involve people trying to do what's best. Let's take the Scadrial side of things first. We know Harmony has issues taking action, and era 3 will likely in some part involve him morphing into Discord. The main conflict will probably be with Autonomy. I think the endgame here will feature a solution that says "Hey, ya know what might help Harmony/Discord deal with not being able to take action, or taking too much action? Let's give him a little Autonomy!" Which sets up a nice play on words - what do you think you could call a nice, harmonious version of Autonomy? Freedom! In the end, my guess is that era 3 closes with (hopefully) Sazed being a vessel for all three of Ruin/Preservation/Autonomy, and being named Freedom. Scadrial will, thus, be primarily oriented towards letting different communities in the cosmere be free to grow on their own. On the Roshar side, meanwhile, we already know what the combination of various parts of those three shards takes. We know Honor/Odium would likely be called War or something to that effect (in sprit at least; the names of the lights don't necessarily directly translate to shard names). What could War + Cultivation be? I'm going to go with Society, or Civilization, or something. The fact that Dalinar continuously gets told to Unite them can come into play too. The 'Them' in that quote continuously gets expanded - and there's no reason it couldn't continue in that way. In the end, I'm betting he unites the shards of Roshar themselves, and in doing so unites all their people's. Which sets Roshar up to be a group more focused on creating a big tent, and interacting with other worlds and such more to bring them into the fold themselves rather than letting them grow and develop alone. Which really sets up nicely for a conflict between Roshar and Scadrial where none of the people are bad, and each side has the powers of three shards. One side wants to unite and bring people together, the other side wants to let each world have freedom to grow and change by themselves. Us readers will have sympathies on both sides, having been a part of both mentalities development, and neither side is truly wrong, setting up a very nice final conflict. (As an aside, I'm not sure how or if other shards like Devotion/Sel and such play into this). TLDR: Harmony/Discord + Autonomy = Freedom, Honor + Odium = War + Cultivation = Society/Civilization. Final conflict: Freedom vs Society.
  2. It’s been a while, and I listened to the book so I don’t have access to the written words for reference, but I remember Moonlight’s denunciation of Autonomy’s hypocrisy. How her brand of individualism ends up creating more conformity. It leads me to wonder: how strong is Bavadin’s hold on Autonomy? If she’s creating effects that contradict the Intent of the Shard, is it possible she’s starting to lose her grip just a bit? Could she end up being supplanted? if so, I wonder if Kelsier might be a better fit.
  3. Since the maybe-confirmation that the god of Shu-Dereth, Jaddeth, is another Avatar of Autonomy. This has made me wonder about the 'Svrakiss' and a theory that they may be one in the same, and perhaps that the Fjordell Empire isn't quite as under Autonomy's control as she would like. It's said that Svrakiss are capable of taking over the bodies of men and controlling their actions, sound familiar? Autonomy is capable of controlling certain people like puppets, as shown at the end of BoM and in TLM. It is shown that they are seen as demons, being blamed for bad luck, etc. This makes me think that perhaps a few people in Fjordell have an inkling as to their 'god's' true nature and that the Svrakiss are a subtle warning that was never truly understood. So maybe in the Elantris Sequel, we'll be seeing some Fjordell's who aren't too keen on Jaddeth's Awakening.
  4. Dont know if this is the correct place to post, if not I apologize, first time. So it has been stated that harmony is losing control (at least how I understood) and there is a alternate version of him (aka Discord), was wondering what people think of it and if Saied were somehow able to obtain another shard how it could impact him as a holder of two shards. Specifically if he gained the shard autonomy somehow, could the shard and it's essence or rules allow Harmony to have more control over ruin and preservation rather that be trapped and stretched between them trying to maintain balance?
  5. In TLM we learn a number of significant things. Autonomy plants seeds on worlds, for when she decides to move in. Moonlight, who is Shai from The Emperor's Soul, has met Autonomy. Moonlight hates Autonomy. Moonlight dislikes replication of art, an opinion tainted by her distaste for Autonomy. These things lead me to believe that The Emperor's Soul details Moonlight's first encounter with Autonomy, or the seed she planted there. In The Emperor's Soul, the main antagonists are the Heritage Faction. The Heritage Faction promote "Remembering" as an acceptable application of forging, that uses mass produced low-quality items to recreate historical pieces of art, something Shai is disdainful of. Leading the Heritage Faction is the Senior Arbiter Frava, a woman who wears gold robes and braids her hair with red and gold ribbons. Her name is probably derived from the word Fravashi, which Wikipedia claims could mean "one who has been selected (for exaltation)." Put together, I believe that the Heritage Faction is Sel's version of the Set and is Autonomy's seed on that planet. Frava is then Autonomy's agent if not potential avatar, like Telsin. Similarly, I think we see a seed on Roshar, in the form of the Iriali. We know they are not native to Roshar, nor did they migrate from Ashyn. They have gold skin (like some scary men of red and gold we see briefly). They travel from world to world and believe in The One. The One sounds much how Autonomy behaves, splitting into multiple individuals and experiencing different things. This religion is similar to the one that Arclo tells Lift about. Oddly, there is a section of stone above the amphitheater where he sat that was carved and painted gold and red.
  6. Having seen the soldiers the Sorceress in Tress utilize, I feel we have a pretty concrete idea of what Autonomy's army of golden men are; they're Awakened constructs. In the Lost Metal, the army is described as statuesque, with golden skin. The Sorceress' soldiers are described as having burnished brass skin, and they stand unnaturally still until they have to obey their instructions. As per the below WOB, we also know that they utilize a known magic system. Now, this probably isn't a new theory, but I noticed the similarities and thought it worth mentioning.
  7. I was thinking, the explosion that killed Wayne was a combination of Harmony Investiture and Autonomy Investiture. I think that his body and maybe even his soul was saturated with the two Investitures. I think that gave him a Connection to both possibly granting him the ability to help Harmony and Autonomy make contact. I can see this being used in a possible Era 3 or beyond.
