Cfg07005-Skaa Tin Ash

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From the Ashes, Hope Rises

The Final Empire was built on the backs of the skaa — the downtrodden descendants of
those who opposed the Lord Ruler’s ascension a thousand years ago . They are the faceless
masses of Scadrial, tasked with plowing the barren fields, sweeping the ash-covered streets,
tending the opulent nobility, and serving at the whims of their “betters.” But a few skaa
cast off the chains of their destiny to be something more. They are thieves, Allomancers,
firebrands, and rebels. They fight the system of oppression and brutality to give their people
something they lost long ago — hope .
Skaa: Tin & Ash is an essential supplement for the Mistborn Adventure Game, designed
for players, Narrators, and fans of the Mistborn novels. Developed in cooperation with
Brandon Sanderson, this guide expands the canon of the novels, providing new insights
into skaa throughout the Final Empire. Inside you’ll find detailed information on the
history and beliefs of the skaa; the lives of city, canal, and plantation skaa; the skaa
criminal and political underground; and famous skaa such as the Citizen, Mare, and the
Survivor of the Flames.
For players of the Mistborn Adventure Game, there’s a bounty of new rules for creating and
playing your own skaa Hero, including new Stunts, equipment, Networks, and locations to
explore and liberate!
Also included is an epic adventure, Beasts of Burden, set in the black heart of the skaa
criminal underworld. An old friend has gone missing in the slums of Luthadel, and you
have been hired to find him before it’s too late. As you close in on the truth, you find
yourself and all you hold dear under assault from all quarters by a shadowy syndicate .
What is this foe protecting, and how will you strike back? Your very survival hangs in
the balance…
ISBN 978-1-940094-93-9
52495 >
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CFG7005
Price: $24.95 www.crafty-games.com
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ADVENTURE GAME
SKAA: TIN & ASH

Player’s Guide & Mistborn World Resource
TM
www.crafty-games.com
Mistborn Created by Brandon Sanderson
Game System Additional Material
Alex Flagg Alex Flagg
Josh Vogt
Product Development
Logan Bonner Cover Illustration
Tommy Arnold
Tin & Ash Writing
Logan Bonner Interior Illustration
Monica Valentinelli Ben McSweeney
Rob Vaux Hugo Solis
Beasts of Burden Writing Graphic Design & Layout

Dennis Twigg Michal E. Cross
Editing Miniature Wolfhound Consultant

Amanda Valentine Zelka, aka Zbean
Mistborn Brand Manager

Alex Flagg
Special Thanks
to Amanda Valentine, our resident Tineye and hero of the people
First Printing 2015

Based on the Mistborn novels by Brandon Sanderson, copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 by
Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC and used with the express permission of Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC.
All text herein is copyrighted by Crafty Games. Reproduction of any part of this book without
Crafty Games’ written permission is expressly forbidden, except for the purpose of reviews and
when permission to photocopy is clearly stated.
The Crafty Games logo and distinctive likenesses thereof are © copyright of Crafty Games. All rights reserved.
The mention of or reference to any company or product in this book
is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.
Printed in the U.S.A.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE WORDS OF THE SURVIVOR . . 5 Black Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Eastern Street Slang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4. Plantation Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Escape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
BOOK ONE: Liberation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
TIN & ASH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Superstition on the Plantation . . . . . . . . . . 53
1. A Secret History of the Skaa . . . . . 13 Life in the Mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
The Origins of the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Pits of Hathsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The Breaking of the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5. Canal Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
The First Half-Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Types of Canal Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Relations of Nobles and Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Pilots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Modern Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Support Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
After the Collapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2. The Lot of the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Dock Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Population Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 WayStations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Classes Among the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Smuggling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Appearance and Physiology . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 6. The Skaa Underground . . . . . . . . . 63
Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Thieving Crews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Skaa Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Typical Crew Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Trafficking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Rights and Legality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Crew Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Half-Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Informants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Skaa Allomancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Underground After the Collapse . . . . 69
Skaa in Different Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The Luthadel Assembly . . . . . . . . . . 70
Skaa in the Dominances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 7. Skaa Rebellions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Central Dominance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Historical Rebellions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Northern Dominance . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Miner’s Climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Western Dominance . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 The Children’s Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Eastern Dominance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Modern Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Southern Dominance . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Yeden’s Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Outer Dominances . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 8. Skaa Belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Khalfi, the Hidden City . . . . . . . . . . 34 Worship of the Lord Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3. City Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Superstition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
City Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Faith After the Collapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Factory Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Church of the Survivor . . . . . . . . . . 81
Street Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Other Faiths After the Collapse . . . 83
Manor Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9. Skaa Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Artisans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Building Your Skaa Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Criminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Common Skaa Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Prostitutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Skaa Destiny and Tragedy . . . . . . . 86
Beggars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Skaa Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Skaa Slums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Skaa Advancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Thieving Crew Dens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Slipping Through the Cracks . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Gaining a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Using Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 BOOK TWO:
Changing Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 BEASTS OF BURDEN . . . . . . . . . . 141
Spending Advancements . . . . . . . . . 92 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Black Hill Skaa (Skaa Only) . . . . . . 93 What’s Been Happening? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Citizens of Khalfi (Skaa Only) . . . . . 93 What Happens Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
The Silk Charade (Skaa Only) . . . . 93 The Set Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Yeden’s Rebellion (Skaa Only) . . . . 94 What the Heroes Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Luthadel Assembly (Skaa Only) . . . 94 Vital Components, Clues, and Pacing . 149
Skaa Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 1. Under the Yoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Fast-Acting Poisons . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Scene Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Other Common Skaa Equipment . . . 97 Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
10. Notable Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Key Events and Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Spook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Vital Components, Clues, and Pacing . 153
Spook (Serious Threat) . . . . . . . . . 103 Secrets of the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Playing Spook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Primary Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Spook as an Ally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Wrapping Up The Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Spook as an Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 2. Wolves Amongst Sheep . . . . . . . 165
Kelsier’s Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Scene Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Quellion (The Citizen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Demoux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 The Lieutenants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Primary Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Yeden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Wrapping Up the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Folosst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 3. Culling The Herd . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Trest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Scene Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Plin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
11. Black Hill Plantation . . . . . . . . . 115 Vital Components, Clues, and Pacing . 182
Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Secrets of the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Important Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Undoing the Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Points of Intrigue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Primary Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
12. Two-Fist Slum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Wrapping Up the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Important Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 4. Leader of the Pack . . . . . . . . . . . 197
13. Kav’s Barge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Scene Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Important Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
14. Secrets of the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . 133 Vital Components, Clues, and Pacing . 198
Skaa Allomancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Primary Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Refugees among the Skaa . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Awarding Advancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Education and Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 5. Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Khalfi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Scene Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Fell’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Primary Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Whispers in the Mist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 What Comes Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Appendix: NPC Summary . . . . . . . 213
THE WORDS
OF THE SURVIVOR
Warning: This story contains major spoilers for the Mistborn trilogy, and it’s
best to read it after having read at least the early chapters of The Hero of Ages.
“Then, the Survivor of Hathsin’s lifeless body fell to the ground. I know this,
because I was there.”
Trest paused, threw his arms up to the sky, and stepped off the makeshift
podium to face the small assembly lingering in the dingy alleyway. The skaa
preacher realized his all-too-familiar story would not be enough to convince these
city-dwellers to join the Church of the Survivor. Every skaa in Luthadel had heard
what happened to Kelsier minutes after he attacked the Lord Ruler. Every skaa
knew, deep down inside, what the Survivor had done for them.
That wasn’t the problem, though. The skaa weren’t used to heroes and never
expected to be saved. Naturally, his people didn’t know what to do next.
The skaa preacher lowered his hands and scrutinized the crowd in silence.
Trest spotted wide-eyed urchins smeared with ash and skaa merchants huddled
together in conversation. Expectant mothers and well-dressed servants who likely
worked at one of the Great Houses were also present for today’s demonstration.
Though there were a few dozen people gathered in the back alley, Trest sensed
a strange undercurrent. It was as if the crowd wasn’t there for him; they were all
waiting for something — or someone — else. A miracle, perhaps?
No, Trest thought, what these traders, pilots, servants, and beggars needed
was permission to believe in a god other than the Lord Ruler.
“Please! Go on!” A thin girl dressed in a fraying, brown dress broke the ten-
sion; her high-pitched plea was followed by careful whispers urging him to finish
his story. Trest clasped his gnarled hands and sighed with relief. Deep down, he
feared the crowd’s silence almost as much as the mist. Almost.
The preacher stepped back up on his podium and continued: “Kelsier’s body
did not topple to the ground easily. His hardened skin had not been pierced by
arrows, nor had it been bruised by the Inquisitor he killed moments before. No...”
“No!” a trio of bums shouted at him; their skinny forms were covered with
raggedy layers of ash-stained clothes. “The Lord Ruler...”
“The Lord Ruler crushed one side of his face and stuck a spear through his
chest. But,” Trest lifted a finger and paused for dramatic effect, “the Survivor did
not die that day.”
The crowd gasped. Many listeners shook their heads in disbelief. Could he
blame them? Centuries of abuse, murder, and slavery at the hands of a petty god
had taken its toll. The skaa were easily manipulated and had been brainwashed to
succumb to the Lord Ruler’s absolute power. Regardless of how cruelly the Lord
Ruler had treated them, Trest understood he could not shake the skaa’s downtrod-
den attitude. They’d been treated worse than any animal or insect for far too long.
Instead, the preacher was forced to convince the skaa there was more than one
god — a fact that could inspire his people to take action.
“The Survivor lives,” Trest said, pointing at the center of his chest. “In here.”
“Where?” A heckler shouted, barging his way toward the front. Trest recog-
nized the skaa instantly. Though he didn’t remember his name, the preacher knew
the hunch-backed drifter had recently escaped to Luthadel from a nearby planta-
tion. “You pretendin’ to be him?”
Fresh doubt wormed its way into Trest’s mind, filling him with anxiety. Ever
since the soothing stations had been destroyed, they’d all been grappling with
feelings that had been suppressed for far too long. Was his sermon good enough?
How many believers would he recruit today? None? Or a dozen?
“Let me ask you a different question, brother.” Though he was nervous, Trest
pushed his feelings aside and kept his voice calm and steady. “What kind of a man
sacrifices himself for another?”
“A stupid one!” the man yelled back. “Skaa are born and die every day. Kel-
sier did not have to waste his life to prove a point.”
“You’re right!” Trest said, smiling. “The Survivor did not have to die. He
chose his fate. He didn’t know how he would fall, just that he had to.”
The preacher could tell his words were not spoken in vain. Many of his listen-
ers had finally stopped fidgeting and bowed their heads slightly, as if they were
hanging on Trest’s every word.
“Why?” the former plantation skaa asked, confused. “Why’d he let the Lord
Ruler murder him?”
It was a simple query, but one that Trest had prepared for. If he answered this next
question correctly, then the Church could expect more recruits by the end of the day.
“Because, brother, we were already dead. The Survivor sacrificed himself so
that we’d understand we are more than broken-down slaves.”
“What are we?” the tired man asked, shaking his head. “We’re nobody.”
Staring directly into the man’s eyes, the preacher said proudly: “We are skaa!”
6 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

INTRODUCTION
At the height of the Final Empire, the skaa toil and suffer as slaves for lit-
tle reward. Victims of the brutal social hierarchy set in place by the Lord Ruler,
they’re legally inferior to the nobles and must obey their dictates. On the plan-
tations, the skaa tend the hardy brown plants. In the mines, they dig out metal
and stone in harsh and dangerous conditions. Along the canals, they pilot and
crew barges carrying the bounty from the countryside and ashmounts to the cities.
Within the cities themselves, they tend the noble estates and carry out all manner
of tasks that make the urban centers run. All this — all the skaa accomplish — is
done to line the nobility’s pockets.
At least, all that most skaa accomplish. Skaa also run thieving crews, black
markets, and information networks, trying to get something for themselves under
the noses of the Steel Ministry and the nobles. These bold few, who defy Lord
Ruler’s insistence that they obey, carve out their piece of the pie by whatever
means necessary. Because their disobedience violates the laws of the Final Em-
pire, these skaa often have to resort to violence, bribery, or intimidation to keep
their activities from reaching the Obligators’ notice. There are few true “good
guys” among these skaa lawbreakers — nearly everyone has some blood on his
hands. Even those with the best of intentions and the brightest hope for the future
of the skaa have few illusions about the true way of things in the Final Empire.
Accomplishing anything significant requires ruthlessness, the cost counted by the
bodies left behind.
Though some skaa fight for freedom and rights for their people, just as
many are villains in their own right, willing to step on their brethren in their
climb to the top. Especially among the thieving crews of the skaa slums, steal-
ing from or selling out one’s fellow skaa can lead to profit and prestige. Skaa
crime lords exploit and subjugate other skaa. Skaa who are on top of the heap
becomes targets for equally ruthless upstarts, so they often have to become even
more committed to cutthroat methods to keep their station. Though some regard
this self-destruction with the scorn it deserves, many others see it as just another
part of their lot; after all, it’s no different than what they’re subjected to by no-
bles or Obligators every day.
There are also idealistic skaa who strive to improve the lives of their people.
Some believe they can enact minor, reasonable changes to make things a little
bit better. Others follow bolder visions, striving to undermine or topple the Final
Empire to finally free the skaa from noble bondage. Ironically, the most powerful
tools to affect this type of change are those skaa with noble blood — the Allo-
mancers. Skaa Allomancers are quite rare, but they are the only ones who possess
the magical might to defy the Steel Ministry and go toe-to-toe with noble Mistings
and Mistborn. They are hunted ruthlessly by the agents of the Canton of Inquisi-
tion, and so must remain out of sight, working undercover or traveling at night
through the mists.
Creating change among the skaa population takes immense effort. Skaa are,
as a rule, poorly educated and reluctant to act against their masters. This is no ac-
cident — it was part of the Lord Ruler’s plan since the dawn of the Final Empire.
Using the Steel Ministry as his agents, the Lord Ruler suppresses the skaa with
widespread superstitions, unfair laws, Allomantic soothing, and his most devious
invention: a religion devoted to himself.
With the Lord Ruler as their god, the skaa come to believe that their place
is ordained — not inflicted upon them but part of a natural and holy order. True
change can come to the Final Empire only if the skaa see another way. The Lord
Ruler’s infallibility and immortality must be broken. Someone else must rise to
become a new focus for the worship of the skaa. And this person must rise from
the ranks of the skaa themselves.

On many plantations, nobles attempted to treat skaa as
though they were more akin to their betters. As you will see
in the highly detailed examples ahead, skaa cannot operate
without the full measure of strictures the Lord Ruler dictates.
Noble masters have tried giving skaa up to two hours a day of
personal recreation; alloing skaa to collect and ration their
own food (tantamount to taking food from the mouths of noble
babes); and even to marry acceptable partners. These attempts,
though noble in spirit and perhaps more “satisfying” for the
skaa, have failed to increase productivity without exception.
The skaa have proven, time and again, to be too unwilling or
ungrateful to return work and sweat to their nobles in kind,
choosing instead to squander the goodwill proffered them and
thus ensure the need for continued noble dominion.
– Selection from Experiments in Skaa Husbandry,

by Gerrance Hasting
TIN AND ASH 9

BOOK ONE
TIN & ASH

1
A SECRET HISTORY
OF THE SKAA
Laborers, servants, and farmers, the skaa are the backbone of the Final Empire.
Often overlooked and taken for granted, the skaa are not just servants — they are
an entire branch of humanity shaped to work for the Lord Ruler and the nobles who
swear fealty to him. Despite their origins and the disdain the Lord Ruler, his Obliga-
tors, and the nobility have for them, the skaa can excel and achieve greatness. Like
many things in the Final Empire, the caste system under which the skaa toil is a
sham. There’s no longer any significant physiological difference between the skaa
and nobles, and the skaa have proven time and again that they’re not the listless,
weak wretches the Lord Ruler had intended them to be. Only by covering up a his-
tory full of rebellion can the Steel Ministry hope to keep the skaa docile and hopeless.
This section is written from the perspective of the assumed time period of
Mistborn games, just before the events of the first Mistborn novel. Any references
to “now,” the “modern era,” or the like refer to this time period, with the excep-
tion of a section at the end of this chapter detailing what happens after the events
of the first novel.
THE ORIGINS OF THE SKAA

The skaa of the present day are unaware of their history, for they are a people
without time, crushed by a system that ensures “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are
the only past or future that matter. Ancestry, history, lineage — those are the con-
cerns of the nobility, not the skaa. But the truth is out there, buried in the deepest
and most ancient archives of the Steel Ministry and speculated on in heretical
texts hidden in the libraries of revolutionaries and free-thinkers alike.
In the time before the Final Empire, there was no noble caste or skaa caste;
A Secret History
rather, both are the creation of the Lord Ruler himself. The first skaa were
created from those who dared oppose the Lord Ruler during his Ascension.
The skaa were designated as a servant class as punishment for their disloy-
alty. Those who supported his efforts became the nobles, blessed with wealth,
social status, and the gift of Allomancy in acknowledgement of his favor. On
this foundation, the Lord Ruler built a system of careful control over breeding,
strict social separation, and inequality, enforced by his Steel Ministry, to ensure
this division remained intact — a state of affairs that remains to this day, nearly
1,000 years later.
Though the skaa are biologically and mentally no different than any-
one else in the Final Empire, the nobility are taught that the skaa are a
lesser “race,” hardier and more fertile compared to nobles but inferior
in many ways. The Steel Ministry and nobility invented “inferiori-
ties” — such as alleged lower intelligence, lack of spirit, and
sloth — and made them a party line to justify the
social order they built. Though these traits have little
basis in fact, hundreds of years of institutional abuse
and enforced ignorance amongst the skaa have shaped
the skaa culturally into a more docile and easily intimi-
dated people.
THE BREAKING OF THE SKAA

The skaa did not succumb to noble rule easily,
nor did they magically give up the freedom to think
independently. The skaa were more resistant to the
Lord Ruler than they later became.
While the Lord Ruler’s changes — and lies
about skaa inferiority — had a profound effect
on the skaa over time and eventually had the
desired effect on their mindset, earlier gen-
erations retained the desire for their own
identity and the ability to feel compas-
sion for their fellow skaa. Anger, when
combined with fear, longing, and hope,
began to manifest in an unusual way that
the Lord Ruler did not predict — through the
arts. Though once they were under the domination of
the Final Empire skaa weren’t permitted to be literate,
they still preserved a sense of being and culture through
song and sculpture. Almost all of these creations have been
lost, but the ones that survive show pieces of the world as it
once was. In contrast to the Steel Ministry, whose his-
tories only supported the Lord Ruler and the world he

had given them, the skaa recorded the world as it existed prior to the Ascension.
A Secret History
The early art of the skaa — and some pieces they had found from before the
world changed — is all that’s now left to show how the world once was.
The Lord Ruler’s first set of decrees to break the spirit of the skaa were de-
signed to destroy the skaa’s individual and cultural identity. Though the Steel
Ministry’s practices have changed over time, the original precepts still guide the
course of society, and are now perceived as tradition, justice, or simply the law
of nature by most residents of the Final Empire. These initial decrees included:
• The Skaa Shall Be My Property: The Lord Ruler declared himself the
owner of all skaa, thereby placing himself at the center of the Final Empire’s
economy. Skaa lost their freedoms to move and participate in imperial cul-
ture, and the nobles their right to marry or even mingle with the skaa freely.
Strangely, this decree also extended a modicum of protection to the skaa:
while a nobleman’s position would allow him to abuse a skaa to whatever
degree he felt was justified, death or serious injury would require financial
reparations to the Lord Ruler that might give some pause.
• I Own the Skaa, Body and Soul: This decree declared the skaa shall revere
the Lord Ruler alone, and asserts that he is their maker and master. The deifi-
cation of the Lord Ruler enforced his infallibility, and by extension, the rule
of the nobility whom he had “blessed.” Defiance of noble rule or the Steel
Ministry was thus heresy against the Lord Ruler himself. Though the same
rules apply to the nobility, they have a slight bit more leeway if they’re diso-
bedient. The nobility are also explicitly charged with enforcing the obedience
and deference of the skaa.
• The Skaa Shall Be as Each Other: The Lord Ruler believed an emergent
skaa culture would present a threat to his new world, and so declared a po-
grom against skaa self-expression and learning. The skaa were formally
banned from receiving formal educations, apprenticeships in skilled trades,
or performing publicly. Men and women alike were forced to wear unremark-
able brown clothing, unless otherwise allowed by their noble masters. Skaa
caught with literature, art, music, or other creative expression were subject
to brutal, bloody punishments — often meted out in public, and involving
entire families.
• The Skaa Shall Have No Means: The skaa lost all rights to private owner-
ship, and nearly all access to private living spaces. Additionally, the Lord
Ruler instructed nobles to provide only essential amounts of food and rest
to keep their skaa alive, and no more. By putting the skaa perpetually on the
edge of ruin, he ensured their desperation and dependence on the nobility.
Although the fear of death, torture, and severe beatings are the preferred tactics
for controlling the skaa, the decrees of the Lord Ruler have had a greater impact in
the long term. By forcing the skaa to bow to the nobles, they carefully and delib-
erately eradicated the individual identity of the skaa to compel their fealty to their
masters — and, above all, to the Lord Ruler.
TIN & ASH 15

A Secret History
GENERATIONS APART
The passage of time and the erasure of cultural elements are huge factors
in how the spirit of the skaa was broken. This can be challenging to convey in a
role-playing game context, because in the days of the Final Empire the skaa as a
people may seem flat and unimpressive as a whole.
Yet any group of people, no matter how downtrodden, is made up of in-
dividuals with quirks and unique characteristics. One way to quickly draw out
character individuality is to mix up the ages of the skaa that the players encoun-
ter. Kids, by their nature, may not be as scared and as obedient as their parents
and guardians. How does a parent react when their child draws in the dirt when
an overseer is nearby? What is the punishment for a child who doesn’t lower her
eyes when a noble glances her way? By focusing on smaller personal details, the
suppression of the entire race will be more poignant.
At least some of the heroes are likely skaa, so contrast the way other skaa
react to them with the way they act toward noble heroes. Nobles usually see
the skaa as a uniform bloc with little differentiation, and the skaa quietly de-
fer to the nobility if they know what’s good for them. In contrast, a skaa ap-
proaches another skaa as a unique person, and isn’t afraid to show individual-
ity among fellows. A noble hero might find that her questions get only cursory,
respectful answers or cause the skaa to cower in fear. On the other hand, a skaa
questioning fellow skaa in the same way can get the straight story, along with
some colorful language.
These divisions are less obvious among the outlaw skaa who largely popu-
late city slums. These skaa might avoid nobles entirely, work only with known
business contacts, or viciously attack nobles they meet on their turf. Skaa in
these slums might face hostility — everyone’s fighting for their own share, after
all — but are more likely to be heard or have a chance of trading some informa-
tion or working with street skaa.
These decrees have proven so effective and are so widely adopted that the
Steel Ministry no longer indoctrinates the nobility into upholding them, and in-
stead focuses its attentions just on the few nobles who lapse in their rigor. These
rules remain in effect today, though few people outside the Steel Ministry are even
aware that how many of these are actually legal requirements.
Some rebellions did occur in these early days, but the skaa fought back
blindly, not knowing what murky future awaited them. The Lord Ruler’s laws
meant that even if the skaa could have escaped, they’d have no means of survival.
For more information about skaa rebellions, including many of the major
historical rebellions, turn to page 74.

THE FIRST HALF-SKAA
A Secret History
Though the Lord Ruler believed he thought of everything, there were more
than a few areas he was short-sighted on — interracial mixing being one of
them. Skaa and nobility have always been able to produce offspring, since the
only real genetic difference between them at their inception was the capacity
for Allomancy.
Interbreeding between the nobility and skaa occurred almost immediately,
even within the first generation after the Lord Ruler’s Ascension. In most cases,
the mixing of the bloodlines was hidden. Children born of skaa women typically
just lived among the skaa, with no questions asked. It wasn’t until the first “skaa”
with Allomantic powers surfaced that the Obligators took notice. To the Lord
Ruler, the mingling of the bloodlines might present a danger to his new order, but
Allomancers coming from the skaa caste were the true threat. The Steel Ministry
acted swiftly and brutally, enacting severe laws against intermingling and dictat-
ing a skaa woman must be killed if there was any risk she might bear a nobleman’s
child. Lords who resisted were summarily silenced (often, permanently), and the
deed was done: the children of skaa and noble were sentenced to death without
remorse or exception.
Half-skaa and their place in society (or lack thereof) are detailed further in
Chapter 2, starting on page 27.
RELATIONS OF NOBLES AND SKAA

Over the 10 centuries of the Final Empire’s existence,
the relationships between skaa and noble have evolved.
What began as a caste division established
along political and genetic lines has mu-
tated to meet the changing realities of the
Final Empire, such as the dilution of both
the skaa and noble bloodlines; the frequent
uprisings and house wars; political shifts
in the Final Empire’s orthodoxy; and the rise
of cities and urban skaa.
Though the Lord Ruler has gone to great
pains to ensure his Empire will be eternal, he has
not been afraid to alter those plans to ensure its
stability and the safety of the social order. In ear-
lier centuries, skaa sometimes enjoyed much more
freedom under a caste system which enforced separation of noble and skaa but not
the actions of either; or less, when the skaa were formally enslaved to individual
noble lords; or a greater interdependence, as when skaa worked the lands of noble
houses in exchange for protection from rival lords’ armies. When any of these sys-
tems proved too prone to rebellion, intermingling of the races, or manipulation by
the noble houses, the Steel Ministry changed the laws to reassert order and control.
TIN & ASH 17

The most recent shift in the skaa-noble relationship came with the establish-
A Secret History
ment of the plantation system nearly 200 years ago, perhaps the most stable to
date. The skaa are commanded by and the responsibility of each Dominance’s
provincial lord, granting the nobility great latitude to raise armies and shift labor
as they see fit. Rather than freeing the aristocracy to challenge the Lord Ruler’s
reign, this freedom has actually led to harsher discipline as the lords work their
skaa harder in an effort to undo rival Houses. The suffering of the skaa has given
the Lord Ruler what he wants most: the plantation system has prevented a single
major uprising from occurring in the five inner Dominances since its inception.
MODERN DAYS
By the modern day — the time of Mistborn: The Final Empire — the skaa
are oppressed culturally, socially, and physically, but have managed to survive.
Many skaa are fearful of long-lasting relationships, and concepts like “friend-
ship” are rare. Instead they counteract their anxiety by ensuring they can make
the lives of their fellow skaa better in small ways, provided they can take action
without alerting an overseer or noble. This is true regardless of where the skaa
live, for though their treatment might be different depending upon their physical
location or which nobles “own” them, they are still fused together in the bonds of
slavery, whether they want to admit it or not.
Though their fates seem sealed, more than a few modern-day skaa attempt
to escape from their “homes” and try to eke out a life on their own terms. This
unquenchable desire for freedom has resulted in many skaa beggars, thieves, and
wanderers who survive on the margins of society.
AFTER THE COLLAPSE

Warning: This section contains major spoilers for the Mistborn trilogy. This
section is best read after completing the first book: The Final Empire.
After the Lord Ruler’s fall, the skaa gain their freedom, but most are unpre-
pared for the chaos that follows. The collapse of the Final Empire causes uncer-
tainty and pain for a great many skaa, as it shakes their belief system and takes
away the oppressive stability of the old ways. The skaa have to find their own
way, though many fall back into the same predictable routines of their old lives,
finding comfort in the familiar. Others become entrepreneurs, others leaders, and
still others turn violently against noble rule as the stranglehold of the Steel Min-
istry loosens.
Skaa remain divided geographically into groups that live in the cities, on
plantations, and along canals, as described in the chapters ahead. The power struc-
tures change radically, though, and many skaa migrants stream toward the cities
— especially Luthadel — from the plantations where they once lived. Some of
these skaa head to the capital in the hopes of seeking a better life, but most are
refugees, fleeing nobles plantation owners who have engaged in strict and violent

practices to intimidate their skaa into compliance or hordes of koloss that grow
A Secret History
bolder and attack isolated communities.
Throughout the Empire, free skaa build small farmsteads using the skills they
learned on the plantations. These independent sites aren’t easy places to live, and
many skaa band together to form communes to make life easier, or, in some cases,
possible at all.
When it comes to family life — a new concept for skaa in many ways — the
skaa largely follow the basic family structures they’ve seen nobles use. Though skaa
have for a long time married (usually in secret), this is the first time they’ve been
able to form autonomous families without fear of noble intervention severing the
family through edict or violence.
Most skaa believed the Lord Ruler to be a god that could not be killed, and
the event of his death has spawned dozens of new faith movements. While a great
many follow the Church of the Survivor, other skaa still hold onto beliefs in the
Lord Ruler’s divinity. For more on skaa belief in the times of uncertainty, see
page 79.
TIN & ASH 19

2
THE LOT
OF THE SKAA
For centuries, the skaa have been the true backbone of the Empire. While the
Lord Ruler may have created them out of spite, they serve a valuable economic
purpose in the form of cheap labor. Most skaa are rewarded with only their daily
allotment of food. Beaten into submission, skaa are lucky to live past 40 and are
often put to death once they’ve outlived their usefulness.
This section focuses on the skaa way of life before the Collapse.
POPULATION STATISTICS
Although casual murders, malnutrition, torture, and premature deaths caused
by sickness or other maladies have kept the skaa population in check, the skaa still
far outnumber any other racial group on Scadrial. There are approximately forty
“purebred” skaa for every noble, and approximately five to six hundred skaa for
every Terrisman. When taking into account people of mixed noble and skaa blood
— an illegal but nonetheless significant population — the numbers shift closer to
fifty skaa to every purebred noble, though some of these halfbreeds live as nobles.
The population difference results partially from the slightly higher fertility rate of
the skaa, combined with the incredibly low, controlled birth rate of Terrisman due
to forced castration.
CLASSES AMONG THE SKAA

How skaa are treated depends mainly on where they live and what type of
labor they’re required to do. A servant who washes dishes in a nobleman’s home
will fare better than a skaa worker forced to spend every waking moment out in
The Lot of the Skaa
the fields. The roles they’re forced into are primarily what distinguish one skaa
from another. In a way, the nobles have unwittingly created a caste-like structure
among the skaa based on location and employment. It is rare for skaa who work
on plantations to intermingle with a dockworker or a skaa butler. The only way a
skaa may escape their predetermined lot is to drop out and join the underground
ranks of beggars, thieves, and rebels (see page 63).
Skaa who become criminals often have a much higher standard of living than
other skaa, or even than the poorer nobles. If they can escape the control of the no-
bles who essentially own them, they can earn the freedom and resources to make
their lives far more comfortable. Consequently, the criminal underworld is home
to many of the Final Empire’s most ambitious and clever skaa — those smart
enough to see opportunity and gutsy enough to take
it. These skaa live on a knife’s edge, though. No-
bles and Obligators can ruin what any skaa has
built with enough effort — it just takes a bit
more time to do so to those living outside the
system.
APPEARANCE AND
PHYSIOLOGY
Despite propaganda to the contrary, the skaa
look just like nobles for the most part. They
tend to be a few inches shorter than most
nobles, primarily due to malnutrition in
their youth, but the truth is any skaa in
Kelsier’s time could pass for a member of
the nobility, provided he had the means, his
appearance were well cared for, and he had a
proper wardrobe. The only noticeable difference
is that fair hair is less common in skaa, and its
presence usually indicates some amount of no-
ble ancestry.
Nobility and skaa are born with similar fac-
ulties. Physically, their brains are almost identical at
birth. Yet years of abuse, poor nutrition, environmen-
tal factors, and emotional Allomancy from their no-
ble masters take a toll on the skaa. Though they’re
not born with any greater likelihood of illness than
nobles, skaa endure constant abuse and have few
means to get treatment for mental or physical ill-
nesses. Consequently, trauma, depression, and paranoia
are common among the skaa and often lead to suicide.

The Lot of the Skaa
SKAA AGAINST SKAA
The idea that the skaa would turn on their fellows may be hard to stomach,
but such behavior is the direct result of centuries of torture and oppression. Ser-
vitude and obedience are written culturally into every facet of skaa life, starting
at birth, making such “programming” incredibly difficulty to break even for those
who are “free.” Fear for their lives (or those of their families), hope of reward, or
deeply-ingrained sense of inferiority leads skaa to rat out their disobedient fel-
lows to their noble masters over even trivial things, helping to prop up the very
social order that oppresses them. Even skaa who live largely free of the nobles,
such as those who join thieving crews, aren’t safe from betrayal and exploitation
by other skaa to the Steel Ministry or noblity — though in these cases, it’s more
about getting ahead or protecting a racket than it is fear.
It’s important to remember that skaa aren’t a monolithic culture who share
the same beliefs and attitudes — even towards each other. A skaa who has suf-
fered might see the plight of other skaa as an equal tragedy, or might become
self-serving and seek revenge. Many skaa buy into the line they’re constantly fed
— that skaa are inferior and were made that way by their god — and devalue the
lives of other skaa just as much as a noble would. For many unscrupulous skaa,
the life of a noble is something to aspire to, including the mindset that skaa are
inferior beings suited only for subjugation.
Beyond the basics, the needs of each house dictate what qualities the nobles
hope to find in a skaa. Physical attributes like attractiveness, strength, and size
are important to the nobility, along with obedience and humility. An agricultural
house prizes endurance and strength for workers, but a vainglorious Luthadel
house might want only the most handsome skaa to be part of their public face.
MINDSET
The nobility believes in their superiority and wields this assumption in com-
plex ways to rule the skaa, backed up by the Obligators and the Lord Ruler’s
doctrine. Living under that pervasive system of control, the typical skaa also be-
lieves he is inferior. The lack of their own culture and sense of history has crushed
their spirit. Their compulsory obedience is passed down from father to daughter,
mother to son.
Skaa aren’t born with this sense of inferiority, though, and only later learn
to shut their mouths and mind their masters. A common noble saying imparts the
advice, “The loose tongue of a skaa invites the sharp tongue of the lash.” Though
each noble may have his own way of ruling over their skaa, generally speak-
ing any outward displays of individualism or acting outside the norm will result
in punishment. The cruelty heaped upon skaa children can be extreme, though
TIN & ASH 23

nobles are rarely willing to kill children that could grow into useful workers.
The Lot of the Skaa
However, they have no compunction about putting down sickly or weak skaa
children, and consider it deserved when a skaa child dies after a beating — that
child was clearly not strong enough. Ironically, some of this abuse doesn’t just
originate from the nobles; it also comes from other concerned skaa who try to help
the younger generations avoid beatings at the hands of an overzealous noble who
seeks to make an example out of a rebellious servant — regardless of age.
Most skaa are loyal to avoid being beaten or because they’ve simply accepted
their lot in life and are trying to work within their predetermined roles. Others
truly have faith in the divinity of the Lord Ruler, and believe that the social posi-
tion they hold is the one true order of the world. They don’t necessarily fear the
nobility, but their true owner: the Lord Ruler. As such, the skaa universally loathe
their masters for a variety of reasons, but are more diverse when it comes to their
feelings about the Lord Ruler.
The skaa are, on the surface, compliant and are fully obedient. Even those
who belong to the underground have to suppress their desire for freedom in public
or they’re likely be hunted down and killed. Many skaa have become set in the
old ways to avoid being harmed. Others slide into apathy. These skaa — most
skaa — choose to remain silent to avoid suspicion. They do not question what
lurks in the mist, and are afraid. They believe everything they’re told, regardless
of where the information originates from, because it’s easier to avoid questioning
the truth than face it.
Though this makes them vulnerable to opportunistic businessmen and
thieves, many skaa live within the moment, not daring to think about the future.
After all, it’s safer that way.
SKAA LEADERS
Skaa community leaders are usually designated elders on a plantation or in
a House. A skaa community leader doesn’t necessarily have to be intelligent or
charming to be well-respected by the community; the wisdom of old age alone
demands respect. They primarily ensure that peace is kept and younger skaa
stick to the rules. They don’t wield power like that of a noble, but their opinions
take on a greater weight because they’ve managed to survive so long against
the odds. Their amounts of autonomy and authority differ from place to place,
but typically speaking the Outer Dominances offer the skaa more chances for
legitimized leadership positions than those who live closer to Luthadel get. On
some plantations, a skaa’s deeds get them leadership roles with the blessing of
the ruling nobility.
Of course, some skaa, usually younger than the established leaders, have new
ideas that they believe would make them better leaders. Some of them end up run-
ning rebellions or thieving crews rather than playing into the established power
structure. Elders look on these youth with great skepticism — the “new ideas” are
frequently just the same old ideas that have gotten so many skaa killed in the past.

BELIEFS
The Lot of the Skaa

No matter what period in history, the beliefs
of the skaa have always circled around the Lord
Ruler. Most think of the Lord Ruler as a liv-
ing god to be feared, worshiped, and obeyed.
This deification, moreso than cruelty or tor-
ture, is what has made it difficult for the skaa
to successfully rebel. When they do rise up and
demand to be treated better than insects, the Steel
Ministry unleashes the fierce Inquisitors against them,
and on rare occasions the Lord Ruler makes a purpose-
ful appearance to ensure the skaa understand their place
in his order. These appearances serve to enforce his simple
orthodoxy: that both the skaa and the nobles must worship him,
and the wise and wary should never deviate.
But the skaa hold other beliefs beyond worship of the Lord Ruler. Su-
perstitions are widespread, especially about the mists, the Mistborn, and all
the other phenomena they aren’t allowed to have any true knowledge about.
These folk stories cross from plantation to plantation on the few occasions
when skaa traveling with a noble master make contact with the workers on
the plantation they visit. The nobility largely ignore these rumors, though the
Steel Ministry monitors them to some extent. They clamp down on any folk
tales that might cause dissent, and make a game of sharing the most ludicrous
stories with one another.
Far more information on these subjects can be found in Chapter 8: Skaa
Belief.
RIGHTS AND LEGALITY

The nobility may command them, but all skaa are the Lord Ruler’s property.
Technically, the skaa are “rented” to the nobles. Skaa were initially assigned ac-
cording to the estimated needs of each property. As generations passed, the popu-
lation of the skaa shifted organically to fill varying positions. It is not uncommon
for skaa to be traded, but a reason must be included in order for an Obligator to
approve the transfer. In most cases, skaa float from house to house for specific
roles that need to be filled. But, on occasion, the Steel Ministry may intervene and
reassign a skaa — especially if they perceive the skaa have gotten too comfortable
where they’re living.
Skaa have very few personal rights. The few laws the skaa can count on
have less to do with their personal safety and more to do with ensuring that the
tenuous economic system remains unchanged. Skaa who haggle in the name of
their noble masters can count on getting a fair price, and merchant skaa also en-
joy some protection under the law. Anytime money or services are to exchange
hands, these skaa may safely call on an Obligator to oversee the meeting — in
TIN & ASH 25

fact, it’s expected. This also reinforces the Lord Ruler’s involvement with his
The Lot of the Skaa
“property,” and helps keep the nobility in check.

The other law that is typically enforced has to do with the health of the skaa.
The nobility are required to ensure that the skaa have access to sanitation services
and get the bare minimum of healthcare. Though the skaa are little more than
slaves, illness threatens the stability of the Final Empire if it spreads. The Steel
Ministry randomly inspects the noble houses to assess whether or not skaa need to
be quarantined (or more likely killed) to prevent the spread of disease.
Most skaa are undocumented in any way. The nobles are expected to keep
an accurate count of their skaa, but names, parentage, and other details of skaa’s
lives matter little to the Steel Ministry. The exceptions are skaa entrepreneurs,
such as merchants and artisans, since they blur the bright line between skaa and
noble. As skaa, a merchant remains tied to a House, but their contracts to sell
and distribute goods are held independently with the Steel Ministry. This status
grants them new freedoms, such as the to operate a business and to hold onto
large sums of money for long periods of time, but these rights are contingent
upon the patronage of their House. Thus, while skaa merchant can build a busi-
ness over years without any assistance from his masters, any wealth he holds
is technically in escrow for the noble who legally possesses it. Consequently,
the majority of skaa merchants squirrel away some of their income out of sight
of both their patrons and the Canton of Finance. Though the penalty for getting
caught is certain death, such skimming is overlooked as most nobles consider
it easier to take a cut of a merchant’s profits rather than to spend the time or
resources to constantly checking up on them.
A WOMAN’S WORTH
You have room to roam when you’re considering how women are treated in
Mistborn. They’re not all treated alike — and their treatment doesn’t just depend
upon the race they hail from or whether or not they’re pregnant. Noble soci-
ety is highly sexist, and noblewomen are often used as assets to build alliances
through advantageous marriages or “heirs of last resort.” However, exceptionally
talented or cutthroat women can rise to power (whether through social or clan-
destine means), and noble Allomancers are incredibly valued no matter their
gender.
While skaa society is a reflection of the noble society as a whole, the role
of gender is less of a determination to a woman’s fate. Skaa women trapped in
noble control rarely have any power except as leaders of house staff, but with
the trust of their masters they can wield great influence. Outside the reach of
the nobility, however, talent, skill, and drive — not gender — matter far more,
whether a woman is working with thieving crews, plying the canals at the edge
of the Empire, or leading rebellions.

The Lot of the Skaa
SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN MISTBORN
Acts of sexual violence are found throughout Mistborn and tie into the Lord
Ruler’s centuries-old motivation to protect his rule. These acts have little to do
with emotional attachment or even lust. They are primarily tools to reinforce the
nobility’s rule. The skaa have little recourse against their noble masters’ preda-
tion. Even the skaa elders and communities on plantations socially reinforce the
hopelessness of the situation, discouraging skaa from retaliating or refusing
their masters. Additionally, skaa characters affected by a nearby soothing sta-
tion may not have a strong reaction to being taken advantage of. In essence, the
soothing stations act as a type of drug to make the skaa submissive.
Torture, rape, and unwanted pregnancies are potentially powerful, mature
story elements, but they make many players feel uncomfortable. As the Narrator,
use caution when implementing them in your game, and recognize that you’re
entering fraught territory. Unless you and your players specifically agree to en-
gage these issues, use them only as background elements that are very slightly
implied. As narrative tools, extreme forms of brutality may serve as strong mo-
tivators for the skaa rebellion, rescue operations, and personal vendettas — but
the players don’t have to experience these in excruciating detail to feel fear and
anxiety toward the Inquisitors, nobles, or other sadists. Most importantly, re-
member how awful the nobles’ tactics make life for the skaa, and don’t make
light of serious issues like rape and other forms of violence.
HALF-SKAA
Despite society’s condemnation of such unions, nobles and skaa can (and
often do) have children with no physiological ill effects. Societally, however, it’s
a far different story. Sex and interbreeding between skaa and nobles are expressly
forbidden, and those who violate the law suffer with some of the strictest punish-
ments meted out in the Final Empire. The possibility that a noble and skaa could
go even further — could fall in love — seems so far-fetched as to be unthinkable
among both noble and skaa circles. Such relationships do develop, of course, but
are incredibly rare.
As a consequence of these taboos, most half-skaa, half-noble children arise
from sexual violence by nobles against skaa — typically, those whom they re-
gard as their property. Though intercourse with skaa is illegal, the Obligators tend
to look the other way as long as a nobleman kills any skaa woman he violates.
What’s worse, these crimes are often cloaked as a “rite of manhood” for many
young noblemen, leaving deep scars on both sides of the social divide.
Noblewomen, on the other hand, get no such leeway from the Obligators if
they’ve coupled with skaa. Fortunately for the child, it’s much easier for half-
breeds born to noblewomen to go unnoticed; without certain proof that a child is
TIN & ASH 27

fathered by a skaa man, the Steel Ministry doesn’t act. Noblewomen who break
The Lot of the Skaa
this rule typically do so with house servants who are trusted to be around them
without others’ supervision. This cultural taboo and family secrecy make it almost
impossible to tell how many half-skaa children are born to noblewomen.
On occasion, an infertile nobleman obsessed with leaving a legacy convinces
his wife to use a skaa to provide an heir, typically killing the skaa man afterward
under false pretenses. A noblewoman’s pregnancy is cause for celebration; even
if there’s a slim chance a male skaa might be the father, few inside a noble family
pursue their suspicions unless the mother has been extremely indiscreet — though
Obligators are another story.
Skaa women often become trusted midwives and nannies, taking care of
noble children. There have been a few cases of these caretakers swapping skaa
children for noble children, particularly when they knew that the noble child was
actually half–skaa.
Any child of mixed blood has a chance of being born with Allomantic abili-
ties, and this is the main reason the Lord Ruler outlawed breeding a mixed child.
Still, few children born of both noble and skaa blood actually develop such abili-
ties. The term “half-skaa” applies to any child with noble and skaa parenting,
regardless of whether they’re Allomancers, Mistborn, or neither.
SKAA ALLOMANCERS
Skaa Allomancers are the rarest subgroup of half-skaa — people who not only
have not only survived the perils of noble censure before they were born, but inher-
ited the rare mystical birthright of the nobility as well. To prevent skaa from devel-
oping Allomantic abilities and overthrowing his new order, the Lord Ruler decreed
that breeding between skaa and nobles was absolutely forbidden. Yet, no amount of
laws or restriction could prevent all children of nobles and skaa from being born.
Often, simple emotions like empathy and pride often complicated the decision to
take a life (or lives). When a noblewoman was unable to bear her husband’s child,
was it so wrong to continue their line with a half-breed from one of the servants they
owned and controlled? When a wife suspected her noble husband of infidelity and
confronted his pregnant skaa lover, what was she supposed to do when the soon-to-
be mother begged her for forgiveness? The enforcement of this rule by the Ministry
is what shifted through the centuries — not the Lord Ruler’s desire to keep it.
As time passed, the genetic lines between skaa and noble blurred, meaning
the gift of Allomancy the Lord Ruler gave to his noble followers appeared more
frequently among skaa as well. But the ins and outs of Allomancy are far more
complex that even learned people in the Final Empire suspect. It is widely as-
sumed that a skaa Allomancer indicates a transgression between one of her ances-
tors and a noble somewhere back in her family line. But the fact is a skaa with
no noble parentage could be Misting or Mistborn — it’s just rare to the point
that few think it even possible. The central difference between the manifestation
of Allomantic power is how skaa and nobles discover those powers: most noble
children undergo beatings and other stressful events at some point in their lives in

an attempt to make them Snap, but no such ritual exists amongst the skaa. Skaa
The Lot of the Skaa

Allomancers typically Snap their powers through a trauma they experience during
their everyday life…the only question is whether they suffer one severe enough.
Many skaa who discover latent Allomantic abilities shun and refuse to learn
them, either because they see Allomancy as a curse or for fear for their lives.
Since many skaa know about the Mistings and Mistborn among the nobility,
most remain unaware that the child of a noble and skaa could possess such
powers — partially due to the fact that half-breeds aren’t even supposed to
exist — making it easy for skaa Allomancers to hide in their midst. Skaa with
“odd knacks” are simply thought of as blessed by the Lord Ruler, or objects of
superstition to be avoided.
Mistborn are almost completely unknown among skaa, but the few excep-
tions are often quite notable (namely, Kelsier, Zane, and Vin). No doubt some
have arisen in the past, but the likelihood of them discovering the full extent of
their abilities without the tests noble children endure was always unlikely. These
skaa Mistborn likely ended up just living out their lives as ordinary skaa, with
perhaps a few more lucky breaks, or realized they had one Allomantic ability and
didn’t pursue the issue further.
Still, a lucky few skaa Allomancers are discovered by folk sympathetic to
their plight, and given assistance in developing their abilities. Only the
most savvy skaa, often Allomancers themselves, know what to
look for, and many use networks of informants who keep
a lookout for signs of potential Allomantic talent. Few of
those who mentor skaa Allomancers do so out of pure altru-
ism; most are looking for potential recruits for thieving
crews, rebel armies, or assassins under the thumb of or-
ganized gangs. For skaa Allomancers, being used for
their supernatural abilities is just another facet of the
skaa experience.
As the Allomantic bloodlines have weakened
and its gifts spread amongst the skaa, some bold
nobles have begun to look for skaa Allomancers
for their schemes. These plots range from beating
skaa in the hopes of getting some to Snap, to ille-
gal breeding projects to try and produce Mistings
(as Straff Venture did, which ultimately sired
Zane). Any Allomancers discovered are never
reported to the Steel Ministry and instead
trained in secret, where they become in-
credibly valuable assets to their house (if
properly controlled). How these “kept”
Allomancers are treated depends on
a variety of factors, ranging from
which metal they can burn to their
lord’s plans, but all live under threat
TIN & ASH 29

of death the moment they step out of line or turn against their House. The most
The Lot of the Skaa
valuable of all skaa Allomancers would naturally be Mistborn, but they also
present a tremendous gamble to a noble house; when a half-breed skaa Mistborn
learns the true extent of her power, it’s just as likely she’ll turn on her masters
as stay in line.
SKAA IN DIFFERENT REGIONS

Since the skaa exist to provide the Final Empire’s labor, they are typically
found in three types of locales: cities, plantations, and along the canals. A skaa’s
work varies depending upon which noble owns them; depending on their house
and location, they might work as miners, house servants, artisans, merchants, and
plantation, dock, or factory workers. Gifted skaa do not go unnoticed, and nobles
often give them cushier jobs doing skilled labor or even putting them to work as
merchants or messengers working in the name of the house.
Distinct subcultures have developed in each of the main places where skaa
can be found. They are:
• Plantation Skaa: Each plantation is controlled and managed by a single no-

ble house, which relies almost entirely on skaa labor to function. Crops in the
Final Empire are brown, sickly, and require near constant maintenance, so
the vast majority of plantation skaa work the fields, though a few work in the
house serving the nobles who oversee the operation. Some plantations also
include mines, where skaa toil in the darkness underground to collect vitally
important metal ore for their masters. No matter their specific roles, planta-
tion skaa are afforded few opportunities and have little to no independence.
For more about plantation skaa, please refer to Chapter 4.
• Canal Skaa: The Final Empire’s trade relies primarily on canals which criss-
cross throughout the various dominances. Canal skaa live in shanties dotted
along the docks and banks, and can often be found pulling or piloting boats and
barges under the direction of nobles. While canal skaa have specific duties to
fulfill, as long as their section of the canal is working properly, they’re allowed
some autonomy. To read more about the canal skaa, skip to Chapter 5.
• City Skaa: The Final Empire’s cities are its engine of culture, industrial
production, and business, and city skaa are the wheels that turn the engine.
Though the typical city skaa performs menial labor, like cleaning ash from
the streets or toiling in a noble manor, they have the most freedom and least
security amongst the skaa. While most were not born in the city, having been
freed or escaped a noble’s rule, their freedom means survival is even less
assured than if they lived on a plantation. City skaa have more employment
options and work in the streets as artisans, merchants, thieves, beggars, and
more — provided they have what it takes to survive. Learn more about city
skaa in Chapter 3.

