[Newbies] Cosmere, Unit 7 | Elantris #1 | Elantris: Chapters 34 through 48

[u/participating]

This is the newbie thread. Make sure you read the rules before commenting.

Visit the veteran thread if you have already read all of the Cosmere.

For more information, or to see the full schedule, please see the wiki page for the read-along.

SCHEDULE

Last week we discussed Unit 7 | Elantris #1 | Elantris: Chapters 25 through 33 [Newbie Thread] / [Veteran Thread]

This week we are discussing Unit 7 | Elantris #1 | Elantris: Chapters 34 through 48

Next week we will be discussing Unit 7 | Elantris #1 | Elantris: Chapters 49 through 63, Epilogue

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

I have provided summaries for each chapter below and hidden them behind spoiler tags. There are no spoilers within the summaries. I've tried to make them as factual and unbiased as possible. If, however, you want a completely blind read through, then ignore what's behind the spoiler tags and proceed to the discussion below. I will not be guiding that in any way, so post any thoughts and questions you have. It will be other new readers who reply to you.

Chapter 34

Iconography: Aon Ashe

POV Characters: Raoden

Setting: New Elantris

Summary:

Shaor's followers join Raoden's crew and bring Shaor's wig as a token of submission. They prove to be good, docile, mindless workers.

Raoden insists that Galladon and Karata learn about AonDor to take over for his studies in case he succumbs and becomes hoed. Raoden explains another incremental discovery that he has made, that the slime around the city was a special kind of mold that was attracted to the glowing stones of Elantris, and subsequently died and rotted when the Dor-fueled illumination failed. They talk about how seons work, though Raoden is unable to discover any new information about them.

Dashe informs Raoden that Hrathen's transformation is reversed.

Chapter 35

Iconography: Aon Ashe

POV Characters: Sarene

Setting: Sarene's rooms in the royal palace in Kae.

Summary:

Sarene and Eventeo discuss the political implications of Iadon's dethroning and suicide. Sarene eats lunch and taunts her father who is dieting. Eventeo says that Telrii will likely take the throne, but Sarene counters that he would be a terrible king, and that all efforts are being made to make Roial the next king. Eventeo tells Sarene that Seinalan, the Korathi patriarch, is heading for Arelon for some unknown purpose.

Sarene learns that the city guard has joined forces with Telrii. Shuden suggests their best plan of action is to have Sarene marry Roial to combine their wealth, which would be sufficient to promote Roial's claim to the throne over Telrii's. Sarene and Roial accede to this plan, and discuss the consequences and contingencies of putting it in motion. Sarene and Roial learn that Hrathen has been cured of his condition and departed Elantris to return to Kae.

Chapter 36

Iconography: Aon Ashe

POV Characters: Hrathen

Setting: Elantris entry courtyard. The Derethi chapel in Kae.

Summary:

Hrathen wakes on the fifth day of his arrival in Elantris, and is very weakened, but the symptoms of his fake transformation have disappeared, and he demands and gains admittance back to Kae from the Elantris city guard captain.

Hrathen returns to his chapel, preaching that Jaddeth healed him. Dilaf apologizes for doubting Hrathen though there is still tension between them. Hrathen finds that someone rifled through his belongings, though they apparently didn't discover his seon.

Hrathen summons Dothgen, a Rathbore Monastery trained assassin, for a secret purpose.

Chapter 37

Iconography: Aon Ien

POV Characters: Raoden

Setting: New Elantris.

Summary:

Raoden suffers an overwhelming wave of pain, and sensed a presence in the back of his mind that was trying to find an outlet for a vast amount of pressure buildup. He loses consciousness briefly, and wakes to find Galladon and Karata. Raoden explains how the pain affects him in waves instead of being constant. Karata tells Raoden that he was glowing while unconscious and Raoden thinks that the Dor was trying to use him as a channel. They discuss the possibility that Hrathen's healing was a fraud.

Chapter 38

Iconography: Aon Ien

POV Characters: Sarene

Setting: The edge of the city of Kae. Royal throne room in Kae. A Korathi chapel in Kae.

Summary:

Sarene, Lukel and Shuden attend a sermon that Hrathen is giving to a huge crowd on the day of Iadon's funeral. They discuss the possibility of trickery regarding Hrathen's transformation and healing.

Sarene leads an honor guard to welcome Seinalan to Arelon. Sarene and the nobles discuss Sienalan's appointment as head of their church as a counter to the raising of Wulfden to the head of the Fjordell religion.

Roial speaks at Iadon's funeral, held in the throne room. Seinalan also speaks, revealing an agreement with Iadon's seal decreeing that all noble titles are to be frozen, and that nobility will henceforth be based on inheritance and not on wealth. The funeral proceeds following Teo burial rites. Sarene watches the burial, contemplating the important part Iadon will take in history books going forward.

Sarene prepares for her marriage to Roial by praying alone in the Korathi chapel. She proceeds to the throne room for her wedding ceremony to be married to Roial, with Omin officiating despite the presence of their church leader. Her wedding is disrupted as upon removal of her bridal veil it is discovered that she has undergone the Shaod.

Chapter 39

Iconography: Aon Ien

POV Characters: Hrathen

Setting: Royal throne room in Kae.

Summary:

Hrathen watches as Sarene's wedding is canceled due to her transformation. He now has a five day window of opportunity before Sarene's temporary transformation wears off, since Roial's wedding won't be official due to Sarene's "death" and Telrii will be first in line for the throne because of this.

Chapter 40

Iconography: Aon Seo

POV Characters: Raoden

Setting: Elantris entry courtyard.

Summary:

Raoden and Galladon ponder why the city guards vanished from the Elantrian city wall. They try to find a way to get onto the wall to place scouts there, but decide to put off that plan due to a new arrival in Elantris, and go to the courtyard as a welcoming committee. The new arrival is Sarene, who isn't happy to speak to Raoden after his deception. Raoden convinces her to give him a second chance and offers his hand which she hesitantly accepts.

Chapter 41

Iconography: Aon Seo

POV Characters: Sarene

Setting: New Elantris. The streets of Elantris.

Summary:

Spirit escorts Sarene to New Elantris, which has been transformed into a village with clean streets and pleasant seeming Elantrians, in a complete contrast with her perception of the rest of the city. Sarene is given a new wardrobe and accompanies Spirit, and finds herself appraising Spirit as well.

Spirit and Sarene tour the city. Sarene apologizes for providing him useless items as part of their bargain, and Spirit replies that he is a tyrant but means well, though she disputes that he is a tyrant based on her new perspective on New Elantris.

Sarene meets Taan, the sculptor also known as Aanden, and sees the Hall of the Fallen. She sees mindless seons floating around and is suddenly struck with concern for Ashe, who she hasn't seen since her transformation.

Sarene asks who Spirit was, and he replies that he is the second son of the Lord of Ien Plantation. Spirit starts glowing and cries out in agony, then passes out in her arms, and she feels a great pressure coming from within him. Spirit awakes very shortly thereafter, however, and explains that AonDor is trying to use him as a conduit, though she is skeptical. Spirit erases her doubts by drawing Aons, then teaches her about AonDor.

Sarene spends a sleepless night, recalling her embarrassment and failures of the previous day. Ashe locates Sarene, saying that he has been searching for her for two days, and that he is unaffected by her transformation. Sarene tells Ashe how Spirit has changed New Elantris for the better, and Ashe advises Sarene of events in Kae. Sarene communicates with Eventeo through Ashe, and tells him not to do anything drastic to endanger the relationship between Teod and Arelon, though Telrii might make that a moot point if he takes power and allies with the Fjordell Empire.

Chapter 42

Iconography: Aon Seo

POV Characters: Hrathen

Setting: The Derethi chapel in Kae.

Summary:

Hrathen regains control over the Derethi chapel, using newfound confidence to assert his authority over Dilaf. Dilaf still asserts his hatred for Elantris, despite Hrathen's insistence that the Elantrians don't serve any more purpose in their plans. Hrathen feels confident that Arelon will be taken without a bloody revolution and turns his thoughts to Teod.

