Comatose

I think what Charononos was referring to was that OreSeur already had his bones broken at the time, prior to TenSoon's attack, not that TenSoon broke his bones (with or without help). Remember, OreSeur was severely injured during the attack on Vin by Cett's assassins. When Vin brought him the wolfhound's body, he was barely able to hold himself together. My guess is TenSoon waited until Vin left, then ambushed him while he was making the transition. With only a fractured skeleton to use (or no skeleton if he had already left the old one behind), it would be difficult to take full advantage of his blessing. OreSeur could have attacked him with a knife and cut his blessings out, or just enveloped and absorbed him (cannibalism...). For all we know, TenSoon could have infiltrated the Venture staff as soon as Straff and Zane arrived, and then waited for OreSeur to be in a vulnerable state. Since they were members of the same generation, TenSoon likely knew OreSeur had the blessing of potency. Since MeLaan knew about it in Book 3, the blessings kandra have seem to be common knowledge. My guess is he prepared accordingly, and would be capable of pulling off the assassination without outside help. The logistics of killing a kandra without controlling them with allomancy has always escaped me. The acid or fire methods are pretty cumbersome and take a lot of set up, so I've always been curious about how exactly TenSoon did it.

Nice! I'm glad to hear koloss blooded people are not the result of a full koloss breeding with a regular human, because that's a little creepy (even with mental enhancements). I wonder, does becoming a proper koloss turn them genderless? So I guess if the koloss blooded person chooses to live as a human instead of becoming a full koloss, they can breed with regular humans and pass down some of their koloss traits. Very interesting.

Yes, that would probably be for the best. I'd say just no manipulating time in general?

Interesting he describes them as cognitive shadows, since that is the same language he uses to describe the Mist Spirit.

He couldn't murder their grandmother, since that would violate the killing rule, but he could do twists like that if he wanted, as long as it doesn't break the rules. So he could provide them with money that just happened to be stolen from the bank next door, or something like that. While he's not above twisting a wish just to be a jerk, most twists would be made with the goal of benefitting himself as much as possible.

Thanks! I liked the idea of having an epic be dependent on the whims of vanillas, but still be very dangerous. I could see him (or her) causing a lot of trouble for epic rulers as he attempts to get ahead by slanting wishes in his favour.

New Epic Idea (Just because, it's not like I'm ever going to get around to using all of these. Still, this one could be fun): Power 1: The ability to grant wishes, subject to some limitations. Wishes can't be used to kill (this includes wishing for an epic's weakness), wishes can't affect the mental state or free will of others, wishes can't bring people back from the dead, wishes cannot affect the natural flow of time, wishes can't turn people into epics, and wishes that are meant to directly affect another epic will not work (indirect effects are fine). This epic can only use this power to grant the wishes of others, he cannot use the power on himself. However, he can twist what is requested in the wish to his advantage. Only vanillas can trigger his power, and to do so they must explicitly make a wish, saying "I wish . . ." Said wish must be sincere. One wish per vanilla. Subject to these limitations and the terms of the wish, this power can be used to do pretty much anything. Power 2: Incorporeality - can become incorporeal at will, and like all incorporeals can fly in this state. Power 3: Limited Shapeshifting - can change size and color. Can only shrink and regrow, cannot become larger than original size.

I wonder though, are they using a method we haven't seen yet, or are they (and perhaps Hoid?) using a method of achieving immortality that we've already seen in the books. I think it's most likely some sort of combination of the systems (like using stormlight to maintain the fifth heightening) or something. Are there any clues in the interludes that might give away what the Sharders are using to prolong their lives? The other possibility is that they are not prolonging their lives, and whatever method they have used to travel between worlds does something screwy with time.

