Marksman
| Marksman | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1 Doxil 342 PC |
| Abilities | Coinshot |
| Profession | Bank Robber |
| Residence | Elendel |
| Homeworld | Scadrial |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“There are a thousand criminals in this city far worse than I am, and yet you hunt me, lawman. Why? I’m a hero of the people. ”
—Marks to Wax[1]
The Marksman also known as Marks is a bank robber in Elendel with known ties to the Set.[1]
Appearance and Personality
- Appearance
Marks has bushy eyebrows and large lips; he is not a very good-looking man.[2] When committing robberies, the Marksman wears an old painted, wooden[3] busker's mask in the traditional likeness of a demon from the Deepness, a black face with white tusks.[1] He also wears distinctive red clothing, which can make him easier to follow. He wore no metal, so that Allomancers could not Push or Pull on it.
- Personality
The Marksman fancies himself as something of a gentlemen rogue.[1] He enjoys the notoriety that he has gained as a high-profile bank robber. Marks likes to be seen, so whenever he commits a robbery, he does so in the flashiest way possible. All of his robberies take place during broad daylight, and he always escapes along the busiest roadways he can find. He is very popular among the common people, a sort of hero of the common man, particularly those in the Breakouts.[2] They refuse to believe that he has done anything wrong, even when he accidentally killed a young girl. Despite his popularity, his supporters are not unquestionably loyal. They are not above subtly extorting him a bit in order to buy their silence. The Marskman does not feel that his crimes are worth investigating when there are other far more worse criminals in the city.[1]
Attributes and Abilities
The Marksman is an Allomancer, a skilled Coinshot.[1] This aids Marks in his ability to quickly escape from the scene of his crimes. Only another Metalborn can easily follow him. When chased, Marks avoids the outside , trying to enter buildings where he can easily set up an ambush.[4] He also carries a submachine gun, and has some skill at using it, but not too much, as he is known to accidentally shoot innocents.[1]
History
Early Life
The Marksman grew up in a slum known as the Breakouts in the Fifth Octant of Elendel.[2] At some point in his life, Marks came in contact with Edwarn Ladrian and the Set, likely due to his notoriety.[1] Edwarn had the Marksman work mostly autonomously, with little oversight from Edwarn.[5] Edwarn Ladrian recorded their involvement in his appointment book,[1] which was stolen by Waxillium Ladrian.[6] Wax's investigation into the Set put him on the Marksman's trail.[1] In the year 342, Marks committed several robberies in Elendel, typically retreating to his hideout, believed to be in the Seventh Octant. Wax and the Elendel constables were pursuing him, trying to determine where he would strike next and locate his hideout. The police put a thousand note prize on the Marksman's head.[2] During one of this robberies, the Marksman shot a little girl by accident.[1] Wax predicted a specific day that the Marksman would rob the First Union Bank but that day came and went, and Wax came to believe that Marks might have fled for the Roughs.
Robbing the First Union Bank
Three days later then Wax's prediction, on the first of Doxil in 342,[7] Marks robbed the First Union Bank.[1] As he escaped with a sack of banknotes on his shoulder, he was pursed by Wax through the streets with Allomancy, while Wayne and Constable Marasi Colms followed in a motorcar. Wax followed Marks across the city and through the accounting offices of Linville & Lyons in a skyscraper, protecting several citizens, such as Lady Dorise Chevalle, from being accidentally injured by Marks in his attempts to kill Waxillium and escape.[1][7] During the chase the Marksman was shot by Waxillium in the shoulder.[1] As Marks approached the Breakouts, Wax saw what appeared to be Bloody Tan watching them from among the bystanders. When Marks entered the Breakouts, he lost the distracted Waxillium, who had crashed to the ground in shock.
![[7]](#cite_note-House_Record_broadsheet.jpg-7){kind=link}
Thinking he had escaped, Marks retreated to a hideout in the slums, where he met a few of his local allies.[2] While Wax and Marasi attempted to canvass the area, Wayne disguised himself as a local and tricked one of Marks' friends into going to his hideout. Wayne followed the man to Marks' hideout, where he burst into the room through a window with a bendalloy bubble, knocked out Marks, and retreated before anyone else in the room could react. Wayne returned to Wax and Marasi carrying the Marksman over his shoulder. As they prepared to take Marks into custody, an assassin shot crossbow bolts at them, hitting the Marksman in the throat and killing him, so that he could not talk about the Set's plans. The assassin returned to ensure that the Marksman was truly dead, but he was surprised by Marasi. He attempted to take her hostage, but Marasi shot the assassin in the head, killing him as well.
Legacy
One of the main repercussions of the Marksman's crimes was an increasingly aggravated populace in the city of Elendel.[8] He reminded them of the inequality and the wealth and excesses of the powerful. His actions were likely a contributing cause of the rioting that occurred in Elendel.[9] It is uncertain if this was intentional on his part, or if he was simply following the Set's orders. It is also possible that one of the motivations for the Marksman's robberies was to simply keep Waxillium distracted from the Set's true goals.[10] The Marksman's capture and subsequent death were not popular among the common people, who saw him as one of their own.[11] Waxillium Ladrian was seen as to blame for his death, and the fact that Marks was never brought to trial for his crimes angered many in the city.[7]
The rogue kandra Bleeder began wearing one of the Marksman's masks, which had been broken and twisted along one side.[12] She wore it when she attacked Governer Replar Innate's mansion,[12] where the mask was broken further when Wax shot her in the face.[3] When Paalm was revealed to have been impersonating Replar, she donned the broken mask again when Wax chased her.[4] Wax was initially uncertain whether or not she had been the Marksman all along,[8] but when he began to chase her, he realized that Bleeder used a different style of steel Allomancy than the Marksman had used.[4]
Notes
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Shadows of Self chapter 2#
- ↑ a b c d e Shadows of Self chapter 3#
- ↑ a b The Alloy of Law chapter 17#
- ↑ a b c Shadows of Self chapter 24#
- ↑ The Bands of Mourning chapter 18#
- ↑ The Alloy of Law epilogue#
- ↑ a b c The House Record Broadsheet
- ↑ a b Shadows of Self chapter 17#
- ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 19#
- ↑ The Bands of Mourning chapter 15#
- ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 3#
- ↑ a b Shadows of Self chapter 16#
