Purelake Theory/Discussion

[poolboy]

So I was thinking about the purelake and how it differs from other areas/bodies of water on Roshar and have a theory.

The Purelake is Cultivation's shardpool.

Oddly shallow and uniform with effects beong manifested in the special fish that live there and its ability to support life so easily. I also find it interesting that the 17th Shard looked for Hoid there as opposed to any of the capitals of centers of power.

[Moogle]

Cultivation's Shardpool is probably on the Horneater Peaks, since every other Shardpool we've seen has been on mountains (except for those moved intentionally). Though, perhaps there's some sort of leakage to the Purelake? 'Pure' implies Honor to me.

[name_here]

I'm pretty sure Shardpools are smaller than that. However, the locals do make a point of steering people away from the center, so it could be in the Purelake

[poolboy]

My thought is that Honor's shardpool is on the mountains which is why Hoid could travel through it/emerge from it since no one directly controlled it currently. I think cultivation would be in a different area and some place associated with life/growth/peace.

[Velnica]

I'm pretty sure Shardpools are smaller than that. However, the locals do make a point of steering people away from the center, so it could be in the Purelake

Ooh I like this theory. What if it was actually a separate pool, that's kind of overflown into this very shallow basin and created the Purelake?

Totally unsupported, but I just like the idea of it being a very diluted shardpool where magical things happen, haha.

[Grimm]

What exactly is a shardpool? And where have we seen evidence of these?

They are a portal of some sort?

[Moogle]

What exactly is a shardpool? And where have we seen evidence of these?

They are a portal of some sort?

 

Mistborn, Elantris, and Warbreaker spoilers:

Shardpools are things like the Well of Ascension in Mistborn. Every Shard has one. Ruin had little pools in the Pits of Hathsin, there's a crystalline blue pool in the mountains of Elantris which is Devotion's Shardpool. Endowment's Shardpool is under the ground of Hallandren, and it leaks, which causes the Tears of Edgli to be particularly colorful.

[poolboy]

I also think the center holds the ruins of the black fortress Dalinar saw which may have originally guarded the pool?

[Bramble Thorn]

Ah, the Purelake. The water actively hides underground to avoid getting rained (or something) during the Highstorm. And then returns. And has magic fish. And people are all "Why would you want to visit the pure lake Dalinar, there is nothing there"  

 

Definitely nothing out of the ordinary. No shardpool there. No siree. Move along now.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Bramble Thorn

[name_here]

Admittedly, the water hiding underground could potentially be a weird pressure-related phenomenon. There must be a pretty substantial pressure change from the Highstorm, so if there's an underground connection to another body of water at a different elevation it could change depth like a barometer.

Of course, that doesn't make it any less weird.

[+rhaiynebow]

All I can think about is the poor fish flopping around on the ground when the water drains before the highstorm Of course, I guess they could just get sucked down along with the water and then get pushed back out when it reappears, but the first statement is what popped into my mind when I first read that in the book.

 

I agree...something really interesting going on in the Purelake! Ishikk was one of my favorite interludes and I can't WAIT to hear more about it! I'll add comments with more substance if I find any good tidbits during my TWoK reread.

[PorridgeBrick]

The fish definitely go to the underground lake beneath. There'd be no life in the Purelake if all the fish suffocated every week when the highstorms come lol. And these caverns must be gigantic to hold a lake that spans the area of a whole country. There must be occasional collapses, which is probably where the fortress went.

[Velnica]

... From the Maps discussion I found out that the Purelake equivalent area is mountainous. What if the hole under it is actual rather massive. Perhaps even housing a gigantic Shard-spring?

[darkanimereal1]

I also think the center holds the ruins of the black fortress Dalinar saw which may have originally guarded the pool?

 

Actually, based on the same discussion that Velnica just mentioned (about the maps we have so far), I'm fairly certain that the tower that Dalinar saw is somehow related to the Purelake's existance in Shadesmar. If you look at the Shadesmar map, the Purelakes are mountains. And we know from Shallan's trip into Shadesmar while she was on the boat that land in Shadesmar is "obsidian." Seems too coincidental to me.

[Asperity]

Mistborn, Elantris, and Warbreaker spoilers:

Shardpools are things like the Well of Ascension in Mistborn. Every Shard has one. Ruin had little pools in the Pits of Hathsin, there's a crystalline blue pool in the mountains of Elantris which is Devotion's Shardpool. Endowment's Shardpool is under the ground of Hallandren, and it leaks, which causes the Tears of Edgli to be particularly colorful.

We don't know anything about Endowment's Shardpool, if it even has one.

[teknopathetic]

Cultivation's Shardpool is probably on the Horneater Peaks, since every other Shardpool we've seen has been on mountains (except for those moved intentionally). Though, perhaps there's some sort of leakage to the Purelake? 'Pure' implies Honor to me.

 

When you look at the map of Shadesmar, the Purelake is a massive mountain range. 

[WeiryWriter]

We don't know anything about Endowment's Shardpool, if it even has one.

 

Actually that bit about Endowment's shardpool is based on WoB:

 

 

Q: Is there a similar relationship between Endowment and Hallandren's jungle as there is between Harmony and Elendel Basin ?

A: Yes and no. The flowers are being fed by something that's very similar to what you might find on other planets. So the ground is saturated with something that producing a similar effect as Elendel Basin. But it's not the same thing. Elendel Basin was just crafted really really well, and then it was endowed with a little bit of extra help. Here [in Hallandre's jungle] we have this extra seeping into the ground from the pool, which is saturated around and causing the flowers and causing what's going on around there. We'll wait until you've read Words of Radiance.

 

(source)

[Frostlander]

I also think that the plague at the Purelake mentioned at the end of WoR suggests that something special cosmere-wise is going on there. Not to mention the two gods (one of which is not benevolent). Perhaps it is a more porous place in the physical realm, where Odium & Friends might obtain early access? Or a shared space of some sort, but where Odium is usually kept at bay?

 

Given the Interlude's talk of not attracting Vun Makak's attention (the eyes of the gods?) and the fact that you can speak about his malevolence in special "holy grottos," there is definitely a Void-type connection. One that is probably connected to the plague and how early it appeared, especially since the Everstorm hadn't reached Purelake yet.