Returned and their investiture

[Aspiring Writer]

Hmm. Normally never make posts on here. This is strange.

So I've been re-reading Warbreaker, as you do, and I've been thinking... if someone dies with breaths and they Return, do they still hold those breaths, or do they lose them? And if someone like a Mistborn (Because there are Wobs that say non-Nathlins can become Returned, if rarer) Returned, would they retain their Mistborn abilities when they return, or does being a Return somehow just wipe your slate?

If there isn't an answer to this (Which is probably the case if I couldn't find it) Could someone ask BS this on one of his Q&As?

[Quantus he/him]

Normally, the Breaths would escape when the person dies.  If an Awakener Died and then Returned, they could recover Breaths they had stored in objects, etc.  I think it's an open question on whether they Return fast enough to hold on to any normal Breaths store they may have in their own bodies.  

 

 

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Oudeis16

If Bob the Awakener Awakened fifty straw men to dance around, then died, then Returned as FormerBob the Appropriately Named, would FormerBob be able to reclaim the Breath from the straw men in the normal fashion (once he learned the "Your Breath to Mine" Command)?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. He has enough of his original Identity, and the spiritual connection would remain.

sonofstannis

What if he instead were reincarnated as a lifeless? Is there a way he could reclaim it then?

Brandon Sanderson

Lifeless have someone else's investiture replacing their own. (As opposed to Returned, who are augmented.) Depends on how much of them is left, and if they can achieve sapience again, but I'd say this is unlikely.

WeiryWriter

What if the Lifeless is Awakened with their own Breath? (i.e. they gave it away right before they died and the person they gave it to then used it in the Awakening)

Brandon Sanderson

This has happened already in the world, and it does help.

-Nayrb

Did this happen "on screen"?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

/r/books AMA 2015 (July 30, 2015)

 

 

 

 

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Yata

If a person with Breath (let's say 100 Breaths) dies. After a while (let's say a hour), are the Breaths still in the corpse ? If yes, are those destined for the same fate as an object with Breath inside ?

If a Returned dies for mundane ways (let's say a dagger in the back) and therefore he has still his Divine Breath.Would the Divine Breath keep the CS stampled to the corpse until he run out of fuel/Investiture ? (Like a Ghost in the CS anchored to his corpse until the Breath lasts)

Brandon Sanderson

Breaths in a dying person usually escape with the soul.

Skyward Pre-Release AMA (Oct. 4, 2018)

 

 

[Frustration he/him]

A Mistborn would likely retain their abilities as they are tied to the spiritweb, not the body.

[Phlipz1]

Breaths are usually determined as a sticky type of investiture, as opposed to stormlight being leaky. However, breaths are only sticky as long as the person theyre sticking to is alive (with of course the exception of lifeless who have other peoples breath stuck to them). Once the person dies the breats 'unstick' and leave with the soul, and even if the soul comes back the breaths wont return with it (unless im missing something?)

so no. in answer to your question, lady blushweaver

[Karger he/him]

We can't give a concrete answer but I personally think your breaths would just be turned into your divine breath although holding breath in the first place probably makes you a better returned candidate.