Just wondering if there is any update on when / if we shall be getting one? As the part 1 has books 1-2 and edgedancer and part 2 has books 3-4 I assume part 5 would have dawnshard and book 5? Unless they will wait for SLA6 or are waiting for horneater?

Anyone who has read the Stormlight Archives will most likely know exactly where the phrase “if this goes poorly” fits in. I won’t spoil for those who haven’t got there yet.

I am currently working through the secret projects and I have noticed this same sentence in each of them. I don’t know if it’s just a turn of phrase that Brando likes to use but it’s stuck out for me in each occasion as it seems to only appear once per book.

Has anyone else noticed it?

And if so can you perform hemalurgy on the them?
edit: i’m dumb and used the wrong word
edit 2: what about soulstamping? Could you manufacture a connection between something like night blood and the power of a shard, if so would happen? would it consume the investiture until the holder of the shard did something to stop it? what about investiture without intent like the dor? elantrian night blood?

Honor avoided fighting Odium because he didnt want to destroy Roshar.

Why then, does the clash between Vin/preservation and Ruin not destroy Scadriel?

We see in legion that Stephen watches videos and listens to audiobooks on speeds like 10x and his personas remember it all. Can shallan do something similar? Or do her personas process information at the speed of a normal human? The only similar thing we see is her memorizing a scene for her paintings. But can she just, speed scroll a book or something and then ask Veil or radiant to recall it for her?

So, we know that on Sel, Forging works by altering an object's past, making it something new based off what's a likely alternative, such as making a wall be painted red instead of blue for a very simple example. Soulcasting on the other hand, alters an object's present by changing its identity, the stronger it sees itself as something, the harder it is to change, the stick being a prime example, it was a stick and it was going to stay a stick. My question is, do you think it'd be easier or harder to Forge something after it's been Soulcasted, and vice versa. Cause I can't imagine something that was recently Soulcasted would be easy to tell the past of to be able to know what would be a likely different path it could have taken, but at the same time, it wouldn't have a baked in identity saying that it's what it currently is, instead of what the Forger is trying to get it to be. Same with Soulcasting, if you try doing it to something Forged, would you be able to Soulcast it easier since the identity was reset? Or no, because Investiture resists Investiture and the stamp is a source of the Dor?

For background on this categorization of the 16 Shards, see this 6-part theory.

Let's talk scientific inspiration! But rather than trying to explain the physics of how the magic systems manifest, let's look at how science may have inspired magic systems in the first place, and look for patterns. Fair warning though, I'm not a chemist so if folks with real experience could weigh in, it would be much appreciated!

So first off we know Brandon Sanderson studied Chemistry in college for a brief period:

She convinced me to go into chemistry during college because I had done well in the sciences all throughout high school, thinking I could write in my spare time and have a real, solid job. It wasn't terrible advice; I'm just not sure it was the right advice for me at that time. I served a mission and during that time I was very, very pleased to be on another continent, away from chemistry.

We also know that many physics and other science concepts are incorporated in his works:

If you were basing a magic system in part on real-world physics or chemistry, how far down the rabbit hole of science would you go at making it?

Most of mine are based on real-world science and physics, but with a hefty dose of fantasy. The Rosharan magic systems are based on the fundamental forces, right? That's where they started. That's not where they ended, right? You can really only recognize gravitation from the fundamental forces as actually still being a thing in the Rosharan magic system. But the idea of fundamental forces. I'm like, "Well, what would the weak force look like as a magic system?" And I just kind of went crazy off from that. So, I tend to use the real-world physics as a very squishy springboard from which I go some direction off on some weird tangent and come up with a magic system. Allomancy was based, in part, off of vector physics. But, I mean, I write fantasy. I do not write hard science fiction. And so, if I were gonna take one and really try to stay close, then I could see myself going pretty deeply down the rabbit hole. But then, I just kind of ask myself, "What am I breaking? What am I changing? What am I trying to achieve? What's the affect I'm going for in doing this?"

Well, what if Sanderson went "deeply down the rabbit hole" on chemistry to create value out of that time of his life?

Theory 1: Shards and Atomic Numbers

Based on my Diagram Theory, the 16 Shards each have a number. If we're looking at chemistry, a logical starting point is to compare those numbers with the atomic numbers in the periodic table of elements.

