Difference between revisions of "Waxillium Ladrian"
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In his early months in
Throwing himself into the much more mundane effort of saving his house's financial future, Waxillium spent half a year working to reverse his late uncle's squandering of the family funds. Believing there was no other choice, he entered into a marriage agreement with [[Lord Harms]]' daughter, [[Steris]], hopeful that her father's money would help bring House Ladrian back from the brink of destitution. That same day, Wayne, an old partner from his time in the Roughs, re-entered Wax's life--carrying with him an [[aluminum]] bullet and a tantalizing mystery surrounding a gang of train robbers known as the [[Vanishers]], which threatened to draw Wax away from his house responsibilities and right back into the life of a lawman.{{book ref|mb4|2}}
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Correctly deducing the Vanishers' next target, Wax set Wayne and Marasi to work, zeroing in on the protection of Lord [[Augustine Tekiel|Tekiel]]'s next shipment train, which included the new, [[Breaknaught]] cargo car. Infiltrating the car just before the predicted robbery took place, Wax allowed himself to be taken to the Vanishers' lair.{{book ref|mb4|16}} Making use of a large amount of dynamite smuggled alongside him in the Breaknaught, Waxillium fought his way through the Vanishers' hideout, unfortunately losing Vindication in the fray.
Newly re-armed, Wax located and rescued Steris, killed numerous members of the Vanishers gang, and destroyed their hideout with a tremendous feat of Metalborn power. As the building collapsed, several surviving Vanishers, led by the now fully-healed, Miles Hundredlives, held Marasi at gunpoint. Refusing to freeze up and lose another woman's life to the same type of standoff, Wax called for Wayne to create a speed bubble. Firing at the Vanisher through the speed bubble, Wax compensated for the unavoidable veering of the time-slowed bullet by firing a second time, in an incredibly aimed shot which struck his first bullet and caused it to ricochet directly into the thug's head. Miles and an already injured Wax squared off, with Hundredlives beating Wax mercilessly. Waxillium held on, taking the punishment of Miles' blows as Marasi secretly held them in a time bubble. Wax successfully distracted the outlaw, laying all of his hopes on the absent Wayne, who finally returned, having surrounded the three of them with Elendel's constables.{{book ref|mb4|19}}
==== Meeting Mister Suit ====
After the surviving Vanishers were taken into custody and interrogated, Waxillium recognized the description of a man working with Miles whom they called "Mister Suit," which led him to believe they were talking about his
=== Bleeder ===
Newly rescued, Steris suggested to Wax that their shared ordeal afforded the two of them an opportunity to speed up their marriage contract and announce their engagement much sooner then previously planned. Initially hesitant, Wax agreed that the couple should move forward with Steris' suggestion, endeavoring to push away any potentially romantic thoughts of Marasi and bury his painful memories of Lessie.{{book ref|mb4|20}}
Due to his invaluable contributions toward the resolution of the Vanishers case, Wax was granted a citywide deputized forbearance by the [[Elendel#Government|Elendel Senate]] as well as certain allowances to practice his Roughs-style justice in the city.{{book ref|mb4|20}}
====Tormented by the Past====
Months later, while
Approached by a number of constables
Starting his search in the best place to find word of a rogue Feruchemist, Wax visited the [[Terris]] [[Village]] to obtain the counsel of his grandmother, [[Vwafendal]]. Recognizing the name [[Idashwy]], a Steelrunner from his past who had recently left the Village, Wax continued his investigation elsewhere, enlisting Wayne's help to discover the woman's address in the city.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Blindsided by another momentary glimpse of Bloody Tan on the crowded streets, Wax began to doubt his own senses. Shaking off the distraction, Wax joined Wayne in discovering Idashwy's corpse, laying in her kitchen with a large hole bored through her chest. Having spent great amounts of time studying a book gifted to him by [[Ironeyes]] himself,{{book ref|mb4|epilogue}}
▲Approached by a number of constables, who arrived late on the scene, Wax learned that Constable-General [[Claude Aradel]] would like to quietly enlist his assistance in investigating the recent murder of Elendel Governer [[Replar Innate]]'s brother, [[Winsting]], who had been killed among 30 of Elendel's most notorious criminals. Examining the scene, Wax determined that Winsting was stabbed by someone familiar to the man, citing the location of the killings, the position of the bodies, and the sheer number of victims —details which also dictated that Feruchemically enhanced speed would have been required to perform the grisly feat. Wax steeled himself, knowing he was now on the trail of a [[Steelrunner]].{{book ref|mb5|4}}
▲Having spent great amounts of time studying a book gifted to him by [[Ironeyes]] himself{{book ref|mb4|epilogue}}, Wax recognized the likelihood of Idashwy having been the victim of the creation of a Hemalurgic spike. Guessing that the killer used the spike to steal her Feruchemical speed, Wax was surprised to find a note written to himself hidden in the victim's pocket. On the note were some of the last words Bloody Tan said to him, back in the Roughs.{{book ref|mb5|6}}
{{sidequote
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Needing time to think, Wax rode alone in his carriage, driven by [[Hoid]].
