Theory: Hemalurgy existance

[vietnamabc]

In chapter 30 "Nature Blushing" we have:

She turned the page and drew what came to her. A sketch of a woman kneeling over a body, raising a hammer and chisel, as if to slam it down into the person’s face. The one beneath her was stiff, wooden . . . maybe even stone?

 

What if Shallan's mother did not simply try to kill her but rather spiked her, that's why she had to go through all the trouble of bringing another man into the house, because if she wanted to steal her investiture.

Furthermore, in Teft's chapter, we know there are folks like the Envisagers who purposedfully put themselves in danger so that their Surgebinding can manifest, that sounds a lot like Snapping to me.

[Kurkistan he/him]

As to the quote, have you considered the (likely, I think) possibility that Shallan is seeing a vision of "Baxil's Mistress", the woman's who's running around defacing artwork of Shallash? That's the common belief.

[kari-no-sugata]

In chapter 30 "Nature Blushing" we have:

What if Shallan's mother did not simply try to kill her but rather spiked her, that's why she had to go through all the trouble of bringing another man into the house, because if she wanted to steal her investiture.

I think there's a WoB where it's confirmed that that was a vision of Ash/Shalash (Baxil's mistress) who we see in tWoK going about breaking statues etc.

I've sometimes wondered if the person Shallan's mother brought over was the Vorin equivalent of an exorcist.

 

Furthermore, in Teft's chapter, we know there are folks like the Envisagers who purposedfully put themselves in danger so that their Surgebinding can manifest, that sounds a lot like Snapping to me.

It didn't work though. IIRC Snapping was more about inflicting intense pain (torture effectively) on the subject while what the Envisagers were doing were voluntarily going into life-or-death situations in the hope of attracting a spren.

[vietnamabc]

As to the quote, have you considered the (likely, I think) possibility that Shallan is seeing a vision of "Baxil's Mistress", the woman's who's running around defacing artwork of Shallash? That's the common belief.

Yeah this make more sense although I still can't figure out why she do it.

[natc]

Yeah this make more sense although I still can't figure out why she do it.

Considering that Nale is so hell-bent on justice that he had paperwork prepared in advance just to execute Lift for trespassing , I would think most of the Heralds aren't really of sound mind right now.

 

(Conveniently, the room she actually trespassed in really does invoke a death sentence for some reason, but what were the chances of her being caught there of all places?)

[NutiketAiel he/him]

It didn't work though. IIRC Snapping was more about inflicting intense pain (torture effectively) on the subject while what the Envisagers were doing were voluntarily going into life-or-death situations in the hope of attracting a spren.

 

It doesn't have to be physical pain- that's just how the nobility did it to their children, with controlled beatings.  It's about stress.  Kelsier snapped after Mare died.

[Oudeis he/him]

It doesn't have to be physical pain- that's just how the nobility did it to their children, with controlled beatings.  It's about stress.  Kelsier snapped after Mare died.

 

There's a WoB flying around somewhere saying that even more technically, it's not just bad things. He specifically mentions that if a person were an unSnapped misting and experienced a certain threshold of joy, he'd Snap. I got the impression that it's even harder to Snap out of joy than out of pain/stress.

[navybrandt he/him]

I like your theory though I agree that this particular quote is about Baxil's mistress.  We're pretty certain Hoid is using allomancy when he drinks the powder at the fair in Shallan's youth, so cross-world magic is possible.  I wonder if someone would have to visit Scadrial before using Hemalurgy.

Edited January 7, 2015 by navybrandt

[Kurkistan he/him]

There's a WoB flying around somewhere saying that even more technically, it's not just bad things. He specifically mentions that if a person were an unSnapped misting and experienced a certain threshold of joy, he'd Snap. I got the impression that it's even harder to Snap out of joy than out of pain/stress.

 

Source:

Brandon:

 

My idea on this is that Allomantic potential is a little like a supersaturated solution. You can suspend a great deal of something like sugar in a liquid when it is hot, then cool it down and the sugar remains suspended. Drop one bit of sugar in there as a catalyst, however, and the rest will fall out as a precipitate.

 

Allomancy is the same. It’s in there, but it takes a reaction—in this case, physical anguish—to trigger it and bring it out. That’s because the Allomantic power comes from the extra bit of Preservation inside of humans, that same extra bit that gives us free will. This bit is trapped between the opposing forces of Preservation and Ruin, and to come out and allow it the power to access metals and draw forth energy, it needs to fight its way through the piece of Ruin that is also there inside.

 

As has been established, Ruin’s control over creatures—and, indeed, an Allomancer’s control over them—grows weaker when that creature is going through some extreme emotions. (Like the koloss blood frenzy.) This has to do with the relationship between the Cognitive Realm, the Physical Realm, and the Spiritual Realm—of which I don’t have time to speak right now.

 

Suffice it to say that there are people who have Snapped because of intense joy or other emotions. It just doesn’t happen as frequently and is more difficult to control.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Kurkistan

[AerionBFII he/him]

Yeah it does sound like Shalash, going around smashing art works.

 

Yeah makes me wonder what side affects the other Heralds are experiencing, in WOR Prologue somebody (commonly believed to be another Herald) is talking to Nale, saying how he is worried about 'Ash' and how he thinks 'he's getting worse'. I honestly think there is something that's effecting them. 

 

 

Words echoed in the hallway, coming from up ahead. “I’m worried about Ash.”

“You’re worried about everything.”

Jasnah hesitated in the hallway.

“She’s getting worse,” the voice continued. “We weren’t supposed to get worse. Am I getting worse? I think I feel worse.”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t like this. What we’ve done was wrong. That creature carries my lord’s own Blade. We shouldn’t have let him keep it. He—”

The two passed through the intersection ahead of Jasnah. They were ambassadors from the West, including the Azish man with the white birthmark on his cheek. Or was it a scar? The shorter of the two men—he could have been Alethi—cut off when he noticed Jasnah. He let out a squeak, then hurried on his way.

 

 

Hemalurgy possibly could exist on Roshar though just hasn't been shown thus far but i don't think that was the reason the man was there.

[Oudeis he/him]

I'll try to find it... I am almost positive I read a WoB somewhere saying that hemalurgy has absolutely been attempted at some point not on Scadrial. He gave a RAFO to the follow-up, "was it successful?" If I'm recalling correctly...

[Arondell]

I like your theory though I agree that this particular quote is about Baxil's mistress.  We're pretty certain Hoid is using allomancy when he drinks the powder at the fair in Shallan's youth, so cross-world magic is possible.  I wonder if someone would have to visit Scadrial before using Hemalurgy.

 

I seem to recall that Mr. Sanderson said that he wanted one magic that would work anywhere in the Cosmere and that Hemalurgy was that magic.  That being said I have also had the impression that Mr. Sanderson is not inclined to have any overt use of other world magic make an appearance in the Stormlight Archive.  So I think were unlikely to see characters of any significance either using it or falling victim to it.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Arondell