SKAA IN THE DOMINANCES
The Lot of the Skaa

Though there are three subcultures of skaa, the peasant class may be broken
up into several types, depending upon which dominance they live in. Each region
in Scadrial has its own unique flavor, and the skaa who call a particular dominance
home are often marked by their location.
CENTRAL DOMINANCE
The varied terrain, noble houses, and towering spires of Luthadel combine to
make the Central Dominance one of the more interesting (and dangerous) places
for skaa to live and work. Here, anything could happen. In addition to the city skaa,
plantation skaa work on large plots of land owned by wealthy, prominent noble
houses. Here, the canal skaa are primarily tied to a house and are only allowed to
travel between waypoints to extract or deliver cargo.
A devoutly religious skaa who leaves one of the other dominances is likely to
travel here, believing the close proximity to the Lord Ruler will bring good luck.
NORTHERN DOMINANCE
The Northern Dominance is primarily agriculture-based and its brown land-
scape is filled with large swaths of land tended carefully by plantation skaa. A few
miners, most of whom are owned by House Venture, dig deep for metals and other
goods in caves beneath clusters of rocks. The life of a miner is very similar to that
of the plantation skaa. They often keep the same hours and are rewarded similarly
— which is to say, very long hours for the bare necessities needed for survival.
The city of Urteau also lies in the Northern Dominance. This is the second
largest urban center in the Empire and the ancestral home of House Venture, the
most powerful noble house in the Final Empire. The Steel Ministry has a major
presence here, though their power is tempered by the massive influence Straff
Venture holds in the city. Because Urteau is an economic hub, many canal skaa
may be seen traveling up and down the canals to ensure goods are exported.
WESTERN DOMINANCE
This dominance claims to have built a cultural center — Tremredare —
within its rocky borders. The city is a tourist attraction for nobles who seek a
reprieve from the headaches of their rule and is surrounded by plantations of a
mediocre yield. Because of the high volume of nobility who travel here, skaa are
more tempered and a higher number of soothing stations can be found throughout
the city.
Unlike other skaa, most who live in Tremredare wear the uniforms of serv-
ants, chefs, and other workers befitting their specific station. In many ways, Trem-
redare is a fantasy for nobles and skaa alike, for the Steel Ministry’s heavy-handed
approach is muted here and murders are typically done behind the scenes. While
they still occur, blood rarely runs through the streets. In its stead is a heavily sani-
tized atmosphere with an emerging class of skaa artisans who are little more than
“pets.” These talented skaa are independently owned or sponsored by a specific
TIN & ASH 31

house and generate works of art according to the refined tastes of the nobles. Not
The Lot of the Skaa
every form of expression is allowed; word-based art forms (poetry, storytelling,

and song) are expressly forbidden.
EASTERN DOMINANCE
The landscape in this dominance is wild and untamed. Despite the harsh cli-
mate and treacherous hills, a few plantations eke out a meager living to remain
self-sufficient. Unlike other plantation skaa, those from the east are worked down
to the bone. Life expectancy is shorter and the nobles here often keep a few female
skaa in a near-constant state of pregnancy to “replace” their dwindling numbers.
The nobles on these rustic plantations are very different from those in other
dominances, primarily because they have no real power to speak of and are con-
stantly running low on resources. They turn their frustration upon the skaa they
rule, pushing them to the breaking point to reach nigh-impossible goals of pro-
duction. When (and if) the crops yield enough food, the nobles then take a much
softer approach and reward their skaa with the comforts of a normal life.
SOUTHERN DOMINANCE
Bordered by the sea and a pair of tall ashmounts, the unique geography
of the Southern Dominance yields two highly sought-after exports: Alloman-
tic metals and seafood. Plantations close to the ashmounts sprawl organically
around the mines that provide their livelihood. The expansive plantations that
stretch along the coastline specialize in fishing. Skaa here are often ordered to
fill a quota for the day. If, by the end of the day, they turn over a certain number
of fish and other sea creatures, they are allowed to make an additional catch and
keep the fish for themselves.
Because of the dominance’s relative plenty, nobility and coastal skaa are less
disparate in social standing, health, and longevity than in other dominances. The
canal skaa, who work on the many docks zigzagging across the south bringing
fresh fish and precious metals back to Luthadel at a frenetic pace, are also health-
ier than those who live elsewhere. The only exception to this trend
are the skaa who work the mines. Though the nobles feed
them well, it’s only to keep them working long hours in
unsafe conditions, far from the light of the sun.
OUTER DOMINANCES
Far away from the imperial core lie the Outer
Dominances. Life on the fringe is different with-
out the ever-present touch of the Lord Ruler
or his Ministry, but not necessarily in a good
way. Here, Obligators are replaced with koloss
hordes, and savvy politicians with rogue bandits.
In some ways, it’s more dangerous to live in any
of the Outer Dominances, primarily because pre-
dictability is a luxury and chaos is to be expected.

Though skaa generally have more freedom here, bucking the system still
The Lot of the Skaa

risks punishment from nobles, assault by roving bands of renegade skaa, or at-
tacks by koloss. What they most fear, however, is getting caught outside of shelter
in the thick mists at night, where they may fall victim to mistwraiths.
The Outer Dominances fill another role: that of depository for outcast skaa.
Some know a secret, but their masters can’t bring himself to have the skaa killed.
Others are skaa mothers of illegitimate noble children, sent here with their half-
breed offspring in tow. Still others are refugees or Allomancers, shunned or set
adrift after the destruction of their plantations or old lives, looking for a new start.
Whatever the reason, frontier skaa share a common desire to survive and
often band together in small communities to survive. These communities are less
cutthroat than those of the big cities, in large part because the Outer Dominances
have fewer resources, are more sparsely populated, and receive less support and
protection from their masters.
The nobility of the Outer Dominances more akin to petty, barbaric warlords
defending their turf than scheming, well-manicured lords and ladies who vie for
the Lord Ruler’s favor. However, the political weakness of the nobility here is
counteracted by the exceptional cruelty of local Obligators and larger number
of Steel Inquisitors than in the Inner Dominances.
Skaa live mainly in four Outer Dominances, including:
FARMOST DOMINANCE
Skaa in this isolated territory have rights unheard of elsewhere in the realm.
Here, frontier skaa may participate in the bounty of a house and can own land or
be granted a noble title. Newly-ordained skaa nobles are loyal to their previous
masters and protect their former way of life. Often, these higher-ranking skaa are
whispered about and held up as examples of the fruits to be reaped by obedience.
SOUTHERN ISLANDS
Turbulent, stormy seas aren’t the only reason why nobles fear sailing through
the islands. Skaa pirates harry seabound merchants and fishermen ply their trade
in the region, plundering ther ships for spices, food, and metals. Some more crea-
tive corsairs have modified their ships to resemble a monsters or mistwraiths,
providing ripe fodder for stories that strike terror into the hearts of peasant and
noble alike. Many of these raiding ships have been altered to sail in the midst with
enclosed compartments smeared with sealant, a plant byproduct akin to tree sap,
to prevent the mist from entering the decks below.
REMOTE DOMINANCE
There is a place in the world considered worse than the Pits of Hathsin. Here,
the region is so wild and unruly nobles can barely maintain their dilapidated es-
tates, much less protect their skaa charges. Between the mistwraiths, koloss, and
untamed creatures, most skaa are lucky to survive their first year. Skaa sent here
fetch a low value and range from refugees to self-proclaimed liberators.
TIN & ASH 33

CRESCENT DOMINANCE
The Lot of the Skaa
Few call the easternmost edge of the Empire “home.” A barren wasteland,
the sands in this dominance are primarily occupied by scores of nomadic skaa
tribes. The few outsiders who come are often fugitive skaa feeling persecution
or noble masters in the interior, and bandits whose brutal predation rivals that of
the koloss that wonder through from time to time.
KHALFI, THE HIDDEN CITY

Khalfi is one of the most unusual places in the Final Empire, for it is one of
the few communities that has developed naturally and outside the Lord Ruler’s
reach and rules. Much smaller than its grandiose name suggests, “The Hidden
City” is a village of freeborn and runaway skaa located on the eastern edge of
the Remote Dominance. The community is run by a fierce skaa leader known as
“Fell,” who’s rumored to have Allomantic abilities. Not much is known about this
scarred, enigmatic figure other than the fact his judgment is fair, and that he does
not hesitate to slice the throat of a thief or noble he catches inside the city.
Khalfi has plentiful natural resources which attract skaa from all over the
dominance. Outside the dominances, its reputation has become even greater; ru-
mors that a prosperous free city, laden with fresh food and water can be heard as
far away as the Farmost Dominance. But with the relatively abundant food and
water that sustains the village, Khalfi is in a precarious spot. There’s no way to
import materials in sufficient quantities without attracting attention to the village,
and even a single year of drought could upend the community’s precious food
and water.
The shadow that looms largest over Khalfi, however, is the fear of discovery.
How does it remain hidden, despite its growing reputation? No one seems to know
how the village evades the notice of the Steel Ministry, and, despite the furious.
rumors among the small population, they’re not about to ask. They know only that
they must keep this secret at all costs, and that Fell says doing so will guarantee
their continued freedom.
Getting to Khalfi is what prevents the city’s population from exploding; the
route is treacherous and many traps are laid along the way. Once travelers reach
the Hidden City, most stay — provided they can stomach frontier life. There are
few forms of entertainment and plenty of work to do; whether hunting, cleaning the
catch, maintaining the walls, or tailoring clothes, life here is busy but rewarding.
To learn how to gain the Citizens of Khalfi as a Network, see page 93.

3
CITY SKAA
The enduring image of skaa in the Final Empire is that of the country rube,
toiling endlessly in the fields, living a life one step better than livestock. While
these are stereotypes are grossly inaccurate for plantation skaa, they bear no re-
semblance to the lives of skaa who live in great cities like Luthadel, Fadrex City,
and Urteau. While a city skaa’s lot is not necessarily better than those on the
plantation, it is certainly different.
The mills and factories of Luthadel are full of skaa workers, engaged in
mindless repetitive tasks for hours on end and often worked until they are ready
to collapse. Streets and civic projects depend upon skaa labor for menial mainte-
nance tasks overseen by noble houses. The manors of the houses themselves are
staffed by skaa who cook, clean, and tend to the immediate needs of their masters.
Most country skaa work on plantations, where they have just one noble family
to deal with, but the cities contain numerous noble families, and with them comes
endless (and often deadly) political jockeying. The skaa often find themselves in the
middle of such power plays, trapped between the house that “owns” them and a ri-
val house sees them as just another resource to attacked or destroyed in order to hurt
their rivals. No one would dream of touching a rural nobleman’s skaa, but in the cit-
ies any number of nobles can kidnap or kill a rival house’s for any possible reason.
In many ways, the life of a city skaa is a far more precarious existence. Abuse
from both inside and outside the houses runs rampant, to the point where some
skaa are killed by nobles in a fit of pique with no consequence. Rampant poverty
and blighted slums have given rise to a thriving criminal underworld, where skaa
are just as likely to be the target as the nobles who oppress them. Pollution from
ash, overpopulation, hunger, and disease only adds to the urban skaa’s plight.
Only two routes of escape exist for most skaa. The first is to better one’s sta-
tion by apprenticing as an artisan or merchant. Demand for luxury goods such as
furniture, carriages, and even works of art is quite high in the cities, and a talented
skaa may be able to parlay that skill into a somewhat more comfortable position
for him and his family.
The other option is much more dangerous, but carries potential for greater
rewards: joining a thieving crew. Thieving crews and underworld criminals give
City Skaa
disgruntled skaa a chance to get their hands on the wealth and comforts the nobil-
ity and Steel Ministry deny them. Theives’ lifespans are often notoriously short,
but most would prefer a quick and violent demise to the death by inches that their
“legitimate” brethren suffer.
This section covers the lot of city skaa: their lives, their jobs, and the ways
that a precious few buck the system.
CITY LIFE
Like their country brethren, skaa in the city live beholden to their noble
masters. Almost all skaa are born under the auspices of a noble house, and that
house controls every aspect of their life, from the cradle to the grave. Most
skaa begin work very young, laboring in whatever hideous sweatshops their
masters chose for them until their deaths. Skaa children are set to work perform-
ing menial tasks like sewing or cleaning small pieces of factory equipment too
small for adults to reach. From there, they “graduate” to more intensive labors:
working mills, ceramics factories, street details, or in similar harsh locations
until they are no longer deemed useful. Skaa on noble estates have it somewhat
easier, but only just. The array of cooks, gardeners, maids, and other servants
must rise at dawn, working their fingers to the bone keeping their lords fed and
their homes clean.
Most city skaa work from sunup to sundown with only a few brief breaks in
between. Many canneries and workshops maintain late shifts where more skaa
continue to labor well into the night, increasing productivity at the expense of the
workers’ health. Skaa who work late hours typically sleep inside these businesses
to avoid going out into the mists at the end of their shift.
Though skaa do not, by in large, own any property or money, most noble
houses use a system where workers earn tokens they can exchange for food, cloth-
ing, and necessities at company stores or communal kitchens. Skaa who do not
work receive no token, and thus do not eat that day. Possessing forged or stolen
tokens is grounds for execution. The token system keeps the skaa living hand to
mouth, breaking their backs in hard labor or waiting on the noble houses hand and
foot every day simply to survive.
A few skaa earn actual pay for their work, especially skilled laborers whose
work is coveted by the nobility. Artisans, soldiers on active duty, and merchants
all get paid in coin so they have an incentive to do better work.
City skaa can roughly be broken down into the following categories:

FACTORY WORKERS
The vast bulk of city skaa are factory workers: the skaa who toil in mills,
warehouses, foundries, and stables in order to keep goods and products flowing
throughout the Empire. Cities are the hub where raw goods brought in via road
or canal are manufactured into more sophisticated wares, grain and livestock are
made into food, and warehouses store the means to feed and arm the Lord Ruler’s
armies. Producing all these goods requires a tremendous amount of manual la-
City Skaa
bor— industrial machinery is limited — which means thousands upon thousands
of skaa labor within the blackened stone walls of city factories.
Nobles own every factory, warehouse, and industrial complex, and the skaa
who work there. Each owner decides how many hours their skaa have to work,
how much “pay” they receive, and what their working
conditions are like. There are no set labor laws or
protections in place, so some factory skaa have it
better than others, with extra food, shorter hours,
and a more humane working environment. This
disparity serves as the basis of the skaa economy,
as “lucky” factory workers can secretly exchange
their extra resources to less fortunate skaa to pro-
cure favors or rare goods (for more on that, see
“Black Markets,” page 46).
The life of a factory skaa is largely bleak and
filled with drudgery. Each skaa usually has one spe-
cialized task to perform, typically something mind
numbing and physically exhausting. As they grow
older, skaa children are often set to work at the
same tasks as their parents, creating strange family
“traditions” that often lead to de facto surnames like
“Stamper” or “Canner.”
There is some room for “advancement” within
the factories. Senior skaa often act as foremen or
managers, accepting less physically arduous tasks in
exchange for overseeing their fellows and ensuring
the factory’s quotas get met. In rare cases, they act as
respected representatives for their fellows, who can
lobby their noble masters for better working conditions
and protect the skaa from the worst abuses. But more
often they’re viewed as simpering toadies who have
sold out their kind. Such skaa are often targets for the
seething anger that occasionally bubbles to the surface
of the skaa community. One can’t attack a noble, but a
fellow skaa? Accidents happen all the time, and no one
would raise an eyebrow if a hated foreman fell victim
to a hazard in the factory floor. Beside, there’s al-
ways a replacement standing by…
TIN & ASH 37

SKAA HEROES IN THE CITY
When building a skaa Hero from a city, you’ll most likely be creating a mem-
ber of a thieving crew, since they have the most autonomy and skills. Still, your
Hero likely has friends, allies, and contacts among the other groups of skaa work-
City Skaa
ers within the city. These might be people she knew before she became a thief,
grateful skaa she helped out in the course of a heist, or contacts inside noble
houses who sell her information. Consider different areas of the city and the skaa
your Hero might know there. Is she a legend among certain skaa? Did she mess
up big-time in front of others and gain a bad reputation? Who has benefited
from her previous exploits, and who might have suffered?
Alternatively, you might want to make a Hero without a great deal of ex-
perience. She might have just escaped from a noble house, gotten pulled into
a criminal plot against her will, or be too young to have learned many skills yet.
In these cases, consider the different jobs for skaa when determining her back-
grounds and traits. How might one of these jobs shaped her? Would it have
made her tougher? Did it require a keen intellect? Does your Hero have an ear
to the ground from being around people? Is she more of a heavy lifter looking
to other people to call the shots? These considerations may add a whole new
dimension to your character’s concept and make her that much richer and more
interesting to play.
STREET WORKERS
Street workers perform the numerous necessary duties required to keep a
city functioning. They repair walls, sweep walkways, maintain the canal system,
perform dangerous work in the sewers, and handle any of the countless other tasks
dictated by the city’s controllers. Like their factory worker brethren, they serve at
the behest of a specific noble family, who determines which task each skaa per-
forms. Exactly which tasks these skaa perform depend upon which maintenance
contracts the family holds with the city, and how much funding is offered from
the city’s budget (gained through the taxation of the aristocracy and controlled by
the governing council).
The skaa, of course, receive none of those funds. Instead, they perform their
assigned duties under the watchful eye of the city’s guards: maintaining the road-
ways, public buildings, and similar locales in the name of the Lord Ruler. Their
work is often marginally easier than that of a factory skaa, with the added benefit
of working outdoors and stopping work once the sun goes down. On the other
hand, because they have the capacity for more mischief, they are monitored much
more closely, and face far more severe punishments for their transgressions.
This access to the public gives many street workers possess precious knowl-
edge that few others will ever have. Sewer workers discover long-forgotten pas-
sages leading under the city’s walls. Canal workers spot hidden openings just

above the water lines. Masons know the weak points in city walls or blind spots
where guards cannot see. The smartest street workers can parlay these details into
added benefits, often acting as silent partners for smugglers and other criminals
who could not operate without such secret byways.
MANOR WORKERS
Manor workers are employed in the homes and estates of the nobility, and
City Skaa
fulfill most of the duties one would expect at such a locale. A noble family’s
cooks, cleaning servants, gardeners… almost all come from the ranks of skaa.
Most nobles prefer to use Terris stewards for the most important positions, such as
teachers or personal attendants, but every now and then one may find a
skaa holding a position of true influence within a noble house-
hold, such as majordomos, accountants, groundskeepers,
head chefs, and so on. These “trustworthy” skaa often granted
control over a number of skaa underlings and charged with
directing the affairs of their fellows. Like factory foremen,
they can either parlay this into better circumstances
for all skaa beneath them… or survive the barely
contained resentment other skaa hold toward such
privileged positions.
Depending on the family, “noble” skaa of-
ten demonstrate a certain pride in their household.
Many of them would willingly die for the aristocrats
who exploit them so readily… and often do when
house politicking spills out into open conflict. Others
accept their lot as best they can, submitting to abuse
and quietly thanking the Lord Ruler that they’re not
stuck in the factories or streets.
Despite the close proximity of manor skaa to their
masters, horrific abuses sometimes occur. House Damdrel
ritually cuts out the tongues of their skaa so they would
never presume to speak out of turn. House Sesper keeps
theirs chained in a filthy stable when they’re not work-
ing. Most nobles, however, want their “house skaa” to
be presentable, and take steps to ensure their physical
(if not emotional) placidity. While it’s never pleasant,
but in a hopeless world, the lot of manor workers is
more than many can hope for.
Manor workers appear far more often in
large cities like Luthadel, whose grand es-
tates have ample room to house their servants
on-site. These estates often resemble self-con-
tained communities on their own, containing
scores of skaa with their own assigned social posi-
tions. Many of them spend their entire lives within
TIN & ASH 39

the manor walls, since the skaa are forbidden from leaving except at the behest of
their master. Within these mini-fiefdoms, skaa workers jockey for their lords’ fa-
vor, hoping to earn better food, better housing, and lighter workloads in exchange
for their loyalty.
Estates in smaller cities tend to look much different, since the lords have less
wealth and their estates offer fewer comforts. It’s more common for manor work-
ers to live in the slums rather than on the estate, making their way to work each
City Skaa
morning and returning just before sunset. Manor workers in these communities
tend to be much more insular and united than those of the big city, since their
numbers are smaller and conflicts within their ranks draw more attention. Accord-
ingly, manor workers in smaller cities display fewer differences from other skaa:
they’re typically cleaner and better dressed, but rarely put on airs the way their
big-city counterparts do.
ARTISANS
The arts are the purview of the nobility, but craftsmanship is often considered
too base for their refined sensibilities. Consequently, the nobility rely on a tiny
handful of skaa to perform those duties: creating exquisite furniture, clothing,
glassware, carriages, and the like. This small but vital class is the crux of some of
the greatest tensions between skaa and noble.
Artisan skaa for the most part occupy a social and legal grey area. Legally, an
artisan skaa cannot own property, and his or her noble master claims any profits
made from their works — but many artisans effectively own their workshops
without noble oversight. Consequently, many artisans operate their workshops as
elaborate fronts, with elaborate cover stories of working for an obscure noble to
avoid trouble with the law. They disappear in the rare times Obligators come by
for inspections, or — thanks to their impressive income — offer up large enough
bribes that the Obligators find everything in order. This arrangement allows arti-
san skaa to enjoy wealth and privileges undreamed of by their fellows: a private
living space, room to hone their craft, and even a few luxury items of their own. In
some cases, they even get the ability to develop their own creative voice.
Naturally, such privileges come with a price. Many nobles resent artisan skaa
for their “presumptiveness” and shackle them with restrictive demands on the
quality and type of materials used in their contracted goods. Other skaa, for their
part, often resent artisans who clearly cooperate with their oppressors. Artisans
walk a careful tightrope of appeasing the nobility while keeping good relations
with their fellow skaa — often by sharing food and other bounties afforded by
their privileged with their community.
An artisan’s status also affords them the freedom to (quietly) assist those who
resist the Final Empire. Their workshops provide the means for them to transport
both goods, or to smuggle contraband or fugitives into and out of cities. Their
increased freedom allows them to move about the city more openly, carrying with
them messages or black market goods to places normal skaa can’t go. And in a
few cases, they can use their craftsmanship to help their fellow skaa, either by do-
nating inferior creations or using the profits to alleviate the misery around them.

CRIMINALS
No life presents greater risks — or promises of reward — for a skaa than
that of a criminal. But one is not simply born a criminal; it is a life that often
begins when a skaa flees his or her masters. Technically, the very act of shirking
traditional skaa duties is a criminal act, for in doing so the skaa defies the Lord
ruler’s edicts in pursuit of their own “selfish” desires. Clever skaa runaways use
elaborate schemes, such as obtaining false identity papers or paying someone to
City Skaa
“stand in” for them at their normally assigned posts, while ohers simply sneak
away, since few nobles notice when one skaa disappears.
Once out on their own, without the patronage or “protection” of a noble
house, the escaped skaa must find new ways of surviving. Theft, robbery, and
violence soon follow, and from there “crime” transforms from a necessity to a
lifestyle. Most skaa criminals specialize in robbery or burglary, though a few of
the more daring ones dabble in smuggled goods, blackmail, prostitution, and even
low-level racketeering in areas where the law is more lax.
Unfortunately for most, the criminal lifestyle is often short, and most are
quickly caught and executed early in their careers. However, a cunning few man-
age to survive and thrive outside the bounds of the Lord Ruler’s society, often
by banding together into thieving crews. These crews use their numbers and
shared expertise to stay alive when others can’t. They typically hide out within
the shadows of skaa slums, taking over abandoned dwellings and blending with
the throngs of city-born skaa that pack the streets.
Life on a thieving crew is a constant game of cat and mouse between the
crew, the Steel Ministry and noble houses, where the likely outcome is a swift and
bloody death. Obligators and house guards are on perpetual watch for crew activ-
ity, and Obligators act swiftly and fiercely to bring them down. Successful skaa
criminals are very good at picking up stakes on a moment’s notice.
Though most skaa criminals do what they do for purely self-serving rea-
sons — better to live a short, exciting life than one under the boot of their
overlords — such rebellious acts are also essentially
political. By writing their own fate,
criminals deny the nobility a “sov-
ereign right,” and thus become dis-
sidents by default. More than a few
skaa criminals view their profession as
the only form of defiance available to
their kind, and use their operations to
disrupt the rule of the nobility (in
addition to lining their pockets).
The line between practical survi-
vor and political revolution-
ary grows very blurry at
times, and many criminals
honestly couldn’t tell you
which side they fall on.
TIN & ASH 41

PROSTITUTES
Sex work is also a means of survival for some skaa. A few do so of their
own choice, finding it one of the few ways to earn a living without commit-
ting violence; others are unable to perform the rigorous labor required of the
factories, and must feed themselves without the tokens of their masters. Inde-
pendent prostitution doesn’t pay well, and most can’t afford to be picky about
their clients if they want to be able to feed and clothe themselves. Some pros-
City Skaa
titutes might band together, but typically the competition is too high, particu-
larly when factoring in the popular — and disgusting — whorehouses run by
ruthless whoremasters.
The vast majority of prostitutes are women who work in whorehouses, most
of whom are abductees sold into the trade. This system is cruel, exploiting the
most helpless women — sometimes, even fallen noblewomen (though even here,
noblewomen are kept separate from their skaa “inferiors”). Many whoremasters
are nobles of low station (especially in cities outside Luthadel), but others are
enterprising and cruel skaa with deep ties to the criminal underworld. See page 66
for more information on trafficking among skaa criminals.
Prostitution is not precisely legal in the Final Empire, but whoremasters usu-
ally get a pass from the Obligators provided they follow the normal laws against
skaa and nobles reproducing. This means prostitutes can service wealthier skaa
with no legal complications, but nobles present a trickier problem. Whoremasters
often charge their patrons for the service of murdering the skaa woman after the
act, keeping the nobility of the customer a secret from the prostitute herself. Often
the whoremasters simply pocket the extra fee and relocate the woman to another
whorehouse or trade her to another whoremaster. Alternatively, a whoremaster
might kill off his skaa prostitutes from time to time to keep the Inquisitors from
coming down on him. A prostitute working on her own doesn’t get this same
amount of leeway from the Obligators. If she doesn’t keep her work and identity
secret, she’s often flirting with death.
BEGGARS
Some nobles — either out of a sense of mercy or because they simply can’t
be bothered — don’t kill a skaa who is no longer able to work. Instead, they cast
him out, trusting the harsh world to finish him off. But skaa are tougher and more
resourceful than many nobles give them credit for. Those without means often
turn to begging, exposing their frailties and suffering on the street in the hopes
of mercy from passersby. Begging may be ignoble, but it can be enough to sur-
vive… and in truth, it’s often no worse than the lot of skaa in any other position.
Nobles and officials often leave beggars alone provided they don’t make a
nuisance of themselves, making them effectively invisible to those in power. This
makes beggars useful assets to thieves and other criminals, who employ them as
inconspicuous lookouts and go-betweens to avoid drawing attention to their activ-
ities. Large criminal crews often have at least a few beggars on their payrolls, and
the more ruthless organizations deliberately maim or injure their own members to
help them blend in with beggars on the street.

Beggars themselves often compete with each
other for prime street space, and gangs of beg-
gars sometimes clash over control of given
neighborhoods or thoroughfares. These battles
can become deadly — it’s amazing how loss
of a limb can hone one’s survival instinct — and
the authorities rarely intervene since no one cares
City Skaa
about one less vagrant on the streets. Beggars
tend to survive either by allying with a larger
group or exploiting the pity of others. Either
way, life on the streets remains a precarious ex-
istence, but even at the very bottom of the Final
Empire, everyone knows death needs no excuse
to claim another soul.
SKAA SLUMS
Unless they work directly on noble es-
tates, city skaa must dwell in one of the nu-
merous districts specifically set aside for them.
These crowded slums set new standards for
squalor, overcrowding, and hopelessness. Noble
landlords have carte blanche to cram as many
occupants into their buildings as they choose,
and since skaa are forbidden from owning prop-
erty, the residents have no legal alternatives.
Communal houses dominate the slums,
most barely serviceable tenements rising up
to eight or nine stories and each packed with
skaa living in appalling conditions. Each
room contains dozens of residents, who share
common cooking and cleaning areas — and
even sleep in hard bunk beds with three or four
of their fellows. A few of the oldest skaa may have
a private bed or even a private room if they command enough respect. Artisans,
too, gain some modicum of privacy by using their workshops as living and sleep-
ing quarters when possible. What little space might be left is often carved out as
safehouses for thieving crews who use the crowds and squalor to provide cover
for their illicit activities.
Naturally, tensions often reach the breaking point in such conditions. Theft
and violence take place nightly on every block of a given skaa slum, often with
no more motivation that someone looking at the perpetrator the wrong way. The
nobles rarely raise an eyebrow at such incidents, save when it interferes with work
in the factories. There are always more skaa, after all, and one expects little from
such animals.
TIN & ASH 43

THIEVING CREW DENS
Skaa thieving crews are made up of bold or desperate skaa (and a typical
crew has some of both) who look for ways to survive by taking from the nobles,
Obligators, and sometimes other skaa (for more information on thieving crews,
see “the Skaa Underground” on page 63). Most thieving crews are based in the
skaa slums, where they can hid in plain sight, secured with a combination of ano-
City Skaa
nymity, intimidation, and gall.

A thieving crew den needs several things in order to function. The first is a
guarantee of privacy which allows them to operate without drawing attention. Con-
sequently, most dens are built in basements, attics, or entire buildings that other
skaa can’t or won’t enter (such as those believe to be haunted or scenes of great or
gruesome tragedy). Windowless spaces with stout doors are particularly coveted.
Secondly, a good thieving den also requires an easy method of escape. When
the Obligators arrive — and it’s usually only a matter of time before they do —
the crews must bolt quickly and with as little noise as possible. Access to a nearby
roof, a sewer entrance, or an inconspicuous opening in the wall can work — so
long as only the crewmembers know about it.
Hidden caches to hid weapons, equipment, and loot are also highly prized in
thieving dens. Smart thieving crews can make their own hidey-holes, arranging
open spaces underneath flooring, hidden cabinets in walls and ceilings, and simi-
lar places which will be easily overlooked. In this pursuit access to a sympathetic
artisan can work wonders, for they can add secret panels and storage spaces in
otherwise innocuous pieces of furniture.
Finally, a thieving den needs to have room to house all of its members in
comparative comfort, ideally for an indeterminate length of time. If a crew needs
to lie low for a while, the den will need to have on hand supplies of food, ample
water, and enough distractions to keep from going stir crazy. Many thieving dens
are placed near (or in) shabby taverns, food storage facilities, and even slaughter-
houses for just these reasons.
But most importantly, a thieving den needs to be innocuous. It can’t stand out
in any way, and ideally should have a mundane activity attached to it (much as
Clubs’ workshop, which acted as a safe house for Kelsier’s crew). The fewer eyes
on a thieving den, the better, and as every good crew knows, the minute they do
draw attention, the time has come to move.
SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS

City skaa have one potent weapon in their efforts to make life more bear-
able: anonymity. Few nobles bother to keep track of every shuffling worker who
passes in and out of their gates, and fewer still can differentiate between one
skaa and the next. That allows canny or well-off skaa to essentially fall through
the cracks, freeing them to make what living for themselves that they can. Over
the course of a thousand years, a surprisingly large number of skaa have pulled
this trick off.

CITY ADVENTURES
In many ways, the city is the archetypal location for a Mistborn adventure.
With the dense population and the numerous schemes constantly underway,
cities offer new opportunities and danger around every corner. In the city, with
City Skaa
the massive criminal, political, and economic players, there’s plenty of jobs for
an enterprising Crew to get into, but it’s also more difficult to create positive
change. For urban Crews, pulling off a job against a urban noble house requires
far more effort, preparation, and luck, and creates much more intense heat from
the Steel Ministry — but most think the reward is well worth the risk.
No discussion of urban Mistborn adventures is complete without address-
ing Luthadel. It is the heart and soul of the Final Empire, ruled by the schemes
and whims of the cosmopolitan Great Houses, policed by the most powerful
members of the Steel Ministry, and populated by diverse skaa trying to get by in
the long shadow of the Lord Ruler’s palace of Kredik Shaw. It’s a city of spectacle,
but this spectacle contrasts sharply with the desperation and destitution of most
skaa who live there. The skaa fill the streets, pack into communal housing, and
beg for scraps from their noble masters. One look at the true face of Luthadel
makes it easy to see why skaa join thieving crews.
Moving your adventures to new cities can make for even more exciting ad-
ventures. The dry canals of Urteau or the rock formations around Fadrex City give
them a distinct aesthetic from the packed cobblestone streets of Luthadel. Look
for similar ways to differentiate these new cities from the capital; since Luthadel
is the most defined city from the books, other cities need iconic and interesting
features of their own to stand out in players’ minds.
Also, consider how location and distance from Luthadel changes the life
of the city and its inhabitants. For instance, in cities of the Eastern Dominance,
the patter of Eastern street slang echoes among the skaa in the streets, while in
the Southern Dominance, the skaa learn boating and fishing skills and are bet-
ter nourished thanks to the plenty of the land. Start by cribbing notes from the
descriptions of the dominances beginning on page 29 of the Mistborn Adventure
Game, and use them to make these new locales all your group’s own!
Some skaa plan such escapes for years, searching tirelessly for word of safe
haven or building relationships that might help them slip free. In other cases, a
skaa finds himself on the run quite suddenly, usually with either noble guards or a
disgruntled fellow skaa in pursuit. If a fugitive skaa is smart or lucky, they simply
disappear without a trace, reemerging elsewhere in the city without anyone on
their trail hoping to drag them back to their former lives.
Most escaped skaa come from the plantations, but nearly all end up in the
Final Empire’s largest cities, since cities provide the anonymity that most rural
estates lack. Such skaa drift into the slums, looking for what shelter they can, and
TIN & ASH 45

positions at the factories or millhouses who don’t ask proper bona
fides from a noble house. Most do anything to show that they “be-
long” in the city, making them easy marks for the less-scrupulous
amongst their urban brethren.
Even once they’re established, fugitive skaa must remain
constantly vigilant against identification by the Steel Ministry (and,
in the most infamous cases, the Steel Inquisitors themselves). The Min-
City Skaa
istry takes a…dim view of skaa who shirk their duties, and makes
an example of them whenever they are caught. To reduce
their chances of being found out, escapees form pacts
with fellow skaa who shelter them, offering vital ser-
vices (such as protection from local goons, their skills
as a craftsperson, or scrounging for needed supplies) in
exchange for their hosts’ tolerance and silence. Others
join thieving crews or other underworld organizations,
which are willing to offer save haven so long as the
escapee has useful skills to offer. These arrangements
are by necessity long term, since Obligators never
stop searching, and almost no skaa can afford to bribe
their way to look the other way.
Skaa who slip through the cracks are cautious
almost to the point of paranoia, lest they be identi-
fied and returned to their former lives (or more likely
killed). Many of them develop elaborate backstories
to explain their freedom, such as working as a messen-
ger for their house or being freed by a liberal lord. Oth-
ers simply become adept at fading into the background
through disguise or misdirection. Most free skaa be-
come adept at moving from one spot to another, never
staying put long enough to be caught. This makes fugi-
tive skaa excellent candidates for recruitment by thiev-
ing crews, who value both their skills and desperation to
avoid capture (which is leveraged against the fugitive
as needed).
BLACK MARKETS
Generally speaking, nobles only give skaa the bar minimum they need to sur-
vive: a few scraps of clothing, food tokens for hard bread and greasy stew, harsh
soaps for washing and simple utensils for eating. But even skaa aspire to have more
in their lives, and to get these “luxury items,” they turn to the black market. Every
city in the Empire has a thriving black market, where skaa seek a few small com-
forts at the risk of arrest or death.
Since skaa rarely have more than a clip or two to their name, most black
markets also accept food tokens and barter. Barter comes in two forms: an offer

to provide a specific service (such as informing on activities in a factory) or trade
of one’s meager possessions (such as giving up bunk space in a tenement house).
Services are exchanged far more often than goods, a fact that the criminal under-
world leverages to turn many customers of the black markets into informants,
mules, and cut-outs in their enterprises.
The most popular contraband in the black market are perishable goods, since
they are easily concealed, and can be quickly consumed and disposed of. Fruits
City Skaa
and baked sweets are especially coveted, particularly by those who have spent a
lifetime eating crusty bread and flavorless mush every day. Alcohol, perfume, and
hallucinogenic fungus are popular, though far more dangerous to possess, since
their effects are harder to hide.
Durable goods, on the other hand, present a problem. Fine clothes, furni-
ture, and books stand out in skaa slums, drawing unwanted jealousy and atten-
tion, so owners of such goods tend to keep them well hidden and share them
only with trusted friends and colleagues. Clever skaa learn to disguise their
treasures with chipped paint, grime and filth, rendering them indistinguishable
from permitted items.
The most dangerous and expensive contraband is that which directly threat-
ens the Final Empire: weapons; large sums of money; purified Allomantic met-
als; and forbidden books. Possession of any of these items is ogrounds for ex-
ecution in most districts, since only skaa who are actively plotting rebellion,
illegally practicing Allomancy, seeking to escape, or a planning for an assas-
sination of a noble or rival could have need for such items.
The demand for black market goods has led to the development of elabo-
rate smuggling networks, overseen by underworld crews. These crews pressure
servants in noble estates, bribe bakers and vintners, and hire street urchins to
beg, borrow, and steal items that can be fixed up and resold on the black market.
Smuggling and theft are a dangerous business, but the rewards can be great for
those willing to risk it to bring themselves a little comfort. Many Obligators
are keenly aware of this underground economy, but most are willing to look the
other way if doing so eases tensions in the skaa community and prevents more
serious social unrest.
EASTERN STREET SLANG

Skaa living in different parts of the Final Empire often develop regional cul-
tures, dialects, and lifestyles that distinguish them from their peers. Nowhere is
this more apparent than in the street slang practiced by the gangs in the eastern
cities. These criminal crews needed a way of communicating that no outsiders
could understand, and so developed a “street slang” based on their local dialect to
perplex Eastern nobles and authorities. Their creation has succeeded beyond their
wildest dreams, and is spoken in cities throughout the Final Empire. Speaking
street slang invariably marks one as a skaa — nobles would never stoop to using
it — but allows skaa to speak with each other without fear of being overheard,
even in the confines of a noble estate or a Ministry prison.
TIN & ASH 47

Eastern street slang conveys only the most important nuggets of information,
contorting the syntax and grammar of the common tongue to confuse listeners.
For example, “–ing” is added to every verb and the subject is often eliminated
entirely; thus, “Wasing the wanting of knowing” means “I want to know,” while
“John wasing the needing of the watching” means “John needs to see.”
Sentences in street slang don’t follow a strict structure. The important words
can appear in any order, and are then peppered with enough prepositions to link
City Skaa
them together into something resembling a sentence. “Of the wine the cup with
the filling,” “Wasing the filling of the cup with the wine,” and “In the cup with the
wine wasing the filling” could all mean “I filled my cup with wine.”
To convey negatives, the speaker uses the words “not” or “notting” rather
than words that convey a lack or absence. For instance, “in the cupboard with the
notting of the being” is a way to say “missing from the cupboard.”
Rather than embellishing a phrase with descriptive adjectives, slang speakers
incorporate nonsense words — verbal red herrings to make those who don’t know
Eastern street slang interpret the meaning incorrectly. Likewise, nicknames and
euphemisms often take the place of more direct references to people, places, or
times. Interpreting this slang requires the listener to mentally cutting through the
verbal chaff to find the kernel of information within.
While boggling for most who hear it, street slang remains an intriguing and
strangely beautiful invention. The poetry of this dialect comes not from clarity
and evocative language, but from syncopation and the beauty of a convoluted and
perplexing turn of phrase.
EXAMPLES OF EASTERN STREET SLANG

Wasing the where of needing! I need help!
Wasing the run of there. I was running to that place.
Wasing the finding the place of the thing. I found the place.
Breaking the coding that in the writing. We’re breaking the code.
Notting as the now. Not anymore.
Looking in the nobled styling, in the street Disguised as a noble, but talking like a skaa.
styling speeching.

