Ep 1: Mistborn Prologue - Chapter 5

Och frågan som är värd 100 000 kronor Anders varhölls sommar OS 1996. Oj, den var lätt. Men jag får flicka in något först bara. Jag säljer en skåda en jak. Åsmad 22 till pang pris. Gör så här, ring med på 0703. Det här var tiden ute. Atlanta! Men, får jag säga mitt nummer att 07. Det finns enklare sätt att sälja bilen på. Något tusentals köper. Tänk till exempel att Ett par rejä gummisstöblblar hjälper lite. Ivts hemförsäkring hjälper mycket.

Howdy howdy ho and welcome fantasy fan fellas. I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and lover of all things Sanderson. And I'm Steven, your internet goofball and lover of all things fantasy. And we are here today to dive so So deep into the prologue to chapter five of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn. Here's how it's going to work. I, Hayden, am personally so obsessed with all things Brandon Sanderson. So think of me as your misborn professor. But Stephen here

Has not ever read Mistborn before. So I am going to be tasked with guiding Steven and by extension, you, the audience. Through Sanderson's breakout fantasy at least. That's right. Hey, hey. Also, before we get started, to be clear, this podcast will only have spoilers for the chapters we read for each episode. So if you're just starting Mistborn, just getting your feet wet, or if you haven't finished it yet, this is the podcast for you.

So Stephen, I I'm kind of curious. I mean you're just getting started here with Mistborn. You've only read through chapter five, like hopefully the audience has. What are you thinking of it so far?

I like it. I'm a fan. I've heard people say it's slow in the beginning. It's not really slow. You have to have a slow start to a fantasy series you've never read before because it's a different world. But it keeps you engaged as it explains things and it kinda holds your hand while not making everything super available if that may be.

I like it. For those who think that it's slow, I would ask them if uh m mass murder of noble people through uh by the means of throwing metal at them is slow. Uh maybe you know to each their own. Okay, so here's how things are going to go. Steven, as our Sanderson newbie each week, is going to guide us through his rendition of a summary.

of what he thinks happened in the chapters that he read. And then He Hey here is going to give us his one big word for the chapters. This is essentially the main idea that Hayden wants to make sure we all walk away with. And then We're gonna go through each chapter with a finer tooth comb where we're gonna dive deep into characters, world building, and the magic of Mistborn. Then finally, these last two segments are just for fun. First.

Steven and I will hand out our winner and loser of the week awards and lastly this is the one I'm really looking forward to. Steven will look into his very, very foggy crystal ball and try to predict what happens next. And I'm gonna tell'em right now. You're gonna be incredibly wrong.

Uh you say foggy, I say crystal clear, my friend. But one last thing before we get started. This is a new podcast, obviously. So if you want to help get the word out, please give us a follow on Instagram and TikTok at FantasyFanFellows. There's gonna be a lot of content as we go. Oh boy, it is time.

Don your mist cloak and let us know from your perspective what happened in the prologue to chapter five. Let's start with the prologue. Our story begins with a guy named Trusting, which is an odd name, but let's go with it. And a bunch of ash is falling from the sky, kinda like nature's dandruff. He's chatting with this obligator, which is some sort of government. official who's all tatted up and could pass as a shadow daddy in certain books, but Probably not this one.

Anyway, they're talking about these slaves that they're using which are called ska. Then one of the ska makes eye contact with Tresting, which apparently is a big no no. They're supposed to treat their superiors like a basilisk, which means no eye contact whatsoever. So Tresting wants to have him pull up. Punished! But he loses him in the crowd of slaves.

Somehow. And then we cut to a guy named Kelsier. He shows up at the ska houses passing through all this mist like he's a mega church pastor entering through a smoke machine. While he's there, he has a conversation with a few ska, namely a guy named Menace, but is interrupted by a loud scream outside. And then we learn that Kelsier has ingested some tin. And no, I don't mean the number. I mean the metal, and is drawing power from it in his stomach.

Kinda like the opposite of a Chipotle burrito, because that's drawing power from you, buddy. Anyway, this tummy tin gives him this supernatural good hearing, and he's able to hear where the sound is coming from. It turns out the trusting was trying to essay a young girl. So Kelsier kills them all.

Kinda like the last episode of Spartacus Blood and Sand. Chapter one. We meet a chick named Vin. Is her last name Diesel? Probably not. Anyway, so Vin Damsel goes to see her boss master named Cayman. He's kind of a dick.

But also helpful, like a frat bro teaching you how to play beer pong. Anyway, an obligator comes to see Cayman and they're trying to strike up this deal. Cayman is laying down some business ris that doesn't seem to be working, So Vin Damsel uses her mind magic that she calls luck at this point to tickle his thoughts and sway this guy to consider.

And at this point, her ability is vague, at least to her, but it feels like an awake version of the movie Inception. Chapter two Kelsier is meeting with a guy named Doxon. It's an interesting name. It sounds like a father on a boat yelling orders to his child. Doc Son, anyway, they have a job to do. So they go wait outside by this ministry building where Cayman and Vin Damsel are meeting with an obligator to finalize this sham of a deal they want to make.

So she uses her luck magic to sway the obligator's mind, and they think they get off scot free, but apparently they were found out, like a teen hiding his vape under his bed. You knew she was gonna look there, and they leave the building, not knowing they're being followed by some ministry folks. Then Kelsier and Dachsan decide they're gonna go take out these people, so the girl isn't harmed because they know she's special, like the extra onion ring at the bottom of a fast food bag.

So calcium drinks some metal water and it's then we learn the eight basic aliment metals. Chapter three Vin Damsel and Cayman are back at their lair. Vin has this bad feeling and wants to leave, but Cayman catches her trying to leave and starts beating her. Like my kids do the bathroom door every time I'm trying to poop.

Then, like a bows, Kelsier comes in and magic throws Cayman across the room like he's Dobby, tossing Malfoy right after Harry presented him a sock. They make everybody leave the room, including Kamen, so they can have a chat with Vindams. And he tells her that she's special. Then he gives her some metal liquid, and she discovers the magical ability.

Chapter four. Vin Damsel is having a conversation with some folk, and we learn that Kelsier has a dark and brooding past. He sounds like he has all the makings of his shadow daddy in some books, but probably not this one. Anyway, the main focus is a meeting between Kelsier, Vin Damsel and some new characters. Kelsier is presenting a job opportunity. He wants to rob from the Lord ruler like he's some sort of Robin Hood the Daddy version, and overthrow the final empire. He also wants to kill

the Lord ruler if he gets the chance. And everybody's like, Bro, that's crazy. That's stupid. You're an idiot. Also, let's do that. Exactly. But this guy named Clubs is like, nah, I'm out. I'm not gonna do it. And then Kelsier presents the eleventh medal, which will kill.

the ruler. It's super rare, and most have never seen it. Chapter five Clubs comes back. Yay says he wants to do it. Well, you flip quicker than a hetero dude in the presence of Henry Cavill. Then Kelsier jumps from a roof and takes flight with his metal Magic. But the book says the metal magic flying feels more like falling. Okay, calm down, buzz light here. I'm not flying, I'm falling. What's style?

Anyway, he shows up at this place and he kills a bunch of people like a boss and he steals the rare metal.

Oh man, Steven, that was beautiful. Was it? Y yes, please. Take a a good swig of water, take a little break, and I will take our audience through my one big word. My one big word for the prologue through chapter five is wonder. Oftentimes the beginning of a fantasy story can be a bit on the quiet side. Giving us a sense of normalcy before the author turns everything upside down. But as we go through these first chapters and are introduced to the world, characters, and magic system,

Sanderson throws us right in. And he's perfectly comfortable with us not entirely understanding what's going on. For some readers, that can be a bit overwhelming. But If you give yourself over to this story and just go along for the ride, It will absolutely suck you in. From the absolute badassery of Kelsier to seeing the endless possibilities of Alamancy for the first time, this book was the first that gave me a real sense of childlike wonder in a very, very long time. So.

If you feel a bit lost, that's okay. Buckle up because it's just getting started. And with that, let's burn our metals and dive deeper into the prologue through chapter five. Stephen. As you start to notice with this book, every single chapter begins with an epigraph. And I felt as though you have just the vocal timbre to be our epigraph reader. So could you please

Give us the epigraph for the prologue. Stop it but keep going. Sometimes I wonder that I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am. The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met, but I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arm.

What would they think if they knew that their champion, the hero of ages, their savior, doubted himself? Perhaps they wouldn't be shocked at all. In a way, this is what worries me the most. Maybe in their hearts they wonder, just as I do. When they see me, do they see a liar? This is a very important epigraph, Stephen, not just because it's the first.

But as you continue to read along through the series into The Well of Ascension and then the Hero of Ages, turns out that everything you need to know about the ending of the final book is all there in this first epigraph. You just have to be able to find it. So you just gave us spoilers what you're saying.

I didn't give spoilers, I said that there are spoilers within the epigraph. I didn't say what the spoilers are. But you have to find them in there like a needle in a haystack. Exactly. Exactly. So let's dive deep into the prologue of Mistborn. Now.

