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| Art by Matthias Winkel |
"Do what’s right...That’s a higher law than the command of any officer. Higher even than the Emperor’s own words. You are in a damned uniform but that’s not a license to deliver terror to everyone – just the enemy soldier you happen to be facing. Do what is right, for that armor you wear doesn’t just protect your flesh and bone. It defends honor. It defends integrity. It defends justice. Soldiers, heed me well. That armor defends humanity. And when I look upon my soldiers, when I see these uniforms, I see compassion and truth. The moment those virtues fail, then the gods help you, for no armor is strong enough to save you."
-Dassem Ultor, First Sword of the Malazan Empire
Great empires in both history and fiction, often rise from humble beginnings. The Mongols started out as a collection of squabbling steppe tribes. The Romans, an initially minor power on the Italian Peninsula. The Malazan Empire in comparison started out as a group of a dozen outcasts looking for revenge. The Empire's founding had its roots in the local conflicts on the continent of Quon Tali, as the various city-states fought among themselves for supremacy. The city of Unta, eager to expand its territory, annexed the nearby Napan Isles, leaving countless Napan refugees without a home. Most chose to flee to the nearby Malaz Island. Unfortunately for the Napans, Malaz Island was ruled by the ruthless pirate warlord, Mock, who sold any refugees who happened to find their way onto his island back to the Untans. In the midst of this chaos came Kellanved, a powerful mage and maniacal planner, and his companion Dancer, a master assassin. Deciding to take over the island from Mock, Kellanved and Dancer began recruiting their force from the local criminal element and the refugee Napans, offering them a chance for revenge against Unta and Mock. Among their first dozen recruits was Dassem Ultor, a military genius and perhaps the world's greatest swordsman, and Surly, a former member of the Napan royal family posing as a barmaid.With this motley crew of criminals and outcasts, the two seized control of Malaz Island. And so, the little backwater island of Malaz would give rise to an empire that stretched over three major continents and possessed the greatest military in the world, the Malazan Empire.
Utilizing the hardened refugee Napans as the core of his forces, and along with Dassem's brilliance at military organization, Kellanved's Empire began its expansion across the world, taking over first the warring city-states of Quon Tali, before turning its gaze to the extremely hostile Seven Cities subcontinent, conquering it as well. All the while, Kellanved and Dancer longed for something more, godhood. They spent two years away from the empire, exploring the mysterious Azath houses, hoping that those would lead them to the secret of ascending to godhood. Kellanved left Surly to rule as regent in his stay. Upon Kellanved and Dancer's return, however, Surly apparently had them both assassinated, not wishing to relinquish her newfound power. The joke was on Surly as the two had planned to abandon the empire all along, having discovered the path to ascendancy, and used their supposed deaths to ascend to the rulers of the Warren of Shadow. With her newfound rise to power, Surly rechristened herself Empress Laseen. Laseen, despite her skill in assassination and political maneuvering, proved to be an ineffective administrator. Her untrusting nature and hunger for power led to the Malazans into an increasingly bloody series of conflicts on the continent of Genabackis. There, they found the control for the continent contested by the native Free Cities of Genabackis who hired Brood's Host, a collection of mercenaries and local tribesmen led by the god-sorcerers, Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, to defend them. Brood's Host pushed back the Malazans in the North, neither side realizing that a greater threat awaited them to the South. The fanatical armies of the Pannion Domin, led by the megalomaniacal Pannion Seer, had set their sights on the rest of Genabackis and the armies of Brood and the Malazans were all that could truly stand in his way.
Many years later, a different alliance of Malazans, led of Tavore Paran, Adjunct of the Malazan Empire, would face down an even greater threat, standing in the way of a force that threatened not just a continent, but the entire world itself. It is here that these new and desperate alliances is plucked from their world to fight against the various factions of the KC in total war. To fight this alliance is to face many different factions: some founded on the principles of ruthless expansionism others on maintaining freedom for the oppressed. Their enemies will have to face mages capable of leveling mountains, giant lizardmen, ruthless assassins, powerful alchemical explosives, undead killing machines, and even the power of gods if they wish to have a chance at victory.
What's in an Alliance? An Overview of the
The heart of this alliance, as well the heart of series itself, the Malazan Empire is a relatively young, mostly human faction that currently dominates a good chunk of the eastern portion of their world.
Culturally the Malazan Empire is made up of numerous ethnicities. This has given the Empire itself quite the egalitarian spirit, and in terms of gender and racial views, the Malazans are quite a bit more tolerant than most medieval fantasy factions. The Malazans, particularly the Malazan military, value freedom of thought and expression (although much more under Kellanved than Laseen) and encourage people of all social classes to speak up and not tolerate injustice. Despite their ruthless expansion throughout the world the Malazans strive to leave the places they conquer better off than they were before and have worked to curb infighting between factions they’ve beaten, even though infighting is one of the many reasons the Malazans were successful in the first place.
But like many historical empires, the Malazans often don’t live up to their ideals. The Empire is ruthless in war (although usually doesn’t target the civilian populace), has little tolerance for political dissidents, and is widely hated by many of its subjects. Throughout the series, the Malazans would have to put down rebellions in every territory they controlled.
The Moranth are a mysterious and reclusive humanoid race residing in their native territory of Cloud Forest in the northwest region of Genabackis. They are a military ally of the Malazans rather than a vassal or conquered people. No one outside the Moranth themselves has ever seen their homeland and very people can even claim to know what a Moranth even looks like, as they keep themselves enclosed at all times within their chitinous armor. This, combined with their strange language of clicks and buzzes and their giant dragonfly mounts, gives them a distinctly insect-like manner. They are a caste-based society, with the castes signified by the color of their armor, each caste competing with one another for dominance in the social hierarchy. Greens are the couriers, responsible for transporting people and supplies. Blues are the seafarers and traders and also control the Moranth navy. Reds are the diplomats. Blacks are the primary infantry and the most commonly encountered Moranth caste on a military campaign. Golds are the elite foot soldiers. And finally, the Silvers are the mages of the Moranth, and are currently the dominant caste within Moranth society.
Although Rake’s arrival to this new world was less tumultuous than his brother’s, he still had to deal with the fact that he was now leading a group of thousands of virtually immortal refugees cursed with eternal restlessness by their god. Depression and apathy were bound to set in if the Andii had no purpose in life. To solve this, Rake began hiring out his people as mercenaries, forcing them to fight for causes and peoples that were not their own. This strategy is what eventually brought them into the services of the Free Cities of Genabackis alongside Caladan Brood. Due to Rake's influence, Andii culture has a strong emphasis on honor and self-sacrifice, largely shunning personal possessions and achievements in favor of making a direct impact on the world for the good of others. Many Andii do suffer from the conditions Rake was concerned about however, and many humans find them aloof and mysterious in manner.
A tribal, nomadic race found throughout the world, the Barghast along with their distant cousins, the Moranth, are the modern descendants of the Imass, a neanderthal like race that predates humanity by hundreds of millennia. Their ancestors were those Imass who were unfortunate (or fortunate depending on how you look at it), to arrive late to the Ritual of Tellanns, allowing them to continue living their mortal existence when the rest of the Imass cursed themselves with undeath. These mortal Imass would go on to interbreed with the Thelomen Toblakai, another race of ten-foot-tall giants, giving birth to the Barghast race. Due to their ancestry, the Barghast are on average slightly taller and bulkier than a regular human.
Similarly to ancient Polynesian peoples, the Barghast migrated from their homeland to other parts of the world in great canoes, which they still use for warfare and long-distance travel. Many of these Barghast would find their way to the continent of Genabackis, where they fight for supremacy against virtually everyone, including each other. The Barghast are extremely warlike, with both males and females expected to fight, and those unable to viewed with scorn. While formerly a highly spiritual people, the Barghast have lost their connection to their racial Warren and the Founding Spirits of their tribal forebearers. This, and their focus on fighting, has left them culturally stagnant in many areas; politically, most other factions view them as barbarians, and artistically their weapon-crafting and shipbuilding skills have severely declined.
Many of the tribes are in competition with one another for control of the White-Face Nation, a loose coalition of tribes that make up the largest collection of Barghast on the continent. This loose alliance gets its name from the white death-masks the warriors paint on their faces. Another of the Elder Races, the mysterious Forkrul Assail, claim credit for this practice, saying that they were the ones who created the White Face Nation to serve as their army, and the paint makes the Barghast more closely resemble their former masters. The various Barghast clans are numerous and various in their customs, ranging from the Ahkrata with their distinctive hair-braids, and the multi-hued armor they fashion from their Moranth victims to the Gilk with their narrow, wedged hair, and tortoiseshell armor. Despite their differences, all of the Barghast clans share the same dream of being declared the strongest and gaining the privilege to lead the rest in battle. When one tribe wins the top spot, a “Night of Blood” will typically occur. This refers to the leading tribe and their allies massacring members of the previously dominant clan. Although the Barghast might claim that this is meant to preserve the new political order, it’s just really an excuse to settle old scores.
The Barghast served as mercenaries for both sides of the Genabackis Campaign, with three non-White Face clans under Brood's command, and an unknown number fighting for the Malazans. Following the beginning of the Pannion War, the Bridgeburners under the leadership of Ganoes Paran were sent to a gathering of the White Face Nation to gain their support against the Pannion Domin. The Barghast were initially reluctant but agreed to aid the allied forces once they learned that many of their ancient spirits were trapped within the Pannion-besieged city of Capustan, who had built their city over an old Barghast burial ground. The Barghast broke the siege, brutally routing and slaughtering the Pannion forces within and around the city. Following this victory, the White Face Barghast agreed to lend their warriors throughout the rest of the war, providing valuable support at the end of the campaign.
Following the end of the Pannion War, the White Face, driven by ancient religious prophecies, migrated en-masse where they eventually reached the north-central coast of the continent of Lether. Humbrall Tarr, the leader of the White Face Nation tragically drowned shortly upon arrival, and his son-in-law, Tool a former T'lan Imass turned mortal, was acclaimed as the White Face's new leader. Using the power of his Tellann Warren, Tool hid the Barghast as they scouted out the land. They planned to rally with the mercenary company, the Grey Swords, whose leader, Toc the Younger, Tool had befriended during the Pannion War. The Grey Swords had been hired out by the tribal people known as the Awl during their constant struggles with the dominant power on Lether, the Letherii Empire. The Awl betrayed the Grey Swords however, leaving them to be slaughtered by a Letherii army. Vowing revenge against both peoples, Tool revealed the hidden Barghast at last following a climactic battle between the Letherii and the Awl, descending on and slaughtering the survivors.
With their presence in Lether now well known, the Barghast began claiming the vast plains of eastern Lether as their ancestral homeland. The more mild-natured Tool however, had no desire to lead the Barghast in a war of conquest, leading to many tribes defecting from the White Face and the eventual murder of Tool and his family. Now fully unleashed, the Barghast became involved in a brutal war with a confederation of the tribal peoples of eastern Lether. The place they chose as the site of their final battle however, was also the exact spot where the Elder God, Draconus, manifested following the breaking of Dragnipur in Darujhistan. Draconus arrival was heralded by an unbelievably frigid storm that blew across the battlefield, killing almost everyone involved. The rest of White Face were hunted down and killed by a reborn Tool and the T'lan Imass. In the end, the White Face's supposed prophecy led to the destruction of their nation.
The Barghast in this profile, are largely from the White Face Nation circa the Pannion War, before their disastrous migration to Lether. There are also a few groups of non-White Face clans that served as mercenaries for other groups in this profile.
Making their home in the rich grasslands of the Rhivi Plains in Northern Genabackis, the Rhivi Nation is a culture of pastoral nomads and horse warriors. The Rhivi are typically peaceful, content to graze their bison-like bhederin and antelope which range in herds numbering in the many hundreds of thousands. In times of war however, the Rhivi take up the "spear-of-war," with the tribal elders supporting a younger war leader to lead them in battle.
Two small, allied, human kingdoms in the southeastern region of Lether, Bolkando and Saphinand are divided by the Ak’ryn Corridor, a mountain range that provides them both with some natural defense against their larger neighbors, most notably the Letherii Empire. Both kingdoms engage in political intrigue as a way of avoiding conquest by their rivals, with political infighting among the Bolkando elite particularly nasty. Although nominally ruled by King Tarkulf, the real power in Bolkando rests with two rival power blocks, one controlled by his wife Queen Abrastal (who commands the Bolkando and Saphii troops found within this profile) and the other under the dual leadership of his chancellor and chief general.
Following the events of Tiste Edur's conquest of the Letherii, the Letherii secret police began investigating rumors of a Bolkando-led conspiracy among the various kingdoms and tribal peoples to attack their Empire. These rumors were at the time, just a falsehood concocted by elite Letherii merchants in order to impose tighter economic restrictions on the Empire. The Bolkando Conspiracy would soon become all too real, however, as the nations on the Letherii's eastern border became increasingly concerned of the destabilization of the Empire. They launched a successful attack, driving the Letherii back. Following the Malazans overthrow of the Tiste Edur, Tavore Paran sent her auxillery units, the Perish Grey Helms and the Khundryl Burned Tears to negotiate safe passage and supplies as they passed through Bolkando territory in their march towards Kolanse. Bolkando traders however, viewing the rough Khundryl as barbarians, cheated them, nearly sparking a war between the two until Abrastal personally intervened, negotiating a peace, and curious to see what foe the Malazans were marching to face in Kolanse, joined forces with them, leading them into Tavore's conflict with the Forkrul Assail.
Utilizing the hardened refugee Napans as the core of his forces, and along with Dassem's brilliance at military organization, Kellanved's Empire began its expansion across the world, taking over first the warring city-states of Quon Tali, before turning its gaze to the extremely hostile Seven Cities subcontinent, conquering it as well. All the while, Kellanved and Dancer longed for something more, godhood. They spent two years away from the empire, exploring the mysterious Azath houses, hoping that those would lead them to the secret of ascending to godhood. Kellanved left Surly to rule as regent in his stay. Upon Kellanved and Dancer's return, however, Surly apparently had them both assassinated, not wishing to relinquish her newfound power. The joke was on Surly as the two had planned to abandon the empire all along, having discovered the path to ascendancy, and used their supposed deaths to ascend to the rulers of the Warren of Shadow. With her newfound rise to power, Surly rechristened herself Empress Laseen. Laseen, despite her skill in assassination and political maneuvering, proved to be an ineffective administrator. Her untrusting nature and hunger for power led to the Malazans into an increasingly bloody series of conflicts on the continent of Genabackis. There, they found the control for the continent contested by the native Free Cities of Genabackis who hired Brood's Host, a collection of mercenaries and local tribesmen led by the god-sorcerers, Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, to defend them. Brood's Host pushed back the Malazans in the North, neither side realizing that a greater threat awaited them to the South. The fanatical armies of the Pannion Domin, led by the megalomaniacal Pannion Seer, had set their sights on the rest of Genabackis and the armies of Brood and the Malazans were all that could truly stand in his way.
Many years later, a different alliance of Malazans, led of Tavore Paran, Adjunct of the Malazan Empire, would face down an even greater threat, standing in the way of a force that threatened not just a continent, but the entire world itself. It is here that these new and desperate alliances is plucked from their world to fight against the various factions of the KC in total war. To fight this alliance is to face many different factions: some founded on the principles of ruthless expansionism others on maintaining freedom for the oppressed. Their enemies will have to face mages capable of leveling mountains, giant lizardmen, ruthless assassins, powerful alchemical explosives, undead killing machines, and even the power of gods if they wish to have a chance at victory.
What's in an Alliance? An Overview of the
Factions in this Profile
The alliance that makes up this combined faction is made up of two alliances: The Malazan Empire Brood’s Host Alliance from the 3rd Malazan book, Memory of Ice, and Tavore Paran’s “Bonehunter Alliance” from the 10th book, The Crippled God. All characters present will be from the era of either of those two books. For the purposes of showcasing a proper force it’s also including characters affiliated with any of the factions at that time. For example, Coltaine may not have fought alongside the Malazans and Brood during the Pannion War, but he was still alive and affiliated with the Malzan Empire at roughly the same time, so he gets included. Any conflictions with characters or units will be addressed in the character/unit profile.
The Malazan Empire
The heart of this alliance, as well the heart of series itself, the Malazan Empire is a relatively young, mostly human faction that currently dominates a good chunk of the eastern portion of their world.
Culturally the Malazan Empire is made up of numerous ethnicities. This has given the Empire itself quite the egalitarian spirit, and in terms of gender and racial views, the Malazans are quite a bit more tolerant than most medieval fantasy factions. The Malazans, particularly the Malazan military, value freedom of thought and expression (although much more under Kellanved than Laseen) and encourage people of all social classes to speak up and not tolerate injustice. Despite their ruthless expansion throughout the world the Malazans strive to leave the places they conquer better off than they were before and have worked to curb infighting between factions they’ve beaten, even though infighting is one of the many reasons the Malazans were successful in the first place.
But like many historical empires, the Malazans often don’t live up to their ideals. The Empire is ruthless in war (although usually doesn’t target the civilian populace), has little tolerance for political dissidents, and is widely hated by many of its subjects. Throughout the series, the Malazans would have to put down rebellions in every territory they controlled.
The Moranth
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| Art by Max Davenport |
The Tiste Andii
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| Art by Chisomo Phiri |
The "Dark Elves" of the Malazan setting, the Taste Andii are the children of the Elder Goddess Mother Dark, her firstborn and the favorite among her creations. They stand around seven feet tall but have otherwise similar proportions to humans. Although pale-skinned Andii have been known to exist, almost all of them have ebony colored skin and hair that is either white or black. Their eyes can change color based on their mood, with Baruk speculating that this could make it impossible for them to lie. Although the Andii do age biologically, they are so long lived they are practically immortal.
Most of the early history of the Tiste is heavily shrouded in myth and contradiction. What we do know for certain: roughly 300,000+ years before the series began, the Tiste lived in their native dimension Kurald Galain, the Elder Warren of Darkness. However, civil war broke out between the various Tiste noble houses and their supporters, likely sparked by Mother Dark's acceptance of Father Light. In an attempt to halt the destruction of civil war, the eldest of Mother Dark's children, Anomander Rake, led a group of Tiste to kill the Dragon Goddess T’iam, hoping that the power found within her blood give him the leverage necessary to force the rest of the Tiste to negotiate. Mother Dark however viewed this decision as disastrous for the Tiste, as the presence of draconean blood in her children would only draw greater dangerous powers to them. In retaliation for what she viewed as a reckless act, Mother Dark abandoned her children, vowing that they would forever be bereft a sense of purpose and belonging. The civil war apparently split the Tiste into three: the Andii, the grey-skinned Tiste Edur, and the proud, zealous, and pale-skinned Tiste Liosan.
A group of Tiste Andii had already begun to flee Kurald Galain, travelling to the world in which the series takes place under the leadership of Mother Dark's youngest son, Silchias Ruin. Alongside them on this journey was their sister race, the Tiste Edur, led by their prince, Scabandaris Bloodeye. Reaching their new world, the Tiste found it under the control of the reptilian K'Chain races. The two factions waged a brutal war, with the Tiste Alliance winning a hard fought victory only after civil war erupted between the the K'Chain. The war had decimated the Andii's numbers, however, and out of the 400,000 who made the initial journey, only a few thousand remained. This left them rather helpless when the Edur turned on them, with Bloodeye literally stabbing Silchias in the back and imprisoning him in an Azath house before having his soldiers slaughter the Andii in a betrayal, to be fair, they really should've seen coming. As punishment for their betrayal, the Elder Gods of this new world killed Bloodeye and trapped his people on the continent on which they arrived, leaving them to regress into warring tribes.
Similarly to ancient Polynesian peoples, the Barghast migrated from their homeland to other parts of the world in great canoes, which they still use for warfare and long-distance travel. Many of these Barghast would find their way to the continent of Genabackis, where they fight for supremacy against virtually everyone, including each other. The Barghast are extremely warlike, with both males and females expected to fight, and those unable to viewed with scorn. While formerly a highly spiritual people, the Barghast have lost their connection to their racial Warren and the Founding Spirits of their tribal forebearers. This, and their focus on fighting, has left them culturally stagnant in many areas; politically, most other factions view them as barbarians, and artistically their weapon-crafting and shipbuilding skills have severely declined.
Many of the tribes are in competition with one another for control of the White-Face Nation, a loose coalition of tribes that make up the largest collection of Barghast on the continent. This loose alliance gets its name from the white death-masks the warriors paint on their faces. Another of the Elder Races, the mysterious Forkrul Assail, claim credit for this practice, saying that they were the ones who created the White Face Nation to serve as their army, and the paint makes the Barghast more closely resemble their former masters. The various Barghast clans are numerous and various in their customs, ranging from the Ahkrata with their distinctive hair-braids, and the multi-hued armor they fashion from their Moranth victims to the Gilk with their narrow, wedged hair, and tortoiseshell armor. Despite their differences, all of the Barghast clans share the same dream of being declared the strongest and gaining the privilege to lead the rest in battle. When one tribe wins the top spot, a “Night of Blood” will typically occur. This refers to the leading tribe and their allies massacring members of the previously dominant clan. Although the Barghast might claim that this is meant to preserve the new political order, it’s just really an excuse to settle old scores.
The Barghast served as mercenaries for both sides of the Genabackis Campaign, with three non-White Face clans under Brood's command, and an unknown number fighting for the Malazans. Following the beginning of the Pannion War, the Bridgeburners under the leadership of Ganoes Paran were sent to a gathering of the White Face Nation to gain their support against the Pannion Domin. The Barghast were initially reluctant but agreed to aid the allied forces once they learned that many of their ancient spirits were trapped within the Pannion-besieged city of Capustan, who had built their city over an old Barghast burial ground. The Barghast broke the siege, brutally routing and slaughtering the Pannion forces within and around the city. Following this victory, the White Face Barghast agreed to lend their warriors throughout the rest of the war, providing valuable support at the end of the campaign.
Following the end of the Pannion War, the White Face, driven by ancient religious prophecies, migrated en-masse where they eventually reached the north-central coast of the continent of Lether. Humbrall Tarr, the leader of the White Face Nation tragically drowned shortly upon arrival, and his son-in-law, Tool a former T'lan Imass turned mortal, was acclaimed as the White Face's new leader. Using the power of his Tellann Warren, Tool hid the Barghast as they scouted out the land. They planned to rally with the mercenary company, the Grey Swords, whose leader, Toc the Younger, Tool had befriended during the Pannion War. The Grey Swords had been hired out by the tribal people known as the Awl during their constant struggles with the dominant power on Lether, the Letherii Empire. The Awl betrayed the Grey Swords however, leaving them to be slaughtered by a Letherii army. Vowing revenge against both peoples, Tool revealed the hidden Barghast at last following a climactic battle between the Letherii and the Awl, descending on and slaughtering the survivors.
With their presence in Lether now well known, the Barghast began claiming the vast plains of eastern Lether as their ancestral homeland. The more mild-natured Tool however, had no desire to lead the Barghast in a war of conquest, leading to many tribes defecting from the White Face and the eventual murder of Tool and his family. Now fully unleashed, the Barghast became involved in a brutal war with a confederation of the tribal peoples of eastern Lether. The place they chose as the site of their final battle however, was also the exact spot where the Elder God, Draconus, manifested following the breaking of Dragnipur in Darujhistan. Draconus arrival was heralded by an unbelievably frigid storm that blew across the battlefield, killing almost everyone involved. The rest of White Face were hunted down and killed by a reborn Tool and the T'lan Imass. In the end, the White Face's supposed prophecy led to the destruction of their nation.
The Barghast in this profile, are largely from the White Face Nation circa the Pannion War, before their disastrous migration to Lether. There are also a few groups of non-White Face clans that served as mercenaries for other groups in this profile.
The Rhivi
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| Art by Corpral Nobbs |
The Letherii Empire
The Letherii Empire is the dominant human nation on the sub-continent of Lether. They are the descendants of a colony of the First Empire, the first human empire, founded millennia ago, and still see themselves as the successor to the First Empire's legacy. Like the Malazan Empire, they were aggressively expansionist. This drive was a result of their culture and economic philosophies. The overriding cultural view of the Letherii was that of unimpeded and unending expansion. Whether that was the physical growth of their territory or financial growth, they believed there was no going back, ever.
The Letherii accomplished their expansionist objectives through intricate schemes and deadly sleight of hand. Sometimes the Letherii sent agents to study the weaker tribal peoples on their borders. That information was used to ensnare their neighbors in unfair trade agreements and the chains of debt that followed while poisoning them with alcohol and other narcotics. Following this was a military force in order to make these peoples their protectorates. The Letherii's unimpeded conquest made them supremely arrogant, and they viewed their people and culture to be superior to that of their neighbors.
That all changed with their war with the Tiste Edur, the descendants of those stranded on Lether following their betrayal of the Tiste Andii millennia ago. Although it looked like the Edur tribes would be overwhelmed by the superior military, economic, and magical might of the Letherii, fate was about to give the Edur a crucial advantage over their enemies. The Crippled God, wishing to use the Edur to further his goals “gifted” the young and ambitious Edur warrior Rhulad Sengar with a powerful magical sword. The weapon made Rhulad effectively immortal, bringing him back from the brink every time he died, making him stronger with each resurrection. The sword did nothing however, to help Rhulad forget the pain he suffered from each death, and slowly drove him insane. But the Crippled God cared little for the mental well being of his servant, and despite his instability, Rhulad used his newfound power to declare himself Emperor of the Edur. The Crippled God also gave the Edur’s chief warlock, Hanan Mosag, access to the powers of the Warren of Chaos. Mosag spread this gift to the rest of the Edur, giving them magic capable of matching the Letherii sorcerers. With these new advantages, the Edur declared war on the Letherii, easily defeating the surprised and disorganized Letherii forces. Rhulad marched his people into the Letherii capital and declared himself the new ruler of their empire.
Rhulad's rule would not last long, as his insane desires provoked an invasion by the Malazan Bonehunters, who used the political instability to their advantage to wage a successful guerrilla campaign within the Empire. The Letherii were disdainful of being ruled over by “savages,” while the Edur felt the Letherii’s values were corrupting their own culture. After Rhulad finally died permanently, the Edur saw no reason to maintain an empire they had never wanted in the first place and abandoned the Letherii en masse to return to their homeland. The Malazans marched into the Letherii capital, defeating what little resistance the rest of the Letherii military put up and helped place a new Letherii king on the throne. Despite the overthrow of their Edur overlords, the Letherii Empire is still shaken, politically and militarily uncertain after having been invaded and defeated twice in such short order. Although they fight alongside the Bonehunters to save the world, they're still trying to figure out their new place in it now that their superiority is proven a lie.
The Letherii accomplished their expansionist objectives through intricate schemes and deadly sleight of hand. Sometimes the Letherii sent agents to study the weaker tribal peoples on their borders. That information was used to ensnare their neighbors in unfair trade agreements and the chains of debt that followed while poisoning them with alcohol and other narcotics. Following this was a military force in order to make these peoples their protectorates. The Letherii's unimpeded conquest made them supremely arrogant, and they viewed their people and culture to be superior to that of their neighbors.
