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Okay, here's a weird theory: In the Stormlight archives, the chapter headings are super complicated. There is an arch, four pictures of two different heralds, a character symbol, etc. The Roshar system also has three shards in it (Cultivation, Odium, Honor), and therefore the most investiture. Sel and Scadrial both have two shards, and they have slightly less complicated chapter headings. Elantris has an Aon, and Scadrial has an Allomantic metal. Simpler than Roshar, but they can also be used as a code to interpret what happens in each chapter. Nalthis has only one shard, and therefore very little investiture. It's chapters have weird pictures of light-colored stripes, which are super simple, but still something. The two novellas have no chapter headings, and also no shards in their planets. Could the chapter headings have anything to do with the amount of shards in the planet?

I have a theory that the Shards correspond with the 16 Metals of Allomancy and Feruchemy. I have no idea if this applies to Hemalurgy, I'm assuming for now that it does not. Anyway, the method I have used to gain evidence to support my claim is to take the different ways metals are classified and try to equate them to factors influencing Shards and their magic systems, such as Connection. After an epiphany while studying the Feruchemical table, I have figured out how Shards can be Realmatically oriented, as is done in the Feruchemical table. I'm not touching the Spiritual Feruchemical aspects, as the Spiritual Shards have not had enough screen time to get any conclusions. Anyway, a Shard's Realmatic orientation affects what people do to use the magic system. Honor, the Shard I have equated with pewter, has people interact with the Surges by physically inhaling Stormlight. Preservation's magic system involves physically swallowing metals, while Ruin's involves physically stabbing someone with a metal object. That's all for the physical Shards, Cadmium and Bendalloy being the Shards of Preservation and Ruin respectively. It should be noted that Cadmium and Bendalloy are in fact Feruchemically physical metals. Cognitively, things get interesting. Endowment is a Cognitive Shard, requiring Awakeners to form a picture in their minds of what they want their Awakened objects to accomplish. Devotion, also a Cognitive Shard, requires that Elantrians occasionally put themselves into the correct frame of mind, like Aon Omi requiring people to have positive feelings for the people in the room. Dominion, interestingly, equates with brass, which is a Feruchemically Physical metal. The symbols that seem prevalent among all forms of Selish magic seem to be more important here, being essentially branded with the symbols. Forgery also has physical symbols, but all Selish magic is a mix of Devotion and Dominion, AonDor and Dakhor are simply the most pure forms. I actually had this theory for a while, but the Selish Shards were messing me up. Also, if anyone has any theories about the relationship between Shards and the metals, PM me. I will be more than happy to examine your theory.

Last May, Tempus posted something that he/she called "Shardic Number Theory." Tempus included a section that discussed Bavadin (now known as Autonomy), the shard on Taldain, but had to censor most of the White Sand-Specific words. Here is the section: Bavadin - Five, Eight, Nine We don't know much about Bavadin, but there are a few options. There are five shshshshsh, and a shshshshsh can have five shshshshsh. The religious texts on shshshshsh are five hundred years old. There are eight shshshshsh, who elect eight shshshshsh, and shshshshsh spent eight years training. The shshshshsh religion sends eight shshshshsh at shshshshsh per day. There are also nine ranks of shshshshsh, nine people in shshshshsh's expedition, a maximum of nine shshsh without over-shshshshsh, and nine shshshshsh if you count the beggars. This paragraph brought to you by the Librarians. Now that we have a forum on which we can talk about white sand, who wants to fill this in? EDIT - I think that it was actually May 2014.

