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Your search for the tag 'Preservation' yielded 65 results

  • 1

    Interview: Nov 17th, 2009

    Peter Ahlstrom

    This week's Writing Excuses podcast covers the business of writing comics, again with Jake Black filling in for Brandon (whose we-don't-ever-discuss-it stint writing the webcomic "American Bachelors with Mecha(s)" is not nearly as relevant as Jake Black's professional experience in the industry).

    In the most recent Mistborn 3 annotations, Brandon talks about Preservation's power and the working mechanism of Hemalurgy. He specifically does not say anything about Adonalsium. Writers can be so cruel.

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  • 2

    Interview: Aug 4th, 2011

    Question

    I'm relatively new to fantasy. For the Mistborn series, I'm curious: do you find out the origins of Ruin and Preservation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...Eventually, eventually. You should talk to these guys. (signals to 17th Sharders) They'll talk your ears off, and then some. Eventually perhaps you will.

    Mi'chelle

    (laughter) Liar!

    Questioner

    But not yet.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, they know some things.

    Mi'chelle

    Mi’chelle: Just go to 17thshard.com and plan a LOT of time.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They've got big theories because all my books are connected, so yes. They have lots of theories talking about that.

    Last question.

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  • 3

    Interview: Nov 21st, 2011

    Question

    Were Ruin and Preservation two shards or one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They were two shards. Harmony is considered a shard, although it’s really two, in the same way that a king of two countries would still be considered a king.

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  • 4

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    Dovienya ()

    I'm not going to waste Brandon's time with this—maybe someone else can answer.

    Regarding the ending of the Mistborn Trilogy: What was up with Ruin having red hair? Is that significant? Does it mean that Ruin was originally a human who gained his powers somehow? My friend thought that Ruin was actually another red-haired character in the series, though I don't remember his name. I think he was a minor captain or something.

    (My apologies for how vague this is—it's been a while since I read the series)

    Phaz

    That is on the right track. Do some reading up on Adonalsium and the Cosmere if you are interested.

    Dovienya

    Will do, but I have to be honest—there is something off putting about having to do internet research to truly understand the ending of a book/series.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I try to make all of the cosmere stuff "bonus material" so to speak. I don't think it's essential to understanding Mistborn to know Ruin's origin. Those who want expanded information can find it, and theorize upon it. However, I intend to warn people up-front before writing any book where you have to know this to understand it.

    Within the realm of Mistborn only, all you really need to know is that someone was holding this power—and that the 'individuals' of Ruin and Preservation were people, changed by the power they held. It holds to the theme of the story, with what happens regarding Sazed and other characters.

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  • 5

    Interview: May, 2010

    Chaos

    Are Shards all paired? Does Endowment have a counterpart?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Also, yes and no. Not all Shards have perfect counterparts like Ruin and Preservation.

    QUESTION

    Why were Ruin and Preservation linked together?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Because they're such perfect opposites. Basically it's just an opposites attract thing.

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  • 6

    Interview: Jan, 2012

    Ace_of_Face (Reddit.com)

    Hey Brandon! As much as I want to fan-gush, I'll keep it short so you can get back to your A Memory of Light drafting.

    How was Sazed/Harmony able to communicate with Waxillium near the end of the book? During the original trilogy, Ruin could occasionally implant thoughts into people's minds, but he couldn't just listen in whenever he felt like it. Is Harmony just way more powerful?

    Brandon Sanderson (Reddit.com)

    There is interesting discussion about this one below, which I like to see. I thought this might spark some discussion. Remember that human beings were given more of preservation than Ruin during their creation, which led to Preservation eventually being overwhelmed by Ruin. That was the bargain; people would be of preservation at their core, but in turn Ruin got to claim the world once Preservation wound down.

    Another factor to consider here is that Wax was given a special earring designed for communication with a being that he actually worships.

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  • 7

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kirrin (15 October 2008)

    Also, you should tell us what the last two metals are.

    Brandon Sanderson (15 October 2008)

    The last two metals are Chromium and Nicrosil. We'll reveal what they do on the Allomancy poster. Suffice it to say that in the next trilogy, the main protagonist would be a Nicrosil Misting. And, to make a Robert Jordan-type comment, what those two metals do should become obvious to the serious student of Allomancy... (It has to do with the nature of the metal groupings.)

    HAPPYMAN

    If I read the poster correctly, and have the correlations down, these metals are the external enhancement metals.

    The simplest idea is that they do to another person what Aluminum and Duralumin do to the Allomancer burning them. If this is true, then Chromium would destroy another Allomancer's metals (useful skill, that, especially in a group of Mistings fighting a Mistborn) while Nicrosil would cause the target's metals that are currently burning to be burned in a brief, intense flash. This could be used either to enhance a group of Mistings or to seriously mess up an enemy Allomancer.

    PETER AHLSTROM

    The other metals do not have exact one-to-one power correlations like that, so it seems more likely to me that they would work differently. It could be like an area effect weakening or enhancing spell. You would want an enhancer in your party, and you wouldn't want to go up against a weakener.

    Nicrosil is a rather more complicated alloy than the others. It's an interesting one to pick, rather than something simpler like nichrome (though I guess that's actually a brand name).

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nicely done.

    Ookla is right, the others don't have 1/1 correlations. But I liked this concept far too much not to use it.

    In a future book series, Mistborn will also have become things of legend. The bloodlines will have become diluted to the point that there are no Mistborn, only Mistings—however, the latter are far more common. In this environment, a Nicrosil Misting could be invaluable both as an enhancer to your own team or a weapon to use against unsuspecting other Mistings.

