speedreader9000

damnation this theory sounds good. Magic in Taldain makes sense a lot now.

The idea of a link or a bond Yata theorised is intriguing. How does the water get drained from the body of the Sand Master and into the sand? So maybe each grain of sand and the algae on it is a lock for investiture. It somehow uses sunlight and converts it into investiture which the Sand Master can release using the water in his body as a key. A direct application of water as shown by Khriss shows a bright flash of light but when a Sand Master masters sand, the sand glows evenly instead of one huge burst. Since a direct application of water in the physical realm is not effective, I think there may be a cognitive aspect to Sand Mastery. We know that for soulcasting, we manipulate the things in the cognitive realm to affect the physical realm. Maybe this concept can be applied to sand mastery but in a roundabout sort of way. The cognitive aspects of the water and sand are linked somehow by the Sand Masters. When the mastery stops, the water in the cognitive realm returns to the physical realm and coats the sand to make it black. Hell, to go even further maybe the water itself is invested somehow. I don't have any reasoning to support this so I'm just spouting thoughts.

I'm guessing Skycolors work as some sort of bioluminescence manipulation because we know that when water was poured onto white Dayside sand, the sand released a burst of light similar to when Sand Masters use sand. Maybe this bioluminescence is used more in a raw form in Darkside instead of in Dayside where it is used in conjunction with sand. I am guessing that since the algae covers everywhere in Darkside(according to one of Khriss' companions whose name I forget) and perhaps more moisture in the air(no harsh blazing sun) there maybe more of this bioluminescence naturally given off to be used. This might be balanced by the fact that since there isn't much light for the algae to absorb and thus emit, there isn't too much of this bioluminescence for people to manipulate.

Hmmm I still wonder how overmastery can strip a Sand Master's ability to master sand. Maybe ripping too big of a hole in the sDNA can be damaging kinda like Hemalurgy? Also, I like how Pathfinder compared overmastery to becoming savants in Mistborn. That makes a lot of sense. I also kinda see how Sand Mastery relates to Autonomy now. I wonder then how Skycolors work then. It kinda feels like light manipulation to me. Could anyone find a passage from the book relating to how the Sand Lord hates Sand Masters? I don't remember this part so clearly.

Let's continue the discussion on sand mastery that was on the private board. I still have way too many questions and I think some more discussion on this would be great. There are some spoilery stuff for the entire book. Some questions to get the discussion started: How are new sand mages created? Kenton was infuriatingly tightlipped about this. How does something become terken? Maybe bauxite in the sand? Bauxite is aluminium in raw form. Is the sun the source of investiture or is it the sand/algae itself? Maybe the sunlight is similar to the highstorms in Roshar and the sand are like the gemstones. How do you think slatrifying work? How is sand mastery connected to Autonomy? Like how Awakening is Endowment's magic because you can "endow" your Breaths to another thing or person How is the sand connected to the sandlings? Khriss found out that black sand and sandling carapace were similar when she examined both under a microscope. How can sand masters grow in power through overmastery? Does overmastery cause holes in the person's sDNA? How can overmastery strip the ability to master sand?