Breeze

Breeze, also known as "Lord Ladrian", is a Soother, a man that can Allomantically burn brass, and a member of Kelsier's crew.

Character

A well-dressed, overweight man with fastidious manners, Breeze presents himself as a half-skaa Misting. He is exceptionally well-spoken and carries a dueling cane like a nobleman. His main dogma is that life is about getting other people to do his work for him.

However, Breeze is actually a full nobleman named Ladrian who has thrown in his lot with the skaa underworld. Though members of the crew knew his real name, there is no reason to believe they or Kelsier knew his secret. Kelsier did understand Breeze's true character, though: every man he chose for his crew was selected because of his good character and personal integrity.

Though Breeze has a strong reputation for narcissistic self-interest, he uses it as a screen for his true nature. In reality, he is a compassionate and loyal man. During many difficult periods, he uses his Allomancy to sooth his friends' fatigue, doubt, and despair. During the preperation for the Skaa Rebellion in the final year of the Lord Ruler's Rule, Breeze and his apprentices Soothed the skaa who came to listen to Kelsier's talks, making them willing to listen. Early in the Siege of Luthadel, he spends time among the skaa refugees, Soothing their pain, fear, and despair. He also admits to using his Soothing to make the palace maids to work happier.

Despite Breeze's distaste for nobility, he seems to have founded a noble house after the recreation of Scadrial. This can be seen in the noble house that holds his name, and his descendant Waxillium Ladrian.

Mistborn

"Mistborn: The Final Empire"

Breeze first appears in Camon's thieving crew lair, responding to an invitation sent by Dockson. He arrived shortly before Ham and immediately complains about the lack of breathable air in the lair. After Ham's arrival, Ham engages him in a philosophical debate. Breeze, too tired for such an activity, uses his Allomancy to make Vin more open to suggestion, where he has her fetch him a cup of wine. Vin realizes that she would never normally act like this, and chastises him. Once Kelsier calls together the meeting to discuss the terms of Yeden's payment and conditions of the plan, Breeze initially believes that it was all a big joke, since Kelsier's plan involved overthrowing an invulnerable emperor from his seat of power. Breeze also made it very clear that he believed Kelsier was simply scamming Yeden for his boxings (currency of the Final Empire). However, after Kelsier had appealed to the reputations of each of his compatriots, Breeze accepted the job for the thrill of the challenge; although he claimed that he would allow Yeden to back out at any time as he had already been paid.

At their first official meeting with all crew members the following week, Breeze arrived with Hammond and immediately began Soothing the skaa work force in Clubs's shop to make them feel less fatigued. During the meeting, he constantly Soothed Lestibournes into getting him wine, something that he thinks is a good quality for the boy to have, as the rest of the crew would not do that. Breeze is given the task of recruiting an army of ten-thousand skaa for the rebellion, and is also offered the job of infiltrating the nobility, but declines due to former jobs of noble infiltration. After hearing that Kelsier had found a sympathetic nobleman to their cause, Breeze is the first to realize that Kelsier had replaced him with an impostor.

Months later, Breeze has amassed a recruitment troop of four thousand (though this is below expectations), and Vin begins studying with him about how to effectively influence people's emotions. Breeze teaches her how people would associate an emotion with an event if the emotion is powerful enough. During a recruitment dinner, he issues orders to send out color-coded waitresses in order tell his other Soothers and Rioters which emotions to dampen/enflame. Vin develops a quiet respect for the portly man for his prodding of the beaten down to gain hope.

Breeze helps Kelsier pack for his pewter sprint towards the Holstep province after Yeden rallied his forces to attack, He makes sure Dockson gathers enough metal for him and, at Kelsier's request, sends several skaa messengers to the recruitment hubs and thieving crews that might have been compromised by any rebel prisoners. He barely manages to assemble his own Soothers and Rioters from these hideouts before the Ministy discovered them.

