Search the Community

Hey all! So I had the chance to ask Brandon about Felt the potential Worldhopper (A quick search showed that the forum already has some speculation on him and can summarize where he appears pretty well there: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/51918-felt-the-worldhopper/ TLDR: Venture Cheif Spy in Mistborn Final Empire & Scout in Dalinar's army in Words of Radiance). Well, I had the chance to ask him about Felt at his Q&A at JordanCon and he confirmed that they were the same character! At his signing, I talked to him a bit more about it and he mentioned a couple other things about him: He mentioned that he's "been around." When I asked if I could find him in other books, Brandon responded, "You can try." Um... challenge accepted. I'm taking this to mean he's going by other names. Any ideas? He also said that if you read what he says in Mistborn - it contains some interesting tidbits. He specifically said it wasn't a huge deal, but he said it could be interesting to people. I think I've read the scene with him 4 times since he told me this less than 24 hours ago, and I'm not quite seeing anything between the lines. Anyone else want to take a whack at it? Yay! New Worldhoppers!

Hi All, First theory (YAY!) so let's dig in. I'm very much obsessed with Hoid. What is he doing on the Shardworlds, what does he want, what's his ties to the current (and past) shardholders and what Investiture does he hold. I'll start off with what I've discovered in my readings and then run into my theory. Note: My theory is central to the Chronology of the Cosmere and knowledge of all Cosmere books. As I mentioned, this theory is based on documentation from all books so careful for spoilers for all Cosmere books. On that note, I'm just going to spoiler tag the whole post Thanks for reading, I know this was fairly long. Let me know your thoughts

Right now, as far as I have found, we know that there are several world-hoppers. So I was wondering how they get around. I have not found anywhere on the forums where this topic is discussed, so I decided it would be best if I made one. As I see it, there are about four ways that World-Hoppers could be getting around. The first would be some manner of FTL. I have seen this theory put out there, however I have yet to see any world with a way of making that happen. Also, Hoid’s travel seems to be instantaneous. The second would be some sort of world-gate. This theory implies that each world has a way of getting to it, from every other world. I do not know how likely this is. In WoR there are Oathgates, which allow anyone on Roshar to get to Urithiru. I see no reason why these could not reach across solar systems, if powered by enough Stormlight. However, how one would even find the planets to put them on is beyond me. And the third theory that I have is that the teleportation is connected to shards. On every world that there is a shard, there is a means of getting there. Maybe the shards have enough power to move people? Can you hijack a shards power enough to do this? This theory has more questions then answers. My final theory is that it is all wrapped around Hoid. This means we are back to square one. Hoid is still doing stuff we have no idea how he is doing, and other people are just riding his coattails. I would love to hear any theories I have missed, as well as any ideas on the theories I have put forth. This is my first topic, so feel free to correct my mistakes, and shatter my fragile ego.

The following is a summary of my perspective on the cosmere, I'd appreciate a read if you have some spare time . Note that large portions of this is unconfirmed and is merely my belief and how I have interpreted the books. In the beginning, there was Adonalsium. A concentration of pure energy, known as investiture, that compromised the fundamental powers of all creation and existed in nothing, for it alone existed. There was not vacuum nor emptiness that surrounded it, and it likewise was not bound by dimension. Adonalsium existed for some time, until it grew a consciousness as all concentrations of investiture do. Following the creation of a consciousness, the power eventually developed a sense of self, meaning it recognized that it existed. Perceptions like this could not exist on a spiritual level as everything on the spiritual scale manifested itself as the same pure power of investiture; instead, it needed a distinct and separate realm to actually manifest itself and not remain unstructured. This resulted in the creation of the cognitive realm, which could house specified, structured forms of investiture like conscious thought. Investiture formed both realms and therefore were not bound by them as an object would a wall; thus, the investiture was able to seep between the realms as if through a porous boundary. Because investiture was so highly concentrated in the spiritual, it began to flow into the cognitive. Most of the investiture stayed in the spiritual, however, as at the heart of the spiritual lay the greatest concentration of investiture, which had a pull similar to that of gravity. This point was similar to a shardpool, except on a spiritual level; this explains why dissipated investiture is not lost, but rather reforms at a point of concentration like the Pits or the Well. Eventually, something resulted in the transfer of large quantities of investiture to the cognitive realm. This sudden influx of power caused a hole to be punched in the fabric of the cognitive and resulted in the formation of the physical realm. As the investiture flooded the realm on the other side of the hole, it began to manifest itself as matter. This sudden influx of energy and matter became the Cosmere's equivalent of the Big Bang. Adonalsium discovered that it could alter how this matter manifested itself and as such began to experiment. Simultaneously, its perception of the newly created mass formed the first cognitive aspects with corresponding physical attributes. Its actions regarding these new manifestations of power and his following discovery of creation and destruction led to the development of its personality. Following experimentation, Adonalsium realized that it could create life by creating an object that could exist on all 3 planes; a spiritual aspect to grant sentience, a cognitive aspect to give structure, and a physical embodiment of the 2. The level of sentience granted depended on the strength of the spiritual investment that was devoted to granting this aspect. Adonalsium also made each creature exude small amounts of investiture naturally from their own spiritual aspect (the rate of which increases as more investiture is utilized), as well as naturally replenish this investiture by absorbing it from the radiation of others or the inherent investiture present in all things. This biologically exuded investiture worked mainly on a cognitive level, attaching to preconceived cognitive aspects of objects or in rare cases beginning to create new ones; this is what allows for the ability of conscious thought and perception to build on or alter the cognitive aspect of an object (This explains the need for natural ink in the crafting of a soulstamp, and why the inks from animals were better than the inks from plants. The animals had greater sentience and therefore exuded more spiritual investiture, giving greater power to the stamps and allowing for more drastic changes to the cognitive aspect of the targeted object). This biological investiture also serves to form connections on the spiritual level. Connection allows for the manipulation of the objects one is connected to; for example, when burning steel or iron, connections to nearby metals are temporarily forged, allowing the allomancer to push or pull respectively. In certain cases, such as that of containing breath or burning metals, enough investiture is being used that it is minutely perceptible to others who are attuned to investiture at the time (breath holders/seekers). Adonalsium created this life in his own image, giving it fundamental feelings and beliefs similar to those he already possessed. By observing the interactions between these manifestations, he discovered feelings of hate or love, as well as the concept of honor and giving; before this point, he had no idea of these concepts as he had not had any interactions with anything other than himself. His own existence changed to accommodate these personality aspects, as he and his manifestations were the same, just on different scales (Think: fractals) Eventually, 16 of Adonalsium's creations rose up to take his power, possibly by his consent. They split this power into 16 of its fundamental aspects in an event called the Shattering, and each took a piece of the power. The aspects had been ingrained/broken in to follow certain patterns of use from their time with Adonalsium, however, and over time these pre existing points through which investiture could easily flow overrode the personalities of the holder, resulting in the lack of the holders ability to use the shards for anything other than their pre existing intent. The result is the cosmere as we know it. Description of the 3 realms: The spiritual realm, as the origin of investiture, has the greatest concentration by far. All investiture in the spiritual realm is fundamentally the same, only minorly differentiated by its history of use (intent). It is also separated into groups that generally each have a corresponding physical and cognitive aspect. The investiture in the spiritual also composes connections between various spiritual aspects The cognitive realm gives structure to the physical realm. It is composed entirely of ideas and concepts formed in the physical realm, however, and as such has a 2 way feedback loop; the cognitive structures the physical, but impressions of the physical can override or build upon the cognitive. Since most perceive only what already exists in the physical (which is usually an exact match for the cognitive aspect), very little change occurs in normal circumstances. Certain magic systems, like soulstamps and soulcasting, use relatively large amounts of investiture to intentionally alter the cognitive aspect of an object, however, and as such can produce transformative results. It's important to note that the greater the strength of the spiritual aspect of the target, the more difficult and investiture-consumptive it it to alter the cognitive aspect. This explains why sticks, which are a form of life and therefore have relatively large spiritual investment, are more difficult to soulcast than air or rock. It also explains why soulstamps need to be constantly reapplied when intended to alter humans; the humans have greater spiritual investment than any other form of life encountered so far. The physical realm is an embodiment of the cognitive that can exercise some will upon its own boundaries. It is also the most restrictive of the realms, bound by the dimensions other realms lack. Each object in the physical realm is linked to a cognitive and spiritual aspect that corresponds to it

