TLR and Investiture - refined theory

[Thought]

Also TLR likely would have kept it's existence quite. As his super-allomancy just helped promote his god like status.

As a possibly counter-point, we know that the Lord Ruler took steps to reveal his secrets to others. He informed Vin and the others of other allomantic metals that he hoped desperately might help them against Ruin, if he himself were to die. Given how useful nicrosil could have been to people trying to resist Ruin, it seems likely that if it could be created, then he would have mentioned it on one of the plates he left. Since he didn't mention it, it seems likely that it couldn't be created.

However, given that it's implied that holding the power of Preservation makes one aware of the in's and out's of allomancy, so he was probably aware, conceptually at least, of what nicrosil could do.

Any nicrosil they found on TLR would have been useless as an allomantic metal, because it had been turned into a metal mind. Just like how Vin couldn't burn Sazed's metalminds.

Wait, I thought she could? Don't have my books around, alas.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Thought

[Observer]

As a possibly counter-point, we know that the Lord Ruler took steps to reveal his secrets to others. He informed Vin and the others of other allomantic metals that he hoped desperately might help them against Ruin, if he himself were to die. Given how useful nicrosil could have been to people trying to resist Ruin, it seems likely that if it could be created, then he would have mentioned it on one of the plates he left. Since he didn't mention it, it seems likely that it couldn't be created.

However, given that it's implied that holding the power of Preservation makes one aware of the in's and out's of allomancy, so he was probably aware, conceptually at least, of what nicrosil could do.

Wait, I thought she could? Don't have my books around, alas.

She could, she just didn't get the feruchemical effect. Since they didn't know what nicro did, it wouldn't produce any noticeable effect.

[Voidus]

But they would have known it was allomantic and done all they could to procure more, they'd also have to suspect that it was an external enhancing metal so they might have even guessed it fairly quickly.

[name_here]

I think that filled metalminds can't be burned except for compounding, but partially filled ones will be x% charged and 100-x% uncharged, and the uncharged parts can be burned.

Regarding nicrosil on his body, note that his bracers apparently contained only a small amount of Atium. I'm not sure exactly how they were structured for that to happen, but it seems like they were too large for the amount of Atium used in them, so maybe they had a nicrosil wash or something and Vin & company assumed the covering was an inactive metal used to hide the Atium.

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

I don't think TLR Compounded Investiture. As to why... maybe Nicrosil was too difficult to produce? I feel like he should have known about all the metals since he was a Sliver, but maybe he didn't. I'm not too sure.

As for mass-Soothing and Rioting, maybe he was Compounding Duralumin and/or Aluminum (Connection and Identity, respectively) at the same time he was Soothing or Rioting. Wax showed that Pushes became a lot more effective when he tapped a whole bunch of weight at once.

[Vortaan he/him]

I really think Sazed changed Allomancy, and that prior to him doing so nicrosil was not used in the Metallic Arts. My reasoning is this: neither Vin nor Elend use nicrosil when their Allomancy is being directly fueled by the power of Preservation, and in both cases it would have been a HUGE advantage. Even noticing a new metal reserve in both those situations would likely have been mentioned, particularly by Elend. There are allusions to Harmony fundamentally changing Allomancy in AoL, and this seems like the most likely change. I do think that bendalloy/cadium were usable in TLR's time, but he preferred to use his compounded Feruchemical abilities, which are much more offensively useful if you can tap large amounts with no fear of running out, compared to relatively rare metals.

[Thought]

Keep in mind, an allomancer doesn't immediately know what a power does. When Vin swallowed duralumin, she didn't know that it would increase the power of other metals she burned. So, what this means is that even if Vin and Elend had access to that power, they wouldn't have known what it did. Since both were engaged in life and death situations at the time, that indicates that it would have been an inopportune time to experiment. Further, because they were so focused, they may not have been cognizant of the appearance of new, as of yet untested, powers. Keep in mind that when Kelsier first gives Vin a vial of two metals, she had to concentrate to notice the two different kinds of power. Likewise when she swallowed Sazed's earring. Given that both of them were in highly distracted situations (trying to survive and all), it is quite possible that they didn't notice that they had access to new powers.

The short being, if they had access to the powers of the other metals, they were unlikely to notice that at all, and if they did notice, they were unlikely to use them.