Asylum

Questioner

Are there any awakened, sentient, wepaons or items in the Elder Empire?

Will Wight

By definition i think awakened items possess thoughts even if they are just simple thing like "KILL!" Or "FEED ME!".Are the Awakened weapons sentient?That's a hotly debated question in the Empire. Many Soulbound feel that their Vessels "speak" to them, but always in impressions or mentally communicated desires. Some of them swear they hear an actual voice in their head, but is that really the weapon? Or is it their imagination providing words for the impressions the weapon sends them?The common belief is that Awakened objects do have a measure of awareness, but not true sapience. They can't "think" or reason beyond the capacity and purpose for which they were created....as far as anyone knows.

Questioner

In Asylum could the emperor have "Awakened" himself if he wanted to?

Will Wight

Commonly accepted Reader theory in the Aurelian Empire states that human beings are already Awakened. That's what makes us sentient and aware, and why Intent doesn't seem to build up in our body as we age.

Questioner

Do people with great Intent leave bodies that can be Awaken?

Will Wight

Objects gather Intent when they are used by a human for a purpose. You would have to use a body for a particular purpose in order to invest it, which is required for Awakening. Body PARTS are often Awakened.

Questioner

What is the greatest battle ever to take place in the arena

Will Wight

Baldesar Kern, the current Head of the Champion's Guild, was never a gladiator. But he did have one fight in the arena.

He had attempted to persuade a rival of his to back the Guild, but his rival was not convinced of Kern's strength. Therefore, Kern agreed to meet his rival's representative in the arena.

His rival's "representatives" turned out to be a half-dozen Kameira trained and equipped for battle. There was a lizard bigger than a horse with red-hot teeth, a lion-headed ape with a pair of axes, two shark-creatures that may have been Elderspawn, a worm that burrowed through the sand, and a puppy-sized flea that conjured clouds of smoke.

Baldesar's battle with this army of creatures lasted over an hour, and is widely considered the greatest battle ever to take place in an Izyrian arena. It became a mark of honor to say that you were there that day.

At the end, his rival had no choice but to support the Champion's Guild, and the Champions were victorious. As they always are.

Questioner

What is generally held to be the must ridiculous awakened object that turned out to be much more useful than anticipated?

Will Wight

A wide-brimmed hat invested to keep its wearer cool. When a Magister spent weeks attempting to Awaken it, his colleagues thought he was crazy. He was actually called into the Guild to question the use of his time.

Now he makes a fortune selling them. They can't be mass-produced, so each hat is a work of the Reader's art. There's a waiting list.

Wearing such a hat is like wearing sunglasses while your head is stuck in an air-conditioned room.

Questioner

What is the deepest point in the Aion Sea (that's the Elder Empire sea, right? Forgive this one's idiodicy if he's wrong.), how deep is it, and what is the most horrible creature that lives there?

Will Wight

The Vebross Pit is a legendary location at the bottom of the Aion Sea, passed down through Navigator tradition.

No one has ever explored it--there are many shallow locations in the Aion Sea that have never been explored, to say nothing of the true depths--but many Navigators employ Soulbound with water-scanning and scouting powers. All of them report impenetrable depths around a general location near the center of the Sea, and that area has been referred to as the Vebross Pit.

The ocean seems almost dead around the Pit, with no sightings reported of anomalous events, Kameira, Elderspawn, or anything but natural fish. Therefore, the Navigators once preferred routes over the Pit.

But that only lasted a short time.

Navigator ships began to go missing. This is not in itself too unusual, but when it continued for three or four years and started to cost the Guild money, the Guild Head sent out an expeditionary force to investigate the Pit.

The Witnesses accompanying the expedition returned reporting a phenomenon that happened at night. As the moon rose, a vast humanoid face seemed to rise from the depths. It grew closer and closer, until the captain of their vessel realized that the face was big enough to cover the ocean for miles.

