Questioner
The nature of humans on different worlds, like people from Warbreaker have a Breath, people from Scadrial, do they have a Breath as well?
Brandon Sanderson
They do not.
Questioner
That's specific to the Endowment Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
Yup.
Questioner
I've read that Hoid does have a Breath. Was he born with a Breath or--
Brandon Sanderson
Hoid was not born on Taldain-- err Nalthis, on Nalthis. So no, he did not start with one. But the magic was much different when he started. He was before the Shattering of Adonalsium so things are weird regarding him.
Questioner
I have a question about Nightblood. I think I heard that-- Something you said in a Q&A that it is related to a Shardblade, or was a Shardblade?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah… So Nightblood. Vasher visited Roshar, saw Shardblades, came back and tried to make one. With what he knew of his magic. That's the short version of it. Kind of simplifies things, but yes.
Questioner
Why isn’t the next book about Szeth? He’s my favorite character and he only had /four/ chapters in the first book.
Brandon Sanderson
I know. Szeth-- The next book's not about Szeth because I didn't feel his backstory matched what was going on with this book well enough. I felt it matched Dalinar's.
Questioner 2
Is Szeth in the third book?
Brandon Sanderson
Szeth will appear in the third book yes.
Questioners
Yes!
Questioner 1
More than the other ones I hope?
Questioner 3
Does the sword corrupt him?
Brandon Sanderson
You'll have to see. *laughter* Where you're really going to get a lot of Szeth is Book 5. But you will see.
zas678
When Kaladin is Invested Stormlight specifically rises from his skin. When he is Lashed to a wall, what direction does it travel? Up to him, or to the world?
Brandon Sanderson
When he is Lashed to a wall where does the Stormlight go. So when it's puffing off him, and he's Lashed to a wall it will asc-- I think it will puff-- It will escape and go up.
zas678
Typical up.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, typical up.
zas678
Did Sel's early magic users have Aona's help in building Elantris?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO.
zas678
If Breeze, Dalinar, Sarene, and Shallan played a game of Apples to Apples, without powers or spren, who would win? *laughter*
Brandon Sanderson
Alright, alright, alright, alright. Name the people playing again.
zas678
Breeze, Dalinar, Sarene, Shallan.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, Jasnah. *laughter*
zas678
What would happen if Nightblood cut into a Shardpool?
Brandon Sanderson
Um, well I'm going to RAFO that for sure.
zas678
What would a larkin do on Scadrial around a metal?
Brandon Sanderson
A larkin on Sca-- It would have to-- *pause* I'm going to RAFO that. I mean I know what it would do, but let's let you see what larkins can do more.
zas678
Why can a human be affected by Surgebinding but metals within their bodies cannot be Pushed or Pulled?
Brandon Sanderson
They can be Pushed or Pulled, if you're strong enough.
zas678
So is it just the Innate Investiture--
Brandon Sanderson
The Innate Investiture is interfering with things. Like if you look at it this way: So you're Surgebinding someone, I am touching him and sending the power straight into him. There's difference between there's something inside of him that I'm messing with and going through?
zas678
If an Awakener went to Roshar and bled color from a gem, would this gem still hold Stormlight?
Brandon Sanderson
If an Awakener bled-- No it would-- Oh wait yes it would because a colorless gem could still hold Stormlight. It just would not have--
zas678
Would not have the properties of the original color.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, the color is integral to what's going on because molecularly some of these gems are the same except for the different coloring. The coloring is kind of what--
zas678
What defines what magic.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. It has to with fabrials and some of the effects, and that relates directly to the spren and what spren-- anyway.
zas678's sister
So it said in the book that if Marasi and Wayne had it on at the same time-- Would it cancel it out all the way, or would it just cancel out where both of the bubbles were?
Brandon Sanderson
Where both of the bubbles were.
zas678's sister
So it would be like a--
Brandon Sanderson
You could make a bubble in a bubble, yes. Third book of...[Era 2]...will have a moment where they try to do a time bubble in motion.
zas678
A bubble in a bubble.
Brandon Sanderson
Not that one, the motion one, so you'll finally get some views on what's going on. You get some rules on that.
zas678's sister
If someone ran into a time bubble, like from the outside into it, what would--
Brandon Sanderson
The moment they touch it they would be in it.
zas678's sister
If Wayne and Breeze, like if Wayne had a time bubble up and Breeze was inside Pushing on somebody's emotions what--
Brandon Sanderson
He could still make that work.
zas678's sister
Would it affect it?
