Pathfinder

I could see keeping the intro with Kelsier killing the land owner. I could also see the introduction of Vin (not as drawn out) via Camon trying to dupe the obligator. I think the Noble Balls will be cut down a bunch. The recruitment of rebels could be streamlined. I do think Vin's one on one with each misting would be needed to help introduce new people to the magic.

Iceblade44 So White Sand [then Elantris] is earlier... Then how the heck old is Khriss then? Will we ever get an answer as to why every worldhopper is flippin' immortal? Brandon Sanderson There is some time-dilation going on. I'll explain it eventually; we're almost to the point where I can start talking about that. Suffice it to say that there's a mix of both actual slowing of the aging process and relative time going on, depending on the individual. Very few are actually immortal. Faera Implying that some are actually immortal? Brandon Sanderson Depends on which definition of immortal you mean. Doesn't age, but can be killed by conventional means. (You've seen some of these in the cosmere, but I'll leave you to discuss who.) Heals from wounds, but still ages. (Knights Radiant with Stormlight are like this.) Reborn when killed. (The Heralds.) Doesn't age and can heal, but dependent upon magic to stay this way, and so have distinct weakness to be exploited. (The Lord Ruler, among others.) Hive beings who are constantly losing individual members, but maintaining a persistent personality spread across all of them, immortal in that as long as too much of the hive isn't wiped out, the personality can persist. (The Sleepless.) Bits of sapient magic, eternal and endless, though the personality can be "destroyed" in specific ways. (Seons. Spren. Nightblood. Cognitive Shadows, like a certain character from Scadrial.) Shards (Really just a supercharged version of the previous category.) And then, of course, there's Hoid. I'm not going to say which category, if any, he's in. Some of these blend together--the Heralds, for example, are technically a variety of Cognitive Shadow. I'm not saying each of these categories above are distinct, intended to be the end-all definitions. They're off the cuff groupings I made to explain a point: immortality is a theme of the cosmere works--which, at their core, are experiments on what happens when men are given the power of deity. Shagomir Heals from wounds, but still ages. Would Bloodmaker Ferrings exist in this category as well? If not, what about someone Compounding Gold? Brandon Sanderson Yes, you are correct. Shagomir As a Bloodmaker ages, what keeps them from healing the damage and carrying on as a very old, but very healthy person? Do they come to a point where they can't store enough health to stave off the aches, pains, diseases, and other things that come with old age? This makes sense for traditional Feruchemy as it is end-neutral, so storing health becomes a zero sum game - eventually, you're going to get sick and you're not going to be able to overcome it with your natural healing ability no matter how much you manipulate it with a goldmind. ...Unless you've got a supply of Identity-less goldminds lying around. Would a Bloodmaker with a sufficient source of Identity-less goldminds (or the ability to compound, thus bypassing the end-neutral part of Feruchemy) eventually just die from being too old? Brandon Sanderson Basically, yes. They can heal their body to match their spiritual ideal, but some things (like some genetic diseases, and age-related illnesses) are seen as part of the ideal. Depends on several factors. Stormlight Three Update #5 (Nov. 29, 2016)

Well he did try to stop them from killing each other via protecting both sides, but again personally I don't see him actually making a real effort to bring the two parties together. During the meeting earlier in the novel where they discuss the parshendi and the fused, he does say they are not the enemy (since he got to know the small group, and wanted to protect them), but he didn't have any practical ideas on how to bring both parties together. Again, please do not take this as me criticizing Kaladin. Just my experience of him has more been a battlefield commander protecting and leading during combat. For individuals that seek to help the common man, and change society in a beneficial way, I think of truthwatchers (Ym) and edgedancers (Lift). I have seen/read of them helping the common man. Kaladin seems to befriend a group, and then does all he can to lead and protect them. That comes off different to me than being a champion of the common man. But totally respect if you see things differently. edit: side note, keeping in the spirit of the thread, he did not exactly succeed in closing that gap considering those parsh and humans did end up killing each other.......

