The next part of Cosmere Catalog is here. The Cosmere is a vast universe created by Brandon Sanderson, encompassing numerous planetary systems and planets. Some of these planets play a significant role in the intricate storyline Sanderson is weaving. Some have entire books and series dedicated to them, while others are mentioned in passing but hinted to be crucial for upcoming stories.
Each planet is unique in terms of geography, location, and the manifestation of Investiture, resulting in mind-boggling magic systems that are unfathomable.
So I decided to make it concise and create a brief overview of all the planets in Cosmere so far
| Planets | Series & Books |
|---|---|
| Roshar | The Stormlight Archive: The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Edgedancer, Oathbringer, Dawnshard, Rhythm of War |
| Scadrial | The Mistborn Saga: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages, The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning, The Lost Metal, The Eleventh Metal, Secret History, Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania |
| Sel | Elantris, The Hope of Elantris, The Emperor’s Soul |
| Nalthis | Warbreaker |
| Lumar | Tress of The Emerald Sea |
| Komashi | Yumi & The Nightmare Painter |
| Taldain | White Sand Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3 |
| Canticle | The Sunlit Man |
| Ashyn | The Stormlight Archive |
| Yolen | Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, The Sunlit Man |
| Threnody | Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, The Sunlit Man |
| First of The Sun | Sixth of the Dusk |
| UTol | Yumi & The Nightmare Painter |
| Bjendal | Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection |
| Obrodai | Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection |
| Mythos | The Lost Metal |
| Vax | Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection |
| Braize | The Stormlight Archive |
Roshar is a planet in the cosmere and one of 13 planets in the Rosharan system. It is the second planet from the system's sun, orbiting between Ashyn and Braize, and it has 3 moons.
Rosharan ecology is influenced by 4 major factors:
There are 13 races on Roshar. In modern times these have broken up into more than 26 nations or regions
The flora of Roshar has adapted to harsh environmental conditions such as highstorms. Almost every plant has a mechanism by which it protects itself from highstorms.
Roshar revolves around highstorms and its creatures have learned to adapt to its unique environment. such as:
Some key locations where the series takes place are:
Some mind-bending magic systems from this series are:
Scadrial is hanging out in a solar system that doesn’t have a name, orbiting a yellow star that’s pretty much like our Sun.
When the Final Empire started, Rashek used some power at the Well of Ascension to scoot the planet closer to the sun to get rid of the Deepness. This made it necessary to create ashmounts to block out the sun because it was too close.
Then Harmony came along and corrected the orbit to where it is now.
Species living on Scadrial were created by Ruin and Preservation, and they look like Yolish humans.
During the Final Empire, two more species popped up
Scadrial was pretty much like Earth. It had a blue sky, clouds, a yellow sun, flowers, and green plants. But Rashek changed the orbit and made it covered in ash and mist.
Scadrial contains animals very similar to Earth. There aren’t enough details yet.
Some key locations from both eras of Mistborn are:
The Mistborn series has some mind-blowing magic systems based on metals. They are:
Sel, also known as Seol, is the second planet in the Selish system, orbiting a yellow star named Mashe while in turn being orbited by a single blue-white moon named Oem.
The inhabitants of Sel were created by Devotion and Dominion in the image of Yolish humans.
Among these was Shu-Dereth, who dominated the planet
Some key locations where the plot of Elantris takes place
The magic system of Elantris is truly marvelous.
Nalthis is a planet in the Nalthian system of the cosmere, where the Shard Endowment resides. It is inhabited by humans and has several states, including Idris and Hallandren. A person from Nalthis is called a Nalthian. A single moon named Rrendos orbits the planet.
The world of Nalthis, as depicted in Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker, is home to a variety of creatures. Here are some of the known creatures that inhabit Nalthis:
Some key locations in Warbreaker where the bulk of the plot takes place:
Some details about the magic in Warbreaker:
Lumar is a planet in the cosmere with 12 moons, each home to a unique strain of aethers. The moons cast shadows on the planet, cooling the land.
