So.... What shard is on SP1 world?

[KaladinWorldsinger]

I haven't seen much discussion on this here, but what shard do we think is associated with lumar? I know that aethers think that they are not created by adonalsium, but this is a 'different strain' of aethers and the world clearly has investiture. What shards does it feel like are associated with Lumar? 

I am hoping for a wierd combination of the new shards we haven't seen anything of. Like valor and mercy together.

[Hoids4thApprentice he/him]

Brandon explained that the aethars on Lumar are separate strain from the original aethars that will be in the future (re-written) Aethar of Night books.

Having not finished the original Aether of Night yet, I still understand that the original unpublished novel contained proto-Preservation and proto-Ruin. My initial thought when we had the 4 new Shards dropped in Rhythm of War was that Valour and Mercy would be an ideal opposite pairing for the main Aether of Night books and world.

Since then though, I have seen a WoB that says that the majority of the Shards did not break the original understanding and Invested individually rather than Investing on shared worlds. As Sel, Scadrial and Roshar were settled by two shards, I am reading this to mean that there is no other Cosmere world where 2 shards Invented. 

My first thought about Lumar was that as this is a world of a new strain of aethars, it is most likely that either the original aethar world or Lumar will not have an Shard. That's basically because I think that the best explanation for a second aether world is that either the aethars left an Invested world to set up a new strain away from Shard influence, or that a Shard decided to bring aethers to an Invested world to create their own strain. 

As to the most likely Shard that we might see in either aether world, I have to say none of the new shards stand out, so I am 50/50 in the possibility that neither aether world in Invested with a Shard. The main argument for me in favour of a Shard on one of the two worlds is that the number 12 is so significant when it comes to Lumar and aethers generally that it may mean one of the Shards is represented. 

[Weltall]

One of the things that Brandon mentioned in the SP1 livestream is that the 'core' Aethers do not consider themselves to be creations of Adonalsium. Apparently this is something he wanted to do even back when writing Liar of Partinel which predates the Shattering. Now, just because they believe that doesn't mean it's true but it does suggest that whatever Shard is associated with the Aethers isn't going to be revealed until we've had a chance to see the main Aethers. Otherwise we'd hear whatever they have to say on the matter and the readers would just think 'Well you're wrong, you're associated with Ruin/Valor/Whatever' and that would be kind of silly. He RAFO'd the direct question by the way, because of course someone asked it.

Edited April 12, 2022 by Weltall

[Hoids4thApprentice he/him]

4 minutes ago, Weltall said:

One of the things that Brandon mentioned in the SP1 livestream is that the 'core' Aethers do not consider themselves to be creations of Adonalsium. Apparently this is something he wanted to do even back when writing Liar of Partinel which predates the Shattering. Now, just because they believe that doesn't mean it's true but it does suggest that whatever Shard is associated with the Aethers isn't going to be revealed until we've had a chance to see the main Aethers. Otherwise we'd hear whatever they have to say on the matter and the readers would just think 'Well you're wrong, you're associated with Ruin/Valor/Whatever' and that would be kind of silly.

Great point. Thinking that through, I think that it is much more likely there will be no Shard associated with Lumar. I think it more likely that as you say, the origin of aethers (and any associated Shard) will be revealed in the later Aether of Night trilogy.