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Would animal bones work [for a skeletal]?

Brandon Sanderson

Animal bones can work and have been used before. They don't like them as much for various reasons. They're worse at following certain commands.

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So does a Bloodseal have to be carved from bone?

Brandon Sanderson

Doesn't have to be, but usually is for various reasons.

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Is there any requirement for how [a Bloodseal] is made, like location, like where the seal comes from?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there is some tradition tied to it, and that tradition is steeped in fact, but not all the traditions are necessary, if that makes sense. So they have more baggage to it than it actually needs, but some of the baggage has... Like the type of bone you're using, where you get the bone, and the location, and stuff is relevant, but some of the other things they put on it are not and also, it's not one hundred percent necessary.

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So they think it might be necessary, but it's actually not?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, yes.

Questioner

Does a Bloodsealer need to restamp the bones [of a skeletal] every twenty-four hours?

Brandon Sanderson

They do need to maintain the seals in the same way, it's not necessarily every twenty-four hours.

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Does the Bloodseal have to be made with the blood of whoever it's sealing?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

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How does [Bloodsealing] actually work with [the skeletals]? Does it trap something inside the bones like a Command?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, it works very similar to making Lifeless. Slight variations, but you are basically animating the bones by using Investiture that doesn't actually belong to them and tricking them into thinking that it does for a little bit of time and making it think it's alive again. And the fact that it's bones is really important for that, for Bloodsealing. But it's working in a similar way. The distinction is that with Lifeless you are actually using part of their own soul, right? And with Bloodsealing you're not.