  8. Re-read TLM, and something struck me that I don't think has been mentioned. Autonomy, out of all the Shards in the Cosmere, is the perfect foil for Harmony as of Era 2. Sazed's problems stem from the inability to act while also maintaining the diametrically opposed forces of Ruin and Preservation. Autonomy is nothing but that, it is Independence of Action though without any seeming purpose other than to spread what it sees as that independence. It's like if Ayn Rand were suddenly a virus. Out of all the Shards we have encountered, Autonomy more than anything is a perfect foil for this new shardholder. But also, there is a method to Auto's 'madness'. It's been said before that Odium sees Saze as a massive threat to his plans, what of Autonomy's? Sazed is 2/16ths away from becoming Adonalsium 2.0, closer than anyone we are aware of since the Shattering. What if Autonomy was trying to take out the new competition, while Odium and the others were busy dealing with their own issues, Autonomy had the most access to take care of this one. And what if, by doing so, Autonomy accidentally revealed a way for Sazed/Harmony to resolve their inaction? By revealing themselves and their influence, Sazed is now intimately aware of Bavadin and Autonomy and Kelsier is (according to him) tired of being inactive. What if, come the third or fourth era of mistborn, we see Harmony (or Discord, as previous posters have pointed out) getting one back on Autonomy and reabsorbing that Shard as well? By taking Autonomy, Harmony would be able to act and move, allowing better balance/counterbalance throughout Scadrial/The Cosmere by creating avatars of preservation and ruin. So that's my theory going forward. Harmony balancing out Autonomy's expansionist attitude, Autonomy allowing Harmony an outlet to act. Thoughts?
  9. In Hrathen’s letter from Wyrn at the beginning of Elantris, Wyrn mentions that “the time for my ascension nears, my son”. Has Autonomy (or potentially another shard) been meddling on Sel?
  10. Hello all, I just finished listening to the Old Cosmere Theories Shardcast from last year. I've got a theory cooking in my head and could use some help validating or poking holes in it! Theory: The Sleepless will be the mechanism to reform Adonalsium and will be the primary antagonist against Hoid in the endgame of the Cosmere Supporting Evidence: A vessel picking up a shard requires a sapient being in the Physical Realm. The Sleepless are sapient beings in the Physical realm. A vessel must have sufficient Connection to a shard to hold it. A being can be Connected to multiple shards. * Connection can be tied to an area (ex. Shardworlds) in the Physical Realm. This can cause beings that are heavily invested to be "stuck" in a specific location. * The Sleepless are Cosmere aware and have the ability to world hop. Connection can be inherited. * The Sleepless can selectively breed hordelings for a purpose. * The Sleepless bodies are thousands of hordelings, sharing a single mind. * There is an underlying theme of Identity and self-perception in the Cosmere. A table does not think of itself as multiple pieces of wood or nails. It sees itself as a whole. Hordelings have the ability to separate from the hive mind to operate autonomously, presumably changing their self-perception and Idenity in their spirit web. * They can even lose contact Cognitively. * Sleepless reproduce by forming multiple beings from their existing horde, meaning (presumably) all Sleepless are ancestors of a single original swarm. Through a mental link (presumably in the Cognitive Realm) they can communicate with other swarms. The Sleepless will play a very important role in Mistborn Era 4 * Hoid will be a main character in Mistborn Era 4 * Hoid's goals are unclear, but he may wish to reform of Adonalsium. Another entity doing so may interfere with his goals. A Hoid/ Sleepless race to collect shards could be a major plot point towards the end of the Cosmere. In plain English: I believe the Sleepless, over thousands of years, will spread across all of the shard worlds, adapting to the local geography, cultures, and magic systems. Independent swarms with be Connected with the local investiture and shardic intent, and when the time is right, they will take up the power of each shard. Once possessing all of the shards, the Sleepless (communicating via their mental link) will re-identify as a single entity, pulling together all of the aspects and powers of Adonalsium. This, IMHO, is the most elegant way to overcome the barriers of a human or dragon reforming Adonalsium, namely geography and Identify. Other facts that seem connected, but I don't know what to do with: The first Sleepless swarm to come to Roshar were said to look like spiders. * Could this play into the Spirit Webs? The Iriali's religion of a single entity breaking into smaller parts to have diverse experiences, only to one day reunite. They are aware of the Sleepless. * In this way, the Sleepless thematically match the shattering of Adonalsium. Known contradictions: The Coppermind says once a vessel ascends, they lose connection with their former species. This is lowercase c connection. I disagree with the interpretation of the WoB, as question was more about classifying the vessel. Bonus Theory: Kelsier will inhabit a Sleepless body and will be that primary antagonist in MBE4 Supporting Evidence: The Ghostbloods have a Sleepless aligned to their cause. Kelsier is bound to Scadrial. Kelsier is known as the "Lord of Scars". Sleepless, when imitating humans, have lines along their body where the hordeling intersect, appearing as either scars or tattoos. Kelsier and Hoid have had conflicts. Hoid considers him very dangerous. * The Set are said to have a longer timeframe for their goals The Set are aligned to Trell (presumably Autonomy) The Sleepless have a long timeframe, taking hundreds of years to selectively breed to meet their needs. * Bonus Theory: Autonomy now, or in the future, will be held by a Sleepless (maybe Patji) Supporting Evidence: Autonomy is referred to with male, female, and non-gendered pronouns. The Sleepless can present themselves as male or female and use non-gendered pronouns. Autonomy has many avatars on many planets The Sleepless are present on multiple planets Autonomy has been known to appear in various forms The Sleepless have the ability to change form by configuring different sets of hordelings Patji (linked to Automony) is a shard of Adonalsium * Patji (the island) has locations named after body parts (ex Eye of Patji, Patji's fingers) Sleepless hordelings have been known to get as big as buildings. Perhaps they could continue to grow to the size of islands. Known contradictions: Brandon was explicitly asked if Bavadin is a hive mind or an Amian, to which he said no. * This question was about Bavadin, not Autonomy. Bavadin's coppermind page lists them as the original and current shard of Autonomy, but the citations don't appear to confirm this. PHEW! That was a lot. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, both confirmative and constructive.
