The musings of Frustration Part 1: Vyre's Eyes

[Frustration]

I had several questions I wanted to ask Brandon during the Koloss head munching day spoiler stream that unfortunately didn't get asked. So I thought I would make a series of topics and allow you to help me refine my thoughts on these various ideas as I prepare questions for the next opportunity.

 

First up on that list are the crystal eye-spikes that Moash receives in WaT:

 

What we know:

1. The spikes are made of diamonds
2. The spikes are filled with voidlight
3. The spikes should kill Moash as they go through his brain but they don't
4. The spikes allow Moash to see investiture
5. Diamonds are associated with the body focus of the eyes in the ars arcanum

 

What I want to know:

Are the spikes Moash received hemalurgically charged or do they just work on the same fundamentals?

Are there spren inside of Moash's spikes? If so which type?

Could another polestone be used, or only diamonds?

 

Can you guys think of ways I could refine these questions, or other information that would be useful for the questions to ask?

[Trusk'our he/him]

1 minute ago, Frustration said:

I had several questions I wanted to ask Brandon during the Koloss head munching day spoiler stream that unfortunately didn't get asked. So I thought I would make a series of topics and allow you to help me refine my thoughts on these various ideas as I prepare questions for the next opportunity.

 

First up on that list are the crystal eye-spikes that Moash receives in WaT:

 

What we know:

1. The spikes are made of diamonds
2. The spikes are filled with voidlight
3. The spikes should kill Moash as they go through his brain but they don't
4. The spikes allow Moash to see investiture
5. Diamonds are associated with the body focus of the eyes in the ars arcanum

 

What I want to know:

Are the spikes Moash received hemalurgically charged or do they just work on the same fundamentals?

Are there spren inside of Moash's spikes? If so which type?

Could another polestone be used, or only diamonds?

 

Can you guys think of ways I could refine these questions, or other information that would be useful for the questions to ask?

If I were to guess:

The spikes use Secretspren to detect Investiture. Not Hemalurgically gathered, just trapped like in a regular gemstone. 

Diamond is associated with the eyes. I think it's likely they correspond with those Bindpoints. 

[Frustration]

3 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

The spikes use Secretspren to detect Investiture.

That's actually something I hadn't thought of, I kept racking my brain trying to find a spren that could do it, but came up empty every time.

4 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

Diamond is associated with the eyes. I think it's likely they correspond with those Bindpoints. 

I agree, just trying to make sure I'm not reading too much into it.

 

How do you think that those questions could be phrased to tease the most out of Brandon without getting RAFO'd?

[Trusk'our he/him]

3 minutes ago, Frustration said:

How do you think that those questions could be phrased to tease the most out of Brandon without getting RAFO'd?

Honestly, I don't know.

I've never been able to get one of my questions seen, so. . .

[Schizoposting]

According to WOB they are a form of Hemalurgy:

Quote

Questioner

Are Moash's crystal spikes a form of Hemalurgy?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes they are!

In fact, (and I've told you guys this before), there's a point in Way of Kings Prime where they are walking through some tunnels to escape from the city (and that city was a partial inspiration for Urithiru; it's what became Urithiru), and they look down a corridor, and behind that corridor is an Unmade spiked to the wall with crystal Hemalurgic spikes. But we don't go over there. It was a seed for book two, that didn't happen.

Crystal Hemalurgic spikes were in the cosmere from Way of Kings Prime.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 7 (Dec. 19, 2025)

 I would guess that it's possible to charge hemalurgic spikes without actually spiking someone, and Moash's spikes are an example of this.

[Frustration]

7 minutes ago, Schizoposting said:

According to WOB they are a form of Hemalurgy:

 I would guess that it's possible to charge hemalurgic spikes without actually spiking someone, and Moash's spikes are an example of this.

That's more or less the question I'm wanting, did Battab stab someone with the diamonds first, or are these "Artificial" hemalurgic spikes.

[Schizoposting]

8 minutes ago, Frustration said:

That's more or less the question I'm wanting, did Battab stab someone with the diamonds first, or are these "Artificial" hemalurgic spikes.

I think that it's unlikely that someone was stabbed to make them, since they contain voidlight, which implies that they were directly charged like any other gemstone. Also, Moash does not appear to get any attributes from the spikes which can be taken by stabbing a person. It's possible however, that they contain some spren, although we don't have any evidence for this.

[Usseewa ✾ She♡They ✾]

Was this [the thread title] intended to be a pun on "musings of El on the First of the Final Ten Days"? (I assume not, but who knows)

[Frustration]

5 minutes ago, Theory said:

Was this [the thread title] intended to be a pun on "musings of El on the First of the Final Ten Days"? (I assume not, but who knows)

Perhaps

Spoiler

Yes

 

[Usseewa ✾ She♡They ✾]

5 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Perhaps

  Hide contents

Yes

 

Nice

3 hours ago, Frustration said:

Are there spren inside of Moash's spikes? If so which type?

If it's Hemalurgy, didn't Marsh's spikes let him see Investiture? So it could be straight-up 'lurgy.

Edited December 30, 2025 by Theory
SPAGhetti.

[Frustration]

22 minutes ago, Theory said:

If it's Hemalurgy, didn't Marsh's spikes let him see Investiture? So it could be straight-up 'lurgy.

Only metal, not investiture per say

[Usseewa ✾ She♡They ✾]

21 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Only metal, not investiture per say

What about that whole "it's all one!! Metal, souls, mist (?)!!" Idk, you're probably correct.

[Nitpicking]

On 12/29/2025 at 8:42 PM, Theory said:

Nice

If it's Hemalurgy, didn't Marsh's spikes let him see Investiture? So it could be straight-up 'lurgy.

Marsh can perceive Investiture directly by burning allomantic bronze. He doesn't need spikes to have that power.

[+Kelkamer]

On 12/29/2025 at 8:28 PM, Theory said:

What about that whole "it's all one!! Metal, souls, mist (?)!!" Idk, you're probably correct.

I do think you're onto something though. Marsh mentions in HoA Chapter 34 that for people who know how to read the lines, they can determine a lot of other information, like color. At the end of The Lost Metal, Kelsier calls this the "sight of the gods". We know that Investiture is just another form of energy and matter in the cosmere. There's also a WoB of Brandon saying steelsight is more of a spiritual realm thing than anything else. 

 

I think a sufficiently trained individual with A-Iron or A-Steel could essentially see all sorts of other Investiture. Or at least, there's a connection to be made.