The Endowment Axiom

[Asha'man]

The Returned from Warbreaker are talked about a surprisingly small amount on the forums, and the workings of magic on Nalthis are amongst the subjects we know the least about. Even the characters from Warbreaker know very little about what it is they do. As a forward, this theory relies heavily on the assumption that The Principle of Intent by Chaos is correct. If you have not read it or do not want to take the time, I will give you the main point:

My principle is simple: To interact with the spiritual power of the Shard inside you, it must be in accordance with the Shard's intent. (That is, the name of the Shard. Ruin. Preservation. Endowment. It is what the Shard wants to do

What this means is that the magic systems of a world act accordingly with the intent of Shard they are associated with. Preservation preserves, Ruin Ruins, Endowment endows, etc...

About midway through the theory, Chaos diverges into a side of speculation

Wait a minute. I just got the most brilliant idea ever as I wrote that. Brandon said that Preservation or Ruin could, in principle, fuel any of the Metallic Arts, but he said that it expends power in ways gods are hesitant to do (I can't find the citation right now, but I think it's in the Hero of Ages spoiler thread). Why would it expend energy? Doesn't it all regenerate? No, I think not. Not exclusively. What if a Shard's power only regenerates when the Shard is doing something according to the Shard's intent? Atium is of Ruin, and so using that energy with respect to Ruining something will make it regenerate. The Well put Rashek into severe Preservation mode, making him extremely reactionary. So in a roundabout way, that again is Preservation. That kind of explains why dispersing the power broke Ruin's prison--it was an act not of Preservation, so the power wasn't conserved. Also, if this was true, it makes a heck of a lot more sense why Endowment Returns people, and why he isn't dead from doing so. The power all comes back eventually.

This Immediately struck me as having importance and being worthy of investigation. It also brought to mind a question that has been nagging at the back of my mind since I read Warbreaker: Why do the Returned need additional breaths to live?

If magics act according to the intent of their shards, and the returned are given their Divine Breath by Endowment, it does not make sense for them to require additional breaths to live. It does make sense, however, if the returned were never supposed to live forever in the first place. Let me explain. Taking the Breaths of others is an extremely Un-Endowing action, it is essentially the opposite of the intent of Endowment. If it is true that Ruin and Preservation could fuel all of the Metallic Arts, even those not in accordance with their intent, but doing so would require them to expel their power without it returning, then it is also possible that the returned could go against Endowment's Intent but would require the expelling of energy, or a source of NEW energy to do so. This is where the required breaths come into the picture.

Brandon has said (citation needed) that the focus of BioChroma is commands, not the breath. Breaths require a command in order to awaken an object. Why then, would a Divine Breath, essentially one breath with the power of many, be exempt from this principle? It would not be.

My theory, which I have dubbed The Endowment Axiom, is that Divine Breaths are (or were) given commands by Endowment to awaken the Returned in order for them to endow their power on one improvement for the world.

Why is this important? We already knew the gist of this before. This is important because if the Returned continue to live without using their Divine Breath to aid others, they are acting against the command, against the intent, of Endowment's Shard. Acting against Endowment means that, at the end of their determined lifespan (I believe a week but need citation) their power (the Divine Breath) would dissipate and they would die. They are able to survive longer than intended by being infused with more of Endowments energy. This energy fuels the life of the returned even when they should have died.

The largest possible criticism with this theory (besides it's reliance on other theories) is that if the Returned living goes against Endowments intent, and magic against the intent of a shard requires energy to be permanently spent, Endowment's energy should be diminishing or eventually run out entirely. I do not believe this to be the case, however. The returned are not running out of energy, but receiving new transfusions of energy every cycle. This new transfusion allows them to continue living without permanently expending their energy. Another criticism of this theory could be that the Returned would have to follow the command given by Endowment. This has, IMO, two possible solutions. The first is that the Divine Breaths only have the command to awaken the returned, and the intent of the Shard is supposed to press them into giving it up. The other is that all humans have part of Endowment in them already in the form of their personal breath. This spark of Endowment could give humans free will and the ability to resist giving up their Divine Breath.

Implications this would have if true: Endowment designed the Returned to be brought back and use their breaths relatively quickly, Divine Breaths have/require commands in order to function. This would not mean that normal people are supposed to give up their breaths and become drabs, because the Divine Breaths were given the explicit command or intent of being given up, whereas a persons personal breath was not.

