Investing Gemstones

[Trusk'our he/him]

Gemstones are interesting, as they seem to be capable of naturally holding Investiture, even Investiture that isn't native to Roshar, such as the Dor or Autonomy's Light.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/482-youtube-spoiler-stream-3/#e15297

EvilAdolin

If you take a gemstone from Roshar to Taldain, would it be charged with Autonomy's Light on Dayside?

Brandon Sanderson

It could capture it; I'm not sure if it would happen automatically. You could definitely get some Dor. I don't know that it's gonna naturally pick up Autonomous Light; it might though. That one's iffy for me, I'll have to think about it.

I'm gonna say yes to that one, but it's not going to infuse very deeply. You're gonna get something in it, but it's going to vanish soon after, to the point that gemstones—they would have noticed on Taldain if gemstones just naturally picked this up. So, you're going to get just a little, little bit of a charge, but it's going to be almost imperceptible to someone without the right instruments. 

This makes me think, if Autonomy's Light, while technically capable of naturally Investing gemstones has trouble in practice, but the Dor has no issue- is it a simple matter of pressure?

Like, Stormlight infuses gemstones on Roshar when the SR is aligned with the physical. Probably a high concentration there flowing into hte low-concentration gemstones available. The Dor is confirmed to be super dense, as it is a compressed storm in the CR.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/77-shadows-of-self-lansing-signing/#e6852

Blaze1616

The Dor: Is it gaseous Investiture or is it something else completely?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh that's a great question. People have not been asking enough about the Dor.

Blaze1616

And if it is gaseous—or not gaseous—is it plasma?

Brandon Sanderson

*Long pause*

You got it. *said definitively*

It's super sup-- not plasm-- yeah, it's super-dense to the point that's it's liquefied and dense-- does that make sense? So it's plasma, basically. It's its own weird thing, so yeah. What you can write is that it's its own weird thing that's kind of plasma-like.

Taldain's Dayside Light, I believe, is more light Canticle's reflected light- more of a steady trickle of power that lacks the force to push into gemstones (perhaps this is why Mists don't Invest gemstones? Maybe they're too dispersed?)

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/467-youtube-spoiler-stream-2/#e14784

BubblesS0AR

Could you have trapped the mists from Scadrial in a gemstone.

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically possible.

In any case, if this is true, perhaps any gemstone brought into a Perpendicularity would become Invested due to the huge amount available?

Also, moving Stormlight via the Arnist method normally requires a larger gemstone, which I think backs up my initial hypothesis of relying on pressure differentials. So, perhaps if you have a tuning fork, you could use the Tones to override the limits of assumed low-pressure Investiture such as Mist or Taldain's Light to really Invest a gemstone just like you can move Stormlight around as you wish regardless of container size?

[Jult]

11 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

Gemstones are interesting, as they seem to be capable of naturally holding Investiture, even Investiture that isn't native to Roshar, such as the Dor or Autonomy's Light.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/482-youtube-spoiler-stream-3/#e15297

EvilAdolin

If you take a gemstone from Roshar to Taldain, would it be charged with Autonomy's Light on Dayside?

Brandon Sanderson

It could capture it; I'm not sure if it would happen automatically. You could definitely get some Dor. I don't know that it's gonna naturally pick up Autonomous Light; it might though. That one's iffy for me, I'll have to think about it.

I'm gonna say yes to that one, but it's not going to infuse very deeply. You're gonna get something in it, but it's going to vanish soon after, to the point that gemstones—they would have noticed on Taldain if gemstones just naturally picked this up. So, you're going to get just a little, little bit of a charge, but it's going to be almost imperceptible to someone without the right instruments. 

This makes me think, if Autonomy's Light, while technically capable of naturally Investing gemstones has trouble in practice, but the Dor has no issue- is it a simple matter of pressure?

Like, Stormlight infuses gemstones on Roshar when the SR is aligned with the physical. Probably a high concentration there flowing into hte low-concentration gemstones available. The Dor is confirmed to be super dense, as it is a compressed storm in the CR.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/77-shadows-of-self-lansing-signing/#e6852

Blaze1616

The Dor: Is it gaseous Investiture or is it something else completely?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh that's a great question. People have not been asking enough about the Dor.

Blaze1616

And if it is gaseous—or not gaseous—is it plasma?

Brandon Sanderson

*Long pause*

You got it. *said definitively*

It's super sup-- not plasm-- yeah, it's super-dense to the point that's it's liquefied and dense-- does that make sense? So it's plasma, basically. It's its own weird thing, so yeah. What you can write is that it's its own weird thing that's kind of plasma-like.

Taldain's Dayside Light, I believe, is more light Canticle's reflected light- more of a steady trickle of power that lacks the force to push into gemstones (perhaps this is why Mists don't Invest gemstones? Maybe they're too dispersed?)

  Reveal hidden contents

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/467-youtube-spoiler-stream-2/#e14784

BubblesS0AR

Could you have trapped the mists from Scadrial in a gemstone.

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically possible.

In any case, if this is true, perhaps any gemstone brought into a Perpendicularity would become Invested due to the huge amount available?

Also, moving Stormlight via the Arnist method normally requires a larger gemstone, which I think backs up my initial hypothesis of relying on pressure differentials. So, perhaps if you have a tuning fork, you could use the Tones to override the limits of assumed low-pressure Investiture such as Mist or Taldain's Light to really Invest a gemstone just like you can move Stormlight around as you wish regardless of container size?

