Chicago Steelheart Signing #2 (Wheeling)

[Argent he/him]

Hey (again), folks! 

 

I just came back from the http://brandonsanderson.com/upcoming-events/#860'>Wheeling signing in the Chicago area, and it was pretty wonderful. Better than the Naperville one a few days ago. Brandon started off with a little off-the-record kind of chat during which he talked about a number of random things, including but not limited to how he once got lost driving to a signing (which is why they now drive him around), and how he was not actually Brandon Sanderson, but a bot. Mark XVII, if you are curious.

 

With the preliminaries done, Brandon talked about what inspired him to write Steelheart. The story was published on his official website a couple of weeks ago, I think, but I can't find it quickly for some reason... Anyway, once that was done, he answered a few questions he gets on every signing (questions about his favorite books, favorite characters, what got him into fantasy/writing, which of his books have sequels in the near future, etc). He then did three readings from upcoming books (Eshonai's viewpoint chapter from Words of Radiance, Wax and Steris' wedding planning from Shadows of Self, and Stephen's date with Silvia from Legion II), separated by general Q&A sessions. He did the signing and personalization of books after that and answered a few questions. And then I interrogated him...

 

So here's what I (and 1-2 other people) asked. My questions come mostly from the http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/383-the-ultimate-list-of-questions-for-brandon/'>Ultimate List, similarly to the first Chicago signing.

 

--- From the general signing Q&A ---

 

Q: Pat Rothfuss recently worked with the folks from http://goo.gl/8vwi1c'>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?

A: I know about Pat's deck, it's really awesome stuff! I can only say that I do have plans to do something similar, but you will have to wait for Words of Radiance to find out more about it. [At least that's what I think he said. This was my question, so I didn't think to record it, and frankly 10 seconds after he was done talking, I realized all I remembered was "yes" and "Words of Radiance"...]

 

Q: Anything you can tell us about Steelheart's sequel, Firefight?

A: It starts off in Chicago, but then moves to New York. It will show off an... interesting version of Manhattan, similarly to how Steelheart's showed off an interesting version of Chicago. It will also introduce three new Epics.

 

Q: Was Hemalurgy inspired by your time in Asia, and more specifically - acupuncture?

A: Yes. A lot of the stuff in my books that looks like it came from Asia really did come from my time there. [This relates to something Brandon said in the previous Chicago signing - that the drawing on the front sheet of the Way of Kings, the one with surges and Knight Radiant orders was inspired by the Kabbalah ]

 

Q: Was Calamity and its appearance in Steelheart just kind of an ad hoc? We know that it showed up about a year before the Epics started showing up, so people naturally assume one was the cause and one was the effect, but was that really the case and are both of them just the effects of something else?

A: Good question! I will say that this is something I've done before, so my fans will kind of expect it. I am aware of this expectation too, and I am careful about repeating myself. [He didn't actually say "yes" or "no" here, just kind of danced around the question]

 

--- From my "Preliminary questions" thread ---

 

Q: 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?

A: [Heavily paraphrased:] Feruchemy ended up being a balance system, because of how polar Ruin and Preservation were. Any world with at least two Shards will result in a similar phenomenon. 

Q: Like Roshar?

A: Like Roshar. There is something like that going on there.

 

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

A: Yes. You have not necessarily seen them though.

 

Q: How do you spell "Lyss" the woman Jasnah meets with in the WoR prologue?

A: Not sure, but I think it's Lyss.

 

--- From the Ultimate List ---

 

Q: Could a Seeker who was properly trained and experienced detect AonDor or Awakening? Similarly, does a Coppercloud block an Awakener's life sense?

A: A Seeker could sense somebody else using magic not native Scadrial. RAFO on the Coppercloud blocking similar magic.

 

Q: 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?

A: Over time Ruin's influence would fade, but Ati would remain a Sliver, so there would be some permanent effects.

 

Q: Do the Spiritual and Physical Realms have names, like Shadesmar is the Cognitive Realm?

