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Zinc Compounding (aka Why Wasn't TLR Omniscient?)


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Posted

Cstryon, I love that idea, but I don't know how much that would have helped. Over a thousand years, Ati would have corrupted TLRs concept of self hugely. 

Posted

but to store in  store, you need to have the intent to, and since he didnt know then he coudnt do it. thats hoq we know that he didnt knw bout it, becase he didnt use it.

Posted

but to store in store, you need to have the intent to, and since he didnt know then he coudnt do it. thats hoq we know that he didnt knw bout it, becase he didnt use it.

Which metal/metallic ability relating to feruchemy are you referring to here? I don't have my book with me.

And let's be honest here, we've never seen TLR actually abuse his knowledge to its fullest extent. He lost entirely because he held back.

Posted

i actually meant any of them but specifically zinc. also, he couldn't use chromium for luck because nobody, even him , knew about it (we assume)

Posted

I believe he did know about it (correct me if I am wrong) but could not obtain very much due to chromium being hard to get pre-industrial age.

Posted

Actually, it might be impossible, especially because how he suppressed all technological advancements*.

 

*

Except for canned food.

Posted

I believe he did know about it (correct me if I am wrong) but could not obtain very much due to chromium being hard to get pre-industrial age.

Yeah. Chromium and nicrosil would be hard to make in that era of tech, so never mind using them even testing for them is difficult. They already manufacture aluminum to help keep mistborn under control after capture so him sharing knowledge of its alloy made sense.

Bendalloy and cadmium mistings didn't exist so acknowledging them in his cave plaques is pointless. That's more or less everything other than the 8 "base" metals and the Empire-era temporal and enhancement groups.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

No, I'm implying that he did that once and then maintained it for a thousand years. Doing the same thing over and over doesn't broaden your horizons.

 

Sorry to go back in time a bit, but I just thought I'd point out that the Lord Ruler hasn't been doing the same thing over and over again.  The books Elend is reading in the first Mistborn indicate that the plantation system itself, which is the back bone of the 'modern' Final Empire, was only about 500 - 600 years old.  Not sure if that strengthens or weakens the point, but it does show at least some adaptability on the Lord Ruler's part.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

Stormlight Archive spoilers:

Actually, I think zinc compounding can be exactly what Taravangian experienced, without changing a thing about TLR's inability to predict what the idiot skaa would do.  Taravangian, if you'll recall, was pretty terrible at predicting people's behavior on his days of brilliance, trying to institute such laws as making those of inferior intelligence commit suicide, etc.  Maybe such a boost of intelligence always comes with a lowering of empathy.  That would explain the problem TLR had pretty neatly, yes?  It would also explain why we haven't seen any references to zinc compounders in AoL, if being a zinc compounder always turned you into a sociopath.

Edited by Moogle
Please tag your spoilers.
Posted (edited)

Stormlight Archive spoilers:

Actually, I think zinc compounding can be exactly what Taravangian experienced, without changing a thing about TLR's inability to predict what the idiot skaa would do.  Taravangian, if you'll recall, was pretty terrible at predicting people's behavior on his days of brilliance, trying to institute such laws as making those of inferior intelligence commit suicide, etc.  Maybe such a boost of intelligence always comes with a lowering of empathy.  That would explain the problem TLR had pretty neatly, yes?  It would also explain why we haven't seen any references to zinc compounders in AoL, if being a zinc compounder always turned you into a sociopath.

It's possible but as Taravangian himself points out that's not usually the case with increased intelligence. Now there's also the question of whether or not Zinc actually increases intelligence, which I don't think it does. Being able to think faster doesn't mean you'll think better.

Edited by Moogle
Please tag your spoilers.
Posted

Please tag spoilers for other series when you're not in the Cosmere Theories section. You might also want to remake this thread there, since it's an interesting topic and I could see there being a fair few posts on it.

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