SwordNimiForPresident

I don't believe that inanimate objects think that they are anything. Instead they merely echo the thoughts of the sapient things that think about them. Can't be sure about how this relates to sapient Investiture but there it is. As to the topic of storing plate and blade in a metal mind, I do not think it is possible. You can only store your own Investiture in a metal mind. I don't see how this could translate to storing something external. Additionally, I don't think you can store physical Investiture in a metal mind or Hemalurgic spike. The term Investiture seems to relate to two things in the Cosmere. First is physical Investiture such as Atium, the Mists, plate & blade or BioCroma. Second is spiritual (I guess? can't think of another way to describe it) Investiture. This is the thing inside of a person that lets them access the different magic systems. As an example, Stormlight is physical Investiture. The ability to use storm light to control the Surges granted by the Nahel Bond is spiritual Investiture. I think a safe measure of what can be stored in a nicrosil metal mind is "what can be stolen with a Hemalurgic spike?". Using Bands of Morning as an example. Massive plot spoilers. Completely ruins the ending. This actually makes me wonder about the machanics of spiking a breath. I'm sure there's a massive post about that somewhere here but I'm to lazy to look. As to the question of what the scythe thinks its. I imagine that depends on whether or not there is a peasant rebellion in the region.

Hoid is just trying to fix the mess he made of the Cosmere when he orchestrated the shattering. He doesn’t like the evil he set loose but is willing to let some people die (or whole planets it seems) in order to see that evil destroyed or contained.

Given that it’s the Cosmere I can’t say definitively that something isn’t possible. One thing I like to do is take other stories and explain in my head how they fit in the Cosmere. So while what you suggest is certainly possible, I find it unlikely. Kel’s great accomplishment of “Surviving” was really accomplished at the hands of Preservation. Without his intervention Kel was going to stretch out into the beyond and become part of The One. I also think it would be weak writing. If Kel is going to end up as a Shard, it would be far more interesting to read about how he gets there than for it to just be retconned into his back story.

I’d tell them that the metal Spike I want ram through their heart is the secret to power and eternal life. I’d probably leave out the fact that it’s my power and eternal life. Barring making myself into Hemalurgic Hoid I would probably give them a history lesson on the Cosmere since none of them seem to know where they come from.

If Kelsier was a Shard it would basically preclude him from taking part in any future story directly. When Shards take direct action it’s a planet ending kind of cataclysm. I’m pretty sure Kelsier is going to be showing up in future Mistborn books, so it would surprise me if he was in fact a Shard. I also don’t see a timeline for when he could have ascended a second time. Secret history and Bands of Mourning lay out what he has been up to pretty well and certainly don’t give any indication of Shardliness.

All of the heralds. Taln will be the dead viewpoint character because he is the one with the most interesting back story. According to Ash, he’s the only herald that took his place as a duty rather than a birth right. I could see it playing out two ways. Ishar will die in a bondsmith dance off with Dalinar. Edit: Fixed a name that autocorrect didn’t like.

My prediction. Honor knew that he could never overcome his Shards intent. He came up with a plan with Cultivation. He would die and connect the power of his Shard to the Spren that identified with him. The Spren (Stormfather) is the Cognitive creation of the thoughts of millions of people. He is unchanging and constant. By attaching his Shard to the Stormfather he effectively shattered it. It’s power is still there, but it can’t be accessed.. unless a Bondsmith swears an oath and bond the Stormfather. In this way Honor was able to ensure that who ever takes up the power of his Shard is both a good person and is insulated from the Intent of the Shard. I suspect that Honor and Cultivation both planned to eventually give their Shards to their Spren and leave them to the Bonsmiths. I can’t help but wonder if they also intend for Odium’s Shard to end up with the Bonsmiths. 3 Shards, 3 Spren, 3 Smiths, (3 Moons?). This is obviously pure conjecture so feel free to tear me apart. The thing that made me think of this was the conversation between Dalinar and the Stormfather. He tells Dalinar that in the end, Honor only cared about oaths and not their meaning. This seems to me like the intent of his Shard taking over (Similar to how Ruin corrupted Ati). The Stormfather also says that Cultivation only cares about transformation now. This also seems very in line with the intent of her Shard. Maybe they recognized it and came up with a plan to overcome it.

