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David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow
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Sep 08, 2013 05:32AM
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Tavore’s fleet are rerouted to Malaz Island. Somehow Lasseen is well aware of exactly where and when the fleet would exit the beast hold warren. The Untan messengers make it plain that the Wickans stand accused of the slaughter of the Malazan soldiers at Aren – and by association the 14th are also in the firing line
‘There have been a succession of, uh, revelations—’
‘Regarding what?’
‘Wickan complicity in the slaughter of Pormqual’s Loyal Army at Aren, Adjunct.’
The crew on the Silanda respond by waving Tiste Andii heads at the Untans shitting over the side of the ship – which sets off the rest of the army giving th Untan ships crap.
Anyway – this new development doesn’t bode well
‘Malaz City. I didn’t have much fun the last time I visited. Your skin crawling, Quick? Mine is. Crawling bad.’
The Grey Helms reaffirm their loyalty to Tavore if things go pear shaped between her and the Empress
‘...The Adjunct is the Hand of the Empress. An extension of Laseen’s will.’
‘The Empress would not be inclined, therefore,’ Run’Thurvian said, ‘to sever that hand, yes? I am relieved to hear this.’
‘Good ... why?’
‘Because,’ the Destriant said, turning away, ‘your Fourteenth Army will not be enough.’
What the Destriant seems to be saying here is that the Empress would have to deal with more than just the 14th if she wanted to “sever the hand.” She would also have the Grey Helm fleet to contend with.
And in the light of all that is to come Tavore calls for a reading of the Deck of Dragons to get a lay of the land.
It is also revealed that T’amber was responsible for the making of the Deck
This is your Deck,’ he said, lifting it into view and setting it down on the tabletop. ‘It has new cards in it.’
‘Your point?’ the young woman demanded.
So it’s time to pull out the mental vacuum cleaner and try to break things down as Fiddler deals it out
‘Dealer gets Soldier of High House Life but it’s bittersweet, meaning it’s for him and him alone, given this late hour.
The Dealer is Fiddler – Interpretation – Fiddler gets to live – but no assurances for anyone else
Empty chair gets Weaver of Life and she needs a bath but nobody’s surprised by that. So we got two Life’s to start.
I think this is Hellian given she is both absent from this meeting and she ends up in a state by the end of the chapter that can be described as “she needs a bath” and she also tends to weave a lot after a few drinks – so Hellian gets to live – Great – that’s two.
‘And that’s why Kalam’s looking at an Unaligned. Obelisk, the Sleeping Goddess – you’re getting a reversed field, Kal, sorry but there’s nothing to be done for it.
Kalam is undecided on whose side he’s on – so “unaligned” – you get a reverse field could indicate him reversing his previous decision re the Empress?
‘Apsalar’s got Assassin of High House Shadow, oh, isn’t that a surprise. It’s the only card she gets—’
Apsalar is representing High House Shadow and she has one life left on her hitlist
‘Poor Quick Ben, he’s got Lifeslayer to deal with, and that puts him in a hole, but not the hole he thinks he’s in – a different hole.
Lifeslayer is Icarium –how is QB is going to cross paths with Icarium?
Now T’amber, she’s opened the game with that card. Throne, and it’s shifting every which way. The pivot card, then—’
I’m not sure of this one – which Throne? Shadow? As in Shifting Shadows? Is Shadowthrone the game manipulator – the pivot? I’m only going on “shifting evry which way” part here. It’s thin – but so is Shadowthrone.
Now Fist Keneb, well, that’s a curious one. Lord of Wolves, the throne card of High House War, and aren’t they looking baleful –
Tavore later acts on this by leaving Keneb in charge of the fleet and the Grey Helms (wolves) when she goes ashore
Grub will dive overboard. He’s got three friends living in the caves in the cliff and here are their cards—’ Three more skidded out to just beyond the centre of the table. ‘Crown, Sceptre, Orb. Hmm, let’s ignore those for now.’
So I guess we get to keep an eye out on whoever the three friends are Grub gets to meet – either way it appears not to be immediately relevant – as per Fiddler’s instructions - file away for now
So, we get to the Adjunct’s card. House of War, Guardians of the Road, or the Dead – title’s uncertain so take your pick.’
The Guardians of the Dead are the Bridgeburners – so maybe the ascended Bridgeburners will come to her aid as they did at the end of the Whirlwind apocalypse. So where does that put the unascended Bridgeburners?
‘Oponn. As I thought. Decisions yet to be made. Will it be the Push or the Pull? And what’s that got to do with this one?’ A skitter, ending up in the middle, opposite both Kalam and Quick Ben –
Kalam and Quick Ben are still undecided on who to support. We have to remember here that Quick is officially High Mage of the Empire – and when Kalam told Tavore earlier that the 14th had embraced her – he interpreted her shock as being that she could not return the loyalty – leaving him uncertain about her.
‘Herald of High House Death. A distinctly inactive and out-of-date card in this field, but I see a Rusty Gauntlet—’
Gethol was the ex Herald of Death??? This is played to Kalam – will Kalam kill Gethol? I can’t remember
‘Spinner of Death, Queen of Dark, Queen of Life and, ho, the King in Chains. Like hopping stones across a stream, isn’t it? Expecting to see your wife any time soon, Fist? Forget it.
