TLM Chapter 19 (last pre-released one)

[trytoguess]

40 minutes ago, robardin said:

My guess is, she’s threatened by the ability of the Metallic Arts both to Compound and to be used in technology as they have in the southern continent (you don’t even have to be Metalborn to make use of them!)

And either wanted to control the people of Scadrial, or erase them (no sentient life on the planet = no Metalborn = no threat!)

But Telsin as an Avatar is interesting because she has three hemalurgic spikes in her, unless she’s removed them; if one more spike would allow Harmony to control her, that’d be a pretty silly way to end TLM (“Nooo! I should never have picked a hemalurgist as an Avatar!”), considering that’s how Paalm ended up in SoS, eh?

Spoilers for other cosmere works ahead:

Spoiler

Kind of related to what you wrote, but I think Autonomy doesn't like how future Scadrial will influence the various planets. Basically destroying the Autonomy of the various Cosmere worlds. Considering what the future Scadrians do to places like First of the Sun I can't say she's entirely wrong.

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by trytoguess

[AquaRegia he/him]

2 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

so, harmony decided to tell wax clearly what he needs to know.... but he gives 16 metal vials of extra powers with no explanation for how those works?

i get that the story requires it, but it's a stretch. and it's the epitome of irresponsibility and shooting oneself in the foot.

At first I thought, like many others, "wow - 16 vials, each with a different metal?  Is Wax a Mistborn now???"  But on careful rereading, I think the implication is that 15 of the vials are all the same - steel - but slightly improved somehow.  Perhaps the "perfect" alloy composition of maximum effectiveness, perhaps a level of purity Wax has not yet had easy access to, or perhaps adding something else Wax can now use (thanks to his lax safety practices).  In any case, I'm confident that the first time Wax burns these new metals, he'll figure out exactly how they are different and why.

I agree the last one is likely atium, lerasium, harmonium, or some other god-level upgrade. (CAN'T WAIT)

1 hour ago, StormingTexan said:

Holy Preview Chapter Batman! I was not expecting to find out who Trell was this early. Glad to have confirmation it is who most thought and squish the Odium theory which I always hated. 

My first though on the blue lines was he is now a lurcher as well (or full Mistborn) and he is seeing the blue lines because he is unconsciously burning iron (which trace amounts are pretty prevalent in drinking water) kind of like how Vin was burning pewter before she knew she was a Mistborn. I think it's weird though that he wouldn't know he was burning another metal knowing what it is like to burn a metal unlike Vin. So unlikely. 

The "emergency" vile has to be Atium right? 

Agreed, Trell = Autonomy was always the "obvious" answer, and the Odium connections people tried to make always felt forced.  Happy it wasn't a giant red herring... that would have made me angry.

I agree with others that since Wax has held and used the Bands of Mourning, he would immediately sense the presence of, and know how to make use of, a new reserve of allomantic or feruchemical power.  But hemalurgy?  He's never experienced THAT yet.

The allomantic lines Wax is starting to see remind me of the vision at the end of BoM, when Wax is seeing through Kelsier's spiked "eyes".  Given that he inhaled tiny shavings of highly invested godmetals, I think he may have entered a state of being hemalurgically "minispiked".  Looking forward to seeing how THAT plays out!

1 hour ago, robardin said:

On an unrelated note, I wonder what Ranette's "most deadly design", a large, multi-piece and assembly-required WMA is, that Wax has left behind in a two-foot long gun bag that was "a weapon not for a lawman, but a soldier. Intent on destruction."

Like Chekhov's famous rule says, that gun is gonna get used in this here book.

My guess is that Ranette has produced Scadrial's first assault rifle, and have no doubt we'll see it in action before this novel ends.

Regarding Autonomy's motives, I'll repost the following.  Well over a year ago, I heard a podcast outlining this excellent explanation of how things might be playing out: 

1.  Autonomy is working for maximum freedom in the entire Cosmere, and wants all worlds to meet on roughly equal footing

2.  Technological advancement in ONE place will lead to colonialism, which drastically reduces freedom for those whose planets are under colonial rule

3.  Autonomy has already frozen technical advancement (and outside trade) on Taldain to prevent said interstellar conquest and colonialism

4.  Harmony has created conditions (especially in Southern Scadrial) which favor rapid technological advancement, and is actively encouraging it

5.  Autonomy needs to shut that rust down so that Scadrial doesn't become the center of an interstellar empire, squashing everyone else's freedom

Not my idea, but it makes a lot of sense to me.  If anyone else heard that podcast, please credit the right person.  I see no recent developments which contradict this set of ideas.  Obviously, the decision to "sterilize" Scadrial now would certainly prevent an interstellar Scadrian Empire.  Gaining complete control of the planet would also presumably allow technological advancement to be effectively suspended.  It feels very "Brandon" to me for both parties in the dispute to have excellent reasons for pursuing their goals.  Harmony, for us, has always been the "good guy"... but seen through Autonomy's eyes, he's enabling the development of a Cosmere-wide authoritarian dictatorship which must be opposed in the name of freedom.

Edited November 14, 2022 by AquaRegia
thought of something else

[Frustration]

57 minutes ago, robardin said:

My guess is, she’s threatened by the ability of the Metallic Arts both to Compound and to be used in technology as they have in the southern continent (you don’t even have to be Metalborn to make use of them!)