Nice Jumpdrive and Phoenix posts 18th Shard! But if we channel that enthusiasm, and just include more stuff going on at once, we may be able to get things to equal out, no? Also, knowing me, I'm bound to hold things up from time to time, so I wouldn't count our chickens before they hatch. Once we start approaching the end of the day, then we can start discussing options for maintaining synchronization with the other threads. One option (if we end up having travel in between threads like what happened with Portland and the Dalles) would be to set the beginning of Corvallis a few days back. If a traveller reaches Portland, for example, before the present Portland day, we could use flashbacks or quick summary to show what the character has been doing up until that point. We could also just say the person took their time travelling. If the traveller reaches their destination later than the present day, they would just have to wait to arrive. The problem is for characters who want to travel from other locations to Corvallis. Since we don't have any yet, we can probably leave things be, and then just anchor Corvallis in the timeline as soon as this happens. Basically, if Shiny Sparkle, for example, teleports to Corvallis, that would synch Corvallis up with the Dalles, and however many days occured before her arrival would happen relative to whatever the present day in the Dalles is (so Day 3 in Corvallis could end up being Day 2 in the Dalles). Another option could be to introduce some sort of time-locking/manipulation epic to Corvallis, if someone is interested in playing one. Those are just a few ideas of how we could deal with plots moving at different speeds. Feel free to poke holes in any of them. Like I said before, it's really not an issue at the moment, and it only might become one in the future. I like the Phoenix idea! Did we ever decide if Jumpdrive's firewall could keep intangibles out? I can't remember. And yeah, if Insight thought he could recruit Jumpdrive, he might keep him alive, but given his loyalty to the Queen's he would have a tough time trusting him. Given Kenshin's distaste for Corvallis, and Phoenix's open rebellion, they are both much more likely candidates for recruitment. Insight could potentially capture both next game day (Corvallis Day 3), and then we could alternate flash backs as he views their memories. Another potential candidate would be Skinsaver. Like Jumpdrive, Insight would likely kill Skinsaver when he was done getting information from him but as long as it made sense for plot reasons, I would probably be fine with Skinsaver dying, so it's not as much of an issue as it is in Jumpdrive's case. Also, I had some ideas for two more Insight cronies (minor but useful epics). If anyone is interested in adopting them, let me know and I can provide more info. NPC #1 - Can read relationships between people, sensing affection, loyalty, hatred, indifference, etc. Used by Insight to recruit potential sympathizers within Corvallis. No other powers, so Insight controls him/her through threat of violence. NPC #2 - Helps Insight craft hideouts by using their powers together. More details if someone is interested, if not, you'll find out soon . I'm fine with them being NPC's, but thought I would give others the opportunity to play them if they wanted.

I wasn't sure where I wanted to put it (and I did include spoiler tags in the topic title). On one hand, we are talking about different facets of the Cosmere, but on the other, it felt more like a discussion of opinions than a theory, so I thought it might fit better here. A survey of similar topics in both boards did not help me make a decision. In the end, I figured "Which Immortality do you like best" is similar in structure to the recent "Who do you think the best swordsperson is" discussion and decided to leave it here. If others feel the same way, I'm happy to move it though. The kandra option does have its attractions, but I'm not sure how I feel about the change in diet, the dependence on Hemalurgy, and the inability to have children. Nice quote! The wiki (and my memory) said their lives were just significantly prolonged, rather than truly indefinite, but maybe that is just because of how difficult it is for them to continue living indefinitely. Being a full Elantrian includes a lot more perks, which could make it a more desirable option, though the mental taxation does seem to be a significant con. Also relevant is the change in color. It sounds cool on the page, but I'm not sure if I could pull off the silver skin and white hair look.

If one were trying to defeat or neutralize a seemingly all powerful being like Adonalsium, this would be a viable strategy, and given what we've seen, this does seem to be what is happening. Shards are fighting among themselves, undoing each other's work instead of working together towards common goals. It makes me wonder why someone wanted to shatter Adonalsium in the first place. Was the combined power of the shards being used to oppress people, or did the designs Adonalsium had for the world not mesh with those of the shatterer(s). What was the extent of the original shard-holders involvement, and what might their motives have been. Another question: was the power of Adonalsium being used prior to the shattering? Perhaps it was an untapped source, and shattering it into manageable pieces was the only way it could be used by (former) mortals. Interesting theory .

