Brandon Sanderson
Vin admits her real reason for disliking OreSeur.
Obviously, the most important events in this chapter deal with Vin and OreSeur and their relationship. The real reason why she hates him is something that I hope you've been wondering about. I intended the "He ate Kelsier" argument to fall flat for readers. Vin's smarter than that, as OreSeur said. Eating Kelsier's dead body is a little, dumb thing. A person who grew up on the street wouldn't be bothered by such a simple, if brutal, event–particularly not for as long as Vin has kept her grudge against OreSeur.
So this is why. She did love Kelsier–not romantically, perhaps, though Vin's emotions at the time weren't as simple as she'd now like to think. Either way, Kelsier's death affected her greatly. Focusing on OreSeur–who knew about Kelsier's real plan, but didn't stop him from executing it–gave her someone to hate. She couldn't hate Kelsier, but she could resent the one who had let him die.
It's a complicated relationship. But, then, aren't most relationships complicated?
Brandon Sanderson
Vin asks Ham how to kill a man burning Atium
This conversation about how to kill someone who is burning atium is another one I'd been wanting to include for a long time. It's important to the plot, and the overall arc of the book, that you worry about Vin lack of atium. Plus, I want to keep the reader thinking about the metal, as the Lord Ruler's atium cache is such a large part of the series' plotting.
It's tough to know how to fight someone who can see the future. What Ham outlines here are pretty much the only things that anyone has been able to come up with.
Brandon Sanderson
Chapter Twenty-Two
Vin spies on Ham in the Mists
This chapter has another poetic introduction–I warned you about those, I believe. I hope it isn't too out of place.
Testing Ham in this way is something Vin really should have done earlier in the book. The problem is, I have a lot of things I need to pack into a relatively short space of time in this book. I did things in order of importance, and–oddly–testing the crewmembers took a lower precedent than getting Allrianne into the city or introducing Elend's plan to deal with the warlords.
But, finally, we get to work a little bit on the imposter plot. There are dozens of ways that Vin could have gotten Ham to burn pewter–but she wanted to do one where he didn't know she was there and he where he would use the metal reflexively. She also wanted to do it when she knew he was alone. That way, she couldn't be fooled by someone burning pewter nearby to make it seem like Ham was burning.
Brandon Sanderson
This is a short scene, but one of the more important ones to show off a little character development in Elend. He is beginning to see some of the truth in Tindwyl's words.
Pulling off a transformation like his was one of the great challenges of this book. Actually, the plot was pretty easy–but getting Elend and Vin's relationship down, along with the development of both of their characters, was much more difficult. It takes a subtle hand to make Elend learn to be a king without having him progress too quickly, and I'm not sure how well I did it.
Vin's development–showing off her inner distrust without making her seem paranoid or making their relationship seem shallow–was even tougher.
Brandon Sanderson
Chapter Twenty-One
The truth is that yes, indeed, Cett caught Breeze in bed with his daughter. In Breeze's defense, she kind of snuck in herself while he was sleeping and snuggled up to him. However, that wasn't why Cett chased Breeze out of the camp. You'll find out more about that later.
I couldn't resist throwing in the ending of the last chapter, mixed with the beginning of this one. Ham's wisecrack about Cett catching Breeze with his daughter was just too good to not make true. The thing is, Breeze is always so controlled and self-important that it's good to throw him out of his element every once in a while.
Brandon Sanderson
Honorblades work in Oathgates. (It's one of the things they'll try in the third book).
Brandon Sanderson
Remember the counterfeit coins? You find out about them again, at the end.
Also, Elend's dismissal of the Assembly here–for the second time in a row, actually–is something that should raise a bit of a warning flag.
Brandon Sanderson
I think Tindwyl has a lot of good points in her training. Some people rebel against the things she says, but I think that she has a good idea of what makes a leader. Or, at least, one kind of leader.
The problem is, that isn't the only kind of leader that works. Still, in my mind, she knows that she HAS to be like that in order to react against Elend's frivolousness.
Brandon Sanderson
We get to see a bit of depth from both Breeze and Tindwyl in this chapter. As I said earlier, I can't really spend the time to round out everyone on the crew, so I have to pick carefully. Breeze is one of my favorites, so I decided to work a bit with him in this book. As you'll find out later in the book (when we get a few Breeze viewpoints) he's actually a full-blooded nobleman. It's not really that important to the story; it's just part of who he is.
