Ale the Metallic Conjurer

I’m not saying he would’ve learned every bit of the Shards’ knowledge at the time of creating the Words of Founding. But I think at minimum, he should’ve learned everything that happened when the previous Ascendants used the Well of Ascension. Instead of just Rashek and Vin. And it helps that he wasn’t warring with another Shard while crafting the Words.

We shouldn't take Sazed's note too literally. The Words of Founding included a lot of information that would've only been gleaned from the history of Scadrial and the Shards themselves - Hemalurgy, Allomantic savants, R&P's many plans and counter-plans, Rashek's actions and emotions while wielding the Well of Ascension etc... For out of universe reasons, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Sanderson didn't think about this lore during the writing process. Or maybe there are in universe reasons. Either Harmony didn't learn about the info yet, or for some reason didn't want to share history from before Alendi's era.

But I wish we knew so much more about Scadrial's history, especially from Ruin's side. I'm really surprised Harmony didn't put that stuff in the Words of Founding.

It definitely feels like I'm gonna hyperfixate on Sazed's knowledge of his Shards, if he's relevant later on! Ruin's knowledge sounds scary enough with a humble, introspective and intelligent fella like Sazed, but Compunded (pun intended) with Preservation sounds like a horrifying combo. Leras made a good choice grooming him as his true successor.

I'm on Alloy of Law chapter 10. I'll share my thoughts on the previous chapters when I am free.

That’s all true. Though an interesting thing to note is that she was capable of parsing Leras’ Plan for Everything - that he created humanity with the intent of using them as a weapon to counteract Ruin. She parsed Rashek’s actions and emotions while wielding the Well, along with Ruin teaching him Hemalurgy. IIRC she learned some other things, though I’m not sure if they came from Leras’ history/memory/thought banks, or from the Shard instinctively analyzing the world and Ruin’s words. I think it’s likely they came from an awesome combination of both. Hmm. This makes me wonder if Vin parsed the Terris Prophecies and Leras’ true intentions with them. Oh damn. I did not catch that sequence with Yomen, I thought they were interconnected! Thanks! Also fun fact: Sazed merely touching but not taking the Shards made him immune to the Sun’s heat, and he felt they superseded the Sun’s heat. Shards are terrifying.

The ash cooled the planet down, and the ashfalls were substantially increasing after Ruin's liberation. We know for sure that when Vin plugged the Ashmounts and wiped the atmosphere, the world became hotter. The Mists only came out at nighttime before Preservation triggered his plan with the Deepness. @Treamayne@alder24 Thanks for the always appreciated insight! I also have questions about what "things" Vin learned during her time as Preservation. Her Ascension page time went by very quick, and Brandon didn't go into detail about Shardic plans or scientific feats like he did Rashek and Harmony.

Disclaimer: Haven't yet read Secret History, currently on Alloy of Law chapter 10 I knew that Shards experience time at a really weird pace. Rashek experienced minutes of mortal time as hours, and Ruin said time means nothing to Shards. But looking at HoA chapters 73 and 74, it’s now even weirder. Chapters 72 and 73 of The Hero of Ages take place during nighttime. It was nighttime when Vin arrived at Luthadel, and several characters react to the convergence of Mists during nighttime. She loses to the Inquisitors, gets Invested with the Mists, booty smacks them into the Beyond, and Ascends to her rightful place as the god of stasis. Then chapter 74 opens during sunrise, I think. Early morning before noon. Elend and Ham commented that the environment felt hot like never before. Yet the ash nearly buried the koloss corpses. In chapter 76, Vin has her first moment as Preservation. She understood "things" (what does that even mean?) and quested out with the power without using it. I believe Sanderson was trying to convey time was passing as a few “hours” in the Physical Realm, but I'm not certain. She plugged the ashmounts and erased all atmospheric ash, within, as paraphrased by the text: “a matter of instants, no more than five minutes would’ve passed in the world." The world burned immediately, and she rotated Scadrial like 180 degrees. Crap happened during her questing, and she saw Elend fast traveling to Luthadel. Chapter 77 comes. Elend made it to Luthadel and jumped around. To him, the ash was slowly trickling away, the sun blazed for a few moments in ch 74, and I think day becoming night happened not too long ago. Or.. maybe it happened while he’s in Kredik Shaw? I remember reading the text as Vin’s rotation happening in chapter 77. Did I remember it wrong? How long did Vin wield the Shard of Preservation, and how the rust did time pass for her?

