Questioner
I've got a list of various Cosmere bits of metal and I was wondering if you would rank them from like one to ten or just easy to difficult on how hard it would be to steelpush on them. So with one being just a regular coin, ten being like when the Lord Ruler was moving bits of glass on the floor, so like metal inside a person's body.
Brandon Sanderson
It depends on how strong the Investiture in them is.
Questioner
Is that gonna be the answer for all of these?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably!
Questioner
How about a spike charged with Hemalurgy?
Brandon Sanderson
A spike charged with Hemalurgy... that depends on...
Questioner
Not in a person.
Brandon Sanderson
Depends on how strong, yeah, a spike is moderately, (in the realm of these kinds of things) moderately easy to push on because a spike does not rip off very much Investiture. Only enough to short circuit the soul, and less it over time. I would put that at the bottom, with the top being very hard, to be one of the easier things.
Questioner
How about a metalmind that is full?
Brandon Sanderson
That is full? That is going to be middle of the realm of the, yeah. Generally easier than, for instance, a Shardblade which is going to be very hard.
Questioner #2
A Shardblade is [inaudible] actually metal? [metal]-ish?
Brandon Sanderson
Ish. Is Lerasium a metal? Yeah.
Questioner
So that'd be the same for Shardplate too?
Brandon Sanderson
Shardplate and Blade are very hard. Blade is probably gonna be a little harder.
Questioner
A Half-shard?
Brandon Sanderson
A Half-shard shield? That's gonna be moderate.
Questioner
Nightblood? I imagine that being hard.
Brandon Sanderson
Hard, of all the things you've listed, that is going to be the hardest. Far beyond even a Sharblade.
Questioner
Far beyond metal inside a person?
Brandon Sanderson
Uh, yes. Depending on how invested the person is.
Questioner
If somebody was invested as much as Nightblood?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, for instance the God King, right. At the end with all those Breaths. Pushing something inside of him, getting through all of that? Gonna be real hard. Average person on Scadrial? You've seen how hard that is. A drab? Much easier.
Questioner
That was my next one, or no, sorry not a drab. A lifeless?
Brandon Sanderson
A Lifeless, yeah. Even... yeah. Lifeless are kind of weird because they've had their soul leave but then they've had a replacement stuck in in the form of Breath which leaves them in a very weird position compared to a drab which has had part of their Investiture ripped away but a majority remains, so, anyways. I'm going to give you one more. Pick your favorite.
Questioner
A soulstamped piece of metal?
Brandon Sanderson
A soulstamped piece of metal is going to be on the lower, easier side. Not a lot of Investiture going on in a soulstamp.
