+Extesian he/him Posted January 2, 2017 Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) I've always been under the impression that throughout the Cosmere there are planets naturally invested through creation by Adonalsium that have local manifestations of magic, and then places that have been directly invested by a Shard of Adonalsium with far greater levels of investiture, perpendicularities and resulting magic systems that people can directly access (see 2014 Salt Lake City Comic-con and 2015 AMA below). Quote QUESTION What differentiates a minor Shardworld like First of the Sun? BRANDON SANDERSON The amount of Investiture, and whether there is actually a Shard in presence. QUESTION I'm assuming there is not one there? BRANDON SANDERSON There is not one there. QUESTION So it's like a Splintered one from something else? BRANDON SANDERSON No what you'll find is that the worlds were all created with a level of-- a little bit of sort of ambient magic. What you'll find in worlds like that is things like, Shadows for Silence and things like this, the magic, it's not necessarily "people with magic" it's you can interact with nature... QUESTION So there is inherent investiture... BRANDON SANDERSON There is inherent investiture in every world created but you are going to see-- You aren't going to find Mistborn on a world like that but what you might find is a way there are magic aspects to the setting. Spren could exist on a world like that but they would be like the minor spren, you wouldn't find Syl, but you would find something like lifespren. Quote Windrunner17 • 1y Hey Brandon! ... I have three questions, if you wouldn't mind. I'm trying to avoid the obvious RAFO's xD ... ... As you've stated that the magic of First of the Sun is natural and independent of any particular Shard, what is the nature of the pool on Patji? Is it also a natural manifestation of magic, a Perpendicularity, or simply a pool like any other? mistborn • 1y ... ... It's a natural manifestation, but on a much smaller scale than you might find on other worlds. So the two worlds we know that match this are First of the Sun and Threnody (perhaps Ashyn but I'm trying to confine this to canon). As Brandon says, it's interacting with nature. But both these worlds have something unusual going on. Threnody has no Shard and no stable perpendicularity (though does have unstable, unpredictable ones of 'morbid origin') but did have its existing magic distorted by the mortal wounding of Ambition. Quote Arcanum Unbounded, Threnodite system THE Threnodite system is a site warped by an ancient conflict. Long ago, soon after the Shattering, Odium clashed with (and mortally wounded) the Shard Ambition here. Ambition would later be Splintered, though that final act took place in a different location. The direct clash between two Shards of Adonalsium had a profound effect on the planets of this system. Though the actual battle took place in the vast space between planets—and though the true contest happened mostly in other Realms—the ripples of destruction and change washed through the system. Investigations into how this changed the other planets of the system have been fruitless, as none of them have perpendicularities to allow physical visitation. Fortunately I have personal access to someone from Threnody, the third planet in the system. Judging by the records that Nazh has provided, I have concluded that some measure of Investiture must have existed on this planet before the battle between Shards. However, the waves of destruction—carrying ripped-off chunks of Ambition’s power— twisted both the people and the planet of Threnody. First of the Sun has no Shard but does have a stable perpendicularity. Quote Arcanum Unbounded, Drominad system In general, perpendicularities are created by the presence of a Shard on the planet. The concentration of so much Investiture on the Cognitive and Physical Realms creates points of . . . friction, where a kind of tunneling exists. At these points, Physical matter, Cognitive thought, and Spiritual essence become one—and a being can slide between Realms. The existence of a perpendicularity (which often take the form of pools of concentrated power on the Physical Realm) on a planet is a hallmark of a Shard’s presence. This is what makes First of the Sun so interesting. The system, nicknamed Drominad, has a remarkable three planets inhabited by fully developed human societies. (There is also a fourth planet in the habitable zone.) This is unique in the cosmere; only the Rosharan system can rival it, and there one of the planets is inhabited solely by Splinters. All four of these planets have water as a dominant feature. And one of them, the first planet, has a perpendicularity. I have not been able to discover why, or how, this perpendicularity exists. There is certainly no Shard residing in the system. I cannot say what is happening, only that this feature must hint at things that occurred in the past of the planet. There is likely Investiture here somewhere as well, though I have not yet had a chance to investigate First of the Sun myself. The area around the perpendicularity is extremely dangerous, and the few expeditions sent there from Silverlight have not returned. Note that this AU essay pre-dates re events of Sixth of the Dusk and we know there is investiture on FotS, in the form of invested fruit eaten by worms, which are then eaten by Aviar (birds) that develop a magical 'Talent' and bond with a human to share that talent. I