if everything is Aon where is the source of energy

[samsocial]

Spoiler

Elantris is giant Aon, the Aons drawn in elantris get energy from Elantris Aon

then what is the original source of the energy that provides dor to Elantris ?

is it somewhere in the core of the planet ? 

what happens if someone draws Aon of the planet or the cosmere system ? will it do something ? 

[That1Cellist he/him]

31 minutes ago, samsocial said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Elantris is giant Aon, the Aons drawn in elantris get energy from Elantris Aon

then what is the original source of the energy that provides dor to Elantris ?

is it somewhere in the core of the planet ? 

what happens if someone draws Aon of the planet or the cosmere system ? will it do something ? 

Are you familiar with Shards? If so:

Spoiler

The Dor is made up of the Shards Dominon and Devotion, which are currently in the cognitive realm as a giant mass of investiture without a vessel.

If you don't know about Shards, know that, yes, there is a massive source of power fueling the Dor, but you need to have a larger understanding of the Cosmere to really understand it.

 

Edited September 6 by That1Cellist

[Treamayne]

32 minutes ago, samsocial said:

Elantris is giant Aon, the Aons drawn in elantris get energy from Elantris Aon

@That1Cellist described it well, but I will just add that this basic presmise is flawed. Aon's do not get their power from the Rao that the city depicts. All Aon's (and all Sel Magic - Forgery, Chay Shan, Dakhor, etc.) draw from the Dor. The city is just another Aon drawing upon the Dor - and that Aon's purpose is to allow other Aons to access more than normal amounts of the Dor. 

From the Elantris Annotations (Ch 62):

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

Weak Aons

Elantris is like a massive power conduit. It focuses the Dor, strengthening its power (or, rather, the power of the Aons to release it) in Arelon. This far away from Elantris, however, the Aons are about as powerful as they were before Raoden fixed Elantris.

If you consider it, it makes logical sense that the Aons would be tied to Elantris and Arelon, yet would work without them. The Aons had to exist before Elantris–otherwise, the original Elantrians wouldn't have known the shape to make the city. Their study of AonDor taught them a method for amplifying Aon power.

Elantris Annotations (May 12, 2006)

Hope that helps

[Duxredux he/him]

25 minutes ago, samsocial said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Elantris is giant Aon, the Aons drawn in elantris get energy from Elantris Aon

then what is the original source of the energy that provides dor to Elantris ?

is it somewhere in the core of the planet ? 

what happens if someone draws Aon of the planet or the cosmere system ? will it do something ? 

I've been ninja'd twice, but I'll still add in my two cents. Remember Galladon's explanation of the Dor, and how he and Raoden note that the term AonDor uses a non-Aonic term? Galladon's explanation of the Dor is perhaps surprisingly relevant and accurate considering the 3-4 other religions seen in Arelon. As Treamayne notes, the Dor doesn't only power Aons, but from a certain perspective, life on the planet.

 

Spoilers for large scale Cosmere mechanics and the larger forces in the Cosmere. I don't remember when/where we learn this, possibly from Arcanum Unbounded, annotations, or WoBs. If you want more of a nuanced but possibly jargon heavy explanation read further.

Key terms: Shard, Vessel, Realms/Realmatic theory, Investiture. If you don't recognize these terms and want to learn about them on your own then skip this, 

Spoiler

The Dor is the dead bodies of two Shards, Devotion and Dominion. Shards are holders of fragments of the very power of creation and so Shards are often viewed as gods on the worlds that they reside at. One Shard has been going around trying to kill the other Shards, and by means we don't fully understand, successfully trapped the power of Devotion and Dominion in the Cognitive Realm preventing another from taking up their power. The power of Shards that normally mostly resides in the Spiritual Realm where time and location do not exist, now resides in the Cognitive Realm that corresponds to the geography of the planet as thinking beings perceive it. The power of Devotion and Dominion over time melded together into a sorf of magical plasma that has since become known as the Dor, and because it resides in the Cognitive Realm it has a pools in places corresponding planet's geography - giving the magics of the planet their patterns mimicking local geography. AonDor is one such example, being repetitions of the geography of Arelon, the Forgers of MaiPon finish their stamps with a symbol that looks like MaiPon. 

As Treamayne notes, Elantris is a focusing Aon that concentrates power for the Elantrians to utilize and the geographic component of the Dor explains why AonDor is weaker the farther from Elantris that you travel as we see when Raoden uses Aon Tia to teleport to Teod.

 

[Treamayne]

11 minutes ago, Duxredux said:

Spoilers for large scale Cosmere mechanics and the larger forces in the Cosmere. I don't remember when/where we learn this, possibly from Arcanum Unbounded, annotations, or WoBs. If you want more of a nuanced but possibly jargon heavy explanation read further.

