Questioner
I’m a big fan of Jasnah. And I hope you’ll do her justice in the next book. Do you say it “Jasnah” or “Jasnah”? [different pronunciations]
Brandon Sanderson
I say “Jasnah” [soft-J], but you can say it however you want. Remember she’s got a--- she will get a book in the series that has her flashback sequence--
Questioner
Good!
Brandon Sanderson
--but it’s a little ways off.
Questioner
Does she get a [???]?
Brandon Sanderson
She will-- She… You will see a lot more of her, but she is intended to be one of the main characters of the second five Stormlight books. In the first five Stormlight books she’s a supporting character. So we’ll reverse some of the supporting characters and some of the main characters in book 6. Um… So you just gotta to wait until we get some more. But she is on the cover of book 3, so...
Questioner
Is being a Knight Radiant at all genetic? Because you have Jasnah, Dalinar, and Renarin in the same family.
Brandon Sanderson
It is not genetic, however… Um… Families or people close to one another are more likely. It’s not genetic. So for instance, if everyone were adopted it would still have the same prevalence.
Questioner
Okay, fascinating!
Questioner
[interruption hard to hear]
Brandon Sanderson
Well, there are a couple of reasons for that. One is which, attracting the attention of a spren can mean that other spren are paying attention to that area. There are also things in the Cosmere (the shared universe of them) where people are connected spiritually. Um… and that’s part of the magic as well. So… You are more likely to become a Radiant if you know a Radiant.
Questioner
Out of all the magic systems, do you have a favorite?
Brandon Sanderson
Allomancy.
Questioner
In Sixth of the Dusk, the Aviar, they [ate all those worms]. What happens if someone else eats the worms on Patji? Do they get powers?
Brandon Sanderson
Has-- It doesn’t work for a human. They’ve tried that. But there might be something more there.
Questioner
In the Stormlight Archive we saw the sword from Warbreaker and we also know that the royal line can change more than just their hair, will that come into play?
Brandon Sanderson
They can! What’s that?
Questioner
...will that come into play?
Brandon Sanderson
That will come into play, keep your eyes open.
ccstat
We know that recording things can lock spren into position in the cognitive realm. Does the existence of the written Diagram have a significant Realmatic effect.
Brandon Sanderson
The Diagram has Realmatic significance.
ccstat
Did Taravangian know that when he wrote it?
Brandon Sanderson
Define “know.” On the same level perhaps that a table on Roshar knows it’s a table.
ccstat
Nalthis has 5-centric numerology.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay.
ccstat
Do regular humans count as the 5th type of biochromatic entity?
Brandon Sanderson
[laughs] Um, I will RAFO that, not for any real good reason, but for a mini-good reason.
ccstat
(written in book: Is there a radiant order that would accept Allomancer Jak?)
Brandon Sanderson
(written in book: It would depend on the spren, but possibly. There are a few that would have liked him once...)
There’s some portent in that answer.
ccstat
(written in book: Do oathgates obey physical realm speed-of-light constraints?)
Brandon Sanderson
(written in book: Nope! Good question.)
We are playing fast and loose with causality.
Questioner
I’m curious, are the red eyes in The Bands of Mourning also linked to Odium?
Brandon Sanderson
There’s a similar thing happening, but it may not be the link you expect.
Questioner
Lopen. Is he a squire, or does he actually have a spren?
Brandon Sanderson
He’s a squire. You’ll find out a lot more about what the squires are in the upcoming book. For most orders, squire were knights radiant potentially in training, so you can see what happens in the next book.
Questioner
(Paraphrased) [Something about treating religion fairly]
Brandon Sanderson
I feel that a story is best when there are multiple people with strong viewpoints who disagree.
Questioner
In a lot of books, religion is the weakness.
Brandon Sanderson
I always hate it when there’s a character in a book who expresses an opinion I have, and they’re the idiot.
Questioner
Szeth, can he or will he use both a spren Shardblade and Nightblood at the same time?