====Pursuit of a Mad Woman====
While attending Lady [[ZoBell]]'s party with Steris, Wax met
His pursuit of Bleeder waylaid by a dozen armed men, Wax was convinced that she must be aligned with the Set.
Tracking Bleeder's path, Wax located the carriage she had used to escape the scene of the killing. Inside, Wax found traces of [[Perchwither]], a substance only found in the [[Kandra Homeland|Homeland of the Faceless Immortals]].{{book ref|mb5|15}} Puzzled, Wax followed her trail back to the Governor's mansion.
{{sidequote
}}
Seeking more information on Bleeder, Wax entered the museum in the [[Field of Rebirth]].
====Confronting a Memory====
Bleeder screamed that she would not be controlled again.
In the weeks that followed, Wax bitterly grieved his wife's final death, greatly distancing himself from Harmony for keeping Bleeder's identity secret from him.
▲Bleeder screamed that she would not be controlled again. As she died in Wax's arms, having terminated her own life to prevent Harmony from returning her to his service, Bleeder begged Wax to ask Harmony why he originally sent her to protect him, back in the Roughs. Telling Wax that she loved him, she demanded to know why, if Harmony was such a wonderful, all-knowing god, he would use Wax to kill her.
===The Bands of Mourning===▼
▲===The Bands of Mourning===
▲In the weeks that followed, Wax bitterly grieved his wife's final death, greatly distancing himself from Harmony for keeping Bleeder's identity secret from him. Forsaking even the mists he used to cherish, Wax largely shied away from his public responsibilities, showing little interest in following up on the city intrigues Wayne, MeLaan, and Marasi had uncovered while Bleeder's plan unraveled. Offering little in the manner of resistance, Wax even agreed to postpone the wedding with Steris as he flirted with surrendering to his depression.{{book ref|mb5|epilogue}}
{{sidequote
| In the back of his noggin, he'll be relieved that I stopped the wedding. He'll figure it was me, deep in his subcontinence, and will pay for the damages—no matter what the assessor says. And he won't say anything, won't even investigate. Watch.
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Six months later, spurred on by a slowly growing bond with Steris and determined not to remain in the same well of despair that had tried to claim him when he lost Lessie the first time, Wax had returned to the pursuit of his constabulary duties with Wayne.{{book ref|mb6|1}} When the day of his wedding with Steris arrived, Wax found himself pursued once again by a member of Harmony's
====To New Seran====
Wax unholstered Vindication and downed a new vial of metals as he returned to Ladrian mansion
{{sidequote
| What is it about you that makes me want to punch you, even when you're saying something helpful?
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With real proof that his sister was alive, for the first time in years, Wax knew he was being manipulated into doing Harmony's bidding again; though this time, he endeavored to step in with his eyes wide open. Wax catagorically rejected VenDell's extended gifting of another Pathian earring. He would do this on his own, without Harmony's voice in his ear.{{book ref|mb6|4}}▼
▲With real proof that his sister was alive
Joined on the train to New Seran by Steris, who was becoming increasingly familiar and useful company, Wax soon found it difficult to interrupt her intense reading of a book. He needed to mine her keen knowledge of local politics and slake his curiosity after he noticed increased protests of Elendel's tariffs, visible out the windows as they passed through the outer cities. Distracting her further, Wax was delighted to finally catch a glimpse of what had earlier held Steris' attention so doggedly; she had been reading a book on basic human reproduction. Mortified, Steris attempted to change the subject, but the discovery only added to Wax's growing affection for the woman.{{book ref|mb6|5}}▼
▲Joined on the train to New Seran by Steris, who was becoming increasingly familiar and useful company, Wax soon found it difficult to interrupt her intense reading of a book.
