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How do Atium and The Mists interact?


Mistchemist16

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In Era 1, the Mists were coded by Preservation to avoid Ruin. Hence, why Hemalurgy repels the Mists and why a certain earring became so useful. But there’s also another way to use Ruin’s power that made me think: Era 1 Atium.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe we’ve ever seen what the Mists actually do when a non spiked Allomancer burns Atium. Maybe there’s a mention in scenes with Kelsier or Shan, but I can’t remember any off the top of my head. That suggests Atium might also repel the Mists. It is powered by Ruin, just as with Hemalurgy

Quote

When people burned atium, then, they were drawing upon the power of Ruin—which is, perhaps, why atium turned people into such efficient killing machines. They didn't use up this power, however, but simply made use of it. Once a nugget of atium was expended, the power would return to the Pits and begin to coalesce again—just as the power at the Well of Ascension would return there again after it had been used.

HoA Chapter 78

But the ramifications that I’m most interested in are what happens if you burn Atium while actively drawing on the Mists. My best example for this thought experiment is Vin at the end of HoA, when she starts drawing in the Mists but before she fully Ascends. What would happen if she tried to burn Atium at this point? I see a few possibilites

1. Burning Atium would act like a spike, immediately dispelling the Mists as a sort of safety measure

2. The Atium is treated like any other metal and simply gives Vin a view of the Spiritual Realm, as if she was doing the Duralumin combo

3. The power of the Mists rejects the Atium and causes feedback, like when Vin tried to use the Well with a spike. It’s unclear exactly how harmful this would be, but probably can’t cause any more injuries than a spike attempt would.
 

4. Similar to option 3, except the Mists override Ruin’s power and perhaps hijacks it, adding it to Preservation

5. The hack provides some sort of gateway for Ruin’s influence, just like spikes do. That would be horrifically bad. However, I don’t think this one is super likely. If Ruin could do that, I imagine he would’ve plotted for Vin to have Atium as she Ascended (unless Atium also blocks the Mists). Plus, Ruin can’t directly interface with Atium. He needs to burn it before it belongs to him again

Quote

Chaos (paraphrased)

What would have happened if Ruin did get the atium? Yeah, the world is destroyed, but how does Ruin "absorb" the atium so he can utilize the power?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

He would metabolize it, just like the normal people have to do. However, if he did get it he would then be able to destroy the world.

Ancient 17S Q&A (May 1, 2010)

Assuming that Vin could ascend with an Atium reserve, it also makes me wonder if she could keep it once she fully Ascended. Even then, it probably doesn’t have enough meaning since it’s so small. But it’d also be really cool if it were possible to somehow hijack Preservation’s Intent by burning Atium. Something like that could even be part of why Preservation blocked spiked people from getting the Mists, though the bigger issue is preventing a pawn of Ruin from acting on his behalf

I don’t know exactly. I just think it’s an interesting possibility since Atium provides more potential to “disrupt” the Mists while they act. Let me know what you guys think.

 

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Interesting theory, I could see any of the options happening other than number 1, Atium is too small to eject all that Preservation Investiture out of a properly Connected Vessel, and number 5, Shards can't control/influence each other that way.  If Vin Ascended with the Atium reserve, I'd imagine Preservation's Investiture would just react with the reserve and they would annihilate each other.

Number 2 seems likely, It may be Ruin's Investiture but you're still using Preservation's Invested Art, so it could still work by making the Investiture supercharged as it goes back to the Pits. Number 4 doesn't seem possible, you can't change a Shard's Investiture into another's that way. I'll lean towards either Super-Duralumin-like Atium flare, or the Atium being unburnable.

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17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe we’ve ever seen what the Mists actually do when a non spiked Allomancer burns Atium. Maybe there’s a mention in scenes with Kelsier or Shan, but I can’t remember any off the top of my head. That suggests Atium might also repel the Mists. It is powered by Ruin, just as with Hemalurgy

That's a good point. I think it's reasonable to assume that Atium is repelling Mists. However I would not say that burning Atium repels Mists as well, because that's a different mechanism - power is released and is going back to SR, it's separated from Mists by a body, while spikes are invested with Ruin and are exposed to Mists.

17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

But the ramifications that I’m most interested in are what happens if you burn Atium while actively drawing on the Mists.

We have very similar thing with Elend at the end of HoA - he was burning Atium and Vin was supplying him directly with power without the need for metals (which is the same as drawing from Mists or burning normal metals). Nothing happened.

