Non-Published Canon Magics

[Criggleworth]

So, there are several magic systems that are considered canon, though they've not yet really been in a canon, published work. I wanted to list them out and see if anyone else knew of any more. I'm going to sort them into, basically, canon and made a cameo, canon but not in anything published, and probably canon but not confirmed.

Canon with a Cameo

-Yolish Lightweaving: made an appearance in the Stormlight books when Hoid used Lightweaving and needed Shallan's assistance (assuming that instance wasn't him using a different form of Lightweaving)

-Aethers: smaller cameo in Stormlight, as a pinkish crystal and as a blood/oil like substance on some clothing

Canon but no Published Appearances (both mentioned in WoBs and in the Bridge 4 chapters of Dragonsteel that were released on Brandon's website)

-Tzai Blows

-Microkinesis

Quasi-canon

-Disease magic of Ashyn: this one seems to depend on Brandon getting the magic system figured out and finding time for Silence Divine

-Kite magic: mentioned by Brandon as the magic in a potential YA book, where Hoid’s apprentice needs to learn the magic

 

Are there any I'm missing?

Edit:

Edited to add the kite magic

Edited October 31, 2020 by Criggleworth

[+ILuvHats]

27 minutes ago, Criggleworth said:

-Tzai Blows

-Microkinesis

Quasi-canon

Do you have the sources for when these systems were mentioned? I don't remember seeing any references to them, though maybe I've forgotten since reading the Dragonsteel chapters. 

[Criggleworth]

Yup. The Tzai shows up in the last of the Bridge 4 chapters released from Dragonsteel Prime: https://www.brandonsanderson.com/dragonsteel-prime-chapter-37-bridge-four-7/

It's very likely that the redacted magic that gets mentioned in those chapters is microkinesis. I did see that in one of the other threads under Unpublished Works, but I unfortunately don't have a link to that handy.

Both microkinesis and Tzai blows are mentioned in a few wobs:

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/181/#e3812

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/385/#e12572

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/291/#e7825

[+ILuvHats]

Thanks for the WoBs. I've actually seen all of them except the last, and I'm not sure if I've ever realized that there was a name for the fission based system. I also have a vague recollection of the Tzai blows from Dragonsteel, but just barely.

[Weltall]

Yeah, there's enough WoBs to work out that the source of all those [REDACTED]s in the Dragonsteel Prime are what Brandon's called microkinesis.

There's also that mention of Cognitive Ripples but I have no idea what those are supposed to be, presumably only readers of the full Dragonsteel Prime know. They may or may not be a form of magic on their own.

We know there's some manifestation of Investiture associated with Vax and how one gets access to it is unique enough for Khriss to mention it while discussing how unusual Initiation is on Sel, but we don't know anything about it other than that it exists.

Brandon hinted that a YA Cosmere story he's thinking of writing involves magic kites, so add that to quasi-canonical I guess.

There may be more, these are just things I remembered or was able to find in a brief search.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Weltall

[Criggleworth]

2 hours ago, Weltall said:

Yeah, there's enough WoBs to work out that the source of all those [REDACTED]s in the Dragonsteel Prime are what Brandon's called microkinesis.

There's also that mention of Cognitive Ripples but I have no idea what those are supposed to be, presumably only readers of the full Dragonsteel Prime know. They may or may not be a form of magic on their own.

We know there's some manifestation of Investiture associated with Vax and how one gets access to it is unique enough for Khriss to mention it while discussing how unusual Initiation is on Sel, but we don't know anything about it other than that it exists.

Brandon hinted that a YA Cosmere story he's thinking of writing involves magic kites, so add that to quasi-canonical I guess.

There may be more, these are just things I remembered or was able to find in a brief search.

Yeah, I considered Vax. But, we only know that it has a magic, as you mentioned.

Good call on the kite magic, I'll add that to my list.

The Cognitive Ripples stumped me as well.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

This old TWG post by Peter mentions "Topaz's mass effect blast", though obviously it doesn't elaborate. So that might be something. 

