Betaflame
I primarily listen to the books, so my spelling and visual imaging might be a bit off. But, the food that Lopen likes, choutta, is that kind of like a Runza?
Brandon Sanderson
Kinda, kinda not.
They eat flatbread in Roshar--the bread doesn't rise. So in that respect, it's more like a burrito. Only, they roll it more like a cone, and they fill it with chunks of meat covered in gravy. The flavor is going to be more runza like than burrito like, but it's kind of like a pita filled with meatballs.
SageOfTheWise
In Allomancy, normal metals are simply a tool that channels Allomancer's already existing Connection to the power of Preservation, which is why non-Allomancers don't get powers from digesting metal. But if I understand it correctly, god metals are an exception, since they are a form of a Shard's power, burning them directly uses the power stored within.
If I have this right, how come a normal person can burn lerasium, but not atium? Or could they, and no ones thought to try? But if that was true why are there atium Mistings?
Brandon Sanderson
Suffice it to say that what people both in the books and out think about the god metals has some holes in it.
graymorality
Any timeframe of when we'll find out why Vin avoided Hoid in Hero of Ages?
Brandon Sanderson
Next year, after the release of Bands of Mourning, is the earliest.
graymorality
Worldbringers and Worldsingers have very similar names, is there a reason for this?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
JediofChrist
In Alloy, there are those who use both Allomancy and Feruchemy. However, I recall Sazed in The Hero of Ages stating that he believed he was the last surviving Feruchemist (I think he may have said "Keeper"?). Was he incorrect in his assumption of being the last Feruchemist (based on the fact that people use Feruchemy in Alloy) or could Feruchemy have been recessive in some Terris people?
Brandon Sanderson
It was most certainly recessive. But the specific way Sazed speaks there is important.
ArsenoPyrite
Is the act of taking up a shard parallel to the act of Awakening? In broad strokes awakening gives a piece of a soul for power along with a purpose or compulsion. So, say, when someone takes up Ruin, are they operating on the same principle, taking a fragment of Adolnasium's 'soul' along with the command "ruin things"?
Brandon Sanderson
You could make this parallel, and argue it to many of the cosmere-aware scholars in the books, and they'd find themselves nodding.
The_Honor_Spren
Should I even care about the flute? If Sadeas had it, would that mean it has become part of Amaram's collection?
Brandon Sanderson
It's not a big deal, but that doesn't stop fans from caring. So I can't say whether you should or not. :)
The_Honor_Spren
Will we get to see more of Lift?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, much.
The_Honor_Spren
Does Jasnah know that Wit is a worldhopper?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
SageOfTheWise
Is there a reason why Rashek left a nugget of Lerasium at the Well of Ascension?
Brandon Sanderson
He left several. It was, in his opinion, one of the best kept secrets and best protected locations in his empire.
Phantine
Were there originally 16 of them?
Brandon Sanderson
An excellent guess.
ccstat
Prior to loosing his eye, was Gaz a heterochromat?
Brandon Sanderson
No, but excellent question.
ArsenoPyrite
Of the few 'evil' magic systems we've seen, two of the most prominent, Fjordell glyphs and stormform both involve growing nigh-inpenetrable bones under the surface of the skin. Are these pointing to some similar fell influence, or is it just a cool thing for bad people to do?
Brandon Sanderson
This is mostly coincidence.
Oudeis16
When Pattern is not floating as a 3D fractal ball, he has a tendency to travel just beneath the surface of things. Is this a deliberate parallel to blood?
Brandon Sanderson
Not deliberate, but perhaps unconscious.
ParadoxicalWims
Have we seen the machinations/handiwork/involvement of any native Rosharan worldhoppers in any other published cosmere books? (if so, can we have a very, very, very, very, very small hint/clue?)
Brandon Sanderson
Sorry. RAFO.
ParadoxicalWims
I remember reading a WoB about which of your characters you'd invite to dinner (of which Hoid and Kelsier were two) and you said the both of them have a bit of a problem with each other. Is it anything major and when did this problem happen? (Have they also seen each other again now Kelsier's a cognitive shadow?)
Brandon Sanderson
Big RAFO.
Phantine
Would a lifeless Koloss still be super strong?
Brandon Sanderson
You see, what is happening to create a koloss is a human soul is taken, sliced up, and sutured back together--with the spikes being the "stitches" that holds it all together. That's a problem, since the various forms of investiture don't play very well together. In Awakening, you're basically giving something a counterfeit soul. (But without the skill or knowledge of something like an Essence Mark.)
This means that in investing the corpse of the koloss, you have troubles. It's going to want to snap back to the original human shape and strength. If you COULD overcome this, then yes, it would be stronger.
ArsenoPyrite
What might happen if you gave a parshman a breath (or breaths?) Would they develop a form for it, or might it generally help them think more clearly?
Brandon Sanderson
You're actually the first to ask this. And yes, it would work.
Phantine
Are any of your novels simultaneous (or nearly simultaneous) with each other? Like, for instance, does Alloy of Law happen when Vasher is hanging out with Vivennia?
