Hemalurgy
Hemalurgy is one of the three prime manifestations of Investiture on Scadrial. The natives of that world consider it one of the three Metallic Arts. It is the least understood of the three Arts.
Lore & Background
Hemalurgy is the most mysterious of the Metallic Arts, creating some of the most exotic things in the Final Empire. At its core, it involves stealing powers from one person and giving them to another. In order to do this, a metal spike must be stabbed through one person's body and then placed in the body of another. The placement of the spike determines what power charges the spike. As such Hemalurgy is the most complex of the Metallic Arts, and the Steel Ministry has experimented for centuries with little success at finding new ways to apply it. Typically, the correct placement of a spike is a vital organ, so the person who had their power stolen invariably dies.
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.[citation needed] The longer a spike is outside a body, the weaker it becomes. Thus, when the Steel Ministry creates an Inquisitor, the spikes are outside of a person for as little time as possible.
Hemalurgic Constructs
- Steel Inquisitors are created with nine to eleven spikes, which are charged with various Allomantic or Feruchemical powers.
- Koloss are created with four spikes, each charged with human strength. By twisting the power of creation and putting it into a human, the target is extremely warped, turning them into this strange koloss. No one can be blamed for not knowing koloss came from humans, given that they appear so alien.
- Kandra are created with two spikes, both charged with the same human attribute. To the Kandra this is known as a Blessing.
Hemalurgic Properties of Metals
- Iron - Steals Human Strength
- Steel - Steals Allomantic Physical Powers
- Tin - Steals Human Senses
- Pewter - Steals Feruchemical Physical Powers
- Zinc - Steals Human Emotional Fortitude
- Brass - Steals Feruchemical Mental Powers
- Copper - Steals Human Mental Fortitude
- Bronze - Steals Allomantic Mental Powers
- Gold - Steals Feruchemical Temporal Powers
- Atium - Steals Any Power or TraitCite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; refs with no name must have content - Aluminum - Steals Allomantic Enhancement Powers
Bind Points
Another important aspect of Hemalurgy is spike location. The spike must be placed in certain locations on the human body in order to steal a power or attribute, and then placed in another point on the recipient to tap into their Spiritweb. Most commonly attributes are stolen through the heart. Other points can be used by they have not been seen.[citation needed] If a spike is placed in the wrong location it can have unforeseen effects, such as killing the recipient or possibly not granting any power at all.
| Bind Point | Spike Types | Hemalurgic Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Heart |
|
|
| Sternum | Steel | Allomantic Steel |
| Eyesocket | Steel | Unconfirmed, likely Allomantic Steel and Iron |
| Earlobe | Bronze | Allomantic Bronze |
| Between Ribs | Unknown | Unknown |
| Shoulders |
|
|
| Upper Arm | Bronze | Allomantic Bronze |
| Between Shoulder Blades | Spike type varies, it is also known as linchpin spike. | Unknown binds other spikes together to keep the receiver alive |
Side Effects of Hemalurgy
When an Allomancer can sense Allomantic pulses through a coppercloud (known as piercing a coppercloud), it is most usually due to a Hemalurgic spike. It's simply a matter of Allomantic strength to pierce copperclouds, so if a Seeker has a spike charged with Allomantic bronze, that essentially makes them twice as powerful, allowing them to overpower a coppercloud.
Hemalurgy is a destructive art. It twists the body into something almost inhuman. This twisting is how Inquisitors survive with spikes through their eyes and other vital places, and explains why koloss look so strange.
Ruin constructed Hemalurgy with a flaw: each spike creates holes in the mind, making them easier to manipulate. Through powerful emotional Allomancy, one can Push on a spiked creature's emotions so hard that they literally come under the Allomancer's control. Indeed, the spikes in the koloss were what allowed the Lord Ruler to control them. Kandra also can be controlled in this way, but as Allomancers decreased in power, this knowledge was forgotten.