Another post in that thread mentions Jerick becoming a Tzai but not developing his microkinetic abilities very far, which, combined with the explanation of Tzai Blows in the released sample chapters, makes me wonder if perhaps anyone can learn Tzai Blows, or at least anyone with access to a Cognitive Realm-based usage of Investiture.

(Note: the thread does have some plot and character discussion of Dragonsteel Prime, although the mods on TWG appear to have nuked any large spoilers.)

Sho Del appear to have an illusion magic in the sample chapters, which functions very differently from any form of Lightweaving we've seen before now:

Quote

“It has to do with the nature of Sho Del illusion, Young Master,” Frost explained, noting Jerick’s continued confusion. “The Sho Del do not send images themselves, they just project an imprint into your head—a general set of instructions. Your own mind translates those instructions, creating the things you see. Each person who sees a Sho Del illusion is really creating the image in their own mind, assembling it from the things they have seen before. That’s why the illusions seem so real. A person can know logically that he is seeing an illusion, but since his own mind is creating it, filling in every necessary detail, it can still feel completely tangible to him.”

“Men often die from Sho Del illusions,” Tzern added. “Most soldiers, jumping as you did, would have convinced themselves that instead of passing through the illusion, they had run into it. They would have fallen to the ground, as if knocked unconscious.”

 

[Criggleworth]

9 hours ago, beewall said:

This old TWG post by Peter mentions "Topaz's mass effect blast", though obviously it doesn't elaborate. So that might be something. 

Another post in that thread mentions Jerick becoming a Tzai but not developing his microkinetic abilities very far, which, combined with the explanation of Tzai Blows in the released sample chapters, makes me wonder if perhaps anyone can learn Tzai Blows, or at least anyone with access to a Cognitive Realm-based usage of Investiture.

(Note: the thread does have some plot and character discussion of Dragonsteel Prime, although the mods on TWG appear to have nuked any large spoilers.)

Sho Del appear to have an illusion magic in the sample chapters, which functions very differently from any form of Lightweaving we've seen before now:

 

A "mass effect blast"? Interesting. Definitely makes me think there are at least a few other magics in Dragonsteel. One of those other posts you linked to mentioned a "light-power girl", which is presumably Lightweaving. But... who knows.

I'm wondering if the Sho Del Lightweaving operates the same as Hoid's Yolish Lightweaving. My gut says yes, but we didn't get any Hoid in those Birdge 4 chapters and his Lightweaving didn't get used in a similar way in the Liar of Partinel sample chapters.

Pre-Shattering magic, at least on Yolen, seems to involve using your Cognitive aspect to affect either the Cognitive or Spiritual aspect of someone or something else- the Sho Del casting illusions directly into people's minds or the Tzai Blows shattering steel by shattering the spiritual aspect. Based on that, it kind of seems like a lot of those magics could be learned by anyone who has enough of a Cognitive presence. As illustrated by Jerick becoming a Tzai and already having microkinesis. I could be way off though.

[Eternal Khol]

On 10/31/2020 at 4:41 AM, Criggleworth said:

A "mass effect blast"? Definitely makes me think there are at least a few other magics in Dragonsteel.

That was an act of microkinesis, I believe. Near the end of the novel, Topaz does a big blast of healing with his powers and heals like an entire town. It’s literally a “mass effect blast” just probably not how you were imagining XD

also the light girl doesn’t lightweave, she literally bends light. Like, she can make herself invisible by bending rays of light around herself.

Jerick could like destroy things with his microkinesis while Topaz could only grow things(or something like that) and Ryalla(light power girl) could literally bend light. 

all of these abilities were pretty different but all called Microkinesis by Topaz

 

also im not sure if they’re still canon but Sho Del are canon so maybe and Brandon mentioned them in a WoB a few years ago. Anyway, Tamu Keks were Sho Del bones(or a specific bone?) that had magical properties, like if you waved it over a candle, you could get the candle to light. The magic came from the dragonsteel inside Sho Del bones and im not sure if thats still canon either, so take that one with a grain of salt

 

heres a WoB where the questioner indirectly asks about Tamu Keks

 

FirstSelector

Here's a Dragonsteel question. If I were to wave Leras' knife over a candle, would it light?

