The Ultimate List of Questions for Brandon

[Oudeis he/him]

When Kaladin is Invested, Stormlight specifically "rises" from his skin. When he's Lashed to a wall, which direction does it travel? Up-to-him? Typical-up?

[Meg]

Did Khriss write the Ars Arcanum? (RAFO bait, I'm sure)

 

This it was:

 

Interview: Aug 13th, 2014

Ask the Author: Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)

Question

Does Khriss write the Ars Arcanum?

...

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

...

source

 

In 2011 Mr. Sanderson said "it's either Hoid or one of the 17th sharders", but he later he said it's not Hoid.

edit:

- Let's assume I was a skilled bronze-burner/Seeker misting on Roshar (in other words, I can detect variance in Investiture usage). Let's also assume, for simplicity, that I can categorize uses of Investiture to a given Shard. If I were to burn bronze around a Herald using his/her full powers, would I detect both Honor and Cultivation?

I'd say "no" because Cultivation isn't involved in the Oathpact:

 

Q: How many parties were there to the original Oathpact?

A: The Heralds and Honor. They thought that by walking away from their oaths, that it would break the Oathpact. They're going to find out that it's not quite as broken as they had previously thought (meaning the Heralds).

source (the last to lines of this post) Edited November 22, 2014 by Meg

[dvoraen]

@Meg:

 

My question isn't about whether Cultivation was directly involved so much as she empowered the Heralds in her own way (gave them 'talents'?).  In other words, Honor gave them the Honorblades and the Oathpact; Cultivation gave them talents related to their - dare I say - Calling. My evidence for this is our Herald of Justice seemingly able to perceive people Investing via Stormlight.  Lift and Jasnah's viewpoints both have that similarity here: he observes Lift regaining her Stormlight RIGHT AS IT HAPPENS via her metabolic talent; Jasnah he obviously detected something off with her, but she wasn't actively Soulcasting or utilizing Shadesmar after Ivory's withdrawl and her return to the Physical Realm.

Edited November 23, 2014 by dvoraen

[Vision he/him]

What constitutes an object that can be invested with breath? OR What is the smallest physical structure that can be invested? 

(Atoms, molecules, visible structures?)

 

Also, is there an Ultimate List of RAFO'd Questions I could peruse anywhere? 

[Redbird he/him]

Were any of the original 16 shardholders dragons?

[Blaze1616 he/him]

Does an individual need to have a Breath to become Returned?

 

Can a non-Nalthian be Returned upon death on Nalthis?

[Kurkistan he/him]

- Do spren manifest from Spiritual Ideals?

 

Yes.

 

Were any of the original 16 shardholders dragons?

 

Maybe. We have some oblique WoB's on it. 

 

Does an individual need to have a Breath to become Returned?

 

Can a non-Nalthian be Returned upon death on Nalthis?

 

-Yes.

 

-I feel like we have a definitive "no" on this, but I can't find it at the moment, so may be wrong.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Kurkistan

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Can a non-Nalthian be Returned upon death on Nalthis?

 

It's a possibility, but it would be difficult.

[Blaze1616 he/him]

-Yes.

 

-I feel like we have a definitive "no" on this, but I can't find it at the moment, so may be wrong.

 

That WoB you link to is the reason I asked, actually. He specifies a "Drab without a Breath," implying that a Drab could, potentially have a Breath in some fashion. Also see WeiryWriter's post.

 

It's a possibility, but it would be difficult.

 

Funny thing, I found that WoB just moments before your reply from another thread. Hah. Thanks though!

[Kurkistan he/him]

That WoB you link to is the reason I asked, actually. He specifies a "Drab without a Breath," implying that a Drab could, potentially have a Breath in some fashion. Also see WeiryWriter's post.

 

I don't really think we ought to take Brandon saying "Drab without a Breath" as him necessarily "specifying" it in any hintingful way. This was a signing report, so perhaps a peek at the audio would clarify the tone/emphasis (so he could have said "a Drab... without a Breath it's going to be very hard..." or the like), but a very natural way to read Brandon's answer is in that whole "actual human speech is unnecessarily complicated/ambiguous/repetitive" way, rather than as him being particularly devious and implying that you could be a Drab who has a Breath.

 

-

Thanks for the link, Weiry.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Kurkistan

[Blaze1616 he/him]

I don't really think we ought to take Brandon saying "Drab without a Breath" as him necessarily "specifying" it in any hintingful way. This was a signing report, so perhaps a peek at the audio would clarify the tone/emphasis (so he could have said "a Drab... without a Breath it's going to be very hard..." or the like), but a very natural way to read Brandon's answer is in that whole "actual human speech is unnecessarily complicated/ambiguous/repetitive" way, rather than as him being particularly devious and implying that you could be a Drab who has a Breath.

 

Mmm, good point. He does have a tendency to stumble through sentences when he's thinking rapidly while speaking...

[Oudeis he/him]

Does the advent of the Weeping travel across the continent like a very weak Highstorm? Or does it simply appear at more-or-less once like the Mists? Or a different pattern?

[Robot Aztec]

dneth disgued himself as darb but still had sercet breath so yes you can have drab with Breath if breath is hidemn

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Does the Breath inside a Returned have to be the one that they were born with for them to Return?

 

Has Honors demise allowed the Everstorm to be used?

