Inconsistent Consequences of Shard Clashes (Spoilers for WaT and HoA)

[dstokes7]

When Odium clashed with Mercy and Ambition, the fallout trashed the Threnody system, destroying entire planets. When Honor attacked Odium, the resulting blast wave obliterated Stormseat and created the Shattered Plains, and both Shards agreed they would destroy the whole planet if the clash continued. Clearly, when two Shards clash, cataclysmic destruction ensues in the Physical Realm.

That is, except for Vin's duel against Ati. Vin and Ati repeatedly attacked each other, even bashing so hard and so long that both Vessels died. Based on precedent elsewhere, Scadrial should have been obliterated, along with the rest of the Scadrian System. Yet Scadrial was unharmed by the confrontation (granted Scadrial was far from "fine" at the moment, but that wasn't due to the Shards clashing).

Why was this event different? Is it because Preservation's power somehow contained the fallout and prevented it from hitting the planet as part of its Intent to preserve?

Edited March 31 by dstokes7
Fixed a typo

[Trusk'our he/him]

1 hour ago, dstokes7 said:

When Odium clashed with Mercy and Ambition, the fallout trashed the Threnody system, destroying entire planets. When Honor attacked Odium, the resulting blast wave obliterated Stormseat and created the Shattered Plains, and both Shards agreed they would destroy the whole planet if the clash continued. Clearly, when two Shards clash, cataclysmic destruction ensues in the Physical Realm.

That is, except for Vin's duel against Ati. Vin and Ati repeatedly attacked each other, even bashing so hard and so long that both Vessels died. Based on precedent elsewhere, Scadrial should have been obliterated, along with the rest of the Scadrian System. Yet Scadrial was unharmed by the confrontation (granted Scadrial was far from "fine" at the moment, but that wasn't due to the Shards clashing).

Why was this event different? Is it because Preservation's power somehow contained the fallout and prevented it from hitting the planet as part of its Intent to preserve?

There is a snippet of text from when Dalinar is speaking to Nohadon in the SR that does over this (which admittedly I pulled from Reddit, as I don't have any of my books right now, but it should be in that chapter if you'd like to take a look):

Spoiler

“I don’t think there is,” Nohadon said. “Powers like yours have clashed before without destructive results—but always then, one of the two wanted to preserve. When both want to destroy … it’s violent.”

Basically, it sounds like a "protective" Shard can protect a planet from another, even if it means fighting. A destructive Shard really cannot.

[Nitpicking]

The Splintering of Devotion and Dominion didn't destroy Sel, either. I think @Trusk'our is right, Devotion would certainly want to preserve the planet, and I believe so would Dominion (as its owner).

[Denissimo He/him]

Enclosed in an excerpt from a personal message I had once sent regarding this.

"I'm also interested in the mechanics occuring when 2 shards face off!
In the shard article in the coppermind, it states when 2 shards clash MSSIVE destruction follows usually. I think this was also seen when Odium went on his rampages.

But I also wonder whether part of the reason why the clash of ruin and preservation (Ati and VIn) was so non violent.
It has been stated that when you hold a shard, it warps your personality to its intent, which makes sense.
I think that the power within a shard is essentiallty same, which is indicated in the coppermind: that shard power is simply an IMMENSE amount of investiture permeating through all 3 realms. 
I think, fundementally, the Investiture and amount of Investiture present in the shards are the same, but with different INtents (this is also pretty much confirmed in the coppermind). So essentially Intents decided the variations in Shard powers, and how they can use it.
Looping back to me initial statement: "But I also wonder whether part of the reason why the clash of ruin and preservation (Ati and VIn) was so non violent."
I think part of the reason is that their Intents are LITERAL polar opposites, and thats why they cancelled out so neatly. When their shards clashed, the Intents of their Investitures COMPLETELy different, causing the Investitures to react the way it did and eradicate both of them. But for other shards, their Intents are not completely different, not polar opposite, so they wouldnt eradicate each other, instead their intents and investitures would just conflict over and over again, causing such immense damage to the physical realm,.
Thats my theory."

