Recent entries

pfranklin51

Nale mentions that he's the only Herald that ends up joining his Order of Radiants, eventually. Are there any Radiants that joined other Orders?

Brandon Sanderson

No, good question.

Questioner

Would a Soother be able to affect a Listener attuning a Rhythm?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, I think they would be able to.

Questioner

...Would it dampen Odium's effect on them?

Brandon Sanderson

Potentially, yes.

Questioner

If a nicrosil Ferring and Misting Twinborn burned a mountain of nicrosil, would he become Harmony?

Brandon Sanderson

A mountain?

Questioner

Yeah, like, he burned literally tons--

Brandon Sanderson

No, he would not. It wouldn't work that way.

Questioner

If Elhokar had finished saying those words, what Order would he have been?

Brandon Sanderson

Lightweaver.

Questioner

The advanced civilization mentioned in Sixth of the Dusk. When will we see them again? And will they be interacting with Scadrial and the Stormlight Archive series?

Brandon Sanderson

It's gonna be a while before you see them make-- before you find out who they are and have them interact, because that's way in the future of the other books. But you will find out.

Questioner

How was Shallan able to bond with Pattern before she was broken?

Brandon Sanderson

She was open to him even before she went through a lot of that turmoil

Questioner

I thought everybody had to be broken in order to--

Brandon Sanderson

Well, that's their philosophy in-world. But I'm not going to say whether it's correct or wrong. I will imply that there are other means as well.

Questioner

What's the most important thing about writing a villain.

Brandon Sanderson

In my opinion, relatability. You have to see the evil in them being the evil in you, and the things that are-- See that they have something that makes them human, makes them redeemable...

Questioner

If you were to draw a Line of Forbiddance on a portable chalkboard, could you actually knock somebody overside the head?

Brandon Sanderson

It wouldn't knock them over the head, because it kinda has the magnetic repulsion sort of thing, but we will get into moving things as we go further in the series.

Questioner

So, in Sixth of the Dusk? Who are the people from the sky? Is that an R.A.F.O.?

Brandon Sanderson

It is. Someone you've seen before.

Vulcronos

Is Shallan's illusions similar to Essence Marks from Emperor's Soul?

Brandon Sanderson

Not terribly.

Vulcronos

Is Book Four still planned to be Eshonai's viewpoint?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Vulcronos

And, would she have been a Willshaper?

Brandon Sanderson

She would be the same Order as her sister.

Questioner

We know, especially in Oathbringer, that Surges can work differently for different Orders, but we've also seen the Skybreakers and [Windrunners] with flight, and the Truthwatchers and [Edgedancers], they both can do Regrowth, so is there some way that those actually work differently?

Brandon Sanderson

Each of them works a little differently for each Order. There are slight variations, but they are each drawing upon the same source concept.

Questioner

How do you pronounce Rock's full name.

Brandon Sanderson

Numuhukumakiaki'aialunamor.

Questioner

How can everyone tap nicrosil without being a nicrosil Ferring? Is that a Read And Find Out?

Brandon Sanderson

That's kind of a Read And Find Out.

Questioner

I assume the next book, probably?

Brandon Sanderson

We'll dig into that.

Questioner

When it comes to regeneration, what's the limit-- when Lift resurrected Gawx, was he actually dead?

Brandon Sanderson

He wasn't dead.

Questioner

So, you can't actually bring the dead back from the dead.

Brandon Sanderson

If you could bring someone back with CPR, you can bring them back with-- does that make sense?

Questioner

In Elantris, we talked briefly about Shuden and ChayShan... and I was wondering if you had based that on a particular martial arts?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, it's just Tai Chi was my origin for that. It's pretty obvious, but yeah.

Questioner

I was wondering if any of the magic systems that existed before the Shattering, did they get weaker because of it?

Brandon Sanderson

Weaker is the wrong term. They were affected.

Questioner

Among the Knights Radiant, is there an equivalent for our engineers? Like, normal engineers?

Brandon Sanderson

Equivalent to engineers? Yes-- Not 100% one-to-one, but yes.

Questioner

Is there any society on Roshar that actually would run the center of technology?

Brandon Sanderson

Not yet. Not yet.

Cosmere Questioner

[The arc of spears from the Way of Kings chapter headings and Allomantic symbols.] Coincidence that they look so similar?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Yep, there was no instruction to Isaac to draw those similarly.

