Arsteel

You're right, it's probably just that Bondsmiths are flat out more powerful than other orders. Good point about how different orders use the same surge differently, that would explain the "spiritual adhesion".

This is plausible, yes. Good point. I think however even if Windrunners pass this gate/train enough, their Spiritual Adhesion would never be as powerful as that of a Bondsmith, or we would've heard of it by now. The Highstorm I can understand, but I believe that Bridge four's familiarity is just boring old poetry.

Yes, but Conection manipulation isn't one of the ten Surges. If it were, either the Stonewards or the Windrunners would have access to it too, as each of the aforementioned orders share a Surge with the Bondsmiths. This is the only reason I am implying that it is the resonance.

-emphasis mine- Ok, but were does the Connection ability cone from in the first place if not from the resonance? I've been treating the power of Connection manipulation as the Bondsmith resonance itself, as it doesn't seem to have it's origin in either Surge. So how, as you say, would it be present without resonance?

Yes, I agree with all of this. It makes more sense to think of it from Ishar's perspective as he organized/planned the Surges with Honors help. I had partly forgotten that Ishar was so involved and therefore had assumed that the Surges would have been created as equally powerful (seems like a thing Honor would do, with oaths and fairness and honor and binding rules and the like). With Ishar back in the picture, I can understand the power balance of each Surge/Resonance being less important as compared to the abilities being under control.

I know that the Honorblades predate Spren Nahel bonds, I just wondered why, in imitating the Bondsmith Honorblade, a Godspren was necessary for the bond instead of some other spren. Your reasoning makes sense, especially with the flavours of Investiture. However this still doesn't explain why the Bondsmith resonance ability is blatantly and objectively so much more powerful than those of the other Orders. Any ideas? Maybe because Bondsmithing also predates the Heralds and the Radiants and is just an adaption of this previous ability by Honor?

True, but his Honorblade may be stronger in some way than the others, because otherwise I don't see how a Godspren is needed for other Bondsmiths to imitate the Honorblade's power.

Thank you, this is very helpful. Then the Bondsmith resonance is the ability to use not only Physical but also Spiritual Adhesion, I guess, as otherwise the Windrunners would also have the Connection ability, seeing as they also have Adhesion. This makes sense, except that the Bondsmith resonance seems much more powerful than those of the other orders. So maybe it isn't just the resinance that grants the Spiritual Adhesion, but a mix of that and the bond with a Godspren?

So, the Order of Bondsmiths have access to the Surges Tension (which they share with the Stonewards) and Adhesion (shared with the Windrunners. And yet, they have a unique ability to manipulate Connection which no other order possesses. It does not seem to have its source in either of the two aforementioned Bondsmith Surges, as neither of the other Orders which have those Surges have this extra ability. It is a common theme in some cosmere magic systems that two parts together create not just the sum of the two parts but an additional effect, as Kriss mentions in her essay on Compounding. However, this additional effect wouldn't yet seem to be present in any other Radiant order, and so I doubt this theory as well. It would however make sense if this extra power is granted by the fact that the three Bondsmith spren are exceptionally powerful, so it could be assumed that this additional ability was granted through them. It makes sense the the additional power is that of Connection: although said power is generally unrelated to the three greater spren (I believe, but there may be logic I didn't think of for this), Connection is certainly of the Bondsmiths. What are your opinions on this reasoning? If you agree with it, then how do you think the Stormfather, the Nightwatcher and the Sibling are able to grant this ability? How is the Nightwatcher, being only of Cultivation, able to grant this kind of bond/ability to a Knight Radiant? (We know because of Lift that Cultivation can force her way into Radiant bonds, but it seems she only started this recently, so how could the Nightwatcher bond a Bondsmith?) If you disagree, then where do you think this Connection ability comes from?

Thanks, I'd forgotten about Shardblade wounds. We know they supposedly damage the Spiritual, but I'm confused as to how the Spiritual aspect can really change, because of how the Spiritual realm is just unlimited Investiture without space or time. Then again, we know next to nothing about the Spiritual aspect or how things work in the Spiritual realm.

Firstly, can the Spiritual aspect be damaged? Isn't it only Investiture? Even if it can be changed, then wouldn't your being just accept that changed version as the new blueprint, and healing of the Physical would be directed accordingly? I think that if the Spiritual is the blueprint, then the other aspects might not be able recognize any "damage" done to it, unless your Perception in the Cognitive Realm of your Spiritual aspect has a good enough idea of what your Spiritual aspect is "meant" to be like, in which case the cognitive might assume control of any healing.

Interesting idea! We know Perpendicularities can be moved, as Honor's Perpendicularty is known to move unpredictably.

Ooooh i really like this! Great idea and I mean, who isn't sceptical of Cultivation at this point?

I see, thanks all!

Can somebody remind me how Sazed was able to pick up Ruin again? I don't remember his personality or actions having much connection to Ruin, and usually your personality has to be related to a Shard's Intent before you can pick it up, so how could he take both Preservation and Ruin? He certainly seemed to embody Preservation as a Keeper.