Editing Kelsier

{{character
|image=Cognitive Shadow Kelsier.jpg
|parents=[[Kelsier's mother|Mother]]
|spouse=[[Mare]]
|siblings=[[Marsh]]
|abilities={{tag+|Mistborn}} <small>(formerly)</small>{{nosnippet|, {{tag+|Sliver}}, {{tag+|Cognitive Shadow}}, {{tag+|shard|Preservation}} <small>(formerly)</small>}}, {{tag+|Hemalurgist}}
|titles=Survivor of [[Pits of Hathsin|Hathsin]], Sovereign, [[Thaidakar|Lord of Scars]],{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{book ref|sa4|82}} {{nosnippet|[[Thaidakar]]{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{book ref|sa4|9}}}}, [[Kelsier#Titles|others]]
|born={{date|c. 984|fe}}{{book ref|mb2|5}}
|died={{nosnippet|{{date|1022|fe}}{{book ref|mb1|34}}}}
|groups={{tag|Kelsier's crew}}{{nosnippet|, {{tag|Ghostbloods}}}}
|ethnicity=Skaa
|residence=Luthadel
|world=Scadrial
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|first appeared=[[Mistborn: The Final Empire]]
}}
{{notice|style=background-color: #F55;
|b=There's always another secret!
|Kelsier really wasn't kidding when he said that. Be '''very''' wary of spoilers for the [[cosmere]] here.
}}
{{update|mb7}}
{{quote
|There's always another secret.
|Kelsier's mantra
}}
'''Kelsier''' is a half-[[skaa]] [[Allomancy|Mistborn]] from [[Scadrial]].{{book ref|mb1|2}} He is stern and intense, but always smiling; another act of rebellion against the Lord Ruler's oppression. He hates injustice and takes this hatred to the extreme, which originally resulted in him being unable to see good in any of the nobility. This was changed by [[Vin]] who fell in love with [[Elend Venture]]. Kelsier went on to save Elend's life from an [[inquisitor]]. His late wife [[Mare]] collected pre-Ascension memorabilia, and he keeps one piece, a drawing of a [[Flower picture|flower]],{{book ref|mb1|17}} to inspire his crew. Kelsier is the younger brother of [[Marsh]], who is disappointed at Kelsier's apparent lack of direction or purpose until Kelsier leads the [[skaa rebellion]]. 

== Appearance and Personality ==
{{image|Kelsier by Deandra Scicluna.jpg|side=left|width=250px}}
{{for|/Gallery|more images}}
{{quote
|They called you their god, and you were casual with their faith! The hearts of men are NOT YOUR TOYS.
|Preservation to Kelsier{{msh ref|6|4}}
}}

Kelsier is tall and hawk-faced and has light-blonde hair and hazel eyes;{{book ref|mb1|3}}{{wob ref|9216}} he has a multitude of scars crossing both arms from his time in the [[Pits of Hathsin]].{{book ref|mb1|prologue}} He usually wears a nobleman's suit (a colored vest with dark trousers and a coat), and during the night he wears his [[mistcloak]].

He is almost always late to gatherings, which he attributes to always having somewhere better to be.{{book ref|mb1|27}} He always smiles and projects an excited and positive attitude, which is particularly unusual in the skaa underground. He does this in order to fight the Lord Ruler's oppression of all the skaa, wanting to have one thing which cannot be taken away from him.{{book ref|mb1|prologue}} He hates all of the nobility and tends to believe that all of them are to blame for the plight of the skaa, although near the end of his life this attitude changes due to Vin's insistence that [[Elend]] is different and that not all the nobles should be fought, although his views did not fully change, and he retained his prejudice and distrust. He has an imposing presence and is a natural leader, easily taking charge and swaying even the downtrodden skaa of Luthadel into joining the rebellion with his charming personality. If Kelsier orders a person around, it is a sign of affection.{{wob ref|9634}}

Kelsier is a psychopath,{{wob ref|4103}} or at least has some psychopathic tendencies.{{wob ref|8700}} He shows little empathy or fear, as well as a high ego,{{wob ref|4103}} and is frequently quick to resort to using violence&mdash;often lethal violence&mdash;to solve problems,{{book ref|mb1|5}}{{wob ref|2375}}{{book ref|mb2|54}}{{msh ref|6|7}} even when doing so clearly won't actually help the people he is supposedly trying to help.{{msh ref|2|3}} He is arrogant and very driven which, combined with his power, makes him incredibly dangerous;{{wob ref|14601}} he is willing to go extremely far to achieve his goals&mdash;for example, he would be willing to use [[Hemalurgy]] on a large scale to create powerful Allomancers if ultimately necessary to protect Scadrial from other forces in the cosmere&mdash;though is not quite as utilitarian as [[Taravangian]].{{book ref|mb7|epilogue|4}}{{wob ref|14537}} Perhaps as a result of his egotism and arrogance, several of his plans involve setting himself up as a powerful, mysterious, or even divine figure.{{book ref|mb1|35}}{{book ref|mb6|21}}{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{wob ref|14641}} He is a great agent of chaos and is very good at tearing things down and messing with what other people want.{{wob ref|14601}} There is a darkness to him that other heroes, such as [[Kaladin]], would fight but that Kelsier instead embraces and is so ruthless that, in a fight with other notable people from the [[cosmere]], he would be the most likely to win;{{wob ref|9702}}{{wob ref|1779}} even [[Hoid]] considers him incredibly dangerous.{{book ref|sa4|64}} Had his life gone differently, he could have been an outright evil person and, outside the context of the [[Final Empire]], would likely be a villain.{{wob ref|4103}}{{wob ref|14601}}{{wob ref|9702}}

== Attributes and Abilities ==
{{image|Kelsier by Jessi Ochse.jpg|side=right|width=300px}}

=== Allomancy ===
Kelsier is a Mistborn, so he can burn every Allomantic metal, although he is particularly proficient with the external physical metals [[iron]] and [[steel]].{{book ref|mb1|34}} He is capable of using them with a high degree of precision to control the momentum and rotation of dozens of pieces of metal simultaneously. He once used them in his fight with a [[Steel Inquisitor]], so the metals acted like they were alive, twitching and flying through the air to cut and distract the Steel Inquisitor. He lacks finesse in the external mental abilities of [[zinc]] and [[brass]] as he tends to create large changes in emotional states as opposed to the more subtle Soothing abilities of [[Breeze]], although he can affect a relatively large mass of people.{{book ref|mb1|10}} He is quite proficient at pewter dragging and has enough practice to maintain it for hours and still maintain a fair amount of clarity afterwards.{{book ref|mb1|25}} He lost these abilities in death and has not recovered them.{{book ref|mb7|epilogue|4}}

=== Sliver ===
After Kelsier died, he became a [[Cognitive Shadow]] through the [[Well of Ascension]], making him able to resist the pull of the [[Beyond]]. After Holding and releasing the Shard of [[Preservation]], Kelsier became a [[Sliver]].

=== Preservation ===
Kelsier held Preservation for a short time but could not properly use it because of his recent rebirth as a Cognitive Shadow and his goals did not match well with Preservation's Intent.{{msh ref|6|4}}

=== Hemalurgy ===
Kelsier has a Hemalurgic spike in his right eye socket,{{book ref|mb7|40}} which he acquires sometime after the [[Catacendre]].{{msh ref|epilogue}} As a result, he has both regular vision and the steelsight that [[Steel Inquisitor|Inquisitors]] used, allowing him to see via both normal light and trace metals.{{book ref|mb6|epilogue}} This spike pins his soul to his bones.{{book ref|mb7|epilogue|4}}

=== Devotion ===
Kelsier has an unknown [[Seon]] which he uses to communicate with his [[Ghostbloods]] on Scadrial.{{book ref|mb7|40}}

== History ==
{{image|Kelsier by Caio Santos.jpg|side=left|width=250|Scarred from his time in the [[Pits of Hathsin|Pits]]}}
=== Early Life ===

Born to a [[noble]] father and skaa mother,{{book ref|mb1|8}} his mother kept both Kelsier and Marsh alive by pretending that she was noble to their father so that their children would be considered merely illegitimate noblemen instead of half-breeds; however, their father eventually found out. Thus Kelsier's mother was killed, and because of this, the brothers have a deep hatred of noblemen. Kelsier then made his living as a thief, becoming famous throughout [[Luthadel]]. 
He teamed up with the escaped Plantation skaa [[Dockson]] and the [[Tineye]] [[Mare]], whom he married. They were extremely successful. Kelsier later said that "he had more Money than he could Spend" however, after a failed attempt at stealing from the Lord Ruler in his secret room inside [[Kredik Shaw]], he was sent to the [[atium]] mines in the [[Pits of Hathsin]].{{book ref|mb1|4}} There he spent his time believing that his wife Mare had betrayed him to the Lord Ruler until he witnessed his wife being beaten to death by guards after she gifted her Atium bead to him. He then "Snapped", becoming a [[Allomancy|Mistborn]].{{book ref|mb1|17}} Using Allomancy he was able to escape the Pits. Kelsier was then trained by a Mistborn named [[Gemmel]]{{book ref|11m}} and they traveled to the far north of the [[Western Dominance]] to a city called [[Mantiz]] where Kelsier fought and killed the Mistborn [[Antillius Shezler]]. From the skaa in [[Keep Shezler]] he heard rumors of the [[malatium|Eleventh metal]]. Kelsier sought and eventually found the Eleventh metal as he believed it would help him to defeat the Lord Ruler.{{book ref|11m}}

=== Recruiting his Crew ===
{{quote
|Ah, but being an annoyance is something that I am very good at. In fact, I’m far more than just a mild annoyance. People tell me I can be downright frustrating! Might as well use that talent for the cause of good eh?
|Kelsier to Marsh{{book ref|mb1|7}}
}}

{{image|Final Empire Opening Scene.jpg|side=right|height=250px|At [[Tresting plantation]]}}

After discovering the [[malatium|Eleventh Metal]] Kelsier started to prepare his plan by hiring the [[Kandra]] [[OreSeur]]. Then he killed the noble Lord [[Renoux]] and let [[OreSeur]] impersonate him. He met with [[Yeden]] the leader of the skaa rebellion and made Yeden hire him to bring down the Final Empire. On Kelsier's way back to Luthadel, he made a stop at the farm of Lord [[Themos Tresting]] to talk with the farm skaa. When Lord Tresting attempted to rape a skaa girl, Kelsier saved her, killing Tresting and all his servants and soldiers in the process. He burned down the manor and purposely departed in a way that forced the skaa to join the rebellion. When he arrived in Luthadel, he first reunited with his old partner and best friend [[Dockson]].{{book ref|mb1|2}}

Dockson told Kelsier about a young Allomancer [[Vin|girl]] [[Marsh]] had discovered whom he suspected was a Mistborn. Kelsier and Dockson went to see her first hand; they watched Vin Soothe an obligator during [[Camon]]'s scheme, confirming that she was at least a [[Soother]]. After Camon and Vin left, Kelsier realized that the ministry had already discovered that Camon was a thief and only played along to find the crew's hideout. A Steel Inquisitor had been present, discovering Vin's Allomancy. The Inquisitor and some soliders followed Camon to find his hideout to wipe out his crew, but Kelsier lured the Inquisitor away by using his own Allomancy while Dockson took out the soldiers. They went to the hideout themselves just in time to save Vin from Camon. Kelsier knocked out Camon with Steelpushes and gave control over the [[Camon's crew|crew]] to [[Milev]]. He forced the rest of the crew to leave, only leaving Vin. Kelsier's suspicions that Vin was a Mistborn were confirmed when he saw that she was able to burn zinc. Kelsier offered to let her to join his crew. Vin didn't trust him but agreed in order to learn how to use Allomancy. Later, Kelsier invited a team of the best thieves in the city to a gathering in Camon's safe house. He introduced them and Vin to Yeden and explained his plan to destroy the [[Final Empire]] and kill the [[Lord Ruler]]. [[Breeze]], [[Ham]], [[Clubs]], and Clubs' nephew [[Spook]] joined his crew. While initially hostile, in the end Kelsier's brother Marsh joined, and together the crew developed a plan to defeat the Final Empire.{{book ref|mb1|6}}

The plan was to secretly build up an army of twenty thousand trained skaa soldiers in the [[Arguois caverns]] while at the same time causing confusion and distrust in the nobility to cause a house war. Once their army was trained and the houses grew unstable enough, they would send a part of their army to attack the Pits of Hathsin, forcing the garrison of Luthadel to go and defend the Pits. With the garrison gone and the nobility weakened by the war, the rest of the army then could take over Luthadel. Then Yeden would gain control of the city and the crew would receive the Lord Ruler's [[atium]] stash as payment. Breeze would recruit men for the rebellion, Ham would train them in the Arguois caverns, Dockson would direct the operation's finances, Clubs would hide the group's Allomancy with copperclouds, OreSeur in the role of Lord Renoux would buy the necessary equipment, Marsh would infiltrate the Steel Ministry posing as an obligator, Kelsier would use his Mistborn power to make attacks on the nobility to create tension between the houses, and Vin would gather information in the noble court posing as Renoux's niece Valette. Kelsier also wanted to try kill the Lord Ruler with the Eleventh Metal as a "voluntary bonus".{{cite}}

{{image|Yeden's Army by Kelly Mai.jpg|side=left|height=250px|Kelsier overlooking [[Yeden]]'s rebel army}}