4
PLANTATION SKAA
Most plantation skaa, also known as rural skaa, are little more than slaves
who spend most of their time toiling endlessly in ash-strewn and brown fields out-
side the cities. Despite their hunched bodies, they are the backbone of the Empire,
for it is the literal fruits of their labor that feed its citizenry, noble and skaa alike.
Plantation skaa massively outnumber their noble masters — sometimes, as
much as 50 to one — but as a group they suffer worse treatment and are less likely
to rebel than their urban cousins. Many rural nobles take advantage of infrequent
visits by Obligators to mistreat their skaa with impunity. Most plantation skaa live
in constant fear that they’ll be sold, traded, beaten, or killed for even minor trans-
gressions like wiping a tear from a child’s face or scratching one’s back without
the overseer’s leave. Even when word of great cruelty reaches the Obligators,
nothing is done unless the nobles operating the plantation fail to deliver enough
food. In the end, results are everything, and the plight of the skaa matters less than
the ledgers to those with authority.
Beyond fear and abuse, a lack of education also keeps skaa on the planta-
tion from living fuller lives. Though skaa don’t receive formal education, the
skaa of the cities develop amount of street smarts, learn the basics of a trade
through their work, and are exposed to many more different people and situa-
tions than those on the plantation. Plantation skaa are insulated almost entirely
from the outside world, so superstition runs rampant and worship of the Lord
Ruler is almost uncontested.
The typical day on a plantation is monotonous and grueling. Most skaa be-
gin their days at daybreak, toiling in the withered fields and hardened earth. It is
thankless, backbreaking work trying to coax the stunted brown plants from the
ground, and each harvest yields less and less. Low yields do not change the mas-
ters’ quotas, however, so each year of dwindling returns also comes with longer
hours and greater brutality from the overseers.
The few that work in the house are charged with keeping the estate and its
residents clean, fed, and happy. While this may seem a plum assignment com-
pared to working the fields, the traditional lifestyle of a noble house simply isn’t
Plantation Skaa
sustainable given the resources of the plantation, and it is up to the house skaa to
maintain the illusion of wealth and plenty no matter what. When the façade fails,
as it inevitably does, the blame (and often the lash) often falls on the servants.
These factors contribute to a general malaise amongst plantation skaa, who
have good reason not to hope for their future. To escape means a skaa must out into
the barren wilderness alone, unequipped and ignorant of the ways of the world.
Nobles pursue fugitives and often catch them easily, for they have no easy hiding
places or networks of friends to shelter them as they might in a populated city. Those
who are caught are typically beaten within an inch of their lives, if not killed, as an
example to others. In their world, a skaa can’t look out and see other skaa who own
their own businesses, learn crafts, ply trades, or have a little
family of their own; all they see is the plantation.
The harsh life of the plantation means most
skaa living there focus on basic survival. Sim-
ple things like being able to read, wearing clean
clothes, getting a full night’s sleep — these are
luxuries that only the nobility or city skaa can
afford. Still, that doesn’t prevent plantation skaa
from banding together and helping each other
when they can. On most plantations, the skaa have
a de facto community leader. Usually one of the
older skaa, this leader sees to disputes and personal
matters among the skaa, but doesn’t attempt to deal
with the nobility in most cases (for more about skaa
leaders, see page 24).
ESCAPE
Despite the lack of fences or guards, escape from
a plantation can be a lot more difficult than it seems.
Overseers keep careful watch on the skaa in the field
to make sure none try to sneak away, and hovels
are typically locked at night to prevent skaa from
wandering off in the night. When a skaa does
run, she must decide which she’d rather risk:
travel by day risks capture by the overseers;
travel by night, the dangers of the mist.
Once the skaa escapes the atten-
tions of his or her masters, they then

must face the dangers of the wild. The barren landscape is baked by the intense
rays of the sun, especially in the Outer Dominances, and traveling the ash-covered
landscape is akin to slogging through loose snowpack. The ashfall also chokes out
plants and springs with soot and mud, making food and water hard to come by.
Bandits, wild animals, and mistwraiths also wander the wastes, and a half-starved
skaa straggler makes ideal prey.
Plantation Skaa
Even assuming the fugitive skaa isn’t tracked down and manages to survive
the wilds before reaching civilization, his or her journey is not over. For instance,
many escaped skaa have to leave friends or family members behind, who may
either be used as bait to lure the fugitive to the plantation or tormented for infor-
mation on where the fugitive has run off. The newly-free skaa also must quickly
integrate into the new community without drawing suspicion, since there’s always
a chance that the skaa’s former controllers will hunt him down.
Those few skaa that do escape, however, give hope to those left behind, and
discover valuable resources as safe havens or sympathetic villages which may be
of use to free their friends and families. Getting this information back to other
skaa who can use it poses a challenge: written missives are rarely an option since
literacy is so low, and returning in person presents the risk of capture and, very
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANTATION

The brutal treatment of plantation skaa by nobles, while inexcusable, is
in part a trickle-down effect of rural houses’ struggle to meet the expectations
placed upon them by society and the Final Empire. The nobles, fearing that their
measly estates will never compare to the Great Houses, hide their state of affairs
from prying eyes as much as possible. Some nobles resort to hoarding crops,
and keep their servants in a state of near-starvation, just to stay ahead of their
debts. Others trade and sell their skaa to city nobles in exchange for desperately-
needed raw materials. Depending upon the noble, some may “sell” an evening
with an attractive skaa as a way of pleasing those from the city.
Nobles have tremendous freedom in how they run their plantations and
how they treat their skaa, and so treatment can vary widely from estate to
estate. One noble may think it’s his holy right to own and punish the skaa as
he sees fit, adding in daily prayers to the Lord Ruler or even sacrificing a skaa
to the Lord Ruler at certain points in the year as a holy act (despite the fact
that the Steel Ministry has said no such thing). Another may run his plantation
more like a business and treat his skaa as an important asset, who will lose
productivity if he’s too harsh with them. Still others take a far more liberal ap-
proach, offering incentives or even money much like city skaa, in the hopes of
generating greater output.
For an example of a specific plantation and its operations, refer to the Black
Hill Plantation on page 115.
TIN & ASH 51

SKAA HEROES FROM THE PLANTATION
As hard as it can be for a skaa to escape a plantation — both physically and
mentally — those who do possess iron will. A Hero from the plantations has seen
Plantation Skaa
the worst of what nobles are capable of, and the scars of his time there remain
deep. Most likely, the Hero’s Tragedy happened on the plantation. Think about
the specifics of the plantation and how they might feed into his or her tragedy.
Which house owned the plantation? Who was in charge? Was it focused on farm-
ing or did it have a mine? What kind of work did your Hero do? What weakness
in the plantation’s setup allowed your Hero to escape — or was getting out a
gruesome and bloody ordeal? Is he still pursued by his owners?
A plantation skaa likely starts out somewhat naïve compared to his fellows,
lacking the typical skills possessed by traditional recruits to a Crew. When think-
ing on your Traits, consider how long ago your Hero escaped the plantation, and
use that to determine how developed his skill set is. The Hero’s age could vary
greatly, too, since nobles work skaa from the day they can work the fields to the
day they die.
Your rural Hero might also have some misconceptions about how the world
works outside the plantations, especially when it comes to the Lord Ruler and
the Obligators, religious faith or folk superstitions. For example, does he still be-
lieve in the godhood of Lord Ruler, or expect the Lord Ruler to punish him using
divine powers? Is he still afraid of the mists and mistwraiths? Think on some of
the experiences that first upset his worldview — they could lead to all kind of
good stories in play.
A plantation skaa’s experiences shape him from a very young age, no doubt
influence his outlook on the nobility. How do those early experiences affect your
Hero? Does he still harbor resentment against his former master, or the nobility
as a whole? Does he seek revenge wrongs committed to him? How does the
Hero see urban nobles as less cruel, or simply cruel in a different way? Thinking
on these deeper questions will make your plantation Hero an even more inter-
esting and unusual character at the game table.
likely, death at the hands of the master. Those willing to risk returning do so only
once, to save those closest to them. The few who do repeatedly return to help skaa
escape usually form alliances with rebels or with canal skaa so they have a way
to fight back against the masters or transport refugees once they have escaped.
LIBERATION
Liberating skaa from the plantation skaa is not as easy as it sounds. Despite
their brutal oppression and mistreatment, fear — of the noble master, of capture
by the overseer, of the mists, of the Lord Ruler’s divine wrath, of the unknown

future ahead of them — is a shackle that binds the average plantation skaa tightly
to the world they know. This fear is understandable: they live a life almost com-
pletely sheltered from the outside world, where the only things they know are
what they’ve been told by those in power. They are told the world outside is dan-
gerous, a place of monsters, bandits and things lurking just beyond the borders of
the plantation that are far worse than the beatings they receive or the stale bread
Plantation Skaa
and thin gruel they eat. Given that, one can understand why many plantation skaa
might rather take their chances on the estate than venture outside its confines.
This fear is the long-term result of denying the skaa communication, educa-
tion, and contact with the outside world — a mental prison locking them in a
place that has no fences or bars. The nobles have carefully manipulated them into
believing a life of slavery is better than taking a risk. Given that, would-be libera-
tors should not be surprised the notion of freedom might be taken with a grain of
salt by a plantation skaa. Freeing plantation skaa requires more than strong-arm-
ing nobles or infiltrating houses — it requires liberators to educate and negotiate
with a people who might fear freedom more than the system that oppresses them.
Often, the best (or only) way to liberate these skaa is necessity — by undoing
the plantation itself, and calling upon the plantation skaa’s well-honed survival
instinct to do the rest.
SUPERSTITION ON THE PLANTATION

The majority of plantation skaa don’t have a basic education and cut off from
their world by design. Nobles deem it impractical for their field workers to read
books, and know that knowledge and critical thought present a danger to their rule.
Consequently, plantation skaa learn about their world orally through storytelling
and rumors. The overseers discourage gossip and chatter during the workday, so
most news is shared in whispers by day or meetings late at night. As knowledge
has been handed down through the centuries, stories have become legends, and
facts have been contorted into beliefs, making plantation skaa far more supersti-
tious than their city-dwelling counterparts.
Fear of the mists is the oldest and most common superstition among skaa on
the plantations. Field workers scramble from the fields at dusk back indoors and
remain there for the rest of the night, for fear of being eaten by mistwraiths or be
consumed by the mists themselves. While there are indeed a few kernels of truth to
these beliefs, this superstition has proven to be one of the most fortuitous controls
the Lord Ruler has to prevent skaa from escaping. The unreasoning fear of the mist
proves a greater barrier to escaping skaa than any fence or gate: most fugitives flatly
refuse to use the cover of the mists to run at night, and those who wish to flee by day
often do so only if they are certain they can find shelter before nightfall. Even when
plantation skaa do flee, noble hunters can take advantage of the darkness to shorten
the fugitives’ lead and catch them as they are hunkered down for the night.
Closely related to fear of the mists is fear of mistwraiths, which inspire tre-
mendous dread in plantation skaa, most of whom have never come close to seeing
one of the creatures. Many of these beliefs blend stories of the kandra with those
TIN & ASH 53

PLANTATION ADVENTURES
Life on a plantation is dismal and depressing almost as a rule, but there are
only so many ways to describe torture, malnutrition, and sickly brown plants.
Plantation Skaa
Though one plantation’s skaa live in the same general conditions as their fellows
on other plantations, look for ways to twist their situation to make it unique.
A good place to start is with the plantation’s location and the interests of the
noble house that controls them. A plantation in the Western Dominance might
be more rugged and have to find innovative ways to keep crops going. A noble
house devoted to craftsmanship might grow trees for furniture and trade for
their food. An ambitious but small house might try to teach their skaa more eti-
quette to make the house seem more genteel.
Once you’ve established these basics of the plantation, it’s vitally important
to determine how the skaa exist within their bounds, both rationally and emotion-
ally. In the above examples, skaa on the western plantation might be trained in
advanced forms of plant husbandry and so are less disposable because of their
knowledge. For the house of craftspeople, the skaa might take a bit of pride in the
beautiful works they help create, or could have easier lives since they’re tending
trees rather than constantly toiling for shorter-lived crops. In the upwardly mobile
house, some skaa might go along with the noble plan to develop their etiquette,
while others resent those who “take on airs” like the hated nobles.
Every plantation is its own small community, with its own social strata, so
invent interesting skaa extras for your group to interact with at different levels of
prestige. The Heroes might engage with simple workers with big dreams, elderly
skaa leaders, and children just learning the rules that will govern their lives —
and each could have a different emotional impact on the Heroes and their story.
Since a plantation operates at a scale so much smaller than a city, any job the
Crew pulls off could endanger or otherwise affect all the skaa they meet. Think
about how these risks affect the different levels of a plantation’s community to
drive home the impact the Crew’s schemes could have on their new friends.
If any skaa Heroes within the group came up on a plantation, make sure to
get details about their origins and try to create parallels to their histories. For
instance, if a plantation-born Hero had a particularly hated noble adversary or
especially close skaa friend, place a similar villain or extra in the adventure. Be-
cause skaa sometimes get traded between nobles, the Hero might even encoun-
ter that old friend again, or possibly that friend’s child or other relative.
of mistwraiths into vague myths about creatures that steal the bodies of those who
enter the mists and return to their victims’ homes to cause harm.
Some plantation skaa believe all Obligators have supernatural powers, par-
ticularly the ability to detect lies or see into the souls of others. These beliefs
likely originate from stories of the Steel Inquisitors, belief in the divine mandate

handed down to the Ministry by the Lord Ruler, and the fact that plantation skaa
have virtually no contact with members of the Steel Ministry. Even in those in-
stances when a nobleman leaves the plantation to join the Steel Ministry and
returns home, the skaa are often uncertain how or what new abilities that familiar
face wields as an Obligator.
Beyond the general beliefs spread throughout the Final Empire, the skaa of
Plantation Skaa
each plantation also have their own superstitions, typically influenced by their lo-
cale, the estate they live on, and their shared experiences and history. For instance,
the skaa of a plantation whose lord is a Rioter might believe that all lords possess
the ability to cause irrational fear or obedience with a single word. Other rumors
might claim that members of a rival noble family hunt their skaa for sport, or that
anyone leaving the plantation without an escort will fall off the edge of the world.
Clever nobles selectively encourage beneficial supersti-
tions — or deliberately plant the seeds of new
ones — as yet another way of keeping their skaa
distracted, afraid, and in line.
LIFE IN THE MINES

Some rural estates, particularly those in
mountainous areas, use their plantation skaa for
another purpose: mining. These skaa spend their
days searching for veins of pure metals — particu-
larly those useful in Allomancy — fresh water, and
other useful resources. Like field skaa, the typical
miner often works eighteen-hour days chipping away
at the rock with simple tools and the barest glimmer
of light.
The mines are dark, dank, hot, and dangerous
places to work, and a skaa miner’s life expectancy is
incredibly short. Natural perils such as flood, mine col-
lapse, and bad air claim the lives of thousands of miners
each year, and most develop miner’s cough, light sen-
sitivity, or even claustrophobia after just a few weeks
of backbreaking work. On estates with a mine, diso-
bedient skaa get sent to work as miners instead of
being executed — effectively, sentencing them to
a long, slow, exhausting death rather than a quick
and bloody one.
The costs of running a mine are very high,
both in terms of coin and lives, so many small
houses cannot afford to operate them on their own.
Most mines are owned in part or completely by
Great Houses, which are always in search of
sources of pure Allomantic metals and can af-
TIN & ASH 55

ford the financial risk in the pursuit of profits. For a small estate, an alliance with
a Great House gives them a presence in Luthadel or another large city, as well as
shipping and distribution networks — but such access often comes at the eventual
price of their entire operation.
The investment in a mine means the pressure on miners to produce results
is very high. Yields of mines are expected to be proportionally higher than in the
Plantation Skaa
fields, especially considering discovery of a vein of pure tin, copper, or iron can
turn the fortunes of an estate around almost instantly. Typically, an overseer is
responsible for the skaa’s productivity, who is in turn visited infrequently by a
noble representative or member of the Steel Ministry. The overseer is given carte
blanche to “motivate” the skaa in whatever manner he sees fit, though he does so
under the watch of armed guards who have sworn fealty to the mine’s owner —
ultimately, the overseer, like the skaa he supervises, can easily be replaced.
THE PITS OF HATHSIN

Operated by House Venture, the atium-producing Pits of Hathsin are the
wealthiest and most dangerous mines in the Final Empire. All the workers at the
Pits are skaa criminals sent there as punishment by the Steel Ministry, and come
from a variety of houses, plantations, and walks of life. Escape from the Pits is
considered impossible, and the conditions kill most prisoners within a few months.
Each day, Venture overseers force the prisoners into the Pits, where the skaa
crawl through claustrophobic caves and reach into narrow crevices in search for
atium beads. The jagged crystals in these crevices slice the miners’ arms, leaving
ragged scars. Searching for the beads is often fruitless work, as they are quite rare,
but any prisoner who fails to find a bead in the course of a week is executed for her
failure. Many skaa don’t survive that first week, falling instead due to accidents or
exhaustion in the mines.
The Pits are located close to Luthadel, though their exact location remains
a closely guarded secret. Allomancy can cause the atium crystals to shatter, and
House Venture rightly fears that if a rival house discovered the location of the
Pits they might send Lurchers to damage or destroy the mines in order to inflict
catastrophic financial damage. This is why only skaa are sent to the Pits, and
those who go are carefully screened for signs of Allomantic potential — often in
the form of a severe beating — prior to their sentencing. The only skaa to have
escaped the Pits — Kelsier himself — did so because he Snapped in the mines,
and used his newfound Allomantic abilities to escape.
The monstrous reputation of the Pits has made it the stuff of terror and leg-
end amongst the skaa, creating some truly fantastical superstitions. Some believe
great beasts guard the Pits; others think the Steel Inquisitors spring forth from the
Pits rather than being born; and a few regard the Pits like a hell where faithless
skaa are sent to pay penance for betraying the Lord Ruler. But like all beliefs, they
are tied together with a thread of truth: the Pits are a place to be feared, and are
the worst place a skaa can end up.

5
CANAL SKAA
The canals that criss-cross the Final Empire are crucial routes for travel and
commerce in all its forms. The crews of these boats and barges are called canal
skaa, who are tasked with taking tourists, messengers, medicine, precious cargo,
and messages to every corner of the Final Empire. The typical canal skaa is par
sailor and part cattle, sometimes piloting a boat from the rudder and other times
pulling it by rope or rein from the shoreline. Canal skaa also maintain the docks,
landings, and boats of the nobility, they are kept clean and ready for visiting lords
and ladies.
Skaa on the canals are granted by necessity more levels of autonomy and au-
thority than their urban and country brethren, for their work by necessity requires
them to travel quickly and beyond the direct reach of their masters. Most nobles
simply can’t be bothered to understand every nuance that affects shipment speed,
and are willing to give up a bit of control so long as timetables are met and ship-
ments arrive safely. Those canal skaa who prove to be reliable may be even placed
in charge of barges and crews of their own. These skaa pilots take their steward-
ship very seriously, and they often have emotional ties to the craft they navigate
through the waterways.
The canal trade is hectic, and many of the most industrious people in the
Final Empire work the canals. A delayed boat can mean the difference between
life and death for a noble or an entire plantation, making timetables and proper
supply of ships to avoid unplanned stops vital for success. The price of autonomy
thus comes with a commensurate increase in accountability, and the penalty for
canal skaa who fail their noble masters is high. Punishment for late delivery or
loss of cargo ranges from a severe beating to banishment to the mines to torturous
execution. However, even these punishments do absolve the nobles from blame,
and the Canton of Resource exact their price from a ship’s owner as if the noble
themselves caused a delay or the loss of a shipment.
The canals are owned by the Lord Ruler, whose soldiers defend them from
banditry and noble skirmishes, but the system is vast enough that not all stretches
are equally protected. Any trouble on the canals that does happen typically takes
place far from transportation hubs, and the troublemakers take great pains to leave
no witnesses or evidence in order to foil Obligators’ investigations — up to and
including killing the crew and sinking the vessel. Trade barges laden with goods
are favorite targets of skaa thieving crews and rebel soldiers, and attacks on them
often find skaa fighting skaa in defense of the noble regime. For skaa on both
Canal Skaa
sides, these fights are about survival: for the canal skaa, to survive their masters’
fury at the loss of cargo; for the thieves, to survive the inevitable manhunt should
the barge’s crew turn them in.
Covertly, many canal skaa use their freedom to traffic in another comm-
modity — passing news and information around the Empire. Pilots are always
on a lookout for valuable facts, such the location of a rebellious uprising or
where the Steel Ministry will strike next, which can command a handsome price
CANAL ADVENTURES
Unlike so many of their fellow skaa, the only thing a canal skaa can count on
is that her life is never the same from one day to the next. Broken (or sabotaged)
ships, forbidden trysts, stolen cargo, dead bodies, slow-moving dock workers,
kidnapping, mistwraiths, sadistic nobles — each day brings with it new prob-
lems or excitement. This aspect of canal life provides fertile ground for adven-
ture lasting an evening or an longer story arc.
Consider how you want to incorporate the canals into your game. Having
the Crew travel on a barge is a good way to show the full life of canal skaa, and
take them from one adventure to another fairly simply. This can allow for a series
of unconnected, smaller heists and adventures if you want to present a whirl-
wind tour of the Final Empire, showcasing many different types of people and
events. They can spend the long trips between stations conversing with the ca-
nal skaa, planning their next heist, or just taking a Breather.
Alternatively, the Crew could pull a heist targeting a cargo-laden barge or
important waystation. Drive home the impact of the collateral damage of such
a heist. The crew of the barge are mostly skaa, and sure to face punishment. Yet
an especially valuable shipment (especially if it contains atium or other valuable
metals) will likely be escorted by a noble and a few guards who make good vil-
lains. Waystations present a promising target for different reasons. They’re the
key to controlling travel and trade, and taking over a waystation can give a Crew
a great way to spread and collect information.

to the right buyer. Canal skaa who move cargo through busy or restive
areas tend to be very diligent in their official duties, in order to avoid
being shifted over to a less interesting (and lucrative) route. While most
of these information brokers reveal secrets only to the highest bidder,
some have more noble aspirations and pass on what they
find only to skaa resistance cells or other causes.
TYPES OF CANAL SKAA

Many types of skaa live and work in the ca-
nals, including:
Canal Skaa
PILOTS
Timeliness is everything to the canal
skaa ordered to navigate a boat for his no-
ble lord. Corner any pilot, and you’ll likely
learn a great deal of statistics, including
how long it takes to travel from the South-
ernmost Dominance to Luthadel, the aver-
age number of trips in a month, what boats
are the fastest, and which pre-scheduled
routes are best for certain types of cargo.
In many ways, a skaa effectively owns
the craft he pilots, setting his own shipping
schedule based on his expertise. Especially
skilled ship pilots might contract work for
multiple houses, commanding an additional
fee for their speed or discretion. Legally, this
fee goes back to the skaa’s noble master,
though many canal pilots skim a bit off the
top. Most nobles don’t ask too many ques-
tions about a good pilot’s comings and go-
ings, as long as the pilot ensures the barges
arrive at their destinations on time and with all
cargo accounted for.
SUPPORT CREW
Support crew for the bulk of each ship’s skaa,
tending to jobs ranging from cooking to scouting and maintenance to pulling the
vessel itself. Unlike pilots, who are usually adult men, support crew can be any
age or gender so long as they are willing to work hard and follow orders. A barge
typically carries as few support crew as necessary to make more room for cargo,
but some pilots give rides to plantation escapees or criminals on the run in ex-
change for a little extra help. Members of the support crew tend to bond, and may
develop romantic relationships since they spend so much time together.
TIN & ASH 59

SKAA HEROES ON THE CANALS
You can use the jobs described here to determine some of the details for a
skaa Hero from the canals. If your Hero worked as a cleaner or dockworker, he
might have attitudes similar to those of plantation skaa, but more worldly since
he’s been exposed to so many more people and cultures. What were some of the
most memorable visitors to his waystation or stretch of the canal? Did he meet
any especially notable travelers, like high-ranking Obligators, Steel Inquisitors,
Canal Skaa
or famous Allomancers? Dockworkers and cleaners also work in smaller groups

often, causing them to bond strongly with one another. Who was your Hero
close to? What happened to them and where are they now? Was your Hero an
outcast among those skaa? If so, why?
For a skaa Hero who worked on the barges as a pilot or support crew, think
on which ports of call he visited most frequently. Did his route lead through Lu-
thadel or other major hubs? Did he carry valuable goods or cheaper ones? What
kinds? Which house did he have to call master?
For all canal skaa, consider how a bit of distance from the constant oppres-
sion by the nobles might have affected him. Did the freedom of the canals drive
him to join a Crew where he could truly make his own way? Did something go
wrong, forcing him to desert his old job? Piloting a barge can be an asset when
working with a Crew, so the Hero might even still take on jobs on the canal. At
the very least, he can call in favors to get transportation. Who are his contacts
when he does so?
The unpredictable nature of life on the canals can contribute to your He-
ro’s tragedy and history. A simple run-in with a rebel, thief, noble, or trader
could have drastically changed the Hero’s life. What happened to her out there
on the canals? Has she ever had to pit her life against a fellow skaa to defend
a cargo or protect a passenger? If so, how did that turn out and what is the
fallout? Life on the canals may be relatively free, but freedom always has its
price…
CLEANERS
Cleaners are landbound skaa who live on banks, and are responsible for
dredging the warterways and cleaning the waystations and docks that line the
canal system. Those assigned to a waystation supervise cargo shipments, and of-
ten have enough literary skills to write up shipping manifests and receipts. Other
cleaners roam from camp to camp, traveling miles in either direction to clean, as-
sist with maintenance, and help barge crews in need of extra hands. The distance
these skaa travel depends upon which noble owns them, as they are often are tied
to a plantation near the canal route.

DOCK WORKERS
At ports and waystations, dock workers do the heavy lifting. Over ex-
tremely long work days, they load and unload cargo with few breaks. They
rarely leave their stations, but might be reassigned if a pilot or crewmember has
died or fallen ill. Typically a noble assigns such tasks, but in an emergency a
pilot might be able to snatch a dock worker from a waystation to complete an
important shipment.
WAYSTATIONS
Waystations are small camps or tiny warehouses set up at key locations,
Canal Skaa
such as the intersections of canals, important bridges, sources of fresh water, or
CHILDREN OF THE CANALS

The relative freedoms enjoyed by canal skaa have many fringe benefits, the
foremost of which is the ability to have families of their own. The strong bonds
formed amongst canal skaa communities and the sporadic (if intense) work pro-
vides fertile ground for romance and courtship, so an unusually high percentage
of the canal skaa population is children.
Most canal skaa children are the progeny of skaa, often from different hous-
es who meet and mingle on the canals. The law specifies a skaa child belongs
to the house of the mother, but in practice many are hidden from their houses
entirely and raised as free skaa for as long as possible.
However, the freedoms of canal skaa — and in turn, the safety of their chil-
dren — are predicated upon their effectiveness delivering cargo. Boats are rarely
safe homes for toddlers, so waystations often act as de facto homes for children
whose parents are traveling or working long shifts on the canals. Some more iso-
lated stations might have dozens of kids at a time, with the older children acting
as caretakers for the younger.
Over time, these waystation families could grow into communities of essen-
tially independent skaa. Such an occurrence is dangerous, as an observant noble
or Obligator might recognize the potential threat of this nascent community or
may realize the value these young skaa might offer to the noble who could lay
claim to them.
Consider the sorts of stories these communities could provide. For canal
skaa Heroes, do they have family waiting for them at a waystation, or did they
grow up there themselves? What if urban or plantation Heroes happen upon a
waystation run entirely by children, like something out of The Lord of the Flies?
Setting the Crew up to defend a waystation filled with kids they initially in-
tended to pick up from (or rob) could make a dramatic and compelling scene
in and of itself!
TIN & ASH 61

shelter for travelers. Skaa live, work, and sleep here under little to no supervi-
sion from richer, more powerful nobles, beyond the occasional visit by a guard
or traveling overseer.
Though clean and well kept, these storage facilities/dwellings are often situ-
ated in remote places that are very unattractive to the nobility since a voyage
there puts them at great personal risk. The skaa who staff waystations don’t mind
this distance from their masters and their protection, however, as whatever minor
discomforts they may suffer are outweighed by the virtual autonomy they enjoy
in return. This autonomy, isolation, and ready-made spaces to store goods have
made waystations key features in the skaa black market, and favorite havens for
smugglers and other ne’er-do-wells who ply their trade on the canals.
Canal Skaa
SMUGGLING
Smuggling thrives along the ca-
nals. Most smuggling is ordered by
nobles themselves, who ship goods
like wines, cloth, and weapons hidden
amongst legitimate goods in order to
avoid taxes imposed by the Canton of
Resource. When an Obligator discov-
ers contraband, a noble owner often
lays the blame on the skaa themselves,
though these ruses rarely work — ei-
ther because the Obligator knows the
skaa don’t have the money to operate at
such scale, or because they think the skaa
too stupid or cowardly to take the risk.
Though canal skaa pack the barges as densely as possible to make each ship-
ment count (unless the recipient is paying extra for a rush), they also find ways to
include clandestine cargo of their own. These smuggled goods include illicit items
for friends and family, black market items smuggled for criminal gangs, and mes-
sages and caches moved at the behest of rebels. Barge pilots take the many stops
for contraband when making shipping estimates for their noble masters, ensuring
the system remains intact and undetected.
Most drop points are run by a collection of skaa who act like independent
contractors, sharing in the risk and reward in equal measure and going their own
way when needed. To facilitate business and share the blame should anything
happen, each of these contractors typically use the same name. This way, a skaa
supervisor can be in multiple places at once, no questions asked, and an informant
can only rat out one person, rather than take down the entire operation.
Nobles aware of skaa smuggling rarely reveal this to the Obligators, prefer-
ring to ask for tribute or services in exchange for leaving the waystations unmen-
tioned. After all, it’s better for everyone to keep shipments running on time and
skim off the top than to let the Obligators bring everything to a halt.

6
THE SKAA
UNDERGROUND
Outside the gaze of the Steel Ministry and beyond the reach of the nobility,
skaa secretly struggle to thwart the Lord Ruler’s orthodoxy. Some, like thieving
crews, organize and band together, while others act independently to disobey their
“betters” in their own way.
THIEVING CREWS
Thieving crew is a band of skaa criminals who cooperate on various types of
criminal activity. While theft (particularly of noble houses and shipments) is the
favored enterprise of most crews, they take on any number of illicit jobs to make
ends meet. Crews depend on a constant stream of income and a variety of targets
for their schemes, so they are most common in Luthadel and other large cities
where such work is plentiful.
But being a thief is a dangerous profession in the Final Empire, and crews
also live in constant fear of discovery, capture, and execution. The nobility and
Steel Ministry ruthlessly prosecute any captured thieves, sending them to prison,
labor camps, or even the dreaded Pits of Hathsin (see page 56). Murder and be-
trayal, both from inside and outside their ranks, are a constant threat — most
crews barely last a year. Those that do are hardened, savvy veterans whose skill
and teamwork are essential to their success and survival.
Hierarchy in most crews is largely meritocratic, based on a thief’s reputation,
time in the underground, and record of success (or failure) on the job. However,
particularly ruthless thieves rise to the top of their crews by ruling with intimida-
tion, fear, and outright violence. Being a crew leader is not a particularly enviable
position, as one must constantly deal with backstabbing, informing to the authori-
ties, ego clashes, and other competitive squabbles which constantly threaten to
tear even good crews apart.
Women rarely join thieving crews; in some, they’re treated just as poorly
as they would be on a plantation or in a noble house. Sure, there are plenty of
more enlightened and egalitarian crews, of course, but there are no guarantees
in the criminal underground. Whatever the risks, a thieving crew may offer a
greater opportunity for a woman to take hold of her own fate and rise above the
The Skaa Underground
station dictated to her. While she must vigilantly protect herself against her fel-
low crewmembers as much as against outside threats, a female thief can also rest
assured she won’t be raped and killed by noble masters with the blessing of the
Lord Ruler’s laws. Clever women band together for mutual protection, often by
joining a larger crew with women on their roster, or in some rare cases joining an
all-female crew.
While Kelsier’s crew is the foremost example of a crew from the Mistborn
novels, most crews have no Allomancers and operate more like Camon’s crew.
Though the underground is the perfect place for a skaa Allomancer to hide their
abilities from the Steel Ministry, they still require special training and purified
metals, and often demand a large fee for their services. Still,
recruiting even a single Misting is a major coup for most
crews; crews with more than one Misting are quite rare, and
those with a skaa Mistborn are virtually unheard of. More
likely than not, any crew that boasts about its many Allo-
mancers is simply trying to spread its legend and strike
fear in rival groups.
TYPICAL CREW JOBS

The various work thieving crews take on demands
a variety of skill sets and specialists. Though thieving
crews sometimes collaborate with one another on a big
job, they’re usually looking for ways to make their
own fortunes rather than partners with whom to split
their ill–gotten gains. Here are six of the common jobs
and their potential rewards, along with useful Traits
for Heroes filling those roles:
SMUGGLING
Some canal skaa moonlight
as members of a thieving crew.
Weapons, Allomantic metals,
drugs, and illegal books are fa-
vorite types of contraband. Smug-
gling over the waterways can be extremely profitable,
provided the pilot can dodge a surprise inspection.
Typically, smugglers take payments as a percent-

age of the profits or goods they smuggle, setting the rate based on the distance, dif-
ficulty of the route, and punishments they will suffer if caught.
Useful Traits: Head for Logistics; Lookout; Well-Connected; Veteran Smug-
gler; Excellent Liar.
FORGERY
The Final Empire runs on contracts, which provides plenty of opportunities
for a crew who is good at faking signatures or who work with a not-so-loyal Ob-

ligator or cunning noble. There are many aspects to forgery and all of them require
a great deal of finesse and social manipulation, from swapping names of skaa to
petitions for the Lord Ruler and everything in between. Forgery can be a very
time-consuming job, but quite lucrative considering that most clients of forged
documents are merchant skaa or nobles.
Useful Traits: Well-Connected; Social Graces; Steady Hand; Deal-Maker;
Bait and Switch.
BURGLARY
Robbing a Great House or plantation is a high-risk job with immediate
rewards. Thieving crews typically steal food and coin, though crews that are
more sophisticated also take larger and more valuable items to sell on the black
market. Burglary requires physical aptitude, social manipulation, and mental
deftness, so crewmembers tend to have diverse set of skills to ensure all their
bases are covered.
Useful Traits: Brute Strength; Keen Eyed; Cat Burglar; Deft Hands; Lock-
smith.
HARASSMENT/BLACKMAIL
The nobility often wage war against each other in the shadows by distracting
their opponents with petty problems or personality conflicts. They often do so
by using “cut-outs” or mercenaries to cause trouble for their enemies while they
position themselves to curry more of the Steel Ministry’s favor. A thieving crew
hired for one of these jobs might be tasked with riling up a rival house’s skaa or
to spread rumors about the house through the underground. This dangerous work
demands thieves well versed in subtlety, social manipulation, and cunning; after
all, if the crew is caught or killed, the noble doesn’t have to pay them! For this rea-
son, most crews demands to be paid small amounts over a longer period of time,
often in food — a price most noble clients pay from the mouths of their own skaa.
Useful Traits: Rumormonger; Cunning Plans; Backbiter; Underhanded;
Dirty Secrets.
MURDER/KIDNAPPING
Thieving crews are no strangers to violence; rival gangs, nobles, nosy serv-
ant skaa, house guards, and the occasional Allomancer have all died at the hands
of crews in the past. While necessary violence is part of most thieving crews’
modus operandi, there are times when a crew is explicitly hired to murder or kid-
TIN & ASH 65

nap someone of importance. Assassination and kidnapping are, by far, the most
dangerous type of jobs a thieving crew can take on, and skaa who do so for hire
should expect to be paid extremely well.
Useful Traits: Bloodthirsty; Callous; Iron Will; Good with a Blade.
CLEANUP
The underhanded doings of both skaa and nobles tend to make a mess, and of-
ten there are bodies or other evidence which must be removed before the Ministry
pokes around. When these events happen on private estates, a noble might have
their skaa clean up, but for more extraordinary situations they may turn to the un-
derground for assistance. Cleanup jobs are risky and tend to involve disposing of
corpses, removing signs of violent struggle or death, and otherwise erasing signs
of foul play. Very often, some cagey nobles attempt to entrap crews by pretending
to hire them, then calling the authorities shifting the blame onto the “renegade
skaa” instead. For this reason, the price for hiding a body is extremely high, and
many crews err on the side of paranoia by establishing multiple plans in place in
case of a double-cross.
Useful Traits: Detail-Oriented; Paranoid; Smuggler; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt
Cheap.
TRAFFICKING
Considering the popularity of the skaa black market and reliable network
of smugglers working on the canals, many crews also make money by traffick-
ing in contraband and illicit assets. Prostitution, Allomantic experimentation,
and illegal skaa trading are just three of the most common forms of trafficking,
and all result in far worse conditions for women, potential Allomancers, and
escaped skaa. While few skaa rarely engage in trafficking with the intent of
harming their fellows, there’s good money to be had in these operations, and
that — not the morality of their actions — determines where most thieving
crews put their efforts.
• Prostitution: The most attractive skaa are often kidnapped and sold as high-
priced commodities for the sex trade. Many female skaa commit suicide or
scar themselves to avoid such a life, though disfiguration doesn’t stop the
thieving crews from snatching skaa to sell them to a local whoremaster for
coin. Some thieving crews are so callous as to sell their own to whoremasters
if the boss doesn’t think those crewmembers are pulling their weight.
• Allomantic Trade: The nobility need a steady supply of metals to keep
their Mistings and Mistborn functioning. Crews bold enough to rob a metal-
lurgist or otherwise get their hands on sufficiently pure metal can always
find a buyer amongst the houses — typically by unloading the metal at a
massive discount from market price. The discovery of atium (especially
more than one or two beads) is enough to set a skaa up for life — pro-
vided his crewmates don’t kill him to keep the fortune all for themselves.
The Steel Ministry takes trafficking of Allomantic metals (particularly atium)

extremely seriously, so it’s not uncommon for a desperate skaa to sell his
crewmates out to save his own skin or for a high enough price.
• Illegal Skaa Trading: Many thieving crews have little empathy for their fel-
low skaa, and the most callous of all engage in skaa trafficking. Their victims
are often runaway or destitute skaa, lured from whatever safety they enjoy,
bound, gagged, and lead away to be sold to whoremasters, rural nobles, or
organized criminals. The age and gender don’t matter — babies, children,
pregnant mothers, and wizened elders have all moved through the markets

at some time or another. With so much coin to be made, the traffickers know
better than to ask questions. Skaa traders have a particular interest in finding
skaa Mistings, since they provide a potent edge against enemies and compet-
ing crews. Skaa Mistings are so rare that most skaa traders choose to put the
Allomancer on their payroll rather than sell them; it’s far safer to make a
Pewterarm, Coinshot, or Soother an ally than to try and force her to do some-
thing she doesn’t want to do.
CREW NAMES
Most crews take a collective name, either chosen based on the locations
where they operate or named after the leader (especially if the leader operates un-
der a pseudonym). Some look for a fierce or punchy name that others will remem-
ber. You can generate a shortlist of crew names using this Crew Name Generator,
putting together one adjective and one noun. Roll one die for the row and one for
the column to determine each word, or simply pick the ones you like best.
CREW NAME ADJECTIVES

Result 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Alley Cloudy Ghostly Obsidian Sharp Steel
2 Alloyed Cold Gold Metal Shiny Strong
3 Angry Copper Hot Misty Silent Tin
4 Atium Dead Invisible Pewter Silver Twin
5 Bronze Drowned Iron Quick Spiked Unkillable
6 Burning Electric Lucky Red Spirit Zinc
CREW NAME NOUNS

Result 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Ash Clubs Embers Hands Roots Stones
2 Boxings Coal Eyes Haze Ruin Sun
3 Cinders Daggers Flame Leaves Shields Swords
4 Clips Dawn Fog Pouches Slag Trees
5 Cloaks Dew Gloves Rats Soot Wall
6 Clouds Dust Ground Relics Staves Wraiths
TIN & ASH 67

INFORMANTS
Thieving crews, ambitious nobles, and even Steel Ministry functionaries rely
on skaa informants to trade information. Every major city has a few prominent
information brokers; Luthadel contains dozens. Buying and selling information
is not a respectable — or legal — profession, but that doesn’t stop nobles and
Obligators from using their services…only from making their association public.
Informants largely remain independent and anonymous, which helps them
to better broker deals and trade against all sides. Some rely on disguises to keep
their anonymity, and others deliver their information only through couriers and
go-betweens so they never interact directly with clients. Most informants oper-
ate out of skaa slums or travel from place to place to prevent a disgruntled client
from hunting them down. However, some noble houses keep particularly reliable
informants on retainer, providing them with food, shelter, and a modest salary so
long as they provide the house with information on their rivals and protect the
house’s secrets.
THE SILK CHARADE

Most thieving crews attempt to spread their legend among thieves while
avoiding notice by the authorities. The ambitious crew called the Silk Charade
operates in a more flamboyant fashion. They want the authorities and the nobles
to hear about them, so they leave a calling card at each crime scene: a silk ribbon
with a jester’s mask painted on one end. Though they haven’t been around long
and the number of major scores they have completed remains relatively low,
their stature is disproportionately greater thanks to the publicity they’ve earned
from such brazenness.
Fin, the leader of the crew, came up with the calling card idea when her
buyer for a hoisted shipment of silk fell through; she decided to use the extra
material to add a little individual flair to her jobs. Thieves flock to the Silk Cha-
rade, and Fin uses those throngs to take on many small jobs in order make her
organization seem bigger than it actually is. Expansion is her main goal, and she
is always on the lookout for new and talented recruits.
The Silk Charade primarily operates out of Luthadel, though Fin likes to un-
nerve the authorities and nobles in other regions by sending ribbons with trave-
ling crewmembers. However, she absolutely refuses to let her crew plant ribbons
at the scenes of other crews’ crimes; she neither wants to damage her reputation,
nor cause friction with other crews. The same, however, cannot be said for other
crews, who have attempted to forge silk ribbons to deflect attention from their
own activities. Fin does not take such duplicity gracefully, and offers a handsome
reward to anyone with information leading her to these underhanded rivals. To
gain the Silk Charade as a Network, see page 94.

Informants use two main tactics to obtain secrets: eavesdropping and buying
information. Just spending time near noble houses and gathering places or pre-
tending to do small jobs in Steel Ministry buildings lets an information overhear
a great many things. Networked informants often invest a significant portion of
their income in buying secrets from other people, and trade their information in
exchange for different, jucier secrets they can resell. Such work demands inform-
ants to be up at any time of day or night — to get paid, they don’t have the luxury
of fearing the mists.

The informant profits most from corruption, and, fortunately from them,
corruption is everywhere in the Final Empire. The dirty dealings of the nobil-
ity are an open secret, so rumors are of limited worth; however, dirty laundry
or specific plans of a noble house can be quite valuable to the right buyer.
Ordinary skaa are often the best source of this information, but their voices
are rarely heard so most will sell what they know to an informant for a small
piece of the reward. The Steel Ministry’s corruption on the other hand is much
harder to suss out, thanks to the cloak of secrecy and broad authority enjoyed
by Obligators. For information in the Ministry, informants must extract secrets
from frustrated nobles, the rare loose-tongued Terris steward, or even infiltrate
the Ministry itself.
While often mercenary as a necessity, not every informant works only for the
highest bidder or is simply in it for the money. Some informants work exclusively
with skaa, while more rebellious informants might twist the information they sell
to noble clients to attempt to create conflicts or affect specific types of change.
Though a very small number of informants have any amount of idealism, they do
exist and their influence on events can be drastically larger than their numbers
might imply.
THE UNDERGROUND AFTER THE COLLAPSE

section is best read upon completion of the Mistborn: The Final Empire.
With the Lord Ruler’s restrictions thrown off, skaa culture expands and the
skaa underground comes out into the light. Just like Kelsier’s crew transformed
from rebels to saviors, many of those who had long lived outside the laws and rules
of the Lord Ruler find themselves the de facto (and perhaps unwilling) leaders in
their spheres. Younger and more passionate skaa, tired of the old ways, look to these
rebels and outsiders as icons of how to shrug off the chains of skaa bondage. The
“community” that barely existed prior to the Collapse fractures as skaa tentatively
explore the boundaries of what they can and can’t do in society.
Immediately following the Collapse, many strong personalities emerge, like
Fatren, who manipulates the existing political system by mimicking other oppor-
tunists riding the waves of change. Other skaa express their pent-up rage through
public speaking and, like The Citizen, attract an audience by spewing anti-noble
rhetoric on behalf of the Church of the Survivor.
TIN & ASH 69

The skaa also navigate these troubled times by organiz-
ing around core economic and spiritual principles — often
those which were once forbidden before the Lord Ruler’s
fall. They create merchant guilds that may one day challenge
the nobility’s absolute rule. When they organize under the
banner of The Survivor, the skaa secure their own identity
and fight back under the guise of faith.
THE LUTHADEL ASSEMBLY

After the Collapse, in the absence of the Lord
Ruler, the Dominances suddenly find themselves
struggling through the most basic of quandaries:
Who’s in charge? After being established as king
of Luthadel, Elend Venture forms the Assembly, a
parliamentary council intended to oversee all eco-
nomic, agricultural, military, and political functions
of the Central Dominance, to answer these ques-
tions. Built on the academic principles and idealism
of Elend himself, the Assembly is established to keep
the power of any current king (including himself)
in check and to provide fair representation of and a
voice for the city’s people — including the skaa.
To this end, the Assembly is comprised of
twenty-four men: eight nobles, eight tradesmen,
and eight skaa (though some commoners, at times,
struggle to distinguish the fine line between the
tradesmen and skaa laborers). The Assemblymen
meet to discuss, debate, and vote on any major mat-
ter concerning Luthadel and the Central Dominance.
The new Assembly Hall is located in the former Steel
Ministry Canton of Finance headquarters. It has a sim-
ple lectern used by speakers and benches for any
members of the public who wish to watch the pro-
ceedings. Guards are always in attendance for the
members’ protection.
Any item or proposal brought before the Assembly must achieve a
majority vote to pass, with each member holding a single vote. A constitutional
clause also allows the Assembly to oust the current king by majority vote —the
wisdom of which is questioned by many. If no king is present, an Assembly chan-
cellor assumes statutory responsibility to call on speakers in turn, allot time for
speeches, and act as a tie-breaking vote. Should any assemblyperson be deemed
unfit to continue in their role for any reason, they can be removed from the As-
sembly by a unanimous vote.
The skaa Assembly members possess, proportionately, more social influence
than the nobles themselves. Skaa members come from all manner of positions,

including the canal operators (and brothers) Jasten and Thurts, plantation labor-
ers, artisans, and factory workers. Others, such as Haws, are devoted adherents to
the Church of the Survivor, and see their position as a spiritual duty. However, no
members of the assembly are professional politicians, and they all must continue
to sweat for their livings.
After the Assembly’s formation, many smaller cities create their own similar
governing councils, attempting to give the newly liberated skaa an equal say in
local production and proceedings. However, other cities, like Urteau, have fallen

under a skaa-led dictatorship that relies on fear and intimidation to keep the popu-
lace in line.
To gain the Luthadel Assembly as a Network, see page 94.
TIN & ASH 71

7
SKAA REBELLIONS
No skaa is born believing they are a slave. The subservience that many attrib-
ute to the skaa is beaten and ground into them from childhood under the watchful
eyes of Obligators, the merciless whips of their taskmasters, and the numbing
pulses of Soothers. Yet for all these efforts, skaa may retain a kernel of resist-
ance deep within their hearts and minds, a refusal to wholly accept their fate or
an identity as a “lesser” person. However, it takes drastic circumstances to push
skaa to truly act on their discontent — and the Steel Ministry is forever alert for
such dissidence, ready to squash restive skaa as soon as they’re sniffed out. Most
rebellious skaa tend to come in one of two forms: desperate, or dead.
While there have been violent clashes between the skaa and nobility over
the centuries, they are rare, and usually begin on rural estates. A rebellion can
begin in any number of ways, where as a spontaneous riot in reaction to an unjust
incident, to an insurgency organized by local rebel groups, to a desperate attempt
by starving skaa to escape the whips of their masters. Most plantations maintain
enough guards and overseers to put down uprisings before they expand beyond
their boundaries, but from time to time an entire plantation falls — and when they
do, the Steel Ministry takes notice.
HISTORICAL REBELLIONS
In the early days of the Final Empire, the Lord Ruler didn’t fully account for
the frequency or ferocity of skaa uprisings. The conquest that built his empire had
been a long and violent struggle, and in its aftermath, the nobility, obligators —
and to a smaller extent the Lord Ruler himself — fell into complacency. When
the third generation of skaa born under a united Final Empire began to defy their
masters openly, the Lord Ruler’s belief that a coordinated rebellion existed was
confirmed. However, instead of preventing the impending rebellion, he allowed
it and instead gave the nobles free rein to deal with the insolent skaa as they saw
fit. The Steel Ministry left the noble houses to police their own affairs, stepping
in only when an uprising threatened to destabilize a larger region — an extremely
rare occurrence. Many lives — both noble and skaa — were lost in the crackdown
that followed, but many obligators saw the bloodshed as just deserts, for it was the
nobles’ own permissiveness that allowed the revolts in the first place.
Over the centuries, the skaa have rebelled more often then they realize or re-
member today. With no written records, skaa history is passed down from genera-
tion to generation through ever-changing stories and cloudy recollections, losing
many details over the generations. Not that there is much to remember about those
Skaa Rebellions
rebellions; few have been even remotely successful, and all have been brutally put
down. Regardless, the nobles and Steel Ministry and have made a point of sup-
pressing any history of skaa uprisings, except for use as examples of the futility
of skaa resistance.
Though isolated rebellions on plantations happen regularly, and more organ-
ized, large-scale resistance movements spring up every decade or so, there are a
few notable rebellions which affected minor changes within the Empire. That’s
not to say these revolts actually made the lives of the skaa better, but they did lead
to new forms of social engineering by the Steel Ministry and Lord Ruler.
MINER’S CLIMB
Though House Venture is the most powerful family in the Empire, there are
still those skaa who dare defy them — and one act of defiance in their mines
changed the way mining is conducted throughout Scadrial.
Once, skaa miners were treated better than field skaa, incentivized and re-
warded for discovering new veins of ore with food and relative comfort. But as
more houses entered the mining business, competition increased, driving down
metal prices and, in turn, the profits of all nobility involved in mining. Some
houses tried further incentivizing the skaa to work harder, but at the Venture-
owned facility at Miner’s Climb, they took a different approach: forcing the skaa
to spend longer and longer hours in the mines, cutting corners on safety, and low-
ering the workers’ compensation for their labors. The skaa tolerated the abuses
and deteriorating conditions at Miner’s Climb, moving the facility to profitability
and success. But even skaa can only take so much, and eventually the miners
banded together, attacking and overwhelming their overseers at the mine site to
escape. Though none of the overseers were killed during the escape, these ren-
egade skaa were hunted down ruthlessly by the Steel Ministry, and eventually
butchered by koloss as an example to others with similar ideas.
After the events of Miner’s Climb, the Ministry enacted a new law to increase
competition and undermine unity between miners: all skaa miners are forced to
work for their daily allotment of food. Today, mining rebellions are rare, and

when they do happen, they’re more likely to be committed by one brave indi-
vidual than a group. The other miners usually regard the rebel as a fool, but gladly
accept the loss of one more person competing against them for food.
THE CHILDREN’S REBELLION

Two centuries ago, hundreds of skaa children ages 12 and above were found
walking together on the edge of the Outer Dominances. They were headed straight
for Luthadel, picking up stray escapees and other kids as they went. Bonded to-
gether in misery, the children had planned to talk to the Lord Ruler and beg for his
forgiveness. They thought that they had done something wrong to warrant their
mistreatment at the hands of the nobles and wanted to make amends.
Despite the fact it was illegal for skaa to travel alone and
Skaa Rebellions
in groups , many nobles didn’t go out of their way to
stop these children, fearing acting against the children
would earn them a reputation as callous, or perhaps
out of some moral objection against harming those
so young. But when the group were discovered by
Obligators, they were rounded up and taken exactly
where they wanted to go — to the Lord Ruler’s palace.
No one saw the children emerge from Kredik
Shaw once they went in. Most nobles insist the
children were legally and righteously executed,
but some Obligators insist the Lord Ruler accepted
the children as a sacrifice or somehow transformed
them into Steel Inquisitors. Following their disap-
pearance, the Lord Ruler declared all nobles must
capture or kill dissidents, regardless of age or gen-
der, under punishment of death, as a hedge against
future “moral weakness.”
MODERN
RESISTANCE
The most common type of
rebellion in the modern day is
subversion made by an individual
or small group, rather than outright
revolt or a bold attempt at creating
large-scale change. These subversives are typi-
cally part of the larger skaa underground, plying
their trade in thieving crews, black markets,
smugglers, or blackmail operations (see
page 63). After all, stealing from a noble
TIN & ASH 75

house teetering the edge of financial ruin, providing arms to gangs in a restive
slum, or spreading news of hope or unrest can undermine the social order while
also lining one’s pockets. Tolk, for instance, is a barge captain and the head the
Ashen Veins, a major canal-based skaa smuggling network known as the Ashen
Veins; his secret cargo can include anything from simple messages between re-
bellion cells to forbidden weapons and equipment, luxury goods, black market
exchanges, and even other skaa.
Some bolder skaa act more directly, seeking bring out the hidden potential
of the skaa and harness it as a force for social reform. These idealists might try to
educate large swaths of the skaa population, or to empowering them by demand-
ing additional rights or resources. One such pioneering individual is Folosst, the
leader of the small Skaa Emancipation Movement. Despite lowly origins, Fo-
losst has styled himself as a legal expert and taken to improving the lot of the
Skaa Rebellions
skaa by legally accorded means. He’s dug up a slew of archaic skaa laws from
Steel Ministry archives that haven’t been enforced in centuries, and tries to return
them to public process. Most nobles he’s petitioned for support have discarded
his ideas as too idealistic, but a few noble houses from the Farmost Dominance
have given small amounts of backing or promises of protection. Folosst has also
taken to educating skaa on how they can exploit loopholes and claim legal protec-
tion against various abuses or overreaches by their masters. Those who oppose
Folosst’s efforts are hesitant to eliminate him directly since his petitions are tech-
nically backed up by the Lord Ruler’s own decrees, and don’t want to risk turning
the Steel Ministry’s wrath back on themselves.
When reform efforts fail — as they always have — the next step is revolu-
tion. Violence is the most extreme method of skaa resistance, as it brings swift and
SUBTLE ACTS OF REBELLION

There are many types of rebellion, and the skaa have tried every one of
them at one time or another. Though large-scale revolt is rare, skaa routinely per-
form small acts to subtly strike back at their masters. Misplaced goods, ill-fitting
clothes, and swapped contracts are all passive-aggressive ways of bucking the
master’s yoke. Sometimes skaa collude, with several of them working in unison
to undermine noble plans, though organized conspiracies are much more likely
to be found out.
A campaign could reflect either type of skaa rebellion. Weigh the benefits
of one character’s subtle acts versus a large-scale plot or outright revolt. What
are the skaa in question are more likely to do in their specific situation? Subtle
acts can convey the state of the skaa in that particular location and clue the play-
ers into the dissatisfaction with the skaa, without risking lives. Rebellion, on the
other hand, are bigger and more violent conflicts which affect the pace of the
story and can act as catalysts for bigger, more powerful scenes.

