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Difference between revisions of "Hemalurgy"
→Mechanics: Organization, still mixed on how to organize a few points.
(→Mechanics: Added that people found a method to avoid post-creation Hemalurgic decay entirely.) |
(→Mechanics: Organization, still mixed on how to organize a few points.) |
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Hemalurgy is named for a quirk in bind point placement: due to the interaction between the [[Spiritual Realm|Spiritual]] and Physical Realms, the spike must come in contact with moving blood in order to remove or add an attribute.{{book ref|mb3|42}}{{wob ref|1265}}{{wob ref|2801}} A spike can be charged if the Hemalurgist stabs the donor with the spike or if it is thrown at them, as long as there is [[Intention|Intent]] and it hits the right bind point.{{wob ref|12677}} Spike guns have also been invented for Hemalurgists to use. Intent is important, but the way Hemalurgy interacts with the [[Cognitive Realm]], if it does so at all, is unknown.
Hemalurgy can be used anywhere in the [[cosmere]],{{wob ref|12018}}{{wob ref|5537}} as long as there is an Intent to create a Hemalurgic spike,{{wob ref|6312}} and it has indeed shown up at least once on a different planet, though in a subtle way.{{wob ref|1716}} Hemalurgy can also steal attributes from other forms of Investiture.{{wob ref|1190}} Hemalurgy can be used on animals{{wob ref|6095}} but not on plants.{{wob ref|8173}}▼
For some reason, Hemalurgic spikes don't cause infections.{{wob ref|8273}}▼
=== Stealing of Attributes ===
Since Hemalurgy involves the transfer of Investiture from one person to another, if the donor is killed, they will enter the Cognitive Realm in a damaged state and be pulled to the [[Beyond]] faster. Likewise, if a recipient dies, they will take longer to leave, since they are more Invested.{{wob ref|1528}}
It is not thought to be possible for multiple attributes to be stolen from the same person.{{wob ref|9463}} However, a single spike can take the same attribute from multiple people.{{book ref|mb7|47}} There is a maximum number of spikes a person can have before causing issues of mental and/or physical limitations.{{book ref|mb7|part=ars}}{{wob ref|11327}}
=== Receiving of Attributes ===
The number of spikes a person can take has been reduced since Ruin was merged with Preservation. If too many spikes are added, the soul stops gaining powers. [[Compounding]] is also inaccessible, under normal methods, to any Hemalurgist made after the Shards merged.{{book ref|mb7|28}}{{book ref|mb7|part=ars}} There are ways to bypass this limitation, but said ways are currently unknown. This relates to the nature of Ruin's subservience to Preservation in the current dual vessel of Harmony and something known as "Identity contamination".{{book ref|mb7|28}}{{book ref|mb7|part=ars}}
This was likely done without a conscious decision by Harmony, and more of a byproduct of Ruin no longer pushing on the fabric of Scadrial.{{book ref|mb7|part=ars}}
▲Hemalurgy can be used anywhere in the [[cosmere]],{{wob ref|12018}}{{wob ref|5537}} as long as there is an Intent to create a Hemalurgic spike,{{wob ref|6312}} and it has indeed shown up at least once on a different planet, though in a subtle way.{{wob ref|1716}} Hemalurgy can also steal attributes from other forms of Investiture.{{wob ref|1190}} Hemalurgy can be used on animals{{wob ref|6095}} but not on plants.{{wob ref|8173}}
▲For some reason, Hemalurgic spikes don't cause infections.{{wob ref|8273}}
=== Law of Hemalurgic Decay ===
After the spike pierces through the initial person and is Hemalurgically charged, the '''Law of Hemalurgic Decay''' states that the spike loses some of its potency.{{epigraph ref|mb3|36}} The longer a spike is outside a body, the weaker it becomes.{{book ref|mb3|34}} Thus, when the [[Steel Ministry]] created an [[Inquisitor]], the spikes were driven directly through a victim into the bindpoint of the Inquisitor below to minimize the spike's time spent outside of a person.{{book ref|mb3|prologue}} Additionally, spikes which are physically broken into several pieces will split the charge into the broken pieces, and more Hemalurgic power will be lost when spikes are split.{{wob ref|4618}}
Despite the decay, a spike will never completely lose its charge.{{wob ref|9534}}
Coating a spike with blood can reduce the Hemalurgic decay significantly. It is unknown how much blood is necessary to make that effect happen;{{book ref|mb5|6}} however, the blood does not need to be fresh nor separated from a body, with cuts of meat large enough to contain the spike also sufficing to reduce decay. This works by 'tricking' the spike into believing that it is buried in a body.{{wob ref|14902}} It is possible that encasing spikes in [[aluminum]] may prevent decay.{{wob ref|5060}} Even outside of blood, a spike will never completely lose its charge.{{wob ref|9534}}▼
==== Reduction of Hemalurgic Decay ====
▲Coating a spike with blood can reduce the Hemalurgic decay significantly. It is unknown how much blood is necessary to make that effect happen;{{book ref|mb5|6}} however, the blood does not need to be fresh nor separated from a body, with cuts of meat large enough to contain the spike also sufficing to reduce decay. This works by 'tricking' the spike into believing that it is buried in a body.{{wob ref|14902}} It is possible that encasing spikes in [[aluminum]] may prevent decay.{{wob ref|5060
Eventually, Arcanists discovered a way to completely avoid Hemalurgic decay outside of the body.{{book ref|mb7|part=ars}}{{wob ref|16192}} However, there is still an amount of Investiture lost during the creation of the spike.{{wob ref|16192}} The exact method behind this is unknown.
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