Brandon Sanderson
None of them are exactly simultaneous yet.
ccstat
Would Mraize have recognized mugshots of the "thugs" who accosted Jasnah and Shallan in WoK?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
FirstSelector
Would an alloy of atium and lerasium produce the same effects pre- and post-Harmony?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
FirstSelector
Did pre-Shattering people on Yolen swear by the God Beyond?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
FirstSelector
When Kalak sees the ring of Honorblades in the Prelude, he describes them as "flowing in design, inscribed with glyphs and patterns." However, in the main text we encounter two (presumed) blades - Jezrien's and Talenel's, neither of which were included in Kalak's original accounting. The first is explicitly depicted as being devoid of ornamentation, and the second is ambiguous. Were all ten original Honorblades ornamented and inscribed, and if so, what causes the change?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
FirstSelector
You have claimed that the Shardworlds had their names prior to the settlement of people and Shards. However, Ruin and Preservation created Scadrial (presumably post-Shattering). Where, then, did that planet get its name, and how did the rest of the cosmere learn of it?
Brandon Sanderson
While many of them were named, not all of them were. And the presence of a Shard warps Shadesmar much as large objects warp the physical realm (gravitation.) So if you know how to look, it's not hard to find them.
-nightblood-
1) Will we see more Lift or Rysn in Stormlight 3? 2) Will Stormlight 3 have a main interlude character similar to how Eshonai was in Words of Radiance and Szeth was in The Way of Kings?
Brandon Sanderson
1) Yes. 2) Yes.
ParadoxicalWims
Was Elantris (the book) the first time Hoid has even been to Sel. If not, how deep is his connection with the Enefel(s)? ;) and was Hoid on good terms with Aona and Skai before their deaths?
Is Cultivation 'broken' in some way?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFOs all around.
rawrzorzz
I expect just a RAFO for this, but would we see any interesting effects if someone were to Awaken a Shardblade? Because I am honestly starting to think that might be close to what Nightblood is.
Brandon Sanderson
Depends on the type of Shardblade you're trying to Awaken.
zotsandcrambles
Could a person, irreparably incapable of speech, become a radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Tellingdwar
Regarding the classification of magics as end-positive/neutral/negative, is it correct that:
End-positive Investiture requires extreme emotional, physical, or cognitive distress to manifest. For example, snapping into an Allomancer or the process of becoming a Surgebinder.
End-neutral Investiture is inherent: gained by heredity, Connection with a particular region, or through mechanical means.
End-negative Investiture requires sacrifice. For example, Hemalurgy or Dakhor teleportation.
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not ready to answer this--though you should know that connection with a particular region is happening on Sel for reasons unrelated to this line of inquiry.
unknown
The two known uses of magic on Dayside are very - peculiar - when thought of together. Is it safe to assume that there are more 'ingenious' uses for the sand?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
unknown
Is there an active application of investiture on Darkside?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Boogalyhu34
Is the Tear that we see from Roshar the sun of a shardworld? Possibly one we have seen?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
RenegadeShroom
So, I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'sick burn' and what it means. Assuming for a moment that it became a phrase on Roshar that fell into widespread use for a long enough time, could the phrase become strongly associated enough with the idea of fire that it actually has an effect on when flamespren can manifest? Could insulting someone harshly enough draw flamespren?
Brandon Sanderson
Unlikely, because when people say "sick burn" fire doesn't appear in their imagination--they're not personifying fire. Just like the name Smith doesn't bring to mind a blacksmith unless one thinks about it specifically, sick burn has taken on its own meaning.
WeiryWriter
How aware is Odium of the Seventeenth Shard? Hoid mentions that he has to be careful to keep his head down as he doesn't want Odium to catch him. Given the history between the two that makes sense, but would Odium have the same policy for the Sharders, or does he not view them as a threat?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Phantine
Would it be possible for a Herald to make a spren bond?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Overlord Jebus
The Knights Radiants have access to two Surges each, are the two Surges completely seperate or can they be combined together? Something like maybe allowing a Lightweaver to create a solid illusion by combining their Illumination Surge and their Soulcasting?
Essentially, do each of the Orders have a special talent only they can do that isn't available to any other Order?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, they do, but it's not always directly obvious in a straightforward way, such as your example.
Overlord Jebus
Would the lashing system be an example of this? Full lashings apppear to be mostly Adhesion and and the basic lashing seems to be mostly Gravitational, does this mean Bondsmiths will be able do full lashings and Skybreakers can use partial and basic lashings?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
18th_Shard
4 Hemalurgic spikes steal Allomancy, 4 steal Feruchemy, and 4 more steal Human traits. Do the other four a) steal a trait every normal human has, b) steal something only some humans have, or c) steal something no human has?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
18th_Shard
Does a Herald using an Honorblade consume the same "dangerous" amounts of Stormlight?
Brandon Sanderson
Honorblades are less efficient; this doesn't change when a Herald uses them. (But they have other advantages.)
uchoo786
Are Honorblades closer in power to Nightblood than they are to Shardblades made from Spren?
