What is Auxiliary and what that tells us about the future of the Cosmere.

[2spooky4myshirt]

As far as I can tell there are two things Auxiliary could be. A radiant spren, or a non-radiant spren. Very obvious I know, but its a baseline that needs to be set so the following theories make sense.

If he is a radiant spren then we have some logic to follow. I've boiled it down to three main questions.

1. What kind of radiant spren?
2. Why doesn't Nomad have surges?
3. Why does Aux call himself a Knight?

For the first question, I'm not sure what kind of spren Aux could be. The name Auxiliary does not fit any of the ten kinds we know. I am going to fit a theory within my theory though. By era 4 there will be 16 kinds of radiant spren. The 6 missing now just belong to concepts that have yet to form. I suspect as society evolves more concepts will generate spren to match. Aux could belong to on of those new orders. My best guess is one dealing with machinery or technology. I'm going to throw in a bonus third theory here and say we will see a surge of Polarity giving magnetic powers and lightning similar to stormform.

Second, why no surges. That is easy to answer. No stormlight. We know Nomad can use any investiture to "jump" between worlds. But we do not know if he can use it for anything else. Surges being of Roshar might need Rosharan power. or unkeyed power at the very least.

Alternatively Aux could be what Dead-eyes are in the future. And this bond is whatever Adolin and Maya forge. This fits better because Aux is "dead" by his own words. 

 

Third, why is Aux a Knight and Nomad the Squire? Best guesses I have are that either spren rights have evolved in Rosharan society to them holding positions of military power. Or this new order of spren works closer to high spren and they consider themselves above their bonded radiant until a higher ideal is sworn. This is honestly the biggest hole in the radiant spren theory. 

 

 

Next: Aux is something else. I have a theory as towards what, but there are leaps in logic to get there. I believe Aux is a cognitive shadow. Let me explain how I got here.

• First: We know cognitive shadows are like spren. They are an invested imprint of a person caused upon death.
• Second: Shadows do not stick around on the physical plane unless pinned there somehow. Traditionally this is done by binding them to a body.
• Third: Investiture can manifest as metal on the physical plane. Godmetal for raw power. But other metals when a spren willingly becomes a fabrial.

I believe that Rosharan society advances its understanding of the cosmere enough to use cognitive shadows in place of spren. Pinning them to the physical realm by using the investiture of their soul to manifest as metal, thus allowing them to continue to exist without a living body. The bond is likely what keeps them there.

Now this part is even more speculation that whats above, but if we assume by theory about shadows and metal is true then we can guess things about Aux.

• First: that he likely was a knight and had Nomad as a squire. The name Auxiliary was either taken after death or somehow space age Roshar has strange naming conventions. (or they blend with other societies and Aux is a common name on another planet. Innovation's maybe?)
• Second: When Aux died Nomad had the ability to bond him this way. Either this is something that can be done on the worldhopping run, or Aux died in a place where the power to do this was possible.
• Third: This happened when Nomad could still fight. He remembers what Aux looks like as a sword, and had emotions about the fact that he couldn't form him into one anymore. Even more emotions when he could again. That implies they have been in this state for some time.

Now this is the part where you all poke holes in everything I've said and Brando-Sando proves all of it wrong in a year when the book comes out. I'll enjoy being wrong though. Love when a story has me itching for red string and a cork board. I am staking my soul on a surge of polarity and corresponding spren though.

 

[Frustration he/him]

41 minutes ago, 2spooky4myshirt said:

I am going to fit a theory within my theory though. By era 4 there will be 16 kinds of radiant spren. The 6 missing now just belong to concepts that have yet to form. I suspect as society evolves more concepts will generate spren to match. Aux could belong to on of those new orders. My best guess is one dealing with machinery or technology. I'm going to throw in a bonus third theory here and say we will see a surge of Polarity giving magnetic powers and lightning similar to stormform.

There are only ten surges, and ten spren.

Spoiler

Questioner

I'm just curious, there are 16 Allomantic metals, 16 Feruchemical metals, there are 16 Shards of Adonalsium. Are there 16 surges?

Brandon Sanderson

No.

Questioner

So there's no correlation?

Brandon Sanderson

10 is an important number on Roshar.

FanX 2018 (Sept. 7, 2018)

Khyrindor (paraphrased)

Do the Honorblades reflect the natural pairing of Surges, or did Honor decide which Surge pair to put in each Blade?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

The pairs are natural to Roshar in the same way as the metals on Scadrial.

When Worlds Collide 2014 (Aug. 9, 2014)

 

[2spooky4myshirt]

Well thats one theory down.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

On 14.6.2022 at 9:12 PM, 2spooky4myshirt said:

Second, why no surges. That is easy to answer. No stormlight. We know Nomad can use any investiture to "jump" between worlds. But we do not know if he can use it for anything else. Surges being of Roshar might need Rosharan power. or unkeyed power at the very least.

But he has powers. Or rather Aux has powers. He can manipulate Connection.

 

[Johnny Silverlight]

I have a gut feeling that Auxiliary is a dead Knight Radiant that Sigzil/Nomad bonded somehow, in the manner of a Radiant spren. Brandon has said that it is possible to bond a Threnodite shade in this manner.