Potential overlooked link between Mistborn and WoK

[Fejicus]

Hey guys! Been a while since i've posted on here!

I have a loony type theory for you's all, which might spark some good discussion in general!

Basically, chapter 14 of the Final Empire, the diary epigraph at the start reads:

Sometimes I wonder if I'm going mad.

Perhaps it is due to the pressure of knowing that I must some-how bear the burden of an entire world. Perhaps it is caused by the death I have seen, the friends I have lost. The friends I have been forced to kill.

Either way, I sometimes see shadows following me. Dark creatures that I don't understand, nor wish to understand. Are they, perhaps, some figment of my overtaxed mind?

Ok, well, I'm sure you've seen it coming by now, But does this not sound eerily similar to Shallan's experience? And those of King Elhokar?

Very wacky I know, but my friend pointed it out to me, and it's a fun one to think about! We also mused about the origin of the terris people and feruchemy, and how we really know very little about the rest of Scadrial.

Anyway, go wild! =D

[Inkthinker]

Hard to say until we know more about what the freaky symbol-headed dudes from Kings are all about. But I wouldn't call it loony at all, it definitely sounds like it's a possible through-line. Brandon rarely writes anything without a reason.

[makromag he/him]

I always thought that was the shadow of Preservation, the same Vin was seeing.

[Windrunner he/him]

I'd always assumed it was the mist spirit as well, although the fact that it's "creatures" and not "creature" is intriguing. I think either he saw Preservation multiple times and assumed they were different or Ruin himself was also capable of a limited presence similar to the mist spirit and Alendi saw them both. My gut says that it's not a spren, though I can't back that up with anything.

[Chaos he/him]

Well, it's been theorized that Elhokar has similar Soulcasting abilities as Shallan, so that means those figures are spren. But, we know that spren are either of Honor, Cultivation, or a combination. I strongly doubt that such spren are on Scadrial, since there's no evidence to say that Honor or Cultivation have been there.

So, while you did almost have me there--it is an awesome quote--I do think Alendi is referring to the mist spirit. Perhaps the mist spirit assumed different forms to get Alendi's attention.

It wouldn't have been hard for Alendi to misinterpret. He thought the mists were evil, as the Deepness. In that context, I'd be freaked out by mist spirits.

[Aethling he/him]

Could simply be paranoia too. By that time he has fought pretty much every country on the planet and undoubtedly experienced assassination attempts.

[Inkthinker]

Do we know that the geometry-headed dudes are a type of spren? I thought that was speculation.

[Aethling he/him]

Jasnah tells Shallan they are a type of spren.

[Strawberry Eggs she/her]

That's what I figured Alendi saw, too. He saw the Mist Spirit, and either assumed he was seeing many, or in his paranoia, thought he saw more than one.

[Zas678 he/him]

Brandon has also said that "Truthspren" is a good name for them for now. He may change the name canonically later, but it could be that, which seems to suggest that they are indeed spren.

And that is a really interesting quote, though I agree it's probably just coincidence. But another crazy coincidence is that Galladon and Bluefingers have similar descriptions. Both shortish, bald (or balding) and both say "Understand" (kolo) at the end of their phrases. Now their personalities are different, not to mention the fact that he's bald in Elantris and balding in Warbreaker, which doesn't make sense since Elantris is first, but it's still interesting.

[happyman he/him]

Could simply be paranoia too. By that time he has fought pretty much every country on the planet and undoubtedly experienced assassination attempts.

It would be more than paranoia. It would be Ruin, pushing on his mind. Remember how Vin thought the Mist Spirit was malevolent? It wasn't. That was just Ruin (instinctively?) using his power to influence her attitudes. It is unlikely Alendi was experiencing anything else.

[Youngy he/him]

Brandon has also said that "Truthspren" is a good name for them for now. He may change the name canonically later, but it could be that, which seems to suggest that they are indeed spren.

And that is a really interesting quote, though I agree it's probably just coincidence. But another crazy coincidence is that Galladon and Bluefingers have similar descriptions. Both shortish, bald (or balding) and both say "Understand" (kolo) at the end of their phrases. Now their personalities are different, not to mention the fact that he's bald in Elantris and balding in Warbreaker, which doesn't make sense since Elantris is first, but it's still interesting.

The Shaod causes the characters hair to fall out in Elantris. But I can't see Galladon being Bluefingers. Why would he lead a rebellion against the God King and the Returned? What does it gain the Seventeenth Shard?

I always thought the things Alendi were seeing was Leras, the Mist Spirit.

[Squigy]

who knows, maybe Leras was more powerful back then and could manifest multiple "mist spirits"

also, this is an Ironic thread to find, as I almost posted something yesturday saying that the Feruchemical symboles are what I imagined the Truthspern's heads to look like (though elongated and turned 45 degrees)

[Trizee]

I seem to remember reading in the annotations that originally there were supposed to be a bunch of mist spirits, not just one. Maybe this is left over from then.