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So I'm making a short film about the Way of Kings, book 1, chapter 13. This is purely for the community, and I'll be posting the link up when it's complete. However, I'd like to know the community's thoughts on seeing this scene hit the screen. How have adaptations let you down in the past? How have they lived up to your expectations? Writing the screenplay, I realised that certain things that were described weren't physically possible, even with power armor haha. So there will be some minor changes. I hope you will understand. But more importantly, I hope you're looking forward to it!

This was made by a composer that I follow on YouTube called The Darkeyed Musician. You NEED this in your life!

A massive thank you to all the fantastic artists for the creative works and to The Darkeyed Musician for her musical composition! Please make sure to check out their links and support them in their work. Kaladin - Words of Radience by emann29: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Kaladin-Words-of-Radience-462831658 Beneath the Shattered Plains by woutart http://woutart.deviantart.com/art/Beneath-the-Shattered-Plains-607677436 Breath by Emerald-Depths http://emerald-depths.deviantart.com/art/Breath-426869221 TWoK - The King's Wit by BotanicaXu http://botanicaxu.deviantart.com/art/TWoK-The-King-s-Wit-409756211 The Survivor by The-demons-heart http://the-demons-heart.deviantart.com/art/The-Survivor-483045604 Wit vs Hoid by BotanicaXu http://botanicaxu.deviantart.com/art/Wit-vs-Hoid-417088327 Raodin by Esamitch http://esamitch.tumblr.com/ Parshendi by Esamitch http://esamitch.tumblr.com/ This episode focuses on the Worldhopper Hoid, who is a persistent character through the Brandon Sanderson Cosmere books. Hoid could be labeled the first Worldhopper. He has appeared and been documented in nearly every story arc in the Cosmere including Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, and Warbreaker. In this episode Elsric talks about his observations of Hoid and commits to keep an eye on the elusive man. There is a greater plan to his motions and all the readers of the Cosmere accounts should keep their eyes peeled for sightings of him. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please leave a comment or ask any questions that you have so that I can address them at a future date. If you would like to share your art in a future "Letters from the Cosmere" please contact me at my channel E-mail: [email protected] Want to hear the story about how this series was started by Brandon Sanderson and myself? Here is a link to the story on 17th Shard: Script for Episode 4 - "Who is Hoid?" I am not sure how many men or women I have met who have lived as long as I have. Part of me can hardly believe how much it cost me both spiritually and monetarily to achieve this timelessness. Yet it doesn’t feel unnatural. On the contrary, I have been able to hone and master my skills far beyond what they were when my journey began. I was always skilled in the art of politics and playing the games of the nobility. However due to my longevity, I feel that even my subpar combat skills have improved greatly. When I found myself with more time than I could fathom, I took to the ways of the Cosmere and walked the paths between worlds. And I am far from alone in my exploration. I am not sure if it is my newfound abilities or a consequence of my long life, but there are “old souls” of whom I have recognized at a mere glance. Perhaps it is the vestige in their eyes, eyes that have seen too many wonders to be contained. Souls that have aged and flourished. As I sit at the edge of these chasms, awaiting my first walk into the mystery that is Urithiru, I seem able to see far into the night. Somewhere on this world, is another Wanderer, one who has lived far longer than I. You know of him as well, for he was to be found walking my homeland before I lost everything. Your response was cryptic when I inquired about the Wanderer whom I encountered, but I have more or less filled in the gaps you left bare. Oddly he looks nothing like he did back then, and your description of the man reminded me of yet another time we might have crossed paths. His eyes, the eyes of this Hoid, if that is his real name, look familiar to me for a reason. I met him in Hallandren itself. At that time, he was a master story weaver, a man who was often called before the court of gods and was very expensive. I assumed him to be an informant and never hired him personally. Yet those eyes struck me that day, although I didn’t realize why. He happened to be called to a party I had attended. He never said a word to me, but as he moved through the colorful attendees we locked eyes for the briefest moment and I nearly tripped. His eyes had such an intensity, like a fire burning too bright to look at directly. Those eyes drilling right through me seemed to strip me of my façade and examine my very soul. And then the moment passed and he was gone. Until now I had put aside this memory, but I am sure that it was him. Now the rest of my knowledge is distilled from speculation and guesswork. However, I understand that you are curious about this man and his intentions. Quite honestly, if I hadn’t seen the pure steele behind those eyes, I would say he makes things up as he goes. When he confronted me in the Cognitive Realm he seemed driven by a compulsion to stand before me and encourage my passions. He whispered his talk of the 16 shards and the coming deaths that a fallen shard would soon be bringing. It seemed so important, so well timed to catch me right before my mission began. And now I am here, directly interfering in the plans of Gods and men alike. He moves with a purpose, following a plan that I feel I have only glimpsed a drops worth in an ocean of mysterious intent. It is safe to say that this Hoid has traveled all over the Cosmere. He steps in right when a critical nudge is needed. I have observed him doing this, as well as confirmed some of the strange whispers of the King of Alethkar’s servant, someone called Wit. If there are important events happening in the Cosmere, a tipping point or critical juncture, Hoid will be there I can guarantee it. Each time I have seen him he has worn a completely different appearance. From age to hairstyles he all but reinvents himself from place to place. But you can be sure it is him. In fact, I would guess that his compulsion to throw out witticisms and sarcastic remarks might be the only way to truly know who he is for sure. That level of self-confident mockery cannot be faked. How he knows where to be is a mystery of the ages. However, I have seen many strange and impossible things these past centuries. Perhaps he sees where he needs to be before he gets there. This is a comforting theory, because I wonder if I am making a difference. If this “appointed path” idea is real, then I have been swept along with him. I also must impress upon you the age of Hoid, or more accurately the vast age of Hoid. To him I felt as but a child. He seemed to see patterns in the very fabric of creation itself. He might even be as old as creation itself. Hoid spoke of the ascended men and women who are now Gods as if he knew them personally. He whispered of the machinations that had been turning for thousands of years, and he said all this without batting an eye. To hear him speak was akin to hearing the stones tell tales of all they have seen. Entire nations have risen and fallen before his eyes, including my own. And yet there seems more. This is more of a feeling, but it seems he has seen the beginning of all that the Cosmere is, and that he plans to see the end as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he out lives us all, and that is saying something. It would be folly to look for him. He knows how to hide, and I suspect he understands your abilities all too well. A man such as he must carry powers beyond what I have seen or imagined. Perhaps he seeks to chronicle all the powers of the Cosmere itself? His motivations are unclear, and that troubles me. I believe he is working to save lives, that much was clear when he spoke about the desolation that was coming to Roshar. No, what worries me is what he plans to do with all this time. There are things in motion now. My instincts tell me that Hoid is playing two games at once. A game that has been set and played for a very long time, and we are all just pawns dancing our dance before his agile fingers. This is a game he plans on winning. I am an informant, and such games are nearly second nature to me. I am impressed by those who understand the power of subtlety, and Hoid might be a master, despite his powerful personality. Perhaps this is his source of strength. Regardless, informants and secret keepers learn quickly that the short term game always leads to an eventual loss. If you want to win, you make every victory and defeat a part of the true plan. Hoid is a crafty manipulator. For that alone, I intend to keep my eye on him as best I can. So you can count on future letters about his work, so long as I can keep him within earshot. Despite all that he has done for me, the ones who know the most are the most dangerous. If I’m not careful, I could be set up to fall. Perhaps I will eventually see the board he plays. If knowledge is power, then he shouldn’t be the only one wielding it. Until the next Letter, Elsric

