Difference between revisions of "Allomancy"

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'''Allomancy''' is one of the three prime manifestations of [[Investiture]] on [[Scadrial]].{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} Scadrians call it one of the [[Metallic Arts]]. It is the most widespread of the Metallic Arts in the present day. People who have one or more Allomantic abilities are called '''Allomancers'''. Allomancy has many widespread effects, such as enhancing and dampening emotions, Pushing and Pulling on metals, and even temporal effects. Each Allomantic power has its own metal, which must be ingested and "burned" to activate.

 

 

== Mechanics ==

A person needs to be born with the hereditary Allomantic ability to get Allomancy. This is not a recessive or dominant gene and it doesn't work according to physical genetics.{{wob ref|12576}} This instead works according to spiritual genetics, which behave differently from physical genetics. When a person is born with the hereditary Allomantic ability, they cannot burn metals until the Allomantic ability is awakened in them. The process of Allomancy being activated within a person is called [[Snapping]]. In the [[Final Empire]] era of Scadrial, Snapping required immense trauma. This was usually inflicted by an intense beating at a young age. It was possible for Allomancers to Snap from other intense emotions, like joy, but this was much more uncommon.{{wob ref|8025}} It was said that the more powerful the Allomancer, the more intense the trauma had to be to Snap.{{wob ref|7526}} However, after the [[Final Ascension]], [[Harmony]] changed the way Snapping operated, but it is unknown how it was altered.{{wob ref|6888}}

 

Once an Allomancer has Snapped, they will feel a reserve of power in their stomach when they have ingested a metal they can burn. The metals are usually ingested by drinking specifically prepared metal vials, which contain metal flakes suspended in an alcohol solution or other such liquid i.e. cod oil. While swallowing metal is the most common way of getting metal into the body, other ways such as injecting or snorting will also work.{{wob ref|13947}} When using their powers, many Allomancers describe a warm feeling in the stomach, hence the term "burning metal". It is completely instinctual for an Allomancer to activate and burn their metal and gain its ability; it does not require training to do it (however, there is much training in using their metals properly). It is so instinctual that in some circumstances, an Allomancer can even burn metals while unconscious.{{book ref|mb1|15}} An Allomancer can also burn their metals at an accelerated rate, which is called "flaring." Flaring grants more power, but the reserve of metals depletes much faster, too.{{book ref|mb1|7}} Allomancers can burn metals from any [[Shardworld]].{{wob ref|12692}}

 

 

Throughout the ages, the strength of an Allomancer has slowly decreased, weakening a bit with each generation.{{epigraph ref|mb3|21}}{{epigraph ref|mb3|22}} This dilution of power eventually caps and cannot decrease any further, and has reached that point by [[Mistborn_(series)#Era_3|Era 3]].{{wob ref|10873}} People who use [[lerasium]] can gain the strength of ancient, powerful Allomancers.{{wob ref|10116}}

=== Savantism ===

Allomancers who flare their metal intensely for extended periods of time may be physiologically altered by the constant influx of Allomantic power. These people are known as Allomantic '''[[savant]]s'''.{{epigraph ref|mb3|16}} These people experience heightened ability with, and heightened dependence upon, whatever metal they are burning in such a manner. Under most circumstances, this was considered irreversibly damaging.

 

=== Twinborn and Compounders ===

Metal is not the source of Allomancy's power.{{wob ref|7708}} 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.{{wob ref|6072}} Afterwards, the metal is vaporized.{{wob ref|10097}} This is only true for the base sixteen Allomantic metals. The god metals (lerasium, atium, their alloys and other Shard's metal) are actually Investiture condensed into a solid form. Burning atium draws power from Ruin, not Preservation.{{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 the saying "Allomancy is of Preservation" has a very specific meaning: the ''power'' that an Allomancer accesses is of Preservation, but the actual ''effect'' of the power is unrelated to Preservation.{{wob ref|4032}} The fundamental difference between Allomancy and Feruchemy is that Allomancy draws power from an ''external'' source (Preservation), while Feruchemy draws power from an ''internal'' source (the user's own body).

 

 

Allomancy was not created by Preservation. None of the Metallic Arts were "created" by Preservation and Ruin. Rather, these powers are the natural result of the interactions between Preservation, Ruin, and Scadrial itself.{{wob ref|5269}}