<aside>

Apparently, the next stage of my quest will take us up into the highlands of Terris. This is said to be a cold, unforgiving place—a land where the mountains themselves are made of ice. Our normal attendants will not do for such a trip. We should probably hire some Terris packmen to carry our gear

</aside>

While waiting for Kelsier’s meeting to begin, the regular thieves gossiped about him in awed tones. Vin listened and pieced together his legend:

The Legend of Kelsier

• The Reputation: Once Luthadel’s greatest crewleader, even without powers.
• The Fall: The Lord Ruler himself planned his capture; he was betrayed and sent with his wife, Mare, to the Pits of Hathsin.
• The Return: Mare died there, but Kelsier escaped—the only person ever to do so. He returned with distinctive scars and Allomantic powers he hadn't possessed before.
• The Aftermath: Stories of how he changed vary wildly, but everyone agrees on one thing: he isn't quite normal anymore.

Vin listens quietly. She doesn’t trust closeness—Reen taught her that. Yet she can’t ignore that Kelsier and Dockson seem to trust each other genuinely. That unsettles her more than betrayal would.

The Crew Assemblage

Kelsier's crew arrived one by one:

• Ham: A muscular Thug (Pewterarm) who leads security.
• Breeze: A charming, portly Soother in an expensive suit. He immediately tried to manipulate Vin into fetching wine; she realized the trick and refused.
• Clubs: A gnarled, limping Smoker whose copper clouds hide the crew’s Allomancy from detection. He sat alone and glared at everyone.
• Yeden: A plain skaa worker in a patched coat, visibly contemptuous of the criminals in the room.

The Impossible Job

When Kelsier finally enters with Dockson, he reveals the truth: The job is to overthrow the Final Empire.

Silence fills the room. Yeden has hired them to raise an army, create chaos in Luthadel, neutralize the Luthadel Garrison, and help seize the palace.