Brightlord M. Alhstrom

So, I was thinking.... Most of the shards tend to have some sort of opposite. And there has been discussion on what Odium's opposite is. However, I'm wondering if anyone has looked at it from a perspective of opposite goals instead of opposite characters. For example, You have Ruin and Preservation, who have opposite goals: Destroy, and keep things the way they are. Now so far Odium's goal has been to shatter and essentially remove all other shards. Would that mean that his opposite would be a shard trying to reunite the shards into a single being again? On a similar note, If you were to combine Ambition and some other shard, couldn't you get an entity trying to absorb all of the other shards?

Lets set something straight: As far as I can tell, there is nothing from Brandon saying that Aslydin is the Worldhopper Terriswoman in Warbreaker. Here is what we know: 1) Aslydin is introduced to us in Mistborn as the daughter of a Terris elder, thus a Terriswoman. 2) Aslydin is a confirmed 17th Shard member and Worldhopper. 3) The ethnicity of Aslydin's name is a confirmed hint to her being a 17th Shard member. 4) There is a Terriswoman Worldhopper who was confirmed to be somewhere in Warbreaker. 5) The Nurse in Warbreaker is pretty much confirmed to have been this Terriswoman Worldhopper. Brandon's reactions to questions the subject involve a lot of surprise, though I'm not sure he has ever said it right out. 6) Demoux is a confirmed 17th Shard member and a Worldhopper. 7) Asyldin is Demoux's love interest. 8) Asyldin is seen getting bandages in on of the Mistborn books, implying that she might have knowledge as a nurse. It has also been theorized that Aslydin was the person who brought Demoux into the 17th shard. Now, a lot of this seems to point at Aslydin being the aforementioned Terriswoman, but if you look at it, it has never been confirmed. (Of course, if you have some other WoBs that add other information, I'd be delighted to know). My guess? She isn't Terris at all. She was 17th shard, disguised herself as Terris to get closer to events (which we know Worldhoppers can do since Hoid does it too), then fell in love with Demoux and dragged him into the 17th shard. The Terriswoman in Warbreaker is a completely different Worldhopper, who isn't even confirmed to be in the 17th shard. Of course, I haven't been able to analyse name-types to find out what culture Aslydin's name is most likely to come from, so it might well be Terris, but I think that it is more likely to be from a different planet. (Don't ask me which one). Especially if Sanderson is being devious in trying to make it look like the Terriswoman Worldhopper is Aslydin, so that those of us who do all of this theorizing are shoked when we find out that they are different, and possibly enemies. Could you picture that? We keep seeing them both do stuff, always assuming that they are one in the same, and then BAM, they meet, fight and stuff, and you realize that half of what you thought was true is a lie. Sorry, it just seems like Aslydin is too obvious to be the Terriswoman, and Brandon doesn't seem to think he has given us enough about the Terriswoman to know who she is yet.

@Calderis I just read pretty much all of the interview. It mentions that the Terriswoman is in fact the nurse in Warbreaker, but it never connects either the nurse or the terriswoman to Aslydin. I feel like people assumed that Aslydin was the terriswoman worldhopper because she is introduced as a terriswoman, but I don't think thats right, and I can't find any WoBs backing that.

@StrikerEZ WoB from reddit: Now, in the book we meet her as the daughter of one of the Terris Elders. However, in the above WoB, it is implied that her name should somehow imply that she is from the 17th shard. Now, the only way the ethnicity of her name would imply that are if (A) people of a specific ethnicity are more likely to be Worldhoppers or 17th Shard members or that (B) the ethnicity of her name is obviously from off-world, implying that she is a worldhopper. (B) is much more likely in my mind. Either way, the only way she is actually a terriswoman is if (A) her name being a terris one is somehow a hint to her being a worldhopper (extremely unlikely, plus it didn't seem like a terris name) or (B) She somehow got adopted into the terris culture enough to be considered a terriswoman (also somewhat of a stretch). I'm going to take that reasoning to mean that she is from off-world and that that is why her name should a clue to her being in 17th shard. So, unless when Brandon said that there is a terriswoman in Warbreaker, he meant a woman who had previously disguised herself as a terriswoman, I'm going to take that to mean that she is not the Nurse in Warbreaker. And I've searched for any other WoB in which Aslydin is mentioned by name, and all I found was a question about any couple other than her and Demoux, and then a RAFO'd question about whether she is a Feruchemist.