So a number of the Cosmere Worlds contain some form of immortality. I'm curious to see which method people think is the most interesting or would prefer to use themselves. I'm also interested in discussing the pros and cons of each. For immortality, I'm mostly talking about agelessness/ the ability to live forever, but I've included discussions of resistance to death where it is relevant. Here are the forms of immortality available that I could think of off the top of my head. Feel free to add more: Cosmere-Wide - Holding a Shard Pros: Cons: Your personality is slowly eroded away as you are shaped by the shard's intent. Whatever Hoid Does - don't know enough to comment. Sel: Becoming a Hoed (Failed Shaod); Do full Elantrians die naturally, or must they go to the pool? I can't remember. Pros: You actually cannot die, except by beheading or burning. Cons: Constant pain, never heal, practically a zombie. Scadrial: Compounding Atium (hereditary allomancy and feruchemy, or through hemalurgy); Becoming a kandra (Changed with shard power then spiked with hemalurgy). Compounding Pros: Limitless youth, plus the ability to change ages at will. Especially powerful if paired with the ability to compound other metals (especially gold for limitless healing). Compounding Cons: Limited by supply of metals or the benevolence of a Scadrian Shard; atium is supposedly only getting rarer (though Kelsier does say that the pits would take several hundred years to repair themselves, and the Wax and Wayne series is set 300 years later...). Also limited by genetics, unless you use hemalurgy, which requires a sacrifice and opening yourself up to control by Shards, or potentially by really powerful allomancers. Kandra Pros: Ability to shapeshift, plus whatever your blessing gives you. You also are very difficult to kill. Kandra Cons: Not really human anymore, have to digest bodies to shapeshift, and you develop a taste for 'aged' meat... Also, you need someone with a shard's power to change you in order to make this work. Nalthis: Obtaining over 2,000 breaths and reaching the 5th Heightening; Returning and receiving a Divine Breath (Altered by power of Endowment). Pros: Probably one of the most accessible ways of becoming immortal. It's difficult, but anyone with enough money and power could presumably acquire enough breaths. In order to maintain your immortality, you'd have to get extra breaths if you want to do any awakening, but you also get an immunity to toxins and disease, perfect life sense, perfect colour recognition, perfect pitch, and aura recognition as part of the deal. If you choose the returned/Divine Breath option you also have the ability to shape shift. Cons: Need to deprive 2000 people of their breath in order to make this work (could get creative by taking breaths from the almost dead); if Returned, you need to consume one breath a week, and would need to die and then be brought back by Endowment. Are there forms of immortality available to humans on Roshar? I couldn't think of any off the top of my head, but I haven't reread those books as much as the others. Are the Parshendi ageless? EDIT: DUH! The Heralds! I knew I was forgetting something. Not sure if becoming a Herald is possible, but I guess it should be included here. Personally, I think I would prefer the 2,000 breaths route. It seems like the easiest to maintain once you have it (unless you are friendly with a Shard or are a Shard). What do you guys think?

Keep that in the vault. As we get later into the story, maybe we could set up a Well of Ascension situation where Corvallis's rulers must negotiate between two powerful invading forces (Iconoclast and Teleporter). I agree though that it might be too much for the current time. RE: Kenshin - If we want to lock that in, I'm fine with it. I'd still like to hold off planning the specific details until later, but if the kidnapping is something we definitely want to do in the near future, I'm fine with confirming it .

I'll keep thinking about it, and make a decision closer to when it is actually time for that to happen. Since it won't be until the next game day, I'd like to see what all happens in the mean time. Everyone should feel free to keep coming up with ideas though! I like brainstorming . I think as long as the day end lines up, we should be fine. That's a good point though, we don't want to get too far ahead and then have to wait a long time for the other threads to catch up. We can pack the evening with a lot of action to compensate, but perhaps we should see where the other threads are up to when the Argon, Buttercup, Kenshin interaction is done before making a final decision regarding the jump. Once I have more time, I could also insert Legacy and Peregrine into the game. We can also always just come up with some more plots to fill time with

If most of our plans are for the evening, we could always time jump forward a few hours. Right now it seems like the major action for the next bit will be Buttercup, Kenshin, and Argon, so when that's wrapped up we could jump to supper time? Would anyone be opposed?

I think Gelliton is no longer guarding Converter and has moved on? I'm good with having the interaction interrupted, if that will get the story moving. I have a couple of things planned for later in the day, but right now my characters are mostly just going about their business. GOOD and Kenshin can always have another interaction, and an interruption would be a good way to end it. Someone who can fly could also be sent to check on Gunsmoke if they want. I'm deep in paper writing right now (which either means I will post to procrastinate, or I'm passed the point of procrastination and won't be online much), so I'm fine if the plotline wants to move along without my characters for the next bit.

