Yolen

Yolen is a planet in the cosmere where humans first appeared, and where the Shattering of Adonalsium happened. It's the homeworld of all the original Vessels, along with Hoid and Frost. The inhabitants of Yolen are called the Yolish.
== Geography and Ecology ==
Very little is known about Yolish geography, other than that it has some unusual features. Its gravity and other measurements are considered the cosmere standard by cosmere-aware scholars like Khriss. Its ecology is divided into two distinct parts. Parts of it are similar to post-Catacendre Scadrial, with similar flora and fauna. Other parts are covered in fainlife, an invasive ecosystem. Although fain has the shape of ordinary flora, the plants and land overtaken by it are bone-white. There is something similar to a perpendicularity on Yolen, despite the lack of a Shard.
Yolen is home to three sapient races: humans, dragons and Sho Del. By Rosharan year , Frost is the only known inhabitant, and though there are more people living there, the Yolish population is rather small. While not all humans originated from Yolen, it was the first world on which they've appeared. Many languages currently in use across the cosmere are derived from Yolish ones.
Approximately half of the trees on Yolen, presumably mainly in fain areas, are bone-white.
Yolen has a strange astronomy that would be impossible under ordinary laws of physics, furthermore, there is a "weirdness" about the planet that makes discussion about location complicated. 
Yolen is somehow hidden and inaccessible by the time of the Catacendre; how or for what reason, is currently unknown. Most information concerning Yolen known amongst arcanists and other researchers comes from stories, rather than on-site research.
== Culture ==
Before the Shards started getting involved with other planets, Yolen was one of the most technologically advanced planets in the cosmere, having reached the Bronze Age. They were not aware of what the stars were, and many philosophers would debate at length on the subject. What philosophical outlooks were present is unclear, but it is known that they possessed an understanding of philosophy and often had debates on the matter.
At least some cultures on the planet had a form of economy and knew how to make alcohol. However, the form the economy or currency took is currently unclear. Human society was divided into myriad city-states, whilst dragon society developed what was deemed as a great civilization, and were far more technologically advanced than humans.
Yolen has fallen behind technologically compared to many other planets in the cosmere. This is due to certain things that they have access to.
Within parts of Yolen, dragons were worshipped as gods. Dragons who did not wish to fulfill this role granted to them, such as Koravellium Avast, were deemed heretical.
=== Ethnicity and Language ===
Little is known about Yolish ethnic groups or cultures, except that it had a wide diversity of skin tones and features. Some groups on Yolen had a skin tone comparable to the Rosharan Makabaki people. Various peoples from Yolen are seen to not possess epicanthic folds. 
Yolen is also known to have at least one major language, which is the ancestor to various languages across the cosmere. Another language from Yolen that has been referenced is the "language of the gods," from which the word Microkinesis is derived. Further details concerning this language, or what individuals spoke it, are currently unknown.
== History ==
Yolen is one of the oldest inhabited worlds in the cosmere, and the first on which humans have appeared. It's also the world of Adonalsium, the entity believed to be the cosmere's creator deity. Yolen had gods other than Adonalsium, the nature of these gods is unknown, however, at least some of them are known to have died. These gods predated the dragons, who themselves predated humanity.
Over time, humanity developed various city-states across Yolen. However, dragon society remained far more advanced than human society up to the eventual Shattering of Adonalsium, having developed what was considered to be, by Tanavast, a great civilization.
For some reason or another, various groups of humans decided to leave Yolen and travel across the cosmere, settling and forming societies across Yolen and on various planets. Though these human exclaves, for some reason or another, developed far slower than those that remained on Yolen, being left stuck using stone tools while Yolen advanced to making use of bronze and other metals.
At several points in Yolen's history, Microkinesis was misused to explosive effect and resulting in disastrous consequences that are not fully understood, but likely caused massive devastation of the Yolish population due to atomic explosions set off by Microkinesis.
People worldhopped to other planets on rare occasions over Yolen's history.
At some point, a king within a city-state decided to have a test to prove his hypothesis that people of the lower class had equal capacity to learn and grow as those in high society. To prove this he took a child named Jerick, the son of a lumberworker, and put him through various tests to prove his intellectual and social capacity. Hoid was involved in the third test, judging the creativity of a poem written by Jerick. However, Jerick went off to war and did not show up, thus losing the contest. The contest, in some way, led to a coup in which Jerick took part. During the coup he killed the barons of the city-state. The ultimate result of the coup is currently unknown. 
=== The Shattering of Adonalsium ===
At some point, seventeen Yolish people, not all of whom were human, came together to kill Adonalsium for various reasons. The Shattering of Adonalsium, as it came to be known, dramatically altered the entire cosmere. All Investiture that once belonged to Adonalsium was divided between the sixteen Shards created by its death, and the preexisting magic systems were altered in how they functioned.
Following the Shattering, everyone present except Hoid took up a Shard. Most Shards left Yolen to go their own separate ways. Many humans have also abandoned it, spreading across the cosmere. Over the following millennia, it has become hidden in some way, shrouded from prying eyes, making reaching and researching it extremely difficult. By the time of the True Desolation on Roshar, its remaining population is small.
Due to certain factors, technological advancement on Yolen after the Shattering progressed slowly, with other planets consistently surpassing it in technological advancement.
== Magic ==
Yolen appears to have several magic systems, though only two are known.
=== Lightweaving ===
Lightweaving is the cosmere's original illusion magic. It's capable of creating auditory and visual manifestations, either independent or attached to a host. It can produce disguises, as well as alter the appearance of other substances, like smoke. It's most similar to the Surge of Illumination from Roshar, albeit less restrictive, not requiring a spren bond. Hoid learned this original form of Lightweaving on Yolen.
The Shattering appears to have changed something in Lightweaving, as the original magic is only semi-functional.
=== Microkinesis ===
Microkinesis is a form of magic related to the manipulation of atomic particles, known as axi, The power allows its users to observe atoms and interact with them directly. Axi can also be used to refer to the smallest theoretical division of matter.
It can be used to set off atomic explosions, and this has happened several times in the past. Some Invested Arts, such as Stoneshaping, are based on Microkinesis, albiet with limitations placed upon them by the resident Shard.
== Notable Yolish ==
== Trivia ==
* Brandon Sanderson named Yolen after Jane Yolen, who wrote Dragon's Blood, one of the early fantasy books he read.
* The tree branch with writing on it from Mraize's collection comes from Yolen.
* The Shattered Plains, as well as the Bridge Four plot and the character of Lunamor, were originally on Yolen. Brandon moved them to Roshar upon seeing concept art made by Ben McSweeney for The Way of Kings.
* There is a saying on Yolen: "May two worlds become one to you." This is not referring to Realms.
* While gods existed and died on Yolen prior to the Shattering, these gods were not Shards. Current information suggests these gods were dragons.
* Yolen is the setting of the unpublished novels The Liar of Partinel, The Lightweaver of Rens and Dragonsteel Prime. Dragonsteel proper, the prequel to the cosmere as a whole, will be set there.
* Yolen has Earth-like physical parameters, that is to say, its gravity and radius are comparable to Earth.
* In non-canon, trunked works the non-fain ecosystem was referred to as trunelife. This name has not yet been canonized.
== Notes ==
Category: Dragonsteel
 
es:Yolen