17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

1. Burning Atium would act like a spike, immediately dispelling the Mists as a sort of safety measure

2. The Atium is treated like any other metal and simply gives Vin a view of the Spiritual Realm, as if she was doing the Duralumin combo

3. The power of the Mists rejects the Atium and causes feedback, like when Vin tried to use the Well with a spike. It’s unclear exactly how harmful this would be, but probably can’t cause any more injuries than a spike attempt would.
 

4. Similar to option 3, except the Mists override Ruin’s power and perhaps hijacks it, adding it to Preservation

5. The hack provides some sort of gateway for Ruin’s influence, just like spikes do. That would be horrifically bad. However, I don’t think this one is super likely. If Ruin could do that, I imagine he would’ve plotted for Vin to have Atium as she Ascended (unless Atium also blocks the Mists). Plus, Ruin can’t directly interface with Atium. He needs to burn it before it belongs to him again

Because of what happened to Elend, you will just burn Atium normally, separately from Mists. No unintentional duralumin burst of power. They would work in the same way. So nothing bad or weird will happen. Because every time Mistborn is burning Atium he is also burning other metals, which supplies him with Preservation's power - those two powers don't do anything to a person using them, they act as they should act. That's it. The same will happen with Mists and Atium. Atium is being burned separately, and isn't additionally powered by Mists, and Mists would supply all other 14 (Era 1) base metals, without being able to do anything with Atium, unless you use Mists as duralumin, like Elend did when fighting Marsh.

Spoiler

Andrew The Great

Why can Vin fuel Elend's atium-burning, even though Atium is Ruin's Body and Vin is using Preservation? Or did I misread that and he was just burning atium and had run out of everything else?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, as has been pointed out:

A powerful peace swelled in Elend. His Allomancy flared bright, though he knew the metals inside of him should have burned away. Only atium remained, and the strange power did not—could not—give him this metal. But it didn’t matter. For a moment, he was embraced by something greater. He looked up, toward the sun. (From the text.)

As a note here, the powers granted by all of the metals—even the two divine ones—are not themselves of either Shard. They are simply tools. And so, it's possible that one COULD have found a way to reproduce an ability like atium's while using Preservation's power, but it wouldn't be as natural or as easy as using Preservation to fuel Allomancy.

The means of getting powers—Ruin stealing, Preservation gifting—are related to the Shards, but not the powers themselves.

Hero of Ages Q&A - Time Waster's Guide (Oct. 15, 2008)

 

17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

Assuming that Vin could ascend with an Atium reserve, it also makes me wonder if she could keep it once she fully Ascended.

Here is the difference between Atium and a hemalurgic spike - Atium is just a metal in your stomach, while hemalurgic spike is piercing your soul adding Ruin's investiture to it - that's why you can't Ascend while having a spike, and you would be able to do it with Atium in your belly - Atium don't change your spirit, spike do. And while Ascending, Atium is either vaporized with the rest of the body, turned into pure Ruin investiture and returns to SR/pits of Hathsin or just drop down from the air, remaining in PR of Scadrial.

17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

But it’d also be really cool if it were possible to somehow hijack Preservation’s Intent by burning Atium.

You can't, Preservation is too vast for a little Atium to change it.

17 hours ago, Mistchemist16 said:

Something like that could even be part of why Preservation blocked spiked people from getting the Mists, though the bigger issue is preventing a pawn of Ruin from acting on his behalf

Investiture repels investiture, this is one of the most important rules of Cosmere. Different kinds of investiture repels each other. Ruin and Preservation’s investiture repels each other even more because they are perfect opposition to each other. That's the only reason why Mists and Preservation's power acts like that around spikes.

Edit:

13 hours ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

If Vin Ascended with the Atium reserve, I'd imagine Preservation's Investiture would just react with the reserve and they would annihilate each other.

SA spoilers:

Spoiler

Ruin's investiture isn't anti-Preservation, nor Preservation's investiture isn't anti-Ruin. They aren't anti-investiture opposing each other. They won't annihilate like anit-investiture. 

 

Edited by alder24
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2 hours ago, alder24 said:

That's a good point. I think it's reasonable to assume that Atium is repelling Mists. However I would not say that burning Atium repels Mists as well, because that's a different mechanism - power is released and is going back to SR, it's separated from Mists by a body, while spikes are invested with Ruin and are exposed to Mists.

