Static and Kinetic Investiture

[Chiberty]

I didn't know if I needed to indicate this in a RoW board, but just in case: This post contains cosmere spoilers.

Disclaimer: Below, I state some things as if they are facts, although they are merely part of my theory. This is just to make it easier for me to present the ideas, and is not meant to indicate total confidence.

Static Investiture - Has passive properties

• Breaths
• Godmetals
• Spiritwebs
• Metalminds

Kinetic Investiture - Can act as a fuel for Invested arts

• Lights
• The Dor

Static Investiture doesn't do much on its own. However, static Investiture can be converted to other types of static Investiture. For example, upon burning Lerasium, one's Connection to Preservation increases in such a way that also turns them into a Mistborn. This Connection is then part of the Spiritweb. This effect also leads to a major connection between static and kinetic Investiture: Connection to a Shard in the right way allows one to make use of that Shard' s corresponding kinetic Investiture.

In Allomancy's case, we see in Secret History that metals glow in the Cognitive Realm, due to them being a window to power In the Spiritual Realm (why metals don't appear to glow in the Rosharan subastral is unclear with our given explanation). An Allomancer's increased Connection to Preservation allows them to make use of Preservation's kinetic Investiture, which Preservation provides through this window.

Breaths work similarly. When an Awakener Awakens an object, the Breath provides a stronger Connection to Endowment, allowing the object to make use of Endowment's kinetic Investiture. In this case, rather than how the Investiture is used being determined by the type if metal, it is determined by the Command given. This is why Awakeners can't just Freely access kinetic Investiture from Endowment. Without the proper Commands, they can't actually access Endowment's Investiture.

Venli's case is much more interesting. Her form of power gives her enough Connection to Odium to allow her to use Voidlight. However, this does not give her access to it; rather, the power to draw in the Light she uses comes from her surgebinding. Having a Connection to Odium, the ability to draw in Light she can use, and the ability to surgebind means that she can then draw in Voidlight to fuel surgebinding. The fused also have those three requirements, although in Venli's case, the latter two of those requirements come from being a Radiant. Either way, the requirement for Voidlight-fueled surgebinding are met. 

Static Investiture can also be converted to kinetic Investiture, and vice-versa, although we do not know many methods of doing so. The simplest example is Shardblades. Spren are usually in a kinetic Investiture form, as seen by their ability to charge sand, but when in Shardblade form, they are composed of static Investiture instead. Another example is Feruchemy, as the attributes should be kinetic Investiture in transfer. Similarly, Breaths also seem to take a kinetic form while being transferred.

Now, for the most dependent part, and consequently the part I doubt the most. What is the Mist? It is a mixture between static and kinetic Investiture, displaying properties of both. Taking in the Mist allowed Vin to Ascend to Preservation, but it also acted as a fuel for Allomancy. Vin did not need the metals, since the window to the Spiritual Realm the usually provides was in the Mist. That would not be enough alone, however, since the metal is also used to tell the Investiture what task it needs to perform. This is accomplished through a combination of Intent and the static portion of the Mists, similar to how Breaths work. Later, in Era 2, Marasi uses the Bands of Mourning and finds Mist coming from her. Without knowing the specifics behind an unsealed metalmind's creation, this effect is hard to comment on. It may be the kinetic portion of the Mists, the static portion, or both. Nicrosil Feruchemy in particular is unclear in its exact effects.

TL,DR: Kinetic Investiture acts as a fuel, while static Investiture gives only passive effects. A sufficient Connection allows one to make use of the corresponding kinetic Investiture, and this Connection is usually given by static Investitiure.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Chiberty

[GoWibble]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:27 PM, Chiberty said:

Kinetic Investiture - Can act as a fuel for Invested arts

• Lights
• The Dor

Shards. They really fit in both categories, I guess. 

On 1/27/2021 at 11:27 PM, Chiberty said:

In Allomancy's case, we see in Secret History that metals glow in the Cognitive Realm, due to them being a window to power In the Spiritual Realm (why metals don't appear to glow in the Rosharan subastral is unclear with our given explanation)

I can't find where we know that metals glow in the Cognitive realm due to them being a window to the Spiritual Realm. Could you share that?

