Comatose
What would a fully trained Seeker sense from Nightblood when it is influencing emotions?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
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What would a fully trained Seeker sense from Nightblood when it is influencing emotions?
RAFO!
The sword with which Azure fights? Is it a lot like Nightblood, maybe?
It shares some features, but is different.
Are you doing a Warbreaker sequel?
Yes. But I've determined that I can't do it until I at least have the Wax and Wayne sequence done. So it will probably not happen till after Stormlight 5. So you got a little wait on that. Because I'm going to do Wax and Wayne and then the next Stormlight. There's a chance I'll do it in between 4 and 5 but we'll see once we get there.
So Wax and Wayne aren't finished?
One more book, Wax and Wayne.
I thought they were just going to be a trilogy.
I wrote the first book as exploration. So I view the books two through four as a trilogy, with the first book kind of being like, "Do I want to do something more with this?" So there will be four.
What metal is Nightblood made out of?
Uh, RAFO.
Updates on Secondary Projects
Elantris and Warbreaker
No change on either one from last year. The plan has always been to look back at Sel and Nalthis once the Wax and Wayne books are done. That's still my intention.
Status: Keep waiting. (Sorry.)
Who will be the monarch of Idris during Nightblood?
...I will RAFO that. Just not-- not for any real secretive reason. But more because, when I write that book, it's possible, you know, that I will change things and whatnot, so--
It's likely to not change.
Is atium Invested?
Is atium Invested? Atium is Investiture distilled into the Physical Realm, right? So is electricity electric? Or is it--
Well I think the question Sharders had was if it's Invested, how can people Push and Pull on it. That was the struggle.
Atium breaks a lot of rules, in the same way that you will see other things break rules. Atium plays weirdly. When you get distilled Investiture, you're starting like-- My kind of rule for myself is it's kind of like when you start going on the quantum level, the rules just start playing weirdly. Because it's like, what Realm does atium exist in-- is another thing. Because-- Pure Investiture like that is like a mini black hole, right? It's like existing in three Realms at once. Kind of, and things like that... There's lots of weirdness.
The writerly answer is there is lots of weirdness because when I built atium, I didn't have the rest of the cosmere built, right? And so it breaks a lot of rules that I later set up that everything else has to follow, right? So the writerly answer is we just have to accept that atium and lerasium and some of these other distilled Investiture things are going to play very weirdly with the magic systems. But that's okay. Nightblood will too, and some of these things that were built even after the cosmere was coming together.
When Nightblood killed the Fused, are those Fused souls retrievable?
RAFO.
So at the end of [Oathbringer], how aware is Odium of what Nightblood is and can do?
Modestly.
Taking the sheath, that kind of thing?
He knows. I would say more than modestly, he is well aware.
Could an Elantrian just write an Aon above Nightblood and then use it forever?
Use it forever? No.
Forever is pushing it.
No, no, I mean, Nightblood would destroy an Aon pretty quickly. It would pull power through it--
It would be like trying to put too much power through a small--
Yeah, it would just rip it up to shreds. You'd get a little use out of it. He would eat the very structure of it, if that makes any sense.
In London I wanted to ask about Nightblood. The way he is Invested, is that a one-off-case kind of thing, or is it possible to do another of that level?
It was really bizarre, and I will explain it eventually and that will let you know why. It's theoretically possible to do almost anything so it's theoretically possible to do what he did but it'd be very hard.
What is the most Invested item so far revealed?
What counts as an item?
Inanimate object. Sentient swords, stuff like that.
Okay, inanimate objects, would be Nightblood. Well-- is he inanimate?
Well, he's a sentient sword, but he's an inanimate object.
So, yeah, he would count.
Would Kelsier be able to wield Nightblood?
In his current state? That'd be really dangerous.
I didn't say "should"! I said "would"! *laughs*
Briefly.
Is Nightblood made of the same material as the sheath?
No. Good question.
How would Nightblood work when drawn on Scadrial?
So, you would have to be actively burning a metal or tapping a metalmind, or Nightblood would eat you very quickly.
Could two kinds of <spren> talk to each other. So, could Syl talk to Nightblood?
Yes, that is possible, definitely.
Can Hoid be killed by Nightblood?
RAFO.
Can I ask you real quick: Where Warbreaker falls in Stormlight Achive?
Warbreaker is before Stormlight Archive. Vasher, before Warbreaker, had been to Roshar.
Okay, that's what I needed to know. Nightblood.
Nightblood was patterned off of things that Vasher and the others saw on Roshar.
So, you've told us that Vasher had knowledge about Shardblades before he created Nightblood...
...Can you tell us if Nightblood was created before the Recreance?
I'd have to go look at the notes... I don't think-- No, he was not. No. Definitely no.
Is Nightblood like the Tzai Blows... from Dragonsteel, where he pulverizes a Spiritual aspect, and it has a result on the Physical? Is that what he does, popping into smoke?
