It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died.

Hoid answered, 'I learned it many, many years ago from a man who didn't know who he was, Your Majesty. In Warbreaker, Siri asked Hoid where he learned his style of story telling. His particular style of storytelling in which he manipulates sand or smoke to illustrate his stories, as in Warbreaker and The Way of Kings, does not originate from White Sand, but from another unpublished story, The Liar of Partinel. Hoid's motives are unknown, and most of his actions occur behind the scenes. Brandon has confirmed that all of these appearances are the same individual, but that he worldhops between planets. In some, he is named outright and makes references to other events and places in the cosmere, while in others he is seen only deep in disguise, almost unrecognizable. He is very skilled with disguises, and the overtness of his involvement varies from book to book. He was originally human, but has changed enough that when asked, Brandon only says 'It's complicated.' Hoid is not a Shard, nor is he a Herald, but something else entirely. Hoid was involved in the events taking place before any of the cosmere's published books begin, and is the second oldest character seen so far. Among the original Vessels, Hoid is often known as Cephandrius, which is one of his earliest aliases. The dragon Frost once asked him in a letter if he is no longer hiding behind the name of his old master, likely referring to the name Hoid. Hoid is not his original name before telling Kaladin the story of the Wandersail, he claims he stole the name from someone he should have loved. Hoid is a recurring character in the cosmere, originally from Yolen.

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