FirstSelector

I would highly recommend buying the book at Dragonmount's store. It's DRM-free (there's a nice Firefox addon for epubs) and it supports a group that really deserves it. As an aside, how long until we get a 17thshard.com store?

Wow, what a story. My mind is still ringing from the implications... I want to look at Ati's last words. Based on the (new) Elantris Ars Arcanum, it is very probable that Vax is one of the other Shardworlds in the cosmere. This raises disturbing questions about Ati and Ruin, since he has been trapped on Scadrial since its creation. In particular, I hypothesize that Ati was last "cognizant" on Vax, which is to say that Ruin had not yet overwhelmed his mind. This has some important implications. It means that, chronologically, there was an intermediate stage between Ati picking up the Shard on Yolen and creating Scadrial. Maybe something terrible happened on Vax, and Preservation drew him out with the agreement to create a new planet? If Ruin had succeeded in Splintering Preservation, he would have been free in the cosmere to wander around and destroy other planets. People have also guessed that Vax is the world for "The Dark One," the tentative title of a cosmere YA book about the person prophesied to destroy the world. The person in question could be Ati, although this would mean that he picked up the Shard from a previous Vessel of Ruin, which seems highly unlikely. However, it would fit into Ruin's modus operandi and provide a reason for Preservation to stop him. There's also the question of the magic system on Vax, about which we know nothing except that its method of Initiation is distinct from other worlds. I thus wonder if Ruin participated in the magic there. Finally, we know that an early version of Ruin showed up in Aether of Night, and that parts of that book have been cannibalized. One might reasonably guess that Ruin's interaction with that world could also have been cannibalized, except now it takes place on Vax. In any case, I think it is definitely worth considering why Ati's last words referenced this obscure planet.

You're right RShara, but if we don't care about orientation and assume that the cluster of red stars are close together, then the planets can be separated by quite a long distance. But yes, in some senses this places rather severe constraints on the size of the cosmere.

It is almost certainly the same group of red stars seen from Roshar known as "Taln's Scar." In fact, it should be visible from any of the cosmere worlds, as they all take place in the same compact galaxy. Whether it is a rip in spacetime or something more exotic remains to be seen.

Agree with Chaos, it's absolutely Khriss. What I wouldn't give for a scene where she passes Hoid on her way out of the party...

There is - Hoid is one of the main characters in Dragonsteel.

Let's not forget that Hoid and Jasnah are going for a long walk as of the end of WoR. I personally think that Brandon is setting up Jasnah to be a big-time worldhopper following the end of the Stormlight Archive, and she wasn't overly flustered by Hoid revealing that he knew Tanavast, so I think that there's the possibility that he reveals some really important stuff to Jasnah. Also, there is some evidence to suggest that the end of the Stormlight Archive is contained in the two stories Hoid tells Kaladin. He also realizes that his "need to be" power brought him to Shallan, so I can only imagine that he's taking a more direct behind-the-scenes role than other books - in as much as that phrase makes sense. What does this mean? Well, I think Hoid probably knows how the whole "champion of Honor" mechanism works, and how to use it to back Odium into a corner. I think he also knows the whole history of Roshar, which is going to be really important. Given that Odium is taking a direct hand and that the protagonists are very far behind in the information game means that he'll have to start directly revealing what he knows. He's done this quite a bit already, and I think Brandon is setting him up so that despite knowing all of this stuff, he isn't the deus ex machina. He also is probably aware of all of the other cosmere-aware groups on Roshar for the same reason he is - this is likely the most important event in the cosmere right now. Important people from every other book are showing up on Roshar, presumably to either stop Odium or profit from his success. So, we'll probably see him dealing with Mraize and the Seventeenth Shard and everyone else who is there manipulating things.

I think the key may be in the importance of "stone." We know a Desolation starts when the Heralds return to Roshar, which in this case means only Talenel. Furthermore, he is known as the "Ancient of Stones" according to the Diagram or "Stonesinew." Lastly, given that the Shin hold the remaining Honorblades, it is not unreasonable to guess that they know a bit more about the Oathpact than the remainder of the populace. I would guess that Szeth, a former member of the Shamanate, figured out that Talenel was about to give in to the torture and come back. The spren had some way to anticipate the Heralds arriving, so it's not a bad guess that Szeth simply understood what the stonespren were saying (much like riverspren have rudimentary intelligence). In fact, one might guess that if the Stonewarden Nahel spren has the same relationship to stonespren as honorspren do to windspren. As for the timeline discrepancy, I would guess that Taravangian didn't "make" Szeth, but more realized the possibility of a Truthless with an Honorblade and was "lucky" to find him later. On the other hand, since the Heralds also seem to have a hand in this situation, I find it more likely that they simply pushed the Shamanate to oust Szeth.

