Usuario:Windrunner/Splinter
{/{Magic |related=Shards |universe=Cosmere }} A Splinter is a specific type of fragment of Investiture ultimately derived from Adonalsium. These Splinters exist comprised of a single Shard's power or the Investiture of multiple Shards. They are present in many worlds of the cosmere, sometimes in abundant qualities or as self-aware personalities and other times are absent altogether or are simply a raw chunk of power guided by something else.
Nature of Splinters
At its core, a Splinter is a significant measure of a Shard's power that has been separated from the main body of Investiture. A Splinter has never been a person,[1] although it may serve to create a Cognitive Shadow, most of which would be considered Splinters.[2] It is worth noting that there is some difference between a physical manifestation Investiture such as atium and lerasium or Perpendicularities and a Splinter. While a Shard's power is never truly separated as it is all connected through the Spiritual Realm,[Falta cita] Splinters represent power that has been released or removed by a Shard.[3] While Splinters are oft Splinters tend to not have much in the way of a Physical aspect, as a chunk of Investiture it tends to be more rooted in the Cognitive and Spiritual Realms.[4] One distinguishing factor of a Splinter is that it may often have an intent of its own, separate from that of the parent Shard.[5] While many Splinters are comprised of Investiture of a single Shard, in the case of some Splinters they may actually be comprised of the Investiture or two or more Shards.
It is certain that all Splinters do not contain the exact same quantity of Investiture, as a Splinter may be Splintered yet again into smaller fragments.[6] However, it is likely that there is some threshold below which a quantity of Investiture is not considered to be a Splinter. For instance a divine Breath is considered to be a Splinter,[Falta cita] but there is no indication that the lesser Breath possessed by normal people is considered to be a Splinter. In fact, the small amount of Investiture present in sapient beings that is known as Innate Investiture is also distinct from Splinters.[7]
Creation
There are two typical ways for a Splinter to come into existence and both require the will of a Shard on some level. Perhaps the most common is that a Shard creates a Splinter by intentionally separating a bit of its power from itself.[8] This may be done for the purpose of creating some sort of synthetic race, such as the spren or seons. Another reason to create a Splinter is if a Shard wishes to prevent a soul from passing on to the Beyond by making it into a Cognitive Shadow, as is the case with the Fused and the Returned.[9] It is uncertain whether or not an avatar of a Shard could be considered to be a Splinter, or if there is some other qualitative difference. There are some planets that only have Splinters present on the world,[10] as in the past Shards have gone to planets within the cosmere and left behind a Splinter before leaving.[11] Adonalsium also once left behind Splinters on various worlds before its death.[Falta cita]
A Shard may also Splinter another Shard, tearing off a chunk of its power, typically for the purpose of diminishing it. If a Shard is completely destroyed in this way it is said to be Splintered. A Splintered Shard cannot have a Vessel while it remains in such a state, although it may be reconstituted into a full Shard via an unknown process,[12] although it will not restore the original Vessel.[13] Whether or not a Shard can Splinter another Shard is dependent upon the amount of raw Investiture that Shard is able to make use of at the time[14] and its knowledge of the process.[15] There are more and less efficient ways to Splinter a Shard and it may grow easier with practice.[16][17] Even a successful Splintering is taxing on a Shard and may require some recovery by the Shard afterward.[18] In some cases whether or not a Shard is Splintered may be a somewhat vague term.[19] A Shard left on its own without a Vessel may also Splinter of its own accord.[20]
Killed Vessel and then Splintered or other way around? Remember and cite
Abilities
The abilities of a Splinter depend heavily on the conditions of their formation and the the purpose or lack thereof that they were created with. Although Splinters may learn to behave in ways that were originally not intended.[Falta cita](spren granting powers) Many Splinters may become self-aware or are self-aware from the point of their creation,[21] but but some do not and it is not considered to be a requirement to be a Splinter.[22] Splinters may have an inherent understanding of Realmatic Theory upon the point of their creation.[23] Splinters may form bonds with other sapient beings in many cases. Sometimes these bonds are capable of granting access to Invested Arts, such as is the case with the Nahel bond in spren, but they may be a much more simple connection, as is the case with seons.[24]
Due to their connection to their parent Shard, Splinters often struggle to leave the system that Shard inhabits.[2][Falta cita] Splinters may serve as a sort of release valve on a Splintered Shard power, making it less dangerous.[25]
One notable ability associated with Splinters is the ability to get a sense of what the future may hold.[26] This is visible across a number of different Splinters, from the visions granted by the divine Breath to the Returned[27] to the brief flashes of the future associated with Odium's Unmade.[1]
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[/[category: Splinters| ]]
- ↑ [[Book shorthand incorrect/Epígrafes#Chapter_{{{2}}}|Book shorthand incorrect capítulo {{{2}}} Epígrafe]][[Special: WhatLinksHere/Summary:Book shorthand incorrect/Epígrafes/Chapter_{{{2}}}|#]]