Meg

I think it has been confirmed: The Recipient of the Letter is a Dragon In the meantime there is an answer to my earlier question: Steelheart Release Party Signing - audio Transcprition

Regarding Roshar and spren this information might help: source

Did you have a look at this thread? And the death rattles can be read on the Coppermind Wiki here.

Is this the decision then?

What?

This is an interesting idea. I personally don't believe that this ardent belonged to the Ghostbloods. But it's only my gut feeling. Kabsal seems to know a lot about the ardentia. Given his "rage" about ardents being owned by the Brightlords, I could see that he left the ardentia (if because of him joining the Ghostbloods or before just out of frustration is not the question here). I think he's kind of a ardentia-renegade. This would explain his knowledge. I could also see that organizations like the Ghostbloods would recruit their members out of groups of people that are already dissatisfied with the current societal structures. And at the end a bit of nitpicking, I apologize. It's the Hierocracy (not Heiro ...) and they are the Envisagers (not Envisigers). I dare point this out because if someone looks for threads containing Hierocracy or Envisagers they would not find all possible results then.

Kandra only were made by using "Blessings" on mistwraiths. The first Kandra were made by The Lord Ruler, they are called the First Generation. For the following generations (one each 100 years) The Lord Ruler provided the needed Blessings to the Kandra. So in my understanding Kandra don't produce offspring. I, too, don't think they have a sexuality like humans. (This information is from Hero of Ages, Chapter 7.)

I apologize for this off topic post. I admit that it was me who downvoted hoser's post. It happened on impulse when reading this: Perhaps I'm too touchy but I made me sad reading this. I can't speak for others but I try -- not always successful -- to express myself in posts here as good, and clear, and as near to given definitions/explanations as I can. Call me a pedant or a nitpicker, that's okay. But I need this clarity to be able to understand -- and participate.

Point taken . I left the "eternal re-spawning" totally out of my thoughts.

I'd love to know what Hoid meant with "essentially immortal". The Heralds on Roshar could be called "essentially" immortal though they are not really immortal but ageless. Same works for the Returned, they, too, are only ageless (they die if they don't get their weekly breath and they can be killed (see Warbreaker Chapter 53)). I believe that a Shard(person) of Adonalsium is only "essentially" immortal, too (see Aona, Skai and Tanavast). Aside from this I can see a dragon holding a Shard(power) of Adonalsium, because I believe that Dragons are sentient beings. I'm sure I've read a quote from Mr. Sanderson where he said, that he calls sentient beings a person (heavily paraphrased). But, unfortunately, I can't find that quote now.

Would you please be so kind and explain, what you mean with "is used for" in this case? If I understand it right, the Dor as well as the Stormlight are the "fuel" (I'm not happy with this word) the Shards "magic systems" (the AonDor on Sel and the Surges on Roshar). I apologize if I (again) didn't understand you right.

Good point, because according to my own theory "Justice", "Recorded in Blood" and "Trust" should have happened on the same day. And though I claim spanreeds and spies, it seems unlikely (even to me) that Taravangian really already knew about Dalinar's decision when Szeth reached him. I don't think he can choose his good and bad days.

As for I'm sure that the chapters are chronological Dalinar had already given up his Shardblade when Szeth received the order to kill him from Taravangian. Given that there exists an instant form of communication (spanreeds), Taravangian could have got the information already (surely he has his spies on the Shattered Planes). Musing: What if Dalinar giving up his Shardplate made him unworthy in Taravangian's eyes? What if this action is the reason for Taravangian to want to have Dalinar "removed"?

The visions: From the Recreance-vision: Okay, this was surely past the Desolations. But here from the Starfalls-vision: And even better: So there is information about plants from the time of the Desolations.

