#1
Advanced Search
Search results:
Found 303 entries in 0.712 seconds.
#1
#2
Trae Cooper (paraphrased)
With a yes or no answer, would the following analogy be correct? If Syl is to Stormfather, as Wyndle is to Nightwatcher, then is Pattern to Cusicesh?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No, not exactly.
#3
WeiryWriter
Is “Cryptics” the canon name for the spren Shallan draws? Should we use that instead of symbolhead/truthspren?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, you may call the symbolheads “Cryptics” which is what they call themselves.
#4
Questioner
If you write down a measurement of a firespren, it locks into that. If you write down a measurement that's not true, will that still work? Can you just write down the measurements of a firespren and quadruple its size?
Brandon Sanderson
Let me just say this. Human perception of spren has an intrinsic effect on how they act, react, and interface with the world.
Questioner
So if I were to take a picture of a firespren, increase the brightness on my phone by 5000, and then write down that recording, the firespren would multiply brightness by 5000?
Brandon Sanderson
I didn't say that. I said, "Human perception of spren influences their behavior and their form."
#5
SpaceGodPerson
In The Stormlight Archive, do corrupted spren act differently in fabrials?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. Excellent question!
#6
Questioner
So, the fan page wanted to know. Would it be possible for Hemalurgy to steal a living Shardblade? That was the top voted question.
Brandon Sanderson
Ok, so you're bonded to a Shardblade. You get spiked, then they spike off the bond so that the Shardblade is bonded to someone else.
Questioner
I assume so...
Brandon Sanderson
But can they do it with a living Shardblade? You can definitely do it with a dead Shardblade because its just stealing the Connection. With a living Shardblade, yes you could do that 'though the spren could break the bond at will.
Questioner
So the spren would survive? That was the second-- the corollary--
Brandon Sanderson
Ehhh. Would the spren survive? The spren would survive as long as the oaths were--
Questioner
Intact?
Brandon Sanderson
--the person didn't break the oaths. But you could theoretically steal the bond, break the oaths, and kill the spren. If you wanted to. Its a very convoluted to kill a spren, they are easier to kill than that, but yes. You could do that. That is a viable but twisted route that you can do. You would end up with a dead spren and a Shardblade, so there is that. But there are easier ways to accomplish that...
#7
Questioner
So, you spend a lot of time comparing lifespren and rotspren. They're complementary colors, *inaudible*. The rotspren can appear around animals, as well, whereas lifespren only appear around plants. Is that a misnomer? Is there something that we're missing?
Brandon Sanderson
No, there's nothing you're missing. It just takes a large number of organisms in the same place. So, in a herd of animals, you could find lifespren. They don't come to people as often. But, the thing you have to remember about spren is: spren are attracted by something. And they have to be nearby, and they have to make their way there. So, sometimes, you will have an emotion, and no spren will appear. Because there's not one nearby enough. Or they just didn't feel like this. I worked this in because I didn't want the spren popping up too much. They're a big symbol of Roshar, they're a way, in very early chapters, for you to realize this is a different place and a different world. But if every other sentence were, "And a spren appeared," it would go crazy way too fast.
#8
Questioner
So far all the spren that have bonded to humans appear to be emotion-based as opposed to nature-based. Is that true for all the Knights Radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
Well it depends. For instance: how would you define Wyndle?
Questioner
I struggled with that one.
Brandon Sanderson
Uh hm. So I would say that you are on the right track, that there is a definite inclination that direction.
Questioner
Towards Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. There is.
Questioner
Is there other surges then, that are more Cultivation-exclusive or other Knights Radiant that are...?
Brandon Sanderson
We'll RAFO that, but the original Knights Radiant are more focused on Honor and his spren.
#9
Lotus
Are Glys and Tumi's names at all based on the names they were before they were Enlightened? For example, was Glys' name Glistening-through-water or something like that?
Brandon Sanderson
There is a relationship, yes.
#10
Satsuoni
Are bound spren like Syl individuals? What happens to their consciousness when their symbiont die?
Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance has some clues on this one.