    DOUGLAS (17 OCTOBER)

    I take it either Spook did not have children or Sazed made him a reduced-strength Mistborn rather than giving him the full potency of the 9 originals and Elend?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Spook is a reduced power Mistborn.

    CHAOS (16 OCTOBER)

    Very interesting about the Nicrosil.

    So, if there is no more atium, then that would mean in any future trilogy, there would only be 14 metals, right? Somehow, that doesn't seem right, but maybe that is because it irks me that one quartet to be left incomplete with the absence of atium.

    Would it be possible for Sazed to create a replacement metal, by chance, or will the temporal quartet remain inherently empty? It doesn't seem like it's too far of a stretch for Sazed to make more metals: after all, the metal Elend ate was a fragment of Preservation, and now Sazed holds Preservation.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That's a RAFO, I'm afraid. Suffice it to say that what the characters think they understand about the metals, they don't QUITE get right. If you study the interaction between the temporal metals, you might notice an inconsistency in the way they work...

    PETER AHLSTROM

    Uh-huh. That was already noticed by theorizers in the forums here. Gold works like Malatium and Electrum works like Atium. Yet they're on opposite corners of the metal square.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ah. I wondered if that had been noticed.

    Footnote

    This future book series is the second Mistborn Trilogy, not Alloy of Law. It seems that at the time of Alloy of Law, the people don't have a knowledge of nicrosil and chromium.

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  • 8

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Agate (15 October 2008)

    I can guess two possible options for the Kandra.

    1. God Sazed endowed the gift of presence on the now mistwraiths.

    2. Some of the Kandra survived in the cave with the Terrisman and people of the city, along with the small mistwraiths, these are re-born with the spikes they pulled out during the resolution.

    I can imagine too that some Kandra on assignment may have hidden in the shelters with the rest of humanity.

    Brandon Sanderson (15 October 2008)

    The Kandra.

    Yes, they live. The people were smart enough, eventually, to replace their spikes. (And there were a couple who were on assignment who made it to storage caches.)

    However, there will likely never be any more of them, since Hemalurgy is required to make them. They are now some of the few people who can communicate directly with Sazed, who—like Ruin—can whisper to people most easily when they are connected to him via spikes. With some speculation, you can probably guess what kind of roles the Kandra will end up playing in future books.

    KAIMIPONO

    On a broader level, is hemalurgy officially dead, then? Or is it still extant in some Ruin-free (but still messy) form? (If it's gone, is there any imbalance since Preservation's magic power is kept and Ruin's isn't?)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Is Hemalurgy dead? No, not at all. It, like the other two powers, was not created by Ruin or Preservation, but by the natural state of the world and its interaction with the gods who created it. It still requires the same method of creation, but very few people are aware of how it works.

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  • 9

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Chaos (15 October 2008)

    Do all three Metallic Arts still exist after the events of the book? Are Allomancy and Hemalurgy slightly degenerated now that Ruin and Preservation are dead, or does Allomancy still draw upon Preservation's power (just held with Sazed now)?

    Brandon Sanderson (15 October 2008)

    Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy all work as they once did. However, now they are more directly affected by the presence or absence of the mists, which will slowly return to the world but not be of the extent they once were. (The mists are now an extent of Sazed's power, and where they roam, he is better able to influence things. There will also be two kinds of mists.) Note that in the future, Feruchemy powers will start to fracture and split, creating Feruchemical "Mistings."

    Yes, this means that in the future series, it will be possible for a person to have one Allomantic power and one Feruchemical power. It will create for some very interesting mixing of powers.

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  • 10

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Chaos (15 October 2008)

    How were the Terris Prophecies created in the first place? Every other magic related thing is quite logically explained in terms of Ruin and Preservation, except that one.

    Brandon Sanderson (15 October 2008)

    The Terris prophecies were created by Preservation before he attempted his imprisonment. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do much for the world after he did what he did, and he foresaw a LOT of what was to come.

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  • 11

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Chaos (15 October 2008)

    When did Preservation decide to imprison Ruin in the Well? No need to be specific, I should think. A simple "Near Alendi's time" or "Way before Alendi's time" would suffice, or whichever time of reference you want to use.

    Also, this one is not a question, but nice Hoid reference in there. I especially like it how the Ars Arcanum refers to Slowswift as "bears a striking resemblance to a well-known storyteller." I'm on to you...

    Brandon Sanderson (15 October 2008)

    Way before Alendi's time. Hence the need for the prophecies. But Ruin managed to corrupt them.

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  • 12

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Dalenthas (15 October 2008)

    Did Sazed leave information about how his new religion should be run for Spook and the others to find? His note to Spook implies that there is an afterlife...

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    Sazed didn't immediately leave this, as he was too focused on other things. The next period of time will be difficult for Sazed, as he essentially sees himself as an avatar of deity—the force of Preservation—and not God with an upper case letter. He's still not sure what Truth is 100%. And there is an afterlife, but it's probably not what you're thinking. In other words, Sazed has not touched Heaven or Hell, and actually doesn't yet know what the final beyond contains. He has, however, run into some people who have been sticking around something of a middle place. It's related to the larger cosmology, and I'm afraid that I'll need to RAFO anything further.

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  • 13

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Dalenthas (15 October 2008)

    With all the talk about action and reaction and whatnot, will some force form to counter Sazed's new Ruin/Preservation mix? It seems to me like the whole nature of the world can't stand to have one person unopposed.

