A Shardblade and an Awakened Object

[MasterK-Bob he/him]

The question I have is basically this: Say you awaken a mannequin, or a bit of cloth cut into the shape of a human, and someone cuts through it with a shardblade. What happens? Are the breaths destroyed? Is the "soul" of the awakened object created through the breaths severed? Does the blade go through the object without cutting physically, like a shardblade does with a human or animal, or does it cut the physical object in half? I couldn't find a WOB about this.

[+Bzhydack he/him]

Probably just cuts like normal matter - awakening not "add" soul to the object, not normal awakening. Of course, more Breaths awakened object will have, harder will be for Shardblade cut this - to the point of complet resistance.

[Weltall]

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little_wilson

Mi'chelle is wanting to know for a fanfic she's wanting to write if when you cut/break an object that has been Awakened if the object then "dies", or if the pieces will try to carry out the command. Also, either way, can the breaths be recovered from it?

Brandon Sanderson

The object does not die, and will try to continue its purpose. The level of damage will determine just how well it can continue. The Breaths are recoverable. (Though there could be some loss of Breaths, depending on how the item is destroyed.) There's a scene near the end where Vasher Awakens some clothing, then it gets cut down and he recovers the Breath.

Barnes and Noble Book Club Q&A (July 8, 2009)

 

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Questioner

Shardblades cut organic and inorganic matter differently. How would they interact with an animated construct like an Awakened straw man? What about a Lifeless?

Brandon Sanderson

So I walk kind of a fine line here. Something that's animated as a construct, like an Awakened straw man, is likely going to block the Shardblade to some extent, as powerful Investiture would. A Lifeless is probably just gonna act like it was a living being.

San Diego Comic-Con@Home 2020 (July 23, 2020)

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Questioner

How would an Awakened with Breath piece of cloth react if it got hit with a Shardblade?

Brandon Sanderson

A Shardblade would probably be able to cut it, but it depends on how much Breath we're talking about.

Questioner

So if it had enough, it might be able to block it

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

FanX 2018 (Sept. 7, 2018)

So Type-III entities are treated as dead matter and would be cut physically (but can resist in proportion to how Invested they are) while Lifeless and Returned are treated as living beings. Nightblood we know would resist being cut and things would probably go badly for the Shardblade that tried to cut it.

Meanwhile the Breath in a cut object is likely to be damaged but somewhat recoverable.

Edited August 31, 2020 by Weltall