Questioner
As far as I can tell, in The Stormlight Archive, we have seen three different lights: the stormlight, the amberlight in the flashbacks, and the dark light in the stone. Do those correspond to the three Shards?
Brandon Sanderson
No, the amberlight is more a function of...it's no different than the stormlight.
Questioner
So, you see that in a storm? Like when gems gather that in the storm?
Brandon Sanderson
That amberlight is more related to... so, no... you are not seeing something other than stormlight. That is like saying that stormlight in a topaz is a different color than stormlight in a sapphire. It's not different colors; you're just seeing it filtered through something. The dark light of the, um, the gemstone that Szeth was given is indeed something different and distinct.
Questioner
Voidlight?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, it is related to a different shard. How about that?
Questioner
Is Szeth's sword noticeably smaller than other Shardblades?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Is Hoid in Shadows for Silence?
Brandon Sanderson
He is not. I intentionally didn't put him in... I wanted to indicate that he goes where there is an important reason for him to be there rather than just being a cameo in every story.
Questioner
(During discussion on the Surgebinding chart, found in the front endpages of The Way of Kings hardcovers)
Brandon Sanderson
I'm pretty sure the Herald faces all match up to their respective orders.
Shardlet
(During discussion on the Surges) It's properly transportation rather than travel?
Brandon Sanderson
Yyyes, that’s the general thing. This is the one that involves Shadesmar.
Questioner
Are there going to be other characters other than Hoid that will be crossing over between books?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, in fact there are characters in the way of kings... I told people that there is a Terriswoman in Warbreaker somewhere, I believe that would be somewhat hard to spot. That one, I don't think you will be able to pick out until you see her later on and then go back and say 'wait a minute'.
Questioner
(Written in someone's book with an arrow pointing at the Shattered Plains)
Brandon Sanderson
Great magic unleashed here.
Questioner
The change in how the magic (on Scadrial) interact with each other, was that done by Sazed?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes it was. You will find a theme. The snapping in Mistborn is actually a repeated theme through a lot of the different magics. Um, but what I felt at the end of the day Sazed would do something about it. So, even though that is part of the magic system, he changed that. The change to Feruchemy is more a matter of other factors such as the large amount of interbreeding that happened following...and things like that. And so a lot of people with Feruchemy sDNA mixing with people with people with Allomantic sDNA has affected the way the magics blend, so to speak. That's not done by Sazed. That's just kind of an effect.
Questioner
So there are two other planets in the Roshar system, are they the Tranquiline Halls and Damnation that you mentioned in The Way of Kings?
Brandon Sanderson
There has been in the past knowledge of other planets in the system and that has indeed influenced the mythology of the world.
Questioner
If you have a series of Inquisitors, like a family of Inquisitors having children for generations over...
Brandon Sanderson
Would the Hemalurgy influence the sDNA of the children? Is that what you are asking? That is a hypothesis that has merit in the way the magic system works (grin). It is not a supposition to be discarded out of hand.
Questioner
Do you have in your mind all, like, 150 different metallic effects?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, but I haven't named them yet. I approached that and thought, "This is just mind-numbing". So, yes; one of the things I'd like to be doing and you may see more of this... each combination has a slightly different effect than what you'd anticipate.
Questioner
Do you plan on having, like, a final book for the cosmere? Like, the Shards are gone; Hoid is the king of the universe?
Brandon Sanderson
There will be an ending to the cosmere sequence that will involve a lot of these things going on.
Questioner
Will The Alloy of Law be a trilogy of its own or is it just going to be the one book you read from tonight?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, the 1st one was The Alloy of Law, the one I read from tonight is the sequel, so there's at least two. I signed a contract with, well, I haven'’t signed anything yet. I offered Tor two more beyond The Alloy of Law; so, Shadows of Self and one more. So, I have promised Tor three of them.
Questioner
So, there could be more?
Brandon Sanderson
I have not plotted this one. It does not have the same sort of interconnected arc as the others. It could go further. I think I would cautiously most likely do three or four and stop and if I wanted more short books like that, I'd pick different characters in a different location.
Questioner
Was the book Wax reading written by the guy who gave it to him?
Brandon Sanderson
No, it was not.
Questioner
Spook? Sounds like Spook's voice
Brandon Sanderson
It certainly doesn't sound like Marsh.
Questioner
Is Hoid any of the Shards of Adonalsium?
Brandon Sanderson
Good question. He does not hold a Shard.
Questioner
Is he [Hoid] a Worldsinger?
Brandon Sanderson
He has a relationship with the Worldsingers.
Questioner
What was the inspiration for the necromancer pizza delivery story?
