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FTL Travel


Gaussian

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Hello, I am fairly new to the forums and this is my first topic.  I don't know if it has been discussed before, but I wanted to propose that we have already seen FTL travel in the cosmere on Sel.  I propose the the transportation induced by the use of the Aon Tia produces FTL travel, first because there is no sound wave upon arrival, second because you can end up inside of a wall if you are not careful.  I also would love to hear theories about FTL travel on Scadrial here, and any other cosmere world for that matter.

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I think Selish FTL is going to be a real challenge. First of all, it's (currently) only one way. Unless you find some other source than the Dor to power it, you could never return through the same method.

 

Secondly, if jumping from Elantris to Teod is risky, imagine how difficult it would be to jump from one spinning planet going several tenths of thousand kilometres per hour in a circular orbit onto another spinning planet moving several thousand kilometres per hour. On the plus side, the chances of hitting a wall is rather slim, on the negative side, the chances of actually hitting the planet at all is almost just as tiny.

 

The Scadrian Metallic Arts do have a way of producing FTL travel built into it, Brandon has said as much, but we have only guesses about how that is supposed to go.

Edited by Aether
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It seems that this is more like beaming that direct travel.  If so, it would not precisely be FTL only effectively so (if it was that rapid).  I don't see any velocity involved.  There certainly doesn't appear to be acceleration and deceleration as I recall.  Either would kill the people being transported.

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Anyone else thinking that there might be the investiture equivalent of comsic background radiation that could used to replace dor and power Sel type magics? "Comsere Background Adonalsium Radiation"?
 

 

Might make things relatively easier on the would be god or forger attempting world hop. Since Sel is based on imagery... the shapes used would probably constelation based and much more static.

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Hello Gaussian, good first theory. :)

 

That's a good catch that Aonic teleportation seems to constitute FTL travel. It is likely of a different kind than Scadrian FTL, though, since we have been given reason to believe that Scadrian ships traverse space, rather than "beaming" between two points.

 

I may or may not have a few theories pertaining to Scadrian FTL... ;)

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I´m thinking there is a way of making a "portable" elantris to bring along, another boosting Aeon like the city, but smaller. To give you the ability to use them far from elantris. Either that, or to "store" aeonic power in an Aeon battery of some sort;). Or for a person in elantris to channel power to an engine far away, by way of somehow attuning himself before they leave.

Edited by dyring
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Another note is that after reviewing some of the old FTL theory linked by Kurkistan, it appears that the compounding of steel and f-steel wasn't discussed.  Since in other cases compounding leads to a significant increase in output (energy source: potentially the thermodynamic losses of some other allomantic interactions), the question is if burning steel that you have stored speed in only would let you move very quickly, or if you could somehow transmit said speed into an object you are pushing.  Then, if the latter is true, could you use the feruchemically stored speed to overcome the light barrier when a raw push could not (at least according to the understanding of special relativity on our planet_.

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Sorry for making you endure that, some of them are a bit of a slog. ;) Mainly I like to keep them in mind because they contain, to my knowledge, all of our FTL-relevant WoB's.

 

There was some discussion of using Feruchemical steel in this thread; I believe that the conclusion was that pesky relativity doesn't buy it when you say "but what if I go really fast, can I go faster than c then?!"

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Another note is that after reviewing some of the old FTL theory linked by Kurkistan, it appears that the compounding of steel and f-steel wasn't discussed. Since in other cases compounding leads to a significant increase in output (energy source: potentially the thermodynamic losses of some other allomantic interactions), the question is if burning steel that you have stored speed in only would let you move very quickly, or if you could somehow transmit said speed into an object you are pushing. Then, if the latter is true, could you use the feruchemically stored speed to overcome the light barrier when a raw push could not (at least according to the understanding of special relativity on our planet_.

Except that the pressure of pushing a spaceshio would kill you Unless you were a full feruchemist and mistborn compounding pewter, iron, and steel, while burning steel and pewter allomantically.
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I've been joking that the later Cosmere stuff is going to be fantasy Star Trek, but wow. Scadrian spaceships, with teleporters powered by Selish magic, and Soulcasters to act as Replicators?

 

If Lightweaving can cast illusions over a wider range, you've even got a holodeck. 

 

"These are the voyages of the starship Elendel..."

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I picture Vindication as more of a Defiant-class ship, brimming with guns and shields and a (mist)cloaking device to use against whatever idiot decides to make an enemy of the Confederation of Shardworlds.

EDIT For instance, a (mist)cloak like the one Kurk obviously used to ninja me and declare Scadrian independence!

Edited by Quiver
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I think Selish FTL is going to be a real challenge. First of all, it's (currently) only one way. Unless you find some other source than the Dor to power it, you could never return through the same method.

I have a feeling there is a theory somewhere that one could.

What they would have to do would be to alter the base form (symbol) to that of the area they are in to draw the power from it. It's all about that first symbol that is put down - which looks like the nation the power is being drawn from.

 

EDIT: And I have just found a WoB that crushes this theory.

 

 

 

 Birth in a certain location on Sel gives a certain affinity for the local symbols, and their usage. To use the magic of another region, one would need to have a rewritten connection to that area instead.

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1ced7z/iamstilla_novelist_named_brandon_sanderson_ama/c9fosdo

Edited by Youngy
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It's possible to interpret that WoB as needing to be born somewhere as a requirement only for actually using that region's magic, not its connection to the Dor. So Shai couldn't suddenly start using AonDor if she moved to Arelon, but she still might be able to use Aon Aon as her "sealing mark" on her stamps and access the Dor that way.

Edited by Kurkistan
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I have a feeling there is a theory somewhere that one could.

What they would have to do would be to alter the base form (symbol) to that of the area they are in to draw the power from it. It's all about that first symbol that is put down - which looks like the nation the power is being drawn from.

I am aware of that theory (and Kurk's interpretation of it), my main problem is that you wouldn't have access to the Dor on another planet. Now, a recent WoB states that magic systems can be "jury-rigged" to fuel each-other, but it was implied that it would take a considerable amount of knowledge and work to do so.

 

Two-way Selish FTL-travel is possible, but not likely happen any time soon.

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