#11
Chris King
Would Rock be able to see the Cryptics?
Brandon Sanderson
Would Rock be able to see a Cryptic? That is a good question, you will have to see.
#12
angwilwileth
Would you ever consider writing "The Spotters Guide to Spren"?
Whenever Stormlight Archive is finished, a comprehensive guide to the little guys would be awesome.
Brandon Sanderson
This is a good idea. We'd probably mix it with a general Roshar worldboook, though I can imagine doing it on its own.
#13
Blightsong
Can honorspren, or any other type of Knight Radiant spren, be evil despite their relationship to Tanavast or Cultivation?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, because I don't call the Shards good and evil. There are no good and evil Shards in my opinion, like and so, what's evil and what's not evil- you can totally have spren that are of Honor that you would consider evil. They have free will; they are much more strictly limited in that free will than we are, because of their nature as spren. It's very hard for most spren to ever break an oath or to lie. That's just like- as manifestations of laws of nature makes it very hard for that to happen, but they can be cruel.
#14
Brandon Sanderson
I don't even put spren in on the first draft, that's just too much to keep in my brain. Afterward, I do a draft where I just go in and add all that stuff. It's like adding the special effects to a movie.
Peter Ahlstrom
So, Brandon actually does put a number of spren in the first draft. But part of Karen's job as continuity editor is to find more places to add the spren and mark those in the document. Then on the next draft Brandon puts spren there if he judges them to be good places for spren.
#15
Doomslug
If Roshar progressed and industrialized, would caffeinespren come to existence with the advent of soda?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, I bet they would, absolutely. I mean if you're getting alcoholspren, you're gonna get caffeinespren. They probably wouldn't be called that, you would probably call them like alertnessspren or something like that when you are alert beyond, you know… maybe not even alert. It'd be like a term for when you should be sleeping, but you can't because of stimulants. Stimulantspren? Wiredspren? Hyperspren?
#16
Arithered
What is your conception of how spren would appear to the average person? Do they have a solid physicality of some kind or are they more ethereal/ghostlike?
Ben McSweeney
Back during the pitch I did illustrate a few spren ideas for Brandon, but my understanding of them has expanded greatly since then. There's a lot I don't know, but I think I've got the basic idea down.
I see them as looking like they're made of Stormlight, sorta like many common sci-fi "holograms". I don't think any spren have physically solid forms unless the manifest fully, and the only examples we've seen of that so far are Blades.
In terms of their appearance, the text descriptions are always the first place I look. Never contradict the text, it's the common basis for all our interpretations.
#17
WeiryWriter
While imprisoned Kaladin encounters a strange type of spren described as "taut wires crossing before him". When I first read this I instantly thought of the captivityspren Axies is searching for, so I was surprised when someone asked you about it and you were reported as saying they are not captivityspren. What kind of spren is it then?
Brandon Sanderson
I must have misunderstood. Those were captivityspren.
#18
Pagerunner
The mistspren, who crewed the Honorspren ship. Are they Radiant spren?
Brandon Sanderson
No they are not.
#19
Questioner
*to be inscribed in a book* Could I have the name of an observed but unnamed spren?
Brandon Sanderson
Observed, but unnamed, spren? They’ve all been named.
Questioner
They’ve all been named that have been observed?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, someone will call it something so I will just say-- y’know. When they see them they refer to them by things.
#20
Ruro272 (paraphrased)
Is there a separate "Shadesmar" for each planet or is it one big place that are all connected with different regions for each planet?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
It's one big place with different sections.
Ruro272 (paraphrased)
So since its one big place, could spren travel to a different section that correlates with a different planet, such as the cognitive segment for Scadrial?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
They could go there, but they wouldn't usually...
Ruro272 (paraphrased)
Is that because Honor's influence is only on Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
*Brandon gave sort of a noncommittal half nod, but looked doubtful himself. Maybe best to interpret this last answer as a RAFO rather than reading into it too much.*
#21
Questioner
[If someone were] born like Vin, could they bond a spren, before they're even cognizant? 'Cause it's about being broken, right? So, I don't know if it's the same brokenness that Vin had from just being born.
