Is Terkin like aluminum?

[Atlas333]

Questions in the title. Terkin is immune to sandmastery but does that immunity apply to other magic systems (say a lashing) or is it unique to sand mastery?

[Treamayne]

11 hours ago, Atlas333 said:

Questions in the title. Terkin is immune to sandmastery but does that immunity apply to other magic systems (say a lashing) or is it unique to sand mastery?

It is most likely that Terken is simply a slightly invested shell (probably from the very same micro-fauna on the Sand - but keyed to the identity of the Greatshell) because we see in Ch 10 the (likely) Luhel Bond for controlling sand is very tenuous with any invested object contacting the ribbon* causing the bond to break and the sand to go stale (turn black) - which is exactly what happens with Terken items - they react the same as two opposed ribbons striking each-other head-on causing both to break the bond, go stale and turn black. 

*Ch 10 Summary:

Spoiler

Later, Kenton returns to his rooms and has Dirin help him do an experiment. They discover that when a sand master strikes another's ribbon from the side, they stricken ribbon falls dead, but when opposing ribbons stike head-on they will both fall dead. He theorizes the latter was why more ribbons implied a stronger sand master, because if one sand master used their ribbons to negate both, but still had at least one ribbon left they could deliver an uncountered attack.

 

[ChickenBonanza]

A more appropriate question, in my mind, would be if terken shells are like silver, instead of aluminum. Aluminum likely would not break a Sand Master’s ribbon by mere contact. Silver, however, likely would.

Quote

Questioner

I’ve got a question about Terken from White Sand. I was wondering if a Shardblade could cut through it, or if it would stop it?

Brandon Sanderson

I’m going to RAFO that for now. Answers will come. I’m gonna say probably a Shardblade would cut it, but I’m gonna look at that more closely, because you’ve got a really good argument that it wouldn’t. So, we’ll see.

Dragonsteel Nexus 2024 (Dec. 6, 2024)

This implies that a terken shell’s properties are less aligned towards resistance to Investiture, like aluminum, and more aligned towards disruption of Investiture, like silver. The ‘good argument’ mentioned is that disruption, I think. While it is possible that terken both resists Investiture and disrupts it, we have not seen the former property in action, in the unlikely case that it does exist.

However, how disruption plays into other forms of Investiture is kind of inconsistent, I think. Some relevant silver info:

Spoiler

Questioner

If you had aluminum or silver, could someone using Gravitation or Adhesion, could they throw that? Or would they be unable to infuse it with Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, they would be unable to.

Footnote: Silver does not seem to have the same Investiture-blocking properties as aluminum.
Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017)

Spoiler

OrangeJedi

So, Kaladin obviously draws Stormlight from a pouch, all the time... If the pouch was coated in, say aluminum, would he still be able to draw the Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Good question.

OrangeJedi

What about if it was coated in silver?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, he probably still could.

Oathbringer release party (Nov. 13, 2017)

Spoiler

Peter Ahlstrom

Silver is not Allomantically inert the way aluminum is. In that annotation, Brandon just meant that silver didn't do anything if you swallowed it and tried to burn it. It can be Pushed and Pulled. Years after Brandon wrote that annotation, what he means by "Allomantically inert" has changed.

Miscellaneous 2012 (March 14, 2012)

Of course, terken shells can operate very differently from silver’s disruption of Investiture. It could merely be an adaptation against the lichen which coats Taldain’s sand.  It might draw out Investiture from the lichen, or cut off the bond between the lichen and the Sand Master. Not enough information to say, I think.

So, in conclusion: maybe, iunno.

4 hours ago, Quantus said:

It's possible that the Terkin is it's own evolved Investiture effect, but it's also possible that they just naturally metabolize and concentrate one of the relevant metals (silver or aluminum, etc).  The in-world test would be to attempt to smelt some elemental metal from the dissolved carapace or oils, etc. 

I like this idea a whole lot, very neat.

Edited February 21, 2025 by ChickenBonanza
quantus quote

[Quantus he/him]

8 hours ago, ChickenBonanza said:

A more appropriate question, in my mind, would be if terken shells are like silver, instead of aluminum. Aluminum likely would not break a Sand Master’s ribbon by mere contact. Silver, however, likely would.

This implies that a terken shell’s properties are less aligned towards resistance to Investiture, like aluminum, and more aligned towards disruption of Investiture, like silver. The ‘good argument’ mentioned is that disruption, I think. While it is possible that terken both resists Investiture and disrupts it, we have not seen the former property in action, in the unlikely case that it does exist.

However, how disruption plays into other forms of Investiture is kind of inconsistent, I think. Some relevant silver info:

  Hide contents

Questioner

If you had aluminum or silver, could someone using Gravitation or Adhesion, could they throw that? Or would they be unable to infuse it with Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, they would be unable to.

Footnote: Silver does not seem to have the same Investiture-blocking properties as aluminum.
Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017)

  Hide contents

OrangeJedi

So, Kaladin obviously draws Stormlight from a pouch, all the time... If the pouch was coated in, say aluminum, would he still be able to draw the Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Good question.

OrangeJedi

What about if it was coated in silver?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, he probably still could.

Oathbringer release party (Nov. 13, 2017)

  Hide contents

Peter Ahlstrom

Silver is not Allomantically inert the way aluminum is. In that annotation, Brandon just meant that silver didn't do anything if you swallowed it and tried to burn it. It can be Pushed and Pulled. Years after Brandon wrote that annotation, what he means by "Allomantically inert" has changed.

Miscellaneous 2012 (March 14, 2012)

Of course, terken shells can operate very differently from silver’s disruption of Investiture. It could merely be an adaptation against the lichen which coats Taldain’s sand.  It might draw out Investiture from the lichen, or cut off the bond between the lichen and the Sand Master. Not enough information to say, I think.

So, in conclusion: maybe, iunno.

 

It's possible that the Terkin is it's own evolved Investiture effect, but it's also possible that they just naturally metabolize and concentrate one of the relevant metals (silver or aluminum, etc).  The in-world test would be to attempt to smelt some elemental metal from the dissolved carapace or oils, etc.