Where is Hoid in the Secret Novel Kickstarter Picture?

[Usseewa]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on 17thshard, and I have some theories, observations, and questions to share. I'll do them in separate posts, and this is one. I have read all of the published Cosmere works except Sixth of Dusk and White Sand (and Isles of the Emberdark if that counts), so please put content from those that I haven't read in spoiler tags.

I don't think anyone else posted about this before, but it's possible.

So, here are the images I am talking about:

Spoiler

(https://coppermind.net/wiki/File:HoidPromo.jpg#/media/File:HoidPromo.jpg)

 

Spoiler

(from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-brandon-sanderson)

 

First of all, why are the images different? Are both correct? Are they actually accurate in-world? Here is a WoB I found, which actually led me to think about this (I added emphasis. I also find the last paragraph by Isaac interesting):

Spoiler

Pagerunner

Will we be seeing an updated Cosmere star chart or system charts for these new words [from Secret Projects]?

Isaac Stewart

I imagine that we'll eventually have a star chart that has these new worlds on it. I don't know when that will be, but it's something that's been in the back of my head.

Brandon Sanderson

Maybe if we ever get around to Arcanum Unbounded 2, but I need to write more short fiction that could go in that before we could do that. One fun thing is: if you look at the Kickstarter page, there's that nice illustration of Hoid--also done by Howard Lyon--and in the background you will see some stars. Hmm? The new ones aren't in there yet.

Isaac Stewart

At least, not labeled yet. For people who don't know, I have a 3D model that a while back we said "okay, how many stars are in the Cosmere, what kind of a cluster is this?" And we talked to Peter and Brandon and we kind of brainstormed some things. So I built a 3D model that helped me create that first star chart and I have the main worlds like Roshar and Scadrial are named in there, but there are other ones that I just put in there in places to look good and try to figure out how would constellations work and things like that. So, we just have to go in there and name some of these if they're in the right spot. Or add them.

Secret Project #1 Reveal and Livestream (March 8, 2022)

So I saw that and then wondered where in the Cosmere Hoid is in the above photos. I noticed that the stars (or some of them) seem to match the Arcanum Unbounded star map, so that's a good sign. It looks like there is Taln's Scar/The Scar/Red Rip in the top-right corner, and possibly Threnody in the lower left of the Hoid picture (it is the only red star not in Taln's Scar in the AU map, and the same is true in the Hoid picture.

In the image from Coppermind with the large planets/moons in the background, I realized that it could be the Rosharen system. I thought the biggest one could be Roshar. Then, the three in the front (the next-largest as viewed in the photo) could be the three moons:

Quote

The first and smallest moon is violet Salas. The middle moon is Nomon, which is a bright, pale blue. The final moon is Mishim, which is smaller than Nomon and green. (https://coppermind.net/wiki/Roshar#Moons)

That would make the two behind and to the left of "Roshar" Ashyn and Braize (the colors match):

Spoiler

(Cropped from https://coppermind.net/wiki/Rosharan_system#/media/File:Starchart_roshar_color.jpg)

 

If all that is true, then what is the fourth ringed planet/moon? It probably isn't one of the ten gas giants, since they are thought to not have rings:

Quote

None of [the gas giants] have known moons or ring systems. (https://coppermind.net/wiki/Rosharan_system#Gas_Giants)

Wind and Truth spoiler I think:

Spoiler

I don't know if moons can have rings (in the Cosmere or our universe), but either way it is unlikely to be the Fourth Moon, since Hoid appears to have Design on his clothing and possibly metal vials at his belt, which indicate that this is relatively taking place during the "present" (a.k.a., at least after OB/RoW or whenever he bonded Design. Unless he bonded another Cryptic...

Also, we still have the planet/moon that Hoid is standing on, which might even be Roshar itself, though I don't know if all three moons plus Ashyn and Braize are ever visible at once.

Edit: the two planets/moons that are unaccounted for could be the/a result of some major event that happens in the "future," and Hoid is simply in the "future." This makes sense (at least the future part), since we know that the SPs are set after SA and in the future of the Cosmere.