Brandon Sanderson
Hard to say. They're all similar, but at the same time, very different. And in a way, Nightblood is what you might call a "Third Generation" blade.
uchoo786
Ah gotcha. And in this analogy, Honorblades would be 1st gen and Sprenblades would be 2nd gen?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Yourigath
We have seen some Hoid-related groups on the diferent worlds of the Cosmere...
Worldbringers on Scadrial, Worldsingers on Roshar, Enefel on Sel (this one is a wild guess)
Is there a Hoid-related group on Nalthis? Maybe the Five Scholars are part of it? (That would explain the Shardblade/Nightblood thing you've been talking lately)
Brandon Sanderson
Hoid did not found the Five Scholars.
ParadoxicalWims
So on theoryland there are a couple of WoBs regarding Selish Shadesmar and the ones that stuck out to me were how Rosharan Shadesmar is aligned with Roshar georaphically (and in turn, the other planets are too) and with the name of Sel's shadesmar expanse.
So my question/assumption is...Given the above geographical alignment and sometimes inverse nature of Shadesmar, is the Expanse of the Broken Sky Sel?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not going to confirm what any of these are, I'm afraid. (At least not yet.) You are free to theorize as you wish.
Faera
So in Mistborn, you have to be 'snapped' to awaken Allomantic abilities. Similarly in Stormlight, you have to be 'broken' to release Surgebinding powers.
Are there any connections between these two requirements? Does it have anything to do with the 3 realms?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes and yes.
Phantine
The final piece of training Gemmel gave Kelsier - was it attacking him and fighting him to the death? It seems like the type of thing he'd do.
Brandon Sanderson
It does indeed seem like something he'd do.
Bithorp
On the Coppermind there is this idea that if a natural Mistborn burned duralumin and then lerasium it would empower them to godly levels. Would this actually happen or would another effect happen.
Brandon Sanderson
That actually wouldn't work, but it is a clever idea.
mooglefrooglian
Shallan explains the theory that all spren can be divided into two categories (emotions and forces). Jasnah then links these to Cultivation and Honor, and also notes that voidspren are of Odium.
Is this theory maybe a little incomplete? Is there a third category of spren for "sensationspren" like painspren (which don't seem to involve emotions or forces)?
Brandon Sanderson
In Vorin thought, those would be emotions, but that doesn't mean that the scholars who think about these things are right.
18th_Shard
So you have said that making someone Mistborn is not lerasium's primary function, that a Mistborn burning it would have another effect. Is this also true of its alloys?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Oudeis16
Zane comments that he's "always had" his spike. Is that just Ruin's influence making him ignore it, "oh this thing, it's always been there" or has he actually had the spike since childhood? Did he get it before he Snapped, after he Snapped, or concurrent with his Snapping?
Brandon Sanderson
More the first.
After snapping.
Wolfbeckett
Are things that are written by scholars on Roshar suspect? In Mistborn, Ruin could change anything that was written down, so can Odium do the same? Are written words on Roshar: untrustworthy, trustworthy because that ability was somehow limited to Ruin, or trustworthy because Odium COULD do it but just won't because it's not his style/he doesn't consider it?
Brandon Sanderson
Odium didn't have a hand in creating Roshar, and his essence doesn't permeate it in the same way as Ruin permeated Scadrial. This gave Ruin a great deal more power over things like this--except when he ran into metals, of course.
Another difference is that Odium has a fully-living, fully-aware, and very powerful Shard opposing him. (Contrasted to one that was half-dead and going mad.)
So yes, you can trust much of what was written. Odium can be subtle when he needs to be, but his primary avenue of attack has been along a different line than the one Ruin used.
Oudeis16
Had Gemmel ever met Zane?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
I'm not saying that meeting was particularly relevant.
Botanica
Are the Ten Essences from Stormlight inspired from the ancient Chinese theory of the Five Elements, which is often used to explain various physiological and patological phenomena in traditional Chinese medicine?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. Part came from there. Part came from Jewish mysticism. Part came from the idea of fundamental forces.
samcui
Can a person holding a shard voluntarily give up the shard? Vin gave it up by killing herself, but could Harmony/Sazed just decide to quit?
Brandon Sanderson
I will answer this eventually in the books. So a RAFO with a promise that you will actually get the FO part.
Wigginns
What would a Hemalurgic spike granting atium do for an Allomancer already able to burn atium? Does it function similarly to bronze, granting enhanced atium-ing? Along this line of thought, would enhancing electrum burning via spike be of any advantage?
Brandon Sanderson
A spike of something you have would enhance your ability, giving your more strength. With atium, more strength makes for a minimal edge--the length you can push out the atium shadows. However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the [Spiritual Realm], and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment.
Electrum could reach this same moment, potentially, though there's more interference to fight through. Extra strength in electrum isn't going to be terribly useful up to that point.
Alsadius
Is that what happened when atium was burned with duralumin?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
