The Ultimate List of Questions for Brandon

[PorridgeBrick]

Yay, question party! I've got some too.

Mistborn

Are cadmium/bendalloy bubbles distended by objects touching them (flattened by contact with walls or floors, dented inward by poking with a stick, etc)?

What exactly are allomantic copper and bronze pulling and pushing on, respectively? Is it the pulses themselves, Innate Investiture, or something else?

Can an allomancer distort the cloud or bubble created by copper, cadmium or bendalloy? For example, could one make it more ellipsoid to include different things in the bubble/cloud, or make a concave area in front of him/herself so that, in the case of bendalloy, you have more room between the bubble and an oncoming bullet and so have more time to dodge before it enters the bubble?

If a seeker is inside a Coppercloud, and someone outside uses allomancy such that the seeker is directly inbetween the outside allomancer and the Smoker inside, could the seeker detect it?

Warbreaker

You've said previously that someone who returns after being made a lifeless would become a drab god. What, exactly, does being a drab god entail?

Sel

Is the magic of a region affected by the culture that inhabits it, with Dakhor being so brutal due to a violent, conquering-centric culture and Forgery being more concerned with the past due to a cultural focus on the past similar to Chinese culture?

Could an Elantrian on Roshar use symbols based on the shape of the main continent of Roshar? Could space-faring Selians use the symbols of constellations to perform magic in space?

Edited January 2, 2014 by PorridgeBrick

[Oudeis]

 

I can answer some of that.

 

Source:

 

EDIT:

 

Apparently the Breath needs to act like "magical sinew" for the Phantoms to be able to do their thing.

 

Thank you! Those were fascinating sources of information!

 

Yay, question party! I've got some too.

Mistborn

What exactly are allomantic copper and bronze pulling and pushing on, respectively? Is it the pulses themselves, Innate Investiture, or something else?

Can an allomancer distort the cloud or bubble created by copper, cadmium or bendalloy?

If a seeker is inside a Coppercloud, and someone outside uses allomancy such that the seeker is directly inbetween the outside allomancer and the Smoker inside, could the seeker detect it?

Warbreaker

You've said previously that someone who returns after being made a lifeless would become a drab god. What, exactly, does being a drab god entail?

Sel

 Could space-faring Selians use the symbols of constellations to perform magic in space?

 

If you want to read my theory that copper and bronze push/pull on Innate Investiture, please feel free!

 

I've wondered about the bendalloy bubbles myself; they say frequently that Bendalloy burners have to be inside their own bubbles, but not that they cannot shape them. They might even be able to size them; Marasi mentions that she can make a bubble the size of a small room, not that it's what she does by default, though the semantics there are weak. I'd suspect it would be incredibly difficult and not intuitive to shape the time bubble.

 

I'm sure I've read somewhere that a Smoked Seeker cannot Seek, period. Being in a cloud completely deadens whatever you sense is, period.

 

Interesting question about Sel... remember, a lot of Aons are constellations.

[Kurkistan]

No problem, might as well put my unhealthy ability to track down quotes to good use.

 

As for the Seeking thing, yes, the Smoked cannot Seek, though I recall that people were oddly obstinate about how to interpret the WoB on it.  I have most of the evidence we have on Copper/Bronze on this thread, I believe.

[Shardlet]

A more compelling question to me is: If a smoker is burning copper and a seeker is burning bronze while standing to the direct south of the smoker just outside the radius of the coppercloud and a soother is burning brass while standing directly north of the smoker just outside the radius of the coppercloud, can the seeker sense the soother?  If yes, are the pulses harder to sense than if the smoker was not burning copper?

Edited January 3, 2014 by Shardlet

[PorridgeBrick]

Thank you! Those were fascinating sources of information!

 

 

If you want to read my theory that copper and bronze push/pull on Innate Investiture, please feel free!

 

I've wondered about the bendalloy bubbles myself; they say frequently that Bendalloy burners have to be inside their own bubbles, but not that they cannot shape them. They might even be able to size them; Marasi mentions that she can make a bubble the size of a small room, not that it's what she does by default, though the semantics there are weak. I'd suspect it would be incredibly difficult and not intuitive to shape the time bubble.

 

I'm sure I've read somewhere that a Smoked Seeker cannot Seek, period. Being in a cloud completely deadens whatever you sense is, period.

 

Interesting question about Sel... remember, a lot of Aons are constellations.

