Alloy of law question.

[Un-keyedstone]

his is a really minor spoiler, but the answer may not be. Right at the beginning of the first chapter there is a sheet of metal that had a campfire on it. I believe Wax thinks that the person who set it up is lucky they didn't burn the building down. What is the significance? I really can't think of what it might be or remember if I ever knew.

[Frustration]

There isn't any

[Treamayne]

On 12/2/2022 at 3:58 PM, Un-keyedstone said:

his is a really minor spoiler, but the answer may not be. Right at the beginning of the first chapter there is a sheet of metal that had a campfire on it. I believe Wax thinks that the person who set it up is lucky they didn't burn the building down. What is the significance? I really can't think of what it might be or remember if I ever knew.

Brandon has said that Scadrial is the most Earth-like in its technological path, so I always took this as just a background detail to show that Scadrian science has developed faster in cases like metallurgy (a similar 1800s Earth setting wouldn't have flat metal sheets to try indoor firepits - it would all be fieldstone fireplaces), but lags behind in other cases (such as radio and internal combusion engines). 

Spoiler

yafeshan

I am space nerd with a love of fantasy, so; Why is Scadrial prime example planet to invent space travel. Is its allomancy/ferruchemy/hemalurgy combination more suitable for that kind of technology or do they have other incentives to invent space travel other than regular technology development? Is it related to the intervention of unknown metal/shard/beings we saw?

Brandon Sanderson (edited)

There are a bunch of reasons.

Scadrial has an advanced understanding of metallurgy, and for many years was quietly open to visitors from across the cosmere. In the modern era, that has enhanced. It's a much safer place to visit than, say, Sel, Threnody, or First of the Sun.