Brandon Sanderson
Not really. It wouldn't dramatically affect it. You're going to have one of these sort-of effects-- Yeah, because what he is doing is on another Realm, it's not going to affect it.
zas678's sister
Is that the same with all of the *audio obscured*
Brandon Sanderson
Not necessarily. See what's going on is if you are affecting things on the Cognitive Realm--
zas678
It's kind of time-independent?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah? It's not as-- Really it's the Spiritual Realm that is completely time-independent, right? All time and space are irrelevant once you reach the Spiritual. You're kind of going to go over the top a little bit, it's going to work just fine. In fact you can probably-- So he could use that to make his metals last a little bit better, probably. So that is a hack of the magic systems that you could probably do.
Questioner
Did Kaladin’s name come from anywhere in particular?
Brandon Sanderson
No. I'm sure the word paladin was in the back of my head, but it's not like he shares much with like an actual paladin. His name was Merin in the initial version and it was-- it didn't work, he wasn't a Merin and all the fans-- all the readers were like "this name just doesn't work" so I spent years hunting for the right name for him, and that's the one I ended up with. It's really based-- it's Kalak, which is the Storm-- not really the Stormfather but people y'know. Most of the names you'll find are based off one of the Heralds in some way. So he's KALA + DIN, Kalak and din is a suffix.
Isaac Stewart
We do have a meaning for it though. Can I tell them the meaning?
Brandon Sanderson
Ehhh, have we canonized it?
Isaac Stewart
We have canonized it, and we have told people before.
Brandon Sanderson
Then yeah.
Isaac Stewart
It means "Born unto Eternity".
Brandon Sanderson
...I mean, it means that in the same way that names mean something, like my name means-- But when they're naming him that they aren't thinking that. What they are doing is picking one of the Heralds and making a name out of it. But my name technically means "Dweller by the Beacon", but really what it means is "He was the son of Alexander".
Questioner
Does Shai become a worldhopper in The Emperor's Soul?
Brandon Sanderson
Not in the actual book The Emperor's Soul.
Questioner
But in the future?
Brandon Sanderson
*silence*
Questioner
RAFO?
Questioner
Could a Forger re-write their history to adjust the kind of metal they burn as an Allomancer?
Brandon Sanderson
They could, but it actually wouldn't do anything, because the magic would not be able to replicate the other magic.
Questioner
So they would not be able to re-write history in the necessary way?
Brandon Sanderson
They would not be able to. I mean they could, but it wouldn’t have an effect, does that make sense? It would do nothing, it would be like you can create the stamp, the stamp would look like it was working but you just wouldn't end up with Allomancy.
Questioner
Do other Shards have [intents?] like Honor with the Heralds and [Odium] with the Unmade?
Brandon Sanderson
Do others have things like that?
Questioner
Yeah.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, there are other things like that.
Questioner
Could you Awaken a Shardblade?
Brandon Sanderson
Uhhhhhh yes but it would reeeeeaaaalllllllyyyyy hard. Theoretically possible.
Questioner
Hypothetically could Nightblood Splinter a Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
Uh, Splintering a Shard takes more power than Nightblood has.
Questioner
The Letter in Part 2 of The Way of Kings, is that written to the Survival Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
To the what?
Questioner
The Survival Shard.
Brandon Sanderson
No.
Questioner
The cover of, the front cover of any Way of Kings books, there's the little engraving, are those Honorblades?
They are the symbols of the various orders of Knights Radiant stylized as Honor-- as Shardblades.
Questioner
Oh, okay. That makes a lot more sense, because I've seen the symbols on the back...
Brandon Sanderson
*pointing at the book* So it's this symbol right here is the same symbol as this.
Questioner
Right, it's just a little more expanded and stuff down the blade. Wow.
chasmfriend's daughter
What does Glys look like?
Brandon Sanderson
I have intentionally not told you.
chasmfriend
Wow, okay.
Brandon Sanderson
*pause* It is pretty relevant, what Glys looks like.
chasmfriend's friend
How about, how many worlds has Vasher visited?
Brandon Sanderson
How many worlds has Vasher visited? He has visited fewer than half-a-dozen, so fewer than six.
chasmfriend
Who is Lady Truth?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, who do you think Lady Truth is?
chasmfriend
Tindwyl is who I hope it is. *long silence* Why is that a secret?
Brandon Sanderson
Because there are certain things I am not sure how much more I want to say in the books, or how much things-- So it's not that it needs to be a secret or something big and mysterious is happening, but it's because if I speak now I risk undermining things that I might do and I don't want to risk that even if there's a decent chance that whatever I say won't have anything to do with it. So a lot of times my RAFO's are "I know the answer to this, it's not a big secret, but I am not ready to just pin it down". Does that make sense? You've already pried a couple important things out of me so...
chasmfriend's son
Is there a finite amount of Investiture?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
chasmfriend's son
So is Nightblood consuming it?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. Very, very slowly.
chasmfriend's friend (Paraphrased)
My friend asked for Brandon to write something about Harmony in her Alloy of Law.
