alder24

Direform are intelligent, naturally armored and quite strong, comparably so to Koloss. Koloss are massive, intimidating and swing huge lumps of iron. While the Direform numbers are limited by available spren, you can create as many Koloss as you want, but they have a tendency to start killing each other, which isn't ideal. Still, quantity is a quality of its own so in my army I would rather have Koloss simply because I can outnumber any enemy by a vast margin and overwhelm them. Koloss are also easy to control with Allomancy, so they will follow me commands just as I want them to and won't betray me. They are also super easy to replace, just reuse spikes from the fallen ones, and they don't need any supplies so any logistical restraints are just out of the window. Additionally, an army of Koloss is just terrifying, which would devastate the morale of my enemy and could force them to surrender without any fight. But in a 1 on 1 fight, Direform would most likely win, simply because they are smart and intelligent unlike Koloss. Their armor probably wouldn't help that much if they were to get hit by Koloss' giant club of iron (blunt internal damage), but Eland had no powers and still killed one of them, Direform would have a much easier job.

The blade is still visible in Shadesmar when it’s summoned in the Physical Realm, it appears as a shimmering, glowing object. Although on Scadrial every metal glows in the Cognitive Realm, pure investiture turned physical would probably be recognizable for a Radiant and especially for a spren from Roshar. Having Shardblade permanently summoned and hiding it in an aluminum sheath is a great solution. I would also cover its hilt with aluminum or some normal metal to hide its glow. If you know someone trusty and you don’t mind leaving your Shardblade with them, they can also hide it in a big pile of metal/scrap. But truthfully, you could dismiss your blade and have your Deadeye sink into the depths of the Scardrian subastral, which is made out of opaque mists. Most of deadeyes on Roshar wander through the bottom of the sea of beads and it’s almost impossible to detect them. If your deadeye is somewhat aware and you can communicate with them (like Maya), you can tell them to stay hidden at the bottom of the Shadesmar sea and they won’t be seen and won’t betray your position, yet you can still summon them to the Physical Realm anytime you need a blade. If anyone wants to retrieve your Shardblade, they need to find you and not your deadeye. They need to either kill you, spike your Connection to the blade out, or destroy the gem in the blade when it’s summoned (only a Bondsmith would be able to steal that Connection by touching your deadeye). A giant, glowing sword would be very eye-catching on Scadrial so you’d do better if you don’t brandish your Shardblade in the Physical realm if you want to stay hidden. That's a problem because before WaT it was incredibly hard for a spren or a Radiant to leave Roshar, almost impossible. Kelsier suffers from the same problem, he can’t leave Scardial.

And where would you leave that non-Radiant person? On a vertical mountain cliff? Urithiru is placed within mountain peaks, you can't just walk up to it. The only path you can enter on foot is the one Fused took when attacking Urithiru, through a cave stretching from the foot of a mountain up to the basement of Urithiru. But that path was blocked during the invasion.

It would be probably easier to do three separate equations, but at the same time also harder as they all need to work together. That's why I don't think there would be three equations, because energy, matter and investiture are the same thing and the Einstein's equation tells you how much total energy is there in the object/particle - mass is energy, so is momentum and energy curves spacetime (and that's why it's in the equation - at least that's how I understand it). That's why I believe there should be just one equation in Cosmere that tells you the same with the inclusion of Investiture cause it's also energy that needs to be considered. WaT:

All points towards this conclusion. The Shades were first discovered in the Forests of Hell by the first expeditioners who landed there. The AU Threnodite system essay says that people only sometimes turn into Shades, not always: My opinion is that the original inhabitants of this continent died off shortly after the clash of Shards and turned into Shades, remaining there ever since. It's possible that you are right, as on Canticle Shades are often drawn into the Chorus rather than remaining where they died. But this is something that is visible, a mist appears and moves away. However, this isn't always the case and Shades sometimes do rise from corpses. If things like this were happening on the Homeland too, it would have been noticed and Shades would have been known before landing in the Forests of Hell. TSM ch 22: It's still a valid theory as we only have scares information about Threnody, however we don't really have anything that would supoort your claim either.

Age is the most important factor. Breaths of younger people are stronger and more vibrant than those of adults, old age weakens them even more and Breaths from dying people are the weakest. Still, the difference is pretty small so it's not that big of a deal.

It's even better. Apparently Horneaters will treat you like a god. We will know more about Horneaters and their perpendicularity once Brandon writes Horneater novella.

It looks like that if something is large enough, it wouldn't be affected by the time bubble even if a part of it is passing through it.