I think we will eventually be able to look at every shard and see their intent's influence on their respective magic systems. I put this in general theories because, while it mainly deals with Warbreaker, it has some spoilery details of Mistborn and references other general theories about the Cosmere.

Edit* Edited the topic description

Edited December 12, 2011 by TheStephenRay

[Wispsy]

probably wrong but wouldnt it be nice if it wasnt so much about returned taking breath but people giving it xD

[Zas678]

Wow. That theory is well steeped in Cosmere terms. Good job.

Now, I think that you are sort of right. First of all, I believe in the Amended Principle of Intent- Namely, that the process, rather than the cognitive reasoning, of magic systems must be in line with a Shard's Intent. So you can destroy with Allomancy (Preservation's magic), but your own energy is conserved. Although Hemalurgy requires killing to Ruin someone, that new spike can be used to help save someone (by giving someone a Thug spike when they're about to die).

Rather than the returned Breath be because of the Splinter that is given to them, I think it's something else.

I think that the process of life requires energy. It makes sense right? Most people must eat in order to survive. Returned don't need food- they need breath. They require spiritual energy to keep them alive. The first week that they are born, they survive off their own breath. That's why Drabs can't become Returned- because they don't have the "fuel" to keep them alive that first week. When they run out of Breath, they must "eat" their own uber-breath. That becomes an immense problem because the uber-breath is the only thing connecting their "cognitive self" to their "physical self", and thus they die.

It's like the Elantrians. When they were changed to Reod-Elantrians, they no longer lived off of food- the Dor provided the energy for them. In this case, the Breath provides the energy for the Returned. They have to eat once a week because Breaths are very very small in compared to the infinite (or simply massive) Dor.

In other words, it's not due to a violation of Intent- because, after all, the population voluntarily gives up their breath. It's just a simple function of Conservation of Energy. The Returned need energy, but Physical energy won't work for them anymore, so they require a different form of Energy- Breath.

[dj26792]

I like Zas' theory a lot better, especially since Im pretty sure the amended theory of intent is word of Brandon and therefore far more accurate than the original theory.

[Asha'man]

I like Zas' theory too. I was under the impression, however, that Brandon said drabs could not become returned because giving up your breath messed with your spiritual component. That could just mean though that Returned need spiritual energy now instead of Physical in order to kickstart the change and relinquishing their breath means that they lack the initial energy needed. It could also mean that giving up your breath somehow reconfigures or alters your spiritual web in a way that makes returning impossible. The one problem I have with the returned needing breath to live is that if they consumed their Divine Breath (DB) wouldn't it be enough to fuel them longer than a week? Perhaps as soon as it is consumed they lose their link to the cognitive instead of it being a gradual process. I'll have to make some revisions to the theory with the amended principle of intent in mind. I still think it's important though that the DB might function like normal breaths, requiring a command. If it is true than we would know a little bit more about splinters and their interactions with the focus of their specific worlds. If not than at least we know how they don't behave.

Also, I will have to amend the part where I said taking others breaths is an Un-Endowing action because it is true that the people are voluntarily giving up their breaths. Rather, it is the keeping of the Divine Breath that is Un-Endowing. Not that this would permanently use up Endowments energy, because of the Amended principle of Intent, but the week long cycle of life in Returned still suggests to me that the DB are supposed to be used rather than kept. This is pure speculation, but If, like it has been suggested of the Elantrians, there are a specific number of Returned and others can only be created when one of the existing members "dies" than people using and giving up DB quickly would create more returned to use the DB and great changes could be made very quickly. That could be completely wrong though.

[Zas678]

I was under the impresson that Brandon said drabs could not become returned because giving up your breath messed with your spiritual component.

Brandon didn't really give an explanation. He just said that it "was really hard". It's in the Alloy of Law Release report that was just written up.

The one problem I have with the returned needing breath to live is that if they consumed their Divine Breath (DB) wouldn't it be enough to fuel them longer than a week? Perhaps as soon as it is consumed they lose their link to the cognitive instead of it being a gradual process.

That's what I believe at the moment.

This is pure speculation, but If, like it has been suggested of the Elantrians, there are a specific number of Returned and others can only be created when one of the existing members "dies" than people using and giving up DB quickly would create more returned to use the DB and great changes could be made very quickly. That could be completely wrong though.

