Who are "the series"?

[askthepaperclip]

I did a search on the forums and haven't found anyone asking, who is "the series" that Suit mentions near the end of BoM?

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Yes. Yes, that was the idea. Even the most careful of the Series would be distressed by the prospect of being technologically outmaneuvered. This would convince them to give him the leeway he desired.

Is this maybe the off world red eyes organization, and the set is the on world branch? Or is it simply another rank?

I also can't help but notice the math/numerology language: series, set, sequence, array...(suit is the only small outlier, but I just might not know the reference). Does this smell like autonomy? ....maybe? 

[RShara]

I think the Series are the people who rule the Set. And yes, there is a definite mathematical component to the Set. A Suit is I think referring to the suits in decks of cards, since most card games have strong mathematical components.

Also

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Argent

Keeping it on Scadrial, the ranks within the Set are obviously inspired by either mathematics, or programming, or logic, or a related field. Can you talk about this motivation (either yours or the Set's) for this?

Brandon Sanderson

My motivation ties directly to the same reasons that we see mathematics playing out in behind-the-scenes ways on Roshar. This plays into the themes of the cosmere, the rule-based magic, and the fascination I have of the ties between art and mathematics. (See the Rithmatist, which was originally a cosmere novel.)

The Set's in-world reasonings are similar to this, though less self-aware.

source

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by RShara

[+robardin]

How about Suit (Edwarn) being told that, for his service, he would be allowed "to serve in another Realm", just before blowing him to smithereens?

Is the capital R supposed to imply he's still operating in the Cognitive Realm, Kelsier-like? (One assumes not in the Spiritual Realm?!)

If the Series can prevent Edwarn from "Moving On" to the Beyond, that's gotta be Shard level stuff, no?

Edited May 14, 2018 by robardin

[Farnsworth]

Or... (aluminum hat mode) he’s serving in the Beyond to take down the God Beyond  as part of the Discard Deck!

[Yata]

If the Fakeless Immortal used an Ettmetal bomb, It's possible they tried to turn him into a CS by overexpositure to Investiture.

If It works he would serve in another Realm. In the other case...bye Suit 

[+robardin]

On 5/19/2018 at 2:31 AM, Yata said:

If the Fakeless Immortal used an Ettmetal bomb, It's possible they tried to turn him into a CS by overexpositure to Investiture.

If It works he would serve in another Realm. In the other case...bye Suit 

I don't know if that was intentional, but that is a great way to refer to the Kandra Not Of Harmony!

[Yata]

44 minutes ago, robardin said:

I don't know if that was intentional, but that is a great way to refer to the Kandra Not Of Harmony!

It isn't an idea of mine. It's how someone here started to call them.

And notice, we don't know if those are Kandra at all (for example I think they are not). In Scadrial Northern's culture "Faceless Immortal" has a different meaning than our own.

For us Faceless Immortal -> Kandra, in world Faceless Immortal denotes a Divine Servant/Agent....Probably it could be traslated something like "Angel" in a Christian view.

So it's unclear what Suit was actually saying there.

[Gasper]

Would it be possible that the Fakeless Immortal is a Siah Aimian? They seem to have similar abilities to a Kandra (shape shifiting) and it is not unlikely, given what we've seen, that some of them are worldhoppers. Maybe some of them have started to work for the Set.

[+robardin]

On 5/22/2018 at 3:03 PM, Yata said:

It isn't an idea of mine. It's how someone here started to call them.

And notice, we don't know if those are Kandra at all (for example I think they are not). In Scadrial Northern's culture "Faceless Immortal" has a different meaning than our own.

For us Faceless Immortal -> Kandra, in world Faceless Immortal denotes a Divine Servant/Agent....Probably it could be traslated something like "Angel" in a Christian view.

So it's unclear what Suit was actually saying there.

It may not be done via physical "shapechanging" in the way that a kandra would do (based on the physical nature of a mistwraith), but it's definitely implied that the Series' "Faceless" Immortals are "faceless" in the sense of being identity swappers.

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...a stranger walked in. Male this time, with a ragged beard and wild hair. A beggar stolen off the street, Suit guessed.

You could tell them by the way they walked. Never a stroll, never leisurely. Always fast, determined. Purposeful.

Of course, the softly glowing red eyes were another sign. ...

The Set had Faceless Immortals of its own.

"A beggar stolen off the street" could be a "donor" body for a kandra-like mimicking, or a straight up possession of the body.

More importantly, Suit's thinking to himself "male this time" also means he's met one of these before, possibly what he expects to be the same one, in the form of a human woman. (And maybe from our POV as well - I think I'll go back and re-read the Era 2 books for scenes with Edwarn talking respectfully to an unknown woman...)

I still wonder what "You will be allowed to serve in another Realm" means. Suit as a Cognitive Ghost seems... Scary?

Edited May 23, 2018 by robardin