[All Series Spoilers] Interlinked theories - Aether of Night

[Ixthos]

Link to main topic: [OB][All Series Spoilers][Unpublished works] Interlinked theories - Cosmere

This is a brief summary of my theories and observations and questions for Aether of Night. This is one of three subtopics of a larger post in the subforum Cosmere Theories (as of this it has not yet been posted).

Also, please note that the main topic will contain Oathbringer spoilers, so please don't visit it unless you have already read Oathbringer or want to have certain parts spoiled. This topic will not contain any Oathbringer spoilers. Due to this, some parts of the topic will be contained in the main topic, but in a tangential manner.

 

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Vax and [Redacted] / Aether of Night

Spoiler

Vaeria

Spoiler

Vaeria is the name of the planet in the unpublished novel, and it is the home of two mysterious beings called the twins, who are the "children" of what is believed to be a shard called the Former. The Former has an opposed, called Decay. Both are the bases for Preservation and Ruin. The planet also has at least one moon.

 

Theories

1. Vaeria is Vax. This is either its new name, or, like Sel, Vaeria is known by two names, possibly to the Cosmere as a whole, or simply to its inhabitants.
2. Vaeria is [Redacted], another planet named in a recently released book. While the names are not the same, it is still possibly, though not as likely as the theory listed above.
3. The Moon is a symbol that there is a shard present - See main topic for details
4. The Twins are the result of a phenomenon mentioned in Oathbringer - See main topic for details
5. Ruin was present on the planet before travelling with Preservation to construct Scadrial, as Decay was present in the unpublished novel

 

Observations

1. The religion seems to be ancestor worship - at least the religion of the Aedinor Imperium - which would probably still be the case in the final novel

 

Questions

1. If Vaeria is still the planet's name, and if it is also known as Vax, why would it be called as such?

 

Aethers

Spoiler

The Aethers bond to the humans who use them, and grow with them.

 

Theories

1. There are more than six types of Aethers, some of which might relate to interactions with other shards
2. The Ferrous Aethers would allow someone to become any type of complex machine, including space ships

 

Observations

1. Spren are cognitive, Aethers are physical. Both seem to be splinters and grow as they bond.

 

Questions

1. Do Aethers retain any of Cultivation's power, as they seem to require cultivation and growth?
2. What would happen if a Bestarin were to use parts of a non-animal or non-native animal to replace their lost limbs, such as a Kandra, Aimian, Greatshell, or Nightmaw?
3. Autonomy might be interfering on the planet, as it is implied Autonomy interferes with several worlds - if Autonomy is interfering, could some Aethers be composed of Autonomy?

 

Singe story now

Spoiler

Originally this was going to be part of a series, but now has been reduced back to a single novel or novella. If it is not expanded back into a series, and considering it is listed as a secondary story, the main function of a future novel would be to introduce Aethers, some characters, and possibly the significance of the planet and its inhabitants to the Mistborn space opera.

 

Theories

1. As Amberite and Bestarin can be used by the same person, Darro might be able to regrow his lost limb, and when he appears in future novels might have an animal appendage
2. The religion of the Imperium will remain focused on ancestry, both for thematic reasons - the Aethers come down a line - and because Brandon is using different realm world types as the bases for exploring the ideas of how men see religion

 

Observations

1. Brandon appears to be fond of this system, and originally intended to write another series focusing on them, including seemingly using Aethers to fly. This might imply that Aethers have either spread very far across the planet, with different ethnic groups having access to Aethers, or other planets have Aethers as well - a visit to this world later on, especially if a method of tracking investiture is used like in Sixth of the Dusk, might result in several new versions appearing. It might also imply that the existing Aethers allow one to fly, and that the Aethers remain something used primarily by the Imperium, or to whomever else has access to them if the rewrite is set after these events.

 

Questions

1. Assuming Mistborn space opera has more players than just Scadrial, would this world be visited and only then enter the larger field, or would it already be a major or minor spacefaring group, using Aethers to explore?

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2018 by Ixthos
Added link to main topic

[Weltall]

Oooh, that's a lot of stuff to think about, very nice!

