Mistborn
Mistborn is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson and published by Tor Books. The first trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, consists of "", "", and "". To prepare readers for the second series, Sanderson wrote a transitional sequel, "", which then became the first installment in the "Wax and Wayne" tetralogy, set 300 years later. This was followed by "", released on October 6, 2015; "", published on January 26, 2016; and "The Lost Metal", to be published November 15, 2022. Sanderson also published a novella tied to the original trilogy, titled "", on January 26, 2016. A third  trilogy is being planned, set to take place "in the early days of computer programming" and with novels set to release in 2025, 2026, and 2027 respectively. Setting. The series primarily takes place in a region on the planet of Scadrial. The events of Era One primarily take place in Classical Scadrial, specifically within the Final Empire, while Era Two and beyond take place in Post-Catacendre Scadrial. Prehistory. Preservation and Ruin are the two opposing gods of the Mistborn world, Scadrial. They are described as Shards of Adonalsium; fragments of the power of creation. Preservation and Ruin agree to  a pact, with an initial stalemate between them, each aware that only together could they create and achieve their separate goals while knowing they would never gain complete final satisfaction. Preservation could not keep things perfect and unchanging and Ruin could not destroy completely. Ruin is of destruction, without malice, but intent on reducing everything to the molecular level. Imprisoned by Preservation in an attempt to prevent Ruin from destroying the world, Ruin's consciousness was trapped by the Well of Ascension and kept mostly impotent. Ruin's remaining strength enables it with small powers to alter writing and Feruchemical  Memories, but it cannot alter writing inscribed in metal or normal memories. It was Preservation that wanted to create life on Scadrial, but needed Ruin's help to do so. In exchange for Ruin's help, Preservation promised that Ruin would be allowed to destroy everything one day. However, after they had succeeded in creating the world, Preservation reneged on its bargain and sacrificed a significant portion of its power to create the Well of Ascension as a prison for Ruin, thus preventing the destruction of the world. Classical Scadrial (Era One). On Classical Scadrial, the sun and sky  are red, vegetation is brown, and the ground is constantly being covered under black volcanic ash falls. Every night the land becomes covered in an unnatural fog, known as the "mists". One thousand years before the story begins, the ruler of the Final Empire, the Lord Ruler, gained access to a divine power at the "Well of Ascension", where he is rumored to have defeated the unknown danger called the "Deepness". With this power, he remade the world and everything in it into its state at the beginning of the first three books. After this event, he established "The Final  Empire", which he would rule over for the next thousand years. The Dominances. Within the Final Empire, a "Dominance" is a territory within the Lord Ruler's empire. The dominances are: Major cities within the Final Empire are: The Steel Ministry. The Steel Ministry is the church and central government of the Final Empire, created by the Lord Ruler to manage his empire and church. While the Lord Ruler allowed the Noblemen to control most aspects of the empire, such as the production of resources, he used the Steel Ministry to control the Nobles. The Steel Ministry has two groups  of people who are used to control different aspects of society; Steel Inquisitors and Obligators. All Obligators were formerly nobles, usually Allomancers and are trained in the arts of bureaucracy and the teachings of the Steel Ministry. They are marked by tattoos which decorate their face and body; the more tattooed an Obligator is, the higher their rank. They serve as witnesses for every possible legal contract (e.g., business deals and marriages), which means that they are privy to all happenings among the nobles. This gave the Lord Ruler great control over the nobility, as any contract not witnessed by  one of his Obligators, did not officially take place. The Steel Ministry is organized into 4 subsections, called "Cantons". The Nobility and Skaa. The nobility are the descendants of the early supporters of the Lord Ruler. The Lord Ruler gave them the gift of Allomancy in the early years of his reign because of their support of him. The Allomantic power has been passed down through the generations, but their Allomantic gifts have grown weaker over the years. "Mistings" have only one of the many Allomantic powers, while "Mistborns" have all the powers. At first there were few Mistings, but  now Mistings far outnumber Mistborn. Allomancy is the main reason the interbreeding of nobles and skaa was made illegal by the Lord