Weltall

While it's not exactly the same scenario, Brandon was asked once what would happen if Endowment tried to return someone who'd been made a Lifeless immediately after death. He commented that the result would be hilarous, so I imagine that even if the effects aren't exactly the same you would wind up with unexpected side-effects from trying to create a Divine Breath Lifeless.

Vorinism teaches that they're different but we don't know whether or not that's true. We know the public teachings of the church at least contradict things we know to be true about the nature of Honor/the Almighty and about the Heralds and what it teaches about the Radiants is suspect per our own observations and Jasnah's in-universe ones, though we certainly don't know the truth ourselves yet. So what the church has to say about the Tranquiline Halls and Damnation shouldn't be taken as an absolute depiction of reality just yet. It's possible Braize is simultaneously both these places, or that Ashyn was the basis for the Halls, or something else entirely. Now, what the church may or may not know that they don't tell the rest of Roshar is another question. It's possible they're sitting on knowledge they aren't sharing (like the priesthood of the God Kings in Warbreaker or to a lesser extent Mistborn's Steel Ministry) or it could be that they aren't privy to any secrets we'd give an arm and a leg to know and the public teachings are more or less the full extent of their knowledge. Just tossing the potential distinction out there as discussion fuel. As for the Heralds' prison, both the description in Arcanum Unbounded and Kalak's recollections in WoK suggests they're getting their souls poked and prodded in the Cognitive Realm rather than the Physical. The former because Khriss' description of the planet being populated entirely by 'self-aware Splinters' and the suggestion that some may be Cognitive Shadows points in that direction. Kalak's description of the tortures sounds like the sort of thing that would be much easier to do to the Cognitive aspect of someone than to someone with an actual body that you would need to heal every day. And combining these two streams of knowledge, Kalak recalls burning heat but Khriss claims that Braize is an extremely cold planet, which sounds like it might be an example of Physical/Cognitive inversion like we've seen in Roshar and Scadrial's Cognitive regions where land in one is sea in the other and vice versa.

Hah, I was wondering which unpublished cosmere work he could have been referring to but I hadn't even considered Brandon's mentioned Aether series. It would definitely fit with the development of Aethers from the available book to Liar and the implications of wind-based Aethers in Lor. Nice idea. I was thinking of asking Brandon about Syl's original story at the Oathbringer signing, actually.

Given what we know of relative technology levels, Sel has probably discovered duralumin since they have naturally occurring aluminum and as one of the most technologically advanced worlds Taldain might have it too, though we've yet to see evidence of aluminum there. Roshar probably doesn't have any, because the base metal has to be soulcast and people are unlikely to start experimenting with using the stuff in alloys on their own, not to mention that they can use soulcasting to create things like super-light yet strong wood so they don't have as much incentive towards experimental metallurgy. All that said, literally nothing has been said on Scadrial about duralumin having any special properties outside its use in the Metallic Arts and if such properties existed, the Scadrians would notice. They already figured out that aluminum has several unusual properties beyond its uses in the native magic systems and they're known for their highly refined metallurgy so if the metal did have special powers it's the sort of thing they'd have observed in the three centuries since the metal became widely known.

It doesn't say it but it implies it. If she's looking for Vasher in the present tense than she hasn't found him yet (which means she can't be Ivis) and since Brandon told us to pay attention in Oathbringer the additional implication is that we can't figure this out just with the first two books.

Returned can give away their Divine Breath, yes, but this has a very specific effect that's baked into the system as opposed to actually transferring all of that power to the recipient. The person who receives the Divine Breath gets super-healing, they don't become a Returned themselves. And the Returned are described as Cognitive Shadows whose souls have been 'stapled' back to their bodies via that Divine Breath, which is an unstable bond that requires a regular supply of Investiture or it consumes itself. The Heralds are also Cognitive Shadows (or if you want to get picky, we're told that they'd be considered as such by the Cosmere-aware) but they don't seem to need a constant 'topping up' like the Returned do. In any event, these entities are fundamentally different from the Vessels who become saturated with so much Investiture that their physical bodies can't handle it anymore and they sublimate. It's quite likely that a Shard could be split into several pieces that individually would hit the threshold for ascension (see: Ascension, the Well of) but I doubt that the result of this would be two distinct Shards with their own Intents, at least not originally. We do know that Splinters frequently have their own Intents aside from that of the Shard that created them but the ones that we know of were all either deliberately created by a Shard or with the case of Rosharan spren they're part of a system that predated the arrival of the Shards and the latter arrivals built on that existing foundation. While we don't know exactly why Adonalsium shattered the way it did and why the Intents came out just so, we assume from Frost's description of Odium in WoR that they're in some way the fragments of Adonalsium's original personality. Since each of the sixteen already is a distinct fragment with an extremely strong 'personality' so to speak and we know that the process of Intent imprinting upon the Vessel does not work the other way around, the only way you'd likely split an individual Shard into smaller ones with their own Intents would be to do the splintering and then wait for a long enough time that the Investiture independently develop sentience, then try and pick it up. TLDR: I think it could be done, I just think it would take time and it's not exactly the same thing as the Returned or Heralds.

