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DoD: Chapter Twenty One - No Spoilers
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Lee, High Priest of Shadow
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Feb 23, 2014 01:32PM
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Wow, I think David's going to need a full page for this chapter's analysis. I couldn't put the book down during this chapter, so much information and convergence, I must have highlighted and added notes to 40% of the chapter - it was fun starting to make connections and putting pieces together. Also didn't get enough sleep last night, but it was worth it. :)
I don't really know where to start so I'll wait for David's post.
One question though, Shurq is talking to Felash and looking at the princess thinking how hard she worked to look older but the effect 'reminded her of those porcelain dolls the Shake used to find washed up on the beaches'.
Does anyone else remember seeing anything about porcelain dolls washing up? Or maybe it was something to do with the K'Chain 'seeds'. Odd, anyway.
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The First Families sparred. Power was a wayward tide. We were the coins they exchanged. So long as we were never spent, so long as we’—remained unsullied—’remained as we were, the battles saw little blood
Yan Tovis AKA Twilight considers the possibility that the Shake have been drawn back to defend the portal from another Liosan invasion
‘The Shake—the very impulse that drove you to set us on the Road of Gallan—it was all meant to bring us here. Kharkanas, the First Shore. We must find out why. We must discover what the goddess wants of us.’
Horror rippled through Yan Tovis. No.Her eyes lifted past Yedan to the First Shore, to that tumultuous wall of light—and the innumerable vague figures behind the veil. No, please. Not again.
We get some insight into Kilmandaros. According to Sechul she is one side of balance – the destructive side
She was a singular force of balance, Sechul knew—had always known. Creation was her personal anathema, and the destruction in her hands was its answer.
We learn that Sechul is the father/creator of the Oponn twins of chance
..Yet between them was Sechul Lath, Lord of Chance and Mischance, Caster of Knuckles...
... He’d spawned the Twins and left them to inherit the pathetic game....
...Leave it to my Oponnai. The Twins must ever face one another, lest existence unravel. They are welcome to it.
And Sechul Lath seems tired of the whole game of gods. He sees the struggle for power and resurrection as pointless – Entropy was inevitable. He would end it all sooner rather than later
No, he’d had his fill of mortal blood.
But immortal blood, ah, that was another matter. With it, he could... he could... what? I can break the fulcrum. I can send the scales crashing down. It’s all pointless anyway—the Che’Malle saw to that. We rise and we fall, but each and every time the cycle renews, our rise is never as high as the last time,...
... None of us can go back. Errastas, what you seek will only precipitate your final fall, and good riddance. Still, lead on, old friend. To the place where I will do what must be done. Where I will end... everything.
He’s a rather cheery fellow isn’t he
Anyway – Errastas and co enter what I believe is the Imperial warren to release the Otataral dragon. According to Sechul the Otataral dragon is poison to K’rul’s blood so he must have been involved in her chaining – and now the Crippled god is the new poison
‘K’rul must have participated. He must have played a role in this chaining—after all, he had the most to lose. She was the poison as you say, but if she was so to her kin that was incidental. Her true poison was when she was loose in K’rul’s blood—in his warrens. He needed her chained. Negated.’ He paused, cocked his head. ‘Don’t you think it curious that the Crippled God has now taken her place? That he is the one now poisoning K’rul?’
And Curdle and Telorast catch up with Torrent and Olar – and we learn how they became imprisoned. Close to taking the throne of Shadow they were confronted by Kilmadaros, Rake and Edgewalker. Edgewalker gave them a choice
So close! To our precious prize! But then, the three stood before us, between us and the throne. The bitch with her fists. The bastard with his dread sword. Edgewalker gave us a choice. Kilmandaros and the chains, or Anomander and Dragnipur.
They stayed bound until Dessimbelackis found them, looking for allies. He freed their souls and placed them into the corpse of a Tiste Andii woman.
He knew you were hunting him. He needed allies. But we were chained, and he could not break those chains. So he offered to take our souls—and he brought us a corpse. A woman. Tiste Andii.’
The only problem was that every time they try to semble into their dragon forms they ended back in Emurlahn
Each time we sought to semble into our true selves, the chains returned! Each time, we found ourselves back within Emurlahn! We were useless to him, don’t you see?’
They can now manifest by taking a body – and they can semble for short periods. But if they can reach the Throne of Shadow, they will be Lords of Shadow and be able to break their chains.
If we could reach the throne, we could break our bindings! We could escape our prison!’
So we know what their deal is now. Olar could break the chains herself, but she has no intention of upsetting Kilmandaros or Edgewalker.
And Dessimbalickis’ motives in leading the First Empire to go soletaken was to teach humans they were the same as beasts?
He created a ritual out of chaos—to bind humans to the beasts, to force upon them their animal natures. He sought to teach them a lesson. About themselves.’