So my one thing is I tend to see people say Kaladin is the champion of the common man. Does he protect? Certainly. But Kaladin is far (in my opinion) from a force for societal change. He does whatever he can to protect in the moment. The order of knights that seem more concerned with the "common man" are the edgedancers. Remembering those that are forgetten. Listening to those who are ignored. The entire order was focused on helping the civilians displaced by the abandonment of Urithiru rather than leaving a message about themselves for posterity. Again, just want to stress, not saying Kaladin is a bad person, nor that he does not care. He clearly cares, and wants to protect. But other than trying to help slaves escape that he is protecting, or protecting the bridgemen under his command, or protecting the soldiers under his command, I do not recall Kaladin ever actually seeking to change society for the better, or work towards bettering "the common man's" lot in life.

There is a theory that that is what already happened to Renarin and Glys. That Glys was a deadeyes that was corrupted and restored via corruption. But at this stage we just don't know.

He doesn't remember his life before his return, and he says he doesn't know why people return. His naming he doesn't know if it was happenstance or him trying to live up to it. So it sounds like he doesn't know to me “Yes,” she said. “Everyone calls you things. Peacegiver. Kalad. Vasher. Talaxin. Is that last one your real name, the name of the scholar?” He shook his head. “No.” “Well, what is it, then?” “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t remember the time before I Returned.” “Oh,” she said. “When I came back, however, I did get a name,” he finally said. “The Cult of Returned—those who eventually founded the Hallandren Iridescent Tones—found me and kept me alive with Breaths. They gave me a name. I didn’t like it much. Didn’t seem to fit me.” “Well?” she asked. “What was it?” “Warbreaker the Peaceful,” he finally admitted. She raised an eyebrow. “What I can’t figure out,” he said, “is whether that was truly prophetic, or if I’m just trying to live up to it.” “Does it matter?” she asked. He walked for a time in silence. “No,” he finally said. “No, I guess it doesn’t. I just wish I knew if there is really something spiritual about the Returns, or if it’s all just cosmic happenstance.” “Probably not for us to know.” “Probably,” he agreed. Silence.

Thank you for the insight! The idea that I envisioned in my head would be to send spren to fully map out the layout, and spy on any information that they could from listening in. For information that would require hands to access (files in cabinets, and on computers), would be via lightweaver, using all the information gleaned from the spren. To me that would include the layout of the compound, staff routines and patrols, and private meetings (like what happened to Dalinar and Co due to Malata's spren Spark). So I did a little further digging regarding ICBMs. Many liquid fueled ICMBs can not be kept fueled all the time as the cryogenic fuel liquid oxygen boils off and causes ice formation, resulting in fueling the rocket being necessary right before launch. There is a preference for Silo protected missiles for two reasons: 1. The procedure of fueling the rocket prior to launch was a significant operational delay and might allow the missiles to be destroyed by the enemy prior to use 2. The silo would also hide and protect fueling operations underground. This leads for me to some issues regarding Silo use on Roshar. 1. The "Terrans" (as you are referring to them), would need drilling equipment to get through crem and construct these silos. I think this would take a significant amount of time. 2. Highstorms not only cause issues regarding the flying of the nuclear weapons, but also the construction and maintenance of the silos. Even in "normal" rainstorm, crem is deposited, and if not cleared away quickly, it will harden and become fresh stone. The aperture that opens and closes where the nuke will be exiting would need constant maintenance for example for this reason. Nonetheless the initial construction being regularly flooded from rains, and highstorms. So without attracting/repelling fabrials (as we see with Navani using for water to keep the bows dry), and soulcasting/cohesion (to move large amounts of crem quickly and efficiently), i think it will be a rather large and difficult undertaking for Team Terran to construct underground missile silos. I think the same would stand for even above ground silos, because they would have to survive being buffeted by highstorms, and again crem would need to be cleaned away so the structural integrity wouldn't be over weighed and collapse. TLDR Basically I am having trouble finding a way that nukes could be brought over, housed securely, and fired effectively without causing problems at every stage. Good points. Further windrunners could fly in (much more maneuverable and capable than our airforce in handling highstorms) and drop such bombs via gravity (not the surge, as in the delivery system is just dropping it from high up). The surges and fabrials coupled with having lived on the planet for ages definitely gives Roshar an advantage in that regards in my opinion. They live their lives by the highstorms. The Terran do not. Hmmmm. even Kalad's Phantoms would have problems with sustained gun fire and tanks. Though could Nalthis potentially make armored Kalad's Phantoms? Further since the Phantoms can hold some skill from when they were living, if the people were taught to use fire arms, maybe they could use it? Though a large part of this is basically finding a way to get the Terran technology, and use it against them. Which would be a tall order in the beginning.