This was for Keneb. I think what Fiddler is saying here is Keneb, you are going to be very busy – given that he plays the Spinner of Death when he fakes the plague ships – and the last card “King in Chains” is Rhulad, far away on the continent of Lether and it looks like involvement with two other ascendants in between.
Bottle gets Death Slayer
‘Deathslayer. You can sleep now, Bottle, you’re done as done for the night.’
Deathslayer is the crippled god (going by Fiddlers previous inspection of the deck) which I take to mean Bottle has no immediate role to play in the encounter between Lasseen and Tavore – though he will play a yet undefined role down the track?
‘So how does Kalam get from Herald Death to Obelisk? Let’s see. Ah, King of High House Shadows! That shifty slime bung, oh, doesn’t he look smug!
I’m not sure what this means other than Kalam will be used by Shadowthrone.
But T’amber’s interpretation of Kalam’s cards
‘Someone’s undecided about something, that’s what Fiddler said. Who was it again?’
‘Kalam Mekhar,’ the Adjunct replied. ‘But the Herald of Death intervenes—’
‘Not the Herald,’ cut in T’amber, ‘but an inactive version, a detail I believe is crucial.’
So I take that to mean the Kalam will encounter Gethol and that will somehow make his mind up and somehow Shadowthrone will facilitate the whole thing?
This one’s for you, T’amber. Virgin of Death, as far as you go. You’re out, so relax.
Don’t know what that means exactly- but it sounds like shell live at least.
Quick Ben gets the Consort in Chains but he’s from Seven Cities and he just saved his sister’s life so it’s not as bad as it could’ve been.
The consort was Poliel who is now dead so perhaps Fiddler is saying that his part is done
‘Master of the Deck. Ganoes Paran, Adjunct. Your brother. Even cold iron, Tavore Paran, needs tempering.”
So Paran is on her side?
He lifted up another card and set it down before him. ‘Priest of Life, hah, now that’s a good one. Game’s done.’
Is this an official designation for Fiddler? He was responsible for defending Tremorlor – which is the Azath tree aspected to Life.
And Quick Ben’s card
‘Knight of Shadow. I have never heard of such a card. T’amber, who, what did you—’
Both women were silent again, both staring down at the strange card. Keneb struggled to focus on its murky image. ‘That’s one of those Greyskins,’ he said.
‘Tiste Edur,’ T’amber murmured.
Trull Sengar I’m guessing – seeing he is currently teamed up with Shadow defending the First Throne. So what’s that got to do with Quick? Remeber Quick also has the lifeslayer card ie Icarium and Icarium is on his way to fight Trull Sengar – and Quick Ben owes Shadowthrone a debt for sending him to Seven Cities.
So that’s my brainstorming done with the reading of the deack. I’ll take a look at the underlying politics surrounding Lasseen and Mallick and Tavore tomorrow I think.
Wow, speaking of a large chapter. I guess I'm sticking to my concept from the past chapters and will do a normal post with my usual sentences, then do a second post on the reading adding my thoughts to David's brainstorming.So, here we go:
1) Grey Helms
In the last chapter we speculated about the allegiance of the Grey Helms. Our theory that they belong to the Wolves of Winter are confirmed in this chapter, cause they brought the ships through the wolves's realm:
Damned near paradise, the assassin considered, after that wild three days in the raw, tumultuous warren of Togg and Fanderay.
2) Toblakai warren
A sage nod. ‘Of course, the ship woven in sorceries, where time itself is denied.’
‘Do you know the manner of those sorceries, Destriant?’
‘Kurald Emurlahn, Tellann, Telas and a residue of Toblakai, although in this latter case the nature of the power is ... uncertain. Of course,’ he added, ‘there is nothing unusual in that. Among the ancient Toblakai – according to our own histories – there could arise individuals, warriors, who became something of a warren unto themselves.
So it seems that Karsa could be his own warren. A warren of Otataral and Chaos?
3) What Laseen knows
I don't know, if we already had a text confirmation that Laseen actually knows who ST and Cotillion are. If not, I think this piece shows us, that at least Pearl is aware of it:
An intersection, the Empress leading him to the left – oh yes, she was familiar with this place. Where she had, years ago, assassinated the Emperor and Dancer. Assassination. If you could call it that. More like inadvertently aided and abetted.
Doesn't have to mean that Laseen knows as well, but I think it's likely.
4) Mallick Rel
And we get confirmation that Mallick Rel is the one who wants to have Banashar killed.
He was even able to convince Laseen of it:
Poor Banaschar, a haunted, befuddled scholar who simply wanted to talk to an old friend. But Mallick Rel did not want Tayschrenn disturbed. Because the Jhistal priest has plans.
5) Foreshadowing...
Yep, sorry, it's a spoiler:
(view spoiler)
6) All the players
Oponn reminds us of the sentence Tavore told Paran in their games as children regarding knowing all the players, before choosing a side and a tactic:
She faced him suddenly. ‘Can we be so sure, brother, that we comprehend all the players? All of them? What if one hides from us? Just one ... wild, unexpected, so very terrible ... we could end up in trouble. We could end up ... dead.
