What was Hoid up to during the Final Empire Mistborn trilogy?

[Morik]

In the first result here: http://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt=%27hoid%27, Brandon says:

 

 

Hoid's appearance in Mistborn: Well of Ascension is a little unlike the others. When the scene at the Well was moved in revision, one of Hoid's major influences on the book had to go (for various reasons). Left in the book is only one little hint, really. A character notices something odd about someone, but doesn't dwell on it. You can probably find the line if you look very closely.

 

Let me say this. Hoid got wrapped up in things he didn't expect to be involved in, and they dominated much of his time during the events of Mistborn: Well of Ascension. He spent most of the book in a different place from most of the viewpoint characters. He's only near them for a very short time, and he's deeply in disguise. I couldn't include his name, as he'd never have used the name "Hoid" for himself there, because it wouldn't have been right for the disguise. He'd have used another pseudonym. (He didn't, by the way, mention one.)

I've probably said too much already. Now, perhaps what people should asking me is this: "What has Hoid been up to in all of these books?" Or, maybe they shouldn't ask me, as I wouldn't be likely to answer. (There are clues in the novels, however.) No, he's not just hanging out. Yes, I know what he's been doing. Will I write his scenes some day? Maybe. We'll see. There may be short stories posted on my website.

 

So--"There are clues in the novels, however."

Can anyone point me to any posts exploring what those clues were, and theories about what Hoid was up to?

(I'm just wrapping up my Final Empire re-read in preparation for AoL reread + SoS (first time), and am very curious as I couldn't figure it out on my own :-/)

[Argent]

I believe Hoid was with the Terris refugees, helping them get out of Terris and in what used to be the Pits of Hathsin. His main purpose in the book, however, was to find the Well (I think that's why he found himself in Terris, he was looking for it). He got to it before Vin and Elend did, and managed to snatch the last (?) bead of solid lerasium there. 

[Morik]

There was one bead left... do you mean he snatched all but the last?

 

I guess I should have read the alternate ending... I think I saw someone reference it somewhere and indicate that it hinted (or maybe showed?) that Hoid smashed those pottery discs. Which would imply that he perhaps snatched up some lerasium...

 

So maybe it wasn't that a bead was left over (as the characters, including ascended Sazed, speculate), but that it regenerates over time (I forget whether we see more of it in AoL, and haven't gotten to SoS yet) similar to atium?

 

Hmm...

Edited October 16, 2015 by Morik

[Young Bard]

12 beads, minus 10 used by the Lord Ruler, minus one snatched by Hoid, minus one for Elend. Does that make sense? It's actually on the TWG somewhere. I'll try and fish it out.

[Tellingdwar]

Wild speculation incoming:

Hoid was with the Terrismen refugees, which means he was probably up north while the Inquisitors were harvesting the Synod and the rest of the Keepers... This is probably where Hoid first learned of Hemalurgy. Or at least, he learned something of it around this time.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Tellingdwar

[The Sovereign]

Wild speculation incoming:

Hoid was with the Terrismen refugees, which means he was probably up north while the Inquisitors were harvesting the Synod and the rest of the Keepers... This is probably where Hoid first learned of Hemalurgy. Or at least, he learned something of it around this time.

 

While he may have learned something of Hemalurgy it should be noted that Hoid does not use Hemalurgy.

Relevant WoB:

Question

Aha! Yes! Uh, ok, second thing. My brother and I have been debating about Hoid and how he got his abilities. We have a couple theories. One of them is Hemalurgy.

 

Brandon Sanderson

Ok…

 

Question

The other has to do with the portals into the worlds themselves, because the birds in Sixth of Dusk-

 

Brandon Sanderson

Ok, he does not have Hemalurgy. He has powers that predate the Shattering of Adonalsium. Not all of his powers predate, but he does have powers that predate.

 

Question

Ok, so I was wrong on both counts then… Am I wrong on both counts?

 

Brandon Sanderson

I’m not saying that. I’m saying that he has powers that predate, and has gained powers since.

*Emphasis mine.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Iron Eyes

[DSC01]

While it's hard to guess what his overall purpose was, if I recall correctly, Hoid had abilities related to Feruchemy. The events he got caught up in may be the Terris refugee situation, and he got involved while investigating their powers.

[vicsmith1412]

I also believe there are two scenes in which he appears near the others specifically. Both of which are him disguised as a beggar. When I get home I can quote them directly, but for now, I believe I remember him as an informant for Elend, and I also believe he was the informant Vin decided to avoid when she was trying to find information on Yomen's city. Can anyone verify? That would place him in at least two places over the course of the books that are very far from one another- why he was in these places at these specific times and where he went between is a mystery. 