Cryogenically freezing a person and them surviving is currently a myth at our technological level. The human body is just not made to survive the experience. Certain animals can (lizards I believe being the main example) but not humans. So it would kill the person. Then unless you bring them back shortly after, they would fully die and their "self" would be gone. No amount of stormlight would bring them back after that.

This is the first one that came up though if i recall correctly it is mentioned two more times. Im on my phone right now so if you give me to later in the day i can pull them up but here is the first mention below: Alloy of Law page 279 Impressive as it was, though, it was a delaying tactic. With so many men firing on him, Wayne couldn’t risk moving any closer. He had to wait momentarily between creating speed bubbles, and if he was too close to the men, there was a good chance they’d be able to aim, shoot, and hit him in the seconds that he was exposed. The longer Wayne tried to dodge, the better the men shooting at him would get at judging the pauses. If he tried it too long, he’d get hit. Edit: found a more precise quote below Alloy of Law page 111 But in a long fight, they’d eventually catch on and hold their fire until just after Wayne dropped a bubble. It took a couple of seconds between dropping one and putting up another, the time when Wayne was most vulnerable. Of course, even when the bubble was up, Wayne wasn’t completely safe. It could be nerve-racking to know that his friend was fighting alone, enclosed by a bubble of accelerated time. If Wayne got into trouble while inside, Waxillium couldn’t help. Wayne would be shot and bleeding before the bubble collapsed. Thats what he was saying. I believe the misunderstanding is the way you wrote your initial post made it sound like a mistborn could keep a speed bubble up, and then fire through it with a duralumin push. That wouldnt work because the bullet would deflect regardless, and burning duralumin would also affect the speed bubble as it burns in a rush all currently burning metals, which bendalloy would be included. What he was saying is you would have to do like wax, which is fire, burn the speed bubble, judge the trajectory, then fire and push the second bullet just as the bubble drops. It is mentioned that the reason wax is so good with shooting is he is a steel savant. This is a WoB that i will pull up later. So the mistborn in this case would have to focus especially in steel and iron to do so. Then there is also the implication in the novels that wax is especially unique in this accomplishment. So i dont know if I would consider this in a normal mistborns wheelhouse of abilities

Giving the computer commands versus an AI I believe are different things, though the result would be the same. WoB confirm an AI could gain sapience in the cosmere and have a cognitive presence/"soul". However, soulcasters are used to pushing through such natural investiture interference, and should still be able to soulcast it.

