wiresegal
What color is Moelach in the Physical Realm?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
wiresegal
Why did Rashek leave two beads at the Well?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
CrazyRioter
Would Maya have wanted to bond with Adolin if she were alive?
Brandon Sanderson
I think so.
Lightweaver Gaz
At one point in Shadows of Self, Wayne goes on a canal ride with a boatman named Red. Any chance that could be the same Red that works for Shallan?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Lightweaver Gaz
SPEAKING OF Shallan's Red I would like to know what his actual name is for fanfiction purposes.
Brandon Sanderson
Oh. Fanfiction purposes... I have not named him. I just call him Red.
Ravi
This is the "Ultra Gaz" fan I told you about. And she wants to write a fanfic about--
Brandon Sanderson
I don't have a name for him right now. If you write a fanfic, he'll call himself Red. So that's reasonable.
Alyssum
You said previously that someone with synesthesia wouldn't be affected by Heightenings differently, unless they had a lot of Breath. What would those effects be?
Brandon Sanderson
It's going to depend on the type of synesthesia, because there are so many different types.
Alyssum
How would someone with naturally perfect pitch be affected socially on Nalthis, even though they only have one Breath?
Brandon Sanderson
They would be regarded-- they would be well-regarded, let's say that. Now, you say on Nalthis, but there are a lot of cultures on Nalthis, and so they're not going to be a monolith, but a lot of cultures are going to consider this person someone who's touched by the divine, or someone who's-- it's going to be a sign, perhaps, that there's something about this person, depending on the culture.
Jofwu
Is the current year number (1174) just a Vorin convention, or is everyone on Roshar using the same calendar?
Brandon Sanderson
It is a Vorin convention, but the Vorin convention has been adopted by a lot of cultures.
Ravi
Just like our Gregorian?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. But there are different numbering conventions.
Jofwu
Continuity question:
Just prior to meeting with the Nightwatcher 5.5 years ago, Dalinar wakes up at the end of a highstorm and seems to have experienced a vision from Stormfather. But in The Way of Kings, Dalinar says that the visions only began "a few months ago." He also seems to have specific memory of the "first" even if he can't recall all of the details, and it seems unlikely he would have visions for several years without anyone having noticed.
So, should we assume that (1) this strange "dream" in Oathbringer was not actually a one of Honor's visions? Is that just a weird dream, or perhaps some OTHER vision from Stormfather?
Or, (2) this is one of Honor's visions and any contradictory details from The Way of Kings are superseded by Oathbringer?
Or, (3) this is one of Honor's visions, and Dalinar just doesn't remember his history of the visions very well.
Brandon Sanderson
So, I did this quite intentionally, it's not number two. But I expected these questions to be asked, and it's a RAFO, but it's one of these RAFOs where I wrote it very deliberately the way I did on purpose, and I'm going to leave it to your speculation as to what it means.
Blightsong
In Oathbringer it is revealed that the humans who originally came to Roshar were the first ones to be named Voidbringers and that they carried magical powers. The Stormfather also implies that modern Surgebinding didn't exist before the Heralds. Were the original powers that the humans possessed Voidbinding?
Brandon Sanderson
So, we're getting into lots of interesting definitional problems here. And also the ways that different entities perceive the definitions of different terms. I will answer this question specifically as we do the flashbacks from Ash and Taln's viewpoints. So you've got a long ways to wait. But understand that definitions are not always-- the way that people define things cannot always be trusted. That said, humans were not using powers from Honor originally.
Calderis
If a tribe of singers were to worldhop to Nalthis, and live there for a few generations, would their pure singer offspring begin to be born with Breath?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Good question, though. Excellent question!
Calderis
In Shadows of Self, in the scene where Paalm is speaking to Wax from a floor above, she rushes out the window and down past him. The window isn't damaged, the earth that she runs on isn't damaged, and she runs down a flight of stairs at speed. Being as "speed" affects gravity, and physics apply to Paalm as if she were moving at normal speed, is Feruchemical steel a temporal effect?
Brandon Sanderson
*laughs* Nice. I'm going to ask for more definition. What do you mean by temporal effect. What exactly do you mean by that? Are you reaching into magic system definitions, or are you trying to use our definitions? Give me more.
Calderis
Feruchemical aluminum stores and taps a marker that seems to suffuse all Investiture within a person, removing or strengthening Identity. Does Feruchemical duralumin work similarly? Does tapping connection while storing in a metalmind increase the connection of the Investiture stored?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Mostly because I've got a main character who's going to be doing this, I'm not going to spoil the fun or lock myself down yet.
RenegadeShroom
Can you tell us anything about Elend's mother; her name, the house she was born into, that kind of thing?