A: Kind of, but not really. Shadesmar is just a rough translation of "Cognitive Realm" in the language of whoever first found out about it. Other people, planets, and worlds wouldn't call it Shadesmar - they would call it whatever their words for "Cognitive Realm" are. This applies to the Physical and Spiritual as well.

 

Q: Are all of the Heralds who gave up their Honorblades still alive?

A: Good question! RAFO.

 

Q: Are Renarin and Adolin Dalinar's legitimate children?

A: Good question! Yes, they are both legitimate. Though Renarin didn't get as much of the hair, which is probably what people are asking about.

 

Q: Fabrials replicate Soulcasting abilities. Is it possible for fabrials to replicate all such Surgebinding abilities?

A: Yes, good question! Fabrials can replicate all of the Surgebinding abilities.

 

Q: If a Dhakor (Dilaf) could erase a symbol written by an Elantrian (Raoden), could an Elantrian erase/heal a Dhakor bone-symbol?

A: This is a theoretical possibility, but not a specialization of AonDor. 

 

Q: 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 Andonalsium?

A: They call them just Shard(s). It is a little confusing, because there are other Shards, but they don't know about them. I call them a set, but there is no canonical way to refer to them.

 

Q: Is Cultivation's Shardholder still alive.

A: Good question, what do you think?

Q: I want to say, but that's based on my knowledge before I read Lift's interlude from Words of Radiance. Now I am leaning towards no. Based on that interlude, it looks like spren have essence from both Honor and Cultivation. It's almost like they exist in a spectrum, on one end of which is Honor, and on the other - Cultivation; so there are spren that are, for the lack of better example, 90% Honor and 10% Cultivation, and there are spren that are 15% Honor and 85% Cultivation.

A: That's a very astute observation!

Q: And since we know that Honor is Splintered, then it might be the case that Cultivation is also Splintered, and their Splinters form the spren.

 

Q: Are Honorspren Splinters, or do they hold Splinters?

A: Honorspren would be termed Splinters.  

 

Q: What is Stormlight?

A: I don't want to answer this, but I'll just say "Investiture."

 

Q: Did David get Steelheart's absolutely correct, or was it just close enough to allow him to destroy Steelheart?

A: It was absolutely correct. This is something David and Reckoners will actually discuss in Firefight. The second book will reveal much more about the Epics' weaknesses, and you will find out that there is actually a pattern to them, even though everyone thinks it's random.

Q: Are weaknesses somehow related to things, events, or phenomena the Epics feared, or hated, or disliked before they turned Epic?

A: RAFO, second book. This is the exact question people - and David - are asking in the second book. Good question though.

 

Q: Are there still no Splinters on Scadrial, after the events of the Alloy of Law?

A: Yes, there are no Splinters on Scadrial. Unless they've been brought. [several people cried out "Hoid!"] There are no Splinters of Ruin or Preservation.

 

Q: Does Nightblood need to sleep?

A: (Laughs) Nightblood does not need to sleep, but he sure thinks he needs to.

 

Q: Will Llarimar become Susebron's high priest?

A: I would not be surprised of the events too him there.

Q: Do you think he would be unhappy with the position?

A: No. Susebron is going to make at least, if not a good God King, then at least an earnest one, and Llarimar would approve of that.

 

Q: What command would you have to give to an Awakened object like Nightblood in order for it to not go insane?

A: I am going to RAFO that about Nightblood, but - is Nightblood insane? It just has no concept of... It was commanded to do something it was not equipped to judge. I would not call Nightblood insane. I would say that you have commanded something with no concept of morality to make moral decisions, and that's very confusing to him.

 

Q: Ashe says to Sarene "your god" (emphasis added). Do Seons (and Skaze) have a religion/god?

A: They have an inkling of the nature of their original Shards, which they would consider their gods. 

Q: Kind of like a first, a prime, a parent?

