Metallic Arts

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Metallic Arts
Related to Allomancy, Feruchemy, Hemalurgy
World of Origin Scadrial
Universe Cosmere

The Metallic Arts are the three prime manifestations of Investiture on Scadrial. They consist of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. All three utilize certain metal alloys and each manifest specific abilities in the user (namely, metal is not the source of their power, but metal is their focus). There are eight basic metals, each with an alloy, for a total of sixteen metals. In addition, there are are two pure God Metals, and one known alloy of these.

Summary of the Metallic Arts

The Metallic Arts can be analyzed in terms of the Scadrian Shards, Ruin and Preservation. Allomancy is of Preservation and is End-Positive. Instead of Allomancy drawing power from the user, metal acts as a catalyst, and draws power from Preservation itself. Hemalurgy is of Ruin, and is End-Negative. By taking abilities from one person and giving them to another, in reduced amounts, power is actually lost. Finally, Feruchemy is the power of balance, and is both of Ruin and Preservation. It is End-Neutral, as there is neither a gain or loss in energy, simply storing the power for later use.

All people on Scadrial have seeds of the Metallic Arts within them. However, for most of the history of Scadrial, only Feruchemy was known, and that had always been isolated to the Terris people. Allomancy existed but was very uncommon. It only came about through a mechanism constructed by Preservation, which Snapped people who had Allomantic power too deep-seated to come out naturally. Hemalurgy was even more rare, as it required extensive knowledge not easily obtained.

Then, the Lord Ruler reached the Well of Ascension. He rebuilt himself into an extremely powerful Mistborn using its power.[1] He then took nine beads of lerasium from there, giving them to kings he wished to bribe to his side.[2] This brought about the first Mistborn. The concentrated Preservation inside the lerasium was so potent, that Allomantic ability was passed down for over a millennia. Eventually, the power got diluted and Mistings began to form, and Mistborn became more uncommon. During his Ascension, the Lord Ruler also gained an understanding of Hemalurgy, and understood how to create Inquisitors, koloss, and kandra.

Later, after the Final Ascension by Harmony, Mistborn became unheard of as Allomancy's power continued to degrade. The Terris people also interbred with the survivors of the Final Empire, which combined with the slaughter of all living Feruchemists at the time left Feruchemy also diluted, and so Ferrings began to appear.

Metals and their abilities

Basic Metals
Metal Allomantic ability Feruchemical ability Hemalurgic ability
Iron Pulls on Nearby Sources of Metal Stores Physical Weight Steals Strength
Steel Pushes on Nearby Sources of Metal Stores Physical Speed Steals Physical Allomancy
Tin Increases Senses Stores Senses Steals Senses
Pewter Increases Physical Abilities Stores Physical Strength Steals Physical Feruchemy
Zinc Riots (Enflames) Emotions Stores Mental Speed Steals Emotional Fortitude
Brass Soothes (Dampens) Emotions Stores Warmth Steals Cognitive Feruchemy
Copper Hides Allomantic Pulses Stores Memories Steals Mental Fortitude[3]
Bronze Allows One to Hear Allomantic Pulses Stores Wakefulness Steals Mental Allomancy
Higher Metals
Metal Allomantic ability Feruchemical ability Hemalurgic ability
Cadmium Slows Down Time Stores Breath Steals Temporal Allomancy
Bendalloy Speeds Up Time Stores Energy Steals Spiritual Feruchemy
Gold Reveals Your Past Self Stores Health Steals Hybrid Feruchemy[3]
Electrum Reveals Your Own Future Stores Determination Steals Enhancement Allomancy
Chromium Wipes Allomantic Reserves of Target Stores Fortune Might steal destiny
Nicrosil Enhances Allomantic Burn of Target Stores Investiture Steals Investiture [4]
Aluminum Wipes Internal Allomantic Reserves Stores Identity Removes all powers [4]
Duralumin Quickly Burns any Burning Metals in Powerful Burst Stores Connection Steals Connection and Identity[3][5]