Following the utter destruction of the army, Breeze notes that they no longer have an employer. Since the army was a major factor of the plan to overthrow the empire, and since most of his work in the crew was to build up the ranks of the army, Breeze feels that his role in the rebellion- that he assumes will fail- is over. He doubts that Kelsier will have any further need of him and considers talking Kelsier out of continuing with his plan, but Kelsier drags him and the main crew to a rooftop in the city square to watch executions over a fountain. Breeze is unsettled by the Soothing strength of the Lord Ruler. After witnessing the beheadings of random skaa that were likely not involved with the rebellion at all, Breeze regains his motivation to the rebellion. He is tasked with smaller level recruitment for a one-thousand man force within two months to be trained covertly in the city.

Breeze successfully rallies that number in half of the time he was allotted. After Marsh's presumed death, Breeze becomes truly afraid for himself and the crew, since Marsh was meant to be untouchable. Breeze lauds Kelsier for destroying the Pits of Hathsin, but is concerned about retaliation from the Ministry. He watches the next day's proceedings in the square for another set of executions, and tries to Soothe both the crowd and the Imperial soldiers with Vin's help during Kelsier's fight with the an Inquisitor.

Breeze assumes that the crew will dissolve after Kelsier's death, and bids his farewells to the other members before getting ready to leave with Ham. After Vin's discovery of the arms caches in various warehouses, Breeze chooses to remain in the city to help spark rebellion. In Kelsier's note to the group to be read after his death, Breeze is told to disperse his Soothers across the city to encourage the skaa to fight. Afterwards, Breeze was to become a political bureaucrat of sorts, should he survive and the rebellion succeed.

Breeze attended Elend Venture's speech to the skaa the night of the Lord Ruler's death.

"Well of Ascension"

Breeze chose to take a major role within Elend Venture's new government, acting as a chief advisor and a foreign minister of sorts. Breeze, as first mentioned, was settling diplomatic disputes between warlords that had become expansive in the Central and Inner Dominances. His last active job was in the Western Dominance, where he became a trusted advisor to Lord Ashweather Cett. Breeze learned of Straff Venture's movements toward Luthadel and began rumors that Elend had been hiding the Lord Ruler's atium stash, overwriting his previous work in convincing warlords that Elend did not have it. He had an affair with Cett's Rioter daughter, Allriane Cett, which, when discovered by Gneorndin and Ashweather, ended Breeze's role within Cett's government. Before leaving, Breeze poisoned supplies within Fadrex City to slow Cett down and have him arrive at around the same time as Straff.

Breeze's first official appearance in the novel occurs when Cett's army arrives outside the city of Luthadel behind Straff's army. Vin spots him and rushes to his aid when a squadron of mounted archers chase him down. He arrived safely inside the city and reveals that he had been restarting the rumors of the atium being found in Luthadel for Cett to follow.

Elend calls for a meeting between Kelsier's crew (which he himself is late to) and Breeze agrees with Dockson in that Cett would be a better ruler for them than Straff. After Elend's suggestion that they try to play both sides, he warns Elend that he will have to do most of the work since he is king. He opts to let the crew pretend that he had been executed if Elend ever meets with Cett in parlay in order to further their relationship, though he never gets the chance. Breeze is highly suspicious of Tindwyl when she is escorted into the room and demands an audience with Venture, but he leaves the two of them alone.

After Vin finds the remains of a kandra-eaten corpse in the palace that she was told did not belong there, Breeze ischemic only member of Kelsier's crew that Vin decides cannot be the impostor

Elend finds Allriane Cett, daughter of Ashweather Cett, in his palace one evening and discovers that the first thing she had asked about was where Breeze was. Upon seeing him, she through her arms around "Breezy", who looked flustered. He refused to show his affection for her in front of the crew, much to Spook's mirth. After Allriane leaves, everyone burst out into laughter at Breeze. Vin walks in and Breeze mocks her about her own relationship with Kelsier, insinuating that she had had a love for him. Elend ends the discussion and begins to delve deeper into their plans to make alliances with both invading armies. Vin, using a duralumin-enhanced bronze pulse, discovers what emotions Breeze was Soothing when talking to Elend, and found him Soothing Elend's discomfort and fear. Vin grows a deeper respect for Breeze, finally understanding why Kelsier had picked him for the crew.

Breeze attends Elend's next political discussion to observe the current standings in the Assembly and who had the most power, even though Elend himself does not attend. He begins to spend more time with Clubs.