I don't think I've heard the "specific number of Elantrians" before. But then again, I haven't really been keeping up on the forums lately... And if the latter was true, why does the number of Returned in the Pantheon change so dramatically? No, I think that the number of Returned is determined by however many people would do the proper actions to help shape the future for the best.

Rather, it is the keeping of the Divine Breath that is Un-Endowing. Not that this would permanently use up Endowments energy, because of the Amended principle of Intent, but the week long cycle of life in Returned still suggests to me that the DB are supposed to be used rather than kept.

I still like to think of it in terms of energy- the energy that Endowment sends them is a one time thing instead of a constant stream, like it is with the Elantrains. But I think, dealing with Intent, there is a reason that it's only a week too.

[Pechvarry]

And if the latter was true, why does the number of Returned in the Pantheon change so dramatically?.

Not throwing my support one way or another, but this has an easy explanation: not all Returned are in the Court of Gods. We only see those residing in Hallandren. The Annotations make mention of how other cultures use their Returned. So "only X number of Returned at a time" could be very feasible, if you're talking global scale.

[Lance Alvein]

Implications this would have if true: Endowment designed the Returned to be brought back and use their breaths relatively quickly

Correct me if I'm wrong (or if it's been discussed elsewhere & I missed it), but didn't Lightsong Return so that he could spend his breath on fixing Susebron's tongue? If so, then wouldn't that imply that they aren't always supposed to use their breath in the first week?

[Bremen]

Correct me if I'm wrong (or if it's been discussed elsewhere & I missed it), but didn't Lightsong Return so that he could spend his breath on fixing Susebron's tongue? If so, then wouldn't that imply that they aren't always supposed to use their breath in the first week?

It is not certain that the Returned are always successful in fulfilling their reason for returning. Also I do not believe their reason for returning necessarily involves giving up their divine breath to heal someone.

[Gela]

Maybe Peacegiver's mysterious method for staying alive is he has somehow figured out how to always act in accordance with Endowment so his own energy doesn't dissipate. That doesn't quite explain how he can go without a divine breath, but I figured I'd throw that out there to see if it stirs up anyone else's mind.

[Zas678]

Nope.

The reason why Vasher (aka Peacegiver, Kabsal, Warbreaker, etc) is still alive today is because he's been eating breath after breath for three hundred years. The reason why his Divine Breath hasn't been visible is because he's been hiding it using "mental gymnastics". You know how the Hallandren gods tend to look like the current image of Godhood? It's not because of the people's image of Godhood- it's the Returned's self image. Even though Lightsong may not entirely believe that he's a God, he still sees himself as a Returned.

Vasher doesn't usually see himself this way. He sees himself as a scraggly unkept guy- and so that's how he looks. There is a possibility that this has something to do with the Geranid Spren Certainty Principle (the more precise you measure the spren, the more confined the spren becomes).

[Lance Alvein]

Are we sure that Vasher eats a breath every week? I seem to recall that he's mentioned spending various amounts of time as a drab, and that it didn't really seem like a big deal to him - and if he would die after a week (or maybe less) of being a drab, I would imagine that he would be a bit more concerned about his drabness. I could be misremembering though, since it's been a bit since I last read Warbreaker.

[ReaderAt2046]

Has anybody considered that when a Returned uses up a Breath, the energy for it might be returned to Endowment? Sort of like how pewter draws bodily strength from Preservation, while the metal is consumed. So a Returned draws energy from Endowment to live, but has to return breaths to do it.

[Zas678]

I think Chaos said something about that in his Principle of Intent.

However, I tend to think that the Breath tends to go straight to the Returned, rather than go in a loop from Endowment to the Returned. After all, Lightsong starts feeling week when he has gone a week without taking a breath, just like I would feel hungry if I hadn't eaten all day. But I don't feel hungry if I'm continuously being fed small amounts of food, and I happen to be a couple of minutes late on payment.

Allright, I guess it could work, if Endowment stops streaming energy to them when they stop giving energy to him. But I don't know. I think that Occam's Razor applies, and that the simplest path is the best one. The Returned get energy straight from Breath rather than in a work around from Endowment.

Unless you're talking about the fact that Breath are of Endowment (like Allomancy is of Preservation). In that case I probably agree with you.