Spoolofwhool

Gems leak stormlight as well, they just hold it better. By nature, stormlight leaks. It's impossible to hold stormlight indefinitely. That's why spheres do run dry and need to be recharged in highstorms, why the weepings are so serious since few spheres are big enough to hold stormlight to last the whole time. WoB on the matter.

True, I got a bit caught up with the fact that he's uisng the term burn there. Would be a good question to ask I think. There are also a couple of WoBs which seem to state that investiture interferes with burning though. WoB WoB

He would need enough breath to achieve ninth heightening so he can awaken inorganic materials. He probably doesn't have that many. In any case, awakening using stormlight seems like a bad idea since it would leak out over time.

Metalminds actually burn at a slower rate than a regular piece of metal due to the investiture in them. WoB The speed burst is probably from the fact that you're getting an amplified charge at an allomantic rate. So if you have a steelmind which contains 1 hour of 50% speed which burns in 30 minutes, then every moment you're getting 1000% additional speed. Numbers are probably incorrect, but you get the idea. I'm assuming the charge is spread evenly through the metalmind, which may not be correct.

Fair point about him trying to logically convince people. I don't have my book of WoR so I couldn't remember exactly how he described himself convincing them. However, still in counter to your premise, I still don't think that proves anything about his ability to predict people in a large scale. The problem he made with his law, is that he was assuming that everyone would be smart enough to understand the logic of his argument, which nearly no one would've been. In addition, more problems occur when you directly influence events and are open about it. People are resistant to manipulation, and don't usually like being told what to do. The difference however, between that case and the one with Jah Keved, is that firstly, it didn't rely on people understanding an explanation, it simply required the, to react as they did. Secondly, there was no obvious manipulation. Yes, you could probably tell that a chain of assassinations is some sort of manipulation, but when performed more subtedly and with no one directly telling them how they should act in response to it, they're far more likely to follow usual mob mentality processes. Lastly, do you know when the Diagram was made? As far as I can tell, there is a period between where the Diagram could've been written after that Death Rattle occurred. In any case, I do admit that that is a pretty major flaw. Even taking that Death Rattle into consideration, there is enough of a margin that makes those highstorm dates suspect, unless he figured that the Everstorm would be coming by the new year and just listed the last ten highstorms of the previous year, 1173. Good points overall. I didn't address the one about moving from cognitive into spiritual since I really don't have enough information to say either way.

I believe Listeners existed on Roshar before any shards arrived. In addition, if you carefully read the Stanzas of the Listener songs, you would notice that some of the forms are described as forms of gods, while others are not. To me, this implies that the non-god forms come from binding spren which are not of a shard. Also, as Yata said, just because they can bind a spren and change their form does not indicate that they are using a manifestation of investiture. The greatshells of Roshar perform a similar process during their lifetime. So some Listener forms are related to voidbinding possibly, the ones listed as being forms of power. They are probably the ones given to them by Odium, but the process of binding the spren remains their own.

Yes, my bad on what I said. However, my correction still stands. What you said earlier is that Vasher was trying to hide the process for awakening steel, which is incorrect. He was hiding the method for creating Type IV constructs.

A sliver is a regular being which has held a significant portion of a shard's power, but then released it. However the power left a mark on the being. An example of a sliver is Rashek, TLR after ascending.

There was a WoB which states that Investiture cannot be created nor destroyed and another which says that Nightblood is slowly reducing the total investiture in Cosmere. Is that what you were referring to?

