ChayShan similarities to Feruchemy

[Atlas333]

ChayShan is largely a mystery and I hate mysteries. 

I've long wondered what ChayShan can do but we hardly get any info on the magic system, but given how some magic systems resemble each other (a relevant example is bloodsealing and awakening) it may be possible to learn more about ChayShan by examining other magic systems.

We know it's meant to "sharpen a warrior's mind and body before battle." On-screen this means it gives increased strength, speed, spatial awareness (Shuden fights with his eyes closed), and increased mental speed (this isn't shown but is implied by the short description of the magic system although that could be another term to describe the increased spatial awareness).

 

Given we have 4 potential uses that's barely enough to form a pattern but I realized all of those can be lined up with feruchemical metals (pewter, steel, tin, and zinc respectively). If that's the case then the other physical and mental attributes and maybe even the hybrid attributes could be possible as well - weight, warmth, wakefulness, health, breath, and energy.

 

This makes sense to me as ChayShan is described as "sharpening" existing attributes rather than shooting fireballs or doing something outside of the body. Instead, it just increases what a human is already capable of doing much like Feruchemy does when tapping an attribute.

 

Of course, this theory is based on very little information and could easily be proven wrong in Elantris 2. Maybe we'll discover that Shuden was taught by a group of warriors who focused on combat but in reality, there are way more uses. We'll have to wait and see.

Edited September 9 by Atlas333
typos

[Quantus he/him]

We know from WOB that each Selish magic is essentially a programming language for reality itself, just with a different focus and specialty.  So we can be confident that ChayShan will be pattern-based and able to be built up and modified in very complex ways for very specific and complex effects, and be able to theorecally mimic almost any cosmere effect within it's broad categorical application. In the same way Forgery excels at Spiritweb manipulation but cant make Fireballs that easily, I think you are right that it's going to excel at personal effects.  Im guessing it'll have be more capable of overt external effects than Feruchemy (something like allomancy, or elemental Bending styles, maybe speed bubbles etc.), and not quite as good at internal manipulation as the briefly mentioned Selish Potion magic.  Something like the Gravitation and Abrasion Surges would make sense to me, possible the stone-walking thing the Fused can do, and self-targeted Elsecalling would not surprise me.  I would laugh if it can Create Connections but requires a powerful strike to Connect it: Slap somebody hard enough to Connect to them and impart language, etc.

[Treamayne]

1 hour ago, Atlas333 said:

Instead, it just increases what a human is already capable of doing much like Feruchemy does when tapping an attribute.

 

Of course, this theory is based on very little information and could easily be proven wrong in Elantris 2. Maybe we'll discover that Shuden was taught by a group of warriors who focused on combat but in reality, there are way more uses. We'll have to wait and see.

Based on Elantris and WoBs (below), we know that ChayShan is based on Tai Chi and uses the body's movements to access the Dor (similar to an Elantrian drawing an Aon in the air, but using the whole body and without leaving a glyph behind). Based on that, and what we see on screen, I think it is most likely that the ChayShan practitioner is holding Dor, similar to a Radiant holding Light - which causes the increase in speed and strength (and probably healing). Where I guess that ChayShan differs, is I would bet that holding that much Dor gives them a version of the First and/or Fourth Heightening[1]. Shuden isn't fighting eyes-closed because of some F-Tin like effect, I think it's because he is "seeing" with lifesense and so has a clearer internal estimate of who is around him (even behind) than regular vision could produce. 

Spoiler

Quote

<edited for length and relevance>

Questioner

Do you ever see The Emperor's Soul, like, that magic system in further Elantris books?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, you will see more of that. Elantris-- So what Elantris is very-- is interesting-- is Sel, the planet that is, that each region has basically a way of accessing the magic, and they're all, in my mind, programming languages. And you use different things to program, and call functions basically. And some people etch into bone, some people draw in runes, some people make the soulstamps. You can do it through a tai chi-like thing in one of world-- in one of the lands. So it's like a-- region-based for reasons that cosmere magic experts I think have figured out by now.

Ad Astra 2017 (May 5, 2017)

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Seventeen

Of all the books I've written, I think this one hearkens most closely to our own world. Usually, when I develop cultures and languages, I try to stay away form basing them too closely on any one Earth society or race. I'm not certain what made me do things differently in Elantris. It's not just fencing–JinDo, with its obvious links to Asian cultures, is a good example too. And Fjorden's language has some obvious references to Scandinavia. (Dilaf's name comes from Beowulf, actually. I named him after Beowulf's heir, Wilaf.)

Anyway, in this chapter we find two very obvious "borrows" from our world. I've always been fascinated by fencing, though I've never participated myself. The idea of turning swordfighting into a sport intrigues me. In addition, I found the light, formalized dueling appropriate to the tone of this book, so I took the opportunity to write it in. (I do realize, by the way, that Hollywood has done some interesting things to fencing. Most real fencing bouts are much shorter, and far less showy, than what we see depicted. This is pretty much true for any kind of fighting, however. Think what you will, but combat is usually brutal, quick, and really not that exciting to watch.

This kind of fighting is very appropriate in some books. However, I allowed myself the indulgence of doing my fencing scenes a bit more flourish than one would find in real life. It felt right in the context to have the participants spar, parry, and jump about for far longer a time than is realistic. If you need justification, you can assume that in Teod, the rules for fencing are very strict–and so it's very hard to actually score a point on your opponent, forcing the battles to be prolonged.)

The other item of interest in that scene is, of course, Shuden's ChayShan dance. As mentioned above, his culture is pretty obviously borrowed from Asia. In fact, the link is so strong that some readers have trouble imagining his features as anything but Asian. (Note, once again, that this is not the case. The JinDo have dark brown skin. Though, I guess you'll imagine Shuden however you wish.) The ChayShan is a martial art I devised to feel just a bit like Tai Chi–though ChayShan focuses on speeding up the motions and gaining power from them. I've always kind of thought that Tai Chi would look more interesting if it slowly sped up.

Elantris Annotations (Aug. 1, 2005)

Personal Note: I studied and taught Tai Chi for years (Yang family), including the original martial application of many movements - when trained as a martial art rather than just exercise, you can do any Tai Chi form at normal speed and it will look very similar to Kung Fu and other arts. In fact, some "applications" are a bit more brutal than other arts, when you break them down  

 

Not saying your theory is wrong, just adding other ideas to the discussion. 

Note 1: Just as we later see Riino sense Kaladin by the Fourth Heightening in Oathbringer, so we know that the Dor can produce at least some effects similar to Heightenings. Not to mention Elantrians are Ageless - which is Fifth Heightening. . . 

[Sythrin]

I always imagined Chayshan as a form of battle dance. Similar to Capoeira or maybe inspired to bending from "the last airbender". That by doing certain physical movements they can enact certain abilities or effects into the reality. The basics will probably be the strenghening of phycial attributes but maybe we can even see them create maybe lightning with their dance or something similar.