Their force escaped with no losses, and from then on, the Vebross Pit was classified by the Navigator's Guild as an Unknown Danger Zone. A captain plotting a course through such a zone must leave all Guild assets behind, as they are likely to be lost.

Questioner

Is there an awakened object that was awakened to be the aqivelent of an AI (artificial intelligence)

Will Wight

In a certain sense, yes. There are records of a dozen Soulbound whose Vessels were books. These Soulbound exhibited superior memories, enhanced insight, and a remarkable ability to organize their thoughts and impressions.

Questioner

"Tell me about mountain climbers in Elder Empire."

Will Wight

The body of Kthanikahr, the Worm Lord, weaves through a mountain as though through a rotten apple. The Great Elder is miles long, and the stench of his decay is overpowering. Still, some brave the corpse--and the cordon of Imperial troops around the area--to scale the peak and try to harvest a strip of the Worm Lord's skin. It is said that a charm made from this leathery strap can repel Elderspawn, so dozens make the trip each year...and only a handful return.

Questioner

Is there a limit to how many Vessels can be bound to a person?

Will Wight

This is a subject of debate and research in the Aurelian Empire. The Vessel gets its power from the Kameira or Elder parts that went into its creation, but it's connected to the Soulbound through Intent. Basically, it has to be connected to you personally in order for a bond to be born.

The Magisters would see any claims of a Soulbound with three Vessels very skeptically. They would never believe a report of a Soulbound with four.

But in theory, the limit is however many objects you see as part of your identity.

Questioner

So if I loose my horse while training for the Blue Ribbon Race, and I accidentally run into a elderspawn instead of the usual skunks and such, what should I do?

Will Wight

Now, this depends entirely on what kind of Elderspawn you've encountered.

If it has the spindly legs of a spider and eyes on stalks, you just don't want to do anything interesting. As long as it has no reason to investigate you, it won't tear you apart and rearrange your organs alphabetically. You should respond in the most boring possible fashion: by turning and running away, screaming as loud as you can.

This is the response it expects, and it will be bored and turn away. Usually.

If it looks like a frog the size of a human infant, dripping with luminous slime and humming with a high-pitched sound you can barely hear, you should kill it immediately. If you succeed, you have saved us all from an outbreak.

If you leave it alone for too long, it will consume anything organic nearby: grass, leaves, roadkill, garbage, small animals and insects. When it has eaten many times its body weight, it will give birth.

The hordes of Othaghor have devastated many isolated communities. No one has seen these Elderspawn in centuries, which contributes to many ordinary citizens considering them myths. They are not.

Questioner

Are there any independent nations or territories on Asylum? Are there multiple worlds in the Asylum iteration?

Will Wight

No, there are no independent nations or territories in Asylum. There are isolated communities that aren't aware they are part of the Empire, but the Empire considers them Imperial territory. They're not undiscovered, after all, just so remote as to be not worth collecting taxes from.

Mierin

If the Emperor had been born on a world like Cradle where he could actually train and develop instead of having to hold back the Elders, how high would he or someone with his will/strength/etc. have been able to advance?

Will Wight

He certainly COULD have reached Monarch, but most of those with the potential to reach Monarch fail to do so. It requires so much luck and unique opportunity that it's impossible to guarantee anyone with reach Monarch, no matter how driven and/or talented. In the Blackflame Empire, he would have almost certainly become a powerful Underlord. With the right resources and chances, he could have potentially left the Empire and ascended to Overlord or better outside.

Questioner

What is the most powerful awakened item in EE that doesn't have great elder intent in some way

Will Wight

Estyr Six's Soulbound Vessels have no Elder Intent. They're the skulls of ancient, powerful Kameira that she defeated in battle.

The Magisters have sealed away a spear that combined the powers of multiple ice-controlling Kameira, but it was too difficult to use. Their tests blanketed an isolated Magister facility in snow for years.

Questioner

I'd like you to make up a 6 or 7 book series about the founding of the elder empire!

Will Wight

I like six or seven books as a series size. Idk about the founding of the Elder Empire--depends on how the main series does after the relaunch.