I would say either Hrathen, Ham, or Denth, probably. Hrathen seems to be naturally skilled, and he supplements this with extreme discipline and a perfectionist attitude. While we don't see Ham use a sword often, he is a capable warrior even without Pewter. We don't know enough about his sword skills to say for sure, but he could be a contender. I'd say that Adolin may be on his way to being the best (provided I can handwave and say that skill with shards transfers directly to skill with a conventional sword). Sarene seems like more of a hobbiest to me; though she is skilled in an athletic sense, she lacks actual combat experience. It is interesting that many prominent sword wielders in Brandon's books are male. On that point, what about Eshonai? I know she's not human, so its tough to compare, but she gives Dalinar a good beating, and could probably do the same to Adolin. Doesn't it also say she is one of the best Parshendi warriors? There's also Dockson; we never really get to see much combat from him, but we know he's capable. While he predominantly uses knives, doesn't he also use a sword at one point? Denth's skills have already been extensively remarked upon, so I won't waste time here agreeing with what has already been said.

We could work that out together, beforehand. For motivation, as a new epic to Corvallis, Insight might be interested in recruiting her a double agent of sorts, and could use his powers to background check her. Then, you could write the flashbacks, and I'll write Insight's reactions to them. If we go forward, when would like this to occur? We can designate the current day as day 2, and talk about future days relative to that. Atrophy would be a fun target as well. I'll have to observe a little more to come up with a motivation though. Any ideas for why Insight would want to look into Atrophy, and when in the RP you would like this to happen?

RE: Corvallis folks. So, Insight's memory viewing power gives us an opportunity to view the past of other epics. I'm leaving him and Euphoria purposely quiet for this story day (I'll likely do a Euphy post near the end of the day to let everyone know what they've been up to), but after that, I was thinking Insight could strike again, and potentially abduct another Corvallis epic and start digging into their past. So, the question is, who do we want to know more about / who do we think it would be fun to get flashbacks from? I think it would be good to save the Queens for later, but is their another Corvallis epic who it would be fun to see Flashbacks from? If so, do we have a reason for Insight to want to dig into their past. Capturing epics with his powers and then finding their weaknesses is one of Insight's modes of recruiting helpers, so he could target someone whose not that important, but has a useful ability just for the sake of having some help. Anyways, this a future thing, like I said it won't be happening this game day. If no one is interested, I have some ideas for who his next targets can be. I just thought I'd open things out, and check if anyone would be interested in writing some flashback scenes. Even if you want your epic to have flashbacks somewhere down the road from now, let me know and we can slot them in .

Those plants are AWESOME! I especially like the tree where every part of it is deadly, the ant mind control plant, and the one that supposedly eats sheep.

I hadn't thought of Corpsemaker. I always forget about him for some reason. Despite the narrow scope, her power is very versatile, which is part of what makes her such an interesting combatant, I guess.

So, a "skyscraper" is apparently any building over the height of 150 m. Depending on how much above this her structure is, and how close this creation was to her max speed, according to my math (which might be wrong), her max could be anywhere from 10 - 30 km an hour, does that sound right? The increase in speed from the increase of usable diamond makes sense. I think Rainmaker could annoy Lucentia from afar (and cause a lot of damage between them), but if she got close she'd be very vulnerable. I'm trying to think if there is an epic who could out-gun Lucentia one on one, and am not coming up with anyone. Funtimes would be annoying for her to fight, since she could keep teleporting around changing the diamond into other stuff, but wouldn't be able to do much to trap or neutralize Lucentia. If Shiny Sparkle can explode diamond she could do some damage too, but again, nothing Lucentia could not take. Insight could avoid her attacks, but couldn't do much to neutralize her. I'm scared to think of what Lucentia and the Metal could accomplish fighting together...

I'm fine if she stays off for the moment too. I like a challenge. Side note/Random Question: How fast can Lucentia grow her diamonds, and does she have a maximum range? I've been imagining how a fight scene between here and Rainmaker would go, just for fun, and if Rainmaker wasn't being careful enough, and Lucentia can grow her diamonds faster than Rainmaker can fly, she could trap Rainmaker. Otherwise, I'm seeing it as a very destructive stalemate.