Aether spores rain down from the moons onto Lumar’s surface in falls called lunagrees, covering the planet in oceans of aether spores.
Each sea is pentagonal, of the same size. The surface is effectively a pile of sand.
The seas are named after the color & the spores they associate with
The key locations in "Tress of the Emerald Sea" include:
In “Tress of the Emerald Sea”, the magic is related to the planet's environment. The planet has twelve moons, and each moon has a type of spore that falls onto the planet. These spores fill the seas of Lumar.
The magic involves interacting with these spores in some way. However, when these spores come into contact with water, they can have dangerous effects. This makes traveling by sea quite risky.
Komashi is a planet in a book called “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter”. It’s part of a two-planet system with another planet called UTol.
The land on Komashi is mostly made of brownstone. Before some spirits called hijo came to the planet, Komashi was mostly a wasteland.
These spirits warm up the ground in some places and bring up water from underground through something called steamwells.
People on Komashi live near these steamwells. There are also hot areas between the steamwells where plants can’t survive.
When the father machine was activated on Komashi, it changed the planet’s environment. The spirits’ energy was redirected, which stopped the heat from the ground and affected the water cycle, causing regular rainfall.
The planet was covered by a shroud that blocked all sunlight, but plants adapted to grow near Hion Lines, a source of energy.
these are the types of races & creatures we see in the book:
The plants can float to avoid the hot ground. Many of these plants have big leaves that catch warm air from the ground to help them float higher. Some plants, like the mingo plants, have air pockets that they can use to move around.
These floating plants get their food and water from the air. Sometimes, these plants come closer to the ground, especially in the evenings when it’s cooler.
The key locations in “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter” are:
In “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter”, there are several types of magic:
Taldain is a very special planet in the story “White Sand”. It is tidally locked.
Taldain doesn’t spin like Earth. One side always faces the sun, and the other side is always dark.
Because of this, the planet has two halves. They are known as Dayside and Darkside
The area between Dayside and Darkside is called the Border Ocean. There’s always a big storm in the middle of this ocean.
The sand on Dayside is white because of tiny living things on it. When people use this sand for magic, it glows and turns black.
A wide variety of flora and fauna make their home on Dayside. However, due to the harshness of the sunlight and environment, most of the flora and fauna live beneath the surface of the sand1.
these are the types of races & creatures we see in the book:
Sand Mastery: This magic involves the telekinetic manipulation of white sand. When used in sand mastery, the white sand glows and turns black. This process uses up the user’s water supply in their body
The story is set in a desert world, Taldain, where a young Daysider man named Kenton trains to become a Sand Master, harnessing arcane magic to manipulate the planet’s sand1.
Following a surprise attack where many of his brethren are killed, Kenton must take responsibility to keep the order of Sand Masters alive and discover who betrayed them
Taldain has 5 countries on the dayside of the planet:
Canticle is a fascinating planet characterized by its large and dense iron core. This unique feature contributes to the planet’s distinct geological characteristics. Canticle orbits a system that is surrounded by rings. These rings play a crucial role in the planet’s ecosystem as they reflect sunlight onto the dark side of Canticle. This reflected light supports the growth of plant life on the otherwise dark side, creating a unique and thriving biosphere.
The planet spins in a retrograde direction, which is opposite to the direction of its orbit around the sun. This unusual spin contributes to Canticle’s unique climate and weather patterns.
One of the most striking features of Canticle is its ever-changing geography. The extreme heat on the planet is so intense that it melts stone, constantly reshaping the landscape. This dynamic environment forces the inhabitants to be nomadic, always on the move to escape the relentless sun. The atmosphere on Canticle is thin, which further intensifies the effects of the sun’s heat.
The inhabitants of Canticle have a rich history that traces back to their original home, the planet Threnody. When Threnody was attacked by an unknown evil force, some of its inhabitants managed to escape and found refuge on Canticle. As a result, many aspects of Threnodite culture are still prevalent among the Canticle inhabitants.