Brandon Sanderson

...We'll RAFO that.

Oathbringer San Francisco signing (Nov. 15, 2017) Edited November 2, 2020 by Eternal Khol

[LewsTherinTelescope]

5 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

That was an act of microkinesis, I believe. Near the end of the novel, Topaz does a big blast of healing with his powers and heals like an entire town. It’s literally a “mass effect blast” just probably not how you were imagining XD

Wait, you can heal with microkinesis? Wow

5 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

Jerick could like destroy things with his microkinesis while Topaz could only grow things(or something like that) and Ryalla(light power girl) could literally bend light. 

all of these abilities were pretty different but all called Microkinesis by Topaz

Reminds me of cytonics, with how there's a bunch of different powers, and it's theoretically possible to master them all, but Brandon has said he's going to shift to having people specialize in one only. Or perhaps it's that they all function off the same mechanics, and it's possible to learn how to use the others, if you get a deep enough understanding of the one you have. After all, Hoid was probably just a Lightweaver in Liar. 

5 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

Anyway, Tamu Keks were Sho Del bones(or a specific bone?) that had magical properties, like if you waved it over a candle, you could get the candle to light.

Interesting. Tamu Keks were mentioned briefly in one of the sample chapters, and they gave off a feeling of power, but I don't believe what they did was touched on.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

6 hours ago, Criggleworth said:

I'm wondering if the Sho Del Lightweaving operates the same as Hoid's Yolish Lightweaving. My gut says yes, but we didn't get any Hoid in those Birdge 4 chapters and his Lightweaving didn't get used in a similar way in the Liar of Partinel sample chapters.

My gut says no, personally. I feel like Yolish Lightweaving is probably more directly affecting light and stuff (similar to Rosharan Lightweaving, though there's probably some differences), while Sho Del Lightweaving, from the explanation we get, is more a hallucinogen magic power, pretty much.

6 hours ago, Criggleworth said:

Pre-Shattering magic, at least on Yolen, seems to involve using your Cognitive aspect to affect either the Cognitive or Spiritual aspect of someone or something else- the Sho Del casting illusions directly into people's minds or the Tzai Blows shattering steel by shattering the spiritual aspect. Based on that, it kind of seems like a lot of those magics could be learned by anyone who has enough of a Cognitive presence. As illustrated by Jerick becoming a Tzai and already having microkinesis. I could be way off though.

Yeah, that's the vibe I get too. I'm curious whether that's still canon (assuming that our guesses are correct, lol) or whether Brandon's gonna change it to be a bit more limited in accessibility.

I wonder: are Cognitive Ripples perhaps the Sho Del illusions? You send a sort of "ripple" through the Cognitive, and each mind picks that up and interprets it? Could just be me stretching when in fact we just haven't seen Cognitive Ripples at all, though.

22 hours ago, ILuvHats said:

I've actually seen all of them except the last, and I'm not sure if I've ever realized that there was a name for the fission based system.

Lol. Someone at some point tagged all the WoBs on it with "microkinesis", which is I think where I learned the word and name. Not sure if the person who added the tags has read Dragonsteel, or just spoke to people who have or what. But I'm assuming the tags are correct. 

[Eternal Khol]

8 hours ago, beewall said:

Interesting. Tamu Keks were mentioned briefly in one of the sample chapters, and they gave off a feeling of power, but I don't believe what they did was touched on.

the thing that makes me think they're still canon, is that a few years ago Brandon said that Singer Gemhearts are "very similar" to Tamu keks and that "it kind of relates to some stuff in Dragonsteel that I'm not gonna get into."

[LewsTherinTelescope]

12 minutes ago, Eternal Khol said:

the thing that makes me think they're still canon, is that a few years ago Brandon said that Singer Gemhearts are "very similar" to Tamu keks and that "it kind of relates to some stuff in Dragonsteel that I'm not gonna get into."