lethal judgment down on the heads of all those
involved. Most bands of violent skaa rebels
are quickly caught, but some are organized
and canny enough to survive Steel Ministry
assaults and remain thorns in the Lord Ruler’s
side for a time. One of the thorns is headed up by
Plin, who leads the Sundering, a radical band of
fighters devoted to causing as much chaos as pos-
sible. Sunderers believe the end of all days is upon
the world, and the only solace is in total annihila-
tion. Their goal is to hasten the inevitable collapse of
the Empire’s infrastructure and let everyone burn in the
wreckage. If they happen to free a few skaa along the way, fine, but
Skaa Rebellions
freedom is just a brief respite from the inevitable. Brutal massacres, factory and
plantation fires, and wanton destruction are their primary tactics. Sunderers claim
that any skaa killed in these clashes have gone on to find their true peace.
YEDEN’S REBELLION
section is best read upon completion of the first book: The Final Empire.
When Kelsier contacted Yeden’s rebels, he knew they were destined to fail
without his help. The Lord Ruler was prepared for such a rebellion, which was
headed along a predictable and easily thwarted path. Kelsier’s involvement put a
point on an ages-old problem; to take on the Lord Ruler, the rebellion needed to
be more sophisticated and better use the resources at hand.
Prior to Kelsier, the skaa participating in the rebellions had no true leader-
ship other than to recognize a “man in charge.” Battle tactics and other forms of
warfare were foreign to these groups; they knew they wanted to rebel, but didn’t
know how. Kelsier’s experience in thieving crews made him uniquely suited to
teach the rebels the tactics they so desperately needed to learn — not just how to
fight, but when to fight, when to ambush, and when to cut their losses and run.
Combat training turned Yeden’s rebellion into a force worthy of the Lord Ruler’s
attention, but it could not solve problems at the top. Despite a successful attack
on the Holstep garrison, Yeden was rash and failed to account for the nearby Val-
troux city, leading to the obliteration of the vast majority of the rebellion’s forces,
including Yeden himself.
After the Collapse, the skaa rebellions shifted to fit what was happening
around them. Instead of weapons, skaa wielded sharp words. Instead of bursting
into action when the nobility least expected it, the skaa spoke at the right moments
or protested when it would be most effective. The rebellion found legitimacy upon
the memory of the Survivor and under the weight of Elend Venture’s noble name.
To learn how to gain Yeden’s Rebellion as a Network, see page 94.
TIN & ASH 77

8
SKAA BELIEF
The Lord Ruler’s policies are designed to keep the skaa in a state of pro-
found ignorance in order to reinforce his control over the Final Empire. Much of
this ignorance relies upon a denial of education and encouragement of religious
doctrine, false rumor, and superstition. Some of these beliefs originate within the
Steel Ministry to enforce the social controls that hold the Empire together, but just
as many are passed down through the skaa themselves. While most skaa commu-
nities have their own beliefs and superstitions, there are commonly-held beliefs
throughout skaa culture…particularly those that help maintain social order and
the status quo.
WORSHIP OF THE LORD RULER

The core religious tenet in the Final Empire declares that the Lord Ruler is
god — that he created mankind as they are, and is their greatest protector and
judge. The skaa are confronted with the evidence of the Lord Ruler’s divinity
everywhere, from the soaring heights of Kredik Shaw to the unbreakable power of
the nobility to the lowly station they suffer for their ancestors’ defiance.
Worship of the Lord Ruler involves very little organized practice, at least for
the skaa. Most skaa know very little of official doctrine or dogma. They know that
the Lord Ruler saved the world from the Deepness, and that he is a god on earth,
but that’s about it. All other information about the faith comes from their masters,
or rumor and inference passed down by other skaa.
Since the perceived doctrines of the church vary from plantation to plantation
or noble house to noble house, many nobles freely manipulate the finer details of
religion to compel their skaa into greater productivity and obedience. Some teach
that while the world is dangerous and cruel, the Lord Ruler created it as such to
punish the disobedient and unfaithful — who, naturally, are the skaa. Others
preach of a watchful and wrathful Lord Ruler, who will strike down those who
threaten his “perfect world” without mercy. These “interpretations” are all accept-
able…so long as they do not contradict the Lord Ruler’s divinity or the word of
the Obligators.
Regardless of the details, few skaa question the these religious doctrines,
and some are far more reverent than others. While some (quite naturally) ques-
tion their fate and lament their treatment as beasts of burden, there just as many
who look on their plight as punishment for the disobedience of their forefathers.
These skaa count themselves lucky that they don’t suffer even worse than they
already do, and many of them believe the pain and misery inflicted upon other
skaa is righteous punishment for unspoken faithlessness. But most skaa simply
don’t go out of their way to question what they have been trained to think or
believe. Despair is an emotion many skaa know and understand; hope, desire,
love — these are the kinds of feelings that none dare to explore outside the
Skaa Belief
safety of religion or superstition.
SUPERSTITION
Uneducated skaa hold a staggering number of superstitions, particularly on
the plantations (see page 50). Though superstition aren’t direct religious doctrine,
they serve as a method of control just the same. The Lord Ruler and his Obligators
see no reason to set the skaa straight, since skaa who live in fear are also easier to
manipulate. For instance, skaa who fear the mists remain indoors at night, which
in turn reduces the likelihood they will attempt to of escape or revolt, as well as
ensuring they are well-rested for the toil of the next working day.
Though the Steel Ministry and the nobility planted the seeds that gave rise
to many skaa superstitions, most have their roots in mundane events which have
been blown out of proportion through retellings and the passage of time. The
most pervasive superstitions surround the mists, which skaa believe harbor hor-
rific form-stealing mistwraiths and ghosts or can even consume them body and
soul (some more specific examples of these folk superstitions can be found on
page 53).
Anything rare or exotic witnessed by a skaa could become the subject of su-
perstition, ranging from a sighting of a lone koloss to sight of a Mistborn using the
full extent of their abilities. Rural skaa, with their strong tradition of oral history
and insular communities, are particularly prone to these beliefs, though they tend
to end at the borders of their masters’ estate. In the cities, on the other hand, skaa
are more likely to interact with those from other houses, leading to less-frequent
but more widely held superstitions capturing the local imagination.
The strange irony of skaa superstition is that these myths are, if one digs deep
enough, based on fact. Many skaa’s (incorrect) idea of what a mistwraith derives
from the truth of what a kandra is, and the animalistic wandering mistwraiths are

indeed cousins to the kandra. Likewise, it is indeed true the mists have an intel-
ligible agenda, though that purpose is far removed from the sinister motives the
skaa attribute to it.
FAITH AFTER THE COLLAPSE

section is best read upon completion after the first book: The Final Empire.
With the Lord Ruler’s death, the primary belief on Scadrial lost its object of
devotion. Kelsier’s schemes set him up as a sort of replacement, albeit one with-
out the oppressive authority of the Lord Ruler, and many skaa transferred
their reverence to him, in the form of the Survivor.
CHURCH OF THE SURVIVOR

Prior to the death of the Lord
Ruler, Kelsier struggled might-
ily to introduce doubt among the
Skaa Belief
skaa faithful. While questioning
the divinity of the Lord Ruler
aloud courted death at the hands
of the Steel Ministry, they couldn’t
control what happened in the minds of
the skaa. Centuries of abuse and flimsy
religious excuses for it provided fertile
ground for the seeds of distrust; what
Kelsier planted there grew into the
Church of the Survivor.
The Church of the Survivor devel-
oped naturally out of the events leading up
to the fall of the Lord Ruler. Kelsier’s death
and the religion that sprang up after it stemmed
from multiple political and cultural forces —
only some of which he had planned for. As
OreSeur went out in Kelsier’s guise,rumors
spread about the Survivor’s resurrection,
and his legend grew. Eventually, priests of
the Survivor organized around a basic
dogma, wearing simple smocks and
scarring their arms in the manner of
the Survivor to display their faith.
These priests, like many skaa after
the Collapse, came to their faith as a
vocation rather than ordination by an au-
thority, and took the word out to skaa
throughout the New Empire.
TIN & ASH 81

The Church of the Survivor has no true creed, since the “faith” was always
a tool for instigating a rebellion rather than establishing an organized religious
movement. The faithful seek any guidance they can find, either from the few
things Kelsier is known to have said or from his followers, particularly Vin, the
Heir to the Survivor. The most strident followers of the religion continue to debate
and from a consensus about what the church’s true doctrines should be, but most
skaa pay respects through simple folk worship in the way they venerated the Lord
Ruler. As time passes, Kelsier’s legend grows out of proportion, and more mys-
teries are added to instill awe and wonder. In some retellings, Kelsier took down
ten Inquisitors rather than one. In others, it was Kelsier who took down the Lord
Ruler instead of Vin. And some believe Vin is Kelsier’s daughter.
For now, each priest of the Survivor follows his or her own interpretations of
Kelsier and his teachings, and each “parish” is similarly unique. While many have
adapted defunct Steel Ministry buildings, others have taken over abandoned houses
of the nobility or have constructed shrines near the Pits of Hathsin. This holistic ap-
proach may seem chaotic, but it also allows the skaa to explore their cultural identity
in a way that fits the regional attitudes and beliefs they have long held.
Skaa Belief
Some sects that emerged in the early days of the Church express more devel-
oped and specific sets of beliefs, as described below.
PACT OF SILENT HANDS

Followers of this sect share a deep longing to improve the treatment of skaa
everywhere. These self-ordained “disciples” believe they must continue the
Survivor’s work in silence without recognition or reward. A pragmatic group,
the Pact aspires to protect skaa freedom and further damage the power of the
Steel Ministry, and they execute their plans ruthlessly and with a minimum of
showmanship.
DAUGHTERS OF HATHSIN
The Daughters of Hathsin is a sect of female believers who regard Kelsier
as their divine husband and liberator. They share stories of their mothers, grand-
mothers, and great-grandmothers to strengthen their resolve and heal from cen-
turies of abuse. Members of this group are marked by painted patterns designed
to look like arm scars or mistcloak tassels, and take a vow of abstinence. They
believe they no longer have to succumb to the whims of the nobility or allow
themselves to be taken advantage of. They view Vin, the Heir of the Survivor, as
a role model and holy figure.
THE ORDER OF THE SCAR

Those who belong to the Order of the Scar believe in skaa superiority and
have taken the precepts of the Church of the Survivor to extreme lengths. As-
sassins and kidnappers, the Order of the Scar captures, tortures, and inflicts the
same harm on the nobility that was done to the skaa. While not all skaa approve
of their actions, they stay out of the way, for “sympathizers” are often at risk of
similar retribution.

OTHER FAITHS AFTER THE COLLAPSE
The Collapse allowed a variety of other faiths to flourish and evolve now that
the laws no longer restrict or punish such religions. Numerous interpretations of
the old faith stemming from pre-existing variances of beliefs led to a va-
riety of sects still rooted in worship of the Lord Ruler. In fact, not every
skaa believed that Kelsier did the right thing, because the overthrow of
the Lord Ruler also undermined the stability and predictabil-
ity of life prior to the Collapse.
THE LORD RULER’S FAITHFUL

Many skaa do not believe the Lord Ruler is
dead, and still regard him as the one and only god
of Scadrial. They find unlikely allies among the
obligators, including Aradan Yomen, the ruler of
Fadrex City. The skaa who believe this continue
to tie the fate of their people to the Lord Ruler’s
life and ideals. All too often, these skaa work in full
Skaa Belief
cooperation with the Steel Ministry, nobles, or anyone
else claiming the “old ways” were better.
KING OF THE MISTWRAITHS

These skaa feared the Lord Ruler, and believe that after his death he emerged
as King of the Mistwraiths and is locked in an eternal battle with Kelsier, the Lord
of the Mists. They believe the newly crowned “King” is waiting to re-enslave the
skaa and turn them all into mistwraiths. This belief is more of an urban legend
than a religion, and manifests some unusual practices such as offering foodstuffs
and sacrifices to the mists.
THE PUNISHED
Some skaa blame themselves for the Lord Ruler’s death and seek atonement
for their sins. These skaa believe the deteriorating stability in Luthadel and be-
yond is a sign the skaa have helped bring about the end of the world by forgetting
their place and cooperating with Kelsier. These devout believers seek to sacrifice
themselves through a series of rigorous tests and self-inflicted torture to save the
skaa people from the oncoming wrath of the fallen god — and thereby liberate
the entire world.
CIRCLE OF THE TOUCHED

Many of the Final Empire’s citizens cling to the fading memory of the Lord
Ruler’s glory and stubbornly refuse to let go of their faith in him. Instead of casting
their lot with any new religion or regime, these skaa worship anyone and anything
that had a connection to the Lord Ruler. Members of the circle participate in “re-
membrances” — meetings that reveal holy facts about the Lord Ruler’s life. Some
savvy criminals have taken advantage of this zeal, fabricating “relics” like his eating
utensils or a single strand of his hair, for sale at a ridiculous price.
TIN & ASH 83

9
SKAA HEROES
A skaa’s lot is not an easy one. Centuries of despair have left their mark and
rare is the skaa who dares to fight for a better life. But those who fight also serve as
badly needed beacons of hope among their fellows: proof that resisting the nobles
and the Lord Ruler is not futile and that hope can survive, even in the bleakest of
circumstances.
This section provides you new insights as you create, play, and advance your
skaa Hero, including new rules for Stunts, equipment, and networks uniquely
suited to the skaa.
BUILDING YOUR SKAA HERO

When building your skaa Hero, there are many special considerations to take
into account, ranging from their distinct behaviors and cultural norms to their
names and life events. This section offers tools and guidance to help you make
your Hero fit the flavor and backgrounds of the skaa people as closely as possible.
COMMON SKAA TRAITS

The following Traits are some of the more common professional and personal
features of skaa characters, broken down by the categories used for Creating He-
roes (see the Mistborn Adventure Game, starting on page 84). While not compre-
hensive, these should put you on the path to creating more interesting and unique
skaa, either as a player or a Narrator.
COMMON SKAA TRAITS
Professions
Beggar Canal Pilot Cleaning Person
Coachman Con Artist Courier
Factory Worker Farmer Gangster
Informant Laborer Merchant
Overseer Rebel Servant
Shepherd Smuggler Spy
Survivor Thief Tinkerer
Specialties
Black marketeer Can hide anything Canal traveler
Dodges trouble Easily overlooked Expert craftsman
Eye for detail Flatterer Good with tools
Guerilla fighter Hard to read Hidden strength
Skaa Heroes
House contacts Inside man Knows thieving crews

Master of the streets Plays dumb Quiet as a mouse
Sense for danger Trusted servant Voice of experience
Features
Always dirty Blunt speaker Brawny
Calm and collected Disheveled Flexible
Good listener Hardy Heavily scarred
Jittery Practical dress Resembles a noble
Scrawny Speaks in street slang Sturdy build
Superstitious Team player Tireless
Unbroken will Unmemorable Unreadable face
Personality
Cautious Crafty Cunning Dedicated
Deferent Determined Docile Duplicitous
Haunted Humble Meek Naive
Obedient Orderly Pliable Rebel with a cause
Resentful Respectful Suspicious Vengeful
SKAA DESTINY AND TRAGEDY

Skaa with ambition beyond the tasks their masters assign them still usually
remain modest, if only for their own survival. Only a few skaa openly strive to-
ward lofty goals, since they’ve been so deviously trained to remain submissive.

Since skaa rarely realize that they could do great things or overcome their sta-
tion — most never get the chance to do either — destiny is practically a foreign
concept to them.
Tragedy, on the other hand, is a part of daily life for skaa. Those who survive
see their friends and family tortured, killed, and taken away. They know pain, and
in some part come to accept it. In contrast to the Terris, who have diminished in
number and had their entire way of life wiped away by the Lord Ruler’s edicts,
the skaa have little identity as a people. Their shared tragedy as virtual slaves is
the only thread that links them to one another.
For many skaa, destiny is rooted in and fundamentally bound to tragedy. Ex-
ceptional brutality, painful loss, or relentless trauma can all spur a skaa to throw
off the shackles of submission and strive toward a great destiny, as Kelsier did
following the loss of Mare and his imprisonment in the Pits of Hathsin. Of course,
the Survivor also benefitted from being a powerful Mistborn, and few skaa are as
fortunate to have Allomantic abilities, a close network of allies, or massive funds
collected from criminal enterprises. Those skaa with great destinies find those
destinies thrust upon them, and must muster all they have to overcome the obsta-
cles society puts before them and reach for greatness.
Skaa Heroes
The kinds of Destinies and Tragedies skaa characters have may depend on
whether they live in urban or rural areas. In the cities, opportunities abound and
ambition is rewarded. On the plantation and along the canals, there’s less to work
with; goals tend to be simpler and usually involve escaping or surviving the noble
owners’ control. Some of the sample Destinies and Tragedies below might be bet-
ter suited to a city or rural skaa.
EXAMPLE SKAA DESTINIES
Establish a place free of noble rule

Rumors persist in the skaa community of some town or province where the
nobles hold no sway: where every person is free to choose their own fate rather
than toil thanklessly at the hands of cruel masters. Maybe this skaa can find it.
Better yet, maybe she can help other skaa get to it as well. Your character may or
may not believe such a place truly exists, but she believes one could with the right
leadership. She dreams of founding such an independent place, and of drawing
skaa to live there in peace.
Fulfilling this Destiny involves chasing a lot of ghosts and phantoms, such
as rumors of ideal locations to build the free city that may have no basis in fact. It
may also entail surreptitiously gaining information from a noble house or getting
a map out of the Steel Ministry. Even more importantly, a successful skaa must
cover her tracks well, lest minions of the Lord Ruler track the skaa to the city’s
location. In a campaign with such a plotline, much of the difficulty lies in finding
a secluded, defensible location. Next comes recruiting skaa to live there — and
making sure that life is sustainable, with enough food, medicine, and shelter for
everyone. Other challenges involve forming a government, avoiding detection,
and fighting off any enemies who do find the settlement.
TIN & ASH 87

Bring down a Great House
The Lord Ruler established the skaa as the lowest social caste, but it’s the
nobles who abuse and subjugate the skaa on a daily basis, particularly those of
the Great Houses who control the largest proportion of skaa. Many skaa dream
of revenge against nobles or finding freedom from their yoke — your character
is committed to taking action to realize that dream. Toppling a Great House takes
more than just stealing resources or carrying out a few assassinations; each is an
establishment that has stood the test of time, and your character must be cunning
and thorough to take one apart.
Other noble houses also factor into any plan to damage a Great House — ei-
ther their rivals, or their allies — so the Crew might need to undertake jobs that
involve building alliances or gaining leverage against nobles before taking on
a Great House. Money makes the houses run, and any mission to stop the flow
into a Great House must involve more than petty theft. Breaking supply lines,
freeing skaa workers, and causing delays by inviting scrutiny from the Steel
Ministry can all damage a Great House’s finances. A key moment of a campaign
that involves this Destiny comes when the Crew decides to finally strike, to try
to put down the House once and for all.
Skaa Heroes
Establish an elite thieving crew

Any skaa criminal can claim to run
a thieving crew, but raising one to a posi-
tion of power takes street smarts and ruth-
lessness. Your Hero doesn’t see a bright,
beautiful future for the skaa as a people,
but certainly believes she can make one
for herself with wealth and prestige.
Though ascending the ranks of the
skaa thieving crews will almost
certainly lead to betrayal and vio-
lence, being a crew boss doesn’t
mean your character is a total bas-
tard. She knows dhe can’t get far without loy-
alty to her comrades and duty to the Crew she runs.
This Destiny works best in a gritty campaign where the Heroes aren’t ex-
pected to be good guys all the time. For the Narrator, there are few easier ways to
kick off an adventure than to present a juicy opportunity to an eager thieving crew.
Since becoming the top crew in a big city is no mean feat, the Hero who has this
Destiny can expect that some jobs might be ruses or traps, or that other crews will
come into conflict with his own as he leads them to the top of the heap.
Discover the secret of the mists

Skaa spread rumors about the dangers of the mists — of the mistwraiths
and the soul-stealing power of the mist itself. Your character, driven by curiosity,
hopes to find the truth behind this phenomenon. He might have witnessed some-

thing that goes against the common tales the skaa tell of the mist, or he might
have overheard a wanderer, noble, or Obligator implying that the mists aren’t as
dangerous as the skaa believe.
A campaign that involves this Destiny likely includes people who venture
into the mists, particularly Mistborn, and those with a connection to mistwraiths,
namely kandra. Depending on the skaa, finding out what these two groups have to
say might explain enough, whereas others might want to seek out deeper truths.
Discovering the true properties and origins of the mists requires uncovering se-
crets the Lord Ruler wanted buried — many of the ones revealed throughout The
Well of Ascension.
Lead a skaa revolt

Revolt is unthinkable in the Final Empire, but that doesn’t mean that daring
skaa won’t attempt it. In the Outer Dominances especially, the grip of the Steel
Ministry is weaker, and particularly wily skaa can overthrow their noble masters
without alerting the Lord Ruler’s forces. Such a revolt takes planning and prepa-
ration, not to mention a plan for what to do once the hated overlords are in the
ground. But if a revolt succeeds, the rewards would be incalculable.
Skaa Heroes
Starting a revolt also means stoking the fires of rebellion in one’s fellow
skaa (quietly, in order to avoid suspicion) and collecting weapons (quietly, though
some can be disguised as farming tools). When it occurs, the rebellious skaa need
to keep word from getting out, usually by killing everyone who can talk. Assum-
ing it succeeds, the skaa must then determine whether they will keep their liber-
ated status to themselves or encourage other plantations to follow their example.
EXAMPLE SKAA TRAGEDIES
I am alone in a dangerous world

As rough as life can be for skaa, they have a tendency to close ranks when
one of their own is threatened. Skaa who work together form very tight bonds, and
skaa who share quarters in slums can band together for protection when criminal
crews come calling. You don’t have that. Whether you arrived in the city illegally
from outside, lost your support network in a purge, or just like forging your own
path, you have no real comrades within the skaa community. They have no rea-
sons to risk themselves on your behalf and may even be willing to turn you in for
something you didn’t do just to keep one of their own safe. You need to watch
your back — or really trust your crew — if you want to stay alive for long.
I know a secret that could kill me

On a plantation, everyone knows everyone else’s business, making keeping a
secret very hard. That’s not the case in the cities, however: the mists hide a great
deal and even in the midst of huge crowds, things happen that nobody sees. But
no matter where you live, you know something so incendiary that, were it to get
out, would threaten your life. Perhaps it was a nobleman murdering his son, an
Obligator disposing of a forbidden book, or a witnessing grudge within a crew set-
TIN & ASH 89

tled permanently, you were there when it all went down. Now, you live in deep-set
fear that your secret will be found out. As a skaa, you have nowhere to run if the
authorities come for you.
I came from another plantation

Skaa belong to their plantations the same way that farm animals do, and leav-
ing is definitely not an option. Sometimes, a particularly clever skaa can break
that rule: slipping away when no one notices and covering their tracks enough
to stay hidden. That usually means integrating with another plantation… which
is actually easier than it sounds. Overseers and nobles rarely know all their skaa,
and a little dirt and grime can make even the most notable face blend in. Still,
it’s a tough road to walk. At any moment, someone could realize that you’re out
of place, and without the support of your fellow skaa, you’re apt to find yourself
alone and friendless very quickly.
My mother was killed by my father

Nobles may bed their skaa at leisure, and most kill their skaa partners once
they’ve taken what they wanted (as is the law). Your mother was one such victim;
Skaa Heroes
luckily for you, she managed spirit you away before. Your friends or caretakers
told you the tale as you grew older, and now you are left to wonder. Is this noble-
man your father or not? Are you an Allomancer or not? Ultimately, the question
is academic: if your father or the Steel Ministry learn who your mother is, they’re
going to kill you… if you don’t take a little bit of revenge yourself.
SKAA NAMES
Skaa have given names that are somewhat similar in length and structure
to noble names, though they are less grandiose and lack the history or prestige
that comes with a noble name. Skaa are more often called by shortened “street
names” they pick up from friends or colleagues, typically once they start working
while still children. Skaa street names are usually simple and short, either an ab-
breviated form of the skaa’s given name or a nickname based on obvious traits or
events from the skaa’s life.
Skaa names aren’t differentiated by gender, and they vary little by region or
birthplace. City skaa do tend to have a little more flourish to their names, though
this is likely that because more skaa live in closer proximity in the cities, the need
for distinction is greater. Ciry skaa are also more likely to use names with a bit of
poetry to them: names taken from heroes of long-ago stories, for example, or just
names with a lyrical sound to them.
Families are rare amongst the skaa, so few have last names, and none are bold
enough to take the names of their noble owners. Skaa surnames function solely to
distinguish one skaa from the other, so a skaa with a rare or unique name likely
won’t have a surname at all.
The following is a list of both rural and urban skaa names, for use with your
Heroes, Extras, or Villains. It is by no means comprehensive, but can provide
inspiration or a quick name when you’re put on the spot. The names on these lists

can be used for skaa of any gender. Additional names appear on page 105 of the
Mistborn Adventure Game.
RURAL SKAA NAMES

Bal Broon Broxtenn (Brox) Dor
Drex Durgg Faxia (Fax) Fecklenn (Fek)
Fetcher Gikk Getern Gustra (Gus)
Hashh Jelkin (Jel) Kitt Kort
Kuskul (Kus) Mill Ness Pakter (Pak)
Rin Rott Sek Serene (Ser)
Suka Thresh Tret Walker
URBAN SKAA NAMES

Ash Averss Bowthimm (Bo) Dawnmann (Dawn)
Dross Duskmann (Dusk) Dynarst Forre
Skaa Heroes
Geltier Grenteen (Gren) Horss Joxxan (Jox)
Kernn Kistaris (Star) Lemm Plessadon (Pless)
Quinlee (Quin) Retinile (Ret) Shadd Sharps
Slips Tressix (Six) Wraiths Yost
SKAA ADVANCEMENTS
This section covers new Advancements available only to skaa Heroes, which
reflect the unique skills they’ve learned as part of living at the bottom of the Final
Empire’s food chain.
NETWORKS
This supplement uses the rules for Networks — influential organizations
which Heroes can tap for support and information during their exploits. A Hero
doesn’t necessarily have to join or otherwise contribute to a Network in order to
access it (though it may help); having a Network simply represents the Hero’s
clearest and most valuable relationship to one of these organizations at the mo-
ment. Thus, it isn’t unusual for a Hero to change his Network over the course of
his career, or for members of the same Crew to have different Networks from one
another. These rules originally appeared in Terris: Wrought of Copper, but are
repeated here in full for convenience.
GAINING A NETWORK
A Hero may gain a Network they qualify for by spending Advancements,
just as they would gain a new Trait or Power, which represents the expenditure of
time and goodwill necessary to forge their connections. Because Networks often
TIN & ASH 91

have conflicting goals and rules, a Hero may only have a single Network at a time.
However, as always, the Narrator must approve all Networks you choose as ap-
propriate for the circumstances of the story.
Example: Peter’s character, the thieving-crew leader Beck, has struck up an

agreement with the Silk Charade to carry out a few small jobs under their ban-
ner to make up for some... ahem... shortfalls in income. Their latest caper got the
attention of the nobles and started Obligators chattering about the Silk Charade.
Therefore, Peter decides to spend some Advancements to gain “The Silk Cha-
rade” Network. Brandon approves, and Peter adds his successful partnership to
Beck’s character sheet.
USING NETWORKS
Unlike other Advancements, however, a Hero can only take advantage of a
Network (gain its Benefits and use its Network Trait) while he or she remains
in good standing with its leadership (following the Network’s Rules); Networks
rarely stick their neck out for those who don’t respect their methods and dictums.
If a Hero breaks a Network’s Rules, as defined in its description, he loses its
Skaa Heroes
Network Benefits and Network Trait until the next Long Breather (at which
time he smooths things over with his contacts).
Example: As noted under the Silk Charade, one of the Network’s Rules is
“Don’t allow a failed mission to be linked back to the Silk Charade” and its Ben-
efits include a bonus die when buying equipment. Peter can continue to buy gear
as though he were wealthier unless he screws up a job but still leaves the group’s
calling card behind.
CHANGING NETWORKS
As a Hero’s priorities change, so do his or her relationships. To represent this,
a Hero can change his Network by spending 2 Advancements. While doing so
takes time, there are no lasting penalties or lingering animosity for changing one’s
Network, and a Hero can choose to regain a previous Network at a later time by
spending a further 2 Advancements.
SPENDING ADVANCEMENTS
Skaa Heroes can choose any of the following Advancements, following the
rules for Spending Advancements as described on page 121 of the Mistborn Ad-
venture Game.
SKAA ADVANCEMENTS
Improvement Cost Description
Change your Network 2 Switch your loyalties from one Network to another.
Develop a Network 4 Gain the benefits of a single Network
Gain a new Skaa Stunt 4 (Skaa only) Add a Skaa Stunt to your Hero

2 ADVANCEMENTS
Change your Network: Your Hero abandons his old Network and declares
his loyalty to a new organization. Erase your existing Network and replace it with
the one you now qualify for (see Networks, page 91).
4 ADVANCEMENTS
Develop a Network: Your Hero fosters a relationship with a powerful organi-
zation, exchanging his loyalty to take advantage of that Network’s training and
contacts. Add your new Network to the Powers section of your character sheet;
as long as you follow the Network’s dictums, you gain its benefit (see Networks,
page 91). You may only have one Network at a time, though you may change it
by spending 2 Advancements, as noted above.
Networks available to Skaa characters include:
BLACK HILL SKAA (SKAA ONLY)

Despite the nobles legally in charge of them, the skaa of the Black Hill plan-
tation (see page 115) really hold the reins. They aren’t too friendly to outsiders,
but if you can prove yourself to them they can provide a safehouse — a much
Skaa Heroes
nicer one than most skaa plantations.
Rules: Spread the lie that the Veyton family still holds full control in Black Hill;
protect the Veyton heirs as long as they remain compliant; fend off any bandits sent
to attack Black Hill; shepherd escaped skaa to Black Hill if they’re able to work.
Network Trait: Friend of Black Hill
Benefits: Once per session, you may choose a skaa Extra or noble Extra of a
house allied with House Veyton and make a Charm 3 Challenge roll; with success,
the Extra agrees to assist you in your current task. The Extra assists you until the
task is complete or the next Breather (whichever comes first).
CITIZENS OF KHALFI (SKAA ONLY)

Your Hero knows of Khalfi, the Hidden City in the Remote Dom-
inance (see page 34). This village belongs to skaa alone, and
must be kept safe from those who would destroy it.
Rules: Do not divulge the existence or location of
Khalfi to non-skaa; shepherd escaped skaa to the Hid-
den City if they are trustworthy; use any means nec-
essary to keep non-skaa and traitorous skaa away
from Khalfi.
Network Trait: Rugged Frontiersman
Benefits: Your Wits as considered 1 higher
when you declare your action in a Conflict.
THE SILK CHARADE

(SKAA ONLY)
The brazen thieving crew known as the Silk
Charade (see page 68) makes sure their presence is
TIN & ASH 93

well known. You’ve made a contact within this crew, and are either a full member
of the crew or trade favors with them.
Rules: Always leave a calling card when you commit a crime, so the legend
of the Silk Charade grows; don’t allow a failed mission to be linked back to the
Silk Charade; don’t take credit for others’ crimes.
Network Trait: Member of the Silk Charade
Benefits: You gain two bonus dice to all Resources rolls to buy equipment
(see the Mistborn Adventure Game, page 236).
YEDEN’S REBELLION (SKAA ONLY)

An entire army of armed skaa, Yeden’s rebellion (see page 77) wants to top-
ple the Final Empire and free the skaa. Though they aren’t perfectly organized
or run, they have greater numbers than most such rebellions and even manage to
scrape together enough money for a few supplies. Headquartered near the Pits of
Hathsin, the rebels undergo training by experienced skaa thieves as they bide their
time before attacking.
Rules: Keep the rebellion’s location secret; secure additional provisions and
supplies for the rebels; contribute to the training of skaa troops.
Skaa Heroes
Network Trait: Skaa Resistance Fighter

Benefits: When you spend a Nudge to deal extra damage against a member of
the Steel Ministry, increase the damage by 2 instead of 1. You may only use this
ability with one Nudge per attack.
LUTHADEL ASSEMBLY (SKAA ONLY)

This Network is available only in a game set after the Collapse. Your char-
acter formed a close connection to the Luthadel Assembly (see page 70), either
by being an Assemblyman personally or working with one. Members of the As-
sembly sometimes grant a measure of legal authority to people who work on their
behalf, which grants their representatives privileges and standing, particularly
among officers of the law.
Rules: Abide by the laws passed by the Assembly; make sure disputes get
settled legally by the Assembly rather than by vigilantism; do not conceal your
connection to the Assembly.
Network Trait: Licensed by the Assembly
Benefits: You can show your Luthadel Assembly license when dealing with
soldiers or officials to automatically prevent them from bothering you unless
you’ve clearly committed a crime or are obviously about to commit one.
Gain a Skaa Stunt (Skaa Heroes only): Your Hero embraces or typifies some
of the strongest aspects of his or her people. Each time you choose this improve-
ment, choose one Skaa Stunt from the following and add it to the Powers section of
your Hero’s sheet. You may only gain each Stunt once, unless otherwise specified:
• By Hook or by Crook (Skaa Only): You’ll brave great risks to defeat

your opponents. When attacking or defending during a Conflict, be-

fore rolling you can describe a dirty trick you’re using to add an addi-
tional die to that roll. However, the final Result of any rolls to defend
against this attack (if you’re attacking) or the Result of your opponent’s
attack (if you’re defending) is increased by 1 (to a maximum of 5).
Example: Sev is battling a House Venture guard — a fight where he is desper-
ately outclassed. When the guard takes a swing at him, Sev declares he will
use a dirty trick to throw a handful of ash in the guard’s face. Sev takes the
last 3 dice remaining in his pool to defend and adds one more die for a total
of 4 dice. Sev and the guard both roll their pools, and each of them rolls two
4s, giving both a Result of 4 with no Nudges — a tie! However, the Narrator
points out the guard’s Result increases to 5 due to Sev’s dirty trick, making it
a hit! Sev curses his luck as the guard’s sword bites into his arm...
• Canal Savvy (Canal Skaa Only): Living and working on canal routes, you’ve
grown accustomed to navigating the waterways and dealing with others who
do so. You gain 2 additional dice on Resources and Influence rolls when
traveling on the canals or dealing with the logistics of canal travel or trade.
• Eastern Street Slang (Skaa Only): Wasing the learning of speaking the words
wasing the East place of streets. You can communicate in Eastern street to
Skaa Heroes
make it more difficult for those not fluent to understand; another character
who does not know Eastern street slang only understands you with a Wits
3 roll. You may take this Stunt a second time, which reduces the Difficulty
for anyone you designate to understand you by 1 (representing “off-screen”
language training of friends, other types of covert messaging, etc.).
• Face in the Crowd (Skaa Only): You have a way of vanishing into the ranks
of your fellow skaa, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint or track you
among skaa. Any roll for an attempt to locate you in a crowd of skaa or follow
you within a skaa community fails unless the hunter spends a Nudge.
• Folk Medicine (Plantation Skaa Only): Living on the plantation, you learned
which herbs have medicinal properties, and can use them to treat the ailments
of others. During a Short Breather, choose another character; that charac-
ter either recovers all lost Health during that Breather if he or she sits the
Breather out, or recovers half if he or she does not. During a Long Breather,
choose either yourself or another character; that character may from a serious
or grave Burden even if he or she does not spend the entire Breather resting in
bed (see “Recovery” on page 189 of the Mistborn Adventure Game).
• Friends in Low Places (City Skaa Only): Your name and reputation is known
throughout the thieving crews and gangs of the city. You gain 2 additional
dice on all Charm and Influence rolls when dealing with members of the skaa
underworld.
• Make the Best of It (Skaa Only): As a skaa, you’ve spent your whole life
learning to make due with what little you have. Your dice pool never shrinks
due to adverse conditions (see the Mistborn Adventure Game, page 143).
• See No Evil (Skaa Only): Superstitions you learned at a young age protect
you from frightening things through your sheer stubbornness or hatred of
magic. You gain one bonus die when defending against a supernatural at-
TIN & ASH 95

tack. The source must be clearly supernatural; for instance, if you’re being
manipulated by emotional Allomancy, you gain this bonus only if it’s obvious
to you the attacker is burning Zinc or Brass.
• Skaa’s Toughness (Skaa Only): Your Health permanently increases by 2, and
you may recover Health during a Short Breather without sitting the Breather
out (see “Recovery” on page 189 of the Mistborn Adventure Game).
• Take a Licking (Plantation Skaa Only): A lifetime of floggings and abuse
have made you nearly immune to pain. Whenever you suffer a physical Bur-
den, its grade is reduced by one (e.g., from Mortal to Grave, Grave to Serious,
or Serious to no Burden).
• Underhanded (Skaa Only): You ruthlessly exploit your foes’ injuries to your
advantage. You gain one “free” Nudge to all rolls opposing or attacking a
character with a physical Burden.
• Urban Racer (City Skaa Only): You know the winding streets and towering
buildings of the city, and can scramble over walls and fences with ease. When
you are in an urban environment, you gain 1 additional die to all rolls to navi-
gate within the city. Additionally, during a Conflict, you may take two steps
during each Beat without giving up your dice (see the Mistborn Adventure
Skaa Heroes
Game, page 198). Note that you can’t give up your dice to take three steps,
however!
• Well-traveled (Canal Skaa Only): You’ve seen more of the world than most
noblemen, and you have comrades in ports and waystations all over. Once per
session, you may spend 4 hours checking the locale for contacts, then make a
Difficulty 3 Influence roll. With a success, you find one skaa Extra of average
threat or lower who can help you with a non-combat task. The Extra assists
you until the task is complete or the next Breather (whichever comes first).
SKAA EQUIPMENT
Skaa are well-accustomed to getting by with
what little they have, and have come up with
inventive uses for even the most rudimen-
tary items. Thieving crews also have spe-
cialized gear to use in their heists. The
types of items skaa are likely to have
vary depending on the location and oc-
cupation of the skaa. Those on the canals
are more likely to have quant and fishing
poles, and those in the cities might more
frequently have need of forged paperwork.
This section covers the various types of com-
mon and exotic equipment skaa might have,
above and beyond those items listed in
the Mistborn Adventure Game.

FAST-ACTING POISONS
Poisons are a common weapon amongst the nobility, often found in the hands
of assassins and spiteful noblemen looking for a bit of underhanded payback.
Skaa thieving crews, however, sometimes employ special poisons to quickly in-
capacitate targets they don’t intend to kill. These poisons were first discovered
by plantation skaa, who formulated these compounds for hunting, as they would
subdue wild game without ruining the meat. Eventually, some skaa employed
these poisons against their masters or overseers to facilitate their escape from the
farms to the city, where they unwitting delivered it to the criminal underworld.
Acquiring fast-acting poisons can be difficult, since they’re highly illegal,
few people know how to make them, and many of the herbs must be smuggled in
from rural areas. However, the trouble of making these poisons is worth the effort,
for they are extremely versatile and can be slipped into food or beverages, applied
to darts, or wiped on the edge of a knife.
Whatever the method of delivery, a target exposed to the poison immediately
suffer a temporary serious Burden, as listed under its description (e.g., a character
exposed to Grey Fester immediately suffers the “Hallucinating” serious Burden).
A character may only suffer from the effects of one poison-related Burden at a
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time. If the target is exposed to a poison via an attack which would also inflict
a Burden, the attacker must choose which Burden he or she wishes the target to
suffer (either that from the attack or the poison, but not both).
Once exposed, the victim suffers this Burden until the next Short Breather, at
which time he or she automatically recovers (in addition to any other healing or
activities which he or she may be engaged in).
OTHER COMMON SKAA EQUIPMENT

Skaa have precious little in this world, but what they do have, they hold very
close to their hearts — and carefully concealed from the nobles. Sometimes, their
simple trinkets can come in extremely handy. Any Hero can acquire any of the
gear on the following tables as Props or by spending Resources, but these are
things most commonly found among skaa.
SKAA WEAPONS
Item Props Difficulty Damage Min/Max Range
Melee Weapons
Farm implement 1 1 +1 Touch / Striking
Used by villagers only in defense (and desperation)
Quant pole 1 1 +1 Striking / Striking
Wooden pole with a metal prong on one end, used to push barges down the canals
Sheathkives 1 1 +1 Touch / Touch
Thin knives which are easily concealed in sleeves or other clothing
TIN & ASH 97

SKAA WEAPONS (CONTINUED)
Item Props Difficulty Damage Min/Max Range
Ranged Weapons
Darts (3) 1 1 +0 Close / Close
Fletched darts typically used to deliver poisons
SKAA ARMOR
Item Props Difficulty Description
Concealed armor 2 2 Simple padded armor concealed under layers
of furs to look like peasant’s clothing; absorbs 1
damage from physical attacks; contains no metal
OTHER SKAA EQUIPMENT

Skaa Heroes

Animals, Mounts, & Vehicles
Livestock herd 2 2 Herd of 10 sheep, goats or cattle suitable
for labor, farming, or eating
Pack animal 1 1 Rugged donkey, mule, or goat suited to
moving supplies
Signal animal 1 3 Trained animal such as a bird used to carry
messages to one location
Fast-Acting Poisons
Gray Fester (1 1 4 Hallucinogen made from mushrooms on
dose) canal banks; Burden (Hallucinating)
Lesser Birchbane 1 4 A minor form of a potentially deadly poison,
(1 dose) causes tremors rather than killing; Burden
(The Shakes)
Lesser Gurwraith 1 4 Can only be delivered by a cut or injection,
(1 dose) not by ingestion; Burden (Spasms)
Lesser Tompher (1 1 4 Uncommon poison derived from fern spores;
dose) Burden (Dulled Reflexes)
Shuteye Spirits (1 1 4 Soporific made from a blend of distilled
dose) leaves; Burden (Drowsy)
Unfell 1 4 Made from powdered chalk found in deposits
at the base of Torinost; Burden (Raging Fever)
Veltrane (1 dose) 1 4 Partial paralytic derived from a weed
found in the Eastern Dominance; Burden:
(Coughing Fits)

OTHER SKAA EQUIPMENT (CONTINUED)
Tools
Abacus 1 2 Simple calculation device favored by
merchants and tradesmen
Cloak 1 1 Simple poncho or hood used to protect
oneself from the elements and detection
Codebook 1 3 A book of ciphers, used to encode and
decode messages
Concealed safe 1 4 Book, box, jug, or other object with a hidden
compartment for concealing valuables and
money; Wits 3 roll required to find.
Farmer’s tools 1 1 Simple wooden and iron tools for chiseling
the hard earth
Fishing gear 1 1 Pole, tackle, and nets used for fishing in
lakes and rivers
Skaa Heroes
Forged noble 1 3 Identification papers to appear as a noble
papers (along with a proper disguise)
Forged Obligator 1 4 Identification papers to appear as an
papers Obligator (along with disguise and tattoos)
Hunter’s traps 1 2 Snares and other traps useful for catching
small game
Lockpicks 1 2 Useful for picking locks
Medicinal herbs 1 2 Simple poultices and other folk cures, use
for treating injury
Pipeweed 1 2 Pouch of dried aromatic leaves + pipe;
smoked when relaxing or socializing
Salts 1 3 Sea salt used to help preserve food, helping
it last longer
Survivorist Tract 2 3 Holy “book” of the Survivorist faith, often
heavily-illustrated for the illiterate
TIN & ASH 99

10
NOTABLE SKAA
This chapter contains a brief description of the most notable skaa in the Final
Empire, including several prominent ones discussed in the Mistborn novels. The
following sections include information that’s revealed and plot developments that
occur over the course of those novels, so beware of spoilers if you have not yet
read those novels.
SPOOK
Time Frame: Midway through The Hero of Ages
Once, Spook was nobody: a child his own parents tried to kill to save their
own skins; a street-talking urchin no one could understand; a useless Misting in a
crew filled with real heroes; a coward who left his uncle to face a siege alone; and
a love-struck kid Vin never noticed.
He sought a purpose, and started constantly flaring Tin to push his limits, to
help his friends... and somewhere in the middle of it all he found himself changed.
He could see the finest details, he could feel changes in texture and temperature
through cloth, and soon he became overwhelmed by smells and sounds and tastes...
Now Spook wears a blindfold to keep out the light, and a heavy coat to guard
against the slightest chill. He moves only at night to avoid the searing rays of the
sun. He needs Tin like other people need food or water, and if it helps him learn
something new or valuable to Vin and her crew, all the better.
Spook’s ability with Tin isn’t the only extraordinary thing about him. When
he was stabbed and left in a burning house to die, he heard the voice of Kelsier
Skaa Heroes
and saved himself by burning Pewter — a power he shouldn’t have, and one he
has no idea how he acquired. Nonetheless, it’s given him a much-needed boost of
confidence, along with the sense of purpose he’s always needed.
Finally, maybe, he can be somebody.
SPOOK (SERIOUS THREAT)

Attributes: Physique 4 [7], Charm 4, Wits 5
Standings: Resources 4, Influence 4, Spirit 6
Resiliences: Health 8 [11], Reputation 8, Willpower 11
Traits: Spy; Master of Disguise; Cane Fighter; Survivor of the Flames;
Seduced by My Newfound Power
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Tin 8 (enhances the five senses)
• Tin Savant: Spook gains two “free” Nudges with Tin rolls, but also loses 1 die
with Wits rolls relying on the senses whenever he isn’t burning Tin.
• Blindsight (Trait): Spook’s senses are so acute that he can feel vibrations
through the floor, use sound as a sort of “sonar,” and sense the movement of
air on his skin. This lets him move and act normally even in complete dark-
ness, when blindfolded, and any other time he’s left sightless. He still cannot
Skaa Heroes
take actions that require sight, however, like reading or distinguishing color.
He also gains the “Blindsight” Trait.
• Focused Sense (Hearing, Sight): While burning Tin, Spook adds one addi-
tional die with rolls relying on hearing and/or sight.
• Piercing Sight (Trait): While burning Tin, Spook can see twice as far through
mists, and may also see clearly through thin objects like sheer curtains, dirt-
ied windows, or murky water. He also gains the “Piercing Sight” Trait.
• Slow-Burning Tin 2: Spook’s Tin burn rate is 4 hours per charge.
Pewter 3 (boosts health and Physique, as shown in brackets)

• Prodigious Strength 1: While burning Pewter, Spook adds an additional die
with Physique rolls involving physical strength, including lifting and moving
objects, and wielding heavy weapons.
• Unconscious Burning: Spook automatically burns Pewter when uncon-
scious, though only if also injured (i.e. he doesn’t automatically burn Pew-
ter when sleeping). Each Pewter charge burned in this fashion lasts for three
hours, and the only benefits it conveys are increased Health, accelerated
healing, and avoiding Pewter drag. It has no effect on Physique rolls or
dice pools. This special Pewter burn stops immediately when Spook regains
consciousness.
POWERS (HEMALURGY)
1 Steel spike (grants Pewter Allomancy 3)
TIN & ASH 103

EQUIPMENT
2 dueling canes (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; contains no
metal); 3 Misting vials (3 charges of Tin each); 2 Misting vials (3 charges of Pew-
ter each); Disguise (any one person)
PLAYING SPOOK
Ever since you first joined the crew, when you were still called Lestibournes
and spoke in slang, you’ve been the least useful of them. The others have always
had all the power and experience. What could you offer? Maybe now, with these
new gifts, you can finally prove worthwhile.
Kelsier was a great man and an inspiration. He even gave you your nick-
name! It’s so very strange that he speaks to you now. Could the Church of the
Survivor be right? Does your one-time friend now watch over his followers?
Kelsier wants you to take revenge on Quellion, the Citizen, but you’ve
fallen for his sister Beldre, and she wants you to save him. How do you make a
choice like this?
Your greatest regret is leaving Luthadel before the koloss attack. You feel
like a coward. How could you leave Clubs to die? He saved you when you were a
child... How could you be so weak?
SPOOK AS AN ALLY
Skaa Heroes
Spook genuinely, desperately wants to do good, and readily joins up with any
crew if he thinks he can be useful. His heightened senses and his ability to burn
Pewter make him a strong addition to any team. The drawbacks of his condition
are many, though — he’s most effective at night, when the light won’t overwhelm
him, and he’s constantly in need of tin.
SPOOK AS AN ENEMY
When Spook obeys “Kelsier,” he often acts for less than altruistic causes.
Some of the things he hears in his head match his memory of the man, but others...
Spook doesn’t want to kill, but Kelsier’s voice never lets up and it may eventually
be too much for Spook to ignore.
KELSIER’S CREW
Time Frame: These descriptions continue the original descriptions from the
Mistborn Adventure Game, updating them for events that occurred up to the end
of The Hero of Ages.
Kelsier gathered talented individuals from all corners of the Empire, pro-
vided they shared his goal of overthrowing the Final Empire. While most of he
recruited were skaa, Kelsier’s crew also contained a smattering of noblemen
such as the Soother Breeze (even though Breeze passed himself off as half-
skaa). The members of Kelsier’s crew are described in detail in the Mistborn
Adventure Game, but a brief refresher of each one follows. In addition to these