For a while now, I have had the theory that each of the Shards of Adonalsium correspond to one of the 16 Allom metals. I have tried to prove as much in various threads, and have come up with the same holes in the theory. Loosely paraphrased, they are: 1: Why are the metals categorized into the four groups? (physical, mental, temporal, and enhancement) 2: How do Feruchemical powers play into this? 3: What can be used to determine what metal goes with what Shard? 4: Any other questions I don't remember. I plan to address problems 1 and loosely 3. In another thread, I attempted to define Connection as being able to be separated into four categories: Person to person, person to location, person to Shard, person to Time. There has been a bit of conflict as to why Time is a form of Connection or if it is at all, but for now, I will just say that time is the most wibbly-wobbly of the types of Connection. I believe these four types of connection directly correspond to the different categories of metal. Person to person is physical, person to location is mental, person to Shard is enhancement, and person to Time is, well, temporal. But what can be used to identify the category a Shard fits into? Well, I'm more sure in some areas than others, so let's give it a stab. The general rule I have with matching Shards to metals is that the basic effect of the magic—with no actual use—is a heightened version of its mettalic counterpart, for example, the Nalthian's life sense is very much like bronze. Physical: This one is extremely subject to potential change, due to low sample size. Pewter provides the user with enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, endurance, and healing. The only difference between burning pewter and using Stormlight is that Stormlight makes you a human lightbulb. So, Honor's counterpart is pewter. But what does Surgebinding have to do with connection to people? The only thing I can say is that Honor has to do with how you interact with people. This seems flimsy even to me, and please don't make this the point that breaks the theory. I'm not happy with this part. Mental: This is my favorite category. My evidence here is far better. For two Shards I have placed in this category, I have placed because their Intents naturally incline them towards them. Devotion and Dominion I have linked with zinc and brass, the emotional metals. Devotion is about what you want, and glorifying that which you feel strongly about. Dominion is more about suppression. The third Shard I have already talked about, Endowment, which is bronze. These Shards have very clear references to location Connection. The Selish magic systems are based almost exclusively on location, especially the connection to a homeland. Endowment is a bit harder, and required a bit of digging. The Commands for Awakening must be spoken in the individuals native language. This link, although less confident than Selish magic, still remains in support of my theory. Temporal: This one was tricky. I have suspicions of two Shards being temporal: Preservation and Ruin. I came to this conclusion by the fact that Feruchemy, the magic system caused by the Shardic interaction, is defined as "shuttling attributes in time", as well as Preservation manifesting incredible abilities for foresight, even for a Shard. Preservation's magic being the basis of my theory makes it difficult to find a link to a metal, although I am giving them the metals of cadmium and bendalloy. The Connection to time seems to be manifested in some sort of timey-wimey foolery. Enhancement: This is likely manifested in interfering with the magic of either other magic users or different types of magic. Basically the larkins from Stormlight Archive are all I have to go on. I have basically nothing on how this relates to Connection. My next post on this topic is likely going to be on the Realmatic inclination of Shards.

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.

So as I've been listening through the books again and reading through the forums, I've been trying to figure out something. If magic comes from the Shards, then which Shard made Allomancy? According to Sazed, Allomancy is of Preservation, but look at most of what it does. Most of the applications are short term and often destructive. That sounds more like Ruins pervue than Preservation, yet the mists (which is of preservation) react to Allomancers. My theory is thus: Because Ruin and Preservation couldn't do much of anything without the other having a hand in it (read: the constant struggle for either to get anything done at the end of HoA) then all three Metallic Arts carry both within them, but favor one or the other. Feruchemy is the art of preserving, hands down. You store away your attributes for later use, either in a time of need or to supercharge what is already there. It's long term and deliberate, it's of Preservation. But, there is enough of Ruin in it for copperminds to suffer the same corruption as non-metallic recordings. Allomancy is the flip. It's short term, and often only for immediate or near to immediate use. It relies on metal as a catlyst to burn the investiture inside the person. It is closer to Ruin, which is easiest to see in the power Atium gives. Quick bursts of flashing insight in to the immediate world around them, making them better to kill. While we don't know if that notion of Atium helps to kill is a product of Atium itself or the world it lives in, Elends final chapters make the thought ambiguous. Allomancy favors Ruin, but is birthed by Preservation. That Lerasium burns for everyone says something. Hemalurgy is the most directly built by Ruin. It is destructive in nature. However, I find it ironic that it does, albeit not perfectly, preserves the power it stored. It's leaking, but it's holding in the power. This is me just trying to get my thoughts out and seeing how other people see it. I'm not sure if it's been discussed before.