  11. I'd like to propose a theory: Odium and Autonomy worked together to destroy Devotion and Dominion, because those are their respective opposite Shards (in the same way that Ruin and Preservation are diametrically opposed to each other), so it was convenient for Odium and Autonomy to have them out the way. We know that Ambition was "number one on [Odium]'s hit list" (Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing, December 6, 2016) because Ambition was, as the name suggests, the most likely to become a significant power in the Cosmere that could and would oppose Odium. Odium came across Devotion and Dominion first and took the opportunity to Splinter them. There is a WoB stating that there are two reasons Odium targets another Shard: "he can argue they're breaking the rules they set out", or he thinks they're "a good match for him, or a challenge, or a danger" (Oathbringer Houston signing, November 18, 2017). This was Brandon's answer to a question regarding why Odium went for Devotion and Dominion, so he could have just said "he found them first" but he didn't, which implies to me that if Odium had stumbled across Whimsy or someone that he would have ignored them and continued searching for Ambition. But would Odium kill Devotion and Dominion just because he could justify it? I don't think he would. Why would he care about justifying it to the other Shards when he'd immediately go on to kill Ambition, who was apparently alone? Maybe Ambition had paired off with Mercy, but Harmony seems to find Mercy ominous somehow, so I kind of doubt that Mercy was fighting on Ambition's side - even if Mercy and Ambition had paired off, Odium didn't know that so he'd still have had no reason to kill Devotion and Dominion just because he could make an excuse for it. I think this excuse was just an opportunity Odium grasped, and that the real reason he bothered with them was because Devotion is diametrically opposed to Odium - in a Tweet from February 1, 2016, BrandoSando cagily says "one could make that argument" when asked if Devotion and Odium were opposites. We know that Autonomy helped Splinter, in some way, Devotion and Dominion (Lisbon signing, November 7, 2016), and that she had either an alliance or a truce with Odium, as Odium targeting her would be considered a double-cross (Dragonsteel Mini-Con, November 22, 2021). We also know that Autonomy doesn't want other Shards to interfere with whatever her plans are (JordanCon, April 20, 2018), and she seems to be one of the most active Shards in the Cosmere, expanding to other planets whenever possible. This is why I think that Autonomy would be interested in the possibility of Splintering a Shard that was diametrically opposed to her, and I think Dominion happens to be that Shard. There isn't much evidence for this theory beyond "it seems to fit", but it seems to fit. I don't know what significance it has to the overall Cosmere either. Maybe Sel, already difficult to get to, will be shielded against both Odium and Autonomy due to the Dor's Investiture, and will become crucial in the Cosmere as Odium and Autonomy's plans are set in motion. Interested to see if The Lost Metal does anything to support or weaken this theory.
  12. So in the first book, Kenton's father has the last explosive bit of power that kills a bunch of people. Nothing of the sort is mentioned in the history of the sand masters. the explanation is sorta that the poison made it happen, and if that is the case then why didn't all the sand masters have that reaction? I think it is far more likely that Autonomy leaving, or preparing to leave the system, had that effect on sand mastery. So if yall have any evidence for either side, I'm interested to hear it.
  13. Sort of a splinter of the 'hypothetical magic systems' topic... While we don't understand avatars, it seems that an avatar is a mind/personality distinct from the Shard's Vessel holding a sub-set of that Shard's Investiture (by WOB, Bavadin is always aware of the relationship, but not all of Autonomy's avatars are necessarily aware they are avatars - not sure if that would apply to all Shards). That sounds... really a lot like a Splinter. And we know Splinters can show up on other planets than their own Shard's, though lots of Investiture can make travel hard. We've seen a Seon [with a Splinter of Devotion] and a Returned [with a Splinter of Endowment] on Roshar. Perhaps the difference between a Splinter and an Avatar is the method of creation, Avatars being made from "ambient" pre-Shattering Investiture that became assigned to that Shard at the Shattering? Maybe an Avatar is some kind of merging of a regular person and a Splinter, if the presence of a human named Trell in White Sand is a hint? I wonder if the presence of an Avatar of Autonomy on First of the Sun doesn't really have greater significance than the presence of a Splinter of Endowment or Devotion on Roshar. That would explain the WoBs describing First of the Sun as having no Shard in residence, "natural" magic, etc.? (Maybe the perpendicularity, Aviars/worms/fruit, etc. were all pre-existing and Bavadin/Autonomy just used the already present concentration of Investiture to create an avatar?)
  14. Ok, so I have been a 17th shard member for awhile (but not very active, at least recently) and understand the cosmere as a whole fairly well (ie, shattering big A, shards, investiture, etc.) but I recently just read all of the white sand graphic novels ( I know I'm a little late). I'm a bit lost. I was reading on the White Sand forums, but can someone give me a good in depth explanation of what we know about Autonomy and the relationship with the Sand Lord, the being who appeared to Elorin, the girl in the sky, Skathin (sp?) the emperor, the sun, etc. And what's this about Patji?! Also anything else I'm missing...??? Is Trel involved in this (especially since apparently there's a dude with his name thrown into White Sand)? Thanks in advance.
  15. With RoW we've had exactly two informations about the Skybreaker order, and they change everything The first is this one So the fourth Ideal is about proving your dedication and worth and not about actually doing something, it's about how you will complete your crusade and in Szeth's case him not going on his crusade proved he was worthy to be given a plate and to possibility to advance to the Fifth Ideal. Then there's the real new information, one about the elusive Fifth Ideal. In the italic part the Highspren implies that by swearing the fifth oath will liberate Szeth from his Third Ideal. This seems to clash with the fact that one of the Highsprens' grievances against the Honourspren was the latter's willingness to forgive people from breaking oaths but it actually doesn't, having an oath has an end condition is not the same as breaking an oath. In the bolded part the Highspren explains what the 5th oath means: "I'm now able to give myself rules on how to live and follow them. And I'm confident these rules will be just" The path of the Skybreaker is therefore the following 1st Oath: accept to start the path, get absolved from any previous crimes. 2nd Oath: a more experienced member accept to guide you on the path. If there was more 5th Oath Skybreaks I suspect only them would take squires, as they're the most able to guide someone on this path. 3rd Oath: chose a clear set of law and learn of it, it's strengths and limitations 4th Oath: prove you're able to stay true to your Oaths under duress, that you will not compromise even if it allow you 5th Oath: use what you've learned to become a person able to Autonomously chose their own laws and uphold them. Yes. Capital A. A Fifth Oath Skybreaker is, if I'm right about the 5th Oath, the best candidate for someone able to hold both Honour and Autonomy. I don't think Honour made the Skybreakers to be that way, he didn't really make them anyway, I think it's just the usual "the Order resemble the Herald" (which by the way we have no idea why it happens) and Nale was attuned to Honour+Autonomy. Which may or may not part of why Honour chose him. Actually, I'd say other Heralds where attuned to Honour+x, possibly each of them Jezrien, Herald of Kings: Dominion+Honour. A good king, putting protecting and caring for his people the most important priority Chana: Ruin+Honour. Destruction fettered and given purpose by Honour Paliah, who had the attribute of Learned: Honour+Cultivation, equal Science. Ishar: Honour+Odium Taln: maybe Devotion+Honour, the Stoneward are noted to be the order with the members the closest to their Herald and their motto "I'll be there when I'm needed" fit decently with the "I'll be there for you" idea I think Devotion+Honour would be the incarnation of. Now back to the Skybreakers. You might have noticed that current day Skybreakers are kind of stuck, most of them stay at the third oath and those who try the fourth take decades to fulfil it which... How? I get taking time to chose a Crusade, but Szeth managed to be deemed worthy of skipping the fourth oath after a year, of doing nothing. And none of them reached the Fifth Oath in centuries. I think it's because they don't understand their path. The 4th Oaths Skybreakers told Szeth there'd be no game here but when asked about the Fifth Oath he refused to understand saying that it was unimportant despite that -if anything I said until here is true- the 5th Oath is not only the most important of the five, but the only one that will matter in the end except for the first. Without this the Skybreakers get stuck at the 3rd-4th Oath. I think it could even be the reason Nale took so much time befor endorsing them, and I suspect the reason he descided to endorse them after the Revv toparchy incident was either because the first 5th Oath Skybreaker was sworn there or that he had the occasion to interact with 5th Oath Skybreakers and observe they were actually not like the stuck-at-third he had met Also you might have noticed I said Nale was attuned to Honour+Autonomy. After Millenia of torture he's confidence in himself isn't as strong as before and he now advise not to swear to obey him as the Third Oath. I think if he was Fourth Oath and in this state he would not be able to swear the Fifth, and if he become any worse he'll end up breaking his 5th oath, and kicked from his own order.
