Theory: Gaining Feruchemy

[Kadrok]

We know that one of the functions of buring Lerasium is to make someone a Mistborn, and everything I've seen assumes Feruchemy can be gained in a similar way (so forgive me if someone else has already thought of this). What if Feruchemy is gained not through burning but through tapping?

 

Perhaps Lerasium*, or an alloy or it, or some other (god) metal carries a Feruchemical charge which can be drawn by anyone on Scadrial, and which when drawn makes you a Feruchemist?

 

Or perhaps, fitting even further with the nature of Feruchemy, just as burning Lerasium fits with the nature of Allomancy, it requires first a Feruchemist to store their Feruchemy in the metal. They are weakened in the short term (or permanently) in order to create a Feruchemist.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

*I realise that Feruchemy is the power of balance between Ruin and Preservation, and Lerasium is only Preservation... the reason I suggest here it might be only Lerasium is because Lerasium has the "rewrite Spiritual-DNA" ability. This is just a possibility, as is the possibility a "Sazedium" is the key... obviously I'm leaving the metal open here, and am more interested in the idea that a Feruchemist-wannabe has to tap something, rather than burn something to ascend.

[kroen]

I've always liked the idea that ingesting sazedium turns you into a Feruchemist, and that it's made from 50% atium 50% lerasium. And also that sazedium can be alloyed with the basic metals to make Ferrings. 

 

Although I must say the idea of storing Feruchemy is pretty original, though in order to make a permanent Feruchemist another would have to give it up permanently.

Edited May 8, 2013 by kroen

[Kadrok]

This is a bit off the wall, but perhaps the key is that when storing Feruchemy you lose it in the storing only temporarily, and likewise the one tapping it has Feruchemy only temporarily... unless instead of tapping it you burn the Lerasium (or whatever)... Feruchemy compounding.  Gah, we're back to burning again...

Edited May 8, 2013 by Kadrok

[king of nowhere]

i think it more likely that to gain feruchemy an alloy of lerasium and atium is involved, since feruchemy is the power of balance between the two.

however, just like you burn lerasium to gain allomancy, it is well opossible that you have instead to tap sazedium to gain feruchemy. it would be a metal that anyone can tap and is already charged. once you took feruchemy from it, it's spent, and can't be used to grant feruchemy anymore. it probably still has an allomantic use

[Phantom Monstrosity]

I've always liked the idea that ingesting sazedium turns you into a Feruchemist, and that it's made from 50% atium 50% lerasium. And also that sazedium can be alloyed with the basic metals to make Ferrings.

 

Atium/Lerasium alloys don't do that.

 

[Voidus]

This is a bit off the wall, but perhaps the key is that when storing Feruchemy you lose it in the storing only temporarily, and likewise the one tapping it has Feruchemy only temporarily... unless instead of tapping it you burn the Lerasium (or whatever)... Feruchemy compounding.  Gah, we're back to burning again...

This is really, quite a good idea. Store your feruchemy in a Lerasiummind, overwriting the allomantic charge, then get someone to burn it and they gain feruchemy permanently. I like it.

[Isomere]

I like the idea of storing feruchemy in a Lerasium-mind. One hitch. For anyone to compound the stored feruchemy, they would need to attune themselves to the guy that stored it. I can think of a couple ways to get around that.

1) steal his identity with Hemalurgy

2) rewrite your identity with Lerasium.

[Kadrok]

If Lerasium is a "metal that anyone can burn", perhaps a Feruchemy charge (EDIT: In a Lerasium/Lerasium alloy -mind) can be drawn by anyone in a similar way?

Edited May 9, 2013 by Kadrok

[kroen]

Atium/Lerasium alloys don't do that.

 

Sorry, but how can you give such a definitive answer? There is nothing definitive in those quotes.

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Sorry, but how can you give such a definitive answer? There is nothing definitive in those quotes.

Because 'gaining feruchemy' is a low hanging fruit as a possibility? If it were in the slightest bit possible, the guys who understand the systems in-universe would consider it. Heck, they apparently have a little more info about how the god metals work than the readers do, given the info that just got dropped in that quote.

Also, Word of Brandon is that alloying lerasium can create all the varieties of mistings

If that metal Elend ate were fused into specific alloys with certain metals, it could have instead created Mistings of each of the different Allomantic powers.

So really how else could you make an atium misting with lerasium, except by alloying them together?

[Yados]

Wouldn't Lerasium + Atium just make someone an Atium misting?

 

If it did something else, then there would be no way to make an atium misting.

 

On a tangent:

 

Did we ever get a confirmation that Atium Mistings are real? Wouldn't it kind of make sense for Atium, like Lerasium, to be burnable by everyone? 

