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I'm rereading the Stormlight archive, or rather relistening to prepare for the release of Stormlight 5. I thought I had an ok grasp of how the surges worked, but surge of transformation seems to be throwing me off. Specifically, the interactions between the mental and physical realms is throwing me off, as the surge of transformation seems to interact with it more than other surges, except maybe transportation. Why does using transformation require the user to partially enter shadesmar, where other surges seem to have a more direct effect on the physical realm? Additionally, why was Jasnah able to transform those two robbers simultaneously from a distance if requires arguing with their mental component? These last two questions are kind of tangential, but I'm also confused why the smoke stone Jasnah pulled Stormlight from cracked after it was used, and why traveling to shadesmar is considered an elsecaller attribute if lightweavers are also capable of it. As I learn more about the cosmere, the more I realize that Roshar is just really weird. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to fit the surges with the rest of my understanding of investiture and the cosmere, as right now it is confusing me the most.

So, as far as I know, the only way we have seen or heard of the surge of transportation being used is as 'elsecalling' by which the user teleported into the cognitive realm. But there are several references, such as when Teft explains the radiants' abilities to Kaladin, that radiants could travel great diatances in an instant. Is this another use of the surge transportation? Is it perhaps the way that Willshapers use the surge, where Elsecallers travel to Shadesmar instead? Thanks in advance for your input.

Willshapers have Transportation and Cohesion. We've got one major character with Transportation already, but we haven't seen her do anything with it except go to Shadesmar, which is handy, but doesn't seem likely to be all it does. We haven't seen anybody use Cohesion as far as I know, except maybe in a vision once, but I think that was in Oathbringer so I won't go further. So we don't really know what either of their Surges do, and we have even less idea what their synergy effect will be, but I'm hoping for teleportation (Trek style, where you disassemble and reassemble at the destination).

I believe that Willshapers will use Transportation in the PR instead of into the CR like Elsecallers. I have some proof on why Willshapers will teleport in the Physical Realm. Oathgates are powered by 2 spren, one is an Inkspren, so the other is probably a Willshaper spren (The 2 Transportation Spren). Elsecallers can Transport into Shadesmar, which is one aspect of the Oathgates, the other is transporting across the world. Because of this I think the Willshapers will Transport around the PR. Here are some WoB's that support my theory

