Longshot97

This leads to another idea I had, which potentially solves the limitation kandra have with skeletons. 50: Spoilers for Warbreaker There's an idea... 51: Element Isolation. Especially useful in scientific endeavors, a kandra could command their body to digest everything but a specific element/molecule/compound, and store it/eject it. Could be an effective way of creating supplements, or purifying materials, such as water. You have my sincerest apologies. That wasn't even deliberate, I have no idea how it occurred, all I did was edit the original post, and it duplicated.

Just me thinking of bloodsucking animals, such as mosquitoes and vampire bats. While it would not be much more effective than simply stabbing somebody, it would be very interesting to see. My mistake, thank you for pointing that out, will avoid it in the future. 44. Incendiary Gas. A surprising number of animals produce volatile gas as a natural part of their digestive systems (did you know you could set cow manure on fire? It's simultaneously fascinating and disgusting). All the kandra would need to do is strike a spark. They could do so manually, but I wonder if there is a biological means of generating a spark a kandra could mimic?

I'm a bit confused on this one. Could you explain it in more detail? I was thinking of something like a mosquito, vampire bat, or other bloodsucker. Not necessarily more effective than simply stabbing someone, but hey, it's an ability. Excellent point, sorry for the inconvenience. 44. Biological bullets. Could they force their bodies to eject small projectiles at comparable speeds to firearms? It would be nowhere near as effective as gunpowder, but they could defend themselves in a pinch.

This, among many other abilities theorized here, has led me to conclude that the kandra could very easily become Lovecraftian-scale horrors. We are very lucky Paalm was either sorely lacking in her creative faculties, or held back on us poor humans.

36. Vocal range. They could theoretically rearrange their larynx, either making it larger, stronger, or more efficient, and produce sonic shrieks. 37. Spinnerets? Could they weave webs? The durability of spider's silk is well documented in modern science. 38. Venom sacs? Could they biologically produce venom, toxins, poisons, or such, to be injected or otherwise imparted? 39. Echolocation. Need I say any more? 40. Blood drainage. Yeesh. 41. Acid manipulation. We know they possess the ability to digest without skeletal structures. If their digestive systems are even comparable to a human's (which can dissolve solid steel) they could use that as an extremely scary weapon. 42. Introduction of foreign bodies. Could they manufacture a virus, disease, or something similar, and inject that into a target? 43. Temperature manipulation. Could they siphon heat from a target via physical contact, or theoretically impart it?

I've always seen Tress of the Emerald Sea as perfect musical material.

Excellent point about duralumin, complete forgot about that.

I am extremely reticent to pick immortality of any kind, and Atium Compounding does run into an eventual limit. Thus, I'd rather live a short life, in both cases, but be effectively unkillable. Also, I can frustrate all Cosmerenauts with my mere existence as an Atium misting

The title says it all. To elaborate, I'm wondering if it is at all possible to use Emotional Allomancy to control an Inquisitor through the cracks of their Spiritweb, given that we have never seen it done before. Granted, there are some good reasons for this. Practically no one knew about this "Hemalurgic backdoor" and the ones that did couldn't and/or wouldn't try it. By the time this was discovered, Ruin had escaped, and no one could contest a Shard's hold. Inquisitors had access to Allomantic copper, possibly multiple times over, which was an excellent counter. Inquisitors have sapience and willpower, and if the Allomancer fails, Adonalsium have mercy upon them. I'm wondering if I have some of the facts wrong, or if there's a reason all its own for this to never happen. Otherwise, to cover all my bases, let's assume a group of several Soothers (or Rioters, but for the sake of argument, Soothers) with several Nicrobursts got together Post-Catacendre, and tried to overwhelm Marsh's copper and willpower with a combined Push. Excluding divine intervention, is there any reason this would not work?

An excellent theory. I'd completely neglected the excerpts from Words of Radiance (in-world) when researching the Truthwatchers. Though now I wonder: what could have prompted an ancient Truthwatcher to break this taboo? What is so terrible about predicting this course of action?

Maybe the reason this Intent was the one that worked (assuming this theory to be correct) is because it is the closest to the idea of Harmony. At the moment, Harmony is not Discord, by his own profession, and he cannot lie.

There's likely also the question of whether or not Kaladin would have used the Reverse Lashing in such a way. He did so in a fit of unthinking, bestial rage. Had he been more rational, he probably would have been horrified at the very thought.

Argh, this was what I was trying to convey in the first place. I really need to be more clear. I agree, it makes far more sense that it happens infrequently.

Ooh, you brought up an excellent point, and one I meant to address. We understand that seeing the future is something that involves the Spiritual Realm, that all Shards are capable of to some degree, and is not entirely uncommon across magic systems. I meant to include that it is very likely the Truthwatchers (assuming my theory to be correct) began to conceal this ability or downplay it when it became common custom to view seeing the future as "of the Voidbringers." This explains the secrecy of the Truthwatcher from the Urithiru Gem Archive, and why we don't see this recorded anywhere.