Most inhabitants live in small, mobile cities that have the ability to connect and form larger settlements. These cities are designed to be modular and can break apart into smaller units when necessary, providing flexibility and adaptability in response to Canticle’s ever-changing geography. Each group within these mobile cities is led by a ‘Lodestar’, who serves as the chief navigator and leader.
The flora on Canticle has adapted remarkably well to the planet’s intense sunlight and heat. Plants here complete their entire life cycle - from sowing to harvesting - in just a single day. This rapid growth not only ensures their survival in such harsh conditions but also provides a viable food source for the inhabitants.
Some airships are dedicated solely to farming these fast-growing plants, creating a unique blend of technology and nature that epitomizes life on Canticle.
Magic on Canticle manifests itself through a simmering red/orange stone, initially referred to as an ember by Nomad, our main character. These embers serve as more than just an energy source for the planet; they are also central to Canticle’s magic system.
These embers can be implanted into individuals by replacing their hearts, resulting in a dramatic transformation. The process leaves a gaping hole in their chests and causes them to lose control of their minds. Once implanted with an ember, individuals become puppets for the Cinder King, the villain of the story.
The story unfolds in several locations due to the characters’ constant movement. Here are some key places:
Ashyn, the first planet in the Rosharan system, was once like Earth. A disaster made most of it unlivable, but some areas, including floating cities, are still populated. Its magic comes from a link between energy and tiny organisms, so people get sick on purpose to gain powers.
Yolen is Hoid’s homeworld. Yolen is described as one of the most ancient planets in the Cosmere and is thought to be the place where the sixteen Shards shattered Adonalsium. It is mentioned in the context of the upcoming book 'Dragonsteel.' Not much detailed information about its geography or magic system is provided in the text. The three main species mentioned to inhabit the planet are Humans, Dragons, and Sho Del (humanoid but has four arms and reptilian eyes.)
Threnody is a world with two main parts. One part is empty and mysterious, and people who go there often disappear. The other part is like a wild and untamed place where people live in small groups. There are strange things called Shades and shadowy magic on this planet.
First of the Sun is a planet within the Drominad system. It is known for its dominant feature of water and is inhabited by fully developed human societies. The planet contains a perpendicularity, a mysterious magical gate, even though no known Shard is residing within this system. The magic system on this planet is called Aviar, derived from a partnership with birds.
This planet, along with Komashi, is part of a dual-planet system that orbits a large red-orange sun. It’s mostly covered by oceans, with only a few land masses. From Komashi, it can be seen in the sky as a soft-blue star known as ‘Daystar’. Yumi views its appearance as a sign of good luck.
The most intriguing aspect is that the planet is home to the Sho Del, a species also found on the planet Yolen. This confirms the presence of the same species on two different planets. Alternatively, the inhabitants of Komashi may refer to Yolen as UTol, suggesting that they could be the same planet.
This planet is in a system that is considered one of the primary systems is Cosmere. Ghostbloods (a secret society on Roshar) mentions this planet as a very important planet.
Obrodai is a planet in Cosmere where Autonomy has started to manifest itself. In a message to Hoid, Patji, who is a part of Autonomy, told him not to come back to Obrodai. To make sure he stays away, the woman on Obrodai doesn’t like him. This planet could have a Perpendicularity (gateway to hop into realms in Cosmere)
Mythos is a planet mentioned by Kelsier to Harmony as a possible source of allies after Autonomy’s attack on Scadrial.
Vax is mentioned with limited information. The text does not provide a detailed description of this planet.
Braize is located within the Greater Roshar system and is described as cold and inhospitable. It serves as a prison for Odium's immortal minions and the Heralds of Roshar, whose ability to endure torture on this planet holds back devastation from coming upon the humans of Roshar.
These are the planets mentioned in Cosmere and there is more to come.
In it something is. Earlier I thought differently, thanks for an explanation.