Throwing Shade: Investiture on Threnody

Because there's no Shard, things on Threnody get pretty shady. Here's an analysis of the investiture on the spookiest planet in the Cosmere!
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Books referenced: Shadows for Silence, Stormlight Archive
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[@WubdoR]

Oh man, that perpendicularity theory is great, I had never thought about that. That makes complete sense with Brandon's "morbid" comment.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks!

[@matthickerson3272]

It is fascinating that silver has cosmere wide implications yet has no known metallic art on scadrial.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

That's one of those really confusing cosmere questions for which I'm really excited for an answer.

[@ellehjames5809]

I can't help but see a connection between the shades and deadeyes from roshar.

[@ellehjames5809]

Should have finished the video before commenting haha

[@TheCosmerenaut]

It's cause you're a smarty.

[@carlsmith4568]

We're gonna have some answers after Stormlight 5.

[@ModernMortality]

Wow, great video! I love the Cosmere books and this kind of extra analysis is just what I was looking for. Looking forward to watching your other vids...

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks! I try to get one out every week, so be sure to subscribe!

[@tonyoliver4920]

“Chunks of ambition” but if some of odium was too. The evil could be odious ambition coalesced into one?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

IIRC, that's actually a pretty popular theory on the 17th Shard.

[@callianr6980]

Recently read Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell (best title every) and feel like if that's ever adapted it'd be best to get a horror director to do it. It could easily be a very none chilling movie. Also, something I like to do sometimes is pretend that different fantasy series are actually part of the Cosmere and, speculatively, wonder how the magic in their world would connect to Investiture and determine which Shard(s) ended up there. So far all I got is Rhythm for Eru Illuvitar from Middle Earth/Arda. So I was wondering: If a fantasy series you like was actually part of the Cosmere, what Shard do you think would have ended up there and why?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Oh I've totally gone off the deep end figuring out how the LotR universe is in the Cosmere, but I haven't considered Shards in residence, so that could be interesting. I'm planning on eventually making a video specifically about a Middle Earth/Cosmere connection, so at the moment that's my favorite.

[@callianr6980]

@@TheCosmerenaut Well, just be careful. You'll have to really study up on Arda as well if you want to integrate it well.

[@MountainDewComacho494]

Wow! I read the same books you did but somehow you are able to see more of the meaning in the stories.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Nerdism is my superpower.

[@isaacstandley730]

Playing a DND homebrew set in the cosmere. We learned not to fuck with green eyes the hard way... turns out stabbing a shade with an honor blade was a bad idea.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Oh man, what happened?

[@isaacstandley730]

@@TheCosmerenaut Well it ate/consumed/corrupted the honor blade of course, our understanding of green eyes is still limited. And being a literal piece of Honor's soul(being? I may be fudging the exact terminology) this crippled honor. This led to a series of events that included Odium becoming the dominant shard on Scadriel. (Roshar was mostly a lost cause at the start of the campaign with many Rosharans attempting to flee into post-mistborn Scadriel)

[@fictionmyth]

In one of the WoK epigrams, it refers to Odium as "The Broken One". That always lead me to think that he also had a large chunk of his power ripped away. It would make sense that Hate and Ambition combined might be Evil.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

That's totally a possibility. The difficult thing with that is timetable, considering how long after Ambition's shattering the Evil finally showed up. Then again, that's the same problem with my theory.

[@fictionmyth]

You're not going to believe me when I say this, and I know it sounds like a boast but it's really not meant as one, but I have likely "read" the Stormlight Archive more than any other living human. I got the first audiobook about a month after TWoK came out, hated it, then read Mistborn, loved it, and then gave TWoK another try. I didn't like it again but fell asleep listening to it with it accidently on shuffle. I woke up to the Battle at the Tower and actually called in to work so I could finish the story. Since then I've listened to SA at least 2 hours a day on my way to and from work, plus an hour or more while at work, and have it playing in the background when I'm falling asleep. Yes, I am an insane person and only mildly proud of that fact. In all honesty I like to try and "solve" the story. Yes, I know that's impossible and, yes, I am probably going to be wrong about 90% of my theory-crafting but I adore trying to figure it out before it's revealed. Anyways, If you ever need someone who basically has all 3.5 of them memorized to assist you, and you don't want to sift through the Coppermind, please let me know. I love your channel and your passion for a universe that I hold very dear. So I would be elated to help you in any way you might need that I'm capable of doing. Bridge 4, The Blue Shifting (Letters from the Cosmere), and you are the only ones I know of that actually make Cosmere based content. I watch all three of you with admiration and joy. You're doing The God Beyond's work, Sir.

