The Pure Tone of Scadrial and the Well of Ascension

[Oraiyu]

Brandon has confirmed that the Well was emitting the pure tone of Scadrial

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Menderbug

Is the Well's pulsing a 'pure tone of Scadrial'?

Brandon Sanderson

Yup!

Miscellaneous 2020 (Nov. 30, 2020)

As Scadrial was created by both Preservation and Ruin together, I would think that this tone would be a hybrid of their tones. This would be just like Warlight, which is a hybrid of Honor & Odium's tones. I also assume that the rhythm (such as Vin heard) would be a hybrid as well.

But as the Well contained the power of Preservation, wouldn't it produce the pure tone of Preservation?

[Treamayne]

1 hour ago, Oraiyu said:

Brandon has confirmed that the Well was emitting the pure tone of Scadrial

Spoiler

Menderbug

Is the Well's pulsing a 'pure tone of Scadrial'?

Brandon Sanderson

Yup!

Miscellaneous 2020 (Nov. 30, 2020)

As Scadrial was created by both Preservation and Ruin together, I would think that this tone would be a hybrid of their tones. This would be just like Warlight, which is a hybrid of Honor & Odium's tones. I also assume that the rhythm (such as Vin heard) would be a hybrid as well.

But as the Well contained the power of Preservation, wouldn't it produce the pure tone of Preservation?

It is Preservation's Tone. Please note that the WoB says "A Pure Tone of Scadrial" not "The Pure Tone of Scadrial"

Also note that Seekers are hearing Rhythms of Preservation's Tone when they listen for Metals being burned.

Spoiler

MoriWillow

Is that tone and rhythm stuff universal to the Shards and Investiture elsewhere?

Brandon Sanderson

The tones can be expanded to other Shards and Invested Arts around the cosmere.

dIvorrap

Are the Allomantic pulses a Seeker hears (like drum beats) related to the tones of Preservation, then?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, they are.

General Reddit 2020 (Nov. 22, 2020)

Hope that helps

Edited May 30, 2025 by Treamayne
SPAG

[Oraiyu]

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Hope that helps

It does indeed. I should have caught that nuance.

Thank you

[Vinegar He/him]

Does that mean the Pits of Hathsin are also emitting a Pure Tone of Scadrial? Both the pits and the well are perpendicularities of shards.
Does that ALSO mean Harmony's Perpendicularity is emitting THE pure tone of Scadrial?

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, Denisimo said:

Does that mean the Pits of Hathsin are also emitting a Pure Tone of Scadrial? Both the pits and the well are perpendicularities of shards.
Does that ALSO mean Harmony's Perpendicularity is emitting THE pure tone of Scadrial?

We have no evidence that any Perpendicularity naturally emits a Pure Tone (e. g. Cultivation's Perpendicularity on Roshar, Devotion's on Sel) - the Well was specifically deisigned by Leras to emit that Tone and Rhythm when it was near to full, so it could summon a Seeker to take the power there and maintain Ruin's prison. If, however, a Being were naturally able to perceive Spiritual Realm Tones (like a Singer) - then yes, they should be able to perceive Ruin's Tone at the Pits in Era 1 or Harmony's Tone at Perpendicularity in the South (which we do not know if it is the form of a Well - which is only one of many possibilties for a Perpendicularity). 

[Vinegar He/him]

1 minute ago, Treamayne said:

We have no evidence that any Perpendicularity naturally emits a Pure Tone (e. g. Cultivation's Perpendicularity on Roshar, Devotion's on Sel) - the Well was specifically deisigned by Leras to emit that Tone and Rhythm when it was near to full, so it could summon a Seeker to take the power there and maintain Ruin's prison. If, however, a Being were naturally able to perceive Spiritual Realm Tones (like a Singer) - then yes, they should be able to perceive Ruin's Tone at the Pits in Era 1 or Harmony's Tone at Perpendicularity in the South (which we do not know if it is the form of a Well - which is only one of many possibilties for a Perpendicularity). 

What would have happened it no one went to take the power at the well?

[Oraiyu]

6 hours ago, Treamayne said:

the Well was specifically deisigned by Leras to emit that Tone and Rhythm when it was near to full, so it could summon a Seeker to take the power there and maintain Ruin's prison.

Leras influenced "prophesies" for the purpose of guiding a Terrisman to maintain the prison.

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However, before imprisoning Ruin, Preservation saw into the distant future and formulated a series of preparations to orchestrate Ruin's downfall. One preparation was gifting the original Terris Prophecies to the original Terris people. They spoke of The Hero of Ages - a hero who would come to the Well of Ascension every thousand years to be a protector of humanity; with risk of either protecting or destroying the world, while holding the future of the entire world on their arms. Unbeknownst to Ruin, Leras hid layers referencing the Hero who would span the Ages - a Feruchemist who could fully tap their copperminds while taking up both Preservation and Ruin.

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Preservation#History

I don't remember ever reading that the tone was specifically applied by him to summon a Seeker. Where have you seen this?

[Treamayne]

1 minute ago, Oraiyu said:

I don't remember ever reading that the tone was specifically applied by him to summon a Seeker. Where have you seen this?

Alendi's Seeking is stated here - HoA Annotations to Ch 62:

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

Also, as a note, Alendi was an Allomancer, as the epigraph notes here. He had to be—he heard the pulsing at the Well of Ascension when nobody else could. "Ah," you might say, "but I thought that you said Allomancy didn't exist before those beads." That isn't 100% true. The legends say that Allomancy came with the Deepness. Alendi was one of the very first Allomancers, and he gained his powers as the mists began to cover the world.

That's important.

Because, of course, he was Snapped by the mists, like is happening to people in this book.

The Hero of Ages Annotations (Feb. 23, 2010)

It's implied that Snapping Seekers to find the Well was "important" to Preservation's plan. 

Hope that helps.

[Oraiyu]

41 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

It's implied that Snapping Seekers to find the Well was "important" to Preservation's plan. 

Interesting. So there was some type of plan

However, to me, the implication is pretty clearly that Leras made sure there were people invested in such a way to be able to hear the tone/pulses. There's no indication that the tone/pulsing itself was applied by Leras and not just a natural attribute of the perpendicularity. 

Edited June 11, 2025 by Oraiyu
elaboration

[Treamayne]

11 minutes ago, Oraiyu said:

However, to me, the implication is pretty clearly that Leras made sure there were people invested in such a way to be able to hear the tone/pulses. There's no indication that the tone/pulsing itself was applied by Leras and not just a natural attribute of the perpendicularity. 

Which is why I said implied. 

We get no indications that Singers or Horneater hear Cultivation's Tone or Rhythm from that Perpendicularity or any indications of Tone or Rhythm from Devotion's perpendicularity on Sel. 

WaT Spoilers

Spoiler

But we do see Venli recognize the Rhythm from Taravangian's Well when she was listening for it. 

We simply do not have enough information to discern what is always true, versus what is either turned on by the Shard or obfuscated by the Shard versus what is Realmatically changed by other factors. 

[Oraiyu]

1 hour ago, Treamayne said:

Which is why I said implied.

I respectfully disagree. I don't think it's implied from that annotation.

1 hour ago, Treamayne said:

We simply do not have enough information to discern what is always true, versus what is either turned on by the Shard or obfuscated by the Shard versus what is Realmatically changed by other factors. 

This is true. Point taken.