“core” members, Kelsier knew and worked alongside Mare, Yeden, and De-
moux, who are described in detail later in this chapter.
• Kelsier: The half-skaa Mistborn hell-bent on bringing down the Lord Ruler,
Kelsier was a practiced and bold thief. With the support of his loyal crew, his
master plan laid the groundwork for the only successful skaa rebellion. He
was famous among the skaa, with his scarred forearms marking him as the
“Survivor of Hathsin,” the only person to escape the hellish pits where Atium
was mined. Kelsier died in combat against the Lord Ruler, but appeared to
live on thanks to the kandra OreSeur. Kelsier’s legend does live on, even in
the distant future.
• Cladent, aka “Clubs:” Clubs was a skaa craftsman, army veteran, and
Smoker Misting. Clubs also owned his own workshop, which acted as a front
for the crew’s operations and employed several other Smokers as apprentices.
Clubs considered himself a pragmatist (many would call it “cranky”), and
often voiced uncomfortable facts that the rest of the crew would rather not
acknowledge. Clubs was killed by koloss during the Siege of Luthadel.
• Dockson, aka “Dox:” Dox was Kelsier’s closest confidante and chief lieu-
tenant. Though he possessed no Allomantic ability, he was a genius at logis-
tics and administration — two skills that kept the crew running, and proved
Skaa Heroes
critical in the wake of the Lord Ruler’s fall. Dox’s kind demeanor served as
a counterpoint to Keslier’s occasional ruthlessness, but this mirth vanishes
following the death of his friend. Like Clubs, Dox perished during the Siege
of Luthadel.
• Hammond, aka “Ham:” Ham was a Pewterarm, with a soldier’s mentality
and a quiet stoicism that belied a deep and thoughtful personality. Unlike
many Pewterarms, he was pragmatic and cautious, preferring to use his pew-
ter judiciously lest he find himself without it someday. After the fall of the
Lord Ruler, he served as Elend Venture’s Captain of the Guard, though true
to his characteristic humility, he refused to wear a uniform.
• Lord Edgard Ladrian, aka “Breeze:” A well-spoken and charismatic
Soother, Breeze hid his noble birth to pretend he was just one of the skaa.
His council in politics and relationships proved invaluable to many of his
crewmates. He and the noble Allrianne Cett began a relationship that lasted
through Harmony’s Ascension.
• Marsh, aka “Ironeyes:” Kelsier’s brother Marsh believed more strongly in
the rebellion, but found himself in an ancillary part of the crew. When as-
signed to infiltrate the Steel Ministry, Marsh was recruited by the Steel In-
quisitors and turned into one of their monstrous kind. The Hemalurgic metal
spikes inside of him made him exceptionally powerful, and he assisted Vin
at a crucial moment to help her defeat the Lord Ruler. After the god’s fall,
Marsh fell under the sway of Ruin, which eventually took control of him to
carry out a dark agenda. During a showdown to Vin, Marsh managed to gain
just enough control to pull Vin’s earring from ear, allowing the mists to flow
into her and achieve her destiny.
TIN & ASH 105

• Sazed: A Terris steward, Feruchemist, and member of the Keepers, Sazed
provided sage guidance to Vin and the rest of the crew, along with informa-
tion on all sorts of ancient religions that the Lord Ruler stamped out. Fol-
lowing the Lord Ruler, he traveled to educate the newly-freed skaa and in-
vestigate mysteries alongside his lost love, Tindwyl (see Terris: Wrought of
Copper, page 89 for her stats)
• Lestibournes, aka “Spook.” Spook was Clubs’ nephew, who raised the
young man after his parents abandoned him because of his Allomantic abili-
ties. Spook’s skill as a spy and Tineye made him an excellent lookout, though
his shy and soft-spoken demeanor led the rest of Kelsier’s crew to treat him
as a junior member at best. During an uprising in the city of Urteau, Spook
deduced the way Ruin had controlled Vin following the death of the Lord
Ruler (see page 101 for more on Spook during The Hero of Ages).
• Vin. The heroine of the Mistborn novels, Vin was a former street urchin
and thief who also happened to be a full-bore Mistborn. Kelsier helped her
master her abilities and his mission to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Kelsier
believed (incorrectly) that Vin was the Hero of Ages, and in that capacity
she worked to continue his work after Kelsier’s death. She eventually dis-
covered the Well of Ascension, freed — and then defeated — the god Ruin,
saved her hustband Elend’s life, and saved the world though it ultimately
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cost her life.
QUELLION (THE CITIZEN)

Time Frame: Midway through The Hero of Ages.
In the wake of the Lord Ruler’s death, cities became unmoored from the
power structure they’d relied on for centuries. In Urteau, the second-largest city
of Scadrial, a single person stepped in to fill this power vacuum: Quellion. A dy-
namic man with military bearing, Quellion rapidly won the allegiance of the city’s
enormous skaa population by acting as a herald of the Church of the Survivor and
casting a vision of a united nation — one ruled by the skaa themselves. Now he’s
called the Citizen, and is readily identified by his outfit of red-dyed skaa trousers
and work shirts.
To further secure his power, Quellion did the unthinkable; declaring the
nighttime mists a manifestation of the Survivor, he marched into them and urged
others to do the same. He claimed the faithful and pure would be spared, while
those with evil in their hearts would be purged. Eventually, he enacted a law re-
quiring everyone to enter the mists to prove their loyalty, pointing to any resulting
deaths as proof that wickedness still existed in the midst of Urteau.
Quellion leads a relentless crusade to rid Urteau of both nobles and Allo-
mancers (whose power is derived from noble blood), systematically hunting them
down and burning them alive in grisly public executions. At his decree, all traces
of nobility are systemically purged from the city, including tearing up ornamental
gardens, whitewashing murals, and shattering stained-glass windows. He’s also

begun cataloguing the population, tracing bloodlines back five generations to de-
tect noble heritage and denying a place in his new government to anyone found
with noble bloodlines.
Behind his ruthless campaign, the Citizen hides several major secrets. First,
he actually comes from a noble bloodline himself, which granted him immunity
to the mists. Second, his sister, Beldre, is an Allomancer (a Coinshot), and he’s
taken to blackmailing other Allomancers to work for him as guards and assassins.
The most damning of all, however, is that Quellion has a bronze Hemalurgic spike
embedded in his arm, enabling him to see what he believes are visions of Kelsier.
These are actually projections from Ruin meant to plunge the city into chaos, and
inspire the Citizen to perform horrendous acts in the Survivor’s name.
QUELLION (AVERAGE THREAT)

Attributes: Physique 4, Charm 4, Wits 5
Resiliences: Health 8, Reputation 8, Willpower 9
Traits: The Citizen; Ruler of Urteau; Under Ru-
in’s Influence; Despises All Things Noble; Allomancer
Hunter; Defies His Own Laws
Skaa Heroes
POWERS (HEMALURGY)
1 Bronze spike (grants Bronze Allomancy 4)
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Bronze 4 (senses nearby Allomancy)
EQUIPMENT
Torch (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking, contains no metal), Red-
dyed skaa clothing
DEMOUX
Time Frame: After The Hero of Ages.
Demoux was one of the true believers in the skaa rebellion, confident that
Kelsier could lead them to success. He was small and not particularly skilled
in war, but possessed a keen tactical mind. During Kelsier’s initial rebellion, he
stood up to fight another follower who was convinced the rebellion would fail.
Kelsier surreptitiously used Allomancy to help Demoux defeat the man, cement-
ing Kelsier’s reputation among his followers. Demoux remained behind in the
caves, as Kelsier wished, rather than marching out with Yeden’s forces. He thus
survived their massacre, and went on to fight against the Lord Ruler’s forces on
the night the tyrant was finally slain.
After the fall of the Lord Ruler, Demoux became a general in Elend’s army,
helping to maintain law and order as the Empire collapsed. He became one of
TIN & ASH 107

the early priests of the Church of the Survivor, believing Kelsier to be a god.
He eventually ventured into the mists and was struck down, only to Snap and be
reborn as a Seer. He survived the final battle in The Hero of Ages and lived to see
the reshaped world.
DEMOUX (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Devoted to Kelsier; Captain in Kelsier’s Army; Defender of the Re-
bellion’s Honor; No Good in a Fair Fight; Keen Strategist
Equipment: Sword (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking); Leather ar-
mor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks); Small wooden shield (adds 1 die
to defense rolls against physical attack)
MARETime Frame: Prior to The Final Empire.
Mare was Kelsier’s wife and fellow thief who worked with him in a criminal
Skaa Heroes
crew. She and Kelsier were caught during a heist in Kredick Shaw and sentenced
to labor in the Pits of Hathsin. She sacrificed her own life to save Kelsier’s, which
led to Kelsier Snapping and adopting his mission of overthrowing the Lord Ruler.
For a time, Kelsier suspected Mare had betrayed his crew to the Lord Ruler. He
eventually learned otherwise — Mare was a Tineye, and the Lord Ruler had de-
tected her burning by piercing the crew’s coppercloud.
Mare always expressed a hopefulness and optimism for the future that Kel-
sier didn’t share. She expressed a fascination with ancient culture and artifacts
at an early age, an obsession that led her into a life of thievery. She collected as
many artifacts as she could, as well as books detailing the history and culture
of the world before the Final Empire. The fact that such objects survived was
proof to her that the Lord Ruler was not all-powerful. She even adopted the
Larsta religion, and was convinced that she would one day be able to practice
it openly. Kelsier fell in love with her hope and optimism, even though they ar-
gued constantly about the nature of the world. Her death devastated him, and he
embarked upon his rebellion as much from a desire to see her optimism justified
as a need for revenge.
MARE (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Skaa Thief; Loves Kelsier; Secret Tineye; Boundless Optimist; Fas-
cinated with Ancient History

POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Tin 5 (hides nearby Allomancy)
• Sense Memory (Sight): Mare has
near-perfect memory of things she’s
seen, allowing her to automatically
succeed on rolls to identify fa-
miliar sights, distinguish forged
signatures from real ones you’ve
seen before, and so forth.
EQUIPMENT
Obsidian daggers (Damage +2; Melee
Range: Touch/Striking; Thrown Range:
Striking/Close; contains no metal);
Misting vial (3 charges of Tin); An-
cient books and artifacts
YEDENTime Frame: The end of The Final Empire.
Skaa Heroes
Yeden was the leader of a long-time skaa rebellion, a loose organization of
outlaws dedicated to overthrowing the Lord Ruler. He possessed middling lead-
ership qualities, but his extreme insecurities eventually doomed him and almost
destroyed Kelsier’s rebellion.
He ran away from Luthadel at an early age, learning to survive in the wilder-
ness and surreptitiously slipping onto plantations for food and supplies. He earned
the aid of various skaa leaders and his continued survival outside of the nobles’
authority convinced others to join him. They moved cautiously, sticking to the
wilderness but occasionally making trips into the cities to bring in more recruits.
Yeden guided them well, but often despaired that he couldn’t do more. He and his
followers wanted to believe that they could overthrow the Lord Ruler, but they
couldn’t figure out how.
He became familiar with Kelsier and had many dealings with him and his
crew over time. Eventually, he grudgingly admitted they had the skills to make
the rebellion a success, and that Kelsier’s unbelievable escape from the pits of
Hathsin could make him a figurehead for skaa to follow. He approached Kel-
sier to help him overthrow the Lord Ruler, a plan that hinged upon the theft of
Atium and a few other tricks the Survivor had up his sleeve. Yeden was initially
uncertain of his partner’s ideas, but grew bolder once the early stages of the plan
succeeded.
Unfortunately, he overcompensated for his previous lack of confidence by
jumping the gun on the plan. He led his troops to open battle for the first time,
winning a great victory but ignoring a large garrison that easily interposed itself
between Yeden’s forces and their hiding place. He and his forces were wiped
TIN & ASH 109

out, forcing Kelsier to scramble to keep their plan alive. History labeled Yeden
as a blunderer and a fool, replaced by the men and women who followed him.
In the process, his vital role in the overthrow of the Lord Ruler has been lost.
To learn how to gain Yeden’s Rebellion as a Network, see page 94.
YEDEN (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Rebel Leader; Insecure; Wilderness Survivor; Lost without a Plan;
Canny Recruiter
Equipment: Sword (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking); Spear
(Damage +2; Melee Range: Striking/Striking; Thrown Range: Close/Medium);
Dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch/Touch; Thrown Range: Striking/
Close); Leather armor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks); Small metal
shield (adds 1 die to defense rolls against physical attack)
FOLOSST
Time Frame: Concurrent with The Final Empire.
Skaa Heroes
As an advocate for the skaa, Folosst bat-

tles against the power of the nobility and Steel
Ministry, citing obscure laws in the interest of
securing a better, freer life for his people. Folosst
hails from the Farmost Dominance, where he
served on an estate as a bookkeeper and general
steward for his master’s House. Uncommonly
cunning and with a zest for legal affairs, Fo-
losst devoted his efforts to increasing the
House’s wealth through countless shrewd
deals while protecting the escrow funds he
managed. When Folosst’s master reached old age without
any heirs and with no business arrangements describing
who the estate should go to in the event of his death, Fo-
losst exploited an obscure law to claim the estate as his own. The legality of this
exchange was dubious, and Folosst had likely been in charge of arranging any
documents of inheritance, but it hasn’t yet been challenged successfully. Folosst
used his newfound position to indulge in his passion for legal history, delving into
musty Steel Ministry archives to learn all he could about ancient courts proceed-
ings and structures.
Along the way, though, Folosst uncovered numerous laws and edicts con-
cerning the treatment and autonomy of the skaa — many of which were unknown
or ignored for centuries. These supplemented modern laws, such as the creation
of the skaa birth contract and service amendments, the minimum healthcare stand-

ards to be provided by their masters, access to sanitation services, and even the
ability to call on Obligator oversight to confirm the exchange of finances or goods.
Resurrecting the antiquated-yet-valid laws, Folosst founded the Skaa Emanci-
pation Movement and began campaigning throughout the Dominances for greater
skaa freedoms. His arguments are often founded on the idea that if nobles would
just invest more in their skaa, educating and liberating them, they’d received ten
or a hundredfold more in return on productivity and profitability. Uplifting the
skaa from their maltreated state would be like refining a tool, allowing one to
wield it all the more effectively. So far most nobles don’t take his efforts seriously.
Those who do lack significant influence, but have funded a small retinue of guards
to protect the traveling emancipator.
With his outspoken nature and withering intellect, Folosst has already made
a handful of enemies. However, he has protected himself so far by going through
all the proper channels and being able to produce any number of legal documents
denoting the authority of the Steel Ministry on his behalf. Still, if even one Great
House finds rebellion among its skaa, Folosst could end up with a price on his
head in short order.
Alongside his appeals to the noble Houses, Folosst has begun secretly edu-
cating skaa wherever he travels. He believes all skaa could be bettered if they
were more aware of their inherent rights and abilities to act within the law (and
Skaa Heroes
thus avoid unjust punishments).
A dapper man with silvering hair and hawkish features, Folosst wears outfits
of black and grey with white trim, cut in severe lines, and carries a stone-capped
cane he uses to gesticulate when talking.
FOLOSST (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Noble Skaa; Lawyer; Pioneer of Emancipation; Secret Educator of
the Skaa; Backed by Steel Ministry Laws
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking, con-
tains no metal); Steel Ministry legal writ; Archive of books; Pen and blank book;
Formal clothing
TREST
Time Frame: Concurrent with The Well of Ascension.
Called “The Witness of the Survivor,” Trest was a minor player in Yeden’s
rebellion who witnessed Kelsier’s death at the hands of the Lord Ruler, and later
saw what appeared to be him, risen from the dead. Following this encounter, Trest
became the loudest voice proclaiming the Survivor’s gospel among the skaa. He
learned all he could about the Survivor from other people in the rebellion, and
was instrumental in founding the Church of the Survivor. As word spread about
TIN & ASH 111

the Survivor and his sacrifice, the people turned away from worshiping the Lord
Ruler, and turned to Trest to lead them in matters of faith.
Unlike so many of those who had been closer to Kelsier than he, Trest didn’t
waiver in regarding Kelsier as a god. Nor was he afraid of putting words in the
mouth of the Survivor. He reasoned that as long as he kept to the principles that
Kelsier clearly lived (what was clear to Trest, anyway) he didn’t need complete
historical accuracy. Inspiring the skaa and leading them to worship the proper god
were his only priorities.
Trest invented numerous rites and tenets of the faith, and made the use of
the spear as the Survivor’s symbol widespread. Believing that the gospel was
best preached in person, he wandered the land, dispensing the word of the Sur-
vivor to any groups of skaa he found. The holy man saw to the establishment of
several centers of worship, but never settled in one place himself. Most of these
“churches” were primarily community centers where skaa could gather and pool
their resources, but Trest made it clear who had given his life for their freedom.
TREST (AVERAGE THREAT)

Skaa Heroes
Traits: Witness of the Survivor; Church Founder; Wandering Preacher; Be-

lieves Kelsier Is a God; Faithful to the Death
Equipment: Spear (Damage +2; Melee Range: Striking/Striking; Thrown
Range: Close/Medium); Skaa clothing; Book filled with memories and “teach-
ings” of Kelsier
PLINTime Frame: Concurrent with The Final Empire.
The leader of an unpredictable band of skaa resistance fighters, the warrior

Plin is destructive but effective. But her life before resistance was one of creation,
not destruction. Plin first came to the attention of her masters as a child work-
ing on a noble plantation, when she was found idly crafted intricate sculptures
out of ash. The family invested a small amount in formal training, where Plin
manifested exceptional skills as both a sculptor and painter, eventually rising to
become a preeminent artisan. Over the years, she raised the house’s esteem by
producing man fine sculptures, paintings, and jewelry made by herself and a team
less-talented artisans.
Pin was given liberties and luxuries most skaa never dream of, but never for-
got her roots, and often snuck forbidden goods and “inferior” craft pieces to her
plantation’s workers to give them more hope and brightness in their lives. Even-
tually, taskmasters uncovered the contraband, which the lord mistook for goods
stolen from the estate. The accused skaa refused to implicate Plin as the source,
and she watched helplessly as they were butchered for their supposed crimes.

When the lord next came and demanded to know when her most recent sculpture
would be ready for market, Plin crushed his skull with a mallet. She smashed the
rest of her work to scrap, then fled for her life.
Since then, Plin has gathered many runaway and rebellious skaa and fash-
ioned them into a roving fighting band. She’s also tapped into other resistance
groups and criminal networks to add their skills to her cause. Calling her band
“The Sundering,” Plin spreads the belief that the ultimate fate of all life is death
and true freedom is only found in oblivion. Beauty is only an illusion to blind
the weak-minded (and weakness cannot be tolerated). Most of her followers are
extremists looking for any excuse to unleash violence against the Empire and its
minions — they’re responsible for several factories being burnt to the ground,
vanished Obligators, caravan ambushes, massacres, and other wanton acts of de-
struction.
Many believe Plin is deranged, but she exhibits an icy intelligence and an eye
for brutal tactics. She possesses a harsh beauty and strong arm, and is never with-
out her chisel and mallet, which are stained with gore. Despite her bloodthirsty
reputation, her band is astonishingly effective in their assaults and she has proven
instrumental in freeing many skaa while undermining Steel Ministry efforts up
and down the canals. If ever a person or whole estate needs eliminating, Plin and
her Sunderers might well be the most straightforward solution.
Skaa Heroes
PLIN (AVERAGE THREAT)
Traits: Rebel Leader; Obsessed with Chaos; Ex-Artisan; All Shall Fall;
Slightly Insane
Equipment: Mallet (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking; contains no
metal); Chisel (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking); Steel plate (absorbs
3 damage from physical attack); Small metal shield (adds 1 die to defense rolls
against physical attack)
TIN & ASH 113

11
BLACK HILL
PLANTATION
In the shadow of a colossal ashmount squats the Black Hill Plantation, a

once-prosperous farming estate now fallen on hard times. The Veyton family set-
tled there in hopes of using the ashmount to fertilize their fields. For a time, it al-
lowed them to secure a modest fortune farming grain and vegetables. Rising debts
and competitors closer to significant trading ports put a dent in their prospects,
and the family now sits at a nadir after centuries of slow decline.
The plantation is intended to serve as a quick adventure supplement for Nar-
rators in need of an aside — or even the basis for a brief campaign depending on
how the Heroes wish to play it. Black Hill contains several points of significant
tension, which could explode at any moment, complicating things for Heroes in
the vicinity or providing the Heroes an opportunity to advance their own agenda.
We have deliberately left the location of the plantation unnamed, so that the Nar-
rator can place it wherever it fits best into the campaign.
To learn how to gain Black Hill plantation as a Network, see page 93.
SETTING
The plantation itself is nothing remarkable: a collection of buildings sur-
rounded by modest fields, fed by the continual rain of ash from the nearby mount.
It contains approximately 300 skaa, along with what remains of the Veyton family
(numbering about a dozen individuals). The mansion at the center of the plan-
tation is depleted and run down. One wing has collapsed completely and now
serves as a de facto barn for horses and livestock. The rest of the mansion has
been stained black by the ash, with sagging balconies and a few moss-covered
fountains speaking to better days long past. The family’s quarters are modest, with
each Veyton living in a small room of their own on the second floor. Two common
rooms contain a fireplace, a collection of books, and a jury-rigged office for han-
dling the plantation’s meager accounts. A kitchen and pantry sit off the main wing;
the family usually takes their meals in front of the fireplace in one of the common
rooms. The mansion is drafty, and many of its luxury items were pawned long ago
to fend off the debtors. The remainder has the stink of despair. Inhabitants remain
there because they literally have nowhere else to go.
The skaa quarters, on the other hand, seem surprisingly well tended for the
homes of slaves. They consist of four large, long houses, constructed of crude wood
and stained just as black as the nobles’ mansion. Upon closer inspection, however,
they appear sturdier and better maintained, with signs of recent repair and solid
roofs for fending off the constant rain of ash. Inside each long house, every skaa gets
his or her own bed in the common room, as well as an individual set of utensils for
eating. Meals are served from a central fire pit, tended by several older skaa women,
and the sounds of singing sometimes emerge from the buildings after the workday is
done. Though they still live in conditions inferior to the nobles’ amenities, the skaa
of Black Hill have it much better than skaa on other plantations.
Black Hill Plantation
The reason for this situation is rooted in the slow decline of the Veytons’
fortunes. Their hated rivals, the Coreese family, periodically sent spies to the Vey-
tons’ skaa, promising good food and better treatment if they would flee to the
Coreese plantation a few miles away. After a number of defections, which the
Veytons were powerless to prevent, the skaa leadership struck a bargain. They
would take care of Coreese spies and ensure that the defections stopped, but only
if the Veytons agreed to give the skaa privileges of their own. Over the last forty
years, these benefits have increased until the skaa practically run the farm and pay
only lip service to the Veytons’ authority. This has proven a difficult pill for the
noble family to swallow, but they have little choice. Crushing their skaa would
invite the Coreese to strike them down once and for all, so they tolerate the indig-
nities of liberated skaa as a lesser evil in the hope that their fortunes will eventu-
ally change.
As the skaa press for more rights — and invite escaped skaa into their ranks
regularly — the Coreese smell blood in the water. Bandits in Coreese employ
routinely harass Veyton wagons traveling from the plantation to the nearby canals,
stealing the supplies for themselves and beating or killing anyone on the wagon
— skaa and noble alike. The Black Hill plantation has responded by hiring merce-
naries to guard their shipments, since the plantation is not properly trained armed
to defend themselves. It’s an ongoing game of cat-and-mouse, with the Coreese
still unwilling to strike the finishing blow and the Veytons just a few hijacked
shipments away from total collapse.
Other, more recent developments also threaten Black Hill. The Veyton family
matriarch, Tellsa, has recently returned to the plantation after many years spent
securing a series of badly needed contracts in the east. She’s appalled by the con-
dition of the plantation and has made serious efforts to wrest control back from
the skaa, unaware of just how serious the problem has become. Her efforts have

frayed the already damaged relations between the nobles and their servants, and
if both sides aren’t careful, they may face open rebellion before the Coreese get
their chance to strike.
Yet despite all that, the plantation continues to lurch along. The skaa go out
to the fields every morning, the vegetables get planted and harvested, the piles of
ash get cleared away, and the bills somehow get paid. Black Hill plantation may
have a long way to go to reach peace or solvency, but could get there provided it
can survive the dangers both within and without.
IMPORTANT FIGURES
The following represent the major Villains and Extras at the Black Hill plan-
tation. Narrators should feel free to swap any of them out with Villains and Extras
of their own, or even Heroes if the player is willing and the scenario fits his or her
character concept.
TELLSA VEYTON
The leader of the Veyton clan has spent much of her life away from the plan-

tation: visiting various cities and playing the aristocracy’s complicated games in
hopes of reversing her family’s declining fortunes. In this, she’s been quite suc-
cessful. Over the course of the last twenty years, she’s secured vital contracts
that have kept the plantation operating. She’s also become accustomed to a better
standard of living than the plantation offered her, and if she had her way, she’d
never come back to it. Sadly, fate had something else in mind for her. When
TIN & ASH 117

her father was killed in a bandit attack, the family
leadership fell to her, compelling her to return
to the plantation and take control of its assets.
What she found when she arrived appalled
her. The skaa acted as de facto controllers of
the plantation, while her younger siblings and
their spawn stood seemingly helpless before
them. She has since attempted to win back
her family’s power, targeting the skaa
leader, Sasmede, as the source of her
anxieties. The longer she goes on, how-
ever, the more she realizes that Sasmede
is the only one who can prevent the planta-
tion’s total collapse. Now Tellsa has begun the political dance once again, this
time hoping to secure power from the wily skaa the same way she secured con-
tracts from the nobles. The skaa is smarter than she thinks, however, and she has
begun to realize just how sharp a negotiator he’s become. She still hopes to wrest
control of her plantation away from him, but it’s an uphill battle, and unless she
gets some serious help from somewhere, she might never be able to achieve it.
TELLSA VEYTON (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Ambitious; Coreese Family Rival; Experienced Negotiator; For the
Glory of My House; Reluctant Lord
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking; con-
tains no metal); Formal clothing
SASMEDE
Sasmede is the leader of Black Hill’s skaa, and effectively the leader of the
plantation as a whole. He was secretly educated by the plantation’s old patriarch,
Mirus Veyton, who needed someone practical to help him run his business. Sas-
mede started out organizing the other skaa into work parties, then moved up to se-
cretly balancing the books; before anyone knew it, he and his coterie knew every
aspect of the plantation’s business, leaving Mirus’s flat-footed siblings powerless
to act without his help.
Like Tellsa, he’s been one of the few forces preventing the plantation from col-
lapsing like a house of cards. He somehow found the money to hire mercenaries to
protect the plantation’s shipments, and he’s been instrumental in ferreting out spies
in the ranks of the skaa. And on top of all this, he’s also the one who ensures ferti-
lization, tending, and harvesting happen on schedule. Without him, the plantation
would grind to a halt and the house’s enemies would move in for the kill.
In exchange for his timely assistance, he demands ever-increasing rights for
the skaa beneath him. Thanks to his efforts, the skaa now work in shifts instead

of going all-out, sick or injured skaa have a chance to recover before going back
to work, and the workers even have a few small comforts to make their lives
more bearable. The Veyton men can’t touch skaa women, and the elderly are
given duties befitting their status instead of being executed or worked to death.
The Veytons seethe beneath such indignities, but they can do nothing about it
— which is exactly what Sasmede intended all along. Tellsa’s arrival constitutes
quite a challenge, but he’s confident he can keep her in line. After all, he and
his followers have nothing left to lose, and would rather die than go back to the
way things were.
Sasmede maintains a tight coterie of ten followers who act as his underlings
and bodyguards. Most of them are hardheaded and have no qualms about fulfill-
ing his orders to the letter. The remainder of the skaa treat him with reverence
and respect, and most would happily die if he told them it was necessary. Tellsa
has made some mild efforts to break his hold over the Veytons, but it’s been
slow going. Considering the things Sasmede has brought them, it’s not hard to
see why.
SASMEDE (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Cunning; Educated Skaa; Former Farmer; Revered Leader; Self-
Serving; Won’t Back Down
Equipment: Farm implement (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch/Striking);
Padded Armor (Absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks); Banned book
BRETTNADE
Brettnade is a Terrisman, the only one in Black Hill, who acted as a faithful
steward for Mirus before the old man passed away. He’s quite old himself, and se-
nility has begun to creep in around the edges. But he’s absolutely dedicated to the
preservation of the plantation, and could be the one person who can get Sasmede
and Tellsa to work together for the good of all.
It was his idea to bring Sasmede into the family business. He knew that
none of the Veytons could run the plantation successfully, and that the cunning
skaa was smarter than the lot of them put together. He also urged Mirus to will
leadership of the plantation to Tellsa, rather than one of the other Veyton family
members (who would have brought the whole thing down within the year). He
hoped that the two would form a coequal partnership to bring Black Hill back to
prosperity. Even more, he thought perhaps that they could serve as an example
of skaa-noble cooperation and perhaps help ease the burden of oppressed skaa
everywhere.
His hopes proved somewhat foolish. Tellsa and Sasmede don’t trust each
other and constantly jockey for control. If one of them stumbles, the other will
pounce without mercy — likely to the doom of all. Brettnade has done his best
to ease tension between them, and to point out common causes for them to tackle
TIN & ASH 119

together. But the older he gets, the less he is able to keep everything clear; his
death could be the match that finally sets this powder keg alight.
Brettnade uses the statistics for a Terrisman steward (see page 533 of the
Mistborn Adventure Game).
RIA
Ria is one of Black Hill’s numerous dark secrets, a skaa Pewterarm who
Snapped at an early age and now secretly hones her power to a fine point. She ar-
rived from another plantation with her mother as a very young girl, on the run from
her noble father, who tried to have them both killed before the Obligators learned
of her existence. Sasmede took care of the foolish father — the noble vanished en
route to the plantation and bandits were blamed — then protected Ria from any
inquiries that might reveal her true nature. She works in the fields like her brethren,
and while a few comment on her hardiness, no one suspects its true nature.
Her mother has since died from a wasting sickness she contracted on the
road, and Ria now looks to Sasmede for guidance. He has given her metal to burn
and provided what instruction he can on its use. She’s grateful for the help and has
demonstrated her loyalty by quietly protecting the plantation’s shipments against
bandit attack. On the other hand, she also sees how ultimately self-serving Sas-
mede is, and her loyalty has its limits. If she ever feels that he is using her solely
for his own ends, she may flee the plantation, or even turn her power against him.
Ria uses the statistics for a Pewterarm (see page 540 of the Mistborn Adven-
ture Game).
POINTS OF INTRIGUE
Tensions run high in Black Hill, and not just because the skaa seem to have
the upper hand. The area contains a number of ongoing situations that could ex-
plode into violence at any time. It’s up to the Narrator (or the Heroes) to determine
which of these could set the powder keg off… and either restore the plantation’s
fortunes or bring it down once and for all.
THE BANDITS
The Coreese attacks on the plantation’s caravans mark the biggest external
threat against Black Hill. Every shipment to the distant canals now travels with
armed escorts — both Black Hill skaa and mercenaries — with Ria the Pewter-
arm moving in secret alongside them. Most of the time, they’re able to fend off
any trouble, but the Coreese are getting bolder and more brazen in their efforts to
drive their rivals to ruin. Tellsa has begun searching for allies to turn against the
Coreese, hoping to stop the attacks at their source. Until she does so, however, the
plantation is perhaps two to three serious attacks away from ruin.
THE MATRIARCH
Ironically, Tellsa and Sasmede possess the right tools to truly resurrect the
Black Hill. The matriarch has political contacts and diplomatic savvy enough to

ensure a market for their farm goods, while Sasmede has the practical know-how
to handle day-to-day affairs on the farm. Unfortunately, each is convinced that
only they can keep the plantation intact, and each views the other as an obstacle
to their mission. Their dance is a delicate one, since they recognize the necessary
traits in their rival. But class resentment and personal distaste simmer beneath the
surface, threatening to boil over whenever tensions run high. They each hold half
the key to salvation, and might destroy the other half in their short-sighted efforts
to gain it all.
THE MISTING
The skaa have another secret — one they haven’t revealed even to the nobles
sharing their estate. One of their own, Ria, is a Pewterarm, stronger and tougher
than her tiny frame lets on. Sasmede considers Ria his ace in the hole, a weapon
he intends to unleash upon his enemies. Unfortunately for him, Ria has her own
ideas and may demand some significant favors before she helps him. She almost
died the night her father came for her; now, she fears very little. If Black Hill ever
boils over, you can bet that she’ll find some way to turn it to her advantage.
THE OBLIGATOR

A few weeks ago, an Obligator arrived at Black Hill on a routine inspection.
His appearance was utterly unexpected and caused a quiet panic among the resi-
dents there. It was enough to get Sasmede and Tellsa to unite in common cause.
Unfortunately, they made the worst decision they could: abducting the Obligator
and tying him up in the mansion’s basement. His report would have destroyed
them — news of skaa “running wild” and a family unable to master its own af-
fairs, which likely would have cost everyone on the plantation their lives. But
fear of further investigations kept them from killing him, and now they haven’t
the slightest idea what to do. Tellsa maintains some hope of convincing him to go
easy on them, while Sasmede advocates killing him in some manner that defers
suspicion. Until they can resolve it, the Obligator sits tied up in the basement,
growing increasingly angry at his captivity and quietly planning a devastating
reprisal if he ever breaks free.
TIN & ASH 121

12
TWO-FIST SLUM
The city of Austrex contains one of the more unique — and dangerous —
skaa slums in the Empire. It runs parallel to a series of warehouses near the
city’s border, and once served as a huge canal route directly to the civic center.
The canal was drained when the Lord Ruler commanded that the canals be re-
built in a more secure location closer to the city center. Many barracks were
slated for demolition in order to bring the new canal through, so nobles turned
their skaa out of their housing to find their own shelter and food. However, the
nobles still needed the skaa to remain in Austrex and continue working in the
factories and mills. This led to an unorthodox arrangement and gave birth to
Two-Fist Slum.
The crux of the noble plan was a financial arrangement that let them provi-
sion a paltry share of their revenue from trade to go directly to feeding the skaa
workers. The skaa could be fed, then sent home…but the deal included no provi-
sion for housing the workers. With no prospects of shelter, the skaa took refuge in
familiar terrain: the old canal. A ramshackle series of shacks and buildings sprung
up, some on the canal’s bottom and others dug into the deep walls like caves. Only
the lowest of the low settled here, those tasked with menial labor in Austrex’s
noisy mills. Crime followed soon enough, and today, “Two-Fist” is a watchword
for getting killed needlessly because you wandered into the wrong place.
Two thieving crews hold dominance over the slum. They bribe officials to
look the other way, seizing whatever they can from Two-Fist’s despairing popula-
tion. Those under their protection enjoy lives of comparative comfort (for skaa
anyway). The rest exist in a state of perpetual terror, living at the mercy of either
of the two crews as well as the nobility who ostensibly hold sway over them all.
To make matters worse, the two
gangs are perpetually at each other’s
throats. The first group, the Mist Rid-
ers, enjoy a reputation as supernatural
killers, moving only at night and perpet-
uating rumors that they can command
the mistwraiths themselves. The second
crew, the Boxings, focuses on more
practical criminal enterprises: running
protection rackets and staging the oc-
casional quiet robbery at the behest of
noble houses who pay them to make
trouble with their rivals.
Both gangs hate each other’s guts,
and neither is willing to leave the slum
to their enemies. Clashes are infrequent
but brutal, leaving bodies strewn across
the canal floor and further feeding their
sinister reputation. The nobility gener-
ally leaves them be — perfectly content
to let the skaa kill each other off — but
the gangs’ battles have begun attracting
the wrong sort of attention. Every now
Two-Fist Slum
and again, some nobleman proposes a

brutally efficient solution to the Two-
Fist problem: re-flooding the canal and
killing all who live there. So far, that’s
proven too radical for the city’s rulers,
who need the population to continue
running their factories. Should the bur-
geoning gang war ever spill out beyond
its borders or threaten the city’s prosper-
ity, the Boxings and the Mist Riders may
share a common fate: drowned like rats
in a rain barrel.
IMPORTANT FIGURES
The following represent the ma-
jor Villains and Extras in the Two-Fist
slum. Narrators should feel free to swap
any of them out with Villains and Ex-
tras of their own, or even Heroes if the
player is willing and the scenario fits his
or her character concept.

BAZ’EN WRAITHKILLER
A self-named Mistborn with a legendary reputation among the denizens of
Two-Fist, Baz’en rose through the ranks of the Mist Riders through surreptitious
use of her Allomantic abilities. Before anyone recognized her as a threat, she had
seized control of all its operations and soon turned it into one of the most efficient
crews in the Final Empire. She uses fear as a potent weapon, commanding her
followers to wear white masks and attack only in the darkness of the mists. They
carry out their robberies in the dead of night and always leave at least one body in
their wake… increasing their reputation and making it easier to strike at the next
terrified target. All of this was Baz’en’s doing, helping her crew cement its power
and making her surprisingly wealthy in the process.
Rumor holds that she never shows her face, appearing to her followers only
if she’s wearing a mask. This, too, is a cunning ploy, allowing her to move unseen
amid her crew’s ranks and distract attention when necessary. She periodically ap-
pears as a junior lieutenant named Althess — efficient yet unremarkable in many
ways. Through the ruse, she builds her reputation as a supernatural entity, while
spotting potential troublemakers and quietly removing them before they become
a threat. It’s proven remarkably effective so far, though her increasing arrogance
may prove her undoing.
The people of the slums suspect that Baz’en was a noble, and retreated to
the slums after dishonoring her house. They point to stories of Indrissa Erikell,
a known Mistborn who was involved in a scandal that rippled through the
Great Houses and then disappeared from the public eye. Months later, Baz’en
Two-Fist Slum
Wraithkiller first became active. The accounts, all based on different gossip, dif-
fer in regard to the scandal itself. Many suggest she was consorting with a skaa.
BAZ’EN WRAITHKILLER (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Criminal Leader; Secret Identity; Brutal Killer; Supernatural Reputa-
tion; Arrogant
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
All Metals 4 (including Pewter, which
boosts Physique and Health as shown in
brackets)
POWERS (SKAA)
Face in the Crowd (Stunt): If Baz’en
is unmasked, any roll for an attempt to
locate her in a crowd of skaa or follow
her within a skaa community fails un-
less the hunter spends a Nudge.
TIN & ASH 125

EQUIPMENT
Obsidian dagger (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch/Striking; Thrown Range:
Striking/Close; contains no metal); Sack of copper clips (Damage +1; Thrown
Range: Striking / Medium); 3 Mistborn vials (1 charge each of Brass, Bronze,
Copper, Iron, Pewter, Steel, Tin, and Zinc); Mistcloak; Disguise
THE PURSE
The man known only as The Purse stands as the leader of the Boxings, and
Baz’en’s primary rival for control over Two-Fist Slum. He made his money as a
merchant, thought to be a noble before word of his skaa mother leaked out among
the houses of power. Fleeing for his life, he made his way to Austrex
with most of his fortune intact, coming to rebuild a criminal
empire beneath the noses of his so-called “betters.”
The Purse specializes in financial crimes —
racketeering, protection rackets, and blackmail
— with a few flat-out robberies just to keep
things interesting. Unlike Baz’en, he lacks any
Allomantic powers, and maintains only a few
Mistings on his payroll. (They attract at-
tention that he doesn’t like.) He counters
her prowess with sheer financial might:
bribed officials, well-paid spies, and an
army of thugs paid to stand their ground
Two-Fist Slum
against Misting attacks. That’s proved

enough to keep the corpulent old merchant
knee-deep in the slum’s power plays, al-
lowing him to make up in cunning what he
lacks in reputation.
THE PURSE (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Mercantile Mastermind; Network of Spies; Obligators in His Pocket;
Out of Shape
Equipment: Dueling cane (+2 Damage; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; con-
tains no metal); Concealed armor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks; con-
tains no metal); Bottle of wine; Formal clothing; Signal animal
MARSIK AND ABELLNA

Marsik is one of Baz’en’s chief lieutenants, trusted with many of her secrets
and orchestrating a number of her attacks. Abellna is The Purse’s niece, raised
in a position of comparative privilege before her uncle’s disgrace became hers
as well. She acts as The Purse’s “accountant,” identifying the weaknesses of key
officials and finding ways to bribe or leverage them into the Boxings’ service.

Both do quite well for their organization… and both have fallen madly in love
with the other. Abellna identified Marsik as a potential mole in the Mist Riders,
thanks to his comparative moral scruples (i.e., an unwillingness to shed blood
unless it was absolutely necessary). She approached him about turning sides,
and while he initially turned her down he noticed a potential in her that he felt
could be used for the benefit of all. Their romance is passionate and heartfelt. It
is also a closely kept secret, lest their respective crews learn of it and have them
executed as traitors.
Together, they hope to end the ongoing bloodshed, either by convincing
their leaders to see reason or quietly taking the reins of power themselves. They
are also plotting a quiet escape in case that doesn’t work. They’d rather be to-
gether and on the run than apart because of what they feel is a pointless power
struggle. To that end, they may reach out to out-of-town crews, either to forge
a reliable escape route, or to orchestrate their own (hopefully permanent) rise
to power.
Marsik uses the statistics for a thief (see page 534 of the Mistborn Adventure
Game), and Abellna uses the statistics for a con man (see page 533 of the Mist-
born Adventure Game).
Two-Fist Slum
TIN & ASH 127

13
KAV’S BARGE
Kav’s barge is a medium-sized boat manned by a crew of six canal skaa.

Led by Kav, the skipper, the ship makes frequent trips between Urteau, which is
controlled by House Venture, and the capital city of Luthadel. Though primarily
tasked with hauling cargo for House Venture, the barge also carries travelers for
a high price.
House Venture allegedly supervises the skaa on Kav’s barge closely, but as is
the case with other canal skaa, there are simply too many skaa and too few nobles
to oversee them. Scrutinizing a profitable crew like this is a low priority for Lord
Venture, who, as the most powerful man in the Empire next to the Lord Ruler, has
far more important and profitable matters to attend to.
Kav’s barge is large enough to fit twenty to thirty people comfortably, less the
six members of the crew. Nobles are given cloth-backed seats, while skaa sit on
wooden benches or are stashed below the decks along with the cargo. In addition
to seating and storage space, the barge also has a few heavy chests and padlocks
used for valuables or, in rare cases, skaa prisoners.
The crew has managed to eke out a living by supplementing their operations
for House Venture. Kav has turned the crew’s affiliation with the most powerful
House into an asset and often incurs paid favors; many of the other Houses believe
that helping Kav is a subtle way of currying favor with Lord Venture. They’re en-
tirely wrong in this belief, of course, but Kav does little to dissuade them from
such delusions. As a result, the crew often carries messages back and forth, along
with gifts and other boons to help the nobles position themselves appropriately.
Thanks to their profitable side venture, Kav’s barge can support multiple peo-
ple on one person’s pay instead of each of them just merely scraping by. To spend
time with their families, the crew docks at common waystations along the route.
The members of the crew sometimes trade places with similar-looking relatives,
so they effectively trade off canal work and caring for their children without rais-
ing hackles with the Venture overseers.
IMPORTANT FIGURES
The following represent the major Villains and Extras at Kav’s barge. Narra-
Kav’s Barge
tors should feel free to swap any of them out with Villains and Extras of their own,
or even Heroes if the player is willing and the scenario fits his or her character
concept.
KAV
Kav is the barge’s skipper, an amicable, short fellow. Polite and well man-
nered, Kav knows when to keep his mouth shut and when to talk. His demeanor
has earned him the right to pilot his boat somewhat autonomously. Lord Venture
allows him to conduct business with other houses to attain goods like spices,
foodstuffs, and fibers. The exchange of weapons, contracts involving affairs of
state, and other more sensitive matters remain beyond Kav’s reach. Kav doesn’t
mind that some of the crew don’t like each other much, but won’t hesitate to pay
Lily a little extra to find out what his shipmates are up to.
KAV (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Natural Leader; Likeable; Discreet Businessman

POWERS (SKAA)
Canal Skaa: Kav gains 2 additional dice on Resources and Influence rolls
when traveling on the canals or dealing with the logistics of canal travel or trade.
EQUIPMENT
Quant Pole (Damage +1; Melee Range: Striking / Striking); Barge
EPSA
Epsa is the most literate crewmate and has been given permission to deal
with Obligators when necessary. A Tineye, this short, black-haired skaa also
excels at forgery. Though she could pull off more elaborate cons, the
documents she fakes help the crew become a little more profitable.
Of all the crew, Epsa is also the most valuable, for her new con-
tracts are the primary reason why Kav’s barge has been such
a lucrative endeavor. Naturally, Epsa is aware of her prow-
ess and the reason why everyone’s so nice to her. A bit of
a romantic, Epsa falls in love easily and dreams of one day
becoming a noble’s wife.
EPSA (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Forger; Sociable; Lovesick
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Kav’s Barge
Tin 5 (enhances the five senses)
• Focused Sense (Sight): While burning Tin, Epsa adds one additional die with
rolls relying on sight.
EQUIPMENT
Sheathknives (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch); Forged noble papers
WOLF
Wolf is the crew’s enforcer and is a brute of a man. Wolf takes his job extraor-
dinarily seriously and barely tolerates his other shipmates for fear he’ll reveal his
strong ties to the skaa rebellion. Only Kav knows Wolf’s true feelings, and helps
him divert his earnings to Yeden’s skaa rebellion. Kav is in charge of all commu-
nication with the rebellion, and has forbidden Wolf from contacting them. Wolf’s
not a subtle or cautious man, and could very well attract unwanted attention to the
barge if left to his own devices. However, even Kav’s prohibition won’t keep this
determined skaa from trying. Like Crow, he hates the nobility and sometimes has
a hard time tolerating them. While he’s protective of Lily, he wouldn’t hesitate to
get rid of her if the situation called for it.
TIN & ASH 131

WOLF (AVERAGE THREAT)
Traits: Burglar; Member of the Resistance; Serious; Disliked
POWERS (SKAA)
Skaa’s Toughness: Wolf’s Health is increased by 2, and he may recover
Health during a Short Breather without sitting the Breather out.
EQUIPMENT
Spear (Damage +2; Melee Range: Striking / Striking); Padded armor (Ab-
sorbs 1 damage from physical attacks)
LILY
Lily, the incurable gossip, is a teenage girl who remains below deck spying
on the nobility and listening in on their conversations. Her small frame and excel-
lent memory allows her to remember details and pick up on social cues that no one
else does. Lily then sells these tidbits at a discount to Kav who in turn shares them
at different opportunities. The runt on the ship, Lily is protected by the crew as
part of her payment and is rarely seen. Not much else is known about Lily, other
than the fact that she always disembarks at the same waystation once a week.
Lily uses the statistics for an informant (see page 534 of the Mistborn Adven-
ture Game).
CROW
Kav’s Barge
Crow, the lookout and sometimes pilot, is the quietest member of the group
and a recent transfer from a plantation. Long, thin, and heavily scarred, Crow
has taken Wolf’s lead and diverts a portion of his earnings to the skaa rebellion.
Though he does believe the Lord Ruler is a god, he feels that the Lord Ruler has
abandoned the skaa. He has not forgiven his previous master for murdering his
wife, and wants to take out his anger on any members of the nobility.
Crow uses the statistics for a canal skaa (see page 529 of the Mistborn Ad-
venture Game).
FELSI
Felsi rounds out the crew, acting as part-lookout, part-strategist who brings
with him a bevy of contacts from the underground. A former member of the Twin
Sun thieving crew, Felsi grew uncomfortable with his leader’s killing spree and
wound up turning him into the Ministry. As a reward, he was whipped and handed
over to House Venture. None of the other crewmates know that Felsi is now a
Ministry informant who may turn on them one day.
Felsi uses the statistics for a thief (see page 534 of the Mistborn Adventure
Game).

