A Tetrahedral Model of the Orders (Dawnshard Speculation)

[owensbt]

I’ve been working on a structural model of the Ten Orders that attempts to explain why there are ten, and why their tensions feel patterned rather than ad hoc.

I originally began this exploration after noticing that the Double Eye diagram shows six Orders with three Order-to-Order connections and four Orders with an additional connection. That asymmetry made me suspect a hidden structural factor might be driving the pattern.

A tetrahedron (four faces) naturally produces four vertices and six edges. That geometry led me to wonder whether four hidden foundational forces might be generating the Radiant system.

Only later did I realize that canon confirms the existence of four Dawnshards — primal Commands involved in creation (one of which is known to be CHANGE). That alignment made me curious whether the tetrahedral structure might reflect those deeper cosmere-level Commands.

What follows is speculative—but it has been a genuinely fun way to explore what an underlying structure for the Radiant Orders and Dawnshards might look like.

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Working Proposal

I believe the Radiant Orders may be generated from four foundational forces arranged as the faces of a tetrahedron — forces that may correspond to the four Dawnshards, the primal Commands known to have participated in creation.

Through trial and error with the geometry—and by juxtaposing Orders against one another—I experimented with four forces or commands. I tried to stay with verbs that are creative and foundational, words that could plausibly sit beneath the magic system and give rise to ten Orders.  (more on other options I tried below)

The current working set is:

• CHANGE — altering essence / state transformation

• BIND — relational constraint / obligation

• INTEGRATE — wholeness / internal coherence

• SHAPE — configuration / pattern / geometry

I also tried to stay close to recurring Sanderson themes—identity, connection, transformation, structure—rather than importing foreign philosophical language.

When treated as a tetrahedral generator:

• The four vertices represent Orders that embody three of the four forces (each lacking exactly one).

• The six edges represent Orders that embody unique pairs of forces. All six possible force-pair combinations appear exactly once.

• The total resolves naturally to ten Orders — no redundancy, no gaps.

Vertex Orders (3-of-4)

• Windrunners

• Lightweavers

• Stonewards

• Edgedancers

Edge Orders (2-of-4)

• Bondsmiths

• Elsecallers

• Skybreakers

• Dustbringers

• Willshapers

• Truthwatchers

Every edge Order corresponds to one of the six possible pairings of the four forces.

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Order / Force Mapping

Below is the current working mapping of each Order to the forces it embodies, what it lacks, and a short rationale for why that fit seems thematically coherent.

Windrunners

Embodies: BIND · INTEGRATE · SHAPE
Lacks: CHANGE
Kaladin binds and integrates Bridge Four into a unified whole. His arc presses him toward embracing change in himself and others, bringing the set toward balance.

Lightweavers

Embodies: BIND · CHANGE · SHAPE
Lacks: INTEGRATE
Lightweavers reshape perception and identity, but often lack internal wholeness (Shallan’s fractured sense of self).

Stonewards

Embodies: BIND · INTEGRATE · CHANGE
Lacks: SHAPE
Endurance and reliability; they hold together under pressure rather than reshaping reality. Taln holding fast for thousands of years is the clearest example.

Edgedancers

Embodies: INTEGRATE · CHANGE · SHAPE
Lacks: BIND
Healing and growth restore proper shape, but Lift resists institutional or relational binding.

Bondsmiths

Embodies: BIND · INTEGRATE
Lacks: CHANGE · SHAPE
They unite and connect disparate forces; less about altering form and more about forging unity.

Elsecallers

Embodies: BIND · CHANGE
Lacks: INTEGRATE · SHAPE
Transformation of substance under constraint. Disciplined change governed by law or structure rather than emotional integration or reshaping pattern.

Skybreakers

Embodies: BIND · SHAPE
Lacks: CHANGE · INTEGRATE
Law gives structure and constraint; they prioritize order over personal integration or transformation.

Dustbringers

Embodies: CHANGE · SHAPE
Lacks: BIND · INTEGRATE
Destructive and transformative power that alters physical configuration without binding it back together.

Willshapers

Embodies: CHANGE · INTEGRATE
Lacks: BIND · SHAPE
Freedom through becoming whole; resistant to imposed structure or constraint.

Truthwatchers

Embodies: INTEGRATE · SHAPE
Lacks: CHANGE · BIND
Seeing patterns and restoring coherence; less focused on directing change or enforcing obligation.

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Force Lack as Character Drivers

Under this model, each Order lacks one or two forces, depending on whether it is a vertex or edge Order. These "lacks" become narrative pressure points within both the characters and the Orders themselves.

Radiant Ideals, for example, can be interpreted as psychological or moral movement toward the missing force(s). The vows seek to balance what is absent. 

Examples would be Shallan's narrative of self integration, and Kaladin wrestling with change. Heralds perhaps failed in the direction of their missing sides.