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    Ruin and Preservation were not the only Shards of Adonalsium, though they are the only ones on Scadrial at the moment. Sazed's ability to be both at once is actually something I drew from Eastern mythology, where it is believed that the ability to contain two opposing forces at the same time represents ultimate harmony. The Buddha, for instance, was said to have performed the miracle of producing both fair and ice from his hands at the same time.

    CHAOS

    Is "Scadrial" the proper name to refer to the Mistborn world?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scadrial is indeed the name of the planet.

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  • 14

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Dalenthas (15 October 2008)

    Does the Well of Ascension still exist in the new world? Or is it no longer necessary? I assumed that Preservation collected there like Ruin collects in the Pits of Hathsin, so if Atium keeps forming then the well should keep filling...

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    The Well (and the small wells in the Pits) is no more. For now at least.

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  • 15

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Sylos (15 October 2008)

    I was happy when Elend finally burned duralumin with atium. I was holding my breath hoping that someone would eventually do it. However we didn't really get any info as to what Elend experienced. Does a duralumin-enhanced atium burn allow a person to see significantly farther into the future? If so, being that Elend's army was dying all around him did he get to see into the afterlife? Also if you could tell us what he saw that would be awesome. Did something he saw make him not want to avoid Marshes strike?

    On a similar note if someone burned electrum with duralumin would they get to see significantly into their own future?

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    There is much here that I can't say, but I'll give as much as I can. Elend saw Preservation's ultimate plan, and Elend's own part in it. What he saw made him realize he didn't want to kill Marsh, and that his own death would actually help save the world. Like a master chess player, he suddenly saw and understand every possible move his enemy could make. He saw that Ruin was check-mated, because there was one thing that Ruin was not willing to do. Something that both Elend and Vin could do, if needed. And it's what they did.

    So, in answer to your question, Elend stayed his hand. This is one of the reasons why I changed my mind and decided that Marsh had to live through the end of the book. Elend spared him; I needed to too.

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  • 16

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Tyran Amiros (16 October 2008)

    What happened to Kwaan? I was half expecting to see him amongst the kandra First Generation.

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2008)

    Kwaan went into hiding, and he was eventually discovered and executed by Rashek. He wasn't among the First Generation, though he would have been if he hadn't turned against Rashek. Rashek kept the plate, however, just as he kept Alendi's logbook. Partially because even then, Rashek was going a little mad, but partially because of the reminders about his old life they contained.

    VEGASDEV (17 OCTOBER)

    I'm assuming you meant Alendi hunted him down because he turned against Alendi. Or did Kwaan also turn against Rashek?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    No, I meant that he turned against Rashek. Remember, the members of the First Generation were offered immortality in exchange for their Hemalurgy. They had to make this choice for all of the world's Feruchemists. Because his uncle had been the one who gave Rashek the chance to become the Lord Ruler in the first place, Rashek blessed him and included him in the decision. (Speaking directly into his mind along with the others during Rashek's moment of ascension.)

    Kwaan was the only one who turned down this offer, calling it a betrayal of who they were as a people. Rashek could have just made him one anyway, but in a moment of anger, he tried to destroy Kwaan—which he couldn't do, not with Preservation's power. As the other Feruchemists changed, Kwaan remained the same. Rashek eventually hunted him down and killed him.

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  • 17

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Qarlin (16 October 2008)

    Who were Ruin and Preservation? I mean, when they died, they had bodies, like Vin. And you went as far as to describe their hair color (Red and Black, respectively). Preservation even had a prominent nose. Why describe their dead bodies, if they weren't at one time mortals themselves? They created humans, but were at one time human themselves?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    RAFO. (Sorry.)

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  • 18

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Qarlin (16 October 2008)

    Lemme guess, the "Mistborn" following Vin was actually Ruin, since Elend never actually saw him, and he disappeared every time Vin got close?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Yes.

    QARLIN

    Why did Ruin give off Allomantic Pulses? Because Preservation did and they're two sides of the same coin? Allomancy is of Preservation, so I figured that's why he did...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Manifestation of the awesome power he held, mixed with Vin's increased ability to sense these things. Allomantic pulses are like a ripple of sound in the fabric of creation itself—the power of creation being used, creating a drum beat to those attuned to it. Ruin created a similar beat when his consciousness was near.

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  • 19

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    What was Vin supposed to do at the end of Well of Ascension? How exactly did not-using the power, end up releasing Ruin? I still don't get how that all worked. Can you explain it?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    What was she supposed to do? Well, this is difficult to answer, since the prophecies have been changed and shifted so much. Originally, the prophesies intended for a person to go take the power every thousand years and become a protector of mankind for a period of time. Someone to keep an eye on Ruin in Preservation's absence and watch over the world as he would have done. Imagine an avatar who arrives every thousand years and lives for their lifetime blessing the people with the power of Preservation, renewing Ruin's prison, and generally being a force for protection. (Note that Ruin wouldn't have gotten out if the prison wasn't renewed, he'd simply have been able to touch the world a little bit more.) Obviously, it changed a LOT during the years that Ruin was playing with things.

    What should she have done? Well, Ruin's release was inevitable. Even if she hadn't let him go, the world would have 'wound down' eventually. The ashfalls would have grown worse over the centuries, and the next buildup of the Well might not have come in time for them to do anything. Or, perhaps, mankind would have found a way to adapt. But Ruin was going to get himself out eventually, so the choice Vin made was all right. There weren't really any good choices at this point. She could have decided to take the power and become a 'good' Lord Ruler, trying to keep the world from falling apart. Of course, she would have had to make herself immortal with Hemalurgy to make that work right. And since she was already tainted, chances are good she wouldn't have ended up any better than the Lord Ruler himself.

