Vathi is an Allomancer

[kvn]

I searched for others discussing this, but didn't come across anything. If you know of a thread that already brought this up and I missed it, just let me know the source and I'll gladly remove my post.

I've read every story in the Cosmere and am now going back and re-reading in hopes of discovering knew things I missed or couldn't have known the first time through. This is a minor discovery IF it's true, but interesting none the less. First, I believe that Vathi from Sixth of the Dusk is Khriss (just found out this has been confirmed as false)... BUT I also believe that she may be an allomancer. Keep in mind that SotD is the farthest story into the future according to the known Cosmere timeline... so who knows what has happened to Khriss between now and then.

Here's an excerpt from Sixth of the Dusk:

Quote

“How did you know?” he asked.
“Vathi hesitated, near to the trapdoor leading into his home. “Know what?”
“Where my safecamp was. Who told you?”
“I followed the sound of water,” she said, nodding toward the small spring that bubbled out of the mountainside here. “When I found traps, I knew I was coming the right way.”
Dusk frowned. One could not hear this water, as the stream vanished only a few hundred yards away, resurfacing in an unexpected location. Following it here . . . that would be virtually impossible.
So was she lying, or was she just lucky?”

So the part that struck me as a dead giveaway was the very last line, "...or was she just lucky?"

If you remember in The Final Empire, Vin would always refer to her allomantic ability as her 'luck'. When I read this, I felt as if Sanderson purposefully wrote that line in order to hint at the fact that Vathi/Khriss was using her 'luck'... in this specific case, tin. I don't know if she's just a Misting or if she becomes a Mistborn as some point, but regardless, I believe she's burning tin in SotD.

What do you think? Am I a far out fanboy looking for connections where there are none, or do you think I picked up on a clever nod from Sanderson?

Edited January 19, 2018 by kvn

[Podman]

Honestly, SotD is so far in the future practically anything is possible. That said, I think your definitely on to something. I think I'll follow this topic along. 

Also, have an upvote!

[Khyrindor he/him]

Vathi has been confirmed to not be Khriss.

Quote

PallonianFire (paraphrased)

Have we seen [Khriss] in any of the books out so far? Is Vathi Khriss?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

No, someone else. But you'll see Khriss in a soon-to-be-published book.

 

Otherwise, I can't comment much on Allomancy. If the Ones Above has Allomancy, or at least Allomantic devices, then it's possible she has access to it, though I wouldn't take her calling it lucky as any sort of proof, that was probably just a Vin-ism.

[kvn]

12 minutes ago, Khyrindor said:

Vathi has been confirmed to not be Khriss.

Otherwise, I can't comment much on Allomancy. If the Ones Above has Allomancy, or at least Allomantic devices, then it's possible she has access to it, though I wouldn't take her calling it lucky as any sort of proof, that was probably just a Vin-ism.

Ah, ok.. Thanks for the insight. I didn't realize Sanderson addressed it.

As for the 'luck' reference.. I'm not stating it as proof by any means... just as the basis for my own speculation. And I did think about it being a allomantic device like we see in MB Era 2, but I couldn't fathom as to how you would utilize Tin (that enhances a persons senses) in a machine. But sure it's possible.

[Khyrindor he/him]

1 minute ago, kvn said:

Ah, ok.. Thanks for the insight. I didn't realize Sanderson addressed it.

As for the 'luck' reference.. I'm not stating it as proof by any means... just as the basis for my own speculation. And I did think about it being a allomantic device like we see in MB Era 2, but I couldn't fathom as to how you would utilize Tin (that enhances a persons senses) in a machine. But sure it's possible.

Allomantic device was perhaps the wrong term, but a medallion could grant the power with Nicrosil, Ettmetal, and Tin, similar to the Bands of Mourning, but on a smaller scale.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

That's a good catch. I'll need to reread SotD to see if there are other hints as to how Vathi found the safe house or other hints of unique powers; e.g. when the monsters at the end are chasing them does Vathi react more strongly to the loud noises? It will be a fun reread! Have an upvote for giving me an excuse to break out Arcanum Unbounded again!