That all changed with their war with the Tiste Edur, the descendants of those stranded on Lether following their betrayal of the Tiste Andii millennia ago. Although it looked like the Edur tribes would be overwhelmed by the superior military, economic, and magical might of the Letherii, fate was about to give the Edur a crucial advantage over their enemies. The Crippled God, wishing to use the Edur to further his goals “gifted” the young and ambitious Edur warrior Rhulad Sengar with a powerful magical sword. The weapon made Rhulad effectively immortal, bringing him back from the brink every time he died, making him stronger with each resurrection. The sword did nothing however, to help Rhulad forget the pain he suffered from each death, and slowly drove him insane. But the Crippled God cared little for the mental well being of his servant, and despite his instability, Rhulad used his newfound power to declare himself Emperor of the Edur. The Crippled God also gave the Edur’s chief warlock, Hanan Mosag, access to the powers of the Warren of Chaos. Mosag spread this gift to the rest of the Edur, giving them magic capable of matching the Letherii sorcerers. With these new advantages, the Edur declared war on the Letherii, easily defeating the surprised and disorganized Letherii forces. Rhulad marched his people into the Letherii capital and declared himself the new ruler of their empire.
Rhulad's rule would not last long, as his insane desires provoked an invasion by the Malazan Bonehunters, who used the political instability to their advantage to wage a successful guerrilla campaign within the Empire. The Letherii were disdainful of being ruled over by “savages,” while the Edur felt the Letherii’s values were corrupting their own culture. After Rhulad finally died permanently, the Edur saw no reason to maintain an empire they had never wanted in the first place and abandoned the Letherii en masse to return to their homeland. The Malazans marched into the Letherii capital, defeating what little resistance the rest of the Letherii military put up and helped place a new Letherii king on the throne. Despite the overthrow of their Edur overlords, the Letherii Empire is still shaken, politically and militarily uncertain after having been invaded and defeated twice in such short order. Although they fight alongside the Bonehunters to save the world, they're still trying to figure out their new place in it now that their superiority is proven a lie.
The Bolkando and Saphinand Kingdoms
Two small, allied, human kingdoms in the southeastern region of Lether, Bolkando and Saphinand are divided by the Ak’ryn Corridor, a mountain range that provides them both with some natural defense against their larger neighbors, most notably the Letherii Empire. Both kingdoms engage in political intrigue as a way of avoiding conquest by their rivals, with political infighting among the Bolkando elite particularly nasty. Although nominally ruled by King Tarkulf, the real power in Bolkando rests with two rival power blocks, one controlled by his wife Queen Abrastal (who commands the Bolkando and Saphii troops found within this profile) and the other under the dual leadership of his chancellor and chief general.
Following the events of Tiste Edur's conquest of the Letherii, the Letherii secret police began investigating rumors of a Bolkando-led conspiracy among the various kingdoms and tribal peoples to attack their Empire. These rumors were at the time, just a falsehood concocted by elite Letherii merchants in order to impose tighter economic restrictions on the Empire. The Bolkando Conspiracy would soon become all too real, however, as the nations on the Letherii's eastern border became increasingly concerned of the destabilization of the Empire. They launched a successful attack, driving the Letherii back. Following the Malazans overthrow of the Tiste Edur, Tavore Paran sent her auxillery units, the Perish Grey Helms and the Khundryl Burned Tears to negotiate safe passage and supplies as they passed through Bolkando territory in their march towards Kolanse. Bolkando traders however, viewing the rough Khundryl as barbarians, cheated them, nearly sparking a war between the two until Abrastal personally intervened, negotiating a peace, and curious to see what foe the Malazans were marching to face in Kolanse, joined forces with them, leading them into Tavore's conflict with the Forkrul Assail.
The Shake
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| Art by Corporal--Nobbs |
Humans possessing a mixture of Tiste Andii, and K'Chain Che Malle blood, the Shake resided in Northwestern Lether on an island that had been made a penal colony by the Letherii Empire, known as Second Maiden's Fort. The Shake share a common religious belief in the concept of the "The Shore" a genetic memory from a time when their ancestors still lived in Kurald Galain, referring to the First Shore, the boundary of beach that separates Kurald Galain from its opposite, Kurald Thyrllan, the Hold of Light. This shore is the site of the Shake's creation, a union between Mother Dark and Father Light, that would later spawn the Shake's descendants, the Tiste Edur. The Shake saw their role as worshippers as the Shore to protect the boundary, for the universe needs both Light and Darkness to remain in balance. Accepted by neither the Andii, Liosan, or Edur for their duty, the Shake experienced violence and ostracization from all three, until Silchias Ruin took pity on the Shake, and commanded the leader of the Andii's mages to create a portal for the Shake to find a new home. It was here that they met and interbred with the local humans, creating a group made up of only a little diluted Tiste blood, but still possessing the myths of their forebearers.
Most of these myths are forgotten by the modern Shake, having been repressed by their ruling coven of corrupt witches, and the Letherii overlords of the island. Following the chaos of the Edur's conquest of the Letherii however, a Letherii commander and Shake descendent, Yan Tovis, defected with her army of Shake veterans and returned home to reclaim her role as Queen of the Shake from her dead mother. Fueled by the rising sea levels that threatened to overtake Second Maiden's Fort and mysterious visions, Tovis led a mass exodus of Shake and the island's imprisoned populace to the mainland, where she used her royal blood to open a portal that eventually led them back their homeland, Kurald Galain.
One of the Founding Races (the four races that shaped civilization the most before the evolution of humanity), the T’lam Imass are ancient, their undead nature has allowed them to roam the world for more than 300,000 years. They were once flesh and blood, Neanderthal-like, Imass, who made their living as tribal hunter-gatherers. As mortals, the Imass were short, squat, and had a much denser bone structure than a human, although now they resemble nothing more than mummified corpses covered in furs and hides. Their relatively peaceful existence changed when they encountered their fellow Founding Race, the Jaghut. While most Jaghut are pacifistic and solitary, not all share their fellow’s peaceful nature. Occasionally a Jaghut will be born with the need to conquer and enslave, a breed known as Jaghut Tyrants. The Imass were unfortunate to fall under the control of these Tyrants, who subjected them to a nightmarish and cruel existence. The Tyrants posed as gods, forcing the Imass to worship them. The Imass eventually discovered the truth and angered that they had been compelled to worship these false gods, rebelled. The other Jaghut aided them in this, equally wanting to see the end of the Tyrants' rule.
Despite the Jaghut aiding the Imass in gaining their freedom, the Imass became convinced that the threat of another Tyrant being born into the world was too great, and declared a war of extermination on the Jaghut. The Jaghut possessed enormous magical power, and both sides would suffer heavy casualties in the many wars that followed. Some Jaghut even went as far as to use their magic to create massive barriers of ice that stretched across seas and even entire continents, rendering the land impassable and inhospitable to a mortal army.
The Imass decided that in order to continue their war, they needed to take drastic measures. They gathered together their shamans, the Bonecasters, who channeled their magic to perform The Ritual of Tellanns, turning the Imass into the immortal T’lan Imass. Now there was no land safe for the Jaghut, but at a great cost. While the Imass may have gained immortality, they lost their souls in the process, only having a very long eternity of war ahead of them as they continued to try and exterminate the Jaghut. They would even outlive their gods themselves.
One army of T’lam Imass, the Logros, were tasked with guarding the First Throne, the source of the T’lan Imass’ power created during the Ritual of Tellanns. Shortly before the founding of the Malazan Empire, the catatonic Logros were awakened by Kellanved when he located and took control of the First Throne, giving him control over the Logros. With an army of T’lan Imass warriors at his back, Kellanved’s already formidable forces were nearly unstoppable. Few would dare challenge the Emperor's rule with an army of undead killing machines at his command. The sheer terror inspired by the T'lan Imass allowed the Malazans only to have to use them sparingly. Following Kellanved’s supposed death, the Logros split, some leaving to hunt the Jaghut that they had discovered in the Jhag Odhan wastes, while the rest stayed in service to the Empire.
Following the birth of Silverfox, a mortal Bonecaster created by the Imass, she called together the T'lam Imass once more to help the Malazans and Brood fight against the Pannion Domin. The T'lan Imass were weary of their endless wars however and wished to finally be able to obtain peace from thousands of years of conflict. They hoped that Silverfox would grant them that peace after they helped defeat the Pannion Domin. Silverfox, however, felt that used and betrayed by the T'lan Imass, created only to grant their desire and be subsequently abandoned by them. Much to their despair, she refused their request. Salvation came to the T'lan Imass however in the form of Itkovian, Sheild Anvil of the Grey Swords, who used his natural empathic abilities to release the T'lan Imass from their pain, although it cost him his life in the process. Itkovian's sacrifice, however, gave the T'lan Imass new hope and will to keep on living for the first time in many thousands of years. Even after Silverfox realized the enormity of her mistake and offered to release the Imass from their burden and allow them to continue to the afterlife, they refused. The Imass instead chose to travel south to rescue their kin trapped in a war with a human tyrant on the continent of Assail.
There are three factions of Imass found within this profile: the T'lan Imass of the Logros Nation that chose to remain loyal to Empress Laseen, the T'lan Imass of the Second Gathering summoned by Silverfox, and the T'lan Imass summoned by their military champion, Onos T'oolan, at the end of the series.
Most of these myths are forgotten by the modern Shake, having been repressed by their ruling coven of corrupt witches, and the Letherii overlords of the island. Following the chaos of the Edur's conquest of the Letherii however, a Letherii commander and Shake descendent, Yan Tovis, defected with her army of Shake veterans and returned home to reclaim her role as Queen of the Shake from her dead mother. Fueled by the rising sea levels that threatened to overtake Second Maiden's Fort and mysterious visions, Tovis led a mass exodus of Shake and the island's imprisoned populace to the mainland, where she used her royal blood to open a portal that eventually led them back their homeland, Kurald Galain.
The T'lan Imass
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| Art by DaumantasG |
Despite the Jaghut aiding the Imass in gaining their freedom, the Imass became convinced that the threat of another Tyrant being born into the world was too great, and declared a war of extermination on the Jaghut. The Jaghut possessed enormous magical power, and both sides would suffer heavy casualties in the many wars that followed. Some Jaghut even went as far as to use their magic to create massive barriers of ice that stretched across seas and even entire continents, rendering the land impassable and inhospitable to a mortal army.
The Imass decided that in order to continue their war, they needed to take drastic measures. They gathered together their shamans, the Bonecasters, who channeled their magic to perform The Ritual of Tellanns, turning the Imass into the immortal T’lan Imass. Now there was no land safe for the Jaghut, but at a great cost. While the Imass may have gained immortality, they lost their souls in the process, only having a very long eternity of war ahead of them as they continued to try and exterminate the Jaghut. They would even outlive their gods themselves.
One army of T’lam Imass, the Logros, were tasked with guarding the First Throne, the source of the T’lan Imass’ power created during the Ritual of Tellanns. Shortly before the founding of the Malazan Empire, the catatonic Logros were awakened by Kellanved when he located and took control of the First Throne, giving him control over the Logros. With an army of T’lan Imass warriors at his back, Kellanved’s already formidable forces were nearly unstoppable. Few would dare challenge the Emperor's rule with an army of undead killing machines at his command. The sheer terror inspired by the T'lan Imass allowed the Malazans only to have to use them sparingly. Following Kellanved’s supposed death, the Logros split, some leaving to hunt the Jaghut that they had discovered in the Jhag Odhan wastes, while the rest stayed in service to the Empire.
Following the birth of Silverfox, a mortal Bonecaster created by the Imass, she called together the T'lam Imass once more to help the Malazans and Brood fight against the Pannion Domin. The T'lan Imass were weary of their endless wars however and wished to finally be able to obtain peace from thousands of years of conflict. They hoped that Silverfox would grant them that peace after they helped defeat the Pannion Domin. Silverfox, however, felt that used and betrayed by the T'lan Imass, created only to grant their desire and be subsequently abandoned by them. Much to their despair, she refused their request. Salvation came to the T'lan Imass however in the form of Itkovian, Sheild Anvil of the Grey Swords, who used his natural empathic abilities to release the T'lan Imass from their pain, although it cost him his life in the process. Itkovian's sacrifice, however, gave the T'lan Imass new hope and will to keep on living for the first time in many thousands of years. Even after Silverfox realized the enormity of her mistake and offered to release the Imass from their burden and allow them to continue to the afterlife, they refused. The Imass instead chose to travel south to rescue their kin trapped in a war with a human tyrant on the continent of Assail.
There are three factions of Imass found within this profile: the T'lan Imass of the Logros Nation that chose to remain loyal to Empress Laseen, the T'lan Imass of the Second Gathering summoned by Silverfox, and the T'lan Imass summoned by their military champion, Onos T'oolan, at the end of the series.
The K'Chain Che'Malle
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| Art by YapAttack |
Another of the Founding Races, the reptilian K'Chain Che'Malle lay claim to having the oldest civilization in the Malazan World, and their exact origins remain largely a mystery. They may be aliens from another world who arrived from space rather than through a Warren as the Tiste races did. While not seemingly possessing a Racial Warren as the other Founding Races did, the K'Chain did possess the power to manipulate gravity magically and combined this with wondrous technology unmatched by the other races of the world. This included nanomachines, bioengineering, and their massive Skykeeps, floating mountain fortresses that the Che'Malle ruled from as cities. The current Che'Malle possess little of this tech however, with most of it deserted ruins that serve as curiosities for humans and the other young races of the world.
The structure of their society was similar to that of ants in that each Che'Malle had a certain task in mind when created, such as workers, warriors, assassins, and so on. Each Che'Malle nest was ruled by a Matron, an incredibly powerful Che'Malle who functioned as their equivalent of a queen, spawning new Che'Malle and directing their society. The Che'Malle communicate through scent glands, which produce oils that allow the Che'Malle to project their thoughts and feelings into the minds of other Che'Malle. Although often viewed by humans as cold and alien, the Che'Malle are in fact a deeply compassionate and empathetic race.
At the height of the power, the Che'Malle controlled the entire world and possessed power surpassing the Elder Gods themselves. Another of the Founding Races however, the Forkrul Assail, challenged the Che'Malle for dominion of the world. Outmatched, the Assail chose to mortally wound their own god, draining him of his power which they used to devastate the Che'Malle. In her desperation, the last remaining Matron opened a tear in the fabric of reality itself which tore apart the already dying god at the cost of her own life. Although this brought an end to the war, it was a pyrrhic victory for the Che'Malle, as their race was devastated. Perhaps in an attempt to rejuvenate their race, subsequent Matrons attempted to resurrect an ancient breed of K'Chain known as the Nah'ruk. This breed proved rebellious however and rejected the Matron's control. This coincided with the massive Tiste invasion which seemingly exterminated both breeds.
Although both races barely survived, the Che'Malle slipped into a period of regressive apathy, with the last remaining Nest located in the Glass Desert in eastern Lether. Feeling bereft of purpose, the Che'Malle looked to the new rulers of the world, humans, for guidance. The Che'Malle kidnapped several humans in an attempt to find a Mortal Sword, Shield Anvil, and Destriant (the "holy trinity" for each faith in the Malazan world). Their final choices were Kalyth, a woman from an otherwise extinct tribal people in northeastern Lether who became the Che'Malle's Destriant, and the Malazan soldiers Stormy and Gesler who became the Shield Anvil and Mortal Sword respectively. For all of their hopes however, Kalyth rejected the Che'Malle's idea of connecting them with a god, urging them to find faith in each other instead.
Meanwhile, the Nah’ruk began rebuilding their forces in the Imperial Warren, right under the nose of the Malazan Empire. Told of the location of their old enemies by the Forkrul Assail, the Nah’ruk marched out to what looked like their final battle with the Che’Malle. Before they could find the Che’Malle however, the Nah'ruk ran across the Malazan Bonehunters, who had initially mistaken the approaching army for a dust storm. The ensuing battle was a bloodbath, with the entrenched Bonehunters largely slaughtered by the superior physical and technological prowess of the Nah’ruk. Although the lizards lost three legions to the Malazan Heavies and Quick Ben’s sorcery it was not enough, and they drove the Bonehunters back, ultimately choosing not to pursue the defeated army, as they were not the Nah'ruk's real target. The Che'Malle however, were ready for their old foes this time. Under the new command of Stormy and Gesler, the Che'Malle used Malazan battle tactics to crush the Nah'ruk, finally putting an end to their millennia-long rebellion. Realizing that their old servants had just been pawns however, the Che'Malle joined forces with what remained of the Bonehunters to save the world from the Forkrul Assail.
The most common form of offensive magic is unleashing the raw power of the Warren, typically projected in waves of magical energy. The strength and area of effect of this vary depending on the strength of the mage, but even relatively minor mages can blow apart a human body with their magic, and battles between the very strongest of mages can reduce their surroundings, people and buildings included, to dust. In pitched battles, mages will often focus their attacks together, creating rolling waves of magic that can sweep over entire ranks of soldiers at once. As Kulp demonstrated in Deadhouse Gates, even a moderately skilled mage can selectively choose who to target with their Warren; so if an ally were swarmed by say, a mass of insects, the mage would be able to kill the bugs with a wave of magic while leaving their ally unharmed.
Travel through the warrens is their most commonly used feature. While most warrens are not hospitable for travelers, the Malazans have found a way around this through their use of the Imperial Warren. When the Crippled God's fall broke the continent of Jacuruku roughly 120,000 years ago, the Elder God K'rul transported the most severely damaged portions of the continent away to allow them to heal in their own separate Warren. The Malazans discovered this Warren and requisitioned it for their use. The Imperial Warren drastically reduces travel time, with Ganoes Paran and Topper covering a distance of over a thousand miles in the span of just a few hours. This transportation is not perfect, however, as those who open the portal must be able to visualize their final destination. Warrens will also sometimes "travel", meaning the journeyer might find their destination a place they didn't intend. This travel is also not well suited to full army transport, the strain of creating a gate that size too much for most mages, with only High Mage level individuals capable on rare occasions, of transporting any force in the hundreds all at once. It is very efficient at squad-level or supply transportation, however. The Imperial Warren is available for all Malazan mages to use.
"Teeth shone white in a savage, knowing smile. And something surfaced in Rillish’s mind, a memory of chatter during those dreary social gatherings at the capital: ‘Dol D’Avig – a better mage than his brother is count. Queen take it!' He drew breath to shout but at the same instant Dol waved curtly and Rillish’s throat constricted shut. All around him spears and swords clattered to the cobbles as his men gasped, choking, tearing at their throats."
Aral Gamelon, the Demon Warren
Ascendancy
One of the most important aspects of the Malazan setting if you do something extraordinary, you can become an Ascendant, effectively one step below a deity. Most Ascendents seem effectively immortal, no longer aging (or at least at a much reduced speed) in addition to being much harder to physically injure. Punch an Ascendant, and you're more likely to break your own hand than actually hurt them. Some have even shown minor healing factors. Ganoes Paran gives a much better description of Ascendancy then I could.
All right, we’ll start with this. Ascendants who find worshipers become gods, and that binding goes both ways. Ascendants without worshipers are, in a sense, unchained. Unaligned, in the language of the Deck of Dragons. Now, gods who once had worshipers but don’t have them any more are still ascendant, but effectively emasculated, and they remain so unless the worship is somehow renewed. For the Elder Gods, that means the spilling of blood on hallowed or once-hallowed ground. For the more primitive spirits and the like, it could be as simple as the recollection or rediscovery of their name, or some other form of awakening. Mind you, none of that matters if the ascendant in question has been well and truly annihilated. ‘So, to backtrack slightly, ascendants, whether gods or not, seem to possess some form of power. Maybe sorcery, maybe personality, maybe something else. And what that seems to mean is, they possess an unusual degree of efficacy—’
'Of what?’
'They’re trouble if you mess with them, is what I’m saying. A mortal man punches someone and maybe breaks the victim’s nose. An ascendant punches someone and they go through a wall. Now, I don’t mean that literally – although that’s sometimes the case. Not necessarily physical strength, but strength of will. When an ascendant acts, ripples run through…everything. And that’s what makes them so dangerous. For example, before Fener’s expulsion, Treach was a First Hero, an old name for an ascendant, and that’s all he was. Spent most of his time either battling other First Heroes, or, towards the end, wandering around in his Soletaken form. If nothing untoward had happened to Treach in that form, his ascendancy would have eventually vanished, lost in the primitive bestial mind of an oversized tiger. But something untoward did happen – actually, two things. Fener’s expulsion, and Treach’s unusual death. And with those two events, everything changed.’
‘All right,’ Hedge said, ‘that’s all just fine. When are you getting to your theory, Captain?’
'Every mountain has a peak, Hedge, and throughout history there have been mountains and mountains – more than we could imagine, I suspect – mountains of humanity, of Jaghut, of T’lan Imass, of Eres’al, Barghast, Trell, and so on. Not just mountains, but whole ranges. I believe ascendancy is a natural phenomenon, an inevitable law of probability. Take a mass of people, anywhere, any kind, and eventually enough pressure will build and a mountain will rise, and it will have a peak. Which is why so many ascendants become gods – after the passing of generations, the great hero’s name becomes sacred, representative of some long-lost golden age, and so it goes.’
As Paran explains above, an Ascendants power seems largely based on their strength of will. That could help explain how strong willed ascendants such as Daseem Ultor and Karsa Orlong seem so powerful. Ascendents are typically much stronger and faster then regular humans, with some of the fastest moving at FTE+ speeds. Some may also gain magical abilities, even if they didn't have them prior to their ascendancy.
Ascendency does have some draw backs however, namely that ascendants will often often be drawn into convergences, gatherings in which nearby ascendants will be drawn to eachother by their auras of power. These convergences often result in many of the participant's deaths. Ascendency is also a very rare occurrence, with only the Bridgeburners known for ascending en masse.
Otataral
An extremely rare and valuable material, otataral is a rust-colored, magic deadening ore. Similarly to how all the warrens are aspected to different dragons, otataral is aspected to Korabas, the Otataral Dragon, its presence necessary to preserve balance between the various forces of magic. Otataral is formed when magic of such magnitude is unleashed that it devours all the energy around it, creating the ore. Otataral is typically used in two ways, the first being to quench a weapon in otataral dust while it’s still hot (as otataral is too brittle to forge directly and attempting to counter magic with hot otataral could cause catastrophic explosions). Although the effects of the otataral weapon is negated by covering it with a dense material (like keeping it in its sheath), once unveiled it creates a magic-negating field approximately a few meters around its user. It’s also deployed by coating areas in otataral dust, which doesn’t produce the same AoE that having it concentrated on a weapon does, but could theoretically be spread over a wider area. Prolonged contact with otataral gives non-mages increased magic resistance and minor healing factors, while mages are driven insane from the inability to reach their warren. Otataral is as mentioned above, extremely rare, with only a few mines in the Malazan Empire producing it.
The structure of their society was similar to that of ants in that each Che'Malle had a certain task in mind when created, such as workers, warriors, assassins, and so on. Each Che'Malle nest was ruled by a Matron, an incredibly powerful Che'Malle who functioned as their equivalent of a queen, spawning new Che'Malle and directing their society. The Che'Malle communicate through scent glands, which produce oils that allow the Che'Malle to project their thoughts and feelings into the minds of other Che'Malle. Although often viewed by humans as cold and alien, the Che'Malle are in fact a deeply compassionate and empathetic race.
At the height of the power, the Che'Malle controlled the entire world and possessed power surpassing the Elder Gods themselves. Another of the Founding Races however, the Forkrul Assail, challenged the Che'Malle for dominion of the world. Outmatched, the Assail chose to mortally wound their own god, draining him of his power which they used to devastate the Che'Malle. In her desperation, the last remaining Matron opened a tear in the fabric of reality itself which tore apart the already dying god at the cost of her own life. Although this brought an end to the war, it was a pyrrhic victory for the Che'Malle, as their race was devastated. Perhaps in an attempt to rejuvenate their race, subsequent Matrons attempted to resurrect an ancient breed of K'Chain known as the Nah'ruk. This breed proved rebellious however and rejected the Matron's control. This coincided with the massive Tiste invasion which seemingly exterminated both breeds.
Although both races barely survived, the Che'Malle slipped into a period of regressive apathy, with the last remaining Nest located in the Glass Desert in eastern Lether. Feeling bereft of purpose, the Che'Malle looked to the new rulers of the world, humans, for guidance. The Che'Malle kidnapped several humans in an attempt to find a Mortal Sword, Shield Anvil, and Destriant (the "holy trinity" for each faith in the Malazan world). Their final choices were Kalyth, a woman from an otherwise extinct tribal people in northeastern Lether who became the Che'Malle's Destriant, and the Malazan soldiers Stormy and Gesler who became the Shield Anvil and Mortal Sword respectively. For all of their hopes however, Kalyth rejected the Che'Malle's idea of connecting them with a god, urging them to find faith in each other instead.
Meanwhile, the Nah’ruk began rebuilding their forces in the Imperial Warren, right under the nose of the Malazan Empire. Told of the location of their old enemies by the Forkrul Assail, the Nah’ruk marched out to what looked like their final battle with the Che’Malle. Before they could find the Che’Malle however, the Nah'ruk ran across the Malazan Bonehunters, who had initially mistaken the approaching army for a dust storm. The ensuing battle was a bloodbath, with the entrenched Bonehunters largely slaughtered by the superior physical and technological prowess of the Nah’ruk. Although the lizards lost three legions to the Malazan Heavies and Quick Ben’s sorcery it was not enough, and they drove the Bonehunters back, ultimately choosing not to pursue the defeated army, as they were not the Nah'ruk's real target. The Che'Malle however, were ready for their old foes this time. Under the new command of Stormy and Gesler, the Che'Malle used Malazan battle tactics to crush the Nah'ruk, finally putting an end to their millennia-long rebellion. Realizing that their old servants had just been pawns however, the Che'Malle joined forces with what remained of the Bonehunters to save the world from the Forkrul Assail.
IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY
Magic in Malazan
Magic in Malazan functions through the use of Warrens, realms separate from the world in which the series takes place. Those born with a talent for magic call upon their power by opening portals into these realms and channeling its power through their bodies. As their bodies are serving as conduits for this power of overuse of it can by very deadly for mages, but this is largely dependent on how powerful the mage in question is. The creator of these portals is the Elder God, K'rul, whose lifeblood connects the warrens, with the "heart" that keeps it all pumping being that of Starvald Demelain, the Warren of Dragons. Each Warren is aspected to the power possessed by certain dragons. Most Warrens are race specific, with the Elder Races having access to the oldest and most powerful Warrens, called Elder Warrens. Eventually, offshoots of these Warrens formed into new realms, these accessible to humans. These human accessible Warrens are called Paths. Most mages have control over one Path, some of the very strongest mages such as Tayschrenn may command multiple, and very rare, one-in-thousand examples such as Beak and Quick Ben can command almost all of them. Mages capable of manipulating their Warren at a greater level are referred to as using "High (Warren Name)" ex: High Denul. Night of Knives implied that theoretically, any human could learn how to access Warrens, regardless of whether they possessed any innate magical talent, although this info seems to contradicted by just about every portrayal of mages throughout the series. Magic in Malazan typically does not require an incantation (although there are of few examples of this so it's not 100% consistent) and very little physical gestures.
