Comatose

I look across the plain, and down into the river, taking note of the small boat leaving crook plains. Could they be associates of this benefactor person? I wonder. None of my forms include a spyglass, so I am forced to make my judegements based on the craft, rather than it's occupants. Even from this distance, the boat seems plain and unremarkable. Would a man powerful enough to find me, and stage a spheremount tournament send his representatives in a craft like this? Probably not. Then again, that's probably just what he expects me to think. I crouch beneath the strange cross so that a watcher from the boat will not see the light of shifting, swallow a single flake of bronze, and shift into my sympathist form for a moment. Burning bronze, I detect no pulses (let me know if any of them are shifted and I will change this, I assumed they were all in their basic forms). Either none of them are spheremorphs, or their powers are latent right now. I shift back to my regular attire, and come out from hiding. My clothing is that of a wealthy traveller, fine but non-descript, and my enveloping cloak does a good job of concealing the Spheremount on my arm. If anyone saw me, they'd have no idea what I really am. What I can do. I take out the mysterious note, and read it over again. I began investigating the tournament as soon as I heard of it, of course. A thing like this, well, it requires power and money, and anything involving Spheremounts reeks of plotting. I don't need to be from a noble Riverheart family to know that much. I knew there was a plan, but I didn't know what it was, and so I began to investigate. Was it a scam to steal spheres? An attempt to seduce Defenders away from their home cities, or to entice free lancers to join up? Was it a trap, a threat, or a show of power? No matter my sources or methods of extraction, I uncovered nothing. Soon, however, I became aware that someone was keeping an eye on my movements. The struggle between my sisters taught me to know when I'm being watched, and everywhere I go, I seem to acquire a new tail. Someone was interested in my reaction to the tournament. I was in the process of trying to figure out who when the note arrived. Spheremorph, It has come to my attention that you are interested in my tournament. Now I've hopefully gotten yours. Rest assured that I do not intend to kill you. I want to see what you're capable of, and I can hardly see that from a corpse. But know that I can kill you at any time. Though I believe that our interests are similar enough for us to get along. Make your way to the Western Plain, find the hill with cross marker on it and be there by midnight tomorrow. We will be introduced, and you will discover quite the opportunity. Hope to meet you soon. -A benefactor I highly doubted whoever this person was could kill me at any time, but I had also thought no one could leave a note in my room without me detecting how they got there. I take certain precautions, you see, wherever I stay. I have made many enemies. Some of them are nearly as dangerous as me. Despite the obviously exaggerated nature of the threat, I decided to treat this mysterious 'benefactor' with caution. If he was involved with the tournament, I thought he must be powerful, especially if the whole thing really is 'his'. And so, I made my way to the cross early, and have been scouting the area ever since. Seeing how the sun has only just set, and midnight is still a ways away, I decide to study the cross again. It stood ten feet high, and the stone was far to smooth and perfectly angled to have been crafted by hand. Standing on the tips of my toes, I reach up to touch the gem stone at its center.

I'm thinking a humanoid race if possible. A female mathematician, very self serving, cold, and calculating, looking to locate the eternal conflux by equation to distinguish herself within the academic community... or something. I dunno, she's more of a a concept than a character right now. Do you see her working in this world?

While atonement sounds shard-like, I don't think it fits with the image we have of the Silence Divine shard. Atonement implies a past transgression or need for forgiveness, whereas this magic seems to be more of a leveling the playing field kind of thing.

Also, isn't the "three shards on Roshar" thing only for the present day? We know that Odium was gone for a time, when he visited Sel, which would have put the count down to two, would it not? Perhaps there were more/less shards on Roshar in the past, and one of those ended up on the planet in Silence Divine.

Wait, I thought there were only going to be three trilogies. Since TFE, WoA and HoA are the first, wouldn't alloy of law be part of the second trilogy? EDIT: To clarify, how could there be a 1900's one, a modern day one, and a sci fi one if the first of the three trilogies is already used up?

If Ruin is a destruction based shard, I think Preservation would be an enhancement shard, which, I think, makes sense. Cultivation and Preservation are similar in that both interact with things (one to cultivate or encourage, one to preserve) in positive ways, but neither would create or destroy. Thus the four quadrants would be physical, mental, enhancement, and destruction? I could live with those. The only problem I see is defining what goes where. What is the difference between a physical shard and an enhancement or destruction shard? The mental elements, I think, are more easily defined, but the areas between physical and the two others seem a little grey.

