The Cosmere

The Cosmere is the shared fictional universe in which The Stormlight Archive and many of Brandon Sanderson's other novels take place, including the Mistborn series, Elantris, and Warbreaker. Roshar is one of several worlds within the Cosmere, and the events of the Archive are part of a larger cosmic narrative that spans multiple planets and magic systems.

Origin

The Cosmere began with a single, godlike power called Adonalsium. In the distant past, Adonalsium was killed and shattered into sixteen pieces called the Shards, each embodying a particular aspect or intent, such as Honor, Cultivation, Odium, Ruin, Preservation, and others. The Shards were taken up by individuals who became, in effect, gods wielding tremendous power.

Investiture

The power of the Shards is called Investiture, and it underlies every magic system in the Cosmere. On Roshar, Investiture from Honor and Cultivation manifests as Stormlight, Spren, and Surgebinding; on other worlds it takes wholly different forms. Investiture cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form, and it flows between the Physical Realm, the Cognitive Realm (Shadesmar), and the Spiritual Realm.

Roshar's Shards

Three Shards are tied to Roshar: Honor, whose power gives rise to the Knights Radiant and the highstorms; Cultivation, associated with growth and the Old Magic; and Odium, the malevolent Shard imprisoned in the system who drives the Desolations. The interplay of these three powers shapes the conflict of The Stormlight Archive.

Worldhoppers

Certain individuals, known as worldhoppers, travel between the worlds of the Cosmere, often through Shadesmar and the Cognitive Realm. Several such figures appear in the Archive, linking Roshar's story to the broader Cosmere.

Significance

The Cosmere frames The Stormlight Archive as one chapter of a vast, interconnected saga, and many of the deeper mysteries of Roshar can only be fully understood in its context.