Eri she/her Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 The scene where Marsh kills the courier and reads Spook's letter to Vin alout for Ruin, because it's written in metal. It's written in metal. And Inquisitors see via Steel Allomancy. So they would see a metal plate with engravings as one shining blue thing. Which makes this scene problematic. OK, maybe his high skill with steel allows him to see the differences in metal plate's thickness... but the letter was written quite fast, so I think the engraving wasn't too deep. Or maybe he reads it with his fingers, sensing the engravings, but I think it should be mentioned. It could make an interesting descriprion. And reading tat way is slow, Ruin would be quite frustrated during it. It could be even more interesting if he had to find someone and order them to read it.
Satsuoni he/him Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 It is mentioned that his skill is sufficient to almost distinguish colors by metal content of a material.: Marsh raised an eyebrow, scanning the room with his spiked eyes. The way his sight worked, it was hard for him to distinguish colors, but he was familiar enough with his powers now that he could pick them out if he wanted. The Allomantic lines from the metals inside of most things were really quite expressive. So I don't think thickness was much of a problem. Although why does his sight separate lines belonging to the same sheet of metal, instead of giving a single thick line.. Must be acuity level, same that allows him to see metals inside bodies.
Aradel he/him Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 I always wondered that. (The courier's name was Goradel btw) 1
Musicspren he/him Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 I suspect that the "seeing blue lines" idea is a bit of a simplification, the sort of thing you teach a new Lurcher or Coinshot. On the Allomancy Table, for instance, the description of bronze says that "Burning bronze allows an Allomancer to "hear" pulses given off by other Allomancers who are burning metals. Different metals produce different pulses." A good basic description, but it neglects that you can also determine the direction the pulses come from, and, according to Marsh (FE p. 335 paperback): You can identify precisely which parts of a person's emotions a Soother or Rioter intends to influence. You'll also be able to tell when someone is flaring their metal. If you grow very skilled, you might even be able to telll when they're running low on metals. The blue lines might have visible points where they touch the metal, or show variances based on the type of metal (with savant-level abilities, perhaps; this could help explain the ability to determine colors). Also remember that the blue lines point to the center of gravity, not the eyes themselves. It's probably a bit easier to look at that way. It could even be that, with savant-level abilities, the ends of the blue lines become almost tactile, allowing Marsh to "feel" the surface of the metal through the lines, much as a Seeker can "hear" pulses. (These are speculative, except for the center of gravity, but I think they are reasonable as details that characters never talked about.)
fyodor Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 Interestingly during this scene it says that Marsh flares his tin to read it better-this I would say is an author error. 1
Aethling he/him Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 Remember, lots of the abilities that Vin and the crew knew came from rumors and legends that the LR has allowed to propagate. In the same book as this instance, Vin herself states that she has to stop relying on rumor or what they have been told about powers and just go by what she has seen. I do not think it is out of the realm of an inquisitors abilities to be able to read something on the sheet. Ruin has to get Marsh to read it aloud. Marsh can see people just from the residual metals in their blood. The Conventical had lines carved into stone and metal. The Inquisitors guarded Kwaans writings in their retreat. Scratching the note into the metal effectively changed the thickness. Someone that can make out people by their blood, or buildings by the metal in the rocks shouldn't have trouble seeing that.
Windrunner he/him Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 Is it possible that flaring tin allows him to see where the blue lines end better, making it easier to tell the depth of various parts of the metal so he can read it easier? I'm gonna agree with everyone here and write it off as savant level abilities. If you can see color, you can judge thickness.
fyodor Posted January 16, 2012 Posted January 16, 2012 Is it possible that flaring tin allows him to see where the blue lines end better, making it easier to tell the depth of various parts of the metal so he can read it easier? I'm gonna agree with everyone here and write it off as savant level abilities. If you can see color, you can judge thickness. We've never seen any other references to Tin affecting your ability to see metal. It doesn't come from your eyes, which is why inquisitors can use their metal-view to see things. I'm willing to buy that inquisitors can see well enough to read with their metalvision (presumably they couldn't have run the church without the ability to read) but absent some other supporting reference I'm calling error on the Tin.
Eric Posted January 16, 2012 Posted January 16, 2012 Tin enhances your senses. There are around 20 senses possessed by human beings. I would generally believe that adding one more would have it interacting normally with the tin enhancement as opposed to not. Though it does make me wonder about burning tin and copper... It's an interesting thought experiment, in any case. Hmm... Could a Keeper/Tin Ferring store any sense in a tinmind? Pain while performing surgery on himself or balance while laying down to walk a tightrope later on? That would be awesome.
Quantum Toast he/him Posted January 16, 2012 Posted January 16, 2012 My first thought was that he could be reading it by touch, but the book explicitly says he's burning tin because it's dark. Guess it's just an oversight. 1
IvoryRoad he/him Posted January 25, 2012 Posted January 25, 2012 Guys, this is Brandon Sanderson we're talking about. HE DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES. C'mon. Let's be real. In all seriousness, I think we don't know nearly enough about the details of Inquisi-steel to know for sure whether this was just a mistake or not. I personally align with the theory that tin enhanced his ability to discern changes in the pattern of the metal plate. It may never have been mentioned before, simply because no other VPC in the series has the savant-level required to even approach the point where they could "read" an uneven surface with a steelburn. The line about the dark might be iffy though. Can you quote that for us?
Quantum Toast he/him Posted January 25, 2012 Posted January 25, 2012 Sure. Marsh held the sheet up, flaring his tin to get a better look at its contents in the darkness.
Satsuoni he/him Posted January 26, 2012 Posted January 26, 2012 Horrible but true... It is a mistake. Even if tin enhances steelsight, darkness has nothing to do with it, since he does not use light to see. To Eric: It is probably possible to at least dull the pain considerably by storing senses.
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