How did Kelsier escape the Pits of Hathsin?

[kroen]

I can imagine how he realized he was Snapped; it probably had to do with the metal traces in the water he drunk. But the amount of metals in water isn't nearly enough to perform a daring escape, and I can't imagine Allomantic beads just lying around. Was he somehow able to burn some the atium he found? Because that's the only way I can think of.

[Senor Feesh]

I think that's exactly what he did. Might even be in-text canon somewhere.

[Voidus]

Well he already knew a fair bit about allomancy from working in thieving crews so I always assumed he just scarfed down all the atium he could find, along with any edible pieces of allomantic metals if there were any. But he should've been able to manage just with the atium.

[kroen]

But I thought the atium geodes need to go through some kind of process in order to be consumed, kind of like the process unpolished diamonds go through. 

[Voidus]

But I thought the atium geodes need to go through some kind of process in order to be consumed, kind of like the process unpolished diamonds go through. 

Don't think so, just crack 'em open

[Senor Feesh]

IIRC, atium deposits form into usable nuggets directly inside the geodes over long periods of time. Use of allomancy near the geodes destroys them, and it takes a very long time for them to recover, so his escape likely damaged any nodes near the surface too.

[Yados]

But wasn't the whole point of the pits that the atium geodes were hard to find?

 

Like, if you didn't find one a week, they'd kill you. And this was a thing that happened quite regularly?

 

Unless he found some sort of storeroom (and seeing as most of the atium was staying inside the pits with the first generation, i don't see why they would need one) Kelsier shouldn't have had more than a single bead of atium. 

 

Am I forgetting something?

[Voidus]

But wasn't the whole point of the pits that the atium geodes were hard to find?

 

Like, if you didn't find one a week, they'd kill you. And this was a thing that happened quite regularly?

 

Unless he found some sort of storeroom (and seeing as most of the atium was staying inside the pits with the first generation, i don't see why they would need one) Kelsier shouldn't have had more than a single bead of atium. 

 

Am I forgetting something?

But one bead is variable in size and one bead at the right time when everyone else is providing their beads let's you quickly kill the guards to get more beads.

[kroen]

But wasn't the whole point of the pits that the atium geodes were hard to find?

 

Like, if you didn't find one a week, they'd kill you. And this was a thing that happened quite regularly?

 

Unless he found some sort of storeroom (and seeing as most of the atium was staying inside the pits with the first generation, i don't see why they would need one) Kelsier shouldn't have had more than a single bead of atium. 

 

Am I forgetting something?

Well, we don't know how much atium a geode contains.

[king of nowhere]

actually, kelsier didn't even have that one bead: he had to give it up when he exited the cave. after kelsier gave his bead, and mare waws found without beads and killed, kelsier snapped, but he had no atium at the moment.

However, even if he only had trace metals in him, he could also count on surprise. there's a lot of damage a few seconds of pweter can do when the guard in front of you is only seeing an unarmed prisoner. He could have easily killed a dozen guards with just trace metals. then maybe he gained access to atium. or maybe he just snuck out.

I wonder what happened to the other prisoners that were in the pits at the time.

[kroen]

actually, kelsier didn't even have that one bead: he had to give it up when he exited the cave. after kelsier gave his bead, and mare waws found without beads and killed, kelsier snapped, but he had no atium at the moment.

However, even if he only had trace metals in him, he could also count on surprise. there's a lot of damage a few seconds of pweter can do when the guard in front of you is only seeing an unarmed prisoner. He could have easily killed a dozen guards with just trace metals. then maybe he gained access to atium. or maybe he just snuck out.

I wonder what happened to the other prisoners that were in the pits at the time.

pewter is an alloy, and as such there is none in water

[Observer]

Either he waited for a while after snapping, or after they beat Mare to death he flipped out and used iron or steel or maybe even just the element of surprise to kill one, and then gained a bead with each kill.

 

Then again, you'd think it would take him a bit to realize he was a Mistborn. He probably waited a while.

[kroen]

Either he waited for a while after snapping, or after they beat Mare to death he flipped out and used iron or steel or maybe even just the element of surprise to kill one, and then gained a bead with each kill.

 

Then again, you'd think it would take him a bit to realize he was a Mistborn. He probably waited a while.

I could have sworn that Kelsier said that he escaped the day after he snapped.

[Lady_Yasha]

Zinc would have been available in trace amounts. In the day from Snapping to his escape he had time to formulate a plan - we know he's good at those. If he Rioted the guards emotions and caused them to act irrationally he could take advantage of the ensuing situation and either kill the guards or sneak away from the confusion.

[kroen]

I kind of wish Keliser did use atium to escape. That would make for one awesome movie scene.

[Windrunner]

Kel definitely didn't sneak away. His escape disrupted the whole atium collection process, a problem for House Venture that Elend mentions in TFE.

I'd imagine with atium and some of the basic metals he wouldn't really have too many problems. He might have even had some pewter from cups and the like; that's how Vin got it.

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Gemmel helped him, apparently including getting him some metals.

 

 

http://twg.17thshard.com/index.php?topic=5627.15

 

 This is a very interesting discussion; thanks for posting it VegasDev.  The silence, however, was simply because I was watching to see what people said before giving any answers.

And, I still can't give many without spoilers.  Let me say this: Kelsier had help, both realizing that he had snapped and finding metals.  The man who trained him in Allomancy was involved in this, and it's all wrapped up in how Kelsier discovered the Eleventh Metal in the first place. 

I MAY write this story someday.  If I do, it will make its way onto my website, perhaps after being sold as an Amazon Short for a while, kind of like I did with the ELANTRIS short.  There's not much more info in Book Three about this, unfortunately--just a couple of oblique references.  If you can remember until next October, the poke me after you've read MISTBORN 3, I'll give a more complete explanation.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity