Killing Spore Eaters

[Trusk'our]

A few thoughts I had on Spore Eaters and such:

I was re-reading ToES last night when I realized something; Spore Eaters are protected by their Aether. Aethers can be cut/killed/destroyed with silver. A silver bullet or silver lined weapon (such as the axes the crew had) could have killed Crow, as her Aether wouldn't have been able to repel those attacks.

If the crew had known about this, it would have made her defeat a lot more manageable- I guess knowledge really is power.

As a side note, I bet that Aether would be an effective way to protect from aluminum bullets (when things like F-gold, A-pewter, and Surgebinding can't) since we've seen that Aethers can handle touching aluminum just fine.

So, a Gold Compounder Spore Eater would be very tough to kill- their Aether protects them from aluminum bullets that would normally bypass their healing factor and their F-gold heals the damage cause by silver bullets (I suppose a bullet made of silver and aluminum could be used though ).

[alder24]

54 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

I was re-reading ToES last night when I realized something; Spore Eaters are protected by their Aether. Aethers can be cut/killed/destroyed with silver. A silver bullet or silver lined weapon (such as the axes the crew had) could have killed Crow, as her Aether wouldn't have been able to repel those attacks.

You're saying that they should hire a werewolf hunter? Noted  

Silver is being used up with every contact with spores, you would need a big bullet or thick dagger, but it will work. Or likely pure aluminum dagger.

Or just bind them and don't give them any water.

59 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

As a side note, I bet that Aether would be an effective way to protect from aluminum bullets (when things like F-gold, A-pewter, and Surgebinding can't) since we've seen that Aethers can handle touching aluminum just fine.

They can touch it but can they see it?

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, Trusk'our said:

As a side note, I bet that Aether would be an effective way to protect from aluminum bullets (when things like F-gold, A-pewter, and Surgebinding can't) since we've seen that Aethers can handle touching aluminum just fine.

The aether still needs to be able to see the aluminum, which they probably can't do, as steelsight, atium and other investiture detection stuff can't.

[Argenti]

19 hours ago, Frustration said:

The aether still needs to be able to see the aluminum, which they probably can't do, as steelsight, atium and other investiture detection stuff can't.

Why would Aethers not see aluminum, but spren can? While they might not like it very much, spren are aware when aluminum is around.

[Frustration]

2 hours ago, Argenti said:

Why would Aethers not see aluminum, but spren can? While they might not like it very much, spren are aware when aluminum is around.

Can they?

When was that confirmed?

[HSuperLee]

21 hours ago, Frustration said:

The aether still needs to be able to see the aluminum, which they probably can't do, as steelsight, atium and other investiture detection stuff can't.

There is a difference between being invisible and being opaque. Steelsight might not treat aluminum as a movable metal, but its not exactly "blind" to it either. An aluminum sheet would be as visible to an Inquisitor as shadows are to us. Sure, there might not be any light coming off of it for us to see, but we can see it all the same due to the contrast with the lit areas around it. I suspect for other kinds of investiture based perception, a similar effect would apply, where aluminum is obvious due to its opaqueness.

That aside (not talking specifically to you anymore, Frus), do we know that the aether in a spore-eater can't use the human senses of their host? Yeah, human senses don't help you intercept a bullet, but they can intercept a blade. And depending on the aether, you might not actually need to see the bullet coming to stop it. I imagine a rosite spore-eater's parasite might see a gun through human senses and just decide to create armor around them until the gun isn't present anymore, regardless of what ammunition is being fired. Though that does make me wonder, do we have any idea how intelligent the aether-parasite is?

[Frustration]

1 minute ago, HSuperLee said:

There is a difference between being invisible and being opaque. Steelsight might not treat aluminum as a movable metal, but its not exactly "blind" to it either. An aluminum sheet would be as visible to an Inquisitor as shadows are to us. Sure, there might not be any light coming off of it for us to see, but we can see it all the same due to the contrast with the lit areas around it. I suspect for other kinds of investiture based perception, a similar effect would apply, where aluminum is obvious due to its opaqueness.

It would take a lot of reasoning out to tell it apart from air, or paper, or glass, and so on, you would have to move and watch as it covers lines behind it, which requires a level of inteligence that the Lumarian Aethers just don't have.

[Argenti]

53 minutes ago, Frustration said:

When was that confirmed?

Well, no, it wasn't, but they do react to it. (From the Coppermind)

Quote

 Huio theorizes that the spren react to aluminum "almost like prey react to a predator" and that it interferes with the spren's ability to sense thoughts.

If they can't tell it apart from other stuff, why would they react to it? I feel a being of investiture could sense when it is being disrupted. 

[Frustration]

Just now, Argenti said:

Well, no, it wasn't, but they do react to it. (From the Coppermind)

If they can't tell it apart from other stuff, why would they react to it? I feel a being of investiture could sense when it is being disrupted. 