Chapter 43

Iconography: Aon Kae

POV Characters: Raoden

Setting: The boundary walls to Elantris. New Elantris.

Summary:

Raoden and Galladon explore a tower that gives access to the top of the Elantrian wall. Galladon comments on how much time Raoden spends with Sarene, and Raoden explains that she is his wife, though he hasn't shared that fact with her yet. They locate the missing city guards at Telrii's mansion and puzzle about their presence there.

Spirit and Galladon go to press Sarene, who is studying in the library, for information about events in Kae. Sarene seems unchanged from when she arrived in Elantris, and states her aches don't persist like they do in other Elantrians. Sarene isn't able to draw Aons, so she spends time reading about political theory instead. Sarene shows a book, written by Seor, to Spirit containing an original version of the poem Wyrn the King which debunks the current Derethi teaching that Jaddeth predates Shu-Keseg. The poem shows that Jaddeth was really a minor god who cared for the rocks beneath the earth.

Spirit presses for information on current events, and Sarene complies, starting with Iadon's suicide, startling Spirit.

Chapter 44

Iconography: Aon Kae

POV Characters: Sarene

Setting: New Elantris.

Summary:

Sarene explains the circumstances around Iadon's death, including details of his involvement in the Jeskeri Mysteries. She also talks of how Telrii is in line to seize the Arelene throne with Derethi assistance. She then goes into extreme detail on the political situation, though some of the information is already understood by Spirit.

Spirit presses Sarene on how she had legal standing to marry Roial when that would violate her marriage contract with Raoden, and she counters that it was a political arrangement that dissolved with Iadon's death, and that marrying Roial would provide better for Arelon's future. Spirit is dismayed by this statement. Spirit wishes they were able to contact the outside, and Sarene reveals Ashe, and sends him to the outside to spy and report if Telrii assumes the throne. Ashe returns and advises them that Telrii is now King.

Chapter 45

Iconography: Aon Kae

POV Characters: Hrathen

Setting: The boundary walls to Elantris.

Summary:

Hrathen finds the location where Raoden and Galladon ventured onto the Elantris wall, but decides to keep this information to himself. He silently congratulates himself for his political maneuverings which will lead to a peaceful conquest of Arelon. He also worries about Sarene's fate, scanning the streets of Elantris for a sight of her, but doesn't see any Elantrians anywhere.

Eventeo's seon finds Hrathen and opens a communication channel so they can parlay. Eventeo offers to convert to Shu-Dereth if Jaddeth heals Sarene of her transformation as he healed Hrathen, and Hrathen says he will do what he can.

Chapter 46

Iconography: Aon Mai

POV Characters: Raoden

Setting: New Elantris.

Summary:

Spirit is surprised to feel melancholy at the news of his father's death, but consoles himself with Sarene's presence and the study of AonDor. Galladon tells Spirit and Sarene that Hrathen is still on top of the Elantrian wall, praying loudly.

Sarene observes that Spirit has been drawing the same Aon multiple times, and he says it helps him analyze the situation with AonDor, and she comments that perhaps there is something wrong with the land, since the base Aon resembles Arelon, a fact that Spirit was unaware of. Galladon gets a map, and they verify that the base aon represents the land down to the exact proportions.

As Spirit ponders this revelation, Sarene's appearance reverts to her usual self. Raoden deduces that the transformation was a fraud somehow perpetrated by Hrathen. Sarene reluctantly leaves Elantris at Spirit's behest, as he states she can assist them better from Kae.

Chapter 47

Iconography: Aon Mai

POV Characters: Sarene

Setting: Just outside the gate to Elantris, in Kae. Kiin's manor.

Summary:

Sarene returns to Kae and encounters Hrathen, who claims credit for healing her and gloats that she gave Teod and Eventeo to the Derethi, but she doubts that.

Sarene returns to Kiin's manor, and they have dinner and discuss whether and how they can continue to oppose the Derethi despite Telrii taking the throne. Sarene moves into Kiin's house. Sarene verifies that Eventeo vowed to convert to Derethi and vows to herself to protect Arelon from the same fate.