=== The Skaa Rebellion === 
To put the plan in motion, Kelsier first targeted [[Keep Venture]], as House Venture was currently the most powerful house in Luthadel and an attack on it would have the greatest impact. Kelsier killed eight [[Hazekiller]]s, stole a bag of [[atium]], and made sure that it became known that a Mistborn had attacked a Great House, something forbidden by an unspoken agreement between the houses.{{book ref|mb1|5}} He gifted Vin a [[mistcloak]] and started to teach her Allomancy. Vin expected that Kelsier would use his knowledge to control her, but to her surprise, he openly explained her the eight basic metals. Kelsier let Vin jump over the city walls as an exercise for [[steel]] and [[iron]] and was surprised how voluntarily she did it, remembering his own training.{{book ref|mb1|7}} Outside the city, they saw a [[Mistwraith]]. Back at the city gates Kelsier introduced Vin to [[Sazed]]. Realizing Vin didn't trust him, he told her that in his crew they trust each other. He offered to teach her about [[gold]] and atium, gave her the money he took from Camon, and allowed her to leave, as he didn't want to force anybody into his crew. Vin decided to stay in order to see if he told the truth about trusting others.{{book ref|mb1|8}}

In the following months, Kelsier himself took on many roles to further the plan, acting as a beacon to the repressed skaa, assisting in recruitment,{{book ref|mb1|10}} attacking many noblemen to increase the tensions between the Great Houses,{{book ref|mb1|5}}, collecting information by purchasing it from informants, and even posing as an informant in order to provide misinformation to noblemen.{{book ref|mb1|19}} He continued training Vin and was surprised by her quick progress. Though they suffered many setbacks, Kelsier's leadership allowed the rebellion to attain an army of sufficient size to hold Luthadel.

{{image|To Kill an Inquisitor by Rafael Sousa.jpg|side=right|width=300px|Fighting Inquisitors}}

=== Death ===
{{quote
|But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.
|Kelsier to the Lord Ruler, last words before death{{book ref|mb1|34}}
}}

When several skaa from the rebellion were about to be executed, Kelsier attempts to save them. He is confronted by a Steel Inquisitor, which he eventually manages to defeat by beheading him with the Inquisitor's own obsidian axe. However, Kelsier is then confronted by the Lord Ruler, who backhands him across the face and then stabs him in the chest with a spear, killing him.{{book ref|mb1|34}} Kelsier later reveals in his letter to Vin that he had intended to use the Eleventh Metal to destroy the Lord Ruler but could not discover how to use it in his fight.{{book ref|mb1|35}} After his death, [[OreSeur]] takes his bones and appears before several groups of skaa, making them believe that Kelsier survived somehow.{{book ref|mb1|35}} This results in the skaa considering him a god, leading to the founding of the Church of the Survivor, which refers to Kelsier as  "Lord of the Mists". Vin also became a major religious figure in the wake of his death, as the Survivorists consider her Kelsier's heir. [[TenSoon]] learned the location of his bones from OreSeur, and used them to convince the people of Luthadel to hide in the caverns after King [[Ferson Penrod|Penrod]] was corrupted by Ruin.{{book ref|mb3|52}}

=== Time in the Cognitive Realm ===

Immediately after his death, Kelsier arrived in the [[Cognitive Realm]] and met [[Preservation]]. He then asked Preservation if they are God, and after being told yes he promptly punched Preservation in the face.{{msh ref|1|1}} Then he found the power at the [[Well of Ascension]] and became trapped there with [[Ruin]], though merging with the power of the Well allowed him to become a [[Cognitive Shadow]] and resist the pull of the [[Beyond]].{{msh ref|1|1}} While he was in the Well, Hoid passed by and Kelsier essentially challenges him to a fight that Kelsier ultimately loses.{{msh ref|2|1}} He feels Ruin's presence during his time in the Well.

{{image|Drifter.png|side=left|width=400px|Kelsier meeting [[Hoid]]}}

Once he is freed from the Well along with Ruin, he initially travels around through the Cognitive version of Luthadel, seeking out his friends. He finds Vin and Ham near the steps of Keep Venture and also learned that Dockson had died in the Battle of Luthadel.{{msh ref|3|1}} He walks past Luthadel towards the lake of the same name, near which he finds [[Khrissalla|Khriss]] and [[Nazrilof|Nazh]].{{msh ref|3|2}} They question him on Preservation's appearance after learning he has spoken directly with the Shard, and then continue their discussion onto other topics. Khriss mentions the [[Ire]] which sets Kelsier onto his next quest of finding their base of operation.{{msh ref|3|3}}