Hello all I met a handful of you at Jordancon. I recently learned about words of Brandon and how much fun it is to discuss, speculate and receive a RAFO (read and find out) from Brandon. I look forward to fun discussion and I was told I should avoid the cookies, but if there is a net-positive or even net-neutral baked good available I am highly interested (although recent words of Brandon suggested the later category might be a slight misnomer when you consider the heat required in the baking). Jeffywan

Hello, So while listening to the Legendarium podcast I ended up joining a new social media site called Imzy. Imzy is still in beta so it's kind of cool to be on a site where you get a chance to influence the features and layout. Well I started looking around Imzy and noticed that there was no community for Brandon Sanderson or the Cosmere. So I started one. If anyone want to try it out just head to www.imzy.com/cosmere. You'll have to request an invite and I'll approve it as quickly as I'm able. Come join if you are interested in talking about the cosmere on a new platform. Thanks for your time.

Following is a glossary of terms I deem important for understanding the magic of the Cosmere. This list grows out of a post I wrote about the relationship between the Powers of Creation, Investiture and Adonalsium, and the Realmatic implications of that relationship. In that post you can find the source references for those definitions where I provide no source here. Please note these definitions reflect MY speculation about the Cosmere and how things fit together. Feel free to disagree and/or to add your own “Cosmerically-significant” terms to the list. “Adonalsium” – Adonalsium is (or was) the Cosmere’s God (capital “G”). He originally consisted solely of the Powers of Creation. Those Powers originally had no mind to direct them and consequently developed sentience on their own. Adonalsium was the mind the Powers developed. He thereafter created the Cosmere. Because the Powers of Creation predate the Cosmere’s Realms, Adonalsium himself may have been the “God Beyond” – the God “beyond the Cosmere’s Realms.” The Powers of Creation comprised both Adonalsium’s mind and soul – Adonalsium is an anagram for “a mind, a soul.” “Cognitive DNA” – Brandon has stated that “people have three sets of DNA.” (Source - Q 55.) Cognitive DNA is one such set. While Brandon has said nothing further about Cognitive DNA, I surmise it refers to each person’s unique psychological profile, his or her Cognitive Realm makeup. “Cognitive Realm” – The Realm of the Mind, of ideas, feelings and perception. In M:SH, Preservation describes to Kelsier a metaphor of the Cosmere’s Realms in which the perceptions of the Cognitive Realm filter the Spiritual Realm’s perfection on the way to the Physical Realm’s “floor.” IMO all Cosmere magic – including magic conducted by Adonalsium himself – begins with some thought, some cognitive act. Jasnah in WoR tells Shallan that the Cognitive Realm is the place of the unconscious as well as the conscious. The Cognitive Realm on Roshar is called “Shadesmar.” Each planet with sentient life has a unique version of the Cognitive Realm, reflecting the unique ideas and feelings on that planet. Distances between Shardworlds are collapsed because of the absence of ideas between Shardworlds. “Cognitive Shadow” – This term refers to the Cognitive Realm remnant of a person who chooses not to pass “beyond” and suffer a final death. Brandon likens it to a ghost. Examples are Kelsier, the Threnody Shades and the Stormfather (Honor’s Cognitive Shadow). A person must be invested to become a Cognitive Shadow, as with Kelsier. Cognitive Shadows retain their Souls, but their Connection to the Physical Realm has been severed. “Connections” – These are the relationships between Souls and Essences, as well as the relationships that span the Realms (that is, that Connect an entity’s mind, body and Soul – its Cognitive DNA, Physical DNA, and Spiritual DNA). Collectively, such relationships form a Soul’s or Essence’s SpiritWeb. Magic Users are also Connected to the Powers of Creation. Connections are not an “on/off switch” but take effect on a relative scale; a person can be “more” or “less” Connected to something. “Essence” – This term refers to the Spiritual Realm aspect of each inanimate object. What the Soul is to a living organism, Essence is to an object. An object’s Essence is the Spiritual Realm’s Platonic ideal form of that object. (I am not using this term to refer to the “Essences” described in the SLA Ars Arcana.) “Focus” – This is a non-canonical term for which there is no commonly-held definition. The most widespread use of the term refers to something that “shapes” a Magic User’s use of the Powers of Creation to avoid having the Powers “rip troughs” through the Magic User’s body. Allomantic metals and the form of Elantrian Aons are examples of Focuses. “Intent” – Intent is the non-canonical term Chaos invented to explain the compulsive characteristics of each Shard. See Mandate. “Investiture” – Investiture is the result of the creation process. Adonalsium (and then the Shards) used the Powers of Creation to invest the Cosmere. Investiture is the “building blocks of the Cosmere.” Invested people and objects may be able to “touch” and “use” the Powers of Creation through their Connections to them. There are limits to how much Investiture an object or person can hold. Each Realm has its own form of Investiture. Spiritual Realm Investiture, for example, comprises Souls, Essences and Connections. Investiture is convertible into matter and energy, which can also convert back into Investiture or other matter or energy. Investiture (and matter and energy) obey the conservation laws of thermodynamics. “Magic System” – A Magic System is the unique way a Shardworld’s inhabitants access the Powers of Creation and the unique magical effects they then create. It results from the interactions of the Shard’s Mandate with the planet’s Essence. These interactions in turn affect each inhabitant’s Spiritual DNA, limiting a Magic User’s ability to use the magic of a different Shardworld without Spiritual “reengineering”: “Their Spiritual DNA is what encodes the Magic System into them, their Investiture. So if you can find a way to rewrite your Spiritual DNA, you can do all kinds of funky things.” (Source - Q 55.) Shardworlds with more than one resident Shard have multiple Magic Systems. “Magic User” – This non-canonical term refers to an invested person who is able to touch and use the Powers of Creation to create magical effects. (“Magician” is another non-canonical term for such a person.) Mistborn/Mistings, Feruchemists/Ferrings, Hemalurgists, Elantrians, Dakhor Monks, Soulforgers, Awakeners and Surgebinders are all examples of Magic Users. Unlike Adonalsium and the Shards, who are comprised of the Powers of Creation, Magic Users require Investiture to access the Powers. “Mandate” – This term refers to the unique compulsion that attaches to a Shard’s use of the Powers of Creation. The term derives from Sazed’s observation that, without a mind to direct them, the Powers of Creation have “only a vague will of their own, tied in to the mandate of their abilities.” (HoA, Chapter 79 Epigraph.) IMO the Mandates reflect the dominant psychological belief or trait comprising each Vessel’s Cognitive DNA at the time they ascended: each Vessel was more Connected to that aspect of Adonalsium than to any other aspect. Shard Mandates can be combined or “meshed,” as Honor and Cultivation did on Roshar. “Major Shardworld” – This is a planet a Shard has invested in and is present on. Native Magic Users can touch the Powers of Creation and perform magic on a Major Shardworld. Examples include Sel, Scadrial, Roshar and Nalthis. “Minor Shardworld” – This is a planet that Adonalsium and/or a Shard has invested in and left “ambient magic” on. No Shard is present on a Minor Shardworld. Magic is part of the natural environment, but there are no native Magic Users on Minor Shardworlds. There are many Minor Shardworlds. Examples include First of the Sun and Threnody. “Perpendicularity” – This term, which Brandon has yet to fully flesh out, seems to refer to the place in a Shard’s Realmatic structure that connects the Physical Realm and Cognitive Realm. Perpendicularities enable Worldhopping. In M:SH, Hoid demonstrates that the Well of Ascension (Preservation’s Shardpool) is a Perpendicularity. Hoid also states there that the Pits of Hathsin were a Perpendicularity that Kelsier’s destruction of atium has temporarily closed. Brandon first publicly used the term in an early draft of an Oathbringer chapter: Ivory and Jasnah discuss leaving Shadesmar through “Honor’s Perpendicularity.” “Physical DNA” – This is the genetic makeup of the Physical Realm structure of living things. It corresponds to Earth’s DNA. The term may also refer to the chemical structure of all things, whether organic or inanimate, but Brandon has not clarified his meaning. “Physical Realm” – This term refers to the physical structure of the Cosmere, the “floor” in Preservation’s M:SH metaphor of the Realms described in the Cognitive Realm definition. It corresponds to our own universe. “Powers of Creation” - These Powers ARE the magic of the Cosmere, the "magic of Adonalsium." They pre-exist the Cosmere and were used to create the Cosmere. Adonalsium was the Powers of Creation before the Shattering. The Shards are “pieces” of the Powers of Creation after the Shattering. Splinters are even smaller pieces of the Powers of Creation. Magic Users “touch” and “use” the Powers of Creation to perform their magic. At some point, the Powers of Creation became Spiritual Realm Investiture - either after the Cosmere's creation or after the Shattering. Currently, the Powers of Creation are part of the Shards' Spiritual DNA. “Realms” – The three aspects of Cosmere reality: the Spiritual Realm, Cognitive Realm and Physical Realm. “Shard” – The “Shards of Adonalsium [are] pieces of the Power of Creation itself” that passed in equal parts to the sixteen Vessels that Shattered Adonalsium. The sixteen Shards thus formed originally were of equal power, but four of the Shards have since been Splintered and two Shards are now held by the same Vessel (Sazed). A Shard’s power is also reduced by its investment in the Cosmere. A Shard’s expression of the Powers of Creation is filtered by its Mandate. Shards are “mostly Spiritual” but exist in all three Realms, just as they did when they were mortals. Sazed says that the Powers of Creation originally lacked “thoughts and personalities” (presumably when comprising Adonalsium); but “thoughts and personalities” are now “attached” to the pieces of the Powers of Creation comprising the Shards. (HoA Chapter 55 Epigraph.) “Shardpool” – This non-canonical term is commonly used to describe the pure liquid manifestation of a Shard on a Shardworld. The term is still not clearly understood. Shardpools may simply be one form of a Perpendicularity, since Worldhoppers can use a Shardpool to emerge from the Cognitive Realm onto a Shardworld. Confirmed examples include the Well of Ascension and Devotion’s Shardpool just outside Elantris. “Shardworld” – This term refers to the Cosmere’s planets: “There is inherent Investiture in every world created” in the Cosmere. Most planets are Minor Shardworlds, but a few are Major Shardworlds. “Shattering” – This is the event by which the mortals who became Shards broke Adonalsium into sixteen equal pieces of the Powers of Creation. These persons used some “weapon” to accomplish the Shattering, though I suspect Adonalsium foresaw the Shattering, planned for it, and committed Divine Suicide to help achieve it. I partly base my supposition on the fact that Adonalsium Shattered in equal parts, unlike what happens when a Shard is Splintered. “Soul” – This term refers to the Spiritual Realm aspect of each living organism. IMO an organism’s Spiritual DNA determines its Soul’s unique characteristics. The Soul of each type of organism is an ideal Spiritual Realm form for that organism. Thus, human Souls are “aware” of a human’s natural life span and will age a person to their “normal” age in the absence of magic; that’s what killed the Lord Ruler when Vin removed the Bands of Mourning. “Spiritual DNA” – A person’s “Spiritual DNA is what encodes the Magic System into them…” (Source - Q 55.) As with Cognitive DNA and Physical DNA, Spiritual DNA comprises the unique Spiritual Realm characteristics of living organisms (their Souls) and inanimate objects (their Essences). “Spiritual Realm” – The Realm of Platonic ideals and perfect forms. Souls and Essences are each the “perfect form” of the organisms and objects they represent. Brandon calls Investiture in the Spiritual Realm “true” or “raw” Investiture – it is the material comprising Souls, Essences and Connections. Investiture in the Spiritual Realm is “consistent” throughout the Cosmere; I understand this statement to mean that Spiritual Realm Investiture is compositionally identical throughout the Cosmere. This contrasts with Investiture in the other Realms, since IMO both Cognitive Realm Investiture and Physical Realm Investiture are unique to each Shardworld: such Investiture reflects the Mandate of the resident Shard, the Shardworld’s own planetary influences, and the unique culture of the local populations. Location is not “important” in the Spiritual Realm – an Allomancer can access Preservation throughout the Cosmere because of his or her Connection to Preservation. “SpiritWeb” – This term refers to the combination of a Soul or Essence and its unique network of Connections. “Splinter” - “A Splinter is a term used by certain people in the Cosmere for the power of Adonalsium which has no person caring for it, no...no person holding it, which has attained self-awareness." Source (Q 15). IOW Splinters are sentient pieces of the Powers of Creation carved voluntarily or involuntarily from Adonalsium or the Shards. Splinters can independently perform magic. Other Investiture Connects a Magic User to a Shard, which is the source of the magic. Adonalsium’s Splinters are Mandate-free and resemble lifespren rather than Radiantspren. Source (Q 53). Shard Splinters IMO do carry their Shard’s Mandate. Confirmed examples of Shard Splinters include Radiantspren (Honor and Cultivation), the Unmade (Odium), Divine Breath (Endowment), and Aons (Devotion). “Vessel” – This term refers to a mortal who becomes a Shard. Their “thoughts and personalities” remain, and they continue their existence in all three Realms, but their physical bodies have been vaporized because they hold so much of the Powers of Creation. “Worldhopping” – This term refers to a person’s movement between Shardworlds. Brandon has RAFO’d whether a person needs some magical ability to Worldhop. A person can Worldhop by travelling through the Cognitive Realm between Shardworlds and emerging through a Perpendicularity located on the destination Shardworld. We don’t know whether other means of Worldhopping are available. EDITED to reflect the changes I made in my post The Making of the Cosmere: Relationship among the Powers of Creation, Adonalsium and Investiture.

So the following contains Cosmere-wide spoilers so I'll hide it just to be safe. *Edit*, I meant to post this in the Cosmere Theories board but did it here by accident.

Hello! I would like to say that this is theory awareness day! (It rhymes!) this day is dedicated to all the sharders who spend hours crafting revolutionary theories. The sad fact is that nobody pays attention. So please make, reply to, or upvote a theory.

This theory is based on the fact that every magic system we have encountered so far can stand on its own. While some magic systems such as the metallic arts interact easily with each other (which can be explained by them being on the same planet) most other systems require various hacks to get them to interact. My theory is that the powers stealing aspect of hemalurgy is actually such a hack. This may sound weird because of the way we have seen hemalurgy so far, where it is mostly used to steal powers. We need to remember however that two of the three hemalurgic creations of TLR we have seen so far didn't have anything to do with allomatic or feruchemical powers. It also would have been weird that a magic system would be created with the only purpose of interacting with other magic systems. My conclusion is that the original purpose of hemalurgy is the transformation of creatures and to give yourself limited boosts, such as a bit more strength or intelligence. The stealing of powers is just a (perhaps intended) side effect.

It seems that all people must undergo some form of stress to gain their powers. Mistborn need to "snap" and experience some form of traumatizing physical or emotional stress to gain allomancy. The Elantrians need to be taken by the Shaod. The Returned somehow gain one incredibly powerful breathe when they return, although anyone can get enough breathe to become powerful. The parshendi must transform in the middle of a highstorm, and surgebinders must form the nahel bond with a spren. Kaladin, at least, was physically, emotionally, and mentally stressed before he figured out the oaths. Thoughts?

NOTE: Please DON'T spoil Shadows of Self, Emperor's Soul, Bands of Mourning, Secret Histories, Hope of Elantris, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Also, I deeply apologize in advance if this has been posted before. Also, there are spoilers from Mistborn 1, 2, 3, The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. . . . . . . . . . So, I'm reading Sixth of The Dusk and a thought occurs to me: "Hey, aren't Sak and Kokerlii like.... metals?" We know that Allomancy doesn't need metals as the source of power, but rather as a catalyst. So, I'm thinking... Maybe, in this world (which btw, reminds me of TSA, mostly the Reshi Isles part where Rysn goes in WoR), instead of metals, these Aviars are the catalysts. I mean, Sak's power is like burning atium, but it only shows warnings and Kokerlii's is like burning copper. Except, Kokerlii shields minds instead of Allomancy. This is obviously related to the Cognitive Realm. What if Allomancy just works differently here? Like how Lift can convert food into Stormlight.

I have had this song stuck in my head for a couple of days. So I put in Cosmere lyrics for a few verses. The rhythm and rhyme aren't perfect, but the way the song worked I figured I could stretch things a bit. There's tons more room for more verses, and I'd love to see what people come up with. (I was trying to work waffles into one, but it didn't come out right...) There is one spoiler from BoM, so be warned and please mark any spoilers, if you choose to include any in your own verses.