Well, technically incest could be an asset in any world where the magic system is even partially based on genetics. What's different about this one, is it's the negative side effects of the yuckiness that have become desirable. It brings a lot of preventable disabilities into question, and could actually be quite controversial. For example, what if, in the hopes of having a super-powered baby, a woman intentionally drank during pregnancy, hoping her child would have FASD with a power attached? Obviously, not the type of person you'd want as your mother, but in a world where sickness can equal power, I think the way we look at a lot of diseases could change. Would people purposefully attempt to catch colds and infections? And would people with nasty infections perhaps market them, selling them to people who want their power? Just a few thoughts those comments brought up. I'm interested to see how Brandon handles these issues.

Keep in mind, Silus, the Inquisition has been around for two years now (I think). As an older RP, it's bound to have more members. Also, as this is a Brandon fan site, I think it's safe to say an RP based on one of Brandon's books is going to be more popular, since those books are the reason many people are here. The idea is interesting Kuri. Very Ian Irvine-esque, particularly with the nodes and the forgotten technology. I wonder, have you read those books? I'll probably wait a bit to see what this is like before commiting, but I definately could be interested. The Mistborn RP has helped with my writing immensely, and so I am eager to see what other RP's can do for my craft. A few questions. Firstly, out of curiousity, you say you hope we have all heard of Ley Lines. As someone who has never heard the term before, I wonder where you got it from? I think you've done a pretty good job of explaining what they are, but it seems like you have a source (because if they were from your own imagination, you could hardly expect others to know what they are). Secondly, just for clarity's sake, Magic of any kind is only possible on or near a node or ley line, correct? And the power produced is effected by the strength of said node or line, with single lines being the weakest, and nodes increasing in power with the amount of intersections. Next, since I have read Irvine's books, I have to wonder, are the ley lines an expendable resource? You mention that two were destroyed. Can these lines and nodes be drained for time, and take time to regenerate, or can a channeler draw energy from them for as long as they are able. Basically, I'm asking what is the cost for this magic system, either to the lines, or to the channeler themselves, or both. Lastly, I'm just wondering what kind of RP you are planning. From what I've seen, Nexus has the feel of a game in which the characters are playing both with and against eachother, and against the moderator to succeed in the world Silus has created, where the Mistborn RP is more about experimenting with interactions between characters, either plotted or spontaneous, within the greater framework narrative the admins are working on. While both of these styles have their own advantages and disadvantages, I wonder what style your RP would take? Would you yourself be playing a character, or would you assume the role of moderator as you lead us through the world you have created? Lastly (for realz this time), since seasons seem to be of particular importance (particularly the Month of the Serpent), when would the RP be taking place? From what I've gathered, no magic is possible during this time, but since it is such an interesting world element, it would be a shame not to use it as a plot device. What would you think about having the characters race to discover the Eternal Conflux before the Dark Season begins? Some might be hoping to use the node's god like power (which would be amplified if all the energy has retreated back to it) to prevent this time of darkness from happening, while others might hope to use it's power while everyone else is powerless to wreak havoc. Anyways, I'll keep my eye on this topic, and see where it goes.

I mentioned this in the 'Passion as a shard' topic, but it seemed off topic, so I thought I'd continue the conversation here. Basically, I see the Thrill as an intensified desire to kill, similar to blood lust. I don't know what the source of it is, but Odium does seem a likely candidate. However, what I was wondering is if there is a link between the Thrill and the words people speak as they die? Now, it was pointed out to me that people just started speaking when Gavilar investigated the Shattered plains for the first time. IS there any evidence of when the Thrill began? He also mentions that some people speak and others do not. I was wondering if someone had to be killed intentionally by another person in order to speak, and thus, those who die of their illnesses and not the blood being drawn would not speak. I still have to go through them all to check on this one, of course, and it could pretty easily be disproved. Does anyone remember seeing someone giving a death prophecy as they die without being killed? So far, I have found one by one of "our own Ardents" likely meaning one of the Ardents working for Taravangian, and a boy with the wasting sickness(while this seems to go against my theory, it does not say he dies of it, so maybe it's still an option). While it is unlikely an Ardent was bled, maybe he was killed in some other way. Other than that, the only people who have a specified way in which they died are a soldier who died in battle, and a mother who died in childbirth (meaning the child technically killed her). Still reading for more though, let me know if you find any. I think it makes sense though that the way in which people die is important, like with the Returned.

