TtH - Chapter Twelve - No Spoliers

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Chapter Eleven discussion thread

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

First up, I’ll go straight to the big reveal this chapter – The Dying god is Bellurdan Skullcrusher.

Aranatha sighed. ‘Husband, Blood Sworn to Nightchill,’ she intoned, ‘child of Thelomen Tartheno Toblakai, Bellurdan Skullcrusher, I summon you.’

The last time we saw him was in GOTM where he was carrying around the bones of his lover, Nightchill – before Tattersail kills him and fuses with Nightchill to become Silverfox – confused?

So Tattersail and Nightchill fuse together – Nightchill/Silverfox decide they don’t need to be fused with Bellurdan and cast his soul aside into chaos.

‘She discarded you,’ said Aranatha, ‘didn’t she? The fragment of you that was left afterwards. Tainted child-like, abandoned.’

In chaos, Bellurdan feeds on the bits of broken and discarded gods and perhaps becomes a god himself

‘But you are no god, are you?’
‘Down on the floor, you never go hungry. Am I a god now? I must be. Don’t you see? I ate so many of them. So many parts, pieces. Oh, their power, I mean.

In chaos he runs into Hairlock, our insane puppet where he gets the idea to try and soulshift himself into his own puppet

‘I know you spoke with the one named Hairlock, on the floor of the Abyss. And you imagined you could do the same, that you could fashion for yourself a body. Of wood, of twine, of clay—’

Bellurdan then finds himself a skykeep and flies out of chaos – only he didn’t know enough about skykeeps to realise this one was broken – so he crashes in Bastion

‘The machine was broken, but I didn’t know that. I rode its back, up and up. But then something happened. An accident. We fell a long way. We were terribly broken, both of us.

Since then Belurdan AKA The dying god has been trying to soul shift back into a proper body – but he is too powerful for any body to hold him – they just keep bleeding out that black goup – which I’m guessing is a combination of blood and chaos? Just guessing here.

‘None of these ones worked. All the power just leaks out...’

Anyway, the black goup gets ingested and sends the worshippers crazy and then they die. But finally The dying god found a body that could contain him - Clip

Now I need to make a new version, just like you said. And you have brought me one. It will do. I am not deaf to its thoughts. I understand its chaos, its pains and betrayals. I even understand its arrogance. It will do, it will do.’

But getting a new body was only the first part of the plan – Bellurdan wants revenge on Nightchill for discarding him

There was great need. You were the part of her . . . that she did not want.’
‘She will pay!

Bellurdan also wanted a portal out of Bastion and into The Redeemers warren/barrow – and for that he needed blood in the temple. The Tiste Andii played into this plan by killing the worshipers in the process of rescuing Clip

‘I’ll be gone long before then. The river of blood you provided me – my way out. Far away I go! You can’t see it, can you? The gate you’ve opened here. You can’t even see it.’

Why does The Dying god want to take out The Redeemer. I think one – Silverfox was last around those parts in MOI – but probably also because The Redeemer and The Dying god are mirror opposites. The Dying god dishes out pain – The Redeemer takes pain

So while the Tiste Andii are slaughtering in the temple in Bastion – The Dying god is making his way into the Redeemer’s barrow via the possessed Salind. As soon as Aranantha summons Bellurdan – Salind’s assault on Seerdomin stops,

‘Why did she leave, Redeemer?’
The answer was long in coming. ‘You had help, I believe.

The only question now is – what happened to the Dying god

‘Are you certain you have him, Aranatha?’
She met his eyes, and then shrugged.


And Aranatha is definitely more than she appears. Bellurdan recognizes her

‘What did he mean, that he knew you? And how – how did you know his name?’

Watch this space I guess

A few other things we learn

Caladan Brood tells Endest that their is an ongoing war between the Jaghut and Forkrul Assail’

‘They shared this world with the Forkrul Assail, who were their opposites. They were witnesses to the purest manifestation of arrogance and separation.’
‘Was there war?...’
... The revelation was . . . monstrous. Insane. ‘Where?’
The warlord’s smile was without humour. ‘Far away from here, friend, which is well. Imagine what your Lord might elect to do, if it was otherwise.’

