In The Hero of Ages, Demoux gets together with a woman named Aslydin. He's then seen on Roshar in The Way of Kings. Knowing how loyal Demoux is, he wouldn't just leave Aslydin behind like that. Is she connected to his reasons for becoming a member of the Seventeenth Shard?
Aslydin is in the Seventeeth Shard, and had her own work to be about. I've given subtle clues about her before, but the ethnicity of the name should strike you.
I'm fairly invested in the pairings of The Stormlight Archive, with my favourite being Jasnah/Szeth. Do either of these two have any romance planned in their future?
I am purposefully vague about upcoming romantic pairings in my books, because most of the characters would not want to be defined by their romantic inclinations--and at the top of that list is Jasnah. So I'll remain quiet on this one for now. Sorry.
On Scadrial, humans were created as a result of the deal between Preservation and Ruin. But what about the rest of the humans on the other worlds of the Cosmere?
It's split. Some predate the shattering; others were created. The humans that existed before were always a model, which is why they're so similar to one another.
You recently changed up the text of Elantris and Words of Radiance. Do you feel like you need to change something about the Mistborn trilogy? I think it's perfect
I've expressed that my one regret with Mistborn is the climax of Book One, where I think I bring in drawing upon the mists too early in the series without enough foreshadowing. That said, I'm not planning to revise it, even if we do a 10th anniversary edition like with Elantris. The problems with Elantris created continuity issues; the problem with Mistborn is more of an artistic choice, making it similar to the problem in WoR. The difference here is that I'm still working on Stormlight, so it is considered to be an open book in my head--while Mistborn is done, and it's time to leave it alone.
You've said previously that the molecular structure of metals serve to act sort of like the Aons in AonDor. Why, then, can mists power Allomancy? Shouldn't the metals themselves be the things causing the powers? And if metals don't cause the effect, how can a non-Feruchemist burn a metalmind that has been 'unlocked' through identity tricks and get a boost of an attribute without Feruchemist sDNA?
I was trying to figure out how to answer this, and then I realized while driving to get a hair cut that you were regarding this wrong in a fundamental way. Remember, the source of power for Allomancy is EXTERNAL while the source for Feruchemy is INTERNAL. This is a fundamental difference discussed in the series.
When you burn metals, you're drawing power from another place. When you tap a metalmind, you are drawing power that the person has created--a battery developed by themselves, so to speak.
So I think that's going to answer the source of your confusion.
Does hair that is still attached to a person's head get cut if a Shardblade passes through it? If not, if that person had the Royal Locks could they change the color of the hair "below" the cut?
Yes, hair gets cut. It counts as dead in my mind--but not to someone who has the Royal Locks. They could only change below, as you state, and wouldn't get their hair chopped off. (I'm not 100% sure on this, but I Think I've mentioned in Stormlight before that you can cut things like shells on living animals with a Shardblade, but then it doesn't cut the flesh.)
With the Royal Locks, the individual would be able to change the color in the bit between the cut and the scalp? (In my original question I had meant "below" to mean the bit between the cut and the end whereas your answer uses it the opposite, I think?)
Distance between scalp and cut, yes you can change that. Otherwise every time you got a haircut, you wouldn't be able to change the hair. Maybe I don't get your question.
So just for clarity's sake is the following correct:
Let's say Siri's hair is two feet long. A shardblade passes through the hair exactly in the middle ("dividing" the hair into two one-foot sections). In your previous answer you said that while usually the shardblade would just sever the hair (leaving only a foot attached to the head) with the Royal locks the entire two feet would remain attached but only the foot on the "head" side of the cut would be able to change color.
Thank you, I just want to make sure there is zero doubt in what is actually going on.
I did misinterpret your original question. As a shardblade cut is likely to be wider than a piece of hair, I doubt you could cut the royal locks lengthwise.
