Questioner (paraphrased)
Will Hoid return as the King's Wit in the next / future [Stormlight Archive] book?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes.
Will Hoid return as the King's Wit in the next / future [Stormlight Archive] book?
Yes.
Before his departure in [The Way of Kings] and his return in a future book, does he stay on Roshar only?
Good question. RAFO.
Are the Cryptics spren?
Yes.
Why can Shallan draw the Cryptics without seeing them, and can she do the same for other invisible spren?
Shallan and the Cryptics have a "special connection" that allows her to draw them.
None of the Heralds mention or address the Almighty in the opening scene of [The Way of Kings]; it's a little strange, considering they are his champions. Have they seen or spoken to the Almighty?
Yes, the Heralds have spoken with the Almighty. They also feel that what has been done to them is partially his fault. They are all broken in some way and aren't really honorable anymore.
Was that how and why the deal with Odium showed up?
RAFO.
Any news on Mistborn: Birthright?
Pushed back to 2015, so it can be developed for the next generation consoles.
Ruin and Preservation were often represented in the Mistborn trilogy in terms of black and white. Is this imagery limited to that series, or do other Shards also have an associated hue?
This (Ruin & Preservation's colors) was because of the specific world and their perception of the world and themselves. Essentially, because of the dynamics of the interplay between Ruin and Preservation, they "chose" to view themselves as black and white respectively, so that's how they were represented. Also, because the only two Shards on Scadrial, and their natures were opposites, after the long period of time they spent on the same planet, they kind of "polarized." If similar thing happened on another world, similar coloring effect could happen.
How is it that Nightblood, who is merely a near-sentient awakened object, was able to read minds, something a Shard like Ruin was unable to do?
It requires bonding (with the person whose mind is to be read) to read minds.
What is the definition of a focus (in [The Way of Kings]'s Ars Arcanum)?
Foci, though linked to the magic system, are more like artifacts of the philosophy surrounding the magic system. A focus is a philosophical concept, rather than a hardfast rule related to the magic system. A man-made, artificial way of explaining the magic system. Like the periodic table.
Can Shards travel backwards in time?
Anything is possible.
Is the bond between a seon and its master similar to the Nahel bond between a Surgebinder and his spren?
Yes.
What effects does being a Sliver have on a person?
It can vary (on the Shard, the length of time the power was held, the power itself, etc). In some way a Sliver is someone who has had their mind, body, and spirit expanded due to holding a great deal of power, and then have had that power leave.
Is spiritual DNA inherited the same as regular DNA?
Inherited similarly, but not 100% identically, to regular DNA.
Why can lerasium be burned by anyone in the cosmere, while atium is restricted to a small portion of the population of one planet?
RAFO.
Did all orders of Knights Radiants use Shardplate?
It was available to all of them, and they could (all) use it. Many Knights (not Orders) chose not to. There were Knights who were not soldiers and had not interest in wearing Shardplate.
How does one erase/alter memories using Breath?
RAFO.
Why do the Returned need to sleep?
Sleep is necessary for many reasons - different from the reasons we need food and water, for example. One of those reasons (for sleep) is memory storage. Like humans, Returned need to sleep so their (important) short-term memories get moved to long-term storage.
Somebody asked a question about Shinovar and whether all Shin go through some combat training (but don't actually become warriors) at some time during their lives.
Brandon said that we'll learn a lot more about the Shin in book 3, which has Szeth's flashbacks.