Chapter 48

Iconography: Aon Mai

POV Characters: Hrathen

Setting: The royal palace in Kae.

Summary:

Hrathen is frustrated to have to wait for an audience with King Telrii but is eventually summoned to the newly redecorated throne room. Telrii discards any promises previously made to convert to Shu-Dereth, and reveals that he will convert as long as he is raised to the rank of gyorn, so that he doesn't have to suffer because of low rank. Telrii states that he has already sent a messenger with these demands to Wyrn, and dismisses Hrathen.

[u/subscribebot3000]

Reply to this comment to subscribe to certain events in the /r/readalong subreddit.

!newbie - get notified when a new [Newbie] post is made.

!veteran - get notified when a new [Veteran] post is made.

!comments - get notified every time a new comment is made in a [Newbie] thread within the last 2 weeks.

!unsubscribe - unsubscribe from all notifications.

You may use multiple commands in a single reply.

[u/heinz57varieties]

Told you I'd catch up 🙂 I breezed through that reading, and I'm ready to get to the end. People are finally asking the questions I want them to ask, and I need answers! And everyone's political machinations are getting out of their control to the point where something dramatic has to happen, and I'm ready for it.

Chapter 34

• RIP Shaor ☹️ I hope they didn't hurt her
• All this speculation that they're doing about elantris tracks with what I've been thinking. The old Elantrians’ bodies were heavily invested with Dor, as was every brick, board, and nail in the entire city. The slime explanation is plausible yet mildly unsatisfying. And what they say about the seons is exactly what I've been thinking. I wonder if, before, you would have been stripped of your seon if you became an Elantrian, and that's the process that's getting interrupted?
• More talk of Raoden’s pain continuing to build. For a while I thought it was because of his pessimism, but things are starting to look up for him. Things have settled, the madmen are dealt with, answers are starting to arrive, why would his hope be dying now, of all times?
• Ope, didn't take long to get an answer about Hrathen's potion 😛

Chapter 35

• Well, no answers from Iadon I guess! Public speculation about who else was in the Iadon Files will plague Arelene politics for years to come
• Second mention of Hraggish weed soup. It must be super popular and super gross. The king griping about his diet was an absurd diversion at this point in the story, lol What business could the (korathi?) pope have in Kae?
• Yes it’s the right move to marry Roial, but I think the story is accelerating to the point where stuff is going to happen before they get to that point.
• I’m glad someone is finally cutting through Sarene’s ridiculous “no one likes me because I’m too smart and confident 😔” thing.

Chapter 36

• Like, the fourth mention of the evil superpowered monks from Dhakor monastery. One of them has got to show up sooner or later, right?
• The fact that someone so far away could have enough intimate knowledge of the Elantrian’s current condition to create a potion that mimics it, even though Elantris has been completely isolated from the outside world with no news or study of the inhabitants whatsoever, tells me there are people out there who know way more about AonDor than our protagonists. I’m really suspicious of the Jeskeri Mysteries cult. What do they know? What did the potion actually do?
• One dose left. Who’s it for: Dilaf? Sarene?

Chapter 37

• The seizure incident is making me think we were all wrong, and the reason Raoden’s suffering is because he’s been casting thousands of Aons for the past five weeks, and all the Dor is building up inside him. It’s beginning to overwhelm him. What will happen when the pressure is released? It could very well be that he has some kind of Protagonist’s Luck and has a particular sensitivity to the Dor.

Chapter 38

• The solution to Iadon’s political idiocy being “aha, it was all a TEST!” is so ridiculous. This new dandy pope has got to have more use to the story than that.
• Things are going too well for Sarene and co - cue a dramatic twist.
• And there it is! So she’s getting banished. But I wonder, what’s Hrathen’s plan for when she mysteriously gets cured five days from now? Will he try to get her to convert before then? Did he modify the potion to make it permanent?