Yes, he is attacking directly at the spirit.
With Nightblood. Was the sheath part of its construction when he was Awakened? Or was that kinda afterward?
The sheath is not part of its construction. Good question.
So... when the intent was placed on it, was the sheath there?
So-- The sheath was not relevant to that. The sheath was not part of the original Awakening, and it's not part of the intent or anything like that. I'm not saying it wasn't there ready for it, but it is not part of the sword. In the same way.
So, at some point we'll figure out why it learned to stop once its in the sheath?
Yes, kind of. It's a function of the sheath.
If Nightblood was to be used by a Scadrian, would that person have to be an Investiture ferring?
No, you could be burning any metal, and Nightblood would co-opt it and feed off that.
The history of Nightblood, we know that it's created by knowledge of the Shardblades. Would you say that Vasher's first trip to Roshar coincided with a certain individual that tried to take over all of Roshar?
You're talking about Sadees?
The Sunmaker?
...I'd have to look at the timeline, but it was not-- it is not something I have present in my mind. It could have overlapped. So, it might overlap, but there's not a cause-and-effect there.
So, Sunmaker and Vasher are sep--
Are not the same people, good question. Sunmaker is legitimately Dalinar's ancestor.
If Nightblood were in the cognitive realm and was used to stab a bead that was the cognitive representation of a castle, would the castle be destroyed in the Physical Realm?
If you could get Nightblood into the Cognitive Realm, then yes.
What would happen to people who were in the castle at the time?
They wouldn't be affected (other than possibly plummeting to their death).
How about a carpet that had been in the castle for 50 years?
No, 50 years most likely wouldn't be enough time.
Is this like the "Ship of Theseus?"
Yes
Is the Warbreaker sequel gonna have Susebron and Siri?
It's Vivenna and Vasher. And new characters. You'll get an update in it, if I ever do it, what's going on, but it won't be focused on them.
Can Nightblood be dismissed like a Rosharan blade?
He thinks you could.
Why do you decide to do more series like Apocalypse Guard or the Secret Project [Skyward] when you still have so many more unfinished sequels?
That's a good question. No, it is totally legit. *laughter* So, I did finish Legion. I did that. So, those who are looking for that, that will come out next year. Why do I do it this way? Well, most of the time, it's because I try a book, and it doesn't work. Rithmatist fans probably know, I tried to write Rithmatist 2, I built an outline, I started writing it, and the book didn't work. I wasn't-- the outline was wrong on that one. I got, like, three chapters in, and I'm like, "Nope. This book is broken." And it was mostly due to my lack of research into the proper things to do the book the right way. And because Rithmatist and Alcatraz, which you'll get Alcatraz 6 eventually, those are the two that are looming most; those are side projects. Those are things that I do for fun. They have to slot in between my main projects, if that makes any sense. Like, I have to do them when there's time from other projects. So, for instance, I couldn't go to Random House and say, "I'm gonna do Rithmatist 2 sequel," because Rithmatist is not their series. It belongs to Tor. So, if I wanna do more with Random House, I have to do something that works for them. And that's kind of the long and short of it.
I mean, I will get around to things like Warbreaker and Elantris sequels. *cheers* But the thing about those is, those are sequels to the worlds, not necessarily sequels to the characters. I won't promise you that the same characters will appear in them. Some of them will. But it's the idea that those are standalone books that I plan to do more in the world, and the time isn't right in the cosmere to do those. For something like Rithmatist, that's more pressing, because I'm like "that promises a sequel with the same characters". But I have to find out how to write it first. And, for various reasons, a Rithmatist sequel is really tricky to pull off. So, that's kinda the answer to it. Sometimes, I also just need a break to do whatever my mind wants to do. It's not a very satisfying answer, but it is the way my brain works. But you can know that if it's, like, one of the main line things that I've got contracts for, that I won't be doing that to you on. So, Stormlight will be pretty regular, Mistborn will be pretty regular. But some of the side projects, it's just when it's right it's right.
If someone created another Awakened sword, just like Nightblood, with the same process, and then brought it to fight Nightblood the same way, would they destroy each other?
RAFO!
How soon until we found out why Vasher and the sword got split up?
Oh why they got split up. Not this book [Oathbringer]. But soon-ish.
Was Nightblood black before being awakened by Shashara?
No.
So, if a Type 4 BioChromatic entity like Nightblood was created with a different Command, would it still draw in or feed off of somebody's Breath when they drew it?
It is possible to create one that wouldn't. But it is a dangerous thing to do.
Does Nightblood annihilate Investiture?
Investiture cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change forms. But, anything more than that is a RAFO.
What metal is Nightblood's sheath made out of?
Nightblood's sheath is aluminum.
Nightblood. If the person using him, the Investiture they put into him to use him. Does that make Nightblood more powerful, does he gain that Investiture? Or is it all expended back into the--
That is actually a RAFO. People in-world are trying to figure that out, so it is a good question.
