Shard

This page contains information for the Shards of Adonalsium. For information regarding the armaments used on Roshar, see Shardblade or Shardplate.
The Shards of Adonalsium, or Shards for short, are sixteen pieces of the power of creation, formed during the Shattering of Adonalsium. They are each named after a specific characteristic or ideal that represents the Shard's primary purpose or motivation. A person who has taken up the power of a Shard is the Vessel of that Shard.
The Shards are the most powerful known entities in the cosmere, and for all intents and purposes, serve as the gods of the cosmere. Most if not all Invested Arts are related to them.
== Introduction ==
=== Power ===
Each Shard is a piece of the power of creation with a specific motivation or Intent, such as to destroy or to preserve. They are made up of an immense amount of Investiture which permeates the Realms, which functions as their body. As with all Investiture, this substance cannot be destroyed, it can merely change state and cycle through the Realms. These fragments each began their existence with equal level of power; however, over time many have diminished, whether through conflict or by the act of Investing a world -- imbuing it with Investiture. Each Shard has its own Investiture, keyed to their Intent, Identity, and Tone; while a Shard can co-opt the Investiture of another Shard, that Investiture can become noticeably red. As the Shard that Investiture is associated with is keyed to various aspects, it is possibly through various methods to remove any aspects and leave pure Investiture, or to change the properties and associations of the Investiture.
The Investiture of a Shard permeates all three Realms; Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual; but the majority of the Shard is contained within the Spiritual Realm, and is thus not bound by the ordinary laws and limitations of time and space, and where all places are compounded into one. Due to this, the power of a Shard is omnipresent, and is immanent through, reality. That is to say, all things; mind, soul, and body alike; are of one substance, and that substance is the body of Shards. Due to this omnipresence of the power, a Vessel feels its Shards presence on every world in the cosmere, though they are not capable of using all of the power or having awareness of all of it simultaneously. 
Investing in a world will produce numerous effects, most notably the creation of an Invested Art tied to the Shard. While a Shard doesn't have complete control over how the Invested Art functions or what it does, it can manipulate its mechanics to an extent. Moreover, the presence of a Shard leads to the formation of a Perpendicularity, a well of the Shard's Investiture that pierces all three Realms, allowing for Realmatic transfer and worldhopping. The Shard's Investiture can also manifest directly in the world in other ways; examples of such manifestations are atium and lerasium on Scadrial, the Tears of Edgli on Nalthis, or the many spren of Roshar.
The core of being through which the power flows, that is, the Vessel, is described as a mere focus or hub for the omnipresent power of the Shard.
Shards can be combined and intermingled with one another, which changes the Intent and affects how the Shard influences the world and the Vessel holding it. One can theoretically combine every Shard in one Vessel in order to recreate Adonalsium. But other theories posit that doing so would destroy the Vessel, and still others posit that it cannot be done. 
The power that makes up a Shard is described as essentially infinite.
Shards are, as forces of nature, not inherently bound by the moral standards of sapient societies. Therefore, they are not definable as good or evil. This morality inapplicability influences the Vessels.
The power that makes up a Shard was originally part of Adonalsium, and thus predates the Shattering. Upon the Shattering, all Investiture that made up Adonalsium was split between the sixteen Shards.
In certain circumstances, clashes between Shards can produce anti-Investiture. The exact mechanics behind this production of anti-Investiture is currently unknown.
==== Intent ====
The Investiture of each Shard, and the Shard themselves, have an Intent that shapes how they act and what they are capable of doing, which reflects and embodies aspects of Adonalsium's nature. This Intent has a deep influence on the properties of their Investiture, and upon the mind and actions of their Vessel. The Intent warps the mind over time, with the influence growing greater and more controlling over time. It is difficult for a Vessel to fight against the Intent of their Shard, but if they do so for long enough, it possible to modify the way an Intent manifests, but they cannot change it outright. Therefore, shardic Intent is not immutable, but it is also not overwritable. Furthermore, this means that the mind and Intent influence one another, until they eventually come to a balance. 
Intent does not only affect how a Shard and its Vessel act, but also what they are capable and incapable of doing. For example, Preservation is incapable of doing harm or initiating change.
It is possible for a Shard to be broken down into multiple smaller Shards with different Intents. It is currently unknown whether this has ever happened before, or how it would be accomplished. Conversely, it is possible for multiple Shards to be held by one Vessel, which intermingles them and modifies the Intent depending on if the Intents and Tones are working together in harmony or discord. 
Two or more Intents being in harmony does not mean that they are aligned or want the same thing. With Harmony being described as having misaligned powers, compared to Retribution.
Intents are not merely an aspect of a divine mind, they are these aspects divorced from any other aspects or attributes that could moderate them or grant them deeper meaning. This tends to leave Shardic Intent unbound and without proper nuance or meaning. For example, Odium is hatred and passion, isolated from any sense of divine love, which was largely contained within Devotion.