Brandon Sanderson
He will be using Nightblood, the rest is a RAFO
Questioner
First, I have a message from my older brother
Brandon Sanderson
Okay
Questioner
He says, "just tell him that Szeth is the man, and he expects a bloody revenge story, where he whoops off all the heads of all the Shin guys who still have honorblades
Brandon Sanderson
Tell him that Szeth is anticipating that too.
Questioner
Why does Stormlight make things cold?
Brandon Sanderson
It’s not the Stormlight, it’s condensation because something is going directly from a gas into a solid. The coldness is caused by that, it’s not necessarily that the Stormlight is making things cold, but that the Shardblade is condensing.
Steeldancer
The Heralds, back before Honor died, were they directly powered by Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. You’ll find out more about that, but the Shardblades [pretty sure he means Honorblades here] were pieces of Honor’s soul that he gave them and direct access to his essence.
Steeldancer
Like Vin and Elend?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, a little like that. That’s why Honorblades don’t work like Shardblades do, like Radiants do.
Steeldancer
The second part of the question is, what would happen if they were directly powered by Honor and they were holding Nightblood?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Steeldancer
Hoid. Does he have more unkeyed metalminds?
Brandon Sanderson
Hoid has access to lots of different things, so, yes he does.
Questioner
How do you keep your characters’ voices distinctive? Because Jordan is terrible, all the women sound exactly the same, but you don’t.
Brandon Sanderson
It’s weird. Character is the one I have the hardest time talking about. I’m naturally an outliner and planner for everything but my characters. What I do is, I cast my characters. I put a person in this role and I write a scene from their viewpoint and, if it is distinctive and it works, I go with it. If not, I set it aside and I try some other personality until I get something that feels distinctive, and then I use that chapter as a model. Anytime I’m going to go back to that character, I go back to that chapter like, this is who they are. Later on, I’ll have touchstone chapters where they change and I’ll use that one instead.
rjl
If Red investiture = co-opted by another Shard, what about the Thrill?
Brandon Sanderson
Kind of.
Aurimus
Did any Shards remain on Yolen post-Shattering? If so, how many?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
rjl
The voidspren for stormform were red, were they originally of Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
Nope.
rjl
Is Shallash/Ash going to be a Dustbringer? (So Dalinar's count can be all 10 orders)
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
Aurimus
Is the liquid in the Well of Ascension Invested mercury? What is the chemical composition of lerasium + atium?
Brandon Sanderson
No.
RAFO!
Brandon Sanderson
There's one of the Knights that has sworn not exactly what people think.
Questioner
How do the Knights establish leadership in their ranks? Was it a democracy?
Brandon Sanderson
It is different for every Order. Some are more democratic than others.
Questioner
Now that jet lag is a thing in Roshar, what is the time difference between Shinovar and the Shattered Plains.
Brandon Sanderson
I'm gonna do what I call a PAFO, which is: my assistant Peter is the one who tracks all of that. I have offloaded that to him. I used to keep all that stuff in my brain, but I just don't have space. Ask Peter.
Questioner
Let's say Lift got a hold of Szeth's Honorblade? Would she become a [Windrunner], or would she be both [Windrunner] and Edgedancer?
Brandon Sanderson
Both.
Questioner
What's your favorite order of Surgebinders?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably the Bondsmiths.
Questioner
Can an Allomancer burn any god metal? Or is it specifically Preservation and Ruin?
Brandon Sanderson
That is actually a RAFO. There's some funkyness going on there.
Questioner
This [Kaladin chapter icon] looks a lot like the Allomantic metal symbols? Is that completely coincidence?
Brandon Sanderson
That's coincidence. There is something weird about that picture, but it's not that.
Questioner
Is there a thing which determines what kind of spren is a higher spren, and what is, like, a basic...
Brandon Sanderson
Amount of Investiture, the way they're regarded, and a few other minor factors.
Questioner
Would Kelsier be able to wield Nightblood?
Brandon Sanderson
In his current state? That'd be really dangerous.
Questioner
I didn't say "should"! I said "would"! *laughs*
Brandon Sanderson
Briefly.
Questioner
When Kaladin runs out of Stormlight, is that something you've worked out, how much Stormlight should have, and how much each move takes?
