Story Impressions

[Meg]

Meg, great post. Thanks. Most of what you are saying make sense.

Then, there is something spren have and heralds have, the splinter, since then spren themselves are not splinters. The bond? Who is actually bonded? A human and a spren. Are all spren splinters? I think not. So the bond is with the splinter, not the spren. So the heralds have a different kind of bond with a different kind of splinter. Since splinter spren unbounded lose their wits, is it possible to somehow hamper the heralds bond? Is the splinter spren voluntary or not? I think seons were not voluntary.

 

If there is nothing I've missed earlier there's one confirmation from BS about "spren" and "Splinters":

 

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

A: Honorspren would be termed Splinters.

source

 

So Mr. Sanderson more or less outright says that Honorspren are Splinters. The question was about Honorspren and not about all spren.

 

It was said lately that there are different kinds of spren -- not only from which Shard they might derive. It seems clear that not any and every spren lurking around on Roshar is a "bondable" spren. There are spren that are of Honor, some of Cultivation and some of both (and there at least a long time ago there were some of Adonalsium).

 

Though I normally try to give references, I'm much too tired to search around now.

 

A last short note: I don't know how Seons were made. And I don't know whether the one part of them (the Aons) or the other (there must be something) does their "work" voluntary.

Wyndle, too, got a task. He himself didn't choose Lift.

Syl, I think, instinctively searched for a new bond-partner and I don't think she took the first she found. She followed Kaladin and I'm quite sure, if he would have behaved in another way, she would have left again.

 

I think spren, by definition, are all Splinters. They are are sentient, they have never been alive, and they seem to be "made" of Investiture. Until Roshar we had only seen single-Shard Splinters, but I suppose we now know of dual-Shard Splinters. 

 

Sorry, I don't think so as for the above mentioned reasons.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I think spren, by definition, are all Splinters. They are are sentient, they have never been alive, and they seem to be "made" of Investiture. Until Roshar we had only seen single-Shard Splinters, but I suppose we now know of dual-Shard Splinters. 

 

I strongly disagree, I do not believe all spren are splinters.  I believe only sentient spren are actual splinters, in fact being a splinter is what allowed them to develop sentience.  Now all spren are the product of shardic investiture, but not all shardic investiture is in the form of splinters.

 

(since Meg just posted while I was typing this I'm going to steal borrow some of her evidence) That quote is quite specific "Honorspren would be termed splinters" this implies, to me at least, that not all spren would be.

[Gloom he/him]

I'm going to agree with Meg and Weiry.

 

A splinter is a term used by certain people in the cosmere for power of Adonalsium which has no person caring for it, no…no person holding it, which has attained self-awareness.

Wetlander: So is that like the mists and the Well? Are they…

A: They are not, because they have not attained self-awareness. But, the Seons are self-aware. So, any piece, for instance there were some spren on Roshar before Honor and Cultivation got there. Those were already splinters of Adonalsium where he had left power which attained sentience on its own. So, it can be intentional is what I am saying, does that make sense? You have seen other splinters.

Courtesy of Windrunner here

 

A rain spren isn't exactly sentient by any definition I know of. It appears when it's raining and stands up in puddles doing nothing. Flame spren dance around in fires, not exactly a sign of intelligence .

 

I would agree that all bonding spren are splinters.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Gloom

[Meg]

Thanks Gloom, for providing that quote.

 

 

Based on BS's comment, who said heralds were "created" by Honor in a similar way to sprens => heralds are not exactly human.

 

I'm still curious to get that comment. I couldn't find it myself.

[name_here]

Yeah, I was a bit dense about that. At first I just thought they were all being exceedingly modest and polite. 

 

I assumed it was like the Shin bargaining thing, where everyone criticizes their own stuff because the Prime is supposed to be humble.

 

Lift is great fun to read.

[bookspren]

One of my favorite parts was when Lift says she talks to herself because she's awesome. That made me laugh so hard. I hope we get to see her again.

Also, I wonder why Rall Elorim is called the City of Shadows. Sounds sinister.

[Meg]

I'm curious to learn more about Lift's history. She hadn't been raised were she was born. Why? How did she live -- she's only twelve but it sounds as if she were older -- what did she go through in her short life?

 

Lift felt terror, panicked in a way she hadn’t known for years, ever since her days in Rall Elorim.  (...) No. She’d freed herself! She couldn’t be taken like this.

 

Rall Ellorim was mentioned only twice in TWoK: Once by Kal (he had heard tales about "Rall Elorim, City of Shadows") and then by Axies (Rall Elorim is the largest city). This doesn't give any hints about Rall Elorim.

[marianmi]

Who thinks aimians are of Ado?

[Argent he/him]

@Meg, it's worth noting that Rall Elorim is an Iriali city. Knowing that Lift was there (and in some sort of captivity, real or imaginary) makes things extra confusing. All we know about the Iriali is that they have golden hair (locks?), they are "peculiar about their chastity laws," they are kind of relaxed, and that their hair is considered a ward of good luck in other cultures. Nothing really useful...

[Jinxed he/him]

Well The Darkness is an interesting character. He goes across country(well maybe a quarter) to hunt down this little radiant but he stops at the last second because the law is on Lifts side. I wonder if The Darkness is bound by Law or Judgement or something. Also

 

  Ym Interlude Spoilers Below http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3710-words-of-radiance-readings/

 

The fact that The Darkness knew about a murder Ym Commited decades ago makes me worried for a certian Redheaded artist 

Edited October 29, 2013 by Jinxed

[EvilNuff]

Lift is a really fun character to read - and to write, I bet. I too hope we see more of her, but I doubt it. I tried to explain why I feel that way and ended up deleting my paragraph three times. She is awesome but doesn't serve the role Szeth and Rysn do.

 

Being awesome is a role itself!

[cem he/him]

Well The Darkness is an interesting character. He goes across country(well maybe a quarter) to hunt down this little radiant but he stops at the last second because the law is on Lifts side. I wonder if The Darkness is bound by Law or Judgement or something. Also

 

  Ym Interlude Spoilers Below http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3710-words-of-radiance-readings/

 

The fact that The Darkness knew about a murder Ym Commited decades ago makes me worried for a certian Redheaded artist 

I'm worried about every Surgebinder. The prick would murder Kaladin claiming he started a rebellion or something. I really hate the guy.

[Argent he/him]

I've always had a soft spot for misguided idealists. People who know what they are doing is wrong, but still do it because they also believe it's the only way to do real good. Except it's not, and they end up doing evil to advance evil's goals all the while believing they are doing the opposite. Vin in the Well is a good example.

[Gloom he/him]

I believe that when Darkness meets Kaladin, he will almost certainly be after someone else. Kaladin will protect the Surgebinder that Darkness is after, and in the process uncover a new ideal and possibly the power to fly. Then he will either drive Darkness off, or more likely, take his fellow Surgebinder and fly off leaving Darkness behind to pout.