MISTWRAITH: A nonsentient relative of the kandra people. Mistwraiths are globs of boneless flesh that scavenge the land at night, eating bodies they find, then using the skeletons for their own bodies.
MOORDEN: One of the only obligators who chose to stay in Luthadel and serve Elend.
OBLIGATOR: A member of the Lord Ruler’s priesthood. Obligators were more than just religious figures, however; they were civil bureaucrats, and even a spy network. A business deal or promise that wasn’t witnessed by an obligator was not considered legally or morally binding.
ORESEUR: A kandra employed by Kelsier. He once played the part of Lord Renoux, Vin’s uncle. Vin now holds his Contract.
PENROD, FERSON: One of the most prominent noblemen left in Luthadel. A member of Elend’s Assembly.
PEWTERARM: Another term for a Thug, a Misting who can burn pewter.
PHILEN: A prominent merchant in Luthadel and a member of Elend’s Assembly.
PITS OF HATHSIN, THE: A network of caverns that were once the only place in the Final Empire that produced atium. The Lord Ruler used prisoners to work them. Kelsier destroyed their ability to produce atium shortly before he died.
PULL (ALLOMANTIC): Using Allomancy to Pull on something—either people’s emotions with zinc, or metals with iron.
PUSH (ALLOMANTIC): Using Allomancy to Push on something—either people’s emotions with brass, or metals with steel.
RASHEK: A Terris packman before the Ascension, Rashek was hired by Alendi to help him make the trek to the Well of Ascension. Rashek never got along well with Alendi, and eventually killed him. He took the power himself, and became the Lord Ruler.
REEN: Vin’s brother, the one who protected her and trained her as a thief. Reen was brutal and unforgiving, but he did save Vin from their insane mother, then protected her during her childhood.
RELEASE (FERUCHEMICAL): When a Feruchemist stops tapping a metalmind, no longer drawing forth its power.
RENOUX, LORD: A nobleman that Kelsier killed, then hired the kandra OreSeur to imitate. Vin played the part of his niece, Valette Renoux.
RIOT (ALLOMANTIC): When an Allomancer burns zinc and Pulls on a person’s emotions, enflaming them.
RIOTER (ALLOMANTIC): A Misting who can burn zinc.
SAZE: Sazed’s nickname on the crew.
SAZED: A Terris Keeper who joined Kelsier’s crew against the wishes of his people, then helped overthrow the Final Empire.
SEEKER (ALLOMANTIC): A Misting who can burn bronze.
SHAN ELARIEL: Elend’s former fiancée, a Mistborn whom Vin killed.
SKAA: The peasantry of the Final Empire. They were once of different races and nationalities, but over the thousand-year span of the empire the Lord Ruler worked hard to stamp out any sense of identity in the people, eventually succeeding in creating a single, homogeneous race of slave workers.
SMOKER (ALLOMANTIC): An Allomancer who can burn copper. Also known as a Coppercloud.
SOOTHE (ALLOMANTIC): When an Allomancer burns brass and Pushes on a person’s emotions, dampening them.
SOOTHER: A Misting who can burn brass.
SPOOK: A Tineye on Kelsier’s crew. The youngest member of the crew, Spook was only fifteen when the Lord Ruler was overthrown. He is Clubs’s nephew, and was once known for his use of garbled street slang.
STEEL MINISTRY: The Lord Ruler’s priesthood, consisting of a small number of Steel Inquisitors and a larger body of priests called obligators. The Steel Ministry was more than just a religious organization; it was the civic framework of the Final Empire as well.
STRAFF VENTURE: Elend’s father, king of the Northern Dominance. He makes his home in Urteau.
SURVIVOR OF SATHSIN: A cognomen of Kelsier, referring to the fact that he is the only known prisoner to ever escape the prison camps at the Pits of Hathsin.
SYNOD (TERRIS): The elite leaders of the Terris Keeper organization.
TAP (FERUCHEMICAL): Drawing power from within a Feruchemist’s metalminds. It is parallel to the term “burn” used by Allomancers.
TATHINGDWEN: Capital of the Terris Dominance.
TELDEN: One of Elend’s old friends, with whom he would talk politics and philosophy.
TENSOON: Straff Venture’s kandra.
TERRIS: The dominance in the far north of the Final Empire. It is the only dominance to retain the name of the kingdom it used to be, perhaps a sign of the Lord Ruler’s fondness for his homeland.
THUG (ALLOMANTIC): A Misting who can burn pewter.
TINDWYL: A Terris Keeper and a member of the Synod.
TINEYE: A Misting who can burn tin.
URTEAU: Capital of the Northern Dominance, and seat of House Venture.
VALETTE RENOUX: The alias that Vin used when infiltrating noble society during the days before the Collapse.
WELL OF ASCENSION: A mythological center of power from Terris lore. The Well of Ascension was said to hold a magical reserve of power that could be drawn upon by one who made the trek to visit it at the right time.
WORLDBRINGER: A sect of scholarly Terris Feruchemists before the Collapse. The subsequent Order of Keepers was based on the Worldbringers.
YEDEN: A member of Kelsier’s crew and the skaa rebellion. He was killed during the fight against the Lord Ruler.
YOMEN, LORD: An obligator in Urteau who was politically opposed to Cett.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First off, as always, my excellent agent, Joshua Bilmes, and editor, Moshe Feder, deserve high praise for their efforts. This book in particular required some thoughtful drafting, and they were up to the task. They have my thanks, as do their assistants, Steve Mancino (an excellent agent in his own right) and Denis Wong.
There are some other fine folks at Tor who deserve my thanks. Larry Yoder (the best sales rep in the nation) did a wonderful job selling the book. Seth Lerner, Tor’s mass-market art director, is a genius at matching books to artists. And, speaking of artists, I think the amazing Christian McGrath did a brilliant job with this cover. More can be seen at jonfoster.com. Isaac Stewart, a good friend of mine and a fellow writer, did all of the map work and the symbols for the chapter headings. Find him at nethermore.com. Shawn Boyles is the official Mistborn Llama artist, and a great guy to boot. Check my Web site for more information. Finally, I’d like to thank the Tor publicity department—specifically Dot Lin—which has been wonderful in promoting my books and taking care of me. Thank you so much, all of you!
Another round of thanks needs to go out to my alpha readers. These tireless folks provide feedback on my novels in the early stages, dealing with all of the problems, typos, and inconsistencies before I get them worked out. In no particular order, these people are:
Ben Olson, Krista Olsen, Nathan Goodrich, Ethan Skarstedt, Eric J. Ehlers, Jillena O’Brien, C. Lee Player, Kimball Larsen, Bryce Cundick, Janci Patterson, Heather Kirby, Sally Taylor, The Almighty Pronoun, Bradley Reneer, Holly Venable, Jimmy, Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, Rick Stranger, Nate Hatfield, Daniel A. Wells, Stacy Whitman, Sarah Bylund, and Benjamin R. Olsen.