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Your search for the tag 'shards' yielded 185 results

  • 1

    Interview: Jul, 2009

    Zas678

    Now this one will probably be RAFO'd: I know you already said that there are four Shards outside of Ati and Leras in your other books. Could you tell us the numbers per book? Is just a standard two per book? Or do some have more than others?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some worlds have more than others. You have seen the effects, influences, and work of four other Shards. One Shard, however, was no longer on the world by the time the story was told there.

    Zas678

    I know that we've "interacted with two directly" (the pool in Elantris, and The Voice that called Lightsong back to life) that we've "seen it's power" (Dahkhor??) and another that we've seen their infulence (I have no idea on this one, though I think it might be whatever pointed out Aon Rao in Elantris to Raoden)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nice guesses on most of those. You've got some things right. You've got some things wrong. The only thing I'll confirm (and I don't think I've said this before) is that The Voice is, indeed, one of the Shards of Adonalsium. (Endowment is that Shard's true name, by the way.)

    Tags

  • 2

    Interview: Jan 10th, 2011

    Locke219 ()

    I know it's a RAFO, but how the eff did Wyrn see into the future? That seems above even a Shardholder's abilities! I bet that sucker's tapping into the Shadesmar. But I digress...

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    Ha, wow, that is indeed a RAFO. Note that we have seen temporal abilities in the Cosmere before. Most of the time these are related directly to the pure essence of a Shard or to a Splinter.

    Tags

  • 3

    Interview: Jan 10th, 2011

    Eric Lake ()

    Can anyone take a Shard's power, or does it require a special makeup in a person?

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 4

    Interview: Aug 4th, 2011

    Josh

    Josh: Is Aona's Shard name Devotion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, but that's more of a "Email that question to me" because I would have to look at my computer to see which term I settled on, but you're basically there. [Note: we have emailed him, haven't heard a response yet.]

    Mi'chelle

    We've got the right idea.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think it actually may be Devotion. So I'll have to look. It may be a synonym.

    Josh

    Is Skai Unity?

    (Brandon seems confused by the pronunciation. It is apparently more like "Skae".)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, RAFO.

    Josh

    Passion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What? RAFO. I'm not going to tell you. You already kind of pulled out of me what Aona was.

    Tags

  • 5

    Interview: Nov 11th, 2011

    Wetlandernw

    Last thing—BWS gave the name of the second shard on Sel to someone at the signing tonight, but I can't tell you what it is; it's his to reveal in his own way. When I know he's posted it for all the world, I'll add it here.

    Tags

  • 6

    Interview: Nov 21st, 2011

    Question

    Were Ruin and Preservation two shards or one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They were two shards. Harmony is considered a shard, although it’s really two, in the same way that a king of two countries would still be considered a king.

    Tags

  • 7

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    MindCanaries ()

    Will we see any Shardholders beyond the three already at work? Specifically, will we see Bavadin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will see other Shards. Bavadin is on the planet Taldain, where White Sand takes place.

    Tags

  • 8

    Interview: Jan 18th, 2010

    Ashley

    Do you ever plan to use bio‐chroma again? It'd be a shame to see such an interesting and original idea left with a single book.

    Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

    It is unlikely that I will use this magic system in a different book because it is distinctly tied to that particular Shard. The sequel likelihood is good. There is more to tell in this world, so there is a decent chance I will return and do a second Warbreaker book (I've been calling it Nightblood when I've mentioned it before). That isn't to say that there will never be magic systems that will repeat across series—in fact there's a decent chance that will happen—but I'm not going to say any more on that right now.

    Tags

  • 9

    Interview: Jan 18th, 2010

    Goradel

    Also, does Endowment have some physical presence in the book similar to Ruin=Atium, etc?

    Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

    Endowment does have such a thing, but it does not appear onscreen in the novel Warbreaker.

    Tags

  • 10

    Interview: Jan 18th, 2010

    Robert

    All your novels are tied together by an overarching magic system, and we usualy see evidence of this in the form of the too-still pools of water. However we did not see any such bodies of water directly in Warbreaker. Is there such a pool in Warbreaker? Is that where the Tears of Edgli grow?

    Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

    Wow. I've got some very perceptive readers.

    This is speculation that I will neither confirm nor deny.

    Tags

  • 11

    Interview: Jan 18th, 2010

    zas678

    Also, would the Elantrians and the Lerasium-mistings be considered Slivers? Or is just the Lord Ruler and Vin Slivers (Via the Well)? Or do you need more power to be considered a Sliver?

    Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

    Elantrians are not slivers. Mistborn trilogy spoiler warnings follow! The Lord Ruler was indeed a Sliver. So was Vin. For the rest, I would say probably not.

    What defines an actual Sliver of Adonalsium is not as clear-cut as you might think. It's a term that in-universe people who study this have applied to various existences and states. Every single person on the world of Scadrial has a bit of Leras in them—a bit of the power of Preservation. Every single person has a bit of Ati in them. There's a certain threshold where these scholars would call you a Sliver of Adonalsium. But I would say that any regular Misting is probably not a Sliver. A full Lerasium Mistborn is getting closer, but people who have held one of the powers are what would probably be termed a Sliver by the definitions. If you hold all the power that makes you a Shard, but the Lord Ruler held a little bit of it and then let it go. From then on they referred to that change in him—the residue, what was left—as a Sliver. When he held it he became the Shard for a short time, and Vin was a Shard for a short time. After Vin gave up the power, what Kelsier is at the end of the trilogy—that's a Sliver of Adonalsium.

    Tags

  • 12

    Interview: Dec 15th, 2011

    Question

    So Ruin and Preservation combine. When Odium slays the Shardbearers, why doesn’t he absorb the enemy Shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because that would actually change the way he views the world. The Shard would actually start to influence him, and could actually ruin who he views himself as being. So instead of combining them all, his goal is to destroy them all and be the only one left at his power level.

    QUESTION

    So by his nature, he can't combine?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I mean he could, but it would change his nature. So he won't.

    Tags

  • 13

    Interview: Dec 15th, 2011

    Question

    Can you give me a hint about Odium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Odium is not native to Roshar.

    Tags

  • 14

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    What would have happened if Ruin *did* get the atium? Yeah, the world is destroyed, but how does Ruin "absorb" the atium so he can utilize the power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He would metabolize it, just like the normal people have to do. However, if he did get it he would then be able to destroy the world.

    Tags

  • 15

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Why is there such an imbalance between the amount of atium and the amount of lerasium in the world? Also, why are atium and lerasium very imbalanced in Allomantic power (Lerasium is far more useful than atium, really)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There isn't. Leras is just spread out further. He is in the mists, in the Well, and in the lerasium. Ruin's power however is considerate strictly in atium.

    Tags

  • 16

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Is Edgli Endowment's real name?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, however the flowers are related to Endowment somehow...

    Tags

  • 17

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Why are specific focuses chosen for specific Shards? Why metals for Ruin and Preservation and not Commands like Endowment?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 18

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Are Shards all paired? Does Endowment have a counterpart?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Also, yes and no. Not all Shards have perfect counterparts like Ruin and Preservation.

    QUESTION

    Why were Ruin and Preservation linked together?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Because they're such perfect opposites. Basically it's just an opposites attract thing.

    Tags

  • 19

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Is Endowment blind to the words spoken by Awakeners? Is he blind to art?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO

    Tags

  • 20

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Is Endowment linked to the ocean in Warbreaker?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 21

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Long, long ago when Hero of Ages came out you listed four Shards other than Ruin and Preservation. You said we interacted with two directly. One is a tough call, we've never met the Shard itself but have seen its power. The other one we've not met directly but have seen its influence. My questions:

    -Is the Dor the "tough call" one?

    -Do you count Hoid in this list of four shards? It makes a difference for the theories, Brandon! You don't even need to say if he is bound to a shard, rather just if you consider him in this list.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, and no, Hoid is not included in the list. (Still not sure if he has a shard or not)

    Footnote

    This refers to the quote made by Brandon in the Hero of Ages Online Q&A on Time Waster's Guide.

    Tags

  • 22

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    How many Shards have existed on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Three

    Tags

  • 23

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Can Sazed "will" himself to any Shardworld if he so desires?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, he has the capacity for it. However, will he? Don't know. If he did there would be a lot of ramifications for it...

    Tags

  • 24

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Will Sazed eventually go mad trying to hold two Shard's power at the same time (being pushed to two different Purposes simultaneously for millennia)? Why hasn't anyone else tried this trick before in the Cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. Since they're so opposite they work together to create a whole. However, after a LONG time it would change him as a person.

    Tags

  • 25

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Let's say hypothetically we get Ruin, Preservation, and Endowment to create a planet. Would there be *more* magic systems due to Endowment's involvement (think permutations), or would this specifically not work at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It could work. There is the potential for more magic systems.

    Tags

  • 26

    Interview: Dec, 2010

    T.T.

    5. Is Hoid a Herald, or a Shardholder, or something else entirely.

    6. Was the letter posted on the top of chapters to Sazed?

    7. Barring the Almighty, did we seen a Shardholder (like Sazed) in this book?

    Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

    5. Hoid is something else entirely.

    6. It is written to a character who exists outside of Roshar. I won't yet say who.

    7. I think "Shardholder" would get confusing alongside "Shardbearer." Basically, in the Cosmere's terms, when someone holds a Shard of Adonalsium, I call that person a Shard of Adonalsium. They are imbued with the power of that Shard, but they also become the Shard. Fans can use whatever terminology they wish, but this is how I term it.

    You did at least see the direct effects of two of the Shards of Adonalsium, but I won't say whether or not you actually saw a Shard of Adonalsium.

    Tags

  • 27

    Interview: 2011

    atheistcanuck (21 Mar 2011)

    The Almighty's original name was Tanavast, yes/no?

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    Yes and no. The concept of the "Almighty" in Roshar has a lot of meanings, many of them wrong.

    ATHEISTCANUCK

    But the person who held the Shard Honor was originally named Tanavast?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes. You wiggled it out of me. That was the name of the original holder of the Shard Honor

    Tags

  • 28

    Interview: 2011

    Chaos

    So Aona is a synonym for love, hmm? Is Charity the correct Shard name?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not quite. I'm trying to remember what the guesses were for the other Shard on Sel. I may have dismissed them too quickly.

    CHAOS

    How about Mercy for Aona, then? The guesses for Skai's Shard include Devotion, Obedience, and Order.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay, I was right, then. Ha There's something very ironic in all of this.

    Tags

  • 29

    Interview: Mar 19th, 2011

    Vericon Report - Puck (Paraphrased)

    Puck

    "How is a Splinter different from a Sliver?