During his journey to find the Ire, he runs into Ruin and has a discussion about Ruin's intent.{{msh ref|4|4}} After that, he left the area of the Cognitive Realm surrounding Scadrial and moved closer to finding the Ire. When he reaches their base, he moved past their guards and passed the wall into their chambers.{{msh ref|5|2}} He ultimately only took a glass orb from them after thwarting their plan to take over become the Vessel of Preservation after [[Leras]]' death.{{msh ref|5|3}}

When he returned to Scadrial he found that Preservation's power was significantly weakened. He also ran into Vin and was shocked to see how far she had come in the time he was away.{{msh ref|6|1}} He stayed with her for a while after that but ultimately had to leave.{{msh ref|6|3}}

{{sidequote
|From the Well of Ascension, of course. It's the same power, after all. Solid in the metal you fed to Elend. The liquid in the pool you burned. And vapor in the air, confined to night. Hiding you. Protecting you.<br />Giving you power!
|Kelsier speaks to [[Vin]] before she Ascends.{{book ref|mb3|72}}{{msh ref|6|7}}
|side=right|size=325px
}}
When Leras died and Ruin began to [[Splinter]] the Shard of Preservation, Kelsier used the [[Ire's orb]] to Connect with Preservation and Ascend, allowing him to protect the power and hold it until Vin could take it.{{msh ref|6|4}} Despite Preservation not usually being able to speak into the minds of other, due to some combination of [[Spook]] being near death, having a broken soul, and believing Kelsier was a god, he was able to talk to Spook.{{wob ref|8010}}{{msh ref|6|6}} He used this opportunity to tell Spook to send a message to Vin, warning her that any spiked person could potentially be under Ruin's control.{{msh ref|6|6}} Secretly, however, he knew that Ruin would send Marsh to intercept the message, and was hoping that reading the message would give Marsh the information he needed to remove [[Vin's earring]], which was also a Hemalurgic spike that was keeping her from taking up Preservation's power. When Marsh caught Vin in [[Luthadel]], he attacked Ruin with Preservation's power, weakening Ruin's control over Marsh just enough for Marsh to rip out Vin's earring. With the spike removed, Kelsier encouraged her to take up the power, relinquishing it so that she can do so.{{msh ref|6|7}} After she and Elend are killed, Kelsier spoke with them before they moved on to the Beyond.{{msh ref|6|8}}

After Sazed's Ascension and Spook's rise to political power, Kelsier began to speak with Spook about finding a way to bring himself back to the Physical Realm.{{msh ref|epilogue}} As a Cognitive Shadow tied to Scadrial, it is difficult for him to travel to other planets via Shadesmar.{{wob ref|4843}} He does not yet know the secret to overcome this limitation.{{wob ref|10799}} His bones survived the Ascension of [[Harmony]],{{wob ref|5951}} and may have helped him regain physical form.{{wob ref|14946}}

=== Continued Worship Post-Catacendre ===
{{image|The Sovereign by Diego López.JPG|side=left|width=200px|The Sovereign}}Many years after the [[Catacendre]], the cult which started after Kelsier's deception with [[OreSeur]] directly following his death has become a fully-formed religion. The [[Church of the Survivor]], or Survivorism, is possibly the most organized of Scadrial's religions in this period, as well as being the clear favorite among the social elite and downtrodden alike. 

[[Steris]] and [[Marasi]] are both members of this religion, though Marasi admits that it is more because she was raised in it.  Its central tenet is simply to survive, by any means, until you cannot survive any longer.  Priests in this religion wear robes with stitching up the arms to emulate Kelsier's scars from the [[Pits of Hathsin]].

The "Survivor's Statemark" is one of the symbols of the faith. When [[Bleeder]] killed [[Father Bin]] by nailing him to a wall, it is described as a parody of the Survivor's Statemark,{{book ref|mb5|12}} implying that the Statemark depicts the way Kelsier died, impaled by a spear.