Actually, that's why I asked about the Copper and Bronze. Both your and Kurkistan's theories sound very plausible, so I asked to hopefully find out if either is right.

And about smoking in copperclouds, the quote for that is paraphrased, so it would be nice to get a more detailed and accurate quote. It's probably correct, but getting another quote would make things a little clearer.

Ooh, so maybe they can use constellations in space. All I remembered was that there were Aons based upon the land of Arelon itself. If they are using constellations too, then my theory seems a lot more likely to be correct.

A more compelling question to me is: If a smoker is burning copper and a seeker is burning bronze while standing to the direct south of the smoker just outside the radius of the coppercloud and a soother is burning brass while standing directly north of the smoker just outside the radius of the coppercloud, can the seeker sense the soother?  If yes, are the pulses harder to sense than if the smoker was not burning copper?

If the pulses act like waves then probably they could be detected still. If not, though, I can't think of any other way they could be detected. Very interesting question.

[Oudeis]

At the end of Chapter 3 of Warbreaker, Lightsong remembers his niece's face in Heightened detail, being able to name exactly how many shades off true her lips were Is this:

 

a. either Returned or anyone at the 3rd Heightening can recall things from the past filtered through their new senses,

 

b. Is this a vision directly from Endowment, hence why he's seeing it perfectly?

 

c. Simply a faulty memory; he remembers her, but can only remember being able to see things with the clarity of the fifth Heightening, so, as memory actually does in real life, his brain invents details that he thinks he should be able to recall?

[Asha'man Logain]

Ok guys I am going to jordancon in april. As i have been re-reading WoK, I have come up with two questions i want to ask.

1. What other than Odium can splinter a shard.

2. Do all shards have a counter, like it is said Devotion and Dominion could counter Odium?

 

 

I did a search of this thread and didn't see these asked or answered anywhere. If these have been anwered or need to be reworded please let me know. thanks guys!

 

~Logain

[Aether]

2. Do all shards have a counter, like it is said Devotion and Dominion could counter Odium?

Wait, what now? Where is this coming from?

Edited January 3, 2014 by Aether

[Shardbearer]

What was the tradeoff when Harmony changed the threshold for snapping?

[Oudeis]

Can Fafen (the sister of Vivenna and Siri) actively prevent her hair from growing, the way Siri can make it grow, in order to reduce how often she must shave her head as a monk?

 

Siri uses metabolic energy to grow her hair. Is this similar to what Lift does? Or is it, because "growing hair" is a natural process, she's simply got the ability to do so with great rapidity, but still using the same energy source it would normally use? If so, it's not quite what Lift does, despite using food to fuel a process that's magical in nature, and it's not quite allomantic pewter, despite the fact that it's a simple enhancement of a basic physical human ability. It isn't really feruchemical gold, or the healing effects of Stormlight, either. The only other hair growth I can think of that we've seen in the Cosmere was when Raoden regrew Sarene's hair. It's all but explicitly stated in the book that the base Aon he drew was Ien, the word for "wisdom" whose magic is healing.

 

Presumably, when Returned change how they look, their Deific Breath provides the energy, the way it provides the energy for an Awakened rope to throw boulders. Now that Vivenna has a lot of Breath, will it provide the energy for her hair growth?

 

There's WoB that Vivenna can shapeshift like any Returned could. If Siri did so, would it require metabolic energy? Is it even possible to have enough metabolic energy in one's system to power a change to that much of one's body at once?

 

...Talking about Aons gave me a random thought. You cast illusions in Elantris using the Aon Shao, which means "change". On Roshar, the surge of Illumination, used for illusions, is right next to the surge for Transformation. Coincidence?

 

EDIT: For clarity.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Darnam

[Scriptorian]

Would burning electrum and atium offer any advantages when fighting against someone burning only atium?

I can answer this! I asked this question at the first Steelheart signing, and got something along the lines of "Because of the way the metals work, burning them both wouldn't have any special effect."

[Moogle]

I can answer this! I asked this question at the first Steelheart signing, and got something along the lines of "Because of the way the metals work, burning them both wouldn't have any special effect."

 

Ooh! Thanks.

 

Still, though, that's not quite the same as it not being useful during a fight. There wouldn't be any special effects, but it would cause you to have that many more shadows to someone else burning atium, maybe, which could give you an advantage maybe.

 

I guess someone like Elend burning atium did not have an advantage vs. Marsh, though, so there goes that theory.