Ruler. The Lord Ruler had more control over the Nobles, so he didn't want the skaa to have Allomancy. During the reign of the Lord Ruler, the skaa were oppressed slaves treated brutally. While noblemen oversaw skaa workers, all ska belong to the Lord Ruler and were loaned to the nobility for work. There were multiple skaa rebellions over the centuries, but none ever came close to succeeding. All skaa Allomancers have some noble blood. Before the  Ascension of the Lord Ruler, weapons technology had progressed to the invention of gunpowder. At the beginning of his reign, the Lord Ruler deliberately suppressed knowledge of gunpowder and most other advances. This was done to prevent technology undermining his military strength and being used against him in rebellions. This left archers as the only long-range military option, and it left skaa rebellions at a disadvantage as archers require considerable training. The only major advance since the Lord Ruler's reign started is the invention of canned food. Hemalergic Constructs. When the Lord Ruler ascended at the Well of  Ascension, he created 3 unique species. Each of these are created using Hemalergy, though the number of required spikes differs for each. Kandra are highly intelligent life forms without distinct shape, physically resembling blobs of muscle in their natural form. They are however, capable shapeshifters. The prime function of the kandra are as spies, because of their notable ability to imitate any being. They can consume the corpses or bones dead of creatures, memorizing and replicating the physical traits perfectly. The First Generation of kandra were converted by the Lord Ruler from pre-Ascension Terris Worldbringers, the sect of spiritual  leaders and Feruchemists. All kandra created after the First Generation are made from Mistwraiths, with a select amount being created every hundred years. Mistwraiths, named the Unbirthed by Kandra, are mindless scavengers with the ability to add the bones of creatures they consume to their own forms. despite this, mistwraiths are relatively harmless. Koloss are violent creatures that kill with superhuman strength and are created using Hemalurgy. They grow to a maximum height of about 13 feet, at which point their hearts cannot support their bulk and they die. They only have two emotional states: boredom and rage. Inquisitors  are creatures of Ruin; their powers are gained through Hemalurgy. An Inquisitor is created when several Hemalurgic spikes are pounded through a Feruchemist or an Allomancer into the body of a human, usually an Allomancer or an existing Inquisitor. Most Inquisitors are mistings with the power of allomancy called a "seeker", meaning that they can burn a metal to see if there are other Allomancers nearby. Post-Catacendre Scadrial. The term "Twinborn" was not introduced until the fourth book. A Twinborn is a person with one Allomantic power and one Feruchemical power. There is no relation between the Allomantic and  Feruchemical metals of a Twinborn and most of them have different ones. A Twinborn having the same Allomantic and Feruchemical affinities significantly enhances both, even if the abilities themselves are unrelated. It also allows Compounding, where an allomancer burns a metalmind which provides significantly more feruchemical effect than the charge of the metalmind. The Church of the Survivor worships Kelsier, who served as its first martyr. Vin, the Heir to The Survivor and Kelsier's 'disciple', was also worshiped. Kelsier created the Church as the means of spreading hope for freedom and equality among the Skaa, so they would finally  rebel. There are a number of other religions in the series, most of which are studied for historical and philosophical purposes only. Magic. In the world where "Mistborn" takes place, Scadrial, magic is depicted as a supernatural force harnessed by three distinct disciplines: Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. All three magic systems are based on metals, which are used by the invested individual to grant them specific abilities. Their power originates in the Shards, "Preservation" and "Ruin," the two god-like beings that are present in the "Mistborn" world. This power later fuses to become "Harmony". Allomancy. In the Mistborn series , Allomancy is a predominantly genetic ability that allows a person to metabolize ("burn") metals, ingested by the Allomancer, for magical powers that can enhance physical and mental capacities. There are 16 metals that such "Allomancers" can use, with each metal granting a specific ability. In addition to these, there are two fictional metals, "Atium" and "Lerasium" that are the solid manifestation of the powers of "Ruin" and "Preservation" respectively. A person who is only able to burn one of the Allomantic metals is known as a Misting. Anyone who is naturally capable of burning all of the metals is called  a Mistborn. In the first trilogy, only Mistings and Mistborn existed, although in