Chicago Signing #1

[Argent he/him]

Let me preface this that I mildly failed at being a 17thSharder during this event. I did make sure to stand by Brandon and get any bits of trivia (which were none!), and I did stay after the event to ask a few questions from the Ultimate List, but I've been away from these forums for so long, I am behind on my Cosmere lore... So I might have asked some repeats. I don't know. I will be better prepared for the second Chicago signing though.

 

On with the show then.

 

I came in about 10 minutes late, so it looked like Brandon had started off with general Q&A with the audience. Things like what inspired him to become an author, his favorite books, advice for aspiring authors, nothing interesting. He read from the Words of Radiance prologue (Jasnah PoV, I need to check if this one has been uploaded before - it was new to me) and Shadows of Self (the scene where Wax and Steris plan their wedding). He then moved on to the regular signing. All in all, a relaxed event in a really nice bookstore. But here's what I managed to get out of it all. Note that I will paraphrase much of it and then maybe attach whatever meager recordings I have. I found out that my voice doesn't sound quite as majestic as I thought it did...

 

I also apologize in advance if I stole your question and butchered it with paraphrasing. I am new to this stuff and was too busy being a fanboy Small italicized text are my own thoughts and comments.

 

Q: Will Hoid return as the King's Wit in the next / future (not sure which one) SA book?
A: Yes.

 

Q: Before his departure in TWoK and his return in a future book, does he stay on Roshar only?

A: Good question. RAFO.

 

Q: Are the Cryptics (what we used to call Truthspren before I went on a hiatus from the forum...) spren?

A: Yes.

 

Q: Why can Shallan draw the Cryptics without seeing them, and can she do the same for other invisible (to her?) spren?

A: Shallan and the Cryptics have a "special connection" that allows her to draw them.

 

Q: None of the Heralds mention or address the Almighty in the opening scene of TWoK; it's a little strange, considering they are his champions. Have they seen or spoken to the Almighty?

A: Yes, the Heralds have spoken with the Almighty. They also feel that what has been done to them is partially his fault. Brandon RAFO'd the "was that how and why the deal with Odium showed up?" part.

 

Q: Any news on Mistborn: Birthright?

A: Pushed back to 2015, so it can be developed for the next generation consoles.

 

--- Ultimate List Questions ---

 

Q: Ruin and Preservation were often represented in the Mistborn trilogy in terms of black and white. Is this imagery limited to that series, or do other Shards also have an associated hue?

A: This (Ruin & Preservation's colors) was because of the specific world and their perception of the world and themselves. Essentially, because of the dynamics of the interplay between Ruin and Preservation, they "chose" to view themselves as black and white respectively, so that's how they were represented. Also, because the only two Shards on Scadrial, and their natures were opposites, after the long period of time they spent on the same planet, they kind of "polarized." If similar thing happened on another world, similar coloring effect could happen.

 

Q: How is it that Nightblood, who is merely a near-sentient awakened object, was able to read minds, something a Shard like Ruin was unable to do?

A: It requires bonding (with the person whose mind is to be read) to read minds.

 

Q: What is the definition of a focus (in TWoK's Ars Arcanum)?

A: Foci, though linked to the magic system, are more like artifacts of the philosophy surrounding the magic system. A focus is a philosophical concept, rather than a hardfast rule related to the magic system. A man-made, artificial way of explaining the magic system. Like the periodic table.

 

Q: Can Shards travel backwards in time?

A: Anything is possible.

 

Q: Is the bond between a Seon and its master similar to the Nahel bond between a Surgebinder and his spren?

A: Yes.

 

Q: What effects does being a Sliver have on a person?

A: It can vary (on the Shard, the length of time the power was held, the power itself, etc). In some way a Sliver is someone who has had their mind, body, and spirit expanded due to holding a great deal of power, and then have had that power leave. 

 

Q: Is spiritual DNA inherited the same as regular DNA?

A: Inherited similarly, but not 100% identically, to regular DNA.

