Recent entries

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15701 Copy

    Questioner 1

    The ball of Preservation energy that Kelsier used, is that Stamping, Hemalurgy, or a third kind of the same thing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a different thing. You haven't really seen that before.

    Questioner 1

    Because it seems to have similar effects--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, you haven't seen that before. It was designed to do what it did.

    Questioner 2

    Is it just Connection?

    Bystander

    Connection juice. *laughter*

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll get into this, this is involving Silverlight stuff, so let's RAFO it for now.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15702 Copy

    Questioner

    What if you Soulstamped a city?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Soulstaped a city... So if you're a really good Forger-- It is possible to do things like that, but it requires a lot of work and time. Just one thing to keep in mind with Soulstamps, and anything that does this, rewriting your spiritweb, right, like, requires Invesiture. A lot of Investiture. And so, for instance, what Shai can do is really cool, but what an Elantrian can do is gonna look a lot more dramatic, right? Shooting a column of fire, you would say "Which takes more power, making the wall have flowers on it or shooting a column of fire?" Making the wall have flowers takes way more Investiture. It's a lot easier to pull off some dramatic effects with others, but the actual changing of the soul and overwr-- ...So just keep in mind the extent-- This is why you don't see Shai Forge it so the whole building disappears. Right? And stuff like this. Which is not outside of reason for a couple of Elantrians with the right program to put into place. But I mean effectively-- They could blow it up, essentially, that's what they would do

    Bystander

    Make a new hole, rather than making one that has existed.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. Exactly. Do keep in mind, people like to ask, you've probably seen people ask, "Could I rewrite myself to be a Knight Radiant?" Right? WELL... There are certain things that you just-- you can't fake without enough energy that it becomes impractical. Usually what I use as an example to that is: Yes, we can turn hydrogen into gold, if we wanted to. Right? We can do that! It might take more energy than the earth creates in an entire year, but we can do that.

    I get a lot of questions with this that I'm like "is it possible?" and I'm like "Guys, is it possible?" ...You should probably be like, "Is it possible, with reasonable amounts of energy provided by one Invested person".

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15703 Copy

    FirstSelector

    Was Cultivation close enough to when Odium got  Honor, to know how to fight back?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Heheheheh. I would say yes.

    FirstSelector

    And Cultivation, is she--

    Brandon Sanderson

    She is still there.

    FirstSelector

    Alive and kicking. Okay, you've said that before--

    Brandon Sanderson

    She is alive and kicking.

    FirstSelector

    And she can probably know how to not turn her back to the--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, I mean... She has learned from the experiences of others.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15704 Copy

    Questioner

    If you Soulstamp somebody to give them a Connection to Arelon, and they became an Elantrian, could they become and Elantrian, and if the Soulstamp is removed, would they remain?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, so you're asking a better one than people have asked. So you say "You get Soulstamped, you move to Arelon, your soul thinks that it is this, you do have spiritweb of Connection" I will go ahead and RAFO this with the caveat of why it might not work, is because, you might think you’re something, right? That doesn't necessarily mean-- Like, this is not completely invisible and things like this. And so, whether the power is going to follow those lines of Connection or not I will leave up to discussion, but it is a possibility worth theorizing upon.

    Questioner

    So a Soulstamp doesn't necessarily change the core of your spiritweb.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It does, but it's overwriting it. It's like Hemalurgy. What you are is still there underneath when it's ripped away, right?

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15705 Copy

    Questioner

    So Allomantic Savants. So I was curious-- That system-- When that happens, is it purely physiological, or is there something else happening in terms of--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uhh, it's physiological in a cosmere sense, but that can involve your Cognitive and Spiritual aspects.

    Questioner

    I guess the question there is, are there other similar processes to savantism with other--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah you've seen it. So, Soulcasters.

    Argent

    Where their skin turns--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Where they're slowly being-- their spirit is slowly being merged and infused with Investiture that is having Physical ramifications. It's the same thing.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15706 Copy

    Questioner

    Sak, Dusk's non-native Aviar. That ability is very, very similar to Allomantic electrum.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is!

    Questioner

    And his other Aviar is very, very similar to Allomantic copper.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is.

    Questioner

    Is there a connection between those two, deeper? Or is it--

    Brandon Sanderson

    will RAFO that. Let's just say it is an intentional reference, but I'm not going to say whether it's a direct connection to Scadrial magic systems or more that fundamental rules of magics can reproduce one another. We have seen multiple instances of Lightweaving, so-- It's one of those two... That at least narrows it down for you.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15708 Copy

    Argent

    Which is a nice segue to Shards Investing into Shardworlds, that I've been meaning to ask. So is it kind of a passive-- The more a Shard stays on a world--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Argent

    --the Investiture kind of seeps--

    Brandon Sanderson

    It does. Once you've got a Perpendicularity, you are starting-- That's trouble for going other places. But you've gotta remember, going other places means multiple things to someone actually holding a Shard. They can exist in the Spiritual Realm, where all things are one. And they can even kind of comprehend it...

