Miles, The Set, and Madness

[Firah]

Remember that not everything that happens in the cosmere is the work of magic, it does not seem so strange to me that miles would become disenfranchised after so many years of hunting criminals and seeing no change in the world. He was obviously not entirely balanced from the start, i think at some point wax says that miles killed every criminal that he caught.

[fyodor]

I dismissed this initially, but rereading the books, the pattern of Miles's behavior does remind me a little bit of some of the spiked characters in HoA, particularly Quellion. Quellion was always a little fanatical, but Ruin's manipulation pushes him into ruthless and immoral behavior.

The main question though is who? There's no more Ruin to corrupt him.

People have suggested that someone is soothing/rioting him through his spikes. But have we seen this type of subtle control from mortals? Vin and Elend could take direct control of a spiked creature but it was always much more direct. Sanderson kind of implied that TLR was doing this with the Inquisitors, but I don't know if we ever saw it directly in action.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

Remember that not everything that happens in the cosmere is the work of magic, it does not seem so strange to me that miles would become disenfranchised after so many years of hunting criminals and seeing no change in the world. He was obviously not entirely balanced from the start, i think at some point wax says that miles killed every criminal that he caught.

This. Miles always had some issues.

Back to speculating about external forces that might have driven him insane, could Mr Suit be a Rioter? If Miles spent enough time with a Rioter/Soother, that could be enough to emphasize his insanity.

[Aoibheann she/her]

Thanks for posting this. I hadn't considered this idea, but it makes lots of sense.

We know that Miles had metal inside his body at his execution.

He was shot again. Her eyes open, her nerves steeled, she was able to watch with horror as his wounds started to heal. It should have been impossible. They'd searched him carefully for metalminds. Yet the bullet holes pulled closed, and his smile widened, his eyes wild.

We also know that a powerful emotional allomancer can take over another person, even with Ruin in control:

Vin took a deep breath, then hit Marsh with a duralumin-Soothing. If it worked on koloss and kandra, why not Inquisitors?

Marsh stumbled. Vin's Push lasted a brief moment, but during it she felt something. A wall, like she'd felt the first time she'd tried to control TenSoon or the first time she'd taken control of a group of koloss.

She Pushed, Pushed with everything she had. In a burst of power, she came close to seizing control of Marsh's body, but not close enough. The wall within his mind was too strong, and she only had one vial's worth of metal to use.

<snipping out a bit - she draws on the mists....>

And, with that power, she Pushed on Marsh's emotions.

The wall inside of him cracked, then burst. For a moment, Vin felt a sense of vertigo. She saw things through Marsh's eyes - indeed, she felt like she understood him. His love of destruction, and his hatred of himself. And through him, she caught a brief glimpse of something. A hateful, destructive thing that hid behind a mask of civility.

This makes me wonder if, given Breeze's strength in Soothing, Edwarn isn't a Soother or Rioter.

[Feloxia she/her]

I think I remember reading that Miles had some of his gold bands piercing his skin, but I can't remember where...if it is in there. I might be making things up.

[CrazyRioter she/her]

yeah he did, it's mentioned on page 209, incidentally it actually uses the term "spikes" whether that mans anything or is Brandon messing with us I don't know.

[Aeshdan he/him]

I think it is because Koloss used to be human, so the addition of the traits of other humans makes them insane, while Kandra used to be Mistwraiths, which are non-sentient and built to absorb the traits of others.

Spike placement may be a factor, as well.

Plus Koloss have twice as many spikes as kandra, so Ruin had more impact on them.

[Aeshdan he/him]

I dismissed this initially, but rereading the books, the pattern of Miles's behavior does remind me a little bit of some of the spiked characters in HoA, particularly Quellion. Quellion was always a little fanatical, but Ruin's manipulation pushes him into ruthless and immoral behavior.

The main question though is who? There's no more Ruin to corrupt him.

People have suggested that someone is soothing/rioting him through his spikes. But have we seen this type of subtle control from mortals? Vin and Elend could take direct control of a spiked creature but it was always much more direct. Sanderson kind of implied that TLR was doing this with the Inquisitors, but I don't know if we ever saw it directly in action.

I think it just takes practice.

[fyodor]

I hadn't thought of it, but I guess that it's also possible that a Nicrosil misting is giving a soother the strength to take over Miles.

[Vortaan he/him]

Didn't Sazed say that being spiked put a person into a closer connection with Ruin? While Sazed does control the power of Ruin now, it is still an essentially evil force. Looking at the Letter, it seems the former controller of Ruin was a good guy prior to getting the power. Sazed doesn't seem to have gone to the dark side, probably due to Preservation's power. However, Hemalurgy is Ruin's art, and should in theory lead anyone spiked towards the goals that the power of Ruin is meant to achieve.

[Deus Ex Biotica]

Not necessarily.

For example, while Wax is spiked, he doesn't gain power, but he does get led towards certain courses of action... by Sazed, acting like you'd expect Sazed to act. I am not sure that Spiking with things other than Attributes and Spiritual Feruchemy alter your metal stability, ther than letting Harmony/Ruin talk to you.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

Didn't Sazed say that being spiked put a person into a closer connection with Ruin? While Sazed does control the power of Ruin now, it is still an essentially evil force. Looking at the Letter, it seems the former controller of Ruin was a good guy prior to getting the power. Sazed doesn't seem to have gone to the dark side, probably due to Preservation's power. However, Hemalurgy is Ruin's art, and should in theory lead anyone spiked towards the goals that the power of Ruin is meant to achieve.