Um, I'm afraid the way you're describing this would not academically function. What he actually did was Push and Pull on it simultaneously, causing it to hover before him. Then, by Pushing on the close end and Pulling on the far end, he crushed it. No shifting of center involved there.

Introduction Well, this is one of the most incoherent theories I've ever cobbled together. But I think I have something, at the very least. Regardless, here we go. I will first state the theory, for the sake of retaining reader attention, then explain the evidence I have to prove it. Whatever the case, I believe I have found the nature of whatever resonance the Truthwatchers possess, or at the very least an ability they somehow employ. I will delay no further; I believe the Truthwatchers had the ability glimpse the future. Please understand, I have not taken temporary leave of my sanity. I know Renarin is not a true Truthwatcher, and I understand the Surges as well as any Cosmerenaut. Allow me to present my evidence, such as it is. Evidence 1: The Urithiru Gem Archive I think everyone who's closely read the epigraphs has flirted with this theory at one time or another. I quote below an entry made by an unknown Truthwatcher, detailing their plan to deny Voidlight to the parsh armies. See below: It has already been established that the gem type corresponds with the Order of Knight who recorded the message. I invite all to look at the final message, recorded in "a particularly small emerald." Obviously, whoever recorded it must have felt a need to record their foresight. Now, this can be taken two ways. The Truthwatcher had an uncannily acute sense of foresight, and very accurately judged the eventual findings and conclusions of a group of scholars, tacticians, and warriors. The word "foresaw" was used in a more literal sense. I'm inclined to believe the latter, for the fact that the gem was "particularly small" as well as the Truthwatcher's evident need for secrecy. Evidence 2: The Surgebinding Chart It is interesting to note how specifically the Truthwatchers are placed. Directly below the Bondsmiths. Not only this, but a strange line connects the two, completely unrelated to the surrounding art. I am not the first to note this; indeed, another user asked a question concerning it. Brandon admits that there is some significance to this placement, and that Truthwatchers are different from other Orders in much the same way a Bondsmith is. How interesting, especially in light of Evidence 1. Evidence 3: The Nature of Resonances We have some details concerning the nature of resonances. Kaladin and Shallan---and to a certain extent, Jasnah and Lift---have all demonstrated abilities that occur from their two Surges interacting. Kaladin can adopt far more squires, and those of far more power, than any other order. Shallan has uncanny mnemonic abilities that Brandon attributes to her order. The same goes for Kaladin. Jasnah is noted by Wit as having an uncanny sense of direction, leading to some speculation among the fanbase. Then Lift, who displayed a very keen sense of comprehension in the face of street slang worse than that of Spook's. What's interesting is how all these resonances seem have certain common characteristics. These are the ones I have noted. The resonances we do have, and some suspected ones, are at least tangentially related to the Surges that produce them. The resonances, at least in the case of Knights Radiant, seem to follow their order's underlying themes. There seems to be an almost thematic connection between the Surges and the resonance. Evidence 4: Renarin Fear not, intrepid readers, for I yet retain my sanity. I bring up Renarin only to point out the connection between this theory and one of Renarin's main abilities. As a Cosmerenaut, I do not believe much in coincidences, and find it very convenient that a Truthwatcher of old "foresaw" something, and Renarin, a corrupted Truthwatcher, sees the future in intermittent fits. Putting It All Together From all these pieces of evidence, I believe enough data has been gathered to draw conclusions. So, diving right in, we start with the very high likelihood that a Truthwatcher past somehow saw the future. This was something he fear, or was ashamed of, but regardless felt necessary to maintain secrecy over. Evidence 2 introduces the thought that Truthwatchers have some abilities that almost resemble those of a Bondsmith. At the very least, they have something Cognitively and Spiritually related. We know that seeing the future involves the Spiritual Realm, where time has no meaning. The conclusions drawn from Evidence 3 are the shakiest I have to offer, but I'll do my best to be clear. Truthwatchers of Ideals surrounding the nature of truth, and seeking it out. Thus, they are commonly scholars and scientists. They seek to banish lies and understand the world better. More than that, the Surges exclusive to Truthwatchers are those of Progression and Illumination. What an interesting combination. Looking at these purely thematically, a combination of the two might illuminate a future path, a way of progressing forwards. Finally, Renarin. Again, I find it far too coincidental how he can see the future. And perhaps this provides some insight as to the nature of Sja-anat's Enlightening. Maybe Enlightened spren almost lean into the resonance, and that is the pattern of affected Orders. Conclusion None of these pieces of evidence alone serve to help prove this theory. When taken together, however, the connections drawn follow some common paths. If you have any thoughts over this, please comment so. Any and all criticism are welcome. Many thanks for reading, Longshot97