So, will there be consequences, if players are forgotten?
7) Bottle's task
So, what is Bottle up to, as he was sidelined in the deck reading? Doesn't seem to lead to an evening off:
‘I’ve never seen you before, you know that? But here you are, with a sliver of iron in your gut – gods but that must hurt, cutting away, always cutting away inside. You, sir, are somewhere in Malaz City, and she wants me to find you, and that’s that. A whole city, mind you, and I’ve got till dawn to track you down.’
So apparently Bottle is going to rescue someone, who will be knifed. I thought that he might be the one ending up saving Banashar, but with Hellian having done this for now, I'm not so sure.
I can't remember this from my first read.
8) Who's the presence?
So, who might be the one whose presence is felt by Banashar?
This night the Worm was awake, and with it the return of the ex-priest’s old sensitivities to the whisper of magic. In rapid succession thereafter, as he shifted from his path and found a dead-end alley in which to crouch, heart pounding, he felt multiple pulses of sorcery – a gate, slicing open the thinnest rent, the sudden, violent unravelling of some unseen tapestry, and then, finally, a trembling underfoot, as if something terrible and vast had just stepped onto the dry land of this island.
If I understood it correctly, Bottle was sent into the city by using a portal.
We assume that he is very powerful now, due to his connection to the Eres'al.
Could it be him Banashar is sensing?
Or is it T'amber? She seems very mysterious, so is she the one? But she didn't come by portal.
(view spoiler)
Or is it somebody else, somebody noone suspected, as was suggested by Oponn?
(view spoiler)
9) Throatslitter
Throatslitter – what are you doing there?’
‘Was thinking of sneaking into that crowd,’ the man said from the rail, where he’d thrown one leg over and was about to climb down into the murky water. ‘It doesn’t sound right, does it? There’s ringleaders up there – Claws, maybe, and you know how I like killing those. I could make things more confused, like they should be-"
Okay, filed as "interesting".
So, that's it for the normal part, doing a second one for the reading now.
T'Amber, virgin of death, so she's with Hood and she's done her job getting them there, and she also made the cards so she's out for awhile.David, such a brilliant recap, bravo loved your reading! It's great to make sense of something that was mumbo jumbo the first time, so cool.
Fiddler is in Life. We haven't heard much of Life before, Fiddler is powerfull in the deck yet will not ascend but will remain mortal.
Mpauli I have to come back to read your in depth literary analysis. :)
The reading:1) Fiddler
Dealer gets Soldier of High House Life but it’s bittersweet, meaning it’s for him and him alone, given this late hour.
David said:
The Dealer is Fiddler – Interpretation – Fiddler gets to live – but no assurances for anyone else
My take:
I agree. I might even go a step further by saying that "bittersweet" could mean that he's the only soldier that might make it.
He lifted up another card and set it down before him. ‘Priest of Life, hah, now that’s a good one. Game’s done.’
David said:
Is this an official designation for Fiddler? He was responsible for defending Tremorlor – which is the Azath tree aspected to Life.
My take:
This is a strange one. But I like David's way of thinking here.
With his qualifications as seer, a role of priest seems fitting for Fiddler.
2) Empty chair
Empty chair gets Weaver of Life and she needs a bath but nobody’s surprised by that. So we got two Life’s to start.’
David said:
I think this is Hellian given she is both absent from this meeting and she ends up in a state by the end of the chapter that can be described as “she needs a bath” and she also tends to weave a lot after a few drinks – so Hellian gets to live – Great – that’s two.
My take:
It makes a lot of sense, what David says. I was a bit lost here.
My thoughts wnet into a direction of Empty Seat > Empty Hold > Elder Gods > Mock's Hold...
But the bath thing regarding Hellian makes a lot more sense.
3) Kalam
‘And that’s why Kalam’s looking at an Unaligned. Obelisk, the Sleeping Goddess – you’re getting a reversed field, Kal, sorry but there’s nothing to be done for it.’
David said:
Kalam is undecided on whose side he’s on – so “unaligned” – you get a reverse field could indicate him reversing his previous decision re the Empress?
My take:
Obelisk represents Burn and therefore Earth and ground. So by reversing it, it's like loosing your ground, not being sure anymore.
Therefore I agree to Kalam being undecided. The clue to this, is in his second card:
A skitter, ending up in the middle, opposite both Kalam and Quick Ben – ‘Herald of High House Death. A distinctly inactive and out-of-date card in this field,[...]‘So how does Kalam get from Herald Death to Obelisk? Let’s see. Ah, King of High House Shadows! That shifty slime bung, oh, doesn’t he look smug!
David said:
I’m not sure what this means other than Kalam will be used by Shadowthrone.
But T’amber’s interpretation of Kalam’s cards
‘Someone’s undecided about something, that’s what Fiddler said. Who was it again?’
‘Kalam Mekhar,’ the Adjunct replied. ‘But the Herald of Death intervenes—’
‘Not the Herald,’ cut in T’amber, ‘but an inactive version, a detail I believe is crucial.’
So I take that to mean the Kalam will encounter Gethol and that will somehow make his mind up and somehow Shadowthrone will facilitate the whole thing?