    Argent

    Can a Shard choose to just instantly invest in a place?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, they just need to start making some stuff.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15709 Copy

    Questioner

    In Secret History, Kelsier goes out onto the ocean and he finds plants in the Cognitive Realm.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, mmhmm.

    Questioner

    Do they have a Physical aspect, or are they just Cognitive--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, they're Cognitive only. They don't follow a standard ecology that we would understand, but-- Well, it'll make sense, hopefully, when eventually the science of that is understood in the cosmere. But there are--and I've said this before--on Roshar Shadesmar there are spren cities, and things like this. And there's a spren ecology, and stuff so…

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15711 Copy

    Questioner 1

    When you were talking about spren being bound to the Cognitive Realm of their planet. Are seons similarly bound? Especially with-- Because the--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner 2

    Could you also pull them off, with the knowing how?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, but you’d have to get through the Cognitive Realm, on Sel. But yeah-- Yes, that is possible.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15719 Copy

    Questioner

    Why did Hoid in Secret History have to ride on another person to get to the Well, when that person could float on--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sooo, what he's floating on is a Cognitive Shadow. It's a spirit, it's not an actual person. He is floating on someone who is--

    Questioner

    Do we know them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You did not know them, don't worry about them. But see, he's using that as a boat because it's easy to sink through the mist. And if you notice, he has to coat his oar with Investiture in order to move him. So yeah, he's floating on a person's soul... It was so much easier with the Pits, but that's because there were boats and things.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15720 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there a Shadesmar for each planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Anything that people think about, right? And, you really have to be inhabited to get a good Shadesmar… But, y'know, you can find the gas giants in Shadesmar, but they don't manifest as an entire plane. Um, that's gonna change! But we're years away from that. Shadesmar is cool and weird but--

    Questioner

    Ohh, there's only one Shadesmar with different areas--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, really what we call it-- Shadesmar is a term that has started to stick in the cosmere for the Cognitive Realm. But there are manifestations of most planets. Or all planets.

    Questioner

    But they do all exist-- All of those Shadesmars are part of the same cloth, so to speak.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, you could walk from one to the other, barring some weird distortions that you might have to-- We're not going to dig-- I'm not gonna tell you about.

    Questioner

    But spren can't because they're bound.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They're bound Physically to the Realm, the Invesiture.

    Bystander

    Unless you help them off.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Unless-- There are certain ways you could do it, and things like that. But spren are bound, you aren't going to--

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15721 Copy

    Questioner 1

    You said that moving people like that [Cognitive Shadows] or spren off-world, from Roshar is difficult.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner 1

    What about physically, say the Ones Above visit them, and they fly away?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So one of the things you'll have to be asking questions and theorizing on is what happens if you try to carry a spren around the planet. What happens to their Cognitive sense, right? So you're on Roshar, right? So on the Physical Realm what would happen-- Because on Shadesmar, you have a flattened version. So there are questions for you to be theorizing implicit in that.  And one of them is, what happens, you cross a threshold circling the globe, your spren, what happens to them? Because-- Okay? This relates to the question you’re asking.

    Questioner 2

    Wait wait, you have a three dimensional plane coexisting with a two dimensional plane?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, two dimensional is the wrong term, but basically...

    Questioner 3

    Can you specify the mathematically projection used to create this? *laughter*

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll try to give it to you eventually, but this is the sort of stuff that I do that Peter's like "Oh man..." *laughter* "Alright give me the math Peter." "Ahhh what do you mean? I'm not a mathematician." "Eh, y'know. You're close." It is very convenient to have a physicist and a mathematician in my writing group.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15722 Copy

    Questioner

    Have we seen cameos of Heralds on other Shardworlds?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Heralds are tied to the system by the magic that permeates them. They could not leave.

    Questioner

    I thought I saw someone but I guess not.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It’s part of the magic. Some would call them Cognitive Shadows, right? Whether they are or not. "Cognitive Shadow" is a very ambiguous term in the cosmere. It means, basically your soul-- It's the same thing with petrification, right? Investiture replaced your soul, and permeated your soul, and your soul continues to exist, but... you are usually Invested with something, that's tied, and you're basically like pure Investiture then. You're tied to the thing you're Connected to. Most of the things that you're gonna see with that, travelling is going to be very difficult, unless you know how to do it. You have seen people do it.