Brandon Sanderson
I could, but I don't have the notes handy and it's been a long time. So that one's a "if you can catch me when I have the notes open", then yes, but it is very important to him, not relevant to the overarching story terribly much.
RenegadeShroom
Have any groups of singers ever had any nonbinary genders? That is to say, a fifth gender recognized by their culture, rather than malen and femalen, which seem to function as more of an extension of the gender binary than anything our culture would recognize as nonbinary.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Oversleep
How useful would gold Allomancy be for making Essence Marks?
Brandon Sanderson
Useful.
Oversleep
Could you make a (working) stamp out of aluminium?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
WeiryWriter
You've stated that the sapphire in the knife that Moash used to kill Jezrien was specifically for Jezrien. Was it that for actual mechanical reasons, or more of a symbolic gesture?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
WeiryWriter
Do the Fused still require a bond with a spren for maintaining a form/full sapience, or does the Investiture that makes them Cognitive Shadows fulfill that requirement?
Brandon Sanderson
They do not require a bond with a spren, so yes, the Investiture handles all of that.
LadyLameness
You've said that Tien was beginning to bond a Cryptic before he died – did he use Surgebinding before he died, even unconsciously? If yes, did we ever see it on screen?
Brandon Sanderson
He was far enough along to start having some of the-- let's just say he was far enough along to have sworn at least one oath.
LadyLameness
Last we heard, Tarah was moving to Mourn's Vault. As of the end of Oathbringer, is she still in Alethkar?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO. Let's just say that area of Alethkar is not a-- not a pleasant place.
Kidpen
What do Harrier's Lenses from Alcatraz do?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. That's a RAFO because I am not in that brainspace right now.
Kidpen
Do Smedry Talents transferring between marriage have to do with whether the couple sees themselves as married, or the spouse seeing themselves as a Smedry?
Brandon Sanderson
Excellent question! I am going to go with... whether the... I've thought a lot about this one. And I keep thinking and wanting to distinguish it from cosmere magics, which are all perception based. So I want this to kind of be more about the oath sworn, that the magic kind of seals, which also has a cosmere-ish sort of feel to it but not quite as much. When you have sworn the vows, so to speak, that's what the magic cares about.
Kidpen
Do either kind of chalklings experience emotion?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Lerasium Mistborn
Dalinar had two non-Stormfather visions. First at the end of Words of Radiance, and second with Nohadon in Oathbringer. I'm curious if these two are related or they come from different sources?
Brandon Sanderson
So, by even answering that, this is one of those questions I tend to RAFO because by answering it I'm implying that your postulations are correct, which I am not even willing to do. It's more of a RAFO in that... let's just say I'm not even willing to confirm the postulations.
Lerasium Mistborn
Will we know why Dalinar has a "warm feeling" sometimes? More specifically, in Oathbringer Hoid calls (covertly) Adonalsium's Power a "God's Light". Is it the same Light Dalinar senses?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Extesian
You've said that Nalthians without Breath have something missing (are less invested) than other humans. Was this the case before Endowment invested on Nalthis? Would a non-Nalthian given Breath, who then gives up that Breath, be less invested than before they got the Breath? Would there be something missing in their spiritweb compared to their original state?
Brandon Sanderson
So, no. If someone from Sel went to Nalthis and got a Breath and then gave it up, would it give up more, the answer would be no, they would be who they were before.
Extesian
Can you give away a Divine Breath to another human? If so would they have the same powers as a Returned or would they just 'store' it like an inanimate object that Breath is stored in when not Awakened? Does a human require a 'crack' in their spirit web to receive a divine Breath?
Brandon Sanderson
So, a Divine Breath-- you're kind of going along the wrong direction on that line of reasoning. Divine Breaths cannot be transferred. When they are used they immediately become kinetic Investiture and are activated. This manifests normally as healing the person, both body, mind, and soul, but you can't give it up, transfer it in the same way you can regular Breaths.
Mestiv
Cosmere is a dwarf galaxy. Does Investiture exist in other galaxies? Do those galaxies have their own Adonalsiums?
Brandon Sanderson
That is beyond the scope... that's a RAFO, but not a RAFO I'm going to answer, that is a RAFO that we are concerned only with the cosmere.
Mestiv
What do you think about Arcanum (the website)?
Brandon Sanderson
Very cool! I am happy to see this sort of thing happening, and different directions going, it can be a little intimidating.
OverlordJebus
Where is Hoid's Cryptic during Era 2? Did he have to leave it behind?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Straw
What are the Deepest Ones? ...The quote is "God Beyond protect them if the fighting had drawn one of the Deepest Ones" from Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell.
Brandon Sanderson
You will find out if I ever write the next book... the next book set on Threnody.