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Apologies, I don't mean to come across as rude, but aren't all four of these spren themselves?

I'm enjoying this wholesome banter very much. Contentment = 10/10

I don't think we're fully aware of the exact process Adolin's using to heal Maya - he hasn't spoken any Oaths thus far, but he has established a capital 'C' Connection with her. Perhaps him swearing Edgedancer Oaths could increase the rate of healing, but at this stage we simply don't know to what extent. Relevant WOB below: Yep, that's what's going on with her. I think you're right on Biochromatic Breath being the easiest way to imbue the spren with extra Investiture, though we don't know how this would manifest. As Breath tends to have more Physical Effects than Cognitive Ones, it might simply make them manifest more fully in the Physical Realm. Or it might not effect them at all, as a Spren already is Investiture, rather than a mortal which can hold Investiture. Hard to say. I don't think Progression healing would have much effect though, unfortunately. Most cosmere healing returns you to your purest Spiritual self, filtered through the Cognitive lens. As a deadeye spren has something broken in their spiritweb, the healing likely wouldn't be able to mend it (kind of like Kaladin's scars). Maybe it's kind of like a device with a broken electrical chord. You could pump as much electricity into it as you want, but the device won't ever work properly.

As the Fused are Cognitive Shadows, they act a bit like spren when they possess singers; by filling their gemhearts. This would mean that a human wouldn't be able to bond with a Fused, due to lack of said gemheart. They may be able to form something akin to a Nahel Bond with the human, but that's a RAFO as far as I'm aware. For the first question, the Coppermind states the following: Therefore, I would assume a deceased singer wouldn't be able to be possessed, as a Cognitive aspect is required for the Fused to Invest the form. Hope that helps!

Perhaps, though I don't know if it would give you a significantly stronger version of the ability. I found the following on the WOB front. So you might be able to receive more initial power, but not the same level of power the savant originally had.

As @Chandlerhimself has said, spren can be killed further. We see this at the end of ROW with Moash and Anti-Investiture. Spren are, by definition, splinters of one or more Shards. They are pure lumps of Investiture, shaped by the cognitive ideals and understandings of mortals, which is why they mostly exist in the Cognitive Realm. Technically speaking, Investiture itself transcends the three realms, as it's the 'building blocks' of the cosmere. It's more Spiritual then anything because the Spiritual Realm exists over the top of both Physcial and Cognitive Realms and isn't reliant on time. This is why it can be glimpsed by people, but not visited. We don't know exactly how the break occurs to create a deadeye spren, but they are still bound by their old Oaths. Brandon has mentioned the following regarding Stormlight, which parallels Breath in Investiture terms. Hope that helps!

That's a wonderfully cool theory! Really like it, and it makes a lot of sense.

This is a Read and Find Out moment, but you should get an answer in this book

Agree with this 100%. Feruchemy would be so convenient, and it would be very cool to be able to compound the abilities too! I'd be really keen on compounding Connection in order to travel and speak the local language of the places you go. Compounding copper to have a better memory would also be really nifty.

Correct, but I don't believe it's an instant effect. The specific WOB says that they'd be 'fairly effective', not instantaneous. That also doesn't negate the difficulty of reaching the Radiant, or the possibility of the Radiant touching the Mistborn first and Lashing them away prior to Leeching.