I find Duraluminum unlikely. Being a Terriswoman AND a Worldhopper means that she has a high likelihood of having some Feruchemical abilities, and if she was using Duraluminum along with Zinc she would need to be a full Mistborn. It just seems to me that a full Twinborn like the Lord Ruler would be too dangerous/powerful to be doing something as mundane as begging a Returned for his breath. Unless she knew of a way to make sure he transferred to breath to her instead of using it to heal the child (That might be possible, haven't looked into those kinds of theories yet). Then it would make sense for a Full Twinborn to try and become Returned as well. Still a huge stretch, especially since no protagonist would ever get that powerful (at least, not without becoming a Shard), and I don't see 17th Shard as being one of the Antagonists. Of course, that could leave us with a Terriswoman who somehow has Allomancy but not Feruchemy (oh the irony). But I think not. The only other option involving Duraluminum is that there are other worldhoppers there with her who are doing the Zinc and Duraluminum/Nicrosil burning instead so that can all research/witness the passing of a Returned through healing. Less of a stretch, but still too unlikely for me.

Sorry to Necro, but I wanted to test a Demoux origin theory. Might already be well known, but I haven't found a sight of it on this forum yet. Here goes nothing: We know from the HoA Annotations that Demoux's name is based on a friend of Brandon's. We also know he promised two things to his friend: 1) His character had to get a girl eventually, and 2) His character had to survive to the end of the series. Now, the thought is this: When Micah DeMoux asked that, was he aware that this was going to be a collection of three series? Did he know of the Cosmere? I see three way that Brandon could interpret that last sentence: 1) Demoux had to outlast the first trilogy. 2) Demoux had to outlast the entire Mistborn story, including all three Eras. 3) Demoux had to last the ENTIRE story (IE, the entire Cosmere) Now, 1) is fine, and probably the one everyone assumes is accurate, however, if he chose either 2) or 3), then Brandon would have to make Demoux either an Atium compounder who survives from series to series much like Iron Eyes, or he would have to make him a Worldhopper. This might explain why Demoux, of all the Mistborn characters, was chosen as a 17th shard members by Brandon. And if it's true, it means that that "magical shield known as the author’s promise to his pal" if I may use Brandon's own words, would still apply as the story continues to unfold. And if I'm right, it would also mean that Brandon fulfilled both those promises at once, which would be kinda cool. Why, you ask? Because the person who brought Demoux into the 17th shard is none other than Aslydin, Demoux's girlfriend. (And for the record, Aslydin is not the terriswoman worldhopper we are looking for in Warbreaker. She isn't from Scadrial, so she isn't Terris at all.)

I guess just to add to that, it would make sense that post-Reod Elantrians wouldn't have that same effect, since until Raodin showed up, no one ever devoted themselves to anything.

Spoiler Alert for the first Mistborn Series and for Secret History So, if we take that conclusion, that you can be more connected to a Shard based on your character, then it might make sense for some Elantrians to be more connected to the ideal of Devotion (IE more devoted than others) and thus to feel the effects of the Dor more strongly. And I think we can all agree that Raoden was quite devoted to his work. Similarly Dalinar might simply be more "Honorable" than others, giving a greater connection to Honor, which in turn gave him the visions. After all, he was positively obsessed with Honor in those first two books. I'm not saying that this is the only factor, I'm just saying that there is a lot pointing to your character connecting you to a Shard, which may have been why certain Elantrians were more susceptible to Dor attacks. In fact, the book almost says it right out, when saying that some of the more experienced or powerful Elantrians were completely paralyzed during the Reod. (Someone confirm this. I think my memory is accurate, but I can't check cause I don't got my copy on hand)