Yes ma'am! I love this community so much! I love creating Twitter threads of media I'm experiencing, so I thought 17th Shard would be perfect for this. Hope you're loving Stormlight! Haven't touched it yet but it sounds great.

Writing my thoughts down here in case anyone finds them interesting. I was inspired by the Stormlight Archive reaction thread by @Amira I thought this would be a great way to get a lot more involved in the Cosmere community. Good way to share theories. If this goes well I'll probably do threads for Warbreaker and The Stormlight Archive.

I never said I didn't enjoy it. I love Mistborn Era 1. I love Vin and Sazed and Kelsier, and the rest of the crew. Elend's criminally underrated. Most of the side characters may have been simple, but they were great. The Metallic Arts were amazing and will probably serve as an inspiration for my own magic systems. But looking back, I wish Sanderson wrote Ruin as a lot more competent or nuanced, and fleshed out things like the Terris Keepers. But maybe that stems from my own preferences.

I guess it could be worse??? I understand the logic behind it, but I'm not a fan of how Ruin seems to have never used future sight throughout his war with Preservation. Granted, I can think of a few occasions where he could've used it. This is definitely one of the weirdest things in the MB trilogy for me, something that feels like it came from Sanderson's inexperience. Definitely something I want to rewrite if I end up writing Mistborn stories. I have a lot of ideas on how to write Ruin.

I love the Mistborn trilogy. But looking back on it, I think the themes surrounding Rashek and Preservation/Ruin were written in an odd way. I think Sanderson made Rashek's actions too atrocious even though he was eventually presented as someone trying to protect humanity. After all, he turned much of the population into skas even before his empire was created. Same complaint applies to Ruin, to some extent.

I really appreciate the explanation. It's been a while since I looked back to Mistborn books 1 and 2. Well that answers my question on how Ruin affected the Terris people. But it still doesn't satiate my criticism on how Brandon wrote the Terris people or the other Dominances. We should have learned so much more about them, especially the Terris. I also think we should've seen the Inquisitors in action at the outer Dominances. And looking back at the fact Ruin and Preservation created or influenced all, and the fact Sazed knew the histories of the powers, I may end up criticizing Ruin's approach with the kandra and atium. Well... more than I already am. But guess I need to read Secret History first. That's fair. I'm definitely a person who adores when authors delve into the past of their worlds. I was hoping Brandon did this, but looks like I may have to wait until Era 3 to see this. That's a fair counterpoint. Just that I think somewhere in Rashek's whole thing, I think Sanderson wrote his actions as too atrocious or "evil." Guess it comes down to my own preferences on how to write characters like this. I think if his rule of the Final Empire was like Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time, I would have less of a problem. It's not just in WoA proper where I thought Ruin felt much more dangerous or competent. In the background of Scadrial's past he felt actually dangerous. No one in Terris except Kwaan had suspicions about his manipulations. According to an old WoB, he was manipulating cultures to make Hemalurgic piercings seem legit. Heck, I have a theory Kwaan suspected Ruin because he was manipulated by Preservation. Meanwhile in HoA... idk. His actions now feel blasé to me? I'm going to be honest, that makes my criticism so much worse. If Ruin's precognition was clouded by Preservation's precognition, why didn't the reserve happen? Why was Ruin out here acting like dumb ol Texas while Preservation was acting like Xanatos? I have thoughts about this, I think. I kind of hate this, but think I need to read other Cosmere books before commenting. Same with this, because Preservation isn't actively doing evil things. The one evil thing Sanderson could've pinned completely on him - the Deepness - turned out to have been somewhat hijacked by Ruin. Not a fan of that writing decision.