They buy food from merchants, the most popular food is canned one which is brought to Roshar by traders from other worlds. Canned food doesn't spoil that fast so it can be stored for a long time, perfect for Shadesmar. There are thousands of people travelling between worlds, there is a whole trade network, which deals with distributing food around Shadesmar. They have been. There is a perpendicularity in Horneaters Peaks and a massive trade hub there. People from Roshar can use it to cross into Shadesmar, and while most people don't know about it, it still happens. I would also assume that as languages evolve on Roshar, due to the fact that spren are influenced by perception of people, they naturally pick up those changes. However, we have seen many spren who struggle to communicate in human languages (for example capitan Ico), so its clear that they need to learn too. Yes, what Shallan and Jasnah do is force beads around to take the shape of an object, manifesting an object creates it physically in Shadesmar. They don't stop people from crossing between realms, Hoid, Zahel or Azure had no problems with passing through Cultivation's perpendicularity. Edit: Actually, they do have their own languages. Cryptics are probably most famous as their language use clicking sounds, Lightspren use vibrations through metal to communicate and there are several other spren languages.

Those are a bit different situations because Bleeder used spikes to steal Allomantic and Feruchemic powers and grant them to her own body and Spirit Web. Kelsier already has them in his Spirit Web. The problem is that the body he uses isn't his, it's Mistwraith's body which has its own Spirit Web and most importantly its own identity, which conflicts with Kelsier spirit's identity. I wouldn't be surprised that even if he were to try to place a spike with a stolen power into this body, it would grant this power to the Mistwraith, but not to Kelsier's Spirit Web, which would also prevent him from using it for the same reasons. It's definitely possible for him to regain his powers, but it would require hacking the magic system in some way. It would probably be easier to find a way to fully reconnect his Spirit Web to the Physical Realm and manifest his own new body out of pure investiture, SA spoilers: Obviously, Sazed could have done it for him with ease, but he decided not to do it (can't blame him, Kelsier has already dethroned two gods and usurped the power of the third one for a short time, you can never be too careful when it comes to dealing with Kelsier).

Kelsier's Connection to the Physical Realm was severed, so it's a little problematic for him to return to PR. He can't just step through a perpendicularity, he needs to reestablish his Connection to the Physical Realm. Thankfully, his bones are still around and he is Connected to them so he can use this. We don't know exactly how he got his body back, but the most likely theory supported by WoBs is that he fed his bones to a Mistwraith and then he used Hemalurgy to staple his soul into it with a spike. Then he just used Mistwraith's shapeshifting ability to create his body from the bones Mistwraith ate, just like Kandra do it. So technically speaking he kind of possessed Mistwraith's body rather than got his own body back, which explains why he can't use Allomancy as even though it's part of his Spirit Web, the body he uses is not his. SA 4 Spoilers:

Just because it's anti investiture, it doesn't mean its intent was reversed. It wasn't, it's still ambition. Just like a light wave inverted is still a light wave, or antimatter has a normal mass, not negative mass. However, in the case of Evil, IoE said they are made out of negative investiture, which is slightly different. What's more, the book said Ambition's intent was fully removed from all this Splintered investiture (and the quote and WoB suggest there is no Odium's investiture in them, just Ambition's). IoE ch 54: Threnodites and Shades are not made out of anti-investiture, but a normal one which was corrupted. They would still be fully annihilated if touched by anti-investiture or the Evil. IoE ch 49: The Grand Knell was indeed made during the Splintering of Ambition, and it is located near Threnody. IoE ch 25: Once again, there is no Anti-Ambition, the Evil seems to be made out of raw, intentless anti-investiture and because they are sentient, they can decide what to do. The book suggests that the Evil destroyed almost all of Threnody before moving out into wider Cosmere - that's why they stopped, there was nothing left for them to consume. IoE ch 27: There was a theory that the Three Simple Rules each were influenced by the intent of Odium, Ambition and Mercy. Can't remember the details now. In any case, the Evil is fully sentient so it can act on its own (just like spren, just because Honorspren are out of Honor it doesn't mean they have to be like Honor), they show signs of curiosity and intentional cruelty. Shades show some level of self-awareness, but they're mostly twisted and corrupted CS that spread that corruption as it touches others. Well, because the waves of destruction were from a direct confrontation between Odium and Ambition and Ambition's Splintering, the Current is made by whatever was left out afterwards. A plank dropped into water generates massive waves on impact, but once it starts floating, there are only gentle waves made by it. You mean a nearly global extinction of Threnody and the creation of multiple gozillas roaming freely across Cosmere isn't worse than what happened on Sel, which mostly affects CR alone?? The waves of destruction were not necessarily the result of the final Splintering of Ambition, just the clash between Shards was enough to create them and they started to fight before Ambition left the Threnodite system. WaT spoilers: AU:

Yumi spoilers: Cosmere spoilers: That's a good connection. It's possible that the Midnight Dead are only a local phenomena and they survived all the way past Catacendre, or they were all around Scadrial but some of them survived on that island. Yup, except for the lore, the rest isn't that impressing. The main character didn't leave any impression on me at all - he just was in the book and didn't really do anything. Brandon was right calling it an average book, but rusts I want that sweet sweet ancient Scadrial lore drop so much!