When Sazed arrives in Luthadel and bears news of an army of koloss led by Jastes Lekal, Breeze is pessimistic about their odds of survival now that an army of brutes has arrived. He points out that Elend's is still the weakest force of the armies, and that playing both sides might no longer work if the koloss just attacked the city straight out. After Elend and Vin's unofficial meeting with Straff Venture, Breeze compliments Elend for his tactical brilliance in threatening the most powerful warlord in the Inner Dominances.

During one of his meetings with Clubs, Breeze is met by Allriane again, which brings a sly smile to Clubs's face; a true rarity.

At Elend's first meeting at the Assembly without the throne, Breeze sits in to Soothe the other men on the lectern to make them feel guilty. He points out the cleverness in Elend's move in nominating Ferson Penrod as chancellor. Breeze is utterly shocked by the move Cett made by secretly entering the city and attempting to take the throne through legality (with threats too). He is compromised when Cett asks Elend if he had been using Soothers during the meeting and Elend confesses. Cett's son, Gneorndin, is openly hostile to Breeze when the younger man invites Elend to a dinner.

During the dinner at Keep Hasting, Cett does not acknowledge Allriane being in Elend's keep and even disavows his hate towards Breeze as a "token" of good faith should Elend support Cett in the Assembly. Breeze does not attend the next Assembly meeting since he was compromised the previous time.

Breeze, on Elend's suggestion, allows himself to be seen by the public. He frequently visited skaa housing structures to generally Soothe the locals. After the koloss army arrived at the gates of Luthadel, Breeze spent his day Soothing the skaa that had fled from the koloss at a village seemingly out of the koloss army's path. He Soothed both Sazed and Tindwyl in their conversation, and nudged them just enough to get them to leave together in peace. He Soothed Elend and Ham once they arrived; Elend for a confidence boost, Ham just to make him less talkative.

Breeze is disturbed by Vin's attack of Cett's army at Keep Hasting, though he was happy the next morning when Cett retreated from Luthadel (mainly because Allriane had stayed behind). Clubs's demeanor, however, puts him off, and asks him why Cett leaving is a bad thing. Clubs's response is merely that they would be dead "when Straff realizes." Breeze believes him to be a realist, so he loses his optimism in their survival at Clubs's announcement that they were dead. Breeze comes to the conclusion that he must send Allriane out of the city to survive.

Breeze attends a meeting held by Sazed without Elend or Vin. Breeze instantly Soothes two guards at the door, noticing with dissatisfaction that an armed presence would make the meeting less secretive from the couple. He Soothed Ham and Dockson heavily on purpose to get them to stop arguing, and then Soothed Sazed secretly to make him more authoritative. He deduced that Sazed had wanted to send Vin and Elend away so that they could live, and when he shared it, a heavy silence fell over the group. Ham asked Breeze to Soothe him of his fear.

Breeze watched from the wall as Allriane and Spook left with Vin and Elend for the Northern Dominance. When Allriane found her father again along the Haverfax river, she convinced him to go back to Luthadel. She wanted to save Breeze, but her father was only interested in either taking the city or surrendering to Straff.

Breeze was assigned to hold Zinc and Brass Gates with Clubs when the koloss attacked Luthadel. Breeze Soothed his skaa soldier regiment by a few dozen at a time to remove their fear a little, but he observed that every time he Soothed a new batch, the previous one would lose control. Breeze cursed himself for thinking like a noble and worrying about his gentleman's suit in the snow and ash. He witnessed the collapse of the gates and the death of Clubs. As a koloss brute found him, he desperately tried flaring his brass on the koloss to no avail, and was just barely saved when three companies led by Tindwyl killed the koloss and continued to Keep Venture. Breeze found himself useless in battle and decided to hide.

Breeze entered a state of shock at his near-death experience, and found himself blubbering and mumbling to himself as he Soothed randomly the people and koloss outside. Ham and Sazed found him, Breeze thought that they should have died. When Sazed said that they would try to flee to the east, Breeze wanted them to leave him behind, but the soldiers managed to pry him out of his hiding spot and carried him to Penrod's mansion.

Breeze was unconscious when Vin returned and did not witness her taking control of the koloss or the subsequent impressment of both Cett's and Straff's armies.

Breeze was said to have found his calm again and wondered whether or not Vin would survive her weighty pewter drag.