For reference, Word of Brandon that Rithmatist was originally conceived as a Cosmere work but he decided against it and additional confirmation that no work that includes Earth in any way is part of the Cosmere. He's mentioned elsewhere that it 'adds too much baggage'. Also, welcome to the Shard!!

Brandon mentioned in response to a question that you could make conjoiner fabrials that function as telephones, though it's not something currently within their ability to construct. And yeah, 'magic science' on a Shardworld may displace parts of what we'd consider science but it still follows the same general principles of experimentation and replication and depending on the magic in question, can produce things that we on earth would develop from purely mechanical means.

It's a bunch of things for me. I was first introduced to Brandon's writing when he was picked to finish the Wheel of Time series. I was absolutely blown away by how good The Gathering Storm was and I knew that I'd have to read some of his own works. I read the WoT books at a deliberately slow pace so by the time I was done, it wasn't that long before I saw Way of Kings on store shelves, saw that it was the beginning of a new series and dove right in. I didn't learn about the nature of the Cosmere until I went back and read the rest of his books in publication order and I started to notice Hoid, then looked things up and had my eyes opened. Anyhow, I started loving him because I got eased into it with an awesome entry in a series that I'd already been following for over a decade by then, then loved his first original work I read, then his subsequent ones and have been hooked ever since. I love his dialogue and his humor, as a nice counterpoint to other series like ASoIaF and Gentleman Bastards that edge more into grimdark territory (which don't get me wrong, I still enjoy, but I like laughing a lot too). And I really love how he constructs magic systems that follow internal rules that let us predict how they'll interact and which forces the characters to come up with clever applications to accomplish their tasks (which we can understand even when we didn't necessarily see them coming in advance) rather than pulling out new powers. So I've had lots of fun with the magic systems he creates. I also really love how open he is about his writing process and getting a look at various draft chapters or incomplete ideas so you can see how the Cosmere as we know it has taken shape in his head over a long time. And lastly and perhaps most importantly when it comes to the Cosmere, I absolutely adore how he does worldbuilding. Individual series can be enjoyed on their own but the more you know about the wider franchise, the more connections you notice and the more enjoyment you get out of the whole experience. And the level of intricate detail and how much potential there is for us to theorize about future developments, new applications of magic systems, crossovers, character motivations, general discussion... it's the sort of thing I really enjoy. As you can probably tell by me being on the Shard at all and just writing several paragraphs on why I love Brandon's books. xD It's also what makes me a huge fan of the Legend of Heroes game series; I like trying to point people playing those in Brandon's direction because the worldbuilding is handled very similarly, just on a continental scale rather than a galactic one.

- Pewter Compounder = The Hulk. You get this from F-Pewter on its own but the compounding makes it something you could do regularly, without having to spend huge amounts of time storing in order to get the 'hulking out' effect we see Sazed do in Well of Ascension. - Brass Compounding might get you a low-level Human Torch but we don't know enough about the mechanics of tapping large amounts of heat, just small quantities. You'd need medallions granting A-Steel and/or Iron and nearby metal sources to replicate the flight. - Zinc Compounder + A-Pewter = Batman. The Pewter gets you to his incredible physical prowess while F-Zinc gets you his mental agility and A-Zinc can be used to scare the pants off of people, replicating his intimidation factor. And to make it closer to Batman, you'd still need this allomantic superhero to train themselves because A-Pewter and F-Zinc on their own aren't useful if you don't have the skills and understanding to make effective use of them. - Gold Compounder + A/F-Tin = Wolverine. You can't really replicate the adamantium skeleton or the claws with the metallic arts alone but those get you his healing factor and senses at least. To really make Metallic Arts Wolverine you'd need a kandra, who could manage the metal skeleton and concealed blades (see: MeLaan in BoM) and you could give them a spike for either form of Tin to get the super-senses.