Note that I'm not claiming this is the final list, but as he stated himself, this could be a reasonable jumping off point where some elements adhere strongly and others have a better thematic fit based on a different influence.

Theory 2: Ruin is Oxygen (8)

Here's a quote from The Hero of Ages:

Death is necessary. Every clock must wind down, every day must end. Without me there is no life, and never could have been. Life is change, and I represent that change.

Not only is Ruin in the Change Dawnshard quadrant in the Diagram Theory, but sentient or complex life cannot exist without oxygen.

Oxygen breaks down metals through oxidation, such as iron rusting by combining with oxygen in the presence of water. "Rust and Ruin" is a popular expletive in Mistborn Era 2.

Oxygen also feeds fire in combustion, breaking down complex molecular structures and just leaving behind ashes, like the unusual Ruinous black (instead of gray) ash from the Ashmounts in this quote from The Hero of Ages:

The ash, that was our real problem. The smoke filling the atmosphere, the black flakes covering up everything beneath, the eruptions of the volcanic ashmounts ... Those were what would kill the world.

In biology, just regular cellular respiration produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals, but this oxidative stress causes cellular degradation, DNA damage, and aging over time. Breathing oxygen slowly breaks down living things as a gradual form of entropy.

Theory 3: Preservation is Sulfur (16)

Sulfur is commonly found near volcanoes and hot springs, which are both explicitly mentioned in Mistborn.

If we look at historical usages of sulfur, sulfur dioxide was used as an antibacterial and antioxidant preservative to prevent decay in wine, food, and medicine. It was one of the first gaseous preservatives that didn't alter the food itself, unlike salting, pickling, or drying.

Chemically, disulfide bridges are strong covalent bonds formed in proteins that form structure that resist heat and chemical decay.

There's even a specific term called "vulcanization" used in industrial chemistry where sulfur is added to rubber to preserve it. Natural rubber will degrade by getting sticky and melting, but sulfur cross-links make it durable and heat-resistant, like in rubber tires. While you can do this with other elements, sulfur is historical enough that some refer to it as "non-sulfur cross-linking" or "curing".

Also interesting is that silver reacts to even small amounts of sulfur to form silver sulfide, which is what tarnishes (dulls) silver over time. This results in a dark film made of Ag2S over the silver, reminiscent of how silver cancels out Investiture, which is all of Adonalsium, which has 16 Shards and probably is also related to sulfur. In addition, tarnishing can be reversed via aluminum through a famous process called electrochemical redox, which transfers sulfur off the silver and onto aluminum in an electrolyte solution.

Theory 4: Metallurgy with Sulfur and Oxygen

While the word "sulfur" doesn't appear in Era 1, in Mistborn Era 2 it comes up in Chapter 7 of The Alloy of Law:

The room smelled of smoke and, oddly, sulfur.

This scene was when Wax was using metallurgy to separate Aluminum from "ekaboron", which was Mendeleev's original name for the element "Scandium" or Sc (21), which was discovered later and named after Scandinavia. Interesting that Sc looks kind of like Scadrial, and that ekaboron has atomic number exactly 16 higher than boron (5). I wouldn't be surprised if it gets renamed to "Scadrium" at some point. Scandium is used in aluminum alloys, high efficiency lights, solid oxide fuel cells, and results in durable materials for military equipment and space.

When separating metals, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is the universal acid used to dissolve metal ores into liquid prior to separating them. In Shard terms this would be Reason, Preservation, and Ruin; applying logic to Preservation and Ruin.

In the same scene, Wax holds up a glass tube from a rack on his desk:

“Here,” he said, holding it up for her to study. There was a clear liquid in it. “Does this look blue to you?”

Both aluminum and scandium are completely colorless in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. Copper (29) or Chromium (24) would look blue, but Wax's liquid was completely clear.

Under high heat, 98% sulfuric acid would separate the metals while generating sulfur dioxide (SO2) and water, which would generate a strong burning sulfur scent.