My take:
I have another thought about the meaning of the herald. In my opinion, the position of herald in High House Death is vacant, cause Gethol quit the job to join the CG.
As we know, mortals can take on the roles in a house for a short time, so I think that means Kalam is going to be the herald of death in this immediate game.
So, at the start he's going to be the herald of death, but somehow Shadowthrone will be involved and that will lead Kalam to Obelisk, meaning in the end he will decide what he's going to do.
4) Apsalar
‘Apsalar’s got Assassin of High House Shadow, oh, isn’t that a surprise. It’s the only card she gets—’
David said:
Apsalar is representing High House Shadow and she has one life left on her hitlist
My take:
Yep, thanks SE for giving us one easy interpretation.
5) Quick Ben
‘Poor Quick Ben, he’s got Lifeslayer to deal with, and that puts him in a hole, but not the hole he thinks he’s in – a different hole.
David said:
Lifeslayer is Icarium –how is QB is going to cross paths with Icarium?
My take:
I don't get this one at all. What's the hole? Does QB now think that he has to go up against Icarium, but in the end he's not against Icarium, but with him?
That's the only way of thinking I have here.
Second card:
Quick Ben gets the Consort in Chains but he’s from Seven Cities and he just saved his sister’s life so it’s not as bad as it could’ve been.
David said:
The consort was Poliel who is now dead so perhaps Fiddler is saying that his part is done
My take:
Seems so...
(view spoiler)
Third card:
‘Knight of Shadow. I have never heard of such a card.
David said:
Trull Sengar I’m guessing – seeing he is currently teamed up with Shadow defending the First Throne. So what’s that got to do with Quick? Remeber Quick also has the lifeslayer card ie Icarium and Icarium is on his way to fight Trull Sengar – and Quick Ben owes Shadowthrone a debt for sending him to Seven Cities.
My take:
It seems that QB is destined to take part in the struggle between Trull and Icarium, I agree.
(view spoiler)
6) T'amber
Now T’amber, she’s opened the game with that card. Throne, and it’s shifting every which way. The pivot card, then—’
David said:
I’m not sure of this one – which Throne? Shadow? As in Shifting Shadows? Is Shadowthrone the game manipulator – the pivot? I’m only going on “shifting evry which way” part here. It’s thin – but so is Shadowthrone.
My take:
Could the shifting mean that multiple thrones are in play? The focus on the throne is shifting, cause we have the fight for the shadow throne, for the first throne and if we can trust in Pearl's judgment, a fight for the thrones of the Malazan empire as well.
The second interesting thing is that Fid says that T'amber opened the game with this card.
Makes sense that she opens her game with it, but might Fiddler hint towards her being resposible for the game in the first place?
(view spoiler)
Second card:
This one’s for you, T’amber. Virgin of Death, as far as you go. You’re out, so relax.
David said:
Don’t know what that means exactly- but it sounds like shell live at least.
My take:
(view spoiler)
7) Keneb
Lord of Wolves, the throne card of High House War, and aren’t they looking baleful – Fist, where’s Grub hiding these days?’
‘Well, that knocks you outa the game, though you still get four more cards, since we’ve made a course correction and the northeast headland’s rising up two pegs to starboard. In seventy heartbeats we’ll be sliding closest to that rocky coast, and Nok’s ship will be even closer, and Grub will dive overboard. He’s got three friends living in the caves in the cliff and here are their cards—’ Three more skidded out to just beyond the centre of the table. ‘Crown, Sceptre, Orb. Hmm, let’s ignore those for now.’
David said:
Tavore later acts on this by leaving Keneb in charge of the fleet and the Grey Helms (wolves) when she goes ashore.
So I guess we get to keep an eye out on whoever the three friends are Grub gets to meet – either way it appears not to be immediately relevant – as per Fiddler’s instructions - file away for now
My take:
That's it in my book as well. Nothing to add here.
Second card(s):
‘Spinner of Death, Queen of Dark, Queen of Life and, ho, the King in Chains. Like hopping stones across a stream, isn’t it?
David said:
This was for Keneb. I think what Fiddler is saying here is Keneb, you are going to be very busy – given that he plays the Spinner of Death when he fakes the plague ships – and the last card “King in Chains” is Rhulad, far away on the continent of Lether and it looks like involvement with two other ascendants in between.
My take:
Again, nothing much to add. I think the part with "like hopping stones" suggests that it will be a jouney with those stations for Keneb.
As we've seen that a few Tiste Andii are in Malaz City, maybe the "Mother Dark" part refers to them. They're at least related.
8) Tavore
‘Relax, he’ll be back. So, we get to the Adjunct’s card. House of War, Guardians of the Road, or the Dead – title’s uncertain so take your pick.’ He threw another card and it slid up beside it. ‘Oponn. As I thought. Decisions yet to be made. Will it be the Push or the Pull?
David said:
The Guardians of the Dead are the Bridgeburners – so maybe the ascended Bridgeburners will come to her aid as they did at the end of the Whirlwind apocalypse. So where does that put the unascended Bridgeburners?
My take:
see second card
Second card:
Master of the Deck. Ganoes Paran, Adjunct. Your brother. Even cold iron, Tavore Paran, needs tempering.”
My take:
It seems that Ganoes and Tavore are going to be together in this.