Each Warren is typically controlled by a House, groupings of certain Ascendants or gods that control that aspect of nature. A human that calls upon these Warrens is not necessarily affiliated with that House however and can call upon their powers without needing to pledge service to the House. For example, the God of Death, Hood, controls his own Warren, Hood's Path, which gives him power over the dead and their souls. Each Warren is a world onto itself, with its own unique geography and ecosystem.
Each Warren is typically controlled by a House, groupings of certain Ascendants or gods that control that aspect of nature. A human that calls upon these Warrens is not necessarily affiliated with that House however and can call upon their powers without needing to pledge service to the House. For example, the God of Death, Hood, controls his own Warren, Hood's Path, which gives him power over the dead and their souls. Each Warren is a world onto itself, with its own unique geography and ecosystem.
Utilities of a Warren
While each Warren is aspected to a particular element and the metaphysical concepts that go along with it, all warrens that are accessible to humans also have abilities that seem to be universal, regardless of the Warren itself.The most common form of offensive magic is unleashing the raw power of the Warren, typically projected in waves of magical energy. The strength and area of effect of this vary depending on the strength of the mage, but even relatively minor mages can blow apart a human body with their magic, and battles between the very strongest of mages can reduce their surroundings, people and buildings included, to dust. In pitched battles, mages will often focus their attacks together, creating rolling waves of magic that can sweep over entire ranks of soldiers at once. As Kulp demonstrated in Deadhouse Gates, even a moderately skilled mage can selectively choose who to target with their Warren; so if an ally were swarmed by say, a mass of insects, the mage would be able to kill the bugs with a wave of magic while leaving their ally unharmed.
Travel through the warrens is their most commonly used feature. While most warrens are not hospitable for travelers, the Malazans have found a way around this through their use of the Imperial Warren. When the Crippled God's fall broke the continent of Jacuruku roughly 120,000 years ago, the Elder God K'rul transported the most severely damaged portions of the continent away to allow them to heal in their own separate Warren. The Malazans discovered this Warren and requisitioned it for their use. The Imperial Warren drastically reduces travel time, with Ganoes Paran and Topper covering a distance of over a thousand miles in the span of just a few hours. This transportation is not perfect, however, as those who open the portal must be able to visualize their final destination. Warrens will also sometimes "travel", meaning the journeyer might find their destination a place they didn't intend. This travel is also not well suited to full army transport, the strain of creating a gate that size too much for most mages, with only High Mage level individuals capable on rare occasions, of transporting any force in the hundreds all at once. It is very efficient at squad-level or supply transportation, however. The Imperial Warren is available for all Malazan mages to use.
Warrens can also be used for communication purposes, with mages capable of communicating with one another over distances of hundreds of miles, shown by Quick Ben's conversation with Grey Swords. It can also be used for summoning purposes, as often seen with Kalam and Quick Ben's "shaved knuckle in the hole" strategy. A mage will invest an object with magic, and once that object is broken it sends out a magical SOS to the mage in question, useful when say a squad of infiltrators needs some magical backup. Mages can also "shape" the nature of a conversation with others, such as the specialized communication spell Quick Ben used on the Grey Swords that he crafted to show the mercenary company’s true nature, whether it would be greedy or noble. This technique would certainly help when engaging enemy armies in diplomacy, as it keys mages into the overall values of the armies they face.
The Paths and other Warrens
Malazan is fairly down the middle in terms of the "hardness" of its magic system. There are rules, but some are not clearly stated, have to be figured out through description, or seem completely random. This makes it difficult to determine the "power levels " of mages, but the ranks of spellcasters listed in the "Malzan Mages" profile in part two are a decent breakdown. So, in addition to listing the outlines to each Warren, I'll break down a possible high, middle, and low end of what a mage commanding the Warren in question could do. This is roughly based on rank and number of mages. A squad mage would be operating at the low-end, a cadre mage at the mid-end, and a high-mage at the high-end. This gets somewhat more complicated when there are groups of mages, as by joining their powers together, lesser mages can be a match for stronger ones. Not every Warren here may have neat examples of these power levels.
Mockra, The Path of the Mind
 |
| What a person under the effects of Mockra might experience. |
The most insidious of the warrens, calling upon Mockra allows a mage to alter the perceptions of a victim's mind, playing tricks on them based on imaginary fears; their body does the rest. This can be used to play with the victim's emotions, driving them mad with fear, inciting an angry mob, keeping a group of soldiers unconscious, or clouding their minds to make them confused and slow to react. Mockra mages can have telepathic conversations with one another, or if they’re feeling more forceful, rip confidential information from the heads of enemy troops. Some Mockra users will invest an object with magic to warn them of the emotions of those around them, for example if they have murderous intent. Mockra is the most commonly manifested talent among mages.
Low End: The ability to affect up to around half-a-dozen people given that the Bonehunter squad mages were cloaking their group's advance into Lether. Other low-level applications of Mockra, such as investing objects to detect certain emotions and telepathic communication, should also fall here.
Mid-End: Working together, mage cadre level casters can influence larger groups, such as the groups of Claw mages in The Bonehunters inciting mobs numbering over four thousand (it's worth noting they had agents they were also verbally spurring them on) to violence. The maximum number of affected by the individual mages seems to be equal to that of the low-end mages. The four thousand number indicates mid-end mages tendency to work in groups to achieve far greater results than they would otherwise be capable of.
High-End: More forceful applications of Mockra. Ripping information out of heads, melting brains, and putting enemies to sleep. The maximum number of people affected by a single Mockra High Mage was 21.
Rashan, the Path of Darkness
"What was it like?"
"What was what like?"
"Your warren. Rashan. Darkness."
"I don't know. It was dark."
The child of Kurald Galain, Rashan is aspected to darkness. Rashan is most well known for the ancient cult of Rashan in the Seven Cities, who claim that they're Warren, not Meanas, is the true aspect of darkness and shadow. Mages wielding Rashan can cloak themselves or their allies in absolute darkness, a particularity useful talent for assassins.
Thyr, the Path of Light
The offshoot of Kurald Emurlain, Thyr uh…produces light? There’s honestly almost no feats for this Warren in the entire series, although it also seems to be linked to the metaphysical concepts that also go together with light such as heat and fire. Two of the Talian League mages in Return of the Crimson Guard were capable of producing an incredibly powerful ritual through Thyr.
“This has gone too far, Storo,’ he called. ‘Should’ve backed down when I gave you the chance.’ He nodded to some unseen presence and his two mages appeared at his sides, the old gal and her near twin, a rail-thin old guy with grey brush-cut hair. They snapped their arms down and both burst into flames. ‘Hood’s grin.’
“Take ’em!” Sunny yelled, throwing his last sharper. Both mages thrust their arms forward as if repelling something and Hurl felt the heat wash over her even from that distance – the breath of a kiln glowing yellow. The sharper burst in the air long before reaching the mages. The cussor even felt warm in Hurl’s hands.
‘Togg’s shit!’ She thrust the munition back into the satchel then backed off to slide it far down the hall as gently as she could. She returned to find Sunny and Rell arguing.
“Leave me,” Rell was saying. Sunny had him by the jerkin.
“No. We gotta retreat. Jump them inside on the sly.”
“I have my charge. Go if you wish.” All the while the heat was devastating. The mages advanced side by side, twin pyres, ropes of flame chaining between them. The Warren of Thyr unleashed like Hurl had never seen or heard of. Some kind of ritual battle magery. The metal fittings of her armour made her wince when they touched her flesh. The hairs on her arms were crisping.
“We have to retreat,” she shouted to Rell. “Don’t be a fool! They’ve won this round. But the damned fool would not budge. “Fine!” Sunny snarled and he backed off, shading his face from the heat. Hurl threw one last begging look to Rell who shook his head, then to her shame she too was driven back by the excruciating heat. And where was Silk! They dragged the Captain with them up the hall. The mages had advanced into view. The blood pooled at the threshold and stairs boiled, steaming, then crisped, flaking into ash that flew driven into Hurl’s eyes. The corpses abandoned before the entrance burst into flames. The unfettered power of the Warren drove seared flesh into the air like smoke. Greasy soot coated Hurl’s face and arms. She gagged worse than she ever had in the sewer. Through the haze she saw Rell still held the doorway, swords raised. Smoke streamed from his smouldering hair. Somehow, he hadn’t even shifted from his ready stance. How was such inhuman discipline possible?
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 143-144
Meanas, the Path of Shadow and Illusion
The Warren currently controlled by the former Emperor Kellanved and Dancer (now Shadowthrone and Cotillion respectively), Meanas is an offshoot of the warrens of Rashan and Thyr, as shadows cannot exist without darkness and light. As its name implies, it focuses on the illusions and misdirection, bending light and darkness to its will. These illusions can be whatever the mage chooses, with Mockra capable of replicating both sight and sound perfectly. Soldiers find themselves charged by previously unseen enemies or attacked by terrifying monsters suddenly in their midst. The more elaborate these illusions are, the more difficult they are to create and maintain. Creating a complex illusion pays off however as if its victim believes the illusion to be real, its effects will become real. Conversely, if its victim realizes that it's an illusion, it will cease to have any power.
Expanding beyond the just creating illusions, Users of Meanas can manipulate the very shadows themselves to attack their enemies.
Expanding beyond the just creating illusions, Users of Meanas can manipulate the very shadows themselves to attack their enemies.
“Suddenly it was dusk, the sky colourless. The field remained but now stretched empty.
‘Shadow!’ She spun, found what she searched for: the mage some distance off. Ignoring the pain of the thrust in her back, she made for him. Shadows closed, coalesced before her. She pushed through. Something clutched her throat, cutting off her breath. She felt at her neck but found nothing.
‘Shadows throttling her! How to…’ She fought to breathe but nothing came. Her lungs charred. Her chest tightened in a rising frenzied panic. But still through the blurring haze she saw him, the Claw mage, and she made for him. Amazingly the man did not move; he watched her advance with disbelief in eyes that widened and widened as she closed. The shadows tightened like a hangman’s noose. She felt her pulse throbbing, clenched off.”
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 562-563
The most famous talent of Meanas users is the Shadow Dance, a martial art typically practiced by assassins. Graceful, beautiful and overall deadly, shadow dancers draw darkness to the light, allowing the dancer to propel themselves through shadows at incredibly fast speeds (the best dancers are FTE {Faster than Eyesight}) in addition to gaining an overall boost to their overall physical stats. Shadow dancing is a very rare talent. Users of Rashan can also apparently learn how to shadow dance, reflecting the conflict between the followers of the two warrens.
Low End: Determining a low-end for Meanas mages is tricky as even squad-level mages have pulled off the "illusion becomes real" criteria. A good example of this is the Meanas squad mages from the final battle of The Crippled God, who blast the enemy commander with various "real" illusions. Their commanding officer orders them to "tone it down" however, implying that they lack the restraint or skill to maintain such illusions for too long.
Mid-End: In Deadhouse Gates, a cadre mage named Kulp uses Meanas to fool an enemy High Mage. Although these illusions didn't meet the "become real" criteria, it was still sufficient to temporarily the mage in question. Kulp's illusions show some of the features that make an illusion successful. He crafts his with attention to detail and ensures it deceives its victims' perceptions rather than challenging them.
High End: Quick Ben (see his hero profile for more) is one of the most skilled illusionists in the series, capable of fooling large numbers of people and even skilled sorcerors. His most impressive illusion feat occured in The Bonehunters, when working alongside talented Meanas mage, Bottle, they refined an Elder Magic illusion sufficient to fool the hundred Tiste Edur warlocks present. This was aided by Bottle's somewhat unwelcome patron, the Elder Goddess known as the Eres'al. It was her power that boosted the illusion enough to become a reality. It's unclear whether she gave the illusion sufficient believability to become real or perhaps simply cast the spell for Quick Ben.
Denul, the Path of Healing
Fairly self-explanatory, Denul gives its users the ability to heal themselves and others. Basic Denul healing is enough to treat minor to moderately severe injuries. Those with High Denul and can handle more serious issues such as reattaching entire limbs (provided they have the original arm or leg available) regrowing organs, or treating ravaging diseases such as leprosy. Even those who are not sick or Denul users can also invest their power in salves or elixirs to use later. Very simply, regular Denul healers seem to be able to treat injuries that a medieval-era physician could handle (albeit much more safely) while High Denul users can treat injuries equal to that of modern-day physicians.When used in combination with the Warren of Mockra, Denul can even cure psychological trauma. ver
Due to the nature of the army, Denul healers are in high demand and, but should not be placed under too much pressure. Denul seems to take a particular strain on the body, and even a High Denul healer can die from putting too much effort in treating a severe wound. Average Denul users seem rather common, although High Denul users are rare.
Telas, the Path of Fire
The human accessible version of the T’lan Imass’ Hold of Fire, Tellan, Telas mages can summon waves of flame to wash over their enemies. When mages combine their power, they are powerful enough to produce enough fire to sweep over an entire battlefield!
"Moments later a great sheet of flame arose across the intervening field and began sweeping north. Distant figures writhed, caught in the sudden eruption. The great mass of skirmishers recoiled, fleeing. The wedge of fire broadened, swelling, a runaway grass fire threatening to engulf the entire field."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 562
Hood's Path, the Path of Death
What life gives, Hood takes away. Users can summon spirits or raise the undead to serve as either guardians or sources of information. Skilled necromancers such as Bauchelein can raise around a dozen undead at once and command if given time and the necessary number of corpses, hundreds of undead. They can also use their magic for more direct assaults, such as summoning phantoms to rip out souls on the battlefield, or as Korbal Broach demonstrated, magically ripping hearts out of chests. The latter spell doesn't even require line of sight to use, given that he was ripping out hearts from the comfort of his estate, making it a useful skill for assassinations. It should be noted however that necromancy seems to be a looked down upon ability in Malazan, and almost all necromancers present will probably limit themselves to talking to spirits rather than raising the dead and other exotic abilities.
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 562
Hood's Path, the Path of Death
What life gives, Hood takes away. Users can summon spirits or raise the undead to serve as either guardians or sources of information. Skilled necromancers such as Bauchelein can raise around a dozen undead at once and command if given time and the necessary number of corpses, hundreds of undead. They can also use their magic for more direct assaults, such as summoning phantoms to rip out souls on the battlefield, or as Korbal Broach demonstrated, magically ripping hearts out of chests. The latter spell doesn't even require line of sight to use, given that he was ripping out hearts from the comfort of his estate, making it a useful skill for assassinations. It should be noted however that necromancy seems to be a looked down upon ability in Malazan, and almost all necromancers present will probably limit themselves to talking to spirits rather than raising the dead and other exotic abilities.
D'riss, the Path of Stone
Drawing power from the goddess D’rek, mages with control over d’riss can petrify wood (good for crippling siege weapons and interfering with an enemy's logistics), as well as walking through stone itself, making most medieval fortifications easy for them to infiltrate.
Tennes, the Path of the Land
Channeling power from the Burn, the goddess of the earth, users of Tennes warren can manipulate earth at will. This ranges from softening the earth underneath an enemy's feet to cause them to sink into the ground, or more simply, creating holes in the earth for them to fall in. For more direct offensive uses, high powered mages of Tennes have shown the ability to create massive pillars of earth which they can shoot out of the ground with enough force to knock even a dragon out of the sky.
Serc, the Path of the Sky
Serc gives its users the power over air currents and pressures. Most commonly used for transportation purposes, Serc mages control air currents to fly through the air. Serc also has some potent combat use as well, with experienced Serc users able to perform a "force-choke"-esque attack that can affect several dozen people at once.
"Teeth shone white in a savage, knowing smile. And something surfaced in Rillish’s mind, a memory of chatter during those dreary social gatherings at the capital: ‘Dol D’Avig – a better mage than his brother is count. Queen take it!' He drew breath to shout but at the same instant Dol waved curtly and Rillish’s throat constricted shut. All around him spears and swords clattered to the cobbles as his men gasped, choking, tearing at their throats."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 375
The strongest of Serc mages can manage even more impressive effects, such as increasing the air pressure around a target's body a hundredfold, causing them to explode. Some can even summon a localized hurricane to ravage their enemies, or even create miniaturized cyclones or thunderstorms to strike enemy positions. All of these feats are high end, however.
"The magus stretched his arms high, reached up as if grasping the clouds. His hands clenched into fists then the arms snapped down. A fusillade of lightning lashed the Spur. The barrage seemed to drive the stone down beneath their feet. Men howled all around, true terror cracking their voices. Kyle fell as the rock kicked back at him. The continuous flashing blinded him. He lay with his arms over his head, shouting wordlessly, begging that it end."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 24
Ruse, the Path of the Sea
Channeling power from the Elder God of the Sea, Mael, and his watery realm, Ruse gives its users access to the power of the oceans. Ruse can be used for a variety of purposes; on the smaller scale, teleporting water into an enemy's lungs for the targeted assassination of leaders.
"In the soft earth before Quick Ben, the wizard had set a half-dozen twigs, upright, in a rough line. Faint sorcery whispered between them that the captain’s eyes could only register peripherally. Twenty paces behind the two men, Shank sat hunched over his modest, pebble-ringed circle of ritual; six twigs from the same branch that Quick Ben had used, jabbed into the moss before the squad mage, surrounding a bladder filled with water. Beads of condensation glistened from these twigs. Paran heard Quick Ben’s soft sigh. The wizard reached out, hovered an index finger over the third twig, then tapped it. Shank saw one of his twigs twitch. He grinned, whispered the last word of his ritual, releasing its power. The bladder shrivelled, suddenly empty. Down on the trail, the Seerdomin sorceror, third in the line, buckled, water spraying from his mouth, lungs filled, clawing at his own chest. Shank’s eyes closed, his face runnelled in sweat as he swiftly added binding spells to the water that filled the Seerdomin’s lungs, holding it down against their desperate, spasming efforts to expel the deadly fluid."
-Memories of Ice pg. 780
Ruse can also channel the pressure of the ocean into an offensive weapon, summoning the power of the ocean's depth to crush their enemies, or just create a portal to Ruse and push their victim through. Only the strongest Ruse mages can use this ability and even then will likely not be able to replicate the scale of the demonstration performed below, as the Elder God Mael caused it.
"Bugg slowed to a stagger, his face twisting with grief, then rage. He roared. Heads turned. And the manservant unleashed what had remained hidden and quiescent within him for so long. Fourteen Tiste Edur, standing, all reached up to clamp their ears—but the gesture was never completed, as thirteen of them imploded, as if beneath vast pressure, in horrible contractions of flesh, the wild spurt of blood and fluids, skulls collapsing inward. Imploded, only to explode outward a moment later. In bloody pieces, spattering the warehouse wall and out across the street. The fourteenth Tiste Edur, the one who had just crushed a head beneath his heel, was lifted into the air. Writhing, his eyes bulging horribly, wastes streaming down his legs. As Bugg stalked forward. Until he was standing before Theradas Buhn of the Hiroth. He stared up at the warrior, at his bloated face, at the agony in his eyes. Trembling, Bugg said, "You, I am sending home…not your home. My home." A gesture, and the Tiste Edur vanished. Into Bugg’s warren, away, then down, down, ever down. Into depthless darkness, where the portal opened once more, flinging Theradas Buhn into icy, black water. Where the pressure, immense and undeniable, embraced him. Fatally."
-Midnight Tides, pg. 583-584
Having power over the oceans naturally gives Ruse practitioners an advantage in naval battles, with the most notable example being the Ruse mages of the Mare navy, who enchanted their ships so they couldn't sink (the Malazans though, don't appear to know how to do this). Their are more direct combat applications as well including summoning massive waves to wash over the enemy. This is an ability available only to Ruse high mages and even in the case below the High Mage admitted she was tapping into a power within Ruse rather than relying solely on her abilities.
"Ruse called to her. It practically sang. Yes, yes, she answered. So be it. She extended her arms to reach out over as wide a front as possible. Come. Rush through. Rise. She tugged the waters behind her, urging them into a swelling, a great roll or front that came surging upward. She sensed the enormous Blue dromonds and men-of-war anchored behind in the bay as tiny toys bouncing far above her consciousness. And she pushed. Yells of alarm rang out around her but she did not turn. An immensity now leaning forward behind her, rising inexorably. The weight was impossible, but she allowed it to flow through her, onward, promising release just ahead. A wave took her from behind, climbed her body and kept mounting ever higher. She sensed the launches and jolly boats surging overhead, men and women momentarily suspended, counter-balanced in their weight, kicked forward. The surge struck the cliff like a tidal bore and was pushed upward, bulging, rising. It washed over the lip, taking with it everyone along this stretch of the landing, to burst outward in a great release of pressure, washing onwards, diminishing."
-Stonewielder pg. 543
Not all the effects of Ruse are so deadly. Skilled mages can shape Ruse into a fiery net powerful enough to catch Dhenrabi, giant sea centipedes that can grow over two hundred feet in length. The net constricts the more its target struggles. According to Eberon, a normal human would only be able to last few seconds in the net before being reduced to a sizzling corpse, making it more ideal for capturing large and durable individuals.
Ruse is the most difficult Warren to master, and according to Quick Ben and Twist, there are no Ruse High mages located anywhere in either the Malazan Empire or Moranth territories. This statement would later prove to be false, as Mallick Rel temporarily became a High Mage of Ruse. Still, there will be fewer Ruse adepts than any other kind of mage in the army.
Aral Gamelon, the Demon Warren
While the other Warrens may contain their own peoples, Aral Gamelon seems to be the only one containing fully functioning societies, populated the creatures that humans, lacking any better term, refer to as demons. Word of God has it that the summoned creatures consider humans to be the real demons for essentially kidnapping them from their home, although most mages don't care enough about their demons to investigate this. Demon summoning is aspected to death, much like Hood's realm, only tainted with the Warren of Chaos. It is speculated that this is due to the summoner taking control of the demons life-force, with the summoner cajoling the demon into servitude before binding it to them. Once summoned, the mage will usually imprison the demon, typically in a small vial, from which the demon will take shape once it is released. If the demon suffers too much damage after being summoned, its link with its summoner becomes severed (quite painfully for the summoner), and it will flee back to its natural realm. For those that would attempt to free the demon from its new master, the summoner will sometimes place a hold-over spell on a collar around the demon's neck that will force it to attack anyone who frees it.
Demons summoned from Aral Gamelon include:
Kenyll'rah & Kenryll'ah: The two most common species of demon in Aral Gamelon, the Kenyll'rah are the working class of Aral Gamelon, their name translating to 'sleep peacefully' in their language. The Kenryll'ah are the ruling class of demons and far superior warriors than their subjects. They tower over over most humans, with the Kenryll'ah standing taller than a soldier on horseback. The demons come armed with a variety of weapons, including tulwars, battleaxes, glaives, maces, and war hammers, these weapons oversized to suit the demon's large frames. The Kenryll'ah also have razor sharp claws capable of shredding human flesh. These demons can take quite a beating, with the Letherii Empire forced to use siege weapons to kill the Kenyll'rah, or else surround them with hordes of regular soldiers to hack them to pieces. The Kenryll'ah are even tougher, and while conventional weapons such as swords and crossbows can still hurt them, they have far thicker bones than regular humans, one even capable of surviving a sharper (the Malazan version of a shrapnel grenade) exploding in its face. They also have minor healing factors. Two Kenryll'ah were capable of fighting off a pureblood Forkrul Assail, incredibly impressive, given that a single pureblood Forkrul Assail took down almost half a dozen T'lan Imass warriors with ease. They also have good senses of humor.
"Udinaas, remain with the horses. Fear, on my left. Trull, my right. K’risnan, stay behind us five paces. Demons, out to either side.’
"Can’t we eat first?"
"Or pee? I need to pee."
"You should have thought of that before we left," the first demon said.
"And you should have eaten. We’ve plenty of spare horses, you know."
The emperor hissed. "Silence, both of you. We’ve had to listen to you the entire journey. No more, lest I decide to kill you first."
"That wouldn’t be wise,’ the second Kenryll’ah said. ‘I smell more than meat, I smell the one thing still alive in there, and it isn’t pleasant."
"I taste it," the first demon said. "And it makes me want to retch."
"You should have thought of retching before we left," the second one said.
"I think of retching every time I look at you."
"Enough!"
"I apologize for my brother," the first demon said.
"And I for mine," the second one added.
Korvalahrai: Invaders from some other region of Aral Gamelon, the Korvalahrai are seafarers who raid the Kenryll'ah lands in the Demon Warren. They are one of the two most commonly used varieties of demons by the Malazans and are incredibly powerful. A single Korvalahrai is capable of leveling an entire city on its own.
Galayn: The other most common type of demon used by the Malazans. Unfortunately we don't see any examples of an "average" Galayn demon, the only one we do see specifically mentioned to be a Demon Lord, and presumably much stronger than your average Galayn. Said demon stood 12 feet tall and wielded a giant, magically enchanted battle axe that caught fire as he swung it. It was also capable of turning into a Soltaken Eleint. The Galayn Lord was considered the Malazan's trump card against Anomander Rake and was even able to hold his own against the Tiste Andii Lord for a brief time.
Sirinth: Large toad-like demons about the size of a bull, Sirinth are judging from the Sirinth that Quick Ben encountered, used primarily as guard-dogs. They have wide heads that are mostly jaws and fangs and are surprisingly fast for creatures of their size.
Warren of Chaos
Chaos in Malazan refers to the primordial stuff of creation. It forms the miasmic paths between the Warrens while subtlety bleeding into them. Some mages may choose to tap into the power of Chaos directly, although only the extremely desperate, or extremely crazy would decide to do so willingly. While Chaos in Malazan is not actively malicious as it is in Warhammer, prolonged exposure to it will eat away at a person's body (as was the case with Hannan Mosag) or mind (as was the case with Hairlock). Despite the physical and mental toll accessing Chaos has on mages it still gives them a temporary boost of power, at the cost of making their magic wilder and harder to control.
Unleashed directly, Chaos is the most destructive substance in the Malazan setting, capable of breaking things down on both a physical and spiritual level.Ascendancy
One of the most important aspects of the Malazan setting if you do something extraordinary, you can become an Ascendant, effectively one step below a deity. Most Ascendents seem effectively immortal, no longer aging (or at least at a much reduced speed) in addition to being much harder to physically injure. Punch an Ascendant, and you're more likely to break your own hand than actually hurt them. Some have even shown minor healing factors. Ganoes Paran gives a much better description of Ascendancy then I could.
All right, we’ll start with this. Ascendants who find worshipers become gods, and that binding goes both ways. Ascendants without worshipers are, in a sense, unchained. Unaligned, in the language of the Deck of Dragons. Now, gods who once had worshipers but don’t have them any more are still ascendant, but effectively emasculated, and they remain so unless the worship is somehow renewed. For the Elder Gods, that means the spilling of blood on hallowed or once-hallowed ground. For the more primitive spirits and the like, it could be as simple as the recollection or rediscovery of their name, or some other form of awakening. Mind you, none of that matters if the ascendant in question has been well and truly annihilated. ‘So, to backtrack slightly, ascendants, whether gods or not, seem to possess some form of power. Maybe sorcery, maybe personality, maybe something else. And what that seems to mean is, they possess an unusual degree of efficacy—’
'Of what?’
