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{{character
|image=Kelsier.jpg
|parents=[[Kelsier's mother|Mother]]
|spouse=[[Mare]]
|siblings=[[Marsh]]
|abilities={{tag+|Mistborn}}, {{tag+|Sliver}}, {{tag+|Cognitive Shadow}}, {{tag+|shard|Preservation}} <small>(former)</small>
|titles=Survivor of [[Pits of Hathsin|Hathsin]], Survivor of Mists{{book ref|mb4|19}}, Survivor of Death{{msh ref|4|4}}, Survivor, Lord of the Mists, Sovereign
|born={{date|c. 984|fe}}{{book ref|mb2|5}}
|died={{date|1022|fe}}{{book ref|mb1|34}}
|groups={{tag|Kelsier's crew}}
|ethnicity=Skaa
|residence=Luthadel
|world=Scadrial
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Mistborn (series)|Mistborn]]
}}
{{notice|style=background-color: #F55;
|b=There's always another secret!
|Kelsier really wasn't kidding when he said that. Be '''very''' wary of spoilers for all of the Mistborn books and short stories.
}}
{{quote
| There's always another secret.
| Kelsier's mantra
}}
'''Kelsier''' is a half-[[skaa]] [[Allomancy|Mistborn]] from [[Scadrial]].{{book ref|mb1|2}} He is stern and intense, but always smiling; another act of rebellion against the Lord Ruler's oppression. He hates injustice and takes this hatred to the extreme, which originally resulted in him being unable to see good in any of the nobility. This was changed by [[Vin]] who fell in love with [[Elend Venture]]. Kelsier went on to save Elend's life from an [[inquisitor]]. His late wife [[Mare]] collected pre-Ascension memorabilia, and he keeps one piece, a drawing of a [[Flower picture|flower]],{{book ref|mb1|17}} to inspire his crew. Kelsier is the younger brother of [[Marsh]], who is disappointed at Kelsier's apparent lack of direction or purpose until Kelsier leads the [[skaa rebellion]]. He always keeps a smile on his face, believing that is the best way to fight.
== Appearance and Personality ==
{{quote
|They called you their god, and you were casual with their faith! The hearts of men are NOT YOUR TOYS.
|Preservation to Kelsier{{msh ref|6|4}}
}}
Kelsier is tall and hawk-faced and has light-blonde hair and hazel eyes{{book ref|mb1|3}}{{wob ref|9216}}; he has a multitude of large scars crossing both arms from his time in the Pits of Hathsin.{{book ref|mb1|prologue}} He usually wears a nobleman's suit (a colored vest with dark trousers and a coat), and for night time activities his [[mistcloak]].
He is almost always late to gatherings, which he attributes to always having somewhere better to be{{book ref|mb1|27}}. He always smiles and projects an excited and positive attitude, which is particularly unusual in the skaa underground. He does this in order to fight the Lord Ruler's oppression of all the skaa, he wants to have one thing which cannot be taken away from him.{{book ref|mb1|prologue}} He hates all of the nobility and tends to believe that all of them are to blame for the plight of the skaa, although near the end of his life this attitude changes due to Vin's insistence that [[Elend]] is different and that not all the nobles should be fought. He has an imposing presence and is a natural leader, easily taking charge and swaying even the downtrodden skaa of Luthadel into joining the rebellion with his charming personality. However he is not above using this personality to manipulate those around him to his own ends, as can be viewed through his spreading of the rumours of the "eleventh metal".
Some might say that Kelsier is a psychopath, though this is debatable due to the intense anger he exhibits when innocents (or rather his idea of innocents) are harmed, which is a very empathetic trait. He also shows regret and guilt for what happened to Vin in the aftermath of the Kredik Shaw burglary. Throughout the series he has fond memories of his wife whom he misses greatly, whose death caused him to snap into Allomancy. Nevertheless, Sanderson states that Kelsier derives pleasure from killing people, but only allows that part of his personality to surface occasionally, when he is fighting noblemen, and he tries to channel this aspect of his personality into a good cause.{{wob ref|4103}} This leads us to believe that he isn't a psychopath by definition,he is most likely insane in another way.
