User:Zoey The Edgedancer/Fabrials

A Fabrial is a Stormlight-powered mechanical device from Roshar that uses spren captured in gemstones to perform a particular supernatural task. They are studied and designed by specialized scholars known as Artifabrians,

Mechanics
All Fabrials require the Artifabrian to trap the proper type of spren in a gemstone cut for that purpose. They can attract this through attracting it to it with something it loves or is familiar with, once it is examining the gemstone, Stormlight is quickly drained from the gem, creating a sort of pressure differential, sucking in the Spren and trapping it into the gemstone. This removal of Stormlight is done through bringing large but empty gemstones close to the infused gemstone, causing the Stormlight from the infused gem to quickly flow into the larger, empty ones. These are typically place together in a structure known as an Arnists Ring. However, more esoteric and secretive methods exist that are more effective, such as the use of a tuning fork attuned to the proper frequency.

These fabrial-gems are then encased in a metal wire frame, which determines the effect of the fabrial, along with the type of spren. These effects seem to become more potent as the metal frame around it gets tightened, however, this could only apply to Pewter.

All gemstones leak Stormlight at a slow rate—but so long as the crystal structure remains mostly intact, the spren cannot escape. Managing this leakage is important, as many fabrials also lose Stormlight through operation. This is due to no gemstone being perfect, thus none are able to perfectly hold in Investiture. Although the more perfect a gemstone is, the slower the rate in which it loses Investiture.

Reactions to Metal
The metal wire frame that surrounds the gemstone works to determine the effect of it. Spren react to different metals in different ways, with their behavior generally paralleling the Allomantic powers for each individual metal, this is due to more fundamental properties of the metals.

Zinc
Zinc in contact with a gemstone will cause its captured spren to more strongly manifest.

This can be connected to the way in which Zinc in Allomancy inflames the emotions of others, and thus it would too inflame Spren, cognitive manifestations of the collective perceptions of and emotions of mankind.

Brass
Brass in contact with a gemstone will cause its spren to withdraw and its power to dim.

This can be connected to the way in which Brass in Allomancy quells the emotions of others, and thus it would too quell Spren, cognitive manifestations of the collective perceptions of and emotions of mankind.

Bronze
Bronze in contact with a gemstone will cause it to alert someone of objects, entities, or phenomena nearby by increasing its brightness. Therefore, this is used as an integral part of Alerter Fabrials.

Pewter
Pewter in contact with a gemstone will cause it to express a certain attribute in force, correlated to the type of spren trapped in the gemstone.

A pewter cage surrounding the gem can be adjusted by twisting rods hooked to eyebolts. The tighter the cage the more heat the fabrial generates.

This causes the Stormlight in the gem to be used up quicker in relation to the magnitude in which the effect is increased.

Tin
Tin in contact with a gemstone will cause it to diminish nearby attributes.

Iron
Iron in contact with a gemstone will cause it to attract nearby substances.

This fits with the way in which Iron, when burned, allows one to pull metals towards them.

Steel
Steel, when pushed to a Gem alongside Tin, is capable of changing the polarity of the Fabrial to become repellent. This is likely the metal used in the creation of Repellent Fabrials.

Surge Fabrials
In the old days, Fabrials used to be created in order to replicate various Surges. The known examples of this involve Soulcaster, Regrowth, and Oathgates. Which replicate Transformation, Progression, and Transportation respectively. However, Fabrials are capable of replicating all ten Surges.