 

I mean, I guess if that were the case, it would take some oomph out of the last 1/4th of HoA, but we already know that Preservation was fudging some of the rules for symbolism's sake. 

 

If anyone could burn Atium, then keeping it so scarce that no one could experiment very far with it or waste it on someone who wasn't mistborn would keep that in the dark...

 

If Lerasium can be burned by anyone, can anyone also use it as a metalmind? 

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Did we ever get a confirmation that Atium Mistings are real? Wouldn't it kind of make sense for Atium, like Lerasium, to be burnable by everyone?

The Inquisitors spike drinks with atium to detect mistborn.

That wouldn't work if anyone could burn it.

[kroen]

About atium Mistings: There's no contradiction, it's a matter of percentage. We don't know how much % of lerasium you would need to make Mistings. For the sake of the argument, let's say it's 10% lerasium+90% of another metal. Now things get real simple:

 

10% lerasium+90% atium or any other basic metal=Misting

50% lerasium+50% atium=Full Feruchemist

5% lerasium+5% atium+90% metal=Ferring

 

I highly doubt you would need 50% lerasium to make Mistings, otherwise it's just not worth it.

Edited May 9, 2013 by kroen

[Voidus]

I'd say more likely 6.25% Lerasium, 93.75% other metal, if you wanted to just be Lerasium strength in one metal. (6.25=100/16)

[kroen]

I'd say more likely 6.25% Lerasium, 93.75% other metal, if you wanted to just be Lerasium strength in one metal. (6.25=100/16)

It makes sense, although we don't know how big the bead has to be. Will a small bead make a normal Misting or maybe not work at all? will a big bead be overkill?

[Kadrok]

I'd say more likely 6.25% Lerasium, 93.75% other metal, if you wanted to just be Lerasium strength in one metal. (6.25=100/16)

 

Clever. Is it 16 and not 18 (Malatium and Atium) because of the whole "Atium mistings are unnatural" business? One thing possibly worth considering: the MAG (as usual, grain of salt) suggests that the metal strength for a person becoming a misting off Lerasium is stronger than that of one becoming a mistborn off Lerasium... the manual indicates it generates "supreme misting ability". Numerically you're a power rating higher and also intuitively know more tricks with your power. To me this suggests that you don't just need 1 16th of the Lerasium because you're getting more than just 1 16th the power... however I must admit that dividing a Lerasium bead by 16 for "Misting Pills" is a very attractive idea... appropriately neat. Perhaps it is just more efficient having one power, and so despite the 16th of Lerasium you get more bang for it in a single power.

[Isomere]

Just realized that the WoA refills after 4 equal epochs of 16² years. So many little easter eggs with the number 16. 

[Voidus]

1024=16^2*16^-2 
Yeah I like all of those too. 

[happyman]

Just realized that the WoA refills after 4 equal epochs of 16² years. So many little easter eggs with the number 16.

My question is, how does the well know how long a year is? And did it change when Rasheck started playing solar-system pool with it?

For the numerology, 16=2^(2^2). However, 1024=2^10=4*16^2. So is it the ten or the four or the sixteen that is important?

Edit: Also, Voidus, that shouldn't be 16^(-2). 16^(-2) is 1/256. You meant 16^(1/2), or the square root of 16.

Edited May 10, 2013 by happyman

[Kadrok]

My question is, how does the well know how long a year is? And did it change when Rasheck started playing solar-system pool with it?

Genius. Have an upvote for voicing something I hadn't considered. As you say, if Rashek changed the length of years through orbit shifting, does the well filling follow the original years, or the new years? And if so, why? Is it about a fixed timeframe or something else like planet turns or sunlight? If it is something else, would it have been possible to stop the well filling altogether?

[Windrunner]

Agreed. That is a marvelous question.

[Kadrok]

Perhaps, if it is a fixed year, it is the year for where ever Ruin and Preservation came from... (Where ever the humans embodying the shards or the place the shattering occurred... or both if they're the same place). I can see Preservation and Ruin choosing a planet with the same orbit/year length or shifting the planet to that orbit as part of setting up on that planet.

[Voidus]

It'd probably be tied up with a cognitive structure of what a year is, either the view of people, or even the planet itself.

[Windrunner]

I'm definitely leaning towards the planet being responsible. The Well is attached to Scadrial's magnetic pole, they were tied to one another, so it wouldn't surprise me if the Well simply adjested to refilling in 1024 of the shorter years.

[Kadrok]

I'm definitely leaning towards the planet being responsible. The Well is attached to Scadrial's magnetic pole, they were tied to one another, so it wouldn't surprise me if the Well simply adjested to refilling in 1024 of the shorter years.

Very good point. I wonder if it would have had the effect of reducing the power available at each filling?