<gallery caption="Images of Kelsier">
Secret History Cover Art.jpg | <center><small>by [[Miranda Meeks]]</small></center> On ''[[Mistborn: Secret History]]'' cover
Cognitive Shadow Kelsier.jpg | <center><small>by [[Miranda Meeks]]</small></center> As a [[Cognitive Shadow]], from ''[[Mistborn: Secret History]]'' cover
AU Secret History.jpeg | <center><small>by [[Ben McSweeney]]</small></center> Kelsier finding [[Khriss]] and [[Nazh]], ''[[Arcanum Unbounded]]'' interior art
Kelsier and Gemmel.png | <center><small>by [[Ben McSweeney]]</small></center> Kelsier and [[Gemmel]], ''[[Arcanum Unbounded]]'' interior art
Kelsier.jpg | <center><small>by [[Kit Buss]]</small></center>
Kelsier portrait.png |<center><small>by {{a|Laura MacMahon}}</small></center> Portrait
Final Empire Opening Scene.jpg | <center><small>by {{a|Francis Goeltner}}</small></center>Kelsier at the [[Central Dominance]]
Drifter.png | <center><small></small> by {{a|LittleGreyDragon}}</center>Meeting [[Hoid]]
KelsierFyre.png | <center><small>by [[User:Fyrebeam]]</small></center>
Kelsier Allen.png | <center><small>by {{a|Alex Allen}}</small></center>
Kelsier vs Hoid.jpg | <center><small>by [[User: Botanicaxu]] </small></center> Kelsier fighting [[Hoid]]
Sovereign.jpg | <center><small>by [[User: Botanicaxu]] </small></center> The Sovereign
Marsh Kelsier.jpg |<center><small>by {{a|eyeronis}}</small></center> With [[Marsh]]
Steel Shadow.jpg | <center><small>by {{a|eyeronis}}</small></center> With [[Marsh]]
Kelsier by Nevena Marković.jpg | <center><small>by {{a|Nevena Marković}}</small></center>
On the rooftops.jpg |<center><small>by {{a|Jules Aguimatang}}</small></center> Comforting [[Vin]]
Kelsier by Nick Vidic.jpg | <center><small>by {{a|Nick Vidic}}</small></center>
</gallery>
== History ==
=== Early Life ===
[[File:Kelsier's Meeting by Rafael Sousa.jpg|thumb|right|x120px|<center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Rafael Sousa|Rafael Sousa]]</small></center>Kelsier meeting the skaa]]Born to a [[noble]] father and skaa mother{{book ref|mb1|8}}, his mother kept both Kelsier and Marsh alive by pretending that she was a noble to their father, so that their children would be considered merely illegitimate noblemen instead of half-breeds; however, their father eventually found out. Thus Kelsier's mother was killed, and because of this, the brothers have a deep hatred of noblemen. Kelsier then made his living as a thief, becoming famous throughout [[Luthadel]]. However, after a failed attempt at stealing from the Lord Ruler himself in his secret room inside [[Kredik Shaw]], he was sent to the [[atium]] mines in the [[Pits of Hathsin]]{{book ref|mb1|4}}. There he spent his time believing that his wife Mare had betrayed him to the Lord Ruler, until he witnessed his wife being beaten to death by guards after she gifted her Atium bead to him. He then "Snapped", becoming a [[Allomancy|Mistborn]]{{book ref|mb1|17}}. Using Allomancy he was able to escape the Pits. Kelsier was then trained by a Mistborn named [[Gemmel]]{{book ref|11m}} and they travelled to the far north of the [[Western Dominance]] to a city called [[Mantiz]] where Kelsier heard rumours of the [[malatium|Eleventh metal]] from the skaa in [[Keep Shezler]]. Kelsier sought and eventually found the Eleventh metal as he believed it would help him to defeat the Lord Ruler.{{book ref|11m}}
=== The Skaa Rebellion ===
[[File: Yeden's Army by Kelly Mai.jpg|thumb|left|<center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Kelly Mai|Kelly Mai]]</small></center>Kelsier overlooking [[Yeden]]'s rebel army]]After discovering the [[malatium|Eleventh Metal]] Kelsier travels back to Luthadel and takes a job from the skaa rebellion to bring down the Final Empire. After gathering a team of some of the best (and Kelsier believed, the kindest) thieves in the city, including skilled [[misting]]s, he sets in motion a plan to destroy the [[Final Empire]] and kill the [[Lord Ruler]]. After saving her from her former crew, he takes on [[Vin]] as a student after confirming his suspicions about her being a Mistborn and saving her from [[Camon]]{{book ref|mb1|3}}. While pulling off the plan, Kelsier himself takes on many roles, acting as a beacon to the repressed skaa, assisting in recruitment{{book ref|mb1|10}}, attacking many noblemen to increase the tensions between the Great Houses{{book ref|mb1|5}}, collecting information by purchasing it from informants, and even poses as an informant himself in order to provide misinformation to noblemen.{{book ref|mb1|19}} Though they suffer many setbacks, Kelsier's leadership allows the rebellion to attain an army of sufficient size to hold Luthadel.