[RShara she/her]

That's interesting.  Though I would be more inclined to wonder if she used tin to hear the stream, rather than Vin's "luck" (which was Soothing/Rioting).

[kvn]

7 hours ago, RShara said:

That's interesting.  Though I would be more inclined to wonder if she used tin to hear the stream, rather than Vin's "luck" (which was Soothing/Rioting).

That is exactly what I’m saying, she used Tin to hear the stream. I wasn’t implying she was using Vin’s luck. I was saying that I felt Sanderson purposefully used the word ‘luck’ here as a subtle connection for the reader to understand allomancy was being used.

Edited January 20, 2018 by kvn

[Landis963 he/him]

18 hours ago, CaptainRyan said:

That's a good catch. I'll need to reread SotD to see if there are other hints as to how Vathi found the safe house or other hints of unique powers; e.g. when the monsters at the end are chasing them does Vathi react more strongly to the loud noises? It will be a fun reread! Have an upvote for giving me an excuse to break out Arcanum Unbounded again!

I'm fairly certain she had a compass, given to her by the Ones Above, which allowed her to track the Aviar.  

[kvn]

1 minute ago, Landis963 said:

I'm fairly certain she had a compass, given to her by the Ones Above, which allowed her to track the Aviar.  

That's a good point if that's the case. I'll have to read and see. If you happen to find the excerpt or know the reference, let me know. Thanks.

[Lupis]

1 hour ago, Landis963 said:

I'm fairly certain she had a compass, given to her by the Ones Above, which allowed her to track the Aviar.  

Yes, she admits the machine is how she found his camp.

[kvn]

2 minutes ago, Lupis said:

Yes, she admits the machine is how she found his camp.

Ah, ok. Well, that's why these are speculation... they don't always pan out. Thanks guys for the info.

[Lupis]

1 minute ago, kvn said:

Ah, ok. Well, that's why these are speculation... they don't always pan out. Thanks guys for the info.

Oh I don't know, the fact she survived to reach his camp indicates some extreme luck, or something else keeping her alive.

[Ishar]

I mean, it could be possible that Patji could have been intentionally trying to keep her alive. Also, Vathi is not incapable of surviving. She did kill one of the Nightmaws showing that she isn’t incapable of surviving.

[dbulick]

On 1/20/2018 at 0:49 PM, Lupis said:

Yes, she admits the machine is how she found his camp.

Is it possible the "compass" is one of the medallions that grants allomantic powers?  Possibly bronze if they found a way to use it to detect other investiture rather than just other allomancers?

[Landis963 he/him]

On 4/3/2018 at 8:03 AM, dbulick said:

Is it possible the "compass" is one of the medallions that grants allomantic powers?  Possibly bronze if they found a way to use it to detect other investiture rather than just other allomancers?

Allomantic bronze requires that the allomancer have ingested bronze, and I didn't see any opportunities for that to have happened.  Or rather, I don't see any such opportunities which would allow Vathi to still have bronze in her system by the time she drew the ability from any hypothetical jailbroken medallions.  

[Quickbronze he/him]

Though the device almost certainly works on similar principles to Allomantic bronze 

If it isn't outright based on it

[+Invocation]

My money has been on the Ones Above being from Scadrial (either by descent or by direct fleeing) since my last read of Sixth. Era 3 at least, potentially even Era 4. As such, it's almost probably that they would have mixed with the population.

Edited July 17, 2018 by Invocation

[Mr. Misting he/him]

That is a great catch and would make a lot of sense. The question is why did someone come from Scadrial to First of Sun, have kids, and not explain Allomancy? And also now I have a great excuse to go read Sixth of Dusk again, which I am very glad for.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Mr. Misting