Allomancy

Allomancy is one of the three prime manifestations of Investiture on Scadrial. The natives of that world consider it one of the three Metallic Arts.

Lore & Background

Allomancy is a magic system from the Mistborn series that allows users, known as Allomancers, to "burn" (or use) ingested metals, thereby enhancing various physical and mental capacities. For an additional burst of power, an Allomancer may burn their metal(s) especially quickly, consuming them at an accelerated rate, but gaining greater benefits from them; this is referred to as "flaring" metals. A person who is only able to burn one of the metals listed below is known as a Misting. Anyone capable of burning more than one metal is capable of burning all of them; these people are known as Mistborn.

Allomantic savants

Mistings who flare their metal intensely for extended periods of time may be physiologically altered by the constant influx of Allomantic power. These Allomancers are known as Allomantic Savants. These people experience heightened ability with, and heightened dependence upon, whatever metal they are burning in such a manner. Under most circumstances, this is considered damaging and, without powerful external intervention, it is believed that this process is irreversible.

Allomantic Metals

File:Pewter chunks.jpg

Pewter grants physical strength when metabolized, or burned.

There are 16 metals that Allomancers are able to use: 8 basic metals (4 base metals and 4 alloys) and 8 Higher metals (4 base metals and 4 alloys). There are also 2 additional metals referred to as 'God metals' that sit outside of the main 16, which have as many as 16 alloys each.

Each metal has a different ability, which are used by Allomancers as listed below. These metals must be pure when ingested, and the alloys must be mixed to the correct proportions. If the metals are impure or mixed wrong the Allomancer could become very ill or possibly die. The same severe effects will happen if an Allomancer burns metals other than those listed below (ex: silver, lead, or platinum).

The Allomantic metals come in four groupings of four metals: Physical, Mental, Temporal, and Enhancement. Each of these four groupings has two base metals and their corresponding alloys, which in turn have a related ability. Each metal produces an Internal or an External effect.

The eight basic metals are organized into two groups of four: Physical metals (Iron, Steel, Tin, Pewter) and Mental metals (Zinc, Brass, Copper, Bronze). The eight higher Allomantic metals are also organized into two groups of four: Temporal metals (Cadmium, Bendalloy, Gold, Electrum) and Enhancement metals (Chromium, Nicrosil, Aluminum, Duralumin).

The final group of metals are the God Metals: Atium and Larasium. These metals are a physical manifestation of the power of their corresponding god. All but one of Atium's alloys (and their effects) are unknown. Larasium and its alloys grant regular people Allomantic abilities. Pure Larasium creates Mistborn and Larasium alloys create specific Mistings, depending on which of the other Allomantic metals it's alloyed with.

Basic Metals

These elemental metals and their alloys below are the 8 basic Allomantic metals.

Physical Metals

Iron (External)

An Allomancer burning Iron is able to Pull on nearby metals. This can allow them to make metallic objects that weigh less than they do to fly through the air toward them. For metallic objects which weigh more than they do, this can cause them to be pulled toward the object. It was generally assumed that an Allomancer could not Pull on metals that pierce or are otherwise contained in the body of another living being (e.g., ingested metals), however it can be achieved by an exceedingly powerful Allomancer.

A Misting who can only burn Iron is known as a "Lurcher".

Steel (External)

An Allomancer burning Steel is able to "Push" on nearby metals. This can allow them to make metallic objects that weigh less than they do to fly through the air away from them (using coins, for instance, as weapons). For metallic objects which weigh more than they do, this can cause them to be pushed away from the object. It was generally assumed that an Allomancer could not Push on metals that pierce or are otherwise contained in the body of another living being (e.g., ingested metals), however it can be achieved by an exceedingly powerful Allomancer.

A Misting who can only burn Steel is known as a "Coinshot".

Tin (Internal)

An Allomancer burning Tin is able to enhance all five of their senses. A major flaw of burning Tin is that if a sudden loud noise or bright light appears it can render an Allomancer stunned for a short time. Mistings burning Tin are often used as lookouts and scouts because they can see in near-darkness.

A Misting who can only burn Tin is known as a "Tineye".