Breeze has made a life and a reputation out of hiding his feelings behind his attitude. I likes looking like a scoundrel–not only does it let him get away with a lot of random things, but it also keeps people from poking too far into his past. There are a lot of skaa thieves who would react very poorly if they discovered that Breeze wasn't really one of them, but a nobleman who was forced to seek refuge in the underground.
Brandon Sanderson
Also, we get to see here that Zane already has his fingers on Vin's emotions. She's beginning to question and doubt. This, however, isn't a quick change–you should realize that all of these questions were already there inside of her. Not only is she a teenage girl, and living during an emotionally volatile part of her life, but she grew up learning to distrust and fear betrayal. Though she's getting better, the old worries are all still there, and even a little bit of scratching at them reveals them again.
She never really had to confront these things. Falling in with the crew, learning to trust, was actually easy in the last book. Kelsier was there to make everything work out all right, and Vin was always underneath the watchful care of Sazed.
This book is about making her face these things directly.
Brandon Sanderson
Chapter Twenty
Elend is already progressing nicely as a king. There's a lot more time passing in here than I'm showing–lots of training and lessons. One of my worries is that Elend will develop too quickly. However, considering the situation he's in, I suspect that he knows he has to either adapt quickly or be destroyed. A few tense months can really change a person a lot.
Questioner
At the beginning of Steelheart you say that it was a year after Calamity when people started getting powers.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
At the beginning of Firefight, at the end of the prologue, people started screaming. Why?
Brandon Sanderson
So, Peter [Ahlstrom, Brandon's assistant] asked me the same question. And so, the rise of Calamity, number one, was really weird. And number two, there was weirdness with that night [?], associated with the rise of Calamity, that was not the start of the Epics.
Questioner
So if Adonalsium was split up, would you say it was more like a kit-kat bar, or like, uh, like a cake?
Brandon Sanderson
Cake.
Questioner
So it could theoretically...
Brandon Sanderson
It could have theoretically been split up other ways.
Questioner
Are the [shades?] [from Threnody] all over the planets?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO. I [am not going? would have?] to tell what the Evil is, and things like that.
Questioner
How large is the Shardworld in Shadows for Silence?
Brandon Sanderson
Threnody? I would have to look at my notes.
Questioner
Are the [shades] on Threnody the same as the [Cognitive Shadows]?
Brandon Sanderson
They are a very very similar breed.
Questioner
I noticed, in The Alloy of Law, Marsh refers to-- when he is talking to Marasi he says that Wax is doing his brother’s work. I was wondering, is that referring to Harmony or Kelsier?
Brandon Sanderson
That’s referring to Kelsier in that quote, in his opinion at the moment. I don’t know if I agree with it. He feels that Wax is protecting the people, the little people, which was Kelsier’s work in his... opinion of Kelsier, which is a little lofty.
Questioner
How did Regalia established contact with Calamity?
Brandon Sanderson
I think I'll save that for the next series I'm doing. If I don't answer that *inaudible* things like that in the next series, you can ask me again and I'll answer.
Questioner
Why does Nightblood need to eat Investiture?
Brandon Sanderson
So, Nightblood is... leaky, is how I would say it.
Questioner
Does his sheath help with that somehow?
Questioner
Yes.
Questioner
If Feruchemists can store warmth, and you can Compound if you have the dual... Could they harm themselves by drawing too much warmth?
Brandon Sanderson
Could they draw it out of their body and therefore kill themselves by freezing themselves?
Questioner
Either way. Either that, or burn and Compound too much...
Brandon Sanderson
This is harder to do that you think it [is], because built into Feruchemy is the natural body's resistance to the things you're doing, but it is possible.
Questioner
Can Hoid change how he looks?
Brandon Sanderson
He has various methods of changing how he looks.
Questioner
If you were a Leecher, could you destroy a Shardblade?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm going to RAFO that for now, let's just say that it would be incredibly difficult if it were possible, and I'm not going to even say if it is. But that kind of power...
Questioner
Let's just say they were burning duralumin as well.
Brandon Sanderson
Let's just say that the Investiture in a Shardblade is much greater than your average Allomancer, but... This type of thing is not unheard of in the Cosmere. The larkin, the Leechers, and Nightblood all have a similar sort of thing going on. Destroying a Shardblade would be really hard. And Investiture resists other forms of Investiture, so.