It is, the book says it began around the same time Gavilar began fighting the Parshendi I think, but I don't that means the two aren't connected. Do we know how long the Thrill has been around? Think about it, one drives men to kill, while the other manifests when people die. King Taravangian mentions that some speak but others don't, when referring to his "patients." What if, the ones who speak are the ones who are killed, and the ones who die without being killed are the ones who don't? Also, while rereading this scene, Taravangian mentions Lifebrother, who sounds kind of Cultivation-ish. Any theories on that yet? EDIT: I was just rereading one of the interludes, in which Ashir is talking of changing his Calling (Which is Vorin docterine), and says "I don't have passion for it as I once did... ...Besides, what good will a cook be in the Spiritual Realm." (Italics were present in text). He also wonders if people eat in Shadesmar. IS this relevant, or am I grasping at straws?

Thrill is brought on by battle, right? If it is caused by a Shard, what if it is linked to the words people speak before they die?

I would read this book solely for the title. "Silence Divine." It's gorgeous! And so evocative. I wish I would come up with a title like that for one of my books, because it rocks! Very powerful. So far, my favorite Brandon titles were the last two parts of Hero of Ages: Beautiful Destroyer, and Trust. The first for a similar reason as my liking of Silence Divine, and the second because of the multitude of meanings and how it brings the series together. I wonder which shard would be in charge of that magic system... hmmm...

Well, I'm corrupt and power mad. But that shouldn't be a problem. Trust me

My favorite was the Scariest Story one. Too lazy to link right now. That was hilarious, and inspired some great call box shenanigans

This discussion of why Feruchemy splits interests me. Originally, I just assumed: of course it is splitting, it's been 300 years or whatever. But this makes me think. The final empire has lasted 1000 years, and Allomancy has split up enough that full mistborn are rare. All Feruchemists, however, have all the powers. And yet, the noble population will have been actively breeding allomancers, in the hopes of strengthening their houses, while the Terris people have been in a strict breeding program. Also, all present day Feruchemists were the result of recessive Feruchemy in the Terris population, since the original Feruchemists were all changed into Mistwraiths and Kandra. My question is this then: If Allomancy is newer than Feruchemy, and the nobles have better conditions to pass down their powers in, why did allomancy break down faster, and why did Feruchemy only begin to break down after Sazed took control of both shards, and the Terris blood began to mix with other races? I have to get ready for work now, but I'm interested to see where this topic goes.

I would like to announce it was allergies, Oreos baked in chocolate chip cookie dough taste amazing, AND I just watched Monster's Inc for the first time in ages.

I posted my essay. And now, since more people are getting done, my thoughts: Now, my run-on fanboy moment aside. What did everyone else think?

Not really a comic, but it kind of is at the same time (especially the later ones). Lots of text, and only updates once a month lately, but still an amazing read: Hyperbole and A Half Now this one is definitely a comic, and the art is AMAZING. The story and characters are really good too. Only fall back is there is no regular update schedule, so once you get through the old content, you'll be waiting for a while. Curse me when you are done reading: Lackadaisy My other faves include QC, and some lighter comics like Canadian Comic AK Tettenborn's Twice Shy and her older comic Fudge That Sugar which doesn't seem to be updating for now, but is still hilarious. (EDIT: Upon rereading the title, I thought it prudent to point out that aside from QC and Hyperbole and a Half, all of these comics are fairly new.)

I LOVE 'Us' by Regina Spektor. One of my all time favorite songs. And you are right, it does fit so good: "We're living in a den thieves, rummaging for answers in the pages. We're living in a den of thieves, and it's contagious. And it's contagious..." Plus this city bit. My respect for you just increased by at least twenty points. (Elantris Spoiler) I've been playing this song in my head for the Mistborn RP, but when I think about it, it also works kind of : Now to find something nice for Siri and the God King, because I love them

I've not subscribed to any particular theory, just putting this out there. Should have known this would have been a well trodden topic by now. I just thought it would be under the Warbreaker stuff, and didn't bother to look through all the General Theories (because there are a LOT). As for your explanations, I'm not sure which I like better, and will have to think about it a bit. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction though.

Warbreaker Annotations Chapter 51 Okay, though I haven't been around the theorizing scene much lately, since I'm so far behind, I thought I would comment on this, since it's new. (Minor Mistborn Spoiler) I remember there being a lot of speculation on Nightblood, and the smoke that rose off of it, especially in relation to the solid/liquid/gas nature of Ruin and Preservation. Well, now we know what that mysterious smoke is: corrupted breath. So (unsure if this has been said already), this got me thinking, what if Breath itself is the body of one of the shards (likely Endowment, if that's what we're still calling it), and a piece of it is in each human, similar to with Preservation. If this topic should be in the general theories or Cosmere or whatever, please move it. I just thought it belonged here since it's mostly about Warbreaker.