the second series, interbreeding caused a new phenomena of people with one Allomantic and one Feruchemical ability, called Twinborn. Origins of Allomancy. In "" and "", it is revealed that "Allomancy" originates from the power of "Preservation". There are three sources (or origins) of Allomantic abilities in the Mistborn world: Allomantic metals. The Allomantic metals come in four groupings of four metals: Physical, Mental, Temporal and Enhancement. Each of these four groupings have two base metals and their corresponding alloys, which in turn have a related ability that counteracts  or balances the base metal. Each metal produces an internal or an external effect. In addition to the basic Allomantic metals, there are two fictional "God metals": "Atium" and "Lerasium" and their alloys. Burning lerasium or its alloys can turn regular humans into Mistborn and Mistings respectively. Atium allows Allomancers to see into the future. In "", an atium alloy called "Malatium" is revealed, which allows an Allomancer to look at what another person could have been had they made different choices. A misting who can only use atium are called seers. In , the atium-Misting Yomen appears to believe that  atium and malatium are among the standard Allomantic metals - of which, at the start of the series, only ten are known to normal allomancers, including atium and gold but not malatium or electrum: the latter two are "discovered" during the series, along with aluminum and duralumin, all having been previously known to the Lord Ruler but kept secret. Thus, with these four discoveries, the original ten, and the revealed importance of the number sixteen, Yomen - and later Sazed, when he ascends and leaves behind his final written message - come to the conclusion that since there are now fourteen known Allomantic  metals, therefore there must be two more that are unknown (which the Lord Ruler may have also known about, but did not reveal the knowledge, and certainly nobody else knows). Whereas in fact, with atium and malatium not counting among the sixteen, there are in fact not two but four unknown metals (chromium, nicrosil, cadmium and bendalloy) which do not appear till later books. "Lerasium" is also not given a name in the initial trilogy, nor counted as an allomantic metal, although its last known bead is used to turn the previously "normal" Elend Venture into an unusually powerful Mistborn . Dangers & side-effects. Allomancers who flare their metal intensely for extended periods of time may be physiologically altered by the constant influx of Allomantic power. These Allomancers are known as Allomantic Savants. These people experience heightened ability with, and dependence upon, whatever metal they are burning in such a manner. Under most circumstances, this is considered damaging and it is believed that this process is irreversible, without powerful external intervention. Feruchemy. Feruchemy is a genetic ability found among the people of the Terris region. A person who can use only one Feruchemical metal is known as a Ferring, while those  who can use them all are called Feruchemists. Feruchemy involves the use of the same metals as Allomancy, but rather than ingest the metals, they can be worn or carried by the Feruchemist. Unlike Allomancy, the metal itself is not consumed but is used as storage of the Feruchemist's own attributes. Feruchemists refer to the metals that they use as "metalminds". As long as a metal is in contact with the skin and the Feruchemist has stored something in it, it can be drawn upon. Usually only the Feruchemist that originally stored the attribute can use it. Background of  Feruchemy. During the events written by Sanderson in "", the Lord Ruler hunted any and all Feruchemists he could find and it was commonly believed before The Fall that Feruchemists had been entirely exterminated. It was revealed in "The Final Empire" that they had not all been killed and that shortly after The Fall, they began to travel and teach the skaa the things that they needed to know to effectively live and develop on their own. Feruchemical Metals. All Allomantic metals can be used for Feruchemy but the primary difference between Allomancy and Feruchemy is the way that the metals  are used. All an Allomancer needs to gain an ability is burn the appropriate metal but a Feruchemist must spend time without whatever attribute they wish to store. The Feruchemist can then tap into those stores at a later time, making themselves superhumanly powerful for a short duration. Twinborn. In , it is revealed that the mixing of Allomantic and Feruchemical bloodlines led to the creation of Twinborn; people who had one Allomantic and Feruchemical ability. Twinborn also have a mysterious extra "effect" that gives them powers slightly beyond what the sum of their standard feruchemical and allomantic powers might imply . Hemalurgy. Hemalurgy is the third metallic art in the Mistborn series, and is based on the powers of the