All though I do have to agree with annotations, I really like this conclusion. In fact, if we mix it with some Mistborn HS: So, if we take this to mean that someone can be more/less attuned towards a Shard, then it could mean that Raoden was simply more attuned to the Dor than most. Also, I'm fairly sure that there is a part of the book mentioning that some of the more experienced and powerful pre-Shaod were completely paralyzed when the Shaod happened. The transformation and cut off from the Dor was much more intense for them. I doubt that means that they simply built up a ton of Dor energy real fast. It makes more sense for it to simply be that they had always been more attuned to the Dor, and that they essentially got the full force of an attack right away. And how this connects to Dalinar.... well I assume it has to do with a connection to Honor's power. After all, he does seem really honorable. Now, that annotations seem to contradict this, which I find sad, as this would make so much more sense, but after a second thought, the annotations don't really contradict this theory. In fact the line "most of the explanations we get in this chapter are true" would almost seem to point to it. So yes, the use of unreleased Aons intensified attacks, but I feel like the strength of his Aons and the strength of the attacks might have to do with being more attuned or connected to the Dor somehow. Disclaimer: I don't have my copy of Elantris with me as it is busy turning one of my friends into a Brandon fan, but i did have my copy of Arcanum Unbounded to reference. If some of what I say doesn't add up in the books, please correct me, and if you can find the citation for the whole pre-Shaod thing, then please add it in.

Currently running Elementary OS. It's been amazing. Ubuntu based, so I get all the perks of the file system and package system. The UI is loosely based on iOS, with a blank and a taskbar on top and stuff, but it runs great. And I get to keep Windows as a dual boot for a couple nasty programs that just don't like Linux.

@The Voiceless One No. The bond is instantaneous on all counts. The limitations aren't about time, but about the cost of actually going from Sentience to Synergy along the Sentient Progression, the danger of a hostile takeover if the person you come in contact with is already in a network, as well as how you can't drain anyone else without draining yourself. I'm currently in the process of writing all of this down as a whole, so when I post that I'll insert a link here for you, but until then I won't be answering more questions on Synergy, since that post will answer them anyways.

I'm currently building one. See this post for more: It is passed on using your "Soulflame" to infuse artifacts with magical qualities, referred to as "Infusions". You they use more Soulfire to use the infusions. The limitations have to do with the rate at the which Soulflames grow, the necessity, time and cost of creating artifacts, and that if you run out of Soulfire you die. That and the fact that most people only have access to 3 or 4 types of infusions, so you can really dive deeply into each one. As for who can use it? Anyone. If you are alive, you have a Soulflame. If you are Sentient, then with a bit of training you can use any artifact, as long as you have access to enough Soulfire. This allows me to create a Cosmere-like universe, where all of the magic is connected, but different. They all use the concept of Artifacts, Infusions and Soulfire, but they all have access to different Infusion types, that all do different things. And yes, it does bear similarity to the breath system from Warbreaker, as well as the advanced Allomantic machines from the Bands of Mourning, and the Ter'Angreal from Wheel of Time, but it is actually quite different.

@StrikerEZ That is the basis of Witchcraft which is fairly high on my todo list right now. Essentially, Synergistic Netowrks allow you to drain someone of all their Soulfire into a Storage-Entity or use it directly to infuse an Entity.

@StrikerEZ "If a entity that is somewhere along the Sentient Progression loses all it's Soulfire, it will drop off the Sentient Progression and become a Base-Artifact or less." Taken from the next draft of this post. Almost ready to update it. In other words, you die.