[@ethanellefson1467]

I read on the coppermind wiki that Nahz may have access to some system of investiture, considering how he managed to retrieve the case of Shallan's old drawings. Also, on the New Elendel broadsheets there was that one section "The Ghastly Gondola" the guy who had a gun that fired what seemed to be shades from Threnody was confirmed to be Nahz.

[@ethanellefson1467]

In any case, do you think this means that there are wider applications for the use of Threnody based investiture?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

I personally think Nazh just found the right bead in Shadesmar and brought it out. Though his shade-gun is definitely weird and concerning.

[@ethanellefson1467]

@@TheCosmerenaut Awesome! I hadn't thought about pulling a shadesmare bead to get them, I just assumed that he swam to the literal bottom of the ocean. On that note, would the drawings Nahz has then just be the cognitive manifestation of the real things, or is there some other way to use those beads to physically retrieve the items in question?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

We've seen people manifest things into Shadesmar before. It just takes a lot of investiture.

[@ha420weednumber]

damn this video is only 5 years old but feels straight outta 2009

[@TheCosmerenaut]

That's about how old the camera was that I used to record this.

[@laurablakeauthor]

Great video! I liked your theories as well.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks! This one's a bit old at this point. Probably due for an update...

[@AliShadad]

Nice vedio man. For future projects how about the high storms in Roshar begin the Honor perpendicularty when there is enough investiture in them

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks! I'm planning on getting to Roshar in a couple weeks!

[@tonyoliver4920]

Oh! Could it be that the shades where meant so kind of ancestral spirits but the bonding process has been lost?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

That's possible!

[@hannahb730]

Yeah one of the most important things I noted in this was the use of silver. The only other time I can remember silver being mentioned specifically in the Cosmere was on scadrial where it is the only other allomantically inert metal but unlike aluminum, it has no effect when burned. I wonder if this means that silver is like the aluminum of the cognitive realm? I suppose we’ll have to see...

[@TheCosmerenaut]

I don't think it's necessarily allomantically inert like aluminum, which actively negates investiture; it just isn't useable in allomancy like any number of other metals. But as for its use in the wider Cosmere, that's going to be interesting to see indeed.

[@morridin7766]

@@TheCosmerenaut it can’t be sensed or pushed I’m pretty sure

[@TheCosmerenaut]

It definitely can. Wax specifically uses silver to push against in Shadows of Self.

[@guy_bello]

Your outro is quite clever man, well done 🖖🏾

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks!

[@macmay3042]

Very good video! Any thoughts on the Deepest Ones? (They are barely mentioned once in Shadows for Silence so not much is known.) I think Cognitive Selves go "Beyond", not to the Spiritual Realm. Where did you learn what all the bits of the symbol for the Threnodite symbol mean?

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks! I tried to find as much info as I could about the Deepest Ones before I made this video, but there's exactly zero WoBs or discussion on the 17th Shard about them. It would make sense if they were a form of Shade, possibly just incredibly old, super-invested manifestations. Excellent point about going to the Beyond. I previously thought that the afterlife in the Cosmere was just going into the Spiritual Realm, but upon more research, Shards can't see into the afterlife, which means it's different than the Spiritual Realm. Thanks! The Threnody symbol was explained by Isaac Stewart, the illustrator for the Cosmere. That quote can be found here: wob.coppermind.net/events/31-arcanum-unbounded-release-party/#e9628

[@macpalin4099]

This is just my idea but what if the Shades 'feed' off that bond that something like a spren would gain. If a person died from a shade that bond would be missing and it would be IMPOSSIBLE to leave the cognitive into the spiritual realm. They would also maybe start a cycle of looking for that bond that would hunger for. Just a thought would love to hear your take on this.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

That's totally possible! I guess the big question is how were the shades created in the first place, or if it's possible to become a shade without getting killed by one. If it does have to start somewhere, that could have caused an expanding cycle like you say.

[@macpalin4099]

All I am trying to piece together is how this is effected by Ambition. All other forms of investiture is somewhat related to the shard. Especially in systems where pure investiture with a destroyed shard (Like Domination and Devotion).

[@TheCosmerenaut]

I think the more we learn about the Evil, the clearer all this will become. Or at least we'll find out how completely wrong we are. :D

[@Jaryth000]

Another solid video!

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Thanks Jaryth!!!

[@banurobymusic]

Interesting theory. You mentioned Intent, you can expand on it in a future video

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Definitely. Intent becomes really important in Awakening, so I'll probably really dig into it there.

[@braxton69]

So you dropping a video anytime soon? No rush just asking.

[@TheCosmerenaut]

Yes! I got unexpectedly busy the last couple weeks, but I'm working on a Sixth of the Dusk video which should be out next week.