    Brandon Sanderson

    "Let me see... You have met splinters in Elantris, Warbreaker, and in Way of Kings. You have not met them in Mistborn."

    PUCK

    "I feel like we know that. So, qualitatively, what's the difference?"

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    "Qualitatively, they're reverses of one another. A Sliver is a human intelligence who has held the power and released it. A Splinter has never been human."

    PUCK

    "But it derives from a Shard's power."

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    "Yes. That's not it completely, but there's at least something to think about."

    Tags

  • 30

    Interview: May 31st, 2011

    Thorondir

    Are Seons Splinters of Aona?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He said that that line of theorising is very close and that we are figuring it out.

    Tags

  • 31

    Interview: May 31st, 2011

    Thorondir

    Who names the planets? You've said once that "Scadrial" was the name of the planet as Ruin and Preservation knew it, but where'd they get that name? Do the Shardholders all get together and vote on it or something?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He said thay already had their names and that the all the planets existed before the shardholders got there.

    Tags

  • 32

    Interview: May 31st, 2011

    Thorondir

    Why do Shards refer to themselves by their Shard name, rather than their original name? Do they still remember their original name?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes they do, they do remember their original selves( didn’t get any more then that though).

    Tags

  • 33

    Interview: May 31st, 2011

    Thorondir

    Does Bavadin hold a Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes (and that’s about all he would say. He did however confirm that Rayse is Odium)

    Tags

  • 34

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2011

    EricLake (14 November 2011)

    Is Endowment's holder female?

    Brandon Sanderson (14 November 2011)

    RAFO :)

    Tags

  • 35

    Interview: Nov 19th, 2011

    Fejicus

    At the end of Alloy of Law, Marsh tells Marasi, that Wax is doing "his brothers work". Does this mean Kelsier is still meddling, or is this a continuation of his initial legacy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Kelsier has never been good at doing what he's told. He's still interfering.

    Tags

  • 36

    Interview: Jan, 2012

    Ace_of_Face (Reddit.com)

    Hey Brandon! As much as I want to fan-gush, I'll keep it short so you can get back to your A Memory of Light drafting.

    How was Sazed/Harmony able to communicate with Waxillium near the end of the book? During the original trilogy, Ruin could occasionally implant thoughts into people's minds, but he couldn't just listen in whenever he felt like it. Is Harmony just way more powerful?

    Brandon Sanderson (Reddit.com)

    There is interesting discussion about this one below, which I like to see. I thought this might spark some discussion. Remember that human beings were given more of preservation than Ruin during their creation, which led to Preservation eventually being overwhelmed by Ruin. That was the bargain; people would be of preservation at their core, but in turn Ruin got to claim the world once Preservation wound down.

    Another factor to consider here is that Wax was given a special earring designed for communication with a being that he actually worships.

    Tags

  • 37

    Interview: Nov 24th, 2011

    Fire Arcadia

    Can you tell me something about the Cosmere that you haven't told anyone before?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are inhabited planets in the cosmere that don't have any Shards there. There may be inhabited planets that only have a Splinter of a Shard. There are 10 core cosmere planets, which tell the overarching story of the cosmere.

    FIRE ARCADIA

    Are all the Cosmere books so far set on these 10 core worlds?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes.

    FIRE ARCADIA

    Are there any of the 10 core worlds without a Shard?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    All 10 core worlds have significant Shardic influence.

    Tags

  • 38

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Dalenthas (15 October 2008)

    With all the talk about action and reaction and whatnot, will some force form to counter Sazed's new Ruin/Preservation mix? It seems to me like the whole nature of the world can't stand to have one person unopposed.

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    Ruin and Preservation were not the only Shards of Adonalsium, though they are the only ones on Scadrial at the moment. Sazed's ability to be both at once is actually something I drew from Eastern mythology, where it is believed that the ability to contain two opposing forces at the same time represents ultimate harmony. The Buddha, for instance, was said to have performed the miracle of producing both fair and ice from his hands at the same time.

    CHAOS

    Is "Scadrial" the proper name to refer to the Mistborn world?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scadrial is indeed the name of the planet.

    Tags

  • 39

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Tyran Amiros (16 October 2008)

    What happened to Kwaan? I was half expecting to see him amongst the kandra First Generation.

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    Kwaan went into hiding, and he was eventually discovered and executed by Rashek. He wasn't among the First Generation, though he would have been if he hadn't turned against Rashek. Rashek kept the plate, however, just as he kept Alendi's logbook. Partially because even then, Rashek was going a little mad, but partially because of the reminders about his old life they contained.

    VEGASDEV (17 OCTOBER)

    I'm assuming you meant Alendi hunted him down because he turned against Alendi. Or did Kwaan also turn against Rashek?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    No, I meant that he turned against Rashek. Remember, the members of the First Generation were offered immortality in exchange for their Hemalurgy. They had to make this choice for all of the world's Feruchemists. Because his uncle had been the one who gave Rashek the chance to become the Lord Ruler in the first place, Rashek blessed him and included him in the decision. (Speaking directly into his mind along with the others during Rashek's moment of ascension.)

    Kwaan was the only one who turned down this offer, calling it a betrayal of who they were as a people. Rashek could have just made him one anyway, but in a moment of anger, he tried to destroy Kwaan—which he couldn't do, not with Preservation's power. As the other Feruchemists changed, Kwaan remained the same. Rashek eventually hunted him down and killed him.

    Tags

  • 40

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    VegasDev (16 October 2008)

    Alendi's "Piercings of the Hero"?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    This is part of the manipulation Ruin did during the classical era on Scadrial, before the coming of the Lord Ruler. Piercings, and Hemalurgy, were part of the world before the coming of Allomancy in its modern form. Then, they were seen as a means of communicating with deity—which, indeed, they were. Ruin manipulated this to make sure any Hero of Ages who came would be under his influence. The reference is included mostly to indicate that yes, Alendi was under Ruin's influence. He ignored Rashek, though. (At least, right up to the moment when everything went 'wrong' for Ruin, when Rashek killed his chosen Hero of Ages.)

    Tags

  • 41

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    VegasDev (16 October 2008)

    The other lake in Alendi's bumps?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    A manifestation of Ruin's gathered consciousness, much like the dark mists in book two. The lake was still around in Vin's era, but had been moved under ground. (Note that the Well is a very similar manifestation. You've also seen one other manifestation like this....)

    PETER AHLSTROM

    Such as...this?

    The "lake" was barely ten feet deep—more like a pool. Its water was a crystalline blue, and Raoden could see no inlets or outlets.
    If that's what you're hinting at...I never thought of the connection before! I just kept thinking of Aether of Night, and never thought of this pool at all.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Both are accurate, but the first is what I meant, as most people here don't have access to Aether.

    CHAOS

    I'm also thinking that the Dor in Elantris is another Shard of Adonalsium. Certainly in the Elantris world, where the Dor came from is rather ambiguous, which I expected it would be. Of course, if other Shards of Adonalsium do exist, the Dor could have come from that source.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will RAFO from here on the other Shards of Adonalsium, as it would be better for me not to give spoilers. Please feel free to speculate. Readers have met four shards other than Ruin and Preservation.

    PETER AHLSTROM

    Have we met these four by name, or just by influence? I can't think of a name that would go with the one that the Elantris lake is a manifestation of.

    Hoid could be one? I know nothing his purpose other than that he shows up in lots of different books, sometimes begging and sometimes telling stories. Since most of these series happen on different planets (though two of them may happen on the same planet as each other), I'm assuming he has mad planet-hopping skills.

    ...Nightblood...

    BRANDON SANDERSON (20 OCTOBER)

    Ookla, I'm going to be tight lipped on this, as I don't want to give things away for future books. But I'll tell you this:

    You've interacted with two directly.
    One is a tough call. You've never met the Shard itself, but you've seen its power.
    The other one you have not met directly, but have seen its influence.

    CHAOS (18 OCTOBER)

    I thought Nightblood was explained sufficiently for my tastes in Warbreaker, so I doubt that it is a Shard, but I've been plenty wrong before. Also, I don't know if Hoid could even be a Shard. Certainly he has mean planet-hopping skills, but I don't know what purpose a celestial storyteller would have in this universe. He doesn't really have the same kind of power as Ruin or Preservation did, so normally I would rule him out right off the bat. But it is possible that these Shards come in many shapes, not just in the near-deific quantity Ruin or Preservation had. I think it's a bit of a stretch to say Hoid is a Shard... but, then again, I don't have any ideas for what those four other Shards are.

    Maybe Hoid is just a traveler trying to find remnants of Adonalsium and stories about them. He doesn't need to be a shard, I suppose.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (20 OCTOBER)

    This is slightly a tangent, but here is a relevant chunk from the Warbreaker Annotations. As this won't be posted for months, I'll put it here as a sneak preview.

    Chapter Thirty-Two

    This whole scene came about because I wanted an interesting way to delve into the history. Siri needed to hear it, and I felt that many readers would want to know it. However, that threatened to put me into the realm of the dreaded info dump.

    And so I brought in the big guns. This cameo is so obvious (or, at least, someday it will be) that I almost didn’t use the name Hoid for the character, as I felt it would be too obvious. The first draft had him using one of his other favorite pseudonyms. However, in the end, I decided that too many people would be confused (or, at least, even more confused) if I didn’t use the same name. So here it is. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about. . .well, let’s just say that there’s a lot more to this random appearance than you might think.

    CHAOS (17 OCTOBER)

    Brandon, I believe in one of Sazed's epigraphs, he actually called it "Adonasium" rather than what you are referring to here, which is "Adonalsium". I'm thinking that's just a typo, right?

    I don't suppose you could tell us which book series of yours will tell us more about Adonalsium, would you? You know, just so us theorizers on the forum know when to properly theorize about these things...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, I guess this means that the proofreaders did not add the "L" when I marked the error on the manuscript.(sigh). Yes, the correct spelling is Adonalsium. I will try to get this fixed for the paperback, but I've been trying to get that blasted steel/iron error in the back of book one fixed for two years now. . .

    If it helps, Sazed would probably under-pronounce the "L" as that letter, like in Tindwyl's name, is said very softly in Terris.

    As for your other question, you will have to wait and see. Now, you could search my old books for clues, but I would caution against this. While there are hints in these, they are not yet canon. Just as I changed how things were presented in the Mistborn books during editing, I would have fixed a lot in these books during revision. Beyond that, reading them would give big spoilers for books yet to be released. White Sand, Dragonsteel, and Way of Kings in particular are going to be published some day for almost certain. (Though in very different forms). Aether of Night should be safe, as should Final Empire prime and Mistborn prime, though of those three, only Aether is worth reading, and then only barely. (It is still pretty bad).

