agentarm

Did the Dawnshards determine the intent of the 16 Shards? I'll try to make this make sense, I'm bad at explaining things so it may be a little confusing at first. The 4 Dawnshards were used to shatter Adonalsium into 4 shards. Then 1 Dawnshard used on each of those 4 Shards, splintering them into 4 more, giving us the 16 Shards we have now. Would those 16 be the same if the Dawnshards were switched around? This is where it might get confusing. I'll just use 2 Shards and 2 Dawnshards for the example. Just using random Shards, let's say that DS1 used on Shard 1 splintered it into Ruin, Preservation, Dominion, and Devotion and DS2 splintered Shard 2 into Ambition, Autonomy, Invention, and Endowment. Now if you were to switch the Dawnshards to where DS2 splintered Shard 1 and DS1 splintered Shard 2, would the outcome be the same? So the questions: Were the shards made up of those Intents and separated with the Dawnshards, no matter which one was used on which? So no matter which of the Dawnshards used, those 2 Shards would always split into the same 4? Or if you used DS2 to splinter Shard 1, would it still be Ruin, Preservation, Dominion and Devotion, or would the Dawnshard "decide", for lack of a better word, and splinter it into Ambition, Autonomy, Invention and Endowment and vice versa with DS1 and Shard 2? (I can't think of the right words to explain this one so this may or may not make much sense) Or would the outcome be completely different? Kind of a combination of the two I guess? If you were to switch them like that, would they be the same or would the Command of a Dawnshard have different effects on the Shard based off of what Intents the Shard is made up of, giving us a whole different set of 16 Shards than we have now? (If that one makes any sense)

Ah, I see. I stand corrected. I haven't read that one for awhile and had completely forgotten about how far back it had showed him. Thanks!

I always enjoyed cruising the site and forums to read but never got around to create an account for some reason. Now that I finally have I can't wait to start bouncing theories around and finally having more people to actually talk to about the books. I have no one irl that I can talk to and theorize with so I'm very excited to finally be a part of such a large community of others who enjoy that as much as I do!

There's a footnote on the Malatium page that says, "Given the only circumstance in which this effect is seen, it may be a result of flaring malatium at the moment of death and transition to the Cognitive Realm, rather than a result of simply flaring the metal in and of itself." The problem with that being the book contradicts it. There's 3 circumstances where it's used, not 1, and the effects are seen each time. The first being when Vin went to Kredik Shaw after Kelsier's death, and found the Lord Ruler is his little hut as an old man. She wasn't near death or being attacked or injured, just being held by 2 inquisitors. Yet burning it let her see the past versions of both inquisitors and the Lord Ruler without a near death situation. The second being in the throne room, burning it to see his past self then trying to attack it, clearly not near death. The third when she burned it and realized who he really was, injured, but not near death. I'm wondering if whoever wrote it got it mixed up with when Vin embraced the mists to kill the Lord Ruler. The only moment she was at the brink of death was after revealing him to be Rashek and he began to actually kill her. The moment it said she was dying, when she actually was "at the moment of death and transition to the Cognitive Realm" was when she was able to embrace the mists. No where in the book is she anywhere near death whenever she burns malatium, just when she embraces the mists.