Skai and Jaddeth

[Straff Venture he/him]

The Letter states that Skai is dead, that much we know. When having a conversation on another thread about Jaddeth's possible awakening in future Elantris novels, something struck me that seemed very obvious. We were discussing how when Jaddeth was dead how he was supposed to be formed as a shard again. But then I remembered that a shard does not break when its holder is killed, and Odium certainly did not take the shard for himself (as to not have his odeous personality taken from his bearer). Skai's death occured hundreds of years before the events of Elantris: so what if a man called Jaddeth was the first to the scene of Skai's death at the hands Odium, and took the power for himself, making his own religion afterwards?

This seems very much possible. The exact same scenario occured when Sazed was at the scene of the clash of Ati and Vin, which caused him to take up the power of both shards and become harmony. I believe that Jaddeth and Skai are almost definitely different people, each having held Dominion at a different time.

[Observer]

The difference is that Ruin and Preservation weren't splintered. Dominion was. Jaddeth would have to wait quite a while to take up even a piece of the power.

Though he may be just that - a piece of a power.

[Straff Venture he/him]

The difference is that Ruin and Preservation weren't splintered. Dominion was. Jaddeth would have to wait quite a while to take up even a piece of the power.

Though he may be just that - a piece of a power.

How come Cultivation and Dominion were splintered? Or does nobody know?

Edited September 8, 2012 by Straff Venture

[Observer]

This topic may just get moved, do to the cosmereish territory it's straying into.

We aren't sure what happened to Honor and Cultivation. Odium killed Devotion and Dominion, and then broke their powers so nobody could take them up and continue the fight. Ruin and Preservation just died, their powers were perfectly intact.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Observer

[Straff Venture he/him]

On the previous comment I meant devotion, its getting late over in the UK so i'm a bit slow

[Voidus]

Well they were killed to prevent them from challenging a certain odious Shard so obviously that would have been pointless if someone else just picked the shards up again, a more permanent method of elimination was required.

[Observer]

I'm assuming you'd only be able to pick the shard up splinter by splinter, probably with time between each one. Not fun.

[Riddlesinthedark he/him]

I'm assuming you'd only be able to pick the shard up splinter by splinter, probably with time between each one. Not fun.

If it works anything like the Deepness Well, which we did see in Elantris, a large enough splinter directed by a Cognitive mind might be able to re-congeal the Shard over time.

[Observer]

Idea: Each splinter acts like the mists, in the sense that they refuse to be absorbed by all but one person, so in order for the shard to reform, it'll either have to sit a while, or be regrown like shardplate slowly over time.

[Turos]

I don't think Jaddeth has anything to do with Skai. Yes, the Dakhor monks have powers that are extremely likely to originate from the power of the Dominion Shard, but the worship of Jaddeth may be inconsequential.

"Back then Jaddeth--or, at least, the god of the same name that Shu-Dereth adopted--was a relatively unimportant god who cared for the rocks under the earth."

-Elantris, Chapter 43, approx. page 376 (according to my Kindle)

First off, here we note the studies found in a record in the city of Elantris. Jaddeth is referenced as originally a lesser god of an older religion.

"She's right," Roial said. "Fjorden embraced Shu-Dereth as a vehicle for domination."

-Elantris, Chapter 53, approx. page 420

Here we find a seemingly accepted opinion of opponents to Shu-Dereth, the religion of Fjordell, and thus Dakhor Monastery, that it is simply a means of power in their quest to conquer the rest of Opelon.

It seems to me that Jaddeth is simply a convenient excuse for Fjordell's motives, if these opinions hold any ground. I personally doubt that Jaddeth would rise from the bowels of the earth had Fjordell's conquest been successful, especially noting how Skai is dead.

Also, religious fervor, or at least accurate religious fervor, does not seem to be a prerequisite to using the power granted by local Shards. The planet of Scadrial is a prime example. Followers of the Church of the Survivor had no more power in allomancy than those of other religious beliefs.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Turos

[Observer]

Ah, but this isn't Preservation, this is Dominion. It's very power comes from people being smashed under an iron fist. I find it likely that its power would have something to do with Domination. Likewise, whether or not Jaddeth is Dominion or not, they're still getting shard-based power from somebody.