    Questioner

    Who?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vasher

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vasher... You have seen people do it. But anyone who's got-- yeah.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15723 Copy

    FirstSelector

    Is Ati Ruin's original Shardholder?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ohh, good question. I will go ahead and RAFO that.

    FirstSelector

    I have a big theory that someday we are gonna see something more about him.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will see something more about him for sure! Because Dragonsteel includes-- But that's not what you meant, and I know what you meant.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15724 Copy

    Questioner

    Thank's for that Reddit comment earlier today about "Yeah, if you read Dragonsteel it's super obvious!"

    Brandon Sanderson

    I mean if someone is asking a question about Cephandrius, the name Cephandrius. I assume that they know about Dragonsteel, because how else would they hear the name Cephandrius?

    Argent

    Secret History.

    Brandon Sanderson

    OOHHHHHH! I did! That's right. Because I was answering other questions about Yolen, yeah...

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15725 Copy

    Questioner

    So, in Secret History, when Kelsier is in the pool and looks at Ruin. Are you intentionally making a Lovecraftian reference with the looking into the abyss and the abyss looks back?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes I have to specifically phrase things. I write it and I'm like "Oh yeah, that's Nietzshe!" And I'm like "Ohhh, I should probably not quote Nietzsche" ...So I have do have to reword these things sometimes.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15726 Copy

    Questioner

    So I've got sort of a Shard-related question. So, the entity that Harmony is, all the other Shards that we've had named so far, are any of them combinations, or are they all--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, good question. The only one I would count as a combination is the Dor, right? But it isn't even a full Shard. So everything else, single holder only when we talk about it okay? That's an excellent question. Or they've been Splintered completely.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15727 Copy

    Dragon13

    Would it be possible to create a potential Vessel that has a Connection to all 16 Shards? Through a combination of birth planet, genetics, Hemalurgy--

    Brandon Sanderson

    You--  So, terminology. The Vessel holds a Shard. Lots of people have Connections to the Shards without holding them. So, I'm just gonna RAFO that. You guys got years and years left, before we're even gonna discuss things about-- But if I tell you now, like, what are you gonna ask?

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15728 Copy

    Questioner

    How old is that picture that's hanging in Silverlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The picture in Silverlight is... Okay, so on cosmere-times it's very recent. But, the cosmere scale is very large. Khriss's essays are older than it, but not by much. She had that-- It is in existence when she wrote the essays, but the essays are much older than Sixth of the Dusk. Okay? Sixth of the Dusk had not happened yet, that story, when she was writing these essays. We're going to need some dating periods, we'll eventually get that.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15729 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Silverlight have a permanent Perpendicularity on it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Silverlight has weird. So I'm gonna give a RAFO to that.

    Questioner

    It's got a physical constellation map. So they've gotta go to the Physical somehow right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, no, no. That can be in the Cognitive Realm.

    Argent

    The constellation map can be a picture from the Cognitive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, yeah, I mean, it can be a picture in the Cognitive. That is a picture that exists in Silverlight.

    Argent

    Right, sure, but they need to be somewhere to view those things.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right, I didn't say that that’s from the perspective Silverlight, but what we say is the picture is hanging there.

    Questioner

    So that was a mis-interpretation on our part.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, the picture is hanging there in Silverlight. Okay?

    FirstSelector

    Is there actually anything on the Physical end of Silverlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is-- That's the RAFO part... That's what I'm not answering. If there's anything Physical. There can't be a Perpen--well, there could be a Perpendicularity, but then you'd have to go someplace in the Physical, and it gets all-- Silverlight is really weird.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15730 Copy

    Questioner

    I have a specific question about one Perpendicularity, on First of the Sun. You've mentioned that it's dangerous.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Is that because there are predators that can sense your thoughts, that can sense your presence in the Cognitive Realm as you're travelling across the Perpendicularity before you cross over--

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a Read And Find Out.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15731 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    SanderCon-- I think that JordanCon would be happy to host a-- They always have a Brandon Sanderson track and I go every two or three years. So every two or three years JordanCon has a mini SandersonCon attached to it. And that is what I recomend, okay? I mean Pratchett could carry one but I don't think most of us can. I think cons are more interesting if you have some other paneling to go to.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15732 Copy

    Questioner

    When you put together different magic systems, do you just have a file of those that "this is goiing to work for this one"?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have a file of magic systems, characters, and settings, and plots. Usually I review it for a while, periodically I mean, and certain connections are made. I build on those in my head, then eventually stick them back in if it doesn't end up working. But ocasionally it's like-- Like Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, I wanted to write a book about a bounty hunter woman who runs an inn and kills the people who come to the inn. I developed that all without the magic system or anything like that, and then said what world would this fit on? Would it fit on any of them? Do I need to make a new story? And I'm like "This worked really well on Threnody" so I put it there and put the magic in. Usually it's the other way around, I've got the world and things and I need some characters to plug in.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15736 Copy

    Questioner

    Are there any books of yours you would like to experience as a first time reader?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would looooove to read Way of Kings for the first time.

