"One Dawnshard is different from all the rest."

[CROSSENuUP Forescout]

What do you guys think that Brandon means by this quote per this WOB?

How different is this Darnshard from the others? Maybe there are three "good" or "neutral" dawnshard and the last one is "bad"? Change, create, stay, destroy?

What do you guys think?

[Crylorenzo Forescout]

I think bad would be the wrong word, but I do agree that it is likely Destroy, if that is one, because the other ones have more to do with creation as a whole.

[Ashbringer Mistborn]

I feel like that difference has to be more than a different Command. My guess is one Dawnshard is non-functional at the moment, or possibly too functional (ie in active use).

[robardin Bondsmith]

11 hours ago, Ashbringer said:

I feel like that difference has to be more than a different Command. My guess is one Dawnshard is non-functional at the moment, or possibly too functional (ie in active use).

Or is the only one with a living former bearer in Hoid, who has been spiritually "stretched" thereby.

A former bearer... In Hoid, who was addressed by Frost as "Bearer of the First Gem".

Hm?

[Ciridae Svrakiss]

After reading DS I took it to mean that only one of the four was not merged with an individual. At the time of that WoB Rysn's Dawnshard was just hanging out on a wall. I assume the other three are merged with somebody.

[garlick Cobalt Guard]

45 minutes ago, Ciridae said:

After reading DS I took it to mean that only one of the four was not merged with an individual. At the time of that WoB Rysn's Dawnshard was just hanging out on a wall. I assume the other three are merged with somebody.

I really like this idea. Its simple and makes alot of sense.

[Quantus Most Ancient]

The real question to ask The Branderson is whether that statement ("one is different") is still the case after the events of Dawnshard.  That would tell us if the Difference is in it's storage state (which changes) or something more fundamental. 

EDIT:  A New WOB confirmed that the "One is Different" has not changed fromt eh Novella, so this is far less likely.  Thanks, @Gilphon!

 

My first thought after reading this was that each of the 4 dawnshard corresponds to one of the 4 quadrants of the Shards (under the Quadratn theory that says the Shards can be categorized in the same quadrant chart as the Metallic Arts).  If that assumption proves true, it means the Dawnshards would correspond to the quadrants/realmic States: Physical, Mental, Spritual, and Temporal.  Thus Im guessing the CHANGE dawnshard is the Temporal one, and the others are something like "BE" for physical and perhaps "DOUBT" as a very Descartes idea of "I Doubt therefore I Think therefor I AM" for the Cognitive. I cant decide if the Temporal one is the the different one by not having a Realm associated with it, or if Spiritual would be the oddball is the rest is all supposed to flow From the Spiritual Realm.  

On the other hand, it could be Neither, and one of htem (maybe this one) is different because of something that changed.  Maybe it was used up, or shattered, Evolved, or otherwise changed. 

TL:DR

I think we need to try and confirm which of the follwing is the "difference" referenced:

• Storage - it was different because it was stored in the mural and not a person, etc.  This chages in Dawnshard, so we might pin this one down.
• Nature - one of them is fundamentally different than the rest. (See above for a possible framework for this sort of thing)
• Charge - Maybe one was used up, shattered, or otherwise rendered inoperable.  Maybe it's a topaz...
• Evolution (Developing Sentience) -  Per WOB, Investiture left alone too long will naturally gain sentience.  Roshar seems like a particularly good place for this sort of thing to happen.  And the Dawnshard has been sitting alone in a wall for hundreds if not thousands of years, with nothing but a fundamental drive to Change...  It then seems to bubble ideas up in her as if they were her own, but the Dawnshard also does refer to her as a separate entity in those thoughts.  The Sleepless, of course, think that's impossible.  

Edited November 11, 2020 by Quantus

[CaptainRyan Worldbringer]

My guess: One Dawnshard is contained inside a certain "robot spren" that likes to destroy evil and the other three are not. 

[Kuram Arteth]

Warbreaker: 

Spoiler

This wouldn't explain why Vasher was so afraid of Shashara sharing the secret to awakening a blade, enough to kill her.  How many dawnshards are floating around out there for use in a sword?