What if the Throne of Idris passed to someone who was not the child of the monarch? Like if they were the niece or nephew of the previous monarch. Their parent would not have passed on the Royal Locks to them, but if they gained the throne would they spontaneously manifest the Royal Locks? Would their children if they were born before?
This will be discussed in the Warbreaker sequel, most likely.
Is the Well of Ascension Preservation’s Perpendicularity? Or at least related to it (i.e. one is in the Physical Realm but the other is in the Cognitive but are still essentially different aspects of the same “thing”)?
You're on the right track.
Where is Hoids flute and does he want it back
Sadeas had it.
Yes.
If I wanted to Hemalurgically acquire a power from First of the Sun, which metal would the spike need to be?
This is going to be pretty complicated, but several metals would work.
Would it involve Connection between the person being spiked and the bird?
Well it would be even harder than on Roshar, where you need to somehow spike the spren and also the Radiant. You would need to spike the bird and steal the power, but also spike the person and steal Connection.
Are all hordelings cremlings and vise versa?
Cremling is a synonym in Roshar for both, insect and small crustation, right? And so you would see one and you would see that's a little crayfish. Cremling is not an exact term if that makes sense. It's like bug. The word "bug" people can use to mean a lot of different things.[...] So, yes, they look like cremlings, because they've been bred to look like cremlings, so they will not be noticed on Roshar, but there are hordelings that do not look like cremlings. But they would still be called a cremling by the people on Roshar. The occasional people (?) used the word insect, 'cause that word does exist on Roshar. Usually make refers to like little flying bugs that you only find in the very far west of Roshar near the mountains, but yeah.
Does creating unsealed metalmind involve Feruchemical duralumin?
(hesitating)...Yes. I will write it all out for you eventually. I want to get at least one more book done, then you find out exactly why and how.
Because I was pretty confused about the Investiture and Spiritweb...
Here is the reason I'm kind of hesitant of this, [why not you just RAFO this one right now], but it is not a RAFO, because it is like it's a secret. I want to write it out exactly how it happens, because I have it in my notes in bullet points and it's complicated, right? Cause I want some of the things in the magic system as be as complicated as for instance explaining how a computer works right now. You can do it, but you know...I want the magic to start getting that technical if that makes sense. When you say "involve", right, that's a big word. Why just don't you let me, after lost metal...if I haven't released it, you have permission to come to me and say: "Brandon, you said you would release this, you haven't yet [...]" and I will give to you the bullet point flowchart of how you build the unkeyed metalminds.
The people in the Central Dominance speak a sort of French accent. Is that still the case in the Wax&Wayne era?
It has mostly changed. I mean there are still some French regions, but there are some Germanic regions also and things. It is no longer just the same positioning, it's more kind of, well, like your family heritage and things like that.
The placement of Taldain, the solar system, was it done by someone?
So...Taldain, yes.
Has it to do with the travel in the Cognitive Realm?
Not 100%. That's a side effect
Do you think that if Ashe had seen Ien in Elantris while he was there...Do you think he would have recognized him?
Yes.
Will there be a major part in the story for the Sleepless?
Yes, but much later on.
What means later on?
Well, they have a major role in the science fiction Mistborn trilogy, but that's pretty far off. So they will be very important very much later on.
Hoid was once offered a Shard, but he refused it, right?
Yes.
Was it right after the Shattering?
Yes. It was during the events. I wouldn't necessarily say "right after", it was during this process. I would say this is a RAFO before I finish writing at that time. (Not sure if I understood the last sentence right, but I think that's what he said)
And who took this Shard instead?
RAFO.
In Warbreaker: the magic system is really visual, and when heightened people are around, the colours get really saturated and I was wondering about blind people or colour blind people. How can they percieve the effects of Investiture?
