Theory: Aluminum changes the Spiritual Aspects of metals

[Elementalist]

Aluminum- and by extension, chromium- are both metals that are very interesting Feruchemically (luck and identity, woot), but rather uninteresting Allomantically. OR SO WE THOUGHT.

This theory operates under two givens:

1. That duralumin (and nicrosil) act by "increasing the filter size" of another metal, allowing more of Preservation's power to flow through into the burner.

2. That the process of burning a metal without enhancement converts the metal to mundane energy (likely heat energy, hense the phrase "burning" a metal).

The thought hit me like a pewter-punch to the face during my Hero of Ages reread earlier today- how exactly do aluminum and chromium erase the other metals? It must remove them from the stomach entirely, or Vin would have gotten sick from metal poisoning the night after burning Aluminum in Mistborn: The Final Empire. However, it doesn't do so like Duralumin does. Aluminum doesn't allow the energy usually gained by burning a metal to enter the burner. Since energy cannot be created or destroyed, this leaves two possiblilities:

1. Aluminum reroutes the energy that would be released back into Preservation (boring, lets move on)

2. Aluminum removes Preservation's investiture before converting the metals to energy

Or, in other words, it manipulates the metal's Spiritual aspect so that it no longer has Preservation in it.

An explaination of my reasoning can be found here:

This quote has some significance here, I think. I agree that if you looked at Scadrian iron- which would be "composed of half Ruin and half Preservation"- under a microscope, it would be identical to iron everywhere else, or in realmatic terms, identical in the Physical Realm. It likely thinks of itself the same as well (though we can't know this for sure), so it would likely be identical in the Cognitive Realm. Thus, when Sazed says it is composed of half Ruin and half Preservation, he must be referring to its Spiritual aspect. Scadrian metal is fundamentally different in the Spiritual Realm. This means that Scadrian metals would work for Hemalurgy on any world, as their Spiritual aspect would still contain Ruin on any world. However, metal anywhere else (not made by Ruin and Preservation) would not have the Spiritual properties required for Hemalurgy.

At least, that's how I understand it. Any thoughts?

Yes, I quoted myself, because myself deserved to be quoted.

If the second possibility is the case, and aluminum/chromium can manipulate the Spiritual Realm and/or Investiture, then all sorts of things become possible. A chromium misting with enough power (hemalurgy or duralumin/nicrosil could help) could mess with other magic systems than Allomancy with more control of the power. They might be able to create color that an Awakener couldn't drain, or partially complete the process of burning aluminum to create "dud metals," which would look like Allomantic metals in the physical realm but would be unburnable. Perhaps they could even change the spiritual aspects of mists or stormlight, turning them into more mundane mists or light. Who knows what might be possible by changing the spiritual aspects of things.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: As of yet, we have no precedent that Chromium can affect things outside of a body. However, it does affect the metals, not the body itself, and it seems arbitrary that only things inside a person's stomach can have their Spiritual aspects manipulated. Therefore, I propose that the body only acts as a "focus", allowing the chromium burner easier access to the metals. If this is the case, it stands to reason that with sufficient power one could bypass the need for a focus and use Chromium on things outside a body as well.

EDIT 2, on the background of this theory:

Originally, this theory's link in my signature was not a link. It was just a silly thing I added for fun, thinking “duralumin and aluminum, ha, how useless." Then I wondered, "well, actually..."

Edited January 11, 2014 by Power

[Oudeis]

Your theories are interesting, and warrant further thought.

[Sevi]

 

 

DOUGLAS

What benefit does an aluminum savant get? Yes, I know this would normally never happen because aluminum burns itself up. Suppose a mad scientist with a willing Mistborn test subject shoved a feeding tube down the Mistborn's throat to pump in a continuous stream of aluminum, replenishing it steadily so there's always a new unburned supply. Add another tube to pump out excess water if necessary. What would he discover? Alternatively, what would Sazed with his Shard-granted knowledge know?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Ha, that IS a little silly of a method. However, on the extreme end of aluminum, I have in the notes the possibility of cleansing the spirit of unwanted effects of other investitures. You'd get really good at this, and maybe even be able to cleanse the body of other impurities.

source: http://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='savantism'

 

 

I think we should take this in consideration here.

[Elementalist]

source: http://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='savantism'

I think we should take this in consideration here.

That's a great quote; I wish I had found it. It establishes a direct connection between Aluminum and Investiture. It doesn't discuss Chromium, so I hold to my belief that with enough power you could affect more than bodies. Chromium savantry likely wouldn't be enough, however. You would probably need an enhancement metal or Hemalurgic enhancement. Edited January 8, 2014 by Power

[Isomere]

I agree with this theory, I think Aluminum changes the Spiritweb of the metals, and converts them all to aluminum. I also suspect with sufficient skill you can use aluminum to transmute any allomantic alloy.

I rant a bit, but suggest something similar here

[Aether]

I agree with this theory, I think Aluminum changes the Spiritweb of the metals, and converts them all to aluminum. I also suspect with sufficient skill you can use aluminum to transmute any allomantic alloy.

I rant a bit, but suggest something similar here

How do you suppose that Aluminum converts other metals to Aluminum? How would that makes sense in the context of burning it? Wouldn't Vin have suffered from metal poisoning if that was the case?

[Elementalist]

I agree with this theory, I think Aluminum changes the Spiritweb of the metals, and converts them all to aluminum. I also suspect with sufficient skill you can use aluminum to transmute any allomantic alloy.