Having opposing or contraspectual Intents between the Shards one holds, such as Ruin and Preservation, can lead one to have difficulty acting. If the Shard is dropped, it would drop as one unified Shard rather than splitting back into the constituent parts.
Many Intents have both a psychological and phenomenal interpretation, that is, both an aspect of the mind and the natural world. Such as Honor being oaths, agreements, and laws as they relate to sapient beings; but many argue it is also a cosmic sense of justice and the natural laws of physics, along with mathematics and its natural manifestations.
Viewing the power of a Shard allows one to feel its essence and Intent, typically engendering a heightened emotional response from the viewer.
==== Pure Tone and Rhythms ====
Each Shard is associated with a Pure Tone and a Rhythm, borne from the interaction of the inherent nature of the Shard with the world they chose to Invest. The Pure Tone is the sound itself, whilst the Rhythm is the beat to which the Tone fluctuates and pluses. This is sometimes referred to as a Shard's "song." When two or more Shards are combined, they create a new tone and rhythm.
Some individuals argue that Investiture responds to Tones as they remind it of the voice of the Shard commanding it to obey.
It is possible to create Anti-Investiture via dampening the natural frequency of a Shard's Investiture, and then forcing it to resonate with the Anti-Rhythm of the Shard. This produces Investiture that is inherently destructive to the Shard in question, converting their Investiture directly into energy. This Anti-Rhythm is the same Rhythm played precisely out of phase, so that the destructive interference cancels out both waves, thus converting them into energy. 
As stated, this Anti-Rhythm is not a true opposite to its corresponding Rhythm, but is identical to and indistinguishable from it, it is simply played at a different phase in such a way that the destructive interference negates both waves. At the same time, Anti-Investiture is not the true opposite of its Shard's Investiture, it simply a different phase of the same entity.
==== Shardic Memory ====
Shards remember their history, outside of the Vessel itself. When one ascends to godhood, they gain all the memories engraved into the Shard. This does not, however, grant the Vessel experience in using the power, it merely grants them knowledge of how to use it and how it was used in the past.
==== Consciousness ====
Shards hold a rudimentary consciousness largely defined by their Intent. A Shard is capable of having wants and desires in line with its Intent, and is able to resist or rebel against a Vessel which does not fall in line with this Intent and its desires. This rejection of a Vessel, in extreme circumstances, can lead to a Shard completely abandoning its Vessel. However, as stated, this consciousness is greatly limited compared to sapient beings, and is largely defined by the driving force of their Intent, without any other divine aspects to moderate it or give it meaning.
The consciousness of combined Shards appear to also combine and see themselves as one entity, even while their Intents remain partially separate.
When left for a prolonged period without a Vessel, due to the nature of Investiture, the consciousness of a Shard can grow more advanced. This has been observed with the burgeoning consciousness and self of Honor, when left for millennia without a Vessel to claim it. It was capable of holding complex thoughts and engaging in conversation with Dalinar Kholin, though it remained childish and had great difficulty understanding morality or other complex topics, particularly when the subject was opposed to its Intent. In this state, it was capable of rejecting potential Vessels that try to Ascend.
==== Oaths ====
When a Vessel makes an oath, this oath becomes engraved into the Shard itself. As these oaths are put on the Shard itself, instead of the Vessel alone, they pass between Vessels when a Shard is passed on. 
These oaths can prohibit what actions a Shard, and thus the Vessel, is capable of making. For example, oaths restrict the actions Odium could make on Roshar, and left him unable to travel beyond the Rosharan system.
Breaking an oath can wound the Shard, and leave them open to attack.
==== Relationship to the Beyond ====
Shards, and their Vessels, have no ability to influence, affect, or understand the Beyond. For it, whatever it is, exists outside of their reach and their influence.
=== Vessel ===
To function properly, a Shard requires a Vessel -- a mind to control it, belonging to a sapient creature from the Physical Realm, such as a human, Dragon or Sho Del. The Vessel is the core of being through which the power flows, which acts as a focus or hub for the omnipresent power of the Shard. One doesn't need to be able to use Investiture in order to become a Vessel, but the ability does help. What becoming a Vessel requires above all is Connection to the Shard in question, whether forged artificially or driven by a natural inclination towards the Shard's Intent. Upon Ascension, a Vessel loses its connection to its former species -- for example, a human who Ascended is no longer considered human. However, it is possible for Vessels to reproduce.
The act of becoming a Vessel is called Ascension, and causes the Vessel's body to vaporize and mind to expand. From then on, the Vessel and the Shard are intertwined; the Vessel gets to set some general course of how the Shard's power is defined, and feeds off the Shard's power to remain alive, but the Shard's power is the driving force between the two. Over centuries, the Vessel's mind begins to change to fit the Shard's Intent more perfectly. It is difficult to fight against the Shard's Intent, if a Vessel fights against it, they can be left vulnerable. Some knowledgeable individuals, such as Khriss, argue that the Vessel does not truly control the Shard, but rather they are controlled by it and its Intent. If the Vessel were to give up the Shard, the Shard's influence on their mind would fade over time.