    Footnote

    Peter's quote is from Elantris. It's the pool that Raoden finds in the mountains above Elantris.

    Tags

  • 42

    Interview: 2012

    zas678 (Mar 5 2012)

    Hey @PeterAhlstrom could you tell us what Aona's Shard was? Brandon said he'd look it up and get back to us, but.... [he never got back to us.]

    Peter Ahlstrom (Mar 5 2012)

    I thought sure that was answered already. But anyway, the answer is yes [Aona is Devotion].

    Tags

  • 43

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Qarlin (16 October 2008)

    Who were Ruin and Preservation? I mean, when they died, they had bodies, like Vin. And you went as far as to describe their hair color (Red and Black, respectively). Preservation even had a prominent nose. Why describe their dead bodies, if they weren't at one time mortals themselves? They created humans, but were at one time human themselves?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    RAFO. (Sorry.)

    Tags

  • 44

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Qarlin (16 October 2008)

    Lemme guess, the "Mistborn" following Vin was actually Ruin, since Elend never actually saw him, and he disappeared every time Vin got close?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Yes.

    QARLIN

    Why did Ruin give off Allomantic Pulses? Because Preservation did and they're two sides of the same coin? Allomancy is of Preservation, so I figured that's why he did...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Manifestation of the awesome power he held, mixed with Vin's increased ability to sense these things. Allomantic pulses are like a ripple of sound in the fabric of creation itself—the power of creation being used, creating a drum beat to those attuned to it. Ruin created a similar beat when his consciousness was near.

    Tags

  • 45

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    darxbane (16 October 2008)

    In an annotation from book one, it is mentioned that The Lord Ruler needed all three magic systems in order to do what he did. I always assumed that it meant his Hemalurgy enhanced his Allomancy. Did Marsh get a double power, or is the Feruchemy-Allomancy combo enough? (a sidebar to this question is whether or not stacking abilities is possible through Hemalurgy).

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    He used Hemalurgy to pull off his most dramatic effects. Marsh didn't need them, but it makes things much easier.

    Tags

  • 46

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    What was Vin supposed to do at the end of Well of Ascension? How exactly did not-using the power, end up releasing Ruin? I still don't get how that all worked. Can you explain it?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    What was she supposed to do? Well, this is difficult to answer, since the prophecies have been changed and shifted so much. Originally, the prophesies intended for a person to go take the power every thousand years and become a protector of mankind for a period of time. Someone to keep an eye on Ruin in Preservation's absence and watch over the world as he would have done. Imagine an avatar who arrives every thousand years and lives for their lifetime blessing the people with the power of Preservation, renewing Ruin's prison, and generally being a force for protection. (Note that Ruin wouldn't have gotten out if the prison wasn't renewed, he'd simply have been able to touch the world a little bit more.) Obviously, it changed a LOT during the years that Ruin was playing with things.

    What should she have done? Well, Ruin's release was inevitable. Even if she hadn't let him go, the world would have 'wound down' eventually. The ashfalls would have grown worse over the centuries, and the next buildup of the Well might not have come in time for them to do anything. Or, perhaps, mankind would have found a way to adapt. But Ruin was going to get himself out eventually, so the choice Vin made was all right. There weren't really any good choices at this point. She could have decided to take the power and become a 'good' Lord Ruler, trying to keep the world from falling apart. Of course, she would have had to make herself immortal with Hemalurgy to make that work right. And since she was already tainted, chances are good she wouldn't have ended up any better than the Lord Ruler himself.

    Tags

  • 47

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    Allomancy is fueled by Preservation's body? How exactly does that work? And how does that interact with Atium—it's fueled by both gods' bodies?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself. Allomancy, Hemalurgy, Feruchemy are manifestations of this power in mortal form, the ability to touch the powers of creation and use them. These metallic powers are how people's physical forms interpret the use of the Shard, though it's not the only possible way they could be interpreted or used. It's what the genetics and Realmatic interactions of Scadrial allow for, and has to do with the Spiritual, the Cognitive, and the Physical Realms.

    Condensed 'essence' of these godly powers can act as super-fuel for Allomancy, Feruchemy, or really any of the powers. The form of that super fuel is important. In liquid form it's most potent, in gas form it's able to fuel Allomancy as if working as a metal. In physical form it is rigid and does one specific thing. In the case of atium, it allows sight into the future. In the case of concentrated Preservation, it gives one a permanent connection to the mists and the powers of creation. (I.e., it makes them an Allomancer.)

    So when a person is burning metals, they aren't using Preservation's body as a fuel so to speak—though they are tapping into the powers of creation just slightly. When Vin burns the mists, however, she'd doing just that—using the essence of Preservation, the Shard of Adonalsium itself—to fuel Allomancy. Doing this, however, rips 'troughs' through her body. It's like forcing far too much pressure through a very small, fragile hose. That much power eventually vaporizes the corporeal host, which is acting as the block and forcing the power into a single type of conduit (Allomancy) and frees it to be more expansive.

    Tags

  • 48

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    Why exactly do some spike removals kill (dual eye, or central spike) but most don't?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    For the same reason that a bullet through one part of the body will kill you, but getting shot somewhere else won't. The physical form of a person who has undergone a Hemalurgic transformation is no longer what we think of it. The direct connection to Preservation starts keeping them alive. (Imagine stapling someone's soul to another person's soul, their life essence, then stapling that to the power of creation itself, giving you a conduit directly to power, letting you leech it and steal it.) That power keeps you alive, despite the wounds. Some of the time, the other staples are enough to keep you alive, even if one is pulled out. Others are too important.

    Tags

  • 49

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    firstRainbowRose (17 October 2008)

    I just wanted to add in my two cents and say it was absolutely brilliant... and I think I'm starting to be able to breath again (crying that much hurts)...I also really loved that there's an "cameo" for Kelsier at the end... that made me really happy to see.

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Glad you liked the book, Rainbow!

    You may want to note that the moment Preservation dropped out and let the last of his consciousness die, someone was waiting in the Cognitive Realm to seize the power and hold on for a short period until Vin could take it up more fully. You'll find him using it to whisper in moments of great stress in the book, to one person in specific in two places. (I'll bet someone on here has already found them.)

    He never could just let things well enough alone....

    Footnote

    The person Brandon mentions is Spook. After the spike is removed, Kelsier prompts him to send the letter to Vin, and then prompts him to send people underground.

    Tags

  • 50

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    GreedyAlgorithm (17 October 2008)

    Brandon, I'd like to see a timeline of when you fleshed out the parts of the cosmology we know about. I'd imagine Allomancy came before you fit it into the bigger picture, right? What was your method, come up with a cool image of hammering spikes through a living being, figure out how to integrate that into a larger picture, and then think about the implications of your new cosmology? Or what?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Boy, this is a hard one to ask because it's been such a LONG process. There were bits of all of this popping around in my head almost twenty years ago, so it's going to be hard to define where what fit into place when.

    Allomancy and Feruchemy were originally planned separately. I linked them together into this book when I realized that the 'focus' items that could store attributes could be metal, and therefore work wonderfully with the Mistborn book I was planning.

    Hemalurgy came from the image of Inquisitors first, then developed as a need to integrate it in with the other two in a way that evoked the power of "Ruin" rather than the power of Preservation. I figured that Ruin would steal, and it was a great way to add a third magic without having to overload people with a whole new set of powers. The process of writing this series, since I did all three books together, was an interesting one, and I made a lot of connections as I went. Some of the latest things on the timeline were figuring out how to fit atium and the Preservation nuggets into the already built framework. But I don't know if I can give you an exact list. Partially because there would just be too many spoilers in it.

    Tags

  • 51

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Czanos (17 October 2008)

    Preservation can fuel Allomancy, (Minus Atium.) but can Ruin fuel Hemalurgy? (Or Atium?) And could Sazed fuel all three Metallic Arts?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Both gods could, if they wanted, fuel all of the metallic arts. Preservation is stronger at fueling Allomancy, Ruin stronger at fueling Allomancy or Feruchemy when it has been given via a spike. Both are balanced when it comes to Feruchemy. But this rarely comes up in the books, as it required expending power in a way that the gods were hesitant to do.

    Tags

  • 52

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Czanos (17 October 2008)

    Are Atium and the External Temporal Pulling metal really the same?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    You are on to something.

    Tags

  • 53

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Chaos (17 October 2008)

    Would the Three Metallic Arts operate in other worlds, or are they direct results of Ruin and Preservation and thus only operate in Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    To use Feruchemy or Allomancy in almost every case, one must have the right spiritual and genetic codes, imprinted upon people during the creation of Scadrial by Ati and Leras. To use Hemalurgy, one must first have someone with these right spiritual and genetic codes, then take the power from them. Other people on other worlds are not going to simply discover the Three Metallic Arts by accident.

    Tags

  • 54

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Xandeis (18 October 2008)

    These Shards everyone is talking about...what are they?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    RAFO. ;)

    Tags

  • 55

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Comatose (18 October 2008)

    I also wondered if you could explain that circle in the cave some more, I didn't quite get it.

    I was sure Vin was the hero right up until the end, even though originally before I read the book, I was sure it would be Elend or Sazed. But then the epilogue author started naming people off, so I knew it wasn't them. But it only mentions Vin as 'she,' when talking about how she got her spike. I was sure one of the epigraphs was going to be: "And that girl is me."

    The Sazed thing totally made sense in hindsight, I can't believe I didn't figure it out. And we were right about the "on the arms," bit being the part Brandon was referring to, good find Vintage!

    I'm a little sad that the lake doesn't come into it more. But the Mist spirit and the Deepness were BOTH Preservation. That was cool.

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    I think I did a post on the circle. The short of it is, that is drawing too much attention. Just because Vin didn't quite understand it doesn't mean it's important. (Though, of course, there are other things she doesn't understand that ARE important.) Also, the lake might be involved more at a later date. See the other posts.

    Tags

  • 56

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    firstRainbowRose (18 October 2008)

    Is Sazed effected by the metal blindness, or can he see thing written in metal?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    He is blinded by metal.

    Tags

  • 57

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Andrew the Great (19 October 2008)

    Why can Vin fuel Elend's atium-burning, even though Atium is Ruin's Body and Vin is using Preservation? Or did I misread that and he was just burning atium and had run out of everything else?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    Yes, as has been pointed out:

    A powerful peace swelled in Elend. His Allomancy flared bright, though he knew the metals inside of him should have burned away. Only atium remained, and the strange power did not—could not—give him this metal. But it didn’t matter. For a moment, he was embraced by something greater. He looked up, toward the sun. (From the text.)