We were wondering about Nightblood, if he's sort of out-of-place on Roshar? 'Cause he's sort of the opposite of change, right?
He is supposed to be really out of place. He is a messed-up, messed-up... sword thing.
So, if Nightblood is on Roshar, is he using Stormlight instead of Breaths?
Right now, if you are Invested with Stormlight, he will feed off of that instead of Breaths.
Are we going to see a clash between Nightblood and a Shardblade anytime soon?
Yes.
How would Nightblood react to Hoid?
Nightblood would probably try to be very friendly to Hoid, and then-- But Nightblood tries to be friendly to everybody. He's a very friendly, uh, demonic terrible sword that sucks your soul.
So, Hoid was not afraid of a Shardblade? Would he be afraid of Nightblood?
Every rational person *laughter* who has ever existed in the cosmere is afraid of Nightblood, or should be. Hoid isn't always rational, but yes, he is afraid of him.
Nightblood's sheath and Silence's dagger are silver... Does silver have more secrets to reveal to us? Does it have some Cosmere-sized significance?
Nightblood's sheath is indeed of cosmere-sized significance... but it may not be actual silver.
Now I just gotta know how [Nightblood] got there.
Yes, you do. There will be some hints in the next book.
I want to know exactly what happened to Szeth with Nightblood.
There's some good stuff. His scenes don't start until about three-quarters of the way through. But there's a lot to them when they do.
Is [Nightblood] like, the Shardblades, kind of thing?
It is. So, what happened is: Vasher, who was involved in the creation of Nightblood, visited Roshar and came back with this knowledge, and they tried to create something.
So he based it off those?
Yes. And they got it kind of right.
So, if Nightblood, unsheathed, killed someone, would their soul still go to the Beyond?
So, that's gonna be a matter of-- There's gonna be disagreement in the cosmere about that. Nobody has been able to actively test it, because there are certain things you can see, but there are people who are actively discussing this concept.
So, no one knows for sure?
Nobody knows for sure. And I'll just leave it at that. It's an astute question that even Vasher has-- Vasher has his thoughts, but he does not have a definitive answer, and others disagree with him.
If you made a sword-shaped nicrosil metalmind, and dumped a lot of unkeyed Investiture into it, could you make a Nightblood-esque Shardblade? And if you actually didn't go to the trouble and just dumped a lot of keyed Investiture into it, would that change the outcome?
You're getting close to how this type of thing works but you're missing a few things. Keep working on it.
Does Vasher have a different way of getting access to Stormlight than everyone else? Given that he has no spren, no honorblade and he isn't a squire?
Yes. He can use Stormlight to stay alive, but it doesn't let him Surgebind.
Could Szeth get access to this method?
Yes
And use it to fuel Nightblood?
Yes he could.
Can you tell me what that method is?
*smiles*
So at the end of Words of Radiance Szeth gets Nightblood. But Nightblood on Nalthis will suck your Breath until you die.
Yes.
So how can Szeth-- like presumably it takes whatever Roshar's form of Investiture is.
Yes.
So how-- but wouldn't it kill Szeth?
So that's-- First off let's make-- let's mention this: no spoiler questions. That spoils the end of Words of Radiance.
Oh, I'm sorry.
You're okay, but let's avoid spoiler questions. That one will specifically be answered in the next book. So you don't have to worry about that as much. That is a read and find out. That one-- but it's a read and find out that's very obviously the answer is coming.
If an Elantrian were to get a hold of Nightblood and draw it, how would Nightblood react to that-- What kind of power would be unleashed?
So Nightblood needs kinetic Investiture to feed upon. The Elantrian would have to be able to get a conduit to the Dor to feed Nightblood or Nightblood would just eat their soul.
So if they used AonDor to fuel Nightblood--
There are some types of AonDor that would work, and there are others that would not.
And would Nightblood just keep going until either the Aon was--
He would dissolve the Aon as he drew the power from it.
So it wouldn't just empty the Dor?
No, it would not empty the Dor.
If a Shard were to wield Nightblood more directly, like Odium's champion and Odium channeling his power through Nightblood, would we see a lot of world ending stuff from that?
That-- What you just described would work no differently from a Knight Radiant wielding Nightblood
Okay. And that would be scary powerful?
No. No, they'd feed off the Investiture and eventually would either run out or be drawing it so quickly that it would dissolve the person's soul.
So souls are made of Investiture?
Yes, in the cosmere, souls are. So you'd have a little while, but eventually the person would just die and get eaten.
I'm looking for a Nightblood drawing for a tattoo but i can't find any official artwork.
We don't have any official artwork. Ben McSweeny may have made some sketches of his own, so if you contact him on reddit he is 'Inkthinker'. He does a lot of the sketchbook pages. If you look in this for the one who did Shallan's sketchbook he might have one that he's done on his own, tell him he can send it to you if he has one, I think he might have one but we don't have an official yet.