What is Fortune

[Mr. Superficiality]

In mistborn secret histories when Kielsar is robbing the elantraians they mention "May Fortune be opon us" is this the same fortune as on scadrail?

Edited April 5, 2018 by Superficiality

[Khyrindor he/him]

Fortune is a broad term in Realmatics, and is something we'll see take different forms throughout different books. The fortune the Ire mention isn't strictly Chormium Fortune from Scadrial, but Chromium and whatever they typically use both function by the same cosmere mechanics. We don't know exactly fortune works, except that it's how Hoid knows where he has to be.

Fortune is an underlying mechanic in the same way as Identity and Connection. We've seen those show up in other magic systems, even though they have little to do with allomancy and feruchemy on their own.

Hope that helps.

[Calderis he/him]

Secret History is on Scadrial... And by Kaladin instead of Kelsier I'm assuming you mean Roshar instead of Scadrial at the end... 

Fortune is a spiritual property that we don't fully understand. It is a feruchemical trait as well. Hoid uses fortune to "know where he is supposed to be" and most, if not all, future sight seems to function via its use. 

[Khyrindor he/him]

7 minutes ago, Calderis said:

Secret History is on Scadrial... And by Kaladin instead of Kelsier I'm assuming you mean Roshar instead of Scadrial at the end... 

Fortune is a spiritual property that we don't fully understand. It is a feruchemical trait as well. Hoid uses fortune to "know where he is supposed to be" and most, if not all, future sight seems to function via its use. 

SH spoilers

Spoiler

There's an argument to be made that Connection is future "sight", and fortune is future "sense", going from what we see in the books. Kelsier's glimpsing of the Spiritual Realm and seeing Preservation's plan and possible futures while holding the Shard definitely seemed to point toward Connection being more of future sight than anything (though I suppose that when you're from the point of view of a Shard, all those mechanics might be meshed together), whereas fortune we've only "seen" in reference to Hoidsense (and he even admits it's not true foresight, merely a sense of where in the cosmere he needs to be with no context)

2

 

[Weltall]

@Khyrindor Brandon doesn't seem to draw that distinction. If you're looking at the future, you're using Fortune whether you're 'seeing' something or you're 'sensing' it.

Quote

The other thing is, I knew I needed some good foreshadowing for Fortune, for people being able to kinda see the future or versions of the future, for the whole cosmere to work. And, so, I built in atium specifically to do those things. source

There's also two examples in Oathbringer where Fortune is explicitly mentioned and in the context of seeing specific things.

Spoiler

First is Riino's sphere. He links it to Fortune and Kaladin literally sees a vision in it. Second is from Odium when he's impressed by the Diagram and compliments Taravangian on accomplishing this without having access to Fortune; the implication being that he normally expects such detailed visions of the future to involve manipulating Fortune. That Taravangian likely was in fact tapping into it without realizing it is another issue entirely.

 

[Calderis he/him]

@Khyrindor in addition to the point the @Weltallmade, I'm curious as to why you link connection to any form of future sight/sense.

Connection is what it sounds like. A spiritual force that links things together. People can be Connected to people, places, objects, spren, shards... Everything. These things are written into the spiritweb of an individual. In many ways I'd think of reading connection more as seeing the past. 

[Khyrindor he/him]

The way I saw it, mostly in SH was how Connection (especially in the Spiritual Realm where time is irrelevant) sort of showed Connections through all of time. I may have been misremembering I suppose. 

It's making less sense the more I think about it. I concede 

[StanLemon]

Based on SH, the Connection of everything is what allowed Kelsier to make his plan based on future knowledge. My personal theory is that Fortune represents the Connection of different moments of time and the influence of 'choosing' more favorable possible futures.