Dead Shardblade Gems

[Duxredux he/him]

It may not be an important detail, nor am I entirely sure how I would look in the archive for past discussions, since Shardblade and gemstone/gem/gemheart/polestone are all incredibly common terms for this forum. As background, a polestone can be set into the pommel or cross guard of a dead Shardblade that allows the Shardbearer to bond the Blade. Once bonded, then the Shardblade can be summoned and dismissed - indeed the default is to be dismissed unless otherwise specifically willed by the Shardbearer. Breaking the bond involves touching the polestone, and if the polestone is damaged or removed the Blade cannot be summoned or dismissed. Killing a Shardbearer even while the Blade is dismissed will summon the Blade to fall next to the deceased.

So... my question. Where does this gem retrofitted to a Shardblade go when the Blade is dismissed? I had more or less skimmed over the fact that Shardblades can pull a foreign object out of the Physical Realm. Yet I don't remember seeing a gem on Maya when we finally see a Deadeye currently bonded to Shardbearer. Furthermore, we know that gemstones are valuable, fundamental to commerce, and can be highly prized. Allies of the Deadeyes including friends and family seem likely to notice such a gem - and depending on what was known, may have tried to damage or remove said gemstone if it and the purpose was discovered. This also raises the question of what would happen if the gemstone bonding a Dead Shardblade to a Shardbearer was damaged while the sword was dismissed? Particularly if the Deadeye was transported by associates far away from the corresponding location of the Shardbearer?

So... where is the gemstone? It seems pretty relevant with what we now know of Shadesmar, along with how Deadeyes will wander around following the Shardbearer's equivalent location until summoned, and the rest of the True Spren's feelings on the matter. Is it embedded similar to a gemheart? Is it elsewhere? I have other questions, like if there is anything else that could be attached to a Shardblade that could be pulled into the Cognitive Realm. If you bath a Radiant in Stormlight, have them grasp a Deadeye Blade and dismiss the Blade, could they be pulled into the CR?

Anyone have any thoughts or WoBs?

Edited September 19, 2024 by Duxredux

[alder24]

I'm guessing it's in the Spiritual Realm. The gemstone already contains part of the Shardbearer spirit web or his innate investiture, so it's not a stretch to suggest that because of this, the gemstone would be pulled into SR, sticking to spren's spirit web, when dismissed. 

Spoiler

yahel26 (paraphrased)

Since the gemstones on Shardblades seems to be infused with Stormlight, could a Surgebinder draw that Stormlight and use it?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

No he couldn't. You see, that Stormlight is the Shardbearer's life energy, you wouldn't be able to draw it just like I can't draw your life energy from you. If you were to extract that gemstone from the Shardblade it is possible.

yahel26 (paraphrased)

But then the gemstone would go dark.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Exactly.

ICon 2019 (Oct. 16, 2019)

 

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

I'm guessing it's in the Spiritual Realm. The gemstone already contains part of the Shardbearer spirit web or his innate investiture, so it's not a stretch to suggest that because of this, the gemstone would be pulled into SR, sticking to spren's spirit web, when dismissed. 

I agree this is likely, but I also think it is possible that:

2 hours ago, Duxredux said:

Is it embedded similar to a gemheart?

This is also likely. We know the Bonds can trancend realms, so the two are not mutally exclusive (the bond Gem is always "touching" the SR). With the associate "10 heartbeats" imagery and the "Syncing heartbeats for a semblance of life" description - an artificial Gemheart also makes a lot of sense - located in the Pommel when the spren is summoned, and inside the spren while in the CR.