As Ganoes called the Guardians of the Dead into being, maybe the Guardians of the Road are the remaining living Bridgeburners. That could mean that Ganoes gets to work with the one "half" and Tavore with the other.
9) Bottle
Deathslayer. You can sleep now, Bottle, you’re done as done for the night.’
David said:
Deathslayer is the crippled god (going by Fiddlers previous inspection of the deck) which I take to mean Bottle has no immediate role to play in the encounter between Lasseen and Tavore – though he will play a yet undefined role down the track?
My take:
I agree. And the game against the CG is a bigger one. Remember that Fiddler said that when somebody interrupts him, it's like upping the ante.
And Bottle interrupts him here:
Now T’amber, she’s opened the game with that card. Throne, and it’s shifting every which way. The pivot card, then—’
‘What’s a pivot card?’ Bottle asked, finally sitting down.
‘Bastard – knew I couldn’t trust you. It’s the hinge, of course
So, by interrupting Fiddler, Bottle gets to sit this one out, but therefore has to play a more dangerous role in the bigger game.
So, that's it for now. See you next chapter!
Mod
‘Do you look forward to seeing her again?’
‘I travelled in her company for some time, Empress.’
‘And?’
‘And, to answer your question, I am ... indifferent.’
‘My Adjunct does not inspire loyalty?’
‘Not with me, Empress. Nor, I think, with the soldiers of the Fourteenth Army.’
‘And yet, Pearl, has she failed them? Even once?’
‘Y’Ghatan—’
Mallick then assigns Pearl a hand of Claw to go and assassinate Banaschar and here we get some interesting interplay
Pearl’s eyes remained fixed on the Empress, locked with her own, but she gave nothing away, as if daring him to ask what he so longed to: Does a Claw take his orders from a Jhistal priest of Mael now? A man delivered here in chains not so long ago? But, he knew, her silence gave him his answer.
But exactly WHAT answer does Lasseen’s silence mean? I like how Pearl’s interpretation of that silence shifts as the chapter progresses. As for us readers I think the first key is to assume that Lasseen knows everything. That she is fully aware of Mallick’s and Korbolo’s falseness and their ambition. Pearl concludes that their elevation is part of the sham of demonising Coltaine and the Wickans
To ruin the name of Coltaine, that of his enemy must be raised. Korbolo Dom, from traitor to hero. Somehow ... no, I don’t want to know the details.Laseen could not then execute or even imprison a hero, could she? Indeed, she’d have to promote him.
Pearl entertains the possibility then that Lasseen has worked herself into a corner. He also concludes that perhaps he himself is her solution to working her out of that corner
The Claw, Mallick Rel, are not yours. And the Empress has ... abstained. No, it seems that, until – or if – Topper returns, the Claw are mine. Convenient as well, Laseen, that you brought six hundred with you ...
So while it appeared that the Empress was blowing Pearl off, he concludes correctly that the end result is still that he has six hundred top assassins at his command – with no orders directly from the Empress lips – which he then interprets as licence to deal to Mallick and Korbolo once the night’s work is done – and how easy would it be to blame those assassination on the army now in harbour and all the confusion of the night.
Tomorrow, the new Clawmaster once more cleans house. And maybe ... maybe that is what you ask from me. Or you have asked it already, for it wasn’t just the Adjunct for whom you assembled that tribunal, was it? You just gave me command of six hundred assassin-mages, didn’t you? What else would they be for?
And the Claw definitely has been infiltrated by Mallick – with a shadow organisation within called the “Black Glove”
... most of the Hand on its way down from Mock’s Hold belonged to the phantom Black Glove that was the name of Mallick Rel’s spectral organization.
It is also the Black Glove who are primarily responsible for agitating the mob in the Empress’ name. They are there to slaughter the Wickans and by association, the 14th – all in the Empress name.
I like how Hellian interprets the frenzied mob on the docks when she’s thinking of taking some shore leave
’Look, there’s soldiers on the jetties, and well-wishers. Why aren’t we heading in? They’re waving.’ Hellian waved back...’
I like how Hellian finally arrests her man, Banaschar. And she’s quite formidable, being able to pound the claw assassins head in. I like how she ends up in a tavern with a Kenryllah demon as the bar tender. It sounds like one of those jokes – three men walk into a bar – A woman, a priest, and a demon and the demon says...
And of course Oponn are there, still wanting their own piece of the game. They aren’t too happy with how Paran got away from them and is even now messing up whatever plans they have
‘It was that damned soldier,’ her brother snarled. ‘Stealing our power! The arrogance, to usurp us in our very own game! I want his blood!’
But when they cast the knuckles they don’t seem too happy at what they foresee
And then, had there been anyone present to see them, they would have witnessed on their perfect faces bemused expressions. Frowns deepening, confusion reigning in immortal eyes, and, before this night was done, pure terror.
The non-existent witness would then shake his or her head. Never, dear gods. Never mess with mortals.
I like how Keneb is able frustrate Captain’s Rynag’s attempt to command the fleet – What Rynag wants is for Nok’s escort ships to head on out back to Unta – for the Perish to standby – and for the 14th and the Wickan to stay behind and come ashore – right into the maw of the frenzied mob. Until Keneb tells himthey are all carrying plague from Seven Cities.
