Nalthis

Nalthis is a fictional planet in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe and serves as the setting for the standalone novel Warbreaker. It is distinguished by its focus on Breath, a life force that can be shared between people and used to awaken objects. Each person is born with one Breath, and additional breaths can be acquired through exchange or gift. Breaths can be stored and accumulated, enhancing a person’s magical capabilities, most notably the power of Awakening, which endows objects with temporary life and the ability to perform tasks under the wearer’s command.

The political and cultural center of Nalthis is the Hallandren region, with its capital city Hallandren. Hallandren’s social life blends artistry, ceremony, and politics, and the realm features a religious component surrounding the Returned, individuals who have died and returned to life bearing their Breaths. Returned characters play prominent roles in Hallandren’s court and storytelling, contributing to the unique cultural landscape of the world.

Awakening on Nalthis relies on a combination of Breath and symbolic, color-linked imagery, with the awakened object’s behavior shaped by the number of Breaths invested and the clarity of the command given. The system emphasizes personal agency and moral consequences, as breath possession can influence power dynamics within society and individuals’ sense of identity.

In the broader Cosmere, Nalthis is one of several inhabited worlds connected by Sanderson’s overarching cosmology of investiture and Shardic influence. Nalthis’s magic system—centered on Breath and Awakening—offers a self-contained framework while also contributing to crossworld lore and intertextual references that fan communities explore across Sanderson’s works.