Aside from the Survivorists, there was also a whole civilization of people that worshiped Kelsier far to the south of Elendel, calling him the '''Sovereign'''. Kelsier had traveled there several years after the [[Catacendre]], inhabiting a physical body that was spiked in the right eye, and found the [[Southern Scadrian]]s slowly dying of an unexplained coldness. He helped the people there survive using his knowledge of the Metallic Arts, showing them how to make [[Feruchemy#Unsealed_Metalminds|unsealed metalminds]] to store attributes like heat in a way that could be shared with anyone. As the Sovereign, Kelsier ruled the Southern Scadrians for a time and formed another religion that deified [[Metalborn]], and then he left.{{book ref|mb6|21}}

Before leaving them, he created the [[Bands of Mourning]], a collection of unsealed metalminds forged together and containing all kinds of attributes in extremely large quantities. He hid the artifact away somewhere in the north and then disappeared.{{book ref|mb6|21}}

{{image|Kelsier the Sovereign by cola-san.jpg|side=right|height=250px|Kelsier, as the Sovereign}}

=== Cosmere-wide Activity ===
Kelsier is known as [[Thaidakar]]{{book ref|sa4|115}} to the [[Ghostbloods]], a secret society that operates on several planets, including [[Roshar]]. Kelsier is the leader and presumed founder of the organization, which [[Mraize]] calls "the most powerful organization in all the cosmere."{{book ref|sa4|115}} He is referred to by [[Hoid]] as "the Lord of Scars."{{book ref|sa4|115}} Kelsier is [[Iyatil]]'s master. While he is incapable of leaving Scadrial in person, he uses an "avatar" to visit the Ghostbloods on Roshar.{{book ref|sa4|115}} He appears to be using the Ghostbloods to find a way for him to leave Scadrial and is very interested in learning from the [[Heralds]], particularly [[Kalak]], as they are subject to a similar restriction.{{book ref|sa4|13}}{{book ref|sa4|82}}{{book ref|sa4|115}} When assassinated by [[Szeth]], [[Gavilar]] suspects Thaidakar of ordering his death.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} He has also worked together with Khriss.{{wob ref|14891}} The Ghostbloods believe Kelsier to still have his Allomantic abilities,{{wob ref|16002}} and he appears to be playing into this lie.{{book ref|mb7|40}}

=== Kelsier and Wax ===
[[Waxillium Ladrian]] was a direct descendant of a close associate of Kelsier, [[Edgard Ladrian]].{{book ref|mb5|19}} As a [[Pathian]], Wax did not worship Kelsier, but his life has nonetheless been drastically affected by the Survivor.

[[Marsh]] decided to give Wax a book explaining Hemalurgy because he believed Wax was doing Kelsier's work.{{book ref|mb4|epilogue}} This book proved vital in solving the case of [[Bleeder]]. While conversing with Harmony regarding the case, Harmony said that Wax's casual way of talking to him reminded him of Kelsier.{{book ref|mb5|7}} Harmony also made vague allusions to the [[Southern Scadrian]]s that Kelsier once ruled as the Sovereign.

Later on, a group of Southern Scadrians traveled north in search of the Sovereign's Bands of Mourning, but were captured by the [[Set]], who decided to seek the Bands as well. Wax and his friends became embroiled in this incident in opposition to the Set, and Wax was almost killed in an encounter with them.{{book ref|mb6|27}} After [[Marasi]] solved the riddle of the Bands and wielded it to escape the Set, she gave it to Wax, who wielded it and became incredibly powerful.{{book ref|mb6|28}} Wax then used the artifact to defeat the Set and save the Southern Scadrian prisoners, using up a lot of the Investiture stored in the Bands.{{book ref|mb6|29}} 

{{image|Thaidakar by AntiQcho.jpg|side=left|width=250px|}}

Soon afterwards, Wax accessed a [[coppermind]] contained in a coin-like Southern Scadrian medallion that Hoid had given him and saw a vision of what appeared to be Kelsier's memory of discovering the Southern Scadrians hundreds of years prior. The vision, seen from Kelsier's point of view, showed that his spiked right eye viewed the world through Allomantic lines, similar to [[Steel Inquisitors]], while his left eye saw things normally.{{book ref|mb6|epilogue}}

<div data-nosnippet>

=== Resistance against Trell ===
At some point, Kelsier had the Ghostbloods on Scadrial work in order to resist the oncoming threat of [[Trell (Trellism)|Trell]]. He worked out of a safehouse in [[Bilming]], alongside [[Wan ShaiLu|Moonlight]], [[Prasanva|TwinSoul]], [[Codenames|Kaise]], and [[Dao]].{{book ref|mb7|39}} He was hours away near Southern Scadrian when [[Telsin]] planned to send a bomb on Elendel, and tasked Moonlight, TwinSoul, and [[Marasi]] to take care of it.{{book ref|mb7|40}} He also had Codenames send messages to [[Steris]] and the Ghostblood agents in the Elendel Basin, telling them to prepare for an evacuation of Elendel.