  16. So the Dawnshard novella just recently came out and it had some seriously juicy lore tidbits for all of us to chew on. I'm going to be putting my interpretation of it here along with what I think is a probable timeline of events involving the Dawnshards. Nature of the Dawnshards So Adonalsium gave four primal Commands that spawned the Dawnshards and created the Cosmere. We know that one of them is Change and that together all four were used to Shatter God himself. I'm thinking these Commands are similar to the Christian notion of "Let there be light" while the resulting Dawnshards are a sort of imprint on the world left by the Commands. If God turning on the lights was a boot, the Dawnshard is a boot print. I believe these four Commands were Change, Survive, Unite and Distinguish. I don't know if these are the actual names of the Dawnshards (I would be surprised if Distinguish was 100% correct) but the gist of it remains the same. These four are two sets of two that, while not exactly opposite, are in some respects opposed. None are negative or positive, they simply are. Change and Survive are opposed as survival requires a certain amount of stasis. Unite and Distinguish are opposed as Distinguish implies individuality and unity implies a certain common ground. The Shattering of Adonalsium I believe that at one point they were all combined into a single weapon that was used to Shatter Adonalsium and that Hoid was the one who actually holding the thing when it all went down, as is referenced by Hoid being both "Topaz" as well as the "Bearer of the First Gem" as well as the WoB's that we have stating that the weapon used to kill Adonalsium is drained and inoperable and that Hoid's immortality is derived from it. It's drained because the Dawnshards were removed from it and Hoid's immortality comes from Survive. From Nikli's line in the novella we know that wielding a Dawnshard makes "Demands on a level that no person could ever manage alone..." Thus I believe that while Hoid was the one actually pulling the trigger, there was another group bracing and bolstering him, probably a group of 16, aka the Shardic Vessels. Think the ending scene from Guardians of the Galaxy. Starlord got his hands on the Infinity Stone but he couldn't use it until they all united their strength by using the secret move "Power of Friendship" :). I think that's what happened here only more premeditated God-murder and less dance off. Scattering of the Dawnshards My next bit of wild speculation is that I believe that when Adonalsium was Shattered, the Dawnshards contained in the weapon were scattered to four of the Vessels. Which Vessels got chosen probably had to deal with the specific theme of each Shard of Adonalsium. Cultivation and Ruin, for instance, both fit squarely in the Change quadrant. Here's how I think the Shards fall into the quadrants. Change - Ruin, Cultivation, Endowment Survive - Preservation Unite - Honor, Devotion, Dominion Distinguish - Odium, Autonomy, Ambition Ruin is Change through destruction. Cultivation is Change through improvement. Endowment is Change through transfer. Preservation is Survival through stasis. Honor is Unity through shared ethics. Devotion is Unity through love. Dominion is Unity through law and government. Distinguish is all about individuality (which is why I was having trouble with the word Distinguish. Individuality is not a verb!!!). This would mean the Odium is individuality through emotion, Autonomy is individuality through isolation and Ambition is individuality through accomplishment. I believe that Hoid either got the Survive Dawnshard or had it before the Shattering and the it somehow ended up with Preservation after everything was said and done. It is currently hidden on Scadrial somewhere. Honor got the Unity Dawnshard and took it with him to Roshar. I'm not sure who ended up with the Change Dawnshard but they must have given it up or had it taken from them somehow, probably the former, and it was then carried to Roshar and hidden in the cavern in Akinah. This leaves Distinguish, which I believe fell into Autonomy's hands. It's use might explain her weird avatar situation, granting herself an excess of individuality. She gave it to Odium to use in killing Devotion, Dominion and Ambition. This is how he wiped the floor with them without breaking a sweat, even in a two on one fight. This is also probably why Brandon was cagey about whether Bavadin helped Odium splinter D&D. She didn't really help commit the murder, she just handed the murderer a gun at some point. Dawnshard Battle on Roshar After Odium got done taking out D&D and Ambition, he set his sights on Honor and Cultivation. Big problem here though. Honor had a Dawnshard. I don't think he was actively using it though. It's my guess that there was some sort of agreement among the Vessels to not wield both a Shard and a Dawnshard at once. It would upset the balance of power too much. This is why Survive is being stored away on Scadrial, why Change was sort of floating around until it ended up in Aimia and why Honor was letting Ishar hang on to Unite, which he used to bind the surgebinders with oaths and create the Oathpact. But Odium broke the rules and so Honor took his Unite Dawnshard back to kick some butt. The problem for Honor was that Odium is just insanely more practiced and skilled in Shard on Shard combat at this point and was just more skilled with using a Dawnshard in general. Sure they both had guns but one has a seasoned fighter and the other was an amateur. Regardless Honor was enough of a threat with his Dawnshard that Odium had to take things slow and be cautious. This is also probably why Cultivation stayed out of this for the most part. She wasn't armed. Eventually Odium gets the upper hand and slips in a killing blow but Honor leaves his cognitive shadow, along with the Dawnshard that it's carrying, behind and has it fuse with the Stormfather. This now means that any Bondsmith that bonds to the Stormfather now has access to a Dawnshard as well as the Shard of Honor relative to how closely bonded they are with the Stormfather. The more oaths they say, the closer they get to becoming the Vessel of Honor and attaining the full power of the Dawnshard of Unity. This is probably how Melishi was able to bind the Singers into slaveform. This is probably also how Dalinar is able to Unite the realms. It also occurs to me that this might be a good explanation for why the Recreance happened. Honor was dying and as he was dying he gave his Dawnshard to the Bondsmiths. Since the Dawnshard was presumably what destroyed Ashyn people might have been worried about misusing that power. It would be like the President showing up to your house one day at random, mortally wounded, screamed something about the end of the world and gave you the nuclear launch codes before dying on your couch. Anybody would be freaked out, let alone the descendants of the people who once blew up a planet. They then immediately have their fears validated when Melishi, the new Dawnshard of Unity, uses his newfound power to lobotomize an entire sapient species. Yeah, I can see why they