The big question there is whether he means "something still in Dragonsteel in canon is related", or just means "there was something similar in Dragonsteel that evolved into them in my thought process". He did confirm he was talking about Tamu Keks there, though:

Quote

WeiryWriter

At Emerald City Comic Con earlier this year, you stated that Singer gemhearts are a "milky white" color, and looked like bone/bone marrow. You also said they were related to something in Dragonsteel. Having read the sample chapters of The Liar of Partinel a while back, I couldn't help but be reminded of the skullmoss, which is a bone-white color. Are the singer gemhearts related to the fainlife in any meaningful or important way?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah they are very similar to Tamu Keks.

Footnote: This is referencing this exchange.
BookCon 2018 (June 1, 2018)

 

[Eternal Khol]

39 minutes ago, beewall said:

The big question there is whether he means "something still in Dragonsteel in canon is related", or just means "there was something similar in Dragonsteel that evolved into them in my thought process"

i did think of that, but just chose to believe in the latter XD

[LewsTherinTelescope]

6 minutes ago, Eternal Khol said:

i did think of that, but just chose to believe in the latter XD

Lol, fair enough. 

[danex]

I thought the Ashyn disease magic was basically canon at this point.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

On 10/31/2020 at 8:04 AM, Eternal Khol said:

also the light girl doesn’t lightweave, she literally bends light. Like, she can make herself invisible by bending rays of light around herself.

Jerick could like destroy things with his microkinesis while Topaz could only grow things(or something like that) and Ryalla(light power girl) could literally bend light. 

all of these abilities were pretty different but all called Microkinesis by Topaz

....huh. Forgot all about you mentioning this until I opened the thread to see Dannex's message. Hmm. This has some potential implications, with things that have been revealed since then....

[Honorless]

I'll add this WoB here as well, for anyone wondering what the Tzai Blows are:

Quote

Pagerunner

Is Nightblood like the Tzai Blows... from Dragonsteel, where he pulverizes a Spiritual aspect, and it has a result on the Physical? Is that what he does, popping into smoke?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, he is attacking directly at the spirit.

Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017)

We actually get to see it in action and get a good explanation of how it works here:

https://www.brandonsanderson.com/dragonsteel-prime-chapter-37-bridge-four-7/
(we also get that for Sho Del illusions here)

I've copy-pasted the relevant portion here: (spoilered for length)

Spoiler

Tzern didn’t answer immediately, instead sitting with a contemplative look on his face. “All right, then, Jerick,” he finally said. “Now that is resolved, perhaps you can answer a more perplexing question for me. How, in the middle of a cloudless day, did a bolt of lightning strike down that Shen Da rider just before it killed you?”

Jerick felt himself grow cold. “I don’t know, my lord,” he answered truthfully.

“I listened to your men as we marched back to the camp,” Tzern continued. “They say the White One himself attends and protects you.”

“The priests say he watches over all of us,” Jerick responded.

“Isn’t it curious, then,” Tzern continued, “that lightning is not the tool of Oren, but of his brother Keth the Black?”

Tzern’s eyes caught Jerick’s and held them for a long moment, as if searching for something. Finally, the tall Tzend turned away. “Regardless, one thing is obvious. You are no average lumberman. I saw you jump through the center of that Sho Del illusion.”

“Sir?” Jerick asked with perplexment. “It was only an illusion; it wasn’t really there.”

“Ah,” Tzern replied, “but even knowing that, most men cannot force themselves to do such a thing.”

“It has to do with the nature of Sho Del illusion, Young Master,” Frost explained, noting Jerick’s continued confusion. “The Sho Del do not send images themselves, they just project an imprint into your head—a general set of instructions. Your own mind translates those instructions, creating the things you see. Each person who sees a Sho Del illusion is really creating the image in their own mind, assembling it from the things they have seen before. That’s why the illusions seem so real. A person can know logically that he is seeing an illusion, but since his own mind is creating it, filling in every necessary detail, it can still feel completely tangible to him.”

“Men often die from Sho Del illusions,” Tzern added. “Most soldiers, jumping as you did, would have convinced themselves that instead of passing through the illusion, they had run into it. They would have fallen to the ground, as if knocked unconscious.”

“I don’t know how to respond, sir,” Jerick confessed. “I knew it was an illusion and that I couldn’t let it distract me.”

