Aeshdan

I disagree. Religion is the foundation of reason.

The Surge of Life is the natural biochemical energy that is responsible for the ordinary healing and working of your body. So Regrowth supercharges the body's natural healing powers in a manner analogous to gold Feruchemy.

1. There is a distinction between Ati/Leras and Ruin/Preservation. Ati and Leras were the two original holders of the Shards of Ruin and Preservation. Those are the bodies that fell from the sky. 2. The Well of Ascension contained a portion of Preservation's power. Releasing it, instead of taking it for yourself, caused the prison Leras had created out of his mind to come apart, releasing Ruin. 3. Preservation's power, even without a consciousness to direct it, worked against Ruin. It wasn't very effective, but it did prevent Ruin from destroying everything the way he wanted.

I don't think everybody has the power to worldhop. The point is that anybody could use these links, not just those with the worldhopping magic. And yes, only those on the linked worlds were killed.

On your point about Dalinar, i'm almost certain he's Metalborn (my name for order 8) because he picked leadership and determination as the two things with which he would define his life. We already have Kaladin and Szeth as type-1 surgebinders, so eight order (determination) makes a lot more sense. Plus, something i just thought of. One of the two Windrunner surges is atmospheric Pressure.

I think Dustbringers must be order 2,3, or 4. Primarily because we know Dustbringers do something that involves a lot of heat, and it seems silly for the Surge of Heat or Temperature or whatever to belong to any essence other than the the third. So Order 3 has this surge, and either 2 or 4 does as well. Since Smoke and Fire both seem like things that could be associate with Dust, i'm guessing Dustbringers are the second Order.

Well, it actually isn't necessary for the links to be down (maybe that's how Hoid and his followers get between worlds, now that I think of it.) I just needed a reason why the Shards couldn't use those links to jump between worlds and look for more auspicious combinations.

My specific idea was that these links were more analogous to the Oathgates in that they were permanent, hard to set up, and could be used without any magic.

Marsh had over twenty spikes. He probably had every allomantic and Feruchemical power of the basic ten.

A bunch of planets floating in space, connected by ironlines. The whole thing against a grid.

Which is why he didn't end up doing it. He'd do it as a last resort, though, and trust you to see him through.

I never intended to. Thanks!

Zeratul can enhance his physical abilities. He doesn't like to do it because it really increases the rate at which he burns through leyht. And you're right, the Hamartians are not generally known about.

Oh. I didn't know that K'rrhl and Bix had invitations. And I fully expected somebody to take a potshot at Zeratul. I have thought of two alternate versions of his entry scene (one where he bribes the guards and one where he breaks in and they chase him.) Would either of those work? Kchan? What do you think?

Probably to avoid freaking out the real crew. Also, if the kandra knew what was going on, he could fake it.

