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Calgary convention thus far


Khyrindor

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So far I already have a RAFO card (signed) and a question or two in. Book signing is tonight and then I will put down any more answers to questions. This is everyone's last chance to get me a good question in. (I have a bunch of books, so I can have a few)

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I'd love to know the answer to whether or not Nalan's eyes changed color when he summoned his Shardblade to attack Lift/Ym. They never remark on what color Nalan's eyes are anyways.

 

(Probably a late question, but darnit I want to know!)

 

Other ones, if you want more:

  • Is the Stormfather composed partly of Cultivation's Investiture?
  • If you used Stormlight to Awaken, would you drain color or would you create frost?
  • Graves claims that if he had succeeded in killed Elhokar (and done it more quickly), Dalinar would have become an ally of Taravangian. Is there any truth to this idea?
  • Hoid went through Cultivation's Shardpool to get to Roshar as opposed to Honor's. Yet, he notes he never got along well with Cultivation. Why did he choose her Shardpool rather than Honor's?
  • Would Stormlight used to Awaken objects "run out"? Breaths are sort of permanent.
  • Would the eye color of a Returned change if they summoned an Honorblade?
Edited by Moogle
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The question that was RAFO'd was: "Theoretically, could the Surges of Gravitation and Transportation be combined to gain time travelling powers?"

 

And nope, not too late. I have about 12 questions now, hope he can answer them all.

Edited by Khyrindor
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I have answers! Keep in mind that I didn't write down word for word what he said for these. Enjoy.

 

 

SPOLERS

 

 

1. Shards can talk to dead people. Are the Tranquiline Halls where everyone in the Cosmere goes when they die? Or does each world have its own heaven.

 

There is an afterlife that is not heaven that the Shards don't know about, or can't look into. Each world has its own, depending on their religions. (He also said something about the Tranquiline Halls being different, but I regret to say that I can't exactly remember what.)

 

(I want to add that this is a lot like the Cognitive view of the Almighty, and Kelsier 'kicking about', and the ghosts in the Shadows for Silence story. But I'm sure you'll all notice that and can cover it a lot better. Good question, by the way.)

 

2. Do the Honourblades reflect the natural pairing of Surges, or did Honour decide which Surge pair to put in each Blade?

 

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

 

(This one is for you, Skaa. I take it to mean that the Surges are naturally paired that way in Honours mind and that he may not have changed them? He didn't really answer it fully, and it seemed like there was more to say. I still like your theory.)

 

3. Are there Surges that could be considered as God Surges, like the God Metals on Scadrial?

 

Yes.

 

Progression and Adhesion, perhaps?

 

No, but they could be considered as such.

 

4. Were the Starfarers in Sixth of the Dusk from a world we've seen?

 

Yes. Good question.

 

5. In Dalinar's vision, why did Nohadon make a distinction between Soulcasting and Surgebinding?

 

Because they are distinct in his mind.

 

(I think this might somehow relate to your theory, skaa.)

 

6. Was Allomancer Jak in the newspapers in AoL just Hoid in disguise?

 

No. I actually just published a short story with him in it. (He also said that he came up with the idea for him in an RPG writing group, or something along those lines.)

 

7. Can someone accidentally Wordhop?

 

Yes. 

 

(He thought for a moment first and then said that. I think its more complicated.)

 

8. Did Nalan's eyes change when he killed Ym? (And attempted to kill Lift)

 

(He thought a moment again) No, I don't think so.

 

9. Graves claims that if he had succeeded in killed Elhokar (and done it more quickly), Dalinar would have become an ally of Taravangian. Is there any truth to this idea?

 

They are predicting the future. There are people who firmly believe that that would be the case.

 

10. Are the Unmade and the Stormfather the same 'class' of being?

 

Technically no, but they are on a similar level. It is a good analogy.

 

11. Hoid went through Cultivation's Shardpool to get to Roshar as opposed to Honor's. Yet, he notes he never got along well with Cultivation. Why did he choose her Shardpool rather than Honor's?