Cosmere Questioner

Is Rial a worldhopper?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. RAFO. RAFO.

Cosmere Questioner

Kredik Shaw. Lots of towers, some are simply nothing more than lots of metal that sounds like Hemalurgy on the land. Is that?

Brandon Sanderson

It is meant to evoke Hemalurgy, but it is not actually Hemalurgic.

Cosmere Questioner

If two Shardpools were described the same exact color, like emerald, would that mean anything significant? Like, the Investiture is from the exact same source?

Brandon Sanderson

Not necessarily. Not necessarily.

Questioner

So, when a Shardbearer, they get caught off guard, or, like, they're trying to throw their Shardblade, you know that it <quickly poofs> But yet, they can give it someone else, and it doesn't poof. I was just wondering how that works.

Brandon Sanderson

Mental control. It's kind of in-- it's a control thing. Some people-- I mean, you have to practice it, and things like that.

Questioner

So, it takes some kind of mental control to give to someone and allow them to use it?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

But it's something they have to practice at, it's not just a--

Brandon Sanderson

Mmhmm.

Questioner

What was-- There was something going on in the shadows. 'Cause the King mentioned seeing shadows out of the corner of his eye when Kaladin wasn't around.

Brandon Sanderson

That should be answered in Oathbringer. If it's not, ask me next time and I'll explain, but it is in there.

Questioner

Can you say what would happen if Lift swallowed a gemstone trapping an Unmade?

Brandon Sanderson

...Uh, hahaha. Uh, I'll RAFO that, but that's not that there's something there, it's just that I'm RAFOing that.

Questioner

I have a theory that each one of the Shards is related to a certain number. Preservation really likes 16, Honor likes 10, and Odium likes 9. Am I onto something?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

I'm just curious about Steelrunners. I have to ask, assuming they have physical limitations?

Brandon Sanderson

They do. We can't go Speed Force on this sort of thing. Wind resistance is still a thing, and stuff like that.

Questioner

Bodily, their bodies--

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. So, most magic in the cosmere will strengthen your body to let you use the magic to an extent, but-- Yeah, there's some pretty strong limitations.

Questioner

If you had a steel/steel Twinborn racing a pewter/steel, would you say that the pure steel, or the pewter burning to enhance their body-- in a short race?

Brandon Sanderson

Who would win? Probably pewter then, at that point. I would have to have Peter-- I wouldn't do it myself, make Peter run the math, and see what he comes up with. Those are the sort of things I go to him with.

Questioner

Is the Dawnchant native to Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

...Yeah. Dawnchant is what they were speaking when humans came over. It is their language. It is the Dawnsingers' language. So yeah, that is native to Roshar.

Questioner

Are they able to make a Hemalurgic spike out of a god metal? Or does that not work?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. We will be releasing a Hemalurgic table before too much longer.

Questioner

Is Hemalurgy directly tied to Ruin, or is that something we can expect to see other--

Brandon Sanderson

That is directly tied to Ruin, but you can also expect to see it elsewhere.

Questioner

About the end of Elantris. When Hoid is speaking with the dark seon? I was wondering, like, what is that relationship there? Is he, like, working with them, or for them?

Brandon Sanderson

More alongside each other.

Questioner

Is that something we're gonna see more of in the future?

Brandon Sanderson

Probably.

Questioner

I know Peter has talked about it on-- he hinted something on one of your posts on Reddit. I obviously can't say anything, but-- Stormlight Archive tabletop RPG?

Brandon Sanderson

I can't-- we are working on that. Yeah, there is one in the works. We aren't gonna do a lot of talk about it until we make sure that it's prototyped, that it's going well, that the deals are all in business... But it is in the works. We had a really good experience releasing a board game for Mistborn, and this is someone else, but since it worked out so well doing it once, it's a realm we're willing to continue playing in.

Questioner

I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Longshadow?

Brandon Sanderson

I cannot.

Questioner

No quirks, personality traits, favorite kind of shirt?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Questioner

If Death came for your soul, and he said you could keep it if you beat him in a game of your choice, what would you pick?

Brandon Sanderson

You know, probably just a coin flip. Because I'm gonna bet he's better than me at anything that doesn't base on random chance. So, I would choose something like that, just completely random chance.