    As a note here, the powers granted by all of the metals—even the two divine ones—are not themselves of either Shard. They are simply tools. And so, it's possible that one COULD have found a way to reproduce an ability like atium's while using Preservation's power, but it wouldn't be as natural or as easy as using Preservation to fuel Allomancy.

    The means of getting powers—Ruin stealing, Preservation gifting—are related to the Shards, but not the powers themselves.

    Tags

  • 58

    Interview: Nov 11th, 2011

    Brian T. Hill

    I took my Way of Kings audio book to the Sanderson signing event in Seattle last night. He was reluctant to give out many Cosmere secrets because he thinks he’s given too many already. However, he agreed to give me one. When he had trouble thinking of one, I suggested that he name one of the unknown shards. I didn’t really expect him to agree, but he did! When he opened his computer to take a look, I chided him. “There are only 16 shards. Don’t you have them memorized?”

    Brandon Sanderson

    He responded that sometimes he has several synonyms that he hasn’t quite decided on. So I asked him if he was now canonizing a new shard and he said yes. So this is now official. He agreed to let me share it, so here it is.

    I’ve attached the picture for you to see for yourself, but the text says: “The second shard on the Elantris world (Sel) is Dominion.”

    Tags

  • 59

    Interview: Oct 15th, 2010

    17th Shard

    Is Cultivation a Shard on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, Cultivation is. (very inquisitively) Where did you get that word?

    17TH SHARD

    It's in the book.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Is it in the book? Okay.

    17th Shard

    It's mentioned once.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay, one of the Shards from Roshar is Cultivation.

    Tags

  • 60

    Interview: Apr 17th, 2012

    Google+ Hangout (Verbatim)

    Andrea Digney

    Was Honor Splintered?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Was Honor Splintered? ooh someone's been paying attention, very much. I would say that yes Honor was Splintered. That is a very important question to be asking, someone really knows their stuff.

    Tags

  • 61

    Interview: 2012

    Kilomtrs (June 2012)

    So in the trilogy, we see that when someone has a Hemalurgic spike implanted in them, they can hear Ruin talking to them, both as a vision and in their head. However, we learn in the Hero of Ages that Ruin cannot hear a person's thoughts no matter how much under Ruin's influence they are.

    In Alloy of Law, we see that Wax (and other Pathians) uses an earring to "pray" to Harmony, and we see that Harmony can hear his thoughts and respond.

    So I guess this leads to three questions:

    1. How does Harmony hear the thoughts of Wax, when it's explicitly pointed put that Ruin cannot?

    2. Are the earrings that the Pathians use Hemalurgicly charged, as otherwise they would be of no use to Ruin, and therefore Harmony?

    3. Or did Harmony completely change how that aspect of Hemalugy works?

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    How this all works dates back to the original design of the Magic system.

    I wanted Ruin and Preservation to be complimentary opposites, like many things in the Mistborn world. Allomancy, for example, has Pushes and Pulls were are less "negate one another" opposites, but instead two sides to the same proverbial coin.

    Ruin is invasive. The power is more "Yell" than "Listen." The philosopher would probably have some interesting things to say about the masculine symbolism of Hemalurgy and its spikes.

    Ruin can insert thoughts. That power, however, can't HEAR the reactions. It's about invasion.

    Preservation, however, is the opposite. Preservation listens, Preservation protects. (Perhaps to a fault—if there were no Ruin, there would be no change to the world, and life could not exist.) Because of this, Preservation can hear what is inside people's minds. It cannot, however, INSERT thoughts. (This is important to the plot of Hero of Ages.)

    Harmony is both, the two complimentary opposites combined. And so, he inserts thoughts with Ruin and still uses Hemalurgy. He can also listen.

    Yes, Wax's earring is Invested. (Or, in other terms, it's a Hemalurgic spike.)

    Tags

  • 62

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So Power of Creation. Is the Power of Creation this thing of power that powers Allomancy and powers the Aons, or is the Power of Creation just what each shard has?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say [the power] each shard has. Is more the definition.

    Tags

  • 63

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So what's up with the regeneration issue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [looks confused]

    Zas

    With Shards? Because they only have so much power they can access at a certain time, but yet they still have more energy. So how does that work? Is it just they have so much power they can use at any given time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [still slightly confused] What are you talking about? Like which shards?

    Zas

    Ruin and Preservation. Since we know the most about them.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ruin and Preservation were a specific instance, because almost all their energy was thrown into resisting each other. Keep that in mind. Even after Preservation was only a shadow, basically all of it was "Let's keep Ruin from destroying the world". So they were polar opposites. Set in balance. But slightly unbalanced in a couple of ways, that eventually, that slight imbalance [led to the Mistborn Trilogy]. They are a special case, because of that.

    Zas

    So then why are they hesitant to directly fuel Allomancy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why are they hesitant to? What do you mean by directly fuel Allomancy?

    Zas

    You mention in the Hero of Ages Q&A that they can directly fuel Allomancy, like Vin does with Elend, but it requires expending their energy in a way they are hesitant to do.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because it imbalances them more. Does that make sense? So if you are putting your energy here, rather than fighting the other force, that gives them an edge somewhere else, while trying to gain an edge here. And you have to make sure that's really worth it. Like a chess game. Is it worth sacrificing my pawn here to expose myself over here.

    Zas

    That makes sense.

    Tags

  • 64

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Josh and Eric

    So are Shards the most powerful thing in the Cosmere?

    Adam

    Or is Adonalsium?

    Josh and Eric

    No, no, let him RAFO the first one first, or he'll lump them together.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on what you believe. The Shards are the most powerful things currently overtly manifest. There are those who would say there are other subtle forces being manifest. Most people in the know would say that Shards are the most powerful thing.

    Adam

    Does Hoid believe that Shards are the most powerful thing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You'll have to ask him sometime. [gives troll grin]. Or see him get asked something like that sometime. There's argument to be made that right now Harmony is the most powerful thing in the Cosmere.

    Tags

  • 65

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So where does the power of Allomancy come from? Does it come directly from Preservation? Does that imbalance him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [Brandon being cautious about wording] Certain things built into a world are not the same. Not used in the same way. Meaning the energy of Preservation and Ruin inside of something living and growing—yes that's "of" them, but that's not direct force that they're using at that time.

    Adam

    Would a good example of that be Allomancy versus the blessings the Kandra have?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah sure.

    Tags

  • 66

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So you talk about the residue a Shard leaves on a sliver. So what does that residue have? Like what does it do? If anything?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, one thing it can do is that people capable of noticing Investiture, would know there is a trace of investiture from that event.

    Tags

  • 67

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So the number of Shards that have been on Roshar is three, correct?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Correct.

    Zas

    People have been thrown by you saying that Odium is not native to Roshar.

    Brandon

    Odium is not native, that's the thing. Are any of them native? So if you dig the deeper question, are any of them native, ehhh, none of them are native to the planets you've seen so far. What I probably should've said to be more precise is that Honor and Cultivation were there long before Odium showed up.

    Tags

  • 68

    Interview: 2013

    Mike Cockrum (23 January 2013)

    How many shards has Hoid received powers from, whether taken, stolen, given, etc.?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Well, he has a bead of Lerasium.

    Tags

  • 69

    Interview: Feb 12th, 2013

    Mason Wheeler

    You've said that Splintering a shard is essentially the same thing as the shattering of Adonalsium, repeated on a smaller scale.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Mason Wheeler

    And a while ago, someone asked you if Splintering was permanent or reversible, and you said that it can be reversed.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Mason Wheeler

    And shard holders tend to take the name of the shard they hold. So you've got Sazed, who goes by "Harmony" now, after taking up Ruin and Preservation. That makes me wonder, does he hold two shards... or one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You could really answer that either way. The distinction is a really subjective one, and you could say that he's holding both shards, or that he holds one single Harmony.

    Tags

  • 70

    Interview: Feb 16th, 2013

    Viper

    Ok real quick then I'll get back in line again. There's a bunch of people who follow this stuff online ... I just found out about it ... I don't want to call them a cult, but ... So anyway, at one point someone asked you if Seons were shards of—

    Brandon Sanderson

    Aona.

    Viper

    Devotion ... yeah Aona, and you said that was close. My question is: are the Aons at the HEART of the Seons shards of Devotion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, but close.

    Viper

    But ... I was sure ... the floating Aon at the heart, that's not a shard ...

    Brandon Sanderson

    (taking pity on me) You're close but a word is wrong. You're using the wrong terminology.

    Viper

    SPLINTER. Are the Aons at the heart of Seons SPLINTERS of Aona?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Viper

    Can I post that online?

    Brandon Sanderson

    . . . Ok. That's fine. It's been long enough, they've earned it.

    Tags

  • 71

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Chaos

    Is Splintering a Shard permanent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

    Tags

  • 72

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Chaos

    Is there a Cosmere-specific term you use to describe, say, a Shard's power inside someone? For example, people on Scadrial had little bits of Preservation in them that made them sentient (and, with enough Preservation, Allomancy). This obviously doesn't make these people Slivers or Splinters, so I was just wondering if you had a word for it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    In my own terms, I refer to all of this as types of investiture. The degree, and effects, can be very different - but those people are invested. I term this Innate Investiture, and it is similar to what happens with people on Nalthis. That is also innate.

    Tags

  • 73

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Nepene ()

    You've mentioned several philosophical concepts used in the writing of your books, like Jung's collective unconsciousness, Plato's cave. Could you expand a bit on your use of those in your books, and whether you think it is necessary to use philosophy to make a good fantasy world?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't think it's necessary at all. The writer's own fascinations—whatever they are—can add to the writing experience. But yes, some philosophical ideas worked into my fiction. Plato's theory of the forms has always fascinated, and so the idea of a physical/cognitive/spiritual realm is certainly a product of this. Human perception of ideals has a lot to do with the cognitive realm, and a true ideal has a lot to do with the spiritual realm.

    As for more examples, they're spread through my fiction. Spinoza is in there a lot, and Jung has a lot to do with the idea of spiritual connectivity (and how the Parshendi can all sing the same songs.)

    Nepene

    Not completely sure where Spinoza comes in. I guess the shards are part of the natural world and have no personality without a human wielder.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes on Spinoza there, and also the idea of God being in everything, and everything of one substance. Unifying laws. Those sorts of things. (Less his determinism, though.)

    Tags

  • 74

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Nepene ()

    If Ruin had won, what would his long term goals for the Cosmere be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ruin's goals and motives were about fulfilling the needs of the Shard inside of him. It overwhelmed his personality, and corrupted him. He would seek for all things to be reduced to a state of entropic equilibrium.