I hope I don't annoy anybody when I come back to the "Splinter-topic" once more. At first: There's a general problem with the ambiguity of a lots of terms used, because often there are no real definitions available and because a lot of WoBs can be interpreted in different ways. This quote: is a good example. Another good example is the use of the word "Shard". It's used for: - Shard of Adonalsium (the "power"), like Ruin, Preservation etc. - Shard of Adonalsium (the person holding the power), like Tanavast etc. - sometimes "Shards" is used abbreviated for Shardplate and -blade. Though "we" tend to call the person holding a Shard of Adonalsium a "Shardholder", Mr. Sanderson himself doesn't improve this. So Mr. Sanderson calls the person the same name as the power. And we mess it all up . But now back to the Splinters. Hoser -- please bear with me, I really don't want to sound offensive, but you're my victim here -- interprets the quote from the Seattle signing much more strict way than I do. I interpret it more generally: Some people in the cosmere use "splinter" if they talk about power (not "the") of Adonalsium which isn't cared by a person and "which has attained self-awareness". I don't think this quote isn't an absolute (new) definition for "Splinter". Those refer to Splinters that are not given by a Shard of Adonalsium. Other Splinters are, for example, the Divine Breaths though it seems not to matter whether the person or the power does the Splintering seems not to be relevant here, see Endowment). I don't really see a contradiction here. Splinters are parts of parts of the Power of Adonalsium (I use here: Power of Adonalsium == Shard of Adonalsium in opposite to "Shardholder", the person). Some of those Splinters are given by the Shards of Adonalsium (Endowment, Adonalsium itself (the spren that were around long ago on Roshar) etc.). Others are the results of the Splintering of Shards of Adonalsium (person dead, power splintered) {some spren, I think, for example Syl, the power that floats around on Sel unleashed. Mr. Sanderson onces said that Roshar doesn't have the problems with unleashed power as it occurs on Sel, because the (some?) spren work as release valves for this power. Might it be, that those spren are able to do this because they are such a sort of Splinters (that attained self-awareness)? I'm really sorry. I began this posting roughly two hours ago and despite of having break I got disturbed frequently. And I have to continue working so I dare send this babbling-post without proof-reading it.

Thank you. I've read this part but I don't understand it as a new definition of the term "Splinter". This might come because I should long since sleep. May be others than you and me have thought about this which I can read tomorrow.

*searching, searching* This looks like you're right (and also it kind of supports your following paragraph though the quote is only paraphrased). But the clarification is more up to date: I wasn't able to find the quote you refer to, might you be so kind and tell me? edit: Thanks It might be that *cough* I think that "he"s aren't so generous to give parts of them away. *cough* (Sorry )

IIRC you're not the only one wondering how Seons were made. Also, we don't know (as far as I remember) whether the Aon-Splinters (all) had been made after Aonas death/Devotions shattering. Like Aether I don't think the Seons -- so Ashe not as well -- have to die if Devotion would be re-builded. First, because we know that a lot of "unleashed" power (and I think this means power of Devotion as well as power of Dominion) is around on Sel, and then we know for example Endowment who gives away Splinters of herself without dying (neither Endowment seems very weak, but we don't really know).

I'll respond to aksthepaperclip's post at the beginning because he mentions something that is important. At first: Thanks "Converting" is just the word that didn't come to my mind and converting is -- as I understand it -- exactly what she does. As for the second paragraph: I, too, don't think Lift begins to glow after eating. Food/body fat is the resource that she taps into if she needs Stormlight. And: I think she's yet doing it not fully wittingly. I'm not a native English speaker, too (as could be seen in my profile). @Creating Stormlight, see above. Perhaps I should use another wording: As far as I'm concerned at the moment Wyndle is the one with the most knowledge about the three Realms with regard to Roshar, Stormlight and Surgebinding, even though he might remember more. There's Ym, too, who seems more cosmere aware than the Rosharans we got to know yet, but I'm kind of sure his knowledge can't compete with Wyndle's. But that's a gut feeling. I hope you forgive me skipping the theoretical part. In short: I don't think that the amount of power existing in the cosmere is absolutely "fixed". But, again, that's a gut feeling. I think we will not come to a consensus. Why? Because of the ambiguity of the terms used. @Darnam: I don't know if this is a key point for your explanation but I think it's important to distinguish that the Aons inside the Seons are the Splinters of Devotion, not the Seons themselves. But I can agree with your last part that explains why Splinters gain sentience and Nightblood doesn't (Nightblood is not a Splinter, even if it was made from all of the Breaths available on Nalthis; I don't think that bulking up Investiture (here: Breaths) can result in a Splinter).