I definitely agree that there are good Doylist reasons to ask why a Shard (almost certainly Autonomy) is messing around on Scadrial. While I think the mixing and matching of powers is interesting, I would ask a slightly bigger question - if Brandon wasn't originally intending to write this trilogy, how did he incorporate a Shard vs Shard into the overall cosmere story? Was this interaction already planned but in the background? I'm not sure how to answer these questions. I would contest the idea that we don't have that much left to learn on Scadrial. Recall that there are 51 metals - 16 base, lerasium, atium, 16 alloys of lerasium, 16 alloys of atium, and the lerasium/atium alloy. In addition to that, if you buy Chaos' theory that the Scadrians on the southern continent infuse metal with mists to as their magic system, there's 51 more new interactions.

I had a very similar theory very soon after the Shadows of Self was released. There were a bunch of good points raised in that thread.

Better, Brandon said that the atium/lerasium alloy functions the same pre- and post-Harmony. One might guess that it makes an atium misting, but I personally think it does something more exotic.

Atium is the universal Hemalurgic spike, and can be used to steal anything.

As a technical note, the overwhelming majority of mass of protons and neutrons comes from the binding energy of the quarks, not the interaction with the Higgs field. But in any case, strictly speaking changing mass while keeping volume constant does change the mass density. What it (probably) doesn't change is the number density, which is to say that a Skimmer modifies the mass of her constituent particles, not how many particles she is made of. This distinction is important because various material properties (tensile strength, for example) will depend on these quantities in different ways. For various reasons, I think much of the physics and chemistry would carry over if Skimming changed the mass of the protons and neutrons, with a few adjustments to things like bodily tensile strength to prevent gravity from ripping apart the Skimmer.

Indeed, I myself asked that question in reference to this theory. I agree that the 'theoretically' hedge means that it's unlikely that other Shards are engaging in the same behavior, but at the same time we know that Preservation had a remarkably odd (in that Sazed remarked on it) relationship with Vin. Prehaps she wasn't his champion, per se, but it does set a precedent for a Shard focusing on a particular person. Even if Vin wasn't Preservation's 'official' champion, had she fallen in battle or deviated from her path it would have been disastrous for Preservation and Scadrial (and, perhaps, the cosmere at large). So, interfering with these special individuals can be dramatic indeed even without them holding a title.

I had a very similar idea, though I wasn't thinking about Sel at the time. That's an interesting idea, certainly, though I don't think it is necessary to pair the Shards up so neatly (and in fact I don't think they will, in general).

Brandon was pretty explicit that we have met one of those three mist spirits. It's been a while since I re-read the Era 1 trilogy, but I do not recall ever having directly met a kandra or Terris ancestor who would have been deceased at that time.

First, there are several good points made that Odium could hardly visit Scadrial without Sazed finding out. That's true, but them sending Invested agents accomplishes the same thing. And we note that all of the current restrictions we know about Odium stem from his current predicament on Roshar, so there's no reason to believe that he (or one of his agents) couldn't influence Scadrians in other ways once he is more free. Second, we don't know enough to make claims about much foreign Investiture one needs to become "detectable" to the resident Shards. It could also be possible that Shards can specifically hack the resident system to provide a cover. Does a Shard need to visit the world directly to manifest a new Investiture? I would have guessed "yes," since there is no clear way to take an un-manifested piece of Autonomy and bring to Scadrial where it transmutes into metal. That sort of argument implies that Autonomy (or whatever Shard) must have directly visited Scadrial, and yet Sazed didn't notice. Actually, there is a certain attractiveness to this plan: Autonomy directly invests on the planet, drawing Harmony's attention if he didn't already have it. Then, Odium moves in with his much lower-profile agent to strike. As an aside, it was verified in the SF signing that the other Shards could theoretically have champions and that Odium would (and perhaps has) work with another Shard, provided that Odium was in control of the arrangement.

I asked the question in the line at 25:53, so I will go in and fix that at some point. I will note that Brandon had a very large grin on his face when I asked. I also asked the aluminum tube question. Apparently my voice doesn't carry well.

The alternate ending to WoA has intrigued me for some time, despite the fact that it isn't canon. Specifically, when Sazed is attacked by Marsh at the Inquisitor headquarters, he is stopped abruptly when the mist spirit appears. Then, three more mist spirits appear and cause Marsh to run away. I have long that the other mist spirits were other Shards, come to Scadrial to ensure that Sazed survived to take up Preservation and Ruin. Support for this was originally from the introduction, that there is a "very, very small" hint about Adonalsium in the deleted ending. I asked him about this at the signing today in San Francisco, and he sort dodged if they were Shards with a huge grin on his face. He said that there are other things that manifest in that way, but we have actually met one of those spirits.

