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Inquisitors in general


Inquisitor #5

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... and Marsh in particular.

Let's see, first of all I'd like to apologize if this is a copycat thread.

Second, I'd like to say that this might be a long one...

Third, this is the "key" I guess: (A)llomantic, (F)eruchemical, (H)emalurgic.

So, I'd like to ask on little question before I get too worked up, we know that Inquisitors were created using 9-11 Hemalurgic spikes (I assume Gold(F) and Atium(A) were the two between 9 and 11 in most cases). My question is; does anybody know what the general "base setup" for an Inquisitor was?

It's mentioned that: "She nodded. "That makes ten spikes. Two through the eyes and one through the shoulders: all steel. Six through the ribs: two steel, four bronze. Now this, a pewter one..."" (The Hero of Ages, TOR paperback, p.45)

So it seems that the Inquisitor in this case was a nine-spiker under TLR, so what could his "setup" have been? Well, one theory of mine was that Inquisitors got Steel(A) and Iron(A) times two. Kelsier also says that the Inquisitors had all the powers of a Mistborn back when the known ones were Tin, Pewter, Iron, Steel, Copper, Bronze, Zink, Brass, Gold and Atium. I think that's wrong, I don't think the Inquisitors were given Gold(A).

Now then, what powers could the nine-spiker up there have had? Well, not counting the pewter spike (logically Steel(F)) there were five steel ones (Steel(H) steals physical Allomancy) and four bronze (Bronze(H) steals mental Allomancy). Now, the thing I notice is that there are FIVE steel spikes but there are FOUR physical Allomantic powers and Vin once noted that an Inquisitor's Pull was very strong which could lend credibility to my (Steel+Iron)*2 theory.

The most "even" spread of powers would probably be Steel(A), Iron(A), Tin(A), Brass(A), Zinc(A), Bronze(A) and Copper(A) +one unspecified physical. However, I think that this Inquisitor might have been a physical Misting because that gives us enough room for an "even" distribution of power. And he could still have the ability to pierce Copperclouds, he wouldn't

necesarily need all the mental powers, just one external, doubble bronze and copper.

OK, gonna add more later.

-Inquisitor #5 (aka Inky)

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The funny thing about that count is that I'm pretty sure they relied on Gold(F) for doing things like surviving getting knifed in the throat or peppered with arrowheads. Either only the 11 spikers had those or this guy was created post-TLR.

I am pretty much certain that not a single Inquisitor had an Atium spike prior to Ruin hijacking them, and they used Electrum instead.

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On the Crafty Games forum, there was a similar thread. http://www.crafty-games.com/forum/index.php?topic=6047.0

To summarize, we think the following statements are plausible:

1. The 9 spike Inquisitors are those who were Mistborn originally. They lack the spike for Atium or Electrum Allomancy and the spike for Gold Feruchemy to prevent compounding and to avoid needless duplication.

2. The 11 spike Inquisitors (like Marsh) are those who were just Mistings originally (like Marsh). They need Atium or Electrum to go head to head with full Mistborn, and Gold Feruchemy in general because most would be Seekers (like Marsh), not Thugs, so they wouldn't have the enhanced healing (like Urkel).

3. The additional Allomantic spike the Mistings get is probably Atium, hence the search for Atium Mistings.

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The funny thing about that count is that I'm pretty sure they relied on Gold(F) for doing things like surviving getting knifed in the throat or peppered with arrowheads. Either only the 11 spikers had those or this guy was created post-TLR.

I am pretty much certain that not a single Inquisitor had an Atium spike prior to Ruin hijacking them, and they used Electrum instead.

Of course they'd use Gold(F) for the things you mention, but not all Inquisitors had spikes for Gold(F), what with the rarity of feruchemists to make spikes from... (I know that it's mentioned somewhere that not all Inquisitors had a Gold(F) spike but most did). However, we can clearly see that the relevant Inquisitor here did not have a Gold(F), even if gold is not the (H)-metal for that metallic quadrant none of the spikes he had were made of metalls from that quadrant.