 

You're making assumptions!

 

(I asked if its possible that it was Honour's and he said its possible.)

 

 

Alright guys, I had fun. In a few weeks when I'm back home, I will do a transcription of the Q and A. There were no spoilery Cosmere questions though, mostly personal writing things. He also did that same reading of Stones Unhallowed as was posted on Tor a couple weeks back. It was great, because his editor (I think) was handing out free paperback copies of WoK. I got three! That makes 5 plus the ebook!

 

PS: Sorry, Ashiok. didn't see yours in time.

 

You're welcome, 

 

Rin 

Edited by Khyrindor
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Thanks, Khyrindor!

No, but they could be considered as such.

That's kind of confusing. Does it mean that Adhesion and Progression are similar to the God Surges, but not quite identical to them?

Oh well. I'm going to have to revise my Essence-Surge theory in light of his answer to the Surgepair question. Maybe next week.

Thanks again!

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Your guess is as good, if not better, than mine. Keep in mind they're all paraphrased, I didn't record it, just wrote the answers immediately after. You're welcome. Also, the fact that the Soulcasting is different than Surgebinding in his mind is very intersting. I think it might be related. But you're the expert. 

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1. Shards can talk to dead people. Are the Tranquiline Halls where everyone in the Cosmere goes when they die? Or does each world have its own heaven.

 

There is an afterlife that is not heaven that the Shards don't know about, or can't look into. Each world has its own, depending on their religions. (He also said something about the Tranquiline Halls being different, but I regret to say that I can't exactly remember what.)

 

(I want to add that this is a lot like the Cognitive view of the Almighty, and Kelsier 'kicking about', and the ghosts in the Shadows for Silence story. But I'm sure you'll all notice that and can cover it a lot better. Good question, by the way.)

Are you sure about this phrasing? Because previously Brandon has said the "real" afterlife was constant across the cosmere. (Though now that I go and look at it it is ambiguous about whether the uniformity refers to the Beyond or just cognitive shadows...)

 

4. Were the Starfarers in Sixth of the Dusk from a world we've seen?

 

Yes. Good question.

Thanks for this but we already kind of knew this. Sorry.

 

5. In Dalinar's vision, why did Nohadon make a distinction between Soulcasting and Surgebinding?

 

Because they are distinct in his mind.

 

(I think this might somehow relate to your theory, skaa.)

In whose mind are they distinct exactly? Nohadon's or Brandon's?

 

10. Are the Unmade and the Stormfather the same 'class' of being?

 

Technically no, but they are on a similar level. It is a good analogy.

HMMMM... That is actually kind of unhelpful... Not really a problem so much for my main theory, but it's problematic for a spin-off theory. Oh well, I'll have to give it some thought.  Thank you for asking though!

Oh and you did ask all these questions yourself? (As in you aren't just relaying some you overheard?) I'll be adding these to the database later today and I want to get the attribution right.

Oh and the reading was the Jasnah one, correct?

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 Are you sure about this phrasing? Because previously Brandon has said the "real" afterlife was constant across the cosmere. (Though now that I go and look at it it is ambiguous about whether the uniformity refers to the Beyond or just cognitive shadows...)

 

I apologize, I forgot a few things. He also told me that someone had asked a previous question last week so he wanted to give me a different answer. Also, it was more like "Each world has its own heaven depending on its religions." The real afterlife is different across the Cosmere, and the Tranquiline Halls are different. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for this but we already kind of knew this. Sorry.

 

 

I kinda figured that, but I've been away for five weeks and needed to know for myself. Do we know if they're from Scadrial or Sel?

 

 

 

 

In whose mind are they distinct exactly? Nohadon's or Brandon's?

 

Nohadon's. These were Brandon's exact words.

 

 

 

 

Oh and you did ask all these questions yourself? (As in you aren't just relaying some you overheard?) I'll be adding these to the database later today and I want to get the attribution right.