After Elendel was saved, Kelsier talked with Harmony, asking him to lead Scadrial into a new technological and Metalborn age so they may be better prepared for future threats and [[Autonomy]]'s return.{{book ref|mb7|epilogue|4}}

== Titles ==
Kelsier is known by many titles, the origins of which vary.
* '''Survivor of [[Pits of Hathsin|Hathsin]]''' - A title given to him by the skaa, as he was the first person ever to escape the Pits alive. Later used as a religious title.
* '''Survivor of Mists,{{book ref|mb4|19}} Survivor of Death,{{msh ref|4|4}} Survivor, Lord of the Mists''' - Different titles used by members of the [[Church of the Survivor]] in reference to him.
* '''[[Preservation]]'''{{msh ref|6|4}}
* '''He Who Lived''' - A title used by Jak{{file ref|Elendel Daily broadsheet.png|''The Elendel Daily'' broadsheet}}
* '''Sovereign''' - Used by the [[Southern Scadrian]]s without knowledge as to his actual identity. Originally assumed by [[Waxillium]] to be the Lord Ruler.
* '''[[Thaidakar|Lord of Scars]],{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{book ref|sa4|82}} [[Thaidakar]]{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{book ref|sa4|9}}''' - Used by the [[Ghostbloods]].
</div>

== Relationships ==
{{image|Marsh Kelsier.jpg|side=left|width=200px|With Marsh}}
=== Marsh ===
{{quote
|No, Kelsier was not fond of Marsh. But strangely, he still loved him.
|Kelsier{{msh ref|2|2}}
}}

[[Marsh]] is Kelsier’s older brother. The two of them have a strained relationship. Marsh resents Kelsier because Kelsier had success with the skaa rebellion soon after Marsh quit being its leader. Marsh doesn’t like a lot of Kelsier’s actions and the way he handles the rebellion. He strongly disapproves of the way Kelsier flippantly kills noblemen and those who serve them without a second thought. 
Despite his disapproval of Kelsier’s actions, Marsh is still willing to infiltrate the [[Steel Ministry]] as part of Kelsier’s plan. Despite their strained relationship, Kelsier is still grieved and angry when they find evidence of Marsh’s death.{{book ref|mb1|32}}
Marsh is aware of Kelsier’s current activities as a [[Cognitive Shadow]].{{wob ref|12647}}

=== Vin ===
{{quote
|I don't want to be responsible for something happening to you, Vin. Not again.
|Kelsier{{book ref|mb1|17}}
}}

Kelsier is Vin’s mentor and teaches her to use her Allomantic abilities. Though [[Vin]] initially is wary and suspicious of him, she eventually learns to trust him, and he becomes somewhat of a father figure to her. He tries to teach Vin to smile and occasionally look on the bright side of things. They go on several outings together, including fighting [[Inquisitors]]; this leads to Vin almost dying, however, and that leads Kelsier to change how he runs the crew. Though he is killed by the Lord Ruler, he watches over Vin as a Cognitive Shadow. He feels guilty for abandoning her but does his best to help her. He eventually plays an important role in freeing her from Ruin’s influence.

=== Gemmel ===
Gemmel is Kelsier's mentor in the allomantic arts, meeting each other after Kelsier escaped from his captivity in Hathsin. Gemmel frequently put Kelsier into life and death situations in order to push him to learn how to use his powers.{{book ref|mb1|5}}{{book ref|mb1|8}}{{book ref|11m}}

Seeing his powers, Gemmel wondered what he unleashed upon the world in teaching Kelsier allomancy.{{book ref|mb1|27}}

=== Hoid ===
{{quote
| Deal with your own stupid planet, you idiot. Don't make me come over there and slap you around again.
| [[Hoid]] to Kelsier through [[Shallan]]{{book ref|sa4|115}}
}}

He and Hoid have a very antagonistic relationship one with one another, stretching back to when they first met and got into a violent fight.{{msh ref|2|1}}{{wob ref|4058}} Merely interacting with Hoid for a brief amount of time was enough to send Kelsier into a murderous rage.{{msh ref|2|1}} 

Hoid greatly disapproves of Kelsier's interference with Roshar through the Ghostbloods.{{book ref|sa4|115}} He considers him to be very dangerous.{{book ref|sa4|64}} Hoid has also taken direct action against him, giving Wax an unsealed coppermind containing knowledge that he would rather keep hidden.{{book ref|mb6|11}}{{book ref|mb6|epilogue}} At the time of meeting, he saw Kelsier as a wild card that he didn't want to deal with.{{msh ref|2|1}}

=== Gavilar ===
{{image|Kelsier by Gar leyva.jpeg|side=right|width=300px|Kelsier}}
He and Gavilar were working against each other to an unknown extent. Their relationship was such that Gavilar was quick to believe that he was the one who ordered his murder.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}

=== Ati ===
{{quote
|You can say what you wish, but you don't own me. I am '''not''' yours.
|Kelsier{{msh ref|4|4}}
}}

Kelsier is terrified by Ati and the power that he holds, seeing and feeling it through the Well of Ascension.{{msh ref|2|2}}

Ati manipulated Kelsier for many years, grooming him in order to bring about his release. When Kelsier was in the Cognitive Realm after his release, he often would show up to him in order to mock him and his inability to do anything.  