So far, through WoB and the books released, Brandon has given us the names of 9 Shards. I know there's been lots of speculation over time, but one of the things I've noticed lately is a sort of fixation (understandably, considering the books we've gotten lately) on Harmony and Autonomy. One thing that I think has slipped under the radar during all the Trell debate is that the revelation of Autonomy now gives us 2/3 of known Shards that have opposite Intents. Ruin/Preservation Odium/Honor Autonomy/Dominion Endowment Cultivation Devotion Of course, we also have the unknown Intent of the Shard that just wants to survive. What this brings me to is an attempt at guessing some of the other unknown Shards. The fact that six of the nine known Shards have opposition does lend credence to the idea that all of them do, and I will be operating under that assumption while I proceed with rampant speculation. So, starting with Endowment and Devotion. Both of these have connotations of selflessness, but one in an emotional/spiritual sense and the other in a physical sense. Taking that to its logical conclusion, my best guess is opposing Shards of emotional and physical themes. Endowment against Greed or, perhaps a bit of a stretch, Nepotism Devotion against Narcissism/Lust Lastly among the known Shards we have Cultivation. This is an interesting one, since it does have some similarities to the idea of Preservation, in that Ruin would be a similar opposition. The most logical would be something like Disease or Decay. And that leaves us with the realm of pure speculation. We know we have a "survival" Shard, but that its Intent isn't necessarily directly related to surviving. The place my mind immediately jumps is simpler: Fear, or perhaps Cowardice. That would directly line up against some type of Courage Intent. The last two are, admittedly, pure guesses. Going off what we know of Shards' Intents, that being that they're personality traits, my best bet is something along the lines of Ambition and Indecision. So the sixteen Shards, in theory, would be: Ruin | Preservation Dominion | Autonomy Odium | Honor Endowment | Greed Devotion | Narcissism Cultivation | Decay Fear | Courage Ambition | Indecision How wildly off do you think I am?

Just wanted an updated count, so here it is. So according to this WOB: and this: there are 10 shardworlds. We also know there are 16 Shards. I made a table with all of these and noticed the following: Shardworld : Shards Scadrial : Ruin/Preservation (plus Trell?) Sel : Devotion/Dominion Nalthis : Endowment Roshar : Honor/Cultivation Braize: Odium Taldain : Autonomy None : Unnamed Shard (Possible Survival Shard) Now this is 10 shards with 6 worlds. However, we can add a few more in. Yolen (Dragonsteel) is clearly part of the saga, a core world, and thus probably has a shard based on the quotes above. Shards: 11, Worlds: 7. Aether of Night also fits in this category by the same logic as Yolen. 12:8(?) The Dark One also may have a shard and is a shardworld, albeit it is unknown if it is major. 13:9(?) And of course, the mysterious Vax. 14?:10 That may be all the shardworlds, though I admit, some may be wrong. Also, between these worlds are 2 more Shards. The Survival Shard may be one. Odium has Shattered at least one more. Any WOB's that can add to this would be appreciated.

Assuming that the Scadrian Allomantic/Feruchemical metals correspond with the sixteen Shards, which one goes with which? If you don't believe that the metals correspond like that, I have already discussed the topic, and have decided to press forward despite the controversy. Anyway, to the metals. It would make sense, if they did match, to have the background effects of the magic system match their corresponding metal. There are other possibilities, and I would be very happy to see these alternate possibilities thought out. But anyway, I ramble. As we see in SA, Stormlight has an effect similar to a Pewterarm: enhanced physical abilities, and rapid healing. Obviously, Stormlight is better than pewter, but it fits. In Warbreaker, there is a 'life sense' that allows the people to know where people are. I submit that they are sensing the Breath, as Drabs don't register.

Why did the shards choose to go where they went? Ruin and Preservation were opposites, and they chose to go to the same planet. Why didn't they go as far away from each other as possible? Is there a pattern to where the shards chose to go?

