Restaurant at the End of the Cosmere

[FirstSelector]

In the JordanCon Q&A session, it is revealed that there is a location where worldhoppers tend to congregate and set down roots.  Not much else is revealed, except that it exists and is not a planet.

 

We also know that there is a Shard not attached to a planet, but also that large concentrations of Investiture tend to warp the Cognitive realm.  I find it somewhat hard to believe that there is a Shard just floating out in the wider interstellar medium (though I do recognize that it could have settled on a moon, star, or other astrophysical object).  Moreover, it would not be particularly difficult to locate that Shard, so the location can't be some secret.

 

Instead, I would like to propose that the proprietor of the Restaurant, as it were, is this Shard.  It provides some notion of shelter to the various worldhoppers, along with a Investiture "anchor."  This anchor acts like a planet or moon filled with life, allowing them to settle in the Cognitive realm without requiring the corresponding planet in the Physical realm.

 

I think this is plausible for two reasons.  First, I find it unlikely that every Shard is mostly focused only on their own world.  I would guess that at least one takes the wider cosmere view, and thus refused to set down roots in a planet due to the restrictions.  Second, worldhoppers are among the most powerful and dangerous group of individuals, and I would guess that any community would want to hide under the umbrella of a Shard to avoid being flattened by other Shards.

 

Of course, this idea is patently ridiculous and over-the-top.  However, I find the existence of the Restaurant to be intriguing, and I can't wait to learn more.

[Clockwork he/him]

This name is based off of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... I've read enough of it to remember that...

 

Basic Theory is Possible. Unknown if probable, but possible.

[The Ninja Yodeler he/him]

My mind was instantly filled with a Cowboy Bebop style saloon, filled with worldhoppers. Jet being the proprietor. Spike the waiter. Ed the cook.

Edited April 29, 2016 by The Ninja Yodeler

[Rasarr she/her]

Fun theory, and one I can see it proven - the question whether the place is in Physical Realm was met with a RAFO. So, assuming it was true, is the protector-Shard the boss of 17th Shard? Or are they unaffiliated?

 

For an extra info for those who didn't read JordanCon transcript, the Restaurant (I just know that's what I'll be calling the place - thanks!) is where Iyatil comes from, though "her ethnicity" does not. Maybe she's from a group of SoScadrians who emigrated to the Restaurant?

[Vissy]

What if that mystery Shard has settled to a black hole?

 

Now there's a perfect place for Ruin to inhabit, if there is one. 

 

Actually, could a Shard even escape a black hole? 

[Argel he/him]

Black hole? I doubt it. Though perhaps it could be released as energy escaping the black hole, though I would expect the experience to be fatal to the vessel. Could be a good way to splinter a shard...

 

Or on the crazy front, maybe the Great Beyond is a black hole.

 

Back to this theory, Rayse is less likely to attack an uninvested (or slightly invested) shard, which fits the theory.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Argel

[Vissy]

Given the way the Great Beyond forcibly extracts those people who are not Invested enough, it might well be some sort of a spiritual black hole (or a vacuum). Only those with a sufficient Intent (Slivers or Shards) can resist the pull. 

[PallonianFire he/him]

I have to think that, whether or not there's a Restaurant in the CR, it's based on an actual location in the PR. Iyatil was born there, and AFAIK people can't conceive and bear children in the CR.

[Pagerunner he/him]

To get really crazy, we need to try to connect the Restaurant to Vax. Maybe it's a physical place entirely comprised of a Shard's Investiture; the ground, the air, everything, is all made out of this one Shard that's not on a planet. The place is named after the person; that could help resolve the seeming conflict of Ati's last words with the mentions in the Elantris Ars Arcanum.

 

When you called the hypothetical Shard the "proprietor," I got a really cool mental image of a giant complex (I pictured the Jedi Temple, for some reason) floating out in space. People come and go, but one guy is always there at the shardpool, greeting newcomers, answering questions, and catching up with travelers. Nobody realizes he's actually a Shard.

 

Anyways, I feel like I've been saying this a lot, but I'm sure the short story collection will give us some concrete information on the subject. We're not sure when Khriss's introduction is going to be set, but Brandon specified that it's prior to Sixth of the Dusk. As long as it's not set too far before Stormlight, then I think it's a guarantee that the Restaurant exists and that Khriss knows about it. It's a worldhopper hub, and Khriss is a worldhopper.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Pagerunner

[Vissy]

A small fact that the OP forgot: the Restaurant is obviously owned by Highprince Sebarial. He built it while the others were busy saving the universe and all that stuff.

[Argel he/him]

Maybe its on an asteroid in the middle of some asteroid belt.

[Jondesu he/him]

Maybe the Shard is "Protection" or even "Wisdom", preparing a haven for Worldhoppers. I love this idea, whether there's no physical corresponding location, or if it's just not an actual world.

jW

[Trae Cooper he/him]

That moment when something you yelled out in the front row of a Sanderson Q&A shows up as a topic title on 17th Shard. 

 

Some good hypotheses here. Is it possible that an uninvested shard could be one who "just wants to survive?" and surrounds itself in worldhoppers? 

 

Ultimately, I think that wherever the restaurant is, or as some other con-goes referred to it "DS9 of the cosmere," I imagine the major backer is the recipient of the letter 'old reptile' or whatever we are calling him these days. 

 

I don't think that shardic intent would line up too well with the 17th shard, unless it was the intent of laissez faire. 

 

My bet is it was facilitated by some original worldhoppers, particularly those who survived the shattering/from Yolen. Particularly with the notion of prolonging one's life through judicious use of forward time travel, I could see having a stable, safe hideout being useful.