A: Yes. They kind of know what happened that created them, and they also know this is not the god being worshipped (by Sarene), so...

 

I once again feel like I could've asked better questions, but even after going through the entire list, those are the ones I found most likely to not be RAFO'd, while still getting us some meaningful answers. Maybe, maybe not. At the time I was too busy being a fanboy.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Argent

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Wow great questions! And confirmation that fabrials can mimic all the radiant abilities!

 

 

 

Q: Is Cultivation's Shardholder still alive.

A: Good question, what do you think?

Q: I want to say, but that's based on my knowledge before I read Lift's interlude from Words of Radiance. Now I am leaning towards no. Based on that interlude, it looks like spren have essence from both Honor and Cultivation. It's almost like they exist in a spectrum, on one end of which is Honor, and on the other - Cultivation; so there are spren that are, for the lack of better example, 90% Honor and 10% Cultivation, and there are spren that are 15% Honor and 85% Cultivation.

A: That's a very astute observation!

Q: And since we know that Honor is Splintered, then it might be the case that Cultivation is also Splintered, and their Splinters form the spren.

 

Some one asked him this a couple months ago and he said Cultivation was still alive.

[Argent he/him]

Aw, bummer. We really need a better organizational tool for those kind of things - the interview database is nice if you have a specific topic in mind, but it doesn't work as well if you just want to read everything. Reading further down that thread, Cultivation might end up being Nightwatcher though - Lift's interlude adds some light support to this claim.

 

Still, maybe I am onto something with the spren living on a gradient...

Edited October 5, 2013 by Argent

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Yah, definitely.  Brandon talks a little about how spren are mixture of Honor and Cultivation here.

[Morsk he/him]

This is great. It's amazing that Brandon can go from remembering Renarin's hair color, into the religion of Seons, and little things like Nightblood thinking he needs sleep even if he doesn't.

I tried adding Honorspren to the Splinter page on the Coppermind, but {{ref|17s|4254|post|66703|Are Honorspren Splinters, or do they hold Splinters?}} is officially the weirdest thing I've ever written that isn't a regular expression, so I'm not sure it isn't wrong somehow...

edit: It's interesting to finally see something that is a Splinter, rather than "The ________ inside of it a Splinter." I have a theory that spren are made of Stormlight, since they can be trapped in gems. We know you can use a Divine Breath in place of normal Breath. It makes me wonder if you can infuse a flamespren or Honorspren and use it instead of Stormlight. Ethical considerations aside!

Edited October 5, 2013 by Morsk

[The Question he/him]

Hmm, this might sound a bit crazy, but his "Mark XVII" comment could imply that there is someone named Mark in the Seventeenth Shard. A robot or golem, perhaps.

 

... and I just realized the connection between the Lifeless from Warbreaker and The Golem (The Jewish tale).

 

Good Questions and interesting answers.

[Argent he/him]

@The Question, he didn't actually say Mark XVII, I am afraid. Flawless theory otherwise. "Number 17" might've been closer.

 

It's interesting to finally see something that is a Splinter, rather than "The ________ inside of it a Splinter." I have a theory that spren are made of Stormlight, since they can be trapped in gems. We know you can use a Divine Breath in place of normal Breath. It makes me wonder if you can infuse a flamespren or Honorspren and use it instead of Stormlight. Ethical considerations aside!

 

This made me think of something. Seons, Skaze, and Honorspren obviously have conscience (though it may be different from that humans have). It wouldn't be too big of a stretch of the imagination to consider the idea that the Divine Breaths of the Returned, on the account of them also being Splinters, also have it. Which would explain why they return with no memory of their past lives - the Returned themselves are really Divine Breaths / Endowment's Splinters inside a body, a husk. And the memories they do sometimes regain could be based on purely (plus some magic?) physiological processes - for example, since memories are encoded by way of neuro-networks in the brain, if a person Returns before his or her brain has had a chance to degenerate, those networks will still be present, just "locked away" by the Splinter's "personality."