We have very similar thing with Elend at the end of HoA - he was burning Atium and Vin was supplying him directly with power without the need for metals (which is the same as drawing from Mists or burning normal metals). Nothing happened.

Because of what happened to Elend, you will just burn Atium normally, separately from Mists. No unintentional duralumin burst of power. They would work in the same way. So nothing bad or weird will happen. Because every time Mistborn is burning Atium he is also burning other metals, which supplies him with Preservation's power - those two powers don't do anything to a person using them, they act as they should act. That's it. The same will happen with Mists and Atium. Atium is being burned separately, and isn't additionally powered by Mists, and Mists would supply all other 14 (Era 1) base metals, without being able to do anything with Atium, unless you use Mists as duralumin, like Elend did when fighting Marsh.

  Reveal hidden contents

Andrew The Great

Why can Vin fuel Elend's atium-burning, even though Atium is Ruin's Body and Vin is using Preservation? Or did I misread that and he was just burning atium and had run out of everything else?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, as has been pointed out:

A powerful peace swelled in Elend. His Allomancy flared bright, though he knew the metals inside of him should have burned away. Only atium remained, and the strange power did not—could not—give him this metal. But it didn’t matter. For a moment, he was embraced by something greater. He looked up, toward the sun. (From the text.)

As a note here, the powers granted by all of the metals—even the two divine ones—are not themselves of either Shard. They are simply tools. And so, it's possible that one COULD have found a way to reproduce an ability like atium's while using Preservation's power, but it wouldn't be as natural or as easy as using Preservation to fuel Allomancy.

The means of getting powers—Ruin stealing, Preservation gifting—are related to the Shards, but not the powers themselves.

Hero of Ages Q&A - Time Waster's Guide (Oct. 15, 2008)

 

Here is the difference between Atium and a hemalurgic spike - Atium is just a metal in your stomach, while hemalurgic spike is piercing your soul adding Ruin's investiture to it - that's why you can't Ascend while having a spike, and you would be able to do it with Atium in your belly - Atium don't change your spirit, spike do. And while Ascending, Atium is either vaporized with the rest of the body, turned into pure Ruin investiture and returns to SR/pits of Hathsin or just drop down from the air, remaining in PR of Scadrial.

You can't, Preservation is too vast for a little Atium to change it.

Investiture repels investiture, this is one of the most important rules of Cosmere. Different kinds of investiture repels each other. Ruin and Preservation’s investiture repels each other even more because they are perfect opposition to each other. That's the only reason why Mists and Preservation's power acts like that around spikes.

Edit:

SA spoilers:

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Ruin's investiture isn't anti-Preservation, nor Preservation's investiture isn't anti-Ruin. They aren't anti-investiture opposing each other. They won't annihilate like anit-investiture. 

 

Aren't they diametrically opposed enough anyways that there's still some destructive interference? That's what I assumed was happening when Vin and Ruin were feeling pain by touching.

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6 minutes ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

Aren't they diametrically opposed enough anyways that there's still some destructive interference? That's what I assumed was happening when Vin and Ruin were feeling pain by touching.

Not in that regard. Everything that Ruin and Preservation were doing already was focused on resisting each other. They are opposed in the matter of nature - Ruin is all about change and entropy. while Preservation is all about stasis. But they are not destructive opposite, as Ruin's investiture is used to steal Allomantic powers, given by a Preservation's fragment in people's soul, Ruin's investiture can work with Preservation's investiture when Atium is burned with duralumin, and in Feruchemy they both work together as Feruchemy is both from Ruin and Preservation.

While they are the opposite, that's why they repel each other's investiture - because investiture resists investiture. They created Scadrial without destructive interference, Feruchemy is working without this as well, the alloy of Atium and Lerasium can be made without anything like that as well.

With Vin and Ruin they are basically Splintering themself, throwing powers at each other to kill the other Shard, which is something that other Shards can do as well, but without killing themself in the process as they are more experienced than Vin. It might be the case that Ruin and Preservation are so perfectly paired and opposed that it is not possible for them to Splinter each other without killing themself in process in normal circumstances - Ruin was Splintering Preservation when Kelsier Ascended, and that cause Ruin no harm, but that's because Preservation had broken agreement which was made between them, which opened him to Ruin's attack.