This first page or so is packed with world-building tidbits, so we're going to go a little bit beat by beat to make sure that we cover everything. We begin with perhaps one of the most iconic opening lines in the history of fantasy. Ash fell from the sky.

I love this line so much because in five words, we are instantly transported to a place completely alien from what we know. And in that same breath, you know in your heart that a place where ash falls from the sky can't be a place of sunshine and rainbows and units. This place is fucked up. We just don't know yet quite how fucked up. And the first person we meet is an asshat named Lord Tresting.

And in a single paragraph, he gives us an idea of what the structure of this society is fundamentally about, a small group of the chosen few profiting off of the physical labor of the ska quote. Tresting stood with his guest on a small hilltop patio that overlooked the field.

Hundreds of people in brown smocks worked in the falling ash, caring for the crops. There was a sluggishness to their efforts, but of course, that was the way of the ska. The peasants were an indolent, unproductive lot. They didn't complain. They knew better than they were. Instead, they simply worked with bowed heads, moving about their work with quiet apathy. The passing whip of a taskmaster would force them into dedicated motion for a few moments.

But as soon as the taskmaster moved on, they would return to their lingor. We come to learn that the Lord Trusting is hosting a government official called an obligator, who is a representative of someone called the Lord Ruler. There's so many terms here in the first page that as a first time reader you're not really going to be familiar with between obligator and steel inquisitor. So Steven, did this kind of overwhelm you as you were reading it for the first time?

Maybe the first few pages, maybe the first chapter, but it does a good job of kind of explaining it to you by not making it boring. Like you find out through different means that okay, this means this and this means this. So it wasn't crazy. Yeah. Are you are you one of those readers who's able to just kinda Be along for the ride and not ask too much of the author too soon.

Usually, but whenever uh you put me in situations like this where I need to have answers, it's a little bit more complicated. Totally. And after the obligator leaves, Trusting looks over his plantation of working ska and notices one looking up at him? And smiling?

While there's ash falling from the sky? I absolutely love this moment. First of all, this freak's stressing out, obviously. He is not used to Ska showing any level of emotion besides exhaustion and fear. So for one to look up at him and give him a good ol' saudage. It's a bit freaky. Then, after turning to call for the help of one of his obligators, Trusting looks back down only to find the ska is gone.

Peace out, deep, see you later. This for me is such a cool moment. Here we are getting multiple pages of world building, but this tiny moment is the first real instance of tension, of our expectations being subverted, and trust me.

It won't be the last. So now we are going to jump over to Kelcier's POV. And within his inner dialogue, he hints at stories of a time before the Lord ruler, when the sun was not red, where ash did not fall from the sky, plants grew easily, and where ska were not slaves, and as the sun begins to dip,

Kelcier mentions what's so funny. I was just thinking, like, do you think he's looking at the past with rose colored glasses? Like whenever you were Oh, whenever I was a kid, everything was perfect. And then you look back there like, Oh no, that was not perfect. I just happened to think it was. Well We'll get into this more later. I think I'm on to something here.

Yeah, I c I really can't say anything right now. Oh, when I was a kid we had everything we wanted, then you go back in time like we had nothing. We we lived in dirt floors and we ate leaves in the pasture. Or in my case, when you look back at video games that you played as a kid. And you're like, those graphics were amazing. Right? Like Laura Croft tomb raider, you look back like oh she has triangles like a four year old molded it with clay, basically.

Broken Legos. Yeah, exactly. So as the sun begins to dip, Kelsier mentions that the mist will be coming shortly and that no ska will leave the indoors once it arrives. Then Kelsier bursts into a hovel of about thirty ska and conversation stops as all the ska seem to give Kelsier the who the fuck is this guy treatment? These ska, especially an older one named Tepper, are suspicious of Kelsier.

And tell him that his little stunt with Trestan could have gotten a lot of people a beating. And Kelsey essentially is like. Well, you could have gotten beating for doing just about anything, so what's the point? This is a little glimpse into what we will come to know of Kelsier. He is the king of levity in dire situations. But back to the moment at hand.

Kelsier makes a show of rolling his eyes at the chilly reception from the Skaw, turning to leave and opening the door, allowing mist to begin to pour into the entryway. The Ska react with utterance. Horror, begging him to close the door, saying the men who venture into the mist lose their soul. Stephen, this whole miss thing has been a major point in the opening pages of this book. What do you make of it so far?

Well, I've never lost my soul before, so I don't know how that would feel, uh, seemingly. But also a lot of these books that I've read have missed that seems to be active for some reason. And so uh because I've read these other books, I don't what year did this book come out? It was two thousand six. Two thousand six.

Alright, so all the books I've read came after this book, so perhaps this was the first of The OG. But nevertheless, it kind of didn't give it the same effect for me because I'm like, oh, it's missed. Of course it's missed. It's always missed. Yeah. Okay. Interesting. I I I wonder if that will change as you go along. Maybe.

Kelsier settles back in after the ska beg him to close the door, and he reveals that he not only brings mention of some goings on in the outside world, of how some lord Are considering paying a wage to their ska, but he also brings food that he stole from Lord Tresting's manor. Turns out he makes a point of traveling through ska plantation, sharing news of what's happening around the world. As the ska eat, Kelsier is approached by one of the oldest ska he's seen in his journeys, named Men.

Menace is a pragmatist in every sense of the word. He refuses to eat the luxurious food that Kelsier brings because he knows it will give him a tummy ache. It is clear that he has gotten to his advanced age despite the demands of Ska life because he is a realist. In this moment, Menace has a quick exchange with Kelsier that is one of my favorites in the book. Menis asks Helsier how he smiles somewhat. There's so much packed into this simple question.

Menace's question encapsulates the ska experience. For a person who has been through what Menace has been through, the very idea of smiling is unfathomable. Kelsier's response is Oh, I'm just a happy person. This is such a powerful yet simple statement from Kelsier. In a world that is filled with horrors such as slavery, beatings, and freaking ash falling from the sky. Making the choice to smile in and of itself is a protest.

I do that all the time. I I smile about my past all the time. Like I'm gonna laugh at myself and the things of of the past. And it's gonna make my life better. Yeah, making the the smile so I don't cry choice happens very much. We'll have to keep from crying, hey. Exactly. Exactly. Kelsier isn't just going around these plantations to feed ska. He's coming to them to try to be an example of what's possible for them.

That there's a way for them to show their autonomy, even if it's as simple as a smile. Here it is boiled down into one line. You ask why I smile, Goodman Menace. Well, the Lord ruler thinks he has claimed laughter and joy for himself. I'm disinclined to let him do so. This is one battle that doesn't take much effort to fight. Menace also brings up something that was touched upon just a few moments ago. Kelsier scars on his hand.

That the only person he seen with scars like that was someone who was supposed to be dead. Yes, this person had been caught speaking of rebellion and had been sent to a place called the Pits of Hathson. by the Lord Ruler. We'll learn more about that later, but it's good to clock it for now. You know, I feel like I'm kinda like uh Kelsier Hey Hey. Why is that? Because I have scars on my hands too. See that right there? Look at that. You see that? Where'd it come from?

I fell out of an above ground pool and So perhaps it they're not the same way, but I do have scarves on my hands. Well Kelsier got his that way. Everybody has their own pits of half sin and they come in varying shapes and sizes. It's like nature's tattoo right there. Then A scream is heard. Lord Tresting has come to claim a ska woman, who he will use and then kill. Because of the Lord ruler's law against children born of ska slash nobility linen.

Okay, folks. We officially have our first moment of magic being used in Mistboard. And so begins an absolute banger to close out the rest of this season. Kelsier quote burns tin, which according to him, had been sitting in his stomach until he was ready to use it. Once burned, the tin enhances his senses and allows him to not only hear more effectively, but all of his senses become stronger.

You know what we should do? Yeah. We should every time Kelsey or somebody uses metal we should have a sound effect we do. Ooh. I don't know what that would be. but it could be something like little d maybe not that

Okay, here we go. I'm gonna read this again. Hold on. Kelcier burns tin. Kishink, which, according to him, had been sitting in his stomach until he was ready to use it. Once burned, the tin enhances his senses and allows him to not only hear more effectively, But all his senses become stronger. The room around him became crisp, the dull fire pit flaring to near blinding brightness.

He could feel the grain in the wood of the stool beneath him. He could still taste the remnants of the loaf of bread he'd snacked on earlier. Most importantly, he could hear the screams with supernatural laughter. Then, as Kelsier leaves, he turns back to Menace, smiles, and says, New days are coming. Survive a little longer, and you might see great happenings in the final empire. I bid you all thanks for your hospitality, and leave.

Who but I remember reading that for the first time and I was in There is so much packed in this prologue from world building to politics to magic. Yeah, I forget. We're still on the prologue. We are still on the freaking prologue. That's a good prologue, man. Usually a prologue is like one or two pages, but this is like a whole chapter. Yeah, exactly. But to me The thing that stands out the most is how much these few pages endear us.

to Kelcier. I mean I seriously, I mean Stephen at this point you you've got to be all in on Kelsier, right? Oh yeah, absolutely. I do think there's some slyness to him as a person. I think there's some uh I I we don't know enough about him yet to to see whether or not he's like a good perfectly good person, but uh he he is a badass, I'll give him that. I would put a pin in that because there's some Perhaps not so nice things that he does to a certain group of people very soon.

