Plugging Hemalurgic Cracks with Investitutre

[Trusk'our he/him]

As you all know, Hemalurgic spikes create cracks in the Spiritweb, making it easier for outside sources of Investiture to get in and influence things as they wish, potentially even allowing the Hemalurgist to be outright mind controlled.

So, here's yet another idea on how a Hemalurgist could resist the Flaw;

Marsh decides to confront a Mistborn serial killer who's popped up in Elendel, as Marsh is a good guy and probably isn't okay with someone like that just going about wantonly and murdering others. The Mistborn uses a duralumin augmented blast of Emotional Allomancy in an attempt to control Marsh. Due to Marsh's mental fortitude, he manages to break the Mistborn's hold on his mind and he escapes. Marsh later Compounds and stuffs his spikes to the brim with Investiture, each one holding a comparable amount to the Bands of Mourning. Marsh confronts the Mistborn again and the Mistborn again chooses to use a duralumin augmented blast of Emotional Allomancy in an attempt to mind control Marsh.

So, would the added Feruchemical Investiture of Marsh's spikes make him more tolerant toward the Mistborn's influence, since Investiture resists Investiture? Investiture does resist Investiture, after all.

[Treamayne]

24 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

So, would the added Feruchemical Investiture of Marsh's spikes make him more tolerant toward the Mistborn's influence, since Investiture resists Investiture? Investiture does resist Investiture, after all.

Nope. As Ruin said in M:SH - the nature of Hemalurgy (even Ferchemical storages though Hemalurgy) is that it can only widen cracks. Any investiture part of or entering through a hemalurgic crack cannot fill the crack because of Ruin's nature. 

It's not like a nail through a pail, where you can fill it with water and as long as the nail is in the hole the water won't leak (iow: cracks around the outside of the spike). It's more like a  nail though a wall hitting the electrical socket wires. It doesn't matter if there are cracks outside the nail, touching the nail is going to give a shock (pun intended). 

A Hemalurgic spike is like an investiture hot wire directly into your soul. You would have to remove the spike to shore up the crack. 

Besides, nearly all Inquisitors already had a way of preventing the flaw from any source less than a Shard or Rashek-level-Fullborn.

A-Copper. 

Edited February 21, 2024 by Treamayne
SPAG/Clarity

[Quantus he/him]

I dont think so, from what you describe.  Spikes arent metalminds even if they are occupying the same chunk of metal, so you could Compound all you want into storage but unless you are actively tapping those reserves your spiritweb doesnt get any more invested.  If you managed to Store in existing Charged spikes then those spike would be more resistant to things like supercharged steel pushing, but it wont interface with or augment the part that is plugged into your spiritweb.  

It would be Way easier to just wear an aluminum hat, thought for pure investiture its Breaths/Heightening's.  

[Trusk'our he/him]

6 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Nope. As Ruin said in M:SH - the nature of Hemalurgy (even Ferchemical storages though Hemalurgy) is that it can only widen cracks. Any investiture part of or entering through a hemalurgic crack cannot fill the crack because of Ruin's nature. 

Alright, what if you managed to fill the spikes with Preservation's Investiture instead, such as if you were to use natural Compounding (yes, if you could do that you'd either be a narual Fullborn or at least have access to Unkeyed Metalminds from Compounders, but for the sake of discussion let's just say that you do).

Do you think that Preservation's Intent would help shore up those cracks?

7 minutes ago, Quantus said:

I dont think so, from what you describe.  Spikes arent metalminds even if they are occupying the same chunk of metal, so you could Compound all you want into storage but unless you are actively tapping those reserves your spiritweb doesnt get any more invested.  If you managed to Store in existing Charged spikes then those spike would be more resistant to things like supercharged steel pushing, but it wont interface with or augment the part that is plugged into your spiritweb.  

Okay, what about if you filled the spike with more Hemalurgic Investiture? If you found a way to strip Identity from another and spiked 100 people, do you think that would help prevent control through the Flaw?

[Quantus he/him]

19 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

Okay, what about if you filled the spike with more Hemalurgic Investiture? If you found a way to strip Identity from another and spiked 100 people, do you think that would help prevent control through the Flaw?

Honestly, I dont think it will be in the cards for Hemalurgy at a fundamental level, and I think making a more powerful spike is just going to make a bigger crack.  The idea of Investiture being used to fill the cracks in the spiritweb is a metaphor based on the Kintsigu idea of using Gold to repair broken pottery, and I think you just cant fill cracks in delicate pottery with the chisel you used to make them.  

[alder24]

1 hour ago, Trusk'our said:

Marsh decides to confront a Mistborn serial killer who's popped up in Elendel, as Marsh is a good guy and probably isn't okay with someone like that just going about wantonly and murdering others. The Mistborn uses a duralumin augmented blast of Emotional Allomancy in an attempt to control Marsh. Due to Marsh's mental fortitude, he manages to break the Mistborn's hold on his mind and he escapes. Marsh later Compounds and stuffs his spikes to the brim with Investiture, each one holding a comparable amount to the Bands of Mourning. Marsh confronts the Mistborn again and the Mistborn again chooses to use a duralumin augmented blast of Emotional Allomancy in an attempt to mind control Marsh.

So, would the added Feruchemical Investiture of Marsh's spikes make him more tolerant toward the Mistborn's influence, since Investiture resists Investiture? Investiture does resist Investiture, after all.

No. The spikes are Hemalurgically charged thus affecting the soul, but the metalmind-spikes do not. They don't influence the soul, they don't pierce it, they don't invest the soul, they wouldn't affect the cracks in the spirit web. The metal is more invested, but his soul isn't. However if Marsh were to tap lots of investiture, thus the investiture is flowing through his spirit web, he would become more resilient to emotional Allomancy, for the same reason Rashek is. However the amount of investiture available in Feruchemy is low compared to other worlds, Marsh would need to tap really a ton of investiture. 

Spoiler

Questioner

God-King versus God-King. Susebron versus Rashek, who comes out on top?

Brandon Sanderson

Rashek, probably.

Questioner

By a lot or a little?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, here's the thing. I think Susebron is at the disadvantage in almost every situation.

Questioner

Okay. How so?

Brandon Sanderson

Rashek has been alive longer. Rashek knows what he's doing. Rashek has martial training. Rashek has killed a lot of people, Susebron never has. Fewer scruples. His magic is way more combat-oriented. He can get out of range a lot easier. He has power emotional Allomancy, which Susebron would *inaudible*.

Granted, he's got so much investiture, he may be able to shrug that off. But still, I would put Rashek at the advantage.

Skyward release party (Nov. 6, 2018)

 

1 hour ago, Trusk'our said:

Okay, what about if you filled the spike with more Hemalurgic Investiture? If you found a way to strip Identity from another and spiked 100 people, do you think that would help prevent control through the Flaw?

I believe that would only widen the crack. The bigger the charge of Hemalurgic spike, the more "space" it needs to fit in the soul, the bigger the crack, the bigger the flaw.