Syntal

Probably don't need to include, but huge spoilers for RoW and Mistborn: This feels like a very general question and more than likely it has been answered and I just didn't look hard enough for the corresponding thread, but in case it has not been: What are the prerequisites for holding a shard? Obviously humans can take them, as we saw with Taravangian and Sazed. This leads to the assumption that all sentients can take them (so a parshendi could in theory hold a shard). If sentience is the only prerequisite, then could nightblood hold a shard? Ignoring its other special properties such as feeding off investiture and cutting in the spiritual realm, is its sentience sufficient to allow it hold a shard? We always see people 'take' shards through some physical action. Does this imply that physical agency is required? If so this would disqualify nightblood. I expect I have misinterpreted nightblood's sentience in some way, but even if so my first question remains: what are the prerequisites to take/hold a shard? Edit: After some more reading, it appears that nightblood is a sort of artificial spren. This makes sense seeing how it was created to mimic shardblades, and leads to another question which seems a bit easier to answer: could a spren hold a shard? This has (sort of) been answered in WoB, but in short no because its investiture would just combine with the shard it tried to pick up. So are the differences between nightblood and spren sufficient to allow it to do so? Also, the coppermind does state that Connection to the shard is the major prerequisite. Clearly Nightblood can form a Connection (consider its bonds with those have wielded it in the past), but I am unsure if it could form a sufficient Connection with a specific shard to actually become its vessel.

Thanks for the correction, I must have missed that the first time around. In terms of equipment I think the only real prerequisites are blade and either plate or extreme mobility (i.e windrunner/edgedancer level). A fairly important question for the humans though is whether or not braysium can be cut by a shardblade and how it interacts with investiture in general. I suspect we will see a great deal more of the metal in that duel, not just a lined dagger but more along the lines of pieces of armor/full weapons.

I have a fun little theory I’ve been developing since I finished the book (which admittedly was a few hours ago) that technically there are no restrictions on the choice of champions, so Odium could pick Dalinar as well, resulting in a stalemate (while Dalinar lives) where he is still able to act, or a tie (when Dalinar dies) where he would not be bound by any of the agreed upon conditions. I am unsure if this would allow him to act outside the Rosharan system, as this is a very in-development theory, but it would at the very least provide an out from a pretty bad deal (and doesn’t violate the agreement in spirit either). Alternatively, Odium could just choose Navani or something like that, though that seems too simple a plot with too simple a resolution.

That’s an interesting idea, but I don’t think the Dawnshards are sentient in the way objects or spren are. They seem more similar to Shards in that they are a source of power that can be taken up by a holder. Additionally, the way I interpreted it Adonalsium already had divine power through the shards and simply used the Dawnshards to control his investiture and create the cosmere. It would be difficult to believe that Adonalsium did not have knowledge of the Dawnshards, as it was at least implied that he also had knowledge of the Shattering beforehand but decided to sit back and let it occur.

You're right, I was jumping to conclusions from the line that said the Shards had made a binding oath not to directly use the Dawnshards and interpreting that to mean no invested person could use the Dawnshards. Considering the humans used the Dawnshards previously in the desolations, I find it unlikely that no Knight Radiant ever held a Dawnshard.

If your last point about Endowment were true I think we would be able to find more similarities in the magic systems of Shards in the same grouping, i.e. anyone holding a large amount of investiture from any of the "change-based" Shards would exhibit abilities reminiscent of the Heightenings. I agree that they are clearly a large amount of investiture PLUS something more such as intent, and there may be more subtle similarities between the investiture of Shards in each category, but I am pretty sure many of the effects of Heightenings have been confirmed to simply be side-effects of being heavily invested (which is why a single Returned breath gives a Heightening equal to that of many ordinary breaths). I really like your idea of looking more into the actual composition of the Dawnshards though, as that could be helpful in better understanding the Shattering.

I agree that simply holding a large amount of investiture for a long time would not grant you the ability to break Commands or perform Greater Awakening, but I think we would still see similar effects. The idea that magic systems rely on basic principles such as Intent suggests that possessing the 8th or 9th heightening really gives a person greater or finer control over these basic principles, which in the case of Awakeners translates to breaking commands, etc. but in the cases of users of other magic systems would translate to different effects. Regardless, holders of Dawnshards are explicitly forbidden from possessing the investiture of shards (e.g. forming a nahel bond), so it seems these abilities would be low on the list of cool/rule-breaking things somebody holding both a Dawnshard and some other form of investiture would be able to do.

If we’re going to speculate on what the “greater” forms of surgebinding are, shouldn’t we look at Hoid and the magic he uses? Obviously he has access to the magic systems of a few different shards, but in a few instances (such as the wandersail story) it has seemed like he is using something greater or more unique to him.