Hazekiller
| Hazekiller | |
|---|---|
| Type | Profession |
| World of Origin | Scadrial |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Hazekillers are specialized warriors on Scadrial who are trained to fight and kill Allomancers.[1]
After the Catacendre, the term hazekiller is rarely heard, but "kill squad" is used as a rough synonym.[2][3] Ranette also invents specialized bullets used to fight Allomancers that she names "hazekiller rounds".[4]
Final Empire
During the Final Empire, hazekillers were ordinary people trained to fight and kill Mistings and Mistborn.[4] Wealthy noble houses such as House Venture employed squads of hazekillers in addition to their regular security forces in order to defend their keeps against Allomancers.[1] Hazekillers were also used as guards to prevent entry[5] or escape by Allomancers.[6]
Hazekillers typically wore no armor, and they carried no metal.[1][7] They used non-metallic weapons such as dueling canes, staves, or obsidian blades.[1][7][8] They had special training in recognizing the effects of the metallic arts and were not easily deceived by Allomancy. They often utilized large wooden shields that could be used to deflect coins or other projectiles.[1][8] They worked in large groups using aggressive tactics to overwhelm enemy Allomancers.[1] Alternatively, they could try to stall until help from friendly Allomancers arrived.[1] Because Mistborn had a wide range of abilities, they were particularly difficult for hazekillers to contain; highly skilled Mistborn such as Kelsier, Zane, and Vin successfully fought large groups of hazekillers.[1][8]
Post-Catacendre
After the Catacendre, the term "hazekiller" was considered to be archaic, and it was not in common use.[4] However, people that used hazekiller tactics still existed and were sometimes referred to as "kill squads"; Wayne directly equated these kill squads to the hazekillers of old.[3] Kill squads received some training in recognizing the effects of temporal Allomancers such as Sliders, which did not exist in the Final Empire.[3]
Granite Joe sent a kill squad that carried no metal and used crossbows after Wax in Weathering.[2] The Set also employed multiple kill squads, and sometimes even outfitted them with expensive aluminum weapons and bullets.[9][3] The Set was also prone to including Allomancers or Feruchemists in their kill squads.[9][3]
Hazekiller Rounds
Ranette paid homage to hazekillers by making special bullets intended to dispatch each type of Misting and naming them "hazekiller rounds".[4] These included:
- Coinshot: Rounds with a ceramic tip that keeps travelling after the metal of the bullet has been pushed away.
- Lurcher: Rounds with ceramic sides that explode when pulled on, causing shrapnel, which is said to be harmful but not lethal.
- Tineye: Rounds that make a loud noise when fired and a different noise when they hit. They are intended to disable rather than harm.
- Pewterarm: Rounds that are larger and packed with more gunpowder. They are intended to overpower the resilience of a pewterarm until death.
Ranette believed that her hazekiller rounds were even more effective than aluminum bullets against Allomancers, because they would not realize the danger of her rounds until it was too late.[4] Vindication, the specialized revolver that Ranette gave to Wax, was able to fire both standard bullets and hazekiller rounds.[4]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ a b c d e f g h The Final Empire chapter 5#
- ↑ a b Shadows of Self prologue#
- ↑ a b c d e The Bands of Mourning chapter 20#
- ↑ a b c d e f The Alloy of Law chapter 14#
- ↑ The Final Empire chapter 31#
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 60#
- ↑ a b The Final Empire chapter 33#
- ↑ a b c The Well of Ascension chapter 43#
- ↑ a b The Bands of Mourning chapter 16#