Now, I'd say that the electrum argument has some validity but, a) why would Ruin grant the Inquisitors spikes that would only serve to slow the return of his power, b ) during (most of) HoA Atium is incredibly scarce and you need an Atium spike to steal an Atium power (as far as I know). However under TLR there was this gigant Atium stockpile... So, under TLR they probably got Atium(A) spikes if they could find the apropriate people to make the spikes from.

Also, I'd like to throw a little thing out there about probable spike arrangements based on what kind of Misting the Inquisitor was (assuming 11 spikes).

It will look like this:

<Misting>

<(H)-power>

<(H)-power>

<(H)-power>

etc.

Well then, let's do this:

Pewterarm

2xSteel(A)

2xIron(A)

Tin(A)

2xBronze(A)

Copper(A)

Brass(A) or Zinc(A)

Atium(A)

Gold(F)

Tineye

2xSteel(A)

2xIron(A)

Pewter(A)

2xBronze(A)

Copper(A)

Brass(A) or Zinc(A)

Atium(A)

Gold(F)

Lurcher

2xSteel(A)

Iron(A)

Tin(A)

Pewter(A)

2xBronze(A)

Copper(A)

Brass(A) or Zinc(A)

Atium(A)

Gold(F)

Coinshot

Steel(A)

2xIron(A)

Tin(A)

Pewter(A)

2xBronze(A)

Copper(A)

Brass(A) or Zinc(A)

Atium(A)

Gold(F)

Seeker

2xSteel(A)

2xIron(A)

Tin(A)

Pewter(A)

Bronze(A)

Copper(A)

Brass(A) or Zinc(A)

Atium(A)

Gold(F)

OK, I could go on... I won't unless someone asks me to though.

On the next installment: Marsh's Mystery Spikes (aka me ranting about enhanced Inquisitors and throwing speculations out onto the internet) :o

Edited by Inquisitor #5
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The funny thing about that count is that I'm pretty sure they relied on Gold(F) for doing things like surviving getting knifed in the throat or peppered with arrowheads. Either only the 11 spikers had those or this guy was created post-TLR.

I am pretty much certain that not a single Inquisitor had an Atium spike prior to Ruin hijacking them, and they used Electrum instead.

This is pretty clearly contradicted by what B.S. told us. From the brandonology (intervening text removed).

Quote from: sporkify on October 18, 2008, 03:34:40 AM 1) How did Inquisitors find Atium mistings?

1) They spike the drinks at one of the nobility's balls with trace amounts of Atium, then cause a bit disturbance. (Often, the Inquisitors themselves arriving will do it) and burn bronze and watch for brief pulses. The body will burn metals instinctively if it can, which has been shown quite often in the series. This is also how they get a lot of their secret information about who is a Misting and who isn't. It's not a perfect method, since you have to watch for Copperclouds messing things up, but it is effective once in a while.

Any time an obligator who is not a Misting joins the Ministry, he is unknowingly given a larger chunk of atium and then forced into a series of rituals that will drain him physically and get the body to react and burn the metal. This was how Yomen was discovered.

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Huh-I hadn't considered that the Mistborn inquisitors would be able to compound gold. I'd think that the lack of the healing spike would put them at a pretty big disadvantage, but I guess their double-strength allomancy would make up for it.

On the Crafty Games forum, there was a similar thread. http://www.crafty-games.com/forum/index.php?topic=6047.0

To summarize, we think the following statements are plausible:

1. The 9 spike Inquisitors are those who were Mistborn originally. They lack the spike for Atium or Electrum Allomancy and the spike for Gold Feruchemy to prevent compounding and to avoid needless duplication.

2. The 11 spike Inquisitors (like Marsh) are those who were just Mistings originally (like Marsh). They need Atium or Electrum to go head to head with full Mistborn, and Gold Feruchemy in general because most would be Seekers (like Marsh), not Thugs, so they wouldn't have the enhanced healing (like Urkel).