Also note that Hoid has a "Silverlight Key" on his cloak at his left shoulder.

Why are the planets/moons drawn to be slightly transparent? Stars are visible behind them (or, possibly, in front, though that is extremely unlikely unless they aren't stars.)

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Let me know what you all think. Basically I'm just wondering about this specific image.

Edited December 26, 2025 by Theory
Added explanation

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

On 12/25/2025 at 10:37 PM, Theory said:

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on 17thshard, and I have some theories, observations, and questions to share. I'll do them in separate posts, and this is one. I have read all of the published Cosmere works except Sixth of Dusk and White Sand (and Isles of the Emberdark if that counts), so please put content from those that I haven't read in spoiler tags.

I don't think anyone else posted about this before, but it's possible.

So, here are the images I am talking about:

  Hide contents

(https://coppermind.net/wiki/File:HoidPromo.jpg#/media/File:HoidPromo.jpg)

 

  Hide contents

(from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-brandon-sanderson)

 

First of all, why are the images different? Are both correct? Are they actually accurate in-world? Here is a WoB I found, which actually led me to think about this (I added emphasis. I also find the last paragraph by Isaac interesting):

  Hide contents

Pagerunner

Will we be seeing an updated Cosmere star chart or system charts for these new words [from Secret Projects]?

Isaac Stewart

I imagine that we'll eventually have a star chart that has these new worlds on it. I don't know when that will be, but it's something that's been in the back of my head.

Brandon Sanderson

Maybe if we ever get around to Arcanum Unbounded 2, but I need to write more short fiction that could go in that before we could do that. One fun thing is: if you look at the Kickstarter page, there's that nice illustration of Hoid--also done by Howard Lyon--and in the background you will see some stars. Hmm? The new ones aren't in there yet.

Isaac Stewart

At least, not labeled yet. For people who don't know, I have a 3D model that a while back we said "okay, how many stars are in the Cosmere, what kind of a cluster is this?" And we talked to Peter and Brandon and we kind of brainstormed some things. So I built a 3D model that helped me create that first star chart and I have the main worlds like Roshar and Scadrial are named in there, but there are other ones that I just put in there in places to look good and try to figure out how would constellations work and things like that. So, we just have to go in there and name some of these if they're in the right spot. Or add them.

Secret Project #1 Reveal and Livestream (March 8, 2022)

So I saw that and then wondered where in the Cosmere Hoid is in the above photos. I noticed that the stars (or some of them) seem to match the Arcanum Unbounded star map, so that's a good sign. It looks like there is Taln's Scar/The Scar/Red Rip in the top-right corner, and possibly Threnody in the lower left of the Hoid picture (it is the only red star not in Taln's Scar in the AU map, and the same is true in the Hoid picture.

In the image from Coppermind with the large planets/moons in the background, I realized that it could be the Rosharen system. I thought the biggest one could be Roshar. Then, the three in the front (the next-largest as viewed in the photo) could be the three moons:

That would make the two behind and to the left of "Roshar" Ashyn and Braize (the colors match):

  Hide contents

(Cropped from https://coppermind.net/wiki/Rosharan_system#/media/File:Starchart_roshar_color.jpg)

 

If all that is true, then what is the fourth ringed planet/moon? It probably isn't one of the ten gas giants, since they are thought to not have rings:

Wind and Truth spoiler I think:

  Hide contents

I don't know if moons can have rings (in the Cosmere or our universe), but either way it is unlikely to be the Fourth Moon, since Hoid appears to have Design on his clothing and possibly metal vials at his belt, which indicate that this is relatively taking place during the "present" (a.k.a., at least after OB/RoW or whenever he bonded Design. Unless he bonded another Cryptic...

Also, we still have the planet/moon that Hoid is standing on, which might even be Roshar itself, though I don't know if all three moons plus Ashyn and Braize are ever visible at once.

Edit: the two planets/moons that are unaccounted for could be the/a result of some major event that happens in the "future," and Hoid is simply in the "future." This makes sense (at least the future part), since we know that the SPs are set after SA and in the future of the Cosmere.