 

These were all mine. I got my dad to ask some, but I was right behind him, and I told him what to ask. You can attribute Skaa's questions to him, and the others to the ones that you guys asked. I also took a couple from a thread somewhere about wanted questions ore something like that. I know there are a few other Sharders that were there, that had a few good questions. I'll let them post them though if they want. (Mostly because I can't remember the exact wording to the questions or answers.)

 

I'm actually surprised he didn't RAFO most of them.

 

Edited by Khyrindor
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Thanks a lot for these, Khyrindor! The answers actually confuse matters more than they help, which is always good.

 

8. Did Nalan's eyes change when he killed Ym? (And attempted to kill Lift)

 

(He thought a moment again) No, I don't think so.

 

Well, this is a pretty big knock against the theory about Honorblades changing your eye color. Though it could be that Nalan's eye color was naturally the Skybreaker one so summoning his Honorblade changes nothing. Also possible: Nalan has an extra Shardblade he has bonded, not just an Honorblade. I am left confused!

Edited by Moogle
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Delicious answers...

 

The stuff about the Surges and their natural pairing , and especially the bit about the "God" Surges makes me wonder whether the Radiants cover all the Surges, or if there are some missing from the Double Eye. Progression and Adhesion could be considered to be such because they (or the spren associated with them) are 100% Honor or Cultivation. It would make sense, I think. 

 

Allomancer Jak - do we know what the short story is (going to be)?

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And it is in the database!

 

@Khyrindor

I take it that by "The real afterlife is different across the cosmere" you mean that the afterlife is constant, but it is different from all the existing conceptions people have?

 

@Argent

The Allomancer Jak story is along the lines of the Allomancer Jak article in the the Elendel Broadsheet.  It is in the Alloy of Law supplement.

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Thanks Khyrindor! I'll add the answers I got to these. This was the first time I've met Brandon in person, it was a very cool experience. He is very approachable and appreciative of his fans.
 
Some of my questions overlapped with Khyrindor's and probably some with info we already had, but I either hadn't heard these before, or I wanted to get them clarified. These are all paraphrased.
 

Me: What's up with Roshar's moons? Do they all have the same orbital period? What is that orbital period?
Sanderson: They all have the same orbital period. Peter figured out their orbital configurations; they orbit twice per day.
Note: From what I can determine, this means that the moons are seen to rise and set once per day, and to be in a stable orbital configuration, they would each follow the same path through the sky, offset by approximately 60 degrees (1/6 of the day). As long as Nomon (the large middle moon) is sufficiently greater in mass than the two moons that flank it.
 
Me: Is Mraize the leader of the Ghostbloods, or is there someone higher up in the organization? Is it Thaidakar?
Sanderson: There is someone higher up. RAFO on Thaidakar.
Notes: I unfortunately forgot about Iyatil, who some people think may be the actual one in charge since Mraize refers to her as his babsk.
 
Me: How does Nightblood work on Roshar?
Sanderson: Nightblood consumes any Investiture within the person, ultimately consuming their innate Investiture.
Note: Basically what we've seen before. I wish now I had gotten more specific and asked whether it is possible to form a spren-bond with Nightblood, and whether that would grant one the ability to Invest with Stormlight.
 
Me: Does Vasher need to take any special precautions (compared to the rest of the year on Roshar) to ensure that he survives the Weeping?
Sanderson: Yes, but it is not too difficult. Larger gemstones last longer in the time between highstorms.
Note: Essentially confirms that Vasher survives on Stormlight. Brandon did not directly say that hanging on to some large gemstones is how Vasher survives the Weeping, however.
 
Me: The Hallandren believe that the Returned are sent back in part to give up their Divine Breath at an appointed time. Was or is there such an appointed time for Vasher's Divine Breath?
Sanderson: RAFO. (Here's a RAFO card!) This is a Hallandren belief; it may or may not be true.
Note: I was definitely fishing for the RAFO card with this one, but note his comment.
 
