My view on the 17th Shard and what they represent

[ParadoxicalZen he/him]

I was thinking of posting this in the other topic but i felt it was marginally different enough that it might warrant its own topic *mods, if this isn't the case, you know the drill*

Now seeing as we have barely any concrete information on the 17th Shard and their purpose, this is just theoretical speculation/speculative theory and could just be reiterating what we already know, but i thought it an interesting view

 

So from what little information we do have, the 17th Shard seem to take a very non-interference approach to matters relating to the Shards and perhaps to the Cosmere as an extension. We know they don't take too well to people meddling in Shardic matters as demonstrated by Hoid and in the Letter to his old reptile-like friend. Carrying on from that, I think it very possible they will intervene to prevent people (and possibly factions) with the skills and resources from causing wide-scale ramifications (aka Hoid) from interfering also. 

 

Spoilered for some references in soon-to-be published works

Now I can't remember if this is clarified/confirmed (i think it was, but I don't remember the location of the WoB or if it was still only 99% chance of being truth) that Khriss is the Ars Arcanum author, collecting/making a compendium of the Cosmere's magic systems with Nazh providing illustrations and re-drawing sketches for her. I don't think they've been confirmed as 17th Shard members but I do think the possibility is likely. You could argue they're interfering but I see it more as observing/recording important events without directly getting involved. Then we the Ones Above in Sixth of the Dusk from a "world we've seen before" perhaps monitoring and having a little interaction (granted this could be entirely unrelated). We also have three organisations of storytellers on three different shardworlds tasked with the same purpose of collecting the world's history (Worldbringers, Worldsingers and Enefel(s)?) although it appears Hoid might have had some involvement there.

 

TC;DR: Basically to summarise, I think that the 17th Shard are meant to represent the/an Intent that Adonalsium didn't have (doesn't particular narrow it down, I know but I think it could be something relating to Observation/Restraint etc. etc.)

Their purpose is to monitor and record Investiture-related shenanigans along with the history of the Cosmere, with very little direct intervention on their part. 

Edited September 14, 2015 by ParadoxSpren

[Corax]

This seems like and interesting theory, and also similar to the Iriali religion as well. Something else that could be related to the literal meaning of the 17th Shard, well... did Adonalsium leave behind a Cognitive Shadow? Because that would make a hell of a non-Shard Shard.