Loving this discussion! Really interesting how many intersections and interactions of the powers there is to consider. @Tamriel Wolfsbaine Referring to your counterpoints. Really great response too, thank you! There isn't an exact source of a Windrunner spraying Stormlight onto a Sprenshield that I'm aware of. However, my reasoning was based on what we've seen Shallan do, when she imbues her Illusions onto Pattern. The Coppermind states this as follows "It's possible for the Surgebinder to attach the illusion to themselves, as well as a being they are Spiritually linked to such as the spren that forms the Nahel bond." Now, this effect may not carry across Orders, but that was where my reasoning came from. I re-read this scene in question (it's in Chapter 17) and found no mention of the horrible nausea you described. The disorientation that occurs is due to Marasi creating a small bubble with a 'pinch' of cadmium. This causes the stagecoach to lurch because it isn't massive enough for the speed bubble to follow Marasi, causing the occupants to knock about. This certainly causes disorientation, but no crippling nausea. It's also a very specific instance of speed bubble shenanigan's on moving objects. Stationary bubbles don't seem to have this effect, otherwise it would be mentioned whenever Wax and/or Wayne leap out of their speed bubbles during combat. The problem with this is that the Pulsers aren't releasing a 'dome of death'- they are creating a slowness room with them inside. Yes, they could take out a chunk of an army by slowing them down, but they're also trapping themselves. If the army they've caught then kills them, the bubble drops anyway. This is the main reason why I didn't account for speed bubbles in my original analysis. If the Mistborn creates a bubble with the Windrunner already within the radius, all they're doing is restricting the arena size. If they create one and the Windrunner falls into it, they might possibly be disorientated, but not to an horrific effect. Even if nausea was a side effect (which I don't believe it is) Stormlight healing cures nausea, as we've seen with drunkenness and poison. Absolutely. Both combatants would certainly adjust their combat strategies as the fight wore on, and attrition is in the Mistborn's favour. The main point I was referring to is that a Mistborn likely has great confidence in their abilities than a Radiant has, making them more prone to a reckless opening move. This is a good point, though I don't believe 'like a ragdoll' is a correct descriptor. A Windrunner can double up lashings as many times as they wish, which would likely overpower the difference in mass. The pulling to catch up to them is a valid point though, but again that brings the Mistborn close, where I believe the Radiant has the advantage. Also, it's not unreasonable to think that the Windrunner would feel the pressing of their buttons into their skin and remove the metal they're wearing, which would negate the ability to Push and Pull. Agreed, Pewter does provide a greater strength increase than Stormlight. I will say the Coppermind states that Stormlight grants 'superhuman strength'', so I do believe it's greater than your 'full potential'. Otherwise, most male Radiants would be inherently stronger than female ones which, based on what we've seen Jasnah, Lyn and others do, doesn't seem like it's the case. Stormlight doesn't heal Insta-kills, but it heals better overall. A Radiant can survive getting shot through the eye. I don't believe a Mistborn could (excluding maybe duralumin pewter, but that would use up a chunk of that limited resource). This is the final point in my original conclusion. Which of the two is more likely to deliver an Instant Kill move first? The Mistborn's instant kill relies on Atium, Pewter and Duralumin (and likely Chromium Leeching if they want to be 100%). The Radiant's instant kill relies on one weapon attack connecting that a Mistborn can't block. Which is more likely to happen first? This is a really good point. As @therunner mentioned, I feel it's unlikely there would be a situation of a Mistborn leeching a Radiant that hasn't summoned their Sprenblade already, but preventing it from changing forms would be a viable tactic. Close combat not being an issue though; I don't agree with. The Windrunner could Lash the Mistborn away from them (stacking Lashings if need be), or toward the ground, making the grip easy to break. The Windrunner can also attack the Mistborn too, either by Lashing enhanced kicks (which we've seen are effective against Shardbearers, who I believe to be stronger than Mistborn) or perhaps by maneuvering their existing Sprenblade into severing a limb (this depends on the exact hold, angle and weapon of course). Plus, the Mistborn has to get into contact range with the Radiant; easier said than done with the Sprenblade in question. If the Radiant is able to slice through one of their arms, killing the limb, that also lessens the chance of the Mistborn leeching their Stormlight or Blade. Again, it really comes down to Atium, which is what would allow the Mistborn to do all of these things easier. But due to it's rarity, it's unlikely they'd be carrying much, and as mentioned it's burn rate is very fast; faster than Stormlight for certain. It's a limited resource which I feel they're unlikely to utilize in the initial rounds of combat. The Radiant's win' resource is unlimited - their Spren doesn't depend on Stormlight to be summoned as a Blade, and the Radiant is more likely to strike with it initially. For me, this is a close one, but it comes down to the likelihood of each combatants win conditions. Still, feel free to critique any of these points - this is a really neat discussion!