 

Q: Why can lerasium be burned by anyone in the Cosmere, while atium is restricted to a small portion of the population of one planet?

A: RAFO.

 

Q: Did all orders of Knights Radiants use Shardplate?

A: It was available to all of them, and they could (all) use it. Many Knights (not Orders) chose not to. There were Knights who were not soldiers and had not interest in wearing Shardplate.

 

Q: How does one erase/alter memories using Breath?

A: RAFO.

 

Q: Why do the Returned need to sleep?

A: Sleep is necessary for many reasons - different from the reasons we need food and water, for example. One of those reasons (for sleep) is memory storage. Like humans, Returned need to sleep so their (important) short-term memories get moved to long-term storage. I personally was not entire happy with this answer, because like with food and water, memory storage is purely physiological process, so if they don't need one, they shouldn't need the other, but the two are different enough that I can buy it. For now.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Argent

[Kurkistan he/him]

Very very nice. Have a Rep.
 
We do have the Jasnah prologue, I believe.
 
New things I noticed:

 

The Hoid questions were new info.

 

Shallan drawing Cryptics as special is new, disproving the idea that she could, for instance, draw Syl.

 

Confirmation of the Heralds communicating directly with Tanavast, and new info on their feelings towards him and the circumstances of the Oath Pact.

 

The color stuff is new and interesting.

 

Nightblood answer is odd, since he can essentially read anyone's mind. So I guess he "bonds" with anyone who touches him?

 

Foci stuff is new.

 

Shardic time travel is new, though "anything is possible" is quite a broad range that could include "not really, no." Technically you could travel back in time, if you found a wormhole and a way to tow it at relativistic speeds.

 

Seon/Spren connection is new (confirming that Nahel bonds are Spiritual, btw, since Seon bonds are known to be), and tells us directly that Surgebinders get Nahel bonds.

 

Sliver stuff is new, or at least expanded, I think.

 

"Similarly but identically" is a tad confusing for the sDNA question. 

-I assume you meant "but not identical"?

 

Good question on Atium.

 

Nice one with the Shardplate. That one's been an open question for awhile now. You also got that there were definitely non-combat Orders.

 

Sleep answer is interesting. Maybe it will help you to think of memory-integration as a psychological process/need, rather than physiological. Like how Miles can't Heal away the need to sleep.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Kurkistan

[Argent he/him]

"It's similar, but not 100% the same were his exact words," I believe. So yes, (fixed) typo on my part.

 

I'll need to dig through the threads and do some major catching up in the next few days. Hopefully I'll get a few of the other big ones as well. 

[Miyabi She/Her]

Thank you Argent. Fantastic questions!

[Windrunner he/him]

Let me preface this that I mildly failed at being a 17thSharder during this event.

If this was a failure, it was the most awesome failure I've seen in a long time. Thanks for the great info!

[Claincy he/him]

Good job Argent.

 

Nice one with the Shardplate. That one's been an open question for awhile now. You also got that there were definitely non-combat Orders.

Definitely non-combat knights. He didn't say anything about non-combat orders.

[Pechvarry]

Also, because the only two Shards on Sel (?), and their natures were opposites, after the long period of time they spent on the same planet, they kind of "polarized." If similar thing happened on another world, similar coloring effect could happen.

By context, this seems like it should be Scadrial, not Sel.

I personally was not entire happy with this answer, because like with food and water, memory storage is purely physiological process, so if they don't need one, they shouldn't need the other, but the two are different enough that I can buy it. For now.

This is similar to saying emotions or ideas are chemicals in the brain. True enough, but not for the Cosmere. I'm out of time, but it'd be an interesting time to point to Feruhemic wakefulness.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Definitely non-combat knights. He didn't say anything about non-combat orders.

 

Ah, my mistake.

[Argent he/him]

By context, this seems like it should be Scadrial, not Sel.

 

Right. I keep mixing the two together for some reason. Fixed.