3. The additional Allomantic spike the Mistings get is probably Atium, hence the search for Atium Mistings.

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I just find it extremely implausible that TLR would go to such incredibly extreme lengths to keep his Inquisitors from knowing where the Atium stockpiles are and then undermine the whole plan by handing them bags of the stuff. He apparently set up their standard recruit profile to make absolutely sure they wouldn't recruit anyone who knew about the Kandra stockpiles, and after going to that sort of effort it seems unlikely he'd throw it away. Especially since there are no instances I can recall where the Inquisitors used Atium against someone who didn't have their own, and thus Atium would actually be distinguishable from Electrum and more useful.

It seems far more likely that he recruited Atium mistings from the nobility for the other Cantons and avoided giving out Atium spikes because then he'd have to give Atium to the one group he most wants to keep it away from. Handing Atium to them would just be asking for Ruin to nudge them into building up a hidden personal stash "for an emergency".

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I just find it extremely implausible that TLR would go to such incredibly extreme lengths to keep his Inquisitors from knowing where the Atium stockpiles are and then undermine the whole plan by handing them bags of the stuff. He apparently set up their standard recruit profile to make absolutely sure they wouldn't recruit anyone who knew about the Kandra stockpiles, and after going to that sort of effort it seems unlikely he'd throw it away. Especially since there are no instances I can recall where the Inquisitors used Atium against someone who didn't have their own, and thus Atium would actually be distinguishable from Electrum and more useful.

It seems far more likely that he recruited Atium mistings from the nobility for the other Cantons and avoided giving out Atium spikes because then he'd have to give Atium to the one group he most wants to keep it away from. Handing Atium to them would just be asking for Ruin to nudge them into building up a hidden personal stash "for an emergency".

In my opinion, it wouldn't be a humongous risk for the Lord Ruler to give Inquisitors atium. Ruin couldn't do much of anything by this point except whisper to those with spikes. Inquisitors could just ignore Ruin, the Lord Ruler might have even given them some theological reason to ignore the voice. The Inquisitors were all really loyal to the Lord Ruler, I think they just went along with Ruin when he controlled them because the Lord Ruler was dead and they genuinely enjoyed suffering. Also if the Lord Ruler was careful, he wouldn't give too much to Inquisitors at once, only little bits they would need if they were going to do something where atium would be required for their survival. The Lord Ruler could also take control of any Inquisitor at any time, and potentially discover if they used up their atium. (I don't know if someone being controlled because of Hemalurgy is susceptible to having their thoughts read by their controller, so that last part was speculation.) The Lord Ruler was also extremely skilled at detecting deceit, even Vin's father couldn't hide his thoughts. The Lord Ruler can probably hear their heartbeat increase because of nervousness. Also even if the Inquisitors somehow managed to secretly stockpile some atium, it wouldn't be enough to tip the balance in Ruin's favor (at least noticeably) if the Lord Ruler was stingy with his atium. Also the Lord Ruler wasn't intending on Ruin getting out while he still lived, because he intended on renewing Ruin's prison, so there would be no way for Ruin to metabolize the atium, not while the Lord Ruler still lived. And if he died he didn't particularly care.

Also, Ruin was whispering to the Lord Ruler at this point, making him see things that weren't there. He tricked him into making servants (kandra, koloss, and Inquisitors), who's to say Ruin didn't also manipulate the Lord Ruler into overlooking the fact that giving Inquisitors atium was a bad idea. Does my logic make sense, or is there a flaw in my argument?

My question about Inquisitors is, we know that they are no longer human, but at what point do people spiked with Allomantic and Feruchemical attributes stop being human and start being Inquisitors? What is the threshold?

