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Vanishers

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Vanishers
Type Criminals
World of Origin Scadrial
Universe Cosmere
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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.[citation needed]

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 on the 14th of Vinuarch 341 PC (early summer).[3] They first stole a shipment of aluminum from House Tekiel before going to ground for four months, presumably to smelt the aluminum into bullets and guns.[3][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, including pewter, iron, zinc, brass, bendalloy, and tin.[3] The first three were only cargo robberies, but they quickly progressed to also robbing a passenger car for valuables and one of their Allomancy-blooded targets. Three 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,[6] they were forced to rob the Coolerim Playhouse to get their next target.[5]

The next target was the Yomen-Ostlin wedding dinner, with Steris and Marasi to be taken as the Allomancy-blooded captives. The Vanishers burst into the room as the meal was underway and systematically robbed each person of their valuable belongings. Afterwards, they loudly took the two predetermined captives. Lord Peterus, a retired constable, was vocal about his distaste for their actions, and Miles shot him. Shooting Lord Peterus provoked Wax and Wayne to intervene.[7] In the firefight that followed, Wax and Wayne rescued Marasi, killed 25 bandits, and incapacitated six others. Wax shot both Tarson and Miles but neither suffered significant damage from it. No civilians died, although some suffered as badly as broken bones.[8]

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.[9] 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]

The Vanishers, except for Miles, did not mask their faces. They wore loose buttoned shirts, slacks, and vests. Wax describes them as not particularly well dressed.[7] They used a mix of rifles and pistols,[7] including aluminum ones with matching aluminum bullets.[10][8]

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.[11] 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][11]

Known Members

For less information, see Category:Vanishers.


Notes

  1. ↑ The Alloy of Law epilogue#
  2. ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 7#
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i The Alloy of Law chapter 3#
  4. ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 11#
  5. ↑ a b c d The Alloy of Law chapter 2#
  6. ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 4#
  7. ↑ a b c The Alloy of Law chapter 5#
  8. ↑ a b The Alloy of Law chapter 6#
  9. ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 17#
  10. ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 15#
  11. ↑ a b Elendel_Daily_broadsheet.png
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