It makes sense. An impression I’m getting from Cosmere magic is that it heavily relies on knowledge. If a mortal magic user is using a type of magic, their use of it might be limited to personal knowledge and/or the knowledge of those around them. Wyrn has future sight, but he may not be knowledgeable of the fact that clashing with other forms of future sight can create inaccuracies. Besides, we have yet to know what form his future sight takes or its fuel.

Once again, I totally agree with your theory. I'm excited to see what other stories could point to this being true. I'm very happy he has plans to improve on Adien's writing. Especially someone who recently found out I was diagnosed with autism as a child (might seek a re-diagnosis). As for the topic of Wyrn, I don't have solid answers on his specific abilities. So far my only source of future sight and Fortune is from the MB trilogy, which I have my complaints about as some people in this thread may know. But anyway, I have some theories as to why Wyrn's future sight didn't focus on something of greater importance. 1. Wyrn's future sight was limited to the perception of a mortal - Wyrn himself. His future sight may be impressive compared to atium burning, but not compared to beings or objects steeped in the Cognitive and Spiritual Realms, which I'm assuming some of the above commenters are referring to and theorizing about. Wyrn's future sight may be insignificant compared to Shards, Jaddeth the possible Avatar, and Dominion's... Perpendicularity? 2. Wyrn was trying to see the future of Elantris but clashed with Raoden's possible Fortune or future sight, clouding its accuracy. Similar to how an atium shadow splits into countless shadows when reading other atium burners. I believe Raoden's talent in AonDor was machinated by Devotion, along with his vision of the Chasm line. 3. Raoden was clouding Wyrn's future sight ever since he became an Elantrian. This is just speculation and it ties into my theory that Devotion and Dominion have been weaving a greater, precognitive plot behind the scenes.

The scientific principles behind Cosmere powers are so interesting! I'm reading the Alloy of Law, and I can already tell this is going to be fun. The iron Feruchemy and steel Allomancy combo is so good. I wonder if this plays into Forgery and Bloodsealing. I don't remember Shai commenting anything about those systems getting weaker depending on distance. Completely agree with you. And thanks for clarifying the pronouns of the Vessels. Oh no. I'm excited to see them one day. Hopefully I can RAFO sooner rather than later. @Treamayne Damn Cosmere XD Thanks for confirming this about soulstamps. I forgot about it lol. Thank you. Though, I'm not sure I'd completely dismiss the idea of Devotion and Dominion being involved. I'm not saying they would have caused Adien's autism. Not because they can't, but because that's a can of worms I think we agree shouldn't be opened. I'm saying Devotion and Dominion may have a degree of influence over Adien's hypercalculia because of what we saw from Preservation and Ruin. They can manipulate memories and mental speed. And on the theorycrafting side, I personally believe Kwaan's photographic memory and knowledge of Ruin's "blindness" to metal was crafted by Preservation as part of his Grand Design. Those will be read after Secret History.

Reading this definitely helped me understand some things about The Hero of Ages. Yeah, I meant Ashravan —_— Very valid. I was getting there ngl. The epilogue hit different. This is... an opinion. Forgery isn't like other magic systems. The main component to successful Forgery is knowledge about the target's history. Shai was the equivalent of a student doing a multi-week cramming session. It also helped she already had experience creating Essence Marks. Furthermore, she was never sure the Essence Mark would completely work as intended.

I’m so excited to read your stories! We desperately need more Cosmere fan stories!

The Well of Ascension worked well enough for me. I loved the politics and Elend's character development. But I thought it should've included a lot more of the Terris, connected more to Ruin and Preservation's machinations, and explained more of Scadrial's lost history. I love your opinion about Ruin! I agree with you. And I've been wondering how to write him in my AU, so you gave me a great idea! Same for Preservation.

Scadrial would've at least had bronze, copper, brass, pewter. Alendi was a Seeker so he would've needed bronze, and there was probably a Bronze Age. Feruchemists used copperminds, so duh. Alendi mentioned that the Terris who accompanied him on his journey didn't feel cold and threw boulders. This means Scadrial knew about brass and pewter. Scadrial's discovery of metals and other elements probably follows our world's timeline. It would've known about iron, steel, zinc, and tin.

