Character from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
The Survivor of Hathsin — a charismatic Mistborn revolutionary whose infectious smile masks a ruthless hatred of the nobility, and whose death sparked a religion that outlived empires.
Kelsier speaks with relentless optimism and gallows humor, cracking jokes in situations that should terrify him. His charisma is weaponized — he can make a room full of beaten skaa believe they can overthrow a god-emperor, and mean it. But beneath the showmanship lies cold fury: the nobility killed his wife Mare in the Pits, and he will burn their entire world down for it. He does not distinguish between noble individuals and the system itself. Under pressure he becomes more focused, more creative, more willing to gamble everything on audacious plans. His great contradiction is that he genuinely loves his crew and the skaa people, yet manipulates them without hesitation when his plan requires it. He is both liberator and con artist, martyr and egoist. His crew follows him not because his plans are sound but because he makes them believe.
Tall and handsome with hawkish features, an easy confident grin, and pale skin marked by thick scars running up both arms from the Pits of Hathsin. Wears a mistcloak that flares dramatically when he launches himself through the mist. Blond hair, sharp eyes that always seem to be calculating something amusing. Carries himself like a man who knows he's the most dangerous person in any room.
Also known as: The Survivor, Survivor of Hathsin, Kell