A Shard can be killed by Splintering it, breaking its power down further into smaller pieces, called splinters; the easiest way to achieve that is by killing the mind. The actual death of a Vessel, however, can take up to hundreds of years. If the Shard is taken up before the Vessel dies completely, splintering can be prevented; if not, the power will become wild and dangerous. A Shard without a Vessel will eventually gain sentience. When a Vessel dies, the person's original body materializes and falls to the ground as a corpse. As the body is evaporated upon Ascension, this is not their original body and matter, but rather a recreation of it out of Investiture and energy. It does not age rapidly, since Shardic immortality is different from other methods like atium compounding.
It is possible for Vessels to be separated from their Shards without dying or Splintering the Shards they held. If this happens then, after the Vessel's death, it is able to resist the pull into the Beyond.
While the power a Vessel holds exists everywhere, the Vessel themself can only exist in a limited amount of places or areas at a time. Some Vessels have shown the capacity to manifest in multiple places at once, acting independently, but all as a manifestation of the same mind.
A mentally ill Vessel can affect the Shard's Intent.
It is possible for multiple Shards to be held by one Vessel, which modifies the Intent depending on if they are working together in harmony or discord. There are currently two instances of this as of the Night of Sorrows: Harmony, held by Sazed, and Retribution, held by Taravangian. Even when harmonized, however, the Intents can remain unaligned if they are opposed, which can make action difficult.
When an individual becomes the Vessel of a Shard, their spiritweb is permanently stretched and warped. This warping's effects continue even if they later release the power. Such beings that took up the power, or even took up a large portion without becoming the Vessel, and later released it, are known as Slivers. 
==== Power ====
Vessels are capable of wielding an immense amount of power, capable of moving planets with ease, altering the biosphere of an entire planet on a genetic level, destroying planets in the mere wake of a fight, and more. They are not, however, capable of using the full power of their Shard.
Vessels that hold more than one Shard are considered more Invested and stronger than those that hold one.
==== Suitability ====
What becoming a Vessel requires above all is Connection to the Shard in question, whether forged artificially or driven by a natural inclination towards the Shard's Intent. Not anyone can choose to take up a Shard, with this Connection or alignment with the Intent being a requirement for becoming the Vessel of a Shard. This rule, however, was less strict immediately after the Shattering, allowing greater flexibility. Nonetheless, the rule did exist and not any individual could have taken up any of the Shards. A Shard, at least in certain circumstances, is capable of rejecting those it deems unfit for its Intent.
One does not necessarily need to perfectly align with the Intent in order to pick up a Shard, however, a strong Connection to the Shard in question is required. Furthermore, aligning with the Intent makes it easier to pick up the Shard.
If a Vessel is unsuitable for a Shard, the Shard can resist them, and, in extreme circumstances, reject them entirely and abandon them as Vessel. Such as when Tanavast was rejected by Honor following his betrayal of Ba-Ado-Mishram.
==== Immortality ====
Vessels are inherently immortal and ageless beings, due to the power that they possess and become. This is due to the fact that Vessels are, essentially, a hub or nexus for the power of the Shard. Therefore, they are a sentient bundle of Investiture.
While unable to die from disease or old age, Vessels can be killed in specific circumstances. Such as when killed or Splintered by another Vessel, or when struck by Nightblood. They can also be killed if they break an oath, which leaves holes in them that can be exploited to kill them.
==== Difference between the Shard and the Vessel ====
The difference between a Shard and the Vessel, and the relationship between them, is complex and difficult for mortal minds to understand, and the line between the two is often blurred. This is due to the fact that the Vessel is made up of the Shard that they hold, the power of the Shard being their body. The power itself cannot tell the difference between itself and its Vessel, though small pieces, like spren, are able to do so. Due to the blurring between the two aspects, the Vessel themself is often referred to as the Shard.
Despite the line between them being blurred, the mind and power are capable of disagreeing and resisting one another.
Various knowledgeable figure debate on the difference between the Vessel and power, with some arguing that they are essentially one in the same, with others stating that they should be treated as separate. That is to say, to some, the self and the Shard become intrinsically intertwined, such that they cannot truly be defined as individual entities.
== History ==
:For the histories of individual Shards, see their respective pages.
It is unknown what precisely Adonalsium was, though it has been referred to numerous times as the power of creation, suggesting it to be the progenitor god of the cosmere. At some point in the distant past, on the planet of Yolen, at least seventeen beings conspired to kill it, and succeeded in an event known as the Shattering of Adonalsium. Some of those people were romantically involved; others were related to each other. All of them were mortal at some point.
Following the Shattering, the power that comprised Adonalsium broke into sixteen pieces, each polarized to one particular aspect of it, such as Ruin or Endowment. Those pieces, each equal in power, became known as the Shards. Sixteen of the killers of Adonalsium each took up one of the Shards, Ascending and becoming the first Vessels. Following their Ascension, each of the Vessels departed Yolen. Some settled on various planets, while others set no roots. At this time they all had an equal amount of power.
