Author Topic: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes  (Read 3135 times)

Elladan259

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Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« on: April 07, 2010, 02:28:42 PM »
Hi,

I have a questions. I read in the book that under the Lord Ruler, the Steel Inquisitors had 9 spikes. So they had 8 spikes for the normal allomantic abilities, and only one left. But they needed one more. One would be a feruchemical spike which granted the user healing abilities. And the other one would be an atium spike. In the book they burned it often, but how? But then, how could they burn Atium? They would have needed an Atium spike (xtremel expensive) and an mistborn (because atium mistings weren't discovered).

Somehow, the number of the spike just don't make sense. There should be 10. Do you have some ideas, or is it just an mistake by Brandon Sanderson?

Thanks, Elladan259

douglas

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2010, 04:03:20 PM »
That's odd, I seem to remember 11 spikes being the standard.

Atium mistings actually were known, just not by anyone outside The Lord Ruler, his Inquisitors, and a few trusted Obligators.  It's mentioned somewhere, maybe in one of the annotations, that the Inquisitors or their minions would secretly spike drinks at some of the balls with tiny amounts of Atium, then use their Seeker powers to watch for short pulses of Atium-burning as the unwitting Atium mistings unconsciously burned the Atium in a fraction of a second.

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2010, 04:12:23 PM »
There hasn't been a clear answer, but it does vary. Also, Inquisitors don't need to have all basic Allomantic powers. We only generally see them using the physical metals. I'd imagine they wouldn't need all of the mental powers.
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Czanos

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2010, 05:32:26 PM »
Plus, most Inquisitors were Mistings beforehand, if not full Mistborn. They don't need spikes in their native powers. Spikes would probably be granted for the physical powers and bronze, but the others are only of marginal usefulness if you already have the power. I would guess that Atium burning Inquisitors were spiked Mistborn.
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Patriotic Kaz

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2010, 06:04:15 PM »
Czanos we found out later in the books, from Yemen i believe, that the Inquisitors sometimes spike the drinks with minuscule amounts of atium to find seers among the nobility and then steal it.
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2010, 08:54:17 PM »
The official answer is that the number varies depending on how many Mistings they can find and sacrifice. Not all Inquisitors will have all the same powers.
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Elladan259

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Re: Steel Inquisitor - Number of Spikes
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2010, 06:57:26 PM »
That's odd, I seem to remember 11 spikes being the standard.
That's partially true. In fact, Marsh had in the beginning 11 spikes (when the Lord Ruler was still alive).
But the standard set is:
Quote

Two through the eyes and one through the shoulders: all steel. Six through the ribs: two steel, four bronze.
(hero of Ages, p. 45 - Vin and Elend discuss the standard set and a new spike of a dead Inquisitor)

Atium mistings actually were known, just not by anyone outside The Lord Ruler, his Inquisitors, and a few trusted Obligators.  It's mentioned somewhere, maybe in one of the annotations, that the Inquisitors or their minions would secretly spike drinks at some of the balls with tiny amounts of Atium, then use their Seeker powers to watch for short pulses of Atium-burning as the unwitting Atium mistings unconsciously burned the Atium in a fraction of a second.
That's very interesting, I didn't know this.

@Czanos:
Quote
In most cases, however, Inquisitors were created from Misting. It appears that Seekers, like Marsh, were the favored recruits. (Hero of Ages, p. 324)
An Inquisitor, who was a Seeker before his transformation would therefore have an enhanced ability to use bronze. This simple fact explains how many Inquisitors were able to pierce copperclouds. (Hero of Ages, p. 401)