Their minds would interpret it in a way that works for them. Their brain would come up with some way to interpret the sensory they're getting. And so the colour blind... The colours are still going to saturate, but saturate in a way that they can tell. Not being colour blind it is really hard for me to describe. But I read about it, and at least that's the rule I have for myself in the head. For an actual blind person this is going to be a magic system that's harder to use. Just having a disability, unfortunatly. But it also gives perfect pitch, and I think that partially their auditory senses would compensate to a degree, but it's going to be a harder magic system to use. I'm sure they could find a way to work around it.
(...) like Hoid saying he got his life as words on a page.
It can be taken both ways, but it is actually literal. I'm not sure how much I can say about this, but... Let's say that it's referencing where he got his nickname/pseudonym.
I thought he maybe stole a character from a book and (hid himself? indistinctive...)
It is something like that. People think it's like a big wink breaking the 4th wall, but at the time I was just looking back at his past and wanted something I could say that is esoteric and referenced his past.
There's a scene where you can see from the perspective of Nan Balat, Shallan's brother, where he's maiming an insect. It's described as soothing his aches. Is that in any way related to how Kaladin feels depressed and down during the Weeping even in his early childhood?
What's happening to Nan Balat is magically enhanced. What's happening to Kaladin is mostly just chemical depression. Be he is really too young to be diagnosed with depression during some of these events, but he's got the seeds in there. So Kaladin is not magically depressed. Kaladin is just legitimatly a person with depression. Nan Balat... What's up with him is... ah... being exaggerated by certain forces moving in on Roshar. (last bit is a bit indistinctive)
In the later eras of Scadrial, will there be Metal music and will Hoid like it?
Yes and yes. I am planning a protagonist who's a metalhead for a book, not a Cosmere book. We'll see if I ever get around to doing that.
Will we see any more of David and Megan in the future?
It is likely that you will. If I write another book directly following, it will be about Mizzy. So she would be the main viewpoint character, and you would see the others in relation but it would be her story.
Would Kelsier approve of what Taravangian is doing?
No. He would not. He would understand it, but he would disapprove.
Do you have any plans on showing what's happened to Kelsier after Secret History?
I do have plans. I cannot guarantee it, it's a side project, but I do have plans.
You said that there were some things in the Cosmere that happened accidentally. What was one of them?
Shard pools is a good example. So when I started writing Elantris I knew I would have these concentrations of power. But I didn't know how I'm going to use them exactly. Like what's the connection... This was way at the beginning. By the time I had Mistborn, I knew all this. I knew I had a well of power there. What does it do? Shardpools are a good example of writing into the story and figuring out how the magic works bei actually playing with it.
And how does Copper compounding work? Memories can't really get (indistinct...)
Let's just say that some sorts of compounding are more effective than others.
You have this technical approach to Allomantic powers. But Feruchemy seems to me very different. So it's not very logical that you can store up health. What is health?
Well. I feel that it is. But it has its own definitions. In the Cosmere perception - I don't know if you know...
Yeah.
... it really affects... It's kind of more like a concept of heallth. The idea of your body's ability to recuperate quickly. The magic system translates to your body's ability to match your spiritual self. When that is depleted, your body in the Cosmere starts to stray (? a bit indistinctive in the recording). Foreign things can get into it, diseases get into you, and your spirit can get a little more corrupted. Your body getting corrupted, your spirit's not getting corrupted. You get it, and it makes you extra connected to your spiritual sense. Your body moves to match it closely and better.
So the same about speed and ...
Those are a little different. But each has their little behind the scenes explanation for myself. The problem is... The physics of it is very Cosmere-physics for Feruchemy, whereas for Allomancy it's a lot more out world physics with a different power source. We're changing that. But the physics do work for me. But obviously it's magic, so I'm breaking them anyway.
How did you come up with the idea of evil librarians?
Because I thought it was so funny. I picked the thing I thought was the most ridicilous. They are super crazy. That's the goal. Just do something very different.
About the character he enjoys writing the most
Probably Wayne
We've been wondering how to exactly pronounce Sazed.