And we learn that Olar cursed the T’lan Imass with the ritual of Tellan – not to go hunting Jaghut – but maybe to get revenge?
‘Spirits of the earth! It was punishment! Olar Ethil—that Ritual—you were cursing them! Look at you—...’
... ‘You miserable, pathetic thing. What was it? Some offhand insult? A jilted love? Did your man sleep with some other woman? Why did you curse them for all eternity, Olar Ethil? Why?’
And she wonm’t break the curse because it would be the end of humanity?
Why don’t you let it go?’ Torrent asked. ‘Bonecaster. Let them all go.’
‘No! I have no choice in this—none! You mortals are such fools—you just don’t see it, you don’t see anything!’
‘What am I supposed to see?’ Torrent shouted back.
‘I am trying to save your pathetic lives! All of you!’
I can’t work her out yet. First she hates humans – now she’s trying to save them. Or maybe she hates them enough to punish them, but not enough to annihilate them?
It looks like the Senan tribe saved themselves by walking away from the battle
Meanwhile, on Shurq’s boat, princess Felash consults her handmaid to do a divination to find out who the players are on the wastelands
‘Tell me again of the undead in the Wastelands.’
‘Which ones, Highness?’
‘The ones who move as dust on the winds...’
... They number in the thousands, after all, and the one who leads them emanates such blinding power that I dare not look too long upon it.
So this is Tool and the T’lan with him
One of darkness and cold.
Draconus
One of golden fire high in the sky. Another at his side, a winged knot of grief harder and crueller than the sharpest cut diamond.
Ryadd and Silchas
‘Yet another, fiercer and wilder than all the others. It hides inside stone. It swims in a sea thick with the pungent flavours of serpents. It waits for the moment, and grows in its power
I’m guessing this is Olar Ethil. It’s a very similar description to earlier in the book Ch15
Torrent stared up at her. An old hag crackling with venom and rage. Her dead breath reeked of serpents among the rocks.
We learn that Jhistal is an Old Empire name for Mael
When the colonists from the First Empire set forth, they made sacrifice to the salty seas in the name of Jhistal. The Tiste Edur in their great war canoes opened veins to feed the foam, and this red froth they called Bloodmane—in the Edur language that word was Mael.
And we learn all this because Felash and the handmaid are contemplating using Mael as a telephone line to Felash's mother, to warn her of the swirling forces in the wasteland. I’m not sure Mael would be too happy to be used as a mobile phone
‘‘You must find a way,’ said Felash, ‘to reach through to her.’
‘Highness. There is one way, but it risks much.’
‘Who will bear that risk?’
‘Everyone aboard this ship.’
And Mael approaches – and he looks pissed
On the foredeck, Shurq Elalle straightened as the lookout cried out. She faced out to sea. That’s a squall. Looks to be a bad one. Where in the Errant’s bung-hole did that come from?...
...The black wire-wool cloud seemed to be coming straight for them.
‘Piss in the boot, this dance won’t be fun.’
I didn't realize that storm was Mael - oh oh, trouble.
Yeah, Bugg doesn't like to be summoned. We've seen that before.I think the reason that you don't get Olar Ethil is because she's Crazy Stone Bitch. But I think you are right about her identity in the divination. It's hard to take anything that she says at face value.
Curdle and Telorast are a different puzzle. They are constantly lying, but I think we are meant to take the essence of their story as true. What's funny is that Rake makes an appearance in their version, but not Silchas. And yet, Silchas' version is what corroborates theirs.
On a side note, Erikson has a neat way of turning his comic relief into the deadly serious. It happened with Tehol and Bugg, and its happening with Curdle and Telorast, too. And it was done perfectly with the anti-climactic mule fight between Kruppe and Pust. But I was kind of hoping that we would get a big showdown between Curdle and Telorast on the one hand, and Scorch and Leff on the other.
Mod
I did like how some of the Shake discovered Draconus's old place though.
I am looking forward to Mael's arrival..
Yan Tovis AKA Twilight considers the possibility that the Shake have been drawn back to defend the portal from another Liosan invasionThis whole shake thing is confusing because last chapters there was a hint that twilight is like shadow and in this chapter we again get that shake have tiste andii blood, also if shake are here to fight against liosion, but in last chapter did not andii and lioasion fight against the edur and shake help the edur prince scabandari to make an escape.If they are here to fight liosion will they also fight andii ?.Also what is mother dark's stand in this?.
This part of story is seriously getting confusing because i am getting all kinds of mixed signals from this.
Don’t you think it curious that the Crippled God has now taken her place?
I think this was taking place in the battle of coral where in CG had poisoned the warrens but after that we did not have any hints as to this was happening, because we know that CG is poisoning burn, but at least i did not get any hints from the previous books that was happening with warrens.