Foreword: I, evidently, have the worst memory ever because half of the terms used I use because I have forgotten the actual word Sanderson uses. "Attuned", etc. is one such term. <- not anymore it isn't. So, one of the (admittedly few) WoB I know of states that the weapon used to kill Adonalsium and make the 16 shards does not exist as it once did, or something to that effect. My proposition, although it may have already been disproved in a different WoB or another source, is that Hoid is the weapon. A theory I saw recently suggested that Adonalsium was not a great being to kill in terms of difficulty, because he, like Preservation in Mistborn, added parts of himself to everything, severely weakening himself in the process. From BoM we know that Feruchemical stores attune to one's soul have an Identity specific to the Feruchemist, but also that they can be specially made (IIRC only by full Feruchemists) to not be attuned to anyone. This makes such items, like the titular Bands of Mourning, valuable weapons and artefacts, because anyone, Feruchemist or otherwise, can use them. The way I think Hoid could be the weapon used to kill Adonalsium is if he has nothing in his soul, like one of the Bands, which makes him attuned to a specific thing. Therefore, in theory, Adonalsium might not be able to have any control over his actions and so Hoid, or whatever he was before killing him, could do what he likes. This would explain why Hoid did not gain a Shard while the others did (possibly). It had nothing to bind to him with, because he is like a blank sheet of paper. Endnote: before anyone questions a detail I might end up contradicting, I mostly posted this to see what the community would come up with, and it seemed more appropriate to add some reasoning instead of having a 2 line post quoting the WoB then saying "'Oi d'ya think it's Hoid?". That said I hope I don't contradict myself as it wouldn't exactly add any credibility to the theory. EDIT 2(?): I have no clue how this affects it, but in WoK I stumbled upon this most interesting of quotes regarding Hoid's beginning which I hadn't considered: when he speaks to Kaladin on the Shattered plains (or rather, plays to Kaladin for a large portion of the meeting) he says that he "began life as a thought, a concept, words on a page. That was another thing I stole [at this point he is talking about the fact he is a thief]. Myself."

So I'm doing a reread of the Way of Kings, this time with a bit more foreknowledge of the Cosmere -- firstly to see what else I notice, but also because it is a great series. The sample I referenced in the title is thus: ""Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns." -Collected: Chachanan, 1173, 84 seconds pre-death. Subject: a cutpurse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent." With many of them I kind of understand what it means, but with this I just can't be certain. My current thoughts are that it refers to the 3 Shards within Roshar's system: Cultivation, Honour, and Odium, and how Cultivation isn't really doing anything now, Honour is dead and so Odium -- "the Broken One" -- can do whatever he wants. So, have any WoB suggested that this is significant, and have I understood it (so far as we know) correctly?

I'm just looking for resources for a D&D campaign that I am DMing for right? Well I just happen to stumble onto this. I was blown away. Someone made stats for Shardblades and Shardplate in D&D! I think that I might just get together with my local Sanderfans and play a game of D&D in Roshar. I wish I could play with you guys, but you are all so far away I really just want to let you guys know that it was possible to play D&D set in one of Sanderson's worlds. If you guys happen to have any ideas for another one of his worlds, or even make the systems and stats for it, please, please, please put it in here so that I can see it.

So I made a theory about the cause of the cause of the Recreance, here: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/53011-bavadin-breaker-of-the-oathpact-and-cause-of-the-recreance/ At the Denver signing, I asked Brandon this: (paraphrased) While this doesn't confirm my theory, it is noteworthy that these two oppose each other.

I don't really know if this is a new theory persay, but it's not something I've seen talked about it, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. A couple of things on the metallic arts, and a theory about metals. We have a complete table of allomantic effects, relating to the 16 allomantic metals, but Atium and Lerasium don't fit into this table. Furthermore, this table seems to be complete, considering what we know about Sixteen, and it's relationship to the Cosmere as a whole, as well as the words of Preservation. Although Sazed could have changed the table, it is unlikely that he added more metals to it. Atium and Lerasium never did fit on this table. They have a separate table that they fit on. A table of the 16 God metals. Just as Ati (as Ruin) created Atium, and Leras (as Preservation) created Lerasium, other Shards could invest their own metals if they wanted, and this would fill out the other table of 16. Please let me know if you have any critiques, or anything to add to this.

