AirsickAviar he/him Posted March 13, 2025 Posted March 13, 2025 In Sunlit we came to understand awakening some things like a metalmind perhaps some feruchemist put enhanced mental speed or memory into seemed to create an AI. Could this be done with a gemheart and similarly Rasharan invested objects to interesting effects, like a stone stuck to a wall to maybe interesting interactions? It may have just broken my brain a bit while I ponder it. Awakening bullets by a coinshot "seek the eyes" might already be broken enough figuring they could probably just retrieve them again. But awakeners with any level of potential surge level powers, even as a secondary option from objects could be something else. What exactly is the limit to what can be awakened, do we know?
RedBlue Posted March 13, 2025 Posted March 13, 2025 As far as I remember, objects are easier to Awaken if they were ‘life-like’ to begin with. That is, it helps if the object is made of organic material, or if it’s person-shaped or at least animal-shaped. Metal requires more Breaths to Awaken. It can be done, but the limiting factor is the difficulty in getting hold of enough Breath. The upshot is that Awakening can be incredibly powerful — just look at Nightblood — but the resources and skill needed will limit how much people can actually use it.
Treamayne Posted March 13, 2025 Posted March 13, 2025 6 hours ago, AirsickAviar said: In Sunlit we came to understand awakening some things like a metalmind perhaps some feruchemist put enhanced mental speed or memory into seemed to create an AI. Could this be done with a gemheart and similarly Rasharan invested objects to interesting effects, like a stone stuck to a wall to maybe interesting interactions? It may have just broken my brain a bit while I ponder it. Awakening bullets by a coinshot "seek the eyes" might already be broken enough figuring they could probably just retrieve them again. But awakeners with any level of potential surge level powers, even as a secondary option from objects could be something else. What exactly is the limit to what can be awakened, do we know? Keep in mind that "Awakened" and "Awakening" are not synonymous. Awakening is the MoI of Nalthis where objects are given a semblance of life with BioChrimatic Breath, color, and a Command Awakened is a term for items with some level of Sentience or Sapience through investiture (because Investiture seeks sapience on its own) So, Awakening can create Awakened objects, but it is not the only method to do so, as most MoIs will have a way to reach the same realmatic effect. WoB: Spoiler Argent Staying with Yumi, since we're asking the big questions here. I want to talk about the big machine, the father machine. Brandon Sanderson Yes. Argent There are some really interesting what feel like intentional parallels between it and Nightblood. Brandon Sanderson Yes. Argent There's smoke involved, there's eating of souls, there's a whole bunch of things. So what I do want to ask is: one, was the father machine Awakened using Breaths, using Nalthian Awakening? Or are you using Awakening as Lightweaving or Bondsmithing which is an overarching system in the Cosmere? Brandon Sanderson It's the second. This wouldn't exist in the pre-space-age as much; by space age there's a certain terminology that is going between... basically it's starting with the arcanists and moving to the general population. What certain themes in the Cosmere magics mean. And so when Hoid says "this is an Awakened machine" his audience understands what that means. It does not necessarily mean Breaths Awaken, but Breaths are one of the main ways that people see things be Awakened. You should be noticing those parallels, but that's a term that in the Cosmere is becoming genericized to mean un-living object being given some measure of sentience and even sapience by application of Investiture, Commands, and these sorts of things. By this point they've all interacted with various Awakened machines of sorts in the future Cosmere. They know what this means. They've talked to an Awakened computer. Argent Interesting! Very interesting! That's what I was hoping you would answer. Because Awakening is such a cool term for Awakening an object, right! One notable difference between the father machine and Nightblood other than them using different magic systems to be Awakened is that the Machine was able to somehow draw people's souls at a distance, which seems EXTREMELY broken to me. Brandon Sanderson Yeah. I had to let... This is going to be a pretty special circumstance for this book. But yes. It is pretty broken. You wouldn't want this to be... this could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Don't expect this to be very commonly used in the Cosmere. Argent Was that a side effect of the magic system that was used to Awaken the machine, or was there something else going on? Brandon Sanderson This is a side effect of what Virtuosity did and the bit of Virtuosity in all the people allowing the Machine to have enough of a plausible Connection to them to draw upon them. Argent Ok. Interesting. I will think about this while I pass the ball back to Matt. Brandon Sanderson Yeah. This is me pushing just a little bit hard on the boundaries of what is possible. It is possible, but it it is pushing further than I normally would on the bounds of what that can do. Shardcast Interview (July 30, 2023) So, it was not necesarily through Awakening that the Safe in TLM, Father Machine (Yumi), or the Metalminds of Sunlit Man were Awakened. A gemheart may be unlikely if it is still part of a living being, but may be more viable than other options on Roshar, because of the investiture cycle of Roshar that means Light dissipates from objects holding it. Even better will likely be Perfect Gems that are Awakened to automate and manage complex Fabrials. 2
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