This is, overall, a very interesting issue. I've thrown a few thoughts around, but I thought it would be best if I just write my comprehensive thoughts on the matter. I'll end by addressing several points raised previously, if they aren't raised in the body. As far as I'm aware there are two main theories on how Taravangian was able to draw the Diagram: 1. He was able to view the spiritual realm, and this allowed him glimpses of the future. 2. His intelligence was raised to such a high degree that he was able to logical or intuitively guess what steps should be taken and what would come based on knowledge he had beforehand. Disclaimer: I have not read Mistborn: Secret History, which seems to me from what I've read that it talks a bit about the other realms. As such, I will not discuss much information stemming from it. Also, I am in favor of the second theory, meaning this is not an impartial review. So to start. The main thing I've noticed is that, based on the knowledge at hand, both theories remain valid, The support for each theory is mainly circumstantial, with nothing which approaches much contradiction or flaw in either. What this means is that these theories are probably going to remain valid for awhile, with each holding onto supporters for awhile until new information is found or released, most likely in the form of Oathbringer. I don't think Brandon is going to say anything else regarding it considering the RAFOs he's dropped in the past. The first theory, is a simple one, and explains everything about him writing the Diagram. The main point is that during the day of the Diagram, Taravangian's mind extended into the Spiritual Realm, and this afforded him a look into the future, possibly just fragments, but enough for him to write the Diagram. The mechanics of this aren't well defined, but what I've seen said seems to suggest a change in investiture, which gives him that push to the spiritual realm. As @Evenstrom said, a similar crossing of a cognitive mind with the spiritual realm achieved similar effects to what Taravangian described going through, though I cannot confirm this either way. The issues, however, with this theory are also important. Most importantly, is how his mind reaches the spiritual realm. As I said, it was suggested that he gains extra investiture somehow, which gives him that boost. But what hasn't been clear is where this investiture comes from. While it has been suggested that the intelligence gain is due to increased investiture, which makes sense, and at the extreme intelligence he touches the spiritual realm, this fails to consider is the proportional decrease in empathy. This would likely be due to a specific loss of investiture, meaning that overall, his amount of investiture doesn't change. It has also been suggested that the intelligence/empathy shift has to do with him being more aligned towards one of the non-physical realms over the other, but since the suggestion put empathy as being in the spiritual realm, it also wouldn't work. While I feel like the thought that him changing investiture is a good one, I still think it requires a solid explanation of where from, and for what reason. While the obvious answer that it is coming from the Nightwatcher, this fall short for two reasons. First is still the question of what the extra investiture is used for, unless shifting empathy and intelligence require non-equal amounts of investiture. Secondly is a question of why the Nightwatcher would be funneling investiture to him at times, since none of the other boon/curse changes seem to require continuous adjustments by Nightwatcher. Overall, I do think this is a good theory, though I don't agree with it, and if we were going with "simple is best", it would be the best theory. The second theory, is a touch more complex, and require a number more of premises. This theory calls for Taravangian to have never actually seen the future. Instead, the Diagram was written based on logical calculations, and intuitive guesses he made which would give the best possibility for the civilization of Roshar to survive what was coming. During the day, his extreme intelligence allowed him to draw an unparalleled number of conclusions and educated guesses in a short time, as if he were tapping a zinc metalmind for a large amount of mental speed. (Mistborn spoiler). All these guesses and calculations were founded on knowledge he had previously held before that Day, or quickly learned during that day as well. The well-noted issue about this theory, is the question of whether he held the knowledge necessary. The Diagram talked about the Heralds, Radiants, Listeners, and other details of time of the Desolation and just afterwards, details which would not be common. My, and other responses have been to point out that he possessed the largest library on Roshar, which clearly did contain some knowledge of the time of Desolations as Jasnah did find knowledge of voidbringers in it, enough to determine that the Parshendi were of them, which means that Taravangian could've determined the same thing with the same knowledge. While it is also a question of whether he would've had time to study and learn all this knowledge, I agree with the naysayers that he probably wouldn't have had the time. However, what he probably did have was a number of scholars and ardents who did the research for him, and presented him with detailed summaries of what they found. After all, he and Gavilar were engaged in the project previously, so he had probably already has a good start on research. Regarding flaws in this theory. The main issue is the number of conditions which would've had to have been fulfilled for him to have written the Diagram. He would've had to have had knowledge on Heralds, Shin, Listeners/Parshendi, Unmade, Radiants and population shift and mentality, that we know of, including knowledge that Talenel died in the Last Desolation and that the cycle of Desolations depends on Heralds withstanding torture in Damnation, or enough information to lead to that conclusion. A fair list, I admit, but not implausible. On the other hand, as far as we've seen of the Diagram, there's nothing which indicated things which were completely implausible to have previous knowledge of, such as the Everstorm, which he could've known of anyways. We don't know when the Diagram was written, but it was over a year before he became king of Jah Keved, while a Death Rattle foretelling the Everstorm was made 1229 days before it struck. Overall, as I stated before, I do think this is the better theory of the two despite its greater dependents, simply because it feels more right, and also because Taravangian himself didn't notice any knowledge contradictions that we know of. Hoping you stayed awake during that ramble. If anyone notices any contradictions or errors I made, please point them out. Also, if anyone has any additional explanations that I couldn't present, do notify me. Other stuff: I'll be honest, I don't see this logic. Consider first what we know Taravangian has managed to convince people to do. He has a secret hospital where the staff slowly murders sick and elderly. Yes, this is a different tier from actually convincing the general population that people with low IQs must die for the greater good of the population, but not that different. In addition, people have committed suicide and other actions for fanatical and/or religious reasons which are a lot more fantastical than the reason he wants. All he would've had to do was convince people that there was solid fanatical reason for doing so. Yes, unlikely from our view, but not impossible. He knew when the Everstorm would strike from Deathrattles. One gave a prediction that it would arrive in 1000 days, though the actual time from the Death Rattle was 1229. I don't see hims saying that in Chapter 88. Are you referring to one of the interludes about him? As for the epigraph, he could've noticed deviations in population patterns and guessed that there was a joker moving around, more aware of what was going on and influencing matters.