'They’re trouble if you mess with them, is what I’m saying. A mortal man punches someone and maybe breaks the victim’s nose. An ascendant punches someone and they go through a wall. Now, I don’t mean that literally – although that’s sometimes the case. Not necessarily physical strength, but strength of will. When an ascendant acts, ripples run through…everything. And that’s what makes them so dangerous. For example, before Fener’s expulsion, Treach was a First Hero, an old name for an ascendant, and that’s all he was. Spent most of his time either battling other First Heroes, or, towards the end, wandering around in his Soletaken form. If nothing untoward had happened to Treach in that form, his ascendancy would have eventually vanished, lost in the primitive bestial mind of an oversized tiger. But something untoward did happen – actually, two things. Fener’s expulsion, and Treach’s unusual death. And with those two events, everything changed.’
‘All right,’ Hedge said, ‘that’s all just fine. When are you getting to your theory, Captain?’
'Every mountain has a peak, Hedge, and throughout history there have been mountains and mountains – more than we could imagine, I suspect – mountains of humanity, of Jaghut, of T’lan Imass, of Eres’al, Barghast, Trell, and so on. Not just mountains, but whole ranges. I believe ascendancy is a natural phenomenon, an inevitable law of probability. Take a mass of people, anywhere, any kind, and eventually enough pressure will build and a mountain will rise, and it will have a peak. Which is why so many ascendants become gods – after the passing of generations, the great hero’s name becomes sacred, representative of some long-lost golden age, and so it goes.’
As Paran explains above, an Ascendants power seems largely based on their strength of will. That could help explain how strong willed ascendants such as Daseem Ultor and Karsa Orlong seem so powerful. Ascendents are typically much stronger and faster then regular humans, with some of the fastest moving at FTE+ speeds. Some may also gain magical abilities, even if they didn't have them prior to their ascendancy.
Ascendency does have some draw backs however, namely that ascendants will often often be drawn into convergences, gatherings in which nearby ascendants will be drawn to eachother by their auras of power. These convergences often result in many of the participant's deaths. Ascendency is also a very rare occurrence, with only the Bridgeburners known for ascending en masse.
Otataral
An extremely rare and valuable material, otataral is a rust-colored, magic deadening ore. Similarly to how all the warrens are aspected to different dragons, otataral is aspected to Korabas, the Otataral Dragon, its presence necessary to preserve balance between the various forces of magic. Otataral is formed when magic of such magnitude is unleashed that it devours all the energy around it, creating the ore. Otataral is typically used in two ways, the first being to quench a weapon in otataral dust while it’s still hot (as otataral is too brittle to forge directly and attempting to counter magic with hot otataral could cause catastrophic explosions). Although the effects of the otataral weapon is negated by covering it with a dense material (like keeping it in its sheath), once unveiled it creates a magic-negating field approximately a few meters around its user. It’s also deployed by coating areas in otataral dust, which doesn’t produce the same AoE that having it concentrated on a weapon does, but could theoretically be spread over a wider area. Prolonged contact with otataral gives non-mages increased magic resistance and minor healing factors, while mages are driven insane from the inability to reach their warren. Otataral is as mentioned above, extremely rare, with only a few mines in the Malazan Empire producing it.
PRIMARY UNITS
Medium Infantry (Malazan Regulars)
"The Malazan professional soldier is the deadliest weapon I know."
For every story of heroism on the battlefield, there exist thousands of other stories untold. This is the role of the Malazan medium infantry or regulars. Making up the bulk of the Malazan military, the medium infantry are less armored than the Heavies, but more so than the Marines. Despite having none of the prestige of the former two units, the medium infantry is counted on to do the bulk of the fighting, holding the line against the enemy while the likes of the Heavies drive them back. The Regulars’ finest hour came towards the end of The Crippled God where they held off a vastly larger Kolansii army.
"They arrived like a whirlwind, into the front line of the Kolansii. Swords were a blur in the hands of the dancer, and, where they touched, blood sang forth and bodies tumbled back. The ice-clad soldier waded in, blows bouncing from him unnoticed, and cut deep into the ranks, his sword seemingly everywhere. The tall soldier on the dancer’s left was bellowing as he beat down the Kolansii in front of him, shield-slamming another and knocking the two men off their feet, where they fouled those coming up behind them. And the commander fought with breathtaking precision, every motion either evading a thrust or dealing death, on her face an expression that struck ice through Trissin’s heart. And then the other soldiers arrived, four coming up around the commander, three of them howling like demons, the fourth with his mouth horribly sewn tight. They struck in a manic frenzy, driving the Kolansii back. She saw a huge soldier collide with the heavies who had swung round the ice-bound man, somehow knocking three of them to the ground. His short sword lashed down, seemingly little more than touching each Kolansii on the side of the neck – and from three throats blood sprayed out.
"Surround them!" screamed Trissin from three ranks behind the fighting.
"Cut them—"A ball of flames engulfed the Kolansii commander, raging wild, and from the cloudless sky above lightning crashed down, the impact thundering, flinging soldiers to the ground, the strike creating a vast hole in the ranks. Burnt flesh and parts of bodies rained down. Three demons clawed up from the ground beneath the burning woman, their bodies covered in protruding mouths filled with dagger-length fangs, the talons on the ends of their fingers long as sabres, their heads swarming with coal-red eyes. Roaring, they lunged into the raging flames, tearing the commander to pieces. Seeing all this, Grid Ffan shot a wild look back at his mages – saw them convulsed with laughter.
"Fucking illusionists! Tone it down, you fools! You want t’give it all away?" Gill Slime and Asp Slither looked up, suddenly straight-faced.
"Got anything else?" Ffan demanded. Both shook their heads.
"Then get up here and fight!" The Kolansii had recovered, were now pushing to close once again. And more were swinging round on the far side, forcing Sample and Hare Ravage to back up. Swearing, Ffan worked up close to the Adjunct.
"Sir! We need to fall back into the phalanx! Adjunct!" When she did not reply – or even seem to hear him – he cursed and said to the sergeant beside him,
"Grey, listen. We come up and around her, either side – we make us a wall so she can’t get past us. Shipwreck, go there – and you, Semk, right here – we’re going to force her back and into the ranks, understood?"
"It’s the battle lust, sir!’ shouted Shipwreck, staggering drunkenly as was his way in moments of high excitement, when his damaged inner ear started acting up.
"I know what the fuck it is, idiot. Now, let’s do this!"
Lostara Yil was being pulled away from the Adjunct’s flank – Henar Vygulf was hard pressed, now defending himself from attackers on two sides. The sudden arrival of the regulars had eased the threat, but only momentarily – there were simply too many of the bastards. Sobbing, bearing countless wounds, Lostara Yil drew closer to her love.
'Don’t die. Please. Don’t die.' A sword blade clipped Henar’s head. He staggered, stunned. Lostara screamed, now fighting blind to the threats pressing in around her, her gaze fixed on Henar. The two regulars collapsed in to fend off the blows rushing down towards Henar. A woman and a man, the former Nathii, the latter Seven Cities – she had never seen them before, but they fought the attackers to a standstill above her love, who’d dragged off his cracked helm, blood gushing down from a scalp wound, and was trying to regain his feet. Lostara hacked down a Kolansii on her left, leapt over his crumpling form. The grace was gone now. Only brutal savagery remained. She opened another man’s throat. The Nathii woman shrieked, a sword driven through her chest. Dropping her weapon she took hold of the arm gripping that sword, and pulled her attacker down as she fell. Her companion’s short sword licked out, cut through half his neck; the man was shouting, trying to drag Henar back to his feet, until an axe crushed the back of the regular’s head, through helm and bone, and flung him forward, limbs flopping. But Henar was on his feet once more – and Lostara reached his side. Just beyond, a row of faces: Malazan regulars, shouting from their line on the flank, screaming and beckoning.
'Close! Hurry! Come to us!' Lostara spun round, blades whipping out.
"Henar! To the ranks! Go!" She saw the other regulars spilling back, all of them arrayed protectively round the Adjunct as they forced her towards the ranks. Ruthan Gudd and one huge regular were fighting to prevent the group from getting cut off, enveloped, but even they were being pushed back.
'Take me, Cotillion! Please, I beg you! Take me!' But from her patron god…nothing. She twisted to her left, marched ahead to hold the enemy. A dozen Kolansii rushed her."
-The Crippled God pg. 857-860
Malazan military tradition relies on discipline and cohesion, allowing their coordinated shield-walls of men and women to overcome their typically less disciplined opponents. That said, Malazan soldiers are also apparently skilled single combatants as the quote above shows. One of the regulars effortlessly cuts down three heavy infantrymen in as many attacks. Other soldiers also recount being trained in single combat.
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| Art by slaine69 |
Training/Experience: 4-5 Mobility: 4 Max Range: Longbow Preferred Range: Melee
"The Malazan professional soldier is the deadliest weapon I know."
For every story of heroism on the battlefield, there exist thousands of other stories untold. This is the role of the Malazan medium infantry or regulars. Making up the bulk of the Malazan military, the medium infantry are less armored than the Heavies, but more so than the Marines. Despite having none of the prestige of the former two units, the medium infantry is counted on to do the bulk of the fighting, holding the line against the enemy while the likes of the Heavies drive them back. The Regulars’ finest hour came towards the end of The Crippled God where they held off a vastly larger Kolansii army.
"They arrived like a whirlwind, into the front line of the Kolansii. Swords were a blur in the hands of the dancer, and, where they touched, blood sang forth and bodies tumbled back. The ice-clad soldier waded in, blows bouncing from him unnoticed, and cut deep into the ranks, his sword seemingly everywhere. The tall soldier on the dancer’s left was bellowing as he beat down the Kolansii in front of him, shield-slamming another and knocking the two men off their feet, where they fouled those coming up behind them. And the commander fought with breathtaking precision, every motion either evading a thrust or dealing death, on her face an expression that struck ice through Trissin’s heart. And then the other soldiers arrived, four coming up around the commander, three of them howling like demons, the fourth with his mouth horribly sewn tight. They struck in a manic frenzy, driving the Kolansii back. She saw a huge soldier collide with the heavies who had swung round the ice-bound man, somehow knocking three of them to the ground. His short sword lashed down, seemingly little more than touching each Kolansii on the side of the neck – and from three throats blood sprayed out.
"Surround them!" screamed Trissin from three ranks behind the fighting.
"Cut them—"A ball of flames engulfed the Kolansii commander, raging wild, and from the cloudless sky above lightning crashed down, the impact thundering, flinging soldiers to the ground, the strike creating a vast hole in the ranks. Burnt flesh and parts of bodies rained down. Three demons clawed up from the ground beneath the burning woman, their bodies covered in protruding mouths filled with dagger-length fangs, the talons on the ends of their fingers long as sabres, their heads swarming with coal-red eyes. Roaring, they lunged into the raging flames, tearing the commander to pieces. Seeing all this, Grid Ffan shot a wild look back at his mages – saw them convulsed with laughter.
"Fucking illusionists! Tone it down, you fools! You want t’give it all away?" Gill Slime and Asp Slither looked up, suddenly straight-faced.
"Got anything else?" Ffan demanded. Both shook their heads.
"Then get up here and fight!" The Kolansii had recovered, were now pushing to close once again. And more were swinging round on the far side, forcing Sample and Hare Ravage to back up. Swearing, Ffan worked up close to the Adjunct.
"Sir! We need to fall back into the phalanx! Adjunct!" When she did not reply – or even seem to hear him – he cursed and said to the sergeant beside him,
"Grey, listen. We come up and around her, either side – we make us a wall so she can’t get past us. Shipwreck, go there – and you, Semk, right here – we’re going to force her back and into the ranks, understood?"
"It’s the battle lust, sir!’ shouted Shipwreck, staggering drunkenly as was his way in moments of high excitement, when his damaged inner ear started acting up.
"I know what the fuck it is, idiot. Now, let’s do this!"
Lostara Yil was being pulled away from the Adjunct’s flank – Henar Vygulf was hard pressed, now defending himself from attackers on two sides. The sudden arrival of the regulars had eased the threat, but only momentarily – there were simply too many of the bastards. Sobbing, bearing countless wounds, Lostara Yil drew closer to her love.
'Don’t die. Please. Don’t die.' A sword blade clipped Henar’s head. He staggered, stunned. Lostara screamed, now fighting blind to the threats pressing in around her, her gaze fixed on Henar. The two regulars collapsed in to fend off the blows rushing down towards Henar. A woman and a man, the former Nathii, the latter Seven Cities – she had never seen them before, but they fought the attackers to a standstill above her love, who’d dragged off his cracked helm, blood gushing down from a scalp wound, and was trying to regain his feet. Lostara hacked down a Kolansii on her left, leapt over his crumpling form. The grace was gone now. Only brutal savagery remained. She opened another man’s throat. The Nathii woman shrieked, a sword driven through her chest. Dropping her weapon she took hold of the arm gripping that sword, and pulled her attacker down as she fell. Her companion’s short sword licked out, cut through half his neck; the man was shouting, trying to drag Henar back to his feet, until an axe crushed the back of the regular’s head, through helm and bone, and flung him forward, limbs flopping. But Henar was on his feet once more – and Lostara reached his side. Just beyond, a row of faces: Malazan regulars, shouting from their line on the flank, screaming and beckoning.
'Close! Hurry! Come to us!' Lostara spun round, blades whipping out.
"Henar! To the ranks! Go!" She saw the other regulars spilling back, all of them arrayed protectively round the Adjunct as they forced her towards the ranks. Ruthan Gudd and one huge regular were fighting to prevent the group from getting cut off, enveloped, but even they were being pushed back.
'Take me, Cotillion! Please, I beg you! Take me!' But from her patron god…nothing. She twisted to her left, marched ahead to hold the enemy. A dozen Kolansii rushed her."
-The Crippled God pg. 857-860
Malazan military tradition relies on discipline and cohesion, allowing their coordinated shield-walls of men and women to overcome their typically less disciplined opponents. That said, Malazan soldiers are also apparently skilled single combatants as the quote above shows. One of the regulars effortlessly cuts down three heavy infantrymen in as many attacks. Other soldiers also recount being trained in single combat.
Following the end of their training soldiers, will be issued a new name. This symbolizes the surrender of their former identity to the army. Seeing the Malazans outside of battle, most wouldn't think of them as the soldiers who conquered the largest empire in their world. They display a brash lack of decorum and a penchant for practical jokes and reveling in the absurd that many more uptight armies find shocking. This all contributes however, to creating a sense of camaraderie among the ranks.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Medium infantry come armed with both short and longbows for ranged combat, with pikes, spears and short swords used for melee fighting.
Defensive: Full body shields, bronze scale hauberks, greaves, gauntlets, bronze helmets with iron bars wrapped in a cage around the skullcap and chain camials to protect their neck and shoulders.
Starting Numbers: 5,500 (103,680 total)
Training/Experience: 2-5
Mobility: 4 (7 if mounted)
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Defensive: Chainmail, large bronze plated shields, and visored helmets. The Grey Swords are masters of holding a defensive position. The most notable example occurred during one battle amidst the Siege of Capustan, where they survived being literally buried under under the attacking Tenescowri, yet were still able to fight their way out from underneath the mountain of bodies.
Starting Numbers: 850 (16,000 total)
Training/Experience: 2
Mobility: 4-7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
During the siege of Capustan, the citizens of the city were forced to band together to join in its defense. Led by the Gruntle, the newly arisen Mortal Sword of the war god Trake, the militia proved to be surprisingly effective, at first strengthening the city's defenses around its many gates. Needing to bolster their numbers, Gruntle was able to shame the refugees cowering in one of the camps outside the city by showing them the body of a baby the Pannion’s crazed Tenescowri peasant army had begun to eat. Rallying behind this horrifying symbol, the refugees joined with the rest of the militia, and began engaging the Pannion forces in brutal house-to-house fighting, eventually taking refuge in an abandoned tenement building where they managed to hold off the Pannion forces for the remainder of the siege. At one point they filled up the building with so many enemy corpses that it appeared the building’s walls were weeping blood! Despite their fierceness in battle, Gruntle hates everything associated with the military and their practices, and is lax in discipline. Consequently, his legion was described marching like rabble clumped together "like sea-raiders wandering inland in search of a farmhouse to pillage." Following the end of the siege, the newly christened “Trake’s Legion” joined with the Malazans and Brood in liberating the rest of the Pannion-held cities. During the final battle at Coral, Gruntle used his powers as Trake’s mortal sword to merge his followers together into an avatar of his god, a giant tiger. Together they ravaged the Pannion Seer’s K’ell Hunters, although most of Legion died in the process.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Probably an odd mixture of weapons, given that they are just a militia.
Defensive: Same as above
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Medium infantry come armed with both short and longbows for ranged combat, with pikes, spears and short swords used for melee fighting.
Defensive: Full body shields, bronze scale hauberks, greaves, gauntlets, bronze helmets with iron bars wrapped in a cage around the skullcap and chain camials to protect their neck and shoulders.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
While the Malazan military does stress a degree of uniformity among their soldier's equipment, some infantry has been known to use different armor and weapons depending on their region. Regulars from the Falari Isles, for example, wear chain mail instead of bronze scale. Malazan soldiers are also not averse to looting quality equipment from the enemy's dead.Starting Numbers: 5,500 (103,680 total)
Grey Swords
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| Art by dejan-delic |
Mobility: 4 (7 if mounted)
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
A mercenary company originating from the city of Elingarth, the Grey Swords are unique in that they are not merely mercenaries, but also a holy order, formally sworn to the Fener, the Boar of Summer. Each member of the order is schooled in the order's sacred scriptures and blessed by the Destriant (the mortal representative for any particular deity) himself. The Grey Swords are very well trained and disciplined, believing that hands-on experience is the best way to train their new acolytes. The Grey Swords are broken into two kinds of units: Manes (infantry) and Wings (cavalry). A Wing is made up of fifteen soldiers who are trained to arrange themselves in multiple formations such as the inverted crescent and the crooked wing shape of the raptor formation, while Manes fight in tightly packed squares and lines.
At the beginning of Memories of Ice, the Grey Swords were hired by the ruler of the city of Capustan, Prince Jelarkan, to defend it from the encroaching armies of the Pannion Domin. Despite only having a paltry seven thousand soldiers, the Grey Swords hoped to at the very least make the taking of the city too costly for the Pannion forces. When the city was breached, the Grey Swords fought bravely but were slowly overwhelmed by the Pannion's numbers. Their situation was made even worse however by the betrayal of Rath'Fener, the high priest of Fener within the city, who hoped to rid himself of rivals for the title of Destriant of Fener. He lured over half of the surviving Grey Swords as well as their leader, Mortal Sword Brukhalian, into a trap that resulted in their deaths.
The city was relieved a short time later by the Barghast and Malazan forces, and although the Grey Swords had managed to hold the city, only 300 of them remained. During the battle, the new leader of Grey Swords, Itkovian, discovered the Fener had been stripped from his divine position, now leaving the Grey Swords undermanned and directionless without their patron god. Itkovian decided that the survival of the Grey Swords called for drastic measures. The Grey Swords swore allegiance to new gods, devoting themselves to the Wolf's Reve and their newly arisen gods of war, Togg and Fandarey. With a new sense of purpose, the Grey Swords began recruiting from the mass of Tenescowri captives that had survived the siege. With their numbers partially restored and their vows renewed, the Grey Swords accompanied the allied armies to the final battle, fighting heroically and playing a key role in the eventual victory.
At the beginning of Memories of Ice, the Grey Swords were hired by the ruler of the city of Capustan, Prince Jelarkan, to defend it from the encroaching armies of the Pannion Domin. Despite only having a paltry seven thousand soldiers, the Grey Swords hoped to at the very least make the taking of the city too costly for the Pannion forces. When the city was breached, the Grey Swords fought bravely but were slowly overwhelmed by the Pannion's numbers. Their situation was made even worse however by the betrayal of Rath'Fener, the high priest of Fener within the city, who hoped to rid himself of rivals for the title of Destriant of Fener. He lured over half of the surviving Grey Swords as well as their leader, Mortal Sword Brukhalian, into a trap that resulted in their deaths.
The city was relieved a short time later by the Barghast and Malazan forces, and although the Grey Swords had managed to hold the city, only 300 of them remained. During the battle, the new leader of Grey Swords, Itkovian, discovered the Fener had been stripped from his divine position, now leaving the Grey Swords undermanned and directionless without their patron god. Itkovian decided that the survival of the Grey Swords called for drastic measures. The Grey Swords swore allegiance to new gods, devoting themselves to the Wolf's Reve and their newly arisen gods of war, Togg and Fandarey. With a new sense of purpose, the Grey Swords began recruiting from the mass of Tenescowri captives that had survived the siege. With their numbers partially restored and their vows renewed, the Grey Swords accompanied the allied armies to the final battle, fighting heroically and playing a key role in the eventual victory.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Grey Swords use short, recurved bows and crossbows for ranged weapons, and are accurate archers, capable of targeting and easily taking out a K'ell Hunter's eyes with two shots. If mounted on horseback, they use lances and lassos. On foot or in closer melee combat, they have pikes, longswords, and knives.
Defensive: Chainmail, large bronze plated shields, and visored helmets. The Grey Swords are masters of holding a defensive position. The most notable example occurred during one battle amidst the Siege of Capustan, where they survived being literally buried under under the attacking Tenescowri, yet were still able to fight their way out from underneath the mountain of bodies.
Starting Numbers: 850 (16,000 total)
Trake’s Legion
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| Art by Todd Lockwood |
Mobility: 4-7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
During the siege of Capustan, the citizens of the city were forced to band together to join in its defense. Led by the Gruntle, the newly arisen Mortal Sword of the war god Trake, the militia proved to be surprisingly effective, at first strengthening the city's defenses around its many gates. Needing to bolster their numbers, Gruntle was able to shame the refugees cowering in one of the camps outside the city by showing them the body of a baby the Pannion’s crazed Tenescowri peasant army had begun to eat. Rallying behind this horrifying symbol, the refugees joined with the rest of the militia, and began engaging the Pannion forces in brutal house-to-house fighting, eventually taking refuge in an abandoned tenement building where they managed to hold off the Pannion forces for the remainder of the siege. At one point they filled up the building with so many enemy corpses that it appeared the building’s walls were weeping blood! Despite their fierceness in battle, Gruntle hates everything associated with the military and their practices, and is lax in discipline. Consequently, his legion was described marching like rabble clumped together "like sea-raiders wandering inland in search of a farmhouse to pillage." Following the end of the siege, the newly christened “Trake’s Legion” joined with the Malazans and Brood in liberating the rest of the Pannion-held cities. During the final battle at Coral, Gruntle used his powers as Trake’s mortal sword to merge his followers together into an avatar of his god, a giant tiger. Together they ravaged the Pannion Seer’s K’ell Hunters, although most of Legion died in the process.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Probably an odd mixture of weapons, given that they are just a militia.
Defensive: Same as above
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
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| Art by Tattersail |
Starting Number: 80 (No Reinforcements)
Barghast Warriors
Training/Experience: 4
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Throwing Axe
Preferred Range: Melee
Barghast Warriors are fierce fighters renowned for their savagery in combat. Their favorite tactic is the classic barbarian: "attack them all at once and hope to overwhelm them." This plays into the Barghast's strength as individually skilled fighters who thrive in the chaos of battle. Some Barghast do fight in formation with spears and shields, especially when facing cavalry where they'll wait for the cavalry's initial charge before diving in with either pikes or lances to entangle horses and riders before they can wheel for another charge. While they typically lack the disciplined battle formations of the more "civilized" foes they often face, they make up for it in sheer size and individual fighting skill. Sceptre Irkullas, leader of a tribal people the Barghast fought in Lether, thought that they were the greatest footsoldiers he had ever seen when it came to fighting foot-to-foot, but found their lack of cohesion a weakness. Despite their genral lack of formations Combined with their ferocity, this has allowed them to overcome more disciplined and organized opponents.
Barghast vs. infantry:
"Inthalas gasped, eyes widening. The Barghast were rushing the foot-soldiers in a ragged mass, uphill. True, they were bigger, but against that disciplined line they would meet nothing but an iron wall and descending axe blades.
She expected them to break, reel back—and the Akrynnai ranks would then advance, pressing the savages until they routed—and as they fled, the cavalry would sweep in from the flanks, arrows sleeting, while at the far end of the basin the lancers would level their weapons and then roll down in a charge into the very face of those fleeing Barghast.
No one would escape.
Thunder, flashes of lightning, a terrible growing roar—yet her eyes held frozen on the charging Barghast.
They hammered into the Akryn ranks, and Inthalas shouted in shock as the first line seemed to simply vanish beneath a crazed flurry of huge Barghast warriors, swords slashing down. Shield edges crumpled. Fragments of shattered helms spat into the air. The three front rows were driven back by the concussion. The chop and clash rose amidst screams of pain and rage, and she saw the Akryn legion bow inward as the remainder of the Barghast pushed their own front ranks ever deeper into the formation. It was moments from being driven apart, split in half.
Sagant must have seen the same from where he waited with the lancers. In actual numbers, the Barghast almost matched the foot-soldiers, and their ferocity was appalling. Darkness was swallowing the day, and the flashes of lightning from the west provided moments of frozen clarity as the battle was joined now on all sides—arrows lashing into the Barghast flanks in wave after wave. The plunging descent of Sagant and his lancers closed fast on the rearmost enemy warriors—who seemed indifferent to the threat at their backs as they pushed their comrades in front of them, clawing forward in a frenzy.
But that made sense—carve apart the Akryn legion and a way would be suddenly open before the Barghast, and in the ensuing chaos of the breakout the lancers would end up snarled with the foot-soldiers, and the archers would hunt uselessly in the gloom to make out foe from friend. All order, and with it command, would be lost.
She stared, still half-disbelieving, as the legion buckled. The Barghast had now formed a wedge, and it drove ever deeper.
Should the enemy push through and come clear, momentarily uncontested, they could wheel round and set weapons—they could even counter-attack, slaughtering disordered foot-soldiers and tangled lancers."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 376
Barghast vs. cavalry:
"Another sleet of arrows and Sagal ducked behind his hide shield. Two thuds bit into the thickly matted reeds and he flinched as his forearm was pricked. Warm blood trickled beneath his vambrace. He cursed. His brother had done the best he could in selecting this site, but to deal with these Akrynnai horse-archers most effectively they would have done better to find broken ground. A proper range of hills, plenty of rock, gullies and draws. Instead, the bastards didn’t even have to close—at least for as long as they had arrows—and Barghast were dying without even the honour of clashing blades with the enemy. The rattling pass of the horses continued its deadly sweep. The next time, Sagal would straighten and lead a charge—right into the path of the riders—'see how you will fare with three thousand White Faces in your midst!'