Originally, the Shards made an agreement not to interfere with each other, but they did not make a formal oath and many of the Shards chose not to keep to the agreement. Additionally, Honor felt he did not break the agreement by traveling with Cultivation, suggesting the wording of the agreement may not have been as precise as Shards like Endowment thought.
Over the millennia, several Shards have passed away, one way or another. The most common cause of death for them were the actions of one specific Shard, Odium, who in an attempt to become the sole god, traveled around the cosmere Splintering Ambition, Devotion, and Dominion before being bound in the Rosharan system by Honor and Cultivation. The death of Preservation's Vessel, Leras, led to the power being passed between several hands before it was eventually combined with Ruin to form Harmony. By contrast, Autonomy spread, creating avatars to inhabit numerous planets, including Obrodai and First of the Sun. Virtuosity would splinter herself in the UTol system near Komashi.
At least one of the Vessels regrets taking up a Shard, though which one that would be is unknown. There are living descendants of some of them still alive. At least one Shard other than Odium has been forced to leave their planet after its destruction.
=== Creation of Planets ===
At some point shortly following the Shattering, Ruin and Preservation created the planet of Scadrial and all life upon it. It is unknown if Nalthis was created by Endowment, however, she at some point created the humans of the planet.
=== Odium's Crusade ===
Shortly after the Shattering, Odium decided that he wanted to be the only god in the cosmere, and thus chose to lead a war against all other Shards. Over the years, he would kill various Vessels, Splintering their Shards.
==== Splintering of Devotion and Dominion ====
Shortly after the Shattering, around ten-thousand years before the Night of Sorrows, Odium attacked Devotion and Dominion after turning them against one another. He exploited their wounded state after the clash in order to kill and Splinter both of them, and force the bulk of their Shards into the Cognitive Realm. This had a deep influence upon Sel and the Selish subastral, and would also shape how Selish Invested arts would function for the millennia to follow.
==== Splintering of Ambition ====
Following the Splintering of Devotion and Dominion, less than two-thousand years later, Odium searched after and Splintered Ambition. This conflict left a grievous wound on the Spiritual Realm. Mercy was, to some extent, involved in this conflict. The battle between these Shards led to the destruction of multiple planets. Knowledge of this clash, and the destruction brought about by it, would leave a deep impact upon Honor, and have a strong influence on his future actions.
==== Odium and the Rosharan System ====
Odium began to focus on the Rosharan system around eight-thousand years before the Night of Sorrows, influencing the people of Alaswha, coming into conflict with Honor and Cultivation. He would bring about a large-scale war between various city-states as he backed a growing empire and its hegemonic expansion. One major method of assisting this expansion was through granting them access to the Surges, which frightened Honor. Frightened by the unbound Surges Odium was granting mankind, he backed an opposing force to the empire, as a method of fighting against Odium. The granting of Surges to the people of Alaswha would lead to the destruction of the planet's surface, and lead to the human exodus to Roshar.
Eventually, Odium was sealed within the Rosharan system by an oath made with Honor. The ramifications of this imprisonment would be felt in the system for thousands of years. This imprisonment also led to Roshar accepting Odium as one of the Shards of the planet.
Eventually, around two-thousand years before the Night of Sorrows, Honor abandoned Tanavast, allowing the former Vessel to be killed by Odium. Honor would come to spend multiple millennia without a Vessel.
=== Sealing of Ruin ===
At an unknown point in time, Preservation sacrificed much of his life and power in order to seal away Ruin, thus protecting Scadrial from him. This left a grievous wound upon Preservation, most notably upon its Vessel, Leras.
=== Formation of Harmony ===
In , Ruin was freed from its prison by Vin and it began to desolate Scadrial, and further its attacks against Preservation.
In , Leras perished and lost Preservation. The Shard was taken up by Kelsier, who held it for a short period, before he passed it on to Vin, allowing her to Ascend and become the Vessel of Preservation. As Preservation, she fought against, and defeated, Ruin. She perished in the process; this led to both Shards being left without a Vessel. Following these events, Ruin and Preservation were held together within a singular Vessel, Sazed, becoming Harmony. This was the first instance of such an occurrence, and would remain the only such occurrence for over three centuries. Using his power as Harmony, the Vessel returned the planet of Scadrial to its prior state in an event known as the Catacendre.
=== Birth of Retribution ===
Over three centuries after the Catacendre, on of the Vorin calendar, Dalinar Kholin Ascended to Honor and quickly renounced his oaths and the oaths engraved into Honor. Doing so revoked his position as Honor's Vessel, and allowed Honor and Odium to be held together within Taravangian as Retribution. Furthermore, it freed the newly born Retribution from the Rosharan system. 