Hello fellow Shardlings! (Is that the word? Oh well, your my Shardlings anyway) So I am proud to announce that "Letters From the Cosmere" is officially out of production and live on YouTube! This is a YouTube series that I thought would be helpful as a resource for new community members who wished to learn about Brandon's Cosmere in manageable packets of information. I also wanted this to be entertaining for members of the community who were already well established. In this series the World Hopper Aarik writes letters to his acquaintances about the things he has observed as he has traversed the Cosmere. If you want to see it for yourself, follow the link here: Hello! If you want more info about why this exists, I have an explanation. So a couple years back I was first introduced to the Cosmere by a dear friend who handed me a copy of Mistborn. I devoured that book and proceeded to perchance every Brandon Sanderson Book I could. I remember my shock when I first suspected that there were characters and a particular Black Sword that I had seen in other books appearing in the newer stories. I had assumed that these were all just different stories. That was when my friend informed me about the idea of the Cosmere. I was so excited I jumped online and did a quick search for the Forms. Holy Cow The amount of information was staggering. It was amazing, but staggering. I remember not knowing where to start or even what questions to ask. I think everyone starts off a little star struck. Hoping to find a good foundation I turned to YouTube. In the past I had researched the Star Wars EU by watching informational videos fans had made for YouTube so I thought there would be Cosmere videos as well. There were none. A few months latter when I staggered from 17th Shard a much wiser man, I started thinking about that first YouTube search. I had an active YouTube account where had started making serious weekly content. I decided that I wanted to make the videos that I had hoped to find when I had first joined. But I didn't want this to just be a boring list of facts, or a review of each book. I wanted to do something with more life and flavor. I wanted these letters to feel like they were a part of the Cosmere. I worked on the premise for months, crafting and re crafting the idea in my mind and in my notes. I was prepared when Brandon came to town on his recent 2016 Book Signing Tour. Our convention was small, and I was able not only to pitch my idea to Brandon, but we were able to talk about it in length for several hours. At first he was concerned, and who wouldn't be? I was wanting to create something using his intellectual property. However as the discussion continued, I could see the gears turning in his mind. Eventually I must have sold him on the idea because he tanked me for asking him in person and said, "I give you personal permission to make this YouTube series." We spent the next several hours having a stop and start conversation about this project. Naturally I was trying not to hog him from the other fans, but playing him in a game of magic helped. He also seemed excited to give me tips. He made several suggestions about paths I could take with the character, but left a lot up to me. I will be sending him a personal detailed report so as to make sure everything checks out, but I got the clear impression that he wanted me to own this project. Also, I need to say that this project would be far weaker without the fantastic artists who offered their support for the work. I contacted the artist of each painting that I used and asked their permission to use their work. I will NEVER steal a piece of art, even if it's easy to download. I want to work with the artists and I hope that more artists will be inspired by this project and share their talent with all of us in these Letters. Please make sure you send some love and thankful messages to the amazing artists. They deserve every bit of praise they get. And that now leads us here. I am so happy that this first episode is available. I have already received encouragement and support from the community members who have found it. I cannot wait to make more of these episodes. I honestly think this will be a series I will be making for years and years to come. I hope that you enjoyed this taste, and that you come back for more. If you are an artist and want to share your work with the world, I would love to work with you.I hope you all enjoy this series. If you have any thoughts I hope you will share them, just remember to be courteous with each other. Obviously I am not Brandon and will get things wrong from time to time. However I will do my best to only say what I know, or try to make it clear that the character is speculating. Hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you around the Cosmere! -TheBlueShifting PS I have had a couple requests to see the text version of the episode. I have decided to post that here on my Forms in 17th Shard. There may be slight deviations, but overall the text is the same. I also reserve the right to edit the content in the future if Brandon points out any changes that need to be made, though I doubt that will happen with this episode. Here you go! I don’t quite know how to start this letter. Lines like dear friends or colleagues seem inconsistent with our perceived “relationship”. Needless to say, I have not decided to abandon our friend’s request that I chronical my travels. My father would be proud to see that after all this time I became a scholar after a fashion. But I suppose I should start with the fundamentals of what I have learned and work my way to the finer aspects. Although my knowledge is limited, I share what I know, and what I suspect to be true. But first, a foundation: Look around you. Everything you see, the walls of your house, the air you are breathing, even the light entering your eyes are all a part of the Cosmere. It is all that is, all that was, and all that will be. Everything is connected by the forces that shape the universe. Light and Gravity. Investiture and Cognition. Even the souls of men are manifestations of the cosmere itself. In my travels I have gained a unique perspective of what the cosmere