=== Death ===
{{quote|side=right|width=250px
| But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.
| Kelsier to Lord Ruler, last words before death{{book ref|mb1|34}}
}}
When several skaa from the rebellion are about to be executed, Kelsier attempts to save them. He is confronted by a Steel Inquisitor, which he eventually manages to defeat by beheading him with the Inquisitor's own obsidian axe. However, Kelsier is then confronted by the Lord Ruler, who backhands him across the face and then stabs him in the chest with a spear, killing him.{{book ref|mb1|34}} Kelsier later reveals in his letter to Vin that he had intended to use the Eleventh Metal to destroy the Lord Ruler but could not discover how to use it in his fight.{{book ref|mb1|35}} His death results in the founding of the Church of the Survivor, who refer to Kelsier as "Lord of the Mists". Vin also becomes a major religious figure in the wake of his death, since Survivorists perceive her as Kelsiers heir.
=== Time in the Cognitive Realm ===
{{image|Drifter.png|side=left|width=400px|Kelsier meeting [[Hoid]]}}
Kelsier was met by [[Preservation]] directly after his death. He then asked Preservation if Preservation was God, and after being told yes he promptly punched Preservation in the face.{{msh ref|1|1}} Then he finds the power at the [[Well of Ascension]] and becomes trapped there with [[Ati|Ruin]], allowing him to remain in the Cognitive Realm.{{msh ref|1|1}} While he is in the Well, Hoid passes by and Kelsier essentially challenges him to a fight that Kelsier ultimately loses.{{msh ref|2|1}} He feels Ruin's presence during his time in the Well.
Once he is freed from the Well along with Ruin, he initially travels around through the Cognitive version of Luthadel, seeking out his friends. He finds Vin and Ham near the steps of Keep Venture and also learned that Dockson had died in the Battle of Luthadel.{{msh ref|3|1}} He walks past Luthadel towards the lake of the same name, near which he finds [[Khrissalla|Khriss]] and [[Nazrilof|Nazh]].{{msh ref|3|2}} They question him on Preservation's appearance after learning he has spoken directly with the Shard, and then continue their discussion onto other topics. Khriss mentions the [[Ire]] which sets Kelsier onto his next quest of finding their base of operation.{{msh ref|3|3}}
During his journey to find the Ire, he runs into Ruin and has a discussion about Ruin's intent.{{msh ref|4|4}} After that, he left the area of the Cognitive Realm surrounding Scadrial and moved closer to finding the Ire. When he reaches their base, he moved past their guards and passed the wall into their chambers.{{msh ref|5|2}} He ultimately only took a glass orb from them after thwarting their plan to take over being the vessel of Preservation.{{msh ref|5|3}}
When he returns to Scadrial he finds that Preservation's power is significantly weakened. He also runs into Vin and is shocked to see how far she has come in the time he was away.{{msh ref|6|1}} He stays with her for a while after that, but ultimately has to leave.{{msh ref|6|3}}
When Leras died and lost power over the Shard of Preservation, Kelsier took the power and held it for Vin on behalf of Leras.{{msh ref|6|4}} While he held the power, he found Spook and told him to send a message to Vin that any spiked person could potentially be under Ruin's control.{{msh ref|6|6}} He also continually clashed with Ruin during his time holding the Shard Preservation.{{msh ref|6|5}}{{msh ref|6|7}} When Vin's spike is removed, Kelsier relinquished Preservation's power to her.{{msh ref|6|7}} After she and Elend are killed, Kelsier speaks with them before they pass on into a different realm.{{msh ref|6|8}}
After Sazed's ascension and Spook's rise to political power, Kelsier begins to speak with Spook about finding a way to bring himself back to the Physical Realm.{{msh ref|epilogue}}
=== Appearances After Death ===
{{image|Cognitive Shadow Kelsier.jpg|side=right|width=250px|Kelsier as a [[Cognitive Shadow]]}}
Kelsier's body is used by the [[Kandra]] [[OreSeur]]{{book ref|mb1|35}} and later by [[TenSoon]]{{book ref|mb3|52}} after his death to make appearances to and inspire his followers.
