Alloy of Law Chapter 5 (Spoilers)

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

Feruchemists can't draw from other people's metalminds, so when you die, the only person who can use that metalmind dies.

[SAN66]

Feruchemists can't draw from other people's metalminds, so when you die, the only person who can use that metalmind dies.

Ahh forgot about that, well there goes my theory :-P

[Inkthinker]

As for inkthinker, it is my understanding that before we discovered electrolosis aluminum was VERY rare and hard to come by. I seriously doubt such a rare material would be wasted for anything not specifically intended to be immune to allomancy. But as they have electricity someone may have discovered how to get aluminum easily.

You misunderstand... I'm not suggesting it's common to the world of Alloy, I was saying it's fairly common in our modern, real world. And even there, it's rare that the entire weapon would be aluminum alloy... steel is far more efficient, especially for the cylinder, barrel or actual bullets and their casings (all parts which are subjected to a lot of force and heat). Aluminum is very lightweight, but it doesn't put up with a lot of explosive force before it deforms.

A fully aluminium weapon would be pretty impractical, which does indeed suggest that it's a weapon designed specifically to avoid problems with Push/Pull powers.

[Ryan]

Gray is indeed the color you'd expect when mixing a human and a koloss. Ever seen an inverted photo (or, heck, a photo negative) of a person? Their skin is blue. If you add a color to its inverse, the result is white. However, we're not dealing with exact inverses, so it's reasonable to expect a mottled gray to emerge instead. Also, if you add a color to half its inverse, the result is a neutral gray, so maybe he's a quarter koloss.

[Squallor]

Gray is indeed the color you'd expect when mixing a human and a koloss. Ever seen an inverted photo (or, heck, a photo negative) of a person? Their skin is blue. If you add a color to its inverse, the result is white. However, we're not dealing with exact inverses, so it's reasonable to expect a mottled gray to emerge instead. Also, if you add a color to half its inverse, the result is a neutral gray, so maybe he's a quarter koloss.

I would be hesitant to make that statement. Honestly, the color could have logically many things. If you assume Koloss are blue b/c of some weird melanin in their skin, then offspring with a Caucasian could very easily be Red + Blue = Indego/Purple. If Koloss skin has no pigmentation, and each layer is a translucent blue, then combined with the yellow base color of human skin, they would start out as a green. Depending on how much red pigment is in the skin, it would slowly wash out to grey, depending on the levels.

The way I imagine Brandon thought about it is that human blood will just tone down the blue color a lot. When you get very faded blue, it becomes very hard to distinguish it from grey, more so than other colors.

EDIT: Also, in terms of color theory, adding a color to its inverse depends on whether the colors are additive or subtractive. For light sources, a color plus its inverse will result in white. For anything reflecting light (paint, skin, etc) the resulting color will be black. This is just a technicality though

P.S. In case you couldn't tell, I might have a thing for color theory.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Squallor

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

I love color theory, I should take a class for it so I'll know what I'm talking about.

[jacobfake]

The Koloss blood/ aluminum hat theory does fit together nicely. I'm pretty certain Wax was not speaking metaphorically when he said Koloss blood. The guy's probably just like a small mean Hagrid.

-One thing, though, is that anyone with Koloss blood is almost guaranteed to be from the roughs, which brings up the possibility that all of the bandits are from the roughs, meaning the bandit leader might be framing it to his men as a class conflict, roughs vs nobles type of thing; an ideology is usually necessary to raise an army, which someone has argued the stolen food and allomantic metals would suggest, so this could be that ideology, as he definitely spouts some of it off when he's talking to Lord Peterus.

Also, has anybody brought up the possibility that the hostages could be used as ransom/ leverage? If he's gearing up for some sort of large scale conflict, Mr. Vanisher might be trying to get a few noble houses under his thumb, so to speak.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

It's possible, but I doubt it's that simple.

[whynaut]

Also, has anybody brought up the possibility that the hostages could be used as ransom/ leverage? If he's gearing up for some sort of large scale conflict, Mr. Vanisher might be trying to get a few noble houses under his thumb, so to speak.

I am still voting for the hemalurgy angle for the hostages. Getting allomancers from a strong bloodline would make the most potent spikes.

[kateydidnt]

I find the idea that koloss being naturally more susceptible to emotional allomancy interesting. I didn't catch that connection until I read this thread. I remembered the effect of aluminum, but I hadn't thought about the koloss and their particular Flaw. But it has to be said that that koloss-blooded bandit can't be very smart if he is more susceptible to emotional allomancy and decides to discard his protection for a prettier hat.

However, my original thought upon reading about the aluminum in the hat was "tin-foil hat!" Only Brandon could come up with a magic system where an honest-to-god tin foil hat makes perfectly logical sense!

[jacobfake]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the tin-foil hat was underneath the hat he took off, and then he put Wayne's hat back over it. ^

Also in-line with Wax's 'the hostages are secret allomancers' theory, soothers and rioters would be the most likely to keep their powers secret, and are also the ones that the aluminum hats protect from, so if their gathering a bunch of emotional allomancers but haven't killed them (yet), then the aluminum hats would make a lot of sense as without them, a cooperative effort would be sure to turn at least one bandit to the allomancers' side.

On the hemalurgy theory, what exactly is the end game? Just a more powerful army? Also I'm pretty sure the most powerful spikes would actually come from the most powerful allomancers, for example the constable of the 8th guard who volunteered to be a hostage but who they instead shot. Hemalurgy does fit because it would blow everyone's mind in the book while just doing something that's already been established for mistborn readers, but there would definitely be a lot more to their plan.

[kateydidnt]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the tin-foil hat was underneath the hat he took off, and then he put Wayne's hat back over it. ^

Yeah, you're right--the aluminum is a skull cap thing under his hat. I must have read it wrong.