There are three ways you will lose Soulfire: Infusing it, Expending it, and Transferring it. Infusing Soulfire means that your Soulfire is transformed into an infusion, or raises something along the Sentient Progression. This can be done to any entity. The more Soulfire has already been infused into an entity, the higher the cost of future infusions. Expending Soulfire happens when you use an infusion that has already been created. It feeds of your Soulflame to do something magical, based on what the infusion is. Transferring has to do with Soulfire going from one Soulflame to another. In the first two, the Soulfire that you lose doesn't go into another Soulflame; it is no longer usable as Soulfire. In the last one, Any Soulfire lost is gained by another. This can only happen when the recipient is a Storage-Entity. Thus you can't transfer Soulfire to a Living-Entity++, but you can infuse it either with infusions or to raise it to Sentience or Synergy. However, it is costly in Soulfire, very costly.

@Zeldan I am basing my names off of words in archaic languages. Here is where some of my main names come from: Beorick Hildsen [beōrĭk hĭldsen] (HO) – Old English: BEORN + RIC (warrior + power) HILD + son (son of battle) Doristelo Ankorus [dōʁĭstĕlō äŋkōʁus] (AR) – Ancient Greek: DORON + ARISTOS + TELOS (gift + best + aim) ANER + KURUSH (man + far sighted) Sindarr Heladis [sĭndär hĕlädĭs] (DW) – Old Norse: SINDRI + ARR (small + warrior) HEILA + DIS (heal + goddess) Akotep [äkōtĕp] (AD) – Ancient Egyptian: AKHEN + HOTEP (spirit + peace) Willelm Steele [wĭlelm stēl] (WS) – Old English: WIL + HELM (will + protector/helmet) Meredyth [mĕrĕdĭθ] – Welsh: MEREDYDD (great lord) Fyutsa [fēyōōtsä] (AC) – Ancient Egyptian: FY + SUTEKH (viper + dazzle) Some of these names still bear resemblance to the words they are based on. Others (like Fyutsa) don't really.

OK. I'm currently hashing out the Network system. There are two parts to it, which is complicating it. As a general rule, individuals all have their own personal networks that include their will, their body and any artifacts they are in control of. Synergy allows the melding of these networks as bigger networks. Any elements of the network that were in your control back when you were in your little One-Will Network will still be under your control, in that you have priority over it (can't find a better word), but you have access to all of the elements controlled by any of the wills within the network, and vice versa. Thus it is possible for others within the network to take control of your own body from you (hard, but doable). But don't worry, since your will is what gives that entity (your body) Sentience and Synergy, you cannot be disconnected from it. If your body lets go of the network without your will creating a permanent link (you have to choose that and can cut it off if you want to) then your body and your will and any artifacts that leave the network with your body will return to your control. Makes it hard to coerce people unless you have them physically bound. As for Soulfire, put it this way: If an entity has Storage, it has a Soulflame. If it loses that Soulflame, it loses Storage. It is impossible to be on the Sentient Progression without having a Soulflame. The Soulflame is a reserve of Soulfire. Soulfire can be Infused into an object, in which point it is transformed into an Infusion, and can no longer be used as Soulfire. Or it can be Expended to use an infusion, in which case it is burned up and no longer exists. Or it can be transferred to a Storage-Entity, in which case it goes from one Soulflame to another. As for growing/dying, yes it is like compound interest. I haven't chosen what rate (like how long it would take for a flame to double in size), but as a general rule, it's growth has to do with it's size, which is synonymous with the amount of Soulfire it has. If a Soulflame is twice as large, that means that there is twice as much Soulfire. BTW, a Soulflame isn't visible. And whether a flame is growing or dying will depend on whether it has a Soul. And those two speeds are proportionate: It would take just as long for a Living-Entity++ (Read, any entity that has at least Soul) to double it's Soulflame as for a Storage-Entity (read, an entity with Storage but not soul) to halve it's Soulflame. Thats that for now. I'm currently writing up a storm that should clarify (hopefully) how the networks work.

I'll be honest, if they actually do good CGI with this, then the only thing I can think of that would completely ruin a WoT show would be excessive Sex/Nudity. It's probably unavoidable because of how important both the sweat tent scenes and the spankings are to the plot, but in my mind, the less the better.

