Usuario:Skaa/Pattern

Skaa/Pattern
por Isaac Stewart, User: Awesomeness
Especie	Crípticos
Mundo natal	Roshar

“ I know that you have forgotten much of what once was. Those lies attracted me. But you cannot continue like this; you must admit the truth about me. About what I can do, and what we have done. Mmm... More, you must know yourself. And remember. You wish to help. You wish to prepare for the Everstorm, the spren of the unnatural one. You must become something. I did not come to you merely to teach you tricks of light. ”

—Pattern to Shallan Davar on remembering the difficult truths of her past

Pattern is a spren on Roshar. He is a member of the race of spren called the Cryptics. His bond to Shallan Davar grants him sentience in the Physical Realm and allows her to use the Surges associated with the Order of Lightweavers, Illumination and Transformation.

Name

Pattern says that his real name is composed of many numbers, making it difficult to say. Shallan started calling him "Pattern" while she was studying him upon Jasnah's orders.

Appearance and Personality

In the Physical Realm, Pattern most often takes the shape of a complex and constantly shifting geometric pattern slightly raised off a surface or object. On occasion he can also manifest as a floating three-dimensional mass of twisting lines. Pattern is unable to turn completely invisible like honorspren, but he can blend in with the surface he currently inhabits such that only people who are looking for him will notice his presence.

In the Cognitive Realm, Pattern appears as a tall and willowy creature clad in a robe made of a stiff material. A complex pattern of sharp lines and impossible geometries forms his head.

Pattern is fascinated by concepts that mix truths and falsehoods, such as flattery, sarcasm, and even figures of speech like metaphors. These are things that he has to learn from humans like Shallan, as he is more naturally inclined to express truths simply as they are. While he is a master of understanding patterns, he finds man-made patterns, like their languages and their social conventions, to be more of a challenge because of their inconsistencies and illogical rules, although he tries his best to learn these things anyway.

While capable of stealth by silently blending in with his surroundings, which has proven useful when spying on people, Pattern has a tendency to vibrate audibly when excited or anxious. This buzzing sound tends to unnerve people, especially those unaware of where the noise is coming from.

• Images of Pattern
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  In Shadesmar Cognitive Realm form by User: Sheep

• 

  In Physical Realm form by User: Sheep

History

“ My memory is weak. I was dumb so long, nearly dead. Mmm. I could not speak. ”

— Pattern

Like most spren currently living, Pattern has previously never bonded a Knight Radiant. He did not yet possess any awareness during the time of the Recreance, and the Cryptics stopped bonding with humans for thousands of years after that event.

Eventually, it was decided that the Cryptics would once again bond humans. Pattern lobbied for the opportunity to be the first in this attempt and was nominated.

Shallan's Childhood

Pattern bonded a Veden child named Shallan Davar. With the bond, Shallan could create illusions of light. Later on, the bond strengthened to the point that the young Lightweaver could already summon Pattern as a Shardblade. When a Skybreaker acolyte persuaded Shallan's mother that Surgebinders had to be killed, the eleven-year-old Shallan had to use Pattern to defend herself, killing her own mother and the Skybreaker acolyte in the process.

After the traumatic event, Shallan's father took Pattern's Shardblade form from Shallan and stored it inside a strongbox. This was ineffectual, as Pattern vanished from the strongbox the moment it closed, but from that day onward the strongbox appeared to glow in Shallan's eyes. Nobody else could see the glow, but she could see it even after a painting was was placed over the strongbox to hide it.

The state of distress and shock caused by the incident with her mother led Shallan to resent Pattern and suppress her memories of him, causing their bond to weaken and Pattern to retreat mostly back into the Cognitive Realm. After this, Shallan could no longer use Surgebinding, though she could still use her enhanced mnemonic abilities. Although many of her memories were repressed, she retained knowledge of having a Shardblade.

Kharbranth

Shallan fleeing from Cryptics, by Petar Penev.

When Shallan departed from her family's estate to seek out Jasnah Kholin, Pattern followed her. In Kharbranth, he and other Cryptics watched over Shallan, although she could not see the spren directly.

While sketching a portrait of Taravangian, king of Kharbranth, Shallan unconsciously drew a couple of Cryptics who had been standing in the room invisible to the humans there. She had used her mnemonic ability to assist her drawing, and the presence of the Cryptics were somehow included in the Memory. It is likely that Pattern was one of the Cryptics.

Several weeks later, Pattern spoke to Shallan, attempting to obtain a new Truth. Her memories of her spren still repressed, Shallan was alarmed by the disembodied voice. Later on Cryptics appeared once again when Shallan drew a portrait of Kabsal. Panicked, Shallan fled, and the Cryptics followed her to her room, where she attempted summon her Shardblade to protect herself.

This act of summoning her spren (even unintentionally) changed their situation somehow, and Pattern succeeded in getting a Truth out of Shallan. Their bond strengthened, Shallan used Surgebinding once again, entering Shadesmar and Soulcasting a goblet into blood.

