So, while the podcast was discussing how Nightblood was created the idea that divine breaths were involved was brought up. The team rightly brought up that 1,000 divine breaths would be a lot (maybe even beyond the "very hard" requirements that are discussed). Yet I think there is something to the divine breath theory.
For some reason this drew me back to the idea that Vasher had to kill Shashara to stop the creation of any additional weapons. I've always considered the divine breath to be a Endowment-invested version of someone's cognitive or spiritual essence (basically a souped up version of their soul). As such, I consider the divine breath to be the vehicle by which the Returned continue to exist and also the vehicle for their sentience (which is living on borrowed time and would otherwise be drawn to the Beyond). I'm also, maybe faultily assuming that the group of Scholars (Vasher, Yesteel, Denth, Shashara) were all returned. We certainly know that's true for 2 of them at a minimum.
Now consider that when Awakeners invest objects the amount of breaths needed is dependent on the command. Over time they may learn that "protect me" to a cloak takes X number of breaths but it doesn't seem like that's obvious without experimentation. So, perhaps Shashara didn't know that it took 1000 breaths to create Nightblood until she did it since it was the first of its kind. And perhaps in addition to the 1000 regular breaths she told Vasher about, she didn't notice that it also took her divine breath. That would explain why Nightblood is so invested (has a divine breath which is a direct investiture from Endowment). It also might explain whatever unexplained change of heart that made Shashara so committed to making more weapons that Vasher had to kill his lover. It seems unlikely that he would have killed her just to 'kill the knowledge' unless she clearly had the intent of making more. What if, by inadvertently investing her Divine Breath in Nightblood, she lost the part of her that made her "her" and became less willing to listen and be tempered by Vasher.
The Shardkeepers Podcast: Corrupted Investiture and Nightblood
in Shardcast
Posted · Edited by jamesgrey
So, while the podcast was discussing how Nightblood was created the idea that divine breaths were involved was brought up. The team rightly brought up that 1,000 divine breaths would be a lot (maybe even beyond the "very hard" requirements that are discussed). Yet I think there is something to the divine breath theory.
For some reason this drew me back to the idea that Vasher had to kill Shashara to stop the creation of any additional weapons. I've always considered the divine breath to be a Endowment-invested version of someone's cognitive or spiritual essence (basically a souped up version of their soul). As such, I consider the divine breath to be the vehicle by which the Returned continue to exist and also the vehicle for their sentience (which is living on borrowed time and would otherwise be drawn to the Beyond). I'm also, maybe faultily assuming that the group of Scholars (Vasher, Yesteel, Denth, Shashara) were all returned. We certainly know that's true for 2 of them at a minimum.
Now consider that when Awakeners invest objects the amount of breaths needed is dependent on the command. Over time they may learn that "protect me" to a cloak takes X number of breaths but it doesn't seem like that's obvious without experimentation. So, perhaps Shashara didn't know that it took 1000 breaths to create Nightblood until she did it since it was the first of its kind. And perhaps in addition to the 1000 regular breaths she told Vasher about, she didn't notice that it also took her divine breath. That would explain why Nightblood is so invested (has a divine breath which is a direct investiture from Endowment). It also might explain whatever unexplained change of heart that made Shashara so committed to making more weapons that Vasher had to kill his lover. It seems unlikely that he would have killed her just to 'kill the knowledge' unless she clearly had the intent of making more. What if, by inadvertently investing her Divine Breath in Nightblood, she lost the part of her that made her "her" and became less willing to listen and be tempered by Vasher.
My two cents.