[Oudeis he/him]

@The Question, he didn't actually say Mark XVII, I am afraid. Flawless theory otherwise. "Number 17" might've been closer.

 

 

This made me think of something. Seons, Skaze, and Honorspren obviously have conscience (though it may be different from that humans have). It wouldn't be too big of a stretch of the imagination to consider the idea that the Divine Breaths of the Returned, on the account of them also being Splinters, also have it. Which would explain why they return with no memory of their past lives - the Returned themselves are really Divine Breaths / Endowment's Splinters inside a body, a husk. And the memories they do sometimes regain could be based on purely (plus some magic?) physiological processes - for example, since memories are encoded by way of neuro-networks in the brain, if a person Returns before his or her brain has had a chance to degenerate, those networks will still be present, just "locked away" by the Splinter's "personality."

 

While plausible, it still 'felt' in the book like they were REALLY the people. Llarimar seemed to feel that Lightsong still acted somewhat like his brother, he still cared about the same things as his brother. I realize this COULD all just neuro-chemical, but that doesn't feel like the case.

 

Also, there's the fact that at the end, Lightsong remembers crossing the veil and being asked if he wants to Return. Even if the "real" man was really just donating his body for a Divine Breath, why then would that Breath remember that moment?

[Isomere]

Lets speculate the dead guys Breath gets additional investiture and is then Retuned, but the rest of the persons soul stays somewhere else, maby similar to where Kelsier is. That could let the Divine Breath actually have experienced the events of his life, but still represent a new consciousness.

[Argent he/him]

I am sorry, @Darnam, I misrepresented my idea (happens when I try to watch a movie and post here at the same time...). I was trying to suggest that the two merge, but the Divine Breath, the Splinter, remains the dominant one, while the human soul (Spiritual aspect? form? entity?) turns dormant. In fact, it may be possible that the Divine Breath transforms all three aspects of the human it brings back to life - reshaping the physical slightly, strongly replacing the cognitive, and... modifying to an unknown degree the spiritual. 

 

@Isomere, doesn't Kelsier's soul reside in the Spiritual Realm, but can touch (very slightly) the Physical?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Hey, just something I noticed. You use Sel instead of Scadrial in the Mistborn questions. I figured it out, I just think it might be confusing for newer members.

[Argent he/him]

Goddamnit! It was an issue in my previous thread, it's an issue in this one as well. I am putting a sticky note on my monitor right now!

 

EDIT: I do not lie.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Argent

[Meg]

Nice information!

 

I think, now we have the confirmation that Honorspren are Splinters of Honor.

 

@ the idea that every Shard from which Splinters exist is Splintered: I'm sorry, I can't follow this idea at the moment. It would imply that Endowment is Splintered (Shattered), too, what I don't believe (though we don't have any evidence about this question as far as I know).

I think that a Shard can create Splinters of itself (that's what I understand Endowment does). So why wouldn't Cultivation be able to do so as well? Maybe she kind of released a lot of Splinters in reaction to Honor's Splintering (to create a balance, out of frustration, or whatever reasons) but I'm not convinced Cultivation is Shattered, too.

 

edit: A question for clarifying because of me not being sure how to read it:

 

Q: Ashe says to Sarene "your god" (emphasis added). Do Seons (and Skaze) have a religion/god?
A: They have an inkling of the nature of their original Shards, which they would consider they gods.
Q: Kind of like a first, a prime, a parent?
A: Yes. They kind of know what happened that created them, and they also know this is not the god being worshipped (by Sarene), so...

 

About the emphasized part: My lacking English makes me feel there is something missing or wrong. Should it read: "which they would consider they are gods." or "which they would consider their gods". Or do I miss something entirely?

I apologize for my -- seemingly stupid -- questions.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Meg

[Argent he/him]

A typo. Fixed it. 

 

But yea, considering that Endowment does create Splinters of itself, Cultivation should be able to do it too. I completely walked over this fact...