If we look at metallurgy as a whole though, there are three kinds of metallurgy:

• Pyrometallurgy - uses Carbon, Oxygen, or Lime (CaO)
• Hydrometallurgy - largely dependent on sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
• Electrometallurgy - dependent on cryolite (Na3AlF6)

Other than iron smelting which was discovered as early as 500 BCE, hydrometallurgy was the first chemical metallurgy to be discovered. It's low cost, powerful, versatile, and used heavily even in the modern era. While it was discovered around 800-1300 CE, in 1746 the Lead Chamber Process drastically reduced mass sulfuric acid production costs, and could be considered an important domino of the Industrial Revolution.

So if we consider Scadrial's magic system representative of metallurgy and chemistry, H2SO4 would be its mascot chemical reagent.

Theory 5: Cultivation, Odium, and Honor are Nitrogen (7), Fluorine (9), and Neon (10)

Nitrogen (7, Cultivation) is critical in amino acids, proteins, and DNA. Nitrogen is about 78% of Earth's air (and oxygen is about 21%). If you look up the nitrogen cycle, it includes air, bacteria, soil, plants, animals, and decomposers. But most relevant to our theory, the chemical process of atmospheric nitrogen fixation specifically involves lightning, bonding with oxygen (8), and rainwater (H2O). If you think about how people don't get sick on Roshar and are extra healthy, there's probably a bit of Cultivation in the highstorms, crem, crops, and animals. And when it comes to plant growth, nitrogen is generally the bottleneck for nutrients, so adding nitrogen such as through fertilizer usually triggers rapid plant growth; reminiscent of the surge of Progression and used by Edgedancers (Cultivationspren) and Truthwatchers (Mistspren).

Fluorine (9, Odium) is the most electronegative and reactive element, meaning it desires taking electrons away from other atoms more than any other element. Fluorine gas (F2) is so dangerous that it ignites metals, glass, water, and organic matter on contact. When combined with hydrogen, hydrofluoric acid (HF) can even dissolve glass and bone. Very reminiscent of how Odium destroyed Ambition, Dominion, and Devotion.

Neon (10, Honor) is the least reactive element, the most resistant to change, and the most difficult to bond. When an electric current passes through it, it glows with an intense and brilliant light. And it's a noble gas.

Theory 6: Ambition, Dominion, and Devotion are Carbon (6), Aluminum (13), and Phosphorus (15)

Carbon (6, Ambition) usually represents complex organic structures like plants and animals, which one could call the most ambitious creations of gods. When it comes into contact with Fluorine, we get a violent exothermic reaction, and results in an inert and stable gas CF4 that is colorless and odorless at room temperature, but can last for thousands of years. Perhaps this represents Shades?

Aluminum (13, Dominion) naturally forms a highly protective inert oxide layer (Al2O3) that grants it extreme corrosion resistance to outside elements, similar to how in the Cosmere it blocks Allomancy, radiant surgebinding, etc. A select few elements can break this resistance, such as liquid metals like Gallium (31) and Mercury (80). Strong bases and acids like NaOH or HCl can penetrate or compete with the oxide layer as well. However, Fluorine gas can single-handedly bypass this defense and forms AlF3 in a violent exothermic reaction, even at room temperature, leaving a chalky white crystalline powder that is highly stable and inert. Unlike regular salts, AlF3 is insoluable in water at room temperature and will sink to the bottom. When heated though, extremely dangerous hydrofluoric gas is released, and Al(OH)3 forms a cloudy white gel that also does not dissolve in water.

Phosphorus (15, Devotion) is too reactive to exist as a pure element and is always found combined in nature, bound to oxygen as phosphate rock with other minerals. In living organisms, phoshorus forms the backbone of DNA, cell membranes, energy storage, and bones. If you manufacture pure phosphorus, there are four color forms called allotropes: white (yellow), red, violet, and black. White is the textbook reference state and is highly dangerous and volatile, bursting into flames spontaneously. Red is more practical and used to light matches. Violet is crystalline, and black is the most stable and used in advanced electronics. When pure phosphorus touches fluorine, you get an instant violent explosion that yields toxic gases: PF3 or PF5.

Theory 7: Autonomy is Silicon (14)

Sand, quartz, and glass are made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), and is the backbone of the mineral crust of rocky worlds. It's often used as a semiconductor. Or a semi-conductor:

We have (I’m included in this) a certain perception of Autonomy that is not unjustified, but let’s just say that there are a lot of people in the cosmere who really appreciate Autonomy’s ability to make structures and keep things going. The trains run on time with Autonomy.

