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Difference between revisions of "Allomancy"
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Metal is not the source of Allomancy's power.{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=38}} Rather, metal is what is called a [[focus]]--a necessary component to a manifestation of [[Investiture]] (magic system), but not the source of the power itself. When an Allomancer burns a metal, that metal's specific molecular structure acts as a conduit to Preservation, and then the Allomancer is granted an ability corresponding to the metal, hence the metal "focuses" Preservation's power to the user. Each metal is the only way a mortal can access Preservation and the power of creation's power.{{qa ref|727|45}} Afterwards, the metal is vaporized.{{qa ref|618|61}} This is true for the base sixteen Allomantic metals. However, the god metals, lerasium and atium, are the sources of power themselves. Burning atium, being [[Ruin]]'s body, means the Allomancer is not accessing Preservation in any way in that process.{{epigraph ref|mb3|78}}
It may be quite unclear that Allomancy is of Preservation. After all, Pushing and Pulling on metals isn’t an effect that "preserves," so to speak. However, it is important to know that saying "Allomancy is of Preservation" has a very specific meaning: the way an Allomancer ''accesses'' the power is of Preservation, but the actual effect of the power is unrelated to Preservation.{{qa ref|622|107}} This is a fundamental difference between Allomancy and Feruchemy. In Feruchemy, its power comes from your own energy, but Allomancy is of Preservation. The act of burning a metal--accessing the power of Preservation--must be in line with the
Allomancy--as well as Feruchemy--has the property that abilities are inherent to the user, and are hardcoded into their Spiritweb.{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} While other Investitures can take years of practice, Allomancers can use their power the moment they can acquire the correct metals. This comes with the tradeoff that having the trait of Allomancy is something one is born with; a non-Allomancer cannot become an Allomancer (except in the very particular case of burning [[lerasium]], which overwrites one's Spiritual DNA to have the connection to Preservation required to use Allomancy{{qa ref|692|24}}).
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