Hey, that's no fair. I intend to write out the theories tomorrow after I finish my essay. I have the screenshots to prove my order hasn't shipped yet! ...Unfortunately.
Besides, everyone knows my theories anyways. I could virtually copy and paste my posts from previous topics and be set. I'm pretty sure all of us can stand by this.
EDIT: Plus, I hold it to everyone to brag that they got the book in the Countdown thread somewhere along the lines of "MUWHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! I R HAVE IT!" Or something.
EDIT (again): The next segment in my massive post.
PART THREE - HEMALURGY3-A Hemalurgical Theory, Lightning-Rod HemalurgyHemalurgy is this mythical magic system that is completely unmentioned in
Final Empire and
Well of Ascension, but it is integral nonetheless. It is what Steel Inquisitors have that keeps them alive and the reasoning behind why metal spikes are "in" nowadays. Before the MB3 Sample Chapters, we only knew of Hemalurgy from annotations which referred to its name. The most important parts of Hemalurgy are: 1. It pushes the mists away; 2. It has a connection with blood; 3. It utilizes metal; 4. It grants decidedly non-Allomantic or Feruchemical properties; 5. Large amounts of Hemalurgy makes Inquisitors tired.
I am going with the assumption that Hemalurgy is a new magic system, not merely a system that compounds powers from other magics. No, Hemalurgy is its own thing, and I make this claim by citing that Brandon usually talks about it as the "third magic system" in annotations, as well as in the news post with the table of Allomantic metals, where Brandon says the table will list Allomantic, Feruchemical, and Hemalurgical properties. That statement implies that Hemalurgy has different effects from other magic systems.
Now, going off of that assumption that it is a new magic system than Allomancy and Feruchemy, we automatically know some basic things about Hemalurgy. Firstly, it uses metals in some manner like the other two systems do. The clear evidence that Hemalurgy uses metals is... well, the gigantic spikes thrust into Inquisitor's eyes. Metals piercing the body, not merely touching as Feruchemy and not inside the stomach like Allomancy, is absolutely vital for Hemalurgy to work. If it weren't, then there would be no need for metal spikes,
especially metal spikes located in particular painful places. Secondly, each metal in Hemalurgy does different things, just as Iron and Pewter do not do the same things in Allomancy and Feruchemy. Knowing this, we also can assume that Inquisitor's spikes are made of different metals (as seen in the Conventical of Seran) for different Hemalurgical properties.
The next key thing that Hemalurgy does--as seen by the Inquisitors--is that the mists are pushed away from the Hemalurgist, which is exactly the opposite from Allomancy's effect on the mists. Now, why is that important? Well, the mists are the foundation of the magic system, and the mists reacting to Allomancy/Hemalurgy is something very interesting. I believe that Hemalurgy is sort of an opposite to Allomancy in this respect. So, let's analyze what Allomancy does. Allomancy burns the metal's power through the body for an external effect. What if Hemalurgy is the opposite to that, burning the
body's power through the metals?
I call this Lightning-rod Hemalurgy. Under this model, a metal spike acts as a lightning rod or focus for the body's power. This idea doesn't seem very far-fetched for my tastes, since Inquisitor's do get tired quite a lot, so they need to rest. I think this is because the process of using Hemalurgy drains their own strength, "burning" the body's energy instead of the metals. Looking at it that way, an Inquisitor does not actually burn the metal spikes away, but just utilizes the body's energy. Also, in the MB3 prologue, the first sentence of paragraph five is "The spikes gave him power." Speaking of Marsh, naturally.
Plausibility: Plausible in my mind, but this does not explain the Allomantic ability or how that works. If the reasoning behind that is explained differently than this method, then consider this model relatively useless.
Flaws: Well, it doesn't explain why the mists are pushed away or the necessity for blood.
Related Topics: Every Hemalurgy article.