14
SECRETS OF THE SKAA
It’s often said that a mute skaa lives longer than one who’s not, simply be-
cause saying the wrong thing could get a skaa killed. But most skaa are not mute;
rather, they prefer to listen and observe, saving their words for private conversa-
tions among their fellow skaa. Skaa quickly come to understand the commerce of
secrets that touches every corner of the Final Empire. Since they’re so frequently
ignored, they’re also in the perfect position to learn things their masters would
rather have remain hidden from other nobles.
Though there is considerable danger involved, gossip and rumors are the
lifeblood of the skaa, particularly in the cities. Part entertainment, part news, the
exchange of rumors is a favorite pastime, and city skaa often trade juicy tidbits
whenever possible. Some, however, pay a severe price for their loose tongues; nei-
ther nobles nor the Steel Ministry take kindly to having secrets spilled, and has
no qualms about punishing skaa wholesale for indiscretion. When information can
determine if one skaa survives and another perishes, it’s assumed that most skaa will
turn on one another to protect themselves and their loved ones from such retribution.
The skaa know how narrow a tightrope they walk, and how risky any act of
rebellion truly is. Out of necessity, they’ve turned to secrets as methods of rebel-
lion beyond physical combat and thievery. Here are some of the ways the skaa
work to thwart the Lord Ruler and the nobility.
SKAA ALLOMANCERS
The possibility of skaa Allomancers is no secret within the Final Empire.
Indeed, the practice of killing skaa women after a nobleman sleeps with her, and
the very raison d’être for the Canton of Inquisition, is
to keep the power of the Misting or Mistborn out of
the hands of the skaa (see page 28). What most folk
don’t know is that, despite these draconian meas-
ures, skaa Allomancers actually exist.
Experts estimate about one in 10,000 half-skaa
children born become Mistings; if the ratio of 1 in
100 Allomancers being Mistborn holds true,
then half-skaa Mistborn are literally one in a
million, though very few skaa Mistborn beyond
Kelsier and Vin stand out in history. This incred-
ible rarity means very few people — even those
who work with skaa every day — ever come into contact with
a skaa Allomancer, and even when they do, the subtlety of most
Metallic Arts means they are rarely detected.
While the anonymity of skaa Allomancers often serves to protect them, it also
makes them the subjects of fear, prejudice, and exploitation. Most skaa commu-
nities have little to no understanding of Allomancy at all, so children exhibiting
Misting powers are seen as witches or mistwraiths by their superstitious neigh-
bors, to be driven out or killed. Though Mistings and Mistborn are incredibly
valuable to noble houses, a skaa Allomancer approaching a noble sire is tanta-
mount to suicide for the Allomancer and a death sentence for the sire. Even in the
skaa criminal underworld, where Mistings are treasured as pointmen, muscle, or
lookouts, they are ruthlessly used and sacrificed when doing so would save a crew
leader’s life or line his pockets. To be a skaa Allomancer is to know true loneli-
Secrets of the Skaa
ness, stuck with powers you barely understand and caught in a world where no
one seems to understand or care to help you, where you most likely end will either
be in a jail cell or at the end of a Hemalurgic spike.
For the fortunate few, however, there is hope. In recent centuries, as cities
have grown and the numbers of skaa Allomancers has grown, an informal frater-
nity of skaa Mistings has formed to help train and protect those who have recently
Snapped. Young Allomancers are paired with one or more experienced Mistings
(preferably with the same abilities) much like an apprenticeship. These mentors
teach their charges about the depth and limitations of their powers, where they
can get safe metals to burn, and how to avoid the ever-watchful eyes of the Steel
Ministry. The only thing the fraternity asks in return is that, when the day comes,
the apprentice mentor another young Allomancer in the way of the Metallic Arts,
so that their gifts may never be snuffed out. As a result of this pact, the quality of
Allomancy used by the skaa has improved by leaps and bounds, with many half-
skaa using their abilities as well as any formally-trained noble Misting.
REFUGEES AMONG THE SKAA

Kandra, Terrismen, and nobles hide among the skaa when they want to be
ignored, hope to spy, or are forced to hide. It’s a little-known fact that even some

members of the nobility tire of the Lord Ruler’s edicts and the preordained con-
fines of the noble life. Some of these false skaa are even escaped prisoners of the
Empire given safe harbor by the skaa — particularly by thieving crews — in the
hopes of fighting back against the oppressive system.
The most common skaa pretenders are young nobles of low rank, who either
despair at a life at the bottom of the hierarchy or feel sympathy for their skaa.
They turn away from the prestige they had to embrace the greater opportunities
skaa can pursue without the constant scrutiny that Obligators bring to nobles and
their dealings. Luckily for nobles, they often have the funds to pay skaa thieves
to “kidnap” or help them escape their lives. This is only a viable option for nobles
with a decent record of dealing with skaa — those who have been cruel or murder-
ous in the past have a harder time escaping with skaa help unless they offer a truly
staggering amount of money.
Terrismen have a much harder time blending in among the skaa, since their
stature, elongated limbs, and darker skin make them stand out from the crowd. It’s
nearly impossible for a Terrisman to find safe harbor on a plantation, where homo-
geneity reigns; even in the city they face tremendous risks, since nobles and Obliga-
tors take a much greater interest in an escaped steward than in any skaa. Thieving
crews are the only ones who truly have the skills to make a Terrisman disappear,
which they’ll do for a price. Some Terris who turn to thieving crews still find them-
selves ratted out to the Obligators or exploited by the very crews they turned to.
EDUCATION AND LITERACY

Education is one of the more common ways skaa can rebel against the op-
Secrets of the Skaa

pressive regime of the Final Empire. On the surface, it might not seem that big of
a deal for a skaa to learn how to read, but with literacy comes free thought — a
dangerous business in Scadrial. A noble who openly trains skaa to read is often
destined to fail, for typically this initiative must be proposed and approved to the
Ministry via an Obligator; this is typically only permitted when there’s no suitable
Terris steward or younger noble to take on the task, and then only for one or two
specific people. A skaa who knows how to read, however, becomes more useful to
the house, and can turn this to his advantage. He might clandestinely review and
alter files, swap his name and history, “upgrade” to merchant status, or otherwise
improve his station greatly. Such actions tempt fate, however, so most literate
skaa put their skills to use in secret or carry out such plans over a long series of
small steps. They work as spies, message carriers, and rumormongers, penning
letters, inserting false information into books, and designing secret codes.
KHALFI
A bastion of skaa control hidden from the forces of the Final Empire, Khalfi
is one place where skaa can live a peaceful life free from the yoke of the nobles.
(The city of Khalfi is described in brief on page 34, and the Citizens of Khalfi can
be chosen as a Network as described on page 93.) The town remains small, with
TIN & ASH 135

only a few low buildings made of wood and scavenged stones. The remote loca-
tion keeps outsiders from finding the town, and natural terrain masks it from view
even from those who come near. The townsfolk built a series of palisades camou-
flaged to fit into the environment. Though these wouldn’t protect against a large-
scale attack or siege, they could give the people time to evacuate and flee. Skaa in
Khalfi can form and build families in a way they couldn’t before, and a few have
become craftspeople, cooks, or entertainers rather than working the fields.
“Fell,” the enigmatic skaa leader, runs Khalfi. Ruthless and pragmatic, Fell
has little tolerance for criminality or sloppiness. Any skaa who steals, kills, or
commits the greatest offense — allowing a noble or Obligator to find Khalfi —
pays with his life. Fell maintains that the security of the Hidden City requires
strict obedience to his rules. Fortunately for the residence, Fell usually acts fairly,
levies the same price for identical crimes, and doesn’t consider himself above the
law. Still, some skaa grumble that they don’t have true freedom, and that a life
under the nobles at least brought some security. Fell doesn’t clamp down on this
kind of talk. He sternly disagrees, to be sure, but doesn’t bring his security forces
to bear on dissenters.
On a few occasions, Obligators and nobles have made their way to Khalfi.
Fortunately, they’ve never arrived in large enough numbers to overthrow the town
or managed to communicate the town’s presence and location to higher authori-
ties. In most cases, those interlopers ended up fertilizing the soil to grow Khalfi’s
next crops. However, Fell has been forced to strike a deal in a few cases, meaning
Khalfi isn’t completely a secret to the outside world. Fell can count the number of
Obligators and nobles aware of the secret on one hand, but even those few pose a
great danger. Those who did make deals with Fell found the city when seeking a
Secrets of the Skaa
safe haven for their skaa lovers or children. Khalfi has little to bargain with, but
Fell could offer refuge. The nobles who brought these skaa to Khalfi have direct
orders to never return, but it’s only a matter of time before one will. Fell has re-
solved to show no mercy the second time around, but fears the nobles will arrive
with numerous troops or Allomancers as backup.
FELL’S STORY
Fell is the object of constant speculation by the citizens of Khalfi: the mas-
sive scars across his face and neck, his rumored Allomantic powers, and his curt
manner all contribute to his air of mystery. Contrary to popular belief, Fell wasn’t
among the original few settlers of the Hidden City. He was born to the noble
Arendre Urbain, master of a plantation in the Southern Dominance and part of
a bloodline strong with Allomantic potential. Arendre, through huge bribes and
clever manipulation, enacted the ruse that Fell — then called Emerset Urbain —
was a nephew who’d come to live at his plantation.
Arendre hoped Emerset would be an Allomancer, but when the boy Snapped,
his father felt only disappointment. The child was a Soother — the same as Aren-
dre’s older child Darleth. Arendre set Emerset to menial work. Emerset grew to
resent his father, and longed for a way out. When tasked with capturing some
unimportant, menial skaa who had escaped, he overheard his quarry talking about

the Hidden City they were traveling to find. He followed them instead of captur-
ing them right away, to the consternation of his House Urbain escorts.
When he saw the city from afar, he realized this could be a life free of his
father. He ordered his escorts to kill the escaped skaa of his house, while he snuck
away toward the city. As his escorts pursued, he claimed they were after him, and
got the city’s guards to fight alongside him. They had seen the Urbain retainers
kill the other skaa, and believed Emerset’s story. The guards landed some vicious
blows before they died, leaving the scars he still bears.
The town numbered fewer than a dozen, and Emerset — changing his name
to Fell on the spot — was welcomed with open arms. He was a dutiful citizen for
a time, but began to Soothe the founders and any rivals to improve his station.
Even today, Fell repeatedly Soothes a few old citizens so they don’t reveal any
part of his history. Fell is wracked with guilt about the decisions he made when he
was still a callow youth, but now he’s just waiting for the elders to die rather than
dealing with the fallout of his duplicity.
WHISPERS IN THE MIST

The skaa may sit at the bottom rung of the social ladder, but they are present
in every level of society. Plantation skaa work a nobleman’s fields and shepherd
his herds, but they also wash his clothes and set his table. City skaa pack the
slums and sweep the streets of Luthadel, but they also bolster the Lord Ruler’s
armies and power the industry that advances its economy. Skaa are both invisible
and omnipresent, privy to stories, misdeeds, rumors, and cover-ups that folk with
the right connections would find quite valuable… and no group finds these more
Secrets of the Skaa

valuable than the Whispers in the Mist.
The Whispers in the Mist (more commonly referred to simply as “the Whis-
pers”) are a network of skaa information brokers who gather up stories from their
fellows and pass it along to the right parties… for a modest fee, of course. All
Whispers buy and sell these stories anonymously — to the point of using dis-
guises even when meeting each other — using canal skaa as their mules to move
it to all corners of the Empire. Most of their work is to pass news and messages
between isolated skaa plantations and the cities, but they’ve also transported or-
ders to commanders of the skaa rebellion, sold stolen floor plans of great keeps
to thieving crews, sewed disinformation about Luthadel gangs, and even used
blackmail to pressure nosy Obligators to leave them alone.
Where Whispers differ from Terris Keepers the most is their ideology… more
specifically, that they have none. While many could accuse the Whispers’ actions
of being traitorous or criminal, they do not side with rebels or aspire to become
gangsters. They merely provide a service to any skaa who can meet their fee, and
if that service helps or harms the plight of the skaa, so be it.
The one rule the Whispers follow is that they will only work with skaa —
noblemen and agents of the Steel Ministry have from time to time tried to pen-
etrate the Whispers’ network, but each time the Whispers have demonstrated an
uncanny ability to ferret out spies in their midst.
TIN & ASH 137

The easiest way to get in touch with a Whisper is to simply have a juicy story
or secret, perhaps one that no one else should know about. Nearly any type of
information may catch a Whisper’s attention, but the more sensational or danger-
ous the better. A Hero might find a note tucked in their pocket or slipped under
their mug at a bar, offering a meet that night, “when the mists cloak the whole
world” — part of the Whispers’ mystique, and a test of the subject’s courage. At
the designated place and time, the Whisper offers a great many different things
for a seller’s story — boxings, barter, or even a secret pertinent to the seller or
their loved ones — and ask for an immediate answer. Regardless of what the seller
chooses, the Whisper soon vanishes into the night, and the seller will likely never
hear from the network again.
Secrets of the Skaa

BOOK TWO
BEASTS OF BURDEN
INTRODUCTION
Beasts of Burden is a personal adventure that challenges the Crew on its

own turf. A small-time underworld ally of the Crew has fallen suddenly and
inexplicably ill. The Crew’s seemingly innocuous investigation into the source
of this illness draws them inexorably toward a criminal enterprise whose unre-
strained brutality is only overshadowed by their ability to extort and blackmail.
This clandestine organization responds to the Crew’s investigations with swift
and radical retaliation aimed not at the Crew, but at everything the Crew holds
dear. The Crew must protect their own vulnerabilities and formulate a counter-
attack against a skaa gang whose strength lies in its organization, cunning, and
ruthlessness rather than Allomancy or legitimate political power. Will the Crew
uncover the secrets behind the Narrow Men before their own operations are de-
stroyed by this rival Crew?
Warning to Players: The remainder of this chapter provides a detailed and
spoiler-laden overview of the adventure. If you plan to play Beasts of Burden, we
recommend you stop reading right here!
BEASTS OF BURDEN AT YOUR TABLE

Beasts of Burden is designed for between two and five gaming sessions de-
pending your Crew’s play style. Objective-oriented Crews that care less for ancil-
lary plot matters and personal development can move at a brisk pace, while the
material provided in the adventure can easily last longer if the Crew opts for in-
depth exploration of secondary characters or the adventure’s effects on the Crew’s
friends and families.
Introduction
SELECTING THE RIGHT SKAA

This adventure begins with a sick skaa, but your adventure doesn’t have to
use the very same skaa. A favorite NPC already known to the Crew will provide
a stronger hook than a new character like Smelter. Smelter’s key characteristics
are his likeability and vulnerability. A rural skaa could be forced into the situa-
tion after his cart crashes into a business that serves as one of the Narrow Men’s
fronts. A skaa employed by a noble house may find himself in dire need of cash
after breaking his master’s favored heirloom. A merchant skaa could be facing
ruin after a fire or a break-in. It’s less important why the skaa needs money, and
more important that the character provides a strong motivation to the Crew —
and puts a skaa face to the suffering the Narrow Men inflict.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

A homeless alcoholic, lookout, and all-around good guy named Smelter has
been stricken ill for reasons that no one has been able to determine. Smelter was
in fact used as a drug mule by the criminal gang the Narrow Men. One of the
gang’s lieutenants, the Howler, used Smelter’s debt at the local tap room, The
Narrows, to extort him into smuggling drugs inside his body. The leader of the
Narrow Men, Vengen Straight, performed an operation to sew a pouch of a po-
tent drug called black tack inside Smelter, though she remained in disguise the
whole time. The Narrow Men want to keep their operation secret, but they lost
track of Smelter after he had too much to drink. The Narrow Men have worked
very hard to hide their operation, and see Smelter as a dangerous loose end.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

After they’re approached by a reliable contact, the Crew investigates and
discovers that Smelter has had drug-filled vials implanted in him to smuggle,
but the pouch has ruptured and poisoned him. As the Crew makes their inquir-
ies into how these events happened, they draw the ire of Vengen Straight, the
secretive leader of the Narrow Men. Shortly after they determine why Smelter
is sick, they find that their own holdings and allies are under a coordinated and
skillful attack.
The Narrow Men have one of the most well developed information gathering
systems in the city, thanks to the work of Slade, a seemingly respectable account-
ant who’s actually a lieutenant in the gang. Within hours of the Crew uncovering
the Narrow Men’s connection to drug muling, each member of the Crew finds
something they treasure under direct coordinated assault by the Narrow Men. For
a time, the Crew is forced to be reactive and fend off these attacks (whether physi-
cal assaults or more subtle) rather than proactively pursuing the Narrow Men.

Once the Crew stabilizes from the unexpected fierceness of the Narrow Men,
they must use the tidbits they learned to uncover the Narrow Men’s organization
Introduction
and attack them at their vulnerable points. This to-and-fro between the Crew and the
Narrow Men becomes a dangerous game of subtlety, manipulation, and leverage.
The Narrow Men’s top lieutenants are essentially their own Crew, just as clever and
uninhibited by the law as the players’ Crew is. The main difference between them
is approach: the Narrow Men engage in the lowest forms of criminal enterprise for
pure profit while the Crew has more complex motivations and morals.
The Crew’s counterattack can take many forms. Much like the Crew’s vul-
nerabilities stem from its members’ own motivations and weaknesses, the Nar-
row Men have the same problem. Not only are their lieutenants vulnerable, but
they have countless more business dealings to disrupt. The Narrow Men’s leader,
Vengen Straight, keeps her identity hidden. Pierz, the lead muscle of the Narrow
Men, is an inconsiderate lout whose pride can undo him.
The Howler is a Soother who keeps the drug mules in
check. He fancies himself a skilled romantic and is any-
thing but. Jean operates an extensive series of money
laundering fronts that keeps the Narrow Men rich and
eliminates the evidence of their criminal spoils,
and is also in charge of producing the drug “black
tack.” Slade has a respectable façade that keeps
the Narrow Men well informed and the Obliga-
tors busy, but he has a secret that even he is una-
ware of. Finally, the Narrow Men’s base of opera-
tions is run by the enigmatic Mila Straight and
functions as neutral ground for all the various
powerbrokers of the city’s underworld.
Once the Crew’s counterattack dam-
ages the Narrow Men’s enterprises, they can
move to shut down the drug muling operation
once and for all. This inevitably brings them
into direct conflict with Vengen Straight.
Calculating and clever, she rose to
power without a drop of Al-
lomantic ability, and she
doesn’t surrender eas-
ily. She’s too smart to
engage in a conflict she
has no hope of winning,
but also too stubborn to
let the Crew’s transgressions against the Narrow
Men go unanswered. The final confrontation can
come in many forms, but make no mistake:
the city isn’t big enough for both the
Crew and the Narrow Men!
TIN & ASH 145

THE SET UP
Introduction
The adventure takes place in Luthadel, though it could take place in any large
city in the Final Empire with minor tweaking. The Crew is contacted by Tevigger,
an informant with deep connections. A mysterious illness has befallen a pillar of
the thieving community: the friendly drunkard and lookout, Smelter. Practically
everyone in the Crew knows, or knows of, Smelter, and would be sad to see him
die of illness. His undiagnosed condition causes concern in many circles: some
are worried of plague, while others fear spoiled alcohol or a concerted attack
against the underworld community.
Early in the day, Tevigger knocks at the door of the Crew’s hideout. If the
Crew’s had previous dealings with Tevigger (such as in the “Justice, Like Ash”
adventure from Terris: Wrought of Copper) Tevigger greets them and commends
them for work well done during their previous enterprises. If the Crew has never
met Tevigger before, read the following:
As you prepare to leave to start your day, a tall skaa wearing a stovepipe hat
and a rumpled suit introduces himself. “Pleased to see you, friends. Name’s Tevig-
ger, and if you’ll just share a drink with me, we can discuss a mutually beneficial
business arrangement.”
Tevigger produces a fine vintage of wine and pours a glass for any of the
Crew who accepts the offer. He seats himself without any hesitation, crossing his
lanky legs with grace and poise. Read the following to the players:
“I respect a Crew that I have difficulty finding. It means they value privacy
and discretion. Privacy, discretion, and good pay are the foundation upon which
my business is built. These very same traits are what my employers look for when
hiring freelancers — and my employers would very much like to be your employ-
ers for a time.
“My proposal, you might be glad to know, intersects the needs of my em-
ployers with your personal interests quite nicely. A humanitarian crisis brews, my
friends! The skaa, already under the yoke of the Final Empire, are being stricken
by sources unknown. No doubt you know Smelter, the underworld’s favorite
lookout and most-accomplished reveler. Well, our dear friend Smelter is very sick,
and the reasons for this are of grave concern to my employers. Smelter’s illness
is tied to something bigger, and something they would very much like to see
ended. We wouldn’t want the herd to fall prey to the very same problem facing
Smelter now, would we?
“Your task is simple. Find out what’s wrong with Smelter and then put a stop
to whatever, or whoever, is causing the problem. Helping Smelter isn’t enough;
we want whoever created this mess put out to pasture, permanently. Now, now,

don’t look so upset, I am not suggesting you kill anyone, but you do need to stop
Introduction
this problem. Your Crew has a reputation for handling things, so I leave the how
to your discretion. We have a results-oriented employer, you know! They would
handle it themselves, but they don’t want to be tied to anything that goes on.
Hence, the need for a reliable cadre of loyal freelancers to aid on this generous
mission of humanitarian aid.”
Tevigger reaches into his jacket and produces a small pouch that he tosses
to the nearest Crewmember. Inside is a silvery sphere of metal and a small menu
from a local taproom with a few notes scrawled on it.
“Our employers understand this may become complicated. They offer you
this donation as a down payment toward their civic-minded goal. A bead of
atium certainly goes a long way toward helping the downtrodden, eh? Take this
job, and it’s yours to do with as you like; finish the job, and there are more waiting
for you. Take a close look at the menu as well; it has a few tips to get you started.”
Tevigger finishes his pitch and arches his eyebrow expectantly, awaiting any
questions the Crew may have.
“OUR FRIENDS”
Tevigger stays tight-lipped about the Crew’s new employer. The identity of
the employer depends on the Crew’s cause, method, target, or composition, and
Tevigger doesn’t reveal this information until the end of the adventure. The
Narrator can come up with an ideal employer for the Crew. Here are a few sug-
gestions based on common Crew attributes or connections:
…If the Crew’s Method is “Theft” or their Cause is “Wealth”:

Crisis leads to opportunity. Fed up and with nothing to lose, the Crew’s ac-
tions are being orchestrated by someone inside the Narrow Men: Mila Straight.
Mila loathes her sister Vengen, and is willing to risk everything to exact her re-
venge and take control of the Narrow Men. She thinks the new muling business,
while extraordinarily profitable, is bound to draw the scrutiny of the Obligators.
By hiring the Crew to disrupt the business, Mila wants to use the chaos to destroy
her sister and take control. She’s not even averse to cutting the Crew in on some
of the money, if they have the stomach. In this scenario, Mila doesn’t know the de-
tails of what the Crew has planned, so she’s likely to get tangled up in the Hero’s
scheme at some point. However, she’s quick to run for cover from the Crew’s
activities, and if the Crew goes after Mila too hard they might get another visit
from Tevigger to subtly discourage their current course.
...If the Crew has aided the Steel Ministry in the past:
The Canton of Resource has become aware, through the reports of a number
of its sources, that a local criminal organization has the gall to blackmail a number
of low- to mid-ranking Obligators. The canton was concerned about what secrets
might be leveraged against it and, fearing a loss of prestige to other rival cantons
TIN & ASH 147

in the Steel Ministry, settled on a new plan and a patsy. Obligator Anton (see page
190 for more information on Anton) was diligent in self-reporting that he had
Introduction
been blackmailed. The Canton of Resource thus learned the Narrow Men were
responsible. By using Anton’s relationship with Slade to gain information on the
gang, they discovered the Narrow Men’s weaknesses and have decided to attack
the gang using a third party — the Crew — so that any failure doesn’t point back
to the canton. Anton was instructed to find a proper Crew, and he chose Tevigger
to deliver his message. If the plan fails or leads to the revelation of the Ministry’s
secrets, Anton will take the blame as penance for his indiscretions; should it suc-
ceed, however, Anton stands to clear his name and reputation within the Ministry.
Note: Though the Canton of Resource is used here, Anton could work for any
canton the Crew previously had dealings with. Likewise, Anton could be replaced
with another Obligator, such as Obligator Kensen from “Justice, Like Ash,” found
in Terris: Wrought of Copper.
...If the Crew is mostly skaa and has strong ties to local skaa merchants:
The Jewelers Guild ostensibly makes fine baubles suited for the grandest
noble all the way down to the lowliest skaa, but a part of their business has be-
gun to suffer greatly. The Narrow Men sell stolen jewelry at a sizable discount,
most of it scammed off of the shopkeepers they harass. A consortium of jewelers
pooled their resources to hire the Crew to disrupt their unscrupulous competitor.
The spokesperson for the organization is Rin, a local jeweler who has a personal
grudge against the Narrow Men and is willing to go all-out to see them fall (see
page 188 for more information on Rin).
THE NOTE
As is his common method of delivering a job, Tevigger leaves behind a small
leather pouch containing vital clues to get the Crew started on the job. In the
pouch next to the bead of atium is a tightly wound piece of parchment. If the play-
ers read it, they find a set of notes scrawled in shorthand:
What we know:
• Before resurfacing with unknown illness, S. last seen at a taproom called

The Narrows.
• S. had been missing for over 1 week.
• S. had called in all favors and begged all people he knew for cash prior to
disappearance.
• Best and most discrete physician in skaa districts can be found at Welder’s
Apothecary.
• S’s time is short. We suspect foul play or business interests not suitable for
Luthadel. Make sure this never happens again.

WHAT THE HEROES KNOW
Introduction
The Heroes know a few pieces of information beyond what was enclosed in
the note and their conversation with Tevigger:
• The Narrows is “neutral ground” for the various thieving crews and well-to-
do skaa of Luthadel. The Narrows often provides a safety guarantee when
parties in disagreement meet at the location.
• Smelter is a confirmed and unrepentant alcoholic, but also a steady hand at
blending in and listening for good gossip. He’s affable and too small a player
to know anything important enough to be the subject of such a big job.
• Welder’s Apothecary has the expertise and personal knowledge to assist you
with any health problems.
VITAL COMPONENTS, CLUES, AND PACING

Beasts of Burden is an urban adventure that takes place in one geographic
location, typically the city of Luthadel. Therefore, the pacing of the adventure is
heavily dependent on reaching certain story benchmarks at the end of each scene
to shift the focus of the adventure. The set up and first scene play out as one might
expect, with a focus on information gathering and exploring the setting. Beasts
of Burden is unusual in how it inverts the standard adventure model: rather than
purely pursuing a foe, the Crew ends up having to devote resources to protect
their own assets and loved ones from assault. Because of this, it’s important to
have a deep understanding of each character’s motivations and vulnerabilities.
The strength of the adventure is directly tied to how threatening the Narrow Men
appear when they retaliate in the second scene.
Although the third and fourth scenes focus on investigating and moving
against the Narrow Men’s interests, it’s important to carry the danger of the
second scene forward throughout the rest of the adventure. The adventure sug-
gests ways to menace the Crew and emphasize the gravity of the danger of the
situation, but if the sense of danger begins to wane it’s up to you to stir the pot
again. All that being said, allow time for the Heroes to explore the effects of the
actions taken against them or their loved ones rather than constantly bombard-
ing them with misery and forcing them to play defense.
A large part of the adventure is a mystery. It’s obvious by the end of Scene
1 that the Narrow Men are responsible for Smelter’s sickness and drug muling.
The mystery lies in uncovering how the Narrow Men created such a sophisti-
cated operation and discovering the identity of their leader. Vengen Straight’s
exceptional intelligence and ruthlessness makes her a deadly threat to the Crew,
and she does so as a normal human. The adventure is meant to demonstrate that
flashy magic isn’t a prerequisite for power among the skaa. However, once Ven-
gen’s protections crumble, the drawbacks of her viciousness without Allomancy
to back it up shouldn’t be ignored.
TIN & ASH 149

1
UNDER THE YOKE
SCENE OVERVIEW
Having accepted a contract from Tevigger, the Crew must locate and inves-
tigate Smelter, the stricken skaa. Tevigger and their employer provided a few
pertinent leads:
• Smelter was last seen at a local watering hole, The Narrows.

• He was seemingly in dire of need of money.
• He’s been missing for a week.
The Crew doesn’t know who, or what, is be-

hind this mess or why a lone skaa’s illness would
matter to such powerful people within the city.
The Crew can head to The Narrows and inves-
tigate any interesting gossip there or check out
the local apothecary in search of Smelter. These
investigations quickly uncover that the local
lookout and drunkard Smelter was hard up for
cash after inadvertently starting a brawl at The
Narrows. He hasn’t been seen in public for a
week because at some point during his efforts to
repay his debt he was suddenly and mysteriously
stricken ill. Once the Crew finds Smelter, their own
investigations should reveal that he was used to transport
drugs, but the pouch holding the drugs ruptured and poisoned him.
This scene is discovery- and setting-based. The Crew should begin to under-
stand the strangeness of the situation, and get a hint of the depths of their antago-
nists’ moral decay as a clear picture of them preying on Smelter emerges. Don’t
let poor rolls or early hesitancy impede progress in the adventure. Should the
Under the Yoke
Crew be too tentative or miss some obvious points, you can always have someone
approach them with information once word of their inquiries spreads through the
skaa slums.
By the end of the chapter, the Heroes should have…
• Deduced the cause of Smelter’s illness.

• Begun to investigate why or how he was poisoned.
SETTING THE SCENE

Once the Crew begins their investigations, they may notice the city slums
aren’t abuzz with the level of activity they would typically notice. As they move
about town, intersperse the following observations:
• There are far fewer beggars out than usual.

• A few bedraggled skaa are wearing flashy, high-end bits of fashion and
wooden jewelry, which juxtaposes sharply with their crude rumpled clothing.
• Signs are posted on street corners offering “discreet and fast” payments to
adventurous skaa with a desire to “see the world.” Oddly enough, no means
of contacting anyone about this opportunity is given.
• As the Crew passes Slade Accountancy, they witness an Obligator having
an animated conversation with a tall, stoop-shouldered man at the door of
the office. A successful Wits 3 roll lets them hear snippets of conversation
indicating that the Obligator is upset with Slade’s “representation of him.”
• The block around The Narrows is heavily patrolled by toughs doing their best
to look innocuous.
• A few different groups of disreputable characters can be overheard mention-
ing the “Narrow Men” with both fear and admiration.
You should emphasize the mix of fear and hope among the poorest of the
city. Some skaa are missing, some suddenly reappeared with a dash of wealth, and
everyone is on edge because no one’s talking. Rumors swirl about a champion of
the downtrodden while others insist that there’s a new monster in the mist, steal-
ing people away. If the Crew engages in any obviously suspicious behavior within
a block or two of The Narrows, a group of toughs (see the Narrow Men Toughs
entry on page 171) shows up to disperse them. If the Crew refuses to leave, the
bodyguards fight them.

KEY EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
There are three different locations that have information on Smelter and his
recent activity:
Under the Yoke

• The Narrows, a local taproom known as a meeting place for underworld types.
• Welder’s Apothecary shop, a fairly reputable shop that offers discreet medi-
cal services to all comers who can pay.
• The Narrows Apartments, located a few blocks’ walk from the bar itself, are
owned by the Narrow Men and home to many of the staff. With no other place to
go, Smelter lies sick in the bed of kind-hearted Narrows cook, Griller. The Crew
typically ends up here only after a conversation with Griller or the Welders.

Smelter’s ultimate location can be hinted at by investigating at The Narrows.
No one can recall seeing him leave. If they ask Griller, he brings them to see him.
Doc Welder and his sister Ellie will tell the Crew that Griller came in looking for
medications for his friend Smelter who was unexpectedly and seriously sick. If
the investigation is slowing down, Griller may even come to the Crew himself out
of desperation as he realizes Smelter isn’t improving.
Once it’s discovered Smelter is sick, it makes sense that his illness would
initially seem unremarkable. He’s frequently drunk, and if he’s out of money, the
poor man experiences alcohol withdrawal. However, it doesn’t take an expert to
see his current issues are beyond the scope of his regular problems. A cursory ex-
amination strongly indicates where his problems are. This is the information the
Crew needs to find out in order to move on to the next scene:
1. Smelter shows signs of overdose from a strong drug.

2. Smelter is barely able to form coherent sentences, but he does blurt out, “Get
it out of me!”
Once the Crew has uncovered these important facts and made a few public
inquiries into them, increase their sense of paranoia by noting some locals are giv-
ing them hard stares. None of these parties will fight or offer anything particular
useful if confronted, but try to give the impression that their investigations are
drawing notice. Suggest that the Crew may want to retire for evening, and move
on to the next scene.
SECRETS OF THE SCENE

Through the course of their investigations, Crewmembers who pry a little
more deeply might find out the following secrets, which can be useful leverage
later on in the adventure.
TIN & ASH 153

• Smelter is being used to transport illicit drugs (Minor Secret): Based on
his incision and the drugs stashed in it, the Crew should conclude that this
is part of a larger effort to smuggle the illegal substance past the obligators.
• Griller is connected to the Narrow Men (Minor Secret): Griller once
Under the Yoke
worked with Pierz as a street enforcer. He has quite the criminal past and the
entanglements that go along with it.
• The Narrows is owned by the Narrow Men and operates as a front for
their base of operations (Minor Secret): Pierz’s affiliation with the Narrow
Men, Griller’s past, and a host of other elements could clue the Crew in to the
fact that The Narrows is strongly tied to a local criminal enterprise.
PRIMARY EVENTS
INVESTIGATING THE SICK SKAA
No one in the city has reason to care about one particular skaa suffering
through an unknown illness. Even so, people are taking note of the rising fortunes
of the slums as well as he disappearances of the poorest skaa. Many are pleased to
see the street less congested with impoverished skaa, while others are contemptu-
ous of many of the poor’s gaudy displays of wealth amidst the relative squalor of
their existence. Tevigger’s note lays out the best leads the Heroes have to uncover
this mystery. The locations can be encountered in any order, but The Narrows is
the most obvious starting place and it’s unlikely that the Heroes would end up
in the Narrows Apartments before any other investigation occurs. Don’t forget,
you can draw on some of the vignettes from “Setting the Scene” on page 152 as
the Crew travels between locations to hint at the larger forces at play and to fore-
shadow the power and reach of the Narrow Men.
LOCATION: THE NARROWS

The Narrows is on the edge of the slums near the part of town where less
prosperous merchants ply their wares. As its name implies, it’s a long thin build-
ing with an entrance that borders a busy thoroughfare. The exterior is a bit run
down; the ash seems to have formed a permanently dusty coat that’s remained un-
disturbed except for the rain. Inside, a narrow corridor for foot traffic is hemmed
in by small, square tables. At night, these tables are crammed with people enjoy-
ing the spoils of dishonest day’s work. During the day a slightly more respectable
crowd gathers for meals amidst a few patrons that decided not to wait for the mists
to begin their drinking. At the far end, The Narrows broadens and a bar with an
assortment of alcohol and harried bartenders can be seen. Serving women bustle
in and out of a door grabbing plates of food while the occasionally booming voice
of a cook can be heard over the din. Off to the side, there’s a door that remains
closed. Painted above it in bright red letters is the word PRIVATE.
Behind the bar, the brother and sister tandem of Rhea and Ronald serve drinks
with a smile and a bit of banter, as they loudly compete with each other for the
biggest tips. Two servers make their way around the tables. Bee is a middle-aged

Under the Yoke
woman, trim but haggard, who loves chatting about her children. Malia is a pretty
blond girl who the bouncers aggressively protect from customers who get too fresh.
If the Crew sits at a table, a serving woman assists them. They could also ap-
proach a bartender or other patron. Convincing anyone to answer questions about
Smelter requires a simple Charm or Influence 2 roll. Patrons don’t have much
information, but they do mention they haven’t seen Smelter in a while. However,
the bartenders and serving women all have a bit more information.
Q: Has any regular patron been gone for a while?

A: “Smelter, that old drunk, has been gone for quite a while. Nice guy, but a
sad case. It’s odd to have him gone for a week.”
Q: What was Smelter up to before he disappeared?

A: “The poor guy spilled his drink on one of Pierz’s boys. They didn’t like
that one bit. They sent him over the bar and broke a few bottles of the good stuff.
Griller had to come out from the back and yell out that Smelter had had enough.
That was a couple of weeks back. The Narrows had to cut him off. Strict orders
from Mila. He was socked with the bill for all of the damages. Poor guy was try-
ing to call in every favor he had to make it right. Mila probably went through the
Narrow Men to collect, and they don’t take kindly to late payment. Then Smelter
disappeared a week ago, saying he may have found a way out. Come to think of
it, I don’t think I saw him leave that night.”
TIN & ASH 155

Q: Who is Griller?
A: “Griller is the assistant manager and our cook. He works in the back. He
has a soft spot for the regulars. Mila just cares about money and she was livid
about the damage.”
Under the Yoke
Q: Have you heard anything about Smelter since?

A: “I heard he was sick. If he was sick he probably would have stopped in at
Doc Welder’s.”
Q: Do you know the Welders or their apothecary shop?

A: “They aren’t customers here often, but they’re good folks. They run a shop
with cures and treatments for folks that can afford them. They’re fair, decent, and
respectable, which is pretty uncommon around here.”
Q: Who’s Pierz?
A: “Some big shot with a gang of thugs. He does some minor protection stuff
and provides security for The Narrows.”
Q: Who owns/runs this place?

A: “Mila, mainly.”
Q: Who’s Mila?
A: “Mila runs this place. She owns it with some partners of hers. She calls
the shots when she cares to, but she spends half her time moping around her ash
heap of a private office. You’ll recognize her from the scarves she wears and the
sour look on her face.”
Q: Who are the Narrow Men?

A: “Local bruisers and loan sharks. The type to steer clear of, if you’re smart.”
If the Crew tries to knock on the door marked PRIVATE, there’s no answer.
It’s locked and the staff informs them the office is off limits. If the Crew lingers
around the door, or tries to enter by force, at least one Hazekiller (see page 536 of
the Mistborn Adventure Game) accompanied by one Narrow Men tough (see page
171) per member of the Crew make it clear that they’ll violently stop them from
entering. The appearance of a Hazekiller in such an establishment should be a
clue there’s a lot more money behind the Narrows than it would appear. If a brawl
ensues, the goons shy away from using lethal weapons or deadly force; they don’t
want to kill anyone at the establishment, lest it draw unwanted attention.
TALKING WITH GRILLER

If the Crew asks to speak with Griller, the staff fetches him. It seems that
Griller is a bit of a local celebrity and knows many folks in the area on both
sides of the law. Griller happily engages in small talk, but if the Crew begins to
ask about Smelter he becomes tense. He asks them if they’d like to come to his

kitchen. In the kitchen, there are a few boxes of obvious foodstuffs, along with a
few out-of-place parcels. If the Crew succeeds on a Wits 3 roll, they notice a few
boxes marked “NM” (for Narrow Men). Smelter’s actually sick in bed in Griller’s
apartment, but Griller’s not willing to tell the Crew that without learning more
Under the Yoke

about them. He sends them to Doc Welder’s, trusting the man’s tact and judgment
of character to decide whether the Crew is truly interested in helping Smelter.
Q: When did you last see Smelter?

A: “He was last at The Narrows a week ago.”
Q: What was he up to before he disappeared?

A: “He was saddled with a big debt for a bar fight that wasn’t his fault. The
owners were very insistent that he pay them, and soon. He said he found a special
job that could get him out of trouble. He hasn’t shown his face, but there’s a rumor
he was sick. If he was sick, he would’ve probably gone to the local apothecary,
Doc Welder.”
Q: What’s the deal with Mila?

A: “Mila’s my boss. Sometimes we get along, sometimes we don’t.” He’s
clearly unwilling to discuss this any further. With a successful Charm 3 roll, a
Hero can tell that he wants to say more, but he seems frightened and uncertain.
Q: Who owns this place?

A: “Mila and some people she knows. The less you know, the better, trust me.”
Q: Who is Pierz?
A: “How’d you hear about Pierz? He’s got a few rackets he runs, including
security and protection for this place. He’s mean and so are his men. I wouldn’t
ask around too much about him unless you want to run into him or his boys’ fists.”
Q: Who are the Narrow Men?

A: “They’re bad news. I know firsthand. They have their hands in everything
around here. My advice, stay out of their way.”
Griller excuses himself if the Crew becomes repetitive with their questioning
or if an excessive length of time passes. He is, after all, working at the moment.
Before he leaves he says, “Talk to Doc Welder. Maybe he can help out. I think we
all want to make sure Smelter recovers and keep him from getting sick again.”
THE CAST
GRILLER
A beefy, wide man, Griller has an easy manner and surprising charm, con-
sidering his slovenly clothes accessorized with a greasy apron and bowler cap.
He laughs often and, even alongside the Crew’s most imposing members, doesn’t
TIN & ASH 157

seem intimidated by being outnumbered or potentially outmuscled. Griller’s been
at The Narrows since it opened and is the public face of the taproom. Anyplace
can serve alcohol, but Griller has a knack for making whatever meat and produce
he manages to rustle up into something delicious and affordable.
Under the Yoke
Griller simply wants to cook and run a taphouse. The Narrow Men’s crimi-
nal enterprises are making that increasingly risky. Griller started out as Pierz’s
second-in-command, but eventually pulled out of active strong arming in favor
of looking after headquarters. Griller’s attitude has softened with time, and no
longer has much in common with Pierz or the other members of the Narrow
Men. Though he’s still a member of the group, he keeps his involvement to a
minimum. He’s a Pewterarm, though that fact is mostly forgotten by and now
entirely unadvertised to the locals. Griller lives above The Narrows. He knows
the look of a seasoned Crew when he sees one — he only has to decide whether
or not they can help him. Griller believes that if he can displace Mila as the
owner of The Narrows, he can remain profitable without the danger and disrup-
tion of old criminal ties.
GRILLER (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Cook; Reformed Criminal; Old Fighting Tricks
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Pewter 5 (boosts Physique and Health,
as shown in brackets)
• Unconscious Burning: The character auto-
matically burns Pewter when unconscious,
though only if also injured (i.e., he doesn’t
automatically burn Pewter when sleeping).
Each Pewter charge burned in this fashion
lasts for three hours, and the only ben-
efits it conveys are increased Health, ac-
celerated healing, and avoiding Pewter
drag. It has no effect on Physique rolls or
dice pools. This special Pewter burn stops
immediately when he regains consciousness.
LOCATION: WELDER’S APOTHECARY

Doc Welder and his sister Ellie run a tidy shop. Doc doesn’t claim to be a
physician, but in this part of town, he may as well be. For many, the extravagance
of Doc’s expertise, herbs, and poultices are an unaffordable luxury. Even so, Doc
has a good reputation among local crews for assisting without asking questions
and occasionally doing a good deed for free. His shop is few blocks from The Nar-
rows, near some other local merchants, and some distance away from upper class

establishments such as law and doctor offices. Have the Crew make a Wits 4 roll
when entering the shop; if they succeed, they notice a long letter in flowing hand
addressed to Ellie Welder and signed by “The Howler.”
Under the Yoke

THE WELDERS
Doc Welder is a fastidious, bespectacled young man with immaculately
combed black hair. He’s of average height with a slight build. He stands behind
the counter, looking up from a book when the Crew enters. Bustling around the
shop is his younger sister, Ellie. Auburn-haired and energetic, she wears glasses
just like her brother, and there’s a clear family resemblance in their green eyes.
The shop is small. Glass jars holding unguents, herbs, creams, and other
oddities line the walls and pack the shelves. It’s clear that the Welders keep close
company with one another; questioning to either of them without the other proves
difficult. When asked about a client that came in, the Welders are at first hesitant
to speak. Doc Welder states that a person’s health is their own concern and it isn’t
anyone else’s business to pry into. Should the Crew find their efforts to dig deeper
into the scene frustrated, have them make a Wits 2 roll; with success, they realize
that the Welders don’t like snoops, but will talk to someone seeking help for a
sick individual.
If the Crew explains that their looking for a patient who is extraordinarily
sick and needs further help, the Welders open up a little more. Both Doc and
Ellie are capable of answering questions as they both saw the same things, but
Ellie leaves the talking to her brother unless addressed directly. In the course of
questioning, Doc Welder likely asks the Crew why they care about Smelter; if so,
the Crew ought to have a non-threatening justification for their investigation (i.e.
concern for a missing friend, working at the request of mutual friends, etc.). The
Welders warm up to the Heroes once they realize they’re interested in investigat-
ing and improving Smelter’s health.
Q: Did Smelter come to your shop?

A: “Smelter came here about a week ago. He said he had a job and that he
couldn’t have any alcohol. He needed some small things to help him with the
headaches and other symptoms that came with him being unable to drink.”
Q: Did he say what the job was?

A: “He sounded a bit squeamish about that. He made it sound like it was a bit
unusual. It definitely made him uncomfortable, but the pay was very, very good. I
don’t pry unless it could impact what remedy we give him. We haven’t seen him
since, though Griller came by and picked up a few things for him.”
Q: What did Griller want?

A: “Griller said Smelter was sick. He wanted to know if I’d given him any-
thing. I told him there was nothing unusual or potent. I’d given Smelter the same
remedies a number of times when he tried to stop drinking. Griller seemed wor-
ried. He described Smelter’s symptoms. He said Smelter was feverish and sweat-
TIN & ASH 159

ing, vomiting and jaundiced. It sounded quite strange, but it’s hard to really know
what’s wrong with him without seeing him a bit myself. I gave him some items
to help those symptoms, but I’m afraid Smelter may be very sick. None of what I
gave Griller will cure him.
Under the Yoke
“Smelter is likely staying with Griller above The Narrows. Griller was wor-
ried that someone might be out to get him or Smelter, but I don’t think your group
is out to hurt those folks.
“Come to think of it, I’ve had quite a few cases of people coming in with
jaundice lately. Very strange.”
Q: What causes jaundice?

A: “Any number of things can cause jaundice — it’s much too broad a symp-
tom to narrow it down. Usually related to the liver. Could be from the drinking,
but I haven’t seen it this bad since black tack was popular.”
Q: What’s black tack?

A: “Oh, it was a drug. Made from the leaves of this jet-black plant found
out on the edge of the Burnlands. It was popular about four years back, until the
obligators cracked down on the trade. It’s hard to make because it has to be boiled
down and baked into slabs, so it was mighty easy for the Ministry to find out who
was making it in large quantities and stomp ‘em out. Before that, it was all over
these slums, and people who took too much got jaundice pretty bad.”
Q: How do you know Griller?

A: “Griller is a longtime friend. He has certain connections as well. As much
we want to stay out of criminal affairs, in this part of town criminal enterprises
control more than the Steel Ministry does. Some, like yourselves, are of a respect-
able nature, while others are not so much. Take for instance this goon who’s taken
an interest in Ellie; a sad man that thinks himself quite dashing, who calls himself
‘the Howler.’ As if anyone would want their sister seeing someone called ‘the
Howler!’ So far he’s behaved well enough, but we’re worried what happens if
Ellie keeps giving him answers he doesn’t want to hear.”
LOVE POTION
Neither Doc nor Ellie are prudes or disinterested in romance — in fact,
they’re both seeing a special someone, but just happen to think the Howler is a
creep. If any of the Crew seems like a good match for one of the Welders, Doc or
Ellie might make their interest known to that Hero or pass word along through
a different member of the Crew. If this is a plotline the player wants to pursue,
it also gives the Narrow Men leverage over the Crew later in the adventure, so
don’t be afraid to explore this option.

THE CAST
The Welders aren’t much good in a fight, but are knowledgeable and respected.
DOC WELDER (MILD THREAT)
Under the Yoke

Traits: Herbal Expert; Looking for Love; Overprotective
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking, con-
tains no metal); Medical supplies; Medical book
ELLIE WELDER (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Kind Soul; Looking for Love; Loyal Sister
Equipment: Formal clothing
LOCATION: NARROWS APARTMENT

Doc Welder is right — Smelter is hiding out at Griller’s flat, just a few
blocks away. If, somehow, the Crew ascertains Smelter’s location without go-
ing through the Welders, Griller is extremely hesitant to cooperate initially. It
may require a Charm 4 roll to convince Griller to willingly let the Crew into his
apartment to see Smelter. If they’ve come from Doc Welders, Griller quickly
comes clean and explains he had to be cautious about giving away Smelter’s
hideout. He was concerned that he could be endangered by keeping Smelter at
his apartment.
Griller’s apartment is small, but tastefully appointed, located in the middle
of the slums a few blocks from the Narrows. He has a host of well-made mod-
est furniture including a small desk with about a half-dozen books. Anyone that
looks at the desk more closely can make a Wits 3 roll to notice a vial of pewter
tucked away on the bookshelf amongst the dusty volumes. After admitting the
Crew, he also answers any questions the Heroes may not have asked him the first
time around.
Smelter is resting in Griller’s bed. He is in a sorry state, with noticeably yel-
lowed skin, and is moaning softly and pitifully. Griller lets everyone in and closes
the door swiftly.
“Sorry to be vague. I was worried if someone overheard me saying I had

him, they might kill me, but I couldn’t just let him die on the street like a dog.
Smelter still isn’t getting better. If you’re here, that means Doc Welder thinks
you can help. I don’t know much about his healing…maybe you should take a
look at him?”
TIN & ASH 161

An examination of Smelter reveals that he’s feverish, sweating, unconscious,
and jaundiced. Have the Crew make a Wits roll and reveal the following based on
the result. Any examination reveals that Doc Welder could probably fix Smelter
up without a problem.
Under the Yoke
Wits Result Information Gained

1 Smelter has a small incision on his abdomen.
2 The incision was expertly sewn shut.
3 There’s an unusual bulge under the incision.
4 A foreign object was sewn into Smelter.
5 A steady hand could undo the stiches and remove the materials.
Regardless of what their roll is, Smelter moans, “Get it

out of me.” A physical examination reveals a fresh in-
cision on Smelter’s side, and a foreign object inside;
it’s clear that’s the likely source of his sickness. The
Crew can remove the foreign object if they wish
(see the Smelter’s Surgery sidebar for more).
Smelter is feverish, but will answer ques-
tions if asked.
Q: What happened to you?

A: “I let them use me to smuggle tack. I
thought I was going to swallow it and… you
know, it’d make its way out eventually. They had
other ideas…wanted to try out something new on
me. Ever since then, I’ve been so sick.”
Q: Who did this to you?