Hi all, just trying to get my first theory out for critiques and thoughts! So, just finished Shadows of Self, and the big question is, what shard did that new metal come from? I've seen a lot of theories out there, but I am thoroughly convinced that it is not Odium as many have thought, but Autonomy working WITH Odium. And here's why: I believe for several reasons that the shard is not Odium Odium is very busy on Roshar as is. Odium is terrified of Harmony, so would not be likely to challenge him in person, especially not on Harmony's own world. However, he might send a friend to do the dirty work. Brandon has said that not only could Odium work with other shards, but that he likely has. Odium would be willing to work with others and probably has. Paalm's entire purpose is to set herself and everyone else free of Harmony's influence and control. If another shard was controlling her, it would logically follow that she would reject this control as well. Unless that shard was influencing her towards "freedom".... So, if it's not Odium, who else could it be? My thoughts point to none other than our friend Bavadin, holding the shard Autonomy. Why? Well, It seems that Rayse (Odium) and Bavadin may be working together. This theory is not hugely supported, but the writer of The Letter did mention them and his grudges against them respectively in the same sentence, pointing to the fact that they may have more connection than we know. A full theory as to why Rayse and Bavadin may be working together was posted by Spire and can be found here. Bavadin's shard is Autonomy, or "freedom from external control or influence; independence." This seems to be exactly what Paalm is fighting for the whole time. What other shard's influence could one who so clearly wants freedom have fallen under save freedom itself? Autonomy may be fighting for a world free from Shardic influence. Who else better to ally himself with then, than someone who is actively splintering shards? The biggest argument I have seen against Autonomy being the unknown shard is the creatures that Paalm creates through Hemalurgy, likely with the same metal that is in her. This seems to be against Autonomy's intent, taking away the people affected's freedom to choose. However, we know that human sentience on Scadrial comes directly from Preservation. I postulate that the Paalm's Hemalurgic use of Autonomy's metal in this case removes any part/influence of another shard from the person the Hemalurgy is used on. This thus would remove Preservation from them, taking away their sentience and reverting them to a primal, beast-like state. Brandon said that this shard is one we've already seen. Dominion, Devotion, and Honor have all been splintered, it isn't of Harmony, for reasons shown above I don't believe that it is Odium, Cultivation is hiding on Roshar, and Endowment seems content on Nalthis. This leaves only Autonomy. Thank you for reading my theory, any comments and responses will be appreciated!

Say Odium breaks free, and through some crazy shardic tomfoolery, a similar situation occurred on Roshar to the one at the end of HoA, where there was a shard just laying around, waiting to be picked up. Could a spren pick it up, or do you have to be from the physical realm to become a shard?

In TFE, Trell is mentioned as being worshipped. This religion viewed the stars as being the "Thousand Eyes of Trell" and they were very dedicated in mapping the stars. In either the WoK or WoR, Kaladin mentions seeing a very rare spren, starspren. Also, in SoS, there is evidence that Trell has been there, though only one Shard is on Scadrial. Trell is obviously a Shard, any idea about its intent?

At the Portland signing for Shadows of Self, I asked Brandon if all the shards had a opposite paired, and he replied to the effect that "Philosophically speaking, you could argue they did, but not all had polarized opposites like Preservation and Ruin." That got me thinking about what the other opposites would be for our known shards. Odium (Hatred) Would likely be opposite to Devotion (Love). The new found Autonomy (Free will) would likely be opposite to Dominion (Control). That in turn made me realize that the shards were paired with something like them. Odium and Devotion are both Higher emotions. Autonomy and Dominion are both Ideologies. Preservation and Ruin are both Natural Forces. So i started pulling apart the remaining shards and trying to guess what their paired shard would be. Though only one I'm even slightly confident in is Honour's Pair. Abuse. Honour is to bring people together, to protect those weaker than yourself, to defend and protect. Abuse is to break bonds, hurt those who can't defend themselves, to attack and destroy. What Magic system do we know of that might fit Abuse? Ashyn, the world of Silence Divine has a system where people purposely infect themselves with diseases to grant them selves supernatural abilities. They hurt their own bodies for personal gain, and spread the infection to others, hurting them as well. It fits. Less so than other intents might, but it fits well enough. So, in conclusion, or TL;DR: Abuse might be a shard and Honour's opposite. It's probably on Ashyn. Please, throw as many WoB's at me as you can, proving or disproving all or parts of this theory. EDIT: Nevermind. Found a Wob saying there is no Shard on Ashyn at the moment.