Fiddler Gessler and Stormy sneak assure on their own covert mission. Fiddler gets some special crossbows designed specifically for shooting Moranth munitions and with extra range. He gets those for free –
‘Take ‘em, I don’t want your coin. Take ‘em and go blow up people you don’t like.’
Of course he does end up paying a small fortune for the weapons by being overcharged for his new fiddle and bow.
Also sneaking off the ship are Red Blades – they aren’t on any mission for Tavore though – more like siding with the Empress against Tavore – Lostara manages to give Kalam a heads up
‘...Sound idea, by the way, Captain, your Fist deciding to act on his own.’
The look she shot him started sweat beneath Kalam’s clothing, as she asked, ‘Was it, Kalam Mekhar?’
‘Well—’
She faced straight ahead again. ‘The Fist,’ she said in a whisper, ‘hasn’t even begun.’
Well ... oh, that’s not good at all.
Kalam of course is still hedging. When Tavore asks him to escort her he answers
Wait, I can decide on this without deciding on anything else. Can’t I? Of course I can. ‘Very well, Adjunct. I will be part of your escort. We’ll get you to Mock’s Hold.’
‘To the Hold, yes, that is what I have asked of you here.’
In other words I’ll get you there, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get you back
So things are heating up for a showdown. It’s Tavore vs Lasseen. Pearl vs Mallick. Six hundred claw and the mob vs the 14th. Throw in gods, ascendants, demons, assassins and Moranth Munitions and things are about to go BOOM!
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Wondering how Pearl will react when he sees Lostara is still alive - and how that might affect his choices. Too bad Laseen wasn't more specific about what she wanted him to do. Hope he does take out Mallick Rel and Korbolo but I can't see it being that easy to get rid of them.My favourite part of this chapter was Hellian, rising like a swamp monster after ditching her armour and weapon in the water when it made her sink, then wandering into the public street with an eel still attached behind her ear in her hurry to get to her next drink. She's hilarious...and a menace.
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David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow
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The card game was awesome, but SUPER confusing. I didn't understand probably more than 25% of it. Glad to have your thoughts/theories on it at least.
And Hellian..lol:
“Save your explanations, I got some questions for you first and you'd better answer them!' [slurred Hellian.]
'With what?' [Banaschar] sneered. 'Explanations?'
'No. Answers. There's a difference-'
'Really? How? What difference?'
'Explanations are what people use when they need to lie. Y'can always tell those,'cause those don't explain nothing and then they look at you like they just cleared things up when really they did the opposite and they know it and you know it and they know you know and you know they know that you know and they know you and you know them and maybe you go out for a pitcher later but who picks up the tab? That's what I want to know.'
'Right, and answers?'
'Answers is what I get when I ask questions. Answers is when you got no choice. I ask, you tell. I ask again, you tell some more. Then I break your fingers, 'cause I don't like what you're telling me, because those answers don't explain nothing!”
I'll be finishing up the book this weekend then taking next week off for Red Seas Under Red Skies. Not sure I'd be able to stop at this point anyways.
Mod
Also did he drop all those diamonds on crap simply because the guy was refusing to take money for the crossbows?
I'm intrigued by Laseen and Pearl's conversation about Tavore, especially this bit:'Adjunct Tavore rarely emerges from an event - no matter how benign or fortuitous - untarnished. And no, I do not understand why this should be so.'
'The legacy of Coltaine.'
Pearl nodded in the darkness. Then, he frowned. Ah, Empress, now I see . . .
So this sounds to me like Laseen has nothing against Tavore after all and this whole scheme is actually supposed to strengthen Tavore's popularity.
David Sven wrote: "So things are heating up for a showdown. It’s Tavore vs Lasseen. Pearl vs Mallick. Six hundred claw and the mob vs the 14th. Throw in gods, ascendants, demons, assassins and Moranth Munitions and things are about to go BOOM! What is Surly doing? She had three functional armies at one point: Coltaine's, Tavore's, and Dujek's. Coltaine's got nearly wiped out, and the remnants have folded into Tavore's. Dujek's also got nearly wiped out, and its now mostly recruits, but led by Paran (Tavore's sister). That means the only army capable of projecting force now is Tavore's.
And Surly has ordered the 14th back to Malaz island, and to stand down leaving their arms on ship, so they can be slaughtered by the waiting mob. If she succeeds, she will have wiped out her only remaining army, and reduces her power. If she fails, she will destroy lots of her own population, increase Tavore's power, and reduce her own credibility with her supporters (most significantly Tavore, Paran, Kalam, Quick Ben, and probably others). She can't be this stupid, so what does she think she is trying to do?
The whole thing sort of reminds me of one of the dreadful Star War movies, where Senator Palpitate has control of the two most powerful armies in the universe: the droid army and the clone army. He manipulates things so both of his own armies destroy each other in perhaps the most boring battle in cinema history. After wiping out his own two centers of power, he cackles "Things have gone exactly according to plan." I know Erikson is a lot smarter than Lucas, and he probably has something in mind for Surly that makes sense, but I don't see it.
Also, Laseen's not ordering Banashar's assassination makes me think she might have done something similar to have deniability about the destroying of the Bridgeburners at Pale.
