Yes, I know, this should be in the Comprehensive Hemalurgy thread, but I decided that it would be easier to find if it was at the beginning of a thread than twelve pages in. I've only gone through annotations and part of MB1 so far, so feel free to tell me anything and I'll add it.
If you haven't yet, read the comprehensive hemalurgy thread (link provided). It's all speculative, but hey, it may get us somewhere. Plus there are like 4 individual full-bodied theories on how and why hemalurgy works. Each has problems, but its a start.
The Comprehensive Hemalurgy ThreadThe general format I am taking for this is giving an exact reference, then explaining why I think it is significant. I am including anything that may have any possible relation to hemalurgy. If it directly mentions hemalurgy, I don't explain it. Also, this is the early version of my notes as I'm on my laptop and can't get on my desktop to get the full version (my little sister has homework) so it only goes up to MB1 Ch 3. Here we go.
From MB1 and MB2 Annotations:
1. MB1 Annotations: Chapter 9:
The mists and Allomancy feeling right to Vin have something to do with the ending, where she draws upon the mists for an extra burst of power. I'm afraid I can't say more until we get to future books.
Possibly hemalurgy related. I don't really know how, I just felt it should be included.
2. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Twenty-Two part One:
Feruchemy. Some like the word, others aren't as happy with it. It used to be called Hemalurgy, but I decided that would be a better word for the third magic system in the series. (You'll see it eventually.)
3. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-One:
Finally, we discuss Vin's ability to pierce copperclouds. There's actually something very strange going on here, but I can't tell you what it is until book three. Suffice it to say that there is an in-world, magic-related explanation for why Vin can do this while Kelsier cannot.
Included because Vin's ability to pierce copperclouds may be hemalurgy related.
4. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-Eight Part Two
You were probably expecting Marsh's return--at least, you probably were when you read the chapter where he 'died.' Making Inquisitors via Hemalurgy requires killing other people (see book three for an explanation of the process) so there's a lot of mess involved.
5. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-Eight Part Two:
He never understood how far his infiltration would take him, or what it would end up costing him. The payoff is that he figured out how to kill Inquisitors--they were all built to have a weakness, so that the Lord Ruler would have power over them if he needed it. Pull out the right spike, and they come tumbling down.
Included because the Inquisitors' weakness may be hemalurgy related, and inquisitors certainly are.
6. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-Eight Part Two:
Marsh's plan to kill the Lord Ruler is a good one too. Unfortunately, the Lord Ruler's power doesn't come only from Hemalurgy, but from other things as well. If he'd pulled off the bracelets instead. . . .
By the way, the mists getting pushed away from Vin and Kar here is a clue of some sorts. Inquisitors push away the mists, rather than attracting them, when they use their powers. I'll explain this in book three too.
7. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-Eight Part Three
My one disappointment with this chapter is that I had to end up making it look like I was breaking my own rules. The Allomancy-Feruchemy-Hemalurgy triad is one of the most complex magic systems I've ever devised. The interplay between the three systems, mixed into the mythology of the setting (which involves the mists at a foundational level) makes for some very complicated rules. I try to explain them as simply as possible--simple, basic rules are necessary for most sequences to work.
Yet, the depth of complexity leads to some things that are confusing at first glance. I wasn't planning on having Vin draw upon the mists in this book--I was going to save it for later--but the initial version of this chapter (which had Vin simply grabbing the bracelets off the Lord Ruler's arms with her hands) lacked the proper drama or impact. So, I moved up my timetable, and gave her access to some abilities she wasn't going to get until the next book.
8. MB1 Annotations, Chapter Thirty-Eight Part Three
It is a matter of degree of power. Vin, for reasons I'll explain eventually, has access to far more Allomantic power than regular people. The Lord Ruler is the same way, though for different reasons. And so, he can affect metals that are blocked by blood. Vin has to draw upon another, external source of power in order to produce the same effect, but it is possible for her.
Included due to the fact that Vin's extra power may be due to hemalurgy in some way or another.
9. MB2 Annotations Chapter Twenty-Seven:
However, there's more behind this, and the cutting worked very well into the interaction of the different magic systems in the book. Particularly Hemalurgy. The pain makes the voice in Zane's head weaker. There will be more on this later.
From the books:
MB1: (Includes ALL references, even ones that are simply possibilities.
1. (Possible) MB1 Prologue Epigraph
Sometimes I worry that I’m not the hero everyone thinks I am.
The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms.
What would they think if they knew their champion – their Hero of Ages, their savior – doubted himself? Perhaps they wouldn’t be shocked at all. In a way, this is what worries me most. Maybe, in their hearts, they wonder – just as I do.
When they see me, do they see a liar?
Included due to the possibility of the bolded line referring to hemalurgy in some form or another. There has been some discussion about this, but I figured I might as well include it.
2. MB1 Chapter 2:
Kelsier closed his eyes, exhaling softly. It seemed that the Steel Ministry caught up with everyone eventually. Sometimes, Kelsier felt that a skaa Misting’s life wasn’t so much about surviving as it was about picking the right time to die.
Included due to the line about the Steel ministry catching up with everyone eventually. This may be the result of hemalurgical powers. Once again, not sure, but we may as well include it for speculative purposes.
3. MB 1 Chapter 2:
The second man was tall with a strong build. As he turned, Kelsier was able to see that a thick metal spike had been pounded tip-first through each of the man’s eyes. With shafts as wide as an eye socket, the nail-like spikes were long enough that their sharp points jutted out about an inch from the back of the man’s clean-shaven skull. The flat spike ends shone like two silvery disks, sticking out of the sockets in front, where the eyes should have been.
A Steel Inquisitor.
Included due to the fact that we are almost certain Inquisitors are hemalurgists, as well as the fact that we see here the spikes in the eyes, which, along with the other nine, are most likely the reason Inquisitors can use hemalurgy.
4. MB1 Chapter 3:
"Pray the creature never catches your trail again, lass," Dockson said quietly, sipping his wine.
Vin paled. "You mean you didn’t kill the Inquisitor?"
Kelsier shook his head. "I just distracted him for a bit – which was quite dangerous enough, I might add. Don’t worry, many of the rumors about them aren’t true. Now that he’s lost your trail, he won’t be able to find you again."
"Most likely," Dockson said.
Vin glanced at the shorter man apprehensively.
"Most likely," Kelsier agreed. "There are a lot of things we don’t know about the Inquisitors – they don’t seem to follow the normal rules. Those spikes through their eyes, for instance, should kill them. Nothing I’ve learned about Allomancy has ever provided an explanation for how the creatures keep living. If it were only a regular Misting Seeker on your trail, we wouldn’t need to worry. An Inquisitor…well, you’ll want to keep your eyes open. Of course, you already seem pretty good at that."
Included due to the mention of Inquisitors and their spikes. Kelsier mentioned that the spikes should kill them, and as far as he knows, alomancy shouldn’t allow them to survive. Now Kelsier could be wrong, but we have seen no evidence to the contrary. If the ability to survive doesn’t come from Allomancy, it almost certainly comes from Feruchemy or Hemalurgy. Since Feruchemy seems to be an all-or-nothing power, and we have not seen the Inquisitors do anything with Feruchemy yet, it follows that they are not Feruchemists. Therefore, they must use hemalurgy to survive, though we aren’t sure exactly how.
I'll add the rest of my notes when I get the chance, and will gladly add anything you guys give me. All I ask is that you include exactly where you got the quote from and why you think it is important. It makes my life easier. I now need to do my chemistry. I really ought to learn to not procrastinate...
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