is and what it contains. Our inheritance, our birthright, is to explore this vast Cosmere, our home. And in it, to see the divine attributes that shape it. When I was first educated by my father, I often contemplated my place in the world. I would look North to the dark peeks that stood just at the edge of sight and wonder what lay beyond them. I look back now and almost laugh at the wide eyed youth who couldn’t imagine a world larger than the town I grew up in. I who have set foot in the shadows of other worlds and cultures across space and time. Although my introduction to the greater cosmere was a feat of happenstance, I find great pleasure in diving the nature of the universe in my own way. Before I write anything else I need to clarify what the comere is by the simplest definition. There are three major aspects of the Cosmere, these three realms or dimensions shape and in turn are shaped by each other. They are effectively inseparable, Each one with its own rules and capacities. Despair their alien nature, the fundamentals of these realms are fairly straightforward. First we have the tangible or Physical realm. This is the home of all the peoples of the Cosmere. Three dimensions ruled by gravity and light, physics is the language upon which we understand this dimension. Luckily I was educated in mathematics and physics, a far more useful education than I appreciated at the time. Although the worlds of men and sentient races are separated by vast oceans of distances, these worlds each share the common elements of mathematical proofs and similar ecosystems. Although the tree realms are intertwined, it is unclear if the physical realm is dependent on the other realms to exist. However, it is apparent that the physical world has a dramatic effect on the other two realms, especially in the cognitive realm. When you step outside, you will find that you are followed by a shadow. Although you are the source of the shadow and it’s movements, the shadow is not a part of you, but a type of warped reflection. The cognitive realm is a shadow of the physical realm. Everything that has a conception, a form, or a name, has a spark of cognition. By naming and defining the objects and forces of our physical world, we give them a life and mind of their own. Most of the time, calling these entities “intelligent” is a stretch of the truth. Each idea starts as a small, simple spark, so fleeting that it is lost in the sea of drifting minds that form the substance of the cognitive realm. Sometimes these ideas can grow, and take a form and intelligence all their own. I have heard tales of creations like the Ceons of Sel which are created as helpers for the Elantrians. I’ve even encountered some advanced cognitive minds that call themselves spren on the Shard world of Roshar. If you were to physically visit the cognitive realm, you would find that what we see as a physical land mass is instead a sea of cognitive thoughts. Traveling through this sea can be tricky, even dangerous to some. In contrast, large bodies of water in the physical world manifest as a solid mass obscuring the minds that dwell below. Distance and time mean little in the cognitive realm, and the thoughts of men are connected across the cosmere. The men and women who world hop use the cognitive realm which bind the various shard worlds together. Those who have learned the secrets of travel by investiture can traverse the cosmere by simply walking. The Spiritual Realm is the most mysterious of the three realms. In fact, I doubt that there is any being that still interacts with the cognitive and physical realms who truly knows what lies beyond its borders. All that is know is that there is a part of man, an essence of some kind that exists in this realm. What is very strange is that most of the powers and investitures that are used throughout the cosmere are manifestations of the spiritual realm in the physical world. Perhaps the soul forms a conduit for the power between the spiritual realm and the physical and cognitive. I feel that there is no limit to the breath and depth of the spiritual realm, and that mankind has only tapped into a miniscule sliver of the power that resides there. These three form the trinity of all life in the cosmere. However to separate these into different categories is almost counter intuitive. In order to examine the different aspects of the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual, we have to label and categorize them as individual places or planes of existence. However it is important to remember that these three occupy the same “space” or area. For instance, if you were to pass from the physical world into the Cognitive world, you would seem to appear in an alien and unstable land of darkness and mist. However in regards to traveling, you would remain in the same location and may find common recognizable landmarks on the other side. This connection is important, however the different realms do not seem to share the laws of physics and time as we understand it. Having been one of the few to set foot beyond the Physical realm, I have developed a deep appreciation of the complexity, depth, and scope of the universe. With all our study and expansive thought, with the literal power of the Gods in our fingertips, we still know so little about the ways and wisdoms of the cosmere. I am not a scholar, not truly, which you dear reader must find incredibly frustrating. Yet as I look upon the surface of another world, I am compelled to learn all I can. This shall be the first of many letters I’m sure. Despite my hesitation to agree to this arrangement, I understand the value of the things I have observed and continue to observe. Should I fall prey to the dangers of the cosmere I would hope that I could leave some kind of legacy. Be wary with these letters for there are forces and organizations who seek to stop meddlers like. I find that the more I learn and explore the closer I get to catastrophe. Currently I am returning to the shard world Roshar. Something is happening there that is sending ripples throughout the cognitive realm. There is a darkness coming and that is something I cannot ignore. Until the next time, Aarik