@ Marianmi I'd like to respond to a few points you made. At first: Especially if an opinion isn't founded in the books or in WoBs (and “proven” by a quote), it seems strange to me to read things like “you mustn't ...” and similar. I'm fairly sure the ability Lift got from the Nightwatcher is exactly this: transforming (though that might not be the best word) food – and if no food is available her the energy reserves her body holds – into Stormlight. As for Wyndle and his apparent knowledge I'm with Windrunner. Shadesmar is the term used on Roshar for the Cognitive Realm. source I don't agree with this interpretation, for example because of this WoB: source I understand this that Shards don't create Investiture, they are the source of any Investiture. I believe that “the Power of Creation“ is the Power of Adonalsium himself. When Adonalsium was shattered the Power of Creation was split up but all power, all Investiture finally comes from Adonalsium. Gems don't hold Stormlight for an unlimited time (see the necessity of charging gems in every highstorm; gems run out of Stormlight in about one Rosharan week). So spending Stormlight for Surgebinding isn't the only way to use up Stormlight. And it's not necessary to Surgebind in any way to return Stormlight back to the world/cosmere. I'm not sure if I understand you right here: Did you want to say that Nightblood is a Splinter? Nightblood isn't a Splinter. IIRC the Breath invested in Nightblood wasn't Divine Breath (if so, Shashara would have died). Breath is Investiture, but Divine Breaths are Splinters of Endowment. Splinters, I think, hold much more Investiture than the Innate Investiture is that people on Nalthis or Scadrial possess. So it might be a question for BS: “Is the amount of Investiture invested in Nightblood equal to the Investiture of one Divine Breath (or less or more)?” There is no way of comparing Nightblood and the Shards. Nightblood is a humanmade thing that was given enough Investiture that it gained kind of a “sentience” though his “mind” is very “simple”: Warbreaker Chapter Fifty-One So Shashara did Awaken Nightblood “to sentience”. Back to the Shards and their Intents. I'd say: The Shards of Adonalsium are the Intents. Not the people holding a Shard of Adonalsium, the Shards (the 16 facets of Adonalsium that now live separated, so to speak) themselves are parts of the Power of Creation with different Intents. And so they have no sentience/conscience if not hold by people, they just “are”. I hope this is understandable.

May I ask: where did you get it, when did you ask for it, and when did you receive it?

We know that Adonalsium could have been shattered in other ways. But given the situation it was shattered in 16 Intents/Shards my question is: Is every Shard really 100 % its Intent (for example is Ruin 100% Intent=Ruin) or are some percent left and filled with (all or some of the) other Intents? If this is not understandable I'd appreciate help.

I'm sorry to (partially) disagree. I wouldn't emphasize what you did. The part in bold tells us that a non-Nalthian can not use their (innate) life force to Awaken. The italicized part tells us they can receive Breaths. Non-Nalthians don't have the Innate Investiture like Nalthians but I believe they cannot Awaken because they don't know anything about it. I'm quite sure that a non-Nalthian who gained the ability to Awaken and the knowledge to do so and and enough Breaths can Awaken though it might be harder to do so than if they were Nalthians (because the "link" to Endowment would be very very weak). At least I didn't find anything that totally says that non-Nalthians can't Awaken in any circumstances. I'd like to add that every magic in the Cosmere is of the Power of Creation itself (although it's shattered).

Lift doesn't even need gemstones ... Kaladin (as well as Szeth) use the gems as a battery for Stormlight. This seems to be usual (see Darkness getting gems out of Lift's reach). Jasnah, too, seems to use her "soulcaster" (to be more specific: the gems) also as a battery. I believe that Shallan's "soulcaster" works the same way. By the way: Shallan didn't even touch the gemstone she used when she soulcasted the goblet into blood. I think one needs Stormlight to use Rosharan magic (as far as we have seen it yet). If one is an "inherent/innate magic user" they only need Stormlight. Others can replicate this use of magic with machines (which, too, need Stormlight to work). I'm quite sure that we will learn in the future that we mess up a lot about "fabrials", "machines" and "soulcasters".

I have not yet decided whether she has had the Shardblade before her father died but regarding what was told about the situation in Shallan's family, how her father acted and that there was a intense affinity between the siblings and they were very close to each other, I could imagine that she felt more guilty when her brother was injured or if she wouldn't have been able to help her siblings when they were in danger. And I think this happened: When Nan Balat was attacked (probably by their father) she defended him. If this was the event when her father died -- I don't know. She seems disturbed about her father's death -- probably more about the circumstances than the death itself -- but I can't see her being sad.