SA spoilers

Spoiler

Dominion, Devotion, Ambition and Honor were all Splintered by Odium, which did wounded him as well. However it is unclear if it is possible to Splinter a Shard without killing yourself during that process without using a broken agreement and weakness it creates - Odium was going after Shards that settled together, justifying it as a broken agreement and together with Mercy they Splinter Ambition. However Odium wanted to go after Autonomy next, which suggests he alone can just go and kill a Shard without killing himself.

Spoiler

 

Questioner

It’s really heavily implied in the first Oathbringer letter that the Shards made a pact not to settle near each other. Given that a full half of the Shards ended up doing that, what is the cost for them breaking that oath? You implied earlier that there’s always a cost for Hoid, for taking his protections.

Brandon Sanderson

The wording of those things allows them to agree together, but it also gives them a little bit of power over one another, and you’ve seen the side effects of that on the planets where it’s happened. It has not gone well for any of them, if you kind of run the numbers on that. But the wording of it allows two, later on, to say, "Okay, we both agree." (If one said no and one said yes, then they were in trouble.) This should imply to you that Odium did get permission, as well.

Dragonsteel 2022 (Nov. 14, 2022)

 

 

Spoiler

Paladin Brewer

Out of all the Shards, why does Odium go for Devotion and Dominion?

Brandon Sanderson

He targets people with two kinds of ideas. Number one, he can argue they're breaking the rules they set out. And two, people he thinks are a good match for him, or a challenge, or a danger.

Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017)

 

Spoiler

Khyrindor

Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to--

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage.

Skyward Seattle signing (Nov. 10, 2018)

 

Spoiler

Double

Rayse (Odium) was very methodical with the order in which he went after other Shards. Hypothetically if he'd visited the Rosharan system all those years ago but managed to avoid being trapped and was able to continue his mission right away, which of the known Shards would've been next up on Rayse's hit list?

Brandon Sanderson

He expected Ruin to implode. So he might have gone for Autonomy, double crossing them.

Dragonsteel Mini-Con 2021 (Nov. 22, 2021)

 

Preservation or Ruin isn't made of anti-investiture of one another, as they wouldn't be able to create Scadrial together. They aren't like anti-investiture.

 

Spoiler

kilomtrs

So in the trilogy, we see that when someone has a Hemalurgic spike implanted in them, they can hear Ruin talking to them, both as a vision and in their head. However, we learn in the Hero of Ages that Ruin cannot hear a person's thoughts no matter how much under Ruin's influence they are.

In Alloy of Law, we see that Wax (and other Pathians) uses an earring to "pray" to Harmony, and we see that Harmony can hear his thoughts and respond.

So I guess this leads to three questions: How does Harmony hear the thoughts of Wax, when it's explicitly pointed put that Ruin cannot?

Are the earrings that the Pathians use Hemalurgically charged, as otherwise they would be of no use to Ruin, and therefore Harmony?

Or did Harmony completely change how that aspect of Hemalugy works?

Brandon Sanderson

How this all works dates back to the original design of the magic system.

I wanted Ruin and Preservation to be complementary opposites, like many things in the Mistborn world. Allomancy, for example, has Pushes and Pulls were are less "negate one another" opposites, but instead two sides to the same proverbial coin.

Ruin is invasive. The power is more "Yell" than "Listen." The philosopher would probably have some interesting things to say about the masculine symbolism of Hemalurgy and its spikes.

Ruin can insert thoughts. That power, however, can't HEAR the reactions. It's about invasion.

Preservation, however, is the opposite. Preservation listens, Preservation protects. (Perhaps to a fault--if there were no Ruin, there would be no change to the world, and life could not exist.) Because of this, Preservation can hear what is inside people's minds. It cannot, however, INSERT thoughts. (This is important to the plot of Hero of Ages.)

Harmony is both, the two complementary opposites combined. And so, he inserts thoughts with Ruin and still uses Hemalurgy. He can also listen.

Yes, Wax's earring is Invested. (Or, in other terms, it's a Hemalurgic spike.)

bettse

Doesn't that imply it was shoved through someone's heart at one point (ala Steel Inquisitor creation process)?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, the metal would have to have been part of a spike that at one point was used to kill someone and rip off a piece of their soul.

General Reddit 2012 (July 4, 2012)

 

Spoiler

Chaos (paraphrased)

Are Shards all paired? Does Endowment have a counterpart?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

RAFO. Also, yes and no. Not all Shards have perfect counterparts like Ruin and Preservation.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Why were Ruin and Preservation linked together?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Because they're such perfect opposites. Basically it's just an opposites attract thing.