What is Investiture? For such a foundational aspect of the Cosmere, it is not always clarified what exactly the word means. In this episode we talk about the meaning of the word and stare some specific examples of Investiture on several major Shard Worlds. Elsric also shares some of his personal terminology about the different types of Investiture and the ways that people can access the power. To read the story about how I worked with Brandon Sanderson to make this series, look at my post here: Please remember to check out the amazing art that was shared with this episode and let the artists know how much we appreciate what they have done! Subscribe for more updates and videos every week about great stories and funny moments. I hope you enjoy what I can do! Here is the transcript for this episode: As I have said before, my father was a scholar at heart. He was taken with locking himself away with his books and a chalkboard in the family library. As I grew he took it upon himself to teach me what he could. However, I never had any formal lessons because he was often so scattered in his research projects that he would shut himself in his study and turn us away having completely forgotten that he was the one to invite us to join him an hour earlier. Eventually my siblings and I would catch him and we would dive into the lessons as best we could. He was a soft-spoken man, but he was truly brilliant. On rare occasions, noble scholars from far away would stop by and converse with my Father. I’m not entirely sure what his specialty was, but based on his contraptions I think it had something to do with Engineering. I will never forget the phrase he often repeated during our studies. He said, “In all things there is balance if you look closely enough. Cause and Effect, Push and Pull, Action and reaction.” He said that there was no better laboratory than nature, for all things followed the fundamental laws that ran all of creation. I wish I could share with him what I know now. After all these years, I finally see what he was trying to teach me. The miraculous things that I witnessed on other worlds are bound by natural rules and there is an accounting for all the incredible abilities that people can wield. Investiture is just one word to describe the fundamental power by which men bend the forces of the Cosmere with intent to their will. Words like Sand Shaping, Burning Metals, Drawing Aons, and Surgebinding are all in effect the manipulation of Investiture. When something or someone is considered Invested, they hold a portion of Divine power or potential. Stormlight is possibly the best example because the body literally thrums with unbridaled power that is then translated into a Focus by the user via a bond to a spren. When I say Focus, I mean the nature and shape that the power takes. On Sel, the Elantrians use the complex shapes and markings of Aon Dor to dictate the shape and power of the Investiture. While this is a complex system to master, it holds the most fluidity. In application it is near limitless in what it can do with the right knowledge. However, their power is, for the most part, limited to the geographical location of Sel, even to specific continents. I would call this an Open Concept Manifestation, because it really has no set shape or application, although the time and learning necessary to access the power of the dor is a distinct downside to such an adaptable system. On the other hand, the best example of a Closed Concept Manifestation of Investiture can be found in Alloymancy. By its nature, Allowmancy is limited by very harsh rules. The metals that can be burned to access Investiture need to be pure and properly mixed as alloys in order to work. In fact, an allomancer who burns metals that are impure or improperly crafted can get sick or die from the mistake. The benefit is that the powers granted by Aloymancy are dependable and simple. However, there is little to nothing more to be learned. All Alloymancers are limited to the powers of the metals, no matter the skill or experience of the user. This means quick and adaptable powers, but sever limitations in shaping the Investiture that gives them power. The application of each type of Investing can range to fit a variety of settings, but each one must take a unique coarse to the eventual goal. The paths to Investiture vary in form and execution just as how languages differ between different nations. All Language seeks to bring together understanding, but the execution can be very different between different peoples and are usually not compatible with each other. I would assume that Investiture would be the same, although I am not sure if there are limitations to using said powers. I know for instance that the proper metals and alloy mixes are useful to Alloymancers no matter where they physically are. I’ve seen that Elantrians can employ Investiture outside of Sel, although I am unsure how they overcome the natural geographical limits to their powers. In fact, I think that travel in the Cosmere would be impossible if the beings who traverse it ultimately did not have access to the powers of their homelands. It is clear to me that the power of the Spiritual Realm is accessable in all places in the Cosmere. Unlike the Physical and Cognitive realms, it seems there is no apparent change in the ability to access the Spiritual realm no matter the location of the individual. So the limitation is found in the abilities to access the power itself Each world is governed by a different set of natural laws that determine who can access the power and how that investiture can be used. On Nalthis, each person is born with an endowment of Investiture called breath. It is a small connection to the Cosmere itself and has little effect. But it can be given to others, and with enough Breath one can command once living objects into servitude. Words and symbols hold the key on Sel, where elantrians draw patterns in the air to give shape to the Dor, and Dakor etch their will onto the bones. There are whispers of other arts with ink and blood that shape the fabric of reality itself, but I have not seen this personally. But what all these forms share is the dependence of a physical drawing that shapes the Investiture into what they need. There is a world called Taldain that I only just heard about. I hope to visit it sometime soon, but there is very little known about it yet. However, there are hints of shapers of the sand, who manipulate and mold the sand found on that world. I imagine it would be a beautiful art to observe. On Scadrial, the people use the metallic arts. The use of metals manifests physical, mental, enhancement, and temporal power through three known forms. Aloymancers draw Investiture directly from the source and use the power in a limited fashion. Ferochemists storm their natural attributes by saving them up into the metals, using them like the gemstones on Roshar to store the abilities for later use, and can use them in an accelerated rate. And then there is Hemalergy, darkest of the arts that I know, which destroys life to steal power from the sacrifice, to then spike it into another’s soul. On Roshar, as I said, the spren form a bridge between the Investiture of Stormlight for use by the Radiant to whom they are bonded. The Parshendi seem to be able to bond spren as well, but it is not the same as the nahel bond, and I don’t know by what method they do this. The unknown bond is actually a focus of my study, for I feel that this is critical to understanding the struggles we are facing in this war. It might even be the key to our salvation. I am positive that there are other worlds that I have not even heard of. If there is one thing that I hope for, it’s that I can continue to learn more about the incredible abilities and peoples of the Cosmere. Despite the danger I am currently in, I am living life again. I never thought that the struggles and danger here would awaken my soul. Elsric

