Reed Miller

In Nod-Krai popular folklore, Reed Miller is the name of the Treasure Hoarders' founder and an infamous Master Thief. In truth, this was an alias used by at least three people, each contributing to the legend of the legendary thief:^[1]

• Avrelian, the original Reed Miller.
• Alia, the second Reed Miller.
• Brahe, the third Reed Miller.

Story

Origins

See also: Avrelian § Story, Alia (Historical) § Story, and Brahe § Story

Because of Rotwang's schemes, Avrelian was somehow forced out of the Snezhnayan Military Academy shortly after graduation and turned to a life of banditry.^[1][2] It was during that time that he established the Treasure Hoarders, espousing ideals of freedom and a "world without borders."

Rotwang later approached Avrelian, informing the latter of his Frostmoon Scion blood and his supposed destiny as the "chosen one." Falling for Rotwang's manipulations, Avrelian stole the Sampo Mill for him^[2] and then turned himself in to the authorities in Snezhnograd, believing he would be able to gain an audience with the Belyi Tsar this way. He was executed without ever seeing the Archon,^[3] and Rotwang was free to use the Sampo Mill as he wished.

Before Avrelian's execution, Alia became his follower after she escaped Lovia's captivity when Avrelian stole the Sampo Mill from the Frostmoon Scions. After witnessing his execution, she adopted the name "Reed Miller" and his ideas of freedom and rebellion for herself, assuming the role of the Treasure Hoarders' leader.^[3] She and her subordinates made a name for themselves by stealing all of Grand Duke Prokhor Trubetskoy's ill-gotten treasures in a single night; Trubetskoy's adopted son, Brahe, witnessed this deed and fell in love with her at first sight.

Alia later perished during the cataclysm, using her flesh and blood to take control of the Sampo Mill and prevent Rotwang's plans from coming to fruition. Following her death, Brahe succeeded the "Reed Miller" name, hunting down both Rotwang's followers^[4] and those who would misuse Avrelian's ideals to oppress others.^[5]

Legacy

After witnessing people commit atrocities in Reed Miller's name, claiming it was honoring Reed Miller's ideals, Brahe deliberately spread multiple contradictory, falsified legends about Reed Miller, hoping to make the tales associated with the name so outlandish that those who might misuse it would not be taken seriously.^[5] Popular versions of Reed Miller's story are published in the book The Legends of Reed Miller, Thief Extraordinaire. Tolfin estimates that 20% of the Reed Miller legend come from Alia's deeds, 30% from Brahe's, while the rest are purely fictional inventions.^[1]

Legends about "Reed Miller's Great Treasure" and the Proofs of the Cognoscenti were part of Brahe's scheme to make "Reed Miller" a generic, "harmless" name.^[6]

Since then, many others have adopted the name "Reed Miller" for themselves, or have drawn inspiration from the legends. During the World Quest The Shoemaker's Children Go Barefoot in Series East of the Moon, West of the Sun, Netochka fancies herself as the next Reed Miller and assigns names to Paimon and the Traveler based on other characters in the legends. Jahoda also named her Chic Badger partner Reed Miller XIII.^[7]

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Reed Miller
Chinese (Simplified)	雷德・米勒 Léidé Mǐlè
Chinese (Traditional)	雷德・米勒 Léidé Mǐlè
Japanese	レッド・ミラー Reddo Miraa
Korean	리드 밀러 Rideu Milleo
Spanish	Reed Miller
French	Reed Miller
Russian	Рид Миллер Rid Miller
Thai	Reed Miller
Vietnamese	Reed Miller
German	Reed Miller
Indonesian	Reed Miller
Portuguese	Reed Miller
Turkish	Reed Miller
Italian	Reed Miller

Change History

References