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Values Behind the Magic Systems


Raven Wilder

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It occurred to me recently that, on each Cosmere world we've explored in-depth, the local magic systems seem to ... not necessarily represent certain values, but to reward certain values. To be set up in such a way that living a certain kind of life and having a certain approach to the world yields the best results.

On Sel, all the magic systems (that we know of) reward being a scholar. There's no such thing as instinctive magic on Sel (except maybe for that "know exactly how many steps you are from any given location" power); all Selish magic is the result of careful learning, study, and practice. Sure, being chosen as an Elantrian automatically gives you certain benefits, but even then, the only way to perform AonDor is by learning the many and complex Aons that can be drawn for various effects. Dakhor monks need to spend years at a monastery, going through repeated and elaborate rituals, making signs in order to transform their bodies. ChayShan is a martial art, so we can assume it's the product of training and practice. Forgery is all about learning and meticulous application of knowledge, and it's likely Bloodsealing works similarly. In all of them, magic can only be performed as the result of long and diligent study, and those who have practiced longer and learned more quickly will have far greater abilities. If there's one value Selish magic encourages, it's scholarly achievement.

By contrast, Roshar's magic rewards people, not for academics, but for spirituality. While practicing your magical abilities is useful, fabrial construction is the only aspect that's a scholarly discipline; the magics directly wielded by people function as instinctive abilities, given as rewards for undertaking a spiritual journey. There's the obvious mechanic where the Knights Radiant progress in power by swearing new oaths, becoming more powerful as they more fully embody their Ideals. But all Rosharan magic, whether Surgebinding, Voidbinding, or the Old Magic, comes from making a covenant with a divine being, with power granted in exchange for accepting what those god(lings) ask of you. Being open to spiritual change and growth is the key to practicing magic on Roshar, the value its magic systems prize above all else.

Meanwhile, on Nalthis the magic system values ... being rich. Everyone on the planet starts life with a Breath, a magical commodity that can be sold, bought, and traded, with magical abilities only open to those who can buy a great deal of Breath. Sure, you might say Awakening is an academic discipline like Selish magic, but there's two catches there. First is that greater skill at Awakening is one of the benefits of the Heightenings; someone who has purchased a whole mess of Breaths can skip over much of the arduous study a poorer Awakener would have to go through. Second is that, once an object has been Awakened, it can be purchased and used by anyone. You don't need to be a master Awakener to command a Lifeless army or wield Nightblood in battle: you just need to find a master Awakener who's willing to sell. For Nalthian magic, cash is king.

Then we come to Scadrial. You might be inclined to say that Scadrian magic rewards genetics, since for the two most common magic systems, your power depends on blood lineage and good luck. But I'd say that what the Metallic Arts most reward is gaming the system. Between Allomancy and Feruchemy, there are a lot of different powers someone can have on Scadrial, but while you can get some benefit from using a given power in a straightforward manner, all the most awesome effects come from playing different powers off each other. Heck, six of the Allomantic metals only produce a noticeable effect if they're used with or against another form of Allomancy (pity the poor sods who get stuck as Duralumin Gnats). Obviously Allomantic Zinc & Brass can do a lot more together than either can apart. Allomantic Steel can be useful on its own, but paired with Allomantic or Feruchemical Iron, its possibilities expand exponentially. Having Feruchemical Aluminum along with any other Feruchemical power lets you break one of the key rules of that magic system. Then there's Compounding, the ultimate magic system hack, which was powerful enough to let one dude conquer the world. And, never forget, Hemalurgy is one of the three Metallic Arts, a magic system that's all about picking and choosing what powers you want to take for the best possible combinations.

I first got to thinking about all this when I looked at what it takes on each planet for someone to become immortal. On Roshar, immortality is granted to the elite servants of the gods, who are transformed into beings more spirit than person so they can carry on the gods' mission throughout eternity. On Scadrial, immortality comes from from using an end-positive magic system to power an end-neutral magical ability, breaking the rules of how storing youth is supposed to work. And on Nalthis, becoming immortal is just a question of buying enough Breath (even the lucky few who Return need a new Breath each week). Elantrian immortality is the only one that doesn't fit the mold, but then, we don't yet know how Elantris and the Shaod were created.

Edited by Raven Wilder
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On 12/11/2020 at 3:22 PM, Ookla the Counselor said:

I  think that the values that are shown are likely reflections of the Shard's Intent (Look at me, using fancy cosmere words).

Actually, I think it’s a reflection of the books’ characters.

Elantris: The book is about the mystery of why Elantris doesn’t work.

Mistborn: It was a heist story. Gaming the system is exactly what they were doing.

Roshar: The story is about people growing toward their best selves, a concept that lends itself to spirituality.

Warbreaker: It’s a story of two princesses trying to avoid a war that is, at least partly, about trade routs.

The basic concept of the stories matches well with the nature of the world’s magics.

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On 12/11/2020 at 11:51 AM, Raven Wilder said:

 Meanwhile, on Nalthis the magic system values ... being rich. Everyone on the planet starts life with a Breath, a magical commodity that can be sold, bought, and traded, with magical abilities only open to those who can buy a great deal of Breath. Sure, you might say Awakening is an academic discipline like Selish magic, but there's two catches there. First is that greater skill at Awakening is one of the benefits of the Heightenings; someone who has purchased a whole mess of Breaths can skip over much of the arduous study a poorer Awakener would have to go through. Second is that, once an object has been Awakened, it can be purchased and used by anyone. You don't need to be a master Awakener to command a Lifeless army or wield Nightblood in battle: you just need to find a master Awakener who's willing to sell. For Nalthian magic, cash is king.

I would argue it's more about trust and loyalty, as it rewards people who convince others that the cause they are working for is worth the sacrifice.

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My belief is that their Shardic intent is what defines the magic...

on Sel, your magic is tied to the place that you are Connected to (Dominium) and you need to truly Devote yourself to studying the magic system in order to use it... ChayShan and Dakhor are both more martial in nature but require similar devotion to their crafts.

Awakening lends itself to being better for the wealthier, but that's because the fundamental function of the system is Endowing your power on another...

With the Knights Radiant, their powers increase as they Honor their oaths and grow (Cultivation) as people, each of the ideals is about healing yourself or about being a better version of yourself.

Allomancy doesn't fit this as neatly, but we do have WoB  https://wob.coppermind.net/events/270/#e7708 saying that Allomancy from burning Lerasium was a side-effect, so the Allomancy that we see might not be the whole picture.

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