So we know a few things. 1. We know if a shardblade is moved away, but the dead spren is restrained, it will remain where it is. We know if it is let go, it will try to walk to where ever the blade is located 2. We know beads are in the general area of the object they are connected to. We have not seen such an object move to see how reactive the bead is 3. The beads do not gain resistance due to being brought away from the source object. In other words, Shallan has taken beads of walls, and then traveled the length of the cognitive realm, without feeling any tug or demanding pull from the bead to be returned to where it was from. So I think this tells us that the bead will move along with the object, but can be stopped, and there is no concern of force (momentum) of the object to take into account) Jasnah was able to anticipate attacks in the physical realm via watching the way the spren in the cognitive realm reacted to things happening in the physical realm. So for instance a fused came at jasnah, the spren in the cognitive realm reacted to this. Jasnah seeing them react, knew to side step the attack coming even through she did not see it herself. The reason why I mention that, is actions in the cognitive do seem to reflect in the cognitive realm, and are strong enough to be noticeable. Also as I said, when an elsecaller or lightweaver uses stormlight, stones are drawn to the individuals. They have to actively work to resist it. So (although theoretical), I do not think it a stretch to imagine the "nuke bead" flying along, and then curving and then shooting right to an elsecaller with stormlight, while the physical nuke flies on. The other option I mentioned was nets strung out fine enough to catch the bead to be soucasted. To locate the bead, it is simply the one moving lol. There are plenty of spren to coordinate a patrol. They then alert the radiants, to then counter the nukes. Unless you are saying they will be firing millions of nukes? Jasnah was able to soulcast at range two humans at the same time. We don't know how many objects could be soulcasted at the same time. It does not necessarily have to be one radiant per one nuke. We know it can be already one radiant per two nukes, and feasibly more than that. Which is why I moved my theory to spren and elsecallers/lightweavers having an alert and respond system in place in the cognitive realm. That is why I inquired to DiePie who came up with the scenario. I would be hesitant to include flying nukes through portals a la Avengers as we do not know how one would program targeting information for the nuke going through the portal. If it is a continual signal from the base, then would the portal sever that signal? If it is pre-programmed, then highstorms will need to be taken into account, and geographic knowledge will need to be gained in order to properly target it. Further if it is going through a portal, what would stop multiple elsecallers from simply soulcasting a giant barrier covering it from the cognitive realm? Assuming a forward base for the humans on Roshar, the explosion would damage them on both sides of the portal. So personally I think for the sake of all the variables, then missile silo launched nukes should be off the table. Or further details need to be laid out. As to magic working on the earth side, I believe the original scenario was regarding earth military (of various eras) invading shard worlds. But that would reduce the number of nukes being fired, and the locations it could be fired from. Which to me would make it more manageable. I was assuming a certain amount were ported over for attack. Guess gotta wait for DiePie to ring in. Lightweavers can perfectly mimic voices, and appearances with their mnemonic abilities. Keep in mind Shallan is training, and also has hiccups because she is having trouble with her truths. We have WoB that lightweavers manipulate wavelengths, radio waves, and etc. So they could food infrared. As to the shouting grandmother's names, perhaps Bigmikey can ring in, but I do not believe that would work on earth in the military, nonetheless in this situation. There are too many people, and not everyone knows each other. That is why identification, pass codes, and etc are employed. Regardless, having a spren set up shop to explore the installation, and keep track of whose grandmothers name is who would solve all of that. Coupled with lightweavers mnemonic ability for memorization, they would be able to answer with perfect recollection. Finally although not expressely confirmed, oathbringer definitely implies physical illusions are possible. There goes the touching the face solution out the window. They can create lasers with lightweaving. I would imagine through use of light they could increase the temperature at particular areas to make the image match the illusion. Movement sensors would not sense the spren gaining intel, and the movement sensors would sense a person walking through that looks like a member of the military. Trip wires would be covered in the spren spying. You can send multiple spren, and have the entire layout of the complex. I do not recall anywhere in the novels that composite materials are harder to soulcast. They are seen as one thing and have one identity in the cognitive realm. A soulcasting savant, or radiant can separate parts and soulcast them, but normally it is seen as a whole. WoB used baking a cake as an example. Another example is the ship of theseus. Soulcasting is not forgery. You do not need to know the history of each component part to change it. edit: WoB regarding Cake having a soul, and the ship of theseus Questioner I wanted to ask whether cake has a soul? In Realmatic theory, stuff has souls. So, somebody turns wheat into flour, and flour has a soul. Do they come together when I bake the cake? Brandon Sanderson ...So, this gets into some weird cosmere theory stuff. The level that if you are a student of philosophy, you'll recognize just wearing on the sleeve where this one came from. This is a mashup of Shinto beliefs and the theory of the forms by Plato, and kind of its own weird thing, that became Realmatic theory in the cosmere... So, in the cosmere, things take on an Identity and a soul based on how people perceive them. It's human perception that is creating a lot of this, because the various powers that made the universe have this sort of desire to be sentient. And power left long too long in the cosmere starts thinking, that's just how it goes, and starts thinking of itself the way it is perceived. So, that cake, as soon as its created, the disparate parts of the souls start being thought of as a cake, and start gaining some traction as a cake. If you left that cake alone long enough, which wouldn't take too long for a cake because people don't look at cake and think "Oh, a bunch of wheat and flour." They think "Cake." That thing will start having a combined soul of the various bits of power, and the longer you leave it, the more permanency it's gonna have as a Spiritual artifact in the cosmere. So, yes, cake has a soul. Oathbringer Glasgow signing (Dec. 2, 2017) Oversleep I have a philosophy question that could actually be answered in cosmere: Ship of Theseus in cosmere. If I went and replaced every part of the ship, would it still - Cognitively - be the same thing? What if I replaced everything and made a second ship out of the parts from the first one? What could somebody watching all of that from Shadesmar tell me? Brandon Sanderson You're right, part of the design of the cosmere (which has some deep roots in classical philosophy) was an attempt to answer the Ship of Theseus question. In the cosmere, part of the Cognitive--and even spiritual--aspect of a thing (particularly if it isn't sentient) is delineated by the way that thinking beings define it. Per the old joke about the axe, if you replace your axe head and think of the new axe as "Your Axe," then the cognitive and spiritual aspects of that thing will grow to reflect that. If you replaced every part of your ship, and gave the sailors time to sail it, thinking of it as the same ship--it would become the same ship. Stormlight Three Update #6 (Feb. 9, 2017) Never said it was fool proof. Just I think Roshar has more options to counter than originally shown.