Also note that Hoid has a "Silverlight Key" on his cloak at his left shoulder.

Why are the planets/moons drawn to be slightly transparent? Stars are visible behind them (or, possibly, in front, though that is extremely unlikely unless they aren't stars.)

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Let me know what you all think. Basically I'm just wondering about this specific image.

Looking at the image, I think I can see what look like waves to Hoid's right, so he's on a place with bodies of water. Also to his right is a sunset, normal colored, behind a ridgeline and a few clouds. In my mind, Hoid is creating a lightweaving of the planets and moons and that is why they appear that way (notice the white wisps around them). I can see no noticeable landforms on the largest sphere, and so assuming it is a planet, that would point to it being Roshar. His clothing here still looks relatively not-modern, suggesting wherever he is is not developed yet, so he is likely not on Scadrial. 

There is a time where all three moons are visible at once, and so unless Adonalsium designed the system otherwise, I would hazard that it is very probable all three moons and the two planets could be visible from Roshar. 

I don't think we can feasibly tell more from this image until we get a starchart or more information on where Hoid's going. 

[Usseewa]

1 minute ago, Ashkaloda said:

Looking at the image, I think I can see what look like waves to Hoid's right, so he's on a place with bodies of water. Also to his right is a sunset, normal colored, behind a ridgeline and a few clouds. In my mind, Hoid is creating a lightweaving of the planets and moons and that is why they appear that way (notice the white wisps around them). I can see no noticeable landforms on the largest sphere, and so assuming it is a planet, that would point to it being Roshar. His clothing here still looks relatively not-modern, suggesting wherever he is is not developed yet, so he is likely not on Scadrial. 

There is a time where all three moons are visible at once, and so unless Adonalsium designed the system otherwise, I would hazard that it is very probable all three moons and the two planets could be visible from Roshar. 

I don't think we can feasibly tell more from this image until we get a starchart or more information on where Hoid's going. 

I started making a 3d map of the Cosmere (and beyond) based on the AU starchart...but it turned out the AU one is not perfectly accurate (since it is in-world).

You're right, it does look like he's lightweaving. Perhaps he's telling a story to someone, and is creating an image of the planets+moons as part of the narrative?

So...I just noticed that it looks like Hoid is carrying HEMALURGIC SPIKES and his trusty flute (didn't he get a new one in WaT? Maybe we can compare the descriptions to figure out more of the image's timeframe).

What looks like a flute (1) has the holes that I believe flutes have, and the "spikes" (2) have..."red stains" on them.

Spoiler

 

[Qianweilian He/him]

5 minutes ago, Theory said:

So...I just noticed that it looks like Hoid is carrying HEMALURGIC SPIKES

Those look interesting, but you can see lines of them, which to me, make it look like they are scrolls. Hemalurgy as a whole feels less useful to Hoid as he cannot harm others.

[Usseewa]

8 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

Those look interesting, but you can see lines of them, which to me, make it look like they are scrolls. Hemalurgy as a whole feels less useful to Hoid as he cannot harm others.

They don't really look like scrolls to me. I noticed the lines. What about the red? He could be carrying around a Kandra's spikes or something. He doesn't need to have performed Hemalurgy to carry spikes, right?

Edit: couldn't he also, say, give the Spikes to someone (like a physically-manifested Design as we see in Yumi, or Design in the CR, or Ulaam) and have them perform the Hemalurgy? 

Edited January 13 by Theory

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

3 hours ago, Theory said:

I started making a 3d map of the Cosmere (and beyond) based on the AU starchart...but it turned out the AU one is not perfectly accurate (since it is in-world).

You're right, it does look like he's lightweaving. Perhaps he's telling a story to someone, and is creating an image of the planets+moons as part of the narrative?

So...I just noticed that it looks like Hoid is carrying HEMALURGIC SPIKES and his trusty flute (didn't he get a new one in WaT? Maybe we can compare the descriptions to figure out more of the image's timeframe).