Me: Is there anything unusual or special about the afterlife on Roshar?
Sanderson: There is a "far afterlife" or "real afterlife" that is cosmere-wide, but there is also a "middle afterlife" specific to each world. So Roshar's is different, but so is the afterlife for every world.
Me: The "far afterlife" is where Vin and Elend go and where Sazed cannot reach them, correct?
Sanderson: Yes.
Note: Khyrindor asked a similar question, and Brandon expanded his answer a bit to say that the world-specific "middle afterlife" is influenced by the religions on that world. Very interesting!


 
Also, no new readings (we got the ones from Skin Deep, Shadows of Self, and the Kaladin one from Stones Unhallowed) but he did mention that Shadows of Self will probably be the next adult book released, before SA3. Not sure if this is taking the place of the Rithmatist sequel.
And:

If he writes more of Jasnah's backstory/journey through Shadesmar, we might get it as a novella in between the five-book arcs.


Lastly but most importantly, apparently Brandon still manages to get 4 hours or so of writing in per day even while at conventions. The man is a machine. :o

Edited by Gagylpus
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Me: Is there anything unusual or special about the afterlife on Roshar?

Sanderson: There is a "far afterlife" or "real afterlife" that is cosmere-wide, but there is also a "middle afterlife" specific to each world. So Roshar's is different, but so is the afterlife for every world.

Me: The "far afterlife" is where Vin and Elend go and where Sazed cannot reach them, correct?

Sanderson: Yes.

 

If he writes more of Jasnah's backstory/journey through Shadesmar, we might get it as a novella in between the five-book arcs.

 

I like this because of the wording. The previous responses to similar questions weren't too clear to me, but this is good. I have to wonder though, where would the Spiritual Realm fit in all this? I don't think the "middle afterlife" is it, but it sounds like it might be a part of it (e.g. there are beings native to the Spiritual Realm, similarly to how spren are native to the Cognitive one, and then there are the souls of the dead who haven't yet moved to the "real afterlife").

 

Also.

 

Jasnah the Explorer. 

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Jasnah the Explorer.

 

No, she's Jasnah Jones! She goes on fabulous adventures in search of legendary lost cities and soon, the "holy" soulcaster/dawnshard/thing...!

 

http://exmakina.tumblr.com/post/90134845128/indyjasnah-jones-3-thanks-to-raven-for-the-idea

 

7. Can someone accidentally Wordhop?

 

Yes. 

 

(He thought for a moment first and then said that. I think its more complicated.)

 

I find the idea that someone can accidentally worldhop rather...fascinating,

Edited by Nymp
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I wonder how stupid you'd have to be though. ;) 

 

"Where am I?"

"Welcome to Roshar!"

"Roshar? I was just messing around with Aons in my basement…"

 

Alternatively:

"I just went swimming in this clear, blue lake and I ended up here."

 

NOTE: Neither of these examples are confirmed ways to world hop.

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10. Are the Unmade and the Stormfather the same 'class' of being?

 

Technically no, but they are on a similar level. It is a good analogy.

 

I understood it that technically they are not the same class because the Stormfather and the Unmade probably have different levels of Investiture. However, they are still fundamentally the same thing: Giant, sentient Splinters.

 

Edit: Changing it to reflect that I actually wasn't there. Just my interpretation.

Edited by Curiosity
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I think that Brandon said technically they are not the same class because the Stormfather and the Unmade probably have different levels of Investiture. However, they are still fundamentally the same thing: Giant, sentient Splinters.

 

Were you there to hear his answer or is this just an interpretation of the WoB?

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Hi folks,

 

I am one of those other Sharders that Khyrindor was talking about. I mostly hang out on Tor.com, but I lurk here every now and then. I had some questions of my own that got asked/answered, as well as some questions that the Tor.com folks sent me with. Here is what I got (note that, like Khyrindor, there was no audio recording so this isn't necessarily exact wording).

 

[My comments/thoughts on Brandon’s responses in square brackets]

My own personal questions:

Q: What is the home planet of the Ones Above (from Sixth of the Dusk)?