3-B Imbued MetalsMy Hemalurgy model does not explain the vital importance of a blood sacrifice, which is very important to Hemalurgy. Hemalurgy and blood have a long history of coexistence. Marsh describes the process of creating an Inquisitor as a "messy business" more than once, requiring more than one body to create an Inquisitor. Clearly, the process is more detailed than stabbing metal spikes into the body.
To "activate" a metal for Hemalurgy, or
Hemalurgify, a sort of blood sacrifice is required. I call these metals which have been blood-activated as "imbued metals", because "Hemalurgified metals" is a handful to say. I'd imagine it is one sacrifice per metal, because in the end of the MB3 Prologue: "The spike would need to pierce the man's body, passing through the heart, then be driven into the body of the Inquisitor tied below. Hemalurgy was a messy art." Apparently, it is not merely blood, but a particular organ that must be pierced for the sacrifice.
I have always known the importance of blood sacrifices, but I have never quite understood why. But now that I have looked at the MB3 Prologue once again, I have come up with some semblance of a theory. "The spikes protruded from the back of his skull; if he reached up to touch the back of his head, he could feel the sharp points. There was no blood." There was
no blood from his spike. I think this rather logical: if you have eleven spikes stuck through vital organs, I don't think you operate like a normal human being any more. Your organs do not work--your eyes and brain are obviously pierced (that can't be good)--so essentially, you are dead. All that keeps you alive are your spikes. Why is that?
Well, perhaps the sacrifice and stabbing a spike through a particular organ imbues the metal with the strength from the body. For example, if you were an Inquisitor and have a spike through your heart, your heart no longer works, but perhaps you are operating by using the power of the sacrifice's heart. Maybe. I'm throwing that out there as a possibility. Under that idea, maybe the particular metal of a spike is only important for its
external effect, not actually keeping the Hemalurgist alive. Keeping the Inquisitor alive is the reason behind sacrifices, not necessarily the effect of burning the body's power.
Plausibility: The reasoning for blood sacrifices is something I just came up with now. You should take this theory for a grain of salt. I don't know if I'm convinced of it... but it really sounds good.
Flaws: The necessity for blood is something I don't quite understand.
Related Topics: Everything about Hemalurgy.
3-C External Effects & Power StealingLet's get this one out of the way: I do not know what Hemalurgy does. I have a vague idea that it is a new magic system, and the metal spike determines the ability, but I have no idea what any of said abilities are. Over the course of theorizing on TWG, two schools of thought have arised about Hemalurgy's actual abilities: 1. Passive Hemalurgy, and 2. Active Hemalurgy.
"Passive Hemalurgy" entails that whatever Hemalurgy's effects are, users of Hemalurgy do not know when they activate the power. The effect is sort of latent and does not require the user to make the conscious effort to use it, as an Allomancer would burn a metal or a Feruchemist would tap a metalmind. There is a strong case for Passive Hemalurgy, because I think it is pretty obvious Marsh does not need to make a conscious effort to stay alive. An Inquisitor staying alive would be an excellent example of a Passive or unconscious effect. However, if my 3-B theory is right, then that point would be moot. In this section, we are trying to determine the external effects of Hemalurgy, not something that is just intrinsic to a blood sacrifice.
Since Allomancy and Feruchemy are both active, conscious magics, I must think that for the sake of symmetry that Hemalurgy is also active. The process, as I theorize in 3-A, is to actively use the body's energy through the metal spikes for some external effect. One effect we know for certain is that Inquisitors heal quickly. Another one of the clearest effects we see is the use of Allomancy. The question arises whether Inquisitors really use Allomancy, or it is some sort of Hemalurgical construct. And if it is a Hemalurgical construct, how do metal spikes give off an effect very similar to Allomancy, when Hemalurgy should be a different magic system?
There are more divisions in thought here. One idea is that if Elend received Allomancy from the 15th metal, then couldn't Inquisitors just eat the same metal and automatically become Mistborn? Well, after seeing Elend's power in MB3 Chapter 3 and its near-Lord Ruler power, I do not think this is how Inquisitors received Allomancy, because if so, they would almost be their own Lord Ruler in itself, which Inquisitors are not described as.