were concerned. Future of the Dawnshards It is my current opinion that at some point in a future book, Dalinar will say his fifth oath and bond fully to the Stormfather. This will cause him to ascend to become the Vessel of Honor and also grant him full access to the Unity Dawnshard. This time however the fight against Odium will go differently because Odium won't be facing kind old Tanavast. He'll be facing the Blackthorn. At that point Dalinar either keeps the Dawnshard or gives it up, either one seems plausible. The Change Dawnshard stays with Rysn for now but that could change in the future depending on how things play out. The Survive Dawnshard is probably being held by Kelsier currently, both because Kelsier is probably the most realmatically aware Scadrian, and thus probably knows all about Dawnshards and realizes that one is on Scadrial, but also because it fits thematically. Kelsier The Survivor, who fought gods and won, gets a god slaying weapon called Survive? It's freaking perfect. I honestly don't know what happens to the Distinguish Dawnshard. It honestly comes down to how the fight with Odium actually plays out. I doubt it can ever be truly destroyed but it might get lost somehow or simply gifted to someone responsible. Some Extra Reasoning Tidbits - I used Survive as one of the Dawnshards because Kelsier mentions hearing a voice tell him to Survive within the Pits and because it fits as a nice clean opposing force to Change. We also know a powerful weapon is hidden on Scadrial. - I used Unite because Dalinar's "I am Unity" moment as well as several mentions of Unity in Elantris in regards to Devotion and Dominions religions. There's also mentions of a Dawnshard that binds things, which I believe is Unite. - Distinguish (still feel like that's not a perfect word) is in there because I needed something to oppose Unity that fit for the remaining three Shards. Individuality seems to fit in my opinion. - As for why Honor mentioned that they won't have access to the Dawnshards, I have no idea. There's already one confirmed to be on the planet and if my theory is right there's another two. Maybe he's saying they can't use them because of the oaths? That seems to be the original purpose of Radiant oaths, to keep the people who could potentially misuse a Dawnshard in check. - I believe the one Dawnshard that is different from the other, as mentioned in a WoB, is the Survive Dawnshard as it's on Scadrial and the other three are on Roshar. - The Shard of Adonalsium that is loosely associated with wisdom and "just want's to survive" is probably in the Survive quadrant. - It seems to me from the line in the novella about Rysn not being able to use the power and the restriction in their contract about becoming a surgebinder suggests that the Dawnshard requires some sort of magic already present in the wielder in order to make it work. This suggests to me that the Dawnshard is less of a powerful spell and more of an amplifier of other magics, making them far more powerful and versatile. This is probably due to the problem that Nikli mentions about needing the breadth of understanding equivalent to a deity. A Dawnshard in a Soother's hands might let them manipulate the minds of everyone on a whole planet because the Soother's powers are being used as a framework in place of that required understanding. A Soother with Dawnshard could probably not manipulate the laws of physics to the same extent as he could manipulate emotions. Maybe a little, but not to the same apocalyptic degree that a Shardic Vessel could. - We know that Hoid derives his immortality from the weapon that killed Adonalsium and we know that he's been cursed to never harm another living thing. I believe that both of those come from the Survive Dawnshard. He survives through anything, including death, because of the residual influence of the Dawnshard. He also can't kill or maim because that's antithetical to the concept of survival. What are your guy's thoughts on all of this? Let's discuss.
  17. Guys! I have discovered the answer! I now know why Autonomy is so determined to make all the worlds develop on their own! She doesn't want their germs! Think about it. She doesn't leave her world, she makes avatars for that, to prevent her from getting the germs. She doesn't let other people in to prevent germs from other worlds for contaminating hers. She, as far as we know, doesn't interact with anyone, probably afraid of getting the germs. We see a pattern here? And so, her end goal is to prevent anyone from leaving shard worlds and keeping the germs away from her.
  18. So after letting the revelations from Rhythm of War settle in my head for a few days, and reading some of the discussion on here, I had a thought about the “Lord of Scars.” Rather than Thaidakar literally being Kelsier, is it possible that Autonomy/whoever Trell is is coopting Kelsier’s authority or one of his many cults in the same way that Trellism appears to have been coopted in Mistborn Era 2? That would make a few things make more sense to me, and seems to fit the MO of “Trell.” Known problems with this theory: The description of someone with a “similar ailment” to the Heralds doesn’t seem to fit anyone but a Cognitive Shadow. Unless Autonomy wants Kelsier off Scadrial as well, which could be happening I guess. Also, Wit/Hoid seems to think it’s actually Kelsier, from what he told Shallan, and he seems to be actively undermining the Sovereign’s attempts at secrecy in Bands of Mourning, so it kind of seems like it might just be him. But I thought this was at least worth mentioning, since Hoid is not omniscient and could probably be fooled by, say, a Shard on occasion. So given those issues, this is probably more complex than the facts need to actually be. I do still like the thought that maybe they’re involved or related to each other in some way. I can’t see Kelsier, as we knew him, just allowing a foreign influence to invade Scadrial (in the form of Trell) if he knew about it, unless he was okay with that power’s goals somehow.
  19. I'm gonna say this is less a theory than my brain snagging on something. I've always thought Shallan had a bunch of weird stuff about her character that implies she's more than she seems, other than the stuff we already know. One of the things that has always stuck out to me is the way her disassociated identity disorder seems to be magical. Her personalities have too much life, and especially this book Veil acts in a way that really just doesn't seem like a mental illness alone. I was considering what the nature of her situation is when my mind remembered someone else in the Cosmere who does the same thing, Autonomy. Autonomy splits off entire personas that act independently as gods on whatever planet she invests. Autonomy is the Sand Lord, and Patji in a way that seems really similar to the way Shallan is Veil and Radiant. I was thinking that maybe Shallan is someone that Autonomy invested just a little to keep an eye on things on Roshar. It wouldn't even be that hard to do, because Autonomy can invest anywhere the light from the Taldain sun shines, even if it's only as a star.