"Hero of Ages"

Breeze's first appearance is in Lekal city , where he is asking Sazed why he no longer wears his metalminds. He is unable to get a satisfactory answer, and instead focuses on what he believes King Lekal would do. He consoles Sazed in that they are not bullying without plausible reasons.

Breeze attends the conference held by Elend in what he hopes will provide a way to survive the coming winter. Breeze is horrified to see that Luthadel is one of the few areas that will get more than four hours of sunlight for the summer, and that Luthadel will be completely blanketed in mists forever by the end of the year. When Elend asks the crew to tell him about the Survivor. Breeze speaks in a positive light about Kelsier in how he wanted people to be happy. He related a tale about how Kelsier walked in with a smile after the crushing defeat of Yeden's skaa army. Allriane thought that was callous, but Breeze explained that it was just his way of fighting on.

Breeze and Sazed were tasked to bring Urteau and the rest of the Northern Dominance under their control in order to both quell any future rebellions and keep the storage cavern safe. Goradel and two-hundred soldiers left with them and Allriane to meet with Spook in the city.

Breeze thought Sazed was being odd in reading while riding his horse and refusing to take the carriage. He didn't understand how a man could do that. He rode unabashed with Allriane, which seemed like a sign to Sazed that Breeze believed that they wouldn't last the year. After Sazed departed to make a detour through the Pits of Hathsin, he found the horse number diminished within the group. After the final malnourished horse was released from their possession, the carriage was refitted to allow soldiers to pull it instead of horses. Breeze and Allriane chose again to ride in it, but Sazed noted how he would feel guilty about riding on the backs of others. Breeze and Sazed discussed how depressing the smothering ash was, while Sazed was vehemently denying that Ruin even existed, simply asking if the world was ending for natural reasons. They discussed how black was such an unoriginal color. Breeze said he thought that green would be a better color for ash and would make him think that "the evil force of doom trying to kill [him] certainly has style". He asked about flowers to Sazed, where he made a remark about Vin making the sun yellow again in the Church of the Survivor. Sazed had trouble believing Breeze had found faith in the Survivor, but Breeze rationalized it by saying that it was better than giving up hope. Sazed did not agree.

When they arrived at Urteau, Breeze finally convinced Sazed to ride in the carriage for the sake of his image. He explained to Allriane why there were ditches for roads, where they had used to be canals before the water emptied. They were immediately asked to meet with Quellion, leader of the city. Throughout Sazed's meeting with the Citizen, Breeze Soothed him and his advisors. Quellion accused Breeze of making them feel guilty with his vile magic and hexing Allriane into bed with him. Instead of denouncing his claims, Breeze bluffed and asked why he had used his Allomancy to get Quellion to say that. Sazed asked for permission to remain in the city.

Spook found them and lead Sazed to the Ministry building that held the storage cavern. Breeze entered and asked Sazed if Spook seemed strange to him. Breeze entered the storage cavern and decided that the canals must have emptied into a reservoir in the cavern. Sazed later authenticated his belief.

In the brief time in the city before people were able to recognize Breeze, he worked with the underground to establish contacts and good faith. He took offense when Spook told him that he was bad at infiltration and sneaking around. When Spook told him that he would have to rub ash on himself to blend in, he told him that he would just go back to the Ministry building.

One day, Breeze and Sazed went to a bar at night (something odd, in Sazed's opinion), and Breeze asked Sazed to verify some of his claims about their goals in the city. When one of the men spoke about a person known as the Survivor of the Flames, Breeze just told Sazed to ask about it so he would find out who he was. They attended an execution which the new Survivor was rumored to be at. Breeze was skeptical that there was anything special about a "flame god", but attended anyway. He found Sazed to be excited about the possibilities for the Church of the Survivor is there would be new Survivors in the future, though he found Sazed to be overexcited for a man who had denounced his religions. Breeze told Allriane not to Riot the crowd to get them to attack Quellion, since innocents would die needlessly. She snapped that there would be prisoners about to die, but he warned her that the deaths of a few soldiers would spark more executions. Breeze and Sazed were sickened by the executions, and Breeze remarked that the Lord Ruler had killed them openly, while Quellion would have more men killed in secret than in executions. Breeze was ultimately shocked when Spook was revealed to be the new Survivor, and told Allriane to start that riot after all.

