Were feruchemists ever used to create Inquisitors?

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

Simple question here.  I know mistborn who willingly joined the steel ministry were like hitting the jackpot.  And I know inquisitors would hunt down feruchemists to steal powers.  But did Rashek ever choose to allow the ministry to create an inquisitor from a feruchemist?  Would it be too much of an issue with them fighting back or could he have dominated their minds through emotional allomancy and not had an issue with them revolting?  

I assume that feruchemists being turned to inquisitors would have likely been easier in the early parts of the final empire. I doubt one born through the Terris breeding programs would willingly work for the inquisition.  And even if they would, would Rashek ever trust them with that power? 

And for the fun of it... 

If you were going to recieve a handful of spikes would you rather have a mistborn base or a feruchemist base? 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Tamriel Wolfsbaine

[Landis963 he/him]

Much better to steal powers from feruchemy than risk the revolt.  And also the possibility of Compounding - we got a taste of that in Era 2, and it was stoopid broken.  Honestly, for what Steel Inquisitors were used for, it would be better to start with an allomancy base than a feruchemy one.  Less ground to cover, and less downtime once the full suite of powers was in place.  

[alder24]

15 hours ago, Tamriel Wolfsbaine said:

Simple question here.  I know mistborn who willingly joined the steel ministry were like hitting the jackpot.  And I know inquisitors would hunt down feruchemists to steal powers.  But did Rashek ever choose to allow the ministry to create an inquisitor from a feruchemist?  Would it be too much of an issue with them fighting back or could he have dominated their minds through emotional allomancy and not had an issue with them revolting?  

I assume that feruchemists being turned to inquisitors would have likely been easier in the early parts of the final empire. I doubt one born through the Terris breeding programs would willingly work for the inquisition.  And even if they would, would Rashek ever trust them with that power? 

And for the fun of it... 

If you were going to recieve a handful of spikes would you rather have a mistborn base or a feruchemist base? 

No. Rashek turned every Feruchemist into a Mistwraith and then when it didn't work, he tried to exterminate them. He paranoically feared Feruchemy mixing with Allomancy, which might result in another Fullborn, someone that might rival him. He tried to prevent it at any cost. He would never dare to use Feruchemists as Inquisitors, because they would be able to compound - a knowledge that was kept away from Inquisitors. He allowed his Inquisitors to gain only F-gold powers, nothing more, because any other useful power might lead them to discover compounding- a secret to his power.

Plus Feruchemists were very rebellious by nature.

HoA ch 65 epigraphs:

Quote

In those moments when the Lord Ruler both held the power at the Well and was feeling it drain away from him, he understood a great many things. He saw the power of Feruchemy, and rightly feared it. Many of the Terris people, he knew, would reject him as the Hero, for he didn't fulfill their prophecies well. They'd see him as a usurper who killed the Hero they sent. Which, in truth, he was.

I think, over the years, Ruin would subtly twist him and make him do terrible things to his own people. But at the beginning, I suspect his decision against them was motivated more by logic than emotion. He was about to unveil a grand power in the Mistborn.

He could have, I suppose, kept Allomancy secret and used Feruchemists as his primary warriors and assassins. However, I think he was wise to choose as he did. Feruchemists, by the nature of their powers, have a tendency toward scholarship. With their incredible memories, they would have been very difficult to control over the centuries. Indeed, they were difficult to control, even when he suppressed them. Allomancy not only provided a spectacular new ability without that drawback, it offered a mystical power he could use to bribe kings to his side.

 

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

The Inquisitor's Speed

What the Inquisitor does here at the end is very important. If you've read book two recently, you may recognize this as what Sazed did when he tapped speed at the end of that book.

The Inquisitors are gaining Feruchemical powers, which makes them very, very dangerous. Mixing Feruchemy and Allomancy is what made the Lord Ruler so formidable. Fortunately, it took him a long time to figure out how to mix the powers correctly, and the Inquisitors haven't had the time to practice, regardless of the force controlling them.

The Hero of Ages Annotations (June 25, 2009)