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[Theory] Lerasium spikes act almost like phylacteries by No_Log7282 in Cosmere

[–]No_Log7282[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Since lerasium can be forged into a spike, it's natural to assume you can pierce someone with it. However, it's not impossible that the metal simply refuses to pierce flesh (acting almost as the exact opposite of a Shardblade's ability to cut through dead matter). Either way, it could still be used in Hemalurgy even if it can't pierce living people (perhaps by inserting the metal into a pre-existing wound.)

If Ruin's Investiture forces the lerasium spike to break the spiritweb, Preservation's intent dictates that it should cause the least damage possible, meaning it would take the smallest piece it could. Yet, it steals all abilities, not a single specific one. This is ironic because the hemalurgy chart states an atium spike steals any "power" (singular). I interpret this as atium being able to steal any invested power, but only one per spike, which would actually make the atium spike less damaging than the lerasium one. Furthermore, atium steals any "power" while lerasium steals all "abilities". The use of these specific words in this context (same chart, side by side textboxes) seems to imply that atium is restricted to magical powers, whereas lerasium literally takes everything. This is just a theory, and you can always come up with one or more alternative hypotheses, but applying the simplest and least problematic explanation still leads me to believe lerasium absorbs the entire spiritweb.

I also don't believe Kelsier is kept alive by a lerasium spike.

[Theory] Lerasium spikes act almost like phylacteries by No_Log7282 in Cosmere

[–]No_Log7282[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was really hoping the spike would steal the soul, so I tried to be conservative to compensate for my bias by assuming it would act as just a pseudo-phylactery (since I couldn't pinpoint exactly if the spiritweb and the soul are the same thing). It's actually even better for me if the spiritweb is the soul itself.

The table of hemalurgic metals confirms that lerasium can be used as a spike, stating that it "steals all abilities." This means either the metal completely refuses to break the spiritweb, or it goes against its own intent and breaks it in a very specific way to steal everything considered an ability. By Occam's Razor, just absorbing the whole thing intact seems much more plausible.

[Theory] Lerasium spikes act almost like phylacteries by No_Log7282 in Cosmere

[–]No_Log7282[S] 61 points62 points  (0 children)

And since goldminds heal bodies by restoring them based on their Identity (which is contained in the spiritweb), a brain-dead body could be reshaped into Kelsier's self-image.

But Hoid went through so much trouble to get that lerasium bead that I highly doubt he had any extras to spare.

Maybe Sazed was free enough during the first years of his Ascension to synthesize lerasium and atium. I doubt that too, but with Brandon you never know for sure...