The Magic of "Mistborn" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ten

At the beginning of the series, there are eight base Allomantic metals known to the general populace, plus gold and atium. They are nicely balanced in a system of physical/mental, internal/external, and pushing/pulling metals.

Without giving away the answer to question number two, here is a bare bones pairing:

Iron with its alloy (steel) - external physical
Tin with its alloy (pewter) - internal physical
Zinc with its alloy (brass) - external mental
Copper with its alloy (bronze) - internal mental

Atium and gold are the other two known Allomantic metals at the beginning of "The Final Empire", but unlike the other eight metals, they do not make a nicely matched pair. This is a clue that there may be more Allomantic metals out there to be discovered.

Answer: Bronze - Smoker

The most common use of Allomancy is by mistings, who can each only use one type of Allomantic metal. In comparison, the much rarer mistborn is able to use ALL of the Allomantic metals. Here is a list of the eight base metals with their power and misting nickname.

Iron (Lurcher) lets you pull on nearby sources of metal (external/physical/pull)

Steel (Coinshot) lets you push on nearby sources of metal (external/physical/push)

Tin (Tineye) increases the sensitivity of all your senses (internal/physical/pull)

Pewter (Thug) increases physical abilities (like balance, endurance, strength, etc.) (internal/physical/push)

Zinc (Rioter) enflames emotions (external/mental/push)

Brass (Soother) dampens emotions (external/mental/pull)

Copper (Smoker) hides Allomantic pulses (internal/mental/push)

Bronze (Seeker) allows one to hear Allomantic pulses (internal/mental/pull)

And the other two metals? Atium allows the user to see a few seconds into the future (and its many possibilities), while gold allows one to see your past self. See? Not quite the perfect match.

Answer: Malatium - allows an Allomancer to see into another person's past

Kelsier pins his hopes and plans on using the metal in an effort to defeat the Lord Ruler. He believes that it will either reveal the Lord Ruler's weakness, or be the thing capable of defeating him. Malatium is not one of the base metals; it is an alloy of atium and gold.

What Kelsier doesn't know (but is slowly revealed through the trilogy) is that there are actually 16 base Allomantic metals. The Lord Ruler, of course, knows all of them, and has only allowed his nobles to know of the physical and mental ones (plus gold and atium).

The other eight base metals are in the categories of Enhancement and Temporal. Of these, only gold is known of at the beginning of the trilogy, while aluminum and duralumin are revealed later.

Chromium (Leecher) wipes the Allomantic reserves of someone else (external/enhancement/pull)

Nicrosil (Nicroburst) enhances the Allomantic burn of someone else (external/enhancement/push)

Aluminum (Aluminum Gnat) wipes internal Allomantic reserves (within self) (internal/enhancement/pull)

Duralumin (Duralumin Gnat) enhances the next Allomantic metal 'burned' (within self) (internal/enhancement/push)

Cadmium (Pulser) slows down time (external/temporal/pull)

Bendalloy (Slider) speeds up time (external/temporal/push)

Gold (Augur) reveals your past self (internal/temporal/pull)

Electrum (Oracle) reveals your own future (internal/temporal/push)

Answer: Lerasium

Without getting into too much of Brandon Sanderson's greater cosmere, take it as a given that Scadrial is under the influence of two 'gods' named Ruin and Preservation. Atium happens to be a physical distillation of Ruin, while Lerasium is a physical distillation of Preservation.

It is possible for atium and lerasium to be combined with each of the sixteen base Allomantic metals to make two more sets of sixteen, but apart from malatium, none of these other potential alloys is seen in the trilogy.

Answer: The Terris

Feruchemy acts in much the same way as Allomancy in that there are some few among the Terris who are full Feruchemists and can use all of the Feruchemical metalminds, while there are others who can only use one type of metalmind. The latter are called 'ferrings'.

Under the Lord Ruler's reign, a breeding program was instituted to try and eliminate Feruchemy from the entire race. They still managed to hide some with the ability, and they became part of a secret sect called 'Keepers'.

Answer: Brass - health

Allomancy draws its power from the metals themselves, while Feruchemy is essentially the ability to store up one's own attributes for later use, perhaps in a greater amount at once. As an example, a pewter ferring could fill a pewtermind with physical strength (becoming physically weak during the time he is filling it) over time, then draw on all of that stored strength in a burst of enormous strength.

