I spoke with my friend for an hour. Here's what we theorized.

[Going_North_cal]

Ok so!

I just got off the phone, and here's what we talked about.

Theory 1: The definition of Shattered is "(of something abstract) damaged or destroyed." Adonalsium is most definitely an abstract being. Something damaged/destroyed can be fixed, to a certain degree. The main point of this theory is that if someone could combine the 16 Shards, and the 4 Dawnshards, that massive coalescing of power would combine into a sentient being. A New Adonalsium.

Theory 2 (Disproven): Only exact opposite shards can Splinter each other. Disproven because Odium Splintered Honor, Devotion, and Dominion. (Sorry if I missed any)

Theory 3: As shown in the Dawnshard novella, Adonalsium is portrayed in the mosaic as a sun split into 4 chunks (Dawnshards) and those chunks were also split 4 ways (Shards). As such, all Shards are just manifestations of either one Dawnshard, or a combo of 2.

Theory 4: Wit (Hoid, Cephandrius) is gathering parts of different Shard's magic systems to combine it all into New Adonalsium, as discussed in theory 3.

Theory 5: Opposite shards (Preservation, Ruin) are needed to actually create life. The Singers were already there when Honor and Cultivation arrived, as were the humans on Ashyn when Odium got there. But Preservation and Ruin worked together to make Scadrial and its life forms.

Theory 6: As discussed in the Dawnshard novella, Rysn feels from the mosaic different feelings. I forget what they were, and I don't know where to go to find the quote. If someone could do that, and post is as a reply, that'd be great. Back to the point, these feelings are interpreted as what Adonalsium felt during the shattering. And, as Adonalsium died, we theorized that parts of his being also became ingrained on the Commands used to kill him. The Dawnshards themselves.

Thoughts on it all? 

Seriously, give me some thoughts. Please. I had way too much fun talking about this, I need more interaction based on these theories.

[AidenTollis he/him]

I agree on nearly all of the points (I have not read Dawnshard). 

The one i found most surprising and that i agree with is no. 1 and 4. TH\his is the first I have heard of it and I totally agree!

[NameIess]

50 minutes ago, Theldragor said:

Theory 5: Opposite shards (Preservation, Ruin) are needed to actually create life. The Singers were already there when Honor and Cultivation arrived, as were the humans on Ashyn when Odium got there. But Preservation and Ruin worked together to make Scadrial and its life forms.

This one is pretty well disproven. Endowment made humans on Nalthis.

[mathiau he/him]

52 minutes ago, Theldragor said:

Theory 4: Wit (Hoid, Cephandrius) is gathering parts of different Shard's magic systems to combine it all into New Adonalsium, as discussed in theory 3.

Probably not. From the Traveller I'm almost certain Hoid's current aim is the same as it was when he helped Shatter Adonalsium and if it was creating a new Adonalsium it'd have been easier to take up a Shard to do so. Also there's the fact he's actively trying to keep Odium away from the other Shards.

[ConfusedCow]

Let me try this theory out.  Hoid is Adonalsium's wit.  Adonalsium's cleverness and consciousness, sent out to experience the mortal world.  He's not trying to engineer the rebirth of Adonalsium.  Rather he's trying to help mortals grow (and collect stories).  To help mortals flourish without the intervening hand of an all powerful deity.  

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

19 minutes ago, mathiau said:

Probably not. From the Traveller I'm almost certain Hoid's current aim is the same as it was when he helped Shatter Adonalsium and if it was creating a new Adonalsium it'd have been easier to take up a Shard to do so. Also there's the fact he's actively trying to keep Odium away from the other Shards.

I’ve seen the theory that Hoid is trying to create something more like a mini-Adolnasium / true 17th Shard. This would make slightly more since, though there’s also the fact that he doesn’t quite seem to be actively working towards that goal, as he’s visited Scadrial at least twice. However, this might be the result of his Dawnshard urging him to go where he is most needed. Thoughts?

[mathiau he/him]

9 hours ago, Szeth_Pancakes said:

I’ve seen the theory that Hoid is trying to create something more like a mini-Adolnasium / true 17th Shard. This would make slightly more since, though there’s also the fact that he doesn’t quite seem to be actively working towards that goal, as he’s visited Scadrial at least twice. However, this might be the result of his Dawnshard urging him to go where he is most needed. Thoughts?

He doesn't have his Dawnshard any more

[BinarySecond]

I always figured that Hoid wants an aspect of each Shard just so he can have access to all their investiture. He seems to find it all very useful, I've never speculated beyond he just wants it for the lulz.

[Infinity Sliver]

Theory 3 doesnt seem to hold up since it contradicts the end of your Theory 1 and there shouldnt be any Dawnshards if they were all split into Shards. 

[BinarySecond]

9 minutes ago, Infinitysliver said:

Theory 3 doesnt seem to hold up since it contradicts the end of your Theory 1 and there shouldnt be any Dawnshards if they were all split into Shards. 