 

Also, woot woot on upgrading my rep rank from Elantrian to Shardbearer because of this report! And getting a Popular star in this topic. I feel like one of the cool kids now

Edited October 2, 2013 by Argent

[Morsk he/him]

When I saw the "Popular" star, I was like "Oh, this must be old news if it's upvoted so much already." Then I saw the date as "Today" and knew it was going to be good.

[Argent he/him]

Thanks, Morks

 

I just remembered something else from the individual questions during the signing. Somebody asked a question about Shinnovar and whether all Shin go through some combat training (but don't actually become warriors) at some time during their lives. Brandon said that we'll learn a lot more about the Shin in book 3, which has Szeth's flashbacks.

 

Obviously not a big reveal or newsflash, but I don't remember seeing a confirmation about the main character of book 3 before. I always thought it would be Dalinar's, since he was a contender for 2...

[Joe ST he/him]

I think Dalinar is provisionally book 5¹, with Eshonai being book 4.²

[Argent he/him]

Now I remember those. No harm in forgetting to mention that then

[Maximus]

I was there too. I was helping the guy who found the second steelhunt code look for it. He texted me a photo of it but I didn't receive it for some reason.

 

The questions about the heralds relation to the Almighty was mine. He also made a statement to the effect of "They(the heralds) are all broken in some way and aren't really honorable anymore". Not exactly ground-breaking information, but he used the word "honorable" which I thought was interesting. Not sure how much to read into that.

 

Also, in the question about the Shin and combat, he said he recognized that all human societies were ruled by the threat of violence in some way and he had to reconcile that with the Shin (my paraphrase). I interpret that to mean that the Stone Shamans are the actual rulers of Shinovar.

[PhilV he/him]

The questions about the heralds relation to the Almighty was mine. He also made a statement to the effect of "They(the heralds) are all broken in some way and aren't really honorable anymore". Not exactly ground-breaking information, but he used the word "honorable" which I thought was interesting. Not sure how much to read into that.

 

The word "honorable" can hardly be coincidental. The word "broken" also stands out. Might this be related to the splintering of Honor?

[Maximus]

The word "honorable" can hardly be coincidental. The word "broken" also stands out. Might this be related to the splintering of Honor?

Part of the reason for this question was my theory that this event at least weakened Honor. The timing doesn't seem to quite work out for this to be the splintering as Honor was at least around to see the Recreance.

 

I am making some assumptions here: that the being in Dalinar's vision is Tanavast/Honor; That Tanavast/Honor was killed by the splintering; that the splintering was a specific event rather than something that happened over time.

[Shardlet he/him]

The word "honorable" can hardly be coincidental. The word "broken" also stands out. Might this be related to the splintering of Honor?

 

I think broken could readily mean mentally broken.  They did afterall undergo centuries of torture.  That is going to have an effect on their sanity.  Recall also, Brandon said they at least partly blame Honor for what was done to them.  Sounds like there might be lasting mental damage.

[Morsk he/him]

Hoid just needs to get spikes from Nalthis, learn the memory command from Vasher, and share it with the Heralds. It will fix everything.

[Natans he/him]

Hoid just needs to get spikes from Nalthis, learn the memory command from Vasher, and share it with the Heralds. It will fix everything.

 

 Learn?!?!?! I see you Joke. What you really mean is that Hoid need find the Heralds to begin his "ferucupuncture" =)

[Argent he/him]

Yea, I kind of missed the second part regarding the Heralds. I remembered something about them being broken, but didn't think much of it, because it didn't sound like news - they did look broken, crushed, in the opening scene. Good call on them not being honorable though - this might affect their powers in the present, I think.

 

Another good call on the societies and violence remark - I did remember that one, but didn't think much of it again... Working off memory alone during the general Q&A didn't work entirely as well as I hoped

[Chaos he/him]

How the crap have I not seen this topic yet???

This is freaking awesome. I love the note about Ruin and Preservation's colorings. And the part about foci? Mind blown.

[Argent he/him]

Told you I was kind of pretty awesome

 

That aside (not that it's false or unimportant), credit goes to the Ultimate Questions thread. If I ask people not to shoot the messenger, I can't really ask them to give him a raise either