So he's morally gray is what you're saying. I would put a pin in that. Long story short, smash. That's what I'm gonna say for Keltier. Just yes, even if he is morally gray, easy smash. We then jump to Menace's POV. There's a ruckus in the ska ranks as it turns out the young ska woman who was taken by Lord Tresting has been returned. Which was not something that we were anticipating. And there's a scent of smoke in the air. And no?

It's not just some BBQ left on the grill for too long. The whole fucking manor is burned down. Turns out Kelsier killed Lord Tresting and every single person in his employ. This next whole realization is interesting because it in an instant.

Gives us an idea of the kind of person we're dealing with here in Kelsier. He is powerful. He was hugely outnumbered, but was able to take down an entire manor single-handedly. This is also the first instance where, as readers, we start to ask ourselves, is Kelsier actually a good

Guy, just like you were saying. Yeah. That's what I was saying. Oh, it's like we think the same, hey hey. Not only did Kelsier kill a lot of people in one fell swoop, but Menace goes on to reflect how this will bring real trouble onto this group of ska. Without any proof of Kelsier being here. The government will pin the murders on the ska. Ultimately, with no other option, the group of ska decide to flee to caves lying several days in the middle.

Where there are rumors of other rebel ska hiding. Damn. This is a lot to take in through just the prologue. Overall impressions, Stephen, on a scale of one to ten, how in were you after this prologue was done? And a th I see that I think that's a perfect level. As an author, you want to leave some s some of your your tricks in your bag. Yeah. But getting someone to be at that point where they're like, I I I don't know what's going on. But I gotta keep going.

Because I know I'm going to get to a ten. I think that's the perfect place to be. I was worried going into it because Brandy Sandy is talked so highly about in the fantasy world. Right. I've never read any of his books before, and so I'm like, what if I actually hate this freaking book? I'm gonna get burned at the stake. But after reading the prologue Uh I'm invested. I I I really enjoyed it.

We are finally out of the prologue. So Stephen, please give us a quick reading of the epigraph for chapter one. I consider myself to be a man of principle, but what man does not? Even the cutthroat I have noticed. Believes his actions to be moral after a fashion. Perhaps another person, reading of my life, would name me a religious tyrant. He could call me arrogant. What is it to make that man's opinion any less valid than my own?

I guess it all comes down to one fact. In the end, I'm the one with the army. Ah yeah, we are now in my girl Vin's POV. Vin is a teenage orphan living in Scadriel's capital city of Luthedel. And to be blunt, Her life sucks. Very quickly, we are introduced to her brother Reen, but not in the way you might expect. You see Her brother abandoned her long ago, leaving behind a considerable monetary debt to Cayman, the leader of the Thebing crew then and Reen were a part of.

And without Reen to make good on his debts, Vin has been left to absorb it, making her one of Cayman's many. But although Reen is gone, he is very much present on the page. As Ven goes throughout her day, Reen's voice plays in her head, reinforcing some of the beliefs that he enforced on her throughout her child. And yeah, this guy wasn't exactly the best big bro. Quote, when you're alone, no one can betray you. Quote, anyone will betray you, then

Anyone. These are not exactly the warm and fuzzy uh impressions you want to be left with your big brother, are they? I mean, not necessarily, but I don't always want warm and fuzzy if I need practical living advice in this particular city. Okay. But let me actually go to the stoop for Reen here, because These kind of limiting beliefs aren't just the product of her shitty brother. They're a survival test.

As terri Yeah, exactly. As terrible as her brother was, these beliefs that he has instilled in her have given her some of the tools she has needed to survive to this point. Your honor, I rest my case. But anyway. On to the next shitty man in Vin's life. Kamen is the leader of the thieving crew, and within sentences of being introduced to him, he slaps Vin across the face. Yes, he is a piece of shit, and I'm not even gonna sugarcoat that one. There's really no excuse for this.

Yeah, you shouldn't slap women. If you take anything from this episode, it's that you shouldn't slap women. Let alone a sixteen year old girl. So it's kinda like double whimmy. At any age, but definitely not a sixteen year old. To be clear. Ha ha ha. Ten to twelve to sixteen to eighty nine. Don't slap women. So you're saying the cutoff is eighty so ninety year olds buckle up. No, no, no. I'm merely making the what's the song that's like

For kids from one to ninety-two. I don't listen to the same music as you do, Penn. Many times, many ways. Merry Christmas. To you. Yeah, yeah. The cutoff is somewhere. I'm not saying that. You know, folks who are ninety five have a fucking terrible Christmas. I'm more saying

For colloquial purposes, the cutoff has to be somewhere. Don't slap women of any age. Cayman is a bit testy today because they are about to take on a heist that could be very profitable, and Vin is going to be an essential part of it. But As Kamen is about to hit her a second time, Vent does something to stop him.

She uses what she calls luck. We learn a few things about this luck. First, we learn that Vin has a finite amount of it, whatever it is, but it only takes quote a smidgen in order to influence Cayman. Second, We see how it works to some degree. The luck apparently calms Kaman's nervousness without him knowing that an external force is working on him. So we know that it's more of a gentle push as opposed to directly stopping someone from doing something.

I feel like I could've used this in my life many a time. Oh, are you kidding me? Okay. We're we're gonna get more into this good vows. Yeah. But the luck is a very useful power to have. Like imagine going into Shark Tank with this and and gently pushing on Mark Cuban's trustfulness.

And all of a sudden he's buying five percent of your company for five million dollars. So the mission for the crew is this Cayman will impersonate a failing nobleman, Lord Jedou, and negotiate a deal with an obligator, Laird.

Remember the term obligator from the prologue? As a shipping partner with the government to deliver newly trained obligators to Luthedell for the completion of their training. The specifics of the deal are not as important, but that's what they are. And I gotta give credit where it's due.

Kamen does a decent job impersonating a nobleman. His costume is pretty convincing, and he certainly does put on a persona that makes us think he's not an abusive street thief. The exchange reaches a bit of an impasse, but that is where Vince. She starts to use her luck on the obligation. It begins gently, with Ven barely pressing against Laird's emotions to coax him to be more agreeable and melt away his worries.

In order to seal the deal, Vin has to push harder and harder until her luck finally runs out, leading to Laird saying he can take the new proposal to the council. At least for now, it seems like Vin has clutched up. And made the mission a success. I really like Vin Damsel in this book. Dude I think she's a good good character. Yes. Instantly. You are invested in making sure, one, that Vin is okay. You just want her to be safe. You want her to be okay.

And two, instantly rooting for her. Yeah. And we'll see this more and more down the line. But I think in many books, you could see a young girl written by a man that is very two-dimensional. But Sanderson and and we'll see this as we go through the book, does an excellent job of writing then as a 3D character.

On to chapter two. Stephen, please take us through the epigraph. If men read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains. The terrace prophecies say that I will have the power to save the world. They hint, however, that I will have the power to destroy it as well. That's a good line. That seems like something out of like like a chosen one type of book. It's the best. These epigraphs are so much fun. They have this like

Epic quality to them, even though you have no idea what this person is talking about. Yeah. No, uh not necessarily randomly quotes. And I wonder if you're gonna find out more as we go through the book. I'm sure I will because you're you're foreshadowing, aren't you, Mr. I've already finished it.'Cause I have a sarcastic asshole tone right now. You're like Lord Trusting.

All right, chapter two. We open on Kelsier standing atop the city wall of Luthadell. And Sanderson wastes no time to use this higher vantage point as a way to give us a download on what the capital city of the final empire looks like. From its architecture to the way that they deal with the reigning act.

Luthadel, at least to me, reads very gothic in its architecture, with some of its most recognizable features being the keeps that are spread across the city, quote, interspersed throughout the city where a dozen or so monolithic. Intricate, with rows of spear like spires of deep archways. These were the homes of the high nobility, in fact.

They were the mark of a high noble family. Any family who could afford to build a keep and maintain a high profile presence in Luther was considered to be a great house. In this moment, we are given a quick but very insightful look into power within the final empire.

It's not just about wealth for these noble families, it's the appearance of wealth. These keeps literally rise above the lower levels of the city that are racked with squalor, and they serve as a kind of lighthouse that broadcasts each family's social status. We also get the first mention of the Lord Ruler's Palace, Credic Shaw, or the Hill of a Thousand Spires. The way the palace is first described is so interesting.

Quote The Lord Ruler's palace loomed like some kind of massive multi spined insect. The palace was several times the size of any nobleman's keep and was by far the largest building in the city. I love that Kelsier in his inner dialogue describes it as an insect. We'll learn more about Kelsier's opinion on the Lord Ruler later, but we can all infer that he is Not a fan. Based on his actions in the prologue.