I asked Brandon to sign my two books with "tell me something about the Order of Elsecallers" and "tell me something about the Order of Willshapers." He responded "Turning stone into putty is fun!" and "Popping in and out of Shadesmar is fun too!" It's not a huge thing, but it gives an interesting insight into how Cohesion works.

I have the complete copy of the audio file (since Limelleth and Corax had to leave and battery issues, respectively). It's in two large files, so I don't know quite where to host them. Let me try soundcloud but if that fails I can hack a solution together. We had a lot of fun! It was fun to meet some other sharders. Afterwards, Brandon took a moment to thank us (the fansite) directly, saying that it was fantastic that we were a friendly and active place for new people to learn about his books. EDIT: Here's the two links, whenever they finish processing. The first is the QA (unfortunately, I didn't think to record his statement about fantasy fans not treating each other like garbage) and the second is the in-line signing. I have the reading from an upcoming book, but he asked us not to post it yet.

Yeah, it's a bit of a shot in the dark. However, here's some Words of Radiance spoilers: Basically, I'm not so sure that the Perk from a combination of powers has anything to do with the actual nature of the powers themselves. And while I like the idea that Wax's steel bubble is his Perk, he could also just be a steel savant of great skill. I could definitely buy the kandra ancestry connection, which would explain the comments as well as his knack at imitation.

I always thought (though now I am questioning) that the idea of a "champion" was something available to all Shards, as per Honor's words at the end of the Way of Kings. At the very least, it seems that Harmony is taking special care with Wax, far above and beyond how he interacts with normal mortals. Even the language TenSoon uses seems to imply that there is more to their relationship. As for Odium's presence and leaving Roshar, I think this is why the precise chronology is important. I imagined that by time Era 2 takes place, the Roshar story is finished and Odium's play for that world has run its course. Or, alternately, he is stymied at the end of book five and takes some time to advance plans on other worlds before diving back into the Roshar fight. Harmony apparently terrifies him, and I would like to think that Odium's plot against Harmony is something we'd see in a book. Harmony is, I think, still a novice when it comes to the other Shards - it isn't until after they have the strange spike in hand that they suspect involvement. By your argument, the instant the malicious Shard (whichever it is) came to Scadrial, Harmony could have acted to block him from interfering. I don't think Tan spiked her, but instead whomever spiked Tan (giving him supernatural speed or whatever the prevailing theory is) got to Lessie after Wax buried her.

I wanted to acknowledge one more important point: there may be an argument that Autonomy's Intent prevents collaboration with Odium. It could be that Bavadin gets around this by having a "target" in mind, i. e. Scadrial and its "controlling" god. Since Odium is acting in line with Autonomy to overthrow Harmony, they can work together.