I think these are well-reasoned arguments, and excellent point about Yomen and the Steel Ministry. There are possibly ways Brandon could retcon that, but for now, those stand as good reasons against electrum mistings=atium listings. It would make sense though, wouldn't it? If the Atium Retcon exists so that pure atium can be burned by any who swallow it (like lerasium) and it is possible to alloy God Metals with other viable metals to create unique effects when burned, then it should stand to reason that those specific mistings would have the key to unlock the functionality of that God Metal alloy. Then again, a big point of metallurgy is that an alloy is not simply two metals combined, but an entirely new metal. Having there be unique mistings for God Metal alloys would preserve the spirit of that. And hey, maybe all Scadrians are Metalborn in some sense. If there are sixteen (excuse me, 17, now) unique metals for each Shard (actually, 18, since Brandon mentioned the Dor has a unique God Metal) and each of those can be alloyed with the 16 normal metals...then we get to God Metals being alloyed with other God Metals...that's an awful lot of variability.

Do you have a citation for this? Because to this point, I've assumed that was up in the air, whether or not nalatium mistings are actually electrum mistings. There's evidence for both sides.

So, I'm almost certain others have theorized this already, but after some extensive searching, I was unable to find anyone on here who did. So, here we go. In Epilogue 7, Marsh approaches Wax, Steris, and Marasi before Wayne's statue. When asked on how he walks about without drawing attention, he passes it off as emotional Allomancy. Still, Wax expresses his doubts. I think all Cosmerenauts on all worlds stirred in their beds with that phrase. But regardless, this moves on to my theory. I think Marsh moves about unseen through a combination of emotional Allomancy... and Feruchemical duralumin. To quote from the Coppermind, Feruchmeical duralumin functions as such. This seems a very likely explanation for that "something more" Wax postulates. Granted, don't know if Marsh was given spikes following the Catacendre, and there is no way of knowing if Rashek was aware of duralumin's Feruchemical properties. Still, he was a Feruchemist himself, and discovered duralumin. It makes sense he would test it. Anyway, there's my three cents. Thoughts? ~Longshot97

...when you read the Inkworld Trilogy and you can only see "Dustfinger" as "Dustbringer."

Is it possible that Feruchemy takes care of that? We see in the case of Wax that Feruchemical iron saps a little of your strength alongside your weight, enough to keep yourself moving and functioning normally. Brandon has already revealed that Feruchemical steel covers your processing speed, allowing you to react in time with whatever speed you are moving at. Could it also store some of your body's...durability? Some attribute that allows you to withstand the immense pressure you would place on your body?

This is a theory that has been brewing in my head for some time, concerning Steel Compounders. While extremely powerful, an effective limit is placed in the form of air resistance. Thus, they cannot tap too much speed, lest they literally burn up. While an interesting case study of Sanderson's Second Law of Magic, I have always found it to be frustrating. So, I started thinking of ways to circumvent this issue. This is no novelty. Many have already conceptualized combining the [Stormlight Archive Spoiler] with Steel Compounding, which would be an effective way of going about eliminating the issue. However, such inter-planetary interaction isn't likely to occur for some time. So I started thinking of ways to make Steel Compounding safer using only things available on Scadrial. This leads to my theory. Could a Steel Compounder take a brass medallion (or a brass spike) and begin storing heat? With the use of heat Feruchemy, all heat generated by the air resistance would be siphoned away, preventing any damage to the Compounder. With enough metalminds, no heat would linger long enough to pose any threat, allowing the Steelrunner to speed up. Of course, the faster the Compounder goes, the more heat will be generated. This may eventually prove too much for the limited nature of Feruchemical storage. However, the Steelrunner would not be forced to last long. Eventually, they should be able to accelerate enough to break the sound barrier, thus ceasing the accumulation of heat. This is how I think Steel Compounding can emerge even more powerful than before. What's worse, Hemalurgy isn't even necessary. Southern Scadrian medallions solve that problem quite beautifully. I do not know if this theory is sound, so feel free to comment below with any corrections or counterarguments. ~Longshot97

I like this idea, but I initially had this thought. Wax was attempting to separate harmonium via trellium. Trellium, or bavadinium, is the physical manifestation of the Investiture of Autonomy. Could it be that Wax's Intent aligned with Autonomy, in that moment, to isolate the independent elements of harmonium? Thus, the Investitures of Ruin and Preservation were separated, given autonomy, thanks to the Intent of the wielder of bavadinium.

It would be an interesting piece of lore if the Inquisitor's voices are permanently raw and hoarse from their screams as they were Hemalurgically impaled. Worldbuilding-wise, it's possible gold Feruchemy wouldn't heal it, if they feel it matches their ideal self. That self would already be twisted and, given that they constantly feel pain from the spikes and are constantly on the brink of madness, I could see that fitting

Thanks! Good to be here! Too many names come to mind (It's the Cosmere, after all), but among my favorites have to be Kaladin, Szeth, and Spook. Who would you say are your favorites?