    Tags

  • 75

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Emeralis00

    Does the intent/personality of the Shard affect the personalities of the humans they create?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It has some very small effect.

    Tags

  • 76

    Interview: May 17th, 2013

    Kogiopsis

    How long before the events of Elantris did Odium kill Aona/Devotion and Skai/Dominion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Same time as the origins of the Seons.

    Kogiopsis

    This was the second-closest I came to getting RAFO'd. He was sort of jovially apologetic about this answer; I tried to get a solid number of years but to no avail.

    Tags

  • 77

    Interview: May 22nd, 2013

    StormAtlas

    Is Cultivation's holder still alive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Tags

  • 78

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Sweetness

    Just after the Shattering (but before they started created humans or something), did all Shards have roughly the same amount of raw power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Good question.

    Tags

  • 79

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Satsuoni

    Is it possible to give cats intelligence with Hemalurgy? Or transfer cat's identity to a human?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hemalurgy can do some very, very odd things. And the endowment of intelligence is a common result of tinkering with shard-based magic.

    Tags

  • 80

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Millennium

    Is it necessary to touch a Shard -not necessarily to become its Holder, but to at least touch it briefly- to Splinter it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO

    Tags

  • 81

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Millennium

    Can a Shard tell the difference between itself and its current holder?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tricky question. Depends on the circumstances. The power as a whole, no. Pieces of it, yes. (Ala Spinozism.)

    Tags

  • 82

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Lightflame

    Do all Shards have some sort of Shard-induced weakness, like how Ruin and Preservation can't see metal?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes

    Tags

  • 83

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Yados

    Does Sazed's biological body still exist somewhere? If so, does that body still possess Feruchemical abilities?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it does exist, though kind of...blended-in, so to speak, as happened with the others when they ascended. Yes, it still has his abilities, though they are kind of moot now.

    Tags

  • 84

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Thought

    It seems that certain colors and numbers appear frequently in specific cosmere books, like the number 5 in Warbreaker or red and blue in Elantris. Do these colors or numbers happen to refer to a specific shard, and if so, would they be consistent across the cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Certain colors and numbers are important in reference to certain shards.

    Tags

  • 85

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Zenith

    In one of the death sentence things it says something like three of sixteen ruled, but now the broken one reigns. Is this referring to the Shards on Roshar and if so, is the broken one Odium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO

    Tags

  • 86

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    E. Hyde

    Since we generally don't see inhabitants of your worlds refer to their planets by name, where do the names come from?

    Brandon Sanderson

    From world-hoppers, Shards, and those who know about the cosmere.

    Tags

  • 87

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    llwvyn

    My question is in regards to the writing system. In Warbreaker, when Siri is teaching Susebron to read, she mentions the letter "shash," which we now know better as a Glyphair from WoK.

    so onto the questions:

    Are the two writing systems related, or is this a chance coincidence of names? If they are related, did they stem from the same source? (i.e., do the people of Nalthis and Roshar both descend from a more ancient group of people?) If I haven't gotten a RAFO yet, did the separation from these other people create the legends of being cast out of the Tranquiline Halls?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are interesting connections around the cosmere between linguistics and some cultures. Though different groups of humans were created on different planets, the Shards all share a single point of origin. However, the Tranquiline Halls legends are not related to a Nalthis/Roshar connection.

    Tags

  • 88

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    ROSHtafARian

    In the Mistborn trilogy, the base 16 Allomantic metals separate into different groups like the Enhancement metals, etc. Given that there are 16 Shards, do they also separate into different groupings as well? For instance, are Shards like Honor and Devotion part of one 'grouping', with Shards like Cultivation and Endowment part of another?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question.

    ...

    RAFO

    Tags

  • 89

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    ROSHtafARian

    We're aware by now of eight of the sixteen Shards (Devotion, Dominion, Ruin, Preservation, Endowment, Honor, Odium and Cultivation) and seven of the ten core Shardworlds (the Dragonsteel world, Roshar, Scadrial, Nalthis, Sel, the White Sand world and The Silence Divine world). Given that you now how we love to obsessively speculate based on only the tiniest of information, and also given that it seems an endless source of amusement to you that we do, would you perhaps like to tease us with a smidgen of information about one of the remaining eight Shards or the three remaining Shardworlds?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ha. If I give you this, what will you speculate on in the future? I hate to do this, but I'm going to RAFO that one for now. Sorry.

    Tags

  • 90

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Douglas

    What about a Lerasium savant? Or would that require so much Lerasium that the person attempting it would ascend to become a new Shardholder?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Basically, this is what ascension is.

    Tags

  • 91

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    JamesW

    You said that Preservation created the Terris Prophecies. Why couldn't ruin see into the future and counter Preservation's plan? Is it because Ruin's intent has him focusing more on the present than the future, while Preservation (wanting to preserve forever) looks more into the future for that goal.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Looking into the future was not something Ruin was good at doing. That ability is confined to certain shards, and not others.

    Tags

  • 92

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Master_Moridin

    Why does Preservation fueling Allomancy not weaken Preservation compared to Ruin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because the power, once used, returns to him--much as water, after passing over a turbine, continues on in its system.

    Tags

  • 93

    Interview: Oct 30th, 2012

    Lance Alvein

    You've said that "The Pits of Hathsin were crafted by Preservation as a place to hide the chunk of Ruin's body that he had stolen away." How does one Shard steal a portion of another Shard and create a Physical outlet for it, like the Pits were for Ruin's power?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    It has to do with clash between the two shards power. When pressed, he then said that it was "kind of" like splintering

    Tags

  • 94

    Interview: Oct 30th, 2012

    Lance Alvein

    Do Ralkalest and Soulstone have any connection to the two shards?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    RAFO

    Tags

  • 95

    Interview: Nov 6th, 2012

    Question

    Can Odium pick up pieces of a Shard without changing the nature of his Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Any investiture, over time, will slowly change one’s personality, no matter how small that investiture.

    Tags

  • 96

    Interview: May 22nd, 2013

    StormAtlas

    Were Cultivation and Honor romantically involved?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Tags

  • 97

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Shadowsaber223 ()

    Can any person absorb a shard? Or do they have to be somewhat "magical"? (Like Vin and Sazed)

    Brandon Sanderson

    One does not have to be somewhat magical, so to speak, but it does help.

    Tags

  • 98

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    NewbSombrero ()

    Are shardblades Splinters? If not, are they related to Shards in some other way?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. More to come.

    Tags

  • 99

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Windrunner17 ()

    Why does Scadrial, which has two Shards, only have three manifestations of investiture, (Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy) but Sel, also with two Shards, has five manifestations of investiture (AonDor, Dakhor, ChayShan, Forgery, and Bloodsealing)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sel's magics are much more regionalized than Scadrial's. Each area has its own manifestation, but they're all actually the same magic. So really there is one magic on Sel—much as Windrunning and Lightweaving on Roshar are kind of different magics, but also kind of the same.

    Tags

  • 100

    Interview: 2013

    Soronir (February 2013)

    I love how many authors we get on this subreddit, it's amazing. Not sure if you meant this forum or not but it's still cool. I hope I see Brandon Sanderson one of these days, I have a stupid question for him.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Shoot.

    I've been terrible about my reddit pms lately. Better to ask here.

    Soronir

    About Miles from Alloy of Law and his regenerative powers. If he was bisected down the middle and the halves were separated immediately before the healing process could begin, would the two halves each regrow into a whole Miles?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question. In all of the Cosmere's Shard-based magics, the greater portion of a bisected body regrows the lesser portion. If it were done EXACTLY halfway, the soul wold jump to one or the other randomly and that would regrow.

    Amusingly, this first came up in 1999, six years before I got published. (I see someone else already mentioned the situation where I had to consider it.)

    Halo6819

    As little add—on Sanderson has stated that at its core, Shard-based healing is about restoring the person back to themselves. So someone who wears glasses and gets shot and healed, will still need glasses as that is how they (or their soul) sees themself. I assume this would happen in more extreme cases too, some one who had a limb amputated at birth gets healed at another time, the limb will not be restored because they see themself as an amputee, even if it is within the magic's ability to restore limbs to some one who recently lost one.

    Phantine

    So... wait a sec, the Lord Ruler got decapitated at one point...

    What did he do with the severed head? Mount it on the wall?

    Brandon Sanderson

    :)

    Phantine

    He mounted it SIDEWAYS? :P

    Phantine

    Actually, this is kind of a sillier followup to a silly question, but could you use Forgery to say 'actually, this half had 51% instead of 49%' and temporarily clone Miles?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Boy. That's a can of worms, right there...

    Tags

  • 101

    Interview: 2013

    Autarchk (March 2013)

    If I can ask a question, I just read the Mistborn trilogy and, were Preservation and Ruin two different shards or a single one with their power split somehow? If they were two shards, does that mean a single person can hold more than one, since Harmony apparently holds both now?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They were two shards.

    Yes, one entity can hold more than one. Remember that holding a shard changes you, over time. Rayse knows this, and prefers to leave behind destroyed rivals as opposed to taking their power and potentially being overwhelmed by it.

    Nepene

    I have a question, if you are willing. Would Ruin be more compatible with Rayse, would he pick up that shard had he visited Scadrial and shattered him? All the shards we have seen that he has shattered seem rather different in intent than him—Honor, Cultivation, Love, Dominion. But Ruin seems more in line with Odium. Rayse has ruined the days of quite a few people.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Technically, Ruin would be most compatible with Cultivation. Ruin's 'theme' so to speak is that all things must age and pass. An embodiment of entropy. That power, separated from the whole and being held by a person who did not have the willpower to resist its transformation of him, led to something very dangerous. But it was not evil. None of the sixteen technically are, though you may have read that Hoid has specific beef with Rayse. Whether you think of Odium as evil depends upon how much you agree with Hoid's particular view.

    That said, Ruin would have been one of the 'safer' of the sixteen for Rayse to take, if he'd been about that. Odium is by its nature selfish, however, and the combination of it and Rayse makes for an entity that fears an additional power would destroy it and make it into something else.

    Tags

  • 102

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    Shards and Shard intents: Holding a Shard is a contest of willpower against the Shard that, over time, is very hard to resist.

    Shards affect you over time, but your mind will not leave a permanent effect on the Shard. A holder's personality, however, does get to filter the Shard's intent, so to speak. However, if that holder no longer held that Shard, the Shard will not continue to be filtered by that person.

    Tags

  • 103

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    Sazed is a Shard. Just like a king of two countries is still a king, a holder of two Shards is a Shard.