Dux's References (all spoilers previously noted):

Spoiler

Elantris Ch 19:

Quote

“If only he would explain what it means to ‘channel the Dor’!” Raoden exclaimed, rereading a particularly annoying passage that kept using the phrase.

“Dor, sule?” Galladon asked, turning away from his planting. “That sounds like a Duladen term.”

Raoden sat upright. The character used in the book to represent “Dor” was an uncommon one—not really an Aon at all, but simply a phonetic representation. As if the word had been transliterated from a different language.

“Galladon, you’re right!” Raoden said. “It isn’t Aonic at all.”

“Of course not—it can’t be an Aon; it only has one vowel in it.”

“That’s a simplistic way of putting it, my friend.”

“But it’s true. Kolo?”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” Raoden said. “That doesn’t matter right now—what matters is Dor. Do you know what it means?”

“Well, if it’s the same word, then it refers to something in Jesker.”

“What do the Mysteries have to do with this?” Raoden asked suspiciously.

“Doloken, sule!” Galladon swore. “I’ve told you, Jesker and the Mysteries are not the same thing! What Opelon calls the ‘Jeskeri Mysteries’ is no more related to Duladel’s religion than it is to Shu-Keseg.”

“Point taken,” Raoden said, raising his hands. “Now, tell me about Dor.”

“It’s hard to explain, sule,” Galladon said, leaning on a makeshift hoe he had crafted out of a pole and some rocks. “Dor is the unseen power—it is in everything, but cannot be touched. It affects nothing, yet it controls everything. Why do rivers flow?”

“Because the water is pulled downwards, just like everything else. The ice melts in the mountains, and it has to have a place to go.”

“Correct,” Galladon said. “Now, a different question. What makes the water want to flow?”

“I wasn’t aware that it needed to want to.”

“It does, and the Dor is its motivation,” Galladon said. “Jesker teaches that only humans have the ability—or the curse—of being oblivious to the Dor. Did you know that if you take a bird away from its parents and raise it in your house, it will still learn to fly?”

Raoden shrugged.

“How did it learn, sule? Who taught it to fly?”

“The Dor?” Raoden said hesitantly.

“That is correct.”

Raoden smiled;

Arcanum Unbounded (Selish Essay):

Quote

Sel is notable for being dishardic, one of few planets in the cosmere to attract two separate Shards of Adonalsium: Dominion and Devotion. These Shards were extremely influential in the development of human societies on the planet, and most of their traditions and religions can be traced back to these two. Uniquely, the very languages and alphabets used today across the planet were directly influenced by the two Shards.

I believe that early on, the Shards took an unconcerned approach to humankind—and society was shaped by the slow, steady discovery of the powers that permeated the landscape. This is difficult to determine for certain now, however, as at some point in the distant past, both Devotion and Dominion were destroyed. Their Investiture—their power—was Splintered, their minds ripped away, their souls sent into the Beyond.

I am uncertain whether their power was left to ravage the world untamed for a time, or was immediately contained. This all happened during the days of human prehistory on Sel.

At this point, the bulk of the Investiture that made up the powers of Dominion and Devotion is trapped on the Cognitive Realm. Collectively, these powers—which have a polarized relationship—are called the Dor. Forced together as they are, trapped and bursting to escape, they power the various forms of magic on Sel, which are multitude.

WoBs:

Quote

Questioner

Can you describe what Shadesmar looks like on either Nalthis or Sel.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. On Sel? Looks like a big old storm that will destroy you. More than a storm, it's like a big pressurized-- it's like plasma, almost. It is really dangerous. Really dangerous. That 'cause the Dor is hanging out there.

Oathbringer release party (Nov. 13, 2017)

Quote

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Odium locked the Selish Shards in the Cognitive Realm to keep them from achieving sentience or someone Ascending.

Footnote: taken from General Q&A
Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing (Dec. 3, 2016)

Quote

Lance Alvein (paraphrased)

You said to not travel to Shadesmar on Sel. Is this a consequence of Odium Splintering Aona and Skai?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It is indirectly related to the Splintering. There is a clue to why it is dangerous in Way of Kings.

Hal-Con 2012 (Oct. 30, 2012)

Quote

Odium's_Shard

Can magic systems from one world work in any given other?

Brandon Sanderson

For some, it will take quite a bit of work, but it's possible to get them each to work. Sel's magics are regional, and so they are going to be tough. Scadrial's magics are the easiest.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 26, 2012)

Quote

chalkonthewall

In Elantris did Elantris ever not exist? like before it was built did the Shaod choose people? and if it did was their power the same? I'm mostly asking that if they were to build another Elantris in Teod would Elantrians be just as powerful over there?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there is a point where Elantrians didn't exist. Excellent question. The rest is a RAFO.

Stormlight Three Update #5 (Nov. 20, 2016)

 

Hope that helps.