If we could reach the throne, we could break our bindings!
Isn't this the same throne on which ST and cotillion are sitting ?.
And we learn that Olar cursed the T’lan Imass with the ritual of Tellan – not to go hunting Jaghut – but maybe to get revenge?
I think this the worst part of the story that olar ethil cursed the ritual on imass then what about the info which we got at the start of series? .
I am seriously getting riled up with this book because all the stories are seeming cooked up in this book to me.
I don't think the ritual of Tellann stories are at all consistent. The Imass were looking for a way to fight the Jaghut without bothering with things like logistics. The ritual made their unending war possible. Crazy Stone Bitch fashioned the ritual for them, but while giving them what they asked for, she also gave them their curse. Sounds very much like what Shadowthrone has tried to do with Quick Ben, making a deal which is also a betrayal.
The ritual made their unending war possible. Crazy Stone Bitch fashioned the ritual for them, but while giving them what they asked for, she also gave them their curse.The problem with this story which i have is the imass were strong willed people who had powerful bonecasters among them, then why would they need some one like olar ethil to give them that ritual, also how can all such powerful bone casters bow before some one like olar ethil.
Also if she gave them that ritual then why curse them after that?.
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David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow
(last edited Mar 01, 2014 01:57AM)
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No. The true throne of Shadow was on Drift Avali. What Shadowthrone sits on is a shadow of the shadowthrone - I think.
Sumant wrote: "The problem with this story which i have is the imass were strong willed people who had powerful bonecasters among them, then why would they need some one like olar ethil to give them that ritual"
Olar Ethil is al,so described as the first bonecaster. So perhaps she made or empowered the other bonecasters.
Sumant wrote: "I think this was taking place in the battle of coral where in CG had poisoned the warrens but after that we did not have any hints as to this was happening,"
I believe this effect is localised around the Pannion Domin - and at the moment has been slowed down via the Pannion Seer changing sides and opening up a pocket Omphtose Phellack warren inside Burn to stem the fever. Also,Paran making a House of Chains slowed down the CG's assault on the warrens - somehow.
Sumant wrote: ".Also what is mother dark's stand in this?"
I don' think Mother Dark approved of the war. But there are no Andii left in Kharkanas at the moment. But there is a portal into Liosan and I'm guessing they want to come through and make war.
The Shake have always been said to be part Andii. They are connected with Shadow somehow but are a different faction to the Edur.
My point was that she cursed them by giving them what they want, but perhaps, with some unanticipated consequences. This is the sort of thing that Gods, Ephrit, and all sorts of magical gift givers do in just about all cultures. That's why it's so perilous to be deal with the devil.
Yup. Didn't Olar say at some point Kilava was older?
Linette wrote: "Does anyone else remember seeing anything about porcelain dolls washing up? Or maybe it was something to do with the K'Chain 'seeds'. Odd, anyway. "I don't remember any mention of this before, but my guess is it'll turn out to be important later. Thanks for reminding me.
I've been envisioning something like Duffy's theory for the Ritual of Tellann, but we don't really know what the T'lan Imass knew about Olar Ethil.
Mod
RG ch 19
'...I understand there is a Drene custom, something to do with the season of storms, and the making of seaweed fisher folk – life-sized dolls with shells for eyes, dressed in old clothes and the like. Sent out to mark the season’s birth, I believe, in small boats. An offering to the sealords of old – for the storms to drown. Quaint and unsurprisingly bloodthirsty, as most old customs are...'
Good theory. But they are seaweed not porcelain. Maybe the same kind of custom but a different people. What a creepy thing to find though, a drowned life sized seaweed person in a boat.
Sealords of the old...wouldn't that be Mael? :)
Mod
I think so - but there are other gods/demons like the forgotten ones the guardian stands watch over.
Mael has an interesting double identity anyway, Bugg and the bloodthirsty god everyone worships. I'm expecting to hear more about how the two sides of him fit together.
Every time I read the word 'maelstrom' now, I picture an angry Bugg.
Linette, that's fantastic! I don't think Bugg is bloodthirsty, that's his worshippers. And like David said, there are other things under the sea. I wonder oh the gods control the weather? Is Mael responsible for storms at sea? But we do know that he has a very nasty temper.
The elder gods all draw their power from blood, and that includes Bugg. As God of the sea, it may be that Bugg gets enough blood naturally, and he's not so power hungry that he craves ritual sacrifice, or goes out of his way to kill indiscriminately. The only worship peers we know of are Rel, who definitely errs on the bloodthirsty side, and Withal, whose worship may have been a one time thing, and doesn't seem particularly bloodthirsty.
Yeah, I was probably overstating. But there's at least Li Heng, I think, unless that was where Rel's from too. I forget which Malazan soldier ran away from there because they drowned her sister as a sacrifice to Mael.