Brandon Sanderson
So, what I do is, I actually write the thing first, and then I tell my assistant, "Work out how much he needs," and then I give him that much. I work backward. Yeah, I do that a lot in books, but that's a little bit seeing how the sausage is made, there.
Questioner
Saze. How do you pronounce it?
Brandon Sanderson
I sayˈse͡izɛd. And that's the way Kelsier says it. But, in-world, Sazed himself would say something closer to se͡izd.
Questioner
Is ten of significance in Roshar as sixteen is on Scadrial?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, it is.
Questioner
Did Hoid think of the Shattering as necessary?
Brandon Sanderson
*pause* Kind of.
Questioner
Can Hoid be killed by Nightblood?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
A word for the intent/mandate? The canon word for it, do you have a term for it?
Brandon Sanderson
No, we don't.
Questioner
Do spren not appear in Shinovar because the highstorms don't Invest there?
Brandon Sanderson
No. And spren don't necessarily not appear.
Questioner
Is there any hope for a History of Aons companion book, with Elantris sequels? 'Cause I really like those ones you did way back when.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, there's a hope, but not a big hope.
ParadoxSpren
With the ardents and the flamespren, is something going on similar with Cusicesh?
Brandon Sanderson
Only slightly.
ParadoxSpren
Because he seems to be stuck in a cycle.
Brandon Sanderson
There is something there, but it's not as direct a connection as you might be making it.
ParadoxSpren
If Elhokar had been able to finish his sentence, what type would he be?
Brandon Sanderson
He would have been a Lightweaver.
ParadoxSpren
Will we ever find out what Lift asked of the Nightwatcher?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. It's probably gonna be her book before you find out. Book Six.
ParadoxSpren
If someone did, like what Dalinar did at the end of [Oathbringer], go on Sel, and they Ascended to take up the Dor, would they be stronger or weaker than Sazed?
Brandon Sanderson
If someone were able to take up the entire Dor, would they be stronger or weaker than Sazed? I would say equivalent.
ParadoxSpren
Aren't they all Shattered? Aren't they all Splintered, both of them?
Brandon Sanderson
The thing about it is, taking up the power-- taking up the power would-- So, I'll leave it at this. I would say equivalent. Everything still considered.
Questioner
Dilaf seems to be very similar to Voidbingers in terms of what he looks like, when he's in his full form. Is there something to that?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. It's not a big connection, though.
Obbles
Is Nightblood made of the same material as the sheath?
Brandon Sanderson
No. Good question.
Questioner
Does Hoid use a similar time-shifting method to the Heralds?
Brandon Sanderson
No. The Heralds don't time-shift.
Questioner
The painter dude that Shallan had the book from... Was that Hoid?
Brandon Sanderson
The Oilsworn? No, that is a little tuckerization for Dan dos Santos, who did the American cover of Warbreaker, and did several of our interior arts in here [Oathbringer], the fashion pages. He's one of my favorite artists.
Questioner
Do Ryshadium have gemhearts?
Brandon Sanderson
Um... I'll RAFO that for now. I'm just kind of staying really dodgy about Ryshadium, on purpose. I will dig into them later on.
Questioner
For Adonalsium to create the universe, therefore he must have infinite power to create an infinitely sized universe. Therefore, infinity divided by sixteen is equal to infinity. Therefore, why don't the Shards have infinite power, which they clearly don't, because they can be killed?
Brandon Sanderson
The power can't be killed. The entity controlling the power can. Infinite power existing and being able to access the infinite power are different things, and a finite mind, even added to a very powerful sense of power, isn't necessarily able to tap all of that.
Questioner
What about Ruin and Preservation in Well of Ascension? We hear about Ruin using some of its power. Therefore, it must not have infinite power, because if you minus something from infinity, it's still infinity...
Brandon Sanderson
So, infinite power is changing forms. It's not going anywhere, right? So, the Investiture, the power, is becoming energy, which is doing work, which is being released back into the system. Nothing's growing or shrinking. It is simply changing forms, and potential energy is becoming kinetic.