Some of those questions should be answered by the latest edit to the main post. The rest should be answered when I write down the stuff about Druids and Witches. BTW, Synergy isn't a very well know part of Artifice. It is closely guarded by those who know of it (mostly Druids and Witches). Most people who know of Artifice are only aware of the first three (Storage->Sentience). For now general answers: Synergistic bonds happen mostly when two people who have Synergy touch physically. It can thus be forced on someone, though unless you have a much stronger will or something to restrain them, they can probably just flinch back to break physical contact. It is possible to make it work after contact, but this requires some infusions, is impossible to do without consent, and weakens the farther you get from each other. A Wills isn't a specific thought so much as a consciousness. It is "You". All your memories, thoughts, personality, etc. If you were locked within your own mind, unable to control your body, that part of you that is locked up is your will. Strength of will plays a big part in Synergy though. No external signs, other than contact. And no, you do not lose your individual will when you join a network. Though a network could overpower your will and essential make all decisions for you. Limited though, since the network would have to keep physical contact at all times so as to not lose control. BTW, a lot of this needs to be ironed out. Just answering that has given me a couple questions that will need to be answered, like "what happens if a person's body is wrested from their control, but then their body is disconnected from the wills of others, but yours isn't? NVM. I just found a solution.

OK. To begin, it says "anything that is alive will have a Soulflame, which grows proportionally to how large it already is." The "it" here is referring to the Soulflame, not the person/entity. The more Soulfire you have, the faster it grows. As for cultures, and characters, I have a lot of stuff in my mind, with a little on paper. Since I don't have that much time to spend on this per day, I've had to choose what I work on. Empress Fyutsa is probably my most developed character, which means that I want to write about her soon, but it will be hard to understand her without understanding Artifice, so for now my first step is definitely writing about that. Please this post for that: Artifice Wars - Artifice & Infusions. Tomorrow or the day after I will be posting about Witchcraft and Druidism. That will set the groundwork for Fyutsa's backstory, since she is a very powerful witch. All the rest of your questions are mostly answered in that Thread, so feel free to ask more questions when you get there.

Hello. So despite having read almost all of Brandon Sanderson's works (several times for some of them them), I'm actually brand new to the 17th Shard, and it's a lot. Is there a guide or index to various posts and theories a newcomer should read to get going? For example, I know very little about this concept of shards, or how the different books in the Cosmere connect to each other, but most of the theories seem to assume you already know all that stuff. If this already exists, would it be possible to pin it for newcomers to find it easily? If there isn't one, can someone make it?

Now that's just crazy. Artifice Wars is exactly like that. Except that the first couple stories/series will be during this world's "renaissance" and "industrial" era. Maybe even get into the information age after a while. It's why I'm using Artifice as it's core: It means that since the magic is centered on research and magic-powered-machines, technology becomes viable again in a fantasy setting.

Crazy, but this sounds a LOT like the main idea behind my main villain in my current Artifice Wars WIP novel (Artifice Wars being my current Multiverse). She has lived for 700 years by moving her mind from one body to another. Shifting minds kills the previous body, and she has to fight the new host for control, but it allows her to go from an old body to a young one. It's a lot more restrictive, in that you can only inhabit a single mind, that the transfer takes a lot of Soulfire (my magical energy/currency), and that the host can fight back. She typically chooses people with weak wills, and then weakens the will even more through addiction and other means.

Hey, I realize that this isn't specifically about Cosmere Theories, so feel free to kill me, but I'd appreciate the help of some Theorybreakers, Theoryshapers and Theoryweavers in developing a magic system of my own. See more here: Artifice Wars - Artifice & Infusions. I'm especially looking for inconsistencies and/or problems in the system (Theorybreakers) and different ideas for Infusions and their derivatives (Theoryshapers and Theoryweavers) PS: I'll eventually join the Ranks of the Knights Theoretic, but for now, I haven't spent enough time discussing Cosmere theory to know if I am a Theorybreaker, a Theoryweaver, a Theoryshaper or a Theorysmith.