My rereading of MB1 has told me some things about the Steel Inquisitors. One thing is that Inquisitors sleep a lot. This hasn't been talking about in this topic, so I'm bringing it up now. I would suspect that this is partially where they get their healing powers--by sleeping a lot. Or, it could be that those spikes really hurt and they need to sleep to get over the pain.
Maybe, also, we should discuss why separating the spikes on an Inquisitor kills them. It could lead to some Hemalurgical revelations.
I am also now thinking that Vin's mom's "blood sacrifice" to make Vin a supposed Hemalurgist is fairly... mundane. Inquisitors require a lot of blood and lots of victims to create--but then again, their Hemalurgy is no doubt far more powerful than Vin's. But still. More blood and more sacrifice means more Hemalurgical abilities.
Hemalurgy by being a skaa power is interesting... and I love it so much .
I had discussed this previously, but it didn't take off, probably because I suggested that the Inquisitors may not actually use Hemalurgy. I have my arguments, but I don't want to get into that. Anyway, here is one of my quotes relating to Inquisitors resting and being killed by pulling a spike.
Hemalurgy is used to create Inquisitors, but does that mean that the Inquisitors use Hemalurgy? If they do, then it appears Hemalurgy is a cross between Feruchemy and Allomancy. They can push pull metals and maybe burn atium, but they appear also able to store health like a feruchemist. I believe (I'll have to check when I get home) that it mentions somewhere that the Inquisitors need to rest for long periods of time, presumably to store up health. The rod that is pulled from their backs that kills them probably stores this health. I can't wait for HoA, this speculating is killing me.
I apologize. Usually I'm pretty good at catching posts like that. Though, I looked in this topic, and it wasn't posted there. If you could point me to the topic where your post was, I would appreciate it.
Hmm. You do have a good point, VegasDev. Brandon has only confirmed that the Inquisitors were
created with Hemalurgy (by the way, VegasDev, that's how we know the Lord Ruler uses Hemalurgy, because he created the Inquisitors).
It's possible that they don't actually use Hemalurgy. Their powers, instead, could be the
result of the Lord Ruler's Hemalurgical process it took to create Inquisitors, rather than being because they consciously use Hemalurgy. Which, coincidentally, matches up with what the Lord Ruler said about Inquisitors.
"What do you think, child?" the Lord Ruler asked quietly. "To defeat me? Am I some common Inquisitor, my powers endowed fabrications?"
Fabrications. That's important.
Oh, and there seems to be a bit of confusion about that spike in Inquisitors' backs, that they seem to be different metals. Sorry to disappoint:
"Inquisitors!" the Lord Ruler yelled. "Come to--"
The Lord Ruler froze, noticing something sitting just outside the door. A small group of steel spikes, just like the one Marsh had pulled from Kar's back, lay piled on the floor. There looked to be about seven of them.
Steel, then, are what the spikes are made of. "Steel" ministry, "Steel" Inquisitors. We already know that the spikes in the Inquisitors' heads are made of steel, so, I think with the obsession of naming everything "Steel" whatever, that every spike in an Inquisitor is steel, not other metals.
Which, by the way, ruins your theory of Inquisitors storing health with Feruchemy. In Feruchemy, Steel stores Speed (Gold is the metal that stores health).
A good, valiant effort, VegasDev, but it seems we are all on the wrong path.
Moving onto the next post I should talk about:
Third, Kar implied that only a relatively pure bloodline would lead to a Skaa Mistborn who was this powerful. It does not mean that it is impossible for other nobles to bear Skaa Mistborn. Straff proves that with Zane. In fact, all of Straff's mistings are also born of Skaa mothers. The lord ruler didn't want Skaa to become Mistborn because he didn't want his gift given to those who opposed him.
Fourth, if the Lord Ruler had enough of these allomancy beads to give to all the noble ancestors and continue to make Inquisitors (they do die after a while), then why all the spikes? If he wanted a way to control them, why not just the one in the back? Has anyone thought about the fact that in order to see, an SI would need to burn Iron or steel at all times?
Yeah, I probably should have looked closer at the Kar passage when I posted that up.
Aha, about the burning steel all the time. I think, if all the spikes are made of steel, then there is plenty of steel to go around. That is probably one of the reasons for the spikes. If the spikes are the things that give Inquisitors their "fabricated" powers, however, then there is more to them than meets the eye.
On another note, I've been wondering about how there are only 12 spikes. Wouldn't this mean that they don't have the High Allomantic metal powers?...
There are eleven, actually.
"Does that... hurt, Marsh?" she asked. "The spikes, I mean."
He paused. "Yes. All eleven of them... throb. The pain reacts to my emotions somehow."
I suggest we all start citing sources from the books so we don't get off on tangents... we seem to be doing a very good job at that.
EDIT:
I would like to slightly revise my Inquisitor-Allomancy theory, or at least poke holes in it. If the 15th metal gave them Allomancy, then why does their Allomancy repel the mists? Think about it ;P