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That may be right - perhaps she is entertaining the possibility of saving Tavore while seeing the Wickans put down - Pearl does entertain the possibility that perhaps Lasseen might try to use Tavore to help her against Mallick and Korbolo.
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I'm not sure anyone would raise any eyebrows at banaahar going missing. He's a bit of a has been at the moment
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Yes. But it makes me think the guy wasn't being that altruistic after all and charging for the Fiddle instead of the crossbows was just an in joke.
Not many people would care, but Tayschren might. He and Banaschar have a history, and several people know both that Banaschar has been trying to contact the high Mage, and that Mallick has been trying to prevent that contact. Do we know how he would react if he found about this, and if he learned that Surly had been in on it?
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That's a point yes. She would not want Tay off side. AS far as Tay goes, I wonder if he's the sleeping sorcerer in the tower where the Oponn twins are
To most citizens of the city, the tower appeared to be in ruins, but that was an illusion, maintained by the sorcerer who occupied its lower chambers, a sorcerer who seemed to be sleeping. The twin god and goddess known as Oponn had the platform
David Sven wrote: "That's a point yes. She would not want Tay off side. AS far as Tay goes, I wonder if he's the sleeping sorcerer in the tower where the Oponn twins are"(view spoiler)
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The only way I can begin to make sense of what Laseen is trying to do is by her trying to quell the mess that Dom and Rel have created in Malaz, while at the same time opening up a path that allows her to get rid of the two of them. But since its highly unlikely that anyone in the 14th is just going to give up the Wickans, I don't see how this idea can possibly work, and I think she should be smart enough, and well enough informed, to know better.If this is the explanation, then there really needs to be some further description of how Dom and Rel wormed their way into power. (And the worming analogy is especially appropriate in this book, yes?) Given what she knew about Dom's involvement with rebellion, why would she ever have let him do anything again?
I'm not saying that there isn't an explanation for all this, but I don't see it, and its very disturbing to me. At some point, we should be able to understand some of the motivations of the major players. Laseen's are a total mystery to me at this point. Shadowthrone's are a near total mystery to me. (And Hood's motivations were just deliberately hidden from us.)
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There is also no way for Lasseen to know how far her Claw have been infiltrated - she must know something in that regard. I'm also assuming Mallick has some magical ability - so putting that all together could possibly mean that Mallick is not so easy to dispose of politically or by force.
I'd agree that Laseen is a puzzle and don't understand how this supposedly brilliant woman got herself into this mess of desperation. In fact, she's stupid! Even now she has no ideas hot far she's fallen and in her arrogance thinks there's a way out and that she still is in control. Perhaps she's emblematic of what happens when one thinks they so much can control so much, but really we are the playthings of so many other forces. I find it odd that she never even visited Genabackis when she can easily travel by warren. She may have been counting on Kalam killing Mallick right there, as her own shaved knuckle.
But it still doesn't work for me.
Silvio wrote: "I'm intrigued by Laseen and Pearl's conversation about Tavore, especially this bit:'Adjunct Tavore rarely emerges from an event - no matter how benign or fortuitous - untarnished. And no, I do no..."
Or I guess maybe she's given up on Tavore as being too much in Coltaine's shadow and is planning to get rid of her and pull another competent general out of somewhere. Whatever it is, it sure looks stupid, but I don't think Laseen's stupid, so there must be more to it than's visible.
Yes, it's pretty clear that Mallick is behind the pogrom against the Wickans. And that it's his influence that has gotten Laseen into the corner she is in. But that leaves open the huge question of how she could have let that happen. Without a good answer to that question, she just looks stupid. And her "leadership" style makes her look doubly stupid. Getting taken into her confidence is only a prelude to betrayal. It happened to the Emperor, then to Whiskeyjack, now to Tavore. It's pretty clear now that she has given the Claw to Pearl, in the hopes that he will take care of Dom and Rel for her. But how is he to trust that he's not next on the list of person's to be taken care of. Absolutely nothing she does would inspire confidence in the people that she most needs to run her Empire.
Tavore has her own army, loyal first to her, and now the Perish, who have pledged their allegiance to her. What does Laseen have now? She's lost control of her claw, lost control of her one effective army, lost sight of her other army. Her closest advisors are snakes just waiting for the right moment to betray her. She still sort of has Pearl and Tavore, but her hold on each is very, very tenuous, and I think she's just not capable of keeping the loyalty of anyone.
Mod
I think Lasseen is too insecure in her position to have the most powerful person in the Empire be someone other than her. It looks stupid from the reader's perspective because we have more of a birdseye view but from Lasseen's POV - if she were Tavore she would use her new army to seize power. I think like the Empire Lasseen is too stretched, she's got too many balls in the air and all her schemes are coming back to bite her in the arse. Perhaps her plan is to set all her enemies at each other's throats without seeming to take any sides and then pick off the winner. The problem is for her is that all the players are at least as clever as she is.
She's a disappointment isn't she, she didn't even kill Kellevan it was all his plan. I like how she's turned out to be just another closed sighted person who has no grasp of power, and doesn't inspire loyaly when we compare her to Tavore who now has the 14th, the Perish, and even Kalam. Laseen is just about power, Tavore is serving for something outside herself.