  20. Hello. So, I was just listening to the Shardcast episode on Autonomy, and I got thinking about their intent and what it means exactly. So, what gets me about Autonomy is their actions seemingly run counter to their intent. In Mistborn era 2, it has been implied that Autonomy may be the one who is “invading” Scadrial and Trell is somehow associated with Autonomy. For this theory, I’m just going to assume that Trell is an aspect or avatar of Autonomy, and is expressing a similar intent to her. In this case, Trell trying to take control of another Shard’s planet, and interfering with that Shard’s autonomy seems to go counter to their intent. Additionally, the names of ranks in the set are things like “Suit”, or “Sequence”. This seems very strange given that these names give the idea that you are part of a whole, not autonomous. This could be a reference to Autonomy’s many avatars, and Autonomy herself being a set of many aspects, but it still seems strange. I would say that Autonomy seems to follow her intent in her minions’ teachings. Paalm speaks constantly about her feeling of being controlled, her lack of autonomy. Bloody Tan follows the same train of thought. “Someone else moves us, lawman.” So, what can we deduce from this about what Autonomy’s intent means, and how Bavadin perceives that intent? What may her goals be? I want to try and think about Autonomy as an aspect of Adonalsium. Each shard is an aspect of the divine. Odium is “God’s own divine hatred”. Presumably, Honor is Adonalsium’s sense of integrity, holding to oaths. Preservation is Adonalsium’s desire to preserve his creations. Etc. So, what was Autonomy? I think this quote helps us here: To me, what I feel like is that Autonomy is god’s divine will. Autonomy is Adonalsium’s resolve, willpower, sense of self, and force of personality. Adonalsium’s identity. To be clear, I don’t think that Autonomy is in any way the shard of the realmatic concept Identity. Just as Honor, the shard of bonds, is not in the shard in charge of the the realmatic concept of Connection. I also don’t think Autonomy somehow now has the same personality as Adonalsium. I simply think that Autonomy embodies the strength of character and resolve behind whatever consciousness Adonalsium had. One way I think of it, for anyone who plays tabletop RPGs, is that Autonomy is the quality you use when you roll a willpower or charisma saving throw. This idea seems to fit with Autonomy’s actions. They want to be on their own, and stand as alone and resolute. Yet, Bavadin makes avatars because she wants as many autonomous aspects of herself as possible. Her intent is to try and accentuate her identity and self, so she creates many avatars which each accentuate her different aspects. So why does Autonomy seem so intent on controlling and interfering with other planets? Well, to me, it seems like there are a few possibilities. Maybe she wants to enforce her personality on others. Maybe she wants other people to just be reflections of Autonomy. Maybe her force of personality and intent make her want to literally remake worlds in her image. I don’t know, but it makes sense to me that a Shard focused on their own willpower and identity would want to use that extreme force of personality to dominate others. That’s maybe getting a little close to Dominion’s intent, but I think the idea of a domineering intent like this can be done uniquely in multiple ways. Now, I’m going to go into crazy speculation territory and say that this could also hint at Autonomy’s long-term goals. Following this line, Autonomy may want to remake everything in her image, so that everyone and everything is simply an extension of her. This would be a unique way to have a “conquer the world” kind of villain, which I think is interesting. TLDR: Autonomy’s intent can possibly be described as being “god’s willpower” or “god’s identity”, similar to how Odium is “god’s anger”.
  21. So, I see a lot of theories floating about with regards to Autonomy being the "final antagonist" of the cosmere. It does not sit right with me that this particular Shardic Intent would be the final boss. Autonomy, in my eyes, is a good thing. Odium feels more natural an antagonist. Hatred, even if it is Adonalsium's divine hatred without the context of emotions, feels like more of a destructive force than Autonomy. And then there are the unknown Shards. I feel like they need to be brought in some time or the other, and maybe one of them is the big baddie. I feel the known Shardic Intent have more positive and neutral intents (positive: Honor, Cultivation, Preservation, Endowment, Devotion, Survival?; neutral: Ambition, Autonomy,) than negative ones ( Odium, Ruin, Dominion) and the field seems biased to one side (I know my classification is a bit arbitrary) So, while I am happy with the Autonomy being a troublemaker on Scadrial in the form of Trell, I cant really buy in to the idea of the cosmere concluding with a 'battle against Autonomy'. The phrase sounds off to me. Ps. Maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe the reason Autonomy is the last one standing is because they will go to any extent to stay autonomous. Thoughts?
  22. As title says, I think that Rosharan system is influenced not by 3, but 4 Shards. Autonomys power here is, of course, not large enough to threat any other Shard alone - she is mainly on Taldain - but is large enough to make a difference. In fact, I think it did. First, Ashynite magic system. We know that now is We can clearly see that this is still Surge-based system: - gravity, flight - Gravitation Surge - changing the color of objects, prophecy - Ilumination Surge (Physical, Spiritual) - passing through walls - Cohesion or Transportation Surge But we also know that Magic System has changed after Shattering. Or, I think, DURRING Shattering. Current magic on Ashyn has basis standard for Rosharan system, but second very important part of magic, Focus of Investiture, has similar to systems tied to Autonomy. - in SandMastery Focus is also microbs - in Aviars Focus is parasites - what is sort of disease. Both are also rather small living things separate from host. We also know that radical change in planet Magic System most likely is caused by other Shard Influence - we saw this on Sel, we saw this on Threnody (both Influenced by Odium). We have to wait, what happen on Scadrial, but this can be very interesting. This could also easily break this Theory. So I think Autonomy come to Roshar slightly after Odium. We dont know how Autonomy make his Avatars, is he making them on place, ot on Taldain and they have to walk through Shadesmar? So, we dont know, but this isnt important. Avatar of Autonomy is on Ashyn. Why? Because in this System we have 3 Shards, 2 are cooperating. It is something what isnt good from Autonomy point of view. Why she doesnt influence Scadrial, you would ask? Answer is - She did. Its not accident that on Scadrial we had Ancient religion focused on Stars and dualism, with the same name of God what apears now as other Shards influence. Trell was always on Scadrial. But come back to Theory. Autonomy has Avatar on Ashyn and try to influence people. Odium, of course, dont going to like it. Probably even, Autonomy is primarly against Honor and Cultivation, but Odium dont gong to give her "his" followers. So followers of Autonomy and Odium starts to fight. And... they destroy entire planet. Is possible that it was Honors plot, because Dawnshards, artifacts with power of Bonding, can be from Honor. But this is speculation. So, Ashyn was destroyed in war between Odium and Autonomy. Odium followers ran on Roshar. Autonomy followers stayd on Ashyn mostly, but some of them were also between refugees, so they influence later stories, what starts Vorinism: Odium and Autonomy made a truce for now. Odium shifts his focus on his primar goal, against Honor and Cultivation. In fact, this is also Autonomy first goal, so they decide to cooperate. Of course, they dont trust each other. But they have one goal, so they are allies. In fact, for Odium this was like blessing, because Honor had Cultivations help and was prepared, not like Dominion earlier (yes, I think Dominion was the one who fought Odium, but ironicly, he wasnt target, Devotion was), also Cutivation is not like Devotion or Preservation, she is positive, but can be really ruthless. So Odium need something to have Cultivation in check, while he was fighting Honor. And Autonomy was perfect - not strong enough to threat him, but strong enough to stop Cultivation long enough for Odium to kill Honor. Of course, Autonomy will be not strong for Stop Cultivation, if she will decide strike with full strengh, so Odium still wasnt able to completly destroy Honor remnants, but this always is some time. So this is why Odium was sceraming famous "WE KILLED YOU!" - He wasnt alone this time, Autonomy was stopping Cultivation and helping Him. Also, Ashyn alone is very... Autonomy-alike. Isolated enclaves, Isolated floating cities, not very known among worldhoppers, with not many visitors... What do you think? Make this sence? Or is this too streched?