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I believe there's a flaw, yeah. Rashek made the servants while he still held the power of Preservation, according to Sazed. Ruin wasn't tricking him into it at that point. If anything, Preservation tricked Rashek into tricking Ruin into thinking Ruin had tricked Rashek so Preservation could trick Ruin. (In other words, Rashek could not have been the Hero because the next Preservation Shardholder was supposed to willingly die to destroy Ruin. The Hero is the one who grabbed both Shards afterwards. Since Rashek couldn't wrap his egotistical mind around that level of self-sacrifice, Preservation had to let Ruin have a bit more play to eliminate the Pseudo-Hero that Rashek became, and tipped Rashek off to some nifty Hemalurgy tricks. That resulted in pretty much everything we read.) I would like to point out, though, that if the Inquisitors were burning or digesting the Atium, that still works perfectly to keep it out of the hands of Ruin. Make them eat it, let them kill a metric ton of people with it, and you're keeping that much more away from the Monster At The End Of The Book. (And now I can only imagine Ruin as Grover. Hah!)

I think the threshold is when you need the linchpin spike. When you shouldn't be alive, but Hemalurgy is keeping you going, you're an Inquisitor, not a human.

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I just find it extremely implausible that TLR would go to such incredibly extreme lengths to keep his Inquisitors from knowing where the Atium stockpiles are and then undermine the whole plan by handing them bags of the stuff.

There were, what, about 20 Inquisitors during TLR's day? As compared to a sustainable population of nobility, who purchased bags of the stuff from him. If giving people atium while not telling them where the stockpile was undermined his whole plan, then the nobility were a far worse mistake than the inquisitors. We already saw that Ruin had servants out in the world: better to use the hidden agent than the one that the Lord Ruler had an eye on.

Edited by Thought
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Hi again, in this rant-tastic entry, titled Marsh's Mystery Spikes, I'd like to explore the enhanced Inquisitors of Ruin's day. More specifically I'd like to explore how they were enhanced (and, no I'm not an idiot, it was through Hemalurgy, I know, what I mean is what power(s) they were given) and I'd like to do this using the example Marsh (this may also give me a chance to be a huge Marsh fanboy :P ).

So, let's start with the known: 1) Marsh has at least 21 Hemalurgic spikes, 11 from the start and ten more somewhere near the start of HoA, ""Does that...hurt, Marsh?" she asked. "The spikes, I mean?" He paused. "Yes, all eleven of them...throb.[...]"" (Mistborn, p. 637, TOR paperback), "Of all the Inquisitors, Marsh had been given the largest number of new spikes-he had ten new ones planted at various places in his body." (The Hero of Ages, p. 119, TOR paperback).

2) Known powers.

(I do this under the assumption that no further spikes were gained during the rest of HoA, though it's a possibility)

Iron(A)

Steel(A)(F)

Tin(A)

Pewter(A)(F)

Brass(A)

Bronze(A)

Gold(F)

Duralumin(A)

Atium(A)(F)

This gives us 12 confirmed spikes (if I missed any that are confirmed in the books please tell me) and 9 unknowns. Here is the speculation part.

First of all, I don't think it too unlikley that he also had:

Copper(A)

Zinc(A)

I have, however, been unable to find references to him using these abilities (again, please tell me if I'm wrong)

This leaves us with 7 unknowns and I don't think that he had any of the powers that were unknown at the time (Chromium, Nicrosil, Bendalloy, Cadmium) as they would both have been hard to find and Vin would probably have noted the unfamiliar metals in Marsh's vials when she stole them.

Now then, 7 more spikes... I think that, at least to a degree, the Inquisitors were given (F)-powers that complemented their (A) and (H)-powers, that is where they could also burn the metal (and thus Compound it) and use their spikes as metalminds, thus ruling out any of the pure (non-alloy) physical and mental metals since they steal human attributes and that, apparently, twists the recipient much more. Unless of course they started wearing external metalminds.

Now, on with the speculation. I think at least Marsh was granted the following:

Gold(A) (for Compounding)

Bronze(F) (as above)

Now, I admit, he could have gotten Brass(F) as well, but I just don't see that being useful in a fight (because Atium(F) clearly is). Still, even if you assume that, that's 4 spikes unaccounted for, 2 if you assume double external physical metals (and I think we kinda have to, what with the previously mentioned nine-spiker). So then, what could those last two spikes be? I frankly haven't the faintest...