force "Ruin", (balancer of the force of "preservation"; and depicted as evil")". It allows the transfer of allomantic and feruchemical powers from one person to another, though with a net loss of power. It is the least known among the three arts. To use Hemalurgy, a metal spike must be driven through a point in the body of the power donor. The spike is then removed and placed into a point in the body of another person for them to receive  the power. The spike must be exposed to the donor's flowing blood to work (thus the prefix "hema-", meaning blood) The most important factor in determining what power is transferred is the type of metal used, with the specific points chosen on the donor and recipient also having an effect. The most common method is to stab the hemalurgic spike into the heart of the donor, continuing immediately through their body to the recipient's, as the longer the spike is left out of a body, the more power it loses. Piercing critical organs of the receiver such as  their heart or brain does not necessarily kill them. However, having a hemalurgic enhancement makes one susceptible to outside influence. Hemalurgic creations, like the "koloss" and "kandra" as well as the "Steel Inquisitors" can be controlled by a sufficiently powerful emotional allomancer. In the Final Empire, the piercings on the "Steel Inquisitors" were used by the "Lord Ruler" to gain power over them and direct them as he chose to. In other media. Role-playing game. In early 2009, Brandon Sanderson announced he was working with Crafty Games to release a role-playing game based on the series. While the  release date was originally placed as "sometime in 2009", it shifted multiple times before being released in December 2011 in PDF, softcover, and hardcover editions. Film. In 2010, Brandon Sanderson optioned the rights to the "Mistborn" books to Paloppa Pictures LLC. In Q1 of 2014 Paloppa Pictures' option ran out. In October 2016, the rights to the entire Cosmere universe, including the "Mistborn" series, were licensed by DMG Entertainment. On January 27, 2017, Deadline Hollywood reported that DMG signed F. Scott Frazier as the screenwriter for the adaptation of "Mistborn: The Final Empire". On March 5, 2020 Brandon Sanderson stated  that he was currently writing the screenplay of 'Mistborn: The Final Empire'. Video games. In March 2012, a video game prequel called "Mistborn: Birthright" was announced slated for a fall 2013 release. The game had been delayed until 2015 to take advantage of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and then delayed again to Fall 2016. Sanderson said in a November 2016 Q&A that "Mistborn: Birthright" is "dead". Developed by Little Orbit, Brandon Sanderson had written the story of the game. On July 24, 2017, an official cancellation of the game was posted by the CEO of Little Orbit, Matthew  Scott, on Facebook. On May 27, 2021, it was announced that Mistborn would cross over with "Fortnite". Later that day, Kelsier was released in the item shop for purchase, bundled with other items from the "Mistborn" universe. Board game. In 2016, a kickstarter campaign raised funds for a board game centered on the "Mistborn" series called "Mistborn: House War". Developed by Crafty Games and designed by Kevin Wilson, "House War" is the first board game set in the "Mistborn" world and takes players on an adventure to play the role of leaders of the great noble Houses, struggling to weather  the cataclysmic events of the first novel of the series. The game started shipping to backers in late August 2017. In 2018, a digital version of the boardgame was published on Tabletopia. Crafty Games also released an expansion for "Mistborn: House War" called "Mistborn: The Siege of Luthadel" in which players take the role of factions attacking or defending "Luthadel" during the events of the second novel Reception. "Forbes" magazine praises all of the books in the "Mistborn" series saying, "The narrative is crafted with such bloody precision, it's nearly impossible to put the books down." Sequels. The original  trilogy was the first in what Sanderson used to call a "trilogy of trilogies." The original second trilogy was to be set in an urban setting, featuring modern technology, and the third trilogy was to be a science fiction series, set in the far future. However, this structure changed with the release of "", which began a new series set between the original trilogy and the planned second trilogy. After some confusion, Sanderson decided to refer to the overall series in terms of four eras, with Era 1 being the original trilogy, Era 2 being the four books starting with "", and  Eras 3 and 4 being the other originally planned trilogies. Era 2 consists of ", , ", and a forthcoming book. Sanderson announced in July 2020 that he will begin writing this fourth book of Era 2, "Mistborn: The Lost Metal", in January 2021. Era 3 is being planned as a trilogy and is expected release yearly starting in 2025.