This little description of the palace invites us to consider who the Lord ruler really is and what his relationship is to this society, and from Kelsier's perspective, he is almost like a parasite. Sucking the life force out of the world and its people. So he's like a modern day billionaire. Yes. Uh the Lord Ruler is the Jeff Bezos of the Final Empire.

And before Kelsier is joined by a new character that we'll get to in a moment, we also get some insight into the cosmetic effects of the ash falls on Luthadel. The streets are completely black. And structures are the blackest at the top, but rain and condensation extends the stains down the walls as well. Is it just me or did anyone else think of the in the end Lincoln Park music video during this part?

Are you familiar with that? They are standing at the top of this like black spire, essentially, and it is the resounding image that I have as I read this chapter. Anyways, now Kelsier is joined by another man. Doxon has entered the chat. Daxon seems like your run of the mill dude, but what's interesting here is his choice of clothing. Both he and Kelsey are here are dressed in aristocratic clothing that is nice, but not too nice.

So that as they're walking along the street, guards won't give them the side eye. Neither of them are of noble blood. They're wearing a top hat and a monocle while they listen to Lincoln Park music. He's like sorry bro, I was listening to a punk rock classic. Except We learn that Kelsier is half noble, half ska. Something we have learned is illegal in the final empire. So these two continue their conversation and Dachsan is like, Hey man. What took you so long? You're a few days late.

To which Kelsier's like, Oh you know, I just took a quick stop to kill Lord Tresting. This is so funny to me because he's talking about it as if he was running just a bit late because he had to stop for a quick vape on the side of the road. But actually he was busy murdering people? Then they start talking about this Job. And as readers, we don't really know what kind of job this is. But based on our short time with Kelsier, it's safe to say it's going to be fucking crazy.

And still in the dark as readers, Dachsan and Kelsier start rattling off names of people who will be at the meeting tonight to discuss this mysterious plan: Ham, Breeze, Yedin, and Clubs. We also get the first mention of Kelsier's brother, Marsh. And on top of it all, we get mention of two new kinds of owlmancers a smoker And a tenop. I was gonna say Breeze, out of these characters that we've just introduced to you, I think Breeze is my favourite.

Up to this point. Dude, Breeze is the best. I hope there's some more'cause he's like a he seems like a a a witty type of sarcastic dude. Oh yeah, dude. And I love that kind of character. Hopefully he gets some more airtime. Yes, Breeze is the best. Just you wait. You will get plenty of breeze and coming trap. So first impressions on Breeze, yes, I love that guy. Yeah, and I love his dynamic with ham, but we'll we'll talk all about that. Okay, perfect.

We haven't gotten the full rundown about this book's magic system Allomancy yet, but let's do a quick aside to give us a baseline. We saw Kelsier burn tin in the prologue. An allomancer is someone who can burn a metal to give them specific powers. Most allomancers can burn only one kind of metal, and they're called mistings. And each kind of misting has a sort of colloquial term. For example

Someone who can burn tin is called a tin eye. Trust us, we'll dive into Alamancy much more soon, but I think it's helpful to at least get a taste as all this information is dropped so flippantly. I like how they burn metal as their magic system. We're gonna dive into that here in a second, I guess. But I used to be a welder.

And I would inhale the smoke as I was welding, and I can tell you this much, I never had magical abilities. All I had was a bad cough and trouble sleeping. Dude. Okay. So quick aside. So this is the first trilogy of Mistborn. There is a second era that is comprised of four books that happens hundreds of years after this story. And it's kind of like when people are going through the industrial revolution. And so like the a yes, and so like the application. of like welding metal.

I could so see it in in the second era of Mistborn, whereas this is a little bit more kind of like Victorian era you know kind of thing. And so next we move to Venn's POV as she is hanging out in the lair of the thieving crew.

We're given a quick look into the reality of men's life. She is constantly in danger. As a small teenage girl in a crew of predominantly men, she is a target. Vin spends most of her time trying to remain invisible, listening to Reen's voice in her head just so that she can survive day by day. After a short time, we've got some movement within the crew, though. The next phase of the job is underway.

And this time, they have to go into the belly of the beast, the ministry's canton of finance. Now, the original plan was for Theron and Cayman to agree to transport newly trained obligators to Luthadale. And Coincidentally, these obligators always brought large funds from the ministry disguised as luggage to be held in Luthadell. So Theron would have his guards rob the obligators while on the boat and then blame it on bandits, equaling a huge profit. But Cayman has other plans.

He tells Vin that his real plan is to trick the ministry into giving him a down payment now and then disappear, leaving Theron in the lurch. This is the reality of crime in Luthedell. Eat or be eat. Survival of the fittest. That is exactly right. As disgusted by this betrayal as Vin is, she admits that Theron was likely going to do the same to Kamen. Kamen just acted first. So Kamen and Vin finally are able to meet with the obligator, expecting it to be laired, like last time.

But if Laird is Charmander, then the obligator that stands before them, Aryev, is Charmeleon. Because this guy Charizard's the best Pokemon, by the way, so good good good good job. Okay, we can't we're not even gonna have that discussion. Oh we're not? No, no. Maybe another episode. Because this guy not only has the trademark obligator tattoos around his eyes, but his loop goes all the way back to his ears and over his forehead. He is the real

deal. I bet it looks good with those tats too. Uh hell yeah, brother. Some gauged ears too. That is so hardcore. That is so punk. Man, he's probably listening to Lincoln Park and wearing a top hat and a monocle. Yeah, and isn't a biker gang or something? As soon as Ven sees this guy, she has a feeling that they should leave immediately, but Kamen pushes on and begins his discussion with Aryev. Eventually Ven gives a push on Aryev with her luck, and he immediately accepts Kamen's proposal.

gives them a contract, and sends them off with a smile. But Vin knows something is very wrong. Quote, a happy obligator was always a bad sign. So, without any choice, Cayman and Vin leave the Canton building. As Vin and Cayman leave, it turns out that Kelcier and Dachshan have been watching them. You see, Kelsier's brother Marsh had a run-in with Cayman earlier, and he noticed that Vin had allamantic abilities.

It turns out that Ben is even becoming, quote, famous in the right circles as a good luck charm. Kelsier goes on to say that he's surprised she'd been so brazen to use her powers on a ministry official. So he suspects she may not even know what her powers are. He suggests that she likely is fueling her powers through trace metals in the city's drinking water.

Which would explain Vin's mention of having to quote save up her luck because she only has a finite amount of it. I love this world building tactic that Sanderson is using because Of course, there is metal contaminated water in the final empire because the Lord Ruler does not care enough to build out a water filtration system for the broader public.

So a little Brandon Sanderson that's specific to him? We call him BS on that? No, I no, it's not it's specific to him, but I think it's a way for him to show us the world building as opposed to like directly telling us. Yeah yeah yeah. Some books will like at nauseum just describe features of a of a city without the people doing something and it's just boring, but this it kind of incorporates as something's going on. And to me that is the trade off of

having a magic system and world showed to you versus told to you. Because yes, you may start out this book not really knowing what's going on. But in exchange, you are just going through the story and you're not having to go through chapters and chapters of explainers on how magic works.

Yeah. As something comes up that you need to know, it's explained as the something is happening. Yes. And and my advice to people whenever they're reading Sanderson is you are not going to understand what's fully going on. When you see a word that you don't understand I can guarantee you it is going to come up again and you will get more clarity as it comes up. But then Both an obligator and another figure step out of the building. The second is a grotesque man tall with a strong build.

Quote, a thick metal spike had been pounded tip first through each of the man's eyes. With shafts as wide as an eye socket, the nail like spikes were long enough that their sharp points jutted out about an inch from the back of the man's clean shaven skull. The flat spike ends shone like two silvery discs. Sticking out of the sockets in the front where the eyes should have been. is a steel inquisitor. And they are bad news Stephen.

They kinda sound scary. They are freaking scary. I guess I miss that I mean I didn't miss it, but maybe I just forgot about it. I missed that description of them. They have nails through their eyes spikes to their eyes. Yes, dude. So they can't see. They can't see through normal means.

Oh, do they see it through their fingers? Uh no. Uh not in a literal sense. Kelsier realizes that they are following Ben and Cayman. He and Dachshan leap into action. Dachshund runs off to take care of whatever tales they would have sent after Ben, and Kelsier takes the inquisitive. But first, he takes a swig from a small vial filled with alcohol and eight different metals iron, steel, tin, pewter, copper, bronze, zinc, and brass.

And we don't know what each one of those do yet, do we? That is correct. And up until this point. We only understand that people can use one kind of method. Right. We know that tin at least, at the very least, gives you the ability to hear faraway things. Exactly. Like a dolphin. It gives you dolphin easy. It actually enhances all of your senses. So remember how when Kelsier used it, the fire became like overwhelmingly bright and that kind of thing.

So it it does is helpful in that you can hear much better, but also it has the drawback as well. I said dolphins can hear. Can dolphins hear a long way? Am I an idiot? I think they can hear a long way through sonar. There we go. I'm not an idiot. Keep going. We're gonna keep it moving, folks. Kelsier first burns pewter, giving him enhanced strength.