If she felt threatened it would be from Roshar. It's much more powerful and closer to Taldain.

[Storyspren]

The "visual distortions" and the seeing blue lines are mentioned distinctly, suggesting that Wax can now burn more than one metal. 
 

I expect the visual distortions are either gold/electrum/Atium type effects or bendalloy/the slow bubble metal.

The red vial everyone thinks is Atium visually resembles Trellium too much not to have Trell's metal suspended in it. 
 

At midnight, we shall have our answers and new questions..... I wish I was Marasi right now!

[offer]

10 minutes ago, Storyspren said:

The red vial everyone thinks is Atium visually resembles Trellium too much not to have Trell's metal suspended in it. 

I also thought that it described similar to Trellium but on second read the description is of the cork and not the content of the vial at all.

Quote

 When unwrapped, it revealed a row of sixteen vials with—it appeared—a solution of alcohol and metal flakes inside. The last had a red-painted cork and a note. Use the others instead of your normal vials. Use the last in an emergency only.

 

[Storyspren]

15 minutes ago, offer said:

I also thought that it described similar to Trellium but on second read the description is of the cork and not the content of the vial at all.

 

We shall see!!! Gaaaaaaah!!!! 
I misremembered it as describing both the cork and the flakes inside that particular vial but nope!

[CognitiveShadow he/him]

12 minutes ago, Storyspren said:

We shall see!!! Gaaaaaaah!!!! 
I misremembered it as describing both the cork and the flakes inside that particular vial but nope!

All I gotta say is if I was Wax that red cork and note would make me try it immediately hahah

[teknopathetic he/him]

4 minutes ago, CognitiveShadow said:

All I gotta say is if I was Wax that red cork and note would make me try it immediately hahah

Or plug the earring back in and ask for some clarification. 

[CognitiveShadow he/him]

2 minutes ago, teknopathetic said:

Or plug the earring back in and ask for some clarification. 

yeah seriously though, I don't think I'd be jumping out that window with out at least taking a swig of one of those vials and doing some quick tests

[Storyspren]

6 minutes ago, CognitiveShadow said:

yeah seriously though, I don't think I'd be jumping out that window with out at least taking a swig of one of those vials and doing some quick tests

Seriously the normal vials at least. It is eyebrow raising. You wouldn't want to down the metals in combat without doing a test at least. Although holding the bands ...

[+robardin he/him]

1 hour ago, Storyspren said:

Seriously the normal vials at least. It is eyebrow raising. You wouldn't want to down the metals in combat without doing a test at least. Although holding the bands ...

Well, you mean the “not marked with a big red X and labeled FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY” vials. Still not “normal”, as he was told to use them instead of (or in preference to) his “normal” vials (of steel).

If they contain other metals, he apparently is expected to be able to use them…

…and the first 15 not being labeled separately suggests they’re all the same?

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

11 hours ago, offer said:

(or Lerasium-steel alloy)

possible, but i think if anything it's a lerasium-*iron* alloy, which could be having a similar effect with the blue lines but would give wax access to an additional metal (and compounding, though weight seems like potentially one of the less useful things to compound, but I'm sure you could find a circumstance where it's extremely useful). Here's the relevant passage.

Quote

“Right,” he said, slipping it on, then feeling around the top of the broken steel box. His hand came away dusted with some black shavings—a fine metal powder. VenDell walked up beside them. Marasi was inspecting the safe box’s door, while Allik had fetched a broom from above and was sweeping up the glass.

Steris had already liked him, of course, primarily because of how he treated her sister. But in that moment, her estimation of him went up another notch.

“We need to test these shavings,” Wax said. “But… I don’t think this is either atium or lerasium. It looks like remnants of iron from the equipment.”

 

 

As for what could be in the special vials. If he gained access to other powers somehow through the explosion, could be any number of metals. But even just as a steel misting, he could burn normal steel, unsealed steelminds, and steel-godmetal alloys (atium, trellium, and potentially harmonium being the more useful ones, though we have no idea what any of them may do), as well as being able to burn any pure godmetal.

[Dreamwa1ker she/her]

The blue lines Wax is seeing sound similar to the way Steel Inquisitors see from Marsh PoV so it is making me think the dust has done something hemalurgic to him.

[+Bzhydack he/him]

I had other idea. Maybe Harmonium can be safely ingested not through stomach, but through lungs? It was told that Harmonium reacts with air less violently than with water, and many metals has a little different properties as dust, than normally, thou normally metal dust is more reactive - example magnesium, or aluminium. But this is godmetal we are talking about, so can behave counter-intuitive.

[Honorless he/him]

On 11/14/2022 at 11:55 PM, CognitiveShadow said:

I wondered about this, but I think it is more related to the dust he inhaled after the explosion- I think he is mistborn or something like the others have mentioned on this thread. I get the feeling he has been using steel a lot less recently so it doesn’t make sense as to why he would suddenly start having new savant symptoms. Plus he already has some savant stuff happening with his protective bubble and stuff.

I can't say I expected to read about Wax snorting Godmetal dust today...

[CognitiveShadow he/him]

1 hour ago, Honorless said:

I can't say I expected to read about Wax snorting Godmetal dust today...

You know, that’s the beauty of this forum! Bet you can’t get that image out of your head now lol