Elantrian chasm theory

[ProfessorW he/him]

i started a reread of Elantis a few days ago, so i was perusing the board, and came across a topic on the cause of the chasm. OK, my first theory here on the 17th shard.

 

Could the cause of the chasm have been a highstorm?

 

The book states "It came with a tempest....The earth itself had shattered, an enormous chasm appearing in the south, all of Arelon shaking." I'm pretty new here, and even I see this as a bit of a stretch, but wouldn't that be cool? Perhaps as Hoid entered Sel, a piece of the highstorm came through with him...maybe he was running and in danger and had to leave suddenly in the middle of the storm? Or did he need to use the mass amounts of stormlight to "world-hop" there in the first place? Just wanted to make this a new thread to see if anyone one had some input. I'm ready for this to be torn to shreds!

[A Joe in the Bush]

. . . It would depend on just how Hoid World Hops. We know it's dangerous to travel to Sel, but Travel isn't instantaneous. The storm would have had to travel a long way to Shatter Arelon. I think it's more likely that when the hopper entered Physical Sel, all the Acutalized Aons that make up Sel!Shadesmar came through as well.

 

So yeah, it's a huge stretch. Possible, but unlikely.

[lyht]

Something I had not noticed before though is the similarity between the chasm and the shattered plains. We know the shattered plains were caused by someone or something. Before now I have never felt strongly that the chasm was the same. Now I like the idea a lot!

[Chris k]

I don't think that this theory is very plausible, mostly because there is a simpler explanation. It is more likely that Odium caused the chasm when he caused the deaths of Sel's Shardholders for a number of reasons. One is simple pragmatic story telling; having a character that we're suppose to root for be the cause of countless deaths, even unwittingly, would be difficult to pull off well. However, it is exactly the sort of thing that would be done by a villain (like Odium) do demonstrate how evil he is. Also, the connection that lyht noted between the chasm and the shattered plains also seem to point towards Odium. The shattered plains are the remains of a city destroyed in a Desolation, which are presumably caused by Odium.

 

Also, we know that highstorms have some kind of connection to the Stormfather. I don't know if the Stormfather can Worldhop, or how far away a highstorm can stray from the stormfather before it is no longer a highstorm. It's possible that even if a highstorm was somehow sent to Sel, it would die out without the power of the Stormfather backing it up.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I don't think that this theory is very plausible, mostly because there is a simpler explanation. It is more likely that Odium caused the chasm when he caused the deaths of Sel's Shardholders for a number of reasons. One is simple pragmatic story telling; having a character that we're suppose to root for be the cause of countless deaths, even unwittingly, would be difficult to pull off well. However, it is exactly the sort of thing that would be done by a villain (like Odium) do demonstrate how evil he is. Also, the connection that lyht noted between the chasm and the shattered plains also seem to point towards Odium. The shattered plains are the remains of a city destroyed in a Desolation, which are presumably caused by Odium.

 

Also, we know that highstorms have some kind of connection to the Stormfather. I don't know if the Stormfather can Worldhop, or how far away a highstorm can stray from the stormfather before it is no longer a highstorm. It's possible that even if a highstorm was somehow sent to Sel, it would die out without the power of the Stormfather backing it up.

 

Odium causing the chasm when he Splintered Devotion and Dominion is a definitive no, the timeline just doesn't work.  The Reod occurred ten years before the events of Elantris, Devotion and Dominion were Splintered centuries previously.  We have WoB that when Odium came to Sel there were no Seons.

 

Mi'chelle

I know that you've answered this before, but we don't have citation yet. Was the earthquake caused by Odium's visit to Elantris? You've answered that one before, I believe.

Brandon Sanderson

I don't know if I have. I think I’ve given implications without a strict, direct answer on that one.

Mi'chelle

And what are the implications, so I can know if I'm thinking of the right answer?

Brandon Sanderson

What do you think I've said?

Mi'chelle

I think you've said, no it isn't.

Brandon Sanderson

The Seons existed before the earthquake.

Mi'chelle

But was the earthquake caused by Odium?

Brandon Sanderson

When Odium visited there were no Seons.

Josh

Okay.

Mi'chelle

But that doesn't answer the question about the earthquake, so that's interesting to note.

Brandon Sanderson

See what I'm saying?

 

(source)

Kogiopsis

How long before the events of Elantris did Odium kill Aona/Devotion and Skai/Dominion?

Brandon Sanderson

Same time as the origins of the Seons.

Kogiopsis

This was the second-closest I came to getting RAFO'd. He was sort of jovially apologetic about this answer; I tried to get a solid number of years but to no avail.

 

(source)

 

I personally ascribe to the idea that the Reod was a result of a build-up of Shardic energy in the Cognitive Realm, the pressure of which caused a catastrophic event in the Physical.  Hmm, I wonder if the existence of Elantris, the city, had anything to do with it.  We know Raoden had issues with the Dor trying to force itself through him when he was practicing with the Aons (before he "fixed" them by adding the chasm line) perhaps Elantris, which magnified the ability the ability of Aons to draw on the Dor caused something similar?  More and more of the Dor wanted to get through the gateways Elantrians made with he help of Elantris until something broke.  Which is why the Reod happened in Arelon and not somewhere else.

[Left he/him]

Man, and I though Peter could be a troll...........I'd forgotten how tantalizingly annoyingly Brandon can be when he feels like it.

[Curiosity he/him]

http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=944#7

Concerning Shards without minds and the power behind them...

 

 

SUFFICIENTLYADVANCED

It says that it's dangerous to travel to Shadesmar on Sel. Why?

BRANDON SANDERSON ()

It has to do with the Dor and the lack of an entity controlling much of the power Odium left in his wake on Sel.

PHANTINE

Woah, that's interesting. I had no idea Odium left little bits of his power on Sel... I guess it kinda makes sense for evil monks to be powered by pure hate, though.

BRANDON SANDERSON

Odium did not leave his power behind, one should note. He left several other powers which are now, to a large extent, mindless...

WINDRUNNER17

This is an awesome answer!

If you wouldn't mind answering, does Roshar have a similar problem, with Honor being Splintered?

Thanks!

BRANDON SANDERSON

No, Roshar does not have the same problem. There are some differences going on. (One reason being that the spren are far more extensive on Roshar, and provide something of a "release valve." The Seons and the Skaze on Sel are not numerous enough to fulfill a similar function. Though, of course, that's only one part of the puzzle. Raw power is dangerous.

It's one reason everyone should be thankful Kelsier was around on Scadrial.

 

I would say that Odium indirectly caused the chasm because of his killing Aona and Skai. This left the power mindless, which caused it to build up and wreak havoc on Sel and its Cognitive Realm. This is probably why Brandon was so antsy about saying that Odium  didn't (kinda sorta) make the chasm.