Those theories you just can't make work

[Tarion]

First off, I hope this is in the right place.  I'm mostly looking to talk about theories from all of the Cosmere, not just theories on the Cosmere.  If there's somewhere else I should be posting this, let me know.

Now, I'm sure everyone has them.  Those theories that come to you from nowhere, seem amazing, but just don't work out.  Let's talk about them.

For me, it happened last night.  I was walking home, and as I usually do on long walks, I was thinking about what I'm reading at the moment.  From there, I got thinking about Words of Radiance, and the theory that Hoid is carrying a Nightblood-style Type IV sword, and what that would be like on Roshar. 

And then it came to me.  What if Nightblood attacked Cognitively, much as Shardblades attack Spiritually.  It makes sense that it was Nightblood's Cognitive self that was enhanced, since he was given a consciousness, and it fits - Whenever he destroys something (while unsheathed) he destroys the entire thing.  And that's pretty much the definition of the Cognitive aspect - How the "thing" is perceived (and perceives itself) as a whole.

This also has some fascinating implications for Roshar, because we'd essentially have a sword that could kill Spren, and even the wider Cosmere (I got thinking about the possibility of a Type IV spaceship, being able to use the Cognitive realm to travel).  

 

So I get home, I pull up my copy of Warbreaker, and what do you know.  It looks like it works.  He destroys whole Lifeless.  He destroys whole walls.  Then he's used to cut through the ceiling and... Oh, wait.  He destroys a precise 10 foot circle.  That doesn't make any sense, Cognitively speaking.  Why would 10 foot of floor, in a circular pattern, just randomly in the room, be perceived as a single object.

 

Oh well.  So much for that theory. 

So, 17thShard, I ask you - What's your best theory that's foiled just because it doesn't quite match the text?  

[lordofsoup]

I always thought that Nightblood attacked in all three realms instead of just one.  

 

Not exactly a theory, but I am counting on seeing Marasi in the second Mistborn trilogy. 

[Chromium Compounder]

Not exactly a theory, but I am counting on seeing Marasi in the second Mistborn trilogy. 

 

That would be fun.  She just takes a whole bunch of cadmium and lets the centuries fly by after she gets bored with the present.

[Tarion]

That would be fun.  She just takes a whole bunch of cadmium and lets the centuries fly by after she gets bored with the present.

I actually really like that idea.  It's a bit of a big sacrifice, leaving herself out of time and alone, but if there were a big enough reason, I could see her doing it.  

 

Which reminds me of my other theory that just doesn't have enough evidence to support - The Set aren't trying to breed a Mistborn.  They're trying to breed Mistings, so they can Hemalurgically composite a Mistborn, Inquisitor style.  It's got some serious advantages, because it's just easier to do than breeding a Mistborn - Mistborn are rare, Mistings are easier.  And, if you start with a Feruchemical Gold base (Or better yet, a Gold compounder) you've got plenty of attempts to get the spikes right.  Plus, you don't even need all 16 metals in "Mistborn" Inquisitor.  

 

It's also far, far darker.  

[Elbereth]

I actually really like that idea.  It's a bit of a big sacrifice, leaving herself out of time and alone, but if there were a big enough reason, I could see her doing it.  

 

Which reminds me of my other theory that just doesn't have enough evidence to support - The Set aren't trying to breed a Mistborn.  They're trying to breed Mistings, so they can Hemalurgically composite a Mistborn, Inquisitor style.  It's got some serious advantages, because it's just easier to do than breeding a Mistborn - Mistborn are rare, Mistings are easier.  And, if you start with a Feruchemical Gold base (Or better yet, a Gold compounder) you've got plenty of attempts to get the spikes right.  Plus, you don't even need all 16 metals in "Mistborn" Inquisitor.  

 

It's also far, far darker.

That would be interesting, but they don't know about Hemalurgy at all, with the possible exception of the little book Marsh just gave to Marasi. There could conceivably be another book about it somewhere, but I think it's improbable.

[Tarion]

That would be interesting, but they don't know about Hemalurgy at all, with the possible exception of the little book Marsh just gave to Marasi. There could conceivably be another book about it somewhere, but I think it's improbable.

There are still Koloss/Kandra running around and Marsh is there. 

 

It's only been 300 years.  They'd only need someone who was read up on Hemalurgy before the end of the world, and wrote it down after.  Spook and Breeze being the most likely.  And actually, there's a fair amount on Hemalurgy in the epigraphs of The Hero of Ages.  Those epigraphs were given to Spook at the end of the book, so I'd imagine they're part of the Words of Founding.

In Hemalurgy, the type of metal used in a spike is important, as is the positioning of that spike on the body. For instance, steel spikes take physical Allomantic powers—the ability to burn pewter, tin, steel, or iron—and bestow them upon the person receiving the spike. Which of these four is granted, however, depends on where the spike is placed. 

Spikes made from other metals steal Feruchemical abilities. For example, all of the original Inquisitors were given a pewter spike, which—after first being pounded through the body of a Feruchemist—gave the Inquisitor the ability to store up healing power. (Though they couldn't do so as quickly as a real Feruchemist, as per the law of Hemalurgic decay.) This, obviously, is where the Inquisitors got their infamous ability to recover from wounds quickly, and was also why they needed to rest so much.

 

That's enough to get them started, so long as they're willing to get messy.  

Edited February 4, 2014 by Tarion