Stormgate

Alright, so I missed that detail and Leras died in HoA. However, in SH, Ruin does not succeed in Splintering Preservation, as would be the case if it was a direct effect of the Vessel dying.

The basic philosophy of gifts and talents giving people different roles is something we share. I'm going to California because that's where my specific gifts can be used to do the most good. After my mission, depending on what is needed at the time and what I will be best doing, I could teach Sunday School, be in charge of a group of young men, or any number of other things. Not only that, but inside the rigidity of missionary work is an amount of freedom that allows missionaries to play on their strengths. It's like a toolbox. Ideally, each tool is in working condition, strong enough to work and not break, clean, and in its place. From there, they are used for different tasks, hammering or tightening or whatnot. They are all in the same place, working towards the same goals, but go about it differently to get the job done most effectively.

This theory is supported by the fact that shadows in the Cognitive Realm go the wrong way, being pulled by the Beyond.

One can, actually, be better at tapping and storing attributes. Either it works so you have more precision (storing health in your healthy arm and tapping it in your broken one, making your one hand really strong while your legs are too weak to stand, etc.) or you can store more of an attribute at a time, and tap more of the attribute without it being wasted. (Picture someone as a bucket. They have a certain amount of water in the bucket. They can not only pour more of that water into another container, but when it's poured back, more can go in at once without splashing or going over the edge of the bucket. The better the Ferring, the bigger and more waterproof the bucket is.) Or, they get better precision and greater maximum and minimum limits on traits.

You may be correct, and Endowment does give a part of the power, not the mind. I really can't say. I'm not sure if Ruin's prison was sentient, or what else was happening. In Secret History, it is revealed that If the Shardholder's death causes the Splintering, then the events of Mistborn would be much different.

The main difference between Kaladin's decision to kill the king and Adolin's snap decision is the reason. Kaladin simply wanted revenge. Adolin was removing a threat. Not to himself, Adolin is not the kind of person to react that way to threats against himself, but a threat to his father and everything he had come to stand for. While Dalinar tried not to admit it, as long as Sadeas was alive, he had no chance of unifying the kingdom. Kaladin was lashing out, whereas the goading of Sadeas was the piece of shalebark that broke the chull's shell.

Ah, thank you.

In Mistborn, it is shown that Preservation took a piece of his mind and used it to craft Ruin's prison. However, Preservation's power, in the form of the mists, was still in abundance. Thus, we see that Shards can take a piece of their mind and separate it from itself. Except for a few exceptions, these pieces of the Shards mind are called Splinters. If a piece is large enough, it may gain sentience. This event is not uncommon in the Cosmere, and many Shards do it voluntarily. Endowment regularly gives individuals Splinters, in the form of a Divine Breath. Honor, Cultivation, and Odium have all done this to create spren. Even Adonalsium did it, also creating spren. However, if done by an outside force (often/always another Shard), the pieces become so numerous that there is little in the way of a central mind that can, if necessary, regather the broken pieces. This happened with Devotion, Dominion, and Honor. In all these cases, there is strong evidence that the power of the Shards is still out there and perfectly good to be used, from Roshar's Stormlight-bringing highstorms to the power allowing AonDor, Forgery, Dakhor, etc to be practiced. The pieces of the Shard are seen as Seons, Skaze, and what we call Radiantspren. The primary ability of the Shard's mind is the ability to access the Shard's power. A Shard can, without much error, be called a force of nature. The mind of a Shard accesses that force in abundance, and, if large enough, can control the force. The Seons and Skaze of Sel are so numerous and small pieces that they have no noticeable control over the power of those Shards, leaving them to fight in a highstorm-like fury of Investiture. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Cognitive Realm of Sel resembles the outcome of the Everstorm hitting the Highstorm. And that is, basically, what I think spren, Seons, Skaze, and whatever else is.