Yes, IIRC the 16 used the Dawnshards in the Shattering. My personal belief is that Adonalsium created the Dawnshards as tools. Kind of like...if anyone has read/listened to The Sandman, at the very start he has his Helm, Ruby etc.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

5 hours ago, mathiau said:

He doesn't have his Dawnshard any more

Well, yes, but actually no.

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

Hoid was a Dawnshard at some point in the deep past, and the reason he (even still) cannot physically harm people, or even eat meat, is related to the changes this made to his spirit. (Consider this the same fundamental principle as savanthood.) The few of you who have read Dragonsteel know that him being a Dawnshard was also the source of his immortality in that book, though the terms were different back then. (The word Dawnshard was never mentioned, for example--though the primary story of Dragonsteel (which is no longer cannon) was about several people who unwittingly become Dawnshards.)

And a preemptive RAFO to all questions on this point.

Dawnshard Annotations (Nov. 6, 2020)

Some clarification:

1. According to this WoB, Hoid doesn’t still have his Dawnshard, but it made a massive impact on his spiritweb.

2. Hoid has mentioned (I think in Oathbringer; I’d have to check) that he always knows where he’s needed, so he knows where to go.

My conclusion from these two points is that Hoid’s Dawnshard’s influence on his spiritweb tells him where to go. As far as I know, this isn’t proved, but it feels like a pretty intuitive conclusion.

Let me know if I’m wrong - I haven’t been on the Shard in a while, and need to brush up on my WoBs.

[Infinity Sliver]

14 minutes ago, Szeth_Pancakes said:

 

Some clarification:

1. According to this WoB, Hoid doesn’t still have his Dawnshard, but it made a massive impact on his spiritweb.

2. Hoid has mentioned (I think in Oathbringer; I’d have to check) that he always knows where he’s needed, so he knows where to go.

My conclusion from these two points is that Hoid’s Dawnshard’s influence on his spiritweb tells him where to go. As far as I know, this isn’t proved, but it feels like a pretty intuitive conclusion.

Let me know if I’m wrong - I haven’t been on the Shard in a while, and need to brush up on my WoBs.

For point 2,Thats because of Fortune,which we don't really know where he gets them,I just assumed he's able to access it through some hack he knows

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

1 minute ago, Infinitysliver said:

For point 2,Thats because of Fortune,which we don't really know where he gets them,I just assumed he's able to access it through some hack he knows

I do believe this “hack” might have something to do with his Dawnshard.

Scud, this is starting to sound less like an intuitive conclusion and more like a full-blown theory.

[Going_North_cal]

Wow this blew up. Been at school all day, I didn't see it till now.

Ok, now to deal with everything.

19 hours ago, Nameless said:

This one is pretty well disproven. Endowment made humans on Nalthis.

I was not aware of this at the time, neither was my friend. Glad this was sorted out, thanks for the help.

 

4 hours ago, Infinitysliver said:

Theory 3 doesnt seem to hold up since it contradicts the end of your Theory 1 and there shouldnt be any Dawnshards if they were all split into Shards. 

Ok so what I was thinking when this went down was that the Dawnshard's didn't split into the Shards, but some of their aspects went into the way the Shards Intent worked. The Dawnshards are still there, but they influenced the way the Shards were made.

[Frustration]

21 hours ago, Nameless said:

This one is pretty well disproven. Endowment made humans on Nalthis.

Where did you get that?

All the information I can find is to the contrary

Spoiler

Windrunner

Did people exist on Nalthis prior to Endowment's arrival there?

Brandon Sanderson

Some planets had people before the Shattering.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 25, 2012)

 

[Going_North_cal]

Just now, Frustration said:

Where did you get that?

All the information I can find is to the contrary

  Reveal hidden contents

Windrunner

Did people exist on Nalthis prior to Endowment's arrival there?

Brandon Sanderson

Some planets had people before the Shattering.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 25, 2012)

 

So is false? We know Roshar had people already, but that's all I know :/

[NameIess]

33 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Where did you get that?

I thought I'd seen a WoB, but I guess not.

33 minutes ago, Frustration said:

All the information I can find is to the contrary

That's not really to the contrary. More to the "I don't want to answer this question so I'll say something obscure instead of RAFO'ing it." We know from RoW that Nalthis is younger than Roshar, so either Endowment made humans there, or they migrated.

[Going_North_cal]

On 10/4/2021 at 10:03 PM, mathiau said:

Probably not. From the Traveller I'm almost certain Hoid's current aim is the same as it was when he helped Shatter Adonalsium and if it was creating a new Adonalsium it'd have been easier to take up a Shard to do so. Also there's the fact he's actively trying to keep Odium away from the other Shards.

On the phone with my friend again, going over this with him. We've decided that the Shard's Intent would influence the Vessel's thinking, making it difficult for Hoid to achieve this goal.