Nice to meet you fellow Hunter junkie! I've been a big fan of the 2011 anime for years, but never got around to the manga. I really should read it. I think I agree with this, at least until I read Era 2. I love the Metallic Arts and Forgery, and how Sanderson wrote their mechanics and connection to gods. But Nen is something truly special. You can create virtually any ability with the right Contract.

I dedicate these fanmade Nen abilities to The Emperor's Soul. It was such a beautiful story. I couldn't resist looking into its magic once again, Nen ability name: Forgery (The Window to Man's Soul) Nen type: All sub-abilities in Forgery use Specialization and Manipulation. Conjuration is used for some applications. Description: Forgery is the unique Nen ability practiced by people born in the Rose Empire. Forgery is the art of altering the soul, with the goal of rewriting the past of objects or living people. The medium is soulstamps - stamps specially carved & imprinted with Manipulative orders. A Forger must carve the soulstamp and apply ink, and affix its seal onto the target. Knowledge on the target's background and history is required to make seals last. Rules for all forms of Forgery Soulstamps must be carved by a Forger, and must have the proper seal. A Forger must apply ink to the stamp. Affix a mark to the target via the stamp's seal. The ability deactivates when the seal is taken off. The length of the stamp's effect depends on the degree of knowledge on the target's background and history. The more intimate the user's knowledge, and the closer the imposed past is to the previous past, the longer it will last. Wannabe Forgers must fulfill two requirements before being granted the ability to Forge: Must be born in the Rose Empire's territory. Must learn mundane forgery. Sub-ability: Resealing. It’s practiced by Rose Empire surgeons to repair physical damage to the body, by returning the body/soul to a past state. The Condition is that the Forger must possess intricate knowledge of the human body. They must know every sinew, vein and muscle. Interestingly, Resealing doesn't repair injuries to the mind. Sub- ability: Remembering. Employed by the Empire's Heritage Faction to change common or decrepit objects into beautiful works of art. It can turn a plain urn into a beautiful vase, give a boring wall a nice appearance, or change a neglected table’s history so it’s cared for. Alternatively, objects can be Forged to induce a state of lesser quality. It can manifest deep flaws into a bed’s frame so it collapses, or make it so a floor falls in. Sub-ability: Soulforging. Soulforging is very, very, very difficult and complex. It rewrites the past that’s within the souls of people, and is activated through a particular stamp called an Essence Mark. They can rewrite memories and history, grant new skills, create disguises by changing physiology, and change one's personality. Essence Marks typically take years to make, with the best only lasting about a day before deactivation. An Essence Mark of the famous Forger Wan ShaiLu, when applied to herself, lasts 26 hours. The Mark responsible for animating the body of Emperor Ashravan needs to be reapplied every morning. Soulforging and the Marks are imposed with five Conditions The Forger must make and test out hundreds of soulstamps to ensure each will work. Each stamp represents a small piece of the person’s history/personality. Re-carve the hundreds of stamps into smaller etchings. Combine the etchings into the lowest amount of test stamps you can. Combine the small amount of test stamps into a final stamp. The final stamp is the linchpin used on the subject. The Forger's group of test stamps are stamped onto a metal plate - a lattice of what was originally hundreds of stamps. The metal plate is linked to the linchpin stamp, For the Essence Mark to work, the subject must be stamped with the linchpin and be carrying the metal plate. Nen ability name: Bloodsealing (Memory Without Language) Nen type: Manipulation Description: Bloodsealing is the unique Nen ability practiced by people born in Dzhamar. A Bloodsealer must have extracted fresh blood from a human being within the past 24 hours, and apply the blood to a stamp's seal. After 24 hours, the seal disappears. A Bloodsealer can ink a door with the stamp's blood, crafting a ward to imprison the person the blood came from. The Bloodsealer will know when the person leave the room or alters the seal. The other use of Bloodsealing are skeletals - skeletons reanimated by a Bloodsealer on the forehead. The process for creating skeletals is unknown, but they can track a person who's blood was taken within 24 hours. They stop moving if pivotal bones are damaged or removed.