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  • 20

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    Allomancy is fueled by Preservation's body? How exactly does that work? And how does that interact with Atium—it's fueled by both gods' bodies?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself. Allomancy, Hemalurgy, Feruchemy are manifestations of this power in mortal form, the ability to touch the powers of creation and use them. These metallic powers are how people's physical forms interpret the use of the Shard, though it's not the only possible way they could be interpreted or used. It's what the genetics and Realmatic interactions of Scadrial allow for, and has to do with the Spiritual, the Cognitive, and the Physical Realms.

    Condensed 'essence' of these godly powers can act as super-fuel for Allomancy, Feruchemy, or really any of the powers. The form of that super fuel is important. In liquid form it's most potent, in gas form it's able to fuel Allomancy as if working as a metal. In physical form it is rigid and does one specific thing. In the case of atium, it allows sight into the future. In the case of concentrated Preservation, it gives one a permanent connection to the mists and the powers of creation. (I.e., it makes them an Allomancer.)

    So when a person is burning metals, they aren't using Preservation's body as a fuel so to speak—though they are tapping into the powers of creation just slightly. When Vin burns the mists, however, she'd doing just that—using the essence of Preservation, the Shard of Adonalsium itself—to fuel Allomancy. Doing this, however, rips 'troughs' through her body. It's like forcing far too much pressure through a very small, fragile hose. That much power eventually vaporizes the corporeal host, which is acting as the block and forcing the power into a single type of conduit (Allomancy) and frees it to be more expansive.

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  • 21

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

    Why exactly do some spike removals kill (dual eye, or central spike) but most don't?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    For the same reason that a bullet through one part of the body will kill you, but getting shot somewhere else won't. The physical form of a person who has undergone a Hemalurgic transformation is no longer what we think of it. The direct connection to Preservation starts keeping them alive. (Imagine stapling someone's soul to another person's soul, their life essence, then stapling that to the power of creation itself, giving you a conduit directly to power, letting you leech it and steal it.) That power keeps you alive, despite the wounds. Some of the time, the other staples are enough to keep you alive, even if one is pulled out. Others are too important.

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  • 22

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    firstRainbowRose (17 October 2008)

    I just wanted to add in my two cents and say it was absolutely brilliant... and I think I'm starting to be able to breath again (crying that much hurts)...I also really loved that there's an "cameo" for Kelsier at the end... that made me really happy to see.

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Glad you liked the book, Rainbow!

    You may want to note that the moment Preservation dropped out and let the last of his consciousness die, someone was waiting in the Cognitive Realm to seize the power and hold on for a short period until Vin could take it up more fully. You'll find him using it to whisper in moments of great stress in the book, to one person in specific in two places. (I'll bet someone on here has already found them.)

    He never could just let things well enough alone....

    Footnote

    The person Brandon mentions is Spook. After the spike is removed, Kelsier prompts him to send the letter to Vin, and then prompts him to send people underground.

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  • 23

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    GreedyAlgorithm (17 October 2008)

    Brandon, I'd like to see a timeline of when you fleshed out the parts of the cosmology we know about. I'd imagine Allomancy came before you fit it into the bigger picture, right? What was your method, come up with a cool image of hammering spikes through a living being, figure out how to integrate that into a larger picture, and then think about the implications of your new cosmology? Or what?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Boy, this is a hard one to ask because it's been such a LONG process. There were bits of all of this popping around in my head almost twenty years ago, so it's going to be hard to define where what fit into place when.

    Allomancy and Feruchemy were originally planned separately. I linked them together into this book when I realized that the 'focus' items that could store attributes could be metal, and therefore work wonderfully with the Mistborn book I was planning.

    Hemalurgy came from the image of Inquisitors first, then developed as a need to integrate it in with the other two in a way that evoked the power of "Ruin" rather than the power of Preservation. I figured that Ruin would steal, and it was a great way to add a third magic without having to overload people with a whole new set of powers. The process of writing this series, since I did all three books together, was an interesting one, and I made a lot of connections as I went. Some of the latest things on the timeline were figuring out how to fit atium and the Preservation nuggets into the already built framework. But I don't know if I can give you an exact list. Partially because there would just be too many spoilers in it.

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  • 24

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Czanos (17 October 2008)

    Preservation can fuel Allomancy, (Minus Atium.) but can Ruin fuel Hemalurgy? (Or Atium?) And could Sazed fuel all three Metallic Arts?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

    Both gods could, if they wanted, fuel all of the metallic arts. Preservation is stronger at fueling Allomancy, Ruin stronger at fueling Allomancy or Feruchemy when it has been given via a spike. Both are balanced when it comes to Feruchemy. But this rarely comes up in the books, as it required expending power in a way that the gods were hesitant to do.

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  • 25

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Chaos (17 October 2008)

    Would the Three Metallic Arts operate in other worlds, or are they direct results of Ruin and Preservation and thus only operate in Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    To use Feruchemy or Allomancy in almost every case, one must have the right spiritual and genetic codes, imprinted upon people during the creation of Scadrial by Ati and Leras. To use Hemalurgy, one must first have someone with these right spiritual and genetic codes, then take the power from them. Other people on other worlds are not going to simply discover the Three Metallic Arts by accident.

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  • 26

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Comatose (18 October 2008)

    I also wondered if you could explain that circle in the cave some more, I didn't quite get it.

    I was sure Vin was the hero right up until the end, even though originally before I read the book, I was sure it would be Elend or Sazed. But then the epilogue author started naming people off, so I knew it wasn't them. But it only mentions Vin as 'she,' when talking about how she got her spike. I was sure one of the epigraphs was going to be: "And that girl is me."