Ancient 17S Q&A (May 1, 2010)

 

Spoiler

Zas

So what's up with the regeneration issue? With Shards? Because they only have so much power they can access at a certain time, but yet they still have more energy. So how does that work? Is it just they have so much power they can use at any given time?

Brandon Sanderson

What are you talking about? Like which shards?

Zas

Ruin and Preservation. Since we know the most about them.

Brandon Sanderson

Ruin and Preservation were a specific instance, because almost all their energy was thrown into resisting each other. Keep that in mind. Even after Preservation was only a shadow, basically all of it was "Let's keep Ruin from destroying the world." So they were polar opposites. Set in balance. But slightly unbalanced in a couple of ways, that eventually, that slight imbalance... They are a special case, because of that.

Zas

So then why are they hesitant to directly fuel Allomancy?

Brandon Sanderson

Why are they hesitant to? What do you mean by directly fuel Allomancy?

Zas

You mention in the Hero of Ages Q&A that they can directly fuel Allomancy, like Vin does with Elend, but it requires expending their energy in a way they are hesitant to do.

Brandon Sanderson

Because it imbalances them more. Does that make sense? Like, if you are putting your energy here, rather than fighting the other force, you give them an edge somewhere else by trying to gain an edge here. And you have to make sure that's really worth it. Imagine a chess game. Is it worth sacrificing my pawn here to expose myself over here?

Orem signing (Sept. 22, 2012)

 

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1 hour ago, alder24 said:

Not in that regard. Everything that Ruin and Preservation were doing already was focused on resisting each other. They are opposed in the matter of nature - Ruin is all about change and entropy. while Preservation is all about stasis. But they are not destructive opposite, as Ruin's investiture is used to steal Allomantic powers, given by a Preservation's fragment in people's soul, Ruin's investiture can work with Preservation's investiture when Atium is burned with duralumin, and in Feruchemy they both work together as Feruchemy is both from Ruin and Preservation.

While they are the opposite, that's why they repel each other's investiture - because investiture resists investiture. They created Scadrial without destructive interference, Feruchemy is working without this as well, the alloy of Atium and Lerasium can be made without anything like that as well.

With Vin and Ruin they are basically Splintering themself, throwing powers at each other to kill the other Shard, which is something that other Shards can do as well, but without killing themself in the process as they are more experienced than Vin. It might be the case that Ruin and Preservation are so perfectly paired and opposed that it is not possible for them to Splinter each other without killing themself in process in normal circumstances - Ruin was Splintering Preservation when Kelsier Ascended, and that cause Ruin no harm, but that's because Preservation had broken agreement which was made between them, which opened him to Ruin's attack.

SA spoilers

  Hide contents

Dominion, Devotion, Ambition and Honor were all Splintered by Odium, which did wounded him as well. However it is unclear if it is possible to Splinter a Shard without killing yourself during that process without using a broken agreement and weakness it creates - Odium was going after Shards that settled together, justifying it as a broken agreement and together with Mercy they Splinter Ambition. However Odium wanted to go after Autonomy next, which suggests he alone can just go and kill a Shard without killing himself.

  Hide contents

 

Questioner

It’s really heavily implied in the first Oathbringer letter that the Shards made a pact not to settle near each other. Given that a full half of the Shards ended up doing that, what is the cost for them breaking that oath? You implied earlier that there’s always a cost for Hoid, for taking his protections.

Brandon Sanderson

The wording of those things allows them to agree together, but it also gives them a little bit of power over one another, and you’ve seen the side effects of that on the planets where it’s happened. It has not gone well for any of them, if you kind of run the numbers on that. But the wording of it allows two, later on, to say, "Okay, we both agree." (If one said no and one said yes, then they were in trouble.) This should imply to you that Odium did get permission, as well.

Dragonsteel 2022 (Nov. 14, 2022)

 

 

  Hide contents

Paladin Brewer

Out of all the Shards, why does Odium go for Devotion and Dominion?

Brandon Sanderson

He targets people with two kinds of ideas. Number one, he can argue they're breaking the rules they set out. And two, people he thinks are a good match for him, or a challenge, or a danger.

Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017)

 

  Hide contents

Khyrindor

Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to--

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage.