After a brief conversation with Brandon on the matter, I think I might be onto something. This theory revolves our current understanding of Physics so it would be some time in the timeline before we could confirm these theories. However I cannot stop thinking about these ideas and Brandon confirmed a couple of my speculations. But if the skills that Shallan has displayed, along with the words of Pattern, we can extrapolate incredible future abilities. Now I could be wrong simply because we don't have an understanding of all the radiant groups as of yet, but here me out about this. So what do we know are Shallans abilities? Well the first and probably the most powerful (that we KNOW of) is the soulcasting. Shallan can separate her cognitive mind from her physical body and interact with shadesmar directly. Once she masters this skill she will be able to use storm light as a bargaining chip to convert matter and form. I'm excited to see what this entails and if there are any real limitations to this power. Like can they only soul cast into one essence at a time? Why do the soulcasters in the Alethkar army look like they have stone for skin? So many questions, but despite this ability, I want to focus on lightweaving itself. i just feel that transformation is "more powerful" than progression. No the ability to manipulate light is the real power here. Although "Lightweaver" is a deceptive name. Remember how Pattern said that Shallan could manipulate sound as well as light? When I read that the second time through I did a double take. I mean, on the surface these two are vastly different. Light is a collection of photons, where as sound is a vibration in moving particles. The only thing that these two truly share is that the nature of light and sound is determined by the waves and wavelengths that they maintain. So how could this be? If Shallan is creating false light barriers, then that should be the extent of her abilities. it would still be amazing and incredibly versatile, but that's it. Including the ability to affect sound waves tells me that there is something far greater going on. If Lightweavers actually shape the wavelength of physical particles and energy waves, then her powers become nearly unlimited. First I'll start with sound. If Shallan as a Lightweaver can control waves of vibration to create sounds, then what else could she do (Assuming stormlight were no object for the sake of speculation) Well she could most likely stun people with powerful sound waves. Especially in the water, large enough shock waves can actually stun of kill. Remember a noise is simply a managed vibration in particles including liquids and solids. If you can manipulate shock waves and add enough power, stunning people would not be too far fetched. Even Earthquakes are effectively massive shock waves that travel through the soil. They seem vastly different from a verbal shout, but on the large scale they really operate on the same physical premise. And we now know Shallan uses her powers to effect shock waves, so far just on the small scale. So we can presume that with enough stormlight, Shallan could cause an earthquake. Now to the real power. Light manipulation. Often times we get comfortable in our spectrum of light. We have the colors of the rainbow and every shade in between. Shallan had displayed the countless applications of light manipulation in stealth and espionage. However we are not so limited in Physics. Visible Light is a tiny part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. The levels of light along the spectrum are only different in their wavelength and frequency. This is where things get exciting. First lets go to the large end of the spectrum. So if we have two lightweavers, perhaps standing on the peaks of two different mountains. If the lightweaver can manipulate radio waves, using stormlight to create a variable radio broadcaster and receiver, we would have the perfect way to communicate without anyone being able to listen in. This could be very useful, although span-reads honestly are better at this, so this is less exciting. More likely Lightweavers would become radio hosts in the future as they transmit music and voices into the homes of radio owning families in the future. I can imagine Lightweavers as traveling radio performers sharing their skills as actors of comedians across the radio waves. But it's the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum that gets really crazy. Imagine how soon x-rays for medical diagnoses could be used when your doctor can literally create x-rays out of thin air? Crime scene investigators will have a local Lightweaver create UV lights to help reconstruct the crime scene and look for trace evidence. But the ultimate form (That Brandon said would be too much to be practical both in needed stormlight and application) would be the control of Gamma Radiation. If this could be harnessed, Lightweavers could literally become mini nukes, or death guns. The biggest downside to making Gamma radiation would be the damage the lightweaver would most likely suffer. So gamma radiation is impractical but its a fun thought experiment. So that's the end of my thoughts, I just see people talking about how Lightweavers are cool, but not as powerful as Windrunners. Now you know the possible future of lightweavers! The best part of this whole speculation was how excited Brandon was about my train of thought. I don't know if anyone had brought up this train of thought before. But he was happy to remind me that things will get pretty interesting when Lightweavers discover lasers and start using them in combat. Seriously, he said that, I couldn't ever make this up. Hope you enjoyed!

