Her other stamps allow her to remember her true history, but if she ever used this one, it would completely erase her old memories. Shai's final Essence Mark is a variant of this.Shai speculates that over enough time, repeatedly stamping Ashravan each day may eventually cause the artificial personality to become 'imprinted' onto him, making the change permanent.Assassination Attempt: The plot concerns an emperor made comatose by a partially-successful assassination.Arbitrary Skepticism: The official religion of the Rose Empire states that the sun that rises each day is one of 80 distinct yet identical suns (all equally worthy of worship), and yet they find the concept of the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual Realms to be 'superstitions'.And the Adventure Continues: Shai ends the novella leaving the royal city to find Hoid, the Imperial Fool, and get payback for his betrayal.

If you wish to get the book in physical form, it is part of a bundle with another Sanderson novel, Legion, and also included in the short story collection Arcanum Unbounded. Is it possible to create a forgery of a soul so convincing that it is better than the soul itself?įor other works in The 'Verse, see The Cosmere. The fate of the empire lies in one impossible task. Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins.ĭelving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan's truest nature-and the opportunity to exploit it. Though condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor's scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. The fate of an Empire, rests in the hands of a thief.Ī novella by Brandon Sanderson set on Sel, the same planet as his first novel, Elantris.

Emporers soul destiny