Stormlight

Stormlight is a form of investiture, the magical energy that powers much of the magic in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. In the world of Roshar, Stormlight manifests as bright, radiant energy and serves as a fundamental power source for abilities, devices, and weapons. It is replenished primarily by the frequent highstorms that sweep the continent, though it can also be stored and released from gemstones or drawn directly from the atmosphere during a storm.

Stormlight can be captured and stored in gemstones, which act as reservoirs of power. It can be charged into a person’s body or drawn from the environment and then released as needed. Radiants, a order of magical fighters known as Knights Radiant, use Stormlight to power Surgebinding, a system tied to bonded spren. Surgebinders can access one of ten Surges to perform feats such as enhanced strength, altered gravity, or the manipulation of various forces.

In addition to Surgebinding, Stormlight powers Shardblades and Shardplates, which Radiants wield in battle. It also fuels fabrials, magical devices created by artificers, and enables Soulcasting, the process of transforming materials by investiture. Stormlight is described as capable of accelerating healing and aiding restoration under certain conditions.

Because Stormlight is consumed with use, practitioners must continually replenish their reserves, typically by drawing from gemstones or by absorbing storms. The resource is central to Rosharan culture, economy, and conflict, influencing daily life and major plotlines throughout the series.