Without that knowledge, here is a theory:

I'll start discussion and say that it's because of their perception. Because we're in the Cognitive Realm, the perception of the objects in the PR changes how they look in the CR. We know that you can still burn metals from Roshar, but what we haven't had is a perspective from someone in the CR of Roshar - who is from Scadrial - that sees the metals as glowing. I'd like to claim that people from Scadrial would see the metals as glowing, because that's how they perceive metals: as sources (or at least the pathway) for Investiture to manifest as the Metallic Arts. 

On 1/27/2021 at 11:27 PM, Chiberty said:

since the metal is also used to tell the Investiture what task it needs to perform.

The form of a spiritweb for a metal?

 

Overall, I think this is a good description of how various forms of Investiture seem to function

 

[ScadrianTank]

From what Raboniel told Navani, kinetic Investiture is just static Investiture being actively used. Sand from Taldain reacts stronger to Stromlight in a working fabrial. Allomantic Bronze can detect metals, but not the mist. 

The point about static Investiture providing only passive effects is really good, though. 

[mathiau]

On 05/02/2021 at 8:40 PM, ScadrianTank said:

From what Raboniel told Navani, kinetic Investiture is just static Investiture being actively used.

Which is exactly what Stormlight and the Dor are. Aons of AonDor and Lashings are Kinetic Investiture but Stormlight and the Dor aren't

On 28/01/2021 at 5:27 AM, Chiberty said:

In Allomancy's case, we see in Secret History that metals glow in the Cognitive Realm, due to them being a window to power In the Spiritual Realm (why metals don't appear to glow in the Rosharan subastral is unclear with our given explanation). An Allomancer's increased Connection to Preservation allows them to make use of Preservation's kinetic Investiture, which Preservation provides through this window.

Quote

I can't find where we know that metals glow in the Cognitive realm due to them being a window to the Spiritual Realm. Could you share that?

I only remember they glowing for the Shards, in both worlds

On 05/02/2021 at 5:30 PM, GoWibble said:

Shards. They really fit in both categories, I guess.

They seems more static investiture to me

Quote

Without that knowledge, here is a theory:

I'll start discussion and say that it's because of their perception. Because we're in the Cognitive Realm, the perception of the objects in the PR changes how they look in the CR. We know that you can still burn metals from Roshar, but what we haven't had is a perspective from someone in the CR of Roshar - who is from Scadrial - that sees the metals as glowing. I'd like to claim that people from Scadrial would see the metals as glowing, because that's how they perceive metals: as sources (or at least the pathway) for Investiture to manifest as the Metallic Arts.

Pretty sure they'd see them as beads like every one else

[GoWibble]

On 2/10/2021 at 8:27 PM, mathiau said:

They seems more static investiture to me

Preservation is a direct source for Allomancy

[mathiau]

Just now, GoWibble said:

Preservation is a direct source for Allomancy

I don't see how it contradict what I've just said

[GoWibble]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:27 PM, Chiberty said:

Kinetic Investiture - Can act as a fuel for Invested arts

• Lights
• The Dor

 

[mathiau]

1 minute ago, GoWibble said:

Kinetic Investiture - Can act as a fuel for Invested arts

• Lights
• The Dor

Which is a definition I challenged in the first line of my post

Quote

On 05/02/2021 at 8:40 PM, ScadrianTank said:

From what Raboniel told Navani, kinetic Investiture is just static Investiture being actively used.

Which is exactly what Stormlight and the Dor are. Aons of AonDor and Lashings are Kinetic Investiture but Stormlight and the Dor aren't

[GoWibble]

I disagree:

The Aons and Lashings are how the Invested arts are being manifested, that is, how Investiture is being actively used. In this case, the Dor and Stormlight are the sources. By what ScadrianTank said, this would mean that the Dor and Stormlight are being actively used to get the end result of Lashings and Aons. I interpret this as stating that static Investiture can be changed to be referred to as kinetic Investiture when it is being used.

This point is a different interpretation of kind of Investitures than what @Chiberty stated. Chiberty was saying that, instead of static investiture being enabled to be used as kinetic, any Investiture that can be used as fuel IS kinetic. I think that maybe the terms passive, static, and Kinetic would help clarify things a little more. 

Based on the classification that Chiberty has stated, I see Shards as having innate abilities (static), but also acting as sources (sometimes indirectly) for the Invested arts (Kinetic, ex: Allomancy, providing light)