Metallic Arts

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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 metal Stores weight Steals strength
Steel Pushes metal Stores speed Steals Physical Allomancy
Tin Improves senses Stores improved senses Steals senses
Pewter Improves strength Stores strength Steals Physical Feruchemy
Zinc Riots emotion Stores mental speed Steals emotional fortitude
Brass Soothes emotion Stores warmth Steals Cognitive Feruchemy
Copper Hides Allomancy Stores memories Steals mental fortitude[3]
Bronze Can sense Allomancy Stores wakefulness Steals Mental Allomancy
Higher Metals
Metal Allomantic ability Feruchemical ability Hemalurgic ability
Cadmium Stretches/slows time Stores breath unknown
Bendalloy Compresses/hastens time Stores energy unknown
Gold Shows the burner's past Stores health Steals Physical Feruchemy[3]
Electrum Shows the burner's future Stores determination unknown
Chromium Wipes Allomantic Reserves of Target Stores fortune unknown
Nicrosil Enhances Allomantic Burn of Target Stores investiture unknown
Aluminum Wipes Internal Allomantic Reserves Stores identity Steals Enhancement Allomancy
Duralumin Enhances Current Metal Burned Stores connection Steals Spiritual Feruchemy[3][4]

The God Metals

The God metals are metals formed directly from either of the two Shards, Ruin and Preservation. They can be alloyed with the lesser metals to form sixteen different metals each, though only one is known.

'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[5]
Lerasium [fn 1] Causes the burner to become a Mistborn/Increases allomantic power unknown unknown
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"[6] unknown

Ettmetal

After contact with the Southern Peoples of Scadrial a new metal is revealed. Called "Ettmetal" in their native tongue, the Southern People use it to power their technology. Little is known of "ettmetal" other than it can power machines and it explodes when it is exposed to water.[7]

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
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