It says i should post a topic letting you know i exist, so here i am, existing. I'm here mostly because of The Stormlight Archive but I'll be honest, I've never been on a forum before, so i don't really have any idea what I'm doing. Anyway, hi i guess

Why must a man be judged by the color of his eyes instead of the content of his character?

I am not familiar with what the writing tropes in literature actually are and i was wondering to what extent does Brandon, and other authors, use them? What are common Fantasy writing tropes? Does Brandon ever make a mockery of the use of them? I felt like that is what he was doing in The Stormlight Archive with Rosharan society having such strict Gender specific roles. To me it made me look at the whole idea of Gender specific roles as ridiculous. Did he ever do something like that with other writing tropes that i never noticed? Finally, is there a trope that Brandon consistently uses across most of his books?

Ok, Friends. Help me out here. For I have gone and convinced myself of something crazy! Sorry, I'm new to the forum and I don't know how to do that cool "spoiler" button yet. Please be aware that this theory mainly concerns The Stormlight Archive: Way of Kings and will have spoilers for the stormlight series. But because of said theory, this post will also contain spoilers from the Alloy of Law. So please continue reading at your own risk! If you have read both books, please give your thoughts on this theory. Many thanks! Toward the end of Interlude-6 when Szeth finds Gavashaw dead along with his [former] master Makkek, he's greeted by this dark figure who bears Szeth's Oathstone and gives him Taravangian's kill list. I'd like to discuss who this dark figure might be... Because I don't believe he's just some unimportant messenger. Szeth doesn't recognize this man's accent. This seems to be a gentle suggestion that the figure might originate off world. I figure Szeth would have traveled many places since becoming Truthless and having his Oathstone traded so frequently. Szeth guesses that the dark figure's accent might be Alethi, but he isn't sure. No real description of the dark figure is really given except that his voice is "male and deep" so a physical match can't really be made. The figure even wore a mask. So all we can really go on and take clues from is the shrouded man's words. Monologuing - This shrouded figure is heavily opinionated for someone who is presumably unimportant and needs to only deliver proof of the Oathstone exchanging hands and the new orders from the new master. That being said, what the man starts monologuing about is, i feel, key to discovering his true identity. He says things like: "Are you satisfied with this... are you satisfied with trivial crimes?" "What a waste... You are squandered." "You are a work of art... a god." “But do you not rebel against this frivolous use of your skills? Were you not meant for greatness?” "It's time you stop wasting your talent." Very interesting statements. He had virtually no reason to monologue to Szeth... and combining that with his strange accent, I keep feeling like this shrouded figure is more important that the interlude makes apparent. He shows up nowhere else in the series (as of yet) to pick apart more clues. These statements come dangerously close to many things said to Waxillium Ladrian back on Scadrial. My vote is that the masked and shadowed man giving Szeth his new orders is Miles "Hundredlives" Dagouter who is now on Roshar. As implausible as it seems, he may not actually be truly dead. It was never explained how he was still able to heal after all of his metalminds were apparently removed. Therefore we don't know to what extent his death was an act or irreversible (including his missing pulse). We know nothing of the remains/body of Mile Dagouter. Beyond that, the cosmere has "Returned" and fabrials that can revive people from the unthinkable (like with a certain someone at the end of WoR). Miles Dagouter is my best guess as to who this man might be... he doesn't actually have to have survived his experienced on Scadrial to be alive on Roshar right now. He's Miles Hundredlives Dagouter... he's been through a lot worse. He probably had gold implanted in his bones. He was very confident when he went up for execution. Why would he have been so confident if he knew he'd eventually run out of gold during the execution and die anyway? As for what he'd be doing on Roshar? Probably doing the same thing he was doing on Scadial. Serving someone, believing in a higher cause. Like Taravangian. Thoughts?