[Oudeis]

There wouldn't be any special effects, but it would cause you to have that many more shadows to someone else burning atium, maybe, which could give you an advantage maybe.

 

Except that having one shadow makes you a god, and having a ton of shadows makes you confused, so more shadows isn't always good.

 

Are Lightsong and Stennimar the same person? If you burned malatium and looked at Lightsong, might you see Stennimar?

[Meg]

I don't know whether this has been asked before (a quick search didn't help me):

What would happen with the Returned's Divine Breaths if Endowment were Shattered (violently)?

[Moogle]

• If Allomancers exclusively had kids with other Allomancers, would that preserve their level of power, so that there's no degradation like there was from lerasium-made Mistborn to Final Empire Mistborn?

If a Feruchemist and Mistborn had kids, could the result be a Feruchemist + Mistborn, or would it be a Twinborn (if any powers at all)?

[Oudeis]

 

• If Allomancers exclusively had kids with other Allomancers, would that preserve their level of power, so that there's no degradation like there was from lerasium-made Mistborn to Final Empire Mistborn?
• If a Feruchemist and Mistborn had kids, could the result be a Feruchemist + Mistborn, or would it be a Twinborn (if any powers at all)?

 

 

The first is a good question; an answer would give us insights into the spiritual genetics involved. Although, keep in mind, the Lord Mistborn presumably ended up with Beldre, a coinshot, and yet none of their kids, or grandkids, turned into Mistborn, so perhaps not?

 

As for the second, Mr. Sanderson has expressly said that the introduction of allomantic genes breaks feruchemy into its component bits. His phrasing makes it pretty certain that no, you cannot be a full Feruchemist if you have any allomancy at all, though perhaps he was being inexact. That I know of, we have no hard data on whether-or-not Mistborns are affected that way, so until we hear otherwise, it's possible to be a Mistborn-ferring.

[Asha'man Logain]

In the letter (presumably) Hoid wrote he says that Rayse shattered the shards on Sel because they could counter his power... or something to that effect. I am at work and do not have the quote handy.

 

EDIT--  Sorry that was meant to quote aether above me.

 

This was in response to the Devotion and Dominion countering Odium. And where I got that from.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Asha'man Logain

[Moogle]

The first is a good question; an answer would give us insights into the spiritual genetics involved. Although, keep in mind, the Lord Mistborn presumably ended up with Beldre, a coinshot, and yet none of their kids, or grandkids, turned into Mistborn, so perhaps not?

 

This is a good point, though I'm not sure if Mistings are less powerful than Mistborn. Just because none of his kids ended up Mistborn doesn't have to mean that their power levels weren't the same.

 

 

As for the second, Mr. Sanderson has expressly said that the introduction of allomantic genes breaks feruchemy into its component bits. His phrasing makes it pretty certain that no, you cannot be a full Feruchemist if you have any allomancy at all, though perhaps he was being inexact.

 

The quote in question is very informal, and I'm not so sure that Allomancy 'breaks' Feruchemy. Here's the full WOB:

 

 

Wetlandernw

Why do the Twinborn in Alloy of Law have only one feruchemical power, when all previous feruchemists, in spite of breeding programs, could use all the metals? (from travyl) Or were Ferrings always part of the system and we just didn't meet them in Mistborn? (my addition)

Brandon Sanderson

The Ferrings are a new development since Mistborn, as the Feruchemists have been interbreeding with the Allomancers. Basically, the Allomancy genes interfere with the Feruchemistry genes, breaking it down and creating the limitations we see in Alloy of Law. (His response to this was really fun—he found it a very perceptive question, and enjoyed talking about it. I wish I'd had my recorder handy so I could give you the full transcript instead of the boiled-down version.)

 

Keep in mind that the answer is hugely paraphrased. The genes interfere, but it's possible that they only interfere enough to prevent full Mistborn/Feruchemists over long periods of time, not that a first-generation child of a Mistborn/Feruchemist can't be a Feruchemist. I produced a theory in another thread essentially saying that this was due to differing levels of innate Investiture in Feruchemists and Allomancers (Allomancers more than regular people, Feruchemists less), and I don't think that this WoB necessarily contradicts it.

 

Also, the Lord Ruler was worried about Feruchemists breeding with Allomancers. It's possible he was just plain mistaken and was worrying about a Mistborn/Feruchemist when it couldn't have happened, but I think that, given his knowledge, his fear might have been justified.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Moogle

[Aether]

In the letter (presumably) Hoid wrote he says that Rayse shattered the shards on Sel because they could counter his power... or something to that effect. I am at work and do not have the quote handy.