The descent of arrows fell off and Sagal waited a moment longer—he could still hear those horse hoofs—but sound was doing strange things this morning. Yet, they seemed . . . heavier than before. He lowered his shield and straightened. Blinking, struggling to make out details in the infernal gloom. Crazed motion rising up from the valley, the entire hillside trembling— Three chevrons of lancers had come in behind the screen of archers. There was no time to close ranks, to lift and settle pikes. He stared, furious, and then unsheathed his tulwar.
"They come! They come!" The Barghast seemed to grunt like some massive beast stirring awake. As thousands of levelled lances churned up the slope, the White Faces answered with a roar, and at the last instant, the mass of Barahn warriors heaved into the iron fangs. The front lines vanished, ducking beneath the lanceheads, heavy blades chopping into horses’ forelegs. Beasts shrieked, went down, and all at once the charge ground to a halt against a seething wall of carnage, the points of the chevrons flattening out in wild, vicious maelstrom. Deluged in the fluids of a gutted horse, Sagal surged back to his feet, howling like a demon. 'Time to deliver slaughter! The fools closed—the fools charged! They could have held back all day until the Barahn on this flank were nothing but a heap of arrow-studded meat—but their impatience betrayed them!' Laughing, he hacked at everything in sight. Cut deep into thighs, slashed through wrists, chopped at the stamping legs of the horses. He could feel the cavalry attempting to withdraw, a giant snagged weapon, its edges nicked and blunted. Bellowing, he pushed deeper into the press, knowing his fellow warriors were all doing the same. They would not let go easily, no, they would not do that. 'Half the Free Cities of Genabackis have flung their cavalry at us—and we destroyed them all!'
-Dust of Dreams pg. 574-575
=LOADOUT=
Defensive: The kind of armor that the Barghast wear depends on what clan they originate from. The Senan for example wear armor fashioned from collections of hundreds of ancient coins, forming whats seems to be an almost chainmail-like defense. The Gilk wear plates assembled from the what appears to be the shells of some kind of tortoise. The Gilk's heavy armor is far more durable than it appears, able to apparently survive hits from a Forkul Assail, who can decapitate horses with their bare hands.
Starting Numbers: 3,750 (70,00 total)
Tiste Andii
Training/Experience: 10
Mobility: Varies
Max Range: Varies
Preferred Range: Varies
Despite their tendency towards depression and apathy, the Andii proved to be some of the most exceptional soldiers among Brood’s forces during the Genabackis Campaign. Their basic troops benefitted from countless thousands of years of combat experience, and their assassin mages were the most skilled at covert ops on either side, to the point where they had effectively killed every single Malazan Claw Assassin serving in the 5th and 6th armies.
Starting Numbers: 1,050 (20,000 total)
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Varies
Preferred Range: Melee
In the economically and socially stratified Letherii Empire, joining the military is the quickest way to ensure you have food in your belly and money in your pocket, making service an enticing opportunity for the poor or indebted. Although military service used to be mandatory for all fit Letherii, those were the days before their Empire dominated its rivals, and now the wealthy are free to buy their way out of service or send one of the indebted to take their place. In turn, the Imperial Army was more constrained by economics, seeing campaigns as affairs with little purpose other than to use soldiers to enrich the pockets of the Empire's merchants and traders.
Despite this, there is a reason that the Letherii are the leading power in the region. Their military is on average, exquisitely well trained, equipped, and supplied, with artillery and magical support to complement their infantry. Like the Malazans, the Letherii employ multiple varieties of infantry in their armies, but unlike the Malazans unfortunately, there is not enough detail on each of the types to give them each their own profile so they will be clumped together here. Medium and Heavy infantry form the core of their armies, using disciplined shield walls and overall superior coordination to dominate their poorly disciplined foes. Fleshing out their armies are lightly armored skirmishers and untrained auxiliary troops drawn up from the citizenry (only in times of great desperation), attached groups of heavily armored artilleryman, and infighters who dart between clashing spear walls to spread confusion with vicious, up-close fighting. Recent events however, have made the flaws of Letherii military painfully obvious. While their discipline and flexibility were adequate for dealing with the tribal foes around their borders, it was not on par with a fellow professional army, as the Bonehunters taught them so thoroughly. Poor morale and an over-reliance on mages had turned the formerly fearsome army into a whipping boy for its many foes. Thankfully, the Malazans were willing to continue the whipping, this time hired to by the Letherii Prince, Brys Beddict, to whip the Letherii Army into shape. The Malazans began retraining the Letherii in Malazan combat doctrine. No longer are Letherii soldiers expected to die in droves while their mages do the heavy lifting, but rather rely on guerilla tactics; ambushes, small unit-operations, and attacking supply lines to soften an enemy up before engaging them in a pitched battle. The Letherii also reorganized their military structure, refocusing their units on being self-sufficient. With a chip on their shoulder, the Letherii took to this retraining with enthusiasm and certainly proved themselves more than competent in the final conflict with the Forkrul Assail.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Medium and Heavy Infantry wield pikes, spears, and longswords. The skirmishers are equipped with bows, spears, and knives, while the auxiliary wields simple spears. The infighters use short swords and axes. Letherii swords are typically made from Letherii Steel, a secret technique of ironmongery guarded fiercely by the Letherii. This produces swords that are nigh-unbreakable, virtually weightless, and have some magical effects. They can harm magical or immaterial beings such as wraiths and are themselves immune to magic damage.
Attached to each Legion of Letherii soldiers is a ballista for heavy assault purposes.
Defensive: The Letherii's level of armor depends on their purpose, with the Heavy Infantry obviously the most well armored in steel scale, visored helmets, and equipped with bronze plated shields. At the bottom, the skirmishers and auxiliaries have leather armor and shields.
Starting Numbers: 26,000 (488,000 total)
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
If the Letherii Empire could be said to worship money, then its neighboring rival, the Bolkando Kingdom, worships intrigue. While not a particularly powerful nation, they possess an affinity for manipulating opponents with politics and trade, although the most frequent targets for manipulation are each other. Political figures and their servant's wage deadly games where maiming or death are common occurrences, for life in the Bolkando Kingdom is as they always say, an adventure. One of the most powerful players in this game is Bolkando's queen, Abrastal. With enemies all around her, Abrastal needed an army that's loyal to her and no other.
Enter the Evertine Legion, an elite regiment of Bolkando soldiers separate from the rest of the Bolkando military hierarchy. They answer directly to Abrastal, designed to be her personal mailed fist against foes both foreign and domestic. They seem more than competent in this role, with Abrastal claiming they have never lost a battle, and the sheer threat of the Evertine Legion roused to action is enough to make her political rivals tremble. During the final conflict with the Forkrul Assail, the Evertine Legion fought alongside the Letherii Army as the elite line infantry during the Battle of the Spire.
Defensive: Shields, iron-scaled breastplates, vambraces, and greaves , chainmail surcoats, Lobster-tailed helmets with hinged cheek and nose guards.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
The Evertine Legion is accompanied by a small number of Saphii auxiliaries, called kaesanderai, who are berserking infighters that dart between exposed gaps in lines to wreak havoc. Lightly armored and relying on their speed and agility, they come armed with spears, war-picks, and curved shortswords. The Saphii take drugs before battle sends them into a frenzied state that makes them prone to wildly charging into enemy ranks.
Starting Numbers: 250 (5,000 total)
Training/Experience: 2-4
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
"Captain,’ said Yedan Derryg, ‘if the enemy destroy us, they will march down the Road of Gallan. Unobstructed, they will breach the gate to your own world, and they will lay waste to every human civilization, until nothing remains but ash. And then they will slay the gods themselves. Your gods."
"If they’re that nasty, how can we hope to hold ’em here?" Yedan nodded at the Lightfall.
"Because, Captain, there is only one way through. This stretch of beach. A thousand paces wide. Only here is the wall scarred and thin from past wounds. Only here can they hope to break the barrier. We bar this door, Captain, and we save your world."
-The Crippled God, pg. 123
The Shake's arrival to Kurald Galain was not a peaceful one. On the road to the Elder Warren of Darkness, they first had to pass through Kurald Thyrllan, home of the Tiste Andii's ancestral enemies, the Tiste Liosan. It was there that they got the first taste of what to expect when they reached Kurald Galain's capital of Kharkanas. With the long-dormant realm now open, the zealous Liosan had gathered in force tens of thousands strong just beyond The First Shore, the ancient boundary between the two Warrens, ready to invade and put their hated rivals' city to the sword. It was an army of bloodthirsty fanatics, hellhound-like monsters, and as the picture above shows, even some dragons, opposing them was 10,000 refugees armed mostly with scavenged equipment.
In the ensuing battle, the Shake and their Letherii allies fought heroically, standing firm against wave after the Liosan and their monsters. Down to their last thousand warriors, and with the dragons now coming through in force, the Shake were joined by the Tiste Andii, having returned to Kharkanas to defeat their ancient foe.
Despite their humble composition, the Defenders of the Shore have one major thing going for them, the leadership of the Shake Prince, Yedan Derryg. A trained Letherii army officer, Yedan formed the Shake in a way that would maximize their efficiency. Yedan prefers to arrange his Shake in a way somewhat similar to the Maniple System of the Roman Legions. At the front of the line are the Letherii refugees from Second Maiden's Fort, not trained soldiers, both nonetheless mostly convicted criminals, and hardened to violence. After being sufficiently bloodied, they get sent back to the reserves. Then comes Yedan and Yan Tovis' Shake veterans, trained Letherii soldiers. They too get sent to the reserves and the process repeats, cycling back down through the Shake refugees until it's the Letherii's turn again. This system allows each group of Defenders a chance in the testing of combat without also exhausting them. Only the strongest survive, and they, in turn, forge a hardened core of fighters.
"In this one clash, something had been tempered. She knew what she was seeing. A fighting force cannot be simply assembled. It needed that brutal forge and it needed all its fires quenched in the blood of battle. Her brother was making something here."
-The Crippled God, pg. 337
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Scavenged, swords, spears, pikes, and axes from the weapons stores of Kharkanas. These are mostly in poor shape, and the Defenders will likely try to steal weapons from their dead enemies. Shake veterans should have Letherii equipment.
Defensive: See Tiste Andii, but also scavenged. Shake veterans should have Letherii equipment.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
Accompanying the Shake in the front lines is Yedan Derryg. For reasons why this is a big deal from both a morale and tactical standpoint, see his hero profile.
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Throwing Axe
Preferred Range: Melee
Barghast Warriors are fierce fighters renowned for their savagery in combat. Their favorite tactic is the classic barbarian: "attack them all at once and hope to overwhelm them." This plays into the Barghast's strength as individually skilled fighters who thrive in the chaos of battle. Some Barghast do fight in formation with spears and shields, especially when facing cavalry where they'll wait for the cavalry's initial charge before diving in with either pikes or lances to entangle horses and riders before they can wheel for another charge. While they typically lack the disciplined battle formations of the more "civilized" foes they often face, they make up for it in sheer size and individual fighting skill. Sceptre Irkullas, leader of a tribal people the Barghast fought in Lether, thought that they were the greatest footsoldiers he had ever seen when it came to fighting foot-to-foot, but found their lack of cohesion a weakness. Despite their genral lack of formations Combined with their ferocity, this has allowed them to overcome more disciplined and organized opponents.
Barghast vs. infantry:
"Inthalas gasped, eyes widening. The Barghast were rushing the foot-soldiers in a ragged mass, uphill. True, they were bigger, but against that disciplined line they would meet nothing but an iron wall and descending axe blades.
She expected them to break, reel back—and the Akrynnai ranks would then advance, pressing the savages until they routed—and as they fled, the cavalry would sweep in from the flanks, arrows sleeting, while at the far end of the basin the lancers would level their weapons and then roll down in a charge into the very face of those fleeing Barghast.
No one would escape.
Thunder, flashes of lightning, a terrible growing roar—yet her eyes held frozen on the charging Barghast.
They hammered into the Akryn ranks, and Inthalas shouted in shock as the first line seemed to simply vanish beneath a crazed flurry of huge Barghast warriors, swords slashing down. Shield edges crumpled. Fragments of shattered helms spat into the air. The three front rows were driven back by the concussion. The chop and clash rose amidst screams of pain and rage, and she saw the Akryn legion bow inward as the remainder of the Barghast pushed their own front ranks ever deeper into the formation. It was moments from being driven apart, split in half.
Sagant must have seen the same from where he waited with the lancers. In actual numbers, the Barghast almost matched the foot-soldiers, and their ferocity was appalling. Darkness was swallowing the day, and the flashes of lightning from the west provided moments of frozen clarity as the battle was joined now on all sides—arrows lashing into the Barghast flanks in wave after wave. The plunging descent of Sagant and his lancers closed fast on the rearmost enemy warriors—who seemed indifferent to the threat at their backs as they pushed their comrades in front of them, clawing forward in a frenzy.
But that made sense—carve apart the Akryn legion and a way would be suddenly open before the Barghast, and in the ensuing chaos of the breakout the lancers would end up snarled with the foot-soldiers, and the archers would hunt uselessly in the gloom to make out foe from friend. All order, and with it command, would be lost.
She stared, still half-disbelieving, as the legion buckled. The Barghast had now formed a wedge, and it drove ever deeper.
Should the enemy push through and come clear, momentarily uncontested, they could wheel round and set weapons—they could even counter-attack, slaughtering disordered foot-soldiers and tangled lancers."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 376
Barghast vs. cavalry:
"Another sleet of arrows and Sagal ducked behind his hide shield. Two thuds bit into the thickly matted reeds and he flinched as his forearm was pricked. Warm blood trickled beneath his vambrace. He cursed. His brother had done the best he could in selecting this site, but to deal with these Akrynnai horse-archers most effectively they would have done better to find broken ground. A proper range of hills, plenty of rock, gullies and draws. Instead, the bastards didn’t even have to close—at least for as long as they had arrows—and Barghast were dying without even the honour of clashing blades with the enemy. The rattling pass of the horses continued its deadly sweep. The next time, Sagal would straighten and lead a charge—right into the path of the riders—'see how you will fare with three thousand White Faces in your midst!'
The descent of arrows fell off and Sagal waited a moment longer—he could still hear those horse hoofs—but sound was doing strange things this morning. Yet, they seemed . . . heavier than before. He lowered his shield and straightened. Blinking, struggling to make out details in the infernal gloom. Crazed motion rising up from the valley, the entire hillside trembling— Three chevrons of lancers had come in behind the screen of archers. There was no time to close ranks, to lift and settle pikes. He stared, furious, and then unsheathed his tulwar.
"They come! They come!" The Barghast seemed to grunt like some massive beast stirring awake. As thousands of levelled lances churned up the slope, the White Faces answered with a roar, and at the last instant, the mass of Barahn warriors heaved into the iron fangs. The front lines vanished, ducking beneath the lanceheads, heavy blades chopping into horses’ forelegs. Beasts shrieked, went down, and all at once the charge ground to a halt against a seething wall of carnage, the points of the chevrons flattening out in wild, vicious maelstrom. Deluged in the fluids of a gutted horse, Sagal surged back to his feet, howling like a demon. 'Time to deliver slaughter! The fools closed—the fools charged! They could have held back all day until the Barahn on this flank were nothing but a heap of arrow-studded meat—but their impatience betrayed them!' Laughing, he hacked at everything in sight. Cut deep into thighs, slashed through wrists, chopped at the stamping legs of the horses. He could feel the cavalry attempting to withdraw, a giant snagged weapon, its edges nicked and blunted. Bellowing, he pushed deeper into the press, knowing his fellow warriors were all doing the same. They would not let go easily, no, they would not do that. 'Half the Free Cities of Genabackis have flung their cavalry at us—and we destroyed them all!'
-Dust of Dreams pg. 574-575
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Barghast come armed with a variety of different weaponry. Throwing axes for fighting from a distance, Lances for mid-range combat, and long-hafted fighting axes, hooked swords, and assorted kinds of knives for fighting up close. Those who fight in formations come armed with pikes.
Defensive: The kind of armor that the Barghast wear depends on what clan they originate from. The Senan for example wear armor fashioned from collections of hundreds of ancient coins, forming whats seems to be an almost chainmail-like defense. The Gilk wear plates assembled from the what appears to be the shells of some kind of tortoise. The Gilk's heavy armor is far more durable than it appears, able to apparently survive hits from a Forkul Assail, who can decapitate horses with their bare hands.
Starting Numbers: 3,750 (70,00 total)
Tiste Andii
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| Art by Shadaan |
Mobility: Varies
Max Range: Varies
Preferred Range: Varies
Despite their tendency towards depression and apathy, the Andii proved to be some of the most exceptional soldiers among Brood’s forces during the Genabackis Campaign. Their basic troops benefitted from countless thousands of years of combat experience, and their assassin mages were the most skilled at covert ops on either side, to the point where they had effectively killed every single Malazan Claw Assassin serving in the 5th and 6th armies.
Despite the brutal nature of the Genabackis Campaign, the Andii earned a reputation among the Malazans as noble warriors noted for respecting enemy prisoners and allowing retreats for defeated foes. This reputation would go on to serve both sides well as they fought alongside one another during the Pannion War.
"Spinnock straightened, scanned the helmed faces before him. And then he drew his sword. Caught the eye of Captain Irind, gestured the burly man forward.
"Face to me your shield, Captain, and hold well your stance." The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then he took position, raising the shield between them and settling his shoulder beneath its rim, head turned away. Spinnock half turned, as if dismissing Irind, and then he whirled. The sword cracked hard against the shield, staggering the captain. The reverberation echoed, out into the forest, and then fell back like rain among the troops.
"When he led you and your ancestors from this place," Spinnock said, pitching his voice loud enough to carry – though in truth a sudden silence had taken the scene, and it seemed not even the Storm could reach through, "from smoke, from fire, from ruin, Mother Dark had turned away. Before you, before your lord Anomander Rake, there was…nothing." Again his sword struck. Again Irind staggered but held his ground.
"Prepare to advance. We will not form up once clear of the forest." He bared his teeth. "There is no time for that. Captain Irind, stay at my side.’ Spinnock led the way into the ancient wood. Behind him the ranks spilled out, order almost immediately broken by the boles of trees, by sinkholes and tree-falls. The air was heavy with mists. Water streamed down every trunk, every branch, every dark-veined leaf. He raised his voice as he advanced, knowing that they would hear him, knowing that Mother Dark had given him this. For her people. For this day, this most fraught day.
"Lord Nimander has gone to the palace. He seeks to turn Silanah from her path. What value winning the battle if we lose the war? If not for that, he would be here. He would be speaking to you. But he is not. And…this time, this one time, it is well – for like many of you, I was born in this realm." Irind was beside him, ready for the blow. The sword hammered the shield, the sound a shout of iron.
"Lord Anomander Rake led you to another world. He fought to give you purpose – a reason to live. And for many, in that he failed. But those of you here – for you, he did not fail." He swung the sword again, the impact shivering up his arm.
"He asked you to fight wars that were not yours to fight. He asked you to bow to causes not your own. A hundred banners, a hundred cities – allies who welcomed you and allies who did not. Allies who blessed you and allies who feared you. And your kin died, oh, how they died – they gave up their lives in causes not their own." The sword cracked again, and this time Irind almost buckled beneath the blow. Spinnock could hear his harsh breaths.
"They were all different, and they were all the same. But the cause – the true cause he offered you – did not change." The blow sent Irind to his knees. Another soldier moved up, readying his own shield. Bodily dragged Irind back, and then took his place. The sounds from the advancing warriors behind Spinnock was a susurration – breaths, armour, boots scrabbling for purchase "Your lord was thinking – each and every time – he was thinking…of this moment."
Again flashed the sword. "Each time, every time. The cause was just." Crack!
"He needed to keep reminding you. For this day!" Crack!
"Today, this is not foreign soil! Today, this cause is your own!" Crack!
"Today, the Tiste Andii fight for themselves!’ And this time other weapons found the rims of shields. CRACK!
"Your home!" CRACK!
"Your kin!" CRACK! The sword shivered in his hand. The soldier stumbling beside him fell away, his shield split. Gasping, Spinnock Durav pushed on. 'Anomander Rake – do you witness this? Do you look into these faces – all these faces behind me?'
"This time! Strangers fight in your name! Strangers die for you! Your cause – not theirs!" CRACK! The reverberation shoved him forward, shivered through him like something holy.
"Children of Dark, humans are dying in your name!’ CRACK!
The very air trembled with that concussion. A torrent of water – clinging to high branches, to needles and leaves – shook loose and rained down in an answering hiss. Ahead, Spinnock could hear fighting. 'Do you see, Anomander? Old friend, do you see? This is our war.'
-The Crippled God pg. 555-557
"Spinnock straightened, scanned the helmed faces before him. And then he drew his sword. Caught the eye of Captain Irind, gestured the burly man forward.
"Face to me your shield, Captain, and hold well your stance." The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then he took position, raising the shield between them and settling his shoulder beneath its rim, head turned away. Spinnock half turned, as if dismissing Irind, and then he whirled. The sword cracked hard against the shield, staggering the captain. The reverberation echoed, out into the forest, and then fell back like rain among the troops.
"When he led you and your ancestors from this place," Spinnock said, pitching his voice loud enough to carry – though in truth a sudden silence had taken the scene, and it seemed not even the Storm could reach through, "from smoke, from fire, from ruin, Mother Dark had turned away. Before you, before your lord Anomander Rake, there was…nothing." Again his sword struck. Again Irind staggered but held his ground.
"Prepare to advance. We will not form up once clear of the forest." He bared his teeth. "There is no time for that. Captain Irind, stay at my side.’ Spinnock led the way into the ancient wood. Behind him the ranks spilled out, order almost immediately broken by the boles of trees, by sinkholes and tree-falls. The air was heavy with mists. Water streamed down every trunk, every branch, every dark-veined leaf. He raised his voice as he advanced, knowing that they would hear him, knowing that Mother Dark had given him this. For her people. For this day, this most fraught day.
"Lord Nimander has gone to the palace. He seeks to turn Silanah from her path. What value winning the battle if we lose the war? If not for that, he would be here. He would be speaking to you. But he is not. And…this time, this one time, it is well – for like many of you, I was born in this realm." Irind was beside him, ready for the blow. The sword hammered the shield, the sound a shout of iron.
"Lord Anomander Rake led you to another world. He fought to give you purpose – a reason to live. And for many, in that he failed. But those of you here – for you, he did not fail." He swung the sword again, the impact shivering up his arm.
"He asked you to fight wars that were not yours to fight. He asked you to bow to causes not your own. A hundred banners, a hundred cities – allies who welcomed you and allies who did not. Allies who blessed you and allies who feared you. And your kin died, oh, how they died – they gave up their lives in causes not their own." The sword cracked again, and this time Irind almost buckled beneath the blow. Spinnock could hear his harsh breaths.
"They were all different, and they were all the same. But the cause – the true cause he offered you – did not change." The blow sent Irind to his knees. Another soldier moved up, readying his own shield. Bodily dragged Irind back, and then took his place. The sounds from the advancing warriors behind Spinnock was a susurration – breaths, armour, boots scrabbling for purchase "Your lord was thinking – each and every time – he was thinking…of this moment."
Again flashed the sword. "Each time, every time. The cause was just." Crack!
"He needed to keep reminding you. For this day!" Crack!
"Today, this is not foreign soil! Today, this cause is your own!" Crack!
"Today, the Tiste Andii fight for themselves!’ And this time other weapons found the rims of shields. CRACK!
"Your home!" CRACK!
"Your kin!" CRACK! The sword shivered in his hand. The soldier stumbling beside him fell away, his shield split. Gasping, Spinnock Durav pushed on. 'Anomander Rake – do you witness this? Do you look into these faces – all these faces behind me?'
"This time! Strangers fight in your name! Strangers die for you! Your cause – not theirs!" CRACK! The reverberation shoved him forward, shivered through him like something holy.
"Children of Dark, humans are dying in your name!’ CRACK!
The very air trembled with that concussion. A torrent of water – clinging to high branches, to needles and leaves – shook loose and rained down in an answering hiss. Ahead, Spinnock could hear fighting. 'Do you see, Anomander? Old friend, do you see? This is our war.'
-The Crippled God pg. 555-557
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Tiste Andii wield bows and crossbows for ranged weaponry and longswords and knives for melee combat
Some Tiste Andii are mages with the ability to call upon the Eldar Warren of Darkness, Kurald Galain. This gives the Andii capacity to manipulate the primal power of darkness itself. For more details on how the mechanics of warrens, and Elder warrens in particular work, see the mage cadre and bonecaster profiles below. Through the power of their Warren, the Andi can cast bolts of combustive energy, turn invisible, and fly, have some minor healing powers, and can grant allies temporary night vision. They can even turn the shadows themselves against their enemies.
"Shadows threaded up from the dirt to spin about her like a whirlwind. His surprise lasted only an instant; he thrust out both arms and lances of darkness struck the girl throwing her backwards. She lay gasping for air, her ribs shattered, lungs punctured."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 202
Should the Andii choose, their sorcerers can also combine their power to perform a full unveiling of Kurald Galain, bringing a part of their warren into the world. Such an act requires all the Andii to do so but is also extremely dangerous, with one character concerned that a full unveiling would possibly destroy the entire continent of Genabackis if not preformed correctly. Thankfully, the Andii can apparently scale this back so they didn’t accidentally continent-bust, although any area they choose to unveil it in will partially become a part of Kurald Galain.
Defensive: Iron shields, helmets, chainmail hauberks, and gauntlets.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
All Andii make have perfect night vision. Any humans who try to attack them in the dark are going to have a rough time of it.
"There was no light – every torch in its sconce had been capped – yet his eyes could penetrate the gloom, in time to see a score of priests rushing for him. Shouting a warning, Nimander unsheathed his sword— The fools were human. In this darkness they were half blind. He slashed out, saw a head roll off shoulders, the body crumpling. A back swing intercepted an arm thrusting a dagger at his chest. The sword’s edge sliced through wrist bones and the severed hand, still gripping the weapon, thumped against his chest before falling away."
-Toll the Hounds pg. 395
"There was no light – every torch in its sconce had been capped – yet his eyes could penetrate the gloom, in time to see a score of priests rushing for him. Shouting a warning, Nimander unsheathed his sword— The fools were human. In this darkness they were half blind. He slashed out, saw a head roll off shoulders, the body crumpling. A back swing intercepted an arm thrusting a dagger at his chest. The sword’s edge sliced through wrist bones and the severed hand, still gripping the weapon, thumped against his chest before falling away."
-Toll the Hounds pg. 395
Variations
Soltaken Eleints
Soltaken Eleints
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| Art by dejan-delic |
After killing the dragon goddess, T'iam, Anomander Rake and his followers drank her blood, allowing them to shapeshift into the form of eleints, or dragons. While only a handful of Andii were present for this event, the Soltaken blood passed down through their children. The exact size of dragons in Malazan is never ever officially stated. Silanah, one of the largest dragons in the series (twice as big as a Soltaken Eleint with some exceptions) has eyes larger than a human head, and dragons half her size have talons longer than a human forearm and fangs larger than shortswords. Dragons that should be her peers have left skeletons that humans can walk through comfortably and skulls longer and wider than than a man is tall. Your average Soltaken Elient is probably around the size of a small building, based on Silchas Ruin destroying a building when he crashed into it. Like all dragons they breathe a deadly mix of Chaos magic but mixed with their own Kurald Galain warren, which is potent enough to disintegrate humans on contact. For more information on Chaos sorcery, see the section on Warrens below. Dragons in Malazan have to use magic to keep themselves in the air, their wings designed to assist them rather than support their weight entirely. If their wings are damaged, they can still fly, although it requires more effort.
