[Discuss] Investiture as a Vessel

[Through The Living Grub He/Him]

Would raw Investiture as a Vessel have different interactions with their Shard? 

I remembered a comment in one of the books that said Odium wanted BAM to be its Vessel instead of Rayse. If BAM actually took that Shard, would they have any benefits/restrictions because they are a creation of Odium? Would it be able to handle visions of the future because they are a spren? 

And how would that apply to Honor becoming self aware? Would it have minimal control of its powers because it is so "young", or would its nature as the Shard make it much more skilled with its power in the beginning?

Any thoughts?

[Nitpicking]

We don't even have a hint that I know of, bu Ba-Ado-Mishram was originally not a Splinter of Odium. She was some other kind of spren before being Unmade.

[alder24]

19 hours ago, Through The Living Grub said:

Would raw Investiture as a Vessel have different interactions with their Shard? 

I remembered a comment in one of the books that said Odium wanted BAM to be its Vessel instead of Rayse. If BAM actually took that Shard, would they have any benefits/restrictions because they are a creation of Odium? Would it be able to handle visions of the future because they are a spren? 

And how would that apply to Honor becoming self aware? Would it have minimal control of its powers because it is so "young", or would its nature as the Shard make it much more skilled with its power in the beginning?

Any thoughts?

A spren, Cognitive Shadow or a self-aware piece of investiture can become a Vessel, but they would have certain limitations because of their nature and Connections. To exploit Shard's full potential, its Vessel needs to have proper Connections to all three realms. Spren are an idea that exist primarily in either the Physical or Cognitive Realm and lack the proper Connection to the other - Radiant spren need a Nahel Bond to anchor themselves to the Physical Realm, while Windspren rarely appear in the Cognitive Realm. Therefore, they would be weaker compared to a normal Vessel who was a living person before.

Unmades are a bit weird, from Sja-Anat interlude in RoW we know that most exist partially in between realms, but they don't fully exist in either one. This certainly would reflect in their ability to hold a Shard, they would be in a better situation than spren as they have a Connection to all realms, but still lacking compared to a normal person. BAM would probably fall in this category, but it's hard to say exactly what was her nature and how Ascending at the Well of Control changed her. As for their ability to see the future, we don't know if their nature would influence it at all, but they would be able to see, that's for sure. 

 RoW I-2:

Quote

She flowed through the Kholinar palace, existing between the Physical and Cognitive Realms. Like many of the Unmade, she belonged to neither one fully. Odium trapped them in a halfway existence. Some would manifest in various forms if they resided too long in one place, or if they were pulled through by strong emotions.

Honor developing self-awareness and becoming its own Vessel is a totally new situation. Because a Shard has ties to all realms, self-aware Honor might just get around those restrictions. However, we don't know how it would compare to a Vessel who was a person and if there would be some other limitations because of its nature as sentient piece of investiture. And we can't say anything about its skill and ability to use the power of the Shard - right now Honor's consciousness is still developing, it's but a child unable to wield the power of Honor, so it's too early to say anything as all would depend on how it will develop.  

Mistborn: Secret History spoilers:

Spoiler

Kelsier after his Ascension to Preservation had trouble with controlling and using the power not only because he wasn't fitted to hold Preservation, but because he was merely an idea, a shadow of a dead person without a proper Connection to the Physical Realm. That made him much weaker and unable to use the full potential of his power. 

SH ch 6-4:

Quote

The creature merely laughed louder. “You can barely control it,” Ruin said. “Even assuming it could harm me, you couldn’t accomplish such a task. Look at you, Kelsier! You haven’t form or shape. You’re not alive, you’re an idea. A memory of a man holding the power will never be as potent as a real one with ties to all three Realms.”
Ruin shoved him aside with ease, though Kelsier felt a crackling at the thing’s touch.

 

Spoiler

/u/brnbrn1996 (paraphrased)

Is it possible for a sentient bit of Investiture to pick up a Shard? Like a spren or Nightblood?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It would be possible yes, well, for a spren or a seon for example, it would. Nightblood could theoretically but it would be difficult for various reasons.

/u/brnbrn1996 (paraphrased)

Right, because he has no hands.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

*graciously chuckles at my dumb joke*

/u/brnbrn1996 (paraphrased)

Would they have to be embodied to be able to actually use it effectively, or would they have the same limitations as Kelsier did when he was a cognitive shadow ?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

They would have the same limitations yes, but there are ways around that.

/u/brnbrn1996 (paraphrased)

Right, like Ishar is working on.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Right.

Miscellaneous 2022 (Nov. 11, 2022)