Sol Invictus

I'm of the opinion he (Hoid) was referring to Sel. Only one Shardworld we know of had both "native" Shards destroyed.

Anybody else feel that way?

Ah! Thanks!

Keep in mind that, in comic books, physics work very differently; they have to, otherwise no superpowers would work in the ways they are depicted as working. So, in the Cosmere, the Shardplate may well stop kinetic energy to one degree or another. Bulletproof vests stop bullets, but the bullet's kinetic energy still leaves bad bruising and, in some cases, leaves a broken rib or two. So, unless Shardplate wearers still suffer some degree of damage even after getting hit, then kinetic absorption is virtually required.

Maybe Threnody has Splinters of Dominion? Breaking the Simple Rules bring shade "law enforcement"? Kind of "Obey my rules or else"? I know Threnody has no Shard, but perhaps a Dominion-Splinter landed here, long ago. Not enough for a magic system to develop, but just enough for the shades to exist, and for the formation of the Simple Rules?

Hmmm. I thought he was referring to the Returned. Thanks!

Sarene. Girl's got both guts, brains AND acting skill. You gotta respect that!

Warbreaker makes it pretty clear the Returned are a "new" phenomenon, appearing only a few centuries ago. But... ...what about magic, in general? Was Vo the first magic-wielding being on Nalthis (other than Endowment, obviously)? Or is Awakening an art that was PERFECTED by the Returned?

I feel no guilt whatsoever recommending really good authors. The more people that read Mr Sanderson's books means he has more incentive o keep writing ever-more-awesome stuff!

Ah! Ok! I AM a Cosmere newbie, so I'm nowhere near as Realmatically savvy as Mr Sanderson's more veteran fans.

Ah! Ok! Thanks! That relieves me. Sometimes non-atheists depict atheists and skeptics as bitter, angry people, when the fact is, most are not in any way, shape or form.

True. But consider, Hoid possesses several different kinds of magic, simultaneously. Who knows what weird combinations of magic Hoid is capable of?

Ah, ok!

It's possible to hide one's Breaths inside inanimate objects simply for storage and NOT Awakening, as both Vasher and Vivenna demonstrated. Maybe Hoid keeps it on his person in a "stored" state?

I understand Mr Sanderson himself is religious and I respect that, but....atheism isn't about hatred or holding a grudge. All it is is lack of belief. I apologize if I've inadvertently touched upon a topic that is so sensitive, as it wasn't my intent to promote or debate actual religion, in the real world. I apologize if that's how it came across. My questions were solely pertaining to the nature of the Cosmere's magic system and the Cosmere's belief systems:

Cognitive aspect does have the ability to shape the material universe, at least, on Nalthis it does. Blushweaver, if I recall correctly, had a much smaller bust before Returning. However the Returned see themselves, that is how they appear post-Return.

I'll do that, thanks!

Vasher could successfully conceal his Divine Breath, and a Divine Breath is automatically 5th Heightening. Hoid strikes me as a very clever, very inventive, very sly man. If Vasher could figure out how to cover up a much greater Divine Breath, then it doesn't surprise me Hoid can cover a "mere" 2nd Heightening.

Ahhhh!!!! Thanks!

Does it matter if a God was once mortal? Shards fit the bill quite handily. I've read that on Scadrial, the Lord Ruler used a Shard to move Scadrial, radically terraform the planet, genetically modify the entire human race, and other insane feats. How is that not a god? And the "dying-and-resurrected God" is very common throughout real world religions---the most notable of which is Christianity. The fact that Honor is dead now might not faze his worshippers.

Ah! Thank you! Meaning, normally they're sterile, but with some of magical assistance, it becomes possible. My question is, how could the priesthood of Hallandren have forgotten such a thing? It makes succession a heck of a lot easier when you literally have an heir.

I imagine that Worldhopping was very easy, pre-Shattering. Adonalsium's mega-Investiture was probably something extremely powerful (else why would be threatened enough to break the thing?), and thus Worldhopping may have been the Yolish equivalent of NASA. Maybe, pre-Shattering, tiny colonies of human settlers could be found throughout the Cosmere. The Shardworlds and Splinterworlds are the lucky ones, in that they still magic, to one degree or another.

Thanks, everybody! Another thing's been bugging me concerning the Royal Locks: As I was reading Warbreaker, I simply assumed that Idrian royalty were blood kin to Vo and the other original Returned. But, much later on, it's revealed that the Returned are sterile, thus necessitating the priesthood finding a Returned baby to be Susebron and Siri's "child". With this being the case, how can Idrian royalty be descended from Vo? Was the priesthood wrong?

Thanks, everyone! Who is Jasnah, by the way? And how can you be an atheist in a world where the supernatural is blatantly true. In the Cosmere, there's even a Realmatic Theory depicting the Spiritual Realm which very easily function as an afterlife. In the real world, lack of evidence of any sort paves the way for atheism and skeptic, but evidence of such things abounds in the Cosmere!