Dawnbearer

8 hours ago, Quantus said:

 

WOB confirms that this is not an effect of stormlight itself, it's a byproduct of a shardblade condensing through a vapor phase to solid:

 

 

Yes, this makes sense. However, this does not explain why Surgebinding causes frost to form, especially since the compression of Stormight is reduced when it leaves the body. Then again, when used, is it released? Or is it consumed somehow? Surely when a Lashing is performed Light is infused into an object, but even then does the object slowly release it or is it used up by the object? So I really don't know if we should be asking why frost forms when mass amounts of Stormlight are released or when they are consumed. Further even, does the Stormlight stick with the Investiture when used, or do they go their separate ways?

I happily accept that Stormlight is a physical, chemical, baryonic element or compond. But I still think the specific qualities of it (such as; element or molecule? Are solids and liquids present at all in Roshar (s and l of Stormlight, not Investiture alone)? Could Stormlight become a superfluid?) are very broad, but perhaps worth more consideration. If there is something that I don't understand, it's how gemstones can be infused with a gas.

The glow probably does radiate from all Investiture (except for solids...but if all solid investiture is a transition or God metal, maybe glow is essentially substituted by sheen. That makes sense fictionally, but not logically or scientifically. I don't know, someone ask Preservation), so then do things simply glow at the presence of Investiture, or do things infused with Investiture glow? If it's the former, then maybe the Stormlight particles remain in the air, with the Investiture as energy stored in the gemstone like electricity in a Lithium battery. Then, when the 'Stormlight' is inhaled, the Investiture meets the Stormlight, becoming the Stormlight we all know and love, to meet the needs of the Physical Realm. This would make sense, as you can't just store matter within other matter...or I guess maybe you could in the Cosmere.
(Hmm, Light fills the empty space between gemstone molecules...? Sounds reasonable for Sci-fi. This would argue for the fact that things hosting Investiture for the sake of a magic system simply radiate light.) Also why do cut gemstones in turn hold Light for longer?

I don't think Stormlight decays or is radiocative, but I suppose it could make sense as most elements with large atomic numbers are radioactive, and Stormlight would have to have an atomic number greater than 118, as all those have already been discovered (unless it is not an element, but rather a compound). So it could be, but Light runs out because the body is far too porous, and no gemstone could be perfect. So I say Light is either lost or used, never really decaying. Of course I could always be wrong.

Another interesting thing about this is that gemstones seem to be the only baryonic matter that cannot be soulcast. Why is this true? Is it also true for Stormlight? I would think so. Then again, if Stormlight--as I've theorized--is present without Investiture, like it might be in gemstones, it may be borderline useless as even a soulcast material with no Investiture.

Wow, this topic is a lot more broad than I anticipated. My guess is Stormlight is an element (or maybe compound) that hosts Investiture as part of Honor's magic system. Either it can be present without Investiture or it is a very flexible (not physically, rather behaviourally) particle that can weave between the molecules of a gemstone OR can be present Spiritually/Cognitively in the Physical realm.

I think that's all I have for now...gah, thought overload.

Stormlight is a pristine, glowing, mist-like, mysterious source of essentially God-given energy.                                      Image by ShardShaper
Maybe it is just energy. Or is it matter?

Is common Stormlight gaseous? If so, what are its melting and boiling points? Maybe the frost that occurs when large amounts of Stormlight are used has to do with chemical properties--maybe it deposes onto clothing as it is released from the body. The frost doesn't have to be ice.
Or perhaps Stormlight is not an element but a compound containing hydrogen and oxygen, which when used for Surgebinding reacts, somehow eliminating heat energy and producing water (H20) as a byproduct which is then frozen?
Well what if those on Roshar don't breathe oxygen...but rather the low-concentration, less compressed Stormlight in the air? This would explain why one doesn't necessarily need to breathe when infused.

Of course Stormlight could well be energy--this would better explain why gemstones (and other things, of course, but especially gemstones) can be infused by it. Maybe it is an odd sort of energy that consumes heat when doing work rather than releasing it like most energy.

Then again I wouldn't be surprised if gaseous, liquid, solid, or even plasma states of Stormlight were all involved in Roshar's magic system (plasma especially would be somewhat understandable). Besides, it is curious to me that condensation appears on a recently summoned shardblade and that frost forms as Stormlight is surged. Yet it doesn't even have to be baryonic matter (the familiar matter of the Universe - neutrons, protons, electrons). While Scandrial's magic system--among others--indicates that baryonic matter is probably present in the Cosmere, there is no stopping the idea of unimagined and unobserved-in-real-world matter exists in such a fictional universe.

Which--come to think of it--is probably the exact nature of Stormlight. Not familiar energy, not typical matter, but something entirely different.

I really don't know. I think it's worth some thought, and it would be a curious topic when it comes to converting investiture, soulcasting, lashings, etc. Maybe I'll have an update on this. Liquid Stormlight, at least, would be rather intriguing. I also think the theory that Rosharians breathe Stormlight is noteworthy, or at least interesting. But I suppose it's most plausible that Stormlight is just something else entirely created by Honor to conduct and host Investiture.

Regardless, the idea of Stormlight as an element or compound is pretty cool.                                                          Sorry about the word vomit

Thank you both for the advice. I look forward to delving further into the Cosmere.
I've since finished TWoK, and quickly decided to postpone the other books on my reading list and move right on to The Hero of Ages. And yes, thank you, I'll slip Warbreaker in there before I continue with the SA.

By the way, what are "WoBs"? 'Words of Brandon', maybe?

Hi all!
I heard a couple tiny whispers about Brandon Sanderson about a year back, and quickly decided that Mistborn would probably be the type of book I love to read. So I gave it a shot.

Boom.

I got hooked so fast. True, I've always loved reading, but this book...was epic (for lack of a better word ).
So, I finished The Final Empire. Then I kept going, and read The Well of Ascension. I wanted to give The Way of Kings a go, so I started partway through the summer this year. Unfortunately, school happened...so now roughly three months later I still have give or take 100 pages. But don't worry I'll finish it...
Yeah, I'll finish all of them.

I mean it when I say I want to read the entire Cosmere--in addition to standalone series. However there are issues with this; school keeps me busy, the local libraries don't have anywhere near all the books I hope to read, and my current books-to-read list is a mile high, even without Sanderson's work. But I'll get around to it all. That is, if I can keep up with this novel machine.

I really feel that Sanderson's books don't get enough recognition. Brilliant story, tangible characters, convincing emotion, insanely original and awesome magic systems, and impressively wise philosophy and teachings. And he rolls them out at a rapid pace.

Regardless...I discovered this website when I was geeking out, I think. I dug a little too far into the wiki (multiple times), but fortunately struck nothing devastating. Eventually I realized the Coppermind (which is the most brilliant fandom wiki center name ever, by the way) was only a section of the 17th shard. And now I am here. What took me so long?

So far, I've read books 1 & 2 of the first Mistborn trilogy, The Rithmatist, volumes 1 & 2 of White Sand (I quickly realized graphic novels are not really my thing, though), and am nearly finished with The Way of Kings. So yup. I have a long way to go. But I do know a bit more about the Cosmere than the average reader, seeing as I plummet down rabbit holes on the wiki. But I really don't mind, it just makes me all that more excited to read on--if greater excitement is even possible. I find it difficult to care that at this point I am beyond obsessed.