Innate Preservation & The only Birthed MoI in the cosmere.

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

When the humans of Scadrial were created, Preservation put a little extra preservation into them. Every human on Scadrial is born with a little preservation in them. Could this be correlating with the fact that the only 2 MoIs in the cosmere that can be inherited are also the only 2 with preservation in them?

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

1 hour ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

When the humans of Scadrial were created, Preservation put a little extra preservation into them. Every human on Scadrial is born with a little preservation in them. Could this be correlating with the fact that the only 2 MoIs in the cosmere that can be inherited are also the only 2 with preservation in them?

Sand mastery is hereditary. So I don't think it's a correlation with specifically preservation.

[Jult]

It is more related to the fact that Preservation and Ruin created the humans on Scadrial than it is to the specific nature of Preservation. On most planets, humans were already there when the Shards arrived. I think the only other known exception is Nalthis; where we also see some strange hereditary things going on with the Royal Locks.

Relevant WoB:

Quote

Questioner

Is there like a Cosmere-significant reason why, on Scadrial, the Investiture is hereditary, but that that doesn't really seem to be the case on any of the other worlds?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is, but it has to do more with the fact that on Scadrial, human beings were directly created by Ruin and Preservation. And most of the Cosmere worlds you've seen don't have that same sort of aspect. It is the case on Nalthis, but it's not the case on Roshar, it's not the case on Taldain, it's not the case on Sel. And so because of that instance, that's how I'm kind of working, that changed the way people interact with magic directly. But there is some wiggle room there for me. But that's your answer, that's the actual... there's.. I'm not hiding anything there, there is wiggle room. What I'm saying is don't extrapolate that that has to happen every time that the Shards were directly involved in the creation...

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)

[Treamayne]

4 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

When the humans of Scadrial were created, Preservation put a little extra preservation into them. Every human on Scadrial is born with a little preservation in them. Could this be correlating with the fact that the only 2 MoIs in the cosmere that can be inherited are also the only 2 with preservation in them?

How do you get that only Scadrian systems are hereditary? You cannot be born with innate Biochromatic Breath if you do not have Nalthian heritage. You cannot be born with Royal Locks without direct descent from a Returned. Possibly more we have not yet learned about. WoB:

Spoiler

Questioner

Is there like a Cosmere-significant reason why, on Scadrial, the Investiture is hereditary, but that that doesn't really seem to be the case on any of the other worlds?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is, but it has to do more with the fact that on Scadrial, human beings were directly created by Ruin and Preservation. And most of the Cosmere worlds you've seen don't have that same sort of aspect. It is the case on Nalthis, but it's not the case on Roshar, it's not the case on Taldain, it's not the case on Sel. And so because of that instance, that's how I'm kind of working, that changed the way people interact with magic directly. But there is some wiggle room there for me. But that's your answer, that's the actual... there's.. I'm not hiding anything there, there is wiggle room. What I'm saying is don't extrapolate that that has to happen every time that the Shards were directly involved in the creation...

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)

From the author-writing perspective, it's because Brandon wants diversity in how Investiture may be accessed across the Cosmere - Annotations:

Spoiler

Annotation to Warbreaker Ch 23:

Quote

Only Potential Heirs of Idris Have Royal Locks

This is true. It’s not a matter of genetics, but lineage. That’s a subtle distinction. Only the children of the person who ends up inheriting will have the Royal Locks. (Though there are a couple of notable exceptions to this, they won’t show up in this book, as it will take another novel to explain why and how the Royal Locks really work. If I ever write a sequel, that should be in it.)

This factoid about the Royal Locks should be one of several hints about the lineage of the Idrian crown. There is something odd about their heritage.

Annotation to Warbreaker CH 46:

Quote

Origin of Awakening as a Magic System

I never did write out in annotation form an explanation of where Awakening came from. I believe I talked about the origin of the term Awakening, but never the actual powers of the magic.

As I’ve said, I wanted to do something that had a very “vulgar magic” feel to it. Something gritty, dealing with the forms of people, like voodoo or hedge magics. I wanted to have something that reached back into our cultural unconscious, and something that dealt with necromancy in a new way.

Those are all pieces of the puzzle. Another piece, however, was the desire to do an animation magic—a magic focused around bringing inanimate objects to life on order to serve you. As I’ve said, it’s very tough to come up with completely new powers nobody has written about or used (though I think I’ve got a few in store for Way of Kings). However, a good magic system can be crafted from the interpretation of old powers used in new ways with interesting limitations and cultural connections.

I’ve seen people bring objects to life in books or movies, but I’ve never seen a formal magic designed completely around it.