    Questioner

    Way of Kings? It's pretty great.

    Brandon Sanderson

    But y'know, that Sanderson guy. I hear things about him. I hear he likes really bad jokes.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15737 Copy

    Questioner

    I’ve been fixating on this mass exodus. The Iriali, the Iri people, are they the people of the mass exodus? Or-- I've always wanted it to be the people of Threnody.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Iriali are not native to Roshar.

    Questioner

    Okay, that's... what I've always assumed.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is stuff going on on Threnody too, it shares some similarities.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15739 Copy

    Questioner

    In Secret History, Hoid says something to Kelsier about him destroying the Pits and destroying an entire mercantile system. Is he talking about literal inter-Realmic trade?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Interplanetary trade, yes.

    Questioner

    Follow-up: Is House Venture involved?

    Brandon Sanderson

    House Venture is not involved. People in House Venture might be.

    Questioner

    The guy who--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Here is a RAFO card for your follow-up. House Venture is-- Yes.

    Footnote: The questioner was likely referring to Felt, a spy that worked for House Venture, who is a worldhopper.
    #cosmere #rafo #scadrial
    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15743 Copy

    Questioner

    If Kaladin and Dalinar were Magic cards, what color do you think they’d be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Dalinar now is mono-White. He was mono-Red in his youth, inching toward Black-Red, but I would just call him mono-Red in his youth. Kaladin I would probably call Blue-White in Magic terms because they like things that fly and that have to do with the wind. So he would get the elemental Blue and personality White. Maybe a tinge of Red, but probably-- I would make a Blue-White Kaladin.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15745 Copy

    Questioner

    What is the experience of Steelrunning? ...It doesn't speed up your mind, so how do you control yourself?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Most forms of Allomancy give a small boost to any attributes you would need in order to survive and use and manipulate it,  just like atium. So it's going to give you a slight ability-- might speed you up just enough to get some reactions and things, otherwise you just can't do it. What I don't have it doing is cancelling friction. I did that intentionally, so you can burn yourself up with that. But you have to use it measuredly and carefully.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15746 Copy

    Dragon13

    Are the Hemalurgic constructs in Shadows of Self as twisted as they are because... something was spiked out of them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay the Hemalurgic...

    Dragon13

    Or something spiked into them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We're talking about who?

    Dragon13

    The Hemalurgic constructs in the catacombs.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There's something spiked into them.

    Dragon13

    Is there anything spiked out of them? Making them more feral?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a RAFO, but-- Let's just say this it's a RAFO with the star of "Nobody knows how spike someone without killing them right now." So it's a "Most likely, just spikes in."

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15747 Copy

    Questioner

    I noticed a very similar fire-starting tool in both Sixth of the Dusk and also in [Shadows for Silence in the] Forests of Hell.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Is that any-- I know they have two levers you push together and they spark.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right.

    Questioner

    Is that any kind of random--

    Brandon Sanderson

    So I  did intend there to be a connection there but it is not a connection that is supposed to be super meaningful. It's just that somebody figured something out, and Sixth of the Dusk is many years later. We have them in our world too. I did it deliberately because I wrote those stories so close together. I was like "Oh this technology has gotten around because the Ones Above have started visiting." But I don't think they're of a technology level that they couldn't have discovered it on their own maybe, so it's not supposed to be some big reveal.

    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15748 Copy

    Questioner

    My crazy theory is that Nazh was Isasik Shulin...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, he is not. Good question. Nazh is Isaac’s character, he designed him and came up with him. I said "I need somebody to be getting these" and the character is all him, doesn’t necessarily look like him. He doesn't actually look like him. But Nazh, he owns. He just credited that, and I knew people would look at that be like "What's going on here?" But it wasn't meant to be anything, just this is Isaac's character and if he ever-- He wants to write some stories in the cosmere, he might write about Nazh.

    Footnote: Brandon is referring to the fact that is author photo is attributed to "Nazrilof".
    #isaac stewart #nazh
    Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing ()
    #15749 Copy

    Questioner

    Is Nazh a cartographer?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nazh. So Nazh knows enough that he-- Like he knows more than the average person, but I would not call him a cartographer. I would describe him... as a grumpy, cosmere James Bond. Not nearly as cool, but it's the same sort of thing. "Here's the mission. You need to do this. Get in. Infiltrate. Get this thing." Right?