Then he burns zinc. Okay, so officially now we know that Kelsier can burn more than one metal. Like a little metal cocktail going on in his belly. Yes. He burns zinc and quote, yanks on the Inquisitor's emotions. Now remember. With then and her luck, the idea has been that she's been pushing on people's emotions very gently. Whereas Kelsier here is at a whole other level. He's not gently pushing, he is yanking on the Inquisitor's emotions, diverting its attention.

And then in his head, Kelsier thinks to himself, quote, let's have a chase now, you and I. Kelsier is so fucking cool. I like that last line of that chapter. Let's have a chase now. It's so cool. Also, this part confused me initially. When it says that he burns metal, uh it's not like he's burning incense or he has a fire. It's like it's digesting it right now. No, yes. It is literally ingested into his stomach. And he is able to a fantasy magic thing, he's able to burn it inside at will.

So it's burning metal, baby. B and B. All right, Stephen, now on to chapter three. Please give us the epigraph. We arrived in Terrace earlier this week, and I have to say I find the countryside beautiful. The great mountains to the north, with their bald snow caps and forested mantles, stand like watchful gods over this land of green fertility.

My own lands to the south are mostly flat. I think that they might look less dreary, if there were a few mountains to vary the terrain. The people here are mostly herdsmen. Though timber harvesters and farmers are not uncommon, it is a pastoral land, certainly. It seems odd that a place so remarkably agrarian could have produced the prophecies and theologies upon which the entire world now relies.

We are in Vince POV. We are back at Kamen's lair, and Kamen is a pig in shit after bringing back all this money from the minute. That could be a good uh bar title. Pig and shit. Pig and shit. Oh my god, I love that. Pig and shit. That'd be hilarious. Uh whole tavern here in this world. That's low key amazing. Pig and shit. Uh all right, well Uh stay tuned folks. Stay tuned for a no new bar that's opening up somewhere, hopefully.

And that does not sit right with them. She knows that Kamen bringing this much money back. Makes the likelihood that there's a coup from one of the other thieves to try to steal that money much higher. Plus, Vin still can't shake the weird feeling she had about what went down at the Canton building earlier. So she decides she needs to leave.

But she doesn't want to be alone. We're given some insight into how Vin loves solitude, but the idea of truly being alone in this huge city, fighting for her life by herself, is too much for her to bear. So she recruits another member of the crew, Olef, to leave with her. Classic fantasy name where you're like what the hell is that? How do you even pronounce it? Yeah. After telling Olef her plan to leave, she goes into the sleeping quarters to grab her stuff, which consists of very little.

All she adds to her name is the following A pebble from each city she has visited, a simple stud earring that Ren claimed her mother left for her. Now we don't really know anything about Vin's mother to this point, but this is all that Vin has in the way of tokens of remembrance.

For her. And lastly, a small bit of obsidian that Reen used to carry around as a good luck charm, which he left behind when he abandoned Vin. And so now Vin is ready to leave. But Turns out that Olef is not a real bro because he has told Kamen about Vin's plan to leave, and Kamen, being the piece of shit that he is, throws an entire stool at Vin, hitting her in the back. Again, Kamen is a piece of shit. Yeah, not a good guy. But something goofy happens after Vin falls to the

After the initial pain, something within Vin rises that she doesn't quite understand. She starts to regain her strength, and her head stops spinning. This is the first hint we get that then is not only a misting, but a misborn like Kelsey. Someone who can access Almantic power from all metal.

So we don't know the difference between a misting and a misborn at this point, right? We don't. Not at this very moment. A misborn seemingly is the higher up and a missing is more like a absolutely a misborn is exceptionally powerful compared to a misting.

And we'll of course talk about that in the coming chapters as well. Unfortunately, Cayman is far bigger than Vin, so he begins to beat her again, striking her, but in a different way than the beatings that Vin is used to. She knows that in this moment he plans to kill her. But what's that? I believe it's Kelsier's music. John Cena. The door bursts open and Kamen's grip on Vin is suddenly released. Quote.

Kaman's angry demands were cut off as he was thrown backward as if punched by a powerful force. His arm was ripped free from Vin's shoulder and he toppled to the ground, causing the floorboards to shake. So he didn't even touch him, he just like No, no. Yeah, he literally was like push away as if it's a little bit more than a little bit. Of course. The first one where Gandalf is fighting Sarumov. Yes, and he starts getting spun on the floor. I just imagine that. Yeah. Okay.

A quick pause on this to touch on some Alamancy moments. So, remember how Vin mentioned she was able to restore her strength through a strange power? Well, before Vin is released by Cayman, the weight of her pain and exhaustion comes back even stronger. This confirms that what she was unknowingly doing was burning pewter, which enhances your physical strength and endurance.

Once her latent supply of pewter from the drinking water ran out, the pain came roaring back. Also, after she's released by Cayman, she notices that her panic of needing to get away has turned to utter serenity. That is because Kelsier is using brass to soothe Vin's emotions and coax her towards different feelings.

then actually recognizes this, saying that someone was using luck on her. We then also see that not only she is being soothed, but all the other crew are as well. So this is the first time that we see emotional allomancy can be used not only on one person but multiple people at once. And this is also the part where we learn that luck isn't what it really is called, it's just elements here, right?

She just didn't have the right word for it because she's sixteen and didn't know that anybody else had this ability. Exactly. And we're actually real quick, we'll learn later in some of these chapters that Vin knows of Alamancy. She knows that there is some kind of magic in this world, but Because one, she's a ska, and you know that ska are not supposed to be owlmancers, and two, she's too busy surviving. She just thinks she's not worthy of the power that she's been given.

She doesn't even consider Almancy as a potential option, even though these things that are happening to her are completely unexplained. Back to the action. After putting Cayman on his ass, Kelsier comes in through the door with Dachshund and lets the crew know that he has saved the lair from a steel inquisitor following Cayman and Ben. And everyone is shook. Steel Inquisitors are rumored to be immortal.

No normal person could quote deal with one as Kelsier puts it. So, in repayment, the crew gives Kelsier the money Cayman got from the ministry and accepts Kelsier's condition of turning Cayman into a beggar for what he's done to Vin. Just imagine like a still Inquisitor with the description that they've given following you and breaking it. That would be freaking terrifying. Yes, it is a literal horror film.

I wonder if there's some uh Inquisitor thirst traps that could go out there. Okay, that's your homework, Steven. That's my homework. I'm gonna do some inquisitor thirst traps. And then share with the class. Kelsier tells the crew that he will be using the lair for a meeting tonight and for all of them to leave, except For this

Once Vin, Kelsier, and Dachshan are alone, Kelsier and Dachshund's demeanor goes from downright intimidating to affable and gentle. But then she doesn't trust Easy, rightly so. So she stands there, very cat-like, scoping out the situation. After a moment, they sit down and Kelsier begins to give her the rundown. But first, a little classic, fatherly knock that shit off. He tells her to never again try to use her luck on an obligatory.

Because they are trained to recognize when someone is working on their emotions. He also warns her to keep her eyes open when it comes to the Inquisitor that was tracking. He believes that since he distracted him, it should be fine. But inquisitors aren't just your typical owlmancers. They're something much more. And then he gives Vin a vial of liquid. Filled with metal shavings of two allantic metals.

Upon taking it, then feels for her luck, and not only is it replenished, but quote, it was there, like a massive golden horde, a storage of power so incredible that it stretched her understanding. Always before she had needed to be a scrimp with her luck, holding it in reserve, using up morsels sparingly. Now she felt like a starving woman invited to a high nobleman's feast. She sat stunned.

Regarding the enormous wealth within her. So this point, she didn't know metal did that to her. She just knew she just thought she had this. She just thought she had this if it's just drawn from metal burning Then how did she is just her drinking the water that that happens to be there, I guess? Yes. So as Kelsey or mentioned, drinking the trace metals in the water gives her a little bit of allamantic reserve.

Okay. And so that's what she's been drawing from. That's what she's been drawing from. And the stark difference is illustrated of Vin has been doing all this with a very little supply. But now that she's given a full vial this stuff, it roars to life within her. So it's pretty impressive what she's been able to do with so little resources. Yeah. But remember, then consumed two kinds of metal.

Kelsier tells her to try the other way around. They all know that she can soothe him, but can she inflame him too? This is the test to see if she's a mistborn, someone who can access all allomantic medals. If you can use two of them, you can use them all. There's no in-between. And she does it.

Then is officially a mistborn. Okay, is Kelsier a mistborn or is he a misling? He's a mistborn because we saw him use ten and then we saw him use pewter earlier when he was about to follow the Inquisitor. So only Mistborn can do multiple. Exactly. Being a ska misborn is unfathomably rare. Alamancy is a hereditary noble trait. So

But it's relatively rare even among people of noble blood, whose ancestors were gifted the power by the Lord ruler. As Kelsier puts it, there's likely a misting for about one out of every ten thousand half noble born ska. So Imagine how unbelievably rare it is for a ska to

To be a misborn. We also get a bit of insight into Vin's parentage. According to her, her mother was a prostitute, and her father is a high prelin in the steel ministry, meaning he is a nobleman. As she takes in the reality that she is a misborn, Vin is stunned. It's a lot to take in, and Kelsier caps off the chapter with an incredible line that gives me chill. Kelsier smiled. It means that you, Vin, are a very special person. You have a power that most high noblemen endure.