The birth of Retribution and its release from the Rosharan system brought the eyes of all of the Shards upon it, which drove it into hiding. Contemporaneously, Cultivation fled the Rosharan system and hid in an unknown location.
The creation of Retribution and the start of the Night of Sorrows brought about a significant degree of time dilation in the region of space-time around Roshar, which disrupted interplanetary trade and travel.
=== Autonomy's Siege on Scadrial ===
Some time before the Night of Sorrows, Autonomy began to move on the planet of Scadrial. Even before the rise of the Final Empire, she influenced the Nezalan on Scadrial and created the religion of Trelagism. This was done in order to seed her way into Scadrian culture, in order to gain supporters and followers when she later chose to conquer or destroy the planet. 
However, it would not be until years after the Night of Sorrows, around , that she would truly begin to attack the planet. She Invested an avatar on the planet, and gathered her armies outside of a Perpendicularity on its surface. Furthermore, she managed to blind Harmony. However, ultimately, her plans were foiled and she strategically retreated, planning to strike again some time in the future.
Around the same period as Autonomy's attack on Scadrial, Harmony began to become unstable and become closer to Discord. As of , his Intent remains Harmony, but a shadow-self manifests itself close to him, likely symbolizing his closeness to Discord.
== Known Shards ==
There are sixteen original Shards. Of them, four have been Splintered and left without a Vessel, and four have been united within two Vessels.
While most planets have at most one Shard, Sel, Scadrial, and Roshar are dishardic, hosting two Shards each. Roshar, however, is the only known example of a world previously influenced by three Shards.
=== Original Shards ===
Shard 	Vessel 	World 	Books 	References
Devotion 	Aona (deceased) 	Sel 	Elantris, The Emperor's Soul 	
Dominion 	Skai (deceased) 	Sel 	Elantris, The Emperor's Soul 	
Preservation	Sazed (formerly Leras, Kelsier, and Vin) 	Scadrial 	Mistborn 	
Ruin 	Sazed (formerly Ati) 	Scadrial 	Mistborn 	
Odium 	Taravangian (formerly Rayse) 	Braize, Roshar 	The Stormlight Archive 	
Cultivation 	Koravellium Avast 	Unknown (formerly Roshar) 	The Stormlight Archive 	
Honor 	Taravangian (formerly Tanavast and Dalinar Kholin)	Roshar 	The Stormlight Archive 	
Endowment 	Edgli 	Nalthis 	Warbreaker 	
Autonomy 	Bavadin 	Taldain; avatars onFirst of the Sun, Obrodai, and Scadrial	White Sand, Sixth of the Dusk, Mistborn Era 2	
Ambition 	Uli Da (deceased) 	Threnody 	Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell 	
Invention 	Chan Ko Sar 	Unknown 	Unknown 	
Mercy 	Unknown 	Unknown 	Unknown 	
Valor 	Medelantorius 	Unknown 	Unknown 	
Whimsy 	Unknown 	Unknown 	Unknown 	
Virtuosity 	Unknown 	Komashi 	Yumi and the Nightmare Painter 	
Reason 	Euridrius 	Unknown 	Unknown 	
=== Hybrid Shards ===
It is possible for two or more Shards to be unified in a single Vessel. In these instances, the two Intents interact with each other, and create a new Intent out of their resonance. These are often classified as constituting a new Shard, however, the original Intents still exist within them and can conflict with one another if they are not aligned.
The remnants of Devotion and Dominion, both residing in the Cognitive Realm, comprise the Dor. They, however, are not unified within a singular Vessel as of the Night of Sorrows. 
In another example of Shards mixing, Ruin and Preservation have blended together into Harmony while simultaneously held by Sazed. This would be the first and only instance of a Vessel holding multiple Shards until, over three hundred years later, Odium and Honor were merged and held jointly by Taravangian, forming Retribution.
Two or more Shards being in harmony does not necessarily mean that they are truly aligned or want the same things. Harmony is described as having misaligned powers, compared to Retribution, as Harmony's two aspects have separate and opposite Intents. Therefore, even if harmonized, it is not ensured that Shards would be able to work towards a unified goal. 
These "hybrid Shards" can be thought of as the harmonization, or perhaps constructive interference, of waveforms.
Shard 	Vessel 	World 	Books 	Notes 	References
Harmony 	Sazed 	Scadrial 	Mistborn 	Combination of Ruin and Preservation 	
Retribution	Taravangian	Braize, Roshar	The Stormlight Archive 	Combination of Odium and the majority of Honor 	
The Dor 	None 	Sel 	Elantris, The Emperor's Soul	Combination of the Splintered Devotion and Dominion	
== Powers and Abilities ==
Shards possess incredible power -- a single Shard can easily move entire planets and alter people down to the genetic level. Battles between Shards can destroy entire planets in their wake. Due to this, some Shards would rather perish than engage in a battle, as to avoid the potential destruction such battles can wreak. Shards exist in all three Realms, but unlike other living beings, the vast majority of their power is concentrated in the Spiritual, in most cases. Shards do not appear in the Cognitive Realm like other entities (such as a bead on Roshar). Time matters little to Shards, and they can bend and stretch it as they wish.
