[Discuss] Understanding Investiture and the outgrowths of applications across the Cosmere

[Lord Tavash Shar]

Notes before we begin. This is a deep dive into the over all nature of Investiture and explaining the reasons there are different powers that are all considered Investiture after having finished The Lost Metal. While I can and will point to Primary sources in other books I have Only come up with this Idea after Having read them as well as the Lost Metal and so there are going to be spoilers from there and other books that must be directly referenced.

Do Not Proceed if you have not finished that book and do not want spoilers.

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Following the Events of the Lost metal its clear that their is an over all governing Principal in the Hacks used to move investiture from one magic system to another. The question of why the magic systems are different has mostly been handwaved as "The Shards" or "The Planet" in direct questioning but after Events of the Lost Metal a larger theory on what is happening and why is I believe finally possible. What is more if this theory is correct it does explain some of the other problems run into through out the Cosmere. Specifically the reasons that heavily invested objects and individuals cannot easily be moved across the Cosmere and some ways that the Issue may be circumvented.

First is to understand why we see different powers across the Cosmere. This effect has created beautiful and varied stories and cultures but there interactions from here on out mean that they do need to successfully inhabit the same space. Understanding exactly why we see different powers will help to explain the interactions when they are used both with and against each other.

We first get hints of this in the "Lecture on fabrial mechanics" from the Rhythm of War/Epigraphs. Specificity  Epigraph 7:

"The two metals of primary significance are zinc and brass, which allow you to control expression strength. Zinc wires touching the gemstone will cause the spren inside to more strongly manifest, while brass will cause the spren to withdraw and its power to dim.

Remember that a gemstone must be properly infused following the spren’s capture. Drilled holes in the gemstone are ideal for proper use of the cage wires, so long as you don’t crack the structure and risk releasing the spren."

Here we see descriptions of using metals that we clearly Recognize from Mistborn in a way that while it does not match the effect is similar enough that IF spren were available on Scadrial we might have already seen this in Use. Likewise the Seons Metal Cages as Described in both Rythm of Way and The Lost Metal appear to be some sort of fabrial that allows their removal from Sel. Finally the words of Moonlight to Marasi on the effects of the Refined Dor as well as its application throughout the story with Twinsouls using it for his Athers, Moonlights use of Forging, and Finally the use by the Metal born of the Community. Raw investiture can be applied to any art. So why do multiple arts exist?

The Shards themselves appear to be the answer according to the RAFO's and yet they are all supposed to be essentially the same in terms of power. Ruin destroys things not because he lacks the power to do so. But because he is driven by an intent. so why are there no breaths on Roshar, Mistborn on Sel, or spren on Scadrial? To understand this we need to understand what was discovered by Navani and Raboniel in Rhythm of War when they found that Stormlight, Voidlight, and Lifelight have frequencies that can be interfered with through specific processes. These frequencies are based on the Intent of the Shard interacting on the planet according to the RAFO's.
If this is extrapolated out to all the shards then each should have a Frequency, and frequencies have two specific features. A fall off called a Trough and a rise called a Peek. The different Peeks and Troughs in a Frequency create an effect called a wave. In physics, a standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that oscillates in time but whose peak amplitude profile does not move in space. If the shards have a frequency that does not change over time its likely that they would act as an Oscillator that creates such a standing wave in the Axi that make up the Building blocks of the Cosmere. This would also explain the Planets having an effect as the mater they are made up of would like wise produce such waves. leading to interactions between them and any shard in the area.

Kelsier admitted to being able to see as much in the Epilog of The Lost Metal when he Thought "The very Axi that Made up matter had there own Polarity, Influenceable with Steelpushing under the right circumstances."

Likewise we know that when shards come to a new place they Invest the area around them. Pushing more investiture into the local environment while at the same time if we are correct creating these Standing waves thanks to there specific Oscillating frequencies. These frequencies would then allow for that investiture to be accessed in specific ways/places based on where the Oscillation pushed it. These locations would not necessary be places, but could be concepts, specific people, or any number of other "Locations" thanks to the existence of the Spiritual realm to act as a medium for the displacement of investiture based on the Standing wave of a shard.