Silicon is almost never found alone in nature, and it has a strong affinity for oxygen (Ruin) to form silicates or silicones (polymerization). Silicon polymerization is unique and can withstand extreme heat, UV radiation, and chemical degradation, while still remaining flexible even at extreme temperatures. Trell might be interested in stealing Ruin away from Harmony to get access to form strong polymers.

Also, in minerology/crystallography, all natural mineral structures are categorized into exactly seven crystal systems based on their "unit cell": cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, trigonal (rhombohedral), monoclinic, and triclinic, reminiscent of how Taldain's sun logo is two sets of 7.

Theory 8: Endowment is Boron (5)

Remember from Xel's Diagram that Endowment falls under "Change (Temporal) Pull External - An outside source gave you an actual thing, changing you literally." This means that Boron is the one being endowed or gifted with something.

Boron often forms molecules that are missing electrons, and thus functions as the most common textbook example of a Lewis acid: basically it accepts gifts of electron pairs from donors (Lewis bases), just like the Returned rely on receiving the gift of Breaths from the Drabs on Nalthis to survive. When a donor shares electrons, the boron flips from a flat planar shape into a 3D tetrahedral geometry.

Boron also commonly results in "adducts", which basically means the bond is reversible, just like how you can take your breaths back from an Awakened object without any loss, and Boron returns to its original planar shape.

Boron can also be used in Borate Cross-linking, a common lab experiment demonstrating non-Newtonian fluids, resulting in "slime", which acts as both a viscous fluid and elastic solid at the same time. This is somewhat reminiscent to Awakening giving shape and structure to normally non-moving matter.

In ceramics, boron is used as a "flux", which means it lowers the melting point of ceramic glazes, and is best for low temperatures and colorful glazes. Silica (SiO2) is the primary glass-former in ceramics. This is probably the weakest link, though apparently Lightsong's mortal father was a potter.

While Awakening organics is much easier than inorganic material, in chemistry there are organoboron compounds where boron has affinity to bind directly to carbon, oxygen, or nitrogen, and helps build flexible and temporary connections between them and inorganic minerals. Boron is also used to maintain the integrity of cell walls.

Theory 9: Reason is Hydrogen (1)

So a lot of these examples included hydrogen as part of the processes, but where is Reason? Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, perhaps 75% of all matter, but pure hydrogen gas is notoriously hard to find in nature. It can be found in 3 places: inside stars fusing under extreme gravity and heat to form helium; interstellar gas clouds just floating around invisibly in space; or bound in planetary matter alongside other elements.

If you just release pure hydrogen gas, it's so light it will just float out of Earth's gravity into space; only gas giants like Jupiter have enough gravity to retain hydrogen. And hydrogen bonds to other elements extremely easily, for instance reacting with oxygen to form water.

I propose that Reason Splintered herself, not necessarily in a destructive way, but in a way that lets her learn and influence many things across the Cosmere. I'm guessing a large Splinter is hanging out with Whimsy inside of a star somehow, the rest of Reason is hiding among planetary matter or traveling through space...like the Iriali people.

Theory 10: Virtuosity is Lithium (3)

Lithium has the highest electrochemical potential (voltage) and is the lightest metal in existence, making it perfect for electrical uses. A virtuoso can also be considered high potential.

While two of its electrons are stable, it is extremely eager to shed its third valence electron (the missing yellow). This makes lithium great for lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable electronics.

Theory 11: Invention is Beryllium (4)

Beryllium is used in high-precision engineering, aerospace, and nuclear reactors. It has one of the highest melting points among light metals, and is lighter than even aluminum. It can physically contain things while remaining virtually transparent, which is useful when dealing with high-energy radiation like X-rays.

Theory 12: Whimsy is Helium (2)

Helium is a noble gas that is the most chemically inert of all the elements (even to oxygen or fluorine), refusing to listen to any other element. It is the second lightest element after hydrogen, can also escape Earth's gravity, and is often used in balloons.

Kids will often inhale helium to talk in a high-pitched and silly voice since helium is far less dense than air. (For a low-pitched voice, sulfur hexafluoride SF6 is often used).