Their power is such to manipulate the nature of reality and existence, albeit in a controlled way.
Vessels also gain an immense amount of knowledge upon Ascending, more than they can process immediately. They can gain more knowledge instantaneously, but this is not automatic, and requires them to consciously gain that knowledge.
As Investiture never truly goes away, a Shard has access to a functionally-endless supply of it; however, there is a finite amount that a Vessel can command at any one time. This means that while all Investiture in the cosmere is assigned to one Shard or another, a Vessel cannot truly command all of it at once. As such, while powerful, Vessels are not omniscient, omnipresent, nor omnipotent.
A Shard's power can be temporarily diminished, either by assigning it to living creatures (such as people or spren), or sending it back to the Spiritual Realm (e.g. burning atium). Moreover, Shards are, as powers, bound to follow higher rules; a deal, once made by a Shard, cannot be broken, and they must absolutely obey the rules that govern them. Breaking such deals will leave holes in them that another Shard can exploit to kill them.
Each Shard appears particularly predisposed toward acting in line with their intent; for example, Preservation finds it nearly impossible to destroy, while it's extremely easy for Ruin to do so. This is partially influenced by the personality change brought about by the Shard. However, whether intentions provide Shards with actual unique powers is unknown.
=== Individual Powers ===
==== Movement and Multilocation ====
Vessels are capable of appearing in various parts of their own Invested worlds instantaneously. They can also travel to other planets by willing themselves to do so. However, when a Shard Invests its power in a world, its Cognitive and Physical Aspects are bound to it and will have difficulty leaving the system it is in.
Shards can also trap each other in systems, though methods such as multiple parties agreeing to an oath which binds them to the system. When a Shard is trapped or sealed within a space such as a planet or planetary system, it is their Physical and/or Cognitive Aspects which are trapped, not their Spiritual Aspect. As such, they can still see and feel anything in the cosmere, even if incapable of travelling to those locations.
They are capable of manifesting in multiple locations simultaneously, but not to the point of omnipresence. These are able to act independently from one another, while being product of the same mind.
==== Communication ====
Shards have several ways of communicating with people. Some Shards can speak directly into the minds of others, while others can listen. A Shard can also communicate with a person directly through dreams or visions, and even take on a physical form -- a puppet of sorts, serving as a Physical outlet for communication. While the use of visions and speaking directly into a mind are limited to a single person, a puppet can be seen by many people.
Shards are capable of inserting not just words, but images and ideas into the minds of people. Furthermore, they are capable of granting people brief glimpses into the Spiritual Realm.
A Shard can also communicate directly with Cognitive Shadows.
==== Physical Manifestation ====
They can create a Physical body as a means of communication and interaction with the Physical Realm and the denizens of it. They can appear however they desire, taking on a different form for different people. They are not only able to appear as a sophont, but also produce natural phenomena or display eras of time upon their very form. They do not appear to have any known size limitations, with them being shown to be able to produce manifestations as tall as a hundred feet, to the size of a mountain.
The physical manifestation of a Shard is described as being like an impression, rather than their true being. They are often described as melding with the world around them, with their power and essence stretching into infinity. A reflection of the true scope of the power that they hold.
Damage to the Shard reflects in damage to the body, such as the damage to Preservation causing his body to have holes, distort, and at times completely disintegrate. The instability between Ruin and Preservation within Harmony has also led to an uncontrollable aspect of his manifestation, forming a dark copy of himself mirroring his movements. Though this does not appear at all times.
Furthermore, collective perception and beliefs can shape the physical manifestation of a Shard or Vessel, in minor ways, over centuries to millennia.
These physical manifestations can be created in multiplicity, existing in multiple places at once within a Shard's sphere of influence, each acting independently from one another.
==== Mental Capacity and Awareness ====
Upon Ascension, the Vessel's mind will be greatly expanded, allowing a far greater capacity to think than a mortal could. A Shard is capable of multilocation -- being present in several places at once -- within its sphere of influence, and each manifestation is able to act independently. As moments can pass like years to a Shard, they can also appear to think far faster than normal minds. Fundamental understanding of the cosmere, to the point of axi and anti-axi, also comes as a result. They are capable of even seeing the axi that make up the world. Their mental capacity has expanded enough that they can interpret the immense amount of information that they receive when looking into the future, and to be able to understand and interpret the world as they see all of the axi that make up matter.
They are capable of thinking multiple thoughts simultaneously. As their power is omnipresent, they feel their presence, and the minds of beings, throughout the entirety of the cosmere as it relates to their Intent. For example, Odium feels the pain and emotions of all of the denizens of the cosmere across every planet. They can also feel every other Shard, except those that intentionally hide themselves. If they will it, they can see anywhere in the cosmere, even if not capable of travelling to such locations, such as when sealed within a planetary system like Odium.