This framework may:

• Explain recurring narrative tensions.

• Predict which thematic struggles an Order will emphasize.

• Suggest why certain Orders feel structurally central.

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Open Questions

• Are the Bondsmith–Truthwatcher orders different, and is that structurally significant or simply artistic symmetry?

• If these forces correspond to Dawnshards, am I defining them accurately? Other candidates I experimented with included terms such as IDENTITY, ANIMATE, CONNECT, and PRESERVE / ENDURE (and many others) before settling on the current set.

• Does this model clarify Herald relationships, or does it overfit symmetry?

• Why do the Surges lay out as they do? They do not yet map cleanly onto the tetrahedron, which may suggest either an additional structural layer or that the model is incomplete.

[PanLin they/he]

First up, this is a super interesting take, really enjoyed reading it.

2 hours ago, owensbt said:

Heralds perhaps failed in the direction of their missing sides.

Well Nail and Ishar certainly struggled to change!

2 hours ago, owensbt said:

If these forces correspond to Dawnshards, am I defining them accurately? Other candidates I experimented with included terms such as IDENTITY, ANIMATE, CONNECT, and PRESERVE / ENDURE (and many others) before settling on the current set.

This is obviously a super hot topic and everyone has their own take. Canonically, we know that Exist is another one, which I would say corresponds to your Integrate.

I have a slightly different theory on what they are, but that's a tangent. I think I can get on board with yours if they explain everything better.

I think my only actual challenge is: what's the difference between Change and Shape in your model, considering both Dawnshards revealed so far have been verbs and are referred to as Commands?

2 hours ago, owensbt said:

Are the Bondsmith–Truthwatcher orders different, and is that structurally significant or simply artistic symmetry?

Mayyyybe? I've been toying with the idea that there are only 8 actual Surges, based on the idea that Adhesion is repeatedly referred to as Honor's true Surge.

This would put Adhesion (and therefore Bondsmiths) as Honor's influence and Progression (and therefore Truthwatchers) as Cultivation's, leaving the other 8 Surges to map nicely to the 4 Dawnshards. This would mean the balance of Surges is weighted in favour of Honor and Cultivation, which makes sense.

Of course, I could be wrong.

2 hours ago, owensbt said:

Does this model clarify Herald relationships, or does it overfit symmetry?

Unsure. I think it currently reduces symmetry if you consider where the double eye places them—I would expect a model like this to place Bondsmith/Truthwatcher, Willshaper/Dustbringer and Elsecaller/Skybreaker as pure opposing pairs (but maybe I shouldn't expect that).

2 hours ago, owensbt said:

Why do the Surges lay out as they do? They do not yet map cleanly onto the tetrahedron, which may suggest either an additional structural layer or that the model is incomplete.

I've been working from Surges first and then laying Order across them, going off my assumption that there are only acutally 8 Surges.

Maybe the Surges not mapping nicely on this is purely just evidence that the faces of the tetrahedron aren't quite the right orientation yet?

[owensbt]

Thanks for engaging in this.  I have had a lot of fun thinking about it.

First of all, let's talk about EXIST.  I did play with a number of options for that face including Be, Idenity, Become, Know, and even Exist.  I knew that Change was canon, but I didn't know that Exist was.  (Where is that from?)  It is pretty cool that I came close to using that.  I may change Integrate into Exist for the working model.

As for Change and Shape.  Shape was the last one I named and I am not happy with it yet, but I was ready for some other eyes on this.  The difference is that change modifying substance... chemistry so to speak.  It is mostly clearly seen in soul casting.  One subtance becomes another, but keeps the same form.  Shape is about the configuration of that stuff.  So... liquifying stone and reshaping it is in the area of Shape.  So let me throw a few of my options there out and maybe we can come up with a better word.

Change - same configuration or form or shape... different substance. (locked in word as this is canon, but maybe transform would be better?)  A stone statue of a horse becomes a bronze statue of a horse.

Shape - same essance reconfigured.  I wasn't thinking the noun but the verb.  So for example "Shape into a ball" .  I played with pattern, form, configure, and structure.  (I really liked pattern because of well.. pattern)  A stone statue of a horse become a stone statue of a chull.

I like your theory on Bondsmiths and Truthwatchers being related to Honor and Cultivation.  They are odd.  I had tried to map surges onto the tetrahedron and the all land between a vertex and a side.. except those two.   Bondsmith and Truthwatchers.  I haven't looked yet, but I will look for your posts on that.  (Feel free to post a cross link here)

And yes!  Your observation about opposite pairs makes a ton of sense.  I tried that in my first model, but I couldn't make it make sense thematically with the sides or even the vertexes.  I very reluctanlty gave up opposites in favor of the narrative drivers.  That might be worth a revisit.