It's not evil, it's just... ruinous.

[Aeshdan he/him]

Two theories:

First, It's possible that Saze was controlling Miles, because he saw that he'd need Miles to snap Wayne out of his attempt to give up his role.

Alternately, Marsh could be doing the same thing. We know that he's a pretty powerful Soother from his encounter with Marasi.

[Dakhor Savant]

AofL Ch. 13 pg 208-209 "Golden metal glimmered on his arms, deep within his sleeves. His metalminds; they were spikes he wore driven through the skin of his lower arm, like bolts. Metal that pierced skin was extremely hard to push"

So no questions miles has spikes in his arms.

AofL epilogue pg 322 ""Stop" Ironeyes said "Not at all. I wish him to be informed. Harmony has particular views about how things must be done. I do not always agree with him. Oddly, his particular belief requires that he allow that. Here." Ironeyes reached into the folds of his cloak, bringing out a small book "There is information in this. Guard it carefully. you may read it, if you wish, but deliver it to Lord Waxillium on my behalf"

I think that hemalurgy is the only subject that marsh would have an abundance of knowledge on and be completely against see happen again.

HoA ch.70 epigraph pg 613 paperback "Quellion actually placed his spike himself, as I understand it. The man was never entirely stable. His fervor for following Kelsier and killing the nobility was enhanced by Ruin, but Quellion had already had the impulses. His passionate paranoia bordered on insanity at times, and Ruin was able to prod him into placing the crucial spike. Quellion's spike was bronze, and he made it from one of the first Allomancers he had captured. That spike made him a Seeker, which was one of the ways he was able to find and blackmail so many Allomancers during his time as king of Urteau. The point, however, is that people with unstable personalities were more susceptible to Ruin's influence, even if they didn't have a spike in them. I That, indeed, is likely how Zane got his spike."

So I agree with earlier statements that Miles was insane on his own merits. That being said it makes him more susceptible any way. I believe the book foreshadows hemalurgy taking place, that the characters don't recognize. I think also that Miles probably hate other blood makers and wish to kill them because they take up what gold he could have. It is possible that as an experiment of Harmony's Mile killed another Bloodmaker using his metal mind and gained more power that way. And Yes Miles sounds alot like Quellion.

I am not going to go looking for a quote to confirm this just read the epigraphs in HoA and you will see Sazed talks a lot about how if preservation act so must Ruin and if Ruin does something Preservation will counter. Well I think this is why Feruchemy has be split the way it has to appease the ruin side of Sazed but that may not be enough he may have to bring out Hemalurgy as another tool.

Ati seldom really brought up. In the letter in tWofK the write states "Ati was once a kind and generous man, and you saw what became of him." which is in reference to what the shard of Ruin did to it holder. is it possible that the influence of the shard can effect those using it?

And last little bit just cause its a place to state it. If the Girls where taken to say Nalthis and breed with a man from there would there strong Allomancy heritage birth a child that was born with both BioChromatic Breath and Allomancy?

P.S. Thank you CrazyRioter I had a hard time finding that first quote

[the95th]

on the burning of the spikes thread brandon was quoted to of said that you could only burn spikes you personally have created.

Miles would be the only character we know of to of been able to to do that with little effort the same as TLR.

my point is, chances are he was open to corruption the same way as the TLR, the fact he put his gold bracers/spikes through his skin.

The lord ruler himself was open to Ati's influence, despite probably not having a spike in the traditional sense.

I dont think it was said that the lord ruler himself had a hemurlugic spike. I thought his power was only gained through him compounding his feruchamist abilities and being one of the first mistborn. But his bracers did pierce his skin.

The Same way Ruin could influence copperminds. My point is, the emotional alomancy/mind control/invasion backdoor may be open to everyone and anyone who has a piercing of some sort. And not one that was just made by ruins metalic art, this can be noted in Wax's earring which i highly doubt was used to steal power from another person and yet sazed can happily talk to him and read his mind.

However i suppose that terrismen who had many piercings would also be open to Ruin, so i might be wrong.

The way i see it, for the back door of the mind you dont have to have a hemulrgic spike it probably just helps ruin, like having an antenna on a tv helps it pick up signal, but it isnt entirely neccasary you can get signal from just a bit of wire.

Ati seldom really brought up. In the letter in tWofK the write states "Ati was once a kind and generous man, and you saw what became of him." which is in reference to what the shard of Ruin did to it holder. is it possible that the influence of the shard can effect those using it?

the Shard's intentions do indeed effect the user. However as Harmony has a strong will he was able to push the two shards apart and force them together metaphorically.

this is why Laras? had do die to allow vin to take over because preservation could not sacrifice itself to take out ruin.

Edited January 5, 2012 by the95th

[Aeshdan he/him]

My point is, the emotional alomancy/mind control/invasion backdoor may be open to everyone and anyone who has a piercing of some sort. And not one that was just made by ruins metalic art, this can be noted in Wax's earring which i highly doubt was used to steal power from another person and yet sazed can happily talk to him and read his mind.

Actually, we're pretty sure that Wax's earring is made from an old Hemalurgic spike, so it is Hemalurgically charged.

[Odium's_Shard]

The metals got to come from somewhere, I suppose.

[CrazyRioter she/her]

Actually, we're pretty sure that Wax's earring is made from an old Hemalurgic spike, so it is Hemalurgically charged.

yes, Brandon specifically told me at a signing that it's made of part of a melted down Inquisitor spike. So yes, it's got a slight hemalurgic charge. And metal has got to have a hemalurgic charge to create that "gap" in somebody's mind.