There is a new reading from a dropped secret project that was just read in London. Here's the link: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/554/#e17193. The story is set thousands of years before Rashek and Alendi, so long ago that they still use bronze for weapons and armors as well as phalanx and war chariots. It's such an ancient past that it explains the origins of the Deepness. There's a few interesting things I've noticed while reading it. The first one and the most important one is the complete lack of the white, Preservation's Mist. It's absent and even replaced with the black smoke called the Murk, which forms as night sets. It obscures clouds and stars, just like the Mists does. That sounds a lot like Ruin's Mist. From it the Midnight Dead emerge, forming out of the smoke, bones included. An individual Dead doesn't seem to linger for a long time as they fade as new ones appear. Those Deads are said to be the souls of angry dead people, buried for specific purpose, which would mean they might be some form of Cognitive Shadows. What's more, they whisper unrecognizable words, which might pose some kind of threat as people put wax in their ears. However, they seem to be somewhat mindless in their behaviour. It looks to me that Ruin's directly involved with the Dead and the Murk. The Ageless was mentioned a few times, a ruler of Iratrians, who are on an offensive war. He rules from Mount Dominant and rumors said he can control the Midnight Dead. The city of Caldweth is independent, but on map it belongs to Iratrian and it was said that the Ageless hasn't enforced his rule over them in decades, which might mean he was busy elsewhere, or he was/is absent. Once again, that sounds like Ruin to me. Silver is used to create swords to fight the Dead - which suggest that they really are CS akin to Shades. There is also a flower that repels them - maybe it's even the Marewill flower? And lastly the Gwit people, or Gway Fiatelle, failed in the past and they are forbidden from carrying a sword until they redeem themselves. They act as mercenaries and by tradition are given a sword by others. They usually have pale skin and brown hair and wear a silver sword pendant - they do not look like Terris. There is no sign of Preservation, Mists or any kind of Metallic Arts present in the story. From all of this I speculate that the story takes place either shortly before Ruin's imprisonment by Preservation or shortly after, because it looks like Preservation hasn't set up the Mistsnapping and the Mists yet. The Murk is most definitely Ruin's investiture, which I think was later splintered off by Preservation and trapped in the Atium cycle in the Pits of Hathsin (this idea aligns with WoB and WoB). The Ageless might be Ruin himself or his agent trying to conquer Scadrial for him to destroy it, or to free Ruin if he's already imprisoned - but only the "controlling the Dead" part makes me believe this. Then there is a question of what Gway Fiatelle did to condemn the entire nation? The only thing I can think of is that one of them was the first one ever to Ascend at the Well of Ascension (after Ruin's imprisonment) and caused this whole mess with the Midnight Dead somehow, however this doesn't really fit with the absence of the Mist and the presence of the Ruin's Mist. Honestly, it's a pity that Brandon has dropped the book and it probably won't be finished as the lore sounds really interesting and nothing like I've imagined. I'm super curious now how did the Deppness and the Mist appear for the first time, what's going on with the Dead and the Ageless and how Ruin and Preservation fit into all of this, but unfortunately we are unlikely to get the answers to those questions. What do you guys think of this reading and what are your theories about all of this?

Welcome to the Shard fellow compatriot! I think IoE is coming out this fall, so just a few months away. What’s your favorite Cosmere book? And I thought my avatar was a dead giveaway.