    The Sazed thing totally made sense in hindsight, I can't believe I didn't figure it out. And we were right about the "on the arms," bit being the part Brandon was referring to, good find Vintage!

    I'm a little sad that the lake doesn't come into it more. But the Mist spirit and the Deepness were BOTH Preservation. That was cool.

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    I think I did a post on the circle. The short of it is, that is drawing too much attention. Just because Vin didn't quite understand it doesn't mean it's important. (Though, of course, there are other things she doesn't understand that ARE important.) Also, the lake might be involved more at a later date. See the other posts.

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  • 27

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    firstRainbowRose (18 October 2008)

    Is Sazed effected by the metal blindness, or can he see thing written in metal?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    He is blinded by metal.

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  • 28

    Interview: Oct, 2008

    Andrew the Great (19 October 2008)

    Why can Vin fuel Elend's atium-burning, even though Atium is Ruin's Body and Vin is using Preservation? Or did I misread that and he was just burning atium and had run out of everything else?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 October 2008)

    Yes, as has been pointed out:

    A powerful peace swelled in Elend. His Allomancy flared bright, though he knew the metals inside of him should have burned away. Only atium remained, and the strange power did not—could not—give him this metal. But it didn’t matter. For a moment, he was embraced by something greater. He looked up, toward the sun. (From the text.)

    As a note here, the powers granted by all of the metals—even the two divine ones—are not themselves of either Shard. They are simply tools. And so, it's possible that one COULD have found a way to reproduce an ability like atium's while using Preservation's power, but it wouldn't be as natural or as easy as using Preservation to fuel Allomancy.

    The means of getting powers—Ruin stealing, Preservation gifting—are related to the Shards, but not the powers themselves.

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  • 29

    Interview: 2012

    Kilomtrs (June 2012)

    So in the trilogy, we see that when someone has a Hemalurgic spike implanted in them, they can hear Ruin talking to them, both as a vision and in their head. However, we learn in the Hero of Ages that Ruin cannot hear a person's thoughts no matter how much under Ruin's influence they are.

    In Alloy of Law, we see that Wax (and other Pathians) uses an earring to "pray" to Harmony, and we see that Harmony can hear his thoughts and respond.

    So I guess this leads to three questions:

    1. How does Harmony hear the thoughts of Wax, when it's explicitly pointed put that Ruin cannot?

    2. Are the earrings that the Pathians use Hemalurgicly charged, as otherwise they would be of no use to Ruin, and therefore Harmony?

    3. Or did Harmony completely change how that aspect of Hemalugy works?

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    How this all works dates back to the original design of the Magic system.

    I wanted Ruin and Preservation to be complimentary opposites, like many things in the Mistborn world. Allomancy, for example, has Pushes and Pulls were are less "negate one another" opposites, but instead two sides to the same proverbial coin.

    Ruin is invasive. The power is more "Yell" than "Listen." The philosopher would probably have some interesting things to say about the masculine symbolism of Hemalurgy and its spikes.

    Ruin can insert thoughts. That power, however, can't HEAR the reactions. It's about invasion.

    Preservation, however, is the opposite. Preservation listens, Preservation protects. (Perhaps to a fault—if there were no Ruin, there would be no change to the world, and life could not exist.) Because of this, Preservation can hear what is inside people's minds. It cannot, however, INSERT thoughts. (This is important to the plot of Hero of Ages.)

    Harmony is both, the two complimentary opposites combined. And so, he inserts thoughts with Ruin and still uses Hemalurgy. He can also listen.

    Yes, Wax's earring is Invested. (Or, in other terms, it's a Hemalurgic spike.)

    Tags

  • 30

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So what's up with the regeneration issue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [looks confused]

    Zas

    With Shards? Because they only have so much power they can access at a certain time, but yet they still have more energy. So how does that work? Is it just they have so much power they can use at any given time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [still slightly confused] What are you talking about? Like which shards?

    Zas

    Ruin and Preservation. Since we know the most about them.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ruin and Preservation were a specific instance, because almost all their energy was thrown into resisting each other. Keep that in mind. Even after Preservation was only a shadow, basically all of it was "Let's keep Ruin from destroying the world". So they were polar opposites. Set in balance. But slightly unbalanced in a couple of ways, that eventually, that slight imbalance [led to the Mistborn Trilogy]. They are a special case, because of that.

    Zas

    So then why are they hesitant to directly fuel Allomancy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why are they hesitant to? What do you mean by directly fuel Allomancy?

    Zas

    You mention in the Hero of Ages Q&A that they can directly fuel Allomancy, like Vin does with Elend, but it requires expending their energy in a way they are hesitant to do.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because it imbalances them more. Does that make sense? So if you are putting your energy here, rather than fighting the other force, that gives them an edge somewhere else, while trying to gain an edge here. And you have to make sure that's really worth it. Like a chess game. Is it worth sacrificing my pawn here to expose myself over here.

    Zas

    That makes sense.

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  • 31

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Zas

    So where does the power of Allomancy come from? Does it come directly from Preservation? Does that imbalance him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [Brandon being cautious about wording] Certain things built into a world are not the same. Not used in the same way. Meaning the energy of Preservation and Ruin inside of something living and growing—yes that's "of" them, but that's not direct force that they're using at that time.

    Adam

    Would a good example of that be Allomancy versus the blessings the Kandra have?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah sure.