Actually, maybe Iron(F) and Zinc(F), if we assume exernal metalminds (I went with those because the make the most sense to me, Iron for Pushing and Pulling, Zinc for mental speed).

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B.S implied (though he didn't quite state it outright) that Marsh had gotten some double powers. Edited to remove intervening text.

"1) In an annotation from book 1, it is mentioned that The Lord Ruler needed all 3 magic systems in order to do what he did. I always assumed that it meant his Hemalurgy enhanced his Allomancy. Did Marsh get a double power, or is the Feruchemy-Allomancy combo enough? ( a sidebar to this question is whether or not stacking abilities is possible through Hemalurgy).

....

1) He used Hemalurgy to pull off his most dramatic effects. Marsh didn't need them, but it makes things much easier. "

The "Marsh" character in the RPG has a book 3 version with some double allomantic powers. I wouldn't rely on it too much though, since he's missing some known powers, like Allomantic pewter.

Regarding Gold compounding, I'm pretty sure that he runs out of healing during his fight with Vin, which would be very unlikely if he could compound. Sanderson says in his annotations that at least as of the beginning of Book 3, they hadn't learned to compound. We certainly don't see any evidence of it- the Inquisitors show smaller bursts of strength and speed consistent with regular Feruchemy, instead of super-augmented versions you would expect if they could compound.

Hi again, in this rant-tastic entry, titled Marsh's Mystery Spikes, I'd like to explore the enhanced Inquisitors of Ruin's day. More specifically I'd like to explore how they were enhanced (and, no I'm not an idiot, it was through Hemalurgy, I know, what I mean is what power(s) they were given) and I'd like to do this using the example Marsh (this may also give me a chance to be a huge Marsh fanboy :P ).

So, let's start with the known: 1) Marsh has at least 21 Hemalurgic spikes, 11 from the start and ten more somewhere near the start of HoA, ""Does that...hurt, Marsh?" she asked. "The spikes, I mean?" He paused. "Yes, all eleven of them...throb.[...]"" (Mistborn, p. 637, TOR paperback), "Of all the Inquisitors, Marsh had been given the largest number of new spikes-he had ten new ones planted at various places in his body." (The Hero of Ages, p. 119, TOR paperback).

2) Known powers.

(I do this under the assumption that no further spikes were gained during the rest of HoA, though it's a possibility)

Iron(A)

Steel(A)(F)

Tin(A)

Pewter(A)(F)

Brass(A)

Bronze(A)

Gold(F)

Duralumin(A)

Atium(A)(F)

This gives us 12 confirmed spikes (if I missed any that are confirmed in the books please tell me) and 9 unknowns. Here is the speculation part.

First of all, I don't think it too unlikley that he also had:

Copper(A)

Zinc(A)

I have, however, been unable to find references to him using these abilities (again, please tell me if I'm wrong)

This leaves us with 7 unknowns and I don't think that he had any of the powers that were unknown at the time (Chromium, Nicrosil, Bendalloy, Cadmium) as they would both have been hard to find and Vin would probably have noted the unfamiliar metals in Marsh's vials when she stole them.

Now then, 7 more spikes... I think that, at least to a degree, the Inquisitors were given (F)-powers that complemented their (A) and (H)-powers, that is where they could also burn the metal (and thus Compound it) and use their spikes as metalminds, thus ruling out any of the pure (non-alloy) physical and mental metals since they steal human attributes and that, apparently, twists the recipient much more. Unless of course they started wearing external metalminds.

Now, on with the speculation. I think at least Marsh was granted the following:

Gold(A) (for Compounding)

Bronze(F) (as above)

Now, I admit, he could have gotten Brass(F) as well, but I just don't see that being useful in a fight (because Atium(F) clearly is). Still, even if you assume that, that's 4 spikes unaccounted for, 2 if you assume double external physical metals (and I think we kinda have to, what with the previously mentioned nine-spiker). So then, what could those last two spikes be? I frankly haven't the faintest...