Pewter (Internal)

An Allomancer burning Pewter is able to greatly enhance their physical capabilities. While burning pewter, an Allomancer can fight or perform physical labor longer than any normal person, and is also many times stronger than his or her normal self; this applies not only to their muscle strength, but to the strength of their bones, skin, etc. This enhanced strength also allows an Allomancer to shrug off wounds that would kill or incapacitate a normal person. Pewter-burning also provides an Allomancer with an increased sense of balance and vastly increased speed and dexterity. An Allomancer performing a "pewter drag" can run for many hours at speeds up to approximately that of a galloping horse. This is extremely draining on the Allomancer's body and will require the Allomancer to burn pewter after completing the pewter drag itself, just to keep the person's body from collapsing in near-death exhaustion.

One danger for someone burning Pewter is when carrying something that they normally couldn't carry and they run out of the metal, the object they are carrying will crush them, causing serious injury. Another danger is that an Allomancer who shrugged off earlier wounds could succumb to said wounds when they run out of Pewter to burn.

Ideal allomantic pewter has a tin:lead ratio of 91:9

A Misting who can only burn Pewter is known as a "Pewterarm" or "Thug".

Mental Metals

Zinc (External)

An Allomancer burning Zinc is able to inflame the emotions of those nearby. This can be used to incite riots (hence the name zinc Mistings go by) or to enhance any emotion of the target. The Allomancer can affect a single person or all the individuals in a particular area.

A Misting who can only burn Zinc is known as a "Rioter".

Brass (External)

An Allomancer burning Brass is able to soothe or guide emotions in a particular direction. An Allomancer can affect a single person or all the individuals in a particular area.

A Misting who can only burn Brass is known as a "Soother".

Copper (Internal)

An Allomancer burning Copper is able to hide themselves and others from "Seekers" by hiding Allomantic vibrations caused by burning metals. The radius of effect around an Allomancer burning copper is known as a "coppercloud" (Hence the name copper Mistings go by). In strike teams copper-burning Allomancers are extremely helpful to keep from being caught by a Seeker, or a Mistborn burning bronze, though a Mistborn or Seeker pierced with a bronze Hemalurgic spike can pierce copperclouds and feel the dampened Allomantic vibrations. In addition, by burning copper, one is immune to emotional Allomancy (though this immunity is not shared by others within the coppercloud). When using Allomancy, Mistborn will usually burn this metal first before using other metals in order to hide their Allomantic powers from Steel Inquisitors or other Allomancers. Copper burns slowly, so many Mistborn continue to burn Copper most if not all of the time.

A Misting who can only burn Copper is known as a "Coppercloud" or "Smoker".

Bronze (Internal)

An Allomancer burning Bronze is able to determine if someone else is using Allomancy in the immediate area. With practice, an Allomancer can determine the location of the other Allomancer, which metal the other Allomancer is burning, and to what extent the other Allomancer is burning his or her metal. An exceedingly powerful Allomancer is able to pierce the "invisibility" of copperclouds.

A Misting who can only burn Bronze is known as a "Seeker".

Higher Metals

These metals are known as the higher Allomantic metals. Previously thought to be exclusive to Mistborn, it has been revealed that Mistings of the higher metals are possible.

Temporal Metals

Cadmium (External)

An Allomancer burning Cadmium can subtly pull on time in a bubble around them, stretching it and making time pass more slowly inside of the bubble.

A Misting who can only burn Cadmium is known as a "Pulser".

This metal is still unknown by the end of Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.

Bendalloy (External)

An Allomancer burning Bendalloy can subtly push on time in a bubble around them, compressing it and making it pass more quickly inside of the bubble.

A Misting who can only burn Bendalloy is known as a "Slider".

This metal alloy is still unknown by the end of Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.

Gold (Internal)

Gold allows an Allomancer to see what they might have been if they had made different choices in the past. It is rarely used due to possible severe emotional trauma.

A Misting who can only burn Gold is known as an "Augur".

Electrum (Internal)

An Allomancer burning Electrum is able to see into their own future. Burning Electrum is also an effective means of countering an Allomancer burning Atium.

Ideal allomantic electrum has a gold:silver ratio of 1:2

A Misting who can only burn Electrum is known as an "Oracle".

Enhancement Metals

Chromium (External)

An Allomancer burning Chromium is able to destroy another Allomancer's metals, just like Aluminum does to one's self.

A Misting who can only burn Chromium is known as a "Leecher".

This metal is still unknown by the end of Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.