It is a power that, had you been born an aristocrat, would have made you one of the most deadly and influential people in all of the final empire. Kelsier leaned forward again, but you weren't born an aristocrat. You're not noble. You don't have to play by their rules. And that makes you even more. Powerful.

Is that the last line of that chapter? It is, dude. Yeah, that's a good line too. Oh my god. All these chapters end with these nice little ooh, I want to read the next chapter. That's the hardest thing for me. I've only been able to read to chapter five because we have to talk about this. I've been waiting to get to chapter six, but I can't yet until after we record this freaking thing. You want to keep going.

And what I love about this moment so much is that there is a very clear power dynamic in the final empire. The scar are way down here, the noblemen are right here, and the Lord Ruler is way above them all. But in this moment, Kelsier is trying to Teach them.

That there is a way to flip that power dynamic. And just because you were born a ska does not mean that you are not powerful. In fact, you are more powerful than the ska because you don't have to worry about your social status like all these noblemen. Ja. Oh. Okay. Doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you freaking finish. Exactly. Burn metal, baby. And I'm starting a chill count for myself, uh number of times I've gotten chills. And that is two for this episode.

You got two chills. Yeah. I got one I got one a second ago. Okay, good, good, good, good, good. All right, Stephen, take us through the epigraph of chapter four. Apparently the next stage of my quest will take us up to the highlands of Terrace. This is said to be a cold, unforgiving place, a land where the very mountains are made of ice. Our normal attendants

Will not do for such a trip. We should probably hire some terrorist pacmen to carry our gear. Where is that from? Who's talking? Where are they? It sounds like an Airbnb entry, to be honest with you. That's what it does sound like. Alright, we are back in Vin's POV.

Kamen's crew temporarily returns before Kelsier's meeting starts, and they're treating Vin like she just got to hang out with the mysterious cool new kid at the school. And sitting with her old crew as they talk about Kelsier, Vin starts to experience some cognitive disorder.

Here's a group that have turned a blind eye to Vin's beatings by Cayman, and in the case of Ulef, someone she considered kind of a friend ratted her out. But she doesn't necessarily blame them for it because that's just how it works among thieves. But with Kelsier and Doxon It seemed different. They seemed like they didn't fear that one might betray the other at any moment. And stranger still

was their openness with Vin. They were more than happy to clue in Vin on her powers with seemingly nothing asked for in return. And as the gossip about Kelsier continues, we learn that not only was Kelsier sent to the pits of Hathson, But he was sent there with his wife when he was captured by the Lord Ruler. And unfortunately, she did not make it out alive. Yeah, that was gonna say that was a interesting part to learn about his past, a tough part. Yeah.

initial point in the story or original point in the story. Absolutely. But w it's all in breadcrumbs. We're not getting this all in one fell swoop. Which is what you want in a good book. You don't want everything in the front of it because then there's nothing more to go for. No, of course. But it it just adds to this layer of mystery with Kelsier that

Well yes he is a badass and we love him. I don't know about you, but from the beginning I was always a little bit reserved about Kelsier in terms of like you start seeing some of the things he's doing and you're like, is this the guy we're really supposed to be rooting for? Yeah, I also like books that have characters where you can root for them but also know they do wrong things and there's really no one that's

Technically good. Yeah, yeah, basically. We also get two other interesting tidbits about Kelsier and how he found himself in the pits. According to the crew, Kelsier was betrayed by someone. Which led to his capture. Let's file that one away in the back of our brains. And that he wasn't an owlmancer before his time at the pits. So something changed about him while he was there. But now it is meeting.

Time. As the thieving crew leaves, Kelsier's friends start walking down the runway like it's a maxi challenge of RuPaul's drag race. The first two are a muscular man wearing a sleeveless shirt. Named Ham. Tens, tens across the board. I like the name Ham for this guy. Ham I know. Yeah, it's so interesting. Maybe he works at the pig shit. Pig and shit. The the pig and shit. Yeah, that's he's the head bartender at the pig and shit. Ham.

That's amazing. Yeah, oh my god. We're gonna build out an entire staff for the pig and shit by the time this is all over. So we have ham and a portly well-dressed man named Breeze. Steven's favorite. And from the jump, we can tell these guys are chill, friendly dudes. But has Venice

It sounds like a tender profile. I'm just I'm a chillin' friendly dude. I'm just a chill friendly dude. Still swapping left, buddy. Yeah. But as Vin is pouring wine for them, Ham calls out Breeze for using emotional allamancy on Vin. But she hadn't even noticed he was using it on her. This gives us insight into what a truly skilled misting is capable of. In this case, someone like Breeze can push on emotions with ease, and the person he's working on would be none the wiser.

I've got a question now. Yeah. So mistings can only burn one metal, and a mist born can burn more than two metals. Can burn all of them. So let's say you ingest two metals and you're a mistling. Yep. What do which one do you get to pick which one? No. Each misting is essentially assigned I mean they're not really assigned it, but the th they can't choose which metal they can burn. They have to discover. You're only able to burn one metal. Exactly.

Exactly. You have the ability to burn only one metal. Exactly. Yes, it's not like one at a time. It is one forever. Okay, like I'm the pewter and I'm the copper and that's why there's those different names for like smoker, ten eye, all that stuff. Oh, look at that. It's all coming together now, Hayes. Exactly. After some bickering between Breeze and Ham about the morality of pushing on someone's emotions, Ven brings a glass of wine and asks Ham what his deal is.

To which Ham responds that he's what is called a thug. Someone who burns pewter to enhance their strength. My favorite thing about Ham though is that his biggest character trait is that he's obsessed with philosophical discussion, much to the annoyance of Breeze, which we'll get lots of more of throughout the story. And then the conversation is interrupted by another man joining us.

His name is Clubs. He's an older man with a gnarled, twisted face. He is giving major Mad Eye Moody vibes. I always miss like descriptions of people. Uh and then I just in my head everybody kinda looks the same. Yeah, yeah. So diving into this I get to like rewrite my own brain to think of these people differently. Exactly, yeah. Clubs is what is called a smoker. He can obscure allomantic pulses, essentially hiding his and the team's powers from Inquisitors. And lastly, yet an arrival.

He is decidedly more unassuming than the rest of the crew, wearing simple gray ska clothes. Yedin is the only non-misting in the group, so no special powers for him. So the gang's all here. And with that, Kelsier finally shows up fashionably late. And he tells the crew that they are now working for Yeddin, who is part of the Ska Rebellion, then clues us readers in that quote, there are two sides to the underworld.

The far larger portion was made up of thieves, crews, whores, and beggars who tried to survive outside mainstream Scot culture. And then there were the rebels, the people who worked against the final empire.

Okay, so you have the survivors and then you have the ones that are actively trying to make change. Actively trying to do something about it, exactly. Gotcha. Kelsier then drops another bomb. Quote Gentlemen. This will be no ordinary job. It's going to be different from anything any crew has ever tried to pull. We're going to help Yedin overthrow the final impact.

Essentially, Kelsier is saying, We're gonna steal the Declaration of Independence in this moment. We're gonna steal it. We're gonna steal the Declaration of Independence. And nobody believes that is possible because his declaration is followed by an Oh, brother, this guy stinks! levels of silence from the crew. What Kelsier is saying here is basically unfathomable.

The final empire and the Lord Ruler has reigned for a thousand years, and the Ska Rebellion has made virtually no progress in waging a full-scale war against the regime in that time. So, what's going to be different about this time? Well, according to Kelsier, it's because the rebellion is finally stooping to their level, to work with thieves who are used to breaking down jobs into smaller, more achievable parts to accomplish the impossible. Stephen.

I'm going to be real. Kelsier sounds like he's full of shit at the moment. How did this moment strike you? Of course he's full of shit I have some theories. I'll give you them at the end, but I'm not sure. Yeah, I I think he's telling partial truths, but he has like a a specific motive that he is going with. Okay, so you're essentially saying the job is not really the job, it's a way for him to further his own ambition.

Maybe that's part of the job, but I feel like he has a he has a different idea of what he wants to do. Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Or maybe he just flips it on its head at the end and just needs them initially for a few things and then he changes everything. I don't know. But he's obviously not giving all the information right now and the way it's written, the author obviously wants you to

At least at the very least, think that. Yes, and I think that's a really astute observation by you because this will become a theme. Throughout the story. Kelsey's not telling people the full Story. And you really don't want to tell people the full story if you're in that position of power. You want to give them the truths that they can handle for the job that needs to be done. Yes.

