Chicago Steelheart #2 - Preliminary Questions

[Argent he/him]

Since I am a little out of date on the latest theories and discussions about Brandon's secrets, I wanted to post a list of questions I plan on choosing from when I go to the second Chicago signing event tomorrow. This thread is directed mostly to the more hardcore theorycrafters, but I suppose anyone who has been following the discussions can pitch in. I am interested in finding out whether

1. A question in my list is very likely to be RAFO'd
2. A question in my list is neither terribly interesting, nor is it relevant to how Brandon's worlds work. I am trying to dig for answers here
3. A question in my list has either been answered before, or we are confident enough about the answer that we can afford to wait.

This being said, here's my list. All of this (except for the first one) comes from the ultimate list. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are ones I am not feeling completely confident about.

 

• Pat Rothfuss recently worked with the folks from http://albinodragon.com/'>Albino Dragon to create a Kickstarted Name of the Wind deck of cards in which each face card features a character from the book. All those designs were discussed with Pat, and the final result is shaping up to be pretty spectacular. Are there plans, or if not - are you open to planning, - to do something like this for one or more of your own worlds?
• * Feruchemy is the “balance” between Ruin and Preservation. Would any combination of Shards create a “balance” magic, so to speak, or are only certain Shards compatible?
• * The Well of Ascension regenerates every 1024 years. The atium takes time to collect in the Pits of Hatshin too. Does using a Shard's power always cause downtime before it can be used again?
• Could a Seeker who was properly trained and experienced detect AonDor or Awakening? Similarly, does a coppercloud block an awakener's life sense?
• If Ati had somehow managed to give up Ruin and returned to being a regular person, would his mind have gradually reverted from its corruption by Ruin’s intent, or would he always be determined to destroy?
• Do the Spiritual and Physical Realms have names, like Shadesmar is the Cognitive Realm?
• Is gunpowder going to be featured in the Cosmere other than on Scadrial?
• Are all of the Heralds who gave up their Honorblades still alive?
• * Did Gavilar get the mysterious sphere from Jasnah? (Think this one might be RAFO'd)
• Are Renarin and Adolin Dalinar's legitimate children?
• Fabrials replicate Soulcasting abilities. Is it possible for fabrials to replicate all such Surgebinding abilities?
• What happens to a Surgebinder and his spren during the Weeping? Are they affected by the lack of Stormlight?
• If a Dhakor (Dilaf) could erase a symbol written by an Elantrian (Raoden), could an Elantrian erase/heal a Dhakor bone-symbol?
• It's said that the Shaod usually comes at night. Does it always come at night? If so, why?
• Is there any other canonical way to refer to a set of Shardplate and a Shardblade other than Shards, so as to not confuse them with the Shards of Adonalsium?

I meant to post this a little earlier, so more people get a chance to look at it, but 24 hours isn't too bad, I think.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Argent

[Shardlet he/him]

• Are all of the Heralds who gave up their Honorblades still alive?
• What happens to a Surgebinder and his spren during the Weeping? Are they affected by the lack of Stormlight?

 

The above questions are RAFO bait in my view.

[Natans he/him]

If you can Ask him:

 

- If the surges Granted by Honor are allways related with the concept of a "Sky God" (Electromagnetic force, Atmospheric pressure Gavity, etc)  and Cultivation with the concept of a "Earth God" (Growth, etc)

 

- If the Brightcallers and the Worldsingers are Radiants orders.

 

- If Eletromagnetic Forces and Strong/Weak Atomics forces are really surges.

 

 

Or ask him yours question that look good to =)

[Morsk he/him]

Argent, on 04 Oct 2013 - 07:46, said:

• * The Well of Ascension regenerates every 1024 years. The atium takes time to collect in the Pits of Hatshin too. Does using a Shard's power always cause downtime before it can be used again?

There might be a difference between forcing the power into liquid / solid physical forms like the Well and Pits do, and just using it to do something. I'm not sure if it's worth changing the question over. There's something weird about how atium returns to the Pits rather than Ruin.

[Argent he/him]

- If the surges Granted by Honor are allways related with the concept of a "Sky God" (Electromagnetic force, Atmospheric pressure Gavity, etc)  and Cultivation with the concept of a "Earth God" (Growth, etc)

 

- If Eletromagnetic Forces and Strong/Weak Atomics forces are really surges.

