[AU Spoilers] Dissection of the New Conetent

[Blightsong]

Preface

With all the new info and confirmations from AU i just had to write up a piece on my thoughts and theories surrounding the new information. I will go through each essay and post my extended thoughts and reactions to each new information we have gotten on Realmatics. These will probably take me a few day to get out, so I'm going to post them in the comments as i finish them.

The Selish System

   The first bit of Realmatically oriented information we get is that Devotion and Dominion's power is trapped within the Cognitive realm. We actually got confirmation of this last year (#7) of this, but Khriss extrapolates by telling us that that the use of the Dor is restricted by location due to the investiture used in the powers coming from the Cognitive realm (has distinct locations) instead of the Spiritual realm (doesn't). This answers a pretty old mystery, and is surprisingly simple. She also goes on to say that perception and intent also have a greatly magnified influence of the magic for the same reason. She then references language (or communication as a whole) as something important to the Cognitive Realm. This makes sense, and gives us some clues about why words are important in some other magic systems (Awakening, Surgebinding Oaths, ect).

   Something interesting within these first few paragraphs that I missed my first time through this essay is that Khriss refers to Devotion and Dominion as "polarized". The only other shards we have seen seen referred to in this manner is Ruin and Preservation, shards that are much more obviously opposites. Here Brandon speaks on this effect a bit, and indicates that it is a process that takes a significant amount of time. I wonder if this phenomenon has had a role in why Dominion's investiture, and more specifically the Skaze, seem so malicious.

   The most interesting piece of information, in my opinion, is that Khriss thinks the landscape has become invested to the point that it is starting to become conscious. I actually predicted this half a year ago and got some WoB on it, but only ever shared it in a pretty small thread. Check it out here. This leads me to believe that there are some sort of powerful Mega-Spren that have formed (Jaddeth?) and are going to be extremely important to the next few books set on Sel. I'm still not sure how the Skaze and Seons fit into all of this, but Khriss cryptically says that "there is a link between them and the puzzle of Sel's nature".

Endnote

Next up is Scadrial. I will have that posted either later tonight or early tomorrow. Let me know what you guys think.

Edited November 23, 2016 by Blightsong

[VirtuousTraveller]

Quote

Something interesting within these first few paragraphs that I missed my first time through this essay is that Khriss refers to Devotion and Dominion as "polarized". The only other shards we have seen seen referred to in this manner is Ruin and Preservation, shards that are much more obviously opposites. Here Brandon speaks on this effect a bit, and indicates that it is a process that takes a significant amount of time. I wonder if this phenomenon has had a role in why Dominion's investiture, and more specifically the Skaze, seem so malicious.

I also wonder if this polarization (which makes more sense from Brandon's words now - thanks for the link!) is being affected by whatever "evil" seems to be driving the Skaze.  Dominion and the ideal that it represents is nothing inherently evil, so unless these splinters are just becoming a natural opposite of Devotion (which also doesn't seem inherently good), there might be something else at play here.  Not to mention anything about the Svrakiss or whatever guides them!

This polarization could have taken millennia to occur, so perhaps when Aona and Skai were still alive, the intents (and their relationship) enabled them to work together better than if two new Vessels picked the shards up in present day (but this doesn't seem possible right now).