One of the other things I’m always looking for is new ways for people to gain their magical powers. As much as I like Mistborn, the “It’s genetic and you’re born with it” method of gaining magical abilities is just about the oldest and most commonly used way. It’s used so much because it makes sense, and because it’s easy to explain. Breath, and the transferring of it, came from my desire to come up with something different—something that had an economic component, something that allowed anyone to become a magic user, but which still had limited resources so that not everyone could be one.

I’m still trying to innovate in this area, but I think my favorite part about Awakening is the concept of Breath and how it’s transferred. It turns people into resources for the magic, but in a way I hadn’t seen done before.

 

Hope that helps

Edited June 29, 2025 by Treamayne
SPAG

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

25 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

How do you get that only Scadrian systems are hereditary? You cannot be born with innate Biochromatic Breath if you do not have Nalthian heritage. You cannot be born with Royal Locks without direct descent from a Returned. Possibly more we have not yet learned about. WoB:

  Hide contents

Questioner

Is there like a Cosmere-significant reason why, on Scadrial, the Investiture is hereditary, but that that doesn't really seem to be the case on any of the other worlds?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is, but it has to do more with the fact that on Scadrial, human beings were directly created by Ruin and Preservation. And most of the Cosmere worlds you've seen don't have that same sort of aspect. It is the case on Nalthis, but it's not the case on Roshar, it's not the case on Taldain, it's not the case on Sel. And so because of that instance, that's how I'm kind of working, that changed the way people interact with magic directly. But there is some wiggle room there for me. But that's your answer, that's the actual... there's.. I'm not hiding anything there, there is wiggle room. What I'm saying is don't extrapolate that that has to happen every time that the Shards were directly involved in the creation...

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)

From the author-writing perspective, it's because Brandon wants diversity in how Investiture may be accessed across the Cosmere - Annotations:

  Reveal hidden contents

Annotation to Warbreaker Ch 23:

Annotation to Warbreaker CH 46:

 

Hope that helps

Oh ok.

Thank you!

[LewsTherinTelescope]

On 6/29/2025 at 1:37 PM, IcedOutPenguin said:

Sand mastery is hereditary. So I don't think it's a correlation with specifically preservation.

Some believe that, but Baon's got some obscene strength in sand mastery despite being a Darksider.

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

On 6/30/2025 at 3:25 AM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

When the humans of Scadrial were created, Preservation put a little extra preservation into them. Every human on Scadrial is born with a little preservation in them. Could this be correlating with the fact that the only 2 MoIs in the cosmere that can be inherited are also the only 2 with preservation in them?

Like @Treamayne said, but there are more examples. Like all the Selish MoIs. You don't become an Elantrian unless you are of Aonic descent.

[Nitpicking]

On 7/17/2025 at 7:40 AM, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Like @Treamayne said, but there are more examples. Like all the Selish MoIs. You don't become an Elantrian unless you are of Aonic descent.

I'm pretty sure foreigners who live in Aonic lands will have children who can become Elantrians. Could be wrong, but that's how I remember it.

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, Nitpicking said:

I'm pretty sure foreigners who live in Aonic lands will have children who can become Elantrians. Could be wrong, but that's how I remember it.

If a foreigner had children with a Teod or Arelish person, that child would have Aonic descent and could be taken by the Shaod. Yes. Elantris Excerpts:

Spoiler

Ch 19:

Quote

Raoden said. “The important thing is realizing there’s a link between ourselves and the Dor, Galladon. Not only that—but there must be some sort of link between this land and the Dor.”

Galladon frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Because AonDor was developed in Arelon and nowhere else,” Raoden said. “The text says that the farther one traveled from Elantris, the weaker the AonDor powers became. Besides—only people from Arelon are taken by the Shaod. It can take Teos, but only if they’re living in Arelon at the time. Oh, and it takes the occasional Dula as well.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

Ch 60:

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 Arelon and Elantris had been defeated; the next battle was Teod. Hrathen could tell from Dilaf’s eyes that the monk would not be satisfied until every person of Aonic descent was dead.

Elantris Glossary:

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Aonic—(A)

1. A language spoken in Arelon and Teod. It was originally based on the Aons.
2. A racial group that originated in Teod. People of Aonic descent are characterized by blonde hair and tall frames. Most people in Teod are pure Aonic, while those in Arelon have intermixed more with the eastern nations.

 

It is less about modern politial geographic boundaries than the land and ties to the region. For example, Hrovell has been a part of the Fjordell Empire for a long time, but Forton still accesses the Dor through the native Hrovelli alchemy MoI. WoB:

Spoiler

Francis Ocoma

In Elantris, are Forton's "potions" magical, or is he using natural substances?

Brandon Sanderson

They are invested. (Magical.)

General Twitter 2016 (Jan. 17, 2016)

Hope that helps.