Actually, maybe Iron(F) and Zinc(F), if we assume exernal metalminds (I went with those because the make the most sense to me, Iron for Pushing and Pulling, Zinc for mental speed).

Edited by fyodor
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Yes, he runs out of healing (almost). But, remember, he only has that one spike to tap from. It could probably not be filled with incredible amounts of healing. And he does get crushed under the rubble from Kerdik Shaw which would probably burn through his store quite quickly. And sure, maybe he just couldn't Compound at that point, not even TLR got it right from the start according to Brandon.

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Yes, he runs out of healing (almost). But, remember, he only has that one spike to tap from. It could probably not be filled with incredible amounts of healing. And he does get crushed under the rubble from Kerdik Shaw which would probably burn through his store quite quickly. And sure, maybe he just couldn't Compound at that point, not even TLR got it right from the start according to Brandon.

He could have used other goldminds-he didn't have to limit himself to just one spike. Why would Ruin go through the trouble of finding him a gold misting or Mistborn and not give him instruction and/or sufficient gold?

Re his injuries, a real gold compounder like Miles can get blown up repeatedly, shot up, etc, without being slowed down.

There's just no reason to think that he could compound gold and plenty of indicators (BS's comments that inquisitors weren't compounding, his running out of healing, etc) to think that he did couldn't.

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He could have used other goldminds-he didn't have to limit himself to just one spike. Why would Ruin go through the trouble of finding him a gold misting or Mistborn and not give him instruction and/or sufficient gold?

Re his injuries, a real gold compounder like Miles can get blown up repeatedly, shot up, etc, without being slowed down.

There's just no reason to think that he could compound gold and plenty of indicators (BS's comments that inquisitors weren't compounding, his running out of healing, etc) to think that he did couldn't.

Well, a few things there, first of all, the exact quote is: "There was nothing he could do. He'd used up most of the healing in his metalmind, and the rest would do him no good." The phrasing here could imply that he has a non-spike goldmind, though that's probably not the case.

Well, what you say about Miles is perfectly true but, remember, he had about thirty metalminds on his person at any given time, and even he should eventually run out under extreme attrition. And that's just the thing, Mr. Hundredlives: 30 goldminds, Marsh: 1 goldmind.

Also, did I ever say he was Compounding? It would grant him the ability, not the skill or time to learn to use the ability. Plus, we already know that he can (as in, has the ability to) Compound pewter, steel and atium.

And even if he had the knowhow, would he have had the skill required to refill his metalmind during battle, and would he had the correct metals prepared to do so?

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I believe there's a flaw, yeah. Rashek made the servants while he still held the power of Preservation, according to Sazed. Ruin wasn't tricking him into it at that point. If anything, Preservation tricked Rashek into tricking Ruin into thinking Ruin had tricked Rashek so Preservation could trick Ruin. (In other words, Rashek could not have been the Hero because the next Preservation Shardholder was supposed to willingly die to destroy Ruin. The Hero is the one who grabbed both Shards afterwards. Since Rashek couldn't wrap his egotistical mind around that level of self-sacrifice, Preservation had to let Ruin have a bit more play to eliminate the Pseudo-Hero that Rashek became, and tipped Rashek off to some nifty Hemalurgy tricks. That resulted in pretty much everything we read.) I would like to point out, though, that if the Inquisitors were burning or digesting the Atium, that still works perfectly to keep it out of the hands of Ruin. Make them eat it, let them kill a metric ton of people with it, and you're keeping that much more away from the Monster At The End Of The Book. (And now I can only imagine Ruin as Grover. Hah!)

I think the threshold is when you need the linchpin spike. When you shouldn't be alive, but Hemalurgy is keeping you going, you're an Inquisitor, not a human.