Irol looked behind him as he hurried down the empty corridor. Something wasn’t right. He was going to find out what. Bulbs of glass on the walls glowed with a blue green light, through the power of Andolesium-Creation. Two lights near the end of the corridor were dim. He had warned them. Now he had to stop it. Irol felt anger well up inside of him. Many would die if he didn’t stop this madness. No one could control the power of creation, no matter how they tried. He told them. And now that power was fading. It needed a jolt. Something to revitalize it. It needed something to fix. What better to for the power of creation to fix, than itself? He threw open a grand looking door, with intricate carvings all over it. Carvings from the beginning of time. Many of the things nearby were from the beginning of time. He walked to the center of the room, where a small vessel sat floating. The consciousness of ages -no, millenniums old- occupied this particular jar. It was nothing too fancy. A simple clay jar, bound by the power of creation. Who is this? He bowed. “I am Irol, Caretaker of Ishtavum. “I would free you.” Free me? That has happened only once before. It was not good for your kind. “I feel your power diminishing, oh great power. I must fix it.” You can fix little human. The sounds resounded through his skull with a pounding, though not a painful one. They were merely powerful, and were accompanied by visions. Visions of things that had happened last time the power had been freed. Irol saw millions of people, dying in the struggle. A struggle between an unseen power, and the power of creation. You are correct. My power grows dimmer each day. Those do not listen to you. But do you really wish to unleash me upon the world? He will come. It is the only time he can defeat me, when I am fragmented. “Great power, what do you mean fragmented?” To fix myself, I must separate, into many different pieces, and repair each one individually. Then, they must be reunited. It will take years before I am completely repaired, perhaps millennia. You must ensure that I will not be taken by the One, and used, turned. Otherwise, time and the universe, will be no more. It is how the world works. “Oh great power, please, tell me. Who is the One?” Irol asked, turning the information around in his head. He had not expected this. He is the One. The only one who could dare defy me. He hates me. You would not be able to know his name, but humans used to call him Odius, The power of destruction. He once was a part of me. Now he takes what he must, and I let him, for I cannot stop him. Only so much can be created at once, but he does not see that if he destroys everything, there will be nothing left for him. All he sees is now. He has not wisdom, nor does he have self-control. “But great one, surely, if your power vanishes-“ Yes little one. Then he will rule anyways. That is why I was repaired so long ago. In ages lost to history, that will never be found by anyone. Hmmmm. I sense someone. They are coming to stop you. You must hurry. Should you attempt to heal me, make sure an order is established, for Odius must not obtain a shard. With it he will attempt to destroy the others, and then he will destroy that one. Should he do that, the world will surely fall. No, the universe. Irol looked behind him, hearing footfalls in the distance. “How do I Start the process?” You already have, The voice rumbled in his head. You need only finish it. Break the vessel. It is that simple. Information came into his head. A gift. Irol sagged, feeling electricity run through him. He felt ice, and fire flowing through him. He felt pain, and peace, He felt imagination. There is another place. Spread these gifts to them. For if Odius comes for them, they will need them. You need only think. Do not stay. For your fears and nightmares will destroy those you give a gift to. “Irol! What are you doing!” Irol whirled around, his eyes glowing with power. “I am saving us, Thordar.” “No!” He scrambled across the room, and grasped Irols shoulders. “You would kill us all!” he screamed. Guards came in behind him. “We will die anyways!” Irol roared. “When the power fails, and Odius comes, We all will die!” “What is this madness? Odius? Right yourself Irol! Or we will lock you in chains, and banish you, to lands never seen!” Thordar yelled. Irols eyes sparked. “Never,” He whispered. He gestured his hand at the vessel, and sent forth a burst of power. The vessel burst into dust. Blue light enveloped them all. A screeching in their heads sounded, making them all fall to the floor. Whisps of red, green, blue, and all the other colors spewed around the room in streams. A huge tearing sounded, and sixteen separate colors separated into different areas of the room, then solidified. Irol wasn’t sure what they solidified into, but they whirled around, and then shot into the sky. “No!” Thordar screamed. “No! You have no Idea the calamity you have caused!” he screeched at Irol. “I have saved us,” Irol said, starting to float in the air. “And I will save them. I will give them the gift. They will fight their fire, with hearts of steel. And they will prevent it. Should creation fall, or should Odius come for them, they will be able to stop him.” One of the guards looked at him. A small wisp of blue light entered into him, as did it to the other guards. Four guards in all. The other guards fell to the ground, dead, as they could not handle the power it was granting. The remaining guard started singing. He sang of a race, between a man and a storm. He sung of cities fallen, of magic failing because of huge canyons torn into the ground. He sang of prophecies, changed to suit needs, and of sisters who saved each other. He sang of all of this in an instant. And collapsed. Irol walked over to the guard, and put a hand on his shoulder. “What is your name, man?” The guard looked at him like he was crazy, blue light in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “Hoid, My lord.” “Hoid,” He said. “I must leave. You must protect those shards. It is your final duty to creation. In my absence, guard them with your life. Should any try anything, stop them. If you can’t, bid your time until you can. And help the people here. Send them my message.” He nodded. “I will do so, my lord” Irol nodded, and then vanished. He appeared floating in a dark space. He felt very little. And then the hatred came. The fear of everything, the wish to destroy. I seem to have caught you little human. I am Odius. I will rend you in two. “Why!” Irol shouted. “Why would you do this?!” You will not save a single one of them. They are evil, in their hearts. Man does not care for one another. They only wish to destroy. He didn’t believe it. But part of him did. The grip of the hatred left a small scar. He felt Odius start to tear his soul. “No.” He screamed as he let go his power. Odius stopped, then renewed his efforts. He succeeded. But he failed. He merely separated Irol. He took all the good, and the bad, and separated them. Irol used his power. He sent himself into two different realities of the same place. You are calamity, the voice said in his head, as it faded. You are a liar. “No!” Shouted Irol, the one who had no goodness, only his pledge to creation. He would carry it out. But man was evil, and he would not help them. No he would wait, and he would watch, for years, until he found one that wasn’t. You are a liar. “I am not,” He said. “I am not.” You are renamed, Irol. I name you larcener. “No!” Irol screamed. “No, I will show you, I will give it to them!” Irol- Now Larcener- started to glow red. He lifted off the ground, and he unleashed his power. He sent it into many of the men. He made them epic. But he did not leave. He had to see. He had to know if they would stay good or not. He did not know, he had been sent to only twenty or so years before Odious would come down to their world. Were they had things called cars, and guns. Were they would learn to make incredible devices from their dead epics.

Could Megans abilities be utilized to explore a multiverse that possibly includes the cosmere? Is there a limit to how far Megans abilities can go? I'm just spitballing here. thoughts?

I am a guy who wants to make a joke out of thin air! so i wanted to know that: in you opinion which character is the most is the funniest of all in Cosmere? which character made you laugh harder? My vote certainly and absolutely goes for Wayne! Not that I'm too far a character from him. i only don't trade things the other candidates may be Lightsong, Rock, Sarene (while painting of course), Denth, Ham or any other ones you choose. and of course my second vote is on Lopen with his one armed behavior.

So, I just read both BoM and SH today and I was struck by what seemed like it might be a hidden connection as to the connection between what appears to be Kelsier's reincarnation and the worship of Trell. In the first book, Sazed preaches the religion focused on Trell to Vin, and stresses the fact that they viewed the stars as the many eyes of Trell, which watched over and protected them. Trell's brother only had one eye (the Sun) and, in his jealousy, made it shine brightly to block out the eyes of Trell himself. My theory is that the followers of Trell are specifically opposed to "Kelsier", who has one eye and one eye spike. This sounds a lot more strenuous on paper, and since I'm not exactly an expert on the Cosmere, I'd happily accept any fact-checking of feedback you guys would be willing to provide.