No, another, much more probable theory is that Hemalurgy has some sort of ability to steal power from a sacrifice. Sacrifice a misting who burns Pewter, and bam, now with a pewter spike, you have the ability to burn Pewter like an Allomancer. This could also be why the Inquisitors are killing Feruchemists: kill a Feruchemist and gain their power. However, I cannot reconcile this idea with my 3-A model. Power stealing can't be all there is to Hemalurgy, there
has to be something more. Indeed, it is different than pure Allomancy, but how and why does it differ?
I have no idea.
Another idea is that Hemalurgy pumps up basic Allomancy, like something that enhances basic attributes. But still, I refuse to believe that is all Hemalurgy is. There is something more, but I do not know what it is.
Plausibility: I do not know.
Flaws: Too many divergent theories. Which one is correct?
Related Topics: Vin's Earring, Hemalurgy and Mists
3-D Ruin and Hemalurgy (and Zane)One of the far more fascinating (and less frustrating, because it is easier to see) effects of Hemalurgy is its relationship with Ruin. Ruin--the thing Vin freed at the Well of Ascension--is an immensely manipulative being with colossal power. He manipulates metalminds and things not set in metal. In addition, Ruin uses Hemalurgy to its distinct advantage.
The force that controls Marsh is Ruin. We can assume that all new Inquisitors are also controlled by Ruin. Zane has a spike inside of him, and the voice of "God" says he was never insane. Well, the clearest explanation for that is Zane was hearing Ruin's voice all along and just interpreted it as "God". Certainly, killing everyone sounds like a thing Ruin would want--similarly to how when Marsh is under Ruin's grasp, he enjoys suffering--and Zane never heard Ruin want Vin dead. Obviously, Ruin wanted Vin to free him from the Well, so obviously Ruin wouldn't want Vin dead.
Ruin controls people who have metal stabbed into them. Zane's probably wasn't as bad as any Inquisitor because Inquisitor's have more spikes. I'm sure quantity is integral to that equation.
The question I have is: how? How does having metal spikes relate to hearing Ruin's voice? How does it relate to blood (since in an annotation Brandon said that when Zane cuts himself--letting out blood--it makes Ruin's voice weaker)? The answer is obvious: I have no idea.
Plausibility: It is absolutely plausible that Ruin and Hemalurgy has a connection--that much is undeniable. How it works, on the other hand, is a different story...
Flaws: No "how".
Related Topics: Hemalurgy and Mists.
3-E Preservation and HemalurgyWhile we see plenty of instances of Ruin's power, we see very little of Preservation's influence. There is one instance of a voice, however, which is definitely not Ruin. At the end of MB2, Sazed fights Marsh:
"I'm sorry," Marsh said again, then raised a hand and Pushed the bag at Sazed.
The pouch shot across the room and hit Sazed, ripping, the bits of metal inside tearing into Sazed's flesh. He didn't have to look down to know how badly he was injured. Oddly, he could no longer feel his pain--but he could feel the blood, warm, on his stomach and legs.
I'm... sory, too, Sazed thought as the room grew dark, and he fell to his knees. I've failed... though I know not at what. I can't even answer Marsh's question. I don't know why I came here.
He felt himself dying. It was an odd experience. His mind was resigned, yet confused, yet frustrated, yet slowly... having... trouble...
Those weren't coins, a voice seemed to whisper.
The thought rattled in his dying mind.
The bag Marsh shot at you. Those weren't coins. They were rings, Sazed. Eight of them. You took out two--eyesight and hearing. You left the other ones where they were.
In the pouch, tucked into your sash.