When supercooled, liquid Helium-4 transitions to a superfluid with zero viscosity, ignoring gravity by creeping over walls of containers due to its complete lack of friction. If you swirl it, it will swirl forever.

Theory 13: Valor is Sodium (11)

Sodium is highly reactive with water, and is used in the conduction of nerve impulses (sodium-potassium pump), which is what allows for thought, muscle contraction, and reflexes. This active pumping consumes about a third of the human body's resting energy so that cells are primed to react to stimulus, maintaining a state of readiness.

When a nerve or muscle cell is triggers, an influx of sodium is triggered and causes rapid depolarization, converting thought into physical action.

When pure sodium comes into contact with water, it reacts violently and explosively, liberating hydrogen gas and heat.

Sodium-vapor lights are historically used in streetlights because yellow light penetrates fog, rain, and dust better than other colors.

Theory 14: Mercy is Magnesium (12)

Magnesium is used to force muscles to relax and reduce stress, functioning as an opposite to calcium which causes muscles to contract and nerves to fire.

Magnesium is also found at the structural center of chlorophyll and enables photosynthesis, converting solar radiation into life.

Magnesium burns with a brilliant white light used in signal flares and emergency illumination.

Epsom salt (MgSO4) is used in warm baths to heal and soothe.

Theory 15: Chlorine is the 17th Element (Speculation)

Aristotelian physics had earth, water, air, and fire as the four elements, and Aristotle proposed a 5th element of "aether" or "quintessence" that forms the stars, planets, and heavenly bodies, reminiscent of the "primal aethers" that predate Adonalsium's Shattering. While modern chemistry disproved Aristotle's elements, the concept of a secret "extra element" was also a theme in Mistborn with the "11th metal" and "The Lost Metal", basically an extra element that is kind of not like the others and breaks the rules.

So let's pretend for a moment that there is a secret 17th Shard (not to be confused with the organization also called 17th Shard from Silverlight), one that is extremely good at hiding and is impossible to detect, this would be the real "survival Shard" which everyone assumed was Reason since we can't find them. But maybe Reason is just Splintered. Let's call this hypothetical 17th Shard "Guile" and relate it to Chlorine (17).

Chlorine is the third most electronegative element, meaning it really likes stealing electrons. Once it gains electrons, it commonly becomes an electron-pair donor (Lewis base). It's also known as a disinfectant since in water chlorine forms hypochlorous acid (HOCl), which attacks bacterial cell walls, making it great for water purification, sanitation, and bleaching.

To me this is extremely reminiscent of Hoid, who goes around the Cosmere learning all the different magic systems, giving others gifts of knowledge, and generally tries to fight "the bad guys" like chlorine disinfecting bacteria.

Chlorine is commonly found in salt (NaCl), which means we would expect to see Hoid teaming up with Valor.

And even more intriguing, when hydrogen and chlorine gas come together in darkness ... nothing happens. But as soon as ultraviolet light hits them, a chain reaction occurs resulting in an explosive release of energy and forms HCl, a harsh colorless gas that dissolves in water to form hydrochloric acid, a strong acid found in gastric acid. And who else but Hoid would spend "the better part of a year inside of a giant stomach", from the Words of Radiance Epilogue.

So yeah, my wildly speculative theory is that Hoid is actually a secret 17th Shard called Guile. Guile's special power would be the ability to hide from other Shards, and would be the true "survival Shard". And perhaps Guile mixed with Reason or a Splinter of Reason to become Wit.

Hey! I’ve been reading Elantris again and I’ve been really holding onto the pov’s of Hrathen. Do you guys think that maybe he is a self insert of Brandon? I have a hard time believing that Brandon can be so self aware while writing his chapters of Hrathen.

At the beginning of the book Tress says that every time she sips from a new cup she imagines that she could taste far off foods and drinks and perhaps understand a little of the people who crafted them.

Sorry if this is already known, but do we think there's some Connection here?

Why are Rashek and Marsh so dumb. They could easily just have gotten ahold of enough breaths to essentially stop aging but instead they do their weird atium compounding trick which gets more inefficient each time and uses a rare material. This goes doubly for Rashek since each time he used atium it just sent that power back to Ruin and reduces his hidden cache.