Okay, there’s a lot of nuance in the discussion, and I'm here for it! Here are my thoughts. Please feel free to poke as many holes in this breakdown as you find – this is based on my own personal understanding of the magic systems more than exact references. First, let’s set the arena these two are fighting in. We want to avoid inherit advantages (ie, Highstorms and a metal rich environment) so I’ll set the battlefield arena as a flat stone plane. Now, the amount of Investiture each combatant has access to will certainly affect the fight, but for the sake of the argument, let’s say that each fighter has access to the same amount of raw Investiture. In the Mistborn’s case, I’m assuming they have an average quantity of metal from the period they are from (eg, more Steel and Iron than Duralumin). I'll break this down by Category where I feel it's relevant. Investiture Stores: A Radiant brimming with Stormlight will burn through Investiture faster than a Mistborn would run out of metals (excluding duralumin exhaustion). As mentioned by @StanLemon, Brandon has written scenes of Radiants running out of Stormlight in minutes compared to Mistborn running out in hours. Verdict: Mistborn Advantage Comparable Abilities Aerial Mobility: Regarding one’s ability to ‘fly’. Here, I feel the Windrunner has the upper hand. They're not reliant on external factors to maneuver, unlike a Mistborn which (in this arena) would have to rely on coins they shoot or plant into the ground. A Windrunner could also travel higher and further than a Mistborn, considering one could potentially reach space. Verdict: Windrunner Advantage Aerial Speed: This factor is trickier. As mentioned by @Tamriel Wolfsbaine, a Mistborn likely has a stronger factor of instant acceleration, but a Radiant can likely reach a higher top speed. Again though, this instant acceleration is dependent on having grounded sources of metal to Push and Pull on. In this arena, this would be harder to accomplish. Likely, the greatest acceleration for a Mistborn would be vertically ‘up’, via Pushing coins into the ground. As the Windrunner could get above the Mistborn, I feel this verticality would be overshadowed. Verdict: Windrunner Advantage Physical Strength: Pewter beats Stormlight here, I think. As stated in this WOB Pewter roughly doubles a person’s strength, and triples it when flared. Whilst Stormlight does grant a strength increase, I don't think it surpasses a tripled base value (though Huio did battle a building sized Hordeling - I'll say that's comparable to the Koloss). Verdict: Mistborn Advantage Physical Endurance: This is a bit harder to separate in my opinion. Pewter has been shown to keep the body going beyond the point of feasible death, but that requires an influx of metal (Pewter drag). Likewise, Stormlight is said to act like an adrenaline rush, urging the Surgebinder to action and motion. Personally, I feel the difference here is negligible while both combatants are still invested. Verdict: No Inherit Advantage Healing: Stormlight Healing is more equivalent to tapping a goldmind then burning Pewter. The Coppermind mentions that even a Pewtar savant would heal slower than someone tapping health. We also have no indication that Pewter would be able to heal a Shardblade wound and, even if it did, it would likely require more metal than the Mistborn would be carrying. Verdict: Windrunner Advantage Unique Abilities: Emotional Allomancy: This is going to depend a lot on the individual. Someone like Kaladin could be hit quite hard, but someone like the Lopen would likely be less effected. Overall though, Windrunners tend to have experience in open warfare and overcoming strong emotions (especially bridgemen). This could perhaps give them some advantages. Another advantage the Windrunner has is their Spren, who the Mistborn wouldn't be able to see or probably target (tangent on this – we don’t know fully know how Emotional Allomancy would affect Spren). Still, a Spren could probably help pull a Radiant out of their stupor, and we’ve seen that being aware of Emotional Allomancy can dampen the effect. Verdict: Situational Mistborn Advantage Sprenblades: Here, we find a major win condition for the Radiants. A Mistborn hit by a Sprenblade would be unlikely to recover, especially when we consider the transformative nature of a Sprenblade, which the Mistborn would be unaware of. Verdict: Windrunner advantage Reverse Lashings/ Full Lashings: Another advantage for a Windrunner would be utilzing Reverse Lashings. They could imbue it onto a Sprenshield to draw a Mistborn’s coin fire, or draw the fire to a place on the ground. A Full Lashing that binds the Mistborn to the ground could also be an effective tactic. Still, a Mistborn burning Tin would likely be able to see the sprays of Stormlight and would probably avoid being caught unless physical contact was made. Verdict: Situational Windrunner Advantage Leeching: A good Mistborn tactic is to Leech the Windrunners Stormlight, making them vulnerable to a wide range of attacks. However, the disadvantage here is that the Mistborn must make physical contact with the Windrunner, leaving them vulnerable to Sprenblade attacks (which aren’t reliant on Stormlight) The closer distance also leaves more room for the Windrunner to apply Reverse and Full Lashings as well. Verdict: No Inherit Advantage (High Risk vs Reward) Duralumin: A more reliable choice for the Mistborn. A well placed Duralumin-Pewter blow or Duralumin Steelpush could leave the Radiant vulnerable while they heal. A Duralumin-Zinc Rioting could potentially stun the Windrunner as well, and a Duralumin-Leech could drain Stormlight much faster. The biggest downside to this is the wiping of internal reserves and the metal’s overall rarity, meaning the Mistborn is unlikely to be carrying much of it. Still, an effective use of the metal would prove devastating. Verdict: Mistborn Advantage. Speed Bubbles: This