believe (maybe it's confirmed) that this is simply the 'pool' of concentrated investiture nourishing the trees, and that it is birds rather than people that have the ability to convert that investiture into usable magic. We also know there's a lot going on in the Cognitive Realm there as predators hunt by sensing thought. So we know that these two minor Shardworlds show extraordinary characteristics, both due to events deep in the past. The distorted and macabre form of natural magic on Threnody makes sense but we still need to explain the large amount of concentrated investiture on FotS. I propose that the link is the (former) Shard Ambition. We know from above that soon after the Shattering Odium mortally wounded Ambition in the Threnodite system and that Ambition was later Splintered in a different location. We also know from a separate WoB that Odium could not find Ambition at first. And finally we don't know where Ambition was finally Splintered, or how, or whether it was by Odium, as Khriss in AU states he did the mortal wounding but excludes Ambition from the list of Shards he definitely Splintered. Quote ARGENT So, did Rayse choose those Shards because-- BRANDON SANDERSON He went after Ambition first, but didn’t find Ambition until after going after Devotion and Dominion. But Ambition was number one on his hit list. Quote Arcanum Unbounded, Rosharan system Odium. Be aware that this system is the current habitation of the Shard of Odium on the Physical and Cognitive Realms. This Shard undoubtedly caused the Splintering of Devotion, Dominion, Honor, and perhaps others throughout the cosmere. My theory is this - Ambition has been to the Drominad system; this was where either: A) Ambition was hiding, stuffing him/herself into the Cognitive Realm, prior to Odium briefly giving up and going after Dominion/Devotion, but was desperately avoiding investing in the system to avoid detection. But the Shard's presence was enough to increase localized investiture enough to create the perpendicularity and to shift the existing natural magic more into the Cognitive Realm (hence predation by thought). OR B ) After his/her mortal wounding in the Threnodite system, Ambition escaped to Drominad and, knowing the end was nigh, deliberately self-Splintered into the Cognitive Realm of FotS (though without deliberately interfering with the existing magical system there or creating a new one). The Splinters are the Aviar. The nature of the people, flora and fauna suggests an Ambition theme. I'd love any thoughts, comments, corrections on this long and rambling theory. I'm not exactly committed to either option I just find the magic systems of minor Shardworlds interesting, and the story of Ambition intriguing, and wondered if they could be combined. Edited January 2, 2017 by Extesian Clarity 2
Yata he/him Posted January 2, 2017 Posted January 2, 2017 The A point is possible but acutally we can't find pros or contros to this. The B point is impossible, if Ambition died on FotS we well see his/her Investiture flow everywhere. It would be a Major Shardworld with at least a magic system and all the others conseguences. The Aviar can't be Splinter....A Splinter is sentient investiture, it's not a living creatures, on FotS we have nothing we could call Splinters and from the essay the Scholar didn't spot any kind of Investiture's overflow in the FotS's Cognitive...Remember also that being like Shards and Splinters have the tendence to "anchor themself" on the place they were. It would be really hard from a Shard to not invest in a place if he remain there too long. This is still true from Unheld power, without a mind to deny it from follow its standard route...It will soon bind Invest itself were it remains (and remember "the power want to be used") On a last point (but it's really meaningless about your theory) I see no reason from Ambition to suicide and no reason for Odium to lost him/her...Once they started to clash, Ambition has no way to run away from Odium....But this is actually meaningless from your point, both of Ambition's suicide or Odium murdering him/her
+Extesian he/him Posted January 2, 2017 Author Posted January 2, 2017 Good points on B Yata. Though with the ending of Ambition, I still feel there's a chance Ambition's vessel essentially ended him/herself at a place he/she chose. I think we have evidence that Ambition did run away from Odium after the clash began as Khriss says he mortally wounded Ambition in the Threnodite system, but Ambition was Splintered elsewhere, and Khriss does not indicate Odium did the Splintering nor does the include him in the list of Shards he definitely Splintered. My theory is that Ambition was taken by a well-meaning Vessel who wanted to limit the damage Ambition would do and once he/she realized they were 'mortally wounded" (ie wounded so badly he/she would definitely die), Ambition's Vessel ran to a place where the damage being done by the clash with Odium and Ambition's final Splintering would be contained. This could be in empty space, or perhaps was done in a controlled way to give some final benefit of its inevitable Splintering. It's not a theory I think is likely, but it's A theory for what happened to Ambition between its mortal wounding in Threnodite by Odium, and its eventual Splintering, away from Threnodite and possibly not by Odium. But thanks for the critique, you're one of my favorite Sharders and I was hoping you'd tear apart my ideas
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