Good points about the linchpin spike and Inquisitors using atium up. However Ruin was manipulating Rashek even as he held the power. Here's the quote:

She saw his [Ruin's] planning manifest in the world. She saw him subtly influencing the Lord Ruler a thousand years ago. Even while Rashek held the power of Preservation, Ruin had whispered in his ear, directing him toward an understanding of Hemalurgy. And Rashek had obeyed without realizing it, creating minions-armies-for Ruin to take when the time was right.

This looks like Ruin was probably telling the Lord Ruler about all these awesome things he could make and control, while conveniently leaving out the part that as soon as he, Ruin, escaped the servants would be taken over by Ruin.

Edited by Windrunner
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This looks like Ruin was probably telling the Lord Ruler about all these awesome things he could make and control, while conveniently leaving out the part that as soon as he, Ruin, escaped the servants would be taken over by Ruin.

Did he? I'd point out the First Contract, and the clause that had the Kandra remove Ruin's servants right as he needed them most. It seems that Rashek had at least the awareness to know that Ruin could use hemalurgical creatures.

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Did he? I'd point out the First Contract, and the clause that had the Kandra remove Ruin's servants right as he needed them most. It seems that Rashek had at least the awareness to know that Ruin could use hemalurgical creatures.

He didn't work that out until after the well, so the quotes are still consistent. Plus, Vin can't see Rashek's thoughts. Possibly he did know Ruin could grab the koloss and inquisitors once he escaped, but thought their usefulness outweighed that risk.

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He didn't work that out until after the well, so the quotes are still consistent. Plus, Vin can't see Rashek's thoughts. Possibly he did know Ruin could grab the koloss and inquisitors once he escaped, but thought their usefulness outweighed that risk.

Remember that TLR designed the Koloss so that they would kill themselves off within a few years without an influx of new spikes, he just didn't account for the Koloss' re-using of old spikes. So the only problem left over would be Inquisitors (of which there are very few), which is probably why the storage plates had information on Electrum, so that Mistborn Obligators/nobles could fight Ruin controlled Inquisitors, even if they didn't have any Atium. (Totally guessing on this last part, though it does make some sense.)

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So, I'd like to ask on little question before I get too worked up, we know that Inquisitors were created using 9-11 Hemalurgic spikes (I assume Gold(F) and Atium(A) were the two between 9 and 11 in most cases). My question is; does anybody know what the general "base setup" for an Inquisitor was?

It's mentioned that: "She nodded. "That makes ten spikes. Two through the eyes and one through the shoulders: all steel. Six through the ribs: two steel, four bronze. Now this, a pewter one..."" (The Hero of Ages, TOR paperback, p.45)

Actually, Sazed states that all the original inquisitors had a pewter spike for healing (HoA, ch 36). Since he can't mean the original-original ones (that ones that TLR first made after taking the well), since there were no feruchemists that he was aware of at the time (which is also exactly why they persisted), I think we can take "original" to mean "Lord Ruler created." We know that once Ruin had control of them, he started making more. We also know that the one that Vin and Elend faced in the above quote wasn't their first (I think it was their third, actually). I think that means that 9 spikes was the basic set up for Ruin, while 11 was for TLR (it makes sense that Ruin wouldn't waste time on Atium or gold: gold is largely useless, while he would probably rather an inquisitor die than burn atium).

But given that not all inquisitors could pierce copperclouds (and thus, the odd numbered spike couldn't have been used to shore up anyone who wasn't a seeker or mistborn), there is still the oddity of why odd numbers. Could it be that the linchpin spike doesn't actually have an allomantic charge?

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"17th Shard: So the linchpin spike is not always the same type of spike.

Brandon: It doesn't have to be. The linchpin spike is just, when you're putting that many spikes together into somebody it needs a spike to coordinate them all. That is part of what's holding their body together from all of this damage, and it doesn't have to be the healing spike. The nature of Feruchemy is separate from that, if that makes any sense. For instance, you could put a few spikes into an Inquisitor without a linchpin spike, and they wouldn't die."

So while it doesn't have to be a specific type of hemalurgic spike, it almost certainly does have to have a hemalurgic charge, whether Allomancy, Hemalurgy, or an attribute.

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