Questioner

Who would win in a fight? Lift, or Wayne?

Brandon Sanderson

I have trouble imagining why they would fight, but it's gonna depend on situation and who gets the upper hand.

Questioner

Is there gonna be any more Arcanum Unbounded-- like collections of short stories?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. I'll release short stories and every, you know, decade or so I'll collect them all into a collection.

Questioner

So I have a question about Savants. Could you only get there by flaring, or if you burn it for a long period of time or like duralumin--

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, you can get there other ways.

Questioner

How do koloss breed? It doesn't make any sense to us?

Brandon Sanderson

So... A child born to a koloss and a koloss, or a koloss and anybody else, is what we call a koloss blooded. They don't become a full koloss until they undergo the ritual and are spiked.

Questioner

Okay. But also they didn't have the gender parts.

Brandon Sanderson

They do have gender parts.

Questioner

Have we seen the lady in the mask-- who's like related to the Ghostbloods--

Brandon Sanderson

Iyatil?

Questioner

Have we seen her in another book, by any chance?

Brandon Sanderson

No, you have not.

Questioner

So who do you think Shallan's favorite real world artist would be?

Brandon Sanderson

She is a classicist so-- I don't know-- Probably someone really, really classic like da Vinci or, you know, or even Michelangelo.

Questioner

Where they do interesting light studies...

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, where they're looking right at the musculature and things like that. That would be my guess.

Questioner 1

I'm building Plate. I would like it to be Radiant. What's the finish? Is it different from standard Plate or is it--

Brandon Sanderson

If you-- like, they often paint theirs. But say it's going to be straight unpainted it's like dull slate grey steel--

Questioner 2

And it doesn't vary order to order?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Well, I mean, if it's actual Radiant Plate it does-- But what you've got is-- Yeah, it glows and it has things, too.

Questioner

The world that White Sand takes part in, there were things that are kind of irked me about the book. It's that on Dayside most of the characters were light-skinned and on Darkside most of the characters were dark-skinned and evolutionarily that's backwards. Is there a reason for that?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is. Intentional.

Questioner

And are we gonna read and find out?

Brandon Sanderson

We'll see if I get around to it, but yes.

Questioner

Is Wayne the author that's writing the Allomancer Jak stuff.

Brandon Sanderson

No, he's not. Good question, though! Good question!

Questioner

You have all these magic systems within the cosmere, <Allomancy and Feruchemy> and all that, and now they're starting to come together into one body. Do you ever worry that you're gonna treat that character where, like, they're drawing from so many systems that they're almost, like, the ultimate *inaudible*, like, they're drawing from five different magic systems and just don't *inaudible* anymore?

Brandon Sanderson

You know, having done The Wheel of Time, where Rand was basically a deity, I'm not quite as worried about that as I was. I don't know if that'll ever even get to that point. And it turned out that that was just fine. The thing about it is, stories always happen in the intersection of what characters can't do. And there's always something you can't do. Unless you become, like, all-powerful, all-omnipotent. So, I'm not that worried about it. I have to keep an eye on it, but I'm not that worried about it.

Questioner

How many of your epiphanies happened at the gym?

Brandon Sanderson

Quite a number, actually. At the gym or in the shower, you put things together, for whatever reason.

Questioner

What is your beverage of choice?

Brandon Sanderson

Uh, ice water. Yep, really is. I really just like me a good-- lots of ice. Like, a big cup filled to the top with ice, and then you fill up water in it. Best stuff.

Questioner

I was wondering, how many pieces of different Shards does Hoid have to collect before he is considered Ascended?

Brandon Sanderson

You know that's even a little bit false, uh-- not begging the question. Whichever logic fallacy is assuming that he could. Or, you are assuming that he could. Who knows if it's even possible, or anything like that.

Questioner

The quote that Dalinar says at the end [of Oathbringer]. "I am Unity." Is that something that happened specifically because Honor is dead, and, for all these different reasons, that was able to happen? Also Odium said that he had Ascended. He wasn't supposed to Ascend, but he did...

Brandon Sanderson

I am totally RAFOing all that stuff; I knew people were gonna ask about it. You're just gonna have to wait and find out.

Questioner

Unity is capital. Is there a reason for that.

Brandon Sanderson

*hands over a RAFO card*