Now the question is what surges do the higher spren grant through a Nahel Bond? Also, would 4chan become one of the unmade? Finally, what would Pornspren look like? Edit: Potential Voidspren variants: Spamspren, Botspren, Addspren and Phishingspren

Brandon's best joke yet. When Shallan tells Pattern that a chaperone is supposed to make sure they don't do anything inappropriate and his response was "Like dividing by zero?".

@Calderis I'm no MTG guru, but wouldn't white/black be a net neutral on the good/evil scale? It also seems like there is a general assumption that the Seons come from Devotion and the Skaze from Dominion, but I assumed they were a little bit of both sort of like spren are a mix of Honor and Cultivation. Were Aona and Skai romantically involved like the other two? Seems like the splinters could be their "children" much like the spren. @Emurii I'm a bit off topic, but I like the parallel of the conversation you mentioned to the one in The Way of Kings where Dalinar asks Hoid if he's a tyrant. I feel like Hoids answer sums up what Raoden meant by calling himself a tyrant.

I see a lot of people on the forums talking about the shard Dominion being about domination. Is there anything in the books or from the mouth of the Sanderson to corroborate that? My understanding of Dominion is that it's about belonging to a place (the part of the Selish magics that relate to birthplace and physical location) similar to the feruchemical attribute Connection. As for the Skaze, I assume that they are corrupted splinters similar to void spren on Roshar or shades on Threnody

Autonomy refers to it's self in the plural. You can find it in the letter to Hoid & in the quote that Art posted at the top of the thread. Here's the letter to Hoid, presumably from Autonomy. I bolded the parts that support the idea that the letter is indeed from Autonomy, the emphasis on doing things by yourself (autonomously) and on tests of worth (Sandmaster trials on Taldain or life in general on The Pantheon on First of the Sun). "You must know better than to approach us by relying upon presumption of past relationship. You have spoken to one who cannot respond. We, instead, will take your communication to us – though we know not how you located us upon this world. We are indeed intrigued, for we thought it well hidden. Insignificant among our many realms. As the waves of the sea must continue to surge, so must our will continue resolute. Alone. Did you expect anything else from us? We need not suffer the interference of another. Rayse is contained, and we care not for his prison. Indeed, we admire his initiative. Perhaps if you had approached the correct one of us with your plea, it would have found favorable audience. But we stand in the sea, pleased with our domains. Leave us alone. We also instruct that you should not return to Obrodai. We have claimed that world, and a new avatar of our being is beginning to manifest there. She is young yet, and--as a precaution--she has been instilled with an intense and overpowering dislike of you. This is all we will say at this time. If you wish more, seek these waters in person and overcome the tests we have created." I think Autonomy is a good candidate for Trell. Kriss says in Arcanum Unbound that Autonomy enforces a policy of strict isolationism on Taldain. Isolation would likely be a necessity if you were trying to keep order on a world, as outside ideas and magics would cause disruption. Autonomy also seems to be the only shard interested in spreading its influence across multiple systems. Obviously Rayse has visited many systems, but his goal seems to be killing the other vessels and shattering their shards rather than taking the systems under his control. Autonomy (or at least Bavadin) is currently on Taldain, but in the letter you can see that it is also present in a place (world?) called Obrodai. Additionally, Autonomy is thought to have had something to do with the magic system on First of the Sun. Also I think you guys might be misunderstanding the intent of Dominion. It isn't domination, it's more like belonging. Think of it more like the ferruchemical property of connection. That's why the different magic systems on Sel work so well in their homelands, but lose power when they get farther away. I also think it unlikely that Brandon would allow something like Dominion's power being reformed and then being taken up by a vessel happen off screen. Just my opinion. P.S. Random thought, has Autonomy somehow split its self between multiple vessels? The letter certainly seems to indicate that. I wonder if the power of the Shards is universal, but they need a vessel present in a system in order to act? It would seem to explain how a fundamental force of the universe (or at least the Cosmere) could be contained in a single solar system.

OB spoils