  23. So where is Autonomy exactly? I was going through the White Sand comics and there were faces in the sky. Not very subtle, that. But I remember reading WoBs and theories where Autonomy is the sun on the Dayside of the Taldain system. About how strange the entire Taldain planetary/stellar system was, why Taldain's Perpendicularity might be blocked (because it's in the Sun), how the lichen of the white sands recharge after being used for Sand Mastery, the Skycolors of Darkside (Shifting Colors in the comics), etc. Autonomy being the Sun made perfect sense, but there are also theories on her being Invested in the atmosphere, and some of those theories still work with that. So is Autonomy hiding in the sun or in the atmosphere? Did Brandon change his mind? Also, what's up with, what looks like an Avatar of her, appearing before Elorin? What's this about Scythe (Skathan in the comics, the Emperor of the Dynasty on Darkside) possibly being another Avatar of her? I've read the WoB on Patji about it being an Avatar of Autonomy formed of her Intent but not quite Splintered off her, and I understand that bit but why would Hoid leave the letter to him? Was access to Bavadin blocked at that point due to her closing off Taldain?
  24. Honorless

    Austre

    So who is/was Austre? He is associated with the first Returned, Vo. He is a 'he', while Edgli, Endowment's Vessel is a 'she' Was he a different Returned who was conflated with Vo? We see Vasher's diverse set of names and how history can forget things. Is he a Splinter of Endowment? An Avatar of Edgli? This WoB confirms it's not just Endowment in a fake moustache: Other people have speculated on Austre being an Avatar of Autonomy based on the religion's values and Autonomy's interference comment by Khriss Does Austre actually have anything to do with Returning? I don't think so based off of Lightsong's memories. Was Vo's Returning different somehow with the Five Visions or is that history tying itself in knots over time?
  25. I highly recommend the November 2019 Autonomy Shardcast. @Chaos, @thegatorgirl00, @Argent, and @Overlord Jebus do a great job going over the Autonomy essentials with relevant text and WoBs. Their Trell analysis alone is worth the listen. The Shardcasters, though, offer no unifying principle to explain Bavadin/Autonomy’s many oddities. My “Comprehensive Magic Theory” proposes such a principle: fractals. Fractals are progressively smaller-scaled versions of the same pattern, all of which make one whole. Avatars seem smaller-scaled versions of Autonomy, and I speculate Autonomy’s magic (Sand Mastery and Aviar) relies on Splinters that are still smaller-scaled Autonomy versions. All remain “one whole,” since (a recent WoB suggests) Autonomy controls their Avatars through an inter-Connected mind. Don’t hang up yet...Let me explain. Background: Shard “Primal Forces” My theory posits Shards magically differ only in how they give access to their Investiture, not in what their Investiture can do. Ruin’s magic users access Investiture through some act of entropy; Preservation’s through some act of stasis; and Honor’s through a voluntary bond between people. Brandon alternately calls these different means of access to Investiture “primal forces,” “fundamental laws,” and “something...natural.” Shards are “primal forces attached to certain aspects of personality...[a] cultural component, I would say, that is trying to represent something that is also natural.” Brandon cites his fascination with fractals. I think he wants a “personality aspect/cultural component” to represent a fractal primal force. Fractals are too common in nature for him to ignore. I believe Brandon settled on “Autonomy” as the “charged term” for a Shard that gives access to Investiture through fractals. What Are Fractals Mandelbrot (of @Extesian's Mandelbrot Set icon) coined the term “fractal” in 1975: "a fractal is a geometric shape that can be separated into parts, each of which is a reduced-scale version of the whole." Here’s another description: The main points: Smaller-scaled fractals show the same pattern as the whole. Fractals can infinitely self-replicate that pattern. Smaller-scaled fractals remain part of the larger whole (the most important point, IMO). Why I Associate Fractals with Autonomy Brandon himself asks: If you get rid of the charged term “autonomy” – the sense of freedom, self-reliance, etc. – I think you’re left with a primal force that focuses on fractal self-containedness. Each fractal bears the same pattern as the others but is its own autonomous unit. The ongoing looped process that creates fractals ensures each fractal will continue to make more, smaller-scaled autonomous fractals of the same pattern. What Are Avatars Fractal creation seems to me exactly what Autonomy does when they create Avatars, smaller-scaled versions of themselves that remain part of the whole. Brandon describes the “standard” Avatar – a smaller, less-powerful-than-a-Shard combination of mind and Investiture: Questions: (1) What are the non-standard types of Avatars; and (2) how do Avatars differ from other large forms of sapient Investiture like Roshar’s great spren? Two recent WoBs give some insight: Answers: These WoBs say, 1. Avatars can spawn spontaneously without Bavadin consciously creating them. 2. Bavadin is always aware of their Avatars including spontaneously spawned ones. 3. Bavadin personally directs the Avatars that lack self-awareness. I speculate these non-self-aware Avatars are the non-standard ones. These Avatar characteristics match the fractal behavior I describe above. Avatars spawn spontaneously because fractals can infinitely self-replicate their pattern. Bavadin is always aware of their Avatars because all fractals are part of the larger whole. Maybe other living Shards spontaneously Splinter and maybe they retain some awareness of their Splinters, but the extent of their attention is unclear. Odium does not seem aware of Sja-anat’s treachery, for example. Item 3 in particular may be unique to Autonomy. I don’t recall another Shard whose Vessel personally directs large independent chunks of its Investiture. The only known large Investiture chunks are Roshar’s great spren and the nascent Mother Sel (AU, “The Selish System,” Kindle pp. 18). Yet the Stormfather, Nightwatcher, and