Assassin-Mages
Eleint blood does have its drawbacks. It changes its host's personality in human form to be more cold and calculating. When in dragon form for long periods, Soltaken slowly begin to lose their sense of self and become creatures of pure instinct. They are naturally opposed to cooperation with other Eleints and will quickly turn on each other if not kept under the control of an Ancient, one of the oldest and strongest of the Eleints. These Andii are incredibly rare. The largest group of them we see in the series is four, although there are more of them than that.
Assassin-Mages
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| Tiste Andii assassins duel their Malazan counterparts. Art by Shadaan |
An elite group of Andii warriors, assassin mages are despatched by Anomander Rake to deal with the most important missions that require the elimination of enemy agents or leaders. They are some of the deadliest assassins in the series, eliminating most of their Claw opposition and even managing to kill many agents of the infamous Darujhistan Assassin’s Guild. These assassins are very rare however, as the largest grouping of them seen was a dozen.
Starting Numbers: 1,050 (20,000 total)
Letherii Infantry
Training/Experience: 1 for the auxiliary units. 4-5 for everyone elseMobility: 4
Max Range: Varies
Preferred Range: Melee
In the economically and socially stratified Letherii Empire, joining the military is the quickest way to ensure you have food in your belly and money in your pocket, making service an enticing opportunity for the poor or indebted. Although military service used to be mandatory for all fit Letherii, those were the days before their Empire dominated its rivals, and now the wealthy are free to buy their way out of service or send one of the indebted to take their place. In turn, the Imperial Army was more constrained by economics, seeing campaigns as affairs with little purpose other than to use soldiers to enrich the pockets of the Empire's merchants and traders.
Despite this, there is a reason that the Letherii are the leading power in the region. Their military is on average, exquisitely well trained, equipped, and supplied, with artillery and magical support to complement their infantry. Like the Malazans, the Letherii employ multiple varieties of infantry in their armies, but unlike the Malazans unfortunately, there is not enough detail on each of the types to give them each their own profile so they will be clumped together here. Medium and Heavy infantry form the core of their armies, using disciplined shield walls and overall superior coordination to dominate their poorly disciplined foes. Fleshing out their armies are lightly armored skirmishers and untrained auxiliary troops drawn up from the citizenry (only in times of great desperation), attached groups of heavily armored artilleryman, and infighters who dart between clashing spear walls to spread confusion with vicious, up-close fighting. Recent events however, have made the flaws of Letherii military painfully obvious. While their discipline and flexibility were adequate for dealing with the tribal foes around their borders, it was not on par with a fellow professional army, as the Bonehunters taught them so thoroughly. Poor morale and an over-reliance on mages had turned the formerly fearsome army into a whipping boy for its many foes. Thankfully, the Malazans were willing to continue the whipping, this time hired to by the Letherii Prince, Brys Beddict, to whip the Letherii Army into shape. The Malazans began retraining the Letherii in Malazan combat doctrine. No longer are Letherii soldiers expected to die in droves while their mages do the heavy lifting, but rather rely on guerilla tactics; ambushes, small unit-operations, and attacking supply lines to soften an enemy up before engaging them in a pitched battle. The Letherii also reorganized their military structure, refocusing their units on being self-sufficient. With a chip on their shoulder, the Letherii took to this retraining with enthusiasm and certainly proved themselves more than competent in the final conflict with the Forkrul Assail.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Medium and Heavy Infantry wield pikes, spears, and longswords. The skirmishers are equipped with bows, spears, and knives, while the auxiliary wields simple spears. The infighters use short swords and axes. Letherii swords are typically made from Letherii Steel, a secret technique of ironmongery guarded fiercely by the Letherii. This produces swords that are nigh-unbreakable, virtually weightless, and have some magical effects. They can harm magical or immaterial beings such as wraiths and are themselves immune to magic damage.
Attached to each Legion of Letherii soldiers is a ballista for heavy assault purposes.
Defensive: The Letherii's level of armor depends on their purpose, with the Heavy Infantry obviously the most well armored in steel scale, visored helmets, and equipped with bronze plated shields. At the bottom, the skirmishers and auxiliaries have leather armor and shields.
Starting Numbers: 26,000 (488,000 total)
The Evertine Legion
Training/Experience: 5Mobility: 4
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
If the Letherii Empire could be said to worship money, then its neighboring rival, the Bolkando Kingdom, worships intrigue. While not a particularly powerful nation, they possess an affinity for manipulating opponents with politics and trade, although the most frequent targets for manipulation are each other. Political figures and their servant's wage deadly games where maiming or death are common occurrences, for life in the Bolkando Kingdom is as they always say, an adventure. One of the most powerful players in this game is Bolkando's queen, Abrastal. With enemies all around her, Abrastal needed an army that's loyal to her and no other.
Enter the Evertine Legion, an elite regiment of Bolkando soldiers separate from the rest of the Bolkando military hierarchy. They answer directly to Abrastal, designed to be her personal mailed fist against foes both foreign and domestic. They seem more than competent in this role, with Abrastal claiming they have never lost a battle, and the sheer threat of the Evertine Legion roused to action is enough to make her political rivals tremble. During the final conflict with the Forkrul Assail, the Evertine Legion fought alongside the Letherii Army as the elite line infantry during the Battle of the Spire.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Shortswords, cutlasses, and knives.Defensive: Shields, iron-scaled breastplates, vambraces, and greaves , chainmail surcoats, Lobster-tailed helmets with hinged cheek and nose guards.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
The Evertine Legion is accompanied by a small number of Saphii auxiliaries, called kaesanderai, who are berserking infighters that dart between exposed gaps in lines to wreak havoc. Lightly armored and relying on their speed and agility, they come armed with spears, war-picks, and curved shortswords. The Saphii take drugs before battle sends them into a frenzied state that makes them prone to wildly charging into enemy ranks.
Starting Numbers: 250 (5,000 total)
Defenders of The Shore
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| The Shake and their allies defending The First Shore. Art by Daniel Knoblich |
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
"Captain,’ said Yedan Derryg, ‘if the enemy destroy us, they will march down the Road of Gallan. Unobstructed, they will breach the gate to your own world, and they will lay waste to every human civilization, until nothing remains but ash. And then they will slay the gods themselves. Your gods."
"If they’re that nasty, how can we hope to hold ’em here?" Yedan nodded at the Lightfall.
"Because, Captain, there is only one way through. This stretch of beach. A thousand paces wide. Only here is the wall scarred and thin from past wounds. Only here can they hope to break the barrier. We bar this door, Captain, and we save your world."
-The Crippled God, pg. 123
The Shake's arrival to Kurald Galain was not a peaceful one. On the road to the Elder Warren of Darkness, they first had to pass through Kurald Thyrllan, home of the Tiste Andii's ancestral enemies, the Tiste Liosan. It was there that they got the first taste of what to expect when they reached Kurald Galain's capital of Kharkanas. With the long-dormant realm now open, the zealous Liosan had gathered in force tens of thousands strong just beyond The First Shore, the ancient boundary between the two Warrens, ready to invade and put their hated rivals' city to the sword. It was an army of bloodthirsty fanatics, hellhound-like monsters, and as the picture above shows, even some dragons, opposing them was 10,000 refugees armed mostly with scavenged equipment.
In the ensuing battle, the Shake and their Letherii allies fought heroically, standing firm against wave after the Liosan and their monsters. Down to their last thousand warriors, and with the dragons now coming through in force, the Shake were joined by the Tiste Andii, having returned to Kharkanas to defeat their ancient foe.
Despite their humble composition, the Defenders of the Shore have one major thing going for them, the leadership of the Shake Prince, Yedan Derryg. A trained Letherii army officer, Yedan formed the Shake in a way that would maximize their efficiency. Yedan prefers to arrange his Shake in a way somewhat similar to the Maniple System of the Roman Legions. At the front of the line are the Letherii refugees from Second Maiden's Fort, not trained soldiers, both nonetheless mostly convicted criminals, and hardened to violence. After being sufficiently bloodied, they get sent back to the reserves. Then comes Yedan and Yan Tovis' Shake veterans, trained Letherii soldiers. They too get sent to the reserves and the process repeats, cycling back down through the Shake refugees until it's the Letherii's turn again. This system allows each group of Defenders a chance in the testing of combat without also exhausting them. Only the strongest survive, and they, in turn, forge a hardened core of fighters.
"In this one clash, something had been tempered. She knew what she was seeing. A fighting force cannot be simply assembled. It needed that brutal forge and it needed all its fires quenched in the blood of battle. Her brother was making something here."
-The Crippled God, pg. 337
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Scavenged, swords, spears, pikes, and axes from the weapons stores of Kharkanas. These are mostly in poor shape, and the Defenders will likely try to steal weapons from their dead enemies. Shake veterans should have Letherii equipment.
Defensive: See Tiste Andii, but also scavenged. Shake veterans should have Letherii equipment.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
Accompanying the Shake in the front lines is Yedan Derryg. For reasons why this is a big deal from both a morale and tactical standpoint, see his hero profile.
Starting Numbers: 525 (10,000 total)
LINE BREAKERS
Malazan Heavies
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| Art by Smiles |
Training/Experience: 4-6
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Crossbow
Preferred Range: Melee
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Crossbow
Preferred Range: Melee
The largest and toughest soldiers in the Malazan army, the heavies are just as their name implies, the heavy infantry. They are the ones, along with the medium infantry, around which the army anchors, whether they are holding the line against the enemy advance or leading the advance themselves. Even amidst the disciplined soldiers of the Malazan Empire the Heavies are known for never breaking, holding their position even in the face of repeated charges from nine-foot tall, Lizardmen-esque, Nah'ruk warriors.
"Seeing that he could not go on, seeing that he was near tears, Brys simply nodded. He turned to study what he could see of the Malazan position. Nothing but armored lizards, weapons lifting and descending, blood rising in a mist. But, as he stared, he noticed something. The Nah’ruk were no longer advancing.
'You stopped them? Blood of the gods, what manner of soldiers are you?'
...
The heavy infantry stood. The heavy infantry held the trench. Even as they died, they backed not a single step. The Nah’ruk clawed for purchase on the blood-soaked mud of the berm. Iron chewed into them. Halberds slammed down, rebounded from shields. Reptilian bodies reeled back, blocking the advance of rear ranks. Arrows and quarrels poured into the foe from positions behind the trench."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 781
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Heavies wield crossbows weighted longswords, long stabbing spears, and a variety of knives. Heavies in Onearm's Host also carry long headed, barbed, javelins for disrupting enemy formations before they close for melee. This is similar to how Roman Legionaries used throw their pilum javelins before charging.
Defensive: Scale armors, chain vambraces, gauntlets, visored helmets with cheek guards. They all carry kite shields.
Starting Numbers: 950 (17,280 total)
Malazan Marines
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| Marine's on the right. Art by Smiles |
Training/Experience: 4-6
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Crossbow
Preferred Range: Melee
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Crossbow
Preferred Range: Melee
"I have yet to mention the worst you will face—the Bonehunters. Among my people, arguments and opinions are unending as to who are the greatest soldiers the world has ever known—ah, I see in your face that you think we strut about as one of those two, but we do not. No, we speak of the Wickans of Coltaine, versus the marines of the Malazan Empire." His teeth appeared in a hard smile. "Lucky for you that there are no longer any Wickans among the Bonehunters, but alas, there are plenty of marines."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 441
Kellanved's creation, the Malazan Marines are the empire’s signature shock troops. They are equipped and trained to hit hard and fast, avoiding the toe-to-toe, slug out in which the medium and heavy infantry participate. This is not their only purpose, however. Their training and equipment allows the Marines to fulfill a variety of different roles. Marine's can act as skirmishers, using their crossbows to cover the advance of the rest of the army, use their specialized sappers to sabotage, or if the need arises, stand side-by-side with the heavy infantry to hold off an enemy advance. As shown during the invasion of Letheras, the marines are most effective working at the squad level, utilizing small unit tactics to wreck havoc on the enemy's supply lines.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Marines come armed with standard issue Malazan assault crossbows for ranged combat; heavy and powerful weapons constructed entirely of iron that can easily punch through shields and armor. Kalam mentions that a trained Malazan soldier can reload their crossbow in four seconds. In melee, they wield a mixture of long and short swords, as well as all manner of knives.
Defensive: Chainmail, underneath leather. Marines, like many soldiers in the Malazan army, have a habit of customizing their armor. The marines in Coltaine’s 7th army used a unique tactic where every third soldier would carry a large shield of soft wood that was soaked an hour before battle. The shields would then catch and hold the weapons used against them, a useful technique against aggressive and undisciplined enemies. The marines referred to this tactic as “pulling teeth”.
Starting Numbers: 950 (17,280 total)
Teblor Warriors
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| Art by llRobinll |
Training/Experience: 7-8
Mobility: 6
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Mobility: 6
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
"The Teblor have long earned their reputation as slayers of children, butcherers of the helpless, as mortal demons delivered unto the Nathii in a curse altogether undeserved. The sooner the Teblor are obliterated from their mountain fastnesses the sooner the memory of them will finally begin to fade."
-The Crusade of 1147
Ayed Kourbourn
The Teblor are a sub-group of Thelomen Toblakai native to the isolated Laederon Plateau of northwestern Genabackis. Warlike raiders, The Teblor fight mainly among themselves in the form of inter-clan violence, but occasionally their warriors venture down to the lowlands to raid the humans residing there. Teblor culture glorifies violence, and rape and murder are not only commonplace but widely accepted against both other Teblor as well as humans. Teblor believe that all who they slay follow them as souls forever cursed to walk in their killer's shadow. While the Toblakai once possessed a great civilization, it fell long ago, and their descendants like the Teblor now live as primitive shadows of their former selves. The Teblor however, might argue that their current state gives them more freedom than their ancestors. The Teblor hate the shackles that the so-called "civilized" people wish to put on them, both literal and metaphorical, for Teblor slaves are highly valued in Genabackis.
Despite their typically diluted Toblakai blood, the Teblor are still more massive than even a full-grown human. Standing around 8-9 feet tall (although those with more human blood are smaller), they are twice as wide, and fives times as heavy as a human. Teblor disparagingly refer to all humans, regardless of age as "children." Their sheer size alone makes them formidable opponents. They are strong enough to shoulder charge through reinforced gates of military fortifications, tough enough to survive injuries that would kill an ordinary humans (including impalement through the chest, although this is a high-end feat, as the Teblor this happened to passed out from the pain afterward), and fast enough to keep pace with horses for short distances. They have four lungs, giving them more stamina than humans. Most impressively, they have potent healing factors, making them immune to illness and infections, and able to actually recover from the injuries mentioned in mere days. Incredibly long-lived, a Teblor male is considered an adult at 80, and can live to be over 400. All of these factors make facing Teblor a very frightening prospect for the villagers of the Genabackis lowlands.
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| Human to Teblor size comparison. Art by Marc Simonetti |
"More lowlanders—more than could be counted—all scurrying about now, as a bell started clanging. Running towards the gate from the cornfields, farming implements tossed aside. Bairoth was bellowing something behind Karsa. Not a warcry. A voice pitched with alarm. Karsa ignored it, already closing in on the first of the farmers. He would take a few in passing, but not slacken his pace. Leave these children to the pack. He wanted the ones in the town, cowering behind the now-closing gate, behind the puny walls. Sword flashed, taking off the back of a farmer’s head. Havok ran down another, trampling the shrieking woman under his hoofs.
The gate boomed as it shut. Karsa angled Havok to the left of it, eyes on the wall as he leaned forward. A crossbow quarrel flitted past, striking the furrowed ground ten paces to his right. Another whistled over his head. No lowlander horse could clear this wall, but Havok stood at twenty-six hands—almost twice the height and mass of the lowlander breeds—and, muscles bunching, legs gathering, the huge destrier leapt, sailing over the wall effortlessly. To crash, front hoofs first, onto the sloped roof of a shack. Slate tiles exploded, wood beams snapped. The small structure collapsed beneath them, chickens scattering, as Havok stumbled, legs clawing for purchase, then surged forward onto the muddy cart ruts of the street beyond. Another building, this one stone-walled, reared up before them. Havok slewed to the right. A figure suddenly appeared at the building’s entrance, a round face, eyes wide. Karsa’s crossover chop split the lowlander’s skull where he stood just beyond the threshold, spinning him in place before his legs folded beneath him.
Hoofs pounding, Havok swept Karsa down the street towards the gate. He could hear slaughter in the fields and the road beyond—most of the workers had been trapped outside the town, it seemed. A dozen guards had succeeded in dropping a bar and had begun fanning out to take defensive positions when the warleader burst upon them. Iron helm crunched, was torn from the dying child’s head as if biting at the blade as it was dragged free. A back-handed slash separated another child’s arm and shoulder from his body. Trampling a third guard, Havok pivoted, flinging his hindquarters around to strike a fourth child, sending him flying to crash up against the gate, sword spinning away. A longsword—its blade as puny as a long knife’s to Karsa’s eyes—struck his leather-armoured thigh, cutting through two, perhaps three of the hardened layers, before bouncing away. Karsa drove his sword’s pommel into the lowlander’s face, felt bone crack. A kick sent the child reeling. Figures were scattering in panic from his path. Laughing, Karsa drove Havok forward. He cut down another guard, whilst the others raced down the street.
Something punched the Teblor’s back, then a brief, stinging blossom of pain. Reaching over, Karsa dragged the quarrel free and flung it away. He dropped down from the horse, eyes on the barred gate. Metal latches had been locked over the bar, holding the thick plank in place. Taking three strides back, Karsa lowered one shoulder, then charged it. The iron pins holding the hinges between blocks of mortared stone burst free with the impact, sending the entire gate toppling outward. The tower on Karsa’s right groaned and sagged suddenly. Voices cried out inside it. The stone wall began to fold. Cursing, the Teblor scrambled back towards the street as the entire tower collapsed in an explosion of dust. Through the swirling white cloud, Bairoth rode, threads of blood and gore whipping from his bloodsword, his mount leaping to clear the rubble. The dogs followed, and with them Delum and his horse. Blood smeared Delum Thord’s mouth, and Karsa realized, with a faint ripple of shock, that the warrior had torn out a farmer’s throat with his own teeth, as would a dog. Hoofs spraying mud, Bairoth reined in. Karsa swung himself back onto Havok, twisted the destrier round to face down the street. A square of pikemen approached at a trot, their long-poled weapons wavering, iron blades glinting in the morning light. They were still thirty paces distant. A quarrel glanced off the rump of Bairoth’s horse, coming from a nearby upper floor window. From somewhere outside the wall came the sound of galloping horses. Bairoth grunted.
"Our withdrawal shall be contested, Warleader."
"Withdrawal?" Karsa laughed. He jutted his chin towards the advancing pikemen. "There can be no more than thirty, and children with long spears are still children, Bairoth Gild. Come, let us scatter them!" With a curse, Bairoth unlimbered his bear skull bolas.
"Precede me, then, Karsa Orlong, to hide my preparation." Baring his teeth in fierce pleasure, Karsa urged Havok forward. The dogs fanned out to either side, Delum positioning himself on the warleader’s far right. Ahead, the pikes slowly lowered, hovering at chest height as the square halted to plant their weapons. Upper floor windows on the street opened then, and faces appeared, looking down to witness what would come.
"Urugal!" Karsa bellowed as he drove Havok into a charge. "Witness!" Behind him he heard Bairoth riding just as hard, and within that clash of sounds rose the whirring flow of the grey bear skull, round and round, and round again. Ten paces from the readied pikes, and Bairoth roared. Karsa ducked low, pitching Havok to the left even as he slowed the beast’s savage charge. Something massive and hissing whipped past him, and Karsa twisted to see the huge bolas strike the square of soldiers.
Deadly chaos. Three of the five rows on the ground. Piercing screams. Then the dogs were among them, followed by Delum’s horse. Wheeling his destrier once again, Karsa closed on the shattered square, arriving in time to be alongside Bairoth as the two Teblor rode into the press. Batting aside the occasional, floundering pike, they slaughtered the children the dogs had not already taken down, in the passage of twenty heartbeats.
"Warleader!" Dragging his bloodsword from the last victim, Karsa turned at Bairoth’s bellow. Another square of soldiers, this time flanked by cross-bowmen. Fifty, perhaps sixty in all, at the street’s far end. Scowling, Karsa glanced back towards the gate. Twenty mounted children, heavily armoured in plate and chain, were slowly emerging through the dust; more on foot, some armed with short bows, others with double-bladed axes, swords or javelins. "Lead me, Warleader!" Karsa glared at Bairoth.
"And so I shall, Bairoth Gild!" He swung Havok about. "This side passage, down to the shoreline—we shall ride around our pursuers. Tell me, Bairoth Gild, have we slain enough children for you?"
"Aye, Karsa Orlong."
"Then follow!" The side passage was a street almost as wide as the main one, and it led straight down to the lake. Dwellings, trader stores and warehouses lined it. Shadowy figures were visible in windows, in doorways and at alley mouths as the Teblor raiders thundered past. The street ended twenty paces before the shoreline. The intervening space, through which a wide, wood-planked loadway ran down to the docks and piers, was filled with heaps of detritus, dominant among them a huge pile of bleached bones, from which poles rose, skulls affixed to their tops.
Teblor skulls.
Amidst this stretch of rubbish, squalid huts and tents filled every clear patch, and scores of children had emerged from them, bristling with weapons, their rough clothing bedecked with Teblor charms and scalps, their hard eyes watching the warriors approach as they began readying long-handled axes, two-handed swords, thick-shafted halberds, whilst yet others strung robust, recurved bows and nocked over-long, barbed arrows—which they began to draw, taking swift aim. Bairoth’s roar was half horror, half rage as he sent his destrier charging towards these silent, deadly children. Arrows flashed. Bairoth’s horse screamed, stumbled, then crashed to the ground. Bairoth tumbled, his sword spinning away through the air as he struck, then broke through, a sapling-walled hut.
More arrows flew. Karsa shifted Havok sharply, watched an arrow hiss past his thigh, then he was among the first of the lowlanders. Bloodsword clashed against an axe’s bronze-sheathed shaft, the impact tearing the weapon from the man’s hands. Karsa’s left hand shot out to intercept another axe as it swung towards Havok’s head. He plucked it from the man, sent it flying, then lunged forward the same hand to take the lowlander by the neck, lifting him clear as they continued on. A single, bone-crunching squeeze left the head lolling, the body twitching and spilling piss. Karsa flung the corpse away. Havok’s onward plunge was brought to a sudden halt. The destrier shrieked, slewed to one side, blood gushing from its mouth and nostrils, dragging with it a heavy pike, its iron head buried deep in the horse’s chest. The beast stumbled, then, with a drunken weave, it began toppling.
Karsa, screaming his fury, launched himself from the dying destrier’s back. A sword point rose to meet him, but Karsa batted it aside. He landed atop at least three tumbling bodies, hearing bones snap beneath him as he rolled his way clear. Then he was on his feet, bloodsword slashing across the face of a lowlander, ripping black-bearded jaw from skull. An edged weapon scored deep across his back. Spinning, Karsa swung his blade under the attacker’s outstretched arms, chopped deep between ribs, jamming at the breastbone. He tugged fiercely, tearing his sword free, the dying lowlander’s body cartwheeling past him. Heavy weapons, many of them bearing knotted Teblor fetishes, surrounded him, each striving to drink Uryd blood. They fouled each other as often as not, yet Karsa was hard-pressed blocking the others as he fought his way clear.
He killed two of his attackers in the process. Now he heard another fight, nearby, from where Bairoth had crashed into the hut, and, here and there, the snap and snarl of the dogs. His attackers had been silent until a moment ago. Now, all were screaming in their gibbering tongue, their faces filled with alarm, as Karsa wheeled once more and, seeing more than a dozen before him, attacked. They scattered, revealing a half-crescent line of lowlanders with bows and crossbows. Strings thrummed. Searing pain along Karsa’s neck, twin punches to his chest, another against his right thigh. Ignoring them all, the warleader charged the half-crescent. More shouts, sudden pursuit from the ones who had scattered, but it was too late for that. Karsa’s sword was a blur as he cut into the archers. Figures turning to run. Dying, spinning away in floods of blood. Skulls shattering. Karsa carved his way down the line, and left a trail of eight figures, some writhing and others still, behind him, by the time the first set of attackers reached him. He pivoted to meet them, laughing at the alarm in their tiny, wizened, dirt-smeared faces, then he lunged into their midst once more. They broke. Flinging weapons away, stumbling and scrambling in their panic. Karsa killed one after another, until there were no more within reach of his bloodsword.
-House of Chains, pg. 81-85
*Quote Notes*: The main PoV of the quote above is Karsa Orlong, who has some of the most significant "power creep" (getting progressively more powerful) in the series. By the final book, he shouldn't be considered the standard for a normal Teblor. At the point the quote draws from however, any of the feats shown above should be physically possible for a normal Teblor, although Karsa is still noted to be exceptionally skilled. While the humans shown above were just a militia force rather than trained soldiers, they were, as the quote shows, experienced in dealing with Teblor. Later in the chapter, they managed to kill Karsa's two companions and capture him shortly after.
During the events of The Crippled God, a group of several hundred Teblor spurred on by ancient prophecies arrived in Lether, where they linked up with the Letherii army to serve as auxiliaries during their conflict with the Forkrul Assail.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Although some Teblor disdain ranged combat, others will use weapons such as bows, atlatls, and something called a "toothed-disk" which could be similar to an Indian chakram. The Teblor appearing in the The Crippled God however only used melee weapons. Their most famous weapons are bloodswords, crafted from bloodwood trees. Bloodwood is an incredibly durable material, made even more so when rubbed with bloodoil, a concoction used by the Teblor on both their weapons are themselves. The oil hardens the grain and replaces the wood when it's damaged, helping it keep its edge and making it strong enough to shatter steel.
"Lostara’s squad threw lances in staggered succession when but fifteen paces from the Toblakai. Tene Baralta’s eyes widened in astonishment as not one of the six lances struck home. Impossibly lithe for one of such bulk, the Toblakai seemed to simply step through them, shifting weight and dipping a shoulder before springing to close, his archaic wooden sword sweeping across in a backswing that connected with the leading Red Blade’s knees. The man went down in a cloud of dust, both legs shattered.
Then the Toblakai was in the squad’s midst. As Tene Baralta sprinted to reach them, he saw Lostara Yil reel back, blood spraying from her head, her helmet spinning away to bounce across the potsherd gravel. A second soldier fell, his throat crushed by a thrust from the wooden sword."