 Is this something that has been discussed before? It looks like an interesting idea, but I haven't spend time thinking it through. 

[Natans he/him]

Will The Way of Kings series be based on one of the worlds and magic systems you have already created or are you inventing a totally new one for this series?

It will be new. There are going to be a lot of different types of magic in the world (I see there's a question below asking about that, so I'll answer more there.) But there will be two main magic systems for the first book. The first will deal with the manipulation of fundamental forces. (Gravity, Strong/weak atomic forces, Electromagnetic force, that sort of thing.) The second will be a transformation based magic system, whereby people can transform objects into one of the world's ten elements.

 

&

 

I was doing some research and finded this topic in the StormBlessed Forum

 

"On p 768 (US hardcover), Sigzil states I spread knowledge of cultures, peoples, thoughts, and dreams. I bring peace through understanding. It is the holy charge my order received from the Heralds themselves.

 

As the Radiants are the only groups that I have heard of that have received orders directly from the Heralds, this would make Worldsingers Radiants as well."

 

 

Now this make sense. To me the Knights Radiants Orders aren't  only about fighting, they also should have served like, "Wacther against the Desolation" and have a order that spreaded information fo sure would help the fight against the voidbringers.

 

 

=)

[Morsk he/him]

I posted that. (edit: the sky god thing.) I thought of it as a loose association possibly useful for brainstorming surges, sort of like the male/female and honor/cultivation associations people were trying out. They aren't established either. The "sky god" theme had come up before, I think in a thread about whether "closest to Honor" meant a mountain, but it's not some detailed theory.

Actually I'll go add to that post that it was brainstorming.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Morsk

[cem he/him]

If you're taking suggestions, could you ask if Surgebinding Investiture is only of Honor or both Honor and Cultivation?

[Natans he/him]

Yeah Morsk idea ,I guessed that was a good question =)

Edited October 4, 2013 by Natans

[Alatar he/him]

Could a Seeker who was properly trained and experienced detect AonDor or Awakening? Similarly, does a coppercloud block an awakener's life sense?

 

Can't look for the sources with so little time but I think the first part was answered by BS. When asked about the way Vin felt Hoid as having "metal he shouldn't have", I think, he said that she sensed something weird due to the extra edge granted by her earring and that anyone could recognize the "waves" created by any magic, provided that they could study them (that is, that someone used magic from other shardworld in their range).

 

The second part wasn't asked or answered, IIRiC, so it should be a good question.

 

Is gunpowder going to be featured in the Cosmere other than on Scadrial?

 

 

I would rephrase that. Instead of "gunpowder", use "technology, such us gunpowder, steam, clockwork...".

[Argent he/him]

Yea, I could probably add a reference to our 1700s+.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Ooh questions... Let me see...

 

Spren have the ability to become invisible to people, can they become invisible to other spren as well?  Or can spren always see other spren whether they wish it or not? Like how Rock can Syl even if she doesn't specifically "appear" to him?

 

Aside from the Greater Roshar system, are there any other multiple shardworld systems?

 

Are there any shardworlds that are actually moons?

 

Oh and this is for clarification: How do you spell "Lyss" the woman Jasnah meets with in the WoR prologue?

 

(that last one more than the others)

[Argent he/him]

Spren have the ability to become invisible to people, can they become invisible to other spren as well?  Or can spren always see other spren whether they wish it or not? Like how Rock can Syl even if she doesn't specifically "appear" to him?

I am strongly leaning towards a negative here. I don't know whether you've had the chance to look over the Steelhunt secret material, but some of it is my main justification for this hunch (it deals with what spren are). I'll ask it if I have time though.

[Argent he/him]

Signing is over. Got some 20 or so questions, few RAFOs. Will post latest today.

[cem he/him]

Can't wait. Nice job managing to ask as many as 20.

[Argent he/him]

He, he told me to choose my best 5. I told him I had about 15. He said 15 was fine, but he was going to immediately RAFO some. I maaay have pushed it a little bit, but even after the 15 I had prepared, he kept looking to me expectedly, so I figured I might try to squeeze a few more. I soon felt a was really pushing it, so I said I'll do one last question, and stopped. Could've gotten more probably...

 

Anyway, I am typing them now.

 

To the Staff: Feel free to lock this thread, I am putting my questions and answers in a new one.

Edited October 5, 2013 by Argent