 

[Ashbringer Mistborn]

Spoiler

Vasher doesn't necessarily know that Nightblood isn't the end result of every sentient-metal awakening. The only other thing we've seen is Azure's blade, and we don't necessarily know that Vasher made that. Susebron could have. Or Vasher could have made it (post-Warbreaker), realized that it was very different than Nightblood... that could explain their falling-out quite a bit.

 

It's also possible that Nightblood isn't a Dawnshard, but a result of one. Maybe the command "Destroy Evil" was so close to the Dawnshard Destroy or something.

 

[KidWayne Ferring]

3 hours ago, CaptainRyan said:

My guess: One Dawnshard is contained inside a certain "robot spren" that likes to destroy evil and the other three are not. 

I really like this theory. It explains what makes Nightblood unique and a non-reproducible entity/experiment. 

However, this gets at something else that has been gnawing at me... The whole intent + command thing is straight out of Warbreaker & the magic system that allows breath to do various things. No other magic system we have seen is explicit about the intent + command system although it can be inferred or explained using structural qualities of the various systems...

• Roshar: spren provides intent, the command is supplied by the will of the surgebinder
• Scadrial: intent here is weird it seems related to the mechanics of the magic systems instead of the magic user; command comes from the magic user
• Taldain: intent is baked into sand mastery; command supplied by the will of the sand master
• Sel: lots of magic systems; intent seems to apply to magic system; we don't really know enough about most systems to explain the command portion, though the stamp seems to provide the command in forgery (the role intent plays in forgery is a mystery to me though)
• Nalthis: command is supplied by a spoken command, not merely by the unspoken will of the awakener; like on Scadrial, intent applies to magic system not the user or magical effect. 

Edited November 9, 2020 by KidWayne

[Wandering Investor Stormwarden]

I see 4 possibilities for the difference. The first three are pretty similar.

3 dawnshards are bonded, 1 is not.

1 dawnshard is bonded, 3 are not.

3 dawnshards still exist, while the 4th has been rendered permanently damaged/changed in some form or fashion. Brandon did note that the weapon used to destroy Adon was no longer functional. Or maybe vice versa, 3 were expended, but 1 remains at full capacity. 

Quote

imriel452

My request for Brandon  was "for information on the current status of the weapon that was used to kill Adonalsium, including the current possessor".

Brandon Sanderson

The weapon was expended, and no longer exists in its original form.

General Signed Books 2016 (Feb. 25, 2016)

The 4th option is that one of the dawnshards is genuinely different from the others in what it's capable of or how it functions. 

On 11/9/2020 at 10:48 AM, CaptainRyan said:

My guess: One Dawnshard is contained inside a certain "robot spren" that likes to destroy evil and the other three are not. 

There isn't enough evidence yet to fully support this, but I totally dig the idea. This would fully explain why his existence seems so unique. 

[Verily Spren]

I think Hoid is the Dawnshard of Fortune. He is the one who is different. He chose not to pick up a shard at the shattering of Adolnalsium, but I think he was required as one of the four Dawnshards to make it occur.

Rsyn is the Dawnshard of Initiation, hence the command 'change.'

Identity/ Intention are the other two if I had to guess & Intention was used to lock Odium away on Braize.

 

Can't wait to see if I'm correct...

 

[Hoids Imaginary Friend Babsk]

I'm thinking maybe all the Dawnshards can do the same thing but in different ways.

But there's this one..

Spoiler

That can do more.!

!~HIF~!

[Gilphon Originator]

On 2020-11-09 at 11:27 AM, Quantus said:

The real question to ask The Branderson is whether that statement ("one is different") is still the case after the events of Dawnshard.  That would tell us if the Difference is in it's storage state (which changes) or something more fundamental.  

Somebody asked exactly this question on reddit, and got an answer:

Quote

MoriWillow

You once told us that one of the Dawnshards was different from the others. As of the events of this novella, is that still true?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Which tells us that the difference is not the storage state. 