is a weird one. The two biggest advantages I can see is the Mistborn using them to reorientate themselves during combat, in order to enact surprise attacks on the Radiant, and as a ‘pause’ to heal from wounds. Honestly though, I feel that both situations are weirdly ineffectual. A good strike from a Sprenblade is likely unhealable, and reorientation for surprise attacks would be healed by the Radiant, and would be hard to pull off if both combatants were in the air. A Slowness Bubble would be one way of extending the duel to drain a Radiant’s Stormlight, but to be honest that’s not really in the spirit of the question. Plus a Radiant could always enter the bubble and bring the fight to the Mistborn, or stop draining their Stormlight. Verdict: No Inherit Advantage Bronze Seeking: I wouldn’t consider this an inherit advantage other than the Mistborn knowing where the Radiant and their external Lashings (ie. Full Lashing) are. They could also determine this with Tin. Maybe it would allow them to see detect their Spren, but in most cases that would just point to their weapon. Verdict: No Inherit Advantage Atium: Now this is the Ace in the Hole for the Mistborn. Atium would allow a Mistborn to dodge Sprenblade attacks, allowing them to Leech the Radiant’s Stormlight more effectively. However, we should consider the sheer rarity of the metal. The nobles have access to some in Era 1, but a single Mistborn is unlikely to be carrying more than a bead, and it barely exists in Era 2. The question is whether the Mistborn exhausts their Atium before the Windrunner exhausts their Stormlight. A skilled Mistborn, as mentioned, would certainly 'toggle' this ability for when they're in close range, but if the fight continues their Atium could still expire. Still, it's a major advantage if the Mistborn has it. Verdict: Mistborn Advantage Experience and Skill: This isn't perhaps as relevant, but I feel it's important to consider the cultural and societal impacts behind a Mistborn and a Windrunner. Within the days of the Final Empire, the average Mistborn would’ve been a noble and trained as an assassin. They were also a rarity, likely trained to fight guards and Mistings, rather than other Mistborn; people at their same power level. Therefore, I feel that the probability they sparred against someone of equal skill in a life or death situation would’ve been fairly uncommon. I also feel that their mindset would've likely been an entitled one (judging by a lot of the nobles we see), more used to overcoming their 'common' enemies with brute Allomantic power. Compare that to Windrunners. Either Pre-Recreance or during the True Desolation, they trained as scouts and soldiers; used to regular battle. Especially when we consider that True Desolation Windrunners are constantly fighting the Fused - beings at or surpassing their own level of skill and power. They also come from much wider backgrounds, which I feel would make them overall less likely to underestimate an opponent. In fact, considering their oaths, a lack of entitlement is baked into the protection of even those they hate. Therefore, I feel that the Windrunner would have an advantage here too in a one-on-one dual. They'd be less likely to act rashly and more used to facing an immensely powerful opponent. Now, this isn't to say the Mistborn would be foolhardy or reckless, but their societal upbringing and their more stealth-aligned training wouldn't serve them as well in this situation. Verdict: Windrunner Advantage Likely Combat Outcomes: Close Quarters: The Windrunner has the advantage. A single Sprenblade strike against the Mistborn's spine ends the fight, not to mention Full and Reverse Lashings. The Mistborn will also be unaware of the Spren's shape-changing properties; they might confidently dodge a sword thrust, only for the Spren to become a lance, skewering them. A Mistborn’s best bet is using Atium to avoid the Sprenblade, followed by a Duralumin-Powered Leeching to drain the Stormlight from the Radiant, followed by a series of dagger blows and coin shots. Problem is, they're unlikely to do this first try as they don’t know how their opponents’ powers work. It’s more likely they’d try using Pewter to stomp and stab the Radiant, as they’re used to facing weaker opponents than themselves. Due to Stormlight healing, this will prove ineffectual. Otherwise, they would likely try a Steel Push using the buttons on a Radiant's uniform, which the Radiant can counter with a Lashing of their own. Long Range: A Mistborn can pepper a Radiant with Coins, and maybe throw them around using the steel buttons on their uniform. However, a Radiant could create a Sprenshield to block the incoming fire, and counteract the Push's and Pulls with Lashings again. Still, a long range battle in this arena doesn't massively favour the Mistborn, as their traversal will be limited. A Radiant is likely more capable of closing the distance due to their faster top speed and the Mistborn having no fixed metal objects to Push or Pull on, negating some of their faster acceleration. If the battle gets close, the Windrunner has the advantage. Final Verdict: The Mistborn wins in a battle of attrition, forcing the Radiant to drain all of their Stormlight, either by keeping their distance, Leeching it away or causing enough damage to force them to heal. The Windrunner wins by slicing the Mistborn’s spine with their Sprenblade, a weapon the Mistborn can’t block or anticipate without Atium (which they would be unlikely to burn on their first attack). In my opinion, I feel that the Windrunner wins more often than the Mistborn. It’s close, especially with Atium and Duralumin, but the fact is a Radiant can heal from most damage a Mistborn could reasonably inflict, whereas a Mistborn can’t heal from a solid Sprenblade strike. Again, all of this is based on personal understanding. If I've missed something, please feel free to correct me. Thanks all!