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  • 32

    Interview: Feb 12th, 2013

    Mason Wheeler

    You've said that Splintering a shard is essentially the same thing as the shattering of Adonalsium, repeated on a smaller scale.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Mason Wheeler

    And a while ago, someone asked you if Splintering was permanent or reversible, and you said that it can be reversed.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Mason Wheeler

    And shard holders tend to take the name of the shard they hold. So you've got Sazed, who goes by "Harmony" now, after taking up Ruin and Preservation. That makes me wonder, does he hold two shards... or one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You could really answer that either way. The distinction is a really subjective one, and you could say that he's holding both shards, or that he holds one single Harmony.

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  • 33

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Chaos

    Is there a Cosmere-specific term you use to describe, say, a Shard's power inside someone? For example, people on Scadrial had little bits of Preservation in them that made them sentient (and, with enough Preservation, Allomancy). This obviously doesn't make these people Slivers or Splinters, so I was just wondering if you had a word for it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    In my own terms, I refer to all of this as types of investiture. The degree, and effects, can be very different - but those people are invested. I term this Innate Investiture, and it is similar to what happens with people on Nalthis. That is also innate.

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  • 34

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Windrunner

    Why does Devotion's Shardpool act so differently from Preservation's?

    Brandon Sanderson

    For similar reasons to why the Dor acts so differently from Preservation's essence...

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  • 35

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    rags

    How is Harmony balanced when a part of Preservation's power is expended on human sentience? Isn't that what caused all the trouble to begin with?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Indeed. Hm... What could Sazed be doing with that extra power...

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  • 36

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Stroniax

    Is there a way to harvest BioChromatic Breath from a planet, if it holds any? (If a person dies, and their body turns to dusty he dust of the earth, then doesn't the earth--or sharever planet they have--therefore hold thousands, if not millions, of BioChromatic Breaths?)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Possible. It would be the same thing as harvesting the nature of Preservation or Ruin, which--on Scadrial--took the form of nuggets of metal.

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  • 37

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    JamesW

    You said that Preservation created the Terris Prophecies. Why couldn't ruin see into the future and counter Preservation's plan? Is it because Ruin's intent has him focusing more on the present than the future, while Preservation (wanting to preserve forever) looks more into the future for that goal.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Looking into the future was not something Ruin was good at doing. That ability is confined to certain shards, and not others.

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  • 38

    Interview: Sep, 2012

    Master_Moridin

    Why does Preservation fueling Allomancy not weaken Preservation compared to Ruin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because the power, once used, returns to him--much as water, after passing over a turbine, continues on in its system.

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  • 39

    Interview: Oct 30th, 2012

    Lance Alvein

    You've said that "The Pits of Hathsin were crafted by Preservation as a place to hide the chunk of Ruin's body that he had stolen away." How does one Shard steal a portion of another Shard and create a Physical outlet for it, like the Pits were for Ruin's power?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (paraphrased)

    It has to do with clash between the two shards power. When pressed, he then said that it was "kind of" like splintering

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  • 40

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Phantine ()

    Would it have been theoretically possible to create thinking life by adding excess Ruin instead of excess Preservation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

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  • 41

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Thanatos17901 ()

    Thanks so much for all your writing, Way of Kings is the best book I've read in the last decade.

    If Sazed were to die, would he drop the shards Ruin and Preservation, or would he drop the shard Harmony?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Excellent question. The shards are now intermingled, and would take effort to split apart. He would drop Harmony. (This is what Odium feared would happen, by the way.)

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  • 42

    Interview: 2013

    Autarchk (March 2013)

    If I can ask a question, I just read the Mistborn trilogy and, were Preservation and Ruin two different shards or a single one with their power split somehow? If they were two shards, does that mean a single person can hold more than one, since Harmony apparently holds both now?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They were two shards.

    Yes, one entity can hold more than one. Remember that holding a shard changes you, over time. Rayse knows this, and prefers to leave behind destroyed rivals as opposed to taking their power and potentially being overwhelmed by it.

    Nepene

    I have a question, if you are willing. Would Ruin be more compatible with Rayse, would he pick up that shard had he visited Scadrial and shattered him? All the shards we have seen that he has shattered seem rather different in intent than him—Honor, Cultivation, Love, Dominion. But Ruin seems more in line with Odium. Rayse has ruined the days of quite a few people.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Technically, Ruin would be most compatible with Cultivation. Ruin's 'theme' so to speak is that all things must age and pass. An embodiment of entropy. That power, separated from the whole and being held by a person who did not have the willpower to resist its transformation of him, led to something very dangerous. But it was not evil. None of the sixteen technically are, though you may have read that Hoid has specific beef with Rayse. Whether you think of Odium as evil depends upon how much you agree with Hoid's particular view.

    That said, Ruin would have been one of the 'safer' of the sixteen for Rayse to take, if he'd been about that. Odium is by its nature selfish, however, and the combination of it and Rayse makes for an entity that fears an additional power would destroy it and make it into something else.

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  • 43

    Interview: Jun 20th, 2009

    Andrew the Great

    Where do the mists go in the day, why do they just disappear?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    The mists are kind of like the physical manifestation of Preservation's power. During the day, the power is still there, but the mists that accompany them during the night are burned away by the sun. So really, it's more that they are somehow linked to Preservations power, and come out at night with the power, but they can't stay with the power during the day because of the sun.