[KandraAllomancer Forger]

I think there's a possibility that the difference is that three Dawnshards are currently located on Roshar: Change, Unity and some unnamed destructive one (Rayse or, less likely, Nightblood). If this theory turns out to be true:

then the fourth one would be Kelsier and bound to Scadrial for now

[Halyo_Alex Cryptic]

2 hours ago, KandraAllomancer said:

I think there's a possibility that the difference is that three Dawnshards are currently located on Roshar: Change, Unity and some unnamed destructive one (Rayse or, less likely, Nightblood). If this theory turns out to be true:

then the fourth one would be Kelsier and bound to Scadrial for now

"Survive".

Sounds possible.

[Heavily Invested Skaa]

Hmm... or was the ‘different’ dawnshard used in the Oathpact? And potentially broken or changed? I mean, it could have been used to ‘Unite’ the heralds and also give them immortality... binding both voidish and mortal (I think that’s the quote?). New to the site, but lurked a long time... 

Which would then explain how Dalinar could be bonding a dawnshard, as the oathpact isn’t quite dead but it is damaged. Kind of like how Adolin is sort of bonding Maya.

Edited November 12, 2020 by Heavily Invested

[Verily Spren]

Adolin just needs to breathe a bit of breathe into Maya and then the magic will happen!

[frozndevl Forescout]

7 hours ago, Heavily Invested said:

Hmm... or was the ‘different’ dawnshard used in the Oathpact? And potentially broken or changed? I mean, it could have been used to ‘Unite’ the heralds and also give them immortality... binding both voidish and mortal (I think that’s the quote?). New to the site, but lurked a long time... 

Which would then explain how Dalinar could be bonding a dawnshard, as the oathpact isn’t quite dead but it is damaged. Kind of like how Adolin is sort of bonding Maya.

This was the thought that came to mind for me, or something similar. Perhaps the Heralds all bonded temporarily, or jointly, the Dawnshard that imprisoned Odium and that's how they became the way they are. Adds some additional intrigue to killing Jezrien if he was supposed to be immortal... did they remove his Dawnshard power remnant? Could they also do it to Hoid if that's the case?

[Quantus Most Ancient]

Well, according to Cord the one on Aimia arrived on Roshar in far more recent times than the initial migration, since the Horneater's have cultural memory of it's arrival through the perpendicularity.  So if there was one involved in the migration era and/or the fall of Ashyn, it was most likely a different DawnShard.  

Edited November 14, 2020 by Quantus

[Eternal Khol Soulcaster]

I was thinking on how maybe the one Dawnshard that  “is different from all the rest” could be Hoid’s

We know that his inability to cause harm and eat meat came from the Dawnshard he held. it was the same in Dragonsteel, but he could heal people and cause growth similar(amost exactly like)the surge of Progression. 

maybe 1 Dawnshard is focused on healing and growth and while the other 3 are capable of causing untold mass destruction like on Ashyn?

Edited November 13, 2020 by Eternal Khol
Typo’s

[Sirscott13 Cobalt Guard]

Ha a thread about my question love it! 
 

I immediately thought of this after finishing dawnshard and my best guess is that one has different potential, like maybe the ability to reforge 

[shadows Skaa]

The difficult thing to decipher is whether it is the nature of the Command of the Dawnshard that is unique or whether the situation it has been in or gone through is.

Given we now know he was a former holder of one, I could see a scenario where Hoid giving up a Dawnshard willingly meant that it has perhaps remained stronger or purer than the remaining Dawnshards that have been used or passed on in other ways for instance. It would not be surprising if it turned out that major uses of them resulted in splintering (for want of a better word) if not wielded by someone who comprehends fully what they are doing in the way a being with a higher level of thought might.

I feel it's slightly tricky for it to be nature dependent given they are supposed to tie back to being the commands that created all things and having anything truly conflicting there becomes difficult when they combined for one goal. Perhaps one might differ because of how much it does / doesn't depend on its user though.