Yeah, this is really it. There's nothing that a Mistborn can do (combat wise) that a Windrunner can't do better, when you're comparing two combatants of equal skill. Perhaps Atium would give you the edge, but that's very conditional.

As others have said, I'd also have to go with Windrunner. In a straight up fight, I feel that their powers are more useful (Lashings aren't determined by surrounding sources of metal to Push and Pull on, healing is more consistent that Pewter and the versatility of their Sprenblades are harder to get around). This isn't to say a Mistborn couldn't win, it's just more situational; requiring a metal rich arena and likely Duralumin and/or Chromium. Unless they play cat and mouse, where the Radiant probably runs out of Stormlight before the Mistborn runs out of vials.

He did! Relevant WOB below. AdelRD Should we assume that Sigzil’s Dawnshard is the same that Hoid used to have? Brandon Sanderson Sigzil, at one point, held the same Dawnshard that Hoid used to have. I phrased that very intentionally. Secret Project #4 Reveal and Livestream (March 29, 2022)

Whoa, I completely missed that line! I was wondering who Codenames was - makes you wonder what the rest of her family is doing too.

Lerasium makes the most sense, as its reemergence means that Mistborn are possible again. The fact that we see Wax using the other metals throughout the book also amplifies that 'what is lost has been found' vibe. Still, I also like @SpinningSky's suggestion that Wayne is the Lost Metal, since Wax and Wayne were the real Alloy of Law.

I like this one! The fallen title could be referring to the name/ rank of the Edgedancer that broke his bond with Maya. The Tower and Crown fits due to his heritage and, while the spear isn't a weapon Adolin typically uses, I could see a scene where he picks up a spear from a wounded soldier to protect him, reigniting the bond (maybe in Shadesmar, to justify the use of a typical weapon over his Shardblade).

Gavilar's a fascinating example of how a character changes through narrative outlook and bias. The first time we see him is in Szeth's flashback, where he comes across as a noble warrior and a respected king (considering the efforts his people made to pursue the Parshendi). However, with each book, we realize he's a lot more self-serving and narcissistic then first perceived, and that each character colours him very differently. It's fascinating how, throughout the prologues, it becomes easier and easier to understand why he was assassinated. He had good intentions, perhaps, but was arrogant to think he could meddle with larger forces without consequence.