So I was flipping through Words of Radiance and I noticed that the name of the spren that causes the death rattles is named Moelach. See Taravingian's POV chapter I-14 for more details. Mr. T describes Moelach in the Diagram thusly: "There is one you will watch. Though all of them have some relevance to precognition, Moelach is one of the most powerful in this regard. His touch seeps into a soul as it breaks apart from the body, creating manifestations powered by the spark of death itself. But no, this is a distraction. Deviation. Kingship. We must discuss the nature of kingship." -Epigraph Chapter 82, page 986 hardcover edition According to the questions Brandon answered on Tor.com, he based some of the Roshar magic system on the Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah. With this connection in mind, I realized that the name 'Moelach' sounds an awful lot like "Moloch", a Mesopotamian god mentioned several times in the Old Testament with a negative connotation as a foreign and false god. Moloch is rather infamous because according to the biblical text, worshippers would sacrifice children to Moloch's flames. But we're not done yet. In Mr. T's POV chapter, he brings up another evil spren named Nergaoul, who many readers think causes the Alethi Thrill: "The Thrill is at least as strong here as it is in Alethkar. Maybe stronger. I will speak to our scholars. Perhaps this will help pinpoint Nergaoul." -Chapter I-14, page 910 hardcover edition Well wouldn't you know it, but Nergal is also a Mesopotamian deity, also brought up in the bible. And Nergal is, among other things, a god of war. I don't think any of this is a coincidence. Are there any other mentions of the names of super spren? Also worth noting is that "Moloch" in Hebrew uses the same letters (מלך) as the word for 'King'. Not sure how deep Brandon got into this, but it is a bit funny that Mr. T went from Moelach to Kingship in the Diagram. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/06/brandon-sanderson-answers-your-questions-about-the-way-of-kings

Hello board, First off Moderators if this is in the wrong place I'm sorry but this seemed the most appropriate place to ask. So I'm working through making a bridgeman costume and was having some trouble with the leather vests. At first I figured they might lace or tie down the front, but two references from WOK have thrown that out. 1. Before going to the honor chasm Kaladin is mentioned lifting the vest over his head ( maybe this just seems weird to me, but a vest implies that the open seam is at the front, and lifting off a garment that way is rather awkward, is it maybe that the seems are down the sides more like armor?) 2. Later he mentions oiling not only the leather but also the buckles... (again it strikes me as strange that bridgeman have buckles, seems a little over classed for them) I guess what I'm trying to say is, anyone have a better idea of what these vests may have looked like/ how they are closed because I am having a time wrapping my head around it. Thanks again

So at the recent Brookline, MA signing, Brandon stated that Non-human Radiants were not out of the question. So Who/What is going to be first?

So hi, this is my first new topic that I have posted. I'm a huge Brandon Sanderson fan. I have read everything that he has released and will continue to do so until I am an old man. I have gotten at least 20 different people into Brandon's work so far. I basically recoommend him to everyone I talk to regularly. My strategy is to talk a lot about his books and slowly get them to agree to red one of them. I start them off with Mistborn and move them on to The Stormlight Archive (It's a lot harder to get people to commit to a 1000 page book without being a fan). So recently, I got a new job and I have been working my strategy on the guy who sits next to me. I got him to start Mistborn. This is what is baffling me, he didnt love it and he thinks that Brandon is a bad writer. Not describing enough of the world, not cring about the characters, he named several other things. This is just crazy to me!!! Mistborn was amazing! It got Harriet to have him finish WoT! So this guy, he is way way way smarter than I am. He talks about a lot of things that are over my head, he's like a literary critic! So what can I do to defend my favorite author? What can I tell him about the improvements Brandon has made as a writer to get him to read Way of Kings? I'm just not smart enough to debate with him, i need help! Thanks for anyone who takes the time to read my pointless post.

Hello Everyone, For a School project that i am doing i have to make a presentation to my Librarian on seven books that i have read, and in the presentation i must recommend whether the book should be added to the library's collection, or i can recommend that it be removed. The decision to add or remove must be based on the gender stereotyping found in each book and what people will learn about the role of gender from reading it I am basically done with the presentation but i feel like i am repeating myself throughout the presentation and i have run out of good ideas/examples. So i thought that i would turn to the community that i know best and that i have found to be extremely intelligent and fair in regards to discussion/argument of a topic. Which is why i humbly come to you now. The seven books (Note that i can use an entire series as a single book) that i have chosen to analyse in terms of Gender stereotyping are as follows: 1) Stormlight Archive 2) Mistborn 3) warbreaker 4) Elantris 5) The Painted Man (Peter V. Brett) 6) The Name Of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) 7) The Black Prism (Brent Weeks) I look forward to the discussions we will have around this sensitive topic. if i do use any ideas or comments from our discussion i will reference it completely.

