Well of Ascension

The Well of Ascension was a Perpendicularity, the manifestation of Preservation's power.
== Location and Appearance ==
The entrance to the Well lies in the Lord Ruler's study, and was designed to be opened by an Ironpull of tremendous strength, such that the Lord Ruler was one of the few individuals capable of opening it. One section of the wall, presumably weighing several tons, could be pulled on to reveal a passageway, which leads to the stone chamber that houses the Well of Ascension. The Well appears as a shimmering, glowing white pool full of liquid metal. The pool lies in a shallow depression in the rock and is only a few feet in diameter.
== Purpose ==
=== Refilling Power ===
As Allomancy is of Preservation, particularly strong Seekers could sense the pulsing of the Well of Ascension as it refills with power. This pulsing is a pure tone of Scadrial. The closer to being filled, the more powerful the pulses feels. Vin claimed that within a month of it being filled, that she no longer needed bronze to sense the pulses.
Every 1024 years, the Well would refill with power. When using the power, it last for only a short amount of time before it needs to refill again. In the post-Catacendre era, the Well stopped refilling and is inactive.
=== Holding the Power ===
Holding the power of the Well for a short time, either by using the power or giving it up, makes the user a Sliver. If a user neither uses the power or releases it, they do not become a Sliver. If the user has Hemalurgic spikes, they will feel a burning sensation where the spikes are, and will not be able to use the power until they remove them.
If the user takes the power to use, they are granted the abilities and limitations that Preservation has. This includes moving Scadrial's orbit, altering the physiology of plants and humans on Scadrial, and altering the landscape of the planet. While slight alterations to humans can be done, bigger changes, such as making someone a Mistborn or a Mistwraith, are also possible.
Holding the power also grants the user increased knowledge, such as how to make Hemalurgic Constructs. This knowledge does not substitute for experience, and those using its power for bigger changes are likely to make mistakes. Users are able to leave Scadrial during their Ascension.
=== Other Uses ===
The Well of Ascension served as a prison for Ruin's mind, keeping the Shard from performing large actions on the planet. The Well would release Ruin's mind if the power was released.
A person could become a Cognitive Shadow by merging their soul with its power. This also traps them in the Well until the power is released.
== History and Mythology ==
In Terris prophecy, it was said to be hidden deep within the Terris Mountains. However, when the Lord Ruler consumed the power from the Well of Ascension and changed the world, he also changed the location of the Well. The Well was moved to Kredik Shaw, and lay in a chamber underneath the Lord Ruler's palace.
Before Vin released the power within the Well, it served as a prison for the Shard Ruin for several millennia. Preservation created the prison by sacrificing his mind to create something capable of containing Ruin's mind. With his mind gone, Preservation's body and power were left in the world, creating the Mists and the Well of Ascension.
It is unknown whether the Well still exists after the Catacendre.
== Notes ==
category: magic
es:Pozo de la Ascensión (in-world)