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In Warbreaker, Vivenna says that only those who are in line for the throne of Idris have the Royal Locks; even her children who wouldn't be in line wouldn't have them. This has made me wonder, is it possible to get the Royal Locks through a method that isn't lineage (not Hemalurgy, we already know that's possible)? Hypothetical scenario time; Let's say Hoid wants the Royal Locks, but clearly isn't born of the Idrian royal line. He travels to Idris and plays a game of cards with king Dedelin, pitting his (insert magical item here) against Dedelin's Kingdom. Hoid is very persuasive. Hoid (obviously) wins the game, and therefore wins the rulership of Idris. Now the question I have is, does Hoid now exhibit the Royal Locks, or would the former king Dedelin still have them?

My question is basically whether Brandon has made clear whether a royal loses the ability to change their hair color when they have no breath. I know Vivenna couldn't change her hair color during much of the time she was a drab, but she was having lots of other issues at the time. Does a royal need at least one breath to use whatever power they inherited, or do they retain that power to even as a drab, at least to some extent? I searched arcanum and didn't find anything clear.

So, I've been rereading Warbreaker with my wife which has meant reading slightly slower than usual as well as out loud. This led me to notice something that I'd never noticed before. In chapter 55, What I find interesting is what we are told in the very next page of the book. It makes sense for Lightsong to notice the difference in the skin colour, he has Perfect Colour Recognition. Why can Siri recognise it too? Here's my theory. Vasher's explains that the Returned reach their Heightenings not because of the quantity but quality of Breath. He also explains, in the Epilogue, that the Royal House of Idris has Returned blood. My question is, does the fact that Siri has Returned blood in her mean that her breath is of a higher quality than most people? If the quality of her breath is high enough for her to be able to have perfect colour recognition, she would have at least the third heightening. The problem with this theory is that no one ever notices an aura around Siri. Unless you count Susebron's comment as a reference to an Aura: i've always taken Susebron's comment as a simple statement on Siri's positivity and happiness, but there may be more to it... Any thoughts? Theories? WoB?

Hi everybody!!! I've been a fan of Brandon's work for a long time now, but it's my first time on this fantastic website... Great job guys!!! So I've started rereading all the books again and when I read Warbreaker I came across this site... I read some threads about the Royal Locks and the Returned and couldn't help to notice that some people believe that Denth is part of the Royal line... So Vo was the first Returned and the one that introduced the shape shifting ability to the Royal line. It's a mix of human and Returned. The Royal line can change their hair colour but could change maybe more as indicated by Vasher at the end of the book. The Five Scolars came after Vo. The Returned can all shapeshift. So my question is, when Denth dies his hair changes colour because he is Returned, not because he is part of the Royal line, right? Thanks for your replies in advance, looking forward to having some great discussions on this platform