There is a "cool down" effect in place with time bubbles though. You pop one up, then drop it, then you have to wait a certain amount of time before you can pop it back up. It is not instant.

So since you and DiePie have similar concerns, I will reply to the both of you under DiePie. To give a better idea of what I was envisioning when I mentioned about radiants in the cognitive realm acting like "star wars" during the Reagan administration would be this: 1. A large ring of spren far out, keeping track. Or even normal people. They have span reeds. 2. These span reeds are connected to the ring of elsecallers and lightweavers. When a nuke is spotted, they flick the span reed on and off 3. Due to the cognitive presence a nuke would have, I would imagine (admittedly this is all theoretical), you would see a rather large wake kicked up in its passing 4. A rough ring of elsecallers and lightweavers in the cognitive realm are now alerted and ready 5. Using stormlight pulls stones towards you. i theorize that as the nuke passes, the elsecaller/lightweaver could pull the corresponding stone for the nuke towards them. If not that, then potentially fashioning nets to catch any fast moving cognitive stone. 6. Now having the stone, or stones depending on how many nukes were sent I see a few options depending on expediency and efficiency. They could either: A. soulcast the whole missile to harmless matter (stone, water, air, smoke, etc) B. soulcast the nuclear material innert in an effort to conserve stormlight or for expediency sake C. soulcast the fuel of the rocket to something inert so the rocket loses its propulsion and falls. This is less ideal as theoretically it could still go off. Now I do have a follow up question for DiePie that has presented this scenario. You state that the real world is invading a Cosmere planet. If that is the case, then wouldn't nuclear armament be limited in its delivery? There would be no firing from static nuclear silos as none would be present on Roshar, and building them would be difficult. Not sure how nuclear submarines would make the transfer. If we go the gravity route of dropping the bomb from a plane, it runs into the issue I presented. Intercontinental delivery which is what I think you and others were referring to requires static silos. Weapon mounted means of delivery (such as on a rocket pod on a truck) limits range. So I guess the question is, in your scenario, how would deployment work? The conversation was just discussing nuances that one experienced would learn. So could you coerce stone, and convince air? Sure. But it would make things easier if you convince stone to be free like air, and be firm with air to coerce it to be stone. See for example how Jasnah handled the ropes in the deleted scene. They kept saying they are rope, and she commanded it "you will change". I mentioned ways that the missile could be dispatched in varying ways for expediency, and efficiency. Thank you. I like the idea of linking it up. As to the rest regarding nukes, I did have some follow up questions for DiePie that I feel were pertinent that I included above. So I separated this part, because I expressed some questions and concerns to DiePie above. I am not sure based on the scenario as presented, that the "earth" side of the battle would have access to such nuclear armament. I am open to being wrong. I elaborated above regarding the "star wars" esque system I was envisioning. I am curious of your thoughts on it. So I think one big point in Roshar's favor in regards to the points you mention are lightweavers and spren. Spren are literal invisible spies, and lightweavers can infiltrate just about anywhere. They can mask themselves from radar. They can change their voices, appearance, and environment as needed for infiltration. Use a spren to find and detail multiple alters. Generic low rank soldier. Midrank and finally high rank. Use generic low rank soldier when they are out on patrol, or elsewhere in the compound to enter. Make it to a wall to the installation that has already been scounted and detailed by the spren. Use illumination to keep the area looking normal. Soulcast the wall to air, walking through, soulcast the wall back. Switch disguises. Move deeper into the complex. Switch disguises, and using soulcasting to get into rooms undetected. Attain data needed. In this case nuclear sites, armaments, and codes. Then get out. Make sure via lightweaving and soulcasting there is not a sign nor disturbance. The level of detail cryptic spren have with patterns and etc could be used to ensure everything remains exactly as it was. Including the lightweaver mnemonic ability. Take a memory of where everything was, and put it all back to the way it was. Now with the locations of the nukes. the elsecallers can make the material inert. If done correctly, the enemy would have no idea till they fired, and by then their entire nuclear arsenal would be neutered. Further them firing would be in retaliation to an attack from the Rosharans. Expecting their ace in the hole, but turns out to be a dud, they wouldn't have time to compensate. Just some ideas. Good points. Good point.

