Towerlight?

[Nitpicking]

Where is Towerlight coming from? We read at the end of WaT that Towerlight is still available at Urithuru, but ... it's made of half Stormlight and half Lifelight. Cultivation still exists, so her child might still be able to draw on her to create Towerlight, but Honor is now part of Retribution. Where is the Sibling getting Stormlight from to make Towerlight? Are they making it directly? Would that not imply they have a direct channel to the Spiritual Realm, the source of Investiture? Could someone escape from the Tower via the Spiritual Realm, even if the Cognitive is blocked? For that matter, where are the Heralds getting the Stormlight they apparently have?

[The Sovereign]

54 minutes ago, Nitpicking said:

Where is Towerlight coming from? We read at the end of WaT that Towerlight is still available at Urithuru, but ... it's made of half Stormlight and half Lifelight. Cultivation still exists, so her child might still be able to draw on her to create Towerlight, but Honor is now part of Retribution. Where is the Sibling getting Stormlight from to make Towerlight? Are they making it directly? Would that not imply they have a direct channel to the Spiritual Realm, the source of Investiture? Could someone escape from the Tower via the Spiritual Realm, even if the Cognitive is blocked? For that matter, where are the Heralds getting the Stormlight they apparently have?

The Sibling can pull it directly from the Spiritual Realm. In theory The Nightwatcher can do the same for Lifelight and had Retribution not destroyed the Stormfather, then he would be able to pull in Stormlight. With his Honorblade Ishar can probably still open a Perpendicularity and pull Stormlight from the Spiritual Realm.

Edited December 23, 2024 by The Sovereign

[alder24]

2 hours ago, Nitpicking said:

Where is Towerlight coming from? We read at the end of WaT that Towerlight is still available at Urithuru, but ... it's made of half Stormlight and half Lifelight. Cultivation still exists, so her child might still be able to draw on her to create Towerlight, but Honor is now part of Retribution. Where is the Sibling getting Stormlight from to make Towerlight? Are they making it directly? Would that not imply they have a direct channel to the Spiritual Realm, the source of Investiture? Could someone escape from the Tower via the Spiritual Realm, even if the Cognitive is blocked? For that matter, where are the Heralds getting the Stormlight they apparently have?

It's not really made out of Stormlight (not the physical one), the Sibling draws power directly from the Spiritual Realm, from both Honor and Cultivation and creates the Towerlight by combining those powers. They still have Connection to Honor, even if it's a part of Retribution, they can draw power from him. The same goes for Heralds, but Heralds are also holding Splinters of Honor in themselves. WaT ch 144:

Quote

“Like the spren, we bear a distinctive part of Honor’s power in us. Retribution will want to reclaim it."
[...]
“… Yes,” Ishar said. “We bear Honor’s power. Much as our Connection to Odium helped us bind him and his spren long ago, our Connection to Honor could let us bind Retribution. In a small way.”

 

Spoiler

Steeldancer

The Heralds, back before Honor died, were they directly powered by Honor?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. You’ll find out more about that, but the Shardblades [pretty sure he means Honorblades here] were pieces of Honor’s soul that he gave them and direct access to his essence.

Steeldancer

Like Vin and Elend?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, a little like that. That’s why Honorblades don’t work like Shardblades do, like Radiants do.

Steeldancer

The second part of the question is, what would happen if they were directly powered by Honor and they were holding Nightblood?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO

Boskone 54 (Feb. 17, 2017)

 

The Cognitive Realm around the Tower is not blocked, there are even people travelling there for the Towerlight to create food and water. Leaving through the Spiritual Realm is possible via Elsecalling, doing it like Dalinar and Navani did is probably not the best option (unless you want to be stuck there for decades).

[Karger he/him]

Towerlight is a combination of Lifelight and Stormlight but its also largely accurate to say that Stormlight and Lifelight are both two parts of Towerlight.  Technically speaking any combination of investiture is possible.