Ursus Posted December 10, 2012 Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) In HoA we know Ruin is looking for the atium and Elend manages to burn it all away. So...my question is, how did Ruin plan to 'harvest/gather' the atium? Did he want to burn it in a physical form? Or absorb it somehow? I don't see how this would work... The only answer I've been able to think of is how Vin takes Preservation's mists. She 'draws' upon them to access Preservation's power. Elend also accesses the metallic form of Preservation by eating Lerasium. So is that a form of attaining a shard's power? So basically, what was he thinking? That he'd get the metal and put the square block into the circle hole? Edit: clarified Edited December 10, 2012 by Ursus
Windrunner he/him Posted December 10, 2012 Posted December 10, 2012 We've asked Brandon this before, but it just makes things more complicated XD CHAOSWhat would have happened if Ruin *did* get the atium? Yeah, the world is destroyed, but how does Ruin "absorb" the atium so he can utilize the power? BRANDON SANDERSON He would metabolize it, just like the normal people have to do. However, if he did get it he would then be able to destroy the world. Source
Eric Posted December 10, 2012 Posted December 10, 2012 Personally, I can think of two viable hypotheses. 1) It's *digesting* (metabolizing) rather than *burning* the metal that would let Ruin absorb the power in the Atium, like people have to do with food. This hypothesis assumes Brandon is leaving out key words to keep from giving spoilers. 2) Ruin needed to have someone skewed away from Preservation burn the Atium to reacquire the power, effectively being his surrogate stomach. And that's why Marsh was given a level.
StormAtlas Posted December 11, 2012 Posted December 11, 2012 Thats what I was thinking. Im not totally sure but Ruin being a floaty vapor like thing probably couldnt digest the Atium. I mean he dosnt have a body and thus dosnt have a stomach right? I mean if he could just absorb it wouldnt he have done so with the little that did make it out of the trust? For instances the bead on Yomens for head?
Ironeyes Posted December 11, 2012 Posted December 11, 2012 Probably too small of fish for an all-powerful being like him to fry. He was going for the larger prize first.
happyman he/him Posted December 11, 2012 Posted December 11, 2012 My theory about this? I think Ruin would have had to actually appear "in body" to metabolize the Atium. After all, it still existed somewhere. It's probably a rare and dangerous thing for Shards to do.
Thor he/him Posted December 12, 2012 Posted December 12, 2012 My theory about this? I think Ruin would have had to actually appear "in body" to metabolize the Atium. After all, it still existed somewhere. It's probably a rare and dangerous thing for Shards to do. Yeah, this is also what I think as well. I even put a question on the Ultimate Questions thread dealing with this. Remember that the Mist Spirit is corporeal (mostly) and it is a manifestation of Preservation, who's mind (Leras) is broken/damaged. A Shard who's holder's mind isn't broken may be able to become completely corporeal and the body that appears may look like the original being who ascended.
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