Questioner
The guards that are used on the Shardblades, that people are able to work with them safely, are those made of aluminum?
Brandon Sanderson
[...] This is an excellent question that is well asked, and people are thinking along the right lines. I haven't answered 100%, but people are thinking the right way.
Questioner
So, in Elantris, the earthquake that created the chasm, was that caused by Shards, by some powers...?
Brandon Sanderson
I haven't really dug into that, but the number one thing people assume is that it was the shattering of Dominion and Devotion, which is not the case. They were broken much earlier. The Splintering of them happened much earlier.
Questioner
The ten Surges on Roshar, I think you've said are basically a different set of laws of physics.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Questioner
Are those laws of physics consistent throughout the Cosmere?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, to an extent. You would consider, like - it's kind of weird because I based them on the idea of the fundamental forces, but this is kind of like a human construction. You could say that physics is pure and natural, but we're still putting things in boxes. And the scientists on Roshar would, for instance, consider being able to travel between the Cognitive and Physical Realms as a force, the thing that pulls people back and forth between that, as a fundamental force. I don't know if it would fit our definition of a fundamental force.
Questioner
The Rithmatist 2 kind of took a... <stage to the background with everything>. Do you have any idea when that's gonna be...?
Brandon Sanderson
We're getting close. We're getting close. I will do it most likely between Stormlight 3 and 4, somewhere. I can't promise where, but it's getting really close. I'm going to start reading the first book to my son very soon; he's nine now. And once I read it out loud with him I will be ready to write the second. I'll be back in the world.
Questioner
Who would win in a fight? Vin or Kaladin?
Brandon Sanderson
It depends on if you convince Vin the need to *inaudible*. Kaladin's a soldier. He wins on the battlefield. He does not win if you sneak up on him at night.
Questioner
Do you have a favorite character?
Brandon Sanderson
I don't. That said, Dalinar's *inaudible* been with me the longest, so...
Questioner
Dalinar?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, so I've got a special fondness for Dalinar.
Questioner
When did Lift meet Hoid? *inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Lift met Hoid in between the visit to the Nightwatcher and her first <interlude>.
Questioner
What's the penalty for killing a highprince, like Adolin did to Sadeas?
Brandon Sanderson
Official law is kind of confusing, because before the unification of Alethkar back into a kingdom, killing a highprince was like killing the monarch of another country. So if you did it on the field of battle it's fine. If you assassinate them it's considered a bad-- a mark of dishonor. But, what's gonna happen? I mean, your own people are gonna probably be like, "Okay, you killed the other highprince. You shouldn't have done that." But, you know... the enemy... *laughing* But now that there's a kingdom, those sort of laws are different. So it's going to cause a legal conundrum. Does that make sense?
CCQ
Did you get the idea for the Parshendi from *inaudible* in Heart of Darkness?
Brandon Sanderson
I did not.
CCQ
Have you read it?
Brandon Sanderson
But I have.
CCQ
*inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, it totally is. So maybe-- maybe it's in the back of my head.
Questioner
When Wax's uncle gets blown up and [the Faceless Immortal] says "you will serve us in another realm", is that a [truth] ?
Brandon Sanderson
Wait wait, who says that?
Questioner
With Suit, the end of Bands of Mourning? He gets blown up...?
Brandon Sanderson
Oh right, right...So, yeah, that is not specifically answered on purpose. That is meant to be more ambiguous, it may not even be a true statement.
Questioner
So their deity doesn't pick which souls...
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not saying yes or no, I'm just saying, don't take what they say as law, as the actual state of things. It may just be a belief on their part.
Questioner
The world of Sixth of the Dusk [First of the Sun], is it going to make another appearance?
Brandon Sanderson
It will likely make another appearance, I am unlikely to do another story there just because I have too many things to do sequels too, but if you keep your eyes open, you can see...
Questioner
Is Hoid related?
Brandon Sanderson
You will see some more.
Questioner
In the new novella for the Stormlight Archive. <Edgedancer.>
Brandon Sanderson
Mhm?
Questioner
When she gets the cart over the edge of the ledge, it mentions that there was black sand on the ground? Was that Hoid, or...?
Brandon Sanderson
That was not Hoid.
Questioner
Was that due to what she did, or...?
Brandon Sanderson
That was Wyndle.
Questioner
Okay, he left black sand?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, his, uh-- he decayed into dust.
Questioner
Okay.
Brandon Sanderson
And so...