“A good enough answer,” Tzern decided. “All right, Jerick, one final question. I always let men choose how they will serve. You may return to your bridgemen as their leader, and no one will think less of you if you do. You may be trained as an officer, and perhaps some day command a division—or even camp—of your own. Or, you may try something else.”

“Something else, sir?” Jerick asked carefully.

Tzern nodded toward the door, and Jerick turned, looking through the open portal. Just beyond, in one of the roped practice squares, two men were fighting. They wore no uniforms, though one was wearing a green vest and the other a blue one. Instead of practice swords they were holding real weapons. A small crowd of men had gathered around the sparring area, watching quietly.

The match was almost a surreal experience. He couldn’t be certain, not quite, but it seemed as if their motions were a little too quick, a little too fluid, to be a real battle. It wasn’t the blunt, forceful fighting of battlefield soldiers, or even the sparring of a fencing match. It was like a thing rehearsed, with each motion placed in precision.

As Jerick watched, the blue warrior spun, leaping into the air and placing his foot against one of the guard ropes. Though the rope should never have been able to hold such weight, the man pushed off of it into a flip, twirling in the air over his opponent. The green-vested man, however, had begun spinning himself, sticking out his foot as he rotated in an attempt to trip the man who had yet to land. Blue dropped to the ground, then immediately hopped, barely clearing Green’s attack, while at the same time bringing his own sword down.

Metal rang against metal as Green, still spinning from his attempted trip, thrust his sword back, blocking his opponent’s weapon without even looking to know where it was. Still spinning, his foot having yet to complete its trip-rotation, Green thrust his second foot into the air and caught Blue on the side of the head, pulling him to the ground.

Green was on his feet first, his sword plunging at Blue, who was still on his back. Blue paused, watching the sword plunge at his heart. He seemed as if he were going to do nothing. Then the world stopped. Jerick felt drawn into the battle, as if everything about him—the building, the watching soldiers, the sky and the earth—were focused on this one event. The green-vested warrior hung in the air, his blade just inches from Blue’s chest. Blue lay on the ground, his arm pulled back as if in a punch. Nothing moved—nothing could move. Then Blue’s hand suddenly snapped forward with an audible crack, smashing into his opponent’s blade at an incredible speed. The second warrior’s steel blade shattered in two by the blow.

Blue was on his feet a second later, swinging his sword at the now-disarmed Green. For a moment it appeared as if he would behead his opponent. The weapon, however, stopped just before Green’s neck.

“They are called the Tzai,” Ki Tzern said from behind. “My elite soldiers. Your third option, young Jerick.”

༺ ❁ ༻

“And . . .” Jerick said, his eyes darting involuntarily toward the practice squares.

“Ah,” Frost said with understanding. “The Tzai.”

“What are they, Frost?” Jerick asked, somehow knowing that Frost would be able to answer. “How do those men do such amazing things?”

“Are you certain you want me to answer that, Young Master?” Frost replied pointedly. “My explanation may go against some of the things you have read.”

“I don’t care,” Jerick informed. “I stopped ignoring truth after my first few months as a bridgeman.”

“Well, then, Young Master,” Frost began. “Your answer lies within an understanding of the Three Realms.”

“That much, at least, is true?” Jerick asked.

“Oh, yes. There really are Three Realms of Existence, Spiritual, Cognitive, and Physical, though they are not what men think them to be. Your scholars tell you the Spiritual Realm is that of the gods, the Cognitive Realm that of the Sho Del, and the Physical Realm that of man. The truth is that most things exist in all three realms.

“Everything you see around you, animals, rocks, and plants, has a Physical nature. You know that, you can touch it with your Physical nature. However, all things also have a Cognitive side and a Spiritual side as well. The Spiritual is its soul, its ideal nature. The Cognitive is the thing that mediates between an object’s Physical side and its Spiritual side.”

“The mind,” Jerick surmised.

