The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing, #2)

by R. Scott Bakker

“Daybreak,” Achamian said, reaching out to scratch his mule’s snout. “His name is Daybreak.” For a Mandate Schoolman, no name was more lucky.

An interesting juxtaposition with the cold grey daybreak of his Nroni childhood fishing, described as promising "a punishing sun" paragraphs ago. In Seswatha's service the waking world is punishing, yet real infliction comes in the afterlife / Outside / dreams

Rather than follow any curriculum, which would have been impractical given the circumstances, Achamian adopted the Ajencian mode, and let Kellhus indulge his curiosity. He simply answered questions. And told stories.

Ajencis is said to have as many authors as readers, and is held as the default father of Three Seas philosophy. Here his 'mode' is freeform q&a. I think it'd be safe to read AJ as Platonic

Who am I? he would often think, listening to Kellhus’s melodious voice. What do you see?

With the benefit of a full pass through the series, this line LEAPS forward.

White light flashed from his eyes and mouth, and words seemed to rumble down like thunder from the mountain faces. Then a line appeared from the earth between his outstretched arms, so brilliant she raised hands against its glare. It flashed upward, more perfect than any geometer’s rule, taller than the brooding Unaras, striking through and illuminating clouds, on into the endless black … The Bar of Heaven! she thought—a Cant from his stories of the First Apocalypse.

This is the first time Gnostic sorcery is described by a third person. Up to this point we've been told of fires started with 'a sorcerous word' and we've seen brief battles between the Scarlet Spires and Mysunai/Cishaurim, and between the Saik and Thing Called Skeaos. We've also heard about the Cants of Calling. Now, we have a display of why even Eleazaras is careful about pushing issues with Achamian. This cant is sung to the tune of "Heaven" by Talking Heads ;)

“And sorcerers?” another voice cried. “Are blasphemers welcome as well?” The indignation and sarcasm were plain, but the undertones defeated him. Who spoke? A Nansur, from Massentia perhaps, though his accent was strangely difficult to place.

Kellhus apparently doesn't need to see a skin to sense a skin-spy.

“Whosoever repents the darkness in their heart,” he quoted from the Book of Scholars, “let him raise high the Tusk and follow.” To be Inrithi, he reminded them, was to be a follower of Inri Sejenus. And who followed more faithfully than those who walked in his Holy Steps?

Taking the PoV metaphor of darkness as history, the audience is asked to cast adrift their past in literal and figurative (to Kellhus) senses. For Kellhus, this question comes at the same time as his own re-assessment of luck and the supernatural.

Even now, in the hills, they run like jackals before the wolf.”

Skauras' device is of course a black jackal

For what was sleep, if not unconsciousness of the greater world? A profound ignorance.

The obvious juxtaposition against Achamian's information overload, now/then superimposed through sleep

They were only a hundred or so paces away when the psûkari began Scourging them.” “It was the Scourge they used, then?” Iyokus nodded. “I would say so. And perhaps the Lash, as well.” “So they were Secondaries or Tertiaries?” “Without question,” the Master of Spies replied, “perhaps under one or two Primaries

We now know of two battle spells from Indara's Waterbearers, a rough range for the Scourge (and the notion that it would be unusual to Scourge so closely), and an approximate breakdown of their battle rank. We think we know there are 100-120 Cishaurim, three ranks, and a battle group of 14. Unit size in wartime being famously understrength, this showing is almost certainly not standard. The breakdown might be 10-3-1 tertiary-secondary-primary as it feels unlikely the school would spend a full tenth of its strength without a sorcerer of the first order present.

Despite the sometimes unfathomable power of the Psûkhe, it remained, they all agreed, inferior to the Anagogis.

Mechanically this makes sense - Psûkhe users are neither damned nor bruised against the Onta, and Anagogic sorcerers are both, so there has to be a tradeoff - but why is it stronger?

He was a most extraordinary storyteller—he always had been—and for a time Esmenet found herself lost in the Battle of Anwurat and its wrenching intricacies.

This solves the narration problem of the battle on the Sempsis. Presumably Achamian, described in the chapter headers as writing the Compendium, is our third person neutral narrator. This makes it odd we would see such a detailed breakdown. How could he have seen so many fields, even if he had been present? Wasn't he trapped by the Spires while the battle took place? But we know from his transcript of Kellhus speaking that Esmi has an excellent memory, and now we know that she heard the clearest version from Kellhus. Probably some of what we were told in the last chapter was simply colorful inference.

Achamian had given without hope of reward.

A callback to Akka's remembered conversation in an Atyersan cell about Sejenus. (Is giving when a reward is expected a gift at all?)

“You’re wondering how he can maintain that particular expressive configuration,” the Pragma said. “Centuries ago we found we could limit the range of behaviours by probing the brain with needles—with what we now call neuropuncture.”

is this a plug for Neuropath?

The Conriyan Prince snorted. “First you spit at my feet, now you call out my infirmities … Sometimes I wonder whether you earned those scars murdering manners instead of men!” Cnaiür felt like spitting, but refrained.

“Now,” the palm-sized expression grated, and Gaörta had the sense of vast power, ancient and hoary, forced through a reed throat.

The Cûnuroi named the completely alien Inchoroi tongue as "The Gasp of Many Reeds"