Questioner
Okay. Wondering if it was related to White Sand.
Brandon Sanderson
There's something going on there. But no, it is not the white-- it is not sand. I should be careful about use the word sand, particularly black sand. But I was just thinking of Wyndle with that one.
Questioner
Okay, okay.
Brandon Sanderson
That is a false positive on the cosmere connection.
Questioner
What is the raw power of the most powerful magic system?
Brandon Sanderson
I would say that there isn't one.
Questioner
Is Khriss a reliable narrator?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, Khriss is reliable. She doesn't know everything, so there are some things that she doesn't quite get right. But she usually will acknowledge, "I'm not sure about this." Okay?
Questioner
Okay, cool.
Brandon Sanderson
You can trust Khriss as much as you can trust most experts in their field.
Questioner
The Cognitive and the Physical Realms...do they stay connected to the Shardworld for the character they're related to, or can you go back and forth - like in Secret History, when he passes off of Scadrial and to the outskirts, within I guess the Cognitive Realm, is that something they could do with other Shardworlds?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Did something happen to Demoux between Mistborn and Stormlight to turn him into a jerk, or am I misinterpreting his actions?
Brandon Sanderson
He is not a jerk, but he is not...
Questioner
As pure as he is in Mistborn?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. He's a little more idealistic than pure, how about that?
Questioner
Are we going to hear that story?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. [...] I'm toying with some stuff in Secret History 2, it'll get into some of this.
Questioner
Is there going to be more Secret History?
Brandon Sanderson
They have to go into the cracks between other books, but not...I am planning to do more right now, I'm not opposed to having more like that happen.
heridfel
There are different kinds of spren that bond with people and it appears they’re based on a concept. Is it possible to have a concept which would make a Nahel bond that gives two Surges that don’t align to one of the Radiant orders?
Brandon Sanderson
Um, uh...this is a theoretical possibility that has not happened yet.
taveren
Did the original Shardholders know what Shards they were grabbing?
Brandon Sanderson
Another RAFO. Sorry. You're asking really good questions. Really good questions.
taveren
There is a metal used to charge in the last Mistborn book, is that lithium?
Brandon Sanderson
[Sounds like he's going to say "no" but then changes his mind] I'll dig into that, that's another RAFO. But I'm glad you're thinking along those lines. Let's just say that.
taveren
If someone goes to every planet and get Invested from every Shard, if he was Invested enough would he become a new Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
That’s an excellent question that I’m not going to answer.
taveren
And I am assuming you will not answer if anyone is trying to do that.
Brandon Sanderson
Yup, I am not going to answer. Sorry. That's too deeply related to things that are happening in the Cosmere and I don’t want to dig into for a little while yet.
Questioner
Why is Dalinar very strict of Adolin but not with Renarin and Elhokar?
Brandon Sanderson
It is a little bit - I would say a slight flaw on Dalinar's part, he's too hard on Adolin. But that's because Adolin is in line for the throne, and he's the eldest son, and the heir, and all of that stuff. I would say that Dalinar's a little too lax in some ways, a little too strict in others.
Questioner
Do the Radiants have only one gender per [Order], or you can have...?
Brandon Sanderson
You can have different genders.
Questioner
Are we going to find out more about the cesium, the exploding metal?
Brandon Sanderson
The super cesium? Well, the last Wax and Wayne book is called The Lost Metal so....you kinda got it...yeah.
Questioner
Are we ever going to find out about all of Adolin’s failed relationships?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably a little bit more. Not a ton. But a little bit more.
Questioner
Is there an abolitionist movement in Roshar? In any culture there?
Brandon Sanderson
In ANY culture? Yes.
Questioner
Do they have a concept of alcoholism in Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Does Dalinar’s family have it?
Brandon Sanderson
That will be answered in the next book, but you should definitely be asking that question.
Argent
We've seen Cognitive Shadows in the Cognitive Realm (e.g. Kelsier), and in the Physical (Returned, Shades, Heralds (kind of, sort of)). Is it alright to refer to shadows both with and without a body as "Cognitive Shadows"?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. The Shadow is the spirit, though, so there is some distinction.
Argent
When you say that the Returned are Cognitive Shadows, are they shadows of the people they were pre-death? In other words, is Lightsong Llarimar's Cognitive Shadow stapled to his body with a Divine Breath?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, they are. (The evidence in the books is Lightsong obtaining some of the memories his pre-death soul had.)