Hi there, This is my first post so it might have already been covered, if so thats my bad. It covers a few of the books so feel free to correct me if it is contradicted somewhere or if you have things to add. I was thinking about how Odium splintered the shard of Honor. I think that the honorblades that the Heralds wielded are actually the remnants of what is left of the shard of honor. This is why they can grant magically abilities to someone who previously could not access magic on Roshar. Also I wonder if they were all collected if they could reforge the Shard of Honor. If this is true then it would mean that the shards of Devotion and Dominion would have items that were made from their remnants. Brandon has said that the Aons inside of the Seons are splinters of Devotion so what are the splinters of Dominion? Also what would happen if a splinter of Devotion, a Seon, and a splinter of Honor, an honorblade, were combined like when Sazed combined the shards of Ruin and Preservation in the Mistborn series?

Hey all, first-time poster, but I had a theory about Spren and the 'Secret that broke the Knights Radiant' So, on the back cover of WoR it says "It is the nature of the magic. A broken soul has cracks into which something else can be fit. Surgebindings, the powers of creation themselves; they can brace a broken soul, but they can also widen its fissures" And somewhere in WoK or WoR, it says that the number of people who bond with spren increases right before a Desolation. Think about this for a second; The people we see in Dalinar's Vision of the Recreance (Windrunners etc. abandoning their oaths and shardblades/plate) were full knights. Kaladin, after swearing 3 ideals, gets to use Syl as a Shardspear/weapon. We learned that all shardblades are spren, living or dead (excluding blades like Szeth's) The question is, why would these Knights, who had bonded with their spren, probably having a good relationship with them like Shallan/Kaladin have with Pattern/Syl, abandon their oaths, KILL their spren buddies, and walk away? What IS the secret that broke them? Here's where theorizing comes in. We know that a person has to be 'broken' to allow a Nahel Bond (see back cover quote), and that more people bond to spren before a Desolation. Chances are, people aren't suddenly becoming more attractive to spren. I think the spren, acting on their nature left from Honor's splintering, believe it to be honorable to save mankind by giving them surges. To do so, they are forcing bonds onto people. Example 1, Shallan. She was terrified by the symbol-headed Cryptics that followed her around until she said her first truth and went into shadesmar (soulcasting the goblet). I realize she had already bonded partially, but I think that her broken household may also have been inluenced by spren or some other force (Her father's hate is unnatural, don't remember the WoB, but I know he said it wasn't just him) Example 2: Jasnah. In the beginning of WoR, she's freaking out about the whole 'backwards-shadow' thing. Then, abunch of spren attack her, forcing her into shadesmar, where she fights back, and eventually bonds with Ivory. This, to me, is the most overt example we have of spren forcing a bond. Example 3: Lift. She grew up in Rall Elorim, City of Shadows. I think we have further WoB somewhere saying that there is some nasty spren-like stuff going on there. Furthermore, Wyndle says this "I wanted to pick a distinguished Iriali matron. A grandmother, an accomplished gardener. But no, the RIng said we should choose you. 'She has visited the Old Magic,' they said. 'Our mother has blessed her,' they said. 'She will be young, and we can mold her,' they said." emphasis added Example 4: Kaladin. I think this might actually be the odd one out. Syl left, she said, without permission from the honorspren leadership in shadesmar. She truly was simply attracted to his honorable life. Finally, we know from Jasnah's return at the end of WoR that the spren in shadesmar actually have civilization. "It's been a long time since the spren had to deal with someone alive" pg 1078 and also the earlier quote from Wyndle. It's been mentioned a couple of times in the books that spren want a bond with humans because it gives them intelligence. But, they have civilization in shadesmar. they already are intelligent. So why do they really want the bond? Feel free to rip it to shreds

As the title states, which team do you think would win in a duel, given that all of the magic systems work simultaneously. Team 1: Pre-Radiance Kaladin; unconsciously uses Stormlight as he did in Bridge Four, and has no shards. Vin at her strongest (But not as Preservation); plenty of Allomantic stores. Hrathen, ability as shown in Elantris. Enough said. Team 2: Raoden at his best, able to make use of AonDor. Denth in Warbreaker, plain beast. Eshonai in Warform and in full plate. Place of Battle: Elantris, Sel. Who do you think will win? Feel free to justify below

I apologize if this has already been answered somewhere else. I searched and couldn't find any answers. In both Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, Shallan deliberately uses the ten heartbeats of summoning a Shardblade when summoning Pattern. However, we know this is not necessary when the Knight's spren is alive, as Pattern obviously is. I feel like there's some significance to why she makes it the full ten heartbeats. Maybe in her mind summoning Pattern immediately would be the same as admitting to herself that everything she tries to avoid thinking about in her childhood actually happened. That doesn't seem quite right to me though, so if anyone knows why, or has any thoughts on it, I would appreciate the input.

I'm no expert on this, but as I was reading Words of Radiance, I noticed that it was common for people to have one light-eye and one dark-eye, as well as streaks of mixed hair colors. For a human on Earth, this would be very rare, and only plausible in the case of a mutation. Are people on Roshar different than people on Earth, and if so, will we see greater effects of it besides hair and eye color?