Brandon Sanderson
Death by Pizza. I came up with laws of necromancy that I thought would be super cool and I tried to find a book that would fit it. And, that book was fun, but bad. The rules were that necromancy is someone that has been killed and returned to life and each time they return they are more powerful. So a guy who has died five times and got more powerful throughout the course of a novel is a cool archetype that I thought would be a fun thing. So, it's like at the end of the novel, "I need more power, so do I die and get it? Or, not" and things like this. It was a cool concept and even with a mash-up with an urban fantasy world, the world was not built enough so that in the end it was like he was running around an empty city not one populated with as much mythology and wonder and storybook as I wanted an so I eventually said it isn't working and maybe I’ll pick it up again another time.
Hoser
Can you tell me something about the larkin and their abilities?
Brandon Sanderson
You will see something about them in the second book. Their abilities are tied to stormlight.
Hoser
(Speaking of the division surge) Is that a re-framing of, at one point in time you were talking about weak/strong forces?
Brandon Sanderson
Um, weak/strong forces, yes, that's the one that sent me there partially. Like, I'm not actually... the idea of the fundamental forces is a cool thing to me so it's not like I'm actually trying to use the weak and strong forces, the idea of there being fundamental forces. I wanted to go off on it in a fancy way. Like this one right here I told them was surface tension. But it's not really surface tension. It's more like um, the people with this could take a piece of cloth and snap it out and it would become hard as if the cloth became steel. I'm trying to explain this scientifically, but it doesn't work scientifically. Imagine as if they could restructure the atoms so that they became a latticework like a crystal rather than being soft like...cloth. I'm calling it surface tension, but it's not really surface tension.
Hoser
Tensile strength?
Brandon Sanderson
It's kind of like tensile strength. I have to go through Peter and say "Alright Peter, come up with what we should really call this." He does the hard science a lot better than I do. I do the armchair theories and then he goes, "Ok, now this is the math if someone were to actually fall off of this and 0.7 gravity and the weight of the bridge...". (looking back at the chart) So what can I give you that I didn't give her? Um, one of the orders is called Bondsmiths.
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.
Wetlander
Was Odium able to Splinter Honor because the Heralds abandoned the Oathpact?
Brandon Sanderson
Good question. Um, their abandonment of the Oathpact is related... but mostly tangentially. If I was pinned down on that, I would say no.
Wetlander
Is there any of the Oathpact still functioning because of Taln's continued participation?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, indeed.
Questioner
Is the Palanaeum named for Palah?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. In fact, it was named based on—it was Greek in our world—the Athenaeum? It was based off of that.
Wetlander
Did we see Palah?
Brandon Sanderson
I believe every one of the Heralds is mentioned or shown somewhere in the first book.
Wetlander
Someone was wondering whether the old woman who was wandering around the Palanaeum was her.
Brandon Sanderson
That is a very good guess. I won't say specifically, because some of them are intended to be more obvious and some of them are intended to be red herrings. So, that was a very good guess.
Wetlander
Please explain what you will about Shards and Splintering and Slivers.
Brandon Sanderson
An event happened long ago which destroyed something called Adonalsium into 16 pieces. And 16 people took up that power.
Questioner
People?
Brandon Sanderson
I call all intelligent species people. If someone takes up the power and lets go of it, it has the effect much like a balloon that's been stretched and then the air is let out. I call that a Sliver; based off of the Lord Ruler calling himself the "Sliver of Infinity". The Lord Ruler is someone who held the power and then released it. And so, current Slivers are the Lord Ruler, Kelsier, and there may be others around who at one point held the power and let go of it. A Splinter is a term used by certain people in the cosmere for power of Adonalsium which has no person caring for it, no... no person holding it, which has attained self-awareness.
Wetlander
So is that like the mists and the Well? Are they...
Brandon Sanderson
They are not, because they have not attained self-awareness. But, the Seons are self-aware. So, any piece, for instance there were some spren on Roshar before Honor and Cultivation got there. Those were already Splinters of Adonalsium where he had left power which attained sentience on its own. So, it can be intentional is what I am saying, does that make sense? You have seen other Splinters.
Wetlander
Are the highstorms related to the Splintering of Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
The highstorms are more related to the mist from Mistborn which terminology we have not discussed yet. You have seen Splinters quite a bit on various planets.
Hoser
Are you willing to tell me anything about the history of the Vanrial community at this time?
Brandon Sanderson
What specifically did you want to know?
Hoser
Well, is their eye color lighter than the typical Alethi peasant?
Brandon Sanderson
(after a long pause) I think I'll just stay away from this for now.