An apparition with Kelsier's features appears to [[Spook]], giving him the ability to burn pewter, but this is later revealed to be [[Ruin]], who is using Kelsier as a guise.
After Spook removed his pewter spike, Spook hears Kelsier's actual voice, telling him that they were friends, since Kelsier was able to 'piggyback' on Preservation's power after its death. {{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=58-3}} Kelsier appeared and told Spook in a vision about [[Hemalurgy]] and how Ruin can speak to people pierced by a Hemalurgic spike during the coma [[Spook]] had following his flooding the canals of Urteau and escaping the fire at the Canton of Inquisition, right before he woke up. For a time, Kelsier could only speak to Spook since Spook was the only one who believed in Kelsier as a deity, since Kelsier was a deity for a brief time, between Preservation's death and the coming of the Hero of Ages. {{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=64}} After Marsh removed Vin's earring, Kelsier was able to speak to her. {{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=72-2}}
Kelsier's bones survived the ascension of [[Harmony]].{{wob ref|5951}}
Kelsier 'looked after' [[Preservation]] between [[Leras]]'s death and [[Vin]]'s ''ascension''.{{wob ref|6077}}
{{quote
|From the Well of Ascension, of course. It's the same power, after all. Solid in the metal you fed to Elend. Liquid in the pool you burned. And vapor in the air, confined to night. Hiding you. Protecting you.<br>Giving you power!
|Kelsier speaks to [[Vin]] before she Ascends.{{book ref|mb3|72}}
}}
After the [[Final Ascension]] Kelsier is with Harmony having not "gone towards the light" and is still hanging around causing trouble.{{wob ref|4444}} As a Cognitive Shadow tied to Scadrial, it is difficult for him to travel to other planets via Shadesmar.{{wob ref|4843}} He does not yet know the secret to overcome this limitation.{{wob ref|10799}}
=== Continued Worship Post-Catacendre ===
Many years after the [[Catacendre]], the cult which started after Kelsier's deception with [[OreSeur]] directly following his death has become a fully-formed religion. The [[Church of the Survivor]], or Survivorism, is possibly the most organized of [[Scadrial]]'s religions in this period, as well as being the clear favorite among the social elite and downtrodden alike.
[[Steris]] and [[Marasi]] are both members of this religion, though Marasi admits that it is more because she was raised in it. Its central tenet is simply to survive, by any means, until you cannot survive any longer. Priests in this religion wear robes with stitching up the arms to emulate Kelsier's scars from the [[Pits of Hathsin]].
The "Survior's Statemark" is one of the symbols of the faith. When [[Bleeder]] killed [[Father Bin]] by nailing him to a wall, it is described as a parody of the Survivor's Statemark{{book ref|mb5|12}}, implying that the Statemark depicts the way Kelsier died, impaled by a spear.
Aside from the Survivorists, there was also a whole civilization of people that worshiped Kelsier far to to the south of Scadrial. Kelsier had traveled there several years after the Catacendre, inhabiting a physical body that was spiked in the right eye, and found the [[Southern Scadrian]]s slowly dying of an unexplained coldness. He helped the people there survive using his knowledge of the Metallic Arts, showing them how to make [[Feruchemy#Unsealed_Metalminds|unsealed metalminds]] to store attributes like heat in a way that could be shared with anyone. As the Sovereign, Kelsier ruled the Southern Scadrians for a time and formed another religion that deified [[Metalborn]], and then he left.{{book ref|mb6|21}}
Before leaving, he created the [[Bands of Mourning]], a collection of unsealed metalminds forged together and containing all kinds of attributes in extremely large quantities. He hid the artifact away somewhere in the north and then disappeared.{{book ref|mb6|21}}
[[File:Kelsier the Sovereign by cola-san.jpg|thumb|right|x250px|<center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/cola-san|cola-san]]</small></center>Kelsier, as the Sovereign]]
=== Kelsier and Wax ===
[[Waxillium Ladrian]] was a direct descendant of a close associate of Kelsier, [[Edgard Ladrian]].{{book ref|mb5|19}} As a [[Pathian]], Wax did not worship Kelsier, but his life has nonetheless been drastically affected by the Survivor.