The reason I mentioned an Elsecaller was due to the concern that by trying to redirect it off course, or physically manipulating it could potentially set it off. So figured it would be far more efficient to just turn it to smoke. The understanding required you speak of, is in regards to understanding the end product. So if the elsecaller wanted to make plutonium, then yes he or she would need to understand what plutonium is. However transforming from plutonium into something he or she is familiar with, like the core essences should not present a problem in understanding. Merely will. There are alerting fabrials, and there are also spren in the cognitive realm. Normal planets would not have access to the cognitive realm to defend against spying and manipulation from that realm. Theoretically you could have an elsecaller set up shop at the cognitive realm side of the nuclear launch pads, soulcasting the interior to be inert. Then the enemy could fire as many as they wanted off and it would accomplish nothing more than the rocket hitting something. No boom. Just some thoughts that occurred to me. Theoretically depending on what Roshar could do with alerting fabrials, that could give them the warning well in advance. Also spren in the cognitive realm. Then there was the idea I just came up and posted above to bigmikey. I already separated this portion from the other portion of your quote, and figure it would be too much trouble to reformat it, but basically what do you think of the ideas I came up with above? edit: to clarify just in case. The scope I speak of would be much greater. So I mean an alerting fabrial that could detect the nukes far far before they got remotely close. The spren could have standing order to spy on the humans. A group of elsecallers stationed in the cognitive realm could potentially act as a form of "star wars" from the reagan administration. Soulcast them all from the cognitive realm as a counter measure. Again, just some ideas I had.

If Roshar knew it was incoming, couldn't they (assuming a elsecaller could not teleport right onto it, which I would imagine would be difficult) have a windrunner fly an elsecaller up to the flying nuke, and soulcast it to air/smoke?

I believe it arises from an interaction with the shards and the planet. Though at this point I cannot recall if that was a theory or was confirmed via WoB. These are the WoB I was able to find on the subject: Thought It seems that certain colors and numbers appear frequently in specific Cosmere books, like the number 5 in Warbreaker or red and blue in Elantris. Do these colors or numbers happen to refer to a specific Shard, and if so, would they be consistent across the cosmere? Brandon Sanderson Certain colors and numbers are important in reference to certain Shards. 17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 26, 2012) Questioner Does each Shard have a favorite, or special, number or color? Brandon Sanderson I would say that there are inclinations but it's not, perhaps, as specific as you are thinking. Bands of Mourning release party (Jan. 25, 2016) The Only Joe (paraphrased) Do all shards have a number they're associated with? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Some do, (most/some) don't. Firefight Portland signing (Jan. 16, 2015)

Using my phone. That is what came up. I was in the process of correcting the post

Only commenting to clarify what I believe lightblood was saying, thereby clarifying the intention of my response. Lightblood said "use chromium to suck it right back out of him" I took that to mean the radiant has stormlight. The mistborn uses chromium to suck out the investiture from the radiant. The larkin then sucks out the investiture back out of the mistborn. If I read that correctly, then to my knowledge, that is not how that works. The chromium would have destroyed the investiture of the radiant. the mistborn would have never sucked the investiture out. So going on that scenario and that scenario only, there would be no investiture for the larkin to then suck back. If however the mistborn was burning other metals, then the larkin could eat that. To further illustrate in numerical order: 1. radiant has stormlight 2. mistborn uses chromium to drain radiant's investiture 3. mistborn now has radiant's investiture 4. radiant uses larkin to suck the radiant investiture of the mistborn back out Since using chromium means the investiture is "destroyed" (I use quotes because I do not mean the investiture is annihilated. I mean it is just gone from this situation), then this scenario should end at line 2.