There is no reason why Ruin would tell Sazed this since Marsh--who Sazed is fighting--is controlled by Ruin. This voice is helping Sazed to defeat Marsh, and by consequence, foil Ruin's plan. Since there are only two prime forces in the world (Ruin and Preservation) and Ruin is not telling Sazed this, then obviously, this must be Preservation's voice.
It's interesting to note that this voice seems to also be Hemalurgy. The metal rings are sticking in Sazed's flesh here, and so I believe that this is Hemalurgy somehow. After all, I doubt Hemalurgy is that picky and requires metal spikes (metal spikes are just things that are the most convenient form of metal to pierce through organs and bone). I'm sure any metal piercing the flesh would work to some extent, as long as the metal is of Allomantic proportions. These rings definitely pierce the skin, so I don't think it's a stretch to assume this is Hemalurgy in action. Thus, Preservation could act through the metal spikes just as Ruin could. Ruin does not have exclusive power over Hemalurgy.
However, it's commonly assumed Hemalurgy requires blood sacrifice, and there isn't some massively convoluted process of the rings puncturing organs of a sacrifice here. The blood sacrifice is absent, yet some qualities of Hemalurgy exist (assuming that Preservation does indeed act through Hemalurgy as well). Of course, if theory 3-B is valid, then a sacrifice need not be required, because Sazed does not need an organ to become some weird Hemalurgical construct. Perhaps Preservation can talk to people who have metals without sacrifices and Ruin talks to people who have sacrificially-imbued metals, or perhaps Hemalurgy requires a blood sacrifice, but Ruin/Preservation talking through the metals does not require a sacrifice. I don't really know for certain.
The other thing that I noticed was, "Oddly, he could no longer feel his pain--but he could feel the blood, warm, on his stomach and legs.". Is it "odd" to no longer feel pain? Could this be a Hemalurgical property we don't know about yet?
There's also an instance where Elend hears a voice when he kills that one koloss, but I don't remember where that one is explicitly. That one is also most likely Preservation's voice (but since I do not have the quote, it could also be Ruin's voice).
Plausibility: The voice is definitely Preservation's.
Flaws: It seems to defy rules of Hemalurgy, but that could just mean our "rules" of Hemalurgy are incorrect.
Related Topics: Lightning rod Hemalurgy, Imbued Metals, Vin's Earring
3-F Vin's EarringVin pierces copperclouds. It seems excessively strange, but then if one looked closer at MB2, it is clear that Vin's earring is bronze. Bronze, the metal Seekers use. This is not a coincidence if Brandon clearly indicates that a particular item is made of the metal that just
happens to identify Allomantic pulses.
The earring pierces the flesh, so it qualifies as metal piercing the skin (the first requirement for Hemalurgy). Secondly, if you believe that all Hemalurgical metals needs to be imbued, then that condition is also met, because Vin's mother killed Vin's full sister. Blood sacrifice, check. And if you believe it must be a misting who needs to be sacrificed, well, Vin's sister was her
full sister who could definitely have latent Allomantic powers. Essentially every requirement of every conceivable Hemalurgical model agrees with the idea that this earring could qualify as a Hemalurgical construct.
The piercing of copperclouds could just be because "piercing copperclouds" is the external effect of bronze with Hemalurgy. In fact, Marsh confirms that Inquisitors can pierce copperclouds, so that lends to a whole new level of credence to this idea. Also, as Vin heads up to Kredik Shaw at the end of MB2, Elend says that the mists seem to be pushing away from Vin. Pushing away mists is another crucial part of Hemalurgy (see 5-C for more on that). It is the clearest solution to the question of how Vin pierces copperclouds: Hemalurgy.
Furthermore, I would say that Vin's earring is the best example of a theoretical Passive Hemalurgy. Vin certainly doesn't know she is using a form of Hemalurgy to pierce copperclouds.
Plausibility: The overwhelming evidence and logic behind it makes it seem
Phenomenally likely.
Flaws: How does Vin use this Hemalurgy? Is it active or passive?
Related Topics: Hemalurgy and mists, Mist burning