User:Meg/MB/kandra

JeHoy the sample kandra, from the Mistborn Adventure Game

The kandra were a race of creatures on Scadrial, featured in Mistborn.

OriginEdit

Kandra didn't exist prior to The Lord Ruler's ascension. Then, when he held the power of Preservation, he created the kandra's First Generation through the use of Hemalurgy, hence the kandra called him "Father."[1]

Kandra were made third and last, as the Lord Ruler's power waned but his knowledge had increased. Accordingly, kandra were different, more subtle creations than the others made by The Lord Ruler using Hemalurgy: the koloss and the Inquisitors. The kandra had more independence of will than koloss or Inquisitors, who were more affected by Ruin and driven powerfully to kill. The Hemalurgic metal spikes distorted the humanity in the recipient, but kandra were spiked when they were mistwraiths, not humans, and the spikes actually granted some measure of humanity to them. The additional benefits given the Blessings are also different than those the Inquisitors gained. Instead of giving Feruchemical or Allomantic powers which allowed temporary and sometimes spectacular bursts of strength and other attributes, the Blessings bestowed to the kandra awarded them with increased abilities that are consistent and stable.[2]

Following GenerationsEdit

The following generations were created by the Firsts through "Blessings,"[3] spikes created using Hemalurgy.[4] The Lord Ruler provided those Hemalurgic metal spikes to the kandra each century, in a number requested by the Firsts, and the kandra used these spikes to convert mistwraiths into sentient, full kandra.

The First ContractEdit

As the power from the Well of Ascension was waning, Rashek, as the newly ascended Lord Ruler, spoke into the minds of his packmen and trusted friends in a secret communication that Ruin could not see or hear.[5] Rashek shared with them his Ascension knowledge of Ruin's future plans of eventual freedom to destroy the world, resulting in the kandra Contract with Rashek, and containing secret instructions only communicated in their minds.

Rashek's friends were Feruchemists and could not be given Allomancy, for he recognized their powers posed a threat of any combined abilities like his own. He offered them a bargain, immortality in exchange for their Feruchemy. All of them -- expect Kwaan, who, too, was given that choice by Rashek -- agreed and gave up their Feruchemy, along with their humanity. The Lord Ruler then transformed every living Feruchemist into a mistwraith, but he returned his good friends to sentience with Hemalurgic spikes, the Blessings. His companions still live, as the very Terris packmen, who climbed to the Well of Ascension with him, became the First Generation. Besides the whole time during his reign he tried to breed Feruchemy out of the Terris population, in fear that someday someone would be born with both Feruchemy and Allomancy.[6]


PhysiologyEdit

As stated previously, kandra were mistwraiths altered by hemalurgy and given sentience.[7] Despite the physical similarities, and indeed origins as a mistwraith, kandra are considered a separate species in the Final Empire.

Because of their advanced age, the First Generation appeared to be made of darker colored flesh which tended to hang off them. The bones that they wore were their own original bones, from when they were Terris packmen.

When kandra were in their Homeland, all subsequent Generations prefer the form of a True Body, which was a set of false bones that were crafted by a kandra artisan. Some True Body forms were quartz, and kandra showed off their True Bodies by creating translucent skin that allowed the stone to sparkle faintly in the light.[1] Wood also was used for a True Body like MeLaan's.[8] Though most of the kandra hated humans for their situation, ironically, their True Bodies were human-shaped,[1] and it felt wrong to them to wear an animal's body.[1]

Kandra did not die naturally, with the First Generation as old as the Lord Ruler, exceeding more than thousand years. One of the kandra secrets referenced an unknown acid mixture, which was the only possibility to kill a kandra, otherwise they were essentially immortal.

Because of their ability to change shape, most damage to a kandra was of no consequence. One notable exception to this was being bathed in acid, hence kandra guards mostly used hammers to break bones, thus hindering movement.

CultureEdit

The kandra were known to be secretive, keeping to themselves and mistrusting of all others including each other. Their purpose given by the Lord Ruler was to be his spies, because of their ability to imitate any being. Kandra kept religiously to a social mandate they call "The Contract", which is the system by which they offered their services to humans. In order to hire a kandra, one had to pay them in atium.

There were other jobs for kandra to perform in the kandra Homeland, such as the teaching and instruction of a child kandra, which was considered a prestigious job among kandra.[9]

They referred to the Lord Ruler as the Father, because he was responsible for their creation. After his death, TenSoon advocated that Vin should be considered the Mother, because she was the one who had slain the Lord Ruler.[10] It is unknown if other kandra accepted this title for her or not.

The First Generation were the kandra's leaders and normally only communicated with the Second Generation.[10]

AllegianceEdit

They were of Preservation all along.

Harmony on the kandra[11]

What of Ruin, and Preservation? The gods of the kandra people were at war again, and the only ones who knew of them were pretending that nothing was happening.

—TenSoon's thoughts while imprisoned[3]

The kandra believed that they were of Preservation, while the koloss and Inquisitors were of Ruin.[11] Thus TenSoon was wrong despite the fact that, like other Hemalurgically-created races, they were possessed of Hemalurgic spikes. The Lord Ruler created the kandra to be his spies, and the noble class believed they were spies for the new government. They often used the kandra in the way they thought they were meant to be used, but ultimately Rashek's plan was for them to be double agents against Ruin. According to the plan, Ruin would believe that he could take control of the kandra whenever he wanted, as they were planted with Hemalurgic spikes. However, due to a clause in the First Contract, as well as the Trust and the Resolution, instead of being used by Ruin, they would pull their spikes free when and if Ruin were to try and seize control of them. During the events of The Hero of Ages, this plan came to fruition exactly as the Lord Ruler had planned, and this disrupted Ruin's efforts and ultimately led to his demise, demonstrating the kandra's true allegiance had always lain with Preservation.{!{cite|where does this come from?}}

BlessingsEdit

Two of the same types of spike made up a Blessing, and one Blessing converted a mistwraith into a sentient kandra.[12] During the thousand plus years of the Lord Ruler's reign, there had been Eleven Generations, with a Twelfth Generation unlikely, as he is dead. Without the Lord Ruler, the kandra cannot create new Blessings and without Blessings there would be no new kandra.[1]

There were four different blessings available to make a kandra. All four granted mistwraiths sentience and converted them into kandra, but they also had additional benefits.[13]

Blessing of Awareness
A pair of tin spikes which granted a kandra increased senses, similar to Allomantically burning tin.[14]
Blessing of Potency
A pair of iron spikes which gave a kandra more strength similar to an Allomancer burning pewter.[12]
Blessing of Presence
A pair of copper spikes which granted increased mental capability.[14] This capability included the ability to focus despite physical discomfort or distraction, exceptionally sharp memory, resistance to madness, and the inability to lapse into unconsciousness due to shock.[15][16] This Blessing also countered at least some of the mental weakness that was caused by Hemalurgy; kandra with these spikes were much less vulnerable to being controlled by Ruin than is the norm.[17]
Blessing of Stability
Rarely used, the Blessing of Stability was a pair of zinc spikes that endowed its receiver with emotional fortitude, rendering them much more resistant to control by emotional Allomancy.[14]

AbilitiesEdit

Kandra had the ability to impersonate any being they had ingested before. Especially skilled kandra were able to make their own adjustments to the shape of the creature they are taking.

Kandra were also unmatched actors. Before assuming the role of a certain person, a kandra would spend a significant amount of time observing the individual in order to learn their mannerisms. Because of this, it was almost impossible to tell a kandra from the actual individual they were impersonating.


Notable KandraEdit

NotesEdit

{!{good}} {!{Mistborn|metals}} {!{Mistborn|trilogy}} [![Category:Hemalurgy]][![Category:Magical Entities]][![Category:Flora and Fauna]][![Category:Kandra| ]][![Category:Notable Articles]]