The Comprehensive Hemalurgy Thread

[Miyabi]

I would agree with what you're saying, it is very significant that they drive the brass spike through the heart. I was actually referring to my belief that they likely drove every spike through the heart of a different sacrifice, and it had something to do with the blood.

It could, however, be related to which spike through which organ = power x. That leaves us with a lot of possibilities for power x though, and many different combinations to get it. Also, glad to be the source of an epiphany .

I also think that certain metal + organ to this equation.

[Czanos]

So you think that hemalurgy is just some sort of process that allows people to access abilities that are stored in their blood? That's an interesting idea.

Not neccesarily an ability to directly use abilities in one's blood, just that coincidentally that's where the power is stored. Like if an Allomancer tries to burn a feruchemical storage that they made. They're burning the metal to preform an Allomantic act, and there just happens to be an added source of power in this metal that they can use. So a Hemalurgist would be using their blood to preform an act of Hemalurgy, and they are able to tap into the other latent abilities of the blood they're using.

[Andrew the Great]

So they use their blood as the source of hemalurgy, but they also have the ability to use allomancy while doing so because the ability is in their blood? That's really kind of cool, and does sort of make sense.

The main problem with that that I can see is that the inquisitors would always have to use hemalurgy (whatever it does) to access allomancy. Though admittedly, that could explain why they need to rest so often.

[JCHancey]

The only problem I have with the blood transfusion theory is that eventually they would run out of the blood that contained the certain power. They usually give misting the hooks right? Maybe they use the hook and replace one of the spikes that is in their body... OR took the organs from the other person and put them into a new SI (looking for a kidney donor... hahahaha, but prologue ruins that one...) that would satisfy ruins love for pain 2 in the lungs 1 in the heart 1 in the pancreas 2 in the kidneys 1 in the liver the 2 in the eyes 1 linch pin... vital organs in the torso anyone?

[Miyabi]

The only problem I have with the blood transfusion theory is that eventually they would run out of the blood that contained the certain power. They usually give misting the hooks right? Maybe they use the hook and replace one of the spikes that is in their body... OR took the organs from the other person and put them into a new SI (looking for a kidney donor... hahahaha, but prologue ruins that one...) that would satisfy ruins love for pain 2 in the lungs 1 in the heart 1 in the pancreas 2 in the kidneys 1 in the liver the 2 in the eyes 1 linch pin... vital organs in the torso anyone?

The linchpin is obviously in the spine.

[JCHancey]

I think that just makes sense seeing as how Marsh puts the spike through the feruchemist into the heart. One spike per each organ in the torso, pull the 2 in the eyes. I hope what we read was how they create SI's... otherwise Brandon is of Ruin.

[SarahG]

2 in the lungs 1 in the heart 1 in the pancreas 2 in the kidneys 1 in the liver the 2 in the eyes 1 linch pin... vital organs in the torso anyone?

That only adds up to 10 (2 lungs, 1 heart, 1 pancreas, 2 kidneys, 1 liver, 2 eyes, 1 spine), which organ do you think gets the 11th?

Good heavens, all this discussion is getting gory!  I guess that's inevitable, when you talk about Inquisitors.  I'm amazed at how much I like the Mistborn series in spite of its graphic nature.  It's like Master and Commander: I love watching that movie even though I close my eyes for several scenes.

[Andrew the Great]

I think that just makes sense seeing as how Marsh puts the spike through the feruchemist into the heart. One spike per each organ in the torso, pull the 2 in the eyes. I hope what we read was how they create SI's... otherwise Brandon is of Ruin.

I would assume so. You're short one spike, though. Never mind, sarah already said that while I was typing.

[JCHancey]

Stomach? Apendix? Small/large intestines?