In addition to that, Laseen's circle of trust took a lot of hits lately.With Lorn dead, Topper gone and Tayshrenn being passive, there remains no-one to be trusted. I think, at this point she hopes that someone is going to step up and can be trusted. That's why she reaches out to Tavore and Pearl and maybe that's also why she let Mallick Rel and Dom gain power. She looks for allies at all the wrong places.
It does not see this way, but the empire always was a team effort. Although Kellanved was the leader, with people like Dancer, Tayshrenn, the Crusts, Toc the Elder, Nok, Dassem Ultor and Surly on his side, he was relatively save.
Laseen had her own smaller circle, but all of them are gone now or aren't trustworthy.
Lori (Hellian) wrote: "Tavore is serving for something outside herself."Is she? So far I don't have a clue why Tavore does anything, only that she's good at it.
David Sven wrote: "Lasseen is too stretched"
Hmm, kind of like Shadowthrone at that.
I like everyone's analyses of Laseen, and I'm more than half convinced now that even if she's not stupid she doesn't have things any more under control than it looks.
"To ruin the name of Coltaine, that of his enemy must be raised. Korbolo Dom from traitor to hero". I had assumed it was the opposite way around: that the whole reason behind ruining The name of Coltaine and the Wickans was to clear Korbolo Dom's name. If Pearl is correct in his assumption that the end game is to ruin Coltaine, and KD's hero status is the means to that end, what then is the reason for wanting to ruin Coltaine in the first place? Does the empress just have something against the Wickans?
And that card game was something else, my brain might just explode trying to make sense of it! Did anyone else get the sense that Fiddler (or perhaps some god influencing him) wanted to keep Bottle out of that game as much as possible? First sending him for wine/rum (so his first card is dealt to the "empty chair") and then telling him to go to sleep? For someone whose power puts QB on edge, it seemed odd that he wasn't more involved, possibly as if someone was trying to conceal his role (which he does seem to have given that he is sent into the city to find someone) Also, assuming the "empty chair" is indeed bottle's chair, the Weaver of Life could also be the Eres'al - the "she needs a bath" comment would seem to fit with that, anyways.
Kimberly wrote: ""To ruin the name of Coltaine, that of his enemy must be raised. Korbolo Dom from traitor to hero". I had assumed it was the opposite way around: that the whole reason behind ruining The name of ..."
These are some interesting thoughts, Kimberly.
Regarding Coltaine: I assume that the issue is that Coltaine became a cult in Seven Cities. There are parallels to the cult that was built around Dassem Ultor and Laseen felt threatened by that cult.
The last thing she wants to have are these religious hero cults she can't control.
So her fear of what can become of such a cult is her reason for acting against it preemptively.
Your chair observation is kind of genius! I never thought about it that the empty chair could actually be Bottle's chair, who's serving drinks at the time. Need to think about the possible implications some more.
And the way I saw it, Bottle takes himself out of the game. Fid established the rule that interrupting him has some consequence and Bottle interrupts him on purpose, so I guess Bottle traded his place for a greater role in the future on purpose.
Mod
Reminds me of the guy who walks into the convenience shop asking where the deodorant is. The shop keeper asks "Would you like that in the Aerosol?"
to which he replies "No - armpit."
That makes sense re: Coltaine, I forgot about the cult, probably because It confused me why they would form a cult surrounding a leader on the other side of the war/rebellion. Come to think of it, maybe Korbolo Dom had something to do with that, knowing the empress would then want to demonize Coltaine and in turn clear his own name, then again I may be giving him far too much credit.
Lori - I think you're not talking about this chapter. You might want to spoiler tag your comment.Kimberly wrote: ""To ruin the name of Coltaine, that of his enemy must be raised. Korbolo Dom from traitor to hero".
I had assumed it was the opposite way around: that the whole reason behind ruining The name of ..."
My reading of the conversation was that Coltaine's name needed to be ruined so it wouldn't overshadow other commanders' like Tavore. But I don't really understand it, which is what I was going on about earlier in the thread. I wonder how Coltaine reincarnated will play into all this.
This chapter was quite long and very much frustrating to me, I did not get a single thing from the game which was being played by fiddler and co.But thanks to good reads I got were they upto.Seriously 5 books into the series and still have to rack my brain.
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This is the sixth book :-)
My first read I got nothing from that reading and I admit I was frustrated because I thought I SHOULD! But then I let it go, and focused on the what was going on with the people themselves, which was great. And I got some hints of what was to come.My 2nd read I did understand lots more, but still was racking my brains about some stuff, no definitive answers but theories.
I think we like having our brains racked!
I love it when Fid plays the cards. It's utter entertainment, though i needed David's summary to understand at least half of it :)
Ow I hope Mallick bites it. And Lasseen is annoying as hell, it's like she wants to make a big mess and see what happens.I am wondering where Ganoes Paran and his army are at this moment. Last we saw them they were getting ready to march to Aren. I'm not sure how much time has passed since then. I think at least a week but probably more. Too soon for a family reunion with his sister I guess.
What happened to Topper? Am I forgetting something that's already happened or is his disappearance yet to be explained?
