Vanishers
| Vanishers | |
|---|---|
| Type | Criminals |
| World of Origin | Scadrial |
| Universe | Cosmere |
The Vanishers are a criminal gang on Scadrial.
They were employed by the Set to defraud House Tekiel[1] and to kidnap potential Allomancers.[2][3]
They were lead by Miles Dagouter.[4] Tarson is second in command.
They carried out a series of seemingly impossible train robberies, stealing cargo and kidnapping women. They also robbed a couple of high society gatherings, taking valuables and hostages.
History
They began train robberies in around 340 PC-341 PC[3]. They first stole a shipment of aluminum[citation needed] before going to ground for four months,[3] presumably to smelt the aluminum into bullets and guns.[citation needed] Afterwards, they robbed six more trains, including two from House Ladrian[5] and some from House Tekiel.[citation needed] The first two were only cargo robberies, but they quickly progressed to also robbing a passenger car for valuables and one of their Allomancy-blooded targets. Four women were kidnapped in this manner.[5] However, as the high-class Allomancy-blooded targets the Set laid out for them stopped riding trains due to saftey concerns,[citation needed] they were forced to rob the Coolerim Playhouse to get their next target.[5]
Methods
The Vanishers would first stop the train by obstructing its tracks. They sometimes did this with a fallen tree, sometimes with a ghostly train coming the opposite direction.[citation needed] That particular illusion relied on a hand-powered train carriage with a false front and a powerful light attached to appear as the headlights. This light may have been battery powered. Once the train was stopped, they would use a barge-mounted crane in the neighboring canal to swap the target car for an empty replica.[6] In this way, they were able to steal the cargo without leaving forced locks or dead guards on the train once it arrived at its destination.[5]
Known Members