Feeling the train car suddenly slowing, Wax sprang into action. Guessing rightly that robbers had disconnected their car, he leaped to the tracks below and then tapped his metalmind to greatly increase his weight, which allowed him to Steelpush the train car back down the tracks fast enough to reconnect. Wax pushed himself back onto the train, which was already being boarded by a large group of gunmen on horseback.{{book ref|mb6|7}} Leaving Steris in Marasi's care, Wax fought his way through the train, eventually squaring off against, a huge Metalborn brute, whose large bulk turned out to be a great target for Ranette's latest gift to Wax's arsenal
After securing the train and allowing a doctor to tend to his wounds at [[Ironstand]] station, Wax began to worry that the still missing Wayne might have been seriously hurt or incapacitated in the battle. Wax's concern soon melted to annoyance when his long search of the train turned up both Wayne and MeLaan who were holed up together in a private compartment, groggy from a tussle of their own.{{book ref|mb6|9}}
Eventually arriving in New Seran, Wax and Steris agreed that the best way to begin their investigation was to attend a ball at the home of Lady [[Kelesina Shores]], where they would be sure to scrape as much information as possible from the city's upper crust. As they approached the mansion, Wax gave a bank note to a well spoken [[Hoid|beggar]]{{book ref|mb6|11}}, who insisted he take in exchange a strange coin, made of two different metals, branded with the face of a man spiked through one eye, and covered in symbols that Wax could not read. Separating, the two mingled among the elite and gathered what rumors they could, including some regarding a hushed building project that may have involved Allomancers, north east of the city. Gruff around the edges as ever, and surrounded by as practiced liars and thieves as he had ever faced before, Wax knew he still had a lot to learn about politics. Still, he gained more information than he expected, even detecting that there was more going on with Lady Kelesina than she let on. Interrupted just as he was about to extend an invitation to Lady [[Felise Demoux]], Wax instead shared a dance with [[Khriss]], who was excited to question Wax extensively about his particular pairing of Feruchemical and Allomantic abilities. Pushing for more information than seemed proper, and displaying an uncomfortably high level of knowledge of his powers, Khriss increased Wax's already heavy suspicions, as he returned to asking other guests of the party questions of his own.{{book ref|mb6|12}}
Sensing that Lady Kelesina was making a quick escape from the party, Wax scrambled to find a way to exit in pursuit, without alerting anyone that he was following. Ever prepared, Steris armed Wax with a pistol she had snuck into the dance and then produced the requisite distraction, from the bottom of a vial of ipecac.{{book ref|mb6|13}} Following as carefully as possible, Wax caught up to Kelesina deep in her mansion, where he overheard the unmistakable voice of his uncle through the door to her bedroom.
With the timely arrival of MeLaan, Wax fought his way out of the mansion and escaped with Steris, who he found waiting for him behind a shrub outside.
▲Following as carefully as possible, Wax caught up to Kelesina deep in her mansion, where he overheard the unmistakable voice of his uncle through the door to her bedroom. Wax listened as Edwarn detailed his involvement in both the train robbery from the day before as well as further plans to stymie Wax and keep him off his trail.{{book ref|mb6|15}} Bursting through the door without any hesitation, Wax was immediately disarmed by Kelesina's [[pewter]]-burning steward. Beckoned by Edwarn, whose words were actually emitted from an odd voice projector sitting in the room, the steward turned and murdered Kelesina with Wax's gun, tidily implicating him, a visiting noble from Elendel, in the assassination of one of New Seran's political elite.