 

 

[PanLin they/he]

10 hours ago, owensbt said:

First of all, let's talk about EXIST.  I did play with a number of options for that face including Be, Idenity, Become, Know, and even Exist.  I knew that Change was canon, but I didn't know that Exist was.  (Where is that from?)  It is pretty cool that I came close to using that.  I may change Integrate into Exist for the working model.

It's definitely mentioned in Wind and Truth, and yeah it's interesting that you hypothesised it without knowing it!

Secret project spoilers:

Spoiler

There's some really good context and info on it in Sunlit Man, too

 

10 hours ago, owensbt said:

Change - same configuration or form or shape... different substance. (locked in word as this is canon, but maybe transform would be better?)  A stone statue of a horse becomes a bronze statue of a horse.

Shape - same essance reconfigured.  I wasn't thinking the noun but the verb.  So for example "Shape into a ball" .  I played with pattern, form, configure, and structure.  (I really liked pattern because of well.. pattern)  A stone statue of a horse become a stone statue of a chull.

Ok, I think I understand; so Change is like turning an existing thing into something else, and Shape is reconfiguring an existing thing so it has different characteristics, maybe? So Progression (especially how the Fused use it) would be part of Shape?

I wonder if something like Guide or Adapt would help differentiate it from Change more.

Is your thinking mostly based on evidence from Stormlight Archives?

10 hours ago, owensbt said:

I like your theory on Bondsmiths and Truthwatchers being related to Honor and Cultivation.  They are odd.  I had tried to map surges onto the tetrahedron and the all land between a vertex and a side.. except those two.   Bondsmith and Truthwatchers.  I haven't looked yet, but I will look for your posts on that.  (Feel free to post a cross link here)

Haven't got round to it yet  I've got an extremely chaotic spreadsheet that I'm trying to wrangle into something presentable.

Interesting that your model naturally isolated them as outliers though! Maybe I'm onto something there.

11 hours ago, owensbt said:

And yes!  Your observation about opposite pairs makes a ton of sense.  I tried that in my first model, but I couldn't make it make sense thematically with the sides or even the vertexes.  I very reluctanlty gave up opposites in favor of the narrative drivers.  That might be worth a revisit.

Honestly I wouldn't get too hung up on forcing symmetry, but I also think you should try and grab more examples for narrative drivers; Lift and Shallan, for example, are likely not great examples of a typical Edgedancer and Lightweaver. Safe to say that Taln the the perfect Stoneward though!

Plus, Intent and Perception play such a huge part in the Cosmere that I wouldn't be surprised if things in-world that were designed to be symmetrical ended up drifting away from that the more they were exposed to mortals.

Either way, I haven't seen a 3d model like this before, it's a very cool idea.

[owensbt]

x

4 hours ago, PanLin said:

Is your thinking mostly based on evidence from Stormlight Archives?

Full disclosure, I am not finished with Wind and Truth, but I read all the other main novels including Dawnshard, Edgedancer, the Mistborns, Elantris, Warbreaker, and Arcanum.  I haven't yet read the graphic novels or Tress, Yumi, Sunlit, or Isles... 

I approached this mostly looking at Stormlight, but have been considereing that Dawshards appear to be Cosmere in scope so they would have to map into other places as well.  (Four forces to the 4th power is 16... so that would fit into mistborn, but I haven't really explored that yet)

4 hours ago, PanLin said:

I wonder if something like Guide or Adapt would help differentiate it from Change more.

Summarizing the Candidates for Shape: pattern, form, configure, structure, guide, adapt.  And to introduce another idea... It might be to relate differently over time.  Positionally, that would change the shape.  That framwork throws a time componant into it and leads to things like Animate (which would fit really well with Elantris).  

I was trying to stick with primal, creational words.  Bind and Exist fit that.  Shape is kinda week through that lens.  I am open to help with that one.

4 hours ago, PanLin said:

but I also think you should try and grab more examples for narrative drivers

Totally.  I made an intentional choice to base my theory on nartative drivers rather than mechanical powers.  I agree that it is the right angle.

4 hours ago, PanLin said:

Intent and Perception play such a huge part in the Cosmere

I played with both of those as well as knowledge and choose.  In the end (after clarifying for myself the difference between ontological and epistemogocial) I wanted to stick with creational commands, not perception or desire or even will.  They are huge narrative drivers though and need a place.  Perhaps there are a set of mortal forces that interact with the primal commands.  This could open a new can of worms.... is there perhaps another axis containing those things?  There are definitely spelled out themes of how intent with a command is critical.  

I might go ahead and update to verson 1.6 with Exist instead of Integrate.

Another idea...

Maybe they are dichotomies like this:

Exist (have identity) - Change (change identity)
Bond (have relationship) - Form (change relationship)