Stormlight as fuel (Spoilers)

[Cruxist]

So, I think we've seen that as the Cosmere begins colliding, different forms of energy are able to be substituted, or at least supplemented for each other.

 

If we assume that Vasher is indeed visitng Roshar, he has to be utilising some form of energy to remain alive.  This is most likely Stormlight.  Stormlight can be contained in spheres, and these spheres have a connection to spren.

 

So, assuming that this energy is comparable across the Cosmere, how would something like Stormlight, which seems to be raw and isn't really able to be differentiated into different "types" of Stormlight, how would it impact magic users such as Allomancers?  Would they be able to burn stormlight indiscriminately as a substitute for metals?  Would they have to re-learn the ability to burn metals?  Would their abilities transform completely from being on a different Shardworld?

 

And if we assume that Stormlight serves as a raw energy, does that make it the most flexible of all "energy" magics that we've seen so far?

Edited March 11, 2014 by Cruxist

[+Aletus he/him]

Brandon has stated that Stormlight and Breath are extremely similar, and that is why Nightblood would be able to fuel off of Stormlight instead of breath, and Vasher hasn't died.

I neeeeeed to know more about the similarities though. In Warbreaker, you can't just 'suck in' Breath like you can stormlight, it has to be given to you. So, assuming that the journey across planets hasn't somehow given Vasher abilities to draw in stormlight, how does he get it, in stead of Breath? Is he eating spheres? does he chill in a highstorm and absorb it in it's primal state (he's a returned, so it's doable) or what? If that were the case, he's just unlocked the cheatcode to ridiculous quantities of breath, a couple of decades worth of weathering highstorms and he'd be able to summon a bunch of awakened armies.

Breath and stormlight are both renewable, but obviously, stormlight is much more abundant. But still, similar does not mean the same, so there may be side-effects or quality issues. I wonder if moving to Roshar is like going vegan?

The big fuel concern I have is Szeth+Nightblood. Syl was worried about the honorblade, because of the crazy amount of stormlight it went through, and mentions to Kaladin that it was dangerous in that regard. Nightblood will be orders of magnitude worse, way way worse.

[Bramble Thorn]

How are Breaths "renewable?" Each person is born with exactly one breath. If they give it away, it does not grow back. If it is destroyed by Nightblood or a Returned, it does not return. Which is why it so not normally consumed, save for those two things, but moved from person to object and hopefully back again.

 

Am I missing something?

[Lurthemir he/him]

 I wonder if moving to Roshar is like going vegan?

 

I don't know why I laughed so hard at that. Maybe Stormlight could be burned for Allomancy as any metal the way Vin burned the mists. Although I don't see how a Mistborn could suck in Stormlight like a Surgebinder.

[Bramble Thorn]

I don't know why I laughed so hard at that. Maybe Stormlight could be burned for Allomancy as any metal the way Vin burned the mists. Although I don't see how a Mistborn could suck in Stormlight like a Surgebinder.

 

Swallow a infused gem, and burn it and/or the light it radiates.. Hopefully any gem, but if not maybe those gems that are basically a form of Aluminum with impurities.

 

Or also just become a Surgebinder.

[Moogle]

If you go with the model of Investiture as a fluid, moving from high pressure to low pressure, then we see Kaladin breath in Stormlight and can assume he is creating a low pressure area inside of himself. Similarly, burning a metal creates a low pressure area/tear in the Realms and allows Investiture in. The different methods of accessing Investiture (Sel has to draw symbols to let Investiture in from another Realm, Mistborn has to do something similar) are likely responsible for the jury-rigging required.

 

However, Nalthis and Roshar both use gaseous Investiture and sort of 'breathe' it in. They're really quite similar. The jury-rigging required for them should be minimal. (To 'burn' Stormlight as a Mistborn would require some way to create a low pressure area inside of yourself, which Mistborn do not do naturally. Vin could do it with the mists, but other Allomancers were incapable of it.)

 

So... I imagine Vasher could probably touch spheres and say "Your Light to mine", or a similar Command, and take Stormlight from spheres, since the Command "Your Breath to mine" sort of creates a low pressure area in Awakeners (though it does not seem to be as powerful as Surgebinders, since you cannot draw back Breath from range), which draws Breath from their Awakened objects.

 

They could also just take a dunk in a highstorm and speak some Commands in it probably. It's really very similar to retrieving Breath from an object.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Moogle

[+Aletus he/him]

How are Breaths "renewable?" Each person is born with exactly one breath. If they give it away, it does not grow back. If it is destroyed by Nightblood or a Returned, it does not return. Which is why it so not normally consumed, save for those two things, but moved from person to object and hopefully back again.

 

Am I missing something?

You aren't missing something - in fact - you hit the nail on the head, it's just perception that is off. Breath is renewable, in the fact that both A) It is renewed, when a person is born. Thus why stormlight is orders of magnitude more abundant. Also because WoB states that it is renewable. 

 

 

[Moogle]

I've always considered Stormlight 'renewable' because it is not used up in Awakening.