The Koloss

[Vintage]

To my knowledge, there is no mention of where in their body they found the nails. And I confirm, it doesn't say anywhere that Kandra have nails. However, who saw a naked kandra ? Or even just a corpse ? Brandon is hiding something...

[Comatose]

What in hemalurgty, the position of the spike matters.  The steel spike is in the back, in inquisitors and Zane, and poke throught the chest, where all the steel and iron lines point to.  Vin's earing let's her HEAR pulses thorugh copper clouds, and the pulsing of the well, coincidence?  Maybe the position of the koloss's nail has something to do with their powers.

[darxbane]

We actually don't know what Zane's spike is made of, and the Inq's steel spike does not pierce the chest, just the back, and it travels straight down between the shoulder blades.  However, I stll like your theory, as the spike would still be in the chest area.  That could mean that the two eye spikes would be zinc and brass, since they travel through the brain.

[Czanos]

I seem to recall reading in the book that the eye spikes are both steel. Lemme see if I can find it . . .

Ooh, nope. They're iron. p.70 in Well of Ascension.

And an ominous danger it was. The stranger waited quietly on the worn road, wearing a black robe, standing almost as tall as Sazed himself. The man was bald, and he wore no jewelry--unless, of course, you counted the massive iron spikes that had been driven point first through his eyes.

[AvalonDreamer]

Facing one of those though, would you notice the difference between Iron and Steel? That does support my theory about how hemalurgy works, but if I'm right, then the Koloss' nails would be pewter or brass, and it was never quite mentioned what they were made of, I think...

[Vintage]

No it wasn't. The only quote that talks about it is in the opening post of this thread. It really doesn't say much.

[Czanos]

As for Sazed noticing the difference, I would bet that he would be able to tell based on the facts that he spent a fair amount of time with Marsh before they split up after the Lord Ruler's death, and he was in a stable frame of mind when he saw Marsh again. Sazed doesn't seem like the type to mention the iron spikes if he wasn't sure of their composition. He would have just thought "metal" or some such.

[AvalonDreamer]

True, true. Then my theory gains another hole in it... Any ideas what passive ability steel would grant, given that Iron grants the ability to see metal? lol.

On a more serious note: I'm surprised someone hasn't jumped in and gotten on us for tangenting so badly...

[darxbane]

Better not to remind them.     Anyway, I believe the book seems to contradict itself slightly.   If I remember correctly, Sazed's point of view during the end fight with Marsh mentions that the eye spikes appear to be 2 different metals.

[Vintage]

Sorry, Darxounet  , but here is the quote :

"Why did you come ?" Marsh whispered as Sazed struggled to his knees. "Everything was going so well." He watched with iron eyes as Sazed slowly crawled away.

So Iron eyes again. It is not a coļncidence. We should call Marsh "Iron Eyes" to not forget anymore.

[AvalonDreamer]

I don't know if that was to say that the eyes were made of iron, or if his gaze gave off an especially solemn feel - the same gaze that gave him the name. Further supporting evidence? Maybe we'll have to wait for the annotation...

[darxbane]

I have got to finish Elantris so I can read that scene again.  I thought the different metals were noticed after Sazed smashes him in the face with that lantern.  To Avalon's point, it could also just be easier to refer to the spikes as iron. 

I like how my tag looks when half translated to french, by the way.    What would it look like fully translated?

[Czanos]

I doubt that. While the argument holds true for the quote during the fight, the way Sazed mentioned the iron spikes in the first quote goes against that logic. He said iron spikes, implying that there were at least two spikes made of iron jutting out of his eye sockets.

While I would accept other spikes in the Marsh's body being made of different metals, both eye spikes are iron.

[AvalonDreamer]

Right, makes sense then. Migrating back to the topic (I know, taboo, eh?) is it ever cited what the metal the Koloss' spikes are made of? Also, where are they located? (I just wrote a novel's worth of term papers, so I'm a bit muddled right now...)

[Vintage]

No it wasn't. The only quote that talks about it is in the opening post of this thread. It really doesn't say much.

Well, I can't add more to this, Avalon. lol

As for the use of steel... could it be because it would be the only metal not modifiable by Ruin ? I notice that Kwaan's plate was in steel, and also the map in the Lord Ruler's private basement. It also holds the life of the Inquisitors together so much that they are called the "Steel Ministry". Well, I'll keep on reading for clues as long as we don't find out.