Mistborn · Character
Governor Varlance
Also known as Governor of Elendel, Governor, Varlance
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 4 · Ch. 2
Governor Varlance is a fastidious, image-conscious administrator in Mistborn (Book 4).
- Gender
- male
- First appears
- Book 4 · Ch. 2
- Books
- 2
Governor Varlance begins as a fastidious, image-conscious administrator whose powdered face and medal-lined desk symbolize his preoccupation with public perception. Across the two volumes in which he appears, he is thrust from ceremonial duties into the crucible of existential crisis, forced to balance political theater with genuine leadership. By the climax of The Lost Metal, his reliance on Steris’s logistical genius and TenSoon’s counsel marks a decisive shift from performative authority to pragmatic governance, even as he continues to navigate the Senate’s power struggles and the looming threat of the Malwish.
Description
Governor Varlance presents as a distinguished official with ghostly pale skin created by applied white face powder. He wears a cravat and arranges medals on his desk, embodying formal authority. As the day progresses, patches of the makeup may linger on his cheeks while he uses a handkerchief to wipe his brow. Varlance is a male military governor whose face is made ghostly pale by heavy white powder. He wears a neatly adjusted cravat and displays medals with the care of a man conscious of his public image. His bearing is official and self-possessed, though his expressions can open into visible surprise. The text gives no further specifics of his age, hair, eyes, or build.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Steris Ladrianadviser
Begins as a political ally during the initial evacuation efforts; evolves into a trusted adviser whose disaster-response plans Varlance publicly endorses and follows, acknowledging her leadership even when she is excluded from official meetings.
TenSoonadviser
Seeks TenSoon’s counsel on the external threat and personally requests that the kandra retrieve the Bands of Mourning, signaling a pragmatic turn to unconventional allies.
Waxillium Ladrianpolitical opponent
Stands as a political opponent in the Senate, where Wax campaigns against Varlance’s Elendel Supremacy Bill.
Wayneindirect benefactor
Indirectly benefits from Wayne’s sacrificial act that neutralizes the bomb, thereby preserving the city and the evacuation Varlance oversees.
- A
Adawathwynvice governor
Serves as Varlance’s vice governor and participates in his emergency council, proposing the controversial use of Metalborn or the Bands against the bomb.
- D
Daaldiplomatic counterpart
Acts as the Malwish diplomatic counterpart; warns Varlance that deploying the Bands would breach the inter-people agreement, forcing the governor to weigh military necessity against fragile peace.
Reddisuperior
Holds Reddi’s commission and asserts gubernatorial authority over the constabulary, yet faces resistance when Reddi refuses to treat constables as soldiers or accept a draft.
Story so far
BOOK 4The Lost Metal (The Mistborn Saga)
- Appears as a meticulously groomed governor, his ghostly pallor maintained by white face powder and his desk adorned with medals.
- Coordinates with Steris Ladrian to orchestrate the mass evacuation of Elendel amid an unfolding crisis.
- Maintains formal composure while the city’s safety hangs in the balance.
BOOK 7Mistborn 07 - The Lost Metal
- Presides over an emergency council as political pressure mounts, urging focus on the external threat beyond the city.
- Listens to Steris’s warning that the crisis is a trap and authorizes the city-wide evacuation she has planned.
- Requests that TenSoon retrieve the Bands of Mourning to counter the looming bomb.
- Clashes with Constable-General Reddi over the conscription of constables and with Admiral Daal over the use of the Bands.
- Remains in the council chamber when startling revelations arrive, demonstrating a willingness to confront hard truths rather than retreat behind ceremony.
Appearances
Meet Governor Varlance in Bookworm
Meet Governor Varlance in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.