Brandon Sanderson
Different spren will view this differently, and different people view the way that the Nahel bond works differently. So, Vin would certainly have been of interest to a number of spren.
#22
Satsuoni
Tell us something new about Cognitive Realm, please :)
Brandon Sanderson
You will get plenty in the next Stormlight book. But more than one type of spren live there.
#23
Chris King
Why can Rock see Syl?
Brandon Sanderson
Ooh, good question, why do you think Rock can see Syl?
Chris King
My personal theory here is because his people have such a strong belief and reverence in them it allows him to see them for that reason because his strong belief creates some sort of cognitive or spiritual pressure which allows them...
Brandon Sanderson
He would agree with that philosophy. I would say, usually when something like that happens there is also something physiological going on.
#24
Questioner
Why does the Shardbearer-- when they are dueling with Adolin and Renarin-- Why does the Shardbearer freak out when Kaladin grabs the sword? The <Shardbearer> like... He screams, and he's like, "I didn't kill you", and ran away.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Why does he do that?
Brandon Sanderson
Because when Kaladin was there, and they were touching it, they actually heard the spren that was inside of it. Right? Because when an--
Questioner
So it wasn't Syl that he heard, it was the sword.
Brandon Sanderson
It was the sword's spren... that Kaladin was touching it. When the Knight Radiant touches it-- You can see when other Knights Radiant pick up swords, they can hear the screaming.
#25
Questioner
The areas where you have highspren living, does it have a connection to <Stormwall? the rift to the former world?>
Brandon Sanderson
So where the highspren... specifically?
Questioner
Basically does it...for example, do honorspren have a--are strong in that area, because...?
Brandon Sanderson
Oh right, because they're living in like, Lasting Integrity? So... there are reasons why in Shadesmar the spren build the cities they do where they do. It doesn't always correlate one to one with the type of spren. Once in a while it does, but I would say as a rule of thumb, no. It's more about them finding a place that works for the geography of Shadesmar, and where they kind of just have political power and clout and things like that.
Good question.
#26
Tortellini (paraphrased)
Could it be that spren and seons are basically very similar things?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He smiled, thought about how to answer that for a second and then said... "Yes, it could be."
#27
Questioner
Spren. The phenomenon that creates spren. Is that Roshar-specific or is that a general effect?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, yes and no. So the question is, the effect that creates spren, is that Roshar-specific or is it general. The general fundamental rules that create spren are cosmere-wide. Spren are pieces of Investiture, usually pieces of Investiture that come straight from one of the Shards of Adonalsium, split off in some way, that because of human or other sapient creatures thinking about it or interacting with the power, the power starts to take on a life of its own. Develops personalities and comes alive, so to speak. And this can happen on any pla-- in any place where there is Investiture. So it could happen on any planet in the cosmere with significant amounts of free Investiture. The places you've seen this happen most commonly are on Sel and Scadri-- err Roshar. You haven't seen it on Scadrial, and you've seen little kind of hints at it on Nalthis, but not quite. And so-- But it's possible for it to happen anywhere. Seons and spren are basically the same thing with different powers-- powers kind of pushing them in different-- growth out of them-- That said, the non-sapient spren, so the spren that are not quite as-- They're not going to stand up and talk to you. Those all existed-- not all, but most of them existed on Roshar before the Shattering of Adonalsium.
#28
Questioner
So a Renarin question. Can we get <a little tidbit>?
Brandon Sanderson
You have seen spren that have not been touched the same way that Renarin's has. You have seen them. And I've been trying to very specifically show you, to give you contrast.
#29
Alpharho
The metal of Shardblades. Cultivationspren versus honorspren, for example. Are they different metals?
Brandon Sanderson
No, but good question.
Alpharho
Are all orders the same alloy, essentially?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. There's a little asterisk on there, but not in the way you're asking... You could call those all the same alloy. Because the mixture to different spren is different, I think that you could argue that each one is its own alloy.