[+mdross81 he/him]

On the topic of Endowment creating the humans on Nalthis, I think this is the WoB that confirms:

Questioner

Is there like a Cosmere-significant reason why, on Scadrial, the Investiture is hereditary, but that that doesn't really seem to be the case on any of the other worlds?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is, but it has to do more with the fact that on Scadrial, human beings were directly created by Ruin and Preservation. And most of the Cosmere worlds you've seen don't have that same sort of aspect. It is the case on Nalthis. It's not the case on Roshar, it's not the case on Taldain, it's not the case on Sel. And so because of that instance, that's how I'm kind of working, that changed the way people interact with magic directly. But there is some wiggle room there for me. But that's your answer, that's the actual... there's.. I'm not hiding anything there, there is wiggle room. What I'm saying is don't extrapolate that that has to happen every time that the Shards were directly involved in the creation...

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)
 

Couple that with the AU essay on Scadrial:

Quote

Scadrial, another dishardic planet, is characterized by a host of unique features. It is one of only two places in the cosmere where humankind does not predate the arrival of Shards.

[Astronomage]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:03 PM, mathiau said:

Probably not. From the Traveller I'm almost certain Hoid's current aim is the same as it was when he helped Shatter Adonalsium and if it was creating a new Adonalsium it'd have been easier to take up a Shard to do so. Also there's the fact he's actively trying to keep Odium away from the other Shards.

I am the poster's friend who talked to him. As we have seen in many of the Cosmere's books, when vessels take a shard, they are changed, and lose sight of their humanity, their balance, and they lose control over their choices. Hoid knows that this power corrupts, and because he wants to achieve his goal, and taking on a shard will probably change his goal, he opted not to. It's also likely, based on how shards interact, that a vessel holding a shard wouldn't have the ability to hold other forms of investiture. This prevents a shard from being able to unite the shards. Also, in the traveler, he specifically said that bringing someone from the dead wasn't the only reason. Shards obviously have no way to bring people back from death, as we can see by the accounts of harmony, and the context from the traveler, so this realm seems to be inaccessible to any power currently in the world. Hoid's only hope to bring back people from the dead, may be reuniting Adonalsium. 

[Astronomage]

On 10/5/2021 at 10:56 AM, BinarySecond said:

I always figured that Hoid wants an aspect of each Shard just so he can have access to all their investiture. He seems to find it all very useful, I've never speculated beyond he just wants it for the lulz.

He rarely uses his forms of investiture, and usually it's more of a little party trick instead of real use. He also seems to specifically be visiting each planet, and I'm guessing he would have more luck becoming more powerful through mastering one instead of finding many.

[Hollow Graves]

OKAY just whoa!!!!!

 

I have read the series in the multiple times in the past six months and have studied them like crazy yet this just blown up my mind.

You guys i think you are on to something.

[mathiau he/him]

21 minutes ago, Theldragor said:

On the phone with my friend again, going over this with him. We've decided that the Shard's Intent would influence the Vessel's thinking, making it difficult for Hoid to achieve this goal.

Depends which Shard he would have picked up. For example Ambition would be perfectly fine with that plan.

We know the Shard who would tempt him the most is Endowment

Quote

theofficetroll (paraphrased)

If Hoid were tempted by a Shard, which one would it be?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Endowment.

SpoCon 2013 (July 10, 2013)

But we don't know which Shard Hoid would tempt the most.

Beside while a Shard affect its Vessel, its Vessel also affect the Shard. For example depending on the Vessel Ruin can either be a force of destruction that will actively act to increase Entropy or it can just wait for the universe to do it of itself. Both will reach their end goal (the heat death of the universe) at the exact same time.

I think some interpretations of Endowment would be perfectly fine with Hoid's plan.

Just now, Astronomage said:

I am the poster's friend who talked to him.

Welcome to the Shard

Quote

As we have seen in many of the Cosmere's books, when vessels take a shard, they are changed, and lose sight of their humanity, their balance, and they lose control over their choices.

This is contradicted by both Kel and Vin's viewpoints chapters where they are Preservation.

Quote

 It's also likely, based on how shards interact, that a vessel holding a shard wouldn't have the ability to hold other forms of investiture. This prevents a shard from being able to unite the shards.

The facts that Ruin can fuel Allomancy (even if it was not granted by Hemallurgy) and that Kel still had his links to Ruin while being Preservation implies the opposite.

Quote

Also, in the traveler, he specifically said that bringing someone from the dead wasn't the only reason.

I don't see what that has to do with anything.

Quote

Shards obviously have no way to bring people back from death, as we can see by the accounts of harmony, and the context from the traveler, so this realm seems to be inaccessible to any power currently in the world. Hoid's only hope to bring back people from the dead, may be reuniting Adonalsium. 

Quote

You will not find a way to restore what you have lost, old friend," the aged man said softly. "It is impossible." 

"You don't know that. The old rules no longer hold."

Hoid needs the old rules to no longer hold, I don't see how reuniting Adonalsium (assuming it's even possible) wouldn't mess with that.

1 minute ago, Astronomage said:

He rarely uses his forms of investiture, and usually it's more of a little party trick instead of real use. He also seems to specifically be visiting each planet, and I'm guessing he would have more luck becoming more powerful through mastering one instead of finding many.

No double posts please, there's an edit button