Brandon Sanderson
There's another name Harmony could go by if he weren't able to control the conflict between his halves… *to Zas* Have you guys figured that one out yet? Oh, I'm not going to say anything. You have it on recording… I was pretty sneaky with that one so I don't know if you have it or not.
chasmfriend
*written* Why did Vasher Return? What did he want to accomplish?
Brandon Sanderson
You know what you’re going to get in this one.
chasmfriend
I have a feeling. That's okay.
Brandon Sanderson
Come on, someone I'm going to write another book about?
chasmfriend
But that's in the past though, right?
Brandon Sanderson
It is, but his past is-- It is a good question. It is an important, relevant question, relevant to who he is.
Questioner
Are you going to do another book for Perfect State? ‘Cause that sucked me in.
Brandon Sanderson
A lot of people really want more.
Questioner
It made me so mad. "Stop writing novellas! I need more information on this."
Brandon Sanderson
The big secret on that is that Sophie, the one-- is actually his nemesis. So the robot was not actually a robot, it was a VR thing that she was controlling...
Questioner
So are you going to write another?
Brandon Sanderson
I don't know if I will, I don't know if I will. So you didn't actually get to see Melhi, his nemesis getting to play with him in-person and things like that. So there's layers there that are kind of complicated.
Questioner
Like even with the cosmere novella you released Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, that one I was like "Why are these so short?!" I'm not used to this.
Brandon Sanderson
That world is important to the cosmere, so that world-- Silence herself you won't see any much more of, but that world itself is very cosmere relevant.
little wilson
Are Ruin and Preservation separate in Sazed or are they fully combined together like can he give one of them, or does he have to give both.
Brandon Sanderson
They are not fully combined. I mean that's not the way this works. He could pull off a piece of one even and make-- stuff like that. That's totally, totally viable. I mean it's basically what happened with the spren. The spren existed before even Honor was destroyed and things like that.
little wilson
So, did the-- my gosh, on Sel-- the Aons-- not the Aons-- the seons did they exist before the Splintering?
Brandon Sanderson
They did not. That's a good question. But they are not the majority of the power. They're just little pieces, they are like the sparks when something gets destroyed. The sparks are not the majority but they are the sparks that were thrown off, if that makes sense?
little wilson
Are Trellism and Trelagism the same religion?
Brandon Sanderson
Uuhheha, that's a RAFO too.
little wilson
Is it the same god in both?
Brandon Sanderson
Let's just say that… who Trell is and what happened is a matter of some interest in the cosmere and amusement to me.
little wilson
Which eye did Gaz lose?
Brandon Sanderson
Which eye did Gaz lose? Did I go back and forth on that?
little wilson
I have no idea.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, that's a Peter. I thought it was the left eye but if i did it wrong… It's entirely possible. I have no idea. It's in my notes.
little wilson
How did he lose it?
Brandon Sanderson
Well that is a RAFO! That is definitely a RAFO.
little wilson
Can a Mistborn turned into a Lifeless still use Allomancy?
Brandon Sanderson
*long-ish pause* Uh, no.
little wilson
So I would assume that is the same for a Feruchemist?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah if you-- taking some-- Yeah. No they can't.
little wilson
Can a Shardblade-killed body be turned into a Lifeless?
Brandon Sanderson
Can a Shardblade-killed body be turned into a Lifeless. Yeees, it can be re-Invested. Yes.
little wilson
Are there any side-effects to doing so?
Brandon Sanderson
Uhhh, there would be side-effects. I won't tell you what they are. They would be minor, minor, mostly inconsequential side-effects.
Questioner
The effects of trellium on the bendalloy? Those are going to RAFO'd
Brandon Sanderson
They are. I'm sorry. These are the sorts of things the future series will be dealing with.
Questioner
Will we ever see anything else of Shai?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, someday-- You may not see another novella of the same style but you will at least see her in books somewhere.
Questioner 1
Can you tell me the name of Dalinar's wife?
Brandon Sanderson
Well… I can but I'm not going to, because it's not that big a deal but it is something for him in the books. I would just rather you read it in the books, but you will find out.
Questioner 2
Will it be in the third book?
Brandon Sanderson
Well in the flashbacks he doesn't have that issue so when you see her from his viewpoint in the flashbacks he can say her name and he can hear it. So the flashbacks involve him meeting her and things like that, so you'll know her name then. And it's not like some big secret like "Oh her name--" but I would rather you just read it there.
Questioner
How do koloss breed with humans, because you say in Alloy of Law that one of the--
Brandon Sanderson
What happens is the koloss breed with each other and a koloss-blooded is the result, because a koloss needs the Hemalurgic spikes to make them full koloss. So if two koloss breed you get a koloss-blooded, which is basically a human with some weird genetics in them and if they choose to go through the transformation to full koloss they will become one.