Inworld people say both. Kelsier says Say-zed, Sazed says something like Sayzed. (Sorry, I have no idea how to transcribe it ^^ Kelsier's intonation is more on the second syllable, whereas Sazed himself says it more in a slur?)
Glys, Renarin's Spren, is he a Cultivation Spren?
RAFO.
Could you say that he is equally bonded to a different entitiy/to a different Shard like Sylphrena is bonded to Honor?
You're asking... Is his like the windspren?
I mean allegion to his aspect.
Are you still talking about Glys?
Yes. Sylphrena is like 100% of Honor. Is Glys like 100% anything?
RAFO.
When Adolin snapped, I noticed your wording. Those... The term snapping...
No. Good question. He did not gain Allomantic abilities.
Well - Spren bonding abilities...?
Well no. That was not used magically.
Who's Senna?
RAFO.
Could you spike a hordeling?
Yes. Spike means getting something out, spike means get(ting?) something in? I think that both is viable. I think you can, yeah.
If you would spike something in, would the whole Aimian get maybe an Allomantic ability?
Mostly, this would probably change the hordeling. And they may lose contact to it. It could fiddle with the Connection to the point that they can no longer link. That's gonna be my answer right now, that spiking a hordeling would separate it from the group mind.
You recently compared the Aon Dor to a programming language of some sorts. Could you actually go one step further and build something like a curcuit board?
The difficultiy with all of that is that you have got to remember that the magic as they understand it right now only works based on Elantrian intention and activation. There were basically these sorts of things, but the switch has to be flipped by an Elantrian. Those things existed in Elantris.
It's just that I think that Elantris itself could be some sort of a really big circuit board.
That may be a little too far for what Elantris is, but there are places in Elantris which are just what you are describing.
I think I am one of the few people who really like Elhokar. He's a king who actually asks a lowly Darkeyes two times how to be a good ruler. What's your opinion on him?
I think Elhokar is maligned by a lot of people. He was put in a hard situation, inheriting from a really great king and having a really domineering uncle. He is a little arrogant, a little full of himself, but thats natural for his position. And I am very fond of Elhokar.
The visions Dalinar gets in WoK always struck me as odd - you don't just look at the past, you are able to act within this experience. Now we know that Gavilar was also on the way to being a Bondsmith - was he acting in a different way? Were the visions only basically the same but different in the end depending on the personal reactions? Is this something like a test?
He did see the same visions. They were the same thing. But... I will say that his reaction to them were very different from Dalinar's reactions to them. Anyway it was difficult for the Stormfather without a bond to determine/to tell the difference between very easily. When Spren are bonded, they gain a lot more ability to understand the world around then, so you'll find out soon more stuff about this in the third book.
At the end of “Alloy of Law” Marsh tells Marasi he is giving the diary to Wax because “.. he does my brother's work”. At this time it was a reminder of Kelsier, but with Secret History and the third book out why does Marsh think we need someone to do his brother's work? Isn't Kelsier doing that himself?
Well. (laughs) Marsh is of multiple minds on what's happening with Kelsier at this time. When he's referencing his brother's work, he's specifically tells Marasi speaking to the lore of the Survivor. Like he's specifically talking to somebody, and he does believe this. He may not think that Kelsier is doing Kelsier's work anymore. But that depends on... You will see interaction between Marsh and Kelsier in the future.
Did the Shattering of Adonalsium have a chance of a breakdown of the magic system on the planet of its creation?
There was an effect. Breakdown might not be the exact right phrase, but it could fit, but there was definitely an effect.
Would there be a new effect if an Allomancer burned the metal of Paalm's spike?
RAFO. Excellent question
Is Endowment agreeable with the Nalthesian using her gift to feed the Returned?
Yes.
What with the deaths of Denth, Shashara and Arsteel - I can't see them giving their Divine Breath away. Isn't this the reason why they Return?
That's a RAFO, obviously.
