Is Nightblood the reason for Harmony's discord?

[Trusk'our]

Nightblood contains at least some portion of Ruin's Investiture, and based off it's color and command, I'd venture to say that it actually converts other forms of investiture into Ruin's investiture.

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Walin

Does Nightblood contain any of Ruin's Investiture? Like, not atium, but...

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, technically; and I'm not wiggling around that, because technically, location in the Cosmere and who belongs to what gets really weird, right? Because Ruin's Investiture is everywhere--but I'm not talking that way. I'm talking the way you actually mean it.

But Nightblood can't hold all that investiture, so it leaks away...where? Back to the spiritual realm, where all investiture eventually goes.

But if that happens, would that then make that extra Ruin-converted investiture eventually find it's way to the shard of Ruin itself? And by doing so, could that lead to an imbalance of Harmony's powers, thus starting to turn him into Discord? Maybe this is one of the big reasons why Sazed is now finding it harder and harder to act; his powers are now longer in balance.

[Inquisitor #5]

On 2021-12-24 at 4:58 PM, Trusk'our said:

But if that happens, would that then make that extra Ruin-converted investiture eventually find it's way to the shard of Ruin itself?

If everything posited before is true, probably yes.

On 2021-12-24 at 4:58 PM, Trusk'our said:

And by doing so, could that lead to an imbalance of Harmony's powers

Pretty sure the spark of Preservation in Scadrian humanity is already doing that.

And I don't think Nightblood burns through anywhere near enough Investiture to make a noticable difference. It'd probably be like pouring a glass of salt water into a lake. Or, more accurately, a brackish sea I guess.

On 2021-12-24 at 4:58 PM, Trusk'our said:

thus starting to turn him into Discord?

Why would this happen because of an imbalance? Is that not just a different interpretation of two diametrically opposed powers?

The interpretation of Harmony is both in balance, or something like that, no? If one were to see them as irreconcialable, one may end up with something like Discord, or Volatility, or Chaos.

On 2021-12-24 at 4:58 PM, Trusk'our said:

Maybe this is one of the big reasons why Sazed is now finding it harder and harder to act; his powers are now longer in balance.

I see that as simply being stuck between two powers that want fundamentally different things. Acting in accordance with one is in direct opposition to the other.

Remember how Leras couldn't slash Elend? How he felt a backlash even though he wasn't the one to bring the knife down?

Sazed presumably has to deal with a similar thing whenever he tries to do basically anything, each power strains against that which goes against its Intent.

 

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[CryoZenith]

Harmony would be imbalanced regardless if the Shards he held were asymmetric or not. Symmetry is not the only factor in balance. Balancing a dumbbell on a narrow surface is harder than balancing a rectangular plank on a narrow surface, you have less room for error,  even though both the dumbbell and the plank are equally radially symmetric.

The main cause as to why Harmony is imbalanced is because the powers he is holding are opposed. He would be imbalanced even if those powers weren't asymmetrical. Them being asymmetrical makes it worse, I agree, and I can buy that Nightblood is contributing to the asymmetry a bit, sure, but none of this is necessary.

[Trusk'our]

14 hours ago, Inquisitor #5 said:

Pretty sure the spark of Preservation in Scadrian humanity is already doing that.

I thought that the power that coalesced as the Atium was going to regrow eventually, meaning that it was still separate from the rest of Harmony, preventing the imbalance of Ruin and Preservation due to that specific reason. Hence the reason why the 4th Wax and Wayne book being called "The Lost Metal"; Atium is going to return.