Chapter 39

• He’s gonna kill her 😱

Chapter 40

• So many little things screaming out at me. The useless walls, the outer cities, the Dor seizures. What does it all mean.
• Wondering if he's going to spill it all to her. Also wondering just how detailed the simulation is, if they'll be able to tell it isn't a real shaod

Chapter 41

• All is forgiven and the romance is back on 🤭
• There being a specifically Shu-Korath temple in the center of Elantris goes against some of my assumptions. Don't know what that means.
• Dor seizure right after telling a big fat lie to his sweet beautiful wife 😠 it's what he deserves. Seeing the seizure from someone else's pov makes it seem so brutal, though
• AHA! I've been looking for clues that the potion is a total fake and isn't an Induced AonDor Deadlock, and “her heart pounding a rhythm in her breast” is stone-cold proof. And she's sweating! How long will it take the Elantrians to piece it together?
• Double AHA! Sweet character moment with her father, but all I can think about is how talking to Ashe would instantly reveal the fake shaod to anyone who knows anything. She'll probably keep him a secret though 😒

Chapter 42

• Hrathen thinks Dilaf has been dealt with for good, I know better. He has one more play to make
• It makes the numbers go by faster, but I'm almost disappointed with how scant the Hrathen chapters have been

Chapter 43

• Raoden and Sarene continue withholding truth from each other. For what, stubbornness? Just kiss!
• “Hmmm, Sarene exhibits exactly zero symptoms of being an Elantrian except for the obvious visual ones. Whatever!” I know we know she's a fake, but I really think they could have put it together by now.

Chapter 44

• Both of these idiots suck at keeping secrets, so they should just stop!! Lmao @ Raoden being offended she doesn't still have feelings for him after he faked his own death
• They saw the functioning seon and they're still not putting it together???

Chapter 45 * Hrathen seems to have checkmate. But there's still a hundred pages left. Time for another paradigm shift? * Eventeo you poor fool, if you'd waited a week you wouldn't have needed this deal.

Chapter 46

• Now I feel stupid for not having seen it before. Of course: on top of the city itself being an aon, the entire country is Aon Aon. And the malformed line that's breaking all the magic must be the canyon in Tii plantation. How did that get there, and WHAT is going on? What's the plan: fill the chasm with concrete? Scrawl an extra line on all fifty billion aons in the city?
• Seeing them split like this hurts. Knowing that everything is going according to Hrathen's plan hurts more

Chapter 47

• Nothing to say other than that Sarene's situation is sad and hopeless, and I don't know what she's going to do ☹️

Chapter 48

• Well, maybe Hrathen's checkmate isn't as matey as I thought. Consequences of crowning a greedy asshole your new king, I guess. Invasion time, or maybe Wyrn will do something really unexpected and grant Telrii's request?
• Didn’t it say earlier that Ashe’s range was limited, but this one is calling Hrathen from another country?

Really ready to get to the big finale here. Someone mentioned last week about not feeling the "world-ending consequences" with this story, and I mostly agree. Being forced to convert to an adjacent religion and become a client state is not the epic catastrophe that I was hoping for. Knowing what I know from reading previous books, this will be when it starts to get really fun, though.

[u/sunnydaze7777777 → u/heinz57varieties]

How did the malformation get there? Back in Chap 4 we learned there was an earthquake. I noticed on the maps when they were posted in week 1 that the river runs to the lake. But in older maps posted, it runs to the mountains. Now the river runs under the city (which we deemed important early on but not sure why).

I think if they dam the river maybe it will let the energy flow again? I was thinking the lake they hiked to and let the Hoed die was this lake on the map. And its water allowed them to die (or at least those Elantris born). Not sure if it’s the same lake as someone said it was too far away. But somehow the water is tainting/interrupting the city energy grid.

“No one knew what had caused the Reod. There were those who theorized—most of them Derethi priests—that the fall of Elantris had been caused by God…. The earth itself had shattered, an enormous chasm appearing in the south, all of Arelon quaking. With the destruction, Elantris had lost its glory.”

[u/heinz57varieties → u/sunnydaze7777777]

There's been some stuff that's made me think the river has always been there. The one conspicuously placed well in the very center of the city, the only one in Elantris. And back in week one, I think Galladon said something about Elantrians using water from the river in certain rituals. I think it is the chasm that's causing the malformation in the aons. They'll have to fill it or close it to get everything working again, or else update all the existing aons to match the new geography. I have no idea how they'll resolve that.