Hello everyone. I expect you’ve all forgotten who I am by now since I haven’t posted here for a couple of years now (save for the odd signing report), life unfortunately got in the way. But I’ve been meaning to come back for a little while now, and I thought: what could be better than doing so with a theory post? Some things have been simmering in the back of my mind for a while now and I need to get them out. Hopefully you don’t hate what follows, and don’t end up wanting nothing to do with me (or tracking me down and lynching me ). So without further ado, allow me to present my first (and hopefully not last) theory. For this theory we need to consider all four of the end pages of the Way of Kings. All of the images that I’ve found of them on the internet separate them out into four different images, however I feel that each chart/map pair is supposed to be taken as a single diagram for reasons that I’ll give below. I’m therefore presenting them both here as they were in the book, and as I think they should be viewed. Much of the speculation surrounding the second chart has been that it pertains to Voidbinding in the same way that the first chart pertains to Surgebinding. I’ve been thinking for a while that this would be a very strange inclusion in the book since we’ve yet to see Voidbinding: it would be much like including a chart for Haemalurgy in the first Mistborn book. Additionally, two of the larger glyphs are not connected to the smaller symbols, which would seem to imply that there would be Voidbinders without powers, which would be weird. It’s also been suggested that it relates to the fabrials in some way, but I don’t see any real similarity between them. There are five types of fabrial that we know of, and no grouping of five in the chart; the fabrials are known to utilize the surges, yet it hasn’t been suggested up until now that the smaller symbols are Surges (at least not that I’ve heard of), and if they are why then are the larger glyphs each connected to two of the smaller ones as with the Radiant Orders? And how do the myriad of spren types used in the fabrials relate to the diagram? In short, I don’t think either of these speculations are correct. I’ve been trying to figure out what this chart is by analysing the symmetry of both charts, starting with the symbols for the Surges in the first chart and their equivalent symbols in the second. The first thing of note here is that the two sets of symbols are distortions of each other: part of each pair is the same, but the other part is opposed. As a result of this, whilst each of the surges has a single axis of reflectional symmetry, the other symbols have no reflectional symmetry but instead have order 2 rotational symmetry. So what does this tell us? Well, by itself, not much; however it was then that I noticed the borders to these images. These are the same for each pair of images, however in the case of the Surgebinding chart the border has been reflected between the two, and in the case of the other chart it has instead been rotated by 180°. In other words: the transformation of the border matches the symmetry of the symbols in their respective charts. This is why I think that these images were placed together as they were in the book for a reason. If they were unrelated and hadn’t been created together (in world), then this pattern wouldn’t be observed, and I think that Brandon presented them to us like this for a reason. The fact that the two charts follow the same internal structure, with one juxtaposed by the map of Roshar in the Physical Realm and the other with the Cognitive version, suggests to me that these two charts are in fact the same chart but pertaining to different Realms. If I may reiterate, the symbols I was discussing earlier are the same but distorted from each other: I propose that they are both symbols for the surges, and that they are distorted because the surges themselves distort between the Realms. Or to put it another way, the powers behave differently in the Cognitive than they do in the Physical. This would mean that the larger set of Symbols in the Second chart also represent the Orders of the Radiants. I think this is supported by the fact that the glyphs in both charts share the same colouring and the same symmetry (1 axis of reflectional symmetry), thus suggesting that they are both representing the same thing (not distorted as with the Surges), but a different glyph is used because it’s a different aspect of the Orders. (It’s worth noting though that the Cognitive glyph for the Truthwatchers is unique in that the symmetry does change: it not only gains a second axis of reflectional symmetry, but it also gains order 2 rotational symmetry. I have no idea why this is the case, but with this in mind we should probably keep an eye on Renarin going forward: something is going on here.) The final thing to note with regard to the charts is that the connections between symbols are identical in both charts, save for one glaring difference. There are no connections from either the Bondsmiths or the Truthwatchers, to any of the Surges in the Cognitive chart. This would imply that if members of either Order were to end up in Shadesmar, then they would not gain other abilities related to the Cognitive, unlike for every other Order. But why would these two Orders be so much more limited? Well, I don’t think they are; I think instead that they are just aligned differently Realmatically. Consider what we’ve seen of Renarin and how it pertains to the Truthwatchers. We know that they have some capacity for future sight; however their Surges are Progression and Illumination, which (from what we have seen of those Surges elsewhere) have nothing to do with that ability. However we know that seeing the future is related to the Spiritual Realm, so it would follow that the Truthwatchers gain additional powers from their Surges, not in the Cognitive Realm like other Orders, but instead in the Spiritual Realm. Similarly, the Bondsmiths are speculated to have powers related to Bonds, which are a type of Connection. And we know that Connection is also related to the Spiritual Realm. So whilst the other Orders are aligned with the Physical and Cognitive Realms, Truthwatchers and Bondsmiths are instead aligned with the Physical and Spiritual Realms. And this means that Brandon must be hiding a third chart from us: the Spiritual Surgebinding chart. I was looking for textual evidence to support this theory when I remembered Jasnah’s plight from Words of Radiance. As we know she used the Transportation surge to escape into Shadesmar at which point she became trapped. But if the Surges behave identically in both Realms, why could she not just use it the exact same way to return to the Physical? We know from her unpublished scene that it’s not because she lacked the Stormlight to do so but rather because she needs a “junction”, such as Honour’s Perpendicularity, to do so. This sounds exactly like how someone without access to the Surge of Transportation would travel between the Realms, yet we saw that when she did rematerialize in the Physical she did not do so in a Shardpool, but rather in the middle of nowhere. This suggests to me that she did use Transportation, but it behaved differently, exactly as I proposed above. Which leads of course to the question of what the Surge is doing in the Cognitive, and I do have a suggestion for this. We know that the Cognitive Realm is far more malleable than the Physical in terms of its geometry; it is after all shaped by the level of cognition in a particular area. I suggest that the Transportation Surge is capable of distorting it even further to the point that two different locations can actually overlap one another. With this in mind, after arriving in Shadesmar, the Elsecaller (or Willshaper) could travel to either the nearest junction, or to their destination in Shadesmar (whichever is closest). Then they could overlap their destination with the junction and thereby leave via the junction, but arrive at their destination in the Physical. There is an apparent problem with this however: it would mean that you would be required to travel through Shadesmar without the aid of the Surge to an extent, and as such it doesn’t allow for instantaneous teleportation. The Oathgates on the other hand, which we theorize to be fabrials that utilize Transportation, appear to do exactly this, thus contradicting my speculation. But, looking at this more deeply, I think there’s a way that it doesn’t have to be a contradiction. We know that each Kingdom had one Oathgate, plus there was an Oathgate at Urithiru; moreover each of the Kingdoms' Oathgates connected to the one at Urithiru, but not to each other. Travel via the Oathgates therefore, necessitates travel through Urithiru. This seems like a bizarre limitation to intentionally build into the system, especially for an organization that put such an emphasis on freedom of travel. I know that it’s been suggested that it was set up this way for the purposes of taxation, or as a symbol of some kind, but I think otherwise. What if Urithiru was built upon a junction? If this were the case then it would instantly work with my theory: every time you use the Oathgate you are already at one of the two places that you would need to be at. It also means that the gates were set up this way out of necessity: it would have been impossible to connect every gate to every other gate. And at this point I remembered the epigraph from chapter 35 of The Way of Kings: “The place nearest to Honour” sounds to me exactly like Honour’s Perpendicularity, which we know from Ivory’s testimony to be a junction. The first sentence also takes on greater meaning if this theory is true. If Urithiru is to be the centre of the Oathgate system, then it has to be built on a Perpendicularity. If there isn’t a Perpendicularity in Alethela, then it cannot be built in Alethela. Problems With the Theory Why couldn’t Jasnah use this second method to leave Shadesmar immediately? This is a huge gaping hole in the theory, and my only possible explanation for it is that she was simply too inexperienced with the Surge, or that she wasn’t at a high enough level in the Elsecallers at that point to be able to manipulate the Surge in that fashion. Ivory knew this so stated it as impossible for her to leave without being at a junction. I’ve been assuming, based upon Ivory’s testimony that a Perpendicularity is a junction, that the two are equivalent; however this isn’t necessarily true. Even if all Perpendicularities are junctions, this does not necessarily imply that all junctions are Perpendicularities. Therefore, there could have been something special about that location in which Jasnah reappeared, that meant that it was a junction even though there was apparently no Perpendicularity there. Therefore, this is not necessarily evidence for my theory. Jasnah’s subsequent conversation with Wit makes me think that it is unlikely that the location was special though. In Jasnah’s unpublished scene, we see Jasnah perform Soulcasting within Shadesmar, and it appears to function exactly like every other Soulcasting we’ve seen performed in the books. The only thing that I can think to explain this is that, since we know that performing a magic will have some effect across all three Realms, we saw the results of the Soulcasting as it appeared in the Physical Realm only. Something else would have occurred in the Cognitive Realm when she did this; but since Brandon stopped the reading at the exact point that we would have found out what this was, we can only speculate on it. Conclusion/TL;DR The mystery chart from the back of The Way of Kings is a Surgebinding chart for the Cognitive Realm. Each Surge Functions differently between the Physical Realm, the Cognitive Realm, and the Spiritual Realm. All Orders have powers associated with both the Physical and Cognitive Realms, except for the Bondsmiths and Truthwatchers which instead have posers associated with both the Physical and Spiritual Realms. The Transportation Surge allows for both travel into the Cognitive Realm, and the distortion of the Cognitive Realm’s geometry. Each Oathgate is connected to the central Oathgate at Urithiru out of necessity, not choice. Urithiru is built upon Honour’s Perpendicularity.