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  • 44

    Interview: Jun 20th, 2009

    Andrew the Great

    Before the Ascension, why did the mists appear just as the Well was gaining power? Did they come out at other times?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    This one is trickier. From what I got out of it, it's because the mists are a manifestaion of Preservation, and physical manifestations of Preservation (including Allomancers) are intended to do two things - stop Ruin, and protect the Well of Ascension. Which are kind of the same thing. So, when the Well was dormant, the mists didn't really have much to do. The Deepness form of the mists is a result of the conscious part of Preservation freaking out and trying to produce a way to protect the well, mostly by producing more Allomancers. That's why the mists do all the funky things in the Well of Ascension and Hero of Ages - they're trying to produce more Allomancers to combat Ruin.

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  • 45

    Interview: Jun 20th, 2009

    Andrew the Great

    Why did the mist sickness only happen after the Lord Ruler's death?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    It didn't. It just happened on a much smaller scale. As you remember, the Lord Ruler basically meant stagnation. Because it seemed the Lord Ruler would be taking the power again (as was intended, and as apparently had been done many times before), and because of the extreme stability of the Final Empire, Preservation (though it really only had a shadow of it's mind left) wasn't as freaked out. After the LR died, Preservation began to attempt to create more Allomancers for the reasons mentioned in question 7. It also left clues, such as the number 16 everywhere, so that people would know it was Preservation doing it, and not just random chance, or ruin. Turns out that that didn't work so well.

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  • 46

    Interview: Mar 17th, 2012

    Zas

    In Well of Ascension, there are two strange "voice in the head" experiences. One of them is with Sazed and Marsh are fighting, and Sazed realizes that he can burn the metal rings that are now in his stomach. But the other one is with Elend, when a voice comes, and he’s not sure where it comes from. It says something like "If you have a dagger, the only way to win is to go in for the kill"

    Brandon Sanderson

    That one, where it came from, is – I know what you are searching for, but it’s actually just an old (something) from weapons training. He’s just dredging- he’s not sure where it came from because he never thought he would need any of it, he thought he was just going to be a scholar. But his father did have him trained in weapons, so it’s just instinct that he got from one of his old mentors in fighting.

    So there’s nothing to see there, so no, he’s not (something).

    ZAS

    Okay. We were just wondering if it was Preservation, or Kelsier.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nope. Unfortunately, no. I do that on occasion, but this time...

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  • 47

    Interview: Oct 1st, 2013

    Question

    Ruin and Preservation were often represented in the Mistborn trilogy in terms of black and white. Is this imagery limited to that series, or do other Shards also have an associated hue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This (Ruin & Preservation's colors) was because of the specific world and their perception of the world and themselves. Essentially, because of the dynamics of the interplay between Ruin and Preservation, they "chose" to view themselves as black and white respectively, so that's how they were represented. Also, because the only two Shards on Scadrial, and their natures were opposites, after the long period of time they spent on the same planet, they kind of "polarized." If a similar thing happened on another world, a similar coloring effect could happen.

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  • 48

    Interview: Oct 5th, 2013

    Question

    Feruchemy is the "balance" between Ruin and Preservation. Would any combination of Shards create a "balance" magic, so to speak, or are only certain Shards compatible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Feruchemy ended up being a balance system, because of how polar Ruin and Preservation were. Any world with at least two Shards will result in a similar phenomenon.

    Question

    Like Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Like Roshar. There is something like that going on there.

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  • 49

    Interview: Oct 5th, 2013

    Question

    Are there still no Splinters on Scadrial, after the events of The Alloy of Law?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, there are no Splinters on Scadrial. Unless they've been brought. There are no Splinters of Ruin or Preservation.

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  • 50

    Interview: Aug 13th, 2014

    Question

    As Feruchemistry is the magic system combined from Ruin and Preservation's powers, and they created humankind on Scadrial, how is it that it only occurs in persons with Terrispeople in their ancestry?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. :)

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  • 51

    Interview: Mar 21st, 2014

    Question

    The epigraphs for The Way of Kings, that were talking about how the various Shardholders are influenced by their shards over time--how does that impact someone like Harmony, with multiple shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The main effect it's having on Harmony right now is his inability to act sometimes, because his two sides are pushing, and so he is having trouble being proactive. It'd take a long time before it really becomes manifest, but he's had several hundred years, so it's starting to have an effect.

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  • 52

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    Allomancy is of Preservation, correct?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes...

    Question

    What are Feruchemy and Hemalurgy of?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hemalurgy is definitely of Ruin.

    Question

    Is it of pure Ruin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. That's a very Ruin thing. And Feruchemy is more of a blend. Though… there is more philosophy to that and human construct—like the Allomantic table—than I think I’ve made clear before.

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  • 53

    Interview: Oct 12th, 2015

    Question

    If another Shard came to Scadrial, would that be enough to create a godmetal?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If another shard just came to visit, probably not.

    Question

    If they brought a spren or-

    Brandon Sanderson

    If they came and completely Invested the world, then things might start happening. But there's some special circumstances, remember. Ruin and Preservation created that planet. Specifically. And so there's some goofy things that happened because of that. For instance Roshar was not made by Honor, Cultivation, or Odium. That's one of the big differences about what's going on there.

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  • 54

    Interview: Oct 9th, 2015

    Question

    How does Harmony know about radio?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are actually two answers to this. First, Harmony was given a grand understanding of the laws of the universe during his Ascension. Second, Preservation had some limited precognitive abilities. Either one of those can lead you to the answer.

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  • 55

    Interview: Oct 7th, 2015

    Cadmium

    Well, yes. hmm. We... we've seen someone with a hemallurgic spike communicate or under the control of Ruin or Harmony. Can other spikes communi, sorry no people, well Shards... ugh so nervous." (Trying to get it accurate.) Brandon looks a little confused at me, but smiles. "Can other *Shards* communicate or control those individuals?"