We actually have negative knowledge of Scadrian Splinters, as Brandon was quite explicit that there are no native Scadrian examples as of Era 2.

We don't actually know this. Frost believes that Rayse is more a force than an individual now (twisted and evil from the Dark Side of the Force Investiture) but Hoid believes the opposite, that Rayse is still more or less in control with his personality intact. Brandon has mentioned that the Intent of a Shard will 'strongly influence' the Vessel but whether it completely overrides their personality will depend on the Vessel. A strong or well-matched personality can always resist being overridden but it gets harder over time, Rayse and Odium are noted to be an especially good match for one another, while by contrast Ati and Ruin were not.

^ I was curious so I went and looked it up. Confirmed here for anyone who wants it. I'm certain that if it doesn't exist already, by the time of Era 3 when we know Scadrial is going to have 'nerd culture' there will be slashfic writers who will have made these two a couple. xD

I want to see that scene where Tanavast bought Hoid a drink... And @Shardfanboy welcome to the Shard!

Another point of difference in their respective powers is that each of the Orders has what's provisionally being called a Resonance (Brandon uses the term but hasn't made it canon yet so you won't find it in the books) which is an effect of possessing multiple magics at the same time, within certain limitations. These don't necessarily have effects obviously related to the Surges themselves: Windrunners have Gravitation and Adhesion and their Resonance is 'having more and stronger squires'. Skybreakers appear to have 'the ability to determine guilt or innocence' per the in-universe book Words of Radiance. As an aside, while it hasn't been published yet Brandon was once asked if he would give us new information about the Skybreakers for a book signing and responded with their Second Ideal: I will put the law before all else. The philosophical differences between Skybreakers and Windrunners start right there.

<Weilds the Sword of Idea Crushing +3> It's 'Aladdin' with two d's so it's two letters off. But as Yata said, one of the reasons Kaladin has the name he does is that it's a play on Paladin.

This isn't really a theory/discussion topic and should probably be moved to General Brandon, where there are already a couple of these topics.

Scadrial was getting into the steam age when Rashek came to power and selectively supressed technologies that presented a threat to his plans while supporting others that aided them. Since then the planet has advanced rapidly because Harmony is taking an active interest in making it happen. The planet was also historically very easily accessible to worldhoppers and it still is in Era 2, being one of the safest planets to visit as well as being easy to access. So, easier diffusion of ideas and increased knowledge (if mostly behind the scenes) that there are other worlds out there, which helps explain why they're progressing rapidly and the way they are. And because the magic systems all involve metals, the planet has always had a good understanding of metallurgy so it's not too surprising that it took off as soon as there wasn't a force actively opposing further research. Roshar's development has been hampered by periodic Desolations that have been so bad that the Heralds prepared speeches assume that they might not even have rediscovered bronze between cycles. Odium may have standing orders to attack the various means by which knowledge is preserved and transmitted, based on Dalinar's one vision where it's mentioned that Yelig-nar killed all Nohadon's scribes. The planet has developed a great deal more since the last Desolation due to the unusual circumstances and they'll probably make a lot of progress once they start studying Surgebinding and how it relates to Fabrial science in detail, assuming they get the opportunity to do so. We know from WoB that Taldain developed a high level of technology but it's currently interdicted by its resident Shard and we don't know how it's developed since White Sand. AonDor on Sel can do some pretty sophisticated things but the geographic limitations are liable to be a challenge in terms of advancing the technological level of the planet generally. Nalthis is also liable to develop in interesting technology that makes use of Awakening, but the planet's still just a few centuries past a devastating war that seriously hurt the general level of knowledge vis a vis said magic system. And Arcanum Unbounded lets us know that Silverlight is extremely advanced, being a place where knowledge from all over the Cosmere can be shared.

We know from Secret History that Hoid 'rejected' the Vessels at some point, per Leras thinking that when he did this it was hoped he wouldn't interfere with them. What isn't clear is whether this happened before or after the Shattering. This may be linked to Hoid being offered a Shard and turning it down but again, we don't know the timing of that event either. Given that the Shattering is only the most important event in Cosmere history, we're probably not going to get a definite answer on this matter for a looooong time.

