Spiritweb Lock and Key Theory

[Keeper]

So I just thought this up a little while ago while trying to understand why there can't be allomancers with 2 powers, and while I don't have any interview or textual evidence, it seems to make sense to me. If anyone finds any evidence to support or refute this theory, I'd love to see it. I call my theory the sDNA lock and key theory. 

 

Spiritweb lock and key theory: in any given spirit web, there is a lock that governs each possible magic ability from every system. Most lie latent at the beginning(except for breath/awakening and feruchemy). To make them active, the correct key must be inserted into the correct lock, and turned to open the lock. While every person has at least one key that matches one of their locks, there are multiple prerequisites for the lock and key to open the channel for investiture to flow through, and some keys are simply null.

 

Prerequisites for the key to open a given lock: 

 

Must be attuned to the focus of the magic's (bestowed by opening the lock) shard world (IE scadrial needs a scadrial native, etc). I'm not totally sure on this point.

 

There are different keys and what turns them in lock for different magic systems:

 

Scadrial: 

Allomantic lock: Keys for each metal, as well as a master key and a key that bestows no power.

Snapping turns key

 

Feruchemical lock: Key for each metal, as well as a master key and one that bestows no power.

Unknown what turns key, possibly simply turns at birth

 

Hemalurgy is a kind of universal lock pick

 

 

Roshar: 

Radiant lock: key for each order of radiant (from spren)

Bonding with spren turns key.

note: soul casters with trapped spren function as a sort of lock pick.

 

 

Sel: 

Elantrian lock: being devoted is the key

shaod turns key

Dakhor lock: something to do with dominion is key,

rituals turn key

Soulstamp lock: Unsure

act of stamping turns key

 

Nalthis: 

Returned lock: circumstances of death is key

dying turns key

Breath lock: begins unlocked at birth

 

When the key fits the lock and activates the ability, it's like a gate opening, and the previously unavailable investiture can come through the channel created by the opening gate.

This is a very rough draft of the theory which I'll continue to refine as ideas come up, and hopefully come to a final theory that can explain the realmatic science of why some people can use magic, and some can't.

[Bean]

Interesting. The only thing I have against this is (if I'm reading it correctly) you are theorizing that the power to use any given ability is already in everyone, it just needs to be unlocked. We know some changes to your spiritweb are necessary to use some powers. Lerasium changes your spiritweb. Hemalurgy nails part of someone else's spiritweb to yours.

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are saying though.

[Keeper]

Yeah, you do have a point. The way I think both lerasium and hemalurgy can work in this theory is that they both function as sorts of lockpicks. Because Lerasium unlocks all powers at their fullest potential, its like a skeleton key that can open any lock. Pure, it opens the mistborn lock, but if alloyed with other metals it unlocks the lock that lets an allomancer use the metal alloyed with the Lerasium. 

 

For Hemalurgy, I see it as basically taking a key from one person, tearing it out, then inserting the key into the person who is being spiked, but since the key is from a different person, it's more like a lockpick than an actual key that fits cleanly (therefore the trauma)

 

 

To clarify, in this theory there is only 1 key for each power in any given person, so you wouldn't have the potential to be mistborn or a soother or a thug, but only one of those. On the other hand, you would have the potential to be a feruchemist and mistborn because those are two different locks.

[Swimmingly]

I thought the Allomancy sDNA interfered with the feruchemy sDNA such that you can't be a full feruchemist and an allomancer?

[Keeper]

Wasn't the Lord Ruler both a full feruchemist and Mistborn? He could be a special case because of the lerasium though. Not exactly sure what Allomantic and feruchemical sDNA interfering with one another means for my theory though...

[Swimmingly]

Wasn't the Lord Ruler both a full feruchemist and Mistborn? He could be a special case because of the lerasium though. Not exactly sure what Allomantic and feruchemical sDNA interfering with one another means for my theory though...

He was a full feruchemist first. The mistborn came later, and he used Hemalurgy as well for his mooks and creations.

[18th Shard]

The Lord Ruler actually modified himself to be a Mistborn, not using lerasium.

[DocHoliday]

The Lord Ruler actually modified himself to be a Mistborn, not using lerasium.

Huh? Source? Atium Compounding. So many roadblocks..

 

Edit: thank you Moogle! Hadn't realized he'd z answered so many of our theories so recently.

 

So to clarify, TLR used Preservation to rewrite his SWeb into a Lerasium Mistborn+1 ?

Edited February 26, 2014 by DocHoliday

[Moogle]

Huh? Source? Atium Compounding. So many roadblocks..

 

Q. This is the last one here we have from Mistborn: Did the Lord Ruler use lerasium to gain his super allomantic abilities or did he grant that to himself with the Well’s power?  If he used the bead, does he count as one of the nine original allomancers that Sazed mentions?

 

A: Excellent question.  He did not use the bead… In all of this he granted himself basically, he rebuilt himself to be extremely powerful and he did not use one of the beads.

(source)

Edited February 25, 2014 by Moogle