Ripheus23 Posted March 16, 2025 Posted March 16, 2025 I mean, in some sense there'd be no wind if there were no event of air moving around, so there's a bit of "the Wind is the spren of a type of event," but what then about specific events also? Are the "lesser" windspren samples of spren of specific moments of wind, compared to Wind-with-a-capital-W being like the spren of a type? (Is that how they're distinctive???) And anyway, then, would there be a Shatteringspren???????????????? Spoiler sixteen ?'s, for those counting
Treamayne Posted March 16, 2025 Posted March 16, 2025 1 hour ago, Ripheus23 said: And anyway, then, would there be a Shatteringspren? Unlikely, for two reasons: Most Spren (including Wind) predate the Shattering So far, all spren appear to be based on either Cognitive events (emotion, thought) or Natural things. For there to be a "Spren" of a Spiritual Realm event, one or more Shards would have had to create Splinters based on the event - which would weaken themselves, which seems very unlikely with the original crop of Vessels.
AsherCrane Posted March 16, 2025 Posted March 16, 2025 As well as the fact that as far as I recall, all spren we have seen have been repeated or constant events. I could see there being a shatterspren, representing the concept of shattering, but not one for a single event like the shattering.
Trusk'our he/him Posted March 16, 2025 Posted March 16, 2025 8 hours ago, Ripheus23 said: I mean, in some sense there'd be no wind if there were no event of air moving around, so there's a bit of "the Wind is the spren of a type of event," but what then about specific events also? Are the "lesser" windspren samples of spren of specific moments of wind, compared to Wind-with-a-capital-W being like the spren of a type? (Is that how they're distinctive???) And anyway, then, would there be a Shatteringspren???????????????? Reveal hidden contents sixteen ?'s, for those counting It seems as long as something is dwelled on enough and there's free Investiture to shape, basically any idea can be formed into a Spren. Spren seem to be the default CR thing to manifest from thoughts shaping Investiture. Spoiler https://wob.coppermind.net/events/540-dragonsteel-nexus-2024/ Questioner In the Cognitive Realm, things there are kind of a representation of what people think of them. Like, you can find a sphere of a table in Shadesmar, and you get obsidian ground where people think there's water, and so on. My question is, what happens to abstract ideas and stories? Is there a sphere somewhere of the story of The Girl That Looked Up, since enough people know about it? Or do abstract ideas without physical representations not have Cognitive representations? Brandon Sanderson Excellent question. It's a little bit squishy and timey-wimey. Something like The Girl That Looked Up, you might end up having it influence Investiture that is becoming self-aware, but it won't necessarily appear in the Cognitive Realm as a feature, necessarily. But some things that people think about might show up as features like that. So it's not off the table; not very common. More likely it's some sort of manifestation of something like spren. Questioner Would there be, like, a spren of calculus, then? Brandon Sanderson As calculus gets done more and more, a spren of calculus is viable. Do understand that there's a finite amount of that Investiture becoming self-aware, and the perceptions and the number of people perceiving and also the Investiture's kind of perception of itself all influences that. That just gives me some wiggle room on saying, "That's why there's not a spren of X, but there is Y." Spoiler https://wob.coppermind.net/events/540-dragonsteel-nexus-2024/ Questioner Space age question for you. Generational ships. What would it take for something like that to emerge in the Cognitive Realm? And would it look like its planet of origin? Brandon Sanderson A generational ship just manifesting on its own? Not terribly likely. There are specific circumstances you could come up with.. And you're asking, "What would it take?" For instance, let's say there is a planetwide catastrophe. And everybody's aware it's coming for hundreds of years and focusing on a story told about some sort of ark that might save them. And that they are all believing this is a thing that did exist or could exist. Over time, if there were the right Investiture on the Cognitive Realm, you could see something like that manifest. But I don't know if it would actually work, if it would take them off world or if it would just be echoes of that represented. You'd be much more likely to find some spren-like entity that thinks of themselves of the crew of said ancient ship than the ship itself. You'd have to have very specific circumstances, and I don't even know if it necessarily would work. So, possible, I think with the right cultural perception and Investiture, but by no means guaranteed.
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