Sibling each have their own mind and personality; and Mother Sel seems to be forming her own mind. In contrast to Autonomy’s control of their Avatars, Cultivation encourages the Nightwatcher to grow her own abilities, as befits that Shard. Hypothesis: Maybe Avatars differ from other sapient Investiture chunks because Avatars remain subject to Autonomy’s control – just like fractals are smaller-scaled versions of the whole. Bavadin writes to Hoid as “us” and “we.” I suspect Autonomy at some level controls even the self-directing Avatars that have their own personality. We know Autonomy creates pantheons where they are every god of every gender – smaller versions of Bavadin. This would explain why Brandon says, “The being called Patji still exists, and is a Shard of Adonalsium.” Since Autonomy maintains their control of Patji, a smaller-scaled version of themselves, Patji IS a Shard, part of Autonomy. How Fractals Fit Autonomy’s Magic Honor is not the only Shard that bonds, Ruin isn’t the only Shard that destroys, and Autonomy is not the only Shard that creates fractals (Pattern, anyone?). But IMO each of them ARE the only Shards that give access to their Investiture through bonding, entropy, and fractals respectively. Avatar Creation Autonomy creates standard Avatars by first finding a “gathering” of their “assigned Investiture.” Brandon says, “in the cosmere matter, energy, and Investiture are one thing” and all share the mark of the Shard’s “spin,” its primal force/fundamental law/something natural. This maintains the 16-Shard balance when Investiture converts into matter or energy and back again. I believe Autonomy searches for sources of Physical Realm fractals large enough to sustain an Avatar. Autonomy’s only known Avatar is Patji on First of the Sun. Bavadin mentions “Obrodai” and its nascent Avatar in their letter to Hoid, but that may just be their name for First of the Sun. Roshar also holds a “gathering of [Autonomy’s assigned] Investiture” that does not (yet?) appear to be an Avatar. First of the Sun/Obrodai and Roshar are ocean planets with little land. In their letter, Bavadin seems to enjoy oceans: "But we stand in the sea, pleased with our domains....” (OB Chapter 48 Epigraph.) Adonalsium built the Rosharan continent from Roshar’s ocean floor using the Julia set, a fractal geometry equation. I suggest Roshar’s many fractals (including its gemstones/gemhearts) form Autonomy’s “gathering” of assigned Investiture. IMO, the Patji pantheon (and the Obrodai Avatar if different from Patji) are also land masses built from the oceans on fractal geometry principles. I speculate Autonomy Connects each Avatar to Bavadin’s mind to retain control of the whole. Autonomy programs the Avatar as they choose. Standard Avatars may have a separate personality. Bavadin’s letter to Hoid describes Obrodai’s Avatar: “She is young yet, and – as a precaution – she has been instilled with an intense and overpowering dislike of you." (OB Chapter 50 Epigraph.) Through this inter-Connected mind, the Shard remains a whole comprised of many smaller-scaled versions of themselves. Sand Mastery Sand ribbons are my only evidence Sand Master innate Investiture is a fractal. More powerful Sand Masters can simultaneously control more ribbons. Younger or weaker magic users can only manipulate a single ribbon. This suggests each sand ribbon has a separate source, a separate Autonomy fractal the Sand Master directs. Through training, more powerful Sand Masters may strengthen whatever in their character, talent, and skill Initiated them into Sand Mastery. Those strengthened conditions may cause the fractal to self-replicate. I speculate each new fractal allows the Master to direct a new ribbon. Aviar My analysis here is equally speculative, but I do have support. Brandon says the Aviar-human bond I believe the language I bolded highlights fractal characteristics. Brandon says he chose fractals for the Rosharan continent’s shape because “I like the blend of structure and spontaneity they can sometimes exhibit.” Fractals can spontaneously self-replicate to shift a bond. Fractal flexibility allows them to take any shape in any medium, as earth’s natural features show. The Invested entity is the Aviar’s human bond-mate. Aviar are “an intermediary” because unlike spren the magic isn’t really the Aviar’s. They acquire it by eating Invested worms, fulfilling the role of “the person that’s bonding the spren.” How does the human become an “Invested entity”? My guess is Aviar Initiation is like Sand Mastery’s. Patji’s trappers must prevail against the planet’s most dangerous predators and hazards. Bavadin tells Hoid: “If you wish more, seek these waters in person and overcome the tests we have created. Only in this will you earn our respect.” (OB Chapter 51 Epigraph.) I speculate when trappers “overcome” their tests, Patji rewards them by Splintering off a new fractal into their sDNA to bond an Aviar with. Aviar magic, like Sand Mastery, relies on a Cognitive bond between lifeforms. Water forges and maintains the Sand Master’s bond with Invested microflora (AU, “The Taldain System,” Kindle pp. 369-370); and I believe it maintains all Patji’s Cognitive bonds. Dusk thinks, “Nobody knew why beasts like the shadows only lived here, in the waters near the Pantheon.” (SotD, Kindle Loc 49.) We know the answer is Patji’s Eye, whose Investiture-laced water flows into the sea. These sea predators “did not hunt by smell or sight, but by sensing the minds of prey.” (SotD, Kindle Loc 20.) On Patji Dusk observes, “the beasts that hunted minds on the island were not as large or as strong of psyche as the shadows of the ocean.” (SotD, Kindle Loc 100.) Dusk describes the “dense humidity of Patji’s jungle.” (SotD, Kindle Loc 784.) I speculate land predators catch their prey’s thoughts through the moisture-laden air. Humidity is a weaker water bridge than oceans, which seem to conduct thoughts better. The weaker bridge IMO comparatively weakens the land predators. Conclusion Every Shard IMO accesses Investiture through a different “primal force/fundamental law/something natural.” Avatars, Sand Mastery, and Aviar make fractals my best guess for Autonomy’s primal force (for now). Regards! C. Predictions:
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