Alpharho
So, different proportions of tanavastium?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, but it doesn't quite work that way with these magics, right? I'm going to say that's up to the individual cosmerologist who is in the world, the arcanist, defining it. You would be able to find enough differences to legitimately call them different alloys if you wanted to.
Alpharho
Would you say different ratios of the same two metals?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. They are not going to have a third one in them, if that's what you're asking. But it doesn't quite work that way. Like, if you were going to take brass, you could measure the exact percentage. In this case, it is a thing; it's not like you could divide it up and split them apart, because they are a thing. And that thing would be called one thing.
Alpharho
But you won't say what that thing is called?
Brandon Sanderson
No, I won't say what that thing is called. But I think you and the 17th Sharders and folks that are dividing them would prefer to call them ten different things, and I think their nomenclature would be relevant.
#30
the.fulgid
How many spren would it take to make a Shardtrebuchet?
Brandon Sanderson
A Shardtrebuchet? Oh, trebuchet memes. But it could be done with one spren if it were the right spren.
#31
Questioner
There are honorspren and cultivationspren on Roshar. The other spren that are tied to orders of Knights Radiant, do they have any relationships with any other Shards?
Brandon Sanderson
They are all going to be a mix of the Shards on Roshar. Some weight a little further one direction or the other. They are not off-world Shards. Good question.
#32
mithrilnova
Are all the kinds of intelligent spren seen in the Shadesmar chapters capable of forming Nahel bonds?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
#33
ninch
The oath spren, how are they still alive? If all the other spren died when they broke their oaths? RAFO?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, it's a RAFO. But you do have some pretty good answers in [Oathbringer]. So by the time you finish this you should have a pretty-- you should-- yeah.
#34
Argent
There's a scene in... Way of Kings, where Syl appears full-sized, like a human. It’s the only time she does that, why is that?
Brandon Sanderson
That was a very special moment. And there’s was some matters of Connection going on. In the Cognitive Realm she's full-sized, when she's there, and so this is echoing that. So that when, later on, if you were to see her in Shadesmar, and if you're like "Oh she's human sized!" Well--
Argent
That's how she would appear.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, you should know.
#35
Questioner
Are the [singers] living computers, and are spren variables in a computer system?
Brandon Sanderson
Excellent question. The answer is: I would say no, I wouldn't consider this. But I have considered this idea, and there is a place in the cosmere where people are using spren-- not spren but something similar on another planet, for a little bit of computation. Which I want to be able to write that story some day, but-- It's a very fun thing that I dug down a rabbit hole in one time. You might see this somewhere in the cosmere, but it's not actually Roshar. I wouldn't call them that.
#36
Questioner
How would a mistwraith bond with a spren? Would he use a gemheart, oaths, or songs like the listeners?
Brandon Sanderson
*Brandon motions for Joel to hold up the RAFO sign*
#37
Questioner
If you bond with a spren, can you turn it into an instrument like a trumpet and play it?
Brandon Sanderson
This is possible. Yes.
#38
rjl
The voidspren for stormform were red, were they originally of Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
Nope.
#39
Questioner
*inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Yes that is common.
Questioner
*inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Will there be a what spren?
Questioner
*inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, yeah yeah yeah. So most of the spren are involved in either-- are kind of involved in all three. And so it's mostly Honor and Cultivation. But some lean one direction or the other: you'll see that lifespren will pop up more commonly around Wyndle then they will around <Sylphrena>.
#40
Questioner
I know in Shadesmar, Syl has a physical form when they go there. Has there ever been, in the history of Shardbearers, any romance there?
Brandon Sanderson
...I will RAFO that for now. It is a question I have asked.
#41
Questioner
Can holders of Shards give them up voluntarily? If so, what would happen?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, a Vessel for a Shard of Adonalsium can give up their power if they wish.
As for what would happen...well, there are some variables in there. Kind of like the variables in what happens to a bucket of water if you dump it out. Depends on where it falls, how strong the wind is, what the air is like.