 

You may already be aware of this, but Navani's notes support your pressure differentials hypothesis. She notes that the vacuum effect used to draw in Spren while applying the Arnist method is similar (though not identical) to the kind created by pressure differentials:

Quote

"If the Stormlight in a gemstone is withdrawn quickly enough, a nearby spren can be sucked into the gemstone. This is caused by a similar effect to a pressure differential, created by the sudden withdrawal of Stormlight, though the science of the two phenomena are not identical." RoW Epigraph 5

 

Intent may also play a role here. We know the Lights and Tones existed prior to the Shards arrival on Roshar and that Tanavast, Koravellium, and Rayse just sort of co-opted parts of that existing system. We also know that the Lights being stored in gems pre-dates the Shards' changes to the system. WoB:

Spoiler

Quote

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

There was a point when the Heralds didn't need to draw Stormlight from gems, although the Stormlight-in-gems predates Honor's arrival.

There was a following conversation about this topic, about how a lot of the elements were there before Honor arrived, but he co-opted them. So, Stormlight were there, but there are big differences now.

Footnote: Unspecified question by Pagerunner.
Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing (Dec. 3, 2016)

Adonalsium (or some other pre-shattering force) may have Intended for the Lights to be highly compatible with gems. And the Shards of Roshar just never altered that. This Intent was most likely absent from the creation of Taldain's sun or the Mists of Scadrial. As for the Dor, well, the Dor is always weird. I'd guess that it is so "Intent-less" it will work with almost anything.

[Duxredux he/him]

Remember that even on Roshar, the various types of Invested light have different shelf lives. Voidlight persists longer than Stormlight and Towerlight fades almost immediately away from the Sibling. The nature of the Investiture itself may be a major factor, not just the pressure differential. I could see Autonomy's light not working well with containers or confinement in general.

[Wadders]

I wonder if the towerlight fading so quickly is due to the nature of the light itself or that it is produced and connected to the sibling. 

[Trusk'our he/him]

On 10/15/2025 at 9:36 AM, Jult said:

You may already be aware of this, but Navani's notes support your pressure differentials hypothesis. She notes that the vacuum effect used to draw in Spren while applying the Arnist method is similar (though not identical) to the kind created by pressure differentials:

Ah! I'd forgotten about that, thanks for the reminder.

On 10/15/2025 at 9:36 AM, Jult said:

Intent may also play a role here. We know the Lights and Tones existed prior to the Shards arrival on Roshar and that Tanavast, Koravellium, and Rayse just sort of co-opted parts of that existing system. We also know that the Lights being stored in gems pre-dates the Shards' changes to the system. WoB:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Adonalsium (or some other pre-shattering force) may have Intended for the Lights to be highly compatible with gems. And the Shards of Roshar just never altered that. This Intent was most likely absent from the creation of Taldain's sun or the Mists of Scadrial. As for the Dor, well, the Dor is always weird. I'd guess that it is so "Intent-less" it will work with almost anything.

Hmm, good point. Rosharan Investiture may just respond to gemstones like how Scadrial's responds to metal: there's a fairly universal set of effects that the materals can generate when dealing with most Investitures, but it's particularly strong with that specific one.

The Dor is still weird though. I'm not entirely satisfied with this answer, but stranger stuff happens in the Cosmere so I guess it's a moot point until further evidence can be brought about.

19 hours ago, Duxredux said:

Remember that even on Roshar, the various types of Invested light have different shelf lives. Voidlight persists longer than Stormlight and Towerlight fades almost immediately away from the Sibling. The nature of the Investiture itself may be a major factor, not just the pressure differential. I could see Autonomy's light not working well with containers or confinement in general.

True. Stormlight leaks like it does in no small part to the ecosystem it's bound to, which isn't related to its Shard's Intent.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/3-firefight-chicago-signing/#e63

Argent

Awakening and Surgebinding, Stormlight and Breath seem really similar in some aspects--

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Argent

--except Breaths seem to stick to things better--

Brandon Sanderson

They do.

Argent

--than Stormlight. So when you are holding the Breath it doesn't expire when you put it in something it doesn't go away. Can you tell me something about why that's happening?

Brandon Sanderson

Part of this is kind of inherent to the Shard and the power it's coming from. I mean the power of Endowment is just going to stick, that's part of the nature of its magic. Does that make sense? But it also kind of has to do with how the ecosystems are working. For instance the Stormlight is essential to the ecosystem of Roshar, it needs to be expended, it needs to get out and-- It's like evaporation, does that make sense?

Argent

Recycling? Not the recycling but the cycle of--

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, yeah like the cycle of water. And so just part of the way the nature of it works, it has to get out, it has to leak out, it has to run out. I mean it leaks even from spheres, right?

Argent

And when you lash things it's temporary--

Brandon Sanderson

Yep. And even though Szeth says that he thought Voidbringers could hold it they can't. Like it is just not the way that it works.

Argent

Can they just hold it better?

Brandon Sanderson

They can hold it better. It's not permanent. Now there are things that can do it permanently but--

<snipped for relevance>

And, yeah, Autonomy's Light not sinking into trapped spaces does sound like it could line up with its Intent.

4 hours ago, Wadders said:

I wonder if the towerlight fading so quickly is due to the nature of the light itself or that it is produced and connected to the sibling. 

Currently I think it could be like how Stormlight is bound to Roshar's ecosystem and so flows back quickly, but maybe it's just stronger with the Sibling since they have a much more finite space that they occupy. Roshar is all around the Radiants who breath in it's Light, but the Tower is in one specific location.

 

Also, while on the topic of Stormlight leaking quickly because of its ties to the Roshar's environment. . . would it still leak quickly? Like, the Highstorm is no more. Stormlight, as far as I can tell, no longer supports the ecology of the planet, maybe severing that Connection.

So, if a Radiant swears and Ideal and becomes Invested post Retribution, would their Light stick around for much longer, maybe even letting them maintain a low amount more or less indefinitely until used up?

Edited October 16, 2025 by Trusk'our