This isn't a complete first chapter, but i'd appreciate feedback. Melenius Tersius was troubled. He perched at his desk, staring at a map with many little pins stuck in it. The map described the vast stretches of ocean he’d been assigned to watch. To the east was the coastline of Secundum, colored Aquilon red. Tiny pins, also red, indicated the positions of Imperial garrisons or the private legions of the various Houses. Near the center of the map was the tiny island of Doldrum, on which he stood. The pins here were quartered red and white, to indicate the Imperial forces he commanded as Governor. Further to the east was the Rotten Land, colored green for the monsters that prowled it. A handful of green pins were stuck there, indicating known locations of monster nests. It was these last that gave him pause. More and more of the smugglers he tapped for news were vanishing, and those that did return described massive build-ups of monsters. His tired brain wandered back to when he’d first tapped the smugglers. At the time, he had no particular interest in the behavior of the monsters. His interests lay elsewhere. He had been a young eagle then, just having come of age. He had been dispatched to Doldrum immediately, as his appointment to become its Governor was already made. His predecessor had served well in the post for several decades, and was now well due for retirement. Melenius’s immediate concern lay in the fact that he was engaged. His mate, Tirillia Argentius, was beautiful and sweet, and they were very much in love. She was about six months younger than he, which was why they were not married yet. Thus, his personal goal over the next six months would be to find a way to give her a life on this island at least vaguely like what she’d been accustomed to at home. Unfortunately, this would not be easy. Though House Argentius had relatively little political influence, having only acquired Senatorial status recently, they were fabulously rich. And Doldrum was a small little island, with no particularly useful natural resources. The only reason it rated a Governor was that it was the closest island of any size to the Rotten Land. There was, however, one extremely lucrative trade that flowed through it. The same omnipresent toxicity that made the Rotten Land uninhabitable also made it a wonderful source of strange drugs, especially poisons. And Doldrum was one of only two or three places which were close enough to the Rotten Lands that you could sail there and back without reprovisioning. Those two factors meant that a vast trade in drugs, poisons, creatures, and other byproducts of the Rotten Land went on behind the scenes. Such trade was, of course, highly illegal. But Melenius had had a brainwave. As Governor, he had the power to swear any creature to Imperial service. And, as part of this, he could issue a general pardon for illegal actions performed during such service. So he simply put the word out that such commissions were available for the smugglers. .

Meanwhile, in Mawsbeck: The morning after his visit to The Graceful Vendris, I-Pick-Things-Up-And-Put-Them-Down thumped his way over to the biggest lumberjack he could find. You give me ax. I cut down trees. You cut down trees. I cut down more trees than you, I win. You cut don more trees, I win. Loser tells whole town that winner won. Either way, you show me where to put trees to get marks. Good?

Oh bother. I was hoping nobody would notice that that violates the fourth wall. It's a reference to "Atomic Shakespeare", from the TV show Moonlighting and i really wanted to put it in.

The idea I was going for was that the guards didn't know what to do with him, so they put him with all the other weird creatures and people that had been showing up.

I wrote some more lyrics for "The Color of Trust" The first three finish the pattern of the five senses, and then the fourth counterbalances the depressing truth of the first five verses. "Oh give me you trust said the King on high For i must rule all under the sky Trust me to guide and trust me to lead And I'll give you all that you need But trust is the smell of a wound gone sour Trust is the smell of the taint on the Power Trust is the smell of a soul's final breath Trust is the smell of death Oh give us your trust said the lady and lord Trust us with spindle and trust us with sword Trust us to do what must be done And we'll never you shun But trust is the feel of a knife at your throat Trust is the feel of the death of hope Trust is the feel of a soul's final breath Trust is the feel of death Oh give me your trust said the love of your life For together we'll be through war and through strife Trust me with all that you are or will be And the same trust you shall have from me. But trust is the taste of poison on the tongue Trust is the taste of the blood of the young Trust is the taste of a soul's final breath Trust is the taste of death. Oh give me your trust said the dying Lord For your sakes I am abhorred Trust my atonement, trust my command and I'll shelter you under my hand. For trust is the color of his lifeblood flowing Trust is the feel of the sin-weight growing Trust is the smell of the bloodied pine Trust is the taste of the soured wine Trust is the sound of his soul's final breath Trust is Jesus's death"

He didn't work that out until after the well, so the quotes are still consistent. Plus, Vin can't see Rashek's thoughts. Possibly he did know Ruin could grab the koloss and inquisitors once he escaped, but thought their usefulness outweighed that risk.

This world is shaped like a cube. The faces are exactly that, the six sides of the world. It's mentioned somewhere in the dialogue with the sorceress.

It was probably in a corner where it wouldn't me much trouble, just like when artists sign their work.

Thanks for the feedback. BTW, Great-Goldfire-Earth-Shaker is supposed to be his tribe's name for you (or me, if you'd prefer)

Ok. Would it be Ok for Zeratul to get involved in that thread, everyone? BTW, what did Khrll say? (just curious).