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[OB] Is Hoid a sand master?


Tesh

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I am currently listening to the Oathbringer audio book, I've already read it, and caught this phrase. 

Quote

Shallan slipped forward and glanced inside his (Hoid's) pack, catching sight of a small jar, sealed at the top. It was mostly black, but the side pointed toward her was instead white. (Page 676)

I don't know if that is saying the jar itself was white and black, or if it's contents are. If it is the jars contents, I think that Hoid is a sand master, as once white sand is used, it turns black, until it is recharged.

This is very little evidence, and I can't recall if there are any other clues like this in any of the other Cosmere books.

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45 minutes ago, Tesh said:

I don't know if that is saying the jar itself was white and black, or if it's contents are. If it is the jars contents, I think that Hoid is a sand master, as once white sand is used, it turns black, until it is recharged.

Any Investiture is capable of recharging the sand and Taldain is mentioned to be a world that's easy for worldhoppers to get Investiture out of, ergo Hoid having Taldaini sand (Invested or not) doesn't tell us anything about whether or not he has access to Sand Mastery. Given that the side that was facing Shallan (who had just finished Lightweaving) was white and the side away from her was not, it's much more likely that she charged the sand and Hoid was using it as a convenient Investiture radar. Or possibly he was carrying it for some other reason and it just happened to get used that way, but its use as a convenient passive sensor makes a good amount of sense.

As for whether or not Hoid could even become a Sand Master in the first place (short of hemalurgy, which Brandon has said Hoid would rather avoid) we don't know enough about Initiation on Taldain to even guess how such a thing could happen. Given the apparent genetic component, some sort of hacking would probably be required, much as would be to be Initiated into Selish magic systems.

Oh, and since the topic has come up, Hoid does get mentioned with sand in his Warbreaker appearance but Brandon has said that this has nothing to do with Taldain. It's just a part of the Yolish version of Lightweaving.

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Nightfire107

Does the sand storytelling Hoid uses in Warbreaker have anything to do with your future possible trilogy "White Sand" written about in a recent blog?

Brandon Sanderson

No, it does not. This is a storytelling method that Hoid developed on his own. It does have a relationship to The Liar of Partinel.

source

 

Edited by Weltall
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  • 3 weeks later...

@Weltall mentioned Hoid using the taldainian sand as a potential Investiture radar, which is a really cool idea. But that got me thinking that generally Brandon doesn't allow investiture to be so infinitely available that someone could expend investiture (lightweave etc) at the normal rate and normal purpose, while also investing (recharging) the sand. Which made me think (without going back to look at the chapter I admit) that likely in this instance more stormlight was used up that would have been for just the light weaving normally (Shallan does seem to struggle measuring the amounts she uses). Is it possible that Hoid is using taldainian sand like an arrowcatch?  Imagine all the time he saves by avoiding all that sygaldry...

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It's confirmed, the sand can be used this way. 

Spoiler

Questioner [PENDING REVIEW]

Mraize's Basement Emporium. Is that more like a trophy room or a "In case of emergencies" room?

Multiple people [PENDING REVIEW]

Or a bank vault?

Or a weapon's vault?

Or both?

Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW]

So, yes. 

*multiple people talking*

I mean, he can't use the Aether, right? He can't use the Aether, he doesn't have an Aether. But the sand, the sand does stuff. So a handful of sand is a really useful amount of sand to have if you're not a sandmaster. Because sand reacts to investiture. So if you let it fade and you take it somewhere, as soon as investiture goes kinetic, it'll turn white again. So you'll be able to use it to tell who's using inve..it works just like a Seeker, like bronze pulses.

So having white sand, having sand around is really good. If you can keep the little beasties that are growing on the sand around, they will react to basically the investiture equivalent of radiation. So that's handy.

source

 

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