 

I do agree with the Terris theory, however.

[The Sovereign]

I also believe there are two scenes in which he appears near the others specifically. Both of which are him disguised as a beggar. When I get home I can quote them directly, but for now, I believe I remember him as an informant for Elend, and I also believe he was the informant Vin decided to avoid when she was trying to find information on Yomen's city. Can anyone verify? That would place him in at least two places over the course of the books that are very far from one another- why he was in these places at these specific times and where he went between is a mystery. 

 

I do agree with the Terris theory, however.

-In Final Empire he is an informant that gives information to Kelsier.

-In Well of Ascension he isn't actually shown but you see his footprints in Kredik shaw, it is confirmed that he was with the Terris Refugees from deleted scenes

-In Hero of Ages he is an informant in Fadrex City that Vin gets a bad feeling about and doesn't speak with.

[Tellingdwar]

While he may have learned something of Hemalurgy it should be noted that Hoid does not use Hemalurgy.

Wow, that is an important WoB and I am surprised I missed it. Kills several of my theories, in fact. Thank you!

[DSC01]

And isn't Cett the one who names him as a good informant? He would have had to spend quite a lot of time in Fadrex to be so known.

[Argent]

And isn't Cett the one who names him as a good informant? He would have had to spend quite a lot of time in Fadrex to be so known.

 

Yeah, I was wondering about that several months back, but Brandon said he wasn't going to talk about Hoid in Fadrex, so I let it go. Figured we'd find out some day.

[Morik]

12 beads, minus 10 used by the Lord Ruler, minus one snatched by Hoid, minus one for Elend. Does that make sense? It's actually on the TWG somewhere. I'll try and fish it out.

 

Where do you get 12 as the starting #, and how do we know more didn't regenerate over time? (How did the beads get there in the first place? Do we know it was a method that wouldn't create more beads over time?)

 

I.e., how do we know that, in the time since the Lord Ruler used 10, that some new ones didn't show up? (And how do we know about 12 at the start?)

[Weltall]

I guess I should have read the alternate ending... I think I saw someone reference it somewhere and indicate that it hinted (or maybe showed?) that Hoid smashed those pottery discs. Which would imply that he perhaps snatched up some lerasium...

So maybe it wasn't that a bead was left over (as the characters, including ascended Sazed, speculate), but that it regenerates over time (I forget whether we see more of it in AoL, and haven't gotten to SoS yet) similar to atium?

 

We haven't seen Lerasium since the end of Well of Ascension, not sure if there's a WoB on whether more Lerasium exists/could exist other than the original beads. We do have confirmation (see here among other WoBs) that Hoid does possess Lerasium but we don't know if he's actually used it to become a Mistborn or not and Brandon has been careful to not say one way or the other... though Words of Radiance and a WoB strongly imply that he has at least the ability to use Brass or Zinc Allomantically, from a flashback scene with Shallan.

 

Incidentally, this is why I've been curious whether anything has been said about how much you can (or if you can) divide a Lerasium bead and still get a useful level of Allomantic power out of it. If Hoid wanted Allomancy but also needs the bead for some other purpose, whether he could split the difference would be worth knowing.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Weltall

[Recca]

I have always wonder why 12 Lerasium beads in the Mistborn books the magic number in everybook has always been 16. Why is there 12 and not 16 it doesn't make any sense what is so special about 12?

[Morik]

Did we get 12 from WoB? Somewhere else?

[Voidus]

 

We haven't seen Lerasium since the end of Well of Ascension, not sure if there's a WoB on whether more Lerasium exists/could exist other than the original beads. We do have confirmation (see here among other WoBs) that Hoid does possess Lerasium but we don't know if he's actually used it to become a Mistborn or not and Brandon has been careful to not say one way or the other... though Words of Radiance and a WoB strongly imply that he has at least the ability to use Brass or Zinc Allomantically, from a flashback scene with Shallan.

 

Incidentally, this is why I've been curious whether anything has been said about how much you can (or if you can) divide a Lerasium bead and still get a useful level of Allomantic power out of it. If Hoid wanted Allomancy but also needs the bead for some other purpose, whether he could split the difference would be worth knowing.

There's WoB that he originally wanted the bead for gaining Allomancy so it seems likely that he's either used it for that since or else he discovered its Feruchemical use and has been using it for that.