What looks like a flute (1) has the holes that I believe flutes have, and the "spikes" (2) have..."red stains" on them.

  Hide contents

 

I agree with the flute, but what you are calling a spike looks more like the handle to a dagger or something to me. He's got the vials of gold and some darker silvery metal, which I would expect that he always carries. I doubt that it's actually gold given its relative uselessness to an allomancer, but maybe it's brass or one of the metals that we don't know what it looks like. He also has a fancy pipe. I can't recall any specific instance where someone has used a pipe in the cosmere, so perhaps that's from some new place. 

[Usseewa]

Just now, Ashkaloda said:

I agree with the flute, but what you are calling a spike looks more like the handle to a dagger or something to me. He's got the vials of gold and some darker silvery metal, which I would expect that he always carries. I doubt that it's actually gold given its relative uselessness to an allomancer, but maybe it's brass or one of the metals that we don't know what it looks like. He also has a fancy pipe. I can't recall any specific instance where someone has used a pipe in the cosmere, so perhaps that's from some new place. 

Where's the pipe? Huh, ur right it could be daggers ig.

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

That looks like a pipe to me

[Usseewa]

5 minutes ago, Ashkaloda said:

That looks like a pipe to me

Oh. I thought that looked like a case (think a sword sheath) for the flute inside, and that part with the gold trim stuff is the cap. It looks to me like the "cap" is attached via string or something so Hoid can leave it hanging there and then cap it when needed.

Spoiler

 

Edited January 13 by Theory

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

5 minutes ago, Theory said:

Oh. I thought that looked like a case (think a sword sheath) for the flute inside, and that part with the gold trim stuff is the cap. It looks to me like the "cap" is attached via string or something so Hoid can leave it hanging there and then cap it when needed.

  Hide contents

 

I just turned up my brightness and now see an entirely different image. You're probably right about it being a cap. 

On another note, the scar is visible in the top right corner, along with some large blue and yellow stars near the purple moon that seem like they are more likely planets in the same system as the one Hoid is on than stars given their size, although it would be weird that all the planets are in the same small section of the sky, so I could be completely mistaken. The presence of the scar does mean that he's not on Canticle, but that doesn't narrow it down much. 

[Qianweilian He/him]

19 hours ago, Ashkaloda said:

That looks like a pipe to me

In his Slowswift persona in HoA, he smokes a pipe. I don't have a source other than the coppermind, as I don't have access to the book rn.

[Usseewa]

Just now, Qianweilian said:

In his Slowswift persona in HoA, he smokes a pipe. I don't have a source other than the coppermind, as I don't have access to the book rn.

He wasn't Slowswift.

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Slowswift

(see the Trivia section)

Spoiler

Quote

Slowswift is an homage to J.R.R. Tolkien.[8][9] The name "Slowswift" honors Tolkien's penchant for wordplay, and his physical appearance and love of magical creatures are also modeled after Tolkien.[10]

Although he has many similarities, he isn't Hoid.[8][9]

 

 

Edited January 14 by Theory

[Qianweilian He/him]

Just now, Theory said:

He wasn't Slowswift.

Oh no, yeah, you're right. But we do know pipes exist on Scadrial.

[Usseewa]

2 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

Oh no, yeah, you're right. But we do know pipes exist on Scadrial.

Yes

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

1 hour ago, Qianweilian said:

Oh no, yeah, you're right. But we do know pipes exist on Scadrial.

Coppermind also has that Dob uses a pipe on Threnody I am now realizing. 

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

The animation that Sanderson released today:

Has Hoid on Roshar, and we see those exact orb-planets when it zooms around the cosmere, seemingly an illusion by Hoid of Roshar and its moons, which the animation then actually shows in the following seconds. 

[Usseewa]

24 minutes ago, Ashkaloda said:

The animation that Sanderson released today:

Has Hoid on Roshar, and we see those exact orb-planets when it zooms around the cosmere, seemingly an illusion by Hoid of Roshar and its moons, which the animation then actually shows in the following seconds. 

Cool find, thanks! I'm busy rn but I'll probably watch it later. Thanks again.