I really do love the idea of Enlightenment (or something similar) as one of the Shards, as a fitting divine attribute, as a potentially really cool Shard in terms of magic systems (since Intent is linked to Initiation into a magic system, this could be a very interesting one) and because it would fit well with the idea that there's a Shard involved with Silverlight. One minor nitpick, it's Frost rather than Hoid who identifies Odium as 'God's own hatred' and thus indicates the belief that Adonalsium=God. Haha. We actually have a WoB that if Hoid were to be tempted by a Shard it would be Endowment, though I don't think we know whether Brandon was thinking about all sixteen Shards when he answered that question or just the ones we know about, since we also know that whichever of the sixteen he was offered was one that we haven't seen yet. The idea of a Shard actively hiding Yolen is interesting but there's a couple things that might tell against the idea. First, Frost is still there and he and Hoid are somehow exchanging letters with one another. Since Frost's letter directly responds to Hoid's, there must be some way for other parties to travel to and from the world (if Hoid was going there himself there would be little point in writing a letter and Frost has been referred to as a non-worldhopper). Maybe there's some some trusted intermediary that Frost uses to deliver his mail? Second is Mraize's branch which has been confirmed to be from Yolen. It could just be really old and he obtained it from somewhere else while worldhopping or it could indicate that the planet is accessible and Khriss simply hasn't found it yet. I don't think we have enough information to know yet. In any event, nice theory all around.

Found it. He's said that as of Era 2 there are no Splinters on Scadrial 'unless they've been brought'.

Suit's description makes it sound more like these 'Faceless Immortals' are possessing humans. He speculates that the one we saw was 'a begger stolen off the street'. This doesn't necessarily invalidate the idea that they're Smokeform listeners (pending further understanding of what exactly that entails) as shapeshifters could certainly pretend to be body-snatchers to prevent their catspaws from learning exactly how they work, but it does require some additional suppositions. But the Shadows of Self broadsheet does have a description of someone encountering what could be a worldhopping listener so it's an idea with merit. The source isn't entirely reliable but it's certainly the kind of foreshadowing that Brandon would pull on us. Another alternative if these entities are something we've seen before is that they are (or are the origin for) the Svrakiss from Elantris. Those were believed to possess humans and could be a memory of something that Odium did in Sel's past when he was busy murdering Aona and Skai.

Given that even the God Kings don't have a breath aura anywhere near that powerful, the amount of Investiture he'd need to absorb to get that kind of effect (if it's even possible) would be mind-boggling. We're talking Shard-level here. And Stormlight is noticeably 'leaky' so the idea that he's able to retain Stormlight for any length of time is questionable. It's much more likely that he either has a trick to completely supress his breath aura in a manner like he supresses his Divine Breath or he leaves most/all of his Breath reserves stored in some handy object so that he simply doesn't have an aura in the first place.

Insofar as Odium was responsible for the deaths of Aona and Skai and the resulting situation on Sel, influencing Threnody as a result of his fight with Ambition and the likely but not certain possibility that he's involved in some way with what's going on in Mistborn Era 2 (and who knows what else he may have been responsible for) it's entirely safe to say that he's an antagonist for the Cosmere as a whole. Whether he's the antagonist is another question however. We have no idea what the plot structure of the stories that are meant to represent the Big Cosmere Finale (Mistborn Era 4) will be like so we have no idea what sort of conflict could be driving the plot. It's quite possible that SA sees Rayse killed but Odium taken up by someone else, or we could find out there's something even worse but more subtle out there and Odium was actually the lesser of two evils. For example, we know fainlife has been canonized thanks to its mention in Arcanum Unbounded and it could wind up playing a long-term role rather than just being confined to Yolen. Or for all we know, Hoid could be the true antagonist all along... About all we can say for sure is that we won't know for a long time but it will (probably) all make sense once we do find out and we'll be kicking ourselves for not being able to see it coming. xD TLDR: No, we don't know one way or the other.

Two relevant WoB's here. The first is the confirmation that Adolin's Blade originally belonged to an Edgedancer. The second is that something more would need to be done to revive it than just Adolin speaking the proper Oaths. He's said on multiple occasions that reviving a dead Blade is very difficult unless you happen to be the original Radiant.