So I can I can see what he's doing. I love the fact that I got to this part I'm like, Oh yeah, heist. I love a heist. Yeah. Every dude loves a good heist everybody loves a good heist. Oh yeah. You hear the word heist in any kind of format, whether it's ocean's eleven or inception, and you're in. Yeah. So

What's the plan? Well, the broad idea is this. Kelsier's crew will work to build up and provide an army for Yedin. Then the crew will neutralize the Luthadel garrison and stir up a ska rebellion within the city, which will incapacitate the city's police force. That will open up an opportunity for Yedin's army to seize the city. And from there, they will be able to take the Lord Ruler's source of Adam Which Kelsier's crew will take half of as payment for the job. Now, what is Atium?

Well, it's the rarest and most valuable known alomantic metal, and the Lord ruler stockpiles the world's supply and sells it in small quantities to noble houses so that he can control the market. Is this the tenth medal? I g suppose it would technically be the tenth medal, yes. Because there's eight basic and then there's two after that basically. The Lord ruler losing his attium reserves would cripple his financial strength, making it impossible to keep the Empire in line.

And Kelsier drops one more bobshot. He knows where the attium is mine. It's at the pits of Hafson. What? We heard that name earlier. Exactly. Which is the place where he was sent to and he escaped. The place isn't a prison. It's a mine. Breeze and Ham, after some gentle coaxing from Kelsier, are in. Clubs, however, basically calls Kelsier an idiot for even considering to try and pieces out.

And Kelsier just lets him go, which is shocking to them. Again, this is just another instance of Kelsier and his crew acting counter to everything she has come to expect from thieving team. Friendship and trust has never been a part of the equation. And Vin has a point.

If Clubs leaks this plan to anyone, the entire crew is dead. But when Yedin protests their decision to let Clubs leave, Dawson simply says, quote, We wouldn't invite someone to one of these meetings unless we trusted him not to betray it. I love that. Absolutely. And it it serves to make the cognitive dissonance in Ben's head even stronger because Doxon says it as if it's nothing.

Yeah. But there's still one person in the room who hasn't given their answer. So Kelsey looks to Vin and asks her if she wants to be a part of this job, and Vin is shocked. After all, Kelsier knows that he has the information about her powers that Vin is so desperate for. Why would he even ask? But this isn't about power or leverage anymore. This is about then having the agency to decide. If she wants to be a part of this team as an equal, she'll count up to three. So she simply says, I'm in.

And she joins the crew at the table. Kelsier then reveals two more things. This guy's always full of secrets, huh? One, he coyly lets the group know that Ven isn't just a misting, she's a mistborn. Which has quite the effect on the overall morale of the crew. After all, Mistborn are so rare that having two on the team will do wonders for their odds of success. And second, if he gets the chance, Kelsier plans on killing the Lord Ruler.

But how could he possibly do that? The Lord ruler is supposed to be immortal and the most powerful owlancer on the planet. Supposed to be that's a key word, I think. Yeah, i they always the people of power always chalk themselves up to be more powerful than they really are. It's like the dude behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz. I I think you're gonna learn here, Stephen, uh in this case.

The Lord Ruler can back it up. Well, Kelsier throws a medal onto the table and claims that this is the legendary eleventh medal, and apparently the Lord Ruler's only weak. He claims he found it, quote, in a land near the Far Peninsula, a land where people still remember what their old kingdom was called in the days before the ascension. I

Love this moment because it gives us just a taste of what kind of bigger world is out there beyond Luthadel. Now, Kelsier is pretty clear that he doesn't know really how the eleventh medal works or how it can kill the Lord Ruler, but he's going to work to find it out. And so the chapter closes with Vin's inner dialogue. Quote, I've bound myself to a madman, Vin thought with resignation, but that didn't really matter, not as long as he taught her alive. And oh boy, teacher Alamancy he will.

That was the last line too? That was the last line. Such great last lines. Well done, Brandy Sandy. It was I would rank that one as uh at the bottom of the the list of chapter last line so far, but still very good.

I will say this. This is a theory I have. Okay. I'll say more about it at the end. But I don't think whatever he's holding that's the eleventh medal, I think the eleventh medal exists because somebody mentions it in this group. I don't think that's really it. I think he's just holding a trinket and just saying it's

it does something. So you think Kelcier is like a snake oil salesman at this point. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, buy this miracle spring water. It'll hear stuff. Yeah, sure. No, it's not gonna do anything. I think he's just trying to get somebody on his side. Okay. Interesting. Okay. Interesting. It may exist and he may have it. I just

Don't show your cards too quickly and I think he is is pulling the wheel. You want to see the proof first. Yeah. So I think the skepticism is well deserved, Stephen. Would you please? Read the epigraph of chapter five, the last chapter we will cover in today's episode.

But that's a small comfort. The deepness must be destroyed, and apparently I'm the only one who can do so. It ravages the world even now. If I don't stop it soon it's There will be nothing left in this land but bones and dying. and Vin's POV and we are still at the lair. Breeze, Ham, and Geddin have all left after the meeting.

And Kelsier has found some wine in a drawer with a false back, and rather proud of himself, Kelsier gives us his motto, which will become one of the more important lines of the series, and in my opinion, is part of Sanderson's writing philosophy. Quote There's always another secret. I love this idea so much because it captures why we love reading fantasy stories in the first place.

Sure, we love the characters and magic, but more than anything, we love the feeling of adventure. And this line is a rallying cry for us readers. When you close a book, find another one. Or hey, maybe just reread the one you just read, because there's always more to learn, to explore. There's always another secret. Yeah, I like that.

Hanging out? Then thinks to herself, quote, Dachsan and Kelsier seem to take it for granted that she would remain with them. Then doesn't know what it's like to be given agent. The choice to stay or leave. But that is the fundamental difference between Kelsey or the people Vin has been forced to associate with her whole life. This is about being a part of something, an equal member in a team that is working towards a goal.

Then doesn't know what trust feels like. In fact, it feels wrong in this moment. But as she spends more time with Kelsier and the crew, she will start to come into her own. The conversation turns to Kelsier and his need for more advocacy. Turns out he used up his last bit during his destruction of Lord Tresting's Manor. Dachsan then asks Kell how he plans on getting more, but before he can answer, someone comes down the stairs to join the group. And it's club.

But he's not alone. A quote thin, awkward looking teenage boy is close behind him. Turns out, when Clubs left earlier, he was still open to the job, but he wanted to think clearly without Breeze, the soother around to influence his emotions. He tells Kel that he is in. And he doesn't even want payment. He's only interested in the downfall of the Lord Ruler. This dude is just in it for the love of the game, that's it.

Clubs doesn't think this plan is going to work, and he's very outspoken about that. But when Dachson asks why he'd bother helping, he says quote, because the Lord ruler is going to get me sooner or later. At least this way I'll be able to spit in his face as I go. Overthrowing the final empire. It's got style. I love that line. Style. Oh man. And with that, clubs and the young boy, peace out. Now we're switching over to Kelsier's PO.

We are now on the roof, and since night has fallen, we are in the mist. Mist is a source of terror for so many, but we see now that the mist is a source of comfort. And nostalgia for Kelsey. We're given a little bit of insight into what life was like for Kelsier before he was captured by the Lord ruler. You see, Kelsier, his wife Mare, and Dachsan used to make a living on stealing from the most wealthy houses in Luthadel. After some discussion, Kelsier decides he's going to raid House Venture.

After all, since they're the wealthiest house in the city currently, they're definitely going to have at least some attium to steal. So, with that, he whips on his misborn cloak, which has become an iconic image from the series. It's described as quote, a dark grey cloak, large and enveloping, the cloak wasn't constructed from a single piece of cloth.

Rather, it was made up of hundreds of long ribbon like strips. They were sewn together at the shoulders and across the chest, but mostly they hung separate from one another. Like overlapping streamers. Now, if you are having a hard time visualizing the Mistborn cloak in your head, there are tons of great. fan art examples out there on the internet, go ahead and look them up. You see, mistborn cloaks are colored and constructed to hide one among the mists.

And it works as a kind of warning to guards or other Alomancers to not even try messing with them because they're so much more powerful than your normal Alamancer. They're kind of like camouflaged into the mist. Yeah, basically. Okay. Yeah. And so before he leaves, Kelsier takes off every bit of metal from his body, including his shoes.

This ensures that no other Alamancers could pull or push on him with their powers. He also puts two glass daggers into sheaths. All he has with him now is a pouch of metal coins and three vials of metal shapes. This is so cool. As you're reading this, you're like, oh duh, of course they'd use glass daggers, so they're not battling with metal that can be manipulated.

Kelsier throws a single coin. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Kelsier throws a single coin off the side of the building and leaps into the open air. Now It is time for our first real instance of major owlmancy use in our story. Buckle up. I thought it would be best for me to quote the next moments so that we can spell out what's happening.

Quote, Kelsier turned and walked back up onto the roof's ledge, then he jumped off the building. Mist curled in the air around him. He burned steel, second of the basic alamantic metals. Translucent blue lines sprang into existence around him, visible only to his eyes.

Each one led from the center of his chest out to a nearby source of metal. The lines were all relatively faint, a sign that they pointed to metal sources that were small door hinges, nails, and other bits. The type of source metal didn't matter. Burning iron or steel would point blue lines at all kinds of metal, assuming they were close enough and large enough to be noticeable.