[GG0z He/Him]

I think it depends on how the Shard was Splintered and who Splintered it/fought it. It may also depend on the specific Shard’s Intent, because all of the Splinterings had different effects on the planets.

Spoiler

Dominion’s and Devotion’s splintering caused the Selish subastral to be practically destroyed and their became the Dor. When Virtuosity Splintered herself, she left a lot of Hijo behind, and when Ambition was Splintered, Threnody was practically destroyed with negative Investiture.

 

[Clarkmon22 He/Him]

On 3/31/2026 at 1:03 PM, dstokes7 said:

When Odium clashed with Mercy and Ambition, the fallout trashed the Threnody system, destroying entire planets. When Honor attacked Odium, the resulting blast wave obliterated Stormseat and created the Shattered Plains, and both Shards agreed they would destroy the whole planet if the clash continued. Clearly, when two Shards clash, cataclysmic destruction ensues in the Physical Realm.

That is, except for Vin's duel against Ati. Vin and Ati repeatedly attacked each other, even bashing so hard and so long that both Vessels died. Based on precedent elsewhere, Scadrial should have been obliterated, along with the rest of the Scadrian System. Yet Scadrial was unharmed by the confrontation (granted Scadrial was far from "fine" at the moment, but that wasn't due to the Shards clashing).

Why was this event different? Is it because Preservation's power somehow contained the fallout and prevented it from hitting the planet as part of its Intent to preserve?

Was it different? didn't the world heat up more, ash flying everywhere, etc? IK that was bc of ruin mostly, but I wonder if the whole "shards dueling" thing exacerbated it?

[HoidProbablyDidIt]

It is my understanding the clash between Odium and Honor was especially destructive due to the Fourth Moon of Roshar having crashed in that exact spot over Stormseat (Narak). 
 

This was again demonstrated later during the first Everstorm when The Highstorm collided with it. As Odium and Honors investiture clashed over Narak, the ensuing destruction was unlike any other time the two storms met. 
 

Something under the ground in that location is reacting with destructive power (or perhaps enhancing/force multiplying) the interaction between Odium and Honor. 
 

WaT Chapter 120:

“Worse, the shock wave of our clash surged beneath us, power rushing and vibrating with those terrible tones. I realized too late that there was something strange about this land, beneath this city. Pieces of something fallen. A … fourth moon ? In splinters ? It reacted to us, and I saw people there—new ones, watchers, who had been hidden from me.

Those pieces of the sky … they sheltered from the eyes of God ? That was not aluminum. It was something greater. Something … that responded to our clash, the ground liquefying in a pattern, dictated by the tone and the strange nature of the place.”

 

[Willshaper42 He/Him]

Maybe something happened in the spiritual realm with Hoid, he always enjoys meddling with things, has a lot of power, and wouldn't want such an interesting planet to be destroyed.

[Joltizard1337 He/Him]

On 3/31/2026 at 12:03 PM, dstokes7 said:

When Odium clashed with Mercy and Ambition, the fallout trashed the Threnody system, destroying entire planets. When Honor attacked Odium, the resulting blast wave obliterated Stormseat and created the Shattered Plains, and both Shards agreed they would destroy the whole planet if the clash continued. Clearly, when two Shards clash, cataclysmic destruction ensues in the Physical Realm.

That is, except for Vin's duel against Ati. Vin and Ati repeatedly attacked each other, even bashing so hard and so long that both Vessels died. Based on precedent elsewhere, Scadrial should have been obliterated, along with the rest of the Scadrian System. Yet Scadrial was unharmed by the confrontation (granted Scadrial was far from "fine" at the moment, but that wasn't due to the Shards clashing).

Why was this event different? Is it because Preservation's power somehow contained the fallout and prevented it from hitting the planet as part of its Intent to preserve?

Maybe, the battle between Vin and Ati was in the cognitive realm and the clash between Odium and Honor was more physical. I don't know why that would be the case though.

although, I really like the explanation about how Vin was fighting to save rather than destroy and Ati was just protecting himself (at least the way I interpreted it) so the battle "preserved" scadrial, while the clash between Odium and Honor was purely to destroy, causing the destruction of stormseat.