Spikeway

Spikeway
Function	Allomantic transport
World of Origin	Scadrial
Universe	Cosmere

A spikeway is a path on Scadrial made up of metal anchoring points placed at regular intervals. Coinshots and Mistborn can use these points to Push themselves through the air continuously and travel very rapidly from place to place.

Characteristics

A spikeway typically consists of pairs of metal spikes or bars driven into the ground in a straight line between two locations. Additional metal anchoring points are placed to the sides of the line to allow the Allomancer to make small course corrections and maintain their bearing. Traveling by spikeway uses an Allomancer's momentum and is far more efficient than pewter-dragging. Spikeways are only useful to people that can utilize the Allomantic properties of steel including Mistborn, Coinshots, and some Hemalurgists; Lurchers would be able to see a spikeway but unable to use it effectively.

Spikeways are uncommon, as they are difficult to set up. They are only useful in specialized situations where other metal anchoring points would be unavailable or a direct route through the air is needed; they are not often set up along established transportation routes. They are not seen after the Catacendre.

History

Kelsier used a spikeway made of small bronze bars to travel between the cities of Fellise and Luthadel during his time plotting to overthrow the Lord Ruler. The spikeway, which was placed by an unknown party, reduced the travel time between the two cities from an hour by carriage to under ten minutes. This was half the time it would have taken on horseback, the fastest conventional method of travel at the time. Vin followed Kelsier one night and discovered the spikeway; she was excited to learn about them, but was ultimately left frustrated as she was forced to continue traveling the route by carriage due to her disguise as Valette Renoux.

Vin's Horseshoe Trick

Vin taught herself to use a combination of Ironpulls and Steelpushes to manipulate horseshoes, Pushing them forward and then Pulling them behind her to create a sort of moving spikeway. She was the first Allomancer to ever figure out this trick, and she was able to learn it very quickly because of her inherent skill and the advanced training that she had received from Kelsier. Once she mastered manipulating the horseshoes, she often used them to travel and looked like a "cyclone" of metal while doing so. Elend and Marsh were able to mimic Vin's impromptu spikeways using coins. Elend was rather frightened of the danger posed by the much heavier horseshoes, although he eventually learned to use them.

Trivia

• Brandon invented the spikeway as both as useful narrative tool (to get Kelsier back and forth between Fellise and Luthadel quickly) and an interesting application of Allomancy. He would have liked to include another spikeway in The Well of Ascension, but did not have room to include one.

Notes

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