Breeze questioned Sazed how Spook had gone from errand boy to a "pseudo-religious vigilante freedom-fighter". They postulated the perhaps Spook had been Mistborn the whole time, but Breeze wrote it off as ridiculous. Sazed quietly wondered whether that was because Breeze truly felt it was impossible or if he would have been angry with himself for not noticing sooner.

When Spook returned, he asked Breeze to start spreading rumors about Quellion being an Allomancer himself and that the executions were covers to capture and train Allomancers for his government. Quellion's soldiers surrounded their building when the Citizen associated Spook with Kelsier's crew. When Beldre, Quellion's sister, arrived unguarded in their building, Spook berated Breeze for making them look like idiots when he was talking about Spook being harmless. He and Allriane noticed how soft and clean Beldre's hands were, which meant that she was obviously of noble descent. Spook asked Breeze about what he thought of spreading rumors that Beldre had willingly run to them for sanctuary, and Breeze thought the idea was marvelous. They refused to let her go.

Breeze then worked on quietly sowing rumors into the underground about the hypocrisy of Quellion's system. He agreed with Spook in that, if they wanted to win over the people, they would need a miracle to appear before the people, such as the return of their canals. Breeze commented to Sazed in how much Spook was starting to develop Kelsier's flair.

Breeze and Allriane took control of the fire brigades when the city caught aflame. He remained in the Ministry building after Spook saved Urteau. He spoke to TenSoon when the kandra arrived in a wolfhound's body, asking him if he had always been a kandra or if Vin had simply replaced her dog with him. Breeze assumed that he was speaking to the kandra that had imitated Lord Renoux, and was quite surprised when he learned that this was not the same kandra. Breeze directed all of the kandra's questions about Vin to Sazed.

Breeze watched TenSoon prepare to leave, and told him that he made a mistake when he called Sazed "the Announcer". When Sazed said that it was changed by Ruin, he asked how TenSoon knew about the precepts of the Terris religion. TenSoon cryptically asked why no one had ever wondered what had happened to Rashek's friends. Breeze believed that he had made them Allomancers and the nobility were their descendants, but Sazed realized that he was incorrect. TenSoon explained that he had made all Feruchemists become mistwraiths, and kept his friends as kandra. Breeze did not understand the theological questions Sazed was asking, but was simply told that the kandra were ancient Terrismen who knew their religion. He watched Sazed leave with TenSoon for the kandra Homeland.

Breeze informed Spook of the city's status after he woke up.

Breeze watched the mists head south from his position with Allriane, remarking about how strange the movement was. He was dumbfounded when Spook- standing under his own power- ordered Breeze to get everyone in the city down to the storage cavern.

Breeze appeared after the world ended and was reforged, where he was shocked to see Ham and Demoux, who both should have been in different places. He was frantic when he saw both Vin and Elend dead in a field of flowers. He found no pulse.

Harmony

"The Alloy of Law"

Breeze does not appear in this book, but it is revealed that he became known as the "Counselor of Gods" in the Pathian religion. Waxillium Ladrian is a direct descendant of Breeze. At the end of the novel, Marsh references Breeze when telling Marasi Colms that he was never as good as Breeze in emotional Allomancy.

Trivia

• It was later revealed in second book, "Well of Ascension," that he was actually of pure noble descent instead of half-skaa, as he liked others to believe.
  • Breeze chose to let others believe he was a half-breed Allomancer out of fear that they would hate him for the circumstances of his birth.
• Breeze frequently talks to himself when Soothing people's emotions in private.
  • He uttered the emotions he wanted people to feel/not feel while recruiting for the army.
  • He spoke to himself briefly when visiting a skaa warehouse for the homeless.
    • He did so again at the warehouse during Sazed's and Tindwyl's conversation while trying to nudge the two to leave for each other.
  • Breeze spoke to himself when Soothing the fear of the soldiers during the attack of Luthadel.
  • Breeze spoke to himself when Soothing the crowd of angered skaa in Urteau.
• Breeze is the only member of Kelsier's crew that Vin specifically believed was not the impostor.