[OB] Inconsistency in WoB about First of the Sun

[DJScrub]

On 4 September, 2014, in this Q&A, Brandon unequivocally stated that First of the Sun has no Shard and that its Investiture is ambient and limited.

This past week, on 28 November 2017, in this Q&A, Brandon has now stated that the island of Patji is in fact a Shard, even clarifying that he does in fact mean one of the 16 Shards of Adonalsium.

This seems to be a huge retcon requiring a lot of editing of wiki pages, all of which currently reflect the earlier WoB that First of the Sun is a minor world with no close association with any Shard. Am I missing something?

[kenod]

Later in the same WoB we get this:

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As in one of the 16 Shards of Adonalsium is represented and involved in First of the Sun.

Given the size of the perpendicularity on Patji, and the fact that humans aren't capable of directly using magic, I'd say that a Shard only partially infested in First of Sun. As for which Shard, I'm in the group that thinks it's Bavadin (Autonomy), mainly because of the information that she has a habit of spawning religions in the cosmere, with there even being religions where she is every god in the pantheon.

 

[yurisses]

My take is that there is no Shard actually present on First of the Sun in the same sense as Cultivation being present on Roshar. And that "one of the 16 Shards of Adonalsium is represented and involved in First of the Sun" is the same thing as saying "Paalm represents the involvement of one of the non-Harmony Shards" and "Only Harmony is present on Scadrial".

[DJScrub]

8 minutes ago, yurisses said:

My take is that there is no Shard actually present on First of the Sun in the same sense as Cultivation being present on Roshar.

How does that fit with his statement that a specific island on First of the Sun literally is a Shard? Even if the Shard is held in some kind of extremely "inanimate" way that prevents it from intelligently meddling the way Cultivation and Harmony do, it still contradicts Brandon's earlier statement that no Shard is affiliated with First of the Sun.

[Khyrindor]

Any thing Brandon answers in questions isn't considered totally canon, so it's possible that he's changed his mind in the last few years.

[Andy92]

The new WoB does contain this part:

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Yes, big asterisk! But yes.

So, it doesn't sound like the answer is easily cut-and-dry. Maybe whatever the asterisk is was plausible enough reason for Brandon to say "there's no Shard there" a few years ago. 

I do see where you're coming from in that it seems like a continuity issue. And it's possible Brandon changed his mind on this one. But it could be that whatever the asterisk he's referring to makes the situation strange. 

[Yata]

Probably on First of the Sun, there are only Splinters of a Shard rather than the actual Shard itself

[Chaos]

Can I tag this thread with Oathbringer spoilers, @DJScrub? I want to say some things on this but it's pretty important to have stuff there.

[DJScrub]

@Chaos have no problem with that.

[Kered]

11 minutes ago, Chaos said:

Can I tag this thread with Oathbringer spoilers, @DJScrub? I want to say some things on this but it's pretty important to have stuff there.

I was going to ask the same thing, get out of my head.

And this has happened before that's why Brandon says the 100% canon is the books, not what he says during Q&A's. Cosmere is always expanding and changing in his head.  

[The Watcher]

Just a quick question, is Bavadin Invested to a planet? I thought she was on Taldain (According to Khriss, but I could be wrong) influencing the cool Sand Magic. But is she actually travelling? That really doesn't sound like a Shard, they seem to get stuck on planets.

[StormingTexan]

1 hour ago, The Watcher said:

Just a quick question, is Bavadin Invested to a planet? I thought she was on Taldain (According to Khriss, but I could be wrong) influencing the cool Sand Magic. But is she actually travelling? That really doesn't sound like a Shard, they seem to get stuck on planets.

There is a certain epigraph in OB that sheds some light on this if you read between the lines. 

OB SPOILERS! 

Spoiler

 

The second letter in the Part 2 Epigraphs appears to be a response to Hoid from one of the "aspects" of Bavadin https://coppermind.net/wiki/Oathbringer/Epigraphs. So not a shard per say but probably a splinter of Autonomy that had/has taken residents on First of Sun. Khriss also eludes to Bavadin's involvement in other planets in Arcanum Unbound 

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Autonomy’s policy of isolationism in recent times (in direct contrast to her interference with other planets, I might add) has prevented travel to and from Taldain for many, many years.

Sanderson, Brandon. Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (p. 370). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition

 

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