[hoser he/him]

There is a chain of logic which makes honorspren voluntary splinters of Honor. 

 

1. Nohadon mentions honorspren and surgebinders.
2. Nohadon was before the Radiants and may have helped create them.
3. The Radiants were present before the Heralds packed it in.
4. WoB that Honor was still intact around when the Heralds packed it in. 

[Meg]

WoB that Honor was still intact around when the Heralds packed it in. 

 

It's late and I can't find that "WoB". Would you be so kind and link the reference?

[Isomere]

here. Bear in mind there is a lot of wiggle room in interpreting this answer.

Was the Almighty still alive when the Heralds packed it in, and did the Radiants pack it in in direct response to what the Heralds did?

BRANDON SANDERSON

The Radiants did NOT abandon their post as a response to the Heralds. The Radiants abandoned it for some other reason which will become evident eventually. The Almighty was still around when the Heralds did their thing.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Isomere

[Windrunner he/him]

@Isomere, doesn't Kelsier's soul reside in the Spiritual Realm, but can touch (very slightly) the Physical?

Kel's in the Cognitive Realm.

 

FIRSTRAINBOWROSE (17 OCTOBER 2008)

I just wanted to add in my two cents and say it was absolutely brilliant... and I think I'm starting to be able to breath again (crying that much hurts)...I also really loved that there's an "cameo" for Kelsier at the end... that made me really happy to see.

BRANDON SANDERSON (17 OCTOBER 2008)

Glad you liked the book, Rainbow!

You may want to note that the moment Preservation dropped out and let the last of his consciousness die, someone was waiting in the Cognitive Realm to seize the power and hold on for a short period until Vin could take it up more fully. You'll find him using it to whisper in moments of great stress in the book, to one person in specific in two places. (I'll bet someone on here has already found them.)

He never could just let things well enough alone....

[firstRainbowRose she/her]

Huh... I don't remember saying that!  Where did I say that?

[Windrunner he/him]

Hah, it was the Hero of Ages Q&A back on TWG I do believe.

[Argent he/him]

I keep confusing Cognitive and Spiritual (for the longest time I kept thinking Shadesmar was the Spiritual...), like I keep confusing Sel and Scadrial... 

[PhilV he/him]

Q: Anything you can tell us about Steelheart's sequel, Firefight?

A: It starts off in Chicago, but then moves to New York. It will show off an... interesting version of Manhattan, similarly to how Steelheart's showed off an interesting version of Chicago. It will also introduce three new Epics.

 

This was my question, yay!

The new Epics are the ones from the "case files" in the various exclusive editions of Steelheart, namely Newton, Regalia, and (I believe) Obliteration.

[Argent he/him]

I pre-ordered one of the signed and personalized copies from Brandon, no shiny stuff for me...

 

Did anyone upload the images somewhere at least?

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

I'm just going to think of the spren as the children of Honor and Cultivation.  Some take after their father, and some take after their mother.  So here's the thing that's bothering me, if the spren have been influenced by the Splintering of Honor, shouldn't that effect some of them more than others?  If there's two separate categories, one of Nahel bond spren, one of environment/situational spren, which is what I've been thinking, that still doesn't help explain anything.

 

Poor Nightblood, it's not insane, it's just Vasher's and Shashara's fault for giving it a very complicatd Command to follow. ("Destroy evil.")  Although I wonder if it still would have developed sentience if it was a simpler Command.

[Shardlet he/him]

If there's two separate categories, one of Nahel bond spren, one of environment/situational spren, which is what I've been thinking, that still doesn't help explain anything.

 

Sure it does Cheese.  Nahel spren could be voluntary splinters of Honor and Cultivation together each type having a varying degree of each Shard, where honorspren are likely exclusively of Honor and cultivationspren (theoretical) are exclusively of Cultivation.  Meanwhile, the more mundane spren are all involuntary splinters of Honor formed at the shattering of the shard and are formed exclusively of Honor.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Shardlet