On 4/18/2018 at 5:16 AM, Ixthos said:

1. Vaeria is Vax. This is either its new name, or, like Sel, Vaeria is known by two names, possibly to the Cosmere as a whole, or simply to its inhabitants.
2. Vaeria is [Redacted], another planet named in a recently released book. While the names are not the same, it is still possibly, though not as likely as the theory listed above.
3. The Moon is a symbol that there is a shard present - See main topic for details
4. The Twins are the result of a phenomenon mentioned in Oathbringer - See main topic for details
5. Ruin was present on the planet before travelling with Preservation to construct Scadrial, as Decay was present in the unpublished novel

Sel only has the one name, Opelon is the geographical region that Elantris takes place in. Brandon's said that it has an inflated opinion of its own size in relation to the rest of the planet, which seems to be true for the Rose Empire and the unknown third power. I guess Brandon did once say on TWG that it's the world but that was prior to publication and he's called it Sel everywhere else so he probably changed his mind there.

Anyhow, I think that 1 is the case and Vax is the world's new name, I'm firmly with you on 5 and I'll wait to see your main topic before weighing in on 4. Same for 2, since I'm curious how this ties into your main topic and the discussion's going to involve certain spoilers.

Quote

Questions

1. If Vaeria is still the planet's name, and if it is also known as Vax, why would it be called as such?

Brandon has RAFO'd pretty much every question about Vax but he did get all Aes Sedai on a question about whether it was a planet or a place. The way Brandon talked about his unfinished (actually, barely started) Aethers of Lor series, it could easily be intended as a regional thing. It sounds like he planned to set works across that world with a lot of different takes on the same fundamental magic system. Given that Agaris explicitly refered to Vaeria as a planet, my guess is that if both names are valid then Vax is the region the story takes place in.

Quote

The Ferrous Aethers would allow someone to become any type of complex machine, including space ships

Oooooh, that's a neat idea! I really hope that Ferrous stays in some form because I'm very intrigued by the Realmatics of it and think it could be an awesome system for Brandon to play around with now that he's improved so much as a writer and also worked out the Cosmere in a way he hadn't when writing Aether.

Quote

Questions

 

1. Do Aethers retain any of Cultivation's power, as they seem to require cultivation and growth?
2. What would happen if a Bestarin were to use parts of a non-animal or non-native animal to replace their lost limbs, such as a Kandra, Aimian, Greatshell, or Nightmaw?
3. Autonomy might be interfering on the planet, as it is implied Autonomy interferes with several worlds - if Autonomy is interfering, could some Aethers be composed of Autonomy?

1. Probably not, any more than Forgery requires cultivating your mind to develop the skills needed to use the magic well, or Forton's Invested potions presumably require growing certain ingredients. There's power from all the Shards scattered around the Cosmere but the association between Shard and magic has more to do with how you access the power so I doubt that any 'Cultivation-ness' in the Aethers is going to be relevant, any more than the 'Preservation-ness' that's everywhere in the Cosmere is relevant to Surgebinding or Awakening.

2. Hmmmm, I suppose this depends on how Bestarin works. It must do some rewriting of your spiritweb to convince your body that the replacement parts are 'you', so if they're part of something from another world there may be some weird incompatabilities, especially if they're from a world like Scadrial where the Shards permeate everything.

3. Possibly, though aside from some things that could go in your planned main topic, I suspect this won't be the case because this is a perfect chance to give us a new Shard and it would seem like a waste of an opportunity to simply reuse one. Granted, I do have a theory that Preservation and Ruin were involved in what will become the new Aether's backstory, but I still envision a new Shard actually being the source of the magic.

Quote

As Amberite and Bestarin can be used by the same person, Darro might be able to regrow his lost limb, and when he appears in future novels might have an animal appendage

We'll get some info as soon as Nightblood comes out (whenever that is) since Brandon's mentioned that he plans for Darro to appear there as a worldhopper. My guess is he'll either keep his arm or he'll show up without it. It would be kind of hard for him to blend in when he's got am obviously unnatural limb.

Quote

Assuming Mistborn space opera has more players than just Scadrial, would this world be visited and only then enter the larger field, or would it already be a major or minor spacefaring group, using Aethers to explore?

Brandon has said it will and one of his goals is that all the books we're getting now are establishing the origins of the groups we'll be seeing there.