    Tags

  • 104

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    I don't remember what prompted me to write this, or what impression I had that made me write this, but I wrote: Anyone can take up a Shard. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I would not have written this if it was not crystal clear to me that this is what Brandon meant.

    Tags

  • 105

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    Odium wants to be the only Shard. Odium could pick up other Shards if he wants to, but, he doesn't want to. His Shard is a good match for his personality and he doesn't want to be influenced by another Shard.

    Tags

  • 106

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    Brandon said offhandedly, "It is not random who got which Shard." Also, Shards very rarely change hands. Brandon emphasized the "very" there.

    Tags

  • 107

    Interview: Mar 16th, 2012

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    Seons are remnants of a dead Shard.

    Tags

  • 108

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2012

    Question

    The next question I have is does Odium have to recover after Shattering a Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is a difficult process that is very taxing.

    Tags

  • 109

    Interview: Oct 1st, 2013

    Question

    Ruin and Preservation were often represented in the Mistborn trilogy in terms of black and white. Is this imagery limited to that series, or do other Shards also have an associated hue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This (Ruin & Preservation's colors) was because of the specific world and their perception of the world and themselves. Essentially, because of the dynamics of the interplay between Ruin and Preservation, they "chose" to view themselves as black and white respectively, so that's how they were represented. Also, because the only two Shards on Scadrial, and their natures were opposites, after the long period of time they spent on the same planet, they kind of "polarized." If a similar thing happened on another world, a similar coloring effect could happen.

    Tags

  • 110

    Interview: Oct 1st, 2013

    Question

    How is it that Nightblood, who is merely a near-sentient awakened object, was able to read minds, something a Shard like Ruin was unable to do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It requires bonding (with the person whose mind is to be read) to read minds.

    Tags

  • 111

    Interview: Oct 1st, 2013

    Question

    Can Shards travel backwards in time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Anything is possible.

    Tags

  • 112

    Interview: Oct 5th, 2013

    Question

    Feruchemy is the "balance" between Ruin and Preservation. Would any combination of Shards create a "balance" magic, so to speak, or are only certain Shards compatible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Feruchemy ended up being a balance system, because of how polar Ruin and Preservation were. Any world with at least two Shards will result in a similar phenomenon.

    Question

    Like Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Like Roshar. There is something like that going on there.

    Tags

  • 113

    Interview: Aug 8th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are 2 Shards on Roshar, however Honor is dead.

    Footnote

    The two Shards are Honor and Cultivation.

    Tags

  • 114

    Interview: Nov 16th, 2013

    askthepaperclip

    If Adonalsium were to shatter in a parallel universe, would it divide into the same 16 intents?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um...it...Adonalsium could have been shattered in other ways.

    askthepaperclip

    Was there a force determining which way it shattered?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes!

    Tags

  • 115

    Interview: Mar 29th, 2014

    Herowannabe

    I’m curious, I’ve got a list of various cosmere bits of metal, and I wonder if you would rank them from like 1 to 10 or easy to difficult on how hard it would be to steelpush on them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay.

    Herowannabe

    So, like metal inside a person’s body?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on how strong the investiture in them is.

    Herowannabe

    Is that going to be the answer for all of these?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Probably. :)

    Herowannabe

    How about a spike charged with Hemalurgy? Not in a person.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not in a person? It depends on how strong—yeah. A spike is moderately—in the realm of these sorts of things—moderately easy to push on, because a spike does not rip off very much investiture. Only enough to short circuit the soul, and it loses that over time. So I would put that at the bottom—with the top being very hard—to be one of the easier things.

    Herowannabe

    How about a metalmind? A feruchemy metalmind that is "full."

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is going to be middle of the realm. Generally easier than, for instance, a shardblade, which is going to be very hard.

    Aaradel

    But a shardblade isn’t actual metal. Ish?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ish. Is Lerasium a metal? Yeah.

    Herowannabe

    So would that be the same for Shardplate, too?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Shardplate and blade are very hard. Blade is probably going to be harder. [...]

    Herowannabe

    Halfshard? Like a halfshard shield?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Halfshard shield is going to be in moderate.

    Herowannabe

    Nightblood? I imagine is going to be very difficult.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Very hard. Of all the things you’ve listed, he’s the hardest. Far beyond even a shardblade.

    Herowannabe

    Far beyond metal inside a person?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, depending on how invested the person is.

    Aaradel

    If someone was invested as much as Nightblood I’m pretty sure it’s going to be very difficult.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, for instance, the Godking, at the end, with all of those Breaths. Pushing on something inside of him? Getting through all that? Gonna be REAL hard. Average person on Scadrial? You’ve seen how hard that is. A drab? Much easier.

    Herowannabe

    That was actually going to be my next one- No, sorry, not a drab, a Lifeless.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Lifeless. Lifeless are kinda weird, because they’ve had their soul leave, but then they’ve had a replacement stuck in, in the form of Breath, which puts them in a really weird position compared to a Drab, which has had part of their investiture ripped away, but the majority of it remains. So anyway, I’m going to give you one more. Pick your favorite.

    Herowannabe

    Okay, a soul-stamped piece of metal.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A soul-stamped piece of metal is going to be on the lower, easier side. Not a lot of investiture going on in a soulstamp.

    Tags

  • 116

    Interview: Sep 24th, 2013

    Question

    What is the name/Intent of Bavadin's Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *nervous chuckle* I have not revealed that yet and I don't think I want to quite yet.

    Tags

  • 117

    Interview: Mar 5th, 2014

    ericth

    What is Odium's edge. Vin and Ati killed each other but Rayse has downed 3 shards and survived. Was it skill, ability, numbers or possibly un-dispersed power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some combination of the above.

    Tags

  • 118

    Interview: Mar 6th, 2014

    Question

    Are there other shards in the Taldain solar system?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Now that's a clever question. There is only one for that solar system. There are other places with only one. It's not uncommon. We've gone to places with more than one because that is where the conflict is cosmere-centric.

    Tags

  • 119

    Interview: Oct 14th, 2013

    Wetlander

    Did the Splintering happen before the Recreance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will reveal this as we go. However, be aware that in the past, when a Shard was killed, the person holding it, it is a slow burn to actually kill someone; because power cannot be destroyed. So, what it means to be killed means something a little different in these cases.

    hoser

    Did Tanavast survive Honor's splintering?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tanavast is dead. Good question. However, that is as of the start of The Way of Kings.

    hoser

    So he could have survived the Splintering...

    Brandon Sanderson

    He could have survived the Splintering.

    hoser

    ...as a mortal...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, he could have survived for a time, but then he could not have then...

    hoser

    ...passed away in his sleep...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right.

    Tags

  • 120

    Interview: Mar 5th, 2014

    Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)

    So I asked Brandon at the LA signing if he could tell us about a shard that we don't know anything about (including the survival shard) and he said that there was a shard that isn't on a planet. Now I think this means that the shard is either on an asteroid, or a star. It could also be floating in space or on a moon and influencing from a distance. I will repeat it is not any shard we already know about.

    Tags

  • 121

    Interview: Aug 9th, 2014

    Jeremy

    When Honor speaks of his inability to see the future, he likens it to a shattering window. Is this related to the fact that in the not-too-distant future, he himself will be splintered? Or is it more a matter of Intent; e.g., Cultivation (and Preservation?) is geared toward future development, whereas Honor is geared toward current behavior.

    Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)

    This is not related to his impending splintering, it is a matter of differing Intents.

    Tags

  • 122

    Interview: Aug 13th, 2014

    Question

    Cosmere: does a Shard's power being manifested either physically or not (through metals vs through light) have anything to do with its individual abilities/powers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. :)

    Tags

  • 123

    Interview: Mar 4th, 2014

    QUESTION

    For the Dangerous Women story, are you going to write anything again in that world?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That world will show up again. Silence probably won't, but the world itself, yes. It's called Threnody, it is one of the Cosmere worlds. There's not a Shard there but there are interesting things happening. There's actually been a character in other books who's from Threnody. It will eventually be clear who that is, but they have shown up in many previous Sanderson novels.

    QUESTION

    Would that be Hoid?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Hoid is not from Threnody. Good question though. Hoid is from Yolen.

    Footnote

    Nazh is from Threnody.

    Tags

  • 124

    Interview: Mar 4th, 2014

    Leinton

    What kind of changes do Slivers go through after letting go of a Shard's power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It leaves them, imagine it like a balloon that has been deflated.

    Tags

  • 125

    Interview: Nov 29th, 2014

    leiftinspace

    Can you write in one of my books about something we don;t know about the Shards, or at least one of the Shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Odium has killed at least one more Shard than the ones we know about.

    Tags

  • 126

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2014

    Question (Paraphrased)

    So what happens when Shards die?

    Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)

    Well, it depends on how long the Shardholders have held the Shard. After they dies, the Shard is often able to continue acting, a kind of "Cognitive shadow". For example, the mists were able to continue doing what Preservation wished in helping out Vin and snapping people. With the Stormfather, he is that Cognitive shadow, and he's semi sentient. It's that power, but no one is actually holding it. We also see this on Threnody.

    Footnote

    In this case, shardholder means vessel.

    Tags

  • 127

    Interview: Dec 8th, 2012

    Chaos (#1)

    Hey dudes, I have some interesting factoids for you. So, I always make sure to order a signed book from Sam Weller's (now Weller's Bookworks) and ask some sort of ridiculous cosmere question. I strongly believe I've posted what was signed in my Alloy of Law copy, but I honestly can't find it (though it was referenced in one of the first Shardcasts: http://www.17thshard...-is-not-a-d-r91). So, I guess I'm posting that too, again. In Alloy, I asked: "Give us the name of a Shard's intent we have not seen before."

    Brandon Sanderson (#1)

    There is one who just wants to hide and survive.

    Tags

  • 128

    Interview: Jan 6th, 2015

    Wetlander

    Were any of the original Shardholders related? We know that Honor and Cultivation were romantically involved, but were any of them brother and sister or child/parent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There was at least one relationship of that style.

    Tags

  • 129

    Interview: Mar 20th, 2014

    Outis

    The line about three of sixteen reigned and now the Broken One rules. Did Odium follow three other shards to Roshar, or is he the third Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Odium is the third Shard on Roshar.

    Tags

  • 130

    Interview: Mar 21st, 2014

    Question

    The epigraphs for The Way of Kings, that were talking about how the various Shardholders are influenced by their shards over time--how does that impact someone like Harmony, with multiple shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The main effect it's having on Harmony right now is his inability to act sometimes, because his two sides are pushing, and so he is having trouble being proactive. It'd take a long time before it really becomes manifest, but he's had several hundred years, so it's starting to have an effect.