-Deadhouse Gates pg. 168
Sometimes they are accompanied by wardogs, although these were never mentioned for the Teblor that appear in The Crippled God
Defensive: Boiled leather armor or plates made of bloodwood. Their size and strength enables them to wear a greater amount of armor than an average human. Most significant is their healing factors which allows them to heal fairly serious injuries including impalement from multiple knives in less than a day, and being "festooned" with arrows and crossbow bolts, in about a day. Again these quotes are from Karsa, although still early-House of Chains Karsa, so within the survival limit for a Teblor. Their healing factor does not push foreign objects out of their bodies, so if they get objects imbedded deep under the skin they will have to dig them out before the wound closes over them. Credit to u/8fenristhewolf8 and his excellent Karsa Orlong respect thread for all of the above imgur quotes.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
Blood-oil is a concoction used by Teblor to enhance not only their weapons, but themselves. When ingested, it produces near instantaneous feelings of bloodlust and enhances a Teblor's senses. One of the components of blood-oil is believed to be otateral, meaning Teblor have some low-level magic immunity.
Some Teblor ride horses, which are much larger than a regular horse. Karsa's original Teblor horse described as 26 hands, making it 8.5 feet tall. It's worth noting that the world's largest recorded horse was less than 22 hands. Eschewing saddles, Teblor make use of bridles and stirrups. Teblor warrior ride directly behind his mount's shoulders allowing it to kick, and trample freely in combat. The only armor for a Teblor horse was usually the sword and arm braces of its rider, although Teblor were also known to strap boiled leather armor to their mount's chest, neck, and legs. Again, the Teblor appearing in The Crippled God didn't use horses.
Starting Numbers: 150 (300 total)
T’lan Imass Warriors
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| Art by Nether83 |
Training/Experience: 10
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
"The father of the man named Throatslitter used to tell stories of the Emperor’s conquest of Li Heng, long before Kellanved was emperor of anywhere. True, he’d usurped Mock on Malaz Island and had proclaimed himself the island’s ruler, but since when was Malaz Island anything but a squalid haven for pirates? Few on the mainland took much notice of such things. A new tyrannical criminal in place of the old tyrannical criminal.
The conquest of Li Heng changed all that. There’d been no fleet of ships crowding the river mouth to the south and east of the city; nothing, in fact, to announce the assault. Instead, on a fine spring morning no different from countless other such mornings, Throatslitter’s father, along with thousands of other doughty citizens, had, upon a casual glance towards the Inner Focus where stood the Palace of the Protectress, noted the sudden inexplicable presence of strange figures on the walls and battlements. Squat, wide, wearing furs and wielding misshapen swords and axes. Helmed in bone.
What had happened to the vaunted Guard? And why were tendrils of smoke rising from the barracks of the courtyard and parade ground? And was it – was it truly – the Protectress herself who had been seen plunging from the High Tower beside the City Temple at the heart of the cynosure? Someone had cut off Li Heng’s head in the Palace. Undead warriors stood sentinel on the walls and, a short time later, emerged in their thousands from the Inner Focus Gate to occupy the city. Li Heng’s standing army – after a half-dozen suicidal skirmishes – capitulated that same day. Kellanved now ruled the city-state, and officers and nobles of the high court knelt in fealty, and the reverberations of this conquest rattled the windows of palaces across the entire mainland of Quon Tali."
-Reaper's Gale, pg. 376
Looking at the ranks of T'lan Imass warriors, it would be easy to overlook them. Short, rotting corpses unarmored and equipped with weapons of flint, they don't look particularly impressive. But underestimating them would be a deadly mistake.The T'lan Imass combine all the typical strengths of a fantasy undead army with few of the standard weaknesses. They don't tire or require food and water. They are not simply a shambling horde, but elite combat veterans, physically far superior to your standard human and each one possessing hundreds of thousands of years of combat experience, having hunted the most dangerous race in the world to near-extinction.
The conquest of Li Heng changed all that. There’d been no fleet of ships crowding the river mouth to the south and east of the city; nothing, in fact, to announce the assault. Instead, on a fine spring morning no different from countless other such mornings, Throatslitter’s father, along with thousands of other doughty citizens, had, upon a casual glance towards the Inner Focus where stood the Palace of the Protectress, noted the sudden inexplicable presence of strange figures on the walls and battlements. Squat, wide, wearing furs and wielding misshapen swords and axes. Helmed in bone.
What had happened to the vaunted Guard? And why were tendrils of smoke rising from the barracks of the courtyard and parade ground? And was it – was it truly – the Protectress herself who had been seen plunging from the High Tower beside the City Temple at the heart of the cynosure? Someone had cut off Li Heng’s head in the Palace. Undead warriors stood sentinel on the walls and, a short time later, emerged in their thousands from the Inner Focus Gate to occupy the city. Li Heng’s standing army – after a half-dozen suicidal skirmishes – capitulated that same day. Kellanved now ruled the city-state, and officers and nobles of the high court knelt in fealty, and the reverberations of this conquest rattled the windows of palaces across the entire mainland of Quon Tali."
-Reaper's Gale, pg. 376
Looking at the ranks of T'lan Imass warriors, it would be easy to overlook them. Short, rotting corpses unarmored and equipped with weapons of flint, they don't look particularly impressive. But underestimating them would be a deadly mistake.The T'lan Imass combine all the typical strengths of a fantasy undead army with few of the standard weaknesses. They don't tire or require food and water. They are not simply a shambling horde, but elite combat veterans, physically far superior to your standard human and each one possessing hundreds of thousands of years of combat experience, having hunted the most dangerous race in the world to near-extinction.
Offensive: Most T'lan Imass warriors are armed with flint swords. While they may look like flimsy weapons, these swords are infused with magic from the warren of Tellann. They are nigh unbreakable and can slice through even the strongest iron as easily as easily as they would human flesh. Not even magical defenses can defend against these swords, as Lady Envy mentions that they can cut through wards effortlessly. Some may also possess flint spears and battleaxes that presumably have the same enchantment. The T'lan Imass are much stronger and faster than any mortal man, able to effortlessly crush bones in their grip, kill creatures roughly equal to bison in size barehanded, and speedblitz creatures that are fast enough to catch crossbow bolts out of the air.
Defensive: Due to their undead nature, the T'lan Imass are tough to kill. One T'lan Imass had a fifth of his skull torn away, with no loss of combat ability. Only submerging them completely in water can truly kill them. Decapitation or complete dismemberment can also be used to incapacitate them, although it won't kill them. The T'lan Imass also have incredibly dense bones, with Onrack surviving an attack that should have broken every bone in his body unharmed while he was in a mortal, Imass body. As undead their bones are even tougher, having hardened to the consistency of stone. During the Battle for the Spire, swords and axes outright bounced off of their bones, although heavy crossbow quarrels were enough to shatter them. A T'lan Imass who suffers too much damage will be severed from their Tellann warren, losing all of their magical abilities. This leads to them being subsequently abandoned by their kin, their heads and limbs removed as is T'lan Imass custom. Some T'lan Imass may choose to replace missing pieces of their bodies with those of other T'lan Imass, but to do so is considered a heinous crime among their people, and would result in them becoming renegades to be hunted down and killed. As they are aspected to the warren of Tellann, they are also immune to fire.
"A dull brown blade smeared in gore erupted from the Eighteenth’s chest and was withdrawn almost before Palla had registered that it was there. She leapt backwards an instant before it slashed again, striking shards of stone from where she had just been standing. As Shun fell a walking horror was revealed behind him in the doorway: carious face of dried sinew and skull brown with age, broken remnants of hide and bone armour, limbs of bare bone strung with ligaments and creaking flesh, legs oddly mismatched.
‘Ancestors give me strength! Imass!’
“Attend!” Palla shouted, backing away as she parried sweep after sweep of the wide flint sword. Three others of the Hundredth charged. Blows rocked the Imass in a flurry of bone chips, sliced rotten hide and bits of cured flesh, and still it came on. A downward sweep taken full on the edge of one Seguleh’s sword shattered the blade and knocked the bearer to crash against a wall and slump unconscious. Still Palla yielded ground one hard-fought step at a time. Each overbearing attack she slipped as obliquely as she dared, feeling her blade shudder and flex on the cusp of failing in her hands. Another of the Hundredth lunged close as the creature appeared to waver, but the Imass snatched the youth’s arm and propelled him into a pillar to smack wetly and fall.
“It’s not you I want,” it ground out. “Stand aside.” The third Hundredth took the opportunity to leap swinging a great blow to the creature’s neck. The blade chopped but caught. The half fleshless skull atop canted but did not topple. Palla halted her own lunge as the Imass seized the lad under the chin and lifted him from the floor it knocked the blade from its neck.
'How can I save the poor lad? What could I possibly … 'Inspiration came. Palla offered the long deep bow of the ancient form, hands out from her sides. Then she struck the most traditional of the ready stances.
“Your challenge is accepted.” The Imass stilled. A second later it tossed the lad through an open doorway, where he landed amid furniture. “What is your rank?”
“Sixth.”
“Sixth? I met the First. Long ages ago. Then I wouldn’t have dared face any of the champions. Let us see how things proceed – now that I have had ample time to practise.” It grasped the naked flint tang of its sword in both bone and sinew hands, and advanced...
Up hall after hall they duelled. The heavy flint sword was blur in the hands of the tireless Imass. Palla retreated step by step, yielding, slipping all blows, leaving countless gashes across the fleshless ribs and skull and hacking apart rotting furs. She struck for the joints, hoping to sever ligaments and cripple the creature, not knowing if it was even possible. But she was tiring. Her reactions were slowing. The weakness of complete exhaustion now stood between what she wanted to do and what she could. She knew she would fall; it was merely a question of when and how. It came unseen in the form of a closing feint from the creature, a stunning elbow to her temple and a choking grip on her neck. Blinking, Palla found herself staring into two empty eye sockets where only a low glow simmered, like distant campfires.
“You would have beaten me, Sixth,” the Imass growled, slamming her into a stone door and releasing her to fall, “Had I been alive.”
-Orb, Scepter, Throne, pg. 770-776
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
The T'lan Imass can turn their bodies to dust to join with the land. This allows them to travel great distances at speeds faster than any human. They can even do this to cross oceans, although they can only reform on land. They use this ability to ambush their enemies, as thousands of T'lan Imass can suddenly appear beneath the enemies' feet.
"Lorn was in a good position to see the skeletal hand bursting from the earth beneath the Barghast. It grasped an ankle. Bones snapped and the warrior screamed. Vaguely, as she watched, she wondered where the other two savages had gone. All sounds of fighting seemed to have stopped, but the ground rumbled with a growing, urgent thunder. The Barghast stared down at the hand crushing his shin. He screamed again as the wide, rippled blade of a flint sword shot up between his legs. The ax left the warrior’s hands as he frantically brought them down in an effort to deflect the sword, twisting to one side and kicking out with his free leg. It all came too late. The sword impaled him, jamming against his hipbone and lifting him from the ground. His dying shriek rose skyward"
Several thousand T'lan Ay, ancient ancestors of wolves also accompany the T'lam Imass. These creatures were once nearly driven to extinction by Imass overhunting. As penance, they domesticated these animals and adopted them into their tribes. When the Imass conducted their ritual, the Ay were made immortal as well. The T'lan Ay are three times the size of your average wolf and possess teeth the size of a lion or small bear. They are fast enough and strong enough to easily overwhelm undead K'ell Hunters, giant, twelve-foot tall reptiles who are fast enough to speed blitz squads of soldiers and can shrug off the Malazan equivalent of shrapnel grenades. They possess the same amount of durability as the T'lan Imass, being likewise immortal, and can also turn their bodies to dust.
Starting Numbers: 2,000 (40,000 total)
Ve'Gath
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| The actual Ve'Gath should be much bulkier than this. Art by Tattersail |
Mobility: 5
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
The Ve'Gath are the primary soldier breed of the K'Chain Che'Malle. Ve'Gath are like all Che'Malle, bred with a specific task in mind. Their task is simple: being the deadliest weapon of war the Che'Malle could conceive. Fed a steady diet of nutrients by the Che'Malle's worker class of Drones, the result is 12-foot tall, half-a-ton killing machines. Birthing the Ve'Gath typically causes the Matron great pain, and they can usually only birth a few hundred at a time. But with the oncoming threat of the Nah'ruk, Matron Gunth'an Acyl birthed over fifteen thousand of them, an effort that broke her sanity but saved her race.
A charge of Ve'Gath is pure power. Armed and clad with weapons and armor that no human could even lift, few can match them head-on. Their discipline is unparalleled by any human soldier, and they will fight to literally the last breath. The Nah'ruk, a smaller breed of K'Chain, stood nine feet tall and around twice as heavy as a human. They were capable of easily overwhelming human soldiers, lifting them into the air with a single swing of their weapons. When it came to a physical contest with the Ve'Gath however, the smaller and less armored Nah'ruk got trampled. Even a Pure Forkrul Assail, whose bones are dense enough to deflect and block swords wielded by humans, have been one-shotted by Ve'Gath.
"The Forkrul Assail stood with his face stretched as if in agony, tilted back, the eyes shut and the mouth stretched wide open. When the Ve’Gath advanced, he gave no sign of awareness. Two swift thumping strides and the falchion swung down, taking the motionless Pure between his right shoulder and neck. The blade tore down through the chest, ripped free in a spray of bone shards. The other Ve’Gath had followed its kin and now came in from the left. An instant after the first Ve’Gath’s attack, its heavy single-bladed axe slammed into the side of the Assail’s head in an explosion of skull fragments and gore."
-The Crippled God, pg. 737
Humans can expect to fair even worse; when engaging the Kolansii army at the Battle of the Spire, they sent humans flying through the air with their swings. Their only disadvantage when fighting humans or other smaller foes is that their height makes it possible for them to be hamstrung or disemboweled by attacking low.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Short-handled halberds, battle-axes, and falchions. They also have razor sharp teeth and claws.
Defensive: Machine-like armor that covers their upper bodies, forearms, and thighs, and grilled visors that protect their faces. They also carry tower shields made from the scrapped armor of a Che'Malle skykeep. Giant, rectangular, slabs of metal, these shields offer protection far beyond any of human construction. They were able to block the magic of the Nah'ruk's "lightning clubs." The bolts of these clubs were powerful enough to disintegrate the entire upper body of an armored human when it struck him in the chest. They also have typical K'Chain thick, scaly hides, which human characters have described like trying to cut through a tree trunk.
Starting Numbers: 800 (15,000 total)
RAPID RELIEF
RAPID RELIEF
Wickans
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| Art by Puck |
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Varies
Located on the Wickan Plains in the northeast region of Quon Tali, the Wickans are clans of horse-warriors and raiders. They are most infamous for the Wickan Rebellion, an uprising against the Malazan Empire led by the renowned Wickan war-leader, Coltaine. The Malazans successfully put down the rebellion and impressed with the Wickans horsemanship skills, began recruiting various Wickan tribes into their armies. The finest light cavalry in the world, the Wickans are born raiders who learn to ride before they can walk. They are dangerously elusive in flat open terrain that resembles their homeland, able to attack and then vanish again with remarkable speed. They are divided into companies of mounted archers and lancers and have further specializations based on their clans. The Weasel Clan is known for beginning attacks with a screening force of cattle-dogs. Sixty-pound packages of muscle and stubbornness, cattle-dogs will gladly ignore horses for the chance to drag riders down and tear out their throats.
"Distant howling caught the historian’s attention. A large mounted force was crossing the river, their standards too distant to discern their identity. Then Duiker spied small tawny shapes streaming out ahead of the riders.
'Wickan cattle-dogs. That’s the Weasel Clan.' The horsewarriors broke into a canter as they cleared the river bed. The Tepasi and Sialk cavalry were caught completely unawares, first by a wave of ill-tempered dogs that ignored horses to fling themselves at riders, sixty snarling pounds of teeth and muscle dragging soldiers from their saddles, then by the Wickans themselves, who announced their arrival by launching severed heads through the air before them and raising an eerie, blood-freezing cry a moment before striking the cavalry’s flank. Within a score of heartbeats the Tepasi and Sialk riders were gone—dead or dying or in full flight. The Weasel horsewarriors barely paused in re-forming before wheeling at a canter to close with the Ubari, the mottle-coated cattle-dogs loping alongside them. The enemy broke on both sides, flinching away with a timing that, although instinctive, was precise.
-Deadhouse Gates, pg. 499
The Foolish Dog Clan may in rare engagements wear thick, boiled leather to turn themselves into borderline heavy cavalry. This armor allows them to catch enemies who were not expecting a heavy cavalry charge off-guard. This armor does slow them down considerably, though, and the Wickan's horses aren't built to carry such weight, making them useful only for quick engagements.
"The ramp trembled. The armor-clad horses surged up the steep slope in an explosion of muscle, swifter than the historian thought possible. Broadswords lifted skyward. In their arcane, bizarre armor, the Wickans sat their saddles like demonic conjurations above equally nightmarish mounts...The Foolish Dog’s galloping charge reached the sappers, who went down beneath the hooves in resounding clangs that beat a dreadful rhythm as horse after horse surged over them. Into the gutted, chaotic maelstrom that had moments before been a solid line of heavy infantry, the Wickan horsewarriors cleared the crest and plunged, broadswords swinging down in fearful slaughter."
-Deadhouse Gates, pg. 497-498 Finally is the most famous Wickan Clan, the Crow, known for their exquisitely precise flanking attacks.
"As if to defy his every thought, Wickan horsewarriors appeared, sweeping down the opposite slope. Coltaine rode at the head, his black feather cape a single splayed wing behind him. Lances were lowered, flanking bowmen nocking arrows on the fly. The charge was coming directly for Duiker. The historian, half disbelieving, dragged the mare around into a staggering about-face.
“Oh Hood, might as well join this doomed charge!” He saw List doing the same, the lad’s face white as death beneath his dusty helm. They would strike the peasant army’s flank like a knife blade plunging into the side of a whale. And about as effective.
'Suicide! Even if we make the ford, we’ll flounder. Horses will fall, men will drown, and the peasants will descend to reap slaughter.' Still they rode on. Moments before contact, he saw Weasel Clan horsewarriors reappear from the dust cloud. Counterattack. More madness! Crow riders swept to either side of the historian, the momentum of their charge at its peak. Duiker turned his head at Coltaine’s fierce, joyous shout. Arrows whizzed past. The flank of the peasant army contracted, flinched back. When the Wickans struck, it was into a solidly packed mass of humanity. Yet, at the last moment, the Crow Clan riders wheeled toward the river and rode alongside the flank. Not a knife plunge. A saber slash. Peasants died. Others fell in their frantic retreat and were trampled by the frenzied horses. The entire flank bloomed red as the savage Wickan blades traveled its length." -Deadhouse Gates, pg. 362
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Bows for long range. Lances, tulwars, and longknives for closer distances.
Defensive: Typically no armor, expect for the rare cases mentioned above.
Seti
Seti
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| Art by Corporal--Nobbs |
Training/Experience: 2-4
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Located on the northwestern plains of Quon Tali, the Seti tribes are a mere shadow of their former selves. Centuries of war with the city-states of Quon and Li Heng to defend their barely habitable homeland have forced them to merge into a single nation of horse warriors. Despite their best efforts, the cities of Quon Tali have kept the Seti pacified for over half a century, with Talian values having assimilated much of their culture. Despite this, they still maintain the horsemanship skills of their forebearers, their culture having evolved to favor horsemanship, mobility, and stealth. The Seti long for a return to their former glory, represented by their various warrior societies named after the animals of the plains. The most prominent of these is the Jackal Warriors, who are sworn to Ryllandaras the Man-Jackal, legendary scourge of the Seti plains. The Jackal Warriors believe that one-day Ryllandaras will return to them, signaling the Seti's rise to their former glory.
For now, though the Seti see the most value in serving as light cavalry to the Malazan Empire. Toc the Elder, member of Kellanved's Old Guard and legendary commander of the Malazan cavalry, brought the Seti into the Malazan fold and led thousands of Seti lancers in battle across Quon Tali and Falar. The Seti still fight as they always have, hordes of mounted raiders who enjoy harassing civilians as much as they do engaging other cavalry. During the siege of Li Heng, the Seti began massacring outlying villages around the city, forcing Li Heng to take in refugees they couldn't afford to support. They then surrounded the city, keeping its population trapped and planning to starve them out. During battle, the Malazans typically employ them to counter skirmishers and other cavalry. The Seti are fierce warriors, but occasionally are too exuberant. Many of the Seti recruits sent to help put down the Whirlwind Rebellion, for example, were teenagers who had never previously seen a battle. Eager for the chance to prove themselves, they were lured into an ambush and slaughtered.
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Located on the northwestern plains of Quon Tali, the Seti tribes are a mere shadow of their former selves. Centuries of war with the city-states of Quon and Li Heng to defend their barely habitable homeland have forced them to merge into a single nation of horse warriors. Despite their best efforts, the cities of Quon Tali have kept the Seti pacified for over half a century, with Talian values having assimilated much of their culture. Despite this, they still maintain the horsemanship skills of their forebearers, their culture having evolved to favor horsemanship, mobility, and stealth. The Seti long for a return to their former glory, represented by their various warrior societies named after the animals of the plains. The most prominent of these is the Jackal Warriors, who are sworn to Ryllandaras the Man-Jackal, legendary scourge of the Seti plains. The Jackal Warriors believe that one-day Ryllandaras will return to them, signaling the Seti's rise to their former glory.
For now, though the Seti see the most value in serving as light cavalry to the Malazan Empire. Toc the Elder, member of Kellanved's Old Guard and legendary commander of the Malazan cavalry, brought the Seti into the Malazan fold and led thousands of Seti lancers in battle across Quon Tali and Falar. The Seti still fight as they always have, hordes of mounted raiders who enjoy harassing civilians as much as they do engaging other cavalry. During the siege of Li Heng, the Seti began massacring outlying villages around the city, forcing Li Heng to take in refugees they couldn't afford to support. They then surrounded the city, keeping its population trapped and planning to starve them out. During battle, the Malazans typically employ them to counter skirmishers and other cavalry. The Seti are fierce warriors, but occasionally are too exuberant. Many of the Seti recruits sent to help put down the Whirlwind Rebellion, for example, were teenagers who had never previously seen a battle. Eager for the chance to prove themselves, they were lured into an ambush and slaughtered.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Recurved, horn bows and javelins for ranged weapons. Lances, long-handled fighting axes and longknives for melee weapons.
Defensive: Hide shields. Some of the higher ranking Seti may wear chainmail and bronze helmets.
Khundryl Burned Tears
Training/Experience: 5
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Hailing from the Seven Cities subcontinent, the Khundryl are the mightiest tribe of horse-warriors south of the Vathar Forest. During the Chain of Dogs they initially seemed to join Korbolo Dom’s forces in fighting against the Malazan 7th army. They were so impressed by Coltaine and his Wickan’s skill and their dedication to the Malazan Empire, however, they decided to attack Dom’s forces instead, destroying three other tribes and buying the 7th army and their refugees more time before being finally driven back by the rebel forces after a four-hour long battle. Despite this, the Khundryl chose to hail the Wickans, not themselves, as the mightiest tribe of the day. Returning to their homes, the Khundryl were not present for Coltaine’s Fall. Shamed at this fact, many Khundryl decided to become members of a warrior cult calling themselves the Burned Tears, dedicated to making amends in honor of Coltaine’s memory. When Tavore’s Bonehunters marched to crush the Whirlwind Rebellion, the Burned Tears joined with her forces, providing a valued counter to the Rebellion’s own tribal horsemen. During the events of Dust of Dreams, the Khundryl rode against the K'Chain Nah'ruk, resulting in them being massacred by a volley of the Nah'ruk's lightning clubs, leaving currently only a dispirited 800 Khundryl left.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Bows, Javelins, Tulwars, and scimitars.
Defensive: Bronze scale armor and some archaic hide that appears to be made out of reptile skin.
Mathok's Cavalry
Training/Experience: 5
Mobility: 7-10 (via Ganoes Paran)
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
A warlord from the Seven Cities subcontinent, Mathok was declared the Warleader of the various desert tribes that joined The Whirlwind Rebellion against the Malazan Empire. Following the defeat of the Rebellion, Mathok planned to pledge himself to Felisin the Younger to continue their resistance but found Felisin in the grip of a debauched pleasure cult devoted to The Crippled God. They demanded Mathok and his men lay down their weapons and join them. Disgusted, Mathok refused and instead surrendered his army to High Fist Ganoes Paran. Not interested in retribution, Paran instead accepted the roughly four thousand light cavalry veterans into his army. He elevated Mathok to the rank of Fist and put him in charge of the new additions. Mathok would serve under Paran’s command for the remainder of the series, most notably during the final conflict with the Forkrul Assai,l where Paran used his abilities to teleport the cavalry onto the flank of the Kolansii army.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Lances, Bows, and Scimitars
Defensive: Probably light armor at best
Malazan Skirmishers
Mobility: 4
Max Range: Crossbow
Preferred Range: Crossbow
Typically recruited from the mountainous regions of the empire, Malazan skirmishers range ahead of the army peppering the enemy with countless crossbow bolts. During the Quon Tali Rebellion, the Malazans were forced to deal with their population shortages by mass recruitment of crossbowmen from Unta to fill out the ranks of their army. By the time they finished, they had enlisted enough skirmishers to, as one character described: "...depopulate an entire country." These crossbowmen would prove vital in the Empire's victory in their final battle against the Talian League, picking apart the Talian forces with ruthless efficiency. They were so relentless that friendly fire was a unfortunate and somewhat common occurrence for skirmishers in the front ranks! At one point they even pulled a Persia and blotted out the sun with the volume of bolts. The Talian forces, unable to counter the mass of skirmishers due to the loss of their Seti allies, were slowly ground down. Following the victory the skirmishers would go on to play a part in the Empire’s final battle against the Crimson Guard, once again proving their worth.
"Toc glanced down. What was happening was complete murderous chaos. Laseen’s skirmishers were not waiting for their own heavies to complete their formations. They charged forward in waves, kneeling and firing, then retiring while the next rank took their place. A steady hail of bolts punished the Gold, who displayed astonishing discipline in retaining ranks."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, Kindle location 9430
=LOADOUT=
"Toc glanced down. What was happening was complete murderous chaos. Laseen’s skirmishers were not waiting for their own heavies to complete their formations. They charged forward in waves, kneeling and firing, then retiring while the next rank took their place. A steady hail of bolts punished the Gold, who displayed astonishing discipline in retaining ranks."
-Return of the Crimson Guard, Kindle location 9430
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Malazan assault crossbows.
Defensive: Some light armor.