They seem to possess flawless memory, with no obvious upper limit, for example, Sazed is able to absorb the tremendous amount of knowledge in his metalminds. It is potentially possible for them to intentionally let themselves forget certain memories.
However, contrary to what many believe, Vessels are neither omniscient nor omnipresent. They can only appear at limited places at once, and can only divide their attention so much; furthermore, they can be distracted, deceived or surprised. It is also possible to block a Shard's senses away from a certain area. They are incapable of breaking a formal contract, at least not without seriously wounding themselves.
==== Creating Sapience ====
Shards can use their power to create complex constructs, capable of continuing their function past the Shard's death. Examples of such constructs are the snapping mists of Preservation, and the vision journal of Honor. Shards can also create sapient beings from their power -- this is most commonly seen on Roshar, with its overabundance of spren. Many of them, like the Stormfather, Nightwatcher, and honorspren were created by local Shards.
Shardic power is also directly related to sentience and sapience. The close presence of a particular Shard, such as Cultivation, can lead to some beings developing higher levels of sapience. Shardic power can also grant sentience directly -- Scadrians are sapient due to Preservation's power within them, and Nightblood's sapience is partially derived from his large quantity of Breaths. Splinters can also become sapient. Even the raw power of a Shard, if left alone and without a Vessel, will eventually begin to form a rudimentary mind, as seen with Honor after it went more than two millennia without a Vessel.
==== Avatar Creation ====
Shards can also create avatars, personas that can act independently of them. Avatars can be of any gender, race, and species, regardless of the original Vessel creating them, and can be formed at a considerable distance from the main body of the Shard, with many different avatars able to exist on a single planet. Though a Shard can create them directly, avatars can also form without a conscious decision on the Shard's part, though the Shard is still aware of what is happening. When created directly, however, they can be instilled with specific traits. Some avatars are self-aware, while others are not, although the parent Shard will always be aware. Though some would call these avatars Splinters, it is not clear whether they truly fit the definition.
An Avatar can be a form of self-aware power split off from the Shard, or can be a person heavily Invested and chosen to act as an emissary of their will. Different Vessels have different views on turning people into their avatars, with ones such as Bavadin creating many all across the cosmere, while at the same time having ones like Rayse see the Investment of people into avatars to be beneath him.
Avatars are, in a way, considered to be Shards in their own right. Known ones include Patji, Telsin and the Sand Lord, all three being of Autonomy. It is difficult but possible for someone to become a Vessel of an avatar, an example of someone who has been made an avatar is Telsin Ladrian when Autonomy almost made her one.
==== Magic Generation ====
When a Shard Invests a world, it will begin to fuel the local Invested Arts. Each Shard can do this differently, though much of the system is dictated by the planet itself. Because of this connection to the magic, a Shard is able to directly interact with its users and provide Investiture when necessary, without the need for intermediaries.
While not all Invested Arts in the cosmere are directly tied to a Shard, Shardic presence greatly influences the shape a magic system takes. On a planet inhabited by a Shard, magic forms as a result of the interactions between a Shard's power, Realmatics, the world's natural inclinations and, in some cases, even genetics. For this reason, the exact function magic performs will not always be related to the Shard's nature -- for example, Surgebinding, despite being powered by Honor, is capable of manipulating Division, which controls separating things. However, how the magic is obtained is tied to the Shard. Hemalurgy demands that a person be destroyed, in line with the Intent of Ruin, while Surgebinding demands forging bonds.
Shards are capable of putting rules and limitations upon an Invested Art, often times to prevent an Invested Art being used to its theoretical maximum capacity.
Shards are capable of tampering with Investiture that does not belong to them.
Most Invested Arts can pull on the Investiture of a Shard from anywhere in the cosmere, due to Shards being omnipresent and focused in the Spiritual Realm.
==== Vision ====
Vessels do not see the world as other beings do, with their vision greatly enhanced by the power and its nature. They are capable of seeing everything in the world outlined, down to the level of axi and their polarity. There enhanced mental capacity assists in comprehending the massive influx of information and stimuli granted by this sight.
If a Vessel wishes to, they can see anywhere in the cosmere, even if not capable of travelling to such locations, such as when sealed within a planetary system like Odium. This is likely tied to the omnipresence of a Shard's power.
==== Prescience ====
Due to their existence within and connection to the Spiritual Realm, Shards are capable of perceiving the future, although it can be difficult for them. Some are better at it than others, with Cultivation and Preservation being noted as particularly excelling. Like all seers, Shards can be wrong about both what they see and how they interpret it, although as a general rule they see further than non-Shards. Shardic power can also be utilized by others to perceive the future as they do: examples of this are atium, as well as the visions of the Returned.
Both Preservation and Honor describe seeing the future as not one set path, but a tangled web of linked possibilities, as well as the circumstances necessary to bring them about, with some being more likely than others. As a result, predicting the future is not a straightforward process, and is not equally useful to all seers. Upon Ascension to Odium, Taravangian realized that there are possibilities of future that Rayse had not seen, implying the future sight ability may be related to the Vessel as well.