So I received my beautiful slipcased copies of Shadows of SIlence in the Forest of Hell and Perfect State today, and there was a preface in SoS that wasn't included in the previous versions of the story - I have typed it below for you, word for word, as I think it provides some interesting insight into Threnody... "When George R.R Martin approached me to ask if I'd be willing to contribute a story to Dangerous Women, I was ecstatic. George is known best for his Westeros books, but he is also an excellent author, having put together many anthologies. His recent themed anthologies with Gardner Dozois ave become something of a "Who's Who" in the fantasy and science fiction world. It was a real honor to be invited/ After he told me the theme was "dangerous women", I at first thought of Perfect State, the other novella in this collection. I had a very rough draft of that done, but hadn't submitted it anywhere for publication I sent that to George and Gardner, and they felt it wasn't on theme enough, and asked if I had anything else. I didnt, not yet, but something had happened recently that had planted a seed in my mind. I had been involved in some genealogy work, and had run across the name of a Puritan woman called Silence. That intrigued me. Who would name their daughter Silence, and for what reason? Charity I can get. Faith makes total sense. But Silence? Perhaps she was late int he birth order, and her parents were really hoping to sleep through the nights this time. Either way, the name stuck with me. I'd had the idea for Threnody, the Cosmere world when a group of pilgrimesque people fled the Old World because it was overrun by a terrible evil long ago. It was actually a very early Cosmere world, developed around 1999 or 2000. (Though the name didn't get assigned to it until Isaac gave a suggestion upon reading this novella.) Having an intriguing Puritan name and a world that took inspiration from early American history seemed a ready-made match, but I had to ask myself, how was Silence going to be dangerous? I was worried that the anthology was going to be stuffed full of women either in the "femme fatale" vein or the "I wear black leather and kick demon butt" vein. I've often felt that we, in fantasy, sometimes do a poor job of representing people (both male and female) who are powerful and capable in ways other than their ability to stand in a fight. Yes, giving a woman a sword is one way to make her dangerous, but I resist making every powerful woman into one who has become so by forcing her way into a traditionally male-dominated realm of face-to-face combat. The world was mostly formed in my head, though over the years I'd added the diea of the shades for various reasons. One was to show off a few hints regarding the Cosmere afterlife, and another came during my initial research for the Stormlight Archive, where I read a lot about classical Hebrew life and philosophy. The original idea for Threnody was to make a system of magical rules with their roots int he Law of Moses and Jewish tradition. (Not mixing blood with milk, not kindling flames after nightfall on the Sabbath etc.) Many of these rules transformed over the years, leaving their roots behind in the same way that the Stormlight magic system left behind its roots in the fundamental forces of physics. But you can see those hints still having an influence on the tone and setting of this story. This intersection of these ideas developed into this story, one that soon became one of my favorite Cosmere tales. I hope you enjoy it! (And no, for those searching, Hoid does not make an appearance. Unfortunately, he needed to be somewhere else in the timeline at this point.)

Do all kinds of Investitures follow the Balance? The Breath Investiture from Warbreaker is a little sketchy. If someone dies, their Breath dies with them. So, when someone is born, where does their Breath come from?

