Soulcaster

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Soulcaster is a colloquial name for both persons who possess Soulcasting ability and a type of fabrial that allows anyone to Soulcast. Each has the ability of changing one substance into another.

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Nine out of ten Soulcasters were capable of a few limited transformations: creating water or grain from stone, forming bland, single-roomed rock buildings out of air or cloth. A greater one ... could effectuate any transformation. Literally turn any substance into any other one.

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Soulcasters are indeed limited in what they can do, which is why the barracks in the Alethi warcamps are essentially identical.

Characteristics

Typically, Soulcasters are ardents. They don't normally come out during the day, though Adolin observes - in an irregular visitation - that they chant in unison, wear bloodred robes, and display sparkling fabrials across the backs of their palms.

Adolin sees that the gaze of one Soulcaster ardent isn't completely human. Prolonged use of a Soulcaster fabrial transformed her eyes so that they sparkle like gemstones. Further, the woman's skin has hardened to something like stone, smooth, with fine cracks. To him, it's as if she was a living statue.

The magic of Soulcasters changes each their souls over time.

Known Soulcasters

• Jasnah can Soulcast without the aid of a fabrial, an ability known as Surgebinding in the ancient world. She keeps this a secret by pretending to use a fake fabrial for Soulcasting.* This fake fabrial is what Shallan initially steals in The Way of Kings. When Shallan later needs to be healed by Jasnah, Shallan returns the stolen Soulcaster to her, along with the garnet she'd been given by Kabsal. But Jasnah admits that she isn't good with Soulcasting "organics"; that it's not where her talent lies. However, she saves Shallan by Soulcasting her blood. Blood is one of the ten essences.
• Shallan, though she is inexperienced in the art.
• Various members of the ardentia.
• Kaza, a Liaforan, succumbs to becoming smoke itself rather than dying by poison.

Fabrials

Individually, Soulcasting fabrials can be attuned to a particular essence, but they can theoretically work with all of the essences.

Notes

* The gemstones in Jasnah's fake Soulcaster were enormous, some of the largest that Shallan had ever seen, worth many spheres each. One was smokestone, a pure glassy black gemstone. The second was a diamond. The third was a ruby. All three were cut - a cut stone could hold more Stormlight - into glistening, many-faceted oval shapes.

Q&A with Brandon

Q. Do all Soulcasters risk turning into the element or is it only those using the device?

A. All Soulcasters have an affinity but the ones using the device are locked down much more than the Soulcasters who are Knights Radiant.

Q. So they are protected from being turned into ...

A. Oh, no they - I wouldn't say protected ... Protected is the wrong term but that event, the savanthood and how it affects them and things like that is much less pronounced if you are a Knight.