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Is Moelach's Title the Black piper?

[staizer]

"Do we currently have enough information about realmatics (the physical/ cognitive /spiritual realms and how investment interacts with them) to create our own magic system? If we don't, are there any elements that are simply too 'mechanical' to ever see in books that you could tell us about?"

 

Another question

 

"If a person wanted to teleport using AonDor from Sel to Roshar, would it be more likely that they would use a stargate type system? And if they did, would they use the Aon symbols from their current location first and then an Aon symbol from their target location, or vice versa? For example, going from Elantris to the Shattered Plains: Does the Elantrian use Aons from Elantris and then use an Aon representing the Shattered Plains as a target destination? Or would they use Aons defining the Shattered Plains and then finally define their current location with an Aon of Elantris? Is it more like Saidin or Saidar?"

[Geekritique]

I've got a few questions pertaining to the physical shape of the Cosmere, and I'll try my best to stray from RAFO territory.

1. Threnody and Scadrial have a common starscape in which there is an unusually bright patch of stars. Threnody and First of the Sun are both minor Shardworlds. Scadrial will likely have ships to travel in future Mistborn books. First of the Sun claims The Ones Above have visited them. Is it reasonable to assume these three planets share their own planetary system?

2. Is it possible that Yolen, Nalthis, Taldain, and Sel share their own planetary system. One orbiting around Sel's yellow sun perhaps?

3. We're told there are other uninhabitable planets not mentioned in the Greater Roshar System. How many?

[Blaze1616 he/him]

1. Threnody and Scadrial have a common starscape in which there is an unusually bright patch of stars. Threnody and First of the Sun are both minor Shardworlds. Scadrial will likely have ships to travel in future Mistborn books. First of the Sun claims The Ones Above have visited them. Is it reasonable to assume these three planets share their own planetary system?

2. Is it possible that Yolen, Nalthis, Taldain, and Sel share their own planetary system. One orbiting around Sel's yellow sun perhaps?

 

These questions are worded in such a way that the reply would be "Yes, it is possible." I don't want to steal your thunder, so try to reword them in ways in which Brandon can't slither his way out of answering them.

[Geekritique]

These questions are worded in such a way that the reply would be "Yes, it is possible." I don't want to steal your thunder, so try to reword them in ways in which Brandon can't slither his way out of answering them.

That was my plan all along. The best way to avoid RAFO's is to have give me a warm or cold response. But I guess they shouldn't effect the overall story any, so why not? Here they are, revised:

1. Threnody and Scadrial have a common starscape in which there is an unusually bright patch of stars. Threnody and First of the Sun are both minor Shardworlds. Scadrial will likely have ships to travel in future Mistborn books. First of the Sun claims The Ones Above have visited them. Do these three planets share the same planetary system?

2. Do Yolen, Nalthis, Taldain, and Sel share their own planetary system. One orbiting around Sel's yellow sun?

3. We're told there are other uninhabitable planets not mentioned in the Greater Roshar System. How many?

Edited December 9, 2014 by Geekritique

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Taldain does not share a solar system with any other main Shardworlds, Bavadin is the only Shard there:
 

Question

Are there other shards in the Taldain solar system?

Brandon Sanderson

Now that's a clever question. There is only one for that solar system. There are other places with only one. It's not uncommon. We've gone to places with more than one because that is where the conflict is cosmere-centric.

(source)

[Geekritique]

Taldain does not share a solar system with any other main Shardworlds, Bavadin is the only Shard there:

 

(source)

Fantastic. This actually answers a lot. Thank you!

[Oudeis he/him]

Does a Kandra's shapeshifting ability allow it to mimic a dead human? As in, pretend to be dead? We know they can bleed, be tortured, I think we've even got WoB that they can be bifurcated and perhaps turn out okay. Clearly, the body they pretend to be need not be one a human could live in for a kandra to be able to survive. Could a kandra stop the heart, cease breathing, suspend all life functions, and look dead to every test except for a brain scan?

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Does a Kandra's shapeshifting ability allow it to mimic a dead human? As in, pretend to be dead? We know they can bleed, be tortured, I think we've even got WoB that they can be bifurcated and perhaps turn out okay. Clearly, the body they pretend to be need not be one a human could live in for a kandra to be able to survive. Could a kandra stop the heart, cease breathing, suspend all life functions, and look dead to every test except for a brain scan?

 

Wouldn't they appear dead to a brain scan anyway? Because of them not having a central brain. Or would they put their brain bits in the head?

[Kurkistan he/him]

Wouldn't they appear dead to a brain scan anyway? Because of them not having a central brain. Or would they put their brain bits in the head?

 

An interesting question, but I think Outis is trying to somewhat-sneakily get some evidence to see if the aliens in Sixth of Dusk might be Scadrian.

[dvoraen]

Just a few more I had come to mind:

 

Stormlight

- Have the eyes of the Unmade been drawn towards Kharbranth in the past, outside of the Death Rattles being harvested there?

- On the day of the Diagram, was Taravangian's capacity for compassion effectively next to zero?  Did this have any effects on the Cognitive and/or Spiritual realm?  (By this, I mean did it make enough waves for other entities to observe that something was happening there with him.)

- If Hoid were to see the room the Diagram was written in, would he be able to read Taravangian's madeup language without the need for its translation key?

Edited December 10, 2014 by dvoraen