Pattern obtained another Truth from Shallan days later, when she wanted to enter Shadesmar again, although Shallan did not have enough Stormlight at the time and had to be saved by Jasnah.

The Wind's Pleasure

Their bond strengthened by Shallan's Truths, Pattern transitioned once more from the Cognitive Realm to the Physical, losing much of his mind in the process. While Shallan and Jasnah set sail for the Shattered Plains aboard the Wind's Pleasure, Shallan saw the Cryptic's Physical form several times, a complex pattern like an embossment rising from a surface and floating in the air, appearing briefly before vanishing.

“I thought I saw something in the water, just now. A pattern of sharp lines, like a maze”

—Shallan to Jasnah

Pattern continued to appear to Shallan, vanishing whenever she caught a glimpse of him until she finally managed to capture him in a Memory while reading in her cabin. Her subsequent sketch, which attracted hundreds of creationspren, seemingly helped to anchor Pattern, and he was able to completely transition from the Cognitive. Like all radiant spren when they first enter the Physical Realm, the transition damaged Pattern, losing much of his cognitive abilities and becoming infantile and almost mindless.

When Jasnah learned of Shallan's discovery, they discussed about the nature of spren, particularly the Cryptics, and she ordered Shallan to spend the next few days studying the pattern-like spren.

“The Cryptics have a fearful reputation, and yet this one – the first specimen I’ve ever seen – seems . . . ‘Imbecilic?’ Shallan asked.”

—Jasnah and Shallan discussed Pattern

While the spren had problems with understanding simple tasks such as eating, Shallan had found him to take readily to complex thought, particularly abstraction. Even as he struggled to form coherent sentences, Pattern was able to understand the concepts of truth and lies as well as identify lies told by others. Pattern was pleased by the lies Yalb told aboard the Wind's Pleasure, deeming them to be good lies as they were based in truth. Similarly, while he himself could not remember much, he grasped the concept of memory quickly, prompting Shallan to begin to remember a time from long ago, when they had first known one another. Without meaning to, Shallan used stormlight and turned a patch of the deck of the ship green, as she began to recreate the memory. Horrified, she pushed the memories away, unable to think of that time without panicking.

A page from Shallan's sketchbook depicting her spren Pattern, by Ben McSweeney.

When assassins boarded the ship, Pattern helped Shallan escape, first by giving her Lightweaving instructions, and then by acting as a translator in Shadesmar to allow Shallan to Soulcast the ship into water. On the shore, Pattern assisted Shallan once again when she tried Soulcasting a stick to fire so that she could stay warm, but she failed and had to look for help amongst slavers camping nearby.

Journey to the Shattered Plains

To not alert their travelling companions to his presence, Pattern stayed out of sight, hidden as per Shallan's request. When the caravan stopped for the midday meal, Shallan asked to be relocated to the empty slave cart where she could rest and relax away from prying eyes and the heat of the sun. Inside she found Pattern waiting, hidden within Jasnah's trunk which had been moved inside the empty cage.

Pattern, eager to learn more about human reasoning, was curious as to why Shallan had decided to continue on to the Shattered Plains and try to seek Urithiru. Shallan explained she had fallen into the trap of seeing Jasnah's research as a theoretical puzzle that needed to be solved, ignoring the real world ramifications that could occur if they were to fail. Her words reminded Pattern of why he had initially sought out Shallan, though his memories were vague and incomplete. The Cryptics, worried about the return of the Desolations, had sent Pattern to bond with Shallan, who had been chosen because of her lies about her family. Shallan diverted the topic when Pattern tried to have her remember her past, unwilling to think about the time. When she found one of her drawings in the bottom of Jasnah's trunk, her first drawing of the Alethi princess, Shallan broke down in tears. Pattern offered her comfort and did what he could to help her through her grief, as the weight of what she had been through and what she had lost, finally settling onto her.

“I will not stop vibrating. The wind will not stop blowing. You will not stop drawing.”

—Pattern comforting Shallan

Several days later, Pattern was sent to spy on a conversation between the Tvlakv and one of his men. Tag had worried about the trouble Shallan could cause and suggested that they should abandon her and move on, however, Tvlakv disagreed, instead seeing the opportunity to hold her hostage and earn a reward. Pattern's report worried Shallan, who was uncomfortable at how Tvlakv viewed her as little more than a slave. To preempt the possibility that his behavior would begin to match his thinking, Shallan confronted the slaver, insinuating she was aware of his scheming and reminding him of her promise of payment. Bluth returned as the exchange ended, reporting that mercenaries were in the area and prompting the group to hurried break camp to try and get away.