    Tags

  • 131

    Interview: Mar 21st, 2014

    Question

    Did the shattering of Honor happen in the Cognitive Realm, and Ruin in the Physical? The reason I'm wondering is, are spren the expression of the shattering in the Cognitive Realm while Ruin's physical being is an expression of the shattering in the Physical?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is an interesting theory that I don't want to completely shoot down, but it is not heading in absolutely correct directions. The shattering of a Shard is an event that transcends all three realms.

    Tags

  • 132

    Interview: Mar 21st, 2014

    EHyde

    So I'm just gonna run with that right now. Is Surgebinding in general a melding of Honor and Odium ala Feruchemy being in some senses being not directly of Ruin or Preservation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Honor and Cultivation is what you mean? Um, there are spren of all three shards. And those spren can work within the bounds of the magic that has already been set up on Roshar.

    Tags

  • 133

    Interview: Aug 6th, 2014

    BlackYeti

    Can I ask you about the body of a Shard in the physical realm? About the different states of matter, what determines the state of matter that they are in? Because I’ve read the relevant sections carefully, haven’t noticed much about temperature difference.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The idea for me working on this is that they transcend, they permeate everything. They permeate all life on all the realms. And that there are manifestations of them that leak out, and it’s kind of like they appear there in the various states. When you say that you’ve got the gas, you’ve got the liquid, you’ve got the solid: but you’ve also got inside of you, inside of that plant, like they’re everywhere. And so what determines it? In my head it’s just like when some of that power permeates, some of it distils, just like water. There’s some water in the air, there’s some that freezes: that’s temperature. But it’s not always temperature whether it’s in the air, or whether it’s falling. Imagine a spiritual version of humidity, that is influenced by what’s happening on the Spiritual Realm and the Cognitive, and that’s what you get.

    Tags

  • 134

    Interview: Mar 12th, 2015

    ArgentSun (Reddit)

    Hey Brandon! It was lovely interrogating hanging out with you in Chicago, so I'll keep this somewhat brief :)

    [Cosmere] Can any two Shards be joined together, like "Preservation and Ruin", or does it depend on their Intents?
    [Mistborn] What difference does Allomantic strength make when using gold/electrum, if any?
    [Stormlight Archive] Have you planned out the interludes for Book #3, and if so - any returning characters? Share one?
    [Fandom] Can you do another Q&A with The 17th Shard, so we can ask the good questions there? :P

    Thank you for doing this - and everything else you do :)

    Brandon Sanderson (Reddit)

    Cosmere: Any can be joined, theoretically, but boy, some of the pairings would have an odd resulting pressure on the one holding them. And similar intents make for an easier time melding.
    Stormlight: Yes, I have. Taravangian will be one, unless I move it to an actual chapter. We'll have to see how things play out.

    Tags

  • 135

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2015

    The Only Joe

    Was Hoid offered one of the Shards we know about.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know, I can't remember which Shard I've shown you, Wait, no I haven't shown you that one.

    Tags

  • 136

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2015

    The Only Joe

    Cool, do all shards have a number they're associated with?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some do, (Most? Some?) don't. (I didn't get exact wording on this one.

    Tags

  • 137

    Interview: Jan 20th, 2015

    Leinton

    Is a Shard's influence of power based on physical distance, cognitive distance, something else, or does it vary from Shard to Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It varies, but is definitely more physical.

    Tags

  • 138

    Interview: Jan 19th, 2015

    Question

    Does First of the Sun have a Shard or a Splinter?

    Brandon Sanderson

    First of the Sun does not have a Shard. First of the Sun is one of these planets that was created, in the cosmere I’m considering a low magic planet, not under the direct influence of any Shard.

    Tags

  • 139

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2015

    Argent

    Back in, I think, Words of Radiance I asked you-- Somebody asked the question that had to do with the number 10 on Roshar and I didn’t get the question on the recording--which was horrible--but your answer talked about Honor’s purposes. Is what you said, and you mentioned 10 of them and that is why the number 10 is so sacred. Could you say something so I have something on the record? So we know what you said about that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Honor’s purposes…

    Argent

    Or Shard’s purposes… Like what is that all about?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That will become-- I said it vaguely on purpose.

    Tags

  • 140

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2015

    Argent

    Did people on Roshar have half-Shards before-- like many years ago say before the Recreance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a new invention.

    Argent

    New in years, or new in hundreds of years?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Those have not existed before.

    Tags

  • 141

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    Are the 16 shards finalized?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have finalized them with the reservation that I can change them when I do their adaptation if something works better. I have them all written down, but they're not canonized. I could tweak them. Once I put them in a book, they're canonized. I like to give myself a little bit of flexibility before I put them in a book.

    Tags

  • 142

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    As of Shadows of Self, how many Shards are there on Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (nervous laugh) There are two.... Harmony counts as two Shards. I do mean it that way, and I am giving you clarification so you don't all freak out.

    Tags

  • 143

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Argent

    Can somebody travel to the Spiritual Realm, the same as the Cognitive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, but it's a very different experience. It is possible… You may have seen people do it...

    Argent

    As in you're not sure, or you're being obnoxiously vague?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No...

    Question

    As in, you probably have but he's having trouble remembering it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    No no no... For instance, Elend burning atium and duralumin pulled most of him into the Spiritual Realm.

    Argent

    Oh, that's what happens there.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. He kind of got yanked into- You also have seen people ascend with the powers and dip into the Spiritual Realm for a little bit.

    Argent

    So, Vin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. But they could be on both, or either, or both at the same time. But you have seen Vin stick into the Spiritual Realm. And it happened to Sazed/Harmony...

    Question

    Oh! So is that where the gods live? Kinda?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Most of the bulk of the Shard's energy of being is contained in the Spiritual Realm, yes. [edited for clarity- Original was: Most of the bulk of what the Shard's energy of being is contained on the Spiritual Realm] Except for one notable exception!

    Question

    The mistwraith? [I would guess she meant the mist spirit]

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

    Tags

  • 144

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    If another Shard came to Scadrial, would that be enough to create a godmetal?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If another shard just came to visit, probably not.

    Question

    If they brought a spren or-

    Brandon Sanderson

    If they came and completely Invested the world, then things might start happening. But there's some special circumstances, remember. Ruin and Preservation created that planet. Specifically. And so there's some goofy things that happened because of that. For instance Roshar was not made by Honor, Cultivation, or Odium. That's one of the big differences about what's going on there.

    Tags

  • 145

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    In your mind, what would constitute a Worldhopper? Is it someone who makes a single trip between worlds (for example, the exodus from Yolen—not that it was an exodus, but a single trip), multiple trips between worlds (such as Hoid), or simply leaving a particular world?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Here's the thing. I would call anyone who is aware that there are multiple worlds in the Cosmere and has visited more than one a Worldhopper.

    Question

    Do they actually have to have made it to a second world?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think that…You’re getting at people like- I would say that they are a Worldhopper kind-of, but not fully. They’re kind of...

    Kurkistan

    The Doctor's companion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, the Doctor’s companion type thing. I would define a Worldhopper as someone who has been to another world. I would call someone who has not actually been to another world “Cosmere-aware,” but not necessarily a Worldhopper.

    Question

    I was thinking more along the lines of the Shard who does not have a planet.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, Shards transcend these definitions.

    Argent

    They're kind of Worldhoppers by default.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Tags

  • 146

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    Is it possible for a Shard or Shardholder to reproduce, other than by creating Splinters?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Question

    Any chance we've seen the offspring of-

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO! (laughter)

    Tags

  • 147

    Interview: Oct 9th, 2015

    Question

    In Shadows for Silence one of the characters refers to “Justice has died here.” Is that the actual Shard of Justice?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That’s a great theory! (Big grin, raised eyebrows.)

    Tags

  • 148

    Interview: Oct 9th, 2015

    Question

    Can all Shards have champions?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is a, um, Theoretically possible, but you’ll find more about the backstory of why this works here (presumably he is referring to Stormlight).

    Tags

  • 149

    Interview: Oct 9th, 2015

    Question

    Is crem spren poop? Or at least… not literally, but something like it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it’s more like Shard poop. (Somewhat unsure sounding?

    Tags

  • 150

    Interview: Oct 6th, 2015

    Granvil4

    I asked if Sazed is the only one to hold more than one Shard.

    Brandon Sanderson

    “Sazed is the only one to currently hold two Shards.” After a few seconds, he added, “I’m not going to say he is the only one to ever hold two.” That’s all he said about it though.

    Tags

  • 151

    Interview: Oct 7th, 2015

    Cadmium

    Well, yes. hmm. We... we've seen someone with a hemallurgic spike communicate or under the control of Ruin or Harmony. Can other spikes communi, sorry no people, well Shards... ugh so nervous." (Trying to get it accurate.) Brandon looks a little confused at me, but smiles. "Can other *Shards* communicate or control those individuals?"

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Good Question. Yes... *scribbles* They can certainly communicate...

    Question

    (I excitedly, but rudely, interrupt a bit) To what extent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    not to the extent that Ruin did. The others could communicate but it'd be vague or faint, not as direct as Ruin was. He connects to us, well, them through the little bit of Preservation that he had or could touch. Because the spike pierces the soul.

    Question

    What about on other planets than Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It'd work the same way. but again probably vaguer or fainter. Might go unnoticed.

    Tags

  • 152

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    So burning prayers, is that so certain Shard’s can hear what’s being said?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I’ll leave that one vague for now.

    Tags

  • 153

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    You’ve said that Shard’s have intents, what about shard-planets, [...] pulls those shards to that planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, but it’s not something I’m going to talk about for a long time.

    Tags

  • 154

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    As of the current Wax and Wayne book [The Bands of Mourning] have we seen any Shards that have been Splintered that have recombined?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Have you seen any? No you have not. Good question.

    Tags

  • 155

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    What Shard is the opposite of Odium in the sense of the [board? Borg?]

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are several that could be considered opposite--

    Question

    I mean in the assimilation sense, you’ve said that Odium doesn’t want to absorb any of the other ones but which one would want to?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, which one would want to join with him?

    Question

    Or any of them.

    Brandon Sanderson

    *pause* I think that *long pause/picks up after next question* I think that if personalities had been different, Honor and Odium, there would have been a very natural pairing, not that they’re opposites but they would have attracted.

    Tags

  • 156

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    Do any of the Shards have psychoses?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Any of the people? Yes, we all have them.

    Tags

  • 157

    Interview: Jan 26th, 2016

    little wilson

    How many Shards are whole at the time of Shadows of Self?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Ish. (He's too tired to do math, but he says it's about half-ish).

