Iron feruchemy and Melaan

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

When Melaan used iron feruchemy through the medallion I don't remember it stating anything special about the way she used it but I do have some questions about the potential conflicts that could rise up because of this.  

Iron feruchemy can make you as light as a feather but doesn't seem to effect the metalminds on the feruchemist themselves right?   So Iron feruchemy can only effect and alter the feruchemist and the feruchemists body specifically.  

If this is the case what then for Melaans use of the medallion.  How devastating could it have been for her to tap large amounts of weight.  When Wax taps so much weight as to crush through floors and collapse buildings the magic preserves his body by treating all of his insides as though his weight never changed at all.  It only impacts the world around him.  His bones get preserved and he feels no additional pressure on them even when he weighs more than a building.  

But what about a kandra with access to Iron feruchemy who doesn't actually own their bones... the structure holding shape for Melaan isn't tied to her spiritual identity at all.  When she stores weight does that weight of whatever bones she is wearing get stored?   More importantly, if she were to tap a large amount of weight would the magic preserve her bones or would it place strain on them potentially breaking them under the weight or potentally deforming even a metal truebody?  

Or... am I missing something major in how the magic works entirely here? 

This question goes for brass as well and pewter... really any feruchemy that a normal persons body has to be magically preserved while using.   Would large amounts of brass light the bones on fire or melt a true body?  Would tapping pewter be far more limited on a kandra as their bones would not increase in size or mass to support the musculature that they are gaining?  

[EmulatonStromenkiin he/him]

I think you are right, with the possible exception of the original kandra's, who have their original bones. It also might depend on how the kandra sees themself and the bones it uses.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

1 hour ago, EmulatonStromenkiin said:

I think you are right, with the possible exception of the original kandra's, who have their original bones. It also might depend on how the kandra sees themself and the bones it uses.

It makes me wonder if a medallion containing aluminum feruchemy the kandra could even manipulate identity to fix this issue?   I would think that if you had the same true body for decades, or centuries even, that might become a part of you in a self-identity personal perception sort of way.  

Granted certain materials would react differently... I doubt if a kandra got ahold of an aluminum truebody there would be anyway to trick it into being protected from the effects of magic.  If that kandra suddenly weighed 10000 lbs the bones must surely be under strain.   Or if they suddenly had a core temp of 1500 degrees the metal must surely be effected.   Which would lead me to wonder how well the rest of the body would tolerate the now hot metal. As the body protects itself from the magic but internally there is something non magical at temps that could melt a person.

 

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

I'm guessing it has to do with perception. Feruchemists generally see their metalminds as External, something separate from themself. Kandra might see bones as part of themself, at least while they're using them (and almost certainly see their spikes as part of themself, while we're at it). They're shapeshifters, so having a fluid perception of their body doens't seem too weird

[Treamayne]

5 hours ago, Tamriel Wolfsbaine said:

But what about a kandra with access to Iron feruchemy who doesn't actually own their bones... the structure holding shape for Melaan isn't tied to her spiritual identity at all.  When she stores weight does that weight of whatever bones she is wearing get stored?   More importantly, if she were to tap a large amount of weight would the magic preserve her bones or would it place strain on them potentially breaking them under the weight or potentally deforming even a metal truebody?  

Or... am I missing something major in how the magic works entirely here?

44 minutes ago, Stormtide_Leviathan said:

I'm guessing it has to do with perception. Feruchemists generally see their metalminds as External, something separate from themself. Kandra might see bones as part of themself, at least while they're using them (and almost certainly see their spikes as part of themself, while we're at it). They're shapeshifters, so having a fluid perception of their body doesn't seem too weird

@Tamriel Wolfsbaine - I doubt that bolded section is true. I'd bet that while consuming and forming a body, they create a spiritual Connection to the bones. Just as they would need to have a Connection to true bones to form their Identity around them. And I'd bet that @Stormtide_Leviathan's comment is how that Connection is formed.

 

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

1 hour ago, Treamayne said:

@Tamriel Wolfsbaine - I doubt that bolded section is true. I'd bet that while consuming and forming a body, they create a spiritual Connection to the bones. Just as they would need to have a Connection to true bones to form their Identity around them. And I'd bet that @Stormtide_Leviathan's comment is how that Connection is formed.

 

Honestly as a kandra super fan that answer makes me super happy.  I want kandra to be able to use any truebody or bones with feruchemy and it not interfere with the power.  Even the idea of aluminum true bodies being able to work with it.... heck I want to see the look on a shardbearers face as they slap a kandra with a blade and mid fuzz it strikes an aluminum.  

All things I would be very excited to see.  I just was playing through it in my brain and I was struggling with how the kandra interact since bones are one of the things they can't actually replicate and grow on their own.  

[Duxredux he/him]

If I look at it from a writerly perspective, which is more interesting, the Kandra can use certain skeletons that do not cause Feruchemical side effects or the Kandra have to adapt and change to limitations imposed on their skeleton being excluded from Feruchemical reinforcement? I think Brandon could convince us of either option. 

I'm just throwing out a few options without really considering realmatic theory yet.

1. Kandra must have their original bones to be able to have the bones included in Feruchemical/Allomantic reinforcement (limiting this to the 1st Generation if any are left)
2. Kandra must have consumed an organic body to have the bones included in reinforcement and have enough of a Connection to feel that they can become that person. Random castoff bones would not work.
3. Kandra must specifically consume a skeleton accustomed to the trait (bones of a Skimmer or Thug for example) to have the bones included in the Feruchemy/Allomancy
4. If the Kandra can consider their skeleton to be part of themselves, any skeleton other than ones that specifically interfere with Investiture can be used (I'm guessing Aluminum won't work, just intrinsically. As it is, MeLaan already could give a Shardbearer a surprise without needing other abilities)
5. Kandra cannot include anything other than their own mass as part of Feruchemical or Allomantic abilities. 
   1. I'll note that as material engineering progresses, human bones are probably on the fragile side for Era 3 or 4. They might need to keep a few more specialized skeletons in their closet, but I think Kandra could do just fine if their bones weren't included in Feruchemy. It does put a few limiters on what they can do, but they should still be able to pull off most stunts, just not the really dangerous ones.

 

On a mostly unrelated note, just have MeLaan make her skeleton out of whatever Wax's shoes are made out of. Those things are incredible to stand his weight.