[FellKnight]

I find the idea that koloss being naturally more susceptible to emotional allomancy interesting. I didn't catch that connection until I read this thread. I remembered the effect of aluminum, but I hadn't thought about the koloss and their particular Flaw. But it has to be said that that koloss-blooded bandit can't be very smart if he is more susceptible to emotional allomancy and decides to discard his protection for a prettier hat.

However, my original thought upon reading about the aluminum in the hat was "tin-foil hat!" Only Brandon could come up with a magic system where an honest-to-god tin foil hat makes perfectly logical sense!

I know it's not normally kosher according to the rules of the forum, but that post made me smile so I needed to +1 it

Fell

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the tin-foil hat was underneath the hat he took off, and then he put Wayne's hat back over it. ^

Also in-line with Wax's 'the hostages are secret allomancers' theory, soothers and rioters would be the most likely to keep their powers secret, and are also the ones that the aluminum hats protect from, so if their gathering a bunch of emotional allomancers but haven't killed them (yet), then the aluminum hats would make a lot of sense as without them, a cooperative effort would be sure to turn at least one bandit to the allomancers' side.

On the hemalurgy theory, what exactly is the end game? Just a more powerful army? Also I'm pretty sure the most powerful spikes would actually come from the most powerful allomancers, for example the constable of the 8th guard who volunteered to be a hostage but who they instead shot. Hemalurgy does fit because it would blow everyone's mind in the book while just doing something that's already been established for mistborn readers, but there would definitely be a lot more to their plan.

I'm pretty sure Constable Peterus wasn't an Allomancer.

[Squallor]

Also in-line with Wax's 'the hostages are secret allomancers' theory, soothers and rioters would be the most likely to keep their powers secret, and are also the ones that the aluminum hats protect from, so if their gathering a bunch of emotional allomancers but haven't killed them (yet), then the aluminum hats would make a lot of sense as without them, a cooperative effort would be sure to turn at least one bandit to the allomancers' side.

Wow, gathering a bunch of soothers and rioters if they are making a large army makes a lot sense. Particularly, if they want to make a koloss army, and need people to mind control them. I agree the hemalurgy aspect is kind of lame, as it only makes a few super-human/mistborn, and is most likely a lost art. HOWEVER, if someone found out about koloss control, they might have realized they could use them to create a much more destructive army. You could just hold all emotional mistings at gun point all the time, and make them command the koloss. Risky, but definitely effective.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

But the koloss control only works with a Nicrosil burst, and it's not clear whether Chromium and Nicrosil have been discovered yet.

[Zas678]

Also, may I say:

Constable Peterus, may you Rest in Peace all your days. May you live forever with the Survivor and the Ascendant Warrior and learn the ways of the Lost Metals.

[Squallor]

But the koloss control only works with a Nicrosil burst, and it's not clear whether Chromium and Nicrosil have been discovered yet.

Not true. I was just re-reading HoA, and in one of the first few chapters, Vin mentions that one of the metal plaques they find says that the LR built the kandra and koloss to be taken over by the pushing of several mistborn/mistings without duraluminum. I dont have the book in front of me right now, but i might be able to find the quote later.

On a side note, i tried to find the quote in Amazon's "Look In-side" feature, and low and behold the look in-side feature HAS THE ENTIRE ENDING TO THE BOOK. it skips the first 2 pages of chapter 1 to

spook and breeze walking out of the cavern to the new world with elend and vin lying dead in the grass.

Not sure if that is something Peter and co might want to inquire about, or if it is just the way the system works. Figured i would bring it up...

[mycoltbug]

Amazon's look inside feature is severally broken. I know of several ways to break the look inside that will then allow you to see the majority of the book. Usually at least 80%

[Athe1andonlyA]

I Still Have A Naging Feeling That Marise is Kin To Vin In Some Way.

[Squallor]

I Still Have A Naging Feeling That Marise is Kin To Vin In Some Way.

I am very curious as to why you decided to not capitalize "is" in that sentence...

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

Not true. I was just re-reading HoA, and in one of the first few chapters, Vin mentions that one of the metal plaques they find says that the LR built the kandra and koloss to be taken over by the pushing of several mistborn/mistings without duraluminum. I dont have the book in front of me right now, but i might be able to find the quote later.

On a side note, i tried to find the quote in Amazon's "Look In-side" feature, and low and behold the look in-side feature HAS THE ENTIRE ENDING TO THE BOOK. it skips the first 2 pages of chapter 1 to

spook and breeze walking out of the cavern to the new world with elend and vin lying dead in the grass.

Not sure if that is something Peter and co might want to inquire about, or if it is just the way the system works. Figured i would bring it up...

I just read that too, but hadn't gotten the chance to post about it.

[Inkthinker]

I Still Have A Naging Feeling That Marise is Kin To Vin In Some Way.

I don't see why or how, given that she never had children of her own. Unless her father had more bastards (which is possible, but unlikely), or Reen fathered a child somewhere along the line before being captured. But there's been nothing at all to suggest either possibility.

Also, it'd be a pretty weak move on Brandon's part to pull something like that out of the air. It's not his style.

[Mad_Scientist]

You know, re-reading this chapter, it seems so incredibly obvious that the guy literally does have koloss blood, I'm not sure how the heck I missed it.

Crazy idea: what if the masked bandit is Allomancer Jak?

[Musicspren]

You know, re-reading this chapter, it seems so incredibly obvious that the guy literally does have koloss blood, I'm not sure how the heck I missed it.

Crazy idea: what if the masked bandit is Allomancer Jak?

That is indeed a crazy idea, but I sort of like it.

To follow one crazy idea with another: Could it be "Barl" who Wax mentions in the prologue? He's someone from the Roughs, which the bandit's comment would indicate.