A: “The Narrow Men. The Howler approached
me, kept me calm while a woman in a mask did this”
(he gestures to his incision) “to me. She smiled when I
Smelter
cried out. Give me a drink — get it out of me!”
Q: Why didn’t you tell anyone what was wrong with you?
A: “Me getting sick, hiding from them — it’s a death sentence. I didn’t want
to put that on Griller, too. He’s been good to me. Even if you fix me up, fact is I’m
still a loose end. Nothing can change that now.”
“I was hoping I could keep it together until they told me where I needed
to go and I could make things right, but I kept getting sicker. If we pull out the
tack, then I’ve failed to deliver them to the right place. They’ll track me down.
Even I take them their drugs back, they’ll most likely kill me. You all are my
only hope.”

SMELTER’S SURGERY
Under the Yoke

If any of the Heroes has the inclination or ability to conduct the surgery
themselves, they can try to remove the pouch of black tack from his incision on
their own. Doc and Ellie Welder will also help if contacted, which Griller suggests
if the Crew doesn’t know how to safely help Smelter or neglects to help him. Call-
ing on Doc ensures Smelter survives the procedure.
If the Crew chooses to remove the foreign object without Doc’s assistance,
a Hero must attempt a doing so requires a Wits 4 roll. With success, Smelter falls
unconscious for several days and needs more medicine and care to recuperate;
with failure, Smelter suffers 1 damage per Complication (and dying if he suffers 3
or more damage) . In either result, the Heroes remove a small pouch filled with
flat strips of the dark brown, sticky drug wrapped in sheepskin. The pouch was
sealed with wax, but has ruptured, likely releasing several doses’ worth of drugs
into Smelter’s body.
The drug, black tack, is moderately valuable, and the pouch still contains two
dozen doses. If smoked in a pipe as intended, it causes the smoker to lose 3 Will-
power and take the Serious Burden “High on Black Tack.” Unlike a normal Burden,
this Burden is lost even if the Hero takes actions during the next Short Breather.
SMELTER (INSIGNIFICANT THREAT)

Resiliences: Health 4 (currently 3), Reputation 6, Willpower 5
Traits: Drunk; Friendly; Lookout
Equipment: None
Note: At the start of this scene, Smelter has the Grave “Direly Ill” Burden,
due to his sickness.
WRAPPING UP THE SCENE

Once the Crew has noticed the incision and figured out that Smelter’s been
poisoned, they should have enough information to realize that Smelter has
overdosed on black tack (the drug and its effects can be identified by talking to
Doc Welder or with a successful Wits or Influence 2 roll). Ultimately, the Crew
should see that Smelter is the victim of an operation aimed at illicitly moving
drugs, but if the Crew doesn’t make that connection until a later scene, that’s
OK. Though the Crew may immediately want to start who’s responsible (if
they caught Smelter’s mention of “the Narrow Men”), suggest that the Heroes
havebeen on the job for many hours and should take a Short Breather to rest
for the night.
TIN & ASH 163

WHAT DO YOU LOVE?
As you wrap up the first scene, do your best to confirm important personal
details about the Crew. As detailed in Scene 2, the next part of the adventure is
more malleable than the first scene. The better idea you have about what the Crew
Under the Yoke
values, the more impactful you can make Scene 2.
AWARDING ADVANCEMENTS
This scene is full of investigations and setting development. Advancements
should come from discovering information and driving the plot forward.
• Discovering the Howler’s infatuation with Ellie Welder: 1 Advancement

• Making contact with Griller: 1 Advancement
• Uncovering Smelter’s connection to the Welders: 1 Advancement
• Realizing without being told that Smelter was used to mule drugs: 1 Ad-
vancement
• Removing the drugs from Smelter (by themselves or with Doc’s help): 1
Advancement.

2
WOLVES
AMONGST SHEEP
SCENE OVERVIEW
Armed with the knowledge that Smelter’s illness was caused by his drug muling,
the Crew now knows to focus their efforts on a criminal conspiracy. They may even
have an idea about who’s responsible (“the Narrow Men mentioned by Smelter).
In this scene, the Narrow Men remove all doubt as to their existence and cul-
pability in Smelter’s state, moving to take him outand strike directly at the Crew
where they’re most vulnerable. Consequently, this scene is structure as a list of
suggested actions the Narrow Men can take to blackmail, intimidate, and thwart
the Crew. How it playd out will largely depend on the composition of the Crew,
their affiliations, and background of individual Heroes.
The scene is intended to put the Heroes on their back foot, and may even
be frustrating for the players as they suffer a rival crew’s wrath. However, each
action the Narrow Men take against the Crew also allows for an opportunity to
contain the damage and learn about their mysterious foes. Choose actions that will
strike at each Hero’s vulnerability, while leaving plenty of clues for how to fight
back amidst the chaos that follows.
SETTING THE SCENE

Assuming the Heroes take a Short Breather following Scene 1 to rest and
recuperate, give each Hero to discuss what they want to do the next day. The Nar-
row Men will take direct action against each member of the Crew starting that
night (during the Breather) or the following day.
The “Primary Events” section (page 172) suggests some actions the Nar-
row Men might take based on backgrounds, traits, and motivations common
amongst the typical Crew; feel free to modify or make up your own if you want
to make this assault even more personal. The Narrow Men’s actions should tie
Wolves Amongst Sheep
in with your own Crew’s particular idiosyncrasies. If Crewmembers share cer-

tain loyalties or goals, it’s perfectly fine to have the Narrow Men take one action
that impacts two characters.
The Narrow Men’s leadership has five lieutenants, with Vengen Straight as
their leader. Descriptions of the lieutenants appear before the possible primary
events to give context for who’s acting against the Crew. Keep in mind the per-
sonalities and talents of these influential individuals as you engineer the Narrow
Men’s attack on the Crew’s interests. At this point in the adventure, although
Vengen Straight has demanded action against the Crew, she won’t personally take
action against them.
The Narrow Men identified the Crew and its ties quickly, but they still have
no idea why the Crew cares about its drug muling operation — thieving crews that
operate with a semblance of heroism and scruples tend to be rare. Consequently,
Vengen Straight assumes the Crew is either interested in taking over the opera-
tion or taking out the Narrow Men, and so acts swiftly to “discourage” them from
further investigation and disruption. The Narrow Men are adept at larceny and
intimidation, but aren’t certain they could kill the entire Crew, so have chosen to
scare them off rather than take the Heroes head on. Besides, murders draw Ob-
ligators and reprisals — and no one want that kind of hassle.
During this scene, you may also want to include the following descriptive
tidbits about the city:
• A disproportionately high number of local businesses seem to be closed for

the day.
• Beggars are pleading less aggressively for help than usual.
• Even in the nicer parts of town, there are fewer Obligators and officials to
be seen.
• Armed thugs are conspicuously patrolling the area around The Narrows.
THE LIEUTENANTS
The five Narrow Men lieutenants
who do Vengen’s bidding each have
their own specialties. However, their
foibles and weaknesses can prove
useful to Heroes who find out how
to exploit them. The lieutenants
are Pierz, Slade, the Howler,
Jean, and Mila Straight —
Vengen’s sister.

PIERZ
Pierz is a brutal and outrageous man. He
made a name for himself as an underground
fighter before assembling his own gang of

toughs. He exercises restraint only when he
fears running afoul of his boss. Pierz and his
thugs’ vicious reputation protects the Narrow
Men from rivals and ensures Vengen has carte
blanche to operate in the Narrows.
Short by skaa standards, Pierz is barrel-
chested and shaves his head. He has a
pierced nose and a quick temper; he’s
often described as looking like a bull.
Although he lacks Allomatic powers,
Pierz and his most trusted toughs work
together with the precision of Hazekillers. To
avoid unwanted attention, Pierz doesn’t often Pierz
carry a weapon, but if he knows violence is coming he
uses the Narrow Men’s resources to outfit himself however he desires.
Pierz has an inferiority complex about his physical prowess and suffers from
great pride. He knows that no matter how well he fights he’s no match for a
Pewterarm and that infuriates him. His men are aware of this sensitive subject
and avoid any unfavorable comparisons. Moreover, the shops and businesses he
shakes down have no love of him. They fear him, but proper persuasion or lever-
age could get them to provide information on the operation.
PIERZ (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Respect My Strength; Bodyguard; Savage; Don’t Cross the Boss
Equipment: Obsidian dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch/Touch;
Thrown Range: Striking / Close, contains no metal); Leather armor (absorbs 1
damage from physical attacks); Flask of whiskey
SLADE
Slade’s criminal ties are known only within the upper echelons of Luthadel’s
underworld. Ostensibly an accountant with a number of crooked clients, Slade
is the mortar that holds the Narrow Men together and allows them to tower over
their rivals. Slade reviews all criminal activity within the Narrow Men and looks
over every scrap of paper they come across. He’s professional to the point of ab-
surdity, keeping his cool even in the most despicable circumstances.
Slade is taller than average, with gangly limbs that makes him look cramped
at his desk and awkward walking the streets. Slade’s punctuality and dapper dress
is a bit of a joke, and many chuckle about his copper-plated pocket watch, but few
TIN & ASH 167

do so near him. He has an incredible memory, and when paired with the Narrow
Men’s unseemly connections and his ability to pass in respectable circles, Slade
has developed more blackmail material than anyone in the city realizes.
Despite his mastery of secrets, Slade has one of his own — one so well-kept,
he himself does not know the truth. Slade is actually is part Terris, born to a rare
union of a Terriswoman and an obligator who served at the breeding compounds
in Tathingdwen. Slade’s incredible memory is not simply the result of a keen
intellect; in truth, he is a Copper Ferring, capable of using storing and drawing
forth memories in copper objects (specifically, his pocketwatch given to him by
his mother before her death). Thanks to the Lord Ruler’s prohibition on Terris and
non-Terris relationships, Ferrings like Slade are completely unknown in the Final
Empire (and won’t be common the Alloy of Law novels and game supplement),
and the use of his powers are completely subconscious.
Should the Heroes steal any of Slade’s incidental metalminds, he will quickly
find himself befuddled and unable to rely on the knowledge he
relies on so heavily. In the very unlikely circumstance the
Heroes discover the truth of Slade’s “skills,” they could
even rat him out to the Steel Ministry, which would make
him an immediate high priority target for the Steel In-
quisitors. Such a bold move would force the fixer to flee
or risk immediate capture, removing a valuable cog in
the Narrow Men’s criminal machine.
SLADE (AVERAGE THREAT)

Resiliences: Health 9, Reputation 10, Will-
power 9
Traits: What’s Yours Is Mine; Crooked
Accountant; “Eidetic Memory”; It’s Just Business
POWERS (FERUCHEMY)
Slade Copper 5 (stores memories; note he is unaware
of his abilities)
EQUIPMENT
Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; contains no
metal); Copper-plated pocket watch; Copper ring; Notebook and pen
THE HOWLER
In an organization that largely eschews Allomancy, the Howler is an excep-
tion. An expert Soother, the Howler personally ensures the Narrow Men’s smug-
gling operations run smoothly by sedating unruly abductees and persuading reluc-
tant mules. The Howler is responsible for doling out shipments and has contacts
all across the Final Empire to obtain and sell illicit drugs.

Howler earned his nickname from his hyena-like laughter that, all too of-
ten, comes at the expense of his hapless and befuddled victims. Average size and
middle aged, the Howler is balding, a fact he conceals beneath his ever-present
bowler hat. His lips quiver as if he’s constantly restraining himself from bursting

into terrible laughter, making sharing a room with him for too long a distinctly
unsettling experience.
The Howler fancies himself a romantic and is easily distracted by a pretty face,
offering a tip of his hat to any woman that crosses his path. He considers it unsport-
ing to Soothe a lady to get a date, but is shocked to find that he isn’t as charming as
he imagines himself to be. He currently fancies Ellie Welder, a local apothecary, and
spends a surprising amount of energy trying to “honestly” woo her.
THE HOWLER (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Terrible Laughter; Smuggler;
Lecherous; Callous
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Brass 7 (Soothes the emotions of others)
• Push Emotions: The Howler subtly Soothes
nearly everyone around when burning Brass.
At these times he gains one die with Charm
rolls. This bonus isn’t gained with any roll that
also gains dice due to Soothed emotions (i.e.,
the Howler may not stack this benefit with the
basic use of Brass).
• Enduring Emotions: Emotions the Howler
Soothes linger for up to an hour after he stops
focusing on the victim.
EQUIPMENT
Dueling Cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch /
The Howler
Striking; contains no metal); 3 Misting vials (3 charges of
Brass each); Bowler hat
JEAN
Jean is a master of the mundane; she legitimately knows baking, butchery,
cobbling, and a host of other practical skills. She dresses well for her supposed
station and keeps her greying brown hair in a bun. She’s a corpulent woman, a
harsh taskmaster, and overly proud of the fronts she runs for the Narrow Men.
Jean takes great pains to make sure they can withstand scrutiny by experts in the
field and works even harder to cook the books with devious aplomb that can with-
stand scrutiny from the best of the Lord Ruler’s bean counters.
TIN & ASH 169

Jean also is in charge of another type of cooking:
the production of the drug black tack, which is made
in the back room of the Narrow Men’s bakery. She
spends most of her time crushing the leaves of the
grimy black plants — weeds, really — from which

the drug is derived, boiling them into a mush, and
pouring it into thin slabs. After cutting the blocks
into tiny strips that make up individual doses, she
drops off the shipment with the Howler.
Although Jean is good at maintaining
the various fronts that cover the gang’s true
business, she’s inattentive to her own cash
flow. Jean spends extravagantly to fete her
favorite henchmen with lavish underworld
parties. Her gluttony and hedonism come at a
steep price, endangering her ability to bring in the
Jean
hefty sums Vengen expects — and since the front busi-
nesses are blissfully unaware of their criminal connections, Jean won’t be able to
dip into the till to make up the difference. If the money from Jean’s enterprises
were to dry up, the loss of the Narrow Men’s most consistent bankroll leaves them
susceptible to rivals — and Jean would take the blame.
JEAN (SERIOUS THREAT)

Attributes: Physique: 3, Charm: 5, Wits: 6
Traits: Taskmistress; Spendthrift; Skilled Manager; Money
Laundering; Hedonist
Equipment: Craftsman’s garb; Craftsman’s tools
(cooking); Horse & carriage
MILA STRAIGHT
The Narrows tavern began as one of Jean’s simple
money laundering operations until Vengen Straight
introduced a new lieutenant to the Narrow Men’s fold
— her twin sister, Mila. Under Mila’s leadership, The
Narrows became a clearinghouse for all sorts of un-
derworld activity. Part sanctuary, part inn, the Narrow
Men use their considerable sway to keep one build-
ing and the block surrounding it neutral ground for
the tumultuous underworld elements of the city. Be-
tween Pierz’s protection crew and a rotating host of
Mistings for hire, The Narrows is a dangerous place
to cause trouble in the city — and Mila works hard to
make sure it stays that way.
Mila
Straight

Alongside the Narrow Men’s more experienced lieutenants, Mila brokers
meetings and negotiations between powerful underworld elements. Mila is lithe,
lean with a pleasant face that has been transformed to something intimidating by
her permanent scowl. She dresses well at The Narrows, but regardless of the sea-

son wears a kerchief or scarf around her neck. Her voice is raspy as if she smoked
from the minute she first drew breath.
Although she works hard in her new position, she resents having to give up
her life as a legitimate dancer and performance artist. Mila was beaten and nearly
killed when a rival crimelord mistook her for her secretive sister. Her injuries made
it impossible to continue dancing, and a cut to her neck scarred her and damaged
her voice. If she realizes her sister is vulnerable, she’ll risk a great deal to take over
the Narrow Men for herself, including helping her sister’s foes. The Narrows busi-
ness model isn’t without risk. If a meeting between rival parties ended in mayhem
or violence, the Narrow Men could find themselves with new powerful enemies.
MILA STRAIGHT (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Fixer; Diligent; Jealous of Vengen; Former Dancer; Don’t Ask About
My Scarf
Thrown Range: Striking / Close, contains no metal); Elegant evening gown
NARROW MEN GOONS

The Narrow Men’s operations demand men to snatch potential “contracted”
smugglers and heavies to collect extortion money and bust heads as needed. Both
of these types of Extras work for Narrow Men lieutenants, depending on the spe-
cific task.
NARROW MEN KIDNAPPER (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Wary; Prey on the Weak; Protect the Product
Equipment: Dueling Cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking;
contains no metal); Shackles
NARROW MEN TOUGH (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Just Following Orders; Don’t Mess with the Narrow Men
Equipment: Club (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; contains
no metal)
TIN & ASH 171

PRIMARY EVENTS
Review the following events the Narrow Men might use in their attempts to
intimidate the Crew into backing down. Choose the most appropriate scenarios
for your Crew, then play out the Narrow Men Action. The Crew Opportunities
section shows how the Crew might be able to mitigate the harm they face or gain
an advantage against the Narrow Men later on through that scenario. You can cre-
ate your own primary events if these don’t fit your group well, but remember to
include potential opportunities for the Crew in whatever scenario you create so
the events don’t dead-end for the players.
...If a Hero has family or loved ones:

Narrow Men Action: No stranger to the dirty business of human trafficking,
the Howler uses a hand picked group of handlers to “escort” drug mules from
dangerous location to dangerous location. Typically, the kidnappers among the
Howler’s men act as physical minders and lookouts. The Howler uses his Sooth-
ing to make marks more pliable, as well. In this situation, Howler and his team
kidnap someone important to the Crew when the Hero is (ideally) unable to inter-
fere to use as a hostage.
Crew Opportunities: If there’s no narrative opportunity to kidnap the loved
one without the Crewmember present, the Narrow Men at least wait until the Hero
is asleep. With a successful Wits 3 roll, the Hero wakes up in the middle of the
kidnapping; with failure (or if they were not present), he wakes up or return to
find his loved one gone, and can only look for clues (see page 179).
A Hero who interrupts the kidnapping see his loved one shuffling after the
Howler and another man (a Narrow Men Kidnapper, described on page 171)
while two more Narrow Men Kidnappers watch out for the Hero. The kidnappers
flee with the Hero’s loved one as fast as possible, while the other two kidnappers
attack the Hero. The Hero may be able to defeat them quickly and catch up to the
kidnappers, but if he does not defeat the attackers within 2 rounds, the kidnappers
escape; the only recourse is to look for clues. Any kidnappers who are caught or
incapacitated may be interrogated (see page 179).
...If a Hero holds a respectable position in society:

Narrow Men Action: Crews thrive on information, and one of the best ways
to gather information is by hobnobbing with the Final Empire’s nobility. How-
ever, those valuable inroads into high society can leave a character vulnerable if
exposed. Slade is a specialist in information and blackmail. When the Hero awak-
ens, she finds a simple note addressed to her detailing the illegal activities she’s
engaged in on her last few jobs. Attached to that note is a list of names of people
they rely on to function in the upper echelon of the Lord Ruler’s society, along
with a demand that the Crew forget Smelter, forget anything they might think they
know, and mind their own business.
Crew Opportunities: Asking around about who might have delivered the
note reveals some vague details of a tall, dapper man seen near the threatened

Hero’s home; a successful Influence or Charm 5 roll reveals this figure has been
seen in the Narrows slums.
While there’s no definitive proof of who or what made the threat against the
Hero, the Crew can go on the offensive or muddy the waters by spreading their

own rumors to deflect attention from their misdeeds. If the Hero doesn’t act on or
care about the damage the information causes, she loses 5 Reputation, but can also
start working her sources to find out who’s spreading the blackmail around (see
“Learning More about the Narrow Men” on page 179).
...If a Hero owns or takes part in a legitimate business:

Narrow Men Action: Jean is a master of laundering money and operating fronts.
Her skill at running “clean” businesses also means she’s in the good graces of a few
Obligators. Jean can uses her contacts in the Steel Ministry to put a Hero’s legitimate
businesses in peril. The next time the Hero goes to his business, he discovers
his shop boarded up and a notice of back taxes owed tacked to the door.
Any items of value have been confiscated, and the contact information
of Obligator Anton (see page 190) is included in the notice.
Crew Opportunities: If the Hero lives or sleeps in his place of
business, he hears a small group of low-ranking Obligators entering
the building, and may confront them with words or violence. The
novices are merely here to serve papers and have no guards tag-
ging along, and so immediately flee at the first sign of.
If any novices manage to escape a violent confronta-
tion with the Hero, they flee back to the local Canton. The
Hero’s charges are ramped up from tax evasion to the much
more serious charge of sedition, and an squad of House
Guards (see page 215) equal in number to the Heroes return
an hour later to take him (and anyone else see with him at
the time of the confrontation) into custody.
If the Hero questions the novices, either casually or under
the threat of force, they can learn some useful information as
listed on page 179.
STEEL MINISTRY NOVICE (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Apprentice Obligator; By the Book; Zealous
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range:
Touch / Striking; contains no metal); Pen and blank book
...If a Hero comes from a noble family:

Narrow Men Action: Crews often prey on the arrogance of the
nobility, but noble Heroes are vulnerable to the same tactics the
Crew uses against the Houses themselves. Jean specializes in
TIN & ASH 173

making the sinister appear innocuous, and uses her connections to either replace
skaa servants within the Hero’s household with skaa loyal to the Narrow Men or
buy off once-loyal retainers as spies. Once inside, Jean’s skaa will undermine,
sabotage, and otherwise thwart the Hero’s family from within using blackmail and
anonymous tips to rival families.

Crew Opportunities: Jean’s skaa spies try to subtly turn the noble Hero’s
family against her by planting false evidence suggesting betrayal. The Hero might
have trouble getting assistance from her noble kin, or discover their normal ven-
ues of assistance from the family or their allies dried up. There’s no grand an-
nouncement of this action, but if the Crew appears at any of the House’s holdings
they can make a Wits 3 roll; with success, they notice the overly inquisitive staff
and a few new faces around.
The skaa influenced by the Narrow Men aren’t particularly loyal or resistant
to questioning. For an idea about what they may know, see “Learning More about
the Narrow Men” on page 179.
...If a Hero values their Terris heritage:

Narrow Men Action: The Terris are an oppressed and vulnerable group, and
the Narrow Men are both unscrupulous and perfectly willing to exploit this to their
advantage. If a Hero is a Keeper, a member of the Synod, or even someone that
aids the Terris (perhaps having played “Justice, Like Ash” from Terris: Wrought
of Copper), the Narrow Men use this to their advantage. The Howler goes out of
his way to “recruit” a number of vulnerable Terris in the city for his drug muling
ring — including a few Terris NPCs friendly to the Crew. If friendly NPCs are too
stable to reasonably be exploited this way, have their family or friends fall under
the Howler’s sway instead.
Once the Howler has coerced these NPCs, an urchin knocks on the Hero’s
door and recites a list of Terris names and their addresses to her. The urchin then
says, “One more Terris will be hired each day until you learn to mind your own
business.” The urchin is purely a patsy and has had no direct contact with the
Howler, but answers any questions truthfully. See the interrogations section on
page 179 for an idea of what the urchin might know.
Crew Opportunities: If there’s a reason that the Hero would observe the
Howler “persuading” a hapless Terrisman, she encounters the Howler and four of
his traffickers (see Narrow Men Kidnappers on page 171) working the Terrisman
over. They chose their marks well; the promise of quick payment for easy work,
and a healthy dose of Soothing, makes persuasion simple. The Hero can attack
the Howler’s men or engage in a Social Conflict against the Howler to persuade
the Terrisman to turn down the Howler. If thwarted or if things get physical, the
Howler flees, clearly nursing a grudge. However, the Howler continues to recruit
Terris to put pressure on the Crew until he is dealt with.
...If a Hero is a skaa Allomancer:

Narrow Men Action: Skaa Mistings and Mistborn are by definition the prod-
uct of an illegal act, not to mention enemies of the state. Pierz and his cronies are

cocky enough to threaten a skaa Allomancer in order to protect the Narrow Men’s
interests. Rather than open confrontation, they prefer marking the door of a Mist-
ing’s abode with the Allomantic symbol of their metal, or nailing a few strands
of a mistcloak to the residence of a Mistborn, in the hopes a skaa informant or

passing Steel Ministry agent finishes the job for them.
Crew Opportunities: Pierz will conduct his little scheme in the middle of the
night, allowing a sleeping Hero a chance to awake with a successful Wits 3 roll.
If they succeed, they catch Pierz and four Narrow Men Toughs (see page 171)
red-handed, allowing them to confront the gang directly. If the fight goes against
them, Pierz will flee while a pair of waiting Coinshots covers his escape. The
Crew may interrogate any Coinshots or Toughs they defeat (see page 179).
Assuming the Hero does not awake and confront Pierz, he can also ask
around the neighborhood. Witnesses are happy to give them a physical descrip-
tion of Pierz, but are visibly nervous being near a publicly exposed Allomancer.
COINSHOT (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Keen Eyes; Accurate; Pushy
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Steel 5 (Pushes metal objects)
• Multiple Targets: The character has finer control of his or her Steelpush-
ing, and may simultaneously Push up to 5 individual metal objects, or at-
tack up to 5 different targets. When attacking multiple targets, the character
makes a single Steel roll which each target must defend against individu-
ally. Nudges are ignored (they may not be gained) when using Steel to at-
tack multiple targets.
EQUIPMENT
Sack of copper clips (Damage +1; Thrown Range: Striking / Medium); Mist-
ing vial (3 charges of Steel)
...If one of the Crew has a treasured possession:

Narrow Men Action: The Narrows bar isn’t only the Narrow Men’s name-
sake, but also their most unique enterprise. With its impressive amount of pro-
tection, The Narrows is one of the most dangerous places in the city for anyone
to cause trouble. In this scenario, Mila Straight arranges for her minions to steal
something precious to one of the Heroes, hiding the item in The Narrows until
such time as the Crew backs off.
Crew Opportunities: The theft does not go very smoothly; the Hero awakes
to the sounds of someone very obviously attempting to break or sneak into their
residence. On investigation, they find four Narrow Men Toughs (see page 171)
doing a rather poor job of breaking in. The toughs attack the Hero immediately,
TIN & ASH 175

but refuse to finish off or capture the Crew, even if they are winning. Their attack
is simply a distraction for the real objective: stealing one of the Hero’s most prized
possessions (such as a fully charged set of metalminds, a personal treasure, etc.)
The Heroes will only notice the cat burglar slipping in and out with a success-
ful Wits 5 roll. Any captured minions can be pumped for information about their
bosses (see page 179).
Assuming the burglar gets away with the treasured item, the Toughs will im-
mediately break off their invasion and flee back to The Narrows with their prize.
Shortly after the “attack,” the Hero in question will discover her prized possession
missing, with a note indicating it will be destroyed or sold unless she “does what’s
good for her.” There is no indication of who has the item, or why.
THIEF (AVERAGE THREAT)

Standings: Resources 4, Infl uence 3, Spirit 4
Traits: Stealthy; Nimble Fingers; Keen Ears; Bold; Greedy
Equipment: Dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch; Thrown
Range: Striking / Close); Lockpicks; Rope and grapple
...If the Crew includes a kandra Hero:

Narrow Men Action: The existence of kandra is completely unknown to most
denizens of the Final Empire — body-snatching shapechangers are simply myths,
used to scare children and bumpkins who don’t know any better. But through his
connections, Slade not only knows they exist and serve under Contract to nobles,
but that they walk amongst the members of the Crew.
Slade arranges a meeting with a kandra Hero at The Narrows where reveals
the details of their Contract. He knows that kandra are forbidden to kill, so he acts
brazenly in the meeting, provided the Hero shows up alone. His hope is to use the
Hero’s Contract to somehow drive a wedge between the Hero and the Crew —
most likely by pointing to evidence the Hero is violating their Contract by work-
ing with the Crew, or pointing out an instance where the kandra has violated the
Contract in the past. Slade threatens to take this information to the Steel Ministry
unless the kandra Hero acts as he demands.
Crew Opportunities: While violence is an option for the Crew, The Narrows
is heavily protected at all times by the Narrow Men. A successful Wits 2 roll
makes it clear attacking the tavern is a stupid plan. If the Heroes attack anyway,
then two Hazekillers, a Coinshot, and four Narrow Men Toughs (see page 171)
are ready to fight them.
More likely, words will be the important weapon in this showdown. Slade
and the Kandra could engage in a Social Conflict, either in place of a fight or after
one side backs down from battle. If the Hero loses, choose a social Burden appro-
priate to the Contract and Slade’s line of reasoning (such as “Deeply Ashamed,”
“Branded a Murderer,” or “Fearful for My Life”). If the Hero defeats Slade, he
can also ask him a question that he answers truthfully while his confidence is

shaken (above and beyond any Reputation loss or Burdens inflicted). After the
confrontation, the Hero is escorted out of The Narrows and told to remember what
they learned.

POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
• Multiple Targets: The character has finer control of his or her Steelpushing,
and may simultaneously Push up to 5 individual metal objects, or attack up
to 5 different targets. When attacking multiple targets, the character makes a
single Steel roll which each target must defend against individually. Nudges are
ignored (they may not be gained) when using Steel to attack multiple targets.
EQUIPMENT
HAZEKILLER (SERIOUS THREAT)

Resiliences: Health 10, Reputation 6,
Willpower 8
Traits: Hunter of Allomancers; Gang Fighting;
Defensive Techniques; Quick
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Me-
lee Range: Touch / Striking; contains no metal);
Bow and fl int arrows (Damage +2; Range: Close
/ Long; contains no metal); Leather armor (ab-
sorbs 1 damage from physical attacks); Large
wooden shield (adds 2 dice to defense rolls
against physical attack; contains no metal)
...If a player is absent for this part

of the adventure:
Narrow Men Action: If a
player isn’t present, you can al-
ways use them to help drive
the plot. Pierz and his toughs
are more than happy to rough
up a member of the Crew to
TIN & ASH 177

WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
It’s entirely possible your Crew will do something unpredictable, brilliant, or

suicidal outside the scope of what’s described in these scenarios. That’s ok — do
your best to roll with it and what fits your group. Familiarize yourself with the
Narrow Men lieutenants and their resources and consider the big picture. Don’t
be afraid to give the Crew a win or two in this early part of the adventure if they
earn it. This scene shouldn’t be a round of “take that,” but instead a demonstra-
tion of how dangerous the Narrow Men are. If something seems unfair or overly
harsh to you or the players, feel free to skip or modify it to something more ap-
propriate for your table.
send a message. The rest of the Crew discovers the absent player’s Hero uncon-
scious and unable to assist in the adventure. If you use this option, the Hero in
question returns without penalty when the player resumes playing his character
(the Hero’s incapacitation only serving the plot, not as a penalty for the player).
Crew Opportunities: If you’d like some action, some or all of the Crew could
arrive toward the end of the Narrow Men’s attack on the Hero in question. Use a
single Pewterarm and one Narrow Men Tough(see page 171) per Hero present.
Pierz laughs and leaves his men to clean up the mess. Any Narrow Men defeated
can be questioned as well (see page 179).
PEWTERARM (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Pugilist; Intimidating; Bull in a China Shop
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Pewter 5 (boosts Physique and Health, as shown in brackets)
• Unconscious Burning: The character automatically burns Pewter when un-
conscious, though only if also injured (i.e. he or she doesn’t automatically
burn Pewter when sleeping). Each Pewter charge burned in this fashion lasts
for three hours, and the only benefits it conveys are increased Health, accel-
erated healing, and avoiding Pewter drag. It has no effect on Physique rolls
or dice pools. This special Pewter burn stops immediately when he or she
regains consciousness.
EQUIPMENT
metal); Misting vial (3 charges of Pewter)

LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE NARROW MEN
There are ample opportunities to question low-ranking Narrow Men opera-
tives, skaa witnesses, and others party to the actions against the Crew. What fol-
low are suggested facts that the Crew can uncover from speaking to those in-

volved with the preceding events. The nature of this information will vary greatly,
depending on who is questioned, but what can be learned remains unchanged.
Players can acquire information in different ways. In some instances, a Social
Conflict against a beaten foe may be appropriate (remember to give such a foe an
appropriate Burden if they were physically defeated in a Conflict). In other cases,
friendly questions and answers with witnesses may make more sense (perhaps
using Charm or Influence rolls with a Difficulty based on the witness’s reluctance
to talk, which provide a number of pieces of information equal to the Outcome of
the roll). As with prior parts of this scene, these are simply guidelines to help you
navigate the likely aftermath of the Narrow Men’s assault on the Crew’s interests.
Framing the information depends greatly on the circumstances by which the Crew
encounters it.
General information:
• The Narrow Men were responsible for the actions against the Crew.
• The name and physical description of the lieutenant who was in charge of
the operation.
• The Narrow Men use The Narrows as their headquarters.
• The Crew “did something” yesterday to draw attention to themselves.
If Pierz was in charge of the operation:

• Pierz has gotten in trouble wasting the Narrow Men’s resources in pointless
fights.
• Pierz hates being called short and really hates being shown up by Pewterarms.
If Slade was in charge of the operation:

• Slade has an actual office where he does accounting and bookkeeping.
• Slade compulsively handles and checks his pocket watch.
If Jean was in charge of the operation:

• Jean works in a number of shops in the city in various odd jobs.
• Jean is an unrepentant party animal.
If Mila Straight was in charge of the operation:

• Mila runs The Narrows.
• Mila used to be legitimate, but recently entered the underworld.
If the Howler was in charge of the operation:

• The Howler believes himself to be a ladies’ man.
• The Howler is sensitive about being mocked for his hyena-like laugh.
• The Howler is a Soother.
TIN & ASH 179

A NARROW ESCAPE
Much of the adventure assumes that the Narrow Men’s lieutenants will be
the major antagonists going forward. If the Crew is luckier or smarter than antici-
pated and defeats a lieutenant during this scene, you have two options:
First, you can allow them to capture, interrogate, and/or use the lieutenant
as leverage against the Narrow Men going forward. While this gives the Crew a
valuable edge (and may undo certain parts of Vengen’s empire), this does NOT
uncover the secrets that were meant to be uncovered in the next scene (the
lieutenants are very loyal and tight-lipped).
Second, the Narrow Men could send reinforcements to free or recover the
lieutenant. The Narrow Men are much more likely to use force in this scenario,
and will even sacrifice their lesser members to ensure the lieutenant’s escape.
Even if the lieutenant escapes, be sure to give that Villain a Burden as a result of
having lost to the Heroes.

By the end of the scene, the Narrow Men should seem to have the upper
hand on the Heroes. The Crew is probably used to acting proactively against
their marks, and being on the receiving end of a capable group should be un-
nerving. Wrap the scene after each Crewmember has suffered some sort of re-
taliation from the Narrow Men. and the Crew has had ample opportunity to
investigate in the aftermath.
This scene is full of actions against the Crew. Advancements should come
from withstanding or thwarting the Narrow Men’s assault and gleaning informa-
tion about their adversaries.
• For each action by the Narrow Men that was thwarted: 1 Advancement
• If any Narrow Men gang members were interrogated: 1 Advancement
• Discovering key personal information about a Narrow Men lieutenant:
1 Advancement
• If any Narrow Men lieutenant was captured, killed, or otherwise elimi-
nated from the Adventure: 1 Advancement.

3
CULLING THE HERD
SCENE OVERVIEW
Having uncovered a drug smuggling ring using hu-
man mules, the Crew was assaulted at their most vulner-
able points by the gang responsible for the op-
eration, the Narrow Men. After weathering
the Narrow Men’s assault, the Crew now
has the daunting task of undoing that dam-
age and striking back against the Narrow
Men. Part of this scene depends heavily
on the results of the last scene and suggests
what the Crew can do in light of the Narrow
Men’s actions. The rest of the scene details in-
formation, actions, and ideas for the Crew to turn
the tables on the Narrow Men’s lieutenants.
SETTING THE SCENE

This scene should begin after the entire Crew has endured and initially re-
acted to the attack on them by what appears to be parties unknown. The Crew can
try to limit the repercussions of those actions, but to propel the adventure forward,
the Crew has to discover and strike back against Narrow Men. You can narrate a
quick review of a fallout, a summation of the leads the Crew has, and a reminder
about the job that they were hired to do.
Begin the scene with the Crew collecting themselves at a safe location (pos-
sibly a safe house if the Narrow Men compromised their normal headquarters).
Give them a chance to talk out what’s happened and formulate a plan, reminding
them what information they’ve already found out about the Narrow Men when
necessary. If the Heroes failed to uncover much about the Narrow Men in the
previous scene, cook up a few visits or messages from allies about what’s just
happened to make them aware of the fallout. Depending on the situation, these
might be shows of support, warnings, or notifications that their previous relation-
ships have been severed.
Culling the Herd

This scene is the Crew’s opportunity to turn the tables on the Narrow Men.
By the end of the scene, the Crew should have accomplished the following objec-
tives against the Narrow Men:
• Overcome some of the fallout resulting from the Narrow Men’s offensive.
• Undermined at least two, if not more, of the Narrow Men’s operations (see
page 186).
• Learned of the existence (and ideally, the name) of the Narrow Men’s leader,
Vengen Straight.
SECRETS OF THE SCENE

Acting effectively against the Narrow Men lieutenants requires uncovering
their secret operations, but there are also things the lieutenants keep secret from
Vengen and each other. Exploiting these Secrets can prove extremely valuable in
taking the fight back to the rival Crew:
• Pierz is skimming off the top (minor Secret): Pierz routinely takes extra
money, goods, and other items from the shops he “protects,” but he doesn’t
report these to Vengen or his comrades. If his peers or bosses discovered
he was effectively cheating them out of a share of that money, he could be
kicked out of the Narrow Men or killed.
• Slade is a Feruchemist (major Secret): Slade’s apparent eidetic memory
is a direct result of him subconsciously using copperminds to store vast
amounts of blackmail information.
• Jean is nearly broke thanks to her lavish spending habits (minor Secret):
Despite being the financier of the Narrow Men, Jean has shown remarkable
inattentiveness to her own finances. On the verge of being unable to pay her
share to Vengen and desperate enough to begin thinking about loans or steal-
ing from her fronts, she and her operation are now vulnerable.
• Mila Straight and Vengen Straight are identical twins (major Secret):
Mila Straight’s life and career were ruined when a rival gangster mistook her
for the Narrow Men’s shadowy leader. When it became obvious Mila wasn’t

(at that time) part of any criminal enterprise, the closest threat of an outsider
uncovering Vengen Straight’s existence ended.
• Vengen Straight is the real leader of the Narrow Men (major Secret): The
Crew should have an inkling that the lieutenants they’re tangling with aren’t
the true power behind the Narrow Men. If the Crew pursues this angle they
may uncover the truth.
UNDOING THE DAMAGE

What follows are a number of suggested consequences the Crew might suf-
Culling the Herd

fer as a result of the Narrow Men’s offensives in the previous scene, but don’t be
afraid to use your own solutions if they more accurately reflects what occurred to
the Crew.
Some repercussions from these situations could be the focus of a later adven-
ture (such as an “outed” skaa Allomancer becoming hunted by the Steel Ministry,
while others, such as kidnappings and thefts, may be compelling enough to drive
the Heroes into action immediately. Consider combining bits of information about
the Narrow Men’s vulnerabilities in the situations where the Crew takes the fight
back to the gang as a reward.
Failure to react to the actions by the Narrow Men only makes things worse;
when a Hero doesn’t retaliate or try to resolve the crisis they face, you should ap-
ply an in-game consequence.
RECOVERY
In this situation, the Hero tries to find or retrieve something taken by the Nar-
row Men, making it ideal if a loved one was kidnapped or an item was stolen in
the previous scene.
Regardless of what was taken from the Hero, the Narrow Men have hid-
den it at The Narrows under lock and key. Stolen goods are likely held in Mila
Straight’s personal offices while hostages would be stowed in a windowless
apartment upstairs.
Casing the joint reveals The Narrows’ typical complement of Narrow Men
guards and Allomancer mercenaries: two Hazekillers, a Coinshot, and four Nar-
row Men Toughs, who make regular rounds of the area surrounding the tavern.
CAN’T TOUCH THIS

If the Crew managed to avoid the brunt of the Narrow Men’s assault in the
previous scene, or if some actions against the Crew were thwarted, then the out-
comes of that scene may not have a lasting effect against each Hero. These sug-
gestions aren’t meant to be punitive; they’re meant to reflect the outcome of
attacks against the Crew in the prior scene.
TIN & ASH 183

They switch shifts every 6 hours, with any mer-
cenaries being replaced by others with the same
Allomantic abilities.
Sneaking in and stealing back what was taken
is probably the best and safest course of action
for the Crew. Brute force is also an option, but be
sure to emphasize it’s a dangerous one — espe-
cially for a kidnap victim.
Refer to the Mila Straight section on page
170 for more information on her and The Narrows.
Culling the Herd
If Left Unchecked: The items or loved ones the

Crewmember(s) care about can be used as leverage
and blackmail against the Crewmember, perhaps
causing Reputation or Willpower damage or inflicting a Burden such as “Wracked
with Guilt” or “I’ve Failed my Family”. If unsolved, this may play a significant
role in the final scene.

POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
EQUIPMENT

Traits: Hunter of Allomancers; Gang Fighting; Defensive Techniques; Quick
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking;
contains no metal); Bow and fl int arrows (Damage +2; Range: Close / Long;
contains no metal); Leather armor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks);
Large wooden shield (adds 2 dice to defense rolls against physical attack; con-
tains no metal)

no metal)
RUMOR CONTROL
In this scenario, the Heroes must face down rumors — true or not — about
Culling the Herd

their reputation, background, or past. A Hero who was outed as an illegal Allo-
mancer, or a Crew trying to recover from having their family or business under-
mined will both likely work on rumor control.
The Crew is likely be no stranger to manipulating opinions and bribery; both
are excellent ways to quash rumors, sway public sentiment, or deter low-level
government responses. When put under sufficient pressure, novices in the Steel
Ministry might also be willing to “lose paperwork” or slow down the process of
reporting illegal Allomancy to save their own skins. Crew members can also use
their social circles or informants to quash negative opinions, typically by making
appropriate use of their Standings.
Searching for the source of these rumors points back to a single man —
Slade, who is the architect of the assault on the Crew’s reputation. His unusual
appearance and aggressive intimidation has called attention to his actions, and
he is often out on the street for surreptitious meet ups. Any Hero observing
Slade in action notices he’s always holding, checking, and fiddling with his
copper pocket watch.
If Left Unchecked: The Crewmember suffering from the effects of rumors
loses 2 dice on all Standings rolls until he or she directly addresses the problems
caused in the previous scene.
INFORMANT (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Eavesdropper; Stool Pigeon; Paranoid
Equipment: Disguise (any one common skaa or noble)

Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; con-
tains no metal); Pen and blank book
TIN & ASH 185

IDENTITY CRISIS
Some of the Narrow Men’s actions may throw connections in their lives into
disarray, forcing the Hero to deal with a crisis of faith, discover the truth behind
their Contract, alter the basis of their membership in the Crew, or reassess the
trustworthiness of allies.
The Hero’s attempts to resolve this crisis might be opposed by the Narrow
Men, or it may be lead to internal conflict among the Crew. Although recovering
from the impact of this has a mechanical element, encourage the Hero to address
these fears and concerns through roleplaying with NPCs or other Heroes. Also, be
sure to consider any Tragedies or Destinies within the Crew that tie in to this matter.
Culling the Herd
If Left Unchecked: The Crewmember suffers an appropriate minor Social

Burden until resolved.
PRIMARY EVENTS
In addition to reacting to the Narrow Men’s attacks, the Crew still has a job
to do. The Crew was hired to stop whatever made Smelter sick, and the culprit is
now obvious: the Narrow Men’s drug muling operation. The following informa-
tion outlines each lieutenant’s personality, criminal enterprise, and a weakness the
Crew can exploit.
The lieutenants of the Narrow Men are notorious in the criminal underworld.
Discovering who they are isn’t difficult, but uncovering the details of their opera-
tion should require some effort. Consider how any reasonable or clever approach
the Heroes take might uncover vulnerabilities within the Narrow Men. Also, keep
in mind any advantages the Crew may have gained through their actions in the
last scene.
Action against the Narrow Men can take many forms. The Crew might focus
on investigating a lieutenant’s biographical information, habits, or social acquaint-
ances to undermine each member of the Narrow Men’s leadership group. Or they
might investigate the Narrow Men’s criminal enterprises and attack their criminal
machinations directly. These sorts of confrontations will likely bring them with
only one lieutenant at a time, as each has their own operation to manage.
A CREW OF OSTRICHES
If the Crew has been frightened or intimidated to the point that they fear
pursuing the Narrow Men, gently guide them back around to the inevitability
of confrontation. The Narrow Men may not want to murder the Crew, but they’ll
keep harassing them until the Crew leaves the city. If the players remain squeam-
ish, try having the Crew stumble upon an easily disrupted attack on them to
emphasize the point that the Narrow Men won’t ever stop coming after them, or
find a valuable clue that reveals a potential chink in the gang’s armor.

