Written in Steel - Spoilers

[Vintage]

Preservation does not mean static. You preserve something, usually life, and not the means of life. If change is necessary to preserve life, I do not think it impossible for Preservation to make changes.

TLR being eternal could have stock pile only for him. Maybe he meant to bury himself with Ruin for the time it was necessary or by a mean of escaping destruction once Ruin would have been freed... just rambling. I really don't know, but one thing I am sure. He stocked piled food for himself alone. I don't see him sharing.

[Comatose]

Then why so much?  And why the map?  Surely if it's that important, he would rmemeberi t on his own, and not need to worry about his metal minds being changed.  The map was to show someone else that statlin city was important.

[Vintage]

But the question is : Did the Lord Ruler made that steel map ? For all we know, it could also have been Kwaan. And so much because it could be weeks, months, maybe years before he could come out.

[darxbane]

Comatose, if you had something that important to you, you wouldn't write it down, just to make sure you would remember?  TLR knew he had discovered a way to live indefinitely, but he was in uncharted territory.  He didn't know how his mind would be affected by living so long.  Age affects your memory, and even very important things can be forgotten or mixed up sometimes.  Rashek most likely didn't have the same ability to remember that his uncle had, so he had a map etched out with the name of a place he did not want to forget about.

[AvalonDreamer]

The Kwaan theory is a good one, but how much modern detail did the map have? One of the downsides of EUOL's writing style is that we really don't know much about outside of Luthadel, if we knew something more about Statlin City, we could cook up a slightly less air-brained theory about it. What is most likely though, is it's something we haven't even considered, and it's almost definitely not the Atium cache - Brandon isn't that transparent.

[darxbane]

He can be sometimes.  Besides, sometimes it is best to hide something in plain sight, for he knows that we will believe it to be too easy.  I don't believe the Atium cache is that big a deal anymore.  Vin found a way to fight without Atium, and the battle for it changed once the kings pledged to Elend.  I am by no means saying that they are going to just waltz right in and take it, but I am pretty sure it is there.