I believe chromium erases the investiture, not consume it. So if the mistborn used chromium, there wouldn't be anything to suck back out unless that mistborn burned other metals, in which case the larkin would theoretically eat the investiture coming in from the metals resulting in the mistborn burning without gaining any effect. Possibly.

I re-read the scene and Elend did not fight Marsh so much as retreat from him. Basically this was the order: 1. Elend killing koloss left and right, refilling with atium till he began to get low on pewter and etc 2. Marsh shows up, burns atium countering Elend's atium 3. Elend retreats/fights defensively while killing Koloss with his atium 4. Elend runs out of pewter 5. Vin fuels Elend which surprises Marsh 6. Ruin then fuels Marsh 7. Elend burns duralumin and atium, resulting in him understanding, and Marsh's ax in his chest, and Elend's sword in Marsh's throat So myself at least, I don't see a long drawn out fight where Elend held his own. So for myself I do not think he was a seer before hand. But interesting theory.

Personally I think it is. Nightblood does not have a concept of passage of time, nor identity, nor change, nor death. All confirmed via book or WoB. He mentions weeks, when it is centuries, or years when it is hours. He does not remember Vasher's wife (forgot her name) except that she was nice to him. He does not recall she is dead. He nearly kills Szeth and Lift, yet when told as much, he vehemently denies having done it, and then when further confronted asserts he guesses he was just hungry and that means it was ok. He lacks the capacity to know what killing Lift or Szeth would entail. So I do not think nightblood nor nightblood 2 could understand the concept of "self" nor the concept of "everyone else" and how those two things can be separate or together. But that is just my own understanding of the character.

Even after the perpendicularity is open, lift still asks dalinar where she can get food. I think we also have a WoB confirming that she cannot breath in stormlight. She has to metabolize it. Edit: found the scene. This is after dalinar brought together the realms and infused all the gemstones Oathbringer page 1143 “Lift, I believe I already gave you an order. Take the assassin and get me that ruby. Together, we hold this city until Renarin returns with troops. Any questions?” “Um…” Lift said. “Could you maybe … tell me where to get something to eat…?” Dalinar glanced at her. Something to eat? “There … should be a supply dump just inside the wall.” “Thanks!” Dalinar sighed, then started walking toward the water.

If that is how you wish to take it, that is your prerogative. Hmmmm. Interesting. Could be. Or maybe she did it to her cognitive self. Then the spiritual self could remain the same, the physical change, and since Lift is more in the cognitive that she can touch Wyndle, her sense of self still has not changed.

No problemo. The dividing line is pretty amorphous so it can get confusing. So apparently Kaladin did enough for the bond to begin to form even before he said the words, while Gavilar although was on the path for awhile, I guess never went in the "right direction" enough for the bond to begin to form. I found the WoB I was talking about. posted it below: Questioner When does a person become a Surgebinder? Cause Kaladin talks about when he was a child, talked about it being a familiar feeling, and Shallan obviously was younger. Or is it when they speak the Words? Brandon Sanderson The bond starts forming before the Words are spoken, but if the words are never spoken that bond will eventually evaporate and get broken. But the bond will start forming before. Just like an emotion attracts a spren, acting in the way that the spren you would eventually bond will start drawing them toward you and that will start to create that bond. Words of Radiance Philadelphia signing (March 21, 2014)

There are other things that eat investiture. Not just nightblood, so theoretically larkin and other creatures could eat shades. I believe it is as you say where shades as of the time of Silence are stuck to Threnody for the reason you stated. However Cognitive shadows can learn to leave their planet and as the time of the IRE, Nazh seems to think that becoming a shade is a traditional and honored practice. So theoretically shades that Nazh knows of are more sapient, and can accomplish more. Now whether the Evil changed that, or something else happened is a giant question mark.