Ugh, this is like Ravellio. It's so cool. It's so cool. Kelsier chose the line that pointed directly beneath him toward his coin. Burning steel he pushed against the coin. His descent immediately stopped, and he was thrown back up into the air in the opposite direction along the blue line. He reached out to the side, selecting a passing window clasp.

And pushed against it, angling himself to the side. The careful nudge sent him up and above the lip of the building directly across the street from then. So this metal reveals other metals. Steel and iron are both push and pull metals. So they allow you to either push or pull on any metals that you can find. But in order it also pushes out these blue translucent lines so you can see where all the different metals are.

Which allows you to kind of plan your flight path as you're using it to the game. Yes, it is so Can anybody see these blue lines or is it just the person burning? It's just you when you activate. Obviously there's the traversal aspect to these metals, but you also potentially could use it to find people if they're hiding if they have metal on their person. What about if they have metal inside them? Iron and steel, you say, do this but they are distinct in other ways?

Uh no, they do the basically the same thing except one pushes and one pulls. Okay, so the one that pulls is the one that does the blue lines or the one that pushes? Both of them do the blue lines. Okay. So when you say push or pull, what is that? So like think about it this way. So he threw off this coin off the side of the building, right? When he jumps off the building.

He pushes on the coin that's on the ground so it can't move and that causes him to launch into the air. However, let's say he just dropped into the air. So he's like Spider Man. He's like Spider Man. Yep. But let's say essentially he dropped the coin and he didn't want to, he could pull on the metal for it to come back to his hand. Right. But if he wants to fly, he's pushing. Most likely.

Yeah. I love getting to see Kelsier applying Alamancy in so many different ways. Yes, he essentially flies to keep venture through pushing and pulling, but he also uses iron, the pulling metal, to find large sources of metal.

sourcing which anchor would be the strongest to pull on, giving him the best leap possible. He even burns pewter to enhance his strength, anticipating a rough landing on the stone wall of the keep so that his bones won't break. In a moment, we see that Kelsier is truly a savant.

of Alamancy. Next, Kelsier kills his way inside, slitting the throat of a guard, breaking into Lord Venture's study. As this happens, we start to notice that Kelsier isn't just trying to rob the place and make it out quietly. As he puts it, he wants to quote, make a bit of noise. Now, in this study, Kelsier rips a secret safe from the wall by flaring pewter and iron, and as soon as it's ripped from the wall, two guards come into the room.

And Kel kills them very quickly. We're starting to get a real picture of Kelsier in battle, and his true hatred for nobles. Quote His anger was quiet, not as fierce as it had been the night he'd killed Lord Treston. But he felt it still, felt it in the itching of his scars and in the remembered screams of the woman he loved. As far as Kelsier was concerned, any man who upheld the vinyl empire also forfeited his right to live. So

Kelsier is a bit bloodthirsty, and guess what? He's getting his wish. Because what happens next is an absolute blur of violence. Kelsier is interrupted as he's trying to escape by eight haze killers. They're not allowancers, but they are soldiers who have been trained to specifically fight mistings and misforms, and also they carry zero metal on their person that could be manipulated by an owl. Haze killers? Haze killers, yes.

One by one, Kelsier kills the haze killers in more creative ways, and even launches one out of a window into the midst. And just when Kelsier thought he had had his fill, a group of fucking mistings joined the party. Kel decides that it's time to go and leaps out the window, also pulling on the safe. Ultimately, he's able to escape, and even better, the safe shattered with a fall, opening up for Kel to take its content. Turns out

All this trouble wasn't for nothing because in addition to some gemstones and letters of credit lies a small pouch that contains the Addium he came here for. And the chapter ends with a chilling line that not only gives us more insight into Kelsier's opinion of no problem. It pokes at us readers, daring us to ask if we're really comfortable with Kelsier's methods. Quote: No, this night was not awake.

Even if he hadn't found the Addium, any night that ended with a group of dead noblemen was a successful one in Kelsier's opinion. And we will pick up at chapter six in the next episode. Oh yeah, that was a good that was a good one. I like that. So I mean at this point we think the noblemans are bad. I mean objectively they are bad. They they profit off of the labor of the ska and do not treat them well.

We are asked this question of just because someone is bad and some noblemen are bad, does that mean all of them are lumped into one group? And does it make it okay for the us to throw them out of windows and slip their throats? Now is it philosophizing? So Stephen

After reading these first five chapters, what's your overall impression? Are you enjoying it so far? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. Uh it's really good. I like the heist thing in the book. I like the way it's written. So far I like the characters. I like

the world that is being built. I really like the magic system. It's nothing like I've ever read before. Yeah. Which is kind of what you want. You don't want this generic, oh, it's just magic. It's like, oh, this is why it works, this is how it works. Uh I'm really having a good time with it. And like I said earlier, I hated the fact I had to stop at five because What's next? I can't keep reading because I have to be in the dark for each episode. Absolutely. I love it. All right, Steven.

Now is the time where you and I are going to give out our winner and loser of the week awards. Steven, why don't you go first? Can you give us your loser of the week? Uh the loser of the week is obviously trusting because he's dead. And I feel like if you die you lose. Unless you go out like as a self sacrificing blaze of glory kind of a ooh, he's a good guy. Long live you, but you're dead now. Anyway, no, yeah, totally him. Plus he was a bad guy while he was alive. So loser is treasure.

Okay, and your winner? I'm going with Vin Damsel because she's finding out her abilities. She's changing her current situation. She gets to go under the wing of Kelsier, seemingly. I don't know. She's just she's budding into what I perceive to be or hopefully will be This amazing female main character. Okay, perfect. So I took a little bit of a different direction with my winner and loser. I had my winner. At Calcius.

Oh, you went obvious. The badass moments per page for Kelsey are here is out of control. From amazing one-liners to just sick allamancy feats. I just think he was on a whole other level. I didn't want to go with the obvious answer though. You know what I mean? Plus I feel like Vin I don't know. Yeah. Oh trust me, Ven will have her moments to shine and do. And for my loser, I'm going with Kamen. Kamen is a perfect example of how cruelty knows no creed or social class.

Power corrupts every part of the society and the ska are not exempt. who has been stepped on and abused in his own ways throughout his life, of course, but as soon as he has gained any kind of leverage or power over someone, he decides to use that power to abuse those around him. Massive L's for Cayman in the chat. It's like bullies from school. I mean most of'em have terrible lives, but that doesn't mean you get to bully other people. You don't get a free pass.

Right. So Steven, now I think is my favorite part of the episode. It is time for you to predict what happens next in these set of chapters. And I will give you a percentage of how right you are. Okay. Uh everybody gets metal and they live happily ever after. I'm kidding. So first off, I think the smiling ska at the begin in the prologue is Kelsier. Okay. I think he was there doing some recon work.

And since he's half skull, that makes sense he would just kind of embody a that role and just for a second. So I think that was him. I also think that Dawson's gonna die. Not because I want him to die, but because there's always that

best I don't think Kelsier is gonna die, but'cause he's like the main guy. So I think one of his friends is gonna die just to keep the story emotional and moving. Uh let's see. I think Vin is gonna fly for the first time. I also think that it maybe the next chapter, some pervy dude is gonna try to hit on young Vin. And Kelsey is gonna either kill him or just make him very injured.

So they'll they'll be at the the shitting pig or whatever we call it. The pig the pig and shit. And uh yeah, he's gonna kill somebody. And I also think, and I said this earlier, that the eleventh medal that Kelsier had is fake. Or at least the one he's holding is fake, and it's just a trinket to Try to sway people into following him. Okay, this is interesting because I'm having a hard time figuring out what percentage here because one of your answers, number one, has already been confirmed.

What? Oh it was? Yeah. So when did I say that? Or when did I say that? It's it's basically confirmed in the prologue. So that's one. But I'll give it to you. See how right I was? I'll I'll give it to you. Uh and then one of your things does happen, but not in this book. So I'm gonna give you forty percent?

You're forty percent right, which I think is an exceptional score for a first time trying this. Is it exceptional or is it predictable? Is the story too predictable? Or am I just a genius? Oh, I promise you the story is not predictable. I'm sure it's not. So excellent. Well, great job with that, Steven. Okay, everybody, that is it.

For episode one of our deep dive of Mistborn. Hey and if you like this you can actually check out episode two right now on our feed, a little uh episode dump for you. And episode three will be coming out Wednesday, November twelfth. Also, if you haven't yet, check out our interview with Pierce Brown, author of the Red Rising series. It was such an awesome conversation, and we think you'll really love it.

Yeah, it was really good. Also, please be sure to give us a five-star rating if you love this podcast, and review it on any podcast platform that you listen to this on, and give us a follow on Instagram and TikTok at FantasyFanFellas. And lastly, if you loved this episode and you have any friends who you have been begging to take the Sanderson plunge, go ahead and share this episode with them. It may be just the push they need. Okay, see you next episode. Bye. Bye. ¡Suscríbete al canal!

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