SO MUCH MORE NIGHTBLOOD

EXACTLY WHAT THE TITLE SAYS

Spoilers for the Cosmere up to Rhythm of War

00:00 - Opening
00:42 - Events during Rhythm of War
07:38 - Limitations
10:27 - Cosmere Implications
14:12 - End

[emmaquarterman]

I think Rayse’s body appearing in the physical realm is just what happens when a vessel dies- the same happens with Ati and Leras

[Magnify.]

This channel was the quickest subscribe of my life.

[chaos_reigns]

We are spoilt for you videos lately! Love seeing your older opening, honestly. Thank you very much for your hard work.

So, NIghtblood has fascinated me for a while. Sanderson can do a lot with him, and that makes theory crafting a lot harder. As one of the few examples of a completely "artificial" intelligence, and caries many implications for computer-based AI and how they can interact with investiture, though that makes sense, seeing as objects have thoughts in the Cosmere.

One Nightblood-related theory I once saw on reddit that has stuck in my mind (even then I don't completely subscribe to it) is that since Nightblood's command is to "Destroy Evil", and he absorbs (and figuratively eats) investiture, then it logically progresses that investiture is evil. The implications of this intrigue me, though the theorizer then went on to argue that this means the ending of the Cosmere will be non-Shards vs Shards (which I very much dislike, as I think it will be people vs people).
The counter-argument for this is the fact that "Evil" is subjective in nature, with very few objective elements that make up it's set. Which means that some being, force or individual considers investiture to be evil. This is even more interesting, in my opinion. But I agree with Khriss when see says that all manifestations of investiture are neutral (Ars Arcanum of MB Era 2), and it's suggested that she knows things even Hoid doesn't.

I have one massive question. Where does the investiture go? If Nightblood can be satiated, that suggests that they store the investiture. But if they get hungry again, then what happens to the investiture. Investiture cannot be made or destroyed, so is something collecting it for some other plan. If I was to guess anyone, I'd guess Edgli (Endowment), seeing as she definitely had a hand in making it (seeing as it was Returned who made it, and she decides who Returns and why). I've wondered for a while what she's scheming, and what her machinations are leading towards. After all, Vasher still hasn't completed his purpose.

I wonder if Nightblood will eventually go to Threnody. After all, there is a force, being or individual there called "The Evil". Maybe that was what he was made to combat.

[insertphrasehere]

I'm the forever DM for two different groups of D&D players. I've placed Nightblood in every campaign I've ever DMed, sometimes playing a pivotal role, sometimes as a temptation or a trap for the players, and sometimes as background scenery.

It was used as a trap by the Demonlord of Ashmouth in Innistrahd, to protect his horde of soul coins. It was held by Mab and given to one of my players to enable them to kill Davy Jones (Dresdenverse Wild West campaign), Nicodemus Arcleone later had it stashed in a golf bag several hundred years later in a cyberpunk Dresdenverse campaign), and most recently my players discovered it in the Amber Temple in Curse of Strahd, where the wizard picked it up and nearly killed himself before he made a wisdom save.

I've been working on the stats of the sword for a while for D&D, but essentially it allows someone with a lot of spell slots (which is investiture in the D&D universe) to become a sort of dark Paladin. But it's not particularly good in the hands of your average fighter or barbarian (in fact they are likely to die if they try to wield it). Really, it is an NPC character in its own right.

[joshhoehne]

Fantastic as always! I can't emphasis enough how much I appreciate the quality, and additional entertainment value you throw in, of these Cosmere videos you put out.

[arlopaden]

another amazing video!! cant wait for more night blood stuff in stormlight 5

[adoniscreed]

Ishar got humbled into pant shitting fear talking shit to Szeth 🤣

[ranolden]

Great video. I have been working on a semi functional model of NightBlood. Have some CAD files ready, and will be talking with someone at my local machine shop soon to see what they have to say

[dirkrousseau]

These vidoes are so great! They help me understand what is going on between books so well.

[AaronRiesebeck]

I think Dalinar could potentially ascend to reform Honor. Having to fight Odium’s champion is daunting and could potentially be too much. Another exciting, albeit unlikely, possibility is that Navani could also ascend to become Cultivation. Cultivation has shown herself to be cunning and played the long game by granting Taravangian capacity to prepare him to ascend to Odium. She may not be evil, necessarily, but could have more ill intent than we can see at this point. Taravangian will undoubtedly attempt to shatter Cultivation, leaving the shards power in need of a new vessel. The only reason I believe Navani could potentially ascend is because that would give her and Dalinar the ability to stay together through the tragedy of his own ascension. (Granted, it could just be a tragic love story.) They would perhaps be able to unite the two shards into one as we’ve seen with the ascension of Sazed to become Harmony (Preservation and Ruin). More and more shards could be finding their compliment, resulting in the slow reconstruction of Adonalsium. It could be a force too great to remain permanently shattered by humans and, to a being to which time means nothing, could take millennia to reassemble itself.

[maca]

So my theory is a doozy.

Nightblood was made by Shashara with the Command Destroy Evil. The Five Scholars were trying to duplicate Shardblade not knowing that they were actually Spren, spren formed around Ideals. If we compare Nightblood's Command to Radiant Ideals it highly correlates with what we know of the Fifth Ideal from the Skybreakers, a definite unchanging statement. The issue is Skybreakers and all the other Orders have 3 other Ideals plus the Words of Radiance as a foundation for that 5th Ideal. The Five Scholars unknowingly made a spren with a Command with the equivalence of a 5th level Ideal.

Next, we know from Warbreaker that Vasher killed Shashara with Nightblood. This means the keyed Breaths used to Awaken Nightblood are locked within Nightblood. Or are they?!? Nightblood Destroys Evil but let's say it can't Destroy a Returned's Breath especially if that Returned was its Awakener. I think Endowment knew this would happen and that secretly Nightblood contains a sliver of Shashara's Identity to Command itself.

Finally after all this Investure that Nightblood has consumed, I think they may get a body in the Cognitive Realm. I know we see Azure's Awakened Sword in the Shadesmar just as a sword, but if there ever was a time, I think eating a perpendicularity and part of a god means we could see a "new" character, Nightblood, galavanting around the Shadesmar.

[abelturner]

Since night blood devoured as much investiture as it could from the Odium shard, does that mean Odium is permanently weakened? I'm wondering how similar this is to how Preservations power seemed permanently weakened after he gave free will to humanity on Scadrial.

[edwardguest]

I thought Brandon stated that the honour blade could be repaired the same way as a shard plate?

[evancappello]

Yo, when are we getting the next one after WaT?? There's a whole lota Love for NB!

[MountainDewComacho]

It is my belief that the word “orthogonality” instead of the word 12:22 ”perpendicular “. Orthogonality is just perpendicular in multidimensional systems.

[jbwise]

Keep up the content.. i wonder if nightblood will be “full” for part of book 5; essentially unable to consume more investiture.

[peaceofcrap]

Lore I'm waiting for the next installment in this video series. Because DAMNATION do we have some new stuff to chew on after WAT.

[MrJballn]

It's Awakened with the Breath of Dawnshard?

[mr.hometown]

So, Nightblood has a Divine Breath right? Maybe even connected to anti-investiture.

[bpj]

Wonder if consuming enough Investiture causes nightblood to evolve like keeping memorys etc