I would like to preface this post by saying that this theory is not original to me, but was first thought up by u/Kabsal on Reddit. I thought it was very interesting and deserved to be shared here. Ive cut out some spoilers from the recent Mistborn books, you can check out the unedited version here ( https://www.reddit.com/r/brandonsanderson/comments/44kfg3/spoilers_all_cosmere_a_unifying_theory_of/) but beware, major spoilers for SH and BoM are included there. Here is the post: With the recent Mistborn releases, Sanderson has pulled back the curtain a good amount and given us a plethora of new tantalizing hints about the underlying rules of all magic systems in the Cosmere. Armed with this new information, my friend and I have put together a grand theory that explains the mechanisms of all Cosmere magic in a way that ends up being simple and elegant. This theory consists of one part information given straight-up in the novels, one part Word of Brandon, one part reading between the lines, and one part pure speculation. We make no attempt to distinguish which is which, which means is nothing in this post can be considered canon unless sourced elsewhere, but it does hold together rather well. Obviously, from this point on, the explanation will have major spoilers for all published work, and expect you to be solidly familiar with much of it. TL;DR: Investiture works simply by allowing you to propagate the rules of one realm to another, allowing magic to occur. The first piece of necessary background is a basic understanding of Realmatics. All things in the Cosmere exist in three realms. The first is the Physical Realm, which consists the bodies of all things. Most of what we see in the books takes place in the Physical Realm; it is analogous to the real world, and the same laws of physics apply. The second realm is the Cognitive Realm, which consists of the minds of all things. This realm deals with how objects and people are perceived, and even how they perceive themselves. In the Stormlight Archive, the Cognitive Realm is called Shadesmar, and Shallan and Jasnah see into it on a few occasions in the two books. Spren are native inhabitants of the Cognitive Realm. Finally, we have the Spiritual Realm, which consists of the souls of all things. We've seen the least of this realm so far, but the hints that have started to come through suggest that this realm shows Connection and Identity (more on these later) in their truest form, while also allowing limited vision into the future. Distance and time have no meaning in this realm - only the essences of things matter. In addition to the three realms, there is also the concept of Investiture, which serves as the magical analogue of energy in our physics. Investiture is never created nor destroyed, but it can be changed in form to something unusable. Investiture manifests itself differently on each Shardworld based on the Shard that Invested said world. Stormlight, Breath, the Dor, and Allomantic metals are examples of Investiture. In each case, these sources represent a Shard's power bleeding into the realms in a manipulable form. Stormlight and metals have been seen to glow in the Cognitive Realm, demonstrating them as conduits for the raw powers of creation coming from the Shards. Next, we look to the known magic systems of the Cosmere. We note that performing most all magic requires a component from each realm - a physical reagent, a cognitive intent, and a spiritual connection, plus a source of Investiture. The importance of each to the magic varies by system, but they're usually each present in some form. First is the reagent. This is usually (though not always) consumed as part of performing the magic. For Allomancers, the reagent is metal. For Awakeners, it's color. For Sand Masters, it's the body's water. It is less clear for Surgebinding; two possibilities are either the intake of breath to draw in Stormlight, or the fact that Spren pull their consciousness into the Physical Realm as part of forming the Nahel bond. The next component is the intent. Magic in the Cosmere does not occur by accident. A conscious mind needs to direct the power in some form. Even when characters like Vin or Kaladin draw upon their power without fully understanding what they are doing, they still channel their will or defiance as a catalyst. Intent is particularly important for Selish magic; you need to know exactly what you are doing and draw the symbols incredibly precisely to get any effect. The necessity of intent also explains why characters in Bands of Mourning are unable to sense the power contained in their unkeyed metalminds until they consider the possibility that the objects are metalminds (this happens on no less than four occasions in the book). Lastly, there is the spiritual connection. This is the one we're least sure about; the spiritual component could very well be something different. However, we do see that the soul needs to be somewhat broken for power to seep in, whether Snapping for Allomancers, the utterly crushing backstory needed for Surgebinders, or the Shaod for Elantrians. Once the soul is cracked, a connection can be formed to the source of power, which is usually a Shard (albeit often indirectly). In some cases, this connection is referred to as a bond, especially when it is formed to a tangible being such as a Spren, Aviar, or even Nightblood. We finally reach the crux of the theory. Once you've assembled components from the three realms, all magic works by using Investiture to break down the barriers between the realms, effecting changes in one by modifying another in accordance with its rules. This can be most directly seen in Soulcasting or Forgery; in these systems, power