Their efforts were unsuccessful and it soon became apparent that the caravan was being followed. As they passed into a more frequently travelled part of the Frostlands, a second smoke signal was spotted in front of the party, which Tvlakv, reluctantly, began to head towards at Shallan's insistence. Decision made, Shallan chose to travel in her quasi-carriage so she could speak with Pattern, who had once again hidden inside, away from the slavers. Unsure of how she had been unconsciously Lightweaving she asked Pattern for his help, however in his diminished state, he was unable to give her any useful suggestions. Shallan eventually managed to inhale the Stormlight and while they talked learned that the spren was a scholar sent to study her. Unintentionally, Pattern began to mention that he only had a limited amount of time in which to learn of humans, before cutting himself off. He attempted to pass the comment off with a lie, but when pressed by Shallan, admitted he was expecting to be killed by the young woman. Shallan was shocked, not understanding why Pattern would have this idea, however related it to what had happened centuries ago with the Knights Radiant. Pattern's mention of Shallan's past oaths caused her to break off their conversation and she returned above to ride with Bluth.

Eventually they caught up to the group they had seen in the distance, and found another group of caravaners, who had recently been attacked by bandits. When the bandits returned, Shallan took Bluth and confronted the soldiers that had been following them. In exchange for their protection and help against the bandits, she promised to absolve them of their debts once they had reached the Shattered Plains. Their leader, Vathah, resisted her attempts to recruit them, however the other men did not and moved off to help defend the caravans. After the battle, Vathah - distrusting of Shallan and disbelieving of her promises - angrily confronted her. Pattern calmly interceded, hidden on the back of Vathah's uniform so as to fool the man into thinking he was hearing voices. Shallan played along, pretending that she was unaware of Pattern's presence and shortly after the soldier stormed away.

“Truth is individual. Your truth is what you see. What else could it be? That is the truth that you spoke to me, the truth that brings power.”

—Pattern discussing the meaning of truth with Shallan

The highstorm came later that night. The storm agitated Pattern, who buzzed angrily and ranted in a foreign tongue, spooking the soldiers whom Shallan had invited to shelter in her cart. None of the men, however, brought up the incident, which Shallan attributed to their expectation for strangeness during the highstorm. The next day, Pattern debated the meaning of 'truth' with Shallan, who found herself frustrated with the biases shown by past scholars. Pattern disagreed with Shallan's assessment that truth was universal, instead claiming that it was based on an individuals experiences. Shallan's questions shifted the conversation towards the existence of spren and in turn to the Voidbringers. Pattern, despite being unwilling to speak on the topic, named Odium as a third influence on types of spren, though doing so distressed him greatly.

As they neared the Shattered Plains, the group happened across a miniature lait filled with plants, protected from the storms by a rocky windbreak. Pattern accompanied Shallan as she explored the spot of greenery, occupying himself with counting leaves while she sketched. Later that night, the highstorm came again, however, unlike the last storm, which had caused Pattern agitation, this one caused him fear. There was something wrong about the storm and despite Shallan's attempts, Pattern would not stay quiet, frightening the slaves who sheltered with them.

Eventually, the storm passed and Shallan met with Tyn to learn what she could of her homeland. Within the message sent by Tyn's associates, relayed via a communication station in Tashikk, was information about the attack on Jasnah and the Wind's Pleasure. Tyn, who had been hired by the Ghostbloods to assassinate the Alethi princess, attacked Shallan when she learned of her identity, with the intention to kill her. Pattern attempted to intervene, impersonating Jasnah to try and distract Tyn while Shallan escaped.

When it became apparent that Tyn would not allow Shallan to get away, Pattern hastened to find Vathah to bring him and his men to Shallan's aid. The men did not understand that it had been Pattern speaking to them, though Shallan later confirmed his existence, however they still obeyed, attacking Tyn's soldiers who blocked their way. Pattern was pulled back to the tent when Shallan summoned him as a Shardblade, killing Tyn. When Vathah and his men reached the tent, they found Shallan, Patternblade in hand, who instructed them to search Tyn's belongings.

Abilities and Attributes

As his name implies, Pattern has the ability to recognize and decipher complex patterns and codes. He often aids Shallan in her various pursuits by opening locks, breaking codes, translating languages, and mimicking voices. When Shallan attempts to Soulcast, such as changing a stick into fire, Pattern serves as translator for the object she is trying to convince to change. When Lightweaving, Shallan can anchor her illusions to Pattern, allowing them to move and draw Stormlight even when they are not in close proximity to her.

Nahel Bond

The bond Pattern and Shallan share grants him sentience in the Physical Realm and gives her access to the Surges of Illumination and Transformation. Like other orders of the Knights Radiant Shallan had to verbally or mentally state the First Ideal to initially form the bond, but after that point the bond is strengthened by her admitting certain deep truths about herself. She has not yet stated enough truths to be a full Radiant but their bond has strengthened enough for Pattern to become a Shardblade when needed.

Trivia

• Pattern originally came from a Dark One draft.

Notes

A este artículo le falta información. Por favor, ayuda a The Coppermind a expandirla.