Autonomy
also known as Trell, Bavadin
Harmony names the god of Trellism for Wax: Autonomy is a Shard of Adonalsium, sister to the powers Harmony holds, vested in a woman named Bavadin. Her Investiture splinters into avatars — sometimes pieces of her own power given a measure of self-awareness, sometimes chosen mortals invested with a portion of her — that act independently. *Trell*, the male god of ancient Scadrian records, is one such avatar. MB2:TLM:Ch 19
Known facts
- intentHarmony describes Autonomy's Intent as a drive to divide off from the rest, to be her own. She pushes her followers to test themselves, rewards the bold and the survivors against the odds, respects big plans and big accomplishments. He suspects this is why Telsin was able to persuade her not to annihilate the planet outright.MB2:TLM:Ch 19
- mobilising-offworld-armyHarmony reports that Autonomy is mobilising an army from offworld to invade and destroy the planet — a campaign running in parallel with Telsin's in-world bid for the planet. Both plans are catastrophic to its people; both are already in motion. Disrupting Telsin's plan, Harmony believes, is the best chance of making Autonomy abandon her — though the offworld army would still have to be answered.MB2:TLM:Ch 19
- sixteen-shards-and-odiumMoonlight sketches the cosmere for Marasi in art-dealer's terms: there were sixteen extremely rare pieces by one artist — sixteen Shards of Adonalsium. Two of them belong to Harmony, which makes him the most Invested being in the cosmere and the most valuable. One Shard — Odium — chose to raise his stock by trying to destroy the others, and managed it in a few cases. Autonomy's play is different: she crowds the market with versions of herself, edging out the others by filling the cosmere with avatars and pantheons that are all her. Like an invasive plant strangling local varieties.MB2:TLM:Ch 20
- avatars-and-investitureMoonlight explains that Autonomy's Investiture has a life of its own: each version of her becomes its own thing over time. Sometimes a version is only power, not a person; sometimes she elevates a mortal who needs more oversight, granting them a portion of her power and the seat of a god. Whole worlds — including this one — have entire pantheons of distinct personalities and identities that are nevertheless all Autonomy.MB2:TLM:Ch 20
- scadrial-targetMoonlight tells Marasi that this planet is one of Autonomy's primary targets — two Shards in residence, held by one person, frightens her; the locals reached gunpowder weapons and electricity before any other planet in the cosmere aside from her own homeworld; the place is *getting close to real secrets*. To Autonomy that makes it the biggest threat in the cosmere outside herself.MB2:TLM:Ch 20
- may-have-opened-new-perpendicularityMoonlight and TwinSoul tell Marasi that the local perpendicularity is far to the south under careful control, and so could not by itself admit Autonomy's army in numbers. But Autonomy has, on other worlds, opened new perpendicularities *against all understood mechanics* — and they suspect she has done, or is about to do, the same here. Entrone's errand at the Community is, by his own words, to *see to the perpendicularity*.MB2:TLM:Ch 50
- speaks-through-spiked-vesselAutonomy speaks directly to Wax for the first time through a dying Set Hemalurgist in the wrecked truck — *pierced by my metal, soul open to my touch* — calling him *Sword of Harmony* and telling him she will not intervene against him or his efforts. She regards the survival-or-perish pressure he is under as the correct condition for a person, or a people, to *achieve their potential*. Telsin is *not Trell yet*; *Trell* is the name and mythology Autonomy has prepared for her to grow into as she holds the power longer, becomes more her avatar, and (in Autonomy's eyes) earns it.MB2:TLM:Ch 55
- sent-destruction-if-bomb-failsAutonomy warns Wax that the bomb is not the only weapon in flight against the Basin: she has dispatched a destruction as the *consequence* for Telsin's failure — *as final and terrible as death.* By her logic, only the credible threat of annihilation calls the soul to *true exceptionalism*. To call her off entirely, the people of the planet must *prove they deserve it.* Wax cannot tell whether she is bluffing and cannot afford to assume she is.MB2:TLM:Ch 55
- doppelganger-doctrine-on-pageDumad articulates the doctrine on the ballroom floor: when several people fit the same slot in life, only the strongest survive and earn a place in Autonomy's coming pantheon. The doppelgangers were never copying Wax and Wayne; the doppelgangers were the rightful occupants of those slots, and Wax and Wayne were the impostors who had to be removed.MB2:TLM:Ch 65
- withdraws-from-scadrialWith her avatar defeated and Marasi quick to collapse the portal from below, Autonomy pulls her touch off this world. Harmony points Wayne at the red haze swirling away in a funnel out into the distance — an angry, begrudging respect about it. She has overextended trying to bring Harmony down quickly; the Set's failure is, in her ledger, an enormous setback. For now.MB2:TLM:Ch 74
Events
- MB2:TLM:Ch 69 Voice in Telsin's head — tells her she is failing, that her failure begins, that she is not worthy, and begins withdrawing her power.
Backreferences
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 19
- factTelsin Ladrian
- factTrell
- factAutonomy
- factAutonomy
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 20
- factAutonomy
- factAutonomy
- factAutonomy
- factBilming's Brutalist Reconstruction
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 28
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 29
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 34
- factTelsin Ladrian
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 35
- factTelsin Ladrian
- factTelsin Ladrian
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 36
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 39
- factThe Set
- factIndependence Tower
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 40
- factElendel Bomb Frame-Up
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 47
- factGave Entrone
- factAutonomy's Invading Army
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 50
- factAutonomy
- factThe Community
- factPerpendicularity
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 53
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 55
- factAutonomy
- factAutonomy
- factThe Community
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 57
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 59
- factPerpendicularity
- factMarasi
- factAutonomy's Invading Army
- factMarasi
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 65
- factAutonomy
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 66
- factHarmony
- factThe Bomb
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 69
- factTelsin Ladrian
- factThe Bomb
- factBomb Dead-Man's Rig
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 74
- factHarmony
- factAutonomy
- factThe Cosmere
- summaryMB2:TLM:Epilogue
- factMarasi
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 147
- factHoid
- factTaldain