Lightsong

[lordofsoup]

So this is mostly because no one is using this forum, but I was wondering if Susebron would get to keep Lightsong's returned Breath?  I know that usually the breath disappears, but would the effect be different if it is used on a Returned?  Also is it possible that there are a limited number of Returned Breath?

[Zas678]

I'd imagine that there are only a limited amount of breaths. If the uberBreaths are Splinters, then I'd imagine Endowment could only make so many before he/she would be able to support any more.

[DariusJenai]

I figured the Breath would stay with the individual it was given to.  Seems kind of strange that it wouldn't.  On the other hand, it must become a normal breath somehow, or there would be stories all over Hallandren about how one could reach the fifth heightening with a single Returned Breath.  I imagine there would be less 'starving' of the Returned in other cultures, and more 'give us your Breath'

[leinton]

I bet that when the Returned use their breath to heal someone, the breath loses its potency as it works its miracles and becomes a normal breath at that point.

[happyman]

I bet that when the Returned use their breath to heal someone, the breath loses its potency as it works its miracles and becomes a normal breath at that point.

This, or it gets used up (or recycled into Endowment).

[Puck]

This, or it gets used up (or recycled into Endowment).

That's what I always imagined it to be - like atium/larasium

[Emeralis00]

From the way I read it, the Divine Breath gets consumed in the healing or whatever it is being used for.

[KChan]

Consumed or recycled (though I think the latter is more likely), the end result is the same: it doesn't stay with the recipient. It does what it's supposed to do, and either vanishes or returns to Endowment. DariusJenai and Leinton are right: if the Returned Breath stayed with the beneficiary, we'd know of it for sure, and I'm willing to bet the Returned would be treated a lot differently.

[Tamzin Ashevai]

I do believe that the divine breath remains with the recipient. Why else would Lightsong have given himself wholly to Susebron? I believe that Lightsong knew the consequences of his actions and acted for both Seb and Sirri, betting on the future of not The Returned, but the unknown!

[Windrunner]

I'd have to disagree on this point. Every other case of transferring Breath we've seen, it doesn't stay with, or come back to, the person who gave it away. Lightsong gave up his Breath to Susebron because he wanted to save his country and his brother. I also think that the fact that he presumably met Endowment in the the beyond or wherever would make him less cautious about his life. He knows that there's something coming afterward.

[Momo]

I would agree, I don't think the Divine Breath remains with the recipient or the person who gave it away - though the effects of when it's used certainly do stay with the recipient. Otherwise, as I think DariusJenai said, there'd be civilians who suddenly became Returned after having their wishes granted.

[Nepene]

Somewhere in the annotations he mentions that the concept of the returned breath was borrowed from an earlier concept. Essentially the splinters have an incomplete connection to the divine. By fulfilling that connection they can do some awesome magics. I'd imagine that the divine breath connects to Austre for the miracle.

Edit. I am trying to remember where I saw it. He linked to one of the deleted scenes at the end of a book. There's wisp creatures, aons or something. He did a scene where he described them in detail that got cut, about how someone gave them a command to breed.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Nepene

[RavenclawWill73]

I think that the breath gets used up during the healing or whatever it was used for like others said, I think light song gave it to susebron because he knew it would heal his tongue, not to give him extra breaths.

[happyman]

Somewhere in the annotations he mentions that the concept of the returned breath was borrowed from an earlier concept. Essentially the splinters have an incomplete connection to the divine. By fulfilling that connection they can do some awesome magics. I'd imagine that the divine breath connects to Austre for the miracle.

Edit. I am trying to remember where I saw it. He linked to one of the deleted scenes at the end of a book. There's wisp creatures, aons or something. He did a scene where he described them in detail that got cut, about how someone gave them a command to breed.

It's a deleted scene from Elantris. In that scene, the glowing stuff in Elantris was made up of very small Aons which reproduced. In the published book, this was changed to some kind of fungal film.