[[Ironeyes]] decided to give Wax a book explaining Hemalurgy because he believed Wax was doing Kelsier's work.{{book ref|mb4|epilogue}} This book proved vital in solving the case of [[Bleeder]]. While conversing with Harmony regarding the case, Harmony said that Wax's casual way of talking to him reminded him of Kelsier.{{book ref|mb5|7}} Harmony also made vague allusions to the [[Southern Scadrian]]s that Kelsier once ruled as the [[Sovereign]].
Later on, a group of Southern Scadrians traveled north in search of the Sovereign's Bands of Mourning, but were captured by the [[Set]], who decided to seek the Bands as well. Wax and his friends became embroiled in this incident in opposition to the Set, and Wax was almost killed in an encounter with them.{{book ref|mb6|27}} After [[Marasi]] solved the riddle of the Bands and wielded it to escape the Set, she gave it to Wax, who wielded it and became incredibly powerful.{{book ref|mb6|28}} Wax then used the artifact to defeat the Set and save the Southern Scadrian prisoners, using up a lot of the Investiture stored in the Bands.{{book ref|mb6|29}}
Soon afterwards, Wax accessed a [[coppermind]] contained in a coin-like Southern Scadrian medallion and saw a vision of what appeared to be Kelsier's memory of discovering the Southern Scadrians hundreds of years prior. The vision, seen from Kelsier's point of view, showed that his spiked right eye viewed the world through Allomantic lines, similar to [[Steel Inquisitors]], while his left eye saw things normally.{{book ref|mb6|epilogue}}
== Attributes and Abilities ==
=== Allomancy ===
Kelsier is a Mistborn, so he can burn every Allomantic metal, although he is particularly proficient with the external physical metals [[iron]] and [[steel]]{{book ref|mb1|34}}. He is capable of using them with a high degree of precision to control the momentum and rotation of dozens of pieces of metal simultaneously. He once used them in his fight with a [[Steel Inquisitor]], so the metals acted like they were alive, twitching and flying through the air to cut and distract the Steel Inquisitor. He lacks finesse in the external mental abilities of [[zinc]] and [[brass]] as he tends to create large changes in emotional states as opposed to the more subtle Soothing abilities of [[Breeze]], although he can affect a relatively large mass of people.{{book ref|mb1|10}} He is quite proficient at pewter dragging and has enough practice to maintain it for hours and still maintain a fair amount of clarity afterwards.{{book ref|mb1|25}}
== Quotes ==
{{quote
|I decided that I'd see her dream fulfilled. I'd make a world where flowers returned, a world with green plants, a world where no soot fell from the sky...." He trailed off, then sighed. "I know. I'm insane.
|Kelsier to Vin, after showing her the picture of a Marewill flower{{book ref|mb1|17}}
}}
{{quote
|If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.
|Kelsier to Dox on his constant tardiness{{book ref|mb1|27}}
}}
== Trivia ==
* Kelsier and [[Hoid]] do not get along.{{wob ref|4058}}
* If given the chance, Kelsier would find it "really fun" to punch [[Honor]] next.{{wob ref|8943}}
* Kelsier would understand, but still disapprove of [[Taravangian]]'s plans.{{wob ref|3330}}
* He is more of a coffee person than tea.{{wob ref|10522}}
* In a dirty fight, he would beat Kaladin.
== Notes ==
{{holder
|title= Vessel of<br>[[Preservation]]
|prev=[[Leras]]
|this=
|next=[[Vin]]
}}
<references />
{{partial}}
{{Mistborn|Era 1}}
[[category: viewpoint characters]]
[[category: notable articles]]
| |||