And Spinnock is in love with Salind

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Ok, let me know what the end of this chapter is and i'll read up to there. I think my copy is all weird.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

This chapter ends with this from Kallor

I will defeat that curse, finally defeat it.
Can you hear me, K’rul?
No matter. You will see what there is to see, soon enough.
These were, he decided, glorious times indeed.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

back to normal. my chapter ended here as well.

[Sabrina]

David Sven wrote: "First up, I’ll go straight to the big reveal this chapter – The Dying god is Bellurdan Skullcrusher.

Aranatha sighed. ‘Husband, Blood Sworn to Nightchill,’ she intoned, ‘child of Thelomen Tarthen..."


My goodness, you are good.I can see now, there will have to be a second, maybe third read for me.

I did not pick up that the dying god was Bellurdan. I did get that Arantha is pretty capable but, I thought that when she protected them all from the affects of the Dying God in the town where Clip was first taken. Hairlock,hadn't heard from that evil little puppet since... can't remember when. Was it Deadhouse Gates? I'm curious as to why everyone is going to or near Darujhistan. Thinking that it is where the Crippled God will show up.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

sabrina, this is second time through has been wonderful. Especially in a discussion group like this one. There is so much that SE foreshadows, especially in the earlier books, you probably saw all our spoiler tags in the early book threads.

I left it a year before starting again and I have loved every minute of diving back into it. Funny you say that, becuase my first read, it was about now that i started saying that I was all ready looking forward to reading the series again, even though I hadn't yet finished the series.

[Lori]

Yep first time I completely missed out on who the dying god is, and thought it was a different name for TCG!

[Sumant]

First up, I’ll go straight to the big reveal this chapter – The Dying god is Bellurdan Skullcrusher

I definitely remember Bellurdan skul crusher from GOTM, so he is trying soul shifting into puppets and this is not working for him, also regarding nightchill as far as i can remember she was cursed by kallor that she will be betrayed by someone near to her so I think that was the completion of the curse, also how does arantha knows so much about bellurdan?.

Also traveller and karsa are bonding.Also is seerdomin dead?.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Sumant wrote: "Also is seerdomin dead?"

I think so. But in this series, I'm not sure what that means exactly.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

also how does arantha knows so much about bellurdan

Now there is a question.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

My big take away is, just who the hell is Aranatha really?

Thanks for your explaining the big reveal about the Dying God David. I felt like I should know something or go Oh! but I was like huh? I recognized Nightchill's name but that was about it.

At this point a reread of the series sounds daunting..but maybe in a few years.

[Silvio]

I wonder if the Assail-Jaghut war has anything to do with the continent of Assail. And Caladan's so right about what Rake would do.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Rob wrote: "My big take away is, just who the hell is Aranatha really?"

That is the big question now. I can't for the life of me remember.

[Duffy]

The dying god's troubles with mastering soul shifting should also clue us further into how powerful Quick Ben really is (if we didn't already know).

I too started talking about re-reading the series about this point in, or maybe a little before. Of course, I never finished the series. Dust of Dreams and Crippled God will be new for me, and I'm really looking forward to them.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I remember who she is because I managed to guess correctly the fist time round. I am now busy looking for the clue that lead me to my guess.

[Lori]

I'm beginning to have my suspicions...

[Dara]

Duffy wrote: "The dying god's troubles with mastering soul shifting should also clue us further into how powerful Quick Ben really is (if we didn't already know)."

Good observation! I hadn't thought about that but damn, QB is really impressive.

When The Dying God said that he was from chaos, I thought he was Hairlock but it didn't really work out in my head. Then when Arathana summoned Bellurdan, it all made more sense. Great reveal.

I'm nervous to see what Kallor is going to do in Darujistan. He's powerful and cunning, which makes for a scary villain.

[Scott]

Great tie-in with Nightchill and Bellurdan and Hairlock. I've been rooting for Hairlock to reappear and becomes part of team TGC with Kallor. Kallor and Hairlock would make such a great despicable duo. I knew Aranatha was going to be possessed of a god but hadn't guessed on Nightchill.

And Anomander Rake said, ‘It is all right to fail, friend. I do not demand the impossible of you. Do not weep at that moment. For me, Spinnock Durav, find a smile to announce the end. Fare well.’

OK am I reading too much into what Rake said or is that a foreboding that he knows his actual end is coming? Normally I might glance over it but with the chapter start and the three brothers talking of plans already laid and ends to come it popped out at me.