potential spoilers Could Dragonsteel be made of god metal? [Slight Tress Spoilers]

[Shadow of Electrum he/him]

I'm unsure of where we officially learned this, but I learned in Tress that the material dragonsteel comes from the scales of dragons. I didn't think much of it at the time, but then I started thinking about how there are essentially zero mythical metals besides the god metals. So considering that this elusive material is meant to be at the core of the plot to the Dragonsteel book, it is either regular metal that's been specifically invested, or it's god metal. Considering that God metal can manifest in a multitude of ways, I wouldn't consider it impossible if dragonsteel was secretly Adonalsium's metal. We've already seen spren manifest as metal and we know that nonhuman creatures in the physical can interact with the cognitive realm to a degree. Although interacting with splinters and the cognitive is typically exclusively Rosharan, I wouldn't be surprised if some really weird stuff was going on with the dragons considering we don't know a whole lot about, or at least I don't. That concludes my brief theory. If you see any holes in my logic or whatever feel free to say... I never know how to end these...

[Treamayne]

39 minutes ago, Shadow of Electrum said:

So considering that this elusive material is meant to be at the core of the plot to the Dragonsteel book, it is either regular metal that's been specifically invested, or it's god metal.

False Dichotomy. Those are not the only two options. Dragons (and Dragonsteel) both predate the Shattering (even some Shard Vessels were Dragons) and Dragonsteel is related to the fact that Dragons are a form of Fainlife.

It is neither regular metal, nor Godmetal. It is a form of Biological Metal (as far as we know so far - subject to change with the Dragonsteel Series in a decade or two). 

Edited January 19 by Treamayne
SPAG

[alder24]

39 minutes ago, Shadow of Electrum said:

I'm unsure of where we officially learned this, but I learned in Tress that the material dragonsteel comes from the scales of dragons. I didn't think much of it at the time, but then I started thinking about how there are essentially zero mythical metals besides the god metals. So considering that this elusive material is meant to be at the core of the plot to the Dragonsteel book, it is either regular metal that's been specifically invested, or it's god metal. Considering that God metal can manifest in a multitude of ways, I wouldn't consider it impossible if dragonsteel was secretly Adonalsium's metal. We've already seen spren manifest as metal and we know that nonhuman creatures in the physical can interact with the cognitive realm to a degree. Although interacting with splinters and the cognitive is typically exclusively Rosharan, I wouldn't be surprised if some really weird stuff was going on with the dragons considering we don't know a whole lot about, or at least I don't. That concludes my brief theory. If you see any holes in my logic or whatever feel free to say... I never know how to end these...

I find this very unlikely. Adonalsium is dead and Shattered, his investiture split into 16 Shards. New dragons would have troubles getting pure Adonalsium investiture just like that - it's basically impossible for them and it would require them to merge investiture of all Shards together. It's even more likely that if that was Adonalsium's god metal, after the Shattering it would be assigned to one of 16, just like any other investiture in Cosmere, thus it would no longer be his god metal, at least in new dragons. 

Spoiler

Overlord Jebus

Is Dragonsteel Adonalsiumium?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. I'm not even sure how I'm going to canonize Dragonsteel when I add it in.

Emerald City Comic Con 2018 (March 1, 2018)

 

Spoiler

Overlord Jebus

Is all Investiture in the cosmere associated with a Shard?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, well, okay. So this is a complicated one. *pauses* So, Investiture predates the Shattering of Adonalsium, all Investiture was from Adonalsium, all Investiture got assigned to one of the 16 Shards when Adonalsium was Shattered. Some of the Investiture was not on Yolen but location is irrelevant. So Investiture is related to Shards even on planets where none of the Shards are inhabiting. 

Overlord Jebus

Are they aware of that Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

That's part of the whole seeing into the infinite, being beyond even the power of a Shard. So, technically you could make the argument that Harmony could feel the sense of Preservation on every world in the cosmere, right? Because the building blocks of all life and creation are these things.