“You could call it the mind,” Frost admitted, “though that doesn’t necessarily always hold true. A rock, for instance, has a Cognitive nature—a weak one, but it has one nonetheless. The Cognitive is what determines an object’s placing in the world—in effect, it remembers where the object is in relation to the rest of the universe. When the Sho Del use their minds to speak with one another, they are speaking Cognitive to Cognitive. When they send illusions to your warriors, they are doing the same thing.”

“Then the Sho Del are creatures of the Cognitive,” Jerick noted.

“Not exactly,” Frost corrected, holding a finger into the air. “The Sho Del tend to have powerful Cognitive sides, true, but they exist primarily in the Physical realm, just like humans. Men can have powerful Cognitive sides as well, though humans vary wildly from person to person. Some have more Cognitive power than even the greatest of Sho Del, others have so little they are only slightly better than a rock.”

“I’ve met a few of those,” Jerick mumbled.

Frost smiled. “You, Young Master, appear to have a strong Cognitive side.”

“How can you tell?”

“Because [REDACTED] is Cognitive magic. When you look at the world [REDACTED], what you are really doing is looking through the eyes of your Cognitive self. Almost like you have slipped into the Cognitive Realm for a moment, and are peeking out at the Physical world.”

“And when I use [REDACTED] to . . . change things?” Jerick asked quietly.

Frost paused. “I wasn’t aware you had gotten that far,” he admitted. “The essence of [REDACTED] is changing things—using Cognitive energy to make alterations in the Physical world.”

“And what these Tzai warriors do?” Jerick asked. “Is it the same thing?”

“No,” Frost corrected. “The Tzai go the other way. They use their Cognitive energy to affect the Spiritual realm—though they do it quite innocently.”

“Innocently?” Jerick asked.

“General Tzern is a brilliant man,” Frost explained. “But, like most brilliant men, he doesn’t accept the idea of magic or mysticism. When his men meditate and practice, they are focusing their Cognitive power, but they simply see it as a training technique. When a Tzai shatters his opponent’s sword with his bare hand, what he is really doing is gathering his Cognitive energy and using it to break the sword’s Spiritual aspect. Any alterations made to an object’s Spiritual side have immediate, and often violent, repercussions in the Physical world.

“Tzern’s warriors don’t see that side, however. They think their hand shatters the steel, when it really has little to do with the process.”

Jerick nodded slowly. What Frost was saying was different from what he had been taught. It was like a clearer vision of what the Trexandian scholars were trying to piece together. He only paused briefly to wonder how Frost knew so much. He trusted the words—somehow he innately understood that Frost was speaking the truth. Topaz was right—the old scholar was something much more than one first assumed.

 

Also let's not forget Yolish Dragons in general, who can shape-shift and their body seems to produce liquid Dragonsteel which flows along the contours of their scales and hardens. You can check out this chapter for a live Yolish Dragon:

https://www.brandonsanderson.com/dragonsteel-prime-chapter-35-bridge-four-6/

Also notable that they made swords out of Dragonsteel which could cut through armour like it was water.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Honorless

[+Oltux72]

On 30.10.2020 at 7:46 PM, Criggleworth said:

So, there are several magic systems that are considered canon, though they've not yet really been in a canon, published work. I wanted to list them out and see if anyone else knew of any more. I'm going to sort them into, basically, canon and made a cameo, canon but not in anything published, and probably canon but not confirmed.

Canon with a Cameo

Are there any I'm missing?

Darkside magic. Whatever is keeping Skathan alive.

[Weltall]

54 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

Darkside magic. Whatever is keeping Skathan alive.

This one's curious because while it appears in both the prose and graphic novel and there must be some explanation for it, Khriss' essay on Taldain in Arcanum Unbounded notes that for years the assumption was that Autonomy only Invested the Dayside of Taldain, not Darkside. It's funny that she wouldn't at least put in a footnote that oh yes, there is/was this immortal emperor on that half of the planet and that really should have been a hint, or something. Especially since Brandon has confirmed that there's actual magic on Darkside, even if it's not as 'explosive or obvious' as Sand Mastery.

But yeah, now I'm wondering how none of us remembered to bring up that one before.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Weltall

[LewsTherinTelescope]

4 hours ago, Weltall said:

Especially since Brandon has confirmed that there's actual magic on Darkside, even if it's not as 'explosive or obvious' as Sand Mastery.