LEAVING THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
Each lieutenant and their operation remains vulnerable to a group as skilled
as the Crew. Ultimately, it’s your job to decide when and how the Narrow Men
begin to crack. If the players are having fun getting their revenge, there’s no
need to cut the scene short unless the beats begin to drag. Once the Narrow
Men’s operation suffers sufficient setbacks (two or three at least) and the Crew
Culling the Herd

has learned of Vengen’s existence, jump to page 197 to wrap up this scene and
advance to the climactic scene. Keep in mind, the more Narrow Men operations
are disrupted, the easier the final scene becomes for the Heroes!
Ultimately, while the Crew needs information and wants re-

venge, they were hired to dismantle the drug muling operation.
Doing so requires the complete defeat of the Narrow Men and
uncovering the Narrow Men’s leader, Vengen Straight. It won’t
be easy, as her gang is too tightly bound to her to turn easily,
and only the Narrow Men’s lieutenants know her identity. A
perceptive Crew might be able to detect her hand at work
once they start investigating the Narrow Men more
diligently. If you need Vengen’s statistics during this
scene, they can be found on page 204.
Vengen Straight is a careful, but angry,
woman. If the Crew escalates matters, she acts
quickly to protect her identity while planning her
countermove as she realizes the Heroes represent a
singular, unique threat to her fiefdom. Vengen’s ac-
tions follow two distinct directions. First, if her iden-
tity is publicly revealed, she begins to arrange informa-
tion and “witnesses” accusing her twin sister, Mila, as
the mastermind of the operation, while she activates
her contingency plan to move the drug muling ring to
be smuggled to another location in the Final Empire.
However, Vengen didn’t rise to the top of the under-
world by being a coward. With her money, power, and
favors, she activates her second insurance policy: the
services of an experienced, mercenary Mistborn.
The following entries describe the unlawful and
lawful enterprises the lieutenants control, as well as
suggestions for making tweaks to nudge the Crew
along if they get lost in the scene. You can find a re-
fresher on the Narrow Men’s personalities and traits on
pages 167–170.
TIN & ASH 187

PIERZ’ OPERATION
Pierz runs a “protection” ring for businesses and shops. His thugs guarantee
his clients’ safety from corrupt Obligators, other gangs, and street urchins. When
“clients” miss a payment, Pierz is quick to make an example of them — usually
with his fists. Pierz’s protection racket not only lines his pockets, it helps the Nar-
row Men maintain their dreaded reputation.
Although the Narrow Men do provide a semblance of safety, the abuse skaa
shopkeepers suffer from Pierz makes them resent the Narrow Men. The protection
business relies on the perception that local merchants’ payments to the Narrow
Men keep them safe — or at least that Pierz presents a larger danger to them than
Culling the Herd
anyone else if they fail to pay. The Crew could damage and destroy those under
the Narrow Men’s “protection” either to draw out Pierz or to purely undermine his
business. Of course, this could have fallout as (relatively) innocent shopkeepers
suffer due to the Crew’s actions.
Liability: Pierz has been taking advantage of discounts and “loans” from a
number of businesses without properly reporting that money to Vengen. If he was
discovered, she would likely see that as stealing out of her own pocket and decide
to fine, hurt, or even kill Pierz.
Locations: Pierz doesn’t keep one base of operations. He usually gathers up
his toughs near The Narrows, then goes from business to business to shake down
the owners. Any encounters are likely to go down while Pierz is in the midst of
shaking down a shopkeeper (perhaps Rin the jeweler, below), out in the street, or
in the confines of a back alley.
Potential Ally: As part of a protection deal, Rin the jeweler has offered to
“sell” Pierz a beautiful ring for an exceptionally low price. When Pierz decided
not to pay for it, Rin began looking for a way to recover his loss from — and get
a bit of revenge on — the bellicose brute. Rin has a list of the Narrow Men’s
“clients,” knows the routes the protection teams take, and will offer the Crew
information in exchange for a chance to get back at Pierz.
Nudging the Crew: If the Crew encounter Pierz, but do not put together
the idea that discrediting him will undermine his racket, plant a seed using a
little indiscretion on the part of Pierz and his cronies. Perhaps the Heroes might
overhear them discussing “saving a little more myself” and “what she doesn’t
know won’t hurt her” within earshot, or witness them pocketing a few boxings
from each pickup before depositing the rest in their delivery bag. If all else fails,
a Wits or Spirit 3 roll could give them the intuition or lucky break to see the
theft in action.
RIN THE JEWELER (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Patient; Observant
Equipment: Craftsmen’s tools (jeweler)

SLADE’S OPERATION
Slade combines his professional position as an accountant and his clout in
the Narrow Men to maintain one of the most powerful information networks in
the city’s underworld. Slade uses the reach of the Narrow Men’s broad operations
as a way to gather information and an avenue to exploit it. Many have tried to
destroy Slade, including the Lord Ruler’s Obligators, but he’s never left a scrap
of evidence behind that could incriminate his part in any blackmail schemes. His
uncannily perfect memory has been his greatest tool to that effect.
Liability: Unbeknownst even to Slade, he is part Terrisman and an untrained
Copper Ferring (a Feruchemist capable of using only Copper to store and with-
Culling the Herd

draw memories). Slade unknowingly and subconsciously uses his copper-plated
pocket watch and a number of simple copper knickknacks to store the copious
information he uses to fuel the Narrow Men’s secret enterprise. A Terrisman,
Keeper, or Feruchemist (or anyone who has extensive experience with them) ob-
serving Slade for any amount of time will pick up on these little details with a
successful Wits 3 roll; however, they will only recognize him as a potential Fer-
uchemist, not a Ferring (which are completely unknown as of yet).
If the Crew notices these signs, they can steal this pocketwatch or other items
to cripple and befuddle Slade and his operations. Without his trusted memory, the
accountant quickly starts to slip up; payments are not collected on time, targets
are not contacted, and those who are being extorted find he is unable to recall their
misdeeds with much detail at all. This will also cause Vengen to call his compe-
tence in question, and whether Slade has been dabbling with the black tack she’s
busy selling.
Slade’s Feruchemical talents would make also him a high priority target
for Inquisitors; if the Heroes are feeling particularly bold, they might drop a
dime to the Steel Ministry and let them take care of the rest. Slade’s sources
inside the Steel Ministry will likely warn him of such a threat, and will likely
flee to evade capture, removing a valuable cog in the Narrow Men’s criminal
machine. This course might have rafications that echo far outside the ad-
venture alone: the Canton of Inquisition is unaware of the possibility of
Ferrings, much less that they may walk the streets of Luthadeal. De-
livering Slade to the hands of the Inquisitors might reveal uncom-
fortable truths and lead to even more uncomfortable reactions
such as a crackdown on the Terris population, strengthening
of the the Terris breeding program, or the arrest and dissec-
tion of anyone who even looks Terris.
Location: The small accountancy
business Slade runs operates just on the
edge of the slums. Most of his clients are
skaa merchants and a few particularly poor
rural noble houses in need of a representa-
tive in the city. Slade spends most of his days
here, working until dusk. Thanks to his “per-
fect memory,” Slade doesn’t bother to keep
TIN & ASH 189

physical records of his blackmail operations; however, if the Crew breaks into
his shop, they find a summons from the Steel Ministry referencing an “Obligator
Anton” from the Canton of Resource.
Potential Ally: Slade attempted to blackmail a mid-ranking Obligator in the
Canton of Resource, Anton. Obligator Anton fathered a bastard child with a low-
ranking noble — a fact which Slade leverages all too often. The Obligator can’t
act directly against the criminal, but he would gladly share on any information
that will free him from Slade’s predations (or at least make life difficult for his tor-
mentor). They can contact Anton by staking out the Canton of Resource or Slade’s
office (where they’ll spot him leaving from their latest meeting).
Culling the Herd
Should the Crew’s actions lead to Slade’s arrest, they can also follow up with
Anton. Anton reveals during the conversation that under torture and Allomantic
persuasion, Slade had no knowledge of the information used to blackmail his
targets. Anton adds that the only thing he’s seen like it are certain Terris — Terris
who quickly disappear into the clutches of the Steel Inquisitors — and that after
his interrogation, Slade agreed to provide information to the Steel Ministry in
exchange for escaping further prosecution. Anton claims that he secured this deal
in exchange for Slade keeping his indiscretions secret.
In truth, Anton paid his penance for his indiscretions to the Steel Ministry
long ago, and he and the other obligators have been working Slade as an informa-
tion source all along. Though Slade hasn’t turned in any information about the
Narrow Men themselves, he has revealed the illegal activities of some of their

other contacts. Spreading word that Slade was a rat could could ruin The Narrows’
reputation as a safe meeting ground for thieving crews and damage the gang’s
reputation as trustworthy allies.
Nudging the Crew: If the Crew has not yet heard Vengen’s name by the time
they meet with Obligator Anton, consider making this small change: Anton knows
that Mila is not the head of the Narrow Men, as rumored — but rather, that she has
a twin sister who pulls the strings. This is something Slade let slip in a moment of
braggadocio and Anton let slide. Anton might choose to turn the Crew against the
Narrow Men as unwitting cats-paws to rid the slums of black tack and a trouble-
some criminal without so much as lifting a finger…
Culling the Herd

OBLIGATOR ANTON (AVERAGE THREAT)
Traits: By the Book; Hard to Intimidate; Respected; Cagey; Illegitimate Father
Equipment: Pen and blank book; Formal clothing
THE HOWLER’S OPERATION

The Howler unashamedly uses his Allomancy to keep the Narrow Men’s
most profitable operation running smoothly, personally handling “difficult ship-
ments” by heavily Soothing unruly abductees and reluctant mules. Although he
has help, the Howler’s Allomancy is the only thing that keeps problematic indi-
viduals stable enough for them to be profitable. Removing him from the equation
will grind the Narrow Men’s smuggling ring to an immediate halt.
Liability: The Howler fancies himself a “romantic” and is easily distracted
by a pretty face. His latest infatuation is Ellie Welder, who runs an apothecary
with her brother. The Howler drove off Ellie’s other suitors with a combination
of violence and Allomancy. Ellie is aware of the Howler’s attention but has the
wealth and the motivation to get him out of her life — by any means necessary.
Locations: The Welders regularly have to suffer unwelcome visits from
the Howler at Welder’s Apothecary (fortunately he doesn’t know their home
address yet). They can find him by staking out the apothecary, from which they
can follow him to one of several meeting-places where he gets updates from
prospective drug mules. These skaa rarely know much about the Howler or his
operation; only that he offers good deals of money and promises in exchange
for a “brief service.”
Potential Allies: The Howler has offered to take Ellie out for a drink numer-
ous times, and the Welders have the knowledge to make a very powerful draught
of sedative. If the Crew can win their trust (and if they helped Smelter, that goes
a long way toward it), Ellie and Doc Welder are willing allies against the Howler
(see page 159).
Many of the skaa that fall victim to the Howler leave behind bewildered fami-
lies. Those families are desperate for help locating their loved ones and eagerly
cooperate with anyone showing an interest in their abduction. The Howler’s ag-
TIN & ASH 191

gressive — and some would say blatant — use of his Brass to get what he wants
has also left behind a string of aggrieved rivals who would be all too happy to see
him get his just desserts.
Nudging the Crew: If the Heroes did not encounter the Welders (or didn’t
get on with them well), one of the Howler’s recruited mules, Lyn, approaches
them while staking him out. Lyn has proven immune to his Soothing (in reality,
she’s an untrained Smoker), but has spent the last few weeks playing along as if
she’s under his sway and is feigning attraction to him so she get close enough to
poison him and make her escape. She holds the same sedative the Welders can
offer, as well as an easy “in” to administering it, if the Crew can provide her the
Culling the Herd
cover and skills to arrange a private meeting with the Howler.
JEAN’S OPERATION
Jean’s role in the Narrow Men may seem small to outsiders, but her ability to
give criminal enterprise the veneer of respectability is key to the Narrow Men’s
enduring success. Taking down one of the many legitimate front businesses she
runs, or the black tack cooking operation she runs out of the bakery, would seri-
ously harm that success.
Liability: Jean’s penchant for partying is partially her way of trying to
stand equally with a group of hardened thugs; however, it is an expensive habit
that keeps both her and her businesses on a perpetual financial cliff. If the Crew
disrupted her cash flow, or dramatically increased her personal expenses, Jean
would find herself with a severe debt problem and becoming a liability to the
Narrow Men. Losing their fronts would also undermine the Narrow Men’s abil-
ity to keep their operations a secret — particularly the bakery, where Jean cooks
the black tack.
Location: Most of Jean’s days are occupied with travels from shop to shop,
where she appears to perform relatively mundane tasks and work with the staff.
Though she’s ostensibly there to manage the day to day business of each front,
she’s really there to keep an eye on the employees and make sure they don’t dis-
cover the criminal enterprise in which they’re unwittingly engaged.
In the evenings when she’s not cooking black tack, Jean throws one to three
parties in a typical week, usually in the homes of well-off skaa or poor nobles,
who she’s paid off. When she’s particularly strapped for cash, she uses the back
rooms of the Narrow Men’s front businesses — a fact Vengen would be none too
happy to discover.
Potential Ally: A number of store managers have recently become aware
their businesses are possibly affiliated with organized crime. One of these is Fil
the Butcher, who has built a loyal client base over the course of years, only to
have that upended when Narrow Men thugs beat a shopper near to death right
in front of the store. Fil is more interested in selling meat than being a tool of
the Narrow Men, and he and those like him would prefer break away from the
Narrow Men if they can do so safely. This is where the Crew comes in; if they
can offer Fil (or other managers) a way of getting rid of Jean without exposing
him to her wrath, he’ll gladly help. Fil offers anything he knows to this end,

including information on Jean’s financial troubles and the locations where she
parties at night.
Nudging the Crew: Should the Crew not have discovered the location or
scope of the black tack, use Jean’s partying as a pathway to discovering the cook-
ing operation. When the players discover Jean, she’s hosting a party at the same
bakery where she produces the black tack. The noise of the revelry may give
an opportunity to the Crew to use stealth to evade or sabotage either Jean or the
cookhouse, rather than following a scheme to attack Jean financially.
If the players do not know how or when to location Jean, you could also
change Fil the Butcher to “Fil the Baker” and make the pathway to catching her
Culling the Herd

red-handed even more clear.
FIL THE BUTCHER (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Good with a Cleaver; Polite; Determined
Equipment: Cleaver (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Striking)
MILA’S OPERATION
Mila Straight controls every aspect of The Narrows — She manages the staff,
the menu, the liquor, the guards, and the meetings between various criminal par-
ties. That control, and the establishment’s rise to prominence, has earned Mila
great respect and sway in the gang that extends wall beyond her blood relationship
to Vengen.
Despite her success, Mila is not satisfied with her position as a subordinate.
Of all the Narrow Men’s lieutenants, Mila is the only one that would dare en-
tertain turning against Vengen. Mila desperately wants to take the Narrow Men
from her sister, just the way Vengen took Mila’s career and life from her during
the assassination attempt that left her scarred and unable to perform, so many
years ago.
Liability: The Narrows business is not without risk. Since Mila personally
guarantees other criminals the The Narrows is neutral ground, a sit down that
ends in violence would cause the Narrow Men to lose credibility (if not making
them new enemies). The Crew could easily sabotage a meeting at the Narrows by
spreading rumors of two parties planning a meeting there, or by simply kicking
in the door and attacking whoever’s there. Damaging the Narrows’ profitable bro-
kerage business will put the tavern on the ropes, and what’s bad for The Narrows
is bad for Mila.
Another liability the Heroes can exploit is Mila’s ambition. She harbors a
deep-seated resentment towards her sister (which might even be the reason they
got into the adventure in the first place — see page 147), and stirring up trouble
between the Straights can drive the wedge even deeper into their relationship. If
the Crew are aware of any of Vengen’s vulnerabilities, passing these on to Mila
may spur her to act.
TIN & ASH 193

WAIT, I’LL TALK!
Only the Narrow Men’s lieutenants know Vengen Straight is their leader. If
they’re defeated or exposed by the Crew, they can offer to rat out Vengen to the
Crew in exchange for mercy, freedom, or their life. If the Crew hasn’t pursued or
uncovered this angle, a defeated lieutenant can dangle “important information”
to the Crew either to inform them of Vengen or at least give the Crew the hint
Culling the Herd
of her existence.
Location: Mila almost never leaves The Narrows. She sends gofers to fetch
anything she needs, and favors running “the family business” to having any
social life.
Potential Ally: The Narrows’ chef, Griller, used to be in charge of the entire
bar before Vengen moved in. Griller lives in a small apartment near The Nar-
rows, and is secretly hiding Smelter there (see page 161). With a bit of coaxing,
he admits he would love to resume ownership and control of the establishment
and make it respectable. Even though Griller is a Pewterarm, he doesn’t want to
resort to violence to oust Mila Straight, and he asks the same of the Crew. His
insider knowledge could offer key intelligence for disrupting the safe haven’s
operation.
Nudging the Crew: Should Mila be the person to hired the Crew (see page
147), she might come clean to them in The Narrows where she’s protected by
bodyguards and the discretion of patrons. She might simply offer suggestions on
how to “sabotage” The Narrows as part of striking back at her sister, or could even
give them information on her sister Vengen directly, which will probably move
them directly on to the next scene.
Assuming that Mila is not the one that hired the Crew, Griller could be a
much more knowledgeable member of the Narrow Men than described. He knows
not only about Mila and Vengen’s relationship — he knows about the Narrow
Men’s entire operation, and can provide useful tips on how to attack its pillars.
He’s even willing to drop Vengen’s name, though he’s nervous to do anything that
clearly exposes him to her wrath in case they fail.

This scene’s conclusion isn’t based on resolving the trouble the Narrow Men
caused for the Crew, but applying enough pressure to the Narrow Men to force the
gang’s leader, Vengen Straight, out into the open. The Narrow Men’s five lieuten-
ants and their respective operations are each an important part of the gang’s opera-
tion. Consider moving on to the next scene when two to three of these ventures
have been seriously undermined or threatened.

This scene is the Crew’s chance to get some sweet revenge against the Nar-
row Men. The gang is too well organized and resilient to topple all at once, and too
entrenched in their business to stop drug muling, so advancements are awarded
based on the success of the Crew’s attacks against the Narrow Men.
• For each Narrow Men major operations successfully disrupted (drug

muling, The Narrows, blackmail, protection, money laundering): 1 Ad-
vancement
• For each lieutenant neutralized (defeated, captured, forced to flee, or
Culling the Herd

turned against the Narrow Men): 1 Advancement
TIN & ASH 195

4
LEADER OF THE PACK
SCENE OVERVIEW
In this scene, the Crew makes its final confrontation with the Narrow Men
and thier secretive leader, Vengen Straight. By this point, the Crew should have
undermined a number of the Narrow Men’s criminal activities. The lieutenants
responsible for running those operations are likely disgraced or destroyed. After a
number of scenes highly dependent on the Crew’s background and own impulses,
the adventure has toward its inevitable crescendo — confronting Vengen directly.
Now it’s time to see who, or what, emerges from this clash of two of the city’s
most competent Crews.
SETTING THE SCENE

The scene starts after the Crew has dismantled at least two parts of the Nar-
row Men’s criminal enterprise and learned Vengen Straight’s identity, giving them
the tools they need to stop the smugglers once and for all. The action begins once
the Crew reconvenes to plan their next move and then continues on into a con-
frontation with Vengen Straight at the seat of her power. If the Heroes have not
asked for a Breather at this point, offer them one so they don’t go into the final
conflict too weak.
Even if the clash between the Crew and the Narrow Men has not resulted in
any open conflict or destruction of property, the anxiety of the skaa who live near
The Narrows is palpable. Shops shut down early, people stay off the streets, and
tension hangs heavy in the air. Everyone in close proximity to the Narrow Men
seem to know that something bad is coming. If someone (like the Heroes) were
able to get to the Narrow Men and/or damage them, than it stands to reason those
actors could be even worse than Vengen’s gang — and no one wants to get caught
in the crossfire.

As with Scene 3, this scene could vary significantly depending on what hap-
pened in the previous scenes, so expect to adapt the particulars to both the Crew’s
theme and how successful the Narrow Men have been in Scene 2. The scene is
engineered to produce a number of clashes with Vengen Straight and the Narrow
Men. The Crew’s efforts up until now will pay off by making those conflicts easier
Leader of the Pack
in ways that correspond with what they’ve accomplished.

Ratchet up the sense of danger and tension commensurately with the suc-
cesses the Crew earned against the Narrow Men in the previous scene. After
all, the more likely it seems to the Narrow Men that the Crew is go-
ing to undo them, the harder they will fight back! The final
confrontation with Vengen is the make-or-break moment
of the conflict; either the Crew will win or the Narrow
Men will, and all gloves will be off. The Crew should
feel the full gravity of the situation as they head into
the final conflict. Slowly build up the suspense
as they encounter more and more of Vengen’s
forces, hedging them in and stacking the odds
against them.
The final encounter with Vengen also gives
Mila Straight a chance to play her hand. She re-
sents her sister, but is no fool. She’ll side with
the Crew against her sibling if her odds of
making it through unscathed are good, but
she flees if the Crew seem bloodthirsty, and
backs up her sister against the Crew if she
doesn’t think they stand a chance of taking
out Vengen.
PRIMARY EVENTS
As always, Vengen Straight
has a plan. Having seen the Crew
in action, she is playing de-
fense, trying to keep them
off-balanced or injured until
she can recover for a counter-
attack. She may be down, but
she’s most certainly not out.

Once the Crew has met the requisite goals to move the adventure toward its
finale, Vengen responds with an ultimatum to the assembled Crew, likely provided
at their newest hideout or meeting spot. The strength and ferocity of the mes-
sengers depends on the Narrow Men’s resources remaining by this point in the
adventure. Vengen sends one Narrow Men Tough (see page 171) per member of
the Crew to deliver the message, who gain additional benefits depending on how
many of the lieutenants are still in action:
• If Pierz is still loyal and trusted and his criminal operation is intact, one Pew-
terarm (see page 217) accompanies the toughs.
• If the Howler is still loyal and trusted and his criminal operation is intact,
each tough gains the “Utterly Fearless” Trait.
Leader of the Pack

• If Jean is still loyal and trusted and her criminal operation is intact, the Nar-
row Men Toughs are also armed with a dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee
Range: Touch / Striking, contains no metal) and leather armor (absorbs 1
damage from physical attacks).
• If Mila is still loyal and trusted and her criminal operation is intact, then a
Coinshot (see page 213) accompanies the toughs.
• If Slade is still loyal and trusted and his criminal operation is intact, then
Anton the Obligator (see page 191) arrives with the toughs to “watch out
for illegal activities.” Anton avoids all violence or direct involvement, but
his presence is a clear threat to skaa Allomancers, Keepers, and any wanted
criminals in the Crew. If the Crew has made prior contact with Anton — or
they capture him in this sequence — they might be able to turn him into a
potential ally against the Narrow Men (see “Slade’s Operation” on page
189 for more).
Vengen’s envoys arrive at nightfall. Read the text below.

Night has fallen, and lights in the windows of the nearby buildings are go-
ing dark as the mists fill the streets. Then a knock sounds at the door. A group
of armed hoodlums in dark clothing stand outside, wielding a variety of nasty
weapons in plain view. One of them yells out to you, “Come with us, or you’re go-
ing to regret it!” Her tone offers no doubt that violence is the only other option.
The toughs (and the Coinshot, Pewterarm, and/or Obligator Anton, if along
with them) make no attempts to hide their numbers or intent. Be sure to point out
that whatever additional resources are applied against the Crew are likely coming
from the functioning parts of the Narrow Men’s criminal operations (e.g. brand-
new dueling canes in the toughs’ hands, or a crazed look in their eye that is clearly
the work of Soothing).
In the very likely event that a battle ensues, it’s a no-holds-barred street fight.
However, give the Crew an opportunity to interrogate one of the defeated thugs
after the fight (even if you have to allow one to survive despite the best efforts of
bloodthirsty Heroes!). While the thugs are well-paid by Vengen, they value their
TIN & ASH 199

lives even more, and will easily give up information that the Narrow Men’s com-
mand structure is currently meeting at The Narrows:
Q: What are the Narrow Men up to?

A: “The bosses are meeting at The Narrows. Secret stuff, but they’re making
a plan to deal with you in case we don’t work out. You should have just come
with us.”
If the Crew agrees to go without a fight (or are beaten by them in a fight),
the Narrow Men bind the and haul them off to The Narrows. The toughs don’t
bother to gag the Heroes, though they are tightly bound (breaking or slipping out
of the ropes requires a successful Physique 3 roll). Any attempts to escape are
Leader of the Pack
immediately apparent, and the toughs will beat a restive Hero savagely to ensure
the Crew’s compliance.
Regardless of the resolution, the Crew should proceed from the confrontation
with Vengen’s “emissaries” to The Narrows, where the gang’s leadership awaits.
LOCATION: THE NARROWS

While the Crew is distracted with the squad of
goons, Vengen has called a meeting of her remaining
lieutenants (at least, those who are able to attend and
remain in her good graces), plus Mila. Vengen has
determined the Crew has become a large enough
problem that they need to be shut down before they
ruin her entire operation.
Vengen’s ostensible plan is to offer the Crew a
large sum of money in exchange for backing off; if
they refuse, she’s going to invest that money into an
enormous bounty on all their heads. The lieutenants
agree with her plan, but unbeknownst to them Ven-
gen already has a contingency plan in place: a full-
fledged Mistborn, hanging surreptitiously around
the bar. The truth is Vengen would never forgive
the Crew, even if they accepted a payout, but af-
ter the events of the previous days, she can no
longer implicitly trust her lieutenants to keep her plans a se- Vengen
cret. She hopes that the illusion of a peaceful resolution will make Straight
the Heroes let their guard down before her Mistborn assassin strikes.
When the Crew arrives at The Narrows, they find Vengen, Mila, and the re-
maining lieutenants at an unusually empty bar, sharing a bottle of wine. Griller
greets the Crew at the door and asks any of them if they want a drink (being care-
ful to disguise his affiliation with them, should the Heroes have recruited them to
their cause). If any of the Crew care to visually inspect The Narrows, have them
make a Wits 4 roll; with success, they notice the door to Mila’s office is cracked,
perhaps far enough for someone inside to look out.

As the Heroes enter the bar, read the following aloud:
The Narrows is unusually quiet and empty — only a handful of people are
present, all of them sitting together at the bar sharing a bottle of wine. You im-
mediately recognize many of the faces in the group as the Narrow Men’s leader-
ship, but one face you do not recognize: a slim woman with high cheekbones,
who you might call pretty if not for the palpable menace she radiates. Her coal-
black hair is pulled back in a utilitarian bun and she wears the well-made, but
humble, garb of a tradesman. She has a thin nasty looking dagger at her hip. She
smiles, but her grey eyes are cold. When you see Mila Straight sitting beside her,
you know immediately the two women must be related.
Leader of the Pack

The Narrow Men are completely aware of the Crew’s presence and wave
them in as they open the door. As they enter, if the Narrow Men are holding any
hostages or stolen goods, Vengen shows the Heroes they are in the gang’s pos-
session and (mostly) unarmed. A hostage could be tied up held by a Narrow Men
Tough (see page 171) with a knife pressed against their back, while valuable items
could be sitting on the table with Vengen while she passes a lit candle over them.
After the display is made, let the players know that any violence is likely cause for
a hostage to be killed or an item destroyed.
Once the Heroes have approached, read the text below to the players.
As you approach, the dark-haired stranger speaks. “Welcome. I’m certain

you’ve deduced it, but to confirm your suspicions, I am Vengen Straight, leader
of the Narrow Men. In a few days, you all have managed to make yourselves a
very large nuisance. I appreciate the talent that takes, I really do. It’s a shame
that we couldn’t have worked together. Alas, the ash fell differently and we are
enemies…at least, for now.”
“I’ve invited you here to reach an accord. Despite your efforts, the Narrow
Men are still strong, and it is wise for all of us not to escalate this feud further.
Whatever you hope to gain from this conflict, whatever you’ve been promised,
and whatever money there is in it for you, I can offer you more to walk away.”
“I don’t expect us to be friends, but by this gift, perhaps we could at least
become allies. What appeals to you? Coin? A cut of the black tack trade? What do
you say? This is a one-time offer.”
The Crew has an opportunity to confer before they respond. They are likely
poised for a final confrontation with Vengen Straight and her remaining lieuten-
ants, so the offer of an alliance may throw them off. Their motivations for de-
clining the offer are pretty clear: they accepted a job (and payment) from Tevig-
ger; the Narrow Men have attacked them and their loved ones; black tack stands
TIN & ASH 201

A TIGHT SQUEEZE
What if your Crew decides they want to work with Vengen Straight? If you
have an ongoing game, it could make for an interesting dynamic to have her
paying the Crew, but growing increasingly angry at their continued existence.
However, if you want to cleanly end this adventure without Vengen’s lingering
and inevitable betrayal, you can have Mila instigate a brawl or argument as
detailed later in this scene. Mila will try to escape the fight, but Vengen knows
nothing of her sister’s desire to betray her. If a Hero attacks Mila, Vengen de-
Leader of the Pack
fends her.
poised to ravage the skaa community if they do nothing; and the people they’ve
been working with, including Smelter and any allies they made along the way,
will be in danger if they enter into an agreement with Vengen. The adventure as-
sumes the Crew declines this offer; if not, see “A Tight Squeeze” sidebar for ideas
on how things might play out.
Assuming the Heroes turn Vengen down, things can go down in a number of
ways, based on the Crew’s approach. The most likely are either a social confronta-
tion, or a physical one, as follows:
TURNING THE NARROW MEN AGAINST VENGEN

If the Crew’s objective is to end the drug muling ring and protect Smelter (along
with anyone else caught up in the Narrow Men’s plots), force of arms may not be the
best route to take. The most obvious way to take down Vengen without risking the
lives of the Crew or any hostages is to call the strength of Vengen’s leadership of the
Narrow Men into question, and let the gang work it out itself. Doing so is a Social
Conflict with Vengen and all the lieutenants present other than Mila.
The wild card in this situation is Mila Straight. She abstains from the duel
of wits and tongues, observing quietly. Whether the Crew knows it or not, Mila
is looking for an opportunity to betray her sister and take control of the Nar-
row Men. She bears no particular grudge against the Crew (unless they did
something to earn her enmity), and will ally with whomever appears to have the
upper hand in the conflict. If the Crew appears strong, Mila may act to under-
mine Vengen and complete her fall; she’d even be willing to accept control of a
greatly diminished Narrow Men if doing so would undo her sister. If Mila sees
the Crew taking he upper hand, she leaps into the fray to attack her sister. If this
happens, read the following.
Mila stands up from the table and faces down her sister. She grips her scarf
tightly in one hand, and her fidgeting fingers betray her nervousness. She begins
to speak, in her rasping voice, “Sister, I warned you that smuggling that trash was

dangerous. This would have never happened if you hadn’t gotten too greedy. I
turned The Narrows into a profitable business — swiftly, and with minimal risk
— and you’ve put that all in danger. I know the Narrow Men’s limits. It’s time you
step down and let another Straight lead this gang.”
If Vengen is defeated in this Social Conflict, the remaining lieutenants aban-

don her and won’t support her. Any lieutenants defeated in Social Conflict, even
if Vengen wasn’t beaten, won’t participate in any future combats against the Crew,
nor will they call in any reinforcements. Vengen does not take this defeat and sub-
sequent betrayal by her “loyal” henchmen gracefully; she screams in frustration
Leader of the Pack

and demands the Crew be killed. From her office, a man in mask and dark cloth-
ing — the Mistborn mercenary — literally flies into the confines of The Narrows,
knives flashing, to attack the most dangerous-looking Hero present. Vengen joins
the Mistborn and tries to kill the Crew, but the lieutenants hang back — they may
no longer have faith in Vengen, but are not willing to fight her either.
FIGHTING THE NARROW MEN

If the Crew decides to fight without an argument or if they fail to defeat Ven-
gen in a Social Conflict, Vengen, the Mistborn, and her undefeated loyal lieuten-
ants face off against the Crew in physical combat. In this Conflict, Vengen and her
TIN & ASH 203

allies try to outright kill the Crew. Make sure the stakes are clear to the players
— this is a winner-takes-all battle. Vengen may lack any special abilities, but by
this point her carefully insulated world has collapsed, so she’ll attack regardless
of the odds.
In addition to Vengen and the Mistborn, each lieutenant brings the following
asset to bear in this Physical Conflict:
• If Pierz is still loyal and hasn’t been defeated, then a Pewterarm (see page
217) emerges alongside the Mistborn to confront the Crew.
• If the Howler is still loyal and hasn’t been defeated, then one Bodyguard
emerges alongside the Mistborn to confront the Crew.
• If Jean is still loyal and hasn’t been defeated, then one Bodyguard emerges
Leader of the Pack
alongside the Mistborn to confront the Crew.

• If Slade is still loyal and hasn’t been defeated, then one Bodyguard emerges
alongside the Mistborn to confront the Crew.
Mila Straight, for reasons enumerated previously, isn’t truly loyal to her sister
and stays out of the combat. She may act the part, but avoids exposing her true
agenda until it becomes obvious she can do so without risking her life. If the Mist-
born and most of the lieutenants are defeated, she may join the fray alongside the
Heroes — ideally hoping to strike the killing blow against Vengen. However if the
fight is going against the Heroes or they are merciless during the combat, she’ll
flee rather than let herself be captured by the Crew.
VENGEN STRAIGHT (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Secret Leader; Criminal Mastermind; No Conscience; Always Has a
Backup Plan; Angry
Equipment: Fine sword (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking); Two
obsidian daggers (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch/Touch; Thrown Range:
Striking / Close, contains no metal); Reinforced laborer’s garb (absorbs 1 damage
from physical attacks)
BODYGUARD (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Protect the Client; Follow the Client’s Orders; Thick-Headed
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking);
Dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch; Thrown Range: Striking /
Close); Leather armor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks)

ALLIES UNBIDDEN
If the scene resolves in a fight, be sure reward the Heroes for acting friendly
and heroically through the NPC reactions. This might include Griller or Smelter
cinematically interceding to hold off a Guard that tries to join the fray, a timely
intervention by the Welders, or Obligator Anton showing up to end the fight
and arrest Vengen on the charges he’s built up dealing with Slade. Whatever you
choose, find a balance between helping the players win and solving the situa-
tion for them — if they’ve worked hard to get here, they can at least catch a few
Leader of the Pack

breaks here and there.
MISTBORN (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Knife Fighter; Nimble as a Cat; Fearsome Reputation; Overconfi-
dent; Mercenary
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
All Metals 4 (including Pewter, which boosts Physique and Health as shown
in brackets)
EQUIPMENT
Obsidian dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch; Thrown Range:
Striking / Close; contains no metal); Sack of copper clips (Damage +1; Thrown
Copper, Iron, Pewter, Steel, Tin, and Zinc)
While the scene plays out largely based on the Crew’s actions earlier in the
story, the best way to earn Advancements is to destroy Vengen Straight so she can
never hurt the Crew again.
• Finding a way to spare the surviving Narrow Men (such as giving Mila
control of the Narrow Men): 1 Advancement
• Making sure the drug muling operation ends: 1 Advancement
• Setting up the Crew to profit from the fall of the Narrow Men: 1 Ad-
vancement
• Toppling Vengen Straight’s leadership of the Narrow Men: 1 Advancement
TIN & ASH 205

5
AFTERMATH
SCENE OVERVIEW
With Vengen likely defeated, and perhaps dead, and her lieutenants are bro-
ken, scattered, or wary, the Crew faces tough decisions about what to do with
the remaining Narrow Men. Though the lieutenants have provided strong (and
sometimes wicked) competition to the Heroes, none likely them any long-lasting
ill will — these sorts of things are simply part of the business, and they are more
interested in their survival than getting revenge.
PRIMARY EVENTS
PARLEYING WITH THE NARROW MEN
Following the showdown, Mila offers to “take care” of everything at The
Narrows — including her sister. She promises if the Crew leaves things to her,
they can count on the “new Narrow Men” as allies; this offer is sincere, since she’s
perfectly aware that she owes the Crew for her new position, and is smart enough
she won’t stand toe-to-toe with them anytime soon. The other lieutenants are less
enthusiastic, but they’re willing to follow Mila’s lead.
If the Heroes take Mila up on her offer, they can put as many conditions on the
deal as they want, so long as they don’t call for her or the lieutenants to relinquish
their control of the gang. Requesting an end to the practice of drug smuggling and
black tack production should be fairly easy, since Mila has always thought the prac-
tice ill-advised; asking for the end of profitable ventures like extortion and protec-
tion rackets will likely be met with more resistance. Ideally, the Heroes should not
get everything they want, but they should feel assured they’ve been able to complete
their employers’ wishes and protected themselves from future aggression.
If the Narrow Men continue onward in some form, the new Narrow Men
wrest control of all the businesses affiliated with the gang and continue on in a
stable (albeit less aggressive) form. The Narrows and the slums surrounding it
continue to function largely as they have before, less the kidnappings and avail-
ability of black tack on the street. Sympathetic characters like Smelter, Griller,
and the Welders are likely freed from the obligations and threats posed by their
former oppressors, for which they are quite thankful.
DESTROYING THE NARROW MEN

Alternatively, if the Crew still feels aggrieved or venge-
ful, they might choose to carry their defeat of Vengen on to
the destruction of the rest of the Narrow Men’s organiza-
tion. In light of this, Mila and all the remaining lieuten-
ants make a break for it, and in the chaos the gang and
its enterprises disintegrate. Those abused and threat-
ened by the Narrow Men are indeed grateful to the
Aftermath
Crew, but such actions also have lasting ramifications.

The truth is the Narrow Men didn’t exist in a vac-
uum simply to challenge the Heroes; they were part of the
mortar that held the local underworld together. The sudden de-
struction of skilled leadership, an end of black tack in the slums,
and elimination of protection rackets has many potential repercus-
sions to the community near The Narrows:
• Jonesing: Without the Narrow Men smuggling their drugs, skaa addicts des-
perate for a fix start to become dangerous, sticking up lone individuals and
breaking into businesses in search of a rumored cache of black tack (Jean’s
old cooking operation).
• Staying Alive: The businesses that were once under the thumb of the Narrow
Men are free, but also without protection. Will other, even worse gangs move
in to intimidate them? Can these businesses even remain solvent as legitimate
businesses, without the support of a successful money laundering operation?
• The Narrows: Mila Straight may not be a friend, but she’s not an enemy
either, and The Narrows offers a safe haven for dangerous meetings going
forward. If Mila fled or was killed, The Narrows may lose its treasured status
as neutral ground. Without such a space, does the city’s underworld turn more
violent? Or could the Crew somehow step into this void?
• Who’s the Boss?: Without Vengen or Mila to wrangle the strong personalities
of the Narrow Men’s lieutenants, the erstwhile colleagues may turn on one
another or start up their own gangs that are even more savage or dangerous
than the Narrow Men. What sort of effect might this have on the Crew or
the city in the long run? Will any of them come back, stronger than ever and
looking for revenge?

The destruction of the Narrow Men means that sympathetic characters like
Smelter, Griller, and the Welders are freed from the obligations and threats posed
by Vengen and her minions, but problems likely arise in their place. Without the
very public interest of the Howler in Ellie, the Welders soon find themselves
squeezed by rival crews who suspect the apothecaries of hiding the Narrow Men’s
lost drug cache. Fil the Butcher and his fellow merchants have only partial success
in staying out from under the thumb of criminal gangs, with many falling prey to
the heavies who Pierz staved off. Griller takes up management of The Narrows,
forced to use his Pewter on occasion to deal with the distasteful clientele that still
frequents the establishment. Smelter remains thankful for his liberation and the
Crew’s help, but is soon back at the bottle and on the street.
MEET YOUR EMPLOYER

Following the confrontation with Vengen and settling things with the Narrow
Men, the Crew makes it back to their hideout. A few minutes after their arrival,
they hear a knock on their door. Outside, they’re greeted by Tevigger and a repre-
sentative from his employer. Read the following aloud to the players:
Aftermath
When you finally return to your hideout for some much deserved rest, you
see a familiar lanky-framed man waiting for you — the fixer Tevigger, along with
a guest whos features you have trouble making out in the shadows.
Tevigger doffs his hat to all of you and says, “Greetings, my friends! It seems
that you’ve done as asked, and the source of poor Smelter’s illness has been
stopped. Sorry to be vague about the whole thing, but in case the assignment
did not go as planned, our employer didn’t want the Narrow Men to have an
obvious reason to suspect them. Surely, you understand the need for caution
and discretion in these situations. Now that the assignment has been a success,
our employer wants to clear things up with you, so we all know where we stand.”
Follow up this description with one of the following codas, as appropriate to

the employer you chose during the Introduction (see page 147).
…If Mila hired the Crew (and did not flee or die)…
Read the following to the players:
Mila Straight emerges from the shadows. The scarf she normally wears is
noticeably absent, revealing a wicked scar across her neck. She smirks with a hint
of apology.
“You could never know who was watching The Narrows. You understand I
could never be caught hiring you to take down my own gang — were I to be
caught, Vengen and the rest would have surely buried me in a shallow grave. To
TIN & ASH 209

pull this off, it was necessary to maintain the fiction that I had nothing to do with
you until the very end, when your success was certain. I appreciate your service,
and you can rest assured the Narrow Men’s days of drug muling are over. There is
something very distasteful about mutilating fellow skaa.”
Her hand moves compulsively to run over the scar on her neck. “At any rate,
here is your payment — a lord’s ransom, to be sure, but it was worth it to stop
Vengen. You may find the idea of taking out one’s own blood distasteful, but keep
in mind what she was and what she was willing to do. You will never know what I
could have been before she broke me.”
…If Rin the Jeweler hired the Crew…

Rin the Jeweler steps out from behind Tevigger. He smiles and wrings his
hands nervously.
Aftermath
“I know what you’re thinking: if I had the money, why didn’t I just hire you
deal with Jean and the Narrow Men outright, instead of using all this guile? Truth
is, it was more complicated than that. Us merchants, we simply could not abide
by the Narrow Men’s methods, but we had no way out. They were stealing our
products and undercutting us on the black market, hurting our businesses. They
took food from the mouths of our families, endangered everything we’d built.
They’d robbed our customers — I would see a piece one day and find out the
next the buyer had been shaken down. I only come to you as a representative of
our cabal of concerned businessmen, and in the defense of our clients. You did
a good thing for my business, and this city. Take your well-deserved payment.”
…If Obligator Anton hired the Crew…

Obligator Anton steps forward. He nods to the Crew, a mix of admiration and
disdain playing across his face. “The Lord Ruler bless you for your services to the
Final Empire. It is true Narrow Men were engaged illegal trafficking of drugs, and
their removal was necessary for the stability and safety of His people. But even
more egregiously, these…gangsters dared believe could coerce and manipulate
agents of the Steel Ministry. Such arrogance was sorely misguided and could not
stand. I long ago confessed my sins to my superiors; Slade never had any real
leverage on me.”
“Although you had no way of knowing your cause was righteous, the Lord
Ruler works in mysterious ways. In thanks for your service, seek me if you need a

favor, but know this: should you engage in unforgiveable acts of sedition or her-
esy, no good service will save you from the Lord Ruler’s justice. In the meantime,
take this as a token for your good service, and perhaps, as a down payment on
continued good work for the Lord Ruler.”
Tevigger doffs his cap one last time and hands over a small pouch to the
Crew. Tevigger and his employer leave and allow the Crew to examine their
pay. Inside the bag the Crew finds four more beads of atium. The atium is worth
a small fortune — assuming the Crew hasn’t burned any during the adventure,
they have five beads total. Unlike other loot, these beads don’t “vanish” after
the next Long Breather as normal, and the Heroes can keep these beads until
they use them or sell them. Any Hero may sell a bead to increase his Resources
by 1 die, or may trade it for any number of items with a total Difficulty of 5 or
less (e.g., five items with a Difficulty of 1; an item with a Difficulty of 2 and
another with a Difficulty of 3; etc.); both these benefits last until the next Long
Breather as normal.
Aftermath
WHAT COMES NEXT?
At this point, the Heroes can take control of the story once again, and start
their next scheme (see the Mistborn Adventure Game, page 419), hopefully with a
few new hooks for adventure under their belt. A few possible next steps following
the events of Beasts of Burden include:
• If Slade survived the adventure, the Crew may realize he has Feruchemical
ability. The Crew may realize how important an unregistered Feruchemist
could be to the Terris people on the Synod and may wish to find a way to get
him safely into the hands of those that can teach and train him.
• If the Crew befriended Griller, they may come to hear about his formerly
ferocious reputation. With the Narrow Men destroyed or weakened, some
enemies may emerge to settle the score with Griller. Griller just wants to
stay legitimate, but without help, he may find himself with no choice but to
resume his criminal ways to protect himself.
• Unbeknownst to the Crew, the Narrow Men shut down many of their rivals’
illegal drug trade. The underworld will be clamoring for a new source of
drugs, leading to a potential war amongst various faction. The Crew could
investigate a way to safely navigate or end this conflict.
• If the Crew became attached to the Welders, a lieutenant of one of their un-
derlings could seek revenge on the Welders, either purely for their connection
to the Crew, or because they discovered the assistance the Welders provided
Smelter, Griller, and the Crew.
TIN & ASH 211

APPENDIX:
NPC SUMMARY

POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
EQUIPMENT
DOC WELDER (MILD THREAT)
Traits: Herbal Expert; Looking for Love; Overprotective
Equipment: Dueling cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking, con-
tains no metal); Medical supplies; Medical book
ELLIE WELDER (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Kind Soul; Looking for Love; Loyal Sister
Equipment: Formal clothing
FIL THE BUTCHER (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Good with a Cleaver; Polite; Determined
NPC Summary
Equipment: Cleaver (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Striking)
GRILLER (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Cook; Reformed Criminal; Old Fighting Tricks
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Pewter 5 (boosts Physique and Health, as
shown in brackets)
• Unconscious Burning: The character
automatically burns Pewter when
unconscious, though only if also
injured (i.e., he doesn’t automati-
cally burn Pewter when sleeping).
Each Pewter charge burned in this
fashion lasts for three hours, and the
only benefits it conveys are increased
Health, accelerated healing, and avoid-
ing Pewter drag. It has no effect on Phy-
sique rolls or dice pools. This special
Pewter burn stops immediately when
he regains consciousness.

Traits: Hunter of Allomancers; Gang Fighting; Defensive Techniques; Quick
tains no metal); Bow and fl int arrows (Damage +2; Range: Close / Long; contains
no metal); Leather armor (absorbs 1 damage from physical attacks); Large wooden
shield (adds 2 dice to defense rolls against physical attack; contains no metal)
HOUSE GUARD (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Protect the House; Follow My Lord’s Orders; Thick-Headed
Equipment: Spear (Damage +2; Melee Range: Striking / Striking; Thrown
Range: Close / Medium); Dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch;
Thrown Range: Striking / Close); Steel mail (absorbs 2 damage from physical
attacks)
NPC Summary
THE HOWLER (SERIOUS THREAT)
Traits: Terrible Laughter; Smuggler; Lecherous; Callous
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Brass 7 (Soothes the emotions of others)
• Push Emotions: The Howler subtly Soothes nearly everyone around when
burning Brass. At these times he gains one die with Charm rolls. This bonus
isn’t gained with any roll that also gains dice due to Soothed emotions (i.e.,
the Howler may not stack this benefit with the basic use of Brass).
• Enduring Emotions: Emotions the Howler Soothes linger for up to an hour
after he stops focusing on the victim.
EQUIPMENT
Dueling Cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking; contains no
metal); 3 Misting vials (3 charges of Brass each); Bowler hat
INFORMANT (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Eavesdropper; Stool Pigeon; Paranoid
Equipment: Disguise (any one common skaa or noble)
TIN & ASH 215

JEAN (SERIOUS THREAT)
Traits: Taskmistress; Spendthrift; Skilled Manager; Money Laundering;
Hedonist
Equipment: Craftsman’s garb; Craftsman’s tools (cooking); Horse & carriage
MILA STRAIGHT (SERIOUS THREAT)

Traits: Fixer; Diligent; Jealous of Vengen; Former Dancer; Don’t Ask About
My Scarf
Thrown Range: Striking / Close, contains no metal); Elegant evening gown
MISTBORN (SERIOUS THREAT)

NPC Summary
Resiliences: Health 8 [12], Reputation 6,

Willpower 9
Traits: Knife Fighter; Nimble as a Cat;
Fearsome Reputation; Overconfident; Mercenary
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
All Metals 4 (including Pewter, which boosts Physique and Health as shown
in brackets)
EQUIPMENT
Obsidian dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch; Thrown Range:
Striking / Close; contains no metal); Sack of copper clips (Damage +1; Thrown
Copper, Iron, Pewter, Steel, Tin, and Zinc)

NARROW MEN KIDNAPPER (AVERAGE THREAT)
Traits: Wary; Prey on the Weak; Protect the Product
Equipment: Dueling Cane (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking;
contains no metal); Shackles

no metal)
OBLIGATOR ANTON (AVERAGE THREAT)

NPC Summary
Traits: By the Book; Hard to Intimidate; Respected; Cagey; Illegitimate Father
Equipment: Pen and blank book; Formal clothing
PEWTERARM (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Pugilist; Intimidating; Bull in a China Shop
POWERS (ALLOMANCY)
Pewter 5 (boosts Physique and Health, as shown in brackets)
• Unconscious Burning: The character automatically burns Pewter when un-
conscious, though only if also injured (i.e. he or she doesn’t automatically
burn Pewter when sleeping). Each Pewter charge burned in this fashion lasts
for three hours, and the only benefits it conveys are increased Health, accel-
erated healing, and avoiding Pewter drag. It has no effect on Physique rolls
or dice pools. This special Pewter burn stops immediately when he or she
regains consciousness.
EQUIPMENT
metal); Misting vial (3 charges of Pewter)
TIN & ASH 217

PIERZ (SERIOUS THREAT)
Traits: Respect My Strength; Bodyguard; Savage; Don’t Cross the Boss
Thrown Range: Striking / Close, contains no metal); Leather armor (absorbs 1
damage from physical attacks); Flask of whiskey
RIN THE JEWELER (MILD THREAT)

Traits: Patient; Observant
Equipment: Craftsmen’s tools (jeweler)
SLADE (AVERAGE THREAT)

NPC Summary
Traits: What’s Yours Is Mine; Crooked Accountant; “Eidetic Memory”; It’s

Just Business
POWERS (FERUCHEMY)
Copper 5 (stores memories; note he is unaware of his abilities)
EQUIPMENT
metal); Copper-plated pocket watch; Copper ring; Notebook and pen
SMELTER (INSIGNIFICANT THREAT)

Resiliences: Health 4 (currently 3), Reputation 6, Willpower 5
Traits: Drunk; Friendly; Lookout
Equipment: None
Note: At the start of this scene, Smelter has the Grave “Direly Ill” Burden,
due to his sickness.

tains no metal); Pen and blank book
THIEF (AVERAGE THREAT)

Traits: Stealthy; Nimble Fingers; Keen Ears; Bold; Greedy
Equipment: Dagger (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch / Touch; Thrown
Range: Striking / Close); Lockpicks; Rope and grapple
VENGEN STRAIGHT (SERIOUS THREAT)

NPC Summary
Traits: Secret Leader; Criminal Mastermind; No Conscience; Always Has a
Backup Plan; Angry
Equipment: Fine sword (Damage +2; Melee Range: Touch / Striking); Two
obsidian daggers (Damage +1; Melee Range: Touch/Touch; Thrown Range:
Striking / Close, contains no metal); Reinforced laborer’s garb (absorbs 1 damage
from physical attacks)
TIN & ASH 219

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From the Ashes, Hope Rises

SKAA: TIN & ASH

Beasts of Burden Writing Graphic Design & Layout

Editing Miniature Wolfhound Consultant

Mistborn Brand Manager

First Printing 2015

6 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

8 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

– Selection from Experiments in Skaa Husbandry,

TIN AND ASH 9

TIN & ASH

THE ORIGINS OF THE SKAA

THE BREAKING OF THE SKAA

14 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 15

16 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

RELATIONS OF NOBLES AND SKAA

TIN & ASH 17

AFTER THE COLLAPSE

18 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 19

CLASSES AMONG THE SKAA

22 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 23

24 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

The Lot of the Skaa

RIGHTS AND LEGALITY

TIN & ASH 25

“property,” and helps keep the nobility in check.

26 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 27

28 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

The Lot of the Skaa

TIN & ASH 29

SKAA IN DIFFERENT REGIONS

• Plantation Skaa: Each plantation is controlled and managed by a single no-

30 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

The Lot of the Skaa

TIN & ASH 31

every form of expression is allowed; word-based art forms (poetry, storytelling,

32 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

The Lot of the Skaa

TIN & ASH 33

KHALFI, THE HIDDEN CITY

34 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

36 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 37

38 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 39

40 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 41

42 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 43

nymity, intimidation, and gall.

SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS

44 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

TIN & ASH 45

46 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

EASTERN STREET SLANG

TIN & ASH 47

EXAMPLES OF EASTERN STREET SLANG

48 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME

50 MISTBORN ADVENTURE GAME