Mistborn · Character

Hoid

  • Minor
  • First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 19

Hoid is a minor character in Mistborn (Book 1).

Gender
male
Age
unknown
First appears
Book 1 · Ch. 19
Books
5

Hoid is an enigmatic wanderer who drifts through the Mistborn saga in humble disguises, always watching from the margins of history. In the Final Empire he poses as a scrawny, pipe-smoking informant with feigned poor eyesight, selling noble gossip to Kelsier. As the world nears its end in The Hero of Ages, he lounges as a humming beggar in an ash-strewn square. Centuries later, in the era of Wax and Wayne, he resurfaces as the composed, white-gloved coachman of Ladrian Mansion, ferrying the lawmen through crises and offering Wayne quiet reassurance about his own worth.

Description

Hoid is described as scrawny and bald, with no further details given about his complexion, eyes, age, or facial features. He puffs on a pipe, the one accessory associated with him. He also presents himself as having weak eyesight, which can be conveyed through a tentative squint or cautious focus. His clothing is not specified, and his overall presence is slight and unassuming. Thin and ragged, this beggar sits humming amid ashfall in a crowded square, surrounded by sleeping unfortunates. His clothes are tattered and ash-dusted, frame lean from street life. A whimsical weariness marks his features, his soft tune cutting through the hush. Hoid is a male figure dressed in a formal coachman’s outfit, featuring a chauffeur’s cap and white gloves. He stands ready beside vehicles, gesturing precisely while offering carriage services in a composed and attentive manner. Hoid is identified by his coachman attire, though its cut, color, and condition are not specified. No details are given about his height, build, complexion, hair, eyes, or facial features. His manner is casual and accommodating, with an easy shrug. Hoid is presented as a male coachman, but his height, build, complexion, hair, eyes, and facial features are not described. His most consistent visual markers are a chauffeur's cap and white gloves, worn with a coachman's outfit. He carries himself with restrained composure, at times solemn, and is commonly associated with a sleek black car.

Connections

  • Kelsierinformant

    Kelsier pays Hoid for information on the noble houses and uses him to spread deliberate misinformation, a purely transactional arrangement.

  • Waxillium Ladrianemployer

    Hoid serves as Wax's coachman at Ladrian Mansion, a discreet presence who reliably transports him, including offering escape after the rooftop fight that Wax refuses out of loyalty to his friends.

  • Waynecompanion

    Beginning as a coachman and occasional helper, Hoid grows into a genuine companion to Wayne, swapping stories and banter and offering heartfelt reassurance about Wayne's worth.

  • SE

    Shan Elarielsubject of informant's report

    Hoid reports on Shan's Soothing at court to Kelsier; no direct relationship between them is shown.

Story so far

  1. BOOK 1Mistborn: The Final Empire
    • Appears as a scrawny, bald informant who puffs a pipe and pretends to have weak eyesight
    • Sells Kelsier intelligence about the noble houses
    • Reports that Shan Elariel is a Soother and describes her use of Allomancy at court
    • Serves as a channel through which Kelsier plants misleading political gossip
  2. BOOK 3The Hero of Ages
    • Appears as a humming beggar among the destitute in an ash-strewn square
    • Quietly observes the collapse of the Final Empire
    • Offers cryptic wisdom to figures such as Elend
  3. BOOK 4The Lost Metal (The Mistborn Saga)
    • Appears in a formal coachman's outfit with chauffeur's cap and white gloves
    • Offers carriage services in a precise, attentive manner
    • Occasionally assists Wax and Wayne with transportation and cryptic advice
  4. BOOK 5Shadows of Self
    • Takes up the post of new coachman at Ladrian Mansion
    • Calmly makes room for Wayne atop the carriage
    • Provides transportation for Wax and Wayne
  5. BOOK 7The Lost Metal
    • Repeatedly drives Wax and his companions through the city and beyond
    • Offers Wax a ride after the rooftop fight; Wax declines to abandon his endangered friends
    • Drives Wayne's truck to the sting, trading banter and stories
    • Reassures Wayne of his worth despite his guilt over his past
    • Appears aboard a boat, still wearing his coachman's outfit and white gloves

Appearances

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