Based on this, I'd guess it's more just an environmental thing than a magic system. No idea what the hell is up with Skathan if so though. Offworld magic? Direct gift from a Shard?

[Eternal Khol]

7 minutes ago, LewsTherinTelescope said:

 No idea what the hell is up with Skathan if so though. Offworld magic? Direct gift from a Shard?

I feel like he's an Avatar

[+Oltux72]

6 hours ago, Weltall said:

This one's curious because while it appears in both the prose and graphic novel and there must be some explanation for it, Khriss' essay on Taldain in Arcanum Unbounded notes that for years the assumption was that Autonomy only Invested the Dayside of Taldain, not Darkside. It's funny that she wouldn't at least put in a footnote that oh yes, there is/was this immortal emperor on that half of the planet and that really should have been a hint, or something. Especially since Brandon has confirmed that there's actual magic on Darkside, even if it's not as 'explosive or obvious' as Sand Mastery.

Indeed. Sinister explanation: She has relatives on Taldaine and worries about their safety.

6 hours ago, Weltall said:

But yeah, now I'm wondering how none of us remembered to bring up that one before.

Because Taldaine is the ugly child in the attic few talk about. If we go away from people strictly there is more on it:

• Sandlings - how do they beat the cube / square law, what do they eat and how do they make Terken
• how was Sandmaster HQ built
• are the Dorim vines natural? Whence do they take all the water?

And we studiously avoid interactions with it. What happens if you make an arrowhead of Terken and shoot a Knight Radiant or a Fused with it?

2 hours ago, LewsTherinTelescope said:

Offworld magic? Direct gift from a Shard?

If he were the only oddity left to explain, I'd concur. But he isn't.

On 30.10.2020 at 7:46 PM, Criggleworth said:

Canon with a Cameo

-Yolish Lightweaving: made an appearance in the Stormlight books when Hoid used Lightweaving and needed Shallan's assistance (assuming that instance wasn't him using a different form of Lightweaving)

Obvious question: Is that ditinct from Sho-Del illusions?

On 30.10.2020 at 7:46 PM, Criggleworth said:

-Aethers: smaller cameo in Stormlight, as a pinkish crystal and as a blood/oil like substance on some clothing

If you count that, you also get the fayn life (that twig shown in Oathbringer)

Hence the Sho-Del are roughly as described (and there was Uli-Da - requiescat in pace). Hence the things you can do with their bones.

On 30.10.2020 at 7:46 PM, Criggleworth said:

Are there any I'm missing?

We have tiny hints on Threnodite stuff.

• The Deepest Ones
• The Shadow Armies mentioned in Secret History
• the ghost gun

First of the Sun - deep sea monsters or trees are not going up into a lake to eat worms, so the rest of the fauna and flora of and around the islands

Even on well established worlds: the Purelake and its fish
Whoever blew up Ladrian sr. in Bands of Mourning - outright demonic possession basically.

While we are on Secret History: how do you run a fabrial in the Cognitive Realm?
And how does that strange device for capturing a Shard work?
And the lighthouse keeper's device in Oathbringer.

And the giant reptiloid in the room: Dragonsteel
And while we are at metals, what is the deal with silver?

[Honorless]

5 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

I feel like he's an Avatar

Might be. But not necessarily. Holding any significant amount of Investiture tends to affect people, which might explain his policy of isolationism based on how one perceives the idea of autonomy. And the Skycolors/Shifting Colors might provide some method to immortality, a lot of Invested Arts do. I don't think Darkside being a "magic is in nature" setting, rather than a "people using magic" setting goes against that, First of the Sun falls in the latter category too, with an Avatar of the same Shard. He could also be a Cognitive Shadow: their minds are affected by the Investiture that they are tied to and they are effectively immortal.

[+Oltux72]

12 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

I feel like he's an Avatar

That option would make no sense (provided you mean an avatar of Autonomy). If that were the case he'd know the mechanics of Sandmastery and would have no reason to send an observer with Khrissalla.