So ive been thinking about this for some time now and I was wondering if you guys knew anything. When it comes to entering Shadesmar what is the difference in entering via the surge of transforming as oppose to entering via transportation? My idea is that transformation leaves the radiant's body in the physical realm while their mind can enter the cognitive realm while transportation allows the radiant to fully enter so their whole body enters. I can't find any evidence aside from the Jasnah scene after WOR where she with the help of Ivory "fully" enters. I was wondering if this is a thing we know the answer to yet or if it a RAFO thing. If so what are your guy's theories about this?

So, I've been thinking a lot about the different Surges and Altering Fabrials recently while developing my general theory on fabrials, when I realized something: Shardplate and Shardblades are deeply connected with the Division Surge. Shardplate is a Division Diminisher, while a Shardblade is a Division Augmenter. Except they don't strictly require gemstone fabrials. Sure, Shardplate can be powered by infused gemstones, but those gemstones aren't fabrials, and they won't even be necessary once a Stormlight-wielding Surgebinder wears it. Similarly, we've recently seen that the gemstones in some Shardblades can be removed without destroying the Blade; they are not necessary. The gems are probably just bonding fabrials added by modern Shardbearers to "improve" their bond with the Shardblade. Yet, somehow, these magical armor and weapon combo act like fabrials. Sharplate resists being damaged (damage=division) and will eventually reform even when it does get damaged. In the same manner, Shardblade does almost nothing but divide things, even souls, and even itself (whenever it disintegrates into mist upon dismissal). So, it appears that living beings and fabrial gemstones are not the only things on Roshar that can access Surges. What's so special about the Plate and the Blade that they can do this? If only we have a clue... like, if there was a Essence that's associated with metallic weapons and armor that might suggest an explanation for it. Oh wait, we do have one: the Essence of Foil, the Essence of Kalak's Order, the Order that can access the Transportation Surge and an unknown Surge. (They are also connected to the Dustbringers who, interestingly enough, can access the Division Surge, but that's just an aside.) I highlighted the Transportation Surge because I believe it is central to learning about why some Foil-based objects can access Surges. I theorize that just as gemstones are used to store Stormlight and add Intent to it, metals can be used to transport this Intent-laden Stormlight. Metals are Stormlight conduits and transmitters. This is why all fabrials we've seen so far are attached to jewelry or machines that are metallic. It's not just to make them look cool or pretty. Those fabrials simply won't work without metal. And this is why Shardplate and Shardblade can use the Division Surge. I believe that the members of the Kak Order were capable of molding Stormlight into complex "Surge spells" (possibly using their unknown Surge) that they could then program directly into metallic objects (using the Transportation Surge) without the need for gemstones. So, they simply infused each Plate and Blade with Stormlight with "Surge spells" that target the Division Surge. Perhaps they had help from Dustbringers (who can, I believe, share their Stormlight with other people) for that task. That's my theory! Now, two questions: Wouldn't you bet that the Oathgates were made of metal? What would you think if the spell-making-related Surge required the Surgebinder to say their spells out loud (similar to Awakening), or perhaps required to draw markings on the metal using Stormlight-filled fingernails (similar to AonDor)? Edit: Reworded some things for clarity.