Nicrosil (External)

An Allomancer burning Nicrosil can cause a target Allomancer that is currently burning metals to burn them in a brief, intense flash. While similar to Duralumin, Nicrosil differs only because Duralumin is an internal metal (targeting the Allomancer burning it), and Nicrosil is an external metal (which targets other Allomancers).

A Misting who can only burn Nicrosil is known as a "Nicroburst" (Nicro)

This metal alloy is still unknown by the end of Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.

Aluminum (Internal)

A Mistborn who burns Aluminum causes all of their other metal reserves to be drained instantly, leaving them powerless.

A Misting who can only burn Aluminum is known as an "Aluminum Gnat" as they gain no discernible effect from burning their metal.

Duralumin (Internal)

A Mistborn that burns Duralumin causes a reaction with any of the other metals they are currently burning to create an exceptionally large flare of the metal, consuming the remaining supply. The exact degree to which Duralumin enhances the next metal burned is unknown but appears to be massive: burning Duralumin-enhanced pewter, Vin has exploded an assassin's skull with a hard head butt and later, with a single sword stroke, cut Straff Venture in half along with the horse he was sitting on at the time.^{[citation needed]}

A Misting who can only burn Duralumin is known as a "Duralumin Gnat" as they gain no discernible effect from burning their metal.

God Metals

Atium (External)

Previously thought to only be a higher metal, it is also revealed in the third book (Mistborn: The Hero of Ages) that Atium is actually the physical form of the god Ruin that Preservation locked away when he placed Ruin in the Well of Ascension. It is described as being a dark, beadlike bit of metal.

Atium is the most valuable metal in the world, and it is slowly mined from the Pits of Hathsin. The metal is mined by prisoners of the Lord Ruler, as using Allomancy near the Atium-producing crystals shatters them. This metal allows the Mistborn to see a few seconds into the future, thereby allowing them to anticipate the moves of an opponent. It also enhances the mind to cope with and understand these new insights, effectively turning a Mistborn invincible for a short time. Atium burns very quickly.

The only known counter to Atium is to burn it yourself, showing you what the other person will do. However, this in turn changes what you will do, which changes what the other person will do, creating a confusing "vortex" of Atium shadows. One could also burn Electrum, which creates multiple Atium shadows, though does not allow the burner to see the similar shadows around their opponent.

In the second book (Mistborn: The Well of Ascension) it is revealed that if someone burning Atium attacks someone not burning the metal there is a way to combat the Atium-burner. The person being attacked can allow their attacker to begin intercepting their future move before they make it allowing the victim to change what they are doing, and as the attacker is aware that the victim has no atium to burn they will see their victim's Atium shadow "split" into two separate attacks causing a presumably fatal outcome.

Burning Atium in combination with Duralumin allows a Mistborn to see the ultimate effects of their immediate actions, and act accordingly.

It may be possible to alloy Atium with one of the other 16 Allomantic metals to create another alloy with a different Allomantic ability, such as Malatium which is Atium alloyed with Gold.

A Misting who can only burn Atium is known as a "Seer".

Malatium (External)

Malatium is an alloy of Atium and gold which allows an Allomancer to see who another person was in the past. This metal is referred to in legend as the Eleventh Metal. It is described as being silvery white in color.

Lerasium (Internal)

Lerasium is greenish metallic bead that allows the burner (which can be anyone) to become a Mistborn, allowing them access to all of the Allomantic metals. These beads are the source of all Mistborn, and this trait ends up being genetic, whereby the descendants of a Mistborn have a chance of becoming either a Mistborn or a Misting without the need of burning Lerasium. These descendants are not born with the ability of Allomancy, and will show no signs until some traumatic event causes them to 'snap' there by allowing them the ability to burn allomantic metals.

Pure Lerasium when ingested will turn the user into a Mistborn, where as Lerasium that is alloyed with one of the other 16 Allomantic metals will turn the user into a Misting of the metal used to alloy. Sanderson has stated in the annotations to the novels that this is not the 'primary' use of Lerasium, and that it would have an entirely different effect if burned by a Mistborn.

Lerasium is not actually one of the 16 Allomantic metals, though it is clearly related. In Mistborn: The Hero of Ages it is revealed that these beads are actually parts of the god Preservation's "body".

External links

• Mistborn: The Final Empire Annotations
• Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Annotations
• Mistborn Roleplaying Game (Crafty Games)
• Allomantic Metals Poster'

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