Power dropped like this, if left alone, could end up Splintering and turning into something like spren/seons. It could become something more like the Stormfather--a large, self-aware entity. It could become something like the Dor or many of the Unmade--something proto-aware, but not truly an individual. There are other possibilities as well, depending on lots of factors. (Are sapient beings involved? what is being done with the power--is it concentrated in the Spiritual Realm as normal, or is it being pushed somewhere else?)
#42
Questioner
I kinda got the sense, like, spren. Did you base them off of quantum mechanics?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, there's some quantum mechanics and some Japanese Shinto rammed together in there.
#43
Questioner
What can you tell me about where spren come from?
Brandon Sanderson
Spren come from where everything in the world of Roshar comes from. The are a natural part of life there. They come from the same place rocks and the wind and all of that...
#44
Questioner
Is it cold enough on Roshar for snow?
Brandon Sanderson
Only in the mountains.
Questioner
Do you get a highsnowstorm?
Brandon Sanderson
In the mountains, yes, it's very weird. And it's only in the tops of the mountains. There is. But you will see this when and if we visit the Horneater Peaks, which are covered in snow, except for the hot springs.
Questioner
Are there snowspren?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
#45
JoyBlu
Both Tien and Kaladin are Radiant, you talked about how that wasn't hereditary, and how that was more because of where they were with association. Was it because they were associated with the same person, or the same place?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, Connection influences spren.
JoyBlu
Right, but was the Connection to a person that they were around?
Brandon Sanderson
Connection to people.
JoyBlue
So not necessarily the place where they were?
Brandon Sanderson
Right.
Joyblu
Because my way of thinking it might be with the people is because, like with the Purelake on the Cognitive Realm there would be more spren hanging out there because that was more land, right; so if you spent more time on that you would have more spren around you. So if you're closer to more water, you're closer to more spren.
Brandon Sanderson
That is not an irrelevant observation.
#46
Argent
Are mandras gravityspren?
Brandon Sanderson
*Very hesitantly* Nooooo? Kind of-- So the actual gravityspren, you're talking about the things Kaladin saw stuck to a wall? Those are not mandras.
Argent
Oh no, I was thinking about the ones that appear around dead chasmfiends.
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, dead chasmfiends, yes. The arrowheads, yeah.
Argent
But you're saying those are not gravityspren? They're mandras?
Brandon Sanderson
So the things Kaladin saw stuck to the wall are not gravityspren, right. So I want to make sure.-- So arrowhead spren, that Shallan is philosophizing, theorizing about, are mandras.
#47
Questioner
*inaudible* with the spren, like, with the *inaudible* would it have infinite ink?
Brandon Sanderson
The way it works in my head canon right now, which I haven't written it so if it changes, no. The other thing is getting complex systems is going to be harder for a lot of Spren. There are legends that reference that they were able to do bows in the past, which includes a string. Everyone is like "but they're not metal, how does that work." Complex structures, even the mechanics of a pen is not something that we have proof that they could even do. If they did do it, they wouldn't have infinite ink, you would fill them up with ink.
#48
mooglefrooglian
Are all spren of a single type (eg. honorspren) going to be the same gender?
Brandon Sanderson
No. But some do skew one direction or another.
#49
Questioner 1
So, spren can just manifest themselves to different people. Can they choose whether or not to manifest themselves to other spren? Does it depend on the kind of spren?
Brandon Sanderson
So, depends on the kind of spren. You'll get some hints of that in the third book. Or you probably have already, if you read the preview chapters.
Questioner 2
I read the preview chapters, but, like, the way Syl acted, is that, like, something that she's able to hide from them?
Brandon Sanderson
She was not able to hide from that spren.
#50
Questioner
Do the spren that we know of as the Cryptics exist before Honor and Cultivation came to Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson
Ah, good question! No. Cryptics would be one of the forms of spren that were a later creation. Creation is the wrong term, but yeah.
Billy Todd, Moderator
Later development? Evolution?
Brandon Sanderson
All of the sapient spren are later developments.
Billy Todd, Moderator
Are they evolved from the earlier spren?
Brandon
Evolution doesn't work the same way on the spren, right? The spren were created more than evolved, I would say.
Billy Todd, Moderator
Maybe cultivated?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, cultivated. *laughter*