Yes, I do agree with that description of Passion which is even supported by what Dalinar felt in OB, but he's not all emotions which was what Rayse claimed to be. However, because Rayse wasn't successful in fully changing Odium's intent to Passion, Devotion fits as a clear opposite of Odium. OB ch 57: It doesn't seem this way to me, esspecially considering Devotion's description from Elantris ch 61: It's a gentle care and love of a comforting mother, not an overwhelming feeling described by Odium. Love doesn't have to be passionate. Even WaT confirms all Shards lack the sense of love and compassion, which was specifically assigned to Devotion. Odium/Passion simply cannot have love within him (which is what Venli saw). WaT ch 124: Yes, that's kind of true. Brandon even said that not all Shards have a perfectly opposite pairing, and some Shards can have several opposite ones. Honor and Autonomy fit well as opposites, just like Preservation and Cultivation and you can make many more pairings. Opposites attract each other just like Ruin and Preservation do, but their interaction, fight and perception of people and self can polarize them even more making them better fit opposites in the process. I would argue Honor and Odium became stronger opposites because of this effect and Brandon even said they aren't necessarily opposite, but they do attract each other well. Yes, Odium has specifically targeted Devotion because she is the divine sense of love and was held by one of the best of all the Vessels. Look up the quote from WaT ch 124 above. You asked "considered by whom" so I showed you there are those who would consider Devotion and Odium to be an opposite pairing. Brandon didn't say just yes, because not all Shards have as clear opposites as Ruin and Preservation are. Some don't have them at all, others can have several and Odium is one of those. I do believe that Devotion is a fitting pairing for Odium, just like Honor is and Reason also seems like a good opposite to Odium (emotions vs logic).

WaT ch 120:

Honestly, what detailed sex scenes? Where are they? I went and compared scenes from Warbreaker (2009) and Wind and Truth (2024) and they are basically the same - they have a conversation, start kissing and the scene ends indicating it happened. Nothing more. From this it seems that Brandon didn't change his policy about writing sex scenes, there is more passion and intimacy in the WaT scene but he still cuts the PoV before the deed even starts. Obviously, comparing those books to Mistborn Era 1, where you had to be a rusting detective to guess Vin and Elend were active at night, it might seem that Brandon became a lot more obscene, but I don't think that's the case. Warbreaker ch 45: WaT ch 18:

Rayse wanted to be known as Passion, but the Shard resisted this change. Even Venli noted that Odium is devoid of things such as love and care. Plus this WoB: RoW ch 83:

Interesting theory, it makes sense and I like it. I wouldn't be surprised to know that BAM is the 4th primal spren, who either from the very beginning was associated with Odium, or was corrupted by him when he settled on Roshar. She appears as a Singer, which might indicate that she’s as old and native to Roshar as they are. I don't think Shards adapted to tones of sprens, rather their tones were already similar due to the fact that those spren's investiture got assigned to those particular Shards during the Shattering. Wind was made out of Honor's investiture and thus their tone was similar to the pure tone of Honor and that's why Tanavast was drawn to them, the same goes for Night and Cultivation. The Stone could be a mix of both Honor and Cultivation's investiture (just like the Sibling is, who is made out of a portion of the Stone), pure Odium's investiture, or most likely was associated with investiture of a Shard not present on Roshar. Was it just anti-Honor? Both Honor and Odium clashed, their souls mixed and created anti-light as a result. I would imagine it was not only anti-Honor, but also anti-Odium, possibly mixed as anti-War. The book did say there were multiple anti-tones present. WaT ch 120:

Roshar was created by Adonalsium with Lesser Spren only, intelligent True Spren and God Spren were created by Shards after Honor and Cultivation settled on Roshar. Spren are beings of pure investiture and in our universe there is no investiture so they can't exist here. But those "what if" kind of questions are just for fun so who cares about it? In a theoretical scenario where you can wave a magic wand and pop a spren into existance it doesn't matter how its alive, the only thing that matters is that it is alive.

Probably, they do run math to figure out how much energy/investiture is needed for what's happening in the books and Brandon did ask physicists to make Cosmere equations for him. Btw, E=mc^2 isn't even the full Einstein's equation, it's just for the mass at rest. The full one includes momentum: E^2=(mc^2)^2 + (pc)^2 (p is momentum). I would imagine investiture would be added in the same way as momentum is.

He was fast and this was happening more in the Spiritual Realm where time flew differently than it was in the Physical Realm. Nightblood doesn't kill his bearers instantly, for example in OB Szeth ran out of Stormlight and stayed alive for a while as the gray vines were covering his body. Yes. Really hard to say. It depends on the shape of an object and what you want it to do, but try to avoid abstract concepts like evil in your Command.

In Cosmere, investiture is a third state of matter and energy and one can be turned into the other according to a modified version of E=mc^2 that includes investiture conversion. What Lift does is she metabolizes energy/calories straight into investiture instead of sugar. So no, she shouldn't get a ton of energy because she doesn't convert matter into energy.

If Hemalurgy can make you grow wings, or steal the ability to grow gemhearts from Singers, it can most definitely turn you into a shapeshifter by stealing something from a mistwraith. The hardest part would be figuring out what metal to use for your spike and where you need to place it.