The metals and their attributes:

Iron - stores physical weight
Steel - stores physical speed
Tin - stores senses
Pewter - stores physical strength
Zinc - stores mental speed
Brass - stores warmth
Copper - stores memories
Bronze - stores wakefulness
Chromium - stores fortune
Nicrosil - stores investiture
Aluminum - stores identity
Duralumin - stores connection
Cadmium - stores breath
Bendalloy - stores energy
Gold - stores health
Electrum - stores determination

Of the 'god' metals, it is known that an atium metalmind stores youth, but it is not known what attribute a lerasium metalmind stores.

Answer: No

The Terris Keepers are valued among their people especially for their use of copperminds. Under the Lord Ruler, it was hoped that one day all the knowledge they had preserved over a millennium could be restored to the people of the world.

The knowledge within a coppermind can be retrieved (only by the one who placed the memory within it) and then shared with someone else to be written down or remembered in turn. The danger with retrieving these memories, though, is that while outside the coppermind, the person holding the memory may forget parts of it before returning it to the coppermind.

Answer: Spikes

In the "Mistborn" trilogy, Hemalurgy is the Metallic Art that is known of the least by the main characters. Its use, however, becomes a key point in the plot of the story.

Essentially, Hemalurgy is the practice of stealing an ability or an attribute from someone, then granting it to someone else. It is a very messy process, since the one from whom the attribute is stolen is typically killed.

A metal spike is thrust through a 'bind point' (such as the heart), and this action rips a piece of that person's 'spirit web'. Implanting that spike into another person (or beast) splices that bit of spirit web into the new host, transferring the desired attribute.

The type of metal used is also important, and each of the same metals used in Allomancy and Feruchemy can transfer a different attribute. And if the 'charged' spike remains outside a body too long, the power it holds begins to decay, and the attribute transferred is weaker than the stolen original.

Iron - steals strength
Steel - steals physical Allomancy
Tin - steals senses
Pewter - steals physical Feruchemy
Zinc - steals emotional fortitude
Brass - steals cognitive Feruchemy
Copper - steals mental fortitude
Bronze - steals mental Allomancy
Chromium - unknown
Nicrosil - unknown
Aluminum - steals enhancement Allomancy
Duralumin - steals spiritual Feruchemy
Cadmium - unknown
Bendalloy - unknown
Gold - unknown
Electrum - unknown

And then there's atium, which can steal ANY ability or attribute, and do so better than any other type of metal spike. As a piece of RUIN, this is not surprising.

Answer: Mistwraith

Hemalurgical constructs are beings that have undergone physical change through the use of Hemalurgy.

Steel Inquisitors are former humans that have between nine and eleven spikes within them, including two through the eyes and out the backs of their heads. Most of these spikes give them Allomantic or Feruchemical powers. As with any Hemalurgical construct, they are susceptible to control by more powerful beings. Specifically, the Lord Ruler held them in check, and after the Lord Ruler was defeated, Ruin himself controlled them to fulfill his plan of worldwide destruction.

Koloss are also former humans, but they only have four spikes, each imbued with physical strength. Koloss continue to grow in size and strength until they are killed, and they fall into a rage at the smallest things. They were utilized by the Lord Ruler as a kind of 'shock troop'.

The Kandra were created from the Terris Worldbringers (all those who had the power of Feruchemy) when the Lord Ruler ascended 1,000 years ago. They were transformed into mistwraiths - amorphous creatures that can absorb bones to shape their bodies - then given two spikes that granted them sentience. The Kandra call the Lord Ruler 'Father' and refer to the spikes as 'blessings'.

Answer: Gold

The stories that surrounded the Lord Ruler's mythical healing ability (surviving beheading and being flayed alive) come from his compounded use of gold, but his seemingly eternal youth came from using atium as a metalmind and burning it as an Allomancer.

In the subsequent "Wax and Wayne" series that follows the original "Mistborn" trilogy, we see examples of 'twinborns' - people that are a combination of misting and ferring. The Lord Ruler was not limited to just one Allomantic or Feruchemical ability - he could use and compound ALL of the metals. Is it any wonder he was able to rule for a millennium?

The Lord Ruler's ruthless campaign to stamp out the use of Feruchemy among the Terris people came from his understanding of the power of compounding. He wanted to prevent anyone else from having both Allomantic and Feruchemical abilities.