Questioner

What would happen if someone Awakened a horror novel?

Will Wight

Intent accumulates in an object based on the purpose it is used for. So a horror novel's Intent would either scare people or fascinate them, depending on the Intent of the people who have read the novel over the years.

I can imagine a novel that frightens people just by sitting on a table, where you keep casting sidelong glances at it without knowing why, taking any excuse to get out of the room away from a book. Conversely, I could imagine a book that practically hypnotizes those who read it, so it's all but impossible to voluntarily stop reading until you reach the end.

Questioner

How intelligent can Kameira become? Are there any that can Read intent?

Will Wight

Kameira aren't like sacred beasts--they can't actually develop human-level intelligence, though many stories and myths suggest that they do. They are powerful animals, and there are none that can Read Intent.

Questioner

Which of your characters could survive the best in almost every kind of story setting?

Will Wight

He's well-educated enough to adapt to a more modern world, skilled in enough basic skills to adapt to a more primitive world, and he has his Reader skills. Assuming they work in his setting, they'd be useful under pretty much any circumstances.

Plus, he's resourceful enough to make a living in legitimate business or in a life of crime, as circumstances require.

Questioner

Which of your characters would be most likely to make it as a self-published novelist?

Will Wight

Kerian, the Consultant from Elder Empire.

She's relentless, she reads a lot of novels, and she knows how to make a sale. She's also highly literate, unlike a lot of my characters.

Questioner

Simon vs. Shera

Will Wight

I give this to Simon by virtue of super-speed, but in "Of Killers and Kings" we get to see Shera using both her newly Awakened knife AND Syphren at the same time. In that state, she'd be able to give him a fight, and it would depend on several specific factors (that I don't want to spoil for fear of revealing too many of her new powers).In summary: current Shera dies.

Questioner

Simon vs. Urzaia

Will Wight

The Nye essence gives Simon the edge here, but only at first. Honestly, based on the way Simon fights, he wouldn't start out a duel against an unknown opponent with an all-out offensive blitz. And that would be his best chance.

Urzaia can take a hit from Mithra. His weapons can stand up to it, and his Soulbound Vessel can stop it as well. On top of that, he has the strength to (more or less) match Simon and enough reaction speed that he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by Nye essence unless Simon pushed it to the limit from the very beginning. Plus, he's dueled a hundred times more people than Simon has.

Given that Simon starts the fight trying to be conservative with his powers and then ramps up, Urzaia wins. If Simon knows how much of a threat he is and treats him that way from the very beginning, Simon MIGHT take it.

Questioner

Simon vs. Meia

Will Wight

Similar situation as against Urzaia, except that in this case it depends on who gets the first move. Because unlike Urzaia, Meia will try to kill Simon instantly.

So if Simon doesn't take it seriously from the very beginning, he's likely to lose. 60-40 Meia. If he does, it swings his way a little bit. Maybe 55-45 Simon.

It would be close, though.

Questioner

Emperor vs. Incarnations

Will Wight

The Incarnations are not stronger than the Emperor. The Emperor's more powerful than he ever got a chance to demonstrate in scene during the actual stories themselves.

He might have difficulty dealing with them at first, because he doesn't know what they are or how they work. But they would pose no threat to him.

He would observe them, capture them for study, and slowly kill them when they were of no use. Emperor wins, no contest.

Questioner

Valinhall vs. Elders and Estyr Six

Will Wight

Valinhall vs. the Great Elders is an interesting matchup because it depends entirely on which one they're fighting. Against Nakothi, for instance, a full team of Valinhall Travelers would do even better than the Emperor and the Regents did. They would tear Nakothi apart with minimal losses.

Same goes for Kthanikahr or Othaghor. The Emperor WISHES he had an elite team like the Valinhall Travelers when he was going after Othaghor, because he basically just spawns endless minions.