In a WoB, someone asked Sanderson if the Ten Essences on Roshar are linked to the Ten Shardworlds, and he replied with a vague answer. It's not important for this thread. However, is there something similar with the 16 Allomantic metals? I realize I am opening a can of worms, or giving an open can of worms somewhere to dump its worms, but it's something I have been thinking about since I learned there were 16 Allomantic metals and 16 Shards. Basically, I recognized that various magic systems often have secondary effects. Stormlight, for example, grants the Surgebinder increased strength, speed, and general physical abilities, similar to Pewter, as well as the ability to manipulate Surges. It would be logical, if this were to be true, that Honor's opposite Shard would grant enhanced senses of some such. So, here is a tentative list of known Shards and their possible Allomantic metal equivalents. Honor: Basically mentioned earlier. Pewter heals (though not terribly quickly, relative to gold Feruchemy or actual Stormlight), grants increased physical abilities, and allows greater physical endurance. Cultivation: I don't know enough about Cultivation's magic system to make any guesses. Odium: Again with not enough info. Endowment: At first glance, it would seem that Endowment would be Tin, as it grants perfect pitch, greater perception of colors, etc. However, with even one Breath, you are able to detect other people with Breaths, with more Breaths granting greater ability to detect Breath. More importantly, Drabs are undetectable with the life sense. All this indicates the metal equivalent is Bronze. Autonomy: Disclamer: these are my views. They may be wrong. Also, I haven't read White Sand, so try not to spoil anything. I am assuming the metal that (SoS spoilers) is the metal of Autonomy. If it's from a different Shard, I amend my statement to whichever Shard it is. The only thing I can get is that using the Metal prevents This indicates that it is probably Copper, the hiding metal. For those of you who won't open the spoiler tags and those who disagree with any part of this, I'm sorry for this part. It could also be the mysterious Survival Shard, in fact I'm almost certain it is, but most people think it is Autonomy. Preservation: This is the part where my theory takes on a bit of stretching of imagination. As far as I can tell, all or almost all of the Allomantic metals have the potential to be used to help preserve you. Maybe Cadmium, which slows down time, more or less preserving anything inside the bubble. Ruin: Bendalloy, because anything inside the bubble has time go faster, ruining it to some extent. It's weak, I know, but it's all I got. Devotion: I have almost nothing, but maybe it's Zinc, since Devotion is arguably about focusing on what you love, and emphasizing it. Dominion: Since it's about dominance, maybe the metal TLR used to keep the skaa of Luthadel submissive, Brass, the Soothing metal. Those are all of the Shards I know of. If anybody disagrees with my theory, any of my classifications, or anything else about this, or has anything to add, I am glad to discuss it.