I rant a bit, but suggest something similar here

If we take the hint that the Spiritweb is related to the Spiritual realm, I doubt it could be used for transmuting. The only confirmed instances of transmutation we've seen are Soulcastings, which rely on the Cognative realm. Of course, we don't know enough about the Spiritual realm to truly understand everything it can do, but I believe Mr. Sanderson wouldn't have added the same mechanic to two distinct realms. It seems redundant to me.

Also, do objects have a Spiritweb? I always thought that they only had Spiritual aspects, and the Spiritweb and sDNA are only a part of living things. I realize that this is a matter of semantics- you could say that the Spiritweb is the collection of a living thing's Spiritual aspects- but the word Spiritweb implies bind points, which I doubt objects have.

[Isomere]

If we take the hint that the Spiritweb is related to the Spiritual realm, I doubt it could be used for transmuting. The only confirmed instances of transmutation we've seen are Soulcastings, which rely on the Cognative realm.

I believe Soul-stamps in TES directly alter the Spiritweb and result in transmutation. From what I can gather, Spiritweb just refers to the spiritual connections all things have to various Spiritual Ideals. A carpenter crafts a jewelry box: now it has spiritual links to the ideals of wood, box, jewels, wealth, etc. sum up all those connections and you have a Spiritweb. Sever the tie to wood and create a spiritual link to silver and in twixt you have a silver jewelry box.

Lerasium is able to rewrite sDNA, which I believe alters the spiritweb to create a perfect connection to Preservation. I'm suggesting a similar mechanism for aluminum, but instead of altering a human soul you alter the Spiritweb of the metals. I also think both Lerasium and aluminum have a default pattern for the spiritweb alterations, but if the user is skilled he can chose a different pattern.

Default pattern for Lerasium connects to Preservation and makes allomancers, but could it potentially allow access to other Shardic magic systems? Aluminum makes your reserves disappear, but we are not sure what happens to them. They could be destroyed, but they could also be transmuted. Also, are we sure burning aluminum destroys itself? I seem to remember a hint that you can continue burning duralumin after one reserve has been powerburned, seems possible aluminum can do something similar.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Isomere

[Kurkistan]

Burning aluminum destroys itself, while duralumin only goes poof it is has other metals to interact with.

 

EDIT: Oooh, 666 Rep.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Kurkistan

[Elementalist]

Lerasium is able to rewrite sDNA, which I believe alters the spiritweb. I'm suggesting a similar mechanism for aluminum, but instead of altering a human soul you alter the Spiritweb of the metals. I also think both Lerasium and aluminum have a default pattern, but if the user is skilled he can chose a different pattern.

Default pattern for Lerasium makes allomancers, but could it potentially allow access to other Shardic magic systems? Aluminum makes your reserves disappear, but we are not sure what they turn into. They could be destroyed, but they could also be transmuted. Also, are we sure burning aluminum destroys itself? I seem to remember a hint that you can continue burning duralumin after one reserve has been powerburned, seems possible aluminum can do something similar.

Yes, according to Mistborn: TFE aluminum does destroy itself. It's different from duralumin in this way. Also, I just think we should stick with the established terminology: Spiritweb for creatures and sDNA; Spiritual aspect for objects. Like I said, it's a matter of semantics.

According to US toxicology reports, aluminum is highly harmful. If other metals were transmuted into aluminum, the burner would get sick from metal poisoning, but this is not the case. Therefore, the metals are not being transmuted- or at least, not being transmuted into aluminum, and it doesn't make sense that they would be transmuted into other metals. Plus, see my previous post for information on the Realmatics of transmutations.

EDIT: I really like your theory on Lerasium, but keep in mind that making the burner a Mistborn is only a side affect according to the Coppermind. If a Mistborn were to burn it, it would have an unknown effect that may or may not affect the Spiritweb. It would most likely just give you the same "infinite allomancy" that burning the mists gave Vin, as Lerasium is the condensed form of mists.

EDIT 2: Spelling.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Power

[Isomere]

Dang I need to type faster. My edit above was to avoid double posting. So aluminum is confirmed to destroy itself. Perhaps all the metals are transmuted to something allomantically inert?

[Elementalist]

Dang I need to type faster. My edit above was to avoid double posting. So aluminum is confirmed to destroy itself. Perhaps all the metals are transmuted to something allomantically inert?

Metal poisoning would still be an issue, and there's no evidence to support that they're transmuted at all. I realize there's no evidence that they would be destroyed, either, but let's look at this from Mr. Sanderson's prespective. Random and unnessesary transmutations seem out of place in Mr. Sanderson's well-organized and well-thought out magic systems. It's just too unnessesarily complicated.

On the Soulstamps- I had always thought of soulstamps as making the object think its past was different. As we know from Soulcasting in WoK, an object's Cognative idea of itself directly affects its Physical form. The difference from Soulcasting is that Soulstamps "convince" the object that it is different, wheras Soulcasting uses Stormlight to "bludgen/brainwash/bribe" the object. The result is that Soulstamps have to be more plausable, whereas Soulcasting has a much wider range of transmutations.

Edit: Grammer.

Edit 2: Bad use of idioms.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Power

[SirVarrock]

In regards to aluminum transmuting metals, I was always under the impression that it burned all the metals instantly, but then channeled the investiture into some nether realm.

[Elementalist]

In regards to aluminum transmuting metals, I was always under the impression that it burned all the metals instantly, but then channeled the investiture into some nether realm.

Note that I did list that as a possibility in my first post. I just moved on from it quickely because it was boring. Also, since burning aluminum can cleanse the spirit of other investitures as well, the investiture going who knows where has become a less likely possibility.