If your idea about Ferrous bonds being able to make spaceships works out, I imagine they'd be 'out there' from the start. I think the only world we've seen so far that might not enter the big space opera scene without some outside help is Nalthis, because Awakening as we currently understand it doesn't seem terribly attuned towards making FTL work. Assuming Autonomy is focused on keeping worldhoppers out of Taldain and not as concerned with its inhabitants leaving if they learn how to do it on their own, that world's a prime candidate for being spacefaring from the start (Brandon's dropped hints about how Autonomy's Investiture could be used for space travel) and Sel and Roshar have some pretty applications of their magic to a space opera setting.

But I should probably stop before I drive myself insane with how much I want to see Era 4. And Era 3. And... everything Brandon hasn't written. xD

[Ixthos]

@Weltall Indeed! Though just to clarify on what I meant by Sel having two names, on the system artwork it is also listed as Seol, which contains an Aon :-)

Lets hope Nightblood answers that question! And I like the idea of Preservation and Ruin being related to the Aethers! It might also make things interesting if each magic system has some elements of other shards present which lets them modify them

[Naurock]

On 4/18/2018 at 8:16 AM, Ixthos said:

 

  Hide contents

Vaeria

  Reveal hidden contents

Vaeria is the name of the planet in the unpublished novel, and it is the home of two mysterious beings called the twins, who are the "children" of what is believed to be a shard called the Former. The Former has an opposed, called Decay. Both are the bases for Preservation and Ruin. The planet also has at least one moon.

 

Theories

1. Vaeria is Vax. This is either its new name, or, like Sel, Vaeria is known by two names, possibly to the Cosmere as a whole, or simply to its inhabitants.
2. Vaeria is [Redacted], another planet named in a recently released book. While the names are not the same, it is still possibly, though not as likely as the theory listed above.
3. The Moon is a symbol that there is a shard present - See main topic for details
4. The Twins are the result of a phenomenon mentioned in Oathbringer - See main topic for details
5. Ruin was present on the planet before travelling with Preservation to construct Scadrial, as Decay was present in the unpublished novel

 

Observations

1. The religion seems to be ancestor worship - at least the religion of the Aedinor Imperium - which would probably still be the case in the final novel

 

Questions

1. If Vaeria is still the planet's name, and if it is also known as Vax, why would it be called as such?

 

Aethers

  Reveal hidden contents

The Aethers bond to the humans who use them, and grow with them.

 

Theories

1. There are more than six types of Aethers, some of which might relate to interactions with other shards
2. The Ferrous Aethers would allow someone to become any type of complex machine, including space ships

 

Observations

1. Spren are cognitive, Aethers are physical. Both seem to be splinters and grow as they bond.

 

Questions

1. Do Aethers retain any of Cultivation's power, as they seem to require cultivation and growth?
2. What would happen if a Bestarin were to use parts of a non-animal or non-native animal to replace their lost limbs, such as a Kandra, Aimian, Greatshell, or Nightmaw?
3. Autonomy might be interfering on the planet, as it is implied Autonomy interferes with several worlds - if Autonomy is interfering, could some Aethers be composed of Autonomy?

 

Singe story now

  Hide contents

Theories

1. As Amberite and Bestarin can be used by the same person, Darro might be able to regrow his lost limb, and when he appears in future novels might have an animal appendage

 

 

Honest question here, why can't he just create an Amberite arm? Using a Kandra/Mistwraith as a Bestarin bond seems like a super hack of the system but +1 to the outside the box thinking! Talk about handy, just keep a bag of bones around the house, and you've got a fix for just about anything!

[Weltall]

Darro actually does grow crystals along his missing arm to turn it into a weapon when necessary. However, amberite seems to be incapable of moving on its own so he can't just create a working limb from it. When Raeth first tries creating armor, he forgot to add joints, found himself stuck in place and had to dismiss the crystals to be able to move. The armor thus works by creating joints in the right places and then having the user's limbs provide the motive power. Even if Darro could form a perfectly shaped arm with joints in all the right places, he wouldn't be able to move it. He could probably make a rigid arm as needed but there would be no articulation at the elbow or hand. Certainly better than nothing, but not a fully functioning arm.

[Ixthos]

@Naurock As @Weltall mentioned, he could grow Amberite to replace his arm, though it wouldn't be as functional in general. I mentioned it because I thought that was actually where Brandon intended to take it, as the two lines are compatible, Bestarin replaces lost limbs (at least, I think it is for replacing lost limbs and not just changing healthy ones), and Darro loosing his limb makes me think it was being set up that way. But yeah, I agree he could use Amberite instead, though he could also do both ;-)