 

EDIT--  Sorry that was meant to quote aether above me.

 

This was in response to the Devotion and Dominion countering Odium. And where I got that from.

Here's the quote:

 

One need only look at the aftermath of his brief visit to Sel to see proof of what I say. In case you have turned a blind eye to that disaster, know that Aona and Skai are both dead, and that which they held has been Splintered. Presumably to prevent anyone from rising up to challenge Rayse.

- From the Epigraphs of The Way of Kings, Part II

I think it is a bit much to assume that Devotion and Dominion "counter" Odium, just that these were two shards that might have been working together and that could have ended up turning against him.

[Oudeis]

I think it is a bit much to assume that Devotion and Dominion "counter" Odium, just that these were two shards that might have been working together and that could have ended up turning against him.

 

Yeah, it simply says that they could challenge him; presumably, any Shards are simply powerful enough to challenge any other Shards, simply by virtue of power alone. It's been stated that Odium's ultimate goal is to be the most powerful being in the universe, which means Shattering the fifteen other Shards.

 

This is a good point, though I'm not sure if Mistings are less powerful than Mistborn. Just because none of his kids ended up Mistborn doesn't have to mean that their power levels weren't the same.

 

 I produced a theory in another thread essentially saying that this was due to differing levels of innate Investiture in Feruchemists and Allomancers (Allomancers more than regular people, Feruchemists less), and I don't think that this WoB necessarily contradicts it.

 

I think Mistings are certainly less powerful than Mistborn, but that's not my point. My point is, in a line "strong" enough with Allomantic power, a man who isn't even an allomancer can have a Mistborn daughter with a skaa woman. Yet Spook, a full Mistborn himself, had kids with (presumably) Beldre, an Allomancer. The fact that none of their kids or grandkids became, themselves, Mistborn, seems somewhat unlikely to me, if that's all it took. Totally not proof, maybe just a shade better than speculation.

 

What is this theory you have? I would very much like to read it, though it seems to conflict with my own personal theory, which is that Innate Investiture on any planet is almost entirely separate from formal Systems of Investiture, though I'm on the fence with Nalthis where it's possible that Breaths are tied in with Innate Investiture.

[Moogle]

I think Mistings are certainly less powerful than Mistborn, but that's not my point. My point is, in a line "strong" enough with Allomantic power, a man who isn't even an allomancer can have a Mistborn daughter with a skaa woman. Yet Spook, a full Mistborn himself, had kids with (presumably) Beldre, an Allomancer. The fact that none of their kids or grandkids became, themselves, Mistborn, seems somewhat unlikely to me, if that's all it took. Totally not proof, maybe just a shade better than speculation.

 

 

Our only reference here on Mistborn numbers is Zane, and Zane was the only Mistborn out of what, 30-40 kids? I don't think it's that unlikely that Spook had no Mistborn children.

 

Mistings being less powerful than Mistborn, maybe we have different definitions? I would say that if a Misting could Push just as powerfully on metal as a Mistborn, they would be equal in power levels. I would guess that any of Zane's Coinshot brothers would have been able to push close to as powerfully as he could (at least, before he got a spike).

 

 

What is this theory you have? I would very much like to read it, though it seems to conflict with my own personal theory, which is that Innate Investiture on any planet is almost entirely separate from formal Systems of Investiture, though I'm on the fence with Nalthis where it's possible that Breaths are tied in with Innate Investiture.

 

You posted in the thread, so it's possible you already read it. There's really not much to it. The theory is just that your sDNA (which you get from parents) determines if you can perform Allomancy/Feruchemy, each person's individual Investiture determines how powerful they are, and your individual Investiture is inherited from your parents. It's here and expanded a little here.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Moogle

[Meg]

What is this theory you have? I would very much like to read it, though it seems to conflict with my own personal theory, which is that Innate Investiture on any planet is almost entirely separate from formal Systems of Investiture, though I'm on the fence with Nalthis where it's possible that Breaths are tied in with Innate Investiture.

I might misunderstand you here but IMHO it's not "possible that Breaths are tied in with Innate Investiture", they are Innate Investiture.