is used to manipulate the non-physical selves of things. For Soulcasting, the cognitive self is persuaded to change, while in Forgery, the object's history (an aspect of its spiritual self) is rewritten. Both cause the object's physical form to change in reaction. Another clear example is Atium Feruchemy; an aspect of one's spiritual Identity (age) is partially modified, causing the body to adjust. Hemalurgy works in the reverse; by making physical changes with spikes, one alters the soul and its Connections, which is how it can be used to grant powers to recipients. If you squint hard enough, all magic that we have seen can be interpreted to fit this framework. Key to the breaking of realm boundaries is the use of Investiture. Much like energy in chemical reactions, Investiture powers the melding of realms and in so doing is consumed into a higher-entropy, unusable form. This theory has the elegance of simplicity, while simultaneously having tremendous explanatory power for some of the unanswered questions of the Cosmere. For example, the reason tapping Zinc for mental speed makes you hungry (mentioned in BoM) is the necessity of a physical cost to a cognitive power. It also explains how Perpendicularities work - in places where a Shard's Investiture is pooled, the boundary between realms is particularly weak, allowing one to move their physical self entirely into or out of the Cognitive Realm. Another major free corollary is the reason why different sources of magic tend to resist one another. Magic is already stretching the realms away from their normal state, and much like a spring or rubber band, the force needed to pull it further increases with distance. There are two additional categories that are worth discussing, however. We must look at death and Investiture as well as Invested technology. Death in the Cosmere is not so much an ending as a point of transition. When one dies, they are not immediately gone, but rather split apart across the realms and linger for a short time as they unravel. Preservation lets slip that Allomancers and Feruchemists last longer. This makes sense under our theory; they are more tightly tied to the realms so it takes more time for them to unwind and let go. From here, most do take the Next Step. As Harmony puts it, their bodies return to the earth, their minds to the Cosmere, and their souls go... Beyond. However, for a special few, there are other options. If the body is healed in time, it is possible for the recently deceased to pull themselves back together and resume living. This is what happened for Szeth. There exists one more possibility than that. If a Shard intervenes, they can pour enough Connection into the recently deceased to keep them held to the realms. The Returned do this, and it is our guess that Elantrians and Heralds do so as well. Beings who exist in this state are granted tremendous power, but require a steady stream of Investiture to remain tethered. This is why Returned consume Breath weekly. Finally, Invested technology. We've seen a few cases (and we're starting to see more and more) of people figuring out how to build devices based off Realmatic Theory. Examples include Fabrials, , Nightblood. We freely admit that the above theory doesn't cover these as perfectly as the direct uses of magic. Some details remain the same, such as the powering by Investiture. However, the need for Realmatic components seems to be diminished in some cases. We're not yet sure how this works, but still firmly believe that there exist explanations consistent with our theory. For example, we posit Nightblood to be an artificially created soul, pumped full of enough Investiture to develop a spiritweb and Identity, but of course more information is still needed to support this. In short, we believe this theory at least is consistent with everything we've seen so far. It serves as a good framework going forward, both to direct what questions to ask Brandon and to form new predictions about how future systems might work. We had to glaze over some details in the above post, so feel free to ask for clarifications or additional examples, or point out all the different places we're so obviously wrong.

My friend and I sat down one day, looked at themap of Roshar and thought "What the heck?". We decided to try and figure it out with our limited knowledge of geology and hopefully ask Sanderson about it later. Here it is. (ignore the arrows. They were supposed to indicate movement of plates into other plates) Fist I asked Isaac Stewart (The guy who made the map). He said he considers plate tectonics when he makes maps, but he wasn't entirely sure about this one. He also said he probably couldn't say and I should ask Brandon. So I asked Sanderson behind the scenes. He said he could see how the plate tectonics could work. Then paused. "Roshar was made very specifically by not necessarily natural means it looks the way it does for a certain reason. so no, there are not plate tectonics on Roshar." This was like six months ago and it was late, so the exact words are probably off. I do know for a fact he said there are not plate tectonics on Roshar. and I'm 97.7% I got his words about right on Roshar not being created naturally, I for sure got the meaning.

Totally random and crazy theory for me, but here goes... What if we have been looking at this the wrong way, and the Death of Adonalsium wasn't the big bad event we all think it is? What if Rayse is, for all intent and purpose, the 'good guy', trying to do his best to avoid Adonalsium being reformed, and this is why he is so terrified of Sazed? As the Vessel of two Shards, he is the closest being to Adonalsium since the Shattering... Break it apart!