Bluerose Lancers
Training/Experience: 4-5
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
The Letherii Empire is not known for its cavalry. Horses were not initially part of of their culture or expansion, and now, even decades later, seeing Letherii cavalry on parade is chaos and disorder. The one bright spot is their Blurose Lancers. Formerly an independent league of duchies, Bluerose was conquered by the Letherii and turned into a procreate. While posing as humans, a significant proportion of Bluerose's population is secretly of Tiste Andii blood and heritage. These are descendants of the Tiste Andii under Silchas Ruin, who survived the betrayal by the Tiste Edur after their alliance had defeated the K'Chain Che'Malle. The wounded, stragglers, elders, mothers, and children left well behind the field of battle witnessed this betrayal and fled. The survivors, eluding their pursuers, arrived in what would become the country of Bluerose. There, they fashioned the sanctuary of Andara, a well-hidden monastery dedicated to their deity, the Black-Winged Lord (aka Anomander Rake). In the sixty years since their conquest by the Letherii, Bluerose became known for its cavalry. Unhappy under their new masters, the people of Bluerose purposely sabotage any riding equipment given to their clueless Letherii overlords, giving them purposefully awkward stirrups as a petty form of revenge. Despite this, the Bluerose Lancers themselves have an impressive reputation as skilled and fearless light cavalry. Faced by numerous groups of the horse-warriors to the east, the Letherii have become reliant on the Blurose Lancers to chase down their enemies.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Lances
Defensive: Small round shields and helmets
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
The Letherii do employ other forms of cavalry, but they're not described (other than being extremely inept) or featured
K'ell Hunters
Training/Experience: 7-9
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Mobility: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
"We came upon the fiend on the eastern slope of the Radagar Spine. It was lying in a shallow gorge formed by flash flooding, and the stench pervading the hot air told us of rotting flesh, and indeed upon examination, conducted with utmost caution on this, the very day following the ambush on our camp by unknown attackers, we discovered that the fiend was, while still alive, mortally wounded. How to describe such a demonic entity? When upright, it would have balanced on two hugely muscled hind legs, reminiscent of that of a shaba, the flightless bird found on the isles of the Draconean Archipelago, yet in comparison much larger here. The hip level of the fiend, when standing, would have been at a man’s eye level. Long-tailed, the weight of the fiend’s torso evenly balanced by its hips, thrusting the long neck and head far forward, the spine made horizontal. Two long forelimbs, thickly bound in muscle and hardened scales providing natural armor, ended, not in grasping talons or hands, but enormous swords, iron-bladed, that seemed fused, metal to bone, with the wrists. The head was snouted, like that of a crocodile, such as those found in the mud of the southern shoreline of the Bluerose Sea, yet, again, here much larger. Desiccation had peeled the lips back to reveal jagged rows of fangs, each one dagger-long. The eyes, clouded with approaching death, were nonetheless uncanny and alien to our senses.
The Atri-Preda, bold as ever, strode forward to deliver the fiend from its suffering, with a sword thrust into the soft tissue of its throat. With this fatal wound, the fiend loosed a death cry that struck us with pain, for the sound it voiced was beyond our range of hearing, yet it burst in our skulls with such ferocity that blood was driven from our nostrils, eyes and ears."
-Factor Breneda Anict, Expedition into the Wildlands
Official Annals of Pufanan Ibyris
K'ell Hunters are the firstborn of a K'Chain Che'Malle Matron, sometimes serving as her bodyguards. They typically chafe under this duty however, for their purpose and desire in life is, as their name implies, hunters. On the battlefield, they serve as light cavalry, running down their prey and darting in and out with their superior speed and agility. "Light" is a relative term here, for K'ell are massive compared to humans. They stand at twelve-feet tall on two heavily muscled legs (and likely weigh at least over half-at-ton given their size comparison to real-world dinosaurs). K'ell are even greater in length due to their hunched posture, with a long tail to help them balance. Like all K'Chain though they're perfect for their chosen role. They are twice as fast horses at a canter, and at closer distances, they can move so fast that humans have trouble reacting to them. Their leg muscles are so powerful they can leap twenty paces from a dead stop, jumping high in the air over formations, only to drop down on targets with their sheer weight and sharp talons.
"The beast that burst into view directly before them was indeed a demon – an image that closed like talons in his mind – the shock of recognition.
'Our ancient enemy – it must be – the Edur cannot forget' –
Head thrust forward on a sinuous neck, broad jaw open to reveal dagger fangs. Massive shoulders behind the neck, long heavily muscled arms with huge curved blades of iron strapped where hands should have been. Leaning far forward as it ran towards them on enormous hind legs, the huge tail thrust straight back for balance, the beast was suddenly in their midst.
Horses screamed. Brohl found himself to the demon’s right, almost within reach of those scything sword blades, and he stared in horror as that viper’s head snapped forward, jaws closing on the neck of a horse, closing, crunching, then tearing loose, blood spraying, its mouth still filled with meat and bone, the horse’s spine half ripping loose from the horrid gap left in the wake of those savage jaws. A blade cut in half the warlock astride that mount. The other sword slashed down, chopping through another warlock’s thigh, the saddle, then deep into the horse’s shoulder, smashing scapula, then ribs. The beast collapsed beneath the blow, as the rider – the severed stump of his leg gushing blood – pitched over, balanced for a moment on the one stirrup, then sprawled to land on the ground, even as another horse’s stamping hoof descended onto his upturned face.
The Overseer’s horse seemed to collide with something, snapping both front legs. The animal’s plunging fall threw Brohl over its head. He struck, rolled, the scimitar’s blade biting into his left leg, and came to a stop facing his thrashing mount. The demon’s tail had swept into and through their path.
He saw it wheel for a return attack. A foaming wave of sorcery rose into its path, lifting, climbing with power. The demon vanished from Brohl’s view behind that churning wave.
Sun’s light suddenly blotted—
—the demon in the air, arcing over the crest of the K’risnan’s magic, then down, the talons of its hind feet outstretched.
One closing on another warlock, pushing the head down at an impossible angle into the cup between the man’s shoulders as the demon’s weight descended – the horse crumpling beneath that overwhelming force, legs snapping like twigs. The other raking towards the K’risnan, a glancing blow that flung him from the back of his bolting horse, the claws catching the horse’s rump before it could lunge out of reach, the talons sinking deep, then tearing free a mass of meat to reveal – in a gory flash – the bones of its hips and upper legs."
-Reaper's Gale, pg. 305
In battle, K'ell are typically deployed on the flanks, where they can best use their superior speed, agility, and reach to ravage enemies with repeated, wheeling charges. K'ell have proven to be very difficult for human armies to face. They're capable of overcoming even disciplined Malazan and Grey Sword infantry with their overwhelming speed and strength.
"The creature darted forward with unbelievable speed. At once, it was among the Grey Swords. Lances skewered it from all sides, then the huge blades flashed. Screams. Blood flying in gouts. Itkovian saw the rump of a horse plunge down in front of him, saw the soldier’s right leg, foot still in the stirrup, falling outward. Without comprehension, he watched the rump – legs kicking spasmodically – twist round, revealing that the front half of the horse was gone. Severed spine, curved rows of rib stubs, intestines tumbling out, blood spraying from red flesh. His own horse leapt high to clear the animal wreckage. Crimson rain splashed the Shield Anvil’s face as the creature’s massive jaws – studded with arrows – snapped out at him. He leaned to his left, barely avoiding the meat-strewn fangs, and swung a wild backhand slash with his longsword as he rode past. The blade clashed against armor.
In mid-leap, his horse shrieked as something clipped it from behind. Plunging down on its forelimbs and still screaming, it managed a stagger forward before its rump sank down behind Itkovian. Knowing that something had gone desperately wrong with the beast’s rocking, horrible stumble, he pulled free his heart-knife, leaned forward and opened the animal’s jugular with a single slash. Then, kicking free of the stirrups, the Shield Anvil pitched forward and to the left even as he yanked the dying horse’s head to the right. They struck the ground, rolled apart. Completing his tumble at a crouch, Itkovian spared a glance at his horse, to see the animal kicking in the air. The two hind legs ended just above the fetlocks. Both hooves had been sliced off. The dead animal quickly stilled."
-Memories of Ice, pg. 219-220
*Quote Note*: The K'ell in the quote above is undead, hence why it's able to survive getting impaled with multiple lances. The mortal K'ell in this profile couldn't survive that.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The most notable feature of a K'ell Hunter is that its long forearms end not in claws, but rather in two massive, iron, surgically attached blades. The size of these weapons wielded by a creature of the K'ell's might is a fearsome combination. They can cut a human or horse in half with a single swing, and humans have typically either had their arms or weapons broken trying to block their blows.
"Ducking low, he threw up both cutlasses in time to catch a horizontal slash from one of the hunter’s massive blades. The Gadrobi steel rang deafeningly, the impact bolting like shocks up the captain’s arms. Gruntle heard more than felt his left wrist snap, the broken ends of the bones grinding and twisting impossibly before suddenly senseless hands released the cutlasses – wheeling, spinning away. The hunter’s second blade should have cut him in half. Instead, it clashed against Harllo’s two-handed sword. Both weapons shattered. Harllo lurched away, his chest and face spraying blood from a savage hail of iron shards.
A taloned, three-toed foot struck Gruntle on an upward track. Grunting, the captain was thrown into the air. Pain exploded in his skull as he collided with the hunter’s jaw, snapping the creature’s head up with a bone-breaking, crunching sound. Stunned, the breath driven from his lungs, Gruntle fell to the ground in a heap. An enormous weight pinned him, talons puncturing armor to pierce flesh. The three toes clenched around his chest, snapping bones, and he felt himself dragged forward. The scales of his armor clicked and clattered, dropping away as he was pulled along through dust and gravel. Twisted buckles and clasps dug into the earth. Blind, limbs flopping, Gruntle felt the talons digging ever deeper. He coughed and his mouth filled with frothy blood. The world darkened. He felt the talons shudder, as if resonating from some massive blow. Another followed, then another. The claws spasmed. Then he was lifted into the air again, sent flying. Striking the ground, rolling, crashing up against the shattered spokes of a carriage wheel."
-Memories of Ice, pg. 201-202
They prefer to swing their blades horizontally, meaning that like the Ve'Gath, smaller foes can go low to get under their weapons and inside their guard. They also have razor-sharp teeth and taloned toes they can use to impale and crush their enemies.
"Sag’Churok drew yet closer, matching the pace of Redmask’s horse, and he saw it swing its head to regard him. Those eyes, so cold, so appallingly empty—
The sword lashed out in a blur, taking the horse from the front, at the neck, just above its collarbones. A blow of such savagery and strength that it tore entirely through, cracking hard against the wooden rim of the high saddle. Knocking Redmask back, over the beast’s rump, even as the headless horse ran on another half-dozen strides before wavering to one side then collapsing.
He struck the muddy ground on one shoulder, skidded, then rolled to a halt – and onto his feet, straightening, even as Sag’Churok slashed its second blade, taking him above the knees. Blood fountained as he toppled onto his back, and found himself staring at his severed legs, still standing upright in the mud.
Gunth Mach loomed over him, the talons of a hind foot plunging down to close round his chest. The talons punched deep, ribs crushing in that embrace, and Redmask was lifted then thrown through the air – where he intersected the path of one of Sag’Churok’s swords. It chopped through his right shoulder, sending the arm spinning away – still gripping the crescent axe.
Redmask thumped onto the ground once more, already dead."
-Reapers Gale, pg. 669
Defensive: K'ell have a natural form of armor in their scaly skin, which can repel arrows at longer distances, but not at closer ones. To creatures of their size, arrows seem little more than annoyances to them, but larger projectiles like ballista bolts and heavy spears can hurt or kill them. For other armor they have ornate skull-cap helmets protecting their head and nap, featuring sweeping cheekguards that met in a bridge-guard over the snout. They often wear a kind of harness or armor made of leather and metal that wrapped across their shoulders, covered their chests around their jutting sternums, and sat high on their hips.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
Ke'll have a special gland among Che'Malle, which produces something called the "Nectar of Slaying," which increases their bloodlust and stamina before a battle. The Che'Malle commander Gesler noted they seemed to be "immune to the vicissitudes of food, water and rest – their endurance made him feel soft."
SHOCK AND AWE
Moranth
Training: 4-5
Mobility: Varies
Maximum Range:Varies
Preferred Range: Varies
"We forge our weapons so that they may never be used."
-Moranth saying
Whily typically thought of as a merchantile people, the Moranth are also famed fighters, being the only Genebackis natives who are willing to go to war with the Seguleh. The Malazans currently have a standing alliance with the Moranth who they employ as auxiliary troops, couriers, and even as an air force. The Moranth's trading roots have payed off for their military, for they have even made contact with the Tiste Edur, whom they exchanged ideas with in return for the secrets of Edur alchemy, without which they may have never been able to produce their most famous weapons, Moranth Munitions. Their mastery over the giant dragonfly-like Quorls give them excellent mobility, and combined with their munitions can be used to launch devastating bombing runs on enemy forces. The presence of the Blues also gives them control over one of the best navies in the world. All of this is backed up by some of the most heavily armored infantry in the setting.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The trademark weapon of the Moranth is their munitions. Explosives developed from Tiste Edur alchemy; Moranth munitions are built from clay or glass formed into a variety of shapes depending on their function. They are filled with the alchemical powder, which detonates upon contact with air. Before the rise to power of the Silvers, the munitions were used to kill mages, as the use of magic draws their explosive power. As the Silvers now control Moranth society, munitions have apparently become an export only item to the Malazans. Due to their inability to create the munitions on their own, the Malazans are still reliant on the Moranth for these weapons, although they have been key in producing variations of them for specific uses. There is, unfortunately, some contradiction here, as well the main series by Erikson seems to show that the Moranth follow the Silver's decree to not use the munitions themselves, the series by Esselmont shows them using the munitions very often. Take that how you will. Most munitions are detonated with a slow working acid worm-holed through the shell. For more information on the exact types of munitions, see the sapper profile below.
Black & Gold Moranth
The black and gold Moranth fight in tightly grouped formations armed with their munitions, crossbows, javelins, spears, swords, and defended by heavy shields and ornately crafted plate armor that covers their entire body, made of some kind of chitinous material. Some of the Moranth have parts of their armor sutured onto their body, although this doesn't appear to always be the case.The primary difference between the two castes is the color of their armor and the gold’s status as elite infantry of excellent discipline. Prior to the beginning of the series, a schism between the black and gold caused the Malazans to lose the services of the golds, although they would fight alongside them later in the series.
Beyond the lad, from the Gold shieldwall, Nait glimpsed a wave of dark objects flying high out over the crowded ranks of skirmishers. His heart clenched. ‘Down!’ He threw himself on top of the lads and the assembled munitions. A staccato of punching eruptions burst all up and down the field. Skirmishers shrieked as the jagged slivers packed into Moranth sharpers lanced through their crowded ranks. ‘Retreat!’ Nait hollered with all his strength. ‘Retreat!’ He and the lads picked up the shield and ran. But they could not get far. They quickly bunched up against irregulars firing at the advancing League skirmish-line. Behind them the punishment of Gold munitions continued. Staggered explosions split the air. Smoke wafted over the field in white and black clouds. It seemed from where Nait stood that the skirmishers were being slaughtered between the two lines, and that unless someone did something he’d join them soon enough.
-Return of the Crimson Guard, pg. 512
Blue Moranth
The Blue Moranth are the strongest naval power in Genabackis and perhaps in the entire world. Far larger than even the Malazan vessels, the Blue ships are purely for military use, being too massive to use in anything other than deep water situations. One of the most notable features of the Blue vessels are their siege towers mounted on top of the ships, which are six stories tall at their maximum height and come with two segmented pieces, one tucked inside the other. These towers make the Blue vessels very effective at assaulting sea-bound fortresses or cities.
When faced with enemy ships, the Blues deploy their most terrifying weapon. Through their knowledge of alchemy they've created their own version of Greek Fire, the infamous incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. Launched in long streams from the towers at the bow of the ship, this fire can't be doused with water and and any wooden ship ignited will quickly go down in flames. The Blues also come equipped with a wide variety of other munitions which they can use to reduce enemy ships to smoking ruins.
"But yet again she’d forgotten about the Moranth. The engines that had cast so much death and destruction among the Mare fleet now responded. The colour of the dawn changed to an orange-red as a great sheet of flaming projectiles arced up from the Blue vessels. watched just as fascinated as this barrage passed over the immediate shore to land a good hundred paces back from the lip of the sand cliffs masking the coast. A firestorm blossomed, roiling in fat billowing flames and black smoke. It spread in great arcs of incendiaries that reached like claws, secondary bursts scattering the inferno even farther. The blast reached Devaleth like a distant rockslide or titanic waterfall."
-Stonewielder, pg. 539-540
Silver Moranth
The current leaders of the Moranth race, the Silver Moranth also serve as the mages. We barely see the Silvers in the series, although judging from the conversation between Quick Ben and Twist, Moranth have access to the same Warrens that humans do. See the mage profile below for more details.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
The Moranth ride quorls, giant dragonfly like creatures that they have tamed for use in transportation and combat. They have four translucent wings which create an audible whirring noise when in flight, large wedge-shaped heads, sharp mandibles they can use offensively, and the typical faceted eyes of an insect. They are extremely agile in the air, able to dodge thrown javelins. They are fast enough to fly a hundred leagues (over 340 miles) in just a few days. The Malazans have begun to rely heavily on quorls for both transportation, and logistical support, using them to transport supplies (most commonly the Moranth munitions), and soldiers. They was shown in both the Genabackis Campaign when Dujek used the quorls to airlift an entire legion in position around an enemy, and in the Pannion War, where they covertly dropped the Bridgeburners inside the enemy capital. Each quorl can carry two riders.Their primary weakness is that their bodies and wings are very frail, not making them ideal to fight against other enemy flyers. Their primary offensive use is to carpet bomb enemy forces.
“The quorl dived even lower now. Tor rose off his seat in the descent. Just ahead the Seguleh column was spreading out. They now appeared so close, and he was rushing in upon them at such a ferocious speed, it seemed to him that they would collide. Before him the valley head rose rocky and steep, thin streams darkening the stone wall here and there. At its foot the Malazan line stood firm in their black surcoats, shields overlapping. Tor spared one quick glance back: line after line of quorl followed, their Silver drivers hunched forward as if racing, Red and Black passengers behind cradling the fat munitions in their arms. Galene raised the cusser in both hands. The slashing wind snapped her flying jesses and straps about her armoured form...
Sword in hand, Aragan turned from the panting veteran saboteur to stare down into the valley. He took in the jogging Seguleh. Then, above, the swooping Moranth. And he felt as if he would faint. Oh, Hood, no … So close … He staggered forward, threw his arms out, bellowing: “Take cover now! Cover!”...
Bendan felt himself bending backwards further and further as the Moranth quorl seemed to be coming straight for him personally. He saw riders throwing and dark objects tumbling through the air as the quorl tore overhead, so low it seemed he could stretch up and touch their delicate thrumming wingtips. He yanked Hektar down among the rearing piled talus – the only man still standing – and bellowed in his ear over the roaring: ‘Shield!’ An enormous invisible wall struck Bendan, smashing him down into the rocks. His shield bashed him in the face, stunning him. Stones and dirt and thick choking clouds of dust came billowing over him and he coughed, spitting, and shaking his ringing pummelled head. Multiple blasts punished him, driving him down into the surrounding broken rocks, punching the breath from him. He didn’t know if he lost consciousness, but at one point he realized that it seemed to be over. He’d been waiting, tensed, curled into a ball beneath his shield for yet another concussion that never came. He dared to raise his head. Dirt and gravel tumbled from his back. He shook it from his hair and staggered up. All was obscured in hanging drifting smoke and swirling dust. He could hear nothing over the punishing ringing in his ears. He spat again, blinking, holding his chest where his ribs ached from the concussive waves that had battered him. A huge shape shambled upright nearby, dirt sifting from him: Hektar, arms out, blindly searching about the rocks. Bendan clasped his arm.
“I’m here,” he croaked. The Dal Hon wiped his face where a wetness had caked dirt to his mangled flesh.
“Poor bastards,’ he was saying. “Poor fucking bastards.” It occurred to Bendan that the man was crying.”
-Orb, Scepter, Throne pg. 683-685
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| Art by Tattersail |
Siege Weapons
Training/Experience: 4-5
Mobility: 1
Max Range: Artillery
Preferred Range: Artillery
When conducting sieges, the Malazans use a variety of techniques. As opposed to a conventional medieval army they can utilize their sappers to undermine (or blow holes in) city walls, or use mages to destroy or bypass fortifications. For slightly more conventional methods, they possess a variety of artillery: ballistae, mangonels, onagers, and scorpions. This artillery would typically be deployed en-masse, with the artillery exchange between the Malazan and Talian artillery described as: "lighting up the entire horizon" with incendiary rounds. Although Moranth Munitions are typically too fragile to be used as artillery projectiles, some sappers will make homemade variants. During the siege of Li Heng, for instance, the sapper Shaky created a massive catapult called The Beast which fired pots filled with explosive oil. This weapon was surprisingly accurate, capable of strategically targeting an enemy command tent.
"The tower shuddered then as if it had taken a terrible blow from a stone as big as a horse thrown by a monstrous trebuchet such as those Hurl had seen rotting and broken after the siege of the island fortress of Nathilog. Dust and stones sifted down and she coughed, waving a hand. The Urban Levy had instinctively crouched. Hurl darted to the loop. At first she saw nothing, the brightly lit white command tent remained. Shadows moved against the canvas, messengers came and went. Then she flinched away as a blossom of orange and yellow flame suddenly lit the night. The eruption reached her as a shuddering boom echoing along the curtain wall. Hurl jumped up and down, yelled to the roof,
"You nailed it, Shaky! Beautiful. Just beautiful!"
-Return of the Crimson Guard, Kindle Location 6439
Even when on the verge of being overrun, the weapon was still deadly. Shaky wiped out an entire enemy battle group by flooding the city's walls with oil, touching off a massive explosion.
"After a time it became quiet out on the curve of the curtain wall beyond the knot of mixed Talian troopers and Heng levies besieging the barricade. But now sharp yells reached them: shouts full of sudden panic and open fear.
"What is it? What’s going on out there?" Hurl demanded, hoarse. The female Malazan soldier came to her side.
"Don’t know. It’s dark. All the torches have been thrown aside. There’s no light."
"I smell oil," a soldier called from the barricade. "Lots."
‘What is that?’ another said. ‘What’s going on?’
Hurl snarled. "Look!" The female regular stood tall, peering.
"Something’s pouring down the walls from the walkway. Water?"
'Hood’s Laughter! Shaky!'
"Get down!" Hurl shouted. ‘Everyone! Take cover!’ Ahl turned to her, his good eye narrowed. ‘Why?’ Brilliance suddenly silhouetted the man. A yellow-white chiaroscuro of blinding light and shadow seared Hurl’s vision. A roar such as that of a landslide slammed into the barricade, pushing it backwards. Soldiers rolled away slapping at themselves, clothes aflame. Screams quavered an undertone of hopeless pain beneath the furnace roar. A howling thing of flame crashed through the fallen barrels and furniture and thrashed about until soldiers stabbed it repeatedly. Ahl, a hand raised to shield his eye, turned to look down to Hurl once more.
"You saboteurs…you fight dirty," and he frowned his distaste.
-Return of the Crimson Guard, Kindle Location 6546
It's worth noting that The Beast was a custom-made piece by an experienced sapper, and was much higher quality than the norm. It would probably not be the only one, though. Another sapper in Dust of Dreams, mentions working with a Letherii alchemist to develop his variations of Moranth Munitions that could serve as artillery projectiles.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: Depends on the artillery type. Could be bolts, chunks of rock, explosives etc.
Defensive: None. The crew might have light armor.
Thrones of War
Training/Experience: N/A
Mobility: 8-10 (can be transported through warrens)
Max Range: Artillery
Preferred Range: Ramming
The Thrones of War are the massive warships that make up the Navy of the mercenary company known as the Perish Grey Helms. Each ship is actually composed of two vessels, large war galleons linked together by an arching span to form a catamaran of cyclopean proportions. The Thrones of War are large enough to hold 400 soldiers each. These proved their worth against the Tiste Edur raiders, inflicting severe casualties on the Edur fleet while suffering little of their own. The Grey Helms command 31 of these ships.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: The Thrones of War are large enough to mount ballistae along the prow of the ships. They also have rams located on the span linking the two ships.
Defensive: A double row of bronze shields are attached to the railings of each ship, presumably to provide cover to the soldiers onboard during ship-to-ship engagements. The Thrones of War are through some unknown means, highly resistant to magical attack to the point where they can survive magic that would reduce any other ship to kindling.
=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=
As the Beast Hold, the Elder Warren accessible by the magic-sensitive members of the Grey Helms, possesses water, the Thrones of War can be transported through warren. This allows them to cut down the travel time of a trip that would have normally taken months, down to a matter of days. However the seas of the Beast Hold are treacherous, as much of that world’s seas are currently trapped in ice, causing the sea levels to plunge and the world to be wracked by violent storms. Such rituals also require a great deal of preparation, as the ritual used to transport Tavore’s fleet and the Thrones of War required two years and the power of a High Mage to complete.
Moon’s Spawn
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| Art by Kekai Kotaki |
Training/Experience: N/A
Mobility: 9
Max Range: N/A, Almost a mile when used by Rake
Preferred Range: N/A
The current home of the Tiste Andii, Moon's Spawn is a massive floating mountain fortress, in fact a former K’Chain Che’Malle skykeep. It was found by Anomander Rake centuries ago, trapped in a glacier floating across the Laederon Plateau. Its former inhabitants slaughtered by the Deragoth, Rake took over the fortress for his use, turning it into the capital for his Tiste Andii. Moon Spawn holds an entire city within its rocky interior, providing Rake and his warriors with a base of operations and the rest of his people with a haven. The floating fortress is a symbol of the Tiste Andii lord's power, and any enemy attacking those allied with Rake will soon find his mountain hovering over their heads. The sheer presence of Moon's Spawn alone was enough to dissuade the Malazan armies from directly attacking the city of Pale for three years. Held aloft by the mechanisms of the K’Chain Nah'Ruk, and powered by their arcane magics, skykeeps are one of the most feared weapons on any battlefield. Although Moon's Spawn is nowhere as large on some of the other skykeeps found throughout the series, it’s still incredibly powerful, with Rake using the skykeep as a huge artillery platform to rain magic down on his enemies.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: As he is not a K’Chain, Rake cannot access the built-in weaponry of the skykeep, but can still use its natural size and flight to attack his enemies with his own power. See Rake’s profile for more information. If the situation becomes desperate enough, Rake may be willing to simply drop the mountain on his enemies directly, as his did to the Pannion Seer’s headquarters.
Defensive: It’s about as durable as you would expect a mountain to be. Moon’s Spawn is also implied to have sorcerous protection, given that the T’lan Imass were either unwilling or unable to attack it directly. Strong enough magic (high mage level) can still take a toll on it, however, and Tayschrenn almost succeeded in destroying the mountain during the Siege of Pale.
Defensive: It’s about as durable as you would expect a mountain to be. Moon’s Spawn is also implied to have sorcerous protection, given that the T’lan Imass were either unwilling or unable to attack it directly. Strong enough magic (high mage level) can still take a toll on it, however, and Tayschrenn almost succeeded in destroying the mountain during the Siege of Pale.
Ampelas Uprooted
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| This is Moon's Spawn, but representation should be pretty close. Art by InvisibleFrame |
Training/Experience: N/A
Mobility: 9
Max Range: Artillery
Preferred Range