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 women with Allomantic heritage.[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] from House Tekiel[3] 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] The first and second shipments stolen after resurfacing were steel. Next they stole food, followed by more metals and food.[3] The first three were only cargo robberies, but they quickly progressed to also robbing a passenger car for valuables and one or two of their Allomancy-blooded targets. Four women were kidnapped in this manner.[5][3] However, as the high-class Allomancy-blooded targets the Set laid out for them stopped riding trains due to safety concerns,[citation needed] they were forced to rob the Coolerim Playhouse to get their next target.[5]
Methods
The Vanishers would first stop the target train by obstructing its tracks.[3] This always occurred at a position where the rail line came close to the canal it was built next to.[citation needed] Earlier robberies accomplished this with a fallen tree, later they employed a ghostly train coming the opposite direction.[3] That particular illusion relied on a hand-powered train carriage with a false front and a powerful light attached to appear as the headlight. 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]
Media Coverage
The Vanishers were extensively covered in Elendel's broadsheets[3], and Miles considered the resulting publicity essential to ensuring the incompetence of the constabulary.[citation needed] Some sheets speculated that the phantom railcar used by the Vanishers was truly supernatural in origin.[7] Some put forward theories on the method of robbery involving Sliders or Brutes. Many papers interviewed eyewitnesses and experts, however, they still lacked solid information.[3][7]
![[7]](#cite_note-Elendel_Daily_broadsheet.png-7){kind=link}
Known Members