 

Trae

[Argel he/him]

DS9? How about the Babylon 5 of the Cosmere? Seems like a far more fitting comparison, considering the First Ones, the Vorlon/Shadow war (shards), Technomages, etc. And an actual planned story arc from the beginning. But with all that said, someone how the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference fits even better. Probably thanks to Hoid and I just read Alacatraz book 3....   Some Chris Foss retro Sci-Fi cxomes to mind as well, like the asteroid city pictured with this article:

 

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5836465/the-psychedelic-realism-of-chris-foss-alternate-worlds

[Rasarr she/her]

You know, I'm just wondering... There are enough many worldhoppers for there to be the Restaurant, and for people to settle down in it. Better even! There can be people who didn't come to it, but come from it, meaning the Restaurant has enough facilities to support child-raising. So just how many worldhoppers are out there? We've heard of roughly twenty, and of those, many are either staying in one place (Mraize on Ghostblood business, Zahel/Vasher catching stormlight) or jumping from place to place (Khriss, Nazh, Hoid...). If there are worldhoppers who "set down roots" and have houses there, how big numbers are we talking? Dozens? Hundreds? More?

 

Seriously, this whole thing is just so cool. I need a story set in the Restaurant. Better yet, an entire anthology. It could be framed as people in a bar starting to reminescent of how Hoid screwed them over, and then moving onto their adventures all over Cosmere. Imagine the tales they'd tell!

[Pagerunner he/him]

Another brain blast! What if it's connected to the system of trade that Hoid said Kelsier destroyed in Secret History? The people in the Restaurant can't grow their own food, mine their own metals, or anything like that - they need to import everything from other Shardworlds. When the Pits were destroyed, the Restaurant lost access to its cheap and plentiful metals!

[Oversleep]

IDK guys, but it seems Autonomy goes along well with setting up an enclave for those who wander the worlds.

[Eccentric Hero he/him]

There can be people who didn't come to it, but come from it, meaning the Restaurant has enough facilities to support child-raising.

What if there are still people on Yolen and they worldhop?

Edited April 29, 2016 by Eccentric Hero

[Argel he/him]

Yolen seems to be cut off somehow. But here's a crazy idea -- what if it's Threnody?

[Lurky McLurkerson he/him]

1. Hadn't thought of it, but there would almost have to be a shard there, given that worldhopping generally requires a destination perpendicularity which generally comes from a shard.

2. The perpendicularity, I seem to remember, occurs when a shard invests in a place... but if it is a small or lifeless place, maybe less power ends up leaving the shard, which means that...

3. This shard would be more powerful having invested less power elsewhere.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Lurky McLurkerson

[Argel he/him]

A shardpool is just one of the obvious and likely easier/faster ways to do it. We know it's possible to a different location in the CR  and we've seen Jasnah and Shallan enter the CR without using a shardpool.

 

Secret History

And the Ire expedition from Sel apparently traveled via the CR to Scadrial and we know Kel travelled further away from Scadrial than Ruin could.

 

I'm not sure as a worldhopper that I would want my home base to be so closely tied to a shard. A lot could happen while away, making someplace less obvious a possible better choice. I suppose it depends on the intent of the shard. The other problem is that werever they are would have it's own magic system if a shard is there and I do not think we have seen any magic systems we do not know about in use yet, other than Hoid's Yolish lightcasting. And we know Khriss is from White Sands. Maybe Brandon is just holding out on us, but I am skeptical.

 

I think a better option is that fourth shard we know Odium splintered that we haven't seen yet. It's likely safe from attack from Odium and it could have a localized magic system like Sel. Or maybe it's magic makes worldhopping easier.

 

Edit: What if there is a Curiosity shard? That could go with worldhopping and could fit the shard that hasn't settled down.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Argel

[C. James-Mayer he/him]

Sanderson pretty much confirmed my theory from 4-5 years ago with this hint that he gave regarding worldhopping:
"Raoden has misinterpreted one of the Aons."

 

That would be Aon Tia and it gives a way to worldhop directly from one point in the Physical Realm to another. Of course, that requires some sick level of mathematics (we know the boy that counted numbers in Elantris was kinda cool).

 

Anyway, I know many of you still don't believe this one, but I am quite convinced in this.

 

Another point in favor for this one is, in JordanCon Q&A. Sanderson said that when he is ready he might give us a star map indicating the position of all the Shardworlds. And everything of this sort in the books is written by the likes of Khriss and Nazh, which means that one of these knowledge seekers will be drawing it imo.

[Argel he/him]

The starmap he's going to give is in Arcanum Unbound is going to be based on the CR. And we know there will be Mistborn Era4 with FTL travel, which would obviously require a PR starmap, so I don't see how the existence of a PR starmap supports or disproves your theory.

[Lurky McLurkerson he/him]

I acknowledge that there are other ways to worldhop without a perpendicularity, but it seems to be the easiest way to travel. The whole worldhopper economy is acknowledged to have taken a hit with the disappearance of one in Secret History. If the economy is built around perpendicularities, then the Restaurant likely has one as well. 

[Jondesu he/him]

Sanderson pretty much confirmed my theory from 4-5 years ago with this hint that he gave regarding worldhopping:

"Raoden has misinterpreted one of the Aons."

That would be Aon Tia and it gives a way to worldhop directly from one point in the Physical Realm to another. Of course, that requires some sick level of mathematics (we know the boy that counted numbers in Elantris was kinda cool).

How would that be a misunderstanding, though? He knows that it allows that, even if he hasn't put together that scale. More likely, if it's indeed Aon Tia that he misunderstood, it could allow one to teleport into the Cognitive Realm somehow, or else it's a different Aon that will allow something along those lines.

jW