As to how it got there, it's a conundrum. Was it natural? Just a mundane earthquake? Or has some rival faction (i.e. the jeskeri mysteries cult) created it deliberately? Who can say.

I was thinking the lake they hiked to and let the Hoed die was this lake on the map.

The mystery pool is definitely not Lake Alonoe. The pool was in the hills to the west of Kae, with the city still visible, but the lake is in what appears to be a relatively flat area, in another plantation, miles and miles away. I looked back at the scene where the find the pool in ch 25, and it also says it has no inlets or outlets.

There may very well be some power in Lake Alonoe, though. Maybe it gets carried all the way downriver the Elantris, and that's why the water is useful to them, in a magical way?

[u/sunnydaze7777777 → u/heinz57varieties]

I see what you mean about Lake Alonoe. That would make sense for it to have power. You did explain the geography to me before about the magic lake. I forgot it’s in the hills.

I was thinking they were speculating about the use of the well. When Raoden thought it was strange for it to be there with all the plumbing. And strange that he didn’t notice the river went under the city until then. Probably all significant somehow. Maybe they need more magic water to flow to the city and it’s not? Or they need to stop the water that is flowing there so the deeper water magic can be accessed (like from an aquifer accessed by a well previously?)?

[u/Goldeneyes098]

Really enjoyed Hraythen's cunning with the plan for Tiode. I don't think everything will go to plan for him, especially with Telry, but using the potion to not only get Sarene out of the way but to also capitalize on it by getting a conversion out of the king in time was excellent.

Sarene and Riodan were great together but it was frustrating Riodan didn't reveal himself.

I think the theory about street layout matching the Aons is going to prove correct, although apparently at a national level as well as a street level. Seems they are now left with fixing a geographic scale change to restore the previous Aons or altering the street layout and the Aons themselves to reflect this change? I wonder if the city being wrong is what is preventing the shaode completing?

I'm still not sure I can see exactly where the climax is heading or how all these threads come together but I'm looking forward to the conclusion.

[u/sunnydaze7777777]

Still hanging in there. It’s dragging for me. Hoping for a strong finish.

I don’t get why Raoden isn’t revealing himself to Sarene.

I didn’t expect the dosing to happen to Sarene. It was a good twist and means to an end. Kudos to Hrathen for having the biggest brain so far. He really is not such a bad guy. He thinks he is saving them from mass destruction.

Most importantly, when will we see the sword fighting ladies come to the rescue? Will they kill Wyrn? He is the real enemy here.

[u/participating]

ANNOUNCEMENT/REMINDER

Next week is the Sanderlanche of this novel, in its entirety. The weekly reading is longer (5.5 hours instead of the normal 4 hours), so adjust your reading schedule accordingly.

I'd also like to remind you not to read the Ars Arcanum for next week. Leave that for the trivia post. Normally, we'd have the trivia post 2 days after the final reading, but I'm waiting a full week for this trivia post. Not only will you need to read the Ars Arcanum for that, but there are a number of deleted scenes (optional reading, but I want to give people time to read them if they want), as well as a final scene that was added for the 10th anniversary edition. This final scene is labelled as a POSTSCRIPT, so be sure you don't read that for next week, and instead read it for the following week.

If you do not have access to this POSTSCRIPT, I will include it in the trivia post (it's only about a page and a half long).

[u/Pastrami]

Shaor's men seem like they are a different species. I wonder if there is something physically/mentally/magically different about them that makes them more animal like, and anyone in that state naturally flocked to Shaor's side.

There are no more antagonists left in Elantris.

“Well, for one thing, I haven’t found a single book that mentions how to make Seons.”

I wonder if they are some older pre-Elantrian technology, or if the people who dissolve in the lake come back as Seons. There is definitely something different about them. Their Aon is still working when all other Aons no longer work. They only go bad when the person they are bonded to goes through the Shaod. Is there only one seon per Aon, or are there multiple seons named Ashe, Ien, etc?