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Good Question. Yes... *scribbles* They can certainly communicate...

    Question

    (I excitedly, but rudely, interrupt a bit) To what extent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    not to the extent that Ruin did. The others could communicate but it'd be vague or faint, not as direct as Ruin was. He connects to us, well, them through the little bit of Preservation that he had or could touch. Because the spike pierces the soul.

    Question

    What about on other planets than Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It'd work the same way. but again probably vaguer or fainter. Might go unnoticed.

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  • 56

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    How is a new Feruchemist made?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What do you mean?

    Question

    Well you can make a new Mistborn by lerasium--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, okay. Other than through birth?

    Question

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That’s a RAFO, good question though. Right now, as far as anyone knows, it’s by birth only. But-- Well we’ll leave it there. You know that the extra Preservation instead of Ruin had some effects on people on Scadrial.

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  • 57

    Interview: Feb 17th, 2016

    Question

    In Secret History we find out that when Kelsier had the power of Preservation, whenever he was near someone with cracks in their minds he would end up healing them up naturally, right? When he tried to--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not heal them up but--

    Question

    The intent was that he would Preserve them, right? So my theory is that Snapping, when they’re getting physically damaged their cracks are wider and wider and that it ends up Preservation, if they have a good Connection with Preservation or whatever randomly comes in those cracks. Am I anywhere along the right track?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This theory has merit.

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  • 58

    Interview: Feb 27th, 2016

    Paladin Brewer

    Are Shard vessels able to have children?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes they are.

    Paladin Brewer

    Even Sazed, with his body being a eunuch?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, though technically all of Scadrial are the children of Preservation and Ruin.

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  • 59

    Interview: Feb 27th, 2016

    Paladin Brewer

    If Preservation and Ruin created life on Scadrial but did not create Feruchemy, where does it come from? The Planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    All magic systems come from Shards power in some way.

    Footnote

    WSB: I thought there were magic before the shards originated from the shattering of Adonalsium

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  • 60

    Interview: Feb 19th, 2016

    Dirigible

    "Could someone who's never been to Scadrial be Connected to Ruin, Preservation, or Harmony?"

    Brandon Sanderson

    "Possibly. Depends on the strength of the Connection. But yeah, Connection's not an on/off switch."

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  • 61

    Interview: Apr 8th, 2016

    Blightsong

    Is it normal for people to become connected to an area after being there for a bit, like with Kel and wherever he was when he found the Ire, or is something special going on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is normal for a cognitive shadow to get stuck to places, because they exist through investiture it is normal for them to get tied to an area. Kelsier was still in Scadrial when he found the Ire. This happened with Odium and the two shards on Roshar, Preservation to Ruin, and the Heralds (To Roshar? Braize?). (I think this is basically what happens with shards when they invest on a planet, so this same thing happens at smaller levels than shards.)

    Footnote

    (After about an hour and a half he started answering more questions, so I sat nearby and wrote the gist of the questions and answers he was getting. Thsi next part is going to be paraphrased, but fairly accurate. It wasn't as rapid fire as it had been, as I and other people didn't want to keep interruption him while he was playing magic.)

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  • 62

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2016

    Question

    In Bands of Mourning you got more into the Connection and you’ve given us some hints there. During previous seminar a question came up on how that relates to your Physical, Cognitive and Spiritual Realm. I guess, we’ve talked about… if people were to go different places… it seems from the hints you’ve given in your books that there’s a Physical aspect to Connection as far as where people are when they use the Connection as well as there’s some ideal with… in the Secret History that we’ve got, when Kelsier was, when he wasn’t Connected enough with Preservation. So can you give us anything more...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I just gave you a ton in Secret History! So much! I gave you a lot in Secret History to philosophize upon, this is very relevant to a lot of things that happen in the Cosmere.

    Question

    I guess, specifically, does someone have to have both… with Connection, are there more than one elements that people would have to have to have Connection to… provide avenue to power from a different area.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, um… there are multiple things that could help with it, yes. There are certain things that you can Connect through to make one strong Connection would be enough for variety of magics, yeah.

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  • 63

    Interview: Nov 30th, 2016

    Borderlands SF-AU Tour (Paraphrased)

    Question

    What would have happened if Kelsier hasn't taken Preservation or later Sazed hasn't taken Ruin and Preservation powers? Would the earth have been destroyed due to so much raw power much before the actual destruction due to Ruin's actions?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Bad things would have happened (Me - "Like Sel?" Him - "Not going to answer that. Just bad things would have happened")

    Footnote

    Scadrial, not Earth

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  • 64

    Interview: Dec 3rd, 2016

    wicktacular

    At the end of Hero of Ages, it's significant that 1/16 of the soldiers who got sick were Atium mistings. We know now that there's more than 16 metals - what exactly happened there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, you have to remember, by that point, Preservation wasn't entirely there. He was mostly concerned with leaving hints, clues, with the number 16, towards his plan.

    wicktacular

    So, were the other remaining group of soldiers that fell sick all still mistings of the other base metals?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    wicktacular

    So, did Preservation bump out one of the base metal types so those could be Atium mistings? And if so, which was it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, that's right. It would probably have been one of the metals that was difficult to get at that level of technology. It would have been Chromium - Chromium would be hard gather at that time. Actually, no, it would have been Aluminum. (about a minute later, while signing someone else's book) - Hold on, there's a caveat to that last answer. Let me finish signing this and expand on that. So, it would still have been Aluminum, but not for the reason your thinking. It would have been Aluminum, but there's an asterisk next to that answer.

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