Concequences of The Lost Metal

[Trusk'our]

What do you guys think that Sazed will do with the Lerasium that will be make as a byproduct of creating Atium for Marsh?

I mean,iIt's just such a powerful substance. It makes Hemalurgy weak by comparison, since there are no drawbacks to using it, there's no limit (theoretically) to how powerful you could get by burning it and adding to your power, and it's permanent. The only downside is that it's really rare, but now there is a known method of creating it from Harmonium. 

It feels like a really imbalanced magic power in the setting.

[Frustration]

Just now, Trusk'our said:

What do you guys think that Sazed will do with the Lerasium that will be make as a byproduct of creating Atium for Marsh?

I mean,iIt's just such a powerful substance. It makes Hemalurgy weak by comparison, since there are no drawbacks to using it, there's no limit (theoretically) to how powerful you could get by burning it and adding to your power, and it's permanent. The only downside is that it's really rare, but now there is a known method of creating it from Harmonium. 

It feels like a really imbalanced magic power in the setting.

I don't believe that there is any lerasium being made, Wax's experiment being different and all.

[alder24]

I believe Sazed didn't lie when he told Kelsier that they didn't get Lerasium from repeating the experiment. Wax did something unique that nobody knows how to replicate.

[Stick The Savant]

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

I believe Sazed didn't lie when he told Kelsier that they didn't get Lerasium from repeating the experiment. Wax did something unique that nobody knows how to replicate.

This would imply that the Malwish weren't using trellium, I would like to see their method. It's also pretty logical that Autonomy's God metal would separate Harmonum into Lerasium and Attium (was Trellium used when the experiment was repeated?)

Edited February 27, 2023 by Stick The Savant

[alder24]

13 minutes ago, Stick The Savant said:

This would imply that the Malwish weren't using trellium, I would like to see their method. It's also pretty logical that Autonomy's God metal would separate Harmonum into Lerasium and Attium (was Trellium used when the experiment was repeated?)

Yes, Malwish weren't using Trellium, because Trellium was only given to the Set. Malwish used Harmonium reaction with water, which is highly explosive combination, similar to cesium. While it's logical for you (and Wax), Harmonium is not an alloy of Atium and Lerasium, it's a whole new metal.

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

He said ettmetal is chemically reactive, not nuclear.

The longer answer makes it sound like Harmonium isn't a Lerasium/Atium alloy, but a whole new metal. He described it as "super-cesium," and that its volatility was based on electrons, not on protons or neutrons.

"It is not unstable, it is reactive. So it's like a "super-cesium". It reacts so violently..."

Footnote: Unspecified question by Pagerunner.
Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing (Dec. 3, 2016)

For sure Trellium had to be used when experiment was repeated, as this is the only way to get Atium, which they got.

[Frustration]

1 minute ago, Stick The Savant said:

This would imply that the Malwish weren't using trellium, I would like to see their method. It's also pretty logical that Autonomy's God metal would separate Harmonum into Lerasium and Attium (was Trellium used when the experiment was repeated?)

I'm assuming you are confusing the Malwish with the Set.

Personally I think that the Trellium Wax used being a Hemalugic spike is what caused it.

[Elder]

24 minutes ago, Frustration said:

I'm assuming you are confusing the Malwish with the Set.

Personally I think that the Trellium Wax used being a Hemalugic spike is what caused it.

Possible. Couple other theories I have:

1.  Harmony’s weakened state, blinded by Autonomy with Discord Looming.  Ven’Dell stated Harmonium couldn’t be split as long as Harmony was Harmony.  Maybe by the time Wax did his experiment, the Set had moved past their Harmonium/Trellium experiments and were focusing on their delivery methods, so they missed the window.

2.  Maybe Wax had a different intent than the Set scientists.  Intent does seem to be key in other applications of investiture.

That said, none of these answers are mutually exclusive.  It could have been any of these, all of these, or none of these.

Along the lines of part 1, I wonder if experiments to split Harmonium might not be unhealthy to Harmony.  Just a thought.

[GeoMantrix]

I posted this elsewhere, but it was intendend for a discussion like this one.

Quote

I have a theory on the creation of atium/lerasium after my 3rd reading of The Lost Metal. 

Sazed states something different happened when Wax tried to split Harmonium.  Rereading the lab scene, it's noted that a secondary explosion could result from a contaminant.  And the wall was plastered with Alek's chocolate biscuits.  On the one hand this seems delightfully corny.  On the other, the Kandra say that if harmonium splits, Harmony ceases to be harmony. 

But I guess as long as we're entertaining corny theories, it could as easily be the intent of thinking Steris in heavy safety garb is cute.  Extending that, it could be if the experiment is performed by someone who is content, as Wax is argued to be.  Though I'm not sure that I buy him being actually content.  

I'm confused at his apparent inadvertent use of Iron and Pewter but not seeing and using the other metals (like say duralumin, or atium) he had access to, or realizing he had burned Lerasium.  I guess I'm watching for uses of other metals as I'm reading.

(P.S. copper, chapter 28, tin chapter 66, and possibly mental speed or gold? Or is he just able to concentrate?  The mental speed would require feruchemical stuff I don't think Lerasium affects.) 

Edited April 28, 2023 by GeoMantrix
Instances of metals