Spren in conjoined fabrials react to it, because they can no longer sense their other half, so they move away from the aluminum in order to maintain that Connection.

They don't sense the aluminum, they sense their Connection being interupted.

[Argenti]

2 minutes ago, Frustration said:

They don't sense the aluminum, they sense their Connection being interupted.

Then they can sense it as a shadow, because air and glass don't disrupt connection.

[Frustration]

Just now, Argenti said:

Then they can sense it as a shadow, because air and glass don't disrupt connection.

And interpreting that requires inteligence, which Lumarian aethers do not have.

[Argenti]

Just now, Frustration said:

And interpreting that requires inteligence, which Lumarian aethers do not have.

it could just be instinct, when I get home ill look through tress again for all the spore eater scenes and see how they act. 

[Frustration]

Just now, Argenti said:

it could just be instinct, when I get home ill look through tress again for all the spore eater scenes and see how they act. 

They preserve their host from harm, but they won't be able to interpret aluminum, because it would simply appear as an absense to them, a hole in reality, but they aren't smart enough to interpret that as a threat.

[alder24]

56 minutes ago, Frustration said:

It would take a lot of reasoning out to tell it apart from air, or paper, or glass, and so on, you would have to move and watch as it covers lines behind it, which requires a level of inteligence that the Lumarian Aethers just don't have.

Where does it say that Lumaran Aethers lack intelligence? What are you talking about?

[Argenti]

4 minutes ago, Frustration said:

They preserve their host from harm, but they won't be able to interpret aluminum, because it would simply appear as an absense to them, a hole in reality, but they aren't smart enough to interpret that as a threat.

Then it probably could work, but I still think that as a parasite, it might be able to sense the host's adrenaline/fear or see through their eyes. Honestly, it could go either way. Questions for Dragonsteel I guess

 

1 minute ago, alder24 said:

Where does it say that Lumaran Aethers lack intelligence? What are you talking about?

I presume it's Ullam saying

Quote

Your moons are home to a group of voracious entities known as aethers. Though the true aethers on other worlds have a symbiosis with people, the ones on your moons have become insatiable, aggressive, and fecund.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Argenti

[Frustration]

2 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Where does it say that Lumaran Aethers lack intelligence? What are you talking about?

It talks about it several times throughout the book, how the Lumarian aethers are less inteligent, than the other strains are.

[alder24]

1 minute ago, Argenti said:

I presume it's Ullam saying

Which says nothing about their intelligence.

Edit:

Just now, Frustration said:

It talks about it several times throughout the book, how the Lumarian aethers are less inteligent, than the other strains are.

Quote please. It is said however how Lumaran Aethers are a parasitic strain of Aethers, focusing on spreading out and collecting water. I don't recall them ever mentioning their intelligence.

Edited May 12, 2023 by alder24

[Argenti]

3 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Which says nothing about their intelligence.

Indeed, but they are very singleminded/irrational, which might be what Frustration is talking about. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Argenti

[Frustration]

3 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Quote please. It is said however how Lumaran Aethers are a parasitic strain of Aethers, focusing on spreading out and collecting water. I don't recall them ever mentioning their intelligence.

I look into it, but it will be tomorrow before I'm able to get you updates.

[Frustration]

@alder24 here's a quote

Quote

"The Aether protects itself by protecting her, but it is rabid. Insatiable. Incapable of rational thought, it is sucking her dry.

Tress of the Emerald Sea chapter 28

[HSuperLee]

Well, that quote definitely cinches things. Thanks, @Frustration. The aluminum bullet trick would almost certainly work then, assuming the spore-parasite doesn't have some special way of perceiving such a thing that we just don't know about yet. Additionally, any kind of indirect harm should do the trick, as the spore-parasite shouldn't be able to recognize it.

[Weaver of Lights]

How would an Aether react to fire? As an aside, I suspect a shardblade would do the trick. Or the obvious nightblood.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Lightweaver2
Misspelling

[alder24]

11 hours ago, Lightweaver2 said:

How would an Aether react to fire? As an aside, I suspect a shardblade would do the trick. Or the obvious nightblood.

Which Aether? There is an Aether producing a flashy and hot explosion (Sunspores) - it won't react that much to a fire. Crystals won't react that much, their crystals, rocks.  Vines would burn like plants. Zephyr is air, air isn't flammable, but together they would be able to create a fiery tornado - a very bad combination - for your enemies. Midnight Essence who knows. But spores alone should be burnable.

Nightblood will do the trick. But a Shardblade is tricky - it depends if the Aether is invested. If it is, it can resist a Shardblade to some extent. But a Shardblade would be able to cut off Midnight Essence Luhel Bond, which is a nice advantage.

[Weaver of Lights]

I think that a spore eater would be invested but not heavily enough to stop a shardblade, that’s just me guessing.

[Frustration]

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

Midnight Essence who knows. But spores alone should be burnable.

If it follows the same rules as the Rosharan version it should be immune