Shadesmar

Shadesmar is the name given on Roshar to the Cognitive Realm, one of the three realms of existence in the Cosmere. It is the realm of thought and the native home of Spren, a strange parallel world that exists alongside the Physical Realm and can, under certain conditions, be entered by Knights Radiant and other travelers.

Description

In Shadesmar, the relationship between the physical and the cognitive is inverted. Where the Physical Realm has land, Shadesmar has seas of tiny glass beads -- each bead the cognitive reflection of a physical object. Where the Physical Realm has oceans and lakes, Shadesmar has solid ground. Tiny pinpricks of light fill the sky, representing the souls or minds of living people in the Physical Realm. The landscape is shaped by human and spren cognition.

Spren and Cities

Shadesmar is the home of the Spren, who appear there in their true forms rather than the simplified shapes they take when they manifest physically. Spren build cities at the points that correspond to centers of human population in the Physical Realm, and they conduct commerce and society of their own. The realm is also home to dangers, including hostile spren and the immense, perilous seas of beads.

Travel and Mechanics

Knights Radiant of certain orders, particularly Elsecallers and Willshapers, can physically transport themselves and others into Shadesmar. Because distances in the Cognitive Realm do not map directly onto physical geography, travel through Shadesmar can serve as a means of crossing great distances. The Cosmere-wide nature of the Cognitive Realm also makes it a route between worlds.

Significance

Shadesmar is essential to understanding Spren, Surgebinding, and the bonds of the Knights Radiant, and it connects Roshar to the wider Cosmere.