Nightblood isn't awakened steel. Anyone with the ninth heightening can awaken Steel as a Type III Biochromatic entity, in other words, a non-sentient awakened object. In Warbreaker, it was said that he killed Shashara so that the knowledge to create Type IV entitires, sentient awakened objects, wouldn't spread. It's possible he knows that Nightblood is reducing the overall system of investiture. Hard to say really, but I'd be willing to believe he can, especially since he contains a splinter which is a part of Endowment and for the most part, Nightblood is removing Endowment's investiture from the system currently. Don't think there's a WoB on the matter. It's likely either aluminium or an alloy of it, or just heavily invested.

He might've heard about the Unmade from the Death Rattles or from old stories and accounts from the time of the Desolations. Dates for the highstorms isn't that hard, it's been stated and proven that they can be mathematically predicted, so at the level of intelligence he was at, it probably wasn't that hard.

True, that's what I implied. However, what his opinion indicates is that there is no information in the Diagram that he doesn't think couldn't have come from the knowledge he knew before that day.

That is only his opinion on the matter, but fairly likely to be correct, if he still thought it after the smartest day after the Diagram.

Brandon said that investiture cannot be destroyed. I think if there were exceptions to that, he would've mentioned that instead of just flatly saying it cannot be. The WoB in entirety.

I think what the Diagram is implying is that the appearance of the Heralds are what indicate that another Desolation is coming, because they succumbed in Damnation to the torture and were returned to Roshar to prepare the people. Hoid called Talenel late because the Desolation was already nearly upon them, and there was no time for Talenel to teach them the skills they needed to properly survive, which is what the Heralds did previously.

Interesting that he would have somehow found about Hoid though. He must've traced social anomalies that Hoid has caused. We know he had been around on Roshar long enough for there to have been effects. The Ghostbloods do seem more likely though in my opinion. They were causing a greater effect so it would be more likely that Taravangian would've noticed their actions. This is all, of course, founded on my opinion that Taravangian didn't actually have prescience abilities during the day of the Diagram and was instead just drawing conclusion from knowledge he knew beforehand.

If there isn't a bond, then don't say there is. Confusing and incorrectly implicative terminology should be avoided. No. Splinters need to be self-aware. Please do your research regarding this as Brandon has even explicitly said so: Returned are splinters because the Divine Breath is self-aware and is controlling the body. I believe that whatever impressions a returned has of its life are just based off of cognitive fragments attached to the body.

Just store useless memories and put them to good use by tapping them while using Nightblood.

Dor would reaccumulate eventually in any case, so it doesn't matter how much power it pulls, and it probably accumulates faster than Nightblood consumes unless it's unsheathed for a very long time. Also, I doubt that it can tap the passive connection Elantrians have. It would probably need the full connection caused by a completed AonDor to only drain the power which would go to powering the Aon's effect, nullifying the effect. It still wouldn't matter whether it's a nicrosil metalmind. Also, I think there's a WoB that it consumes a tapped charge. While that doesn't mean it can't, I think Nightblood would be unable to, anymore than it can use breath in nearby objects.

Tapping a nicrosil metalmind wouldn't matter any more than any other metalmind. They're all invested objects and tapping them draws the investiture into the person, causing a change on the physical, cognitive or spiritual level.

Nightblood can consume the kinetic investiture of a feruchemical charge as you tap it.

I hate to blow a large portion of this theory away, but there's a WoB that you don't bond honorblades. They just give the specific surgebinding abilities to whoever is using it. Second error. Splinters are self-aware pieces of a shard's power. We have not seen anything which indicates that Honorblades are self-aware. As such, I don't think the Honorblades are splinters of Honor. Pieces of his power, and shaped by him, yes, but not splinters. Good thought though.

Usual blackjack in a casino has the house play as well, with a set of rules dictating how it acts. Poker would be against other gamblers only and not the house so it wouldn't work there, as far as I'm aware.

I don't think we've seen voidbinding yet, at least not explicitly stated as such. What you're talking about is just Listener form-changing, which is a natural process to them, independent of shard, as far as I'm aware, though shards can augment it by providing spren which give more forms. This is what is happening here, as the Listeners are binding to stormspren of Odium, and becoming one of the forms of power which Odium gave them millennia ago. It's probably because they're binding to a piece of Odium that his hatred breaks through to them and controls them. It's possible however that the stormform Listeners do have voidbinding abilities. That may be how they are able to throw lightning and summon the Everstorm. However, while it is probably true that voidbinding does require the binding of a spren as I believe all of Roshar's manifestations of investiture do, I don't think that that is indicative of it being of Honor.