Skyward Seattle signing (Nov. 10, 2018)

 

  Hide contents

Double

Rayse (Odium) was very methodical with the order in which he went after other Shards. Hypothetically if he'd visited the Rosharan system all those years ago but managed to avoid being trapped and was able to continue his mission right away, which of the known Shards would've been next up on Rayse's hit list?

Brandon Sanderson

He expected Ruin to implode. So he might have gone for Autonomy, double crossing them.

Dragonsteel Mini-Con 2021 (Nov. 22, 2021)

 

Preservation or Ruin isn't made of anti-investiture of one another, as they wouldn't be able to create Scadrial together. They aren't like anti-investiture.

 

  Hide contents

kilomtrs

So in the trilogy, we see that when someone has a Hemalurgic spike implanted in them, they can hear Ruin talking to them, both as a vision and in their head. However, we learn in the Hero of Ages that Ruin cannot hear a person's thoughts no matter how much under Ruin's influence they are.

In Alloy of Law, we see that Wax (and other Pathians) uses an earring to "pray" to Harmony, and we see that Harmony can hear his thoughts and respond.

So I guess this leads to three questions: How does Harmony hear the thoughts of Wax, when it's explicitly pointed put that Ruin cannot?

Are the earrings that the Pathians use Hemalurgically charged, as otherwise they would be of no use to Ruin, and therefore Harmony?

Or did Harmony completely change how that aspect of Hemalugy works?

Brandon Sanderson

How this all works dates back to the original design of the magic system.

I wanted Ruin and Preservation to be complementary opposites, like many things in the Mistborn world. Allomancy, for example, has Pushes and Pulls were are less "negate one another" opposites, but instead two sides to the same proverbial coin.

Ruin is invasive. The power is more "Yell" than "Listen." The philosopher would probably have some interesting things to say about the masculine symbolism of Hemalurgy and its spikes.

Ruin can insert thoughts. That power, however, can't HEAR the reactions. It's about invasion.

Preservation, however, is the opposite. Preservation listens, Preservation protects. (Perhaps to a fault--if there were no Ruin, there would be no change to the world, and life could not exist.) Because of this, Preservation can hear what is inside people's minds. It cannot, however, INSERT thoughts. (This is important to the plot of Hero of Ages.)

Harmony is both, the two complementary opposites combined. And so, he inserts thoughts with Ruin and still uses Hemalurgy. He can also listen.

Yes, Wax's earring is Invested. (Or, in other terms, it's a Hemalurgic spike.)

bettse

Doesn't that imply it was shoved through someone's heart at one point (ala Steel Inquisitor creation process)?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, the metal would have to have been part of a spike that at one point was used to kill someone and rip off a piece of their soul.

General Reddit 2012 (July 4, 2012)

 

  Hide contents

Chaos (paraphrased)

Are Shards all paired? Does Endowment have a counterpart?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

RAFO. Also, yes and no. Not all Shards have perfect counterparts like Ruin and Preservation.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Why were Ruin and Preservation linked together?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Because they're such perfect opposites. Basically it's just an opposites attract thing.

Ancient 17S Q&A (May 1, 2010)

 

  Hide contents

Zas

So what's up with the regeneration issue? With Shards? Because they only have so much power they can access at a certain time, but yet they still have more energy. So how does that work? Is it just they have so much power they can use at any given time?

Brandon Sanderson

What are you talking about? Like which shards?

Zas

Ruin and Preservation. Since we know the most about them.

Brandon Sanderson

Ruin and Preservation were a specific instance, because almost all their energy was thrown into resisting each other. Keep that in mind. Even after Preservation was only a shadow, basically all of it was "Let's keep Ruin from destroying the world." So they were polar opposites. Set in balance. But slightly unbalanced in a couple of ways, that eventually, that slight imbalance... They are a special case, because of that.

Zas

So then why are they hesitant to directly fuel Allomancy?

Brandon Sanderson

Why are they hesitant to? What do you mean by directly fuel Allomancy?

Zas

You mention in the Hero of Ages Q&A that they can directly fuel Allomancy, like Vin does with Elend, but it requires expending their energy in a way they are hesitant to do.

Brandon Sanderson

Because it imbalances them more. Does that make sense? Like, if you are putting your energy here, rather than fighting the other force, you give them an edge somewhere else by trying to gain an edge here. And you have to make sure that's really worth it. Imagine a chess game. Is it worth sacrificing my pawn here to expose myself over here?

Orem signing (Sept. 22, 2012)

 

Ahhh, makes sense.

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