Against Tharlos, on the other hand, the Valinhall Travelers would just have their minds warped and go insane, or they would be turned into ooze or a lamppost or something. He breaks all the rules. Urg'naut's shadows would be able to kill Simon without him ever being able to resist, and Ach'magut would arrange matters so that it never came to a direct confrontation.

Versus Estyr Six...I guess it depends on how many Valinhall Travelers show up. All thirteen could definitely do it, six would be pushing it, three wouldn't be enough.

Questioner

Kai vs. Bliss

Will Wight

I would love to write this fight.

Probably Bliss, but only because Kai has no frame of reference for understanding her powers. If he did get a sense for them, then he could take it. He's stronger and faster and more experienced in combat than she is. But the weirdness of her powers would be her biggest advantage.

And Kai would need a doll.

Questioner

Simon vs. the Emperor

Will Wight

Assuming, as I have for all of these other fights, that the characters actually have a reason to kill one another and are actively trying to do so...no, the Emperor crushes Simon like a bug.

Questioner

Simon minus his nye essence vs Urzaia.

Will Wight

Without the Nye essence, Simon loses what I think is his biggest chance to kill Urzaia: going all-out from the very beginning.

The problem is that Urzaia's hatchets can turn a blow from Mithra, as can his Soulbound Vessel (the hide of a Sandborn Hydra). Without Simon's Nye essence, he can't blitz a win, so Urzaia probably wins on the strength of endurance and superior experience.

Questioner

Its been a while since I eead Elder Empire. How did Estyr and Jorin manage to live so long.I know not all of them had Nakothi hearts and I recall that they were in a deep sleep...

Will Wight

Awakened coffins. Keeps them asleep and alive until they're needed.

They've individually lived a few hundred years apiece, thanks to some extremely creative alchemy and investing on the Emperor's part, but they've EXISTED for basically two thousand.

Questioner

Hey Will I want to know something about Asylum's magic system. Intent, does it work even if the object itself does not possess the property the user is attempting to augment it for?

Eg.) Superstitions about the luck a rabbit's foot gives. If the person whom hangs it around his neck 'believes' it grants him that property does it actually accumulate that property?

Will Wight

Luck is one of those things that's difficult to quantify. People do invest objects to make them luckier, but they've been proven not to affect things that actually rely on pure unaffected randomness, like a lottery.

Therefore, it's believed that objects like a lucky rabbit's foot (for instance) would only increase your confidence or concentration, depending on what you mean by "luck."

Most of the invested or Awakened objects with crazy powers have Kameira elements, meaning they're borrowing some of the elemental powers of the Kameira. Or the reality-twisting powers of the Elders.

Dj Ducky

Uru the Mighty Guy what is personally your favorite art so far

Will Wight

My favorite art is the Sea cover for Of Sea and Shadow.

Questioner

Would killing an Elder allow them to escape from Asylum?

Will Wight

No, it wouldn’t.

Terrible

What powers would Stephen King have if he went to Asylum and made a Soulbound Vessel out of his most terrifying horror novel?

Will Wight

The ability to horrify those around him, or the ability to trap them in a terrifying illusion. Depends on how he thinks about himself and the book while he's writing.

Questioner

Are there bows in the Elder Empire?

Questioner

There are bows as Vessels, and I have notes for at least one Soulbound that uses one. Bows didn’t show up in the series primarily to distinguish it from my other series, which had lots of bows, and secondarily because the books aren’t that long and there’s a lot we don’t explore.

Questioner

Is necromancy via performing active reading on a corpse with a sufficienctly powerful reader theoretically possible? Is it possible that one of the Dead Mother's hearts could act as a catalyst to assist in this?

Will Wight

Necromancy in Elder Empire: yes, it is possible. It's not possible to invest or Awaken living things, but it is possible once they are dead, and one of the most difficult feats is Awakening them to a semblance of life.

Will Wight

The Aurelian Emperor ruled Iteration 112: Asylum.

OtherAndrew

Will you directly deal with the Abidan in your other series?

Will Wight

In Elder Empire, yes. In Traveler's Gate? ...maybe.