Questioner
So you initially said that you had started the first third [of Shadows of Self] and then you took a break for two years.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, mmhmm
Questioner
I kind of get the feeling that in the first third The Set was supposed to be the Big Bad villain of the second book and then you massaged it into the kandra. Is that the case or--
Brandon Sanderson
No the kandra was always planned as the second book villain. When I sat down to do the outline of the three, that is when I decided-- So yeah it was the kandra. The big change is that Marasi wasn't working at all, that's probably one of the reasons I stopped it. I had to rebuild her from the get go in that one, and she works much better in the revision. I was pushing her in the first draft more toward lawyer/attorney stuff and it just wasn't working, it's not where she wanted to go.
Questioner
Not to bring up Rithmatist, do you think it is just going to be the two books or--
Brandon Sanderson
I plotted it at three, so it is probably going to be The Rithmatist, The Aztlanian, and then I-- The Nebraskian? But I have to find some goofy thing so it's not necessarily Nebraskan...
Questioner
So are any characters, like Vasher, going to be in any of your other books?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, Vasher is in Words of Radiance.
Questioner
Yeah, I knew he was in Words of Radiance. Is he going to show up more in that? Have more importance?
Brandon Sanderson
He is not going to have a huge role, he'll have a little one. Normally I try to confine people who are interfering in other series to their own series, if that makes sense?
Questioner 1
I just notice that in the newer Mistborns that some of the older Mistborns, on the metals, aren't there a couple metals that are missing?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. There are. They didn't quite understand the-- all things, just like we don't understand all science, and as the series progresses you will see that table become even more intricate as it becomes more and more scientific.
Questioner 2
So this series is a step modernized? I've only read the original.
Brandon Sanderson
This one is a step modernized, still all the magic and stuff, but it's kind of mixing gunslinging and Allomancy. There's going to be another series that's going to be 1980's level technology where you'll really see things start to modernize, and then there's a science fiction series. Eventually.
Questioner
If you were to place yourself in the... what Knight Radiant-- what Radiant Order would you be?
Brandon Sanderson
Mmmmm.
Questioner
It's a hard question.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah that is a hard question. I probably naturally, I think the best fit would be Lightweaver but it could be Bondsmith depending on what mood I'm in. You'll have to read that one… Dalinar becomes one at the end.
Questioner
We don't know much about them yet. What do they do? There's only three though, right?
Brandon Sanderson
Right now? There's-- yeah. But there's also Lift, who's an Edgedancer--
Questioner
No, I mean three Bondsmiths.
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, yeah. There aren't very many, ever.
Questioner
How hard is it to write about the death of a character? Like when you wrote about Kelsier, and Vin had to go through the aftermath--
Brandon Sanderson
It's, to me, pretty hard. The thing is, it's harder for me in the planning because by the time I reach it in the books I'm usually well-prepped for it because I'm an outliner so I know before I start. It's not like in the moment. Once in awhile, I'll have to go and rebuild the outline, y'know, this person has to not make it but usually I know it very early on. But it can be hard, for sure. But it helps like, that I know their whole life, you know what I mean? I don't just get the glimpse of the story, I know everything about them. And you do know that there are hints of Kelsier in Book 3 Mistborn, he was around doing some stuff.
ccstat
Prior to Words of Radiance, when did Wit last get a hug?
Brandon Sanderson
It had been a long time.
ccstat
Does the Everstorm deposit crem? If so, is it the same as highstorm crem?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
KalynaAnne (Paraphrased)
I asked for something about Kaladin.
Brandon Sanderson
Kaladin has known multiple Lightweavers.
ccstat
In Shallan's drawings during the course of The Way of Kings, she sees multiple Cryptics. Were there other Cryptics accompanying Pattern in those drawings?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
ccstat
Were they approving of Pattern's choices.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. The Cryptics are much like what is happening with Lift, where there is more of a conscious effort on their part. As opposed to what is happening with Syl or Jasnah where there is hesitance. What the Cryptics are driven to do is in part because of what a few of their members have been experimenting with.
ccstat
Vasher uses Awakening in a very interesting way, off-stage, to modify the memories of the girl he rescues. Can Hemalurgy do the same thing if used carefully?
Brandon Sanderson
*long pause* No, I don't really think that it can. Nobody has asked that before, but just looking at the way the magics work, I don't think that is something that Hemalurgy is capable of doing.
ccstat
Have you considered publishing the rules for Tarachin?
Brandon Sanderson
...I have not, but it's possible.
ccstat
Can a skilled Smoker choose what they mask?
Brandon Sanderson
No one's figured that out yet.