Overlord Jebus

So the Shard of Preservation embodies all preservation in the cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes but he just can't do that, right? Like, he's not infinite. The Vessels are not, even if their minds are enormously expanded by holding a Shard, they are not infinite. The Connection is all there in the Spiritual Realm.

Oathbringer London signing (Nov. 28, 2017)

 

[Shadow of Electrum he/him]

6 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

False Dichotomy. Those are not the only two options. Dragons (and Dragonsteel) both predate the Shattering (even some Shard Vessels were Dragons) and Dragonsteel is related to the fact that Dragons are a form of Fainlife.

It is neither regular metal, nor Godmetal. It is a form of Biological Metal (as far as we know so far - subject to change with the Dragonsteel Series in a decade or two).

I knew that those weren't the only two theoretical choices, but I figured they were the only likely ones. Unless I'm misunderstanding something about biology, I would think that an "organic" metal would essentially be an alloy of standard materials. Unless it's something like elemental iron fused with special proteins, I don't see why dragonsteel would be so coveted since it could theoretically be recreated. I also figured that a magical creature having scales of a mystical material that isn't somehow invested seems decidedly unfantastical, and it seems like it wouldn't quite fit that out of all the unique stuff in the cosmere, this one specific thing is has nothing to do with investiture. Although, if that's the case I guess there isn't any use arguing about it. But I hope that clears up my thoughts if any of that makes sense.

[Treamayne]

3 minutes ago, Shadow of Electrum said:

I knew that those weren't the only two theoretical choices, but I figured they were the only likely ones. Unless I'm misunderstanding something about biology, I would think that an "organic" metal would essentially be an alloy of standard materials. Unless it's something like elemental iron fused with special proteins, I don't see why dragonsteel would be so coveted since it could theoretically be recreated. I also figured that a magical creature having scales of a mystical material that isn't somehow invested seems decidedly unfantastical, and it seems like it wouldn't quite fit that out of all the unique stuff in the cosmere, this one specific thing is has nothing to do with investiture. Although, if that's the case I guess there isn't any use arguing about it. But I hope that clears up my thoughts if any of that makes sense.

Then I am confused. If you knew there were more than two choices, why phrase it that way (likely or not)? Also, "specifically invested" is the phrase that causes issues (at least for me). Innate investiture exists, and is not "specifically invested" (with some exceptions - like Breath). I never said Dragonsteel was not invested - just that it is not a Godmetal, nor is it a "specifically invested regular metal." We don't know what it is, other than a biological metal (somehow) with special properties (somehow), that is likely related to innate investiture (but that's not the only option). 

I guess my issue was less with your theory than the polarizing way it was delivered. Unfortunately, we just don't have the answers yet. Even people that have read the unpublished Dragonsteel material (at BYU) won't have much more information as much of it has changed sine those stories were written. WoBs:

Spoiler

Quote

Overlord Jebus

Is Dragonsteel Adonalsiumium?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. I'm not even sure how I'm going to canonize Dragonsteel when I add it in.

Emerald City Comic Con 2018 (March 1, 2018)

Quote

Questioner

Do dragons in the cosmere have their own magic system? And if so, what can you tell us about it?

Brandon Sanderson

You'll get some answers to this very soon because you'll be able to read Dragonsteel Prime. (And some of you have read that. We'll be doing this as a Curiosity, like we did Way of Kings Prime). Dragons act in the cosmere as kind of this... the Primary magic system that they use is something akin to soothing and rioting, but they have followers who pray to them and ask for them to help them with their emotions during difficult times, and the dragons are able to do that across any distance. That's kind of the main thing that they're doing, other than that they can transform between a dragon and a person in shape. There's a little bit more to it, but I'll give you those nuggets.

Dragonsteel 2023 (Nov. 21, 2023)

 

Hope that helps.

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

Godmetals exist because when investiture manifests as a physical object, it does so as metal.

So my completely unfounded guess is basically that dragons are so super-highly invested relative to their physical form that that investiture manifests itself as metal. Each dragon would have a slightly different variant of dragonsteel, unique to their own individual spiritweb. (Like how it's been said that shardblades of different spren types are slightly different alloys of tanavastium and koravellium)