I’ve rambled on about this subject twice before. Now that there are some newer WoBs out, it’s time for Take 3. I believe forced splintering involves changing a Shard’s Cognitive Realm investiture – the material of its Mind – over time. Eventually, the local Cognitive investiture – the Shard’s Mind – will lose its capacity to direct its power. The power then seeks other minds to direct it, or the power becomes self-directing as a splinter. How does this happen? Odium is the only known Shard-splinterer. (Vin didn’t splinter Ruin; Ruin remained whole for Sazed to take up.) Let’s look at what I believe is Odium’s method. 1. Odium doesn’t waste himself by investing in a planet or change himself by absorbing the power of the Shards he splinters. We know he is restrained on Roshar, but I believe that Odium can influence sapient minds throughout the Cosmere, causing them to have “hateful thoughts.” Roshar is an example. WoB and text describe the local humans as diverse, fractious and warlike. Those traits result in many “hateful thoughts.” I’m curious to know Sel’s history: was there a period of rebellion among an otherwise “unified” population that preceded Domination’s and Devotion’s splintering? 2. Such “hateful thoughts” become a GROWING part of that Shardworld’s Cognitive and Spiritual Realms. They begin to change the Shard’s Cognitive Realm investiture, its Mind. My analogy is brain cancer squeezing out healthy cells, interfering with the capacity to think and function. When a Shard invests in a planet, its Mind and Body merge into the fabric of the planet and becomes one with it. That’s how the planet BECOMES a “Shardworld” – that unique combination of time, place and mandate (intent) that defines each such planet and its magic. “Time and place” refer to the then prevailing physical and social cultures of a Shardworld. The very substance of each Shardworld’s Cognitive investiture (the Mind of the local Shard) is a mixture of the ideas and emotions generated by these cultures, plus the Shard’s own thoughts and ideas. These are stitched together in the pattern compelled by the Shard’s mandate (intent) to produce the Cognitive component of each Shardworld’s magic system. On each Shardworld, the Shard’s Mind and mortal minds thus merge into one substance. That substance – the Shardworld’s Cognitive investiture – is unique to that Shardworld and exists nowhere else in the Cosmere. 3. MISTER Sanderson gives us the mechanism for this process in the draft SLA 3 Jasnah excerpt. There we see Ivory warning Jasnah to beware of painspren because painspren can “harm more” when Jasnah is physically in the Cognitive Realm. This excerpt is in draft form and may not make it to the final novel, but I doubt that MISTER Sanderson would change this aspect of the Cognitive Realm. Thus, ideas do battle in the Cognitive Realm, competing to stick around and become Spiritual Realm ideals. Some ideas survive; others do not. In this environment, “hateful thoughts” are likely to do well. “Hateful thoughts” are aggressive and hurtful, as we’ve seen with the listeners. In Stormform, “amusement” becomes “ridicule,” and Eshonai feels “fury,” “irritation” and “spite.” Such hostile, aggressive ideas can drive out other thoughts. In Elantris, Dilaf tells Hrathen how he found love in Arelon. But when an Elantrian misused his magic and couldn’t save Dilaf’s wife, Dilaf devoted himself to Elantris’s destruction. Hate drove out love. The fact that Raoden read about this event suggests we’ll hear more about it. Did Odium influence the mis-healing Elantrian to make a mistake at the critical moment? 4. The result over time is a local Cognitive Realm changed dramatically by “hateful thoughts.” The Shard’s Mind is now something different and more hateful than it previously was. I suggest that the local Shard at that point can no longer exercise its power due to the mismatch between its Mind and Body. That’s when its power begins to splinter, since Odium doesn’t assume it. Eventually the Shard dies. EDITED to reflect Stormgate's correction.

As anyone who has read Shadows of Self knows, Bleeder is revealed to have a spike made from an unknown God Metal, originating from a shard that is neither Ruin, nor Preservation. This spike allowed her to fool Harmony. There are two ways I could image this coming about. A. Bleeder used a piece of a splintered Shard, and somehow gained the knowledge to use it. This is unlikely, since there are very few that Cosmere-literate. B. Bleeder met a Shard that willingly gave her a piece of it's power to mess up Harmony. If we pick the first option, it could either be Devotion, Dominon, Honor, or the other Shard Odium splintered. Again, I find this unlikely as only a Shard or Splinter would be able to give her the knowledge to use it. With the second option, I can only think of two that could possibly cause this: Autonomy (mildly suggested by Bleeders talk of 'freedom'), or Odium. Although, I am much more inclined to believe the metal belongs to Odium, considering that it is stated to have red on it. Most other people probably came to this conclusion also, but I figured I'd write it down since I haven't seen it anywhere else.

If a Full Shardbearer lost both their arms, what would they still be capable of doing with their Shards? Also, would the arms being lost normally vs severed by Shardblade change things? For Plate, obviously they could still wear their Plate and be protected/strengthened by it, but what would happen with the arms & gloves? My best guesses: -They hang there uselessly -They are usable through mental commands (like when Adolin wills a glove to disconnect) -The arms shrink into the shoulder sockets forming a super-dense layer of armor As for the Blade, it could still be summoned, but then what? It appears in the bearer's HAND, which does not exist... Would it appear where their hand should be, and then immediately evaporate? Appear touching the bearer's shoulder, then fall to the ground? Or if the Plate arms are present, would the Blade appear in the Plate hand?

i have an older topic of this that no one posts on anymore. i want to hear newer fresh ideas with new info we didn't have before.