    Tags

  • 158

    Interview: Feb 16th, 2016

    little wilson

    You mentioned that "half-ish" of the existing Shards are whole at the time of Shadows of Self. Is that counting splinters?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. Splintered is one of the ways they are not considered whole. (He's thinking about Dominion and Devotion and says that's the opposite of whole)

    little wilson

    I was thinking about shattered versus splintered, and going with shattered with Devotion and Dominion. And then splintered would be Honor separating a piece of himself to create the spren (pre-Shattering).

    Brandon Sanderson

    On Scadrial, Ruin and Preservation did the same thing. Their bodies are part of the world. Things on the spiritual realm don't matter where they are in relation to each other. All those spren are still Honor, when he was alive. Does that make sense? Yes, they're splinters of Honor, but they're still Honor. It's not like he's diminished, because his whole essence is the world. There's no diminishing that. So we're talking about the fracturing of the mind and killing of the Shard. That's the distinction between whole and not whole.

    little wilson

    Are there any Shards we don't know of that are Shattered?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. (Zas' sister says "Four....ish...right?") Eh....Honor is gone. Devotion and Dominion are gone. There are others. The question is is Cultivation gone or not? I haven't answered that for you. There are others. So this is why I'm not going to give you answers on this.

    Tags

  • 159

    Interview: Feb 27th, 2016

    Paladin Brewer

    If a Shard's Vessel dies and drops a body and two people step in to take up the power, what would happen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 160

    Interview: Feb 27th, 2016

    Paladin Brewer

    Are Shard vessels able to have children?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes they are.

    Paladin Brewer

    Even Sazed, with his body being a eunuch?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, though technically all of Scadrial are the children of Preservation and Ruin.

    Tags

  • 161

    Interview: Feb 27th, 2016

    Paladin Brewer

    If Preservation and Ruin created life on Scadrial but did not create Feruchemy, where does it come from? The Planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    All magic systems come from Shards power in some way.

    Footnote

    WSB: I thought there were magic before the shards originated from the shattering of Adonalsium

    Tags

  • 162

    Interview: Feb 25th, 2016

    Question

    You've said that Shardblades can be made in other magic systems. So if it's not like a Shardblade from Roshar, what makes it a Shardblade?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The “shard” refers to the heavy investiture of a Shard of Adonalsium. Most of what you’ll see will be the Roshar ones, but it is technically possible to make them out of the other magic systems. It's going to be a heavily invested magical weapon is kind of how I would define it.

    Question

    So are the Bands one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ummm... I would not call them one, but they are close, they're not Invested enough.

    Tags

  • 163

    Interview: Feb 25th, 2016

    taveren

    If someone goes to every planet and get Invested from every shard, if he was Invested enough would he become a new Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That’s an excellent question that I’m not going to answer.

    taveren

    I guess you will not answer if anyone is trying to do that

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yup, I am not going to answer. Sorry. That's too deeply related to things that are happening in the cosmere and I don’t want to dig into for a little while yet.

    Tags

  • 164

    Interview: Feb 25th, 2016

    taveren

    Did the original Shardbearers know what Shard they were grabbing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Another RAFO. Sorry. You're asking really good questions. Really good questions.

    Tags

  • 165

    Interview: Apr 8th, 2016

    Blightsong

    How does corrupted investiture work, like Nightblood?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, Nightblood. Again, this is a definition of what somebody feels is a corruption. For instance, there are spren people would feel are corrupted. But that is corruption where the mixing of different shards has changed things, and I think a lot of times when people say corruption, people are meaning the mixing of shards powers.

    Blightsong

    So is there a mixing of shards power with Nightblood?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *smirks* RAFO. That's the natural question, I'm glad you asked it.

    Blightsong

    Ok, uhhh, so something similar is happening with Gavilar's sphere, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *contemplative silence*, RAFO.

    Blightsong

    Uhhh, if anyone else has questions, speak up (I started running out of questions at this point).

    Brandon Sanderson

    Question over here!

    Tags

  • 166

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2016

    Question

    Have any other Shards been combined?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 167

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2016

    Question

    If the Shards were split because Adonalsium is too dangerous to be in one place, why do they clump?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Personalities, business associates.

    Tags

  • 168

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2016

    Question

    How do you decide which Shard goes to which Planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He talks about his outline.

    Tags

  • 169

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2016

    Question

    When a Shardholder dies, how is a new Vessel chosen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You should read Secret History, it talks about that.

    Tags

  • 170

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2016

    Question

    What's the other god in Scadrial...Trell… or whatnot... [...] mentioning him, are there other really powerful beings out there that aren't related to the Shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are possibly really powerful beings, but… how should we say. [long pause] I mean...There are those who would call Hoid a really powerful being, who exist outside Shards, but if you're talking deific level things in the Cosmere, they're all related to the Shards. Or demigod level.

    Tags

  • 171

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2016

    Question

    When it comes to the… epic-level spren on Roshar, like the Nightwatcher and Stormfather - is the number of epic-level spren equal to the number of Bondsmiths that you have on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hm, is the number of epic-level spren related to the number of Bondsmiths you have? Well, I’ve said there’s a maximum of three. And there are three Shards involved in Roshar. I’m not gonna tell you if that’s a coincidence or not. Sorry. [laughter]

    Tags

  • 172

    Interview: Nov 7th, 2016

    Lisbon, Portugal (Paraphrased)

    Question

    If the force opposing Adonalsium is an entity like him/it (?), have we seen any magic that is related to this entity?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. All the magic you see come from the shards of Adonalsium.

    Tags

  • 173

    Interview: Nov 22nd, 2016

    BYU Bookstore (Paraphrased)

    Question

    not specified

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is a Shard on Threnody called Ambition.

    Footnote

    Other sources indicate this is past tense.

    Tags

  • 174

    Interview: Nov 22nd, 2016

    BYU Bookstore (Paraphrased)

    Question

    I asked him what happens to the perpendicularity when a Shard dies.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He said that if the Shard's power is still there, even without a consciousness, the perpendicularity can still work fine, but there are other ways of destroying them.

    Tags

  • 175

    Interview: Nov 3rd, 2016

    Question

    You told us Odium broke 4 shards. Can you talk about the 4th one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can say that you've seen, maybe not in Spain, but American fans have seen, the effects of that. You'll see something about it on Arcanum Unbounded"

    Tags

  • 176

    Interview: Nov 29th, 2016

    Question

    If a Shard were to divest itself from a planet, would the perpendicularity there disappear?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Normally the shardpool would cease to exist, but there are circumstances that could prevent the shardpool from disappearing.

    Tags

  • 177

    Interview: Nov 29th, 2016

    Question

    If a Shard were to divest itself from a planet, would the perpendicularity there disappear?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Normally the shardpool would cease to exist, but there are circumstances that could prevent the shardpool from disappearing.

    Tags

  • 178

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Question

    Name a Shard, not Preservation, from the alternate Well of Ascension ending.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Answer in book, see thread on 17th Shard Forum

    Tags

  • 179

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Question

    Would it be possible to create a potential Vessel that has a Connection to all 16 Shards? Through a combination of birth planet, genetics, Hemalurgy...

    Brandon Sanderson

    [Hems and Haws] You… So, terminology--the Vessel holds the Shard. Lots of people have connection to Shards without holding them. So, I’m just gonna RAFO that. You guys got YEARS AND YEARS left, before we’re even gonna discuss. But if I tell you now...like...what are you gonna ask?

    Question

    So I got a bit of a Shard-related question. So, the entity that Harmony is, all the other Shards that we’ve had named so far, are any of them combinations, or are they all--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, good question. The only one I would count as a combination is the Dor, right? But it isn’t even a full Shard. So everything else--single holder only when we talk about it okay? That’s an excellent question. Or they’ve been Splintered completely.

    Tags

  • 180

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Question

    Are there a specific reason why opposite Shards tend to end up in the same system?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yep.

    Tags

  • 181

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Question

    So why do opposite Shards…

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Footnote

    Seems to be a follow up question to why opposite shards appear to end up in the same star systems

    Tags

  • 182

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Argent

    I want to take us back to some Shards before we skip me for the fourth time. So there were a few of the Shards that Rayse Splintered, included Ambition, Dominion, and Devotion.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Argent

    And those were all way back in history. So, we know that the Shard’s personality overrides the Vessel’s personality over time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Strongly influence, and depending on the Vessel, override.

    Argent

    So, did Rayse choose those Shards because--

    Brandon Sanderson

    He went after Ambition first, but didn’t find Ambition until after going after Devotion and Dominion. But Ambition was number one on his hit list.

    Argent

    Was it because of the Shard or because of the Vessel, or the person.

    Brandon Sanderson

    In this case it was the Shard primarily. He was afraid that this was a Shard that would rival him. But, he then got trapped in the Rosharan system.

    Argent

    Which is segue to Shards Investing in Shardworlds. So is it kind of a...passive...the more a Shard stays on a world, the Investiture kind of seeps…

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it does. Once you’ve got a Perpendicularity, you are starting...That’s trouble for going other places. But you’ve gotta remember, going other places means multiple things to someone actually holding a Shard. They can exist in the Spiritual Realm, where all things are one. And they can even kind of comprehend it.

    Tags

  • 183

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Argent

    Can a Shard choose to just instantly invest in a place?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They can just start making some stuff, yeah.

    Tags

  • 184

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2016

    Question

    Are there requirements to join the Seventeenth Shard, and would they accept, for lack of a better term, a non-enhanced member?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes and yes. Well, um, Baon is not Invested.

    Question

    Well, what would they not like? We know they don’t like Hoid, and what he’s doing, but…

    Brandon Sanderson

    They do like what Khriss is doing, alright? This is an acceptable thing to them.

    Question

    What about when people start integrating themselves in [a] culture, is that gonna make problems?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They would prefer that people didn’t do that.

    Question

    So not Vasher?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vasher is very far from being the Seventeenth Shard! VERRRY far. [laughter]

    Argent

    Is it fair to say that they are a community of scholars?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They are a community-- well they are not all scholars, so I wouldn’t say that. I would say they are interested parties who do not want any planets to get destroyed.

    Question

    So they’re the Apocalypse Guard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They aren’t really able to prevent these sorts of things. They’re like...Oh what are they called in DC...But those guys are powerful though, so it’s not like that, but you can imagine it’s something like that, right? We’re watching, studying, we’re investigating and we’re trying to prevent... They’re like Starfleet right? They’ve got some Starfleet stuff right? We’re gonna go research and study these people, but we shouldn’t be involved. It’s less about Prime Directive, and more about what it’s something to do that it exacerbates the conflict between the Shards. The Shards split up for a reason, is what they think, and they should continue to be split up, and we should not dabble in bringing them back together.

    Tags