▲With the timely arrival of MeLaan, Wax fought his way out of the mansion and escaped with Steris, who he found waiting for him behind a shrub outside. Taking her close, Wax steel-pushed their way straight up into the sky and through the evening mists, which gave way to the breathtaking view of [[Vin#Post-Catacendre Myths and Culture|The Ascendant's Field]], where they shared a quiet moment of mutual respect and kissed above the clouds.{{book ref|mb6|16}}
====Uncovering the Weapon====
Staying ahead of the local authorities and following up on their only lead from the party, Wax rode a stagecoach toward the construction site
Splitting from Marasi and MeLaan, who went in search of ReLuur's stolen spike, Wax and Wayne entered the warship, determined to locate Edwarn himself. Using a spyglass borrowed from MeLaan, Wax immediately changed their plan when he located the chamber where Telsin was being held. Easily bypassing the workmen and engineers blocking his path, Wax quietly entered the room dead set on saving his sister.
{{sidequote
| You were always the quiet one. The thoughtful one. How did you get here? I
| Telsin{{book ref|mb6|19}}
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Briefly stopping their ship to pick up Steris, Wax and Marasi pored over a notebook that she stole from Edwarn's warship, which seemed to show the location of a second work site, south of their position. This corroborated Telsin's claims that Edwarn had been obsessively working to find a great weapon in the south that promised to give the Set the ability to dominate the whole of the [[Elendel Basin|Basin]]. Telsin warned Wax that their uncle had set off to retrieve the weapon not long ago; it was clear that there wasn't much time. Marasi's notebook also included a map showing a temple marked for excavation in the peaks of the southern mountains, which reignited the palpable fear that the Set could be dangerously close to obtaining the fabled Bands of Mourning, just as VenDell had warned back in Elendel.{{book ref|mb6|21}}▼
▲Briefly stopping their ship to pick up Steris, Wax and Marasi pored over a notebook that she stole from Edwarn
Taking advantage of their more efficient form of travel, Wax's group arrived on the mountain peaks soundly before Edwarn and his men could complete their slow climb through the snow. Locating the temple from Marasi's notebook, Wax ventured inside, proceeding with caution after he encountered the scattered remains of treasure hunters who had been there before him. Making grand use of MeLaan's nigh-invincibility, Wax and Allik worked slowly through the temple's ancient security system, safely triggering traps that would have spelled certain death for any other group of trespassers.{{book ref|mb6|23}}▼
▲Taking advantage of their more efficient form of travel, Wax's group arrived on the mountain peaks soundly before Edwarn and his men could complete their slow climb through the snow.
Halted by a door which was inscribed with writing that none of them could decipher, Wax returned to the entrance of the temple, where Steris, Marasi, and Wayne held Edwarn at gunpoint; his expedition had arrived at the temple just before Wax's return. Edwarn claimed to know the secret to opening the temple's final door and threatened Wax that he had an overwhelming force of Allomancers and goons surrounding the temple who would not hesitate to kill every member of Wax's pitiful group, unless he was allowed to join them in collecting the Bands.{{book ref|mb6|25}} When the temple's last chamber proved to be missing the Bands, Wax suddenly found himself in an armed standoff with Telsin, who he had rightly suspected to be a mole for the Set.
====Return====
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Immediately, Wax found himself in the presence of Harmony.
Tapping the enormously potent metalmind inside the spearhead, Wax burst through the confines of the temple and out into the open air, trailing mist in his wake. Able to sense and call upon what seemed to be endless trace metals in the surrounding area, Wax knew that he could crush Edwarn and Telsin's fleeing ship with little effort. Bringing himself under control, Wax confronted his uncle for the final time, choosing to subdue him without the use of the spearhead's dangerous power.{{book ref|mb6|29}} ▼
▲Tapping the enormously potent metalmind inside the spearhead, Wax burst through the confines of the temple and out into the open air, trailing mist in his wake.
Wax finally returned to Elendel, where he gave over the spearhead into the hands of the mandra. No longer willing to put it off, and ready to move on with his life, Wax convinced Steris to marry him in a quiet ceremony, highlighted by their newly blossomed love for each other.{{book ref|mb6|31}} On their honeymoon, Wax was suddenly awakened by the sound of an explosion in the distance.
== Attributes and Abilities ==
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