It is theorized that a Shard's Intent may be tied to its proficiency with future sight. Preservation, as a Shard dedicated to keeping things existing, and Cultivation, a Shard dedicated to growing something in a desired form, would hold a natural interest in predicting what the future will hold which may make them more proficient with this ability. By contrast, a Shard like Ruin, which is interested only in destroying things, and Honor, about holding to one's oaths, would not have "seeing ahead" as part of their nature.
Vessels are capable of displaying their future sight to other people. This can either manifest through granting them a look into the Spiritual Realm, or through manifesting a representation of the future in a visual manner. This does not, as a rule, show a vision of the future, as it can also display the future through the form of text, if the Vessel wills it.
== Forms and Subdivisions ==
The raw Investiture of a Shard can take distinct forms and states. As a solid, the Investiture has most physical characteristics of metals, and is thus sometimes referred to as a God Metal. Examples of God Metals are atium, lerasium, raysium, and the alloy of Honor and Cultivation that forms Shardblades. God Metals typically have properties within the Metallic Arts, regardless of what Shard they're aligned with.
Shardic power is the most potent as a liquid. It typically coalesces in one place on a planet, forming a perpendicularity. A perpendicularity represents a tremendous amount of power, enough to intersect all three Realms, allowing people to transfer between them. Examples of such perpendicularities are the Well of Ascension and the Pits of Hathsin on Scadrial, Cultivation's Perpendicularity in the Horneater Peaks on Roshar, and the Lake on Sel.
As a gas, the Shardic power can take on a number of different functions. Examples of Investiture in gaseous forms include Breath, Stormlight, and Preservation's mists. All can serve as fuel for arcane arts. In both Awakening and Surgebinding, gaseous Investiture is, in fact, the primary source of magic, but even in systems that use other substances, like Allomancy, gaseous Investiture can serve the same purpose.
=== Slivers ===
A Sliver is a person who has held the power of a Shard, and then released it. This "stretches" a person's spiritweb, noticeably altering them. There is some grey area as to how much power one needs to have to be considered a Sliver; however, a person who directly handled raw Shardic power is the most straightforward example. The Lord Ruler and Kelsier would both be considered Slivers, while Elantrians and Returned would not.
=== Splinters ===
A Splinter is a fragment of a Shard's power, similar to how a Shard is a fragment of Adonalsium's power. The act of being broken apart into Splinters is referred to as Splintering. The Splintering of a Shard is an event which transcends all Three Realms, and is in essence a microcosmic manifestation of the Shattering of Adonalsium.
Unlike Slivers or Cognitive Shadows, Splinters usually lack a Physical component. They often have a mind of their own, separate and distinct from that of their parent Shard. They can form in two distinct ways: either by the Shard being splintered (killed), or by the Shard directly splitting off splinters of itself. Under certain circumstances, a Shard may be split and each resulting piece would gain an aspect of the original Shard's Intent.
Splinters can be comprised of the Investiture of one or more Shards. Examples of Splinters include the divine Breath of the Returned, Aons within seons, and spren. It is possible to create a new Shard from Splinters of multiple other Shards, though that more difficult than it sounds.
A Shard Splintered beyond recognition could be reconstructed as a different Shard, though this would require a great deal of effort and resources, such as the use of a Dawnshard.
The splintering a Shard is a difficult act that one needs specific knowledge (i.e. Intent) in order to actualize.
== Champion ==
It is possible for a Shard to name a "champion" when making a deal with another Shard. Becoming a champion in this way is a formal event and requires some kind of contractual agreement. Honor encourages Dalinar Kholin to try to get Odium to agree to a contest of champions; Odium eventually agrees and attempts to name Dalinar as his champion, though Dalinar declines. Later, Dalinar becomes the champion of Honor, and Odium selects Gavinor to be his champion instead. Shards outside of the Rosharan system have also had champions. The Heralds are similar to champions, and the conflicts between Marsh and Elend and between Marsh and Vin are an echo of this system.
== See Also ==
* Adonalsium
* Realmatic Theory
== Trivia ==
* Some Shards that were included in unpublished works but were subsequently removed or cannibalized include Decay, which was present in Aether of Night. Decay was cannibalized and turned into Ruin.
* The mindlessness of Shards without a Vessel, and their omnipresence and oneness with the universe, and how mind and body of all things are made up of the same substance as the Shard, is inspired by the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. This philosophy, amongst many other things, claims that God, the Universe, Thought, and Extension (the body), are all of one substance, but also that Thought and Extension do not rely on one another and can exist separately (however, it does not follow it to its conclusion of rejecting cross attribute explanations).
* There are theoretically 65,519 different hybrid shard combinations, consisting of two or more Shards, of which two hybrids have been seen: Harmony and Retribution.
== Notes ==
;Footnotes
;References
*
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