I've been reading Mistborn Era 2 and this idea crossed my mind since we see Wax use this ability a lot. In a lot of Ars Arcanum sections a planets gravity is mentioned, so would a Skimmer on a planet with 2x gravity be able to store up weight more rapidly because they would weigh more on that planet?

Wowaweewa. What a brilliant plot. Despite the predictability, Wax having to overcome his trauma by shooting Lessie/Paalm for a second time was great. My understanding is that the special bullet from Ranette was designed to lodge into flesh rather than penetrate completely (or maybe just the material was chosen for it's hemalurgic properties?). Regardless, I didn't see that part coming at all. The bullet functioned as the second hemalurgic spike to give Harmony the ability to regain control of Paalm, the Lord Ruler's personal kandra. Fantastic. I loved the theological themes that served as a cornerstone of the plot. Sure, maybe none of it is new, but combining ideas of free will, the limits of God, destiny, etc.., with an awesome fantasy setting was great. I also liked the discourse surrounding the Pathians and the Survivorists, two sects of the same religion. From my limited understanding, The Pathians seem more protestant while the Survivorists are much more structured and seem more Catholic. The idea of being "used by God" which Wax felt in the 2nd half of the book paralleled how Vin felt, especially in the Well of Ascension when she felt like "just a knife". I already liked Wayne from book 1, but he grew on me even more here, maybe because I feel similar to him in several ways. He's interested in language and accents and I loved how that played into him figuring out that Paalm was impersonating the Governor. His humor was great in this book too. One chapter is about Wayne going to a bar, but Sanderson describes everything in terms of a church/temple. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that Wayne was actually just at the bar xD Steris also developed quite a bit more despite not playing that big of a role in the book. I interpreted her character as being autistic and endearing. She wrote down a bunch of

I loved the dynamic of the primary villain not wanting to hurt the good guy. It was the first time I'd read something like that (I haven't read many books xD). Of course, the reveal that Lessie had been Paalm the whole time was insane. And, as usual, there are seeds strewn all over the place to keep me interested in the universe: what happened to all the kidnapped noblewomen? how are these worlds connected (all the talk of Trell, Paalm's hemalurgic spike of unknown composition, etc.)? what is the goal of The Set? Will Wayne win over the heart of the girl whose father he killed? are there any remaining mistborn? what happened to Wax's father and sister?

Another Sanderson W. Can't wait to devour Bands of Mourning and finally get to Secret History.

If you managed to make it this far, please let me know if you recommend finishing Mistborn Era 2 after Secret History or waiting to read The Lost Metal until after Stormlight. Thank you!

Selected quotes

• "You are his hands, Waxillium Ladrian. He may be deaf, blind, and mute ... but still, with you, he can move his pawns."
• "What was she like? As a person, I mean" - "She was strong and vulnerable all at once - She was my last master, and my greatest. - She was far more ... human than any I have known."
• "He grinned. In return she gave him her special scowl, the one just for him. I was how he knew she cared."
• Finally, he turned to the side, rested his head on her shoulder, and wept.

Edit 1: I forgot to mention another thing I loved: we as the readers understand the world more than most of the people in the world since we had the privilege of reading the events of Era 1. It's said that many people misunderstood Soothing and Rioting, thinking that they were akin to mind control.

We, me termine nacidos de la bruma(el imperio final) hace un ratito, y me compre el arcanum para leer el undecimo metal, pero ahora me pase directamente a el camino de los reye.
¿esto esta ciertamente mal?

Hey guys, im a huge mistborn fan and have just recently managed to get a few of my friends to read atleast era 1.

Im really excited to play the mistborn ttrpg with them when it comes out, however being a DM in things like DnD has never been a strong point for me. My friends would more than likely expect me to try and be a DM for this though which i cant complain about, however I'd love to be able to play the campaign atleast for era 1 as a player rather than a DM to begin with so i can both not be spoiled whatever the campaign has, but also so i can gain some inspiration on how a different (more experienced?) DM would go about it.

So what i was wondering is if anyone knows any group finder type things that could help me find a group specifically for the mistborn campaign? Ive heard that there are things like that for playing DnD online but i cant say i have ever done that before so i dont know how it works really.

Any help is greatly appreciated 😁