Spren and Hemalurgy

[Kered]

So I was browsing Arcanum, like I have been since yesterday, and I came across this question from Oversleep. 

Oversleep

Could you steal from a spren?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, you could steal the Investiture of a spren. Any Investiture can be used in a spike if you know what you’re doing. It’s actually not that hard to use one on a spren.

 

 

Stealing investiture from a spren. Not through spikes, but isn't that kinda what the people of Roshar are doing when they trap spren in gemstones and use them by way of a fabrial? 

Edited November 10, 2017 by Kered

[GeneralHZRD]

I find it interesting that you mention this as I was looking at the Arcanum earlier and I found this,

Questioner

I was wondering if a bond to a spren, a Nahel bond, may be taken with a Hemalurgic spike.

Brandon Sanderson

This is possible but it's gonna-- Since the spren has free will it's going to be-- Yeah it's going to have weird ramifications but it is a possible thing.

 

In regards to your question, this is the closest WoB that i could find,

Questioner

Are Hemalurgic spikes fabrials? Is a body that has been spiked a fabrial? Are koloss and kandra also something similar?

Brandon Sanderson

No, actually.

Fabrial means specifically a bit of Investiture that has been trapped by a gemstone and then modified to do something else. Hemalurgy is its own thing--though there is a slight similarity. In most Hemalurgy, Investiture keyed to the Identity of someone (a bit of a soul) is ripped off, and then magically grafted onto someone else's soul. Not the same, though I can see the confusion.

Koloss and kandra are similar, though in this case, the soul is mostly just being distorted by using an Invested spike. In the cosmere, the body will attempt to match the soul, and so a twisted soul (Spiritual aspect of a person) can have profound effects on both mind and body.

 

So based off this I would say that I don't think it's stealing as much as using. It's the difference between stealing the life force of something as opposed to making them do your will. I hope I helped answer you question.

[Unlicensed Hemalurgist]

So is Hemalurgically stealing a Nahel bond different from Hemalugically stealing the surgebinding a spren grants? 

[Calderis]

4 hours ago, Unlicensed Hemalurgist said:

So is Hemalurgically stealing a Nahel bond different from Hemalugically stealing the surgebinding a spren grants? 

Yes. If you were to kill a Radiant and steal the bond, it's pretty likely that the moment you plant that spike in yourself you break the bond and kill your spren. 

 

On the OP. You can spike a spren directly. You just have to be in the Cognitive Realm. 

Quote

Mr. Suit

Can spren - like Syl - be pierced by hemalurgic spike? Will it give some effect?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. A spren can be pierced by Invested metal…

Oversleep

Could it be spiked?

Brandon Sanderson

Could a spike be used to give abilities to spren? That’s not going to work really well.

Oversleep

Could you steal from a spren?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, you could steal the Investiture of a spren. Any Investiture can be used in a spike if you know what you’re doing. It’s actually not that hard to use one on a spren.

Oversleep

Because I thought you said Hemalurgy needs moving blood.

Brandon Sanderson

It needs, uh, yeah… there are places where spren have more physical form, more tangible form.

Questioner

Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

No, no, no, not Roshar.

Questioner

The Cognitive Realm on Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, if you go to the Cognitive Realm on Roshar the spren act differently than they do.

Oversleep

So you could spike in the Cognitive Realm?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah I’ll leave a RAFO with you on that. That’s your fifth one. So there are ways to get any Investiture into Hemalurgy if you know what you’re doing. But yeah this is not something that would be a common use for Hemalurgy. Let’s just say that.

Oversleep

We do not concern ourselves with common uses.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, I know you don’t. But yeah Hemalurgy, when you’re spiking into somebody you… you’ll see when we get around to it.