Sand Mastery and Allomancy

[Stormgate]

I currently have a theory—and ever-growing evidence to support it—that the Shards have a very close connection to the Allomantic metals. I currently think that Autonomy corresponds to one of the Enhancement metals, specifically either aluminum or chromium.

I reach this conclusion after learning how Sand Masters fight each other. They touch the ends of their ribbons to their opponent's ribbons, causing them to turn black, their Investiture, such as it was at the time, spent.

This is, in my opinion, almost identical to the effects of chromium or aluminum. Yes, they can do significant damage with these ribbons, but the Allomantic connection, in my observation, tends to be a secondary effect.

I realize that this is possibly a piece of the story that may be cut out or altered. Until this happens, I'm just going to go with it. If you don't want to go with it, that's fine. Just don't post here.

[Pathfinder]

I currently have a theory—and ever-growing evidence to support it—that the Shards have a very close connection to the Allomantic metals. I currently think that Autonomy corresponds to one of the Enhancement metals, specifically either aluminum or chromium.

I reach this conclusion after learning how Sand Masters fight each other. They touch the ends of their ribbons to their opponent's ribbons, causing them to turn black, their Investiture, such as it was at the time, spent.

This is, in my opinion, almost identical to the effects of chromium or aluminum. Yes, they can do significant damage with these ribbons, but the Allomantic connection, in my observation, tends to be a secondary effect.

I realize that this is possibly a piece of the story that may be cut out or altered. Until this happens, I'm just going to go with it. If you don't want to go with it, that's fine. Just don't post here.

Personally I took it as kind of "crossing the streams". That your own investiture was interfering with another's investiture. But that was my own interpretation and it has been awhile since I read it. Since its coming in june, I better brush up lol

[Blightsong]

Personally I took it as kind of "crossing the streams". That your own investiture was interfering with another's investiture. But that was my own interpretation and it has been awhile since I read it. Since its coming in june, I better brush up lol

I like the theory, but this makes more sense. Investiture does disrupt investiture. Maybe they can both be true?

[alphagold3]

I've thought about the shards relating to the 16 main metals on Scadrial as well. I think I remember reading something in one of the books that said that allomancy with it's 16 metals was done that way on purpose. It seems too close to the 16 shards to be coincidence if I'm remembering correctly. They've got pushing and pulling metals and internal and external metals. My incomplete theory was that each shard has a similar kind of relationship with each other shard.

 

I never finished putting together the whole theory but I was thinking that preservation and ruin were both external shards and one pushes and one pulls. I would view Honor as being more of an internal shard because it relates to attitudes and behaviors and in the real world doesn't have a clear physical representation or base. I kinda view Honor as being pulling too but that one is more debatable.

 

Part of the reason I never finished my theory is that we just don't have enough information. If we had the names of all the shards at least, that might give us enough information to start putting the puzzle together but it's hard to put a puzzle together with only half the pieces.

[the.fulgid]

The theory has merit, for sure. There are 16 Allomantic metals, and we learn from Secret History that Leras chose that number intentionally based on the 16 shards. It's possible the effects are related as well. Pushing and Pulling, Internal and External, Physical and Mental, Enhancement and Temporal.

 

The biggest concern I see with this theory is that the referenced ability of canceling someone's sand mastery would relate to Chromium, wiping another's reserves, which is an External Pulling Enhancement. Bavadin, the shard of Taldain, is Autonomy, which is closer to an Internal Pushing Enhancement, i.e. Duralumin. Zinc could also work for Bavadin, which riots emotion.

 

But, because of that, I'd say Pathfinder's statement of "your own investiture interfering with another's investiture" seems the more

plausible cause in this situation. Still, I like the possibilities here.