A: They are from a planet you have seen before. [implies that this could be Scadrial, as we have prior WoB that the Scadrians will eventually get FTL. However, it was also mentioned as a response to a different question I overheard, that they won’t be the only ones to get FTL, so that isn’t confirmation.]

 

Q: How much can you explain about Dalinar’s armour and how he was able to “mentally unlatch his gauntlet”?

A: This is definitely something a regular person couldn’t do with regular armour. You can see in his visions hints of how the armour used to work. This is similar to Shardblades, and more will be revealed later. [This would certainly support the idea of minor spren becoming the Shardplate, but as mentioned, this wording is not exact, so it could just mean that it’s exciting/cool and will be better to read about when it happens live in-world than it would to just be given the information.]

 

Q: What are the pre-requisites for someone becoming Returned? Does it depend on how much Breath they have?

A: It does not depend on the quantity of breath, but I’m not revealing the specific pre-requisites, since I need to save something for Nightblood. [aka Warbreaker 2. This was the question that got me my RAFO card.]

 

Q: What’s going on with the Mistborn movie, and how can I get involved?

A: One of the conditions I set for the movie is that there has to be an open casting call. [Meaning anyone can audition for roles in the movie]. The film branch of Little Orbit [the company producing the Mistborn: Birthright video game] has purchased the rights. If they complete the game within 18 months, they can renew their rights and keep working on producing the movie; otherwise, the rights will go up for sale to someone else.

 

Tor.com questions:

 

Q: Is the order of the Ideals fixed? E.g. does Kaladin have to say the Windrunner Ideals in a specific order, or are they situation-specific?

A: Yes, the sequence is fixed. The oaths for each order are essentially a progression of understanding of the kind of person that each Order of Knights Radiant is trying to produce. The specific wording of each Ideal is not fixed, but the overall idea of each Ideal, and the order in which they are spoken, is.

 

Q: Does Wit specifically treat people differently when he knows they’re (going to) have a spren bond? (E.g. Renarin, Dalinar)

A: Yes, Wit treats people differently, but it is not because of present or nascent spren bonds. He has an opinion of what each person needs to hear. He isn’t always correct in this opinion, but he tries to give people what he thinks they need. In Dalinar’s case, he simply has too much respect for the man to be glib. In Renarin’s case, he believes that the boy has had more than enough breaking down, and is much more in need of building up.

 

Q: When Honor speaks of his inability to see the future, he likens it to a shattering window. Is this related to the fact that in the not-too-distant future, he himself will be splintered? Or is it more a matter of Intent; e.g., Cultivation (and Preservation?) is geared toward future development, whereas Honor is geared toward current behavior.

A: This is not related to his impending splintering, it is a matter of differing Intents.

 

Q: There are hints in WoR that the thrill is tied to an individual entity that Taravangian has studied, possibly one of the Unmade. Does this have anything to do with the hints of why the KR turned away? Were the Unmade some of those who did whatever-it-was that tore them apart?

A: [This is the one where he stopped me partway through asking, probably due to the wording]. Does it have anything to do with it? Yes. Is it the root cause or the primary reason? I’m not going to reveal that right now.

 

Q: Syl gives Kaladin the choice to have any number of weapons or a shield. Pattern can be equally a sword or a small knife. Are spren limited to being items of war or could they be put to other uses? Could the surge binders less geared toward battle use their spren to make ladders, rope, etc?

A: No, this is not restricted to articles of war. [so Shardrope could totally be a thing.]

 

Q: We know that Mistborns needed to Snap, and Surgebinders needed have the cracks in their souls filled. But what about the people in Warbreaker or Elantris? Is cracking and snapping only required on certain worlds?

A: This is universal to the Cosmere; however, in certain magic systems / on certain worlds, this is easier than others.

 

ETA: Hi Khyrindor! It was nice to actually meet another Sharder/Sanderfan in person!

 

added to the database

 

The question about the Mistborn film is interesting, he hasn't posted about Little Orbit buying the film rights and he said there wasn't any major news on the film front during the Goodreads q&a.

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