The God Metals

The God metals are metals formed directly from a Shard. Previously only the God Metals of Ruin and Preservation were known, however new God Metals can be made from any Shard.[6] They can be alloyed with the lesser metals to form sixteen different metals each, though little are known. It seems of some importance that in the Wax and Wayne series it says that atium is no longer 'commonly' available

'God' Metals
Metal Allomantic ability Feruchemical ability Hemalurgic ability
Atium See into other people's futures Stores age Steals any power or attribute and does so better than any other spike[7]
Lerasium [fn 1] Causes the burner to become a Mistborn/Increases allomantic power Unknown Steals all abilities
Atium alloys
Metal Allomantic ability Feruchemical ability Hemalurgic ability
Malatium [fn 2] See into other people's pasts Unknown; Sazed tried it offscreen but "didn't get very far"[8] Unknown

Harmonium

After contact with the Southern Scadrians, a new metal is revealed. Called "Ettmetal" in their native tongue, the Southern Peoples use it to power their technology. Harmonium burns "with a pure whiteness"[9] when used in Southern Scadrian machinery, and explodes when it is exposed to water (similar to the alkali metals) making it dangerous if not impossible to ingest for allomantic purposes. Unlike alkali metal reactions, this reaction does not yield a "Harmonium oxide," but it will yield "Something else relevant to the Cosmere." Harmonium's atomic structure is that of a single element, rather than a compound or alloy. [10]

Trellium

Trellium is the uncanonical name for the unknown metal seen in Shadows of Self. It is a silvery metal with a red cast to it, and dark red spots similar to rust.[11][12] Its Allomantic and Feruchemic properties are unknown. It can be used Hemalurgically to steal some, if not all, Allomantic and/or Feruchemic abilities and grant them to Kandra.[12] It can also be used on humans to create hemalurgic constructs.[11][13] Kandra and Hemalurgic constructs with a single spike of Trellium will be hidden from Harmony.[14]

Tanavastium

The metal that a Shardblade is comprised of is the condensed essence of Honor, being an alloy of tanavastium and is Allomanticaly viable, though what it would do is unknown.[15][16][17] By extension, Shardplates can also be considered an alloy of tanavastium.[18] Each different spren to make up a Shardblade would be its own alloy.[19]

The Dor

The Dor is the remnant of Devotion and Dominion's combined powers after the Shards themselves were Splintered.[20][21] There is a god metal that comes from the Dor.[22]

Notes

Footnotes
  1. Lerasium may also have another allomantic property which is currently unknown
  2. An alloy of Atium and gold, the Eleventh Metal
References
  1. Chris King interview
    Arcanum - 2013-09-24#
  2. The Hero of Ages chapter 9 epigraph#
  3. a b c Mistborn Adventure Game chapter 4#
  4. a b Hemalurgy Table
  5. The Treatise Metallurgic#
  6. Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing
    Arcanum - 2016-12-03#
  7. Barnes and Noble Book Club Q&A
    Arcanum - 2009-07-08#
  8. /r/books AMA 2015
    Arcanum - 2015-06-20#
  9. The Bands of Mourning chapter 22#
  10. Boskone 54
    Arcanum - 2017-02-19#
  11. a b Shadows of Self chapter 21#
  12. a b Shadows of Self epilogue#
  13. Shadows of Self release party
    Arcanum - 2015-10-05#
  14. Shadows of Self Chicago signing
    Arcanum - 2015-10-12#
  15. Starsight Release Party
    Arcanum - 2019-11-26#
  16. Firefight signing Chicago
    Arcanum - 2015-02-20#
  17. Arcanum Unbounded signing Hoboken
    Arcanum - 2016-12-03#
  18. Skyward Pre-Release AMA
    Arcanum - 2018-10-12#
  19. Skyward Denver signing
    Arcanum - 2018-11-15#
  20. General Signed Books 2012
    Arcanum - 2012-12-08#
  21. Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing
    Arcanum - 2016-12-06#
  22. Starsight Release Party
    Arcanum - 2019-11-26#
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