Can Windrunners Lash Water?

[Zea mays]

First of, yes I do realise that if they could, it would look very much like waterbending.

 

Secondly, sorry if this is a silly question, but I was just idly wandering about how infusing something with stormlight to alter its gravity works. Does it have to be a solid, clearly defined object like a rock (or a person)? If Kaladin tried to infuse liquid, would the stormlight just, well, spill through it, or would the lashing work? In other words, if he was trying to put out a fire, could he move just the water out of the water barrel, or would he have to take the barrel as well?

 

Has Mr. Sanderson answered this somewhere?

[Aleksiel]

I imagine it depends whether Kaladin would infuse the barrel or the water. I don't see why he can't be able to infuse and Lash anything that isn't already infested. The density of the object seems irrelevant to me, might change the amount of stormlight needed, but not the result.

[A Joe in the Bush]

It depends on how the Water sees itself. If the entire lake sees it'self as one body, then he could lash it. But if they see themselves as individual raindrops, It wouldn't be worth it.

[Shaggai]

I imagine it depends whether Kaladin would infuse the barrel or the water. I don't see why he can't be able to infuse and Lash anything that isn't already infested. The density of the object seems irrelevant to me, might change the amount of stormlight needed, but not the result.

 

It all makes sense! Stormlight is a symbiotic hivemind organism that provides benefits to its hosts, but eventually causes severe side effects, as seen with the ardents with Soulcasters!

[Aleksiel]

 

It all makes sense! Stormlight is a symbiotic hivemind organism that provides benefits to its hosts, but eventually causes severe side effects, as seen with the ardents with Soulcasters!

 

Gotta love typos that make sense 

[PorridgeBrick]

It all makes sense! Stormlight is a symbiotic hivemind organism that provides benefits to its hosts, but eventually causes severe side effects, as seen with the ardents with Soulcasters!

Funny thing is, I've actually been planning a magic system pretty much exactly like this.

[signspace13]

well lashing water seems like it would be relatively simple my question would be can they lash fire? because Kaladin doing some fire bending would be more than a little entertaining.

[Patrick Star]

well lashing water seems like it would be relatively simple my question would be can they lash fire? because Kaladin doing some fire bending would be more than a little entertaining.

 

Probably not.  Fire isn't physical matter, while water is.

 

He's almost certainly. able to lash water.  However, it'll probably be pretty useless.

 

Kaladin lashing water will likely be equivalent to a magikarp using splash.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies]

Probably not.  Fire isn't physical matter, while water is.

 

He's almost certainly. able to lash water.  However, it'll probably be pretty useless.

 

Kaladin lashing water will likely be equivalent to a magikarp using splash.

Don't dis the Almighty Magicarp and his awesome splash!

[PorridgeBrick]

Actually, fire most certainly does have matter. There's some solids, some gases, some plasma too if it's hot enough. The only problem is that a basic lashing requires touch, something rather painful with flames. Reverse lashings could work for moving it around however, particularly if he put the reverse lashing on Syl so she can fly around with it. Using Atmospheric Pressure with the flame could be pretty interesting as well.

I think with water, you may have problems with its Cognitive Identity. If the entire body of water constitutes as one thing, then you will only be able to Lash the water in puddles and buckets, because larger bodies like lakes and ocean are a little too Stormlight-consuming. If it's the other way around, and each drop is its own entity, then you'll take years to Lash all of a single puddle. But I find the first possibility more likely, since the oceans in Shadesmar seem to be all one massive hunk of obsidian instead of many discrete beads.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Kaladin lashing water will likely be equivalent to a magikarp using splash.

Kaladin Lashes an Entire Lake to someone. They can't escape, and Drown.

 

Wait. If you use Stormlight, you don't have to breath. Lash an Entire lake to a Surgebinder. Then they can swim anywhere, and the water will follow them. then anyone can fly!

[signspace13]

I'm interested in lashing fire still I mean yes you may have to touch it but if you have enough stormlight,does it really matter if you get burned?

I mean I am just saying that it would be awesome to have Kaladin through fireballs around, although I think that might end up being a dustbringer thing.

[Aleksiel]

Wouldn't it make more sense to Lash whatever's burning? Because lashing the fire itself seems just like an odd and unpractical way to put out fire . 

[Pathfinder]

Technically even light has mass and is affected by gravity, so theoretically Kal could lash and warp light

[Shaggai]

Technically even light has mass and is affected by gravity, so theoretically Kal could lash and warp light

Only as he touches it, or via a Reverse Lashing.

[Pathfinder]

Only as he touches it, or via a Reverse Lashing.

so he puts his hand in the path of a sun's rays, or in front of a candle. that is touching light

[happyman]

so he puts his hand in the path of a sun's rays, or in front of a candle. that is touching light

 

Yep!  If he lashes it a few billion times, he might make a credible imitation of a very small black hole.

[skaa]

If I needed to manipulate light, I'd hire a Lightweaver. That would be infinitely more efficient than making a Windrunner lash onto individual photons traveling at three hundred million meters per second (and also infinitely more safe, since making bone-crushing gravity-wells won't be necessary).

 

In other words, if he was trying to put out a fire, could he move just the water out of the water barrel, or would he have to take the barrel as well?

I think it's possible to just infuse the water in the barrel since it is isolated enough to have its own Identity. He'll just have to make sure that the water has a clear path "down" towards the target (which should be easy: just make sure no one closes the barrel with a tight lid or otherwise block the water flow).

Edited May 15, 2014 by skaa