Multi-Pieced Spikes

[Trusk'our he/him]

In the SA, it is possible to split a Spren caught inside a Gemstone and have them continue to act as if they were one entity. Additionally, in RoW Navani potentially found a way to distribute the Spren in a less even way using Raysium.

I wonder if the same could be done with Hemalurgy. One of the system's natural limitations is the size of the spike you can physically embed in the body of the spike bearer, limiting its capacity to an extent. 

However, if you could get a really large chunk of metal and fill it to the brim with Hemalurgic Investiture, then find way to split off a small section to act as a spike to implant into someone. If they were sufficiently Connected, you maybe could find a workaround to the size limitation of your spikes by being able to draw from the larger section's power whilst only needing to have the smaller spike embedded in your body.

There could be some interesting complications as well. Since Spanreeds lose some effectiveness the farther they are from each other (it takes more force to move them), could the Hemalurgist's powers get weaker (less efficient, at least) the farther they get from the large piece? Could be an Elantris-style weakness. Additionally, if the Connection is strong enough, they might not be able to physically leave too far from the larger chunk and would need it to be carried around for them to travel long distances, similar to how Radiants cannot leave Roshar due to Connection. The big spike could also be somewhat vulnerable, as it is not being carried around in the Hemalurgist's body and therefore could be attacked/destroyed whilst the Hemalurgist is away.

Honestly, could be really cool. Not entirely sure how it would be accomplished yet, but the in-world mechanics point towards its possibility.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Trusk'our

[NameIess]

1 hour ago, Trusk'our said:

In the SA, it is possible to split a Spren caught inside a Gemstone and have them continue to act as if they were one entity. Additionally, in RoW Navani potentially found a way to distribute the Spren in a less even way using Raysium.

A note: The spren are still split evenly, just in gemstones of different sizes.

Otherwise, I think this could work. A Bondsmith or some other form of Connection manipulation could probably set it up, and assuming you were able to charge up the big spike, I don't see any reason it wouldn't work.

[Trusk'our he/him]

8 hours ago, Nameless* said:

A note: The spren are still split evenly, just in gemstones of different sizes.

True, but you might be able to divide the pieces multiple times and get a smaller Spren fragments, or in this case Spiritweb fragments, then use Raysium to recombine all but the one fragment you want to spike yourself with.

Or, maybe just don't recombine the smaller ones and hide them away to keep them (and their power) safe, kind of like Voldemort's horcruxes. . . Only, not evil, right?