Investiture unlocking

[Stormgate]

So, I was reading the annotations for one Cosmere book or another, it's not important, but I came upon something that was. Sanderson said that the abilities of the different magic systems don't matter, but the Shard does determine how the use of Investiture is unlocked. So, I have theories about how, exactly, the different magic systems are used, depending on the Shard.

Allomancy: We refer commonly to Snapping, without detailing exactly what it does. Such intense pain makes the person want to preserve their lives more than almost anything else in the world, giving them power.

Feruchemistry: We don't know how Feruchemists unlock their powers. Hopefully we'll find out in Bands of Mourning.

Hemalurgy: The foundation of Hemalurgy is that anyone can use it. However, in order to practice the art, you need to have the intention of destroying life, basically of ruining.

Surgebinding: Specifically the Knights Radiant. They go through a situation similar to Snapping, but they hold fast to one aspect of Honor's intent throughout the experience, keeping it as their compass, structuring everything they do around that one ideal. Sorry for the philosophy/poetry,

Voidbinding: We don't know enough to be able to make any conclusions.

AonDor and Forging: With these, they both are unlocked by a lot of devotion on the part of the recipient. Galladon and his father were both focused on agricultural methods, Raoden on his people, etc. Other Elantrians were painters, sculptors, or other devoted members of society. Forging is unlocked by first intense dedication (devotion) in learning every other kind of Forgery.

Dakhor: it seems that this is unlocked by the dominion of others, getting them to sacrifice their lives in order to grant you supernatural powers. I'm actually quite hesitant about the Selish powers, since they are apparently one magic system.

Returning: This is apparently granted by valuing the wellbeing of others above your own life, demonstrated by the known back stories of Returned, as well as their motivations for giving up their Divine Breath.

That's all I can think of at the moment. If anyone has any information on any of these, including magic systems I forgot, input would be nice.

[baby]

I'm preeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure that feruchemists are born with the power, and can sense something when they touch the metals so that was a method of testing for them.

[thegatorgirl00]

You might be interested in checking out this thread.

 

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/369-theory-the-principle-of-intent/

[Stormgate]

Although I didn't look at the thread, this thread has a lot of the same principles. Also, with Feruchemistry, I know they are born with it, I just don't know how they unlock the power/figure out they have it in the first place. It isn't cut and dried like Allomancy, able to sense the magic stores inside of you.

[Eagle of the Forest Path]

I believe Feruchemists don't need to unlock their powers, in the sense of snapping, because all of the power is internal (it comes from themselves).

 

Snapping, the Shaod and even the Nahel bond is when there are cracks in a person's spiritweb (or soul) and something external (Preservation, the Dor, a Spren) makes use of those cracks to add something to the soul that allows the person to access external investiture.

 

So, in the case of Feruchemy: no external investiture, means no need for cracks, means no need to unlock.

 

For Allomancy, I'm pretty sure that the Preservation in the equation is that Allomancy uses an outside power source to create an effect, thereby allowing you to preserve your own power. (I know there's a WoB on that somewhere, but I can't be bothered trying to find it right now)

 

You might also want to check out this thread about initiation.

[Yata]

I think that about the Sel's magics there is more than we think.

 

It's stated that all the Sel's magics is just the different manifestation of the same Magic System and therefore probably the "Unloking" had to be common between them.

[Stormgate]

I think that about the Sel's magics there is more than we think.

 

It's stated that all the Sel's magics is just the different manifestation of the same Magic System and therefore probably the "Unloking" had to be common between them.

I agree, something between devotion and dominion.

[Moogle]

I think that about the Sel's magics there is more than we think.

 

It's stated that all the Sel's magics is just the different manifestation of the same Magic System and therefore probably the "Unloking" had to be common between them.

 

I half-agree.

 

Surgebinding is the same magic system, but the different subsystems require drastically different ways of accessing them. To become a Lightweaver, you must in some sense inspire those around you/create art/be a good liar. To be a Windrunner, you need to protect people and be a leader/honorable.

 

In the same way, I'll agree that Sel might have the same method of "unlocking" in the sense that Surgebinding requires bonding a spren, but this doesn't mean that the different regions aren't going to have drastically different ways of unlocking their powers.

[Yata]

Well I half-Agree with you ;-)

 

Because as you say with the Nahel Bond the "Initiation" (that I suppose is the right term for what we are talking about) is about to: "Be a broken people that are compatible with a Radiant-Spren's Intent" what happen after is probably meaningless but is quite common to all the Radiant Knight and it is "make an inner path throught the 'Core Intent of the Order' formalized by words that are some kind of milestone".