mistborn Question on the interactions between feruchemical aluminum and burning hemalurgic spikes.

[AllomanticIron]

Brandon has confirmed that it is possible to burn a hemalurgic spike (though it would be a painful process). However, he's implied that it wouldn't grant any extra power, as the user is not keyed to the spiritual identity of the powers granted by the spike-- essentially, the power is from another person. Would it be viable, however, to have the hemalurgic subject (whom the power is being taken from) fill an aluminum metalmind as they are being spiked, therby divesting the spike of any identity? Would that allow a hemalurgist to fully access the investiture contained within the spike? What kind of effects could be expected (If any can even be interpreted at this time) from burning an unkeyed spike as such? Sorry if that doesn't make much sense, I'm just curious as to what thoughts others might have on this subject.

[Spearguy]

where did you hear that from?

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Maru Nui

What happens when you burn a Hemalurgic spike?

Brandon Sanderson

Burning a Hemalurgic spike would have the effect of splicing your spiritual DNA to that of the person's that is in the spike, which would have some very strange consequences.

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Czanos

Would anything interesting happen if an Allomancer Burned a Hemalurgic spike, or a Feruchemist Tapped one?

Brandon Sanderson

Er, well, it’s possible. But you’d have to be burning a Hemalurgic spike that killed you and took your power…

Just like you can’t gain anything by burning a metalmind unless you infused it yourself.

 

 

this is the closest I could find that said anything like that, and the first is more recent.

[alder24]

11 hours ago, AllomanticIron said:

Brandon has confirmed that it is possible to burn a hemalurgic spike (though it would be a painful process). However, he's implied that it wouldn't grant any extra power, as the user is not keyed to the spiritual identity of the powers granted by the spike-- essentially, the power is from another person. Would it be viable, however, to have the hemalurgic subject (whom the power is being taken from) fill an aluminum metalmind as they are being spiked, therby divesting the spike of any identity? Would that allow a hemalurgist to fully access the investiture contained within the spike? What kind of effects could be expected (If any can even be interpreted at this time) from burning an unkeyed spike as such? Sorry if that doesn't make much sense, I'm just curious as to what thoughts others might have on this subject.

So yes, you can't burn a spike, as that's like burning someone else's metalmind, and it would be painful, you're right on that one. It is similar to burning metalminds. But blanking the donor's identity would likely work, just like creating unkeyed metalminds might allow you to burn it. Even better, blank donor's identity and when attempting to burn the spike, blank your own identity, that would help even more, and might allow you to access that power within the spike. What would it do - we have no idea. Spikes hold powers, what would burning Allomancy do? We don't know it, there would be some effects but what we just don't know. 

Like in compounding, the attribute held in metalminds acts as a filter for investiture coming from Preservation, it tells that investiture to have a specific effect - burning steel tells it to push on metal, but burning steelmind tells it to grant you speed. What would burning a spike having steel Allomancy in it tell investiture? To make you a temporarily powerful steel Allomancer (as long as you're burning it)? Maybe, sounds in line with the logic. It wouldn't however grant you that power permanently into your spirit web.

Spoiler

17th Shard

Can you burn the spikes? Like, Allomantically? For example, could they burn the steel in their head spikes?

Brandon Sanderson

I considered that and I eventually decided that they could, but it would be an excruciating process that would probably knock them unconscious simply by doing it.

17th Shard

Would they be able to tap?

Brandon Sanderson

Would they tap them? They can use them as metalminds, yes.

17th Shard Interview (Oct. 3, 2010)

 

Spoiler

Questioner (paraphrased)

Would you be able to get any kind of additional power from burning a Hemalurgic spike?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

There would be power there, but you wouldn’t be able to access it. Like burning someone else’s metalmind.

American Fork High School Signing (Dec. 12, 2019)

 

Spoiler

Questioner

If you burn a Hemalurgic spike, would it graft the piece of stolen soul onto your soul?

Brandon Sanderson

No, but it would have... There are some interesting effects there.

Shadows of Self Chicago signing (Oct. 12, 2015)

 

Spoiler

Questioner

In Mistborn, we know if someone puts their Identity into a metalmind, they can create metalminds other people can use. Would other people be able to use that aluminummind to overwrite their own Identity, or is it still tied to the creator because it was still keyed to their Identity when they were filling it?

Brandon Sanderson

So if you have no Identity and you fill a metalmind, that metalmind is full of Identity-less...

Questioner

Yeah, so anyone can use that. But can someone use your aluminummind?

Brandon Sanderson

Ooh wait a minute, so...that you filled with your Identity. So they would have to have your Identity already. 

Questioner

Ok, so you can't have two people fill Identity and effectively swap aluminumminds.

Brandon Sanderson

If you can...there are ways to make this happen but the best way to make what you're talking about happen, is to be filling your own Identity while having a blank metalmind. That is the best way, obviously. But there are other workarounds for both situations, like a blank metalmind is pretty easy to use. It's blank. But if you were blank, and using a blank, it's a little better. 

Questioner

Ok. Because you're both blank.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, and so I'll give you the mechanics of all this eventually, they're just trying to still figure it all out themselves. Because right now they're just doing things they've been told "do this" but they don't know the why's. But if you are blank and have a metalmind that has an Identity, right, that is not an impossible situation that you're in either.

Arcanum Unbounded Seattle signing (Dec. 1, 2016)