And there's one last question if I may: I'm really into swords and such. I couldn't help but notice king Elhokar's Blade. It's just... All the others are ornamented, and they may have some glyphs, but it is the only one where it is explicitly it is told that there are ten fundamental glyphs on it which are the glyphs of the orders. I read some of the chapters from Dalinar from Unfettered II, and I know how he got it for Elhokar. Is there also some more backstory to this Blade?
There's a backstory to every Blade and every one of them is special, that's the problem. But I will be exploring the origins of some of the Blades. Eventually. Not a ton, but a little bit.
As it is ornamented in such a way... Could it be related to a Bondsmith?
Bondsmiths didn't have Blades.
All of them? It's just... Maybe it was just the Stormfather...
No. That's a really good guess. Really good guess. I'm gonna RAFO Bondsmiths because you gonna learn a lot about them in the next book because it's the Bondsmith's book. That's a really good theory, but it's not true.
But maybe there is at least something to it.
But there's a reason to it, why it has all the 10 orders.
Would it actually be enough to get to Silverlight University for an application or do you need to...
Oh no lots of people live there. It would not just be enough to get there. There are actually people in the city. It's a fully functional city.
Another “physics” question: We have the Surges of Cohesion and Tension. And I'm really not sure what the difference is in that.
You'll see when I do this. It's a RAFO. And I play with them anyway a little differently in each order anyway. So what they do... I'll let you figure it out.
It's just like when you enhance the tension of a water surface... (..)
Surface tension is what you're talking about. I'm gonna RAFO. But you're theorizing in correct directions.
The Division Surge: does it actually split atoms or does it split the bonds of molecules?
It splits the bonds of molecules, it does not split atoms.
That would be completely overpowered.
I have done an atom splitting magic originally in Dragonsteel. And wooow it was overpowered. So really, this is fiddling... You'll see what it does when I use it, but we'll not be splitting atoms. We're not creating nuclear reactio... or fission, so.
I'm looking for a Nightblood drawing for a tattoo but i can't find any official artwork.
We don't have any official artwork. Ben McSweeny may have made some sketches of his own, so if you contact him on reddit he is 'Inkthinker'. He does a lot of the sketchbook pages. If you look in this for the one who did Shallan's sketchbook he might have one that he's done on his own, tell him he can send it to you if he has one, I think he might have one but we don't have an official yet.
How would - just really generally - the Ghostbloods react if they found or met Hoid?
(laughs) They... Some people among them know of him.
So they know he's around.
Some of them do, not everybody. But they are aware of his existence. At least in lore, they don't always... Not all of them have connected the King's Wit to this person's lore, does that make sense? So what would they know? They'd probably want to get him and interrogate him. They would want to know what he knows, but he is really slippery and it's hard to get out of him what he knows.
I was wondering if the Chasmfiends have... like their own Gemhearts...
Yes.
It's probably not a coincidence that emeralds that can hold most of the Stormlight. So are Chasmfiends, do they take energy from Stormlight?
Yes, yes, yes, yes. That's part.
So there is a huge energy source there, they can supply it with eating so...
It is actually most beneficial during their metamorphisis, as you'll notice that the chrysalises are not as big as they get, and so yeah. They depend on the Stormlight and they depend on the Spren that they are bonded to keep them from crushing themselves. So Chasmfiends couldn't exist off world for multiple reasons.
I'm guessing that for Chasmfiends the absorption of Stormlight is different because there is a whole shell thing that is thick.
Yup, yup.
I was wondering: Stormlight doesn't cross walls, because people put their spheres outside. But it crosses the glass of the spheres. Is that material dependent or...
It's thickness dependent. In the third book there's actually a little place where it's mentioned. Some people put it right inside a little, kind of thin rock portion and the Stormlight can still reach it. So I did that quite intentionally.
Will there be possibly any books which play on Yolen?
Yeah, the Dragonsteel books will be on Yolen. And it's possible that Yolen will be involved later on