Likewise this would mean that as your proximity to a specific shard drops, Specifically your connection to them based on the concept of location, the natural wave form of the rest of the Cosmere would assert it self. Making it so that it would be harder to support specific effects as you would lack the background Peaks and Troughs of your home environment. Allowing the investure even if available to Disperse more as it would lack the shards literal guiding stationary wave form. How ever when a waveform or pattern in the form of an Aether or the SDNA of a native of Scadrial was provided investure that was lacking the standing wave of a shard would still match the waveform from these known systems. 
This also explains why it is hard to use investure between some systems and not others. As some wave forms would naturally overlap and there by increase the Amplitude of investure that could be present in an effect while others would outright cancel each other out and completely prevent effects from forming. What is more investure that was already carrying a specific standing wave would resist taking another shape that did not match the previous one or create effects in the new standing wave that were previously not there as the wave form distorted. We have some evidence for this from Sixth of dusk. where the different birds act as filters for the power of the Perpendicularity located on Patji into effects resemblance to electrum shadows and copper clouds.

 

This would mean that certain effects are common/repeating/universal. Certain materials are needed not because of the shards but because of background effects in universe. and that a predicable set of interactions is possible. The first of which we have seen as the Leeching of the Ghost gun in the Constructs of antiquity. 

Thoughs?

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lord Tavash Shar

[Frustration he/him]

Any shard could in theory power, or make any magic system.

Spoiler

Balescream (paraphrased)

Can all the Shards manifest the same powers, for example could Honor create an Allomancer?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, but there would be more natural ways for Honor to achieve this.

Balescream (paraphrased)

As a follow-up, do you understand what polymorphism is? If so, could all the Shards meet the same contract?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, I do, yes they can.  I understand what you are asking and it is a soft yes.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/508/#e15909

 

 

 

 

So I think it's more a matter of the magic systems they make being the easiest, or most natural state for their particular intent to form a magic system.

And the reason that highly invested objects/people struggle to leave their system is due to Connection(RoW 188)

[Lord Tavash Shar]

The question was never if they could make the magic systems. It's why DON'T they? As was said. Ruin can make things. It just does not even try to do so. The question is why the systems are not the same what specifically modifies the expression of physical power. Intent has an effect. What is the Mechanical aspect that creates said effect's?

If all intent creates a standing wave in the spiritual sense that act as channels to shape any form of investiture the mechanics are simple, Repeatable, and applicable at both the micro to macro scales consistently. It explains why we have different magics that effect each other and why some effects will exist across multiple systems.

[Frustration he/him]

1 hour ago, Lord Tavash Shar said:

The question was never if they could make the magic systems. It's why DON'T they? As was said. Ruin can make things. It just does not even try to do so. The question is why the systems are not the same what specifically modifies the expression of physical power. Intent has an effect. What is the Mechanical aspect that creates said effect's?

If all intent creates a standing wave in the spiritual sense that act as channels to shape any form of investiture the mechanics are simple, Repeatable, and applicable at both the micro to macro scales consistently. It explains why we have different magics that effect each other and why some effects will exist across multiple systems.

Intent is more like spin it magnetism. This is part of a very long WoB but here's the relevant part.

Spoiler

I always imagine Investiture having certain states, certain magnetisms if you will, associated with certain aspects of Adonalsium. So it's all "assigned" to a Shard--because it's always been associated with that Shard. To Investiture, Adonalsium's Shattering meant everything and nothing at the same time.

General Reddit 2018 (March 18, 2018)

The reason the manifestations are different is the same reason sound waves can round corners but light waves can't. The nature of intent makes it so Investiture forms specific ways.

 

Or if you mean why don't shards just give their followers all the powers, the answer is that it expends their power in ways they don't want to do.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

19 hours ago, Lord Tavash Shar said:

The question was never if they could make the magic systems. It's why DON'T they? As was said. Ruin can make things. It just does not even try to do so.

I am afraid I have to point out that he participated in making a whole planet.