Spoilers for Shadows of Self. Warning: this conjecture relies on some guesswork about the nature of Shards and, importantly, the ending of the Stormlight Archive. It should not be read as a definitive statement, given how much we still don't know about these particular topics. Instead, I hope to draw some conclusions that others find useful. Let's collect a few things we know about Shards. First, Odium has a way to take down shards. This process is difficult. Second, Odium could manifest on Scadrial. It may show up as metal. Third, it seems that the way Hemalurgic constructs are controlled by a Shard is quite general. Fourth, Shards can have champions. Fifth, Hoid has a grudge with Rayse and Bavadin, the holders of Odium and Autonomy. We also know that Era 2 takes place after the Way of Kings. Importantly, it is not clear exactly how long, meaning that the fifteen-year gap between Stormlight 5 and 6 could be relevant. I conjecture the following: Odium and Autonomy are working together on Scadrial to undermine and defeat Harmony in Era 2. Before getting to the in-book evidence, I want to address a few points. First and most strikingly, depending on how we interpret the quote about the timelines, then I am in fact implying that Odium (or a sufficiently large splinter) survives the events of the Stormlight Archive. It could also be the case that Era 2 happens in the gap years. I would find Odium's absolute defeat at the conclusion of the Stormlight Archives to be unlikely at best unless there is a bigger, badder bad guy waiting in the wings. Second, the connection between Rayse and Bavadin is tenuous at best. Odium desires to be the only Shard remaining, meaning that Autonomy will eventually face his wrath. However, I believe that Odium is clever enough to know when he will need help, and that he could somhow convince Autonomy to assist him in taking down someone with almost twice his raw power. Third, "undermine and defeat" is purposefully vague. This stems from the fact that we know almost nothing about a Shard's limits. My proposed mechanism will involve champions, of which we know less. I am well aware that this limits the predictive power of my theory. Fourth, some of the evidence below is easily ascribed to other influences or Shards. Since I am working with not particularly much in the way of hard evidence, I will necessarily struggle to prove that this solution is unique. I contend that this acceptable, since it may open new avenues of thinking. Now, the justification. I. Unusual Hatred Even before finishing Shadows of Self, a particular moment stood out to me. Wax had just shot Lessie (again), and "let out a low-pitched howl from deep within, a raw shout that echoed into the night." What happens next is remarkable: Before finishing the page, I figured that this was signalling that Harmony knew Wax was none too pleased with him. However, Wax then describes himself as (emphasis his) This is, of course, understandable, given what he had just been forced to do. Let us compare this to Kaladin's imprisonment in Words of Radiance: Again, emphasis his. Kaladin had been sitting and stewing in his own hatred and depression for several weeks by this point. His bond with Syl was weakening by the minute, and by time he is released from prison he's barely even a Windrunner. Szeth also has a contribution here: Still, emphasis his. The latter two are, I think, pretty obviously explained by Odium's influence on Roshar. Odium would like to prevent any resistance whatsoever for the upcoming Desolation, and what better way to do that than to destroy the nascent Radiants before they can reform. In Kaladin's case specifically, Odium's influence is correlated with the weakening of Syl's bond. Curiously, I think we can draw parallels with Wax - one of the least hateful people on Scadrial. He is ordinarily very careful to reserve judgement, not killing out of hate but out of necessity. Instead, he now feels an intense, remarkable hatred towards Harmony and the kandra at the same time that the mists pull away from him. I claim that both effects are due to Odium's direct influence on Wax. This is where the chronology issue comes into play. In principle, there could be a splinter of Odium that could achieve a similar effect, so Odium does not necessarily need to be whole or even directly nearby. Thus we could accept any solution that has a sufficently large amount of Odium on Scadrial without strictly having to worry about the timeline. One might also object that Odium would have to expend considerable effort to influence Wax. I will argue below that this is justified in this case. II. Autonomy's influence This point is considerably shorter, as several people on the forums have already commented. The claim is simple: the new metal is due to the Shard Autonomy. The evidence is straightforward - Paalm suddenly develops an anomalous independence streak, both for herself and the people of Scadrial. This is very different than Odium's "divide and conquer" strategy. One might argue that the metal, and its effects, is attributable to many sources. Additionally, Autonomy already features prominently in a book (White Sand) and this would be a good time to introduce one of the seven remaining Shards. Both of these points are completely valid, and I could not hope to provide a watertight argument that it must be Autonomy. However, I believe that in conjunction with the other evidence it is likely. I believe that Autonomy is the source of Miles' and Bloody Tan's madness, if we make the simplifying assumption that there is only one external force acting directly through Hemalurgy. III. Champions Here we must depart the realm of (shaky) evidence and move into pure hypothesis. At the risk of saying too much, I simply hypothesize the following: Wax is Harmony's (unwitting) champion, and his defeat or death at the hands of another Shard's champion would be devestating to Harmony. I do not claim to know anything about the particulars, or how this helps Odium in his quest, except that it is damaging in some way. We do note that Wax seems to fit Harmony's Intent pretty well: he is profoundly destructive, but only in the quest to save others. This is remarked upon quite a bit in Shadows of Self, where even his detractors admit he is effective. Also, at the young age of twelve, he interupts a loan meeting with the poor man with the intent of letting the worker make an informed choice. We do know that Harmony has been specifically looking out for Wax, going so far as to use kandra to ensure his survival in the Roughs. My conjecture can thus be explained as follows: Odium and Autonomy set out specifically to destabilize Harmony by killing his champion, Wax. They do this by arranging for Tan to "kill" Lessie, then spiking Lessie with the Autonomy spike(s) to drive her mad. In her Autonomy-driven madness, she is set up for a collision course with Wax, being careful not to reveal her nature until the end. Then, when Wax realizes what he has done, Odium comes in and sucker-punches him in the same way he did Kaladin and Szeth. The practical upshot is that Wax wants nothing to do with Harmony, putting both of them in unspecified but serious danger. Should Wax and/or Harmony not figure things out in time, then Odium will be able to strike and kill Sazed and shatter Harmony. Also, if anything like this is correct, it makes me feel so much worse for Wax and Lessie. It's been a while since I've written a long-form theory, and I'm sure that this idea is riddled with errors. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to comments! Edit: formatting bug