[Comatose]

What if Hemalurgy can be influenced by Ruin and Preservation, and it's jsutbeing influenced by Ruin now because he's stronger.
OK, it's a bit of a longshot, but just listen through:  The mists, we can agree are a sort of neutral force, stabilityand chaos and can be utilized by both Ruin and Preservation right.  So why should the mists pulling away signiy ruin, and mists pull towards signify preservation, when the mists are neutral and can be used by both sides.  What if the mists pull away from hemalurgist because they are so polar: the are being directly influenced by one of the powers at any particular time, (hearing voices being controlled), and the mists are a sort of balance.  So what if Allomancer, who pull the mist to them, are really just balanced between Ruin and Preservation al lthe time.  I'm leaveing Feruchemists out of this system, since they dp nothing to the mists.  So while the lord ruler was in charge, i kept the world in check, thus limiting the power of ruin, and preservation was stronger, and so preservation controlled Vin;s mom and gave her hemalurgy, for some purpose of it;s  own, but then when the land is thrown in to chaos, Ruin takes control of the earring in order to draw Vin to him.  Sorry, I should finish this on the Ruin/Preservation thread, but basically, what if Hemalurgist are of Ruin and PResrevation, jsut not at the same time?  I'll continue on the other thread since I got way off topic there!

[Miyabi]

Stomach? Apendix? Small/large intestines?

Stomach was my first thought.  Appendix is just in a very odd place for a spike to go through and stay, same with the intestines.

[JCHancey]

just throwing them out there gall bladder!

[CopperEye]

Not to hijack the current discussion, but I found something in WoA that I think applies to hemalurgy.  It's possibly the first time we see hemalurgy from a first person perspective.

WoA, Hardback, Ch 57, p.557 (quoted relevant parts)

Vin walked through the mists. Elend, Ham, and Spook trailed behind her,…

Vin continued on, feeling the pulsings, the thumpings, the power that shook her very soul.  Why couldn’t the others feel it?
...
She just shook her head.  She knew the truth, now.  The Well was in the city.  With how strong the pulsings were growing, she might have assumed that their direction would be harder to discern.
…
“Vin,” Elend said.  “The mists are acting … strangely.”
“I know,” she said, “They’re guiding me.”
“No, actually,” Elend said. “They kind of look like they’re pulling away from you.”

So if the mists are pulling away from Vin is she using hemalurgy?  The only thing she is actively doing during this time is feeling the pulses.  So does feeling pulses = hemalurgy?  I think ealier in the book she mentions that she can almost feel the pulses without allomancy.  I'm gonna try and find that reference.

[Czanos]

The only problem I have with the blood transfusion theory is that eventually they would run out of the blood that contained the certain power. They usually give misting the hooks right? Maybe they use the hook and replace one of the spikes that is in their body... OR took the organs from the other person and put them into a new SI (looking for a kidney donor... hahahaha, but prologue ruins that one...) that would satisfy ruins love for pain 2 in the lungs 1 in the heart 1 in the pancreas 2 in the kidneys 1 in the liver the 2 in the eyes 1 linch pin... vital organs in the torso anyone?

Back to this point, I was thinking that the Inquisitors might not use up the blood, but either use up the metals within the blood or some resevoir within the blood like in Feruchemy. Thus the Allomantic and Feruchemical powers they wish to use are always contained within their blood, just not the power to use their Hemalurgical abilities. (Like how a metal that used to have a Feruchemical storage in it cannot be used for Feruchemy unless it is refilled, but it can always be used for Allomancy via burning.)

This way, because Hemalurgists have the ability to tap into power stored within their blood, and they have Allomantic blood, they can always tap into their Allomancy, but it would still require burning metals to use Allomancy. (Of course, they may be able to just burn off the metals already in their bodies for the Hemalurgy. It then becomes competing resources, on if one would want to use the blood storages  for Allomantic or Hemalurgic purposes.) Then because the two systems draw from different sources, Hemalurgy from the reservoir within your blood or your blood itself, and Allomancy directly from the metal, they can be used in conjunction from one source of metal.  (And you could theoretically add in Feruchemy, letting you draw power from your own body, store it in the metals affecting your blood, and possibly burn those blood metals via Allomancy. I have no idea what benefit this would give you, but it shows all three systems working in tandem.)

And as for the organ conversation, I would agree on most of the organ choices, and Stomach would come to me first, but my question is on whether or not the piercing has to go through a specific organ in the sacrifice, in the Inquisitor to be, or both?

As for the pulses, I would assume that those are either a power of Hemalurgy, or a power of an Allomancy/Hemalurgy combination. Ruin could also just be using his probably Hemalurgy connection to make Vin "hear" the pulses in her mind. (And our newest beat box champion is . . . Ruin! Destroyer of Worlds!)

[Reaves]

I am curious, most people seem to take it as a given that using hemalurgy means burning blood. Do we have any evidence for this besides the fact that hema is latin for blood?