=== Leras ===
{{quote
|They called you their god, and you were casual with their faith! The hearts of men are NOT YOUR TOYS.
|Leras to Kelsier{{msh ref|6|4}}
}}

Kelsier at first hated Leras for claiming to be God, enough to instantly punch him.{{msh ref|1|1}} For a period, he did not fully respect or believe Leras's divinity, but over time he came to respect him more.{{msh ref|2|3}} He nicknamed him Fuzz, due to his unraveled appearance. 

Leras is fascinated by Kelsier due to him being the first to punch him after death, and being the first to attempt to recruit him to their schemes. Thus he decides to go along with him out of curiosity.{{msh ref|1|1}} Despite being mostly cordial with Kelsier, he does disapprove of him to an extent due to how he manipulated peoples faiths during his life, playing with their hearts and treating their faith casually.{{msh ref|6|4}} He also is frustrated how much Kelsier goes against his Intent, bringing about massive societal change in how he brought about the death of the Lord Ruler, who was perfectly preserved, and played into Ruin's plans.{{msh ref|1|2}}

== Quotes ==
{{for|/Quotes|a list of quotes from Kelsier}}

== Trivia ==
* Kelsier was released by [[Wikipedia: Epic Games| Epic Games]] as a character skin in the game [[Wikipedia: Fortnite| Fortnite]] on May 27, 2021. The playable character does not have Mistborn powers.{{wob ref|14709}}{{wob ref|14710}}
* Kelsier and [[Hoid]] do not get along.{{wob ref|4058}}
* If given the chance, Kelsier would find it "really fun" to punch [[Honor]] next.{{wob ref|8943}}
* Kelsier would understand, but still disapprove of, [[Taravangian]]'s plans.{{wob ref|3330}}
* He is more of a coffee person than tea.{{wob ref|10522}}
* Kelsier would beat Kaladin in a straight fight as he is prone to using dirty tactics. On the battlefield, Kaladin would be more likely to win.{{wob ref|335}}{{wob ref|4648}}
* {{nosnippet|Before the release of ''[[Rhythm of War]]'' revealed that Kelsier is the leader of the Ghostbloods,{{book ref|sa4|115}} when asked which of the secret societies on Roshar Kelsier would join if he had to join one, Brandon said that he would join the [[Ghostbloods]] and likely become their leader within a year.{{wob ref|3585}}}}
* Kelsier is a cat person.{{wob ref|758}}
* Kelsier likes noodles.{{wob ref|10916}}
* If Kelsier were to ever meet [[Kaladin]], Kelsier would like him because Kaladin is an innately good person who tries to do good, and Kelsier appreciates it and wants to preserve that in the world. He would try to offer encouragement and console Kaladin about not being able to save everyone. Kaladin would not like him back, but Kelsier wouldn't mind.{{wob ref|13840}}
* Despite what he has told the Ghostbloods, Kelsier does not have a real avatar. Uncanonically, Brandon imagines Kelsier as using a Seon in a trench coat as his 'avatar'.{{wob ref|14641}}
* Kelsier considers guns to be inelegant weapons.{{wob ref|15238}}
* If he were a Radiant, there are three Orders Kelsier might belong to: [[Order_of_Edgedancers|Edgedancer]], [[Dustbringer]], or [[Willshaper]]. The reason he would fit well as an Edgedancer is mainly because of what he picked up from Mare regarding restoring the world to the time of flowers and greenery. Dustbringer also fits because of the theme of self mastery and pushing himself. Willshaper is high on the list as well.{{wob ref|15679}}
* If he were a Returned, his name would likely be Lifeseeker, or something along those lines.{{wob ref|14997}}
*Kelsier's famous phrase "There's always another secret" was originally used after Kelsier found a secret stash of alcohol in a theif's lair.

== Notes ==
<div data-nosnippet>{{holder
|title= Vessel of<br />[[Preservation]]
|prev=[[Leras]]
|this=
|next=[[Vin]]
}}</div>
<references />
{{partial}}
{{Mistborn|Era 1}}
[[category: viewpoint characters]]
[[es:Kelsier]]