Not all the spren would have to die. 1. Radiantspren are pieces of Honor and Preservation. 2. As shown by the visions, Honor witnessed the Recreance 3. Honor was alive at the Recreance, and obviously before that. 4. Radiants existed when Honor was alive. So, at best, Kaladin would have to be reminiscent of Vin and inhale all the Stormlight in the Highstorm to ascend. At worst, a significant fraction would have to join to become Honor.

So, something that's been floating around the SA forum is the term "highspren," describing the spren that bonds with Skybreakers. For a while, I've just gone with it, but where did the name come from? An Ars Arkenaum? A WoB? What do we know about them? What, exactly, are they attracted to? Honorspren are attracted to honor, Cryptics to lies, whatever Wyndle is (NOT a Voidbringer) is attracted to the pure in heart, highspren are attracted to...what?

Breaths don't seem to have the ability to heal physical injuries, like Stormlight or being an Elantrian. It seems to simply be security against death by natural or (in the case of poison) slightly unnatural causes. It is interesting to see the differences that holding large amounts of different Investitures has on the holder.

Who knows? Maybe she hasn't even sworn the first one.

Yes. The structure doesn't improve efficiency necessarily, it just makes it easier to focus on the task at hand. For men, going on a mission is considered to be a duty. If they don't go on a mission, it is considered a violation of that duty, with the only consequences being between them and God. For women, they have no such obligation, but if they want to serve a mission, they are able to. Physical and emotional issues can sometimes disqualify an individual from missionary work, even going home if they are serious enough.

Your name and signature have never seemed more appropriate. I say this in the kindest way possible.

I actually said something to this effect in another post. If two Sharders independently come up with the same theory, it stands a greater chance of being at least partially correct.

I can neither confirm nor deny the plausibility of that theory. However, it is interesting enough to warrant an upvote.

Well, Shardblades can't be replicated by fabrials. The closest thing to an artificial Shardblade is Nightblood. On the other hand, great idea for fabrial use.

I'm going to be on hiatus for the next two years, so that might be an option then. Hopefully Astoria won't be destroyed by then.

I have no idea. I wasn't thinking about that, just how well the lines worked.

I have no evidence to either support or disprove the theory. We have little information about the Truthwatchers, about as much as the Mystery Men had of the Sphinx: "He's very mysterious." We just need Renarin to get some more screentime. Then, we will be able to psychoanalize him.

I thought about that, I really did. But since sentient spren only come into the physical realm of their own volition, it's unlikely they would allow themselves to be trapped inside a fabrial gemstone. The closest thing to it is when dead spren bond with a Shardbearer via gemstone in the hilt. Then again, maybe, somehow. It's another question to ask Sanderson.

I like it, but I think the part with "there are four we must watch" on the back cover of the book should make it in there somewhere.

I changed it.

So, in the recent newsletter from Sanderson, we get Lift more or less saying what she asked of the Nightwatcher. I have thought about this, and come to the conclusion that Lift is essentially immortal, unaging. She has, after all, been ten for three years. Now, in the Cosmere, there are few ways to truly get immortality. Being a Returned on Nalthis could count, but it requires having a largeish piece of a Shard given to you, and has a requirement for constant replenishment of non-Divine Breaths. Being a Feruchemist and Mistborn, as well as plenty of atium, can grant immortality for a while, but becomes harder as your actual age becomes more unlike your appeared age. There must be a better solution, or else many worldhoppers would be piles of dust. By traveling in the Cognitive Realm, you seem to be unaffected by the passage of time. I propose that the Nightwatcher put Lift partially into the Cognitive Realm in order to accomplish permanence. This can also explain how she can touch spren, as they are apparently tangible and potentially dangerous in the Cognitive Realm (cite the currently non-canon scene where Jasnah goes to the Cognitive Realm after "dying") I'm not sure how she can metabolize food into Stormlight, perhaps some effect of being between worlds, or somehow related to her bane. However, I have figured out how being unchanging can be accomplished.

So, last night I had a dream where a friend of mine who often has questions about the Cosmere asked the question: "What would happen if there was no more Breath?" Basically, if all the Nalthians gave their Breath away to one person, who then died. I woke up, and was unable to figure out the answer.