Aluminum

[TheSurvivorofDeath]

We know aluminum as the Cosmere-wide bane of Investiture. On every world we’ve seen in the Cosmere, or at least the major ones, aluminum is shown as a material that can remove Investiture in some way or another, from stopping and dulling Shardblades on Roshar to wiping and blocking Allomancy on Scadrial. But why is aluminum so universally capable of this feat? It can’t be in alignment to a particular Shard, as it’s found all over the Cosmere. Could it be in relation to a particular aspect of Adonalsium, predating the Shattering? Could it have been utilized in the Shattering itself? What is aluminum, really, and why can it do what it does?

[Adamkarma he/him]

7 minutes ago, TheSurvivorofDeath said:

We know aluminum as the Cosmere-wide bane of Investiture. On every world we’ve seen in the Cosmere, or at least the major ones, aluminum is shown as a material that can remove Investiture in some way or another, from stopping and dulling Shardblades on Roshar to wiping and blocking Allomancy on Scadrial. But why is aluminum so universally capable of this feat? It can’t be in alignment to a particular Shard, as it’s found all over the Cosmere. Could it be in relation to a particular aspect of Adonalsium, predating the Shattering? Could it have been utilized in the Shattering itself? What is aluminum, really, and why can it do what it does?

Normal metals kinda have the same functions on all worlds, let me show you from RoW epigraphs

Quote

Chapter 7:

The two metals of primary significance are zinc and brass, which allow you to control expression strength. Zinc wires touching the gemstone will cause the spren inside to more strongly manifest, while brass will cause the spren to withdraw and its power to dim.

Quote

Chapter 8:

A bronze cage can create a warning fabrial, alerting others to objects or entities nearby

Quote

Chapter 9:

A pewter cage will cause the spren of your fabrial to express its attitude in force, a flamespren, for example, will create heat

And so with 10 and tin,takes pain away, and 11 and iron, pulls smoke,  they believe there is a metal to push things, and alhough they know how to create steel, they still haven't put it in a fabrial, yet.

They're so close to their uses on Scadrial, aren't they?

[TheSurvivorofDeath]

22 minutes ago, Adamkarma said:

Normal metals kinda have the same functions on all worlds, let me show you from RoW epigraphs

Yes I was aware of how these metals behave. The reason for this, I believe, is that the metal is just a filter which Investiture passes through to determine the power it gives. The filter is the same on every world, and the Investiture takes on similar attributes when it passes through them. However, God Metals, the metals directly aligned with Shards, are not filters, but pure Investiture, and I was saying that aluminum couldn’t be aligned with any one Shard, as that would typically mean that only small amounts of it would exist, and only on the invested planet of that Shard, but aluminum is found basically everywhere in some way or another. If the pattern holds true, aluminum is a filter, just one that causes the Investiture not to take on a usable form. And that is simply true in Allomancy or in fabrials, not really explaining the effect it has in blocking Shardblades or Allomancy. So why does aluminum have such unique properties that don’t exactly align with our understanding of the other metals?

[Adamkarma he/him]

@TheSurvivorofDeath

Maybe it's adonalsiumium? Just kidding

Edited December 25, 2022 by Adamkarma

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, Adamkarma said:

@TheSurvivorofDeath

Maybe it's adonalsiumium? Just kidding

It's not.

 

The in universe reason Aluminum behaves this way is unknown, but my theory is that just like how the chemical structure of the allomantic metals is what allows them to draw power from the SR, aluminum's structure acts like a sink, taking the investiture and placing it back in the SR.

[TheSurvivorofDeath]

18 minutes ago, Frustration said:

It's not.

 

The in universe reason Aluminum behaves this way is unknown, but my theory is that just like how the chemical structure of the allomantic metals is what allows them to draw power from the SR, aluminum's structure acts like a sink, taking the investiture and placing it back in the SR.

That’s what I thought as well, and it makes sense as it pertains to Allomancy and even fabrial mechanics. However, does it entirely explain the metal’s immunity to the Invested Arts? Perhaps it would explain how it can be immune to the Surges, but does it explain how the powers of physical Allomancy or of Shardblades cannot impact it? I am unsure.

 

[StanLemon]

1 hour ago, TheSurvivorofDeath said:

That’s what I thought as well, and it makes sense as it pertains to Allomancy and even fabrial mechanics. However, does it entirely explain the metal’s immunity to the Invested Arts? Perhaps it would explain how it can be immune to the Surges, but does it explain how the powers of physical Allomancy or of Shardblades cannot impact it? I am unsure.

 

I think you are looking at it backwards. 

Basically from what we learned from the epigraphs is that all metals seem to have a relationship with Investiture. Aluminum's relationship is that it acts as an Investiture sink. So what makes it odd isn't that it is a metal that has a relationship with Investiture, even if that relationship is blocking Investiture, no the odd thing is that it can be used in Allomancy and Feruchemy.

[TheSurvivorofDeath]

3 minutes ago, StanLemon said:

I think you are looking at it backwards. 

Basically from what we learned from the epigraphs is that all metals seem to have a relationship with Investiture. Aluminum's relationship is that it acts as an Investiture sink. So what makes it odd isn't that it is a metal that has a relationship with Investiture, even if that relationship is blocking Investiture, no the odd thing is that it can be used in Allomancy and Feruchemy.

I suppose you are right. We must ponder how it can be viable in the Metallic Arts, I suppose. Though the things it does within these arts do somewhat align with this understanding. In Allomancy, it removes investiture from the user, cleansing the spirit web of unnatural Investiture. In feruchemy, it stores identity, effectively siphoning off Investiture from the spirit web. In hemalurgy, if I remember correctly, it doesn’t steal powers, but removes them, returning the investiture to the spiritual realm.