 

Interview: Sep, 2012

Cosmere Q&A - 17th Shard 17.09.12(Verbatim)

Chaos

Is there a Cosmere-specific term you use to describe, say, a Shard's power inside someone? For example, people on Scadrial had little bits of Preservation in them that made them sentient (and, with enough Preservation, Allomancy). This obviously doesn't make these people Slivers or Splinters, so I was just wondering if you had a word for it.

Brandon Sanderson

In my own terms, I refer to all of this as types of investiture. The degree, and effects, can be very different - but those people are invested. I term this Innate Investiture, and it is similar to what happens with people on Nalthis. That is also innate.

source

Please bear with me, if I did misunderstand you.

edit: As for the Mistborn-Misting-Children-part:

BRANDON SANDERSON

(...)

In a future book series, Mistborn will also have become things of legend. The bloodlines will have become diluted to the point that there are no Mistborn, only Mistings—however, the latter are far more common. In this environment, a Nicrosil Misting could be invaluable both as an enhancer to your own team or a weapon to use against unsuspecting other Mistings.

DOUGLAS (17 OCTOBER)

I take it either Spook did not have children or Sazed made him a reduced-strength Mistborn rather than giving him the full potency of the 9 originals and Elend?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Spook is a reduced power Mistborn.

(...)

source

Perhaps that helps a bit. I'm sure I've read another quote about that topic but I don't find it at the moment.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Meg

[Oudeis]

Meg:

 

You understand me correctly, though I'm frankly less convinced the quote means exactly what you say it means. I find it to be a slightly confusing sentence, though you're right. I still think, even if it's just a semantic term, that there's something inherently different about the Innate Investiture that everyone possesses which interacts with steelpushes and shardblades, and the patterns on your spiritweb that allow you to use formal methods of Investiture, i.e. "shardic magic".

 

 

Our only reference here on Mistborn numbers is Zane, and Zane was the only Mistborn out of what, 30-40 kids? I don't think it's that unlikely that Spook had no Mistborn children.

 

Mistings being less powerful than Mistborn, maybe we have different definitions? I would say that if a Misting could Push just as powerfully on metal as a Mistborn, they would be equal in power levels. I would guess that any of Zane's Coinshot brothers would have been able to push close to as powerfully as he could (at least, before he got a spike).

 

 

You posted in the thread, so it's possible you already read it. There's really not much to it. The theory is just that your sDNA (which you get from parents) determines if you can perform Allomancy/Feruchemy, each person's individual Investiture determines how powerful they are, and your individual Investiture is inherited from your parents. It's here and expanded a little here.

 

I was actually referring to Vin's father, a non-allomancer who nevertheless had a Mistborn daughter with a skaa woman. The fact that Straff, even being an allomancer, was able to have a Mistborn son with a skaa is a second example supporting my thesis.

 

You get your spiritual DNA from much more than your parents; Mr. Sanderson has described it as a 4-dimensional punnet hypercube. Regardless, if that were the case, wouldn't Mistings and Mistborn still be as powerful as they were back in the day? Literally every human on Scadrial has Innate Investiture, of approximately similar amounts, so there's no way this would have ever been diluted; there's no one to mate with who doesn't have innate investiture. How, then, have Mistborn and Mistings grown weaker?

 

If that's the theory to which you refer... I don't agree with it. I find your support to be speculative or interpreted in nature. I don't really feel like looking up evidence opposing it, however, so I plan to wait and see what happens. If you're right, please feel free to tell me that you told me so.

[Moogle]

Literally every human on Scadrial has Innate Investiture, of approximately similar amounts, so there's no way this would have ever been diluted; there's no one to mate with who doesn't have innate investiture. How, then, have Mistborn and Mistings grown weaker?

 

Do you have a source for this? It would kill my theory off soundly.

[Oudeis]

I'll try to find it... we know that metal inside of a person, literally any person, has resistance to pushing and pulling, and there's WoB I will attempt to locate which says this is because of a person's innate investiture. Further, when hemalurgy steals physical strength, senses, mental capacity or emotional fortitude, they are taking some of that person's Innate Investiture, which is what turns the non-sentient Mistwraiths into sentient kandra as they now have an imbalance of Innate Investiture.

 

I suppose this doesn't prove that the amount is all the same, but I still don't see where all the extra Investiture is going. Everyone has some, even skaa with no noble parentage, even Terris whose bloodlines have remained pure of lerasium's influence. I suppose it's possible, even with all my statements being true, that some people have got buckets and buckets of Innate Investiture, and some people have got barely any, and intermarriage between these people is what's diluted the power. I don't buy it, but it's possible.