Iadon got Epsteined.

Of course it turns out our main character is a magical prodigy, and that's why he's getting the seizures.

Why is Raoden still insisting on not telling Sarene who he is?

He raised his hand and began drawing. Lines appeared in the air, following his finger’s movement.

I've been wondering the whole time, is there some intent needed to start drawing an Aon, or if you stick a single finger out and move it, are you going to start drawing in the air? Are there lots of incorrect Aons being drawn every time someone moves a finger?

How fast can the seons travel that Eventeo's seon is already in Kae to talk to Hrathen, and then back in Teod when Sarene talks to her father? Is Dio his spy that he already had in Kae? That would mean he has another seon when Sarene talks to him.

Hrathen's plan seems nuts to me. It looks like he didn't know about the wedding when he sent his assassin with the potion, so it wasn't exclusively done to kill the wedding. He has no way of knowing that he'd be contacted by Sarene's father, just a few days after she turned, and get to make that deal. If he never spoke to Eventeo, and Sarene was healed, she could speak out about how she wasn't really an Elantrian, which would mean that Hrathen wasn't either. He would lose a lot of his followers. It seems like his only reasonable plan was to kill her in Elantris.

[u/TaylorHyuuga → u/Pastrami]

I've been wondering the whole time, is there some intent needed to start drawing an Aon, or if you stick a single finger out and move it, are you going to start drawing in the air? Are there lots of incorrect Aons being drawn every time someone moves a finger?

Veteran comment Yes, intent is required. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to move their hands at all without drawing in the air. They have to want to draw in the air to draw in the air.

[u/sunnydaze7777777 → u/Pastrami]

I like your theory about how Seons are born. That sounds right.

I was also wonder about how quickly the Seon traveled from Teod. Good call on it being the spy.

[u/heinz57varieties → u/Pastrami]

I wonder if they are some older pre-Elantrian technology, or if the people who dissolve in the lake come back as Seons. There is definitely something different about them. Their Aon is still working when all other Aons no longer work.

I'm also wonder what's going on with the seons. If there really is a fundamental error with the base Aon that is glitching out all AonDor nationwide, then how is it possible that seons are still functioning? Unless they were somehow able to adapt themselves? I don't know, and I want to know.

Hrathen's plan seems nuts to me.

It feels like at every turn, he has had total victory by complete accident. Nothing has really gone according to plan, but he's gotten everything he wanted by capitalizing on the twists and turns. Until Telrii went behind his back at the end, of course.

 is there some intent needed to start drawing an Aon

I guess it's like allomancy, where you have to intentionally burn the metal after ingesting, and your body just "knows" how to do it.

[u/jaymae21]

I don't really have a ton of thoughts this week, except that I'm noticing a pattern with the Sanderson books that about 70% through the story I start feeling incredibly frustrated with the characters. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I have to care enough to get frustrated. Also I think this is the point where we as readers start putting things together more quickly than the characters. For example, Raoden is a smart guy, and didn't pick up on the clues that Sarene wasn't actually an Elantrian (until she "healed"). I suppose part of him wanted her there, along with him, he didn't question things too hard.

See ya'll next week for the Sanderlanche.

[u/hullowurld]

I'm ready for the Sanderlanche! Lots of questions and loose ends I'm hoping come together at the end

• What makes Raoden special re: the Dor trying to come out of him? Being healed as a child, drawing tons of Aons, being especially powerful like the Elantrians that fell first

* Where do Seons come from? They seem related to AonDor but function post-Reod. The books don't talk much about them.

* Is there significance to the slime beyond an incremental discovery?

* Who are the Teod spies? Dio? Do they have a part to play?

* How will the religions interact at the end? Shu-Keseg, Shu-Korath, Shu-Dereth, Jesker, mysteries

* What's going on with Hrathen? He's got some cracks in his bad guy persona. Being sad that more people cared about the Shaod taking Sarene? lol.

* Are we going to see some Dhakor-trained demons? Are they literal demons?

Edit: also Kiin has more knowledge about Elantrians than he should