Experiments with the afterlife

[+Oltux72]

The Scadrians know that you can become a ghost. They have a god's word for it. Kelsier did it. That opens up a question. We have only the foreword, not the whole Historica. How precise has Sazeth been? Is it a matter of public record that Kelsier took a bath in liquid Investure? Kelsier's survival is a central feature of Scadrian culture. People have been thinking about it for centuries.

It would strike me as extremely odd if nobody had ever tried to recreate the feat or communicate with somebody trying to do so or the recently dead. That raises another question. How detailed have Spook's written records been? Has he talked about speaking to Kelsier after spiking himself?
So what could you do to talk to the dead? If Spook's example is known, an obvious option would be to spike yourself multiple times. How many Pathian ear rings can you get into one person? Two dozen?

Secondly if you need Investiture in huge amounts, how could you do that? Imagine a Nicrosil Twinborn. Suppose you are one and feel death approaching. You have prepared. You have spent a few weeks compounding. And now you take all your metalminds and ask your Nicroburst friend to give it to you just as you expire. What will happen?

[Honorless]

Records of Hemalurgy were edited out by Harmony's and as per his wishes, Spook's writings as well.

People understood that Preservation and Ruin were gods/forces of nature but it doesn't seem like they (or possibly just the general populace) completely understand the nature of Shards.

Kelsier's experiences were never written down, what he did was only known when his actions intersected with those who did record their own history. Even then things about him were not written down in full detail by intentional omission as faith in the Survivor was starting to become an organized religion. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by R J

[+Oltux72]

3 minutes ago, R J said:

Records of Hemalurgy were edited out by Harmony's and as per his wishes, Spook's writings as well.

Not fully. Even the foreword to the Historica, which we have, mentions hemalurgy.

3 minutes ago, R J said:

People understood that Preservation and Ruin were gods/forces of nature but it doesn't seem like they (or possibly just the general populace) completely understand the nature of Shards.

Probably not, but they don't really need to. The basic metaphysics don't really require that understanding.

3 minutes ago, R J said:

Kelsier's experiences were never written down, what he did was only known when his actions intersected with those who did record their own history. Even then things about him were not written down in full detail by intentional omission as faith in the Survivor was starting to become an organized religion. 

They do know that he took up the power of Preservation. They also mention when Leras (although not by name) died. It clearly was long after Kelsier's death. The basic fact of Kelsier's "continuation" are clear to educated Scadrians.

[Karger]

No pool of investiture is known for them to try this in.  The well has been destroyed.  Maybe you could try it with Harmony's perpendicularity but IMO you would need to be extremely connected to Harmony for it to work.  Also most scadrians see Kelseir as a divine/semi divine figure.  I don't know of many human cultures that put babies in baskets in the hopes that they become princes or nail criminals to the cross so that they can be blessed.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Karger

[+Oltux72]

13 minutes ago, Karger said:

No pool of investiture is known for them to try this in.  The well has been destroyed.

Hence somebody will try to find an alternate source of Investiture. What are their chances?

13 minutes ago, Karger said:

  Maybe you could try it with Harmony's perpendicularity but IMO you would need to be extremely connected to Harmony for it to work.

Ehm. That Kelsier was especially connected to Preservation is a daring claim, unless you count physical contacts of fist and chin.

[Karger]

Just now, Oltux72 said:

Hence somebody will try to find an alternate source of Investiture. What are their chances?

Harmony has a perpendicularity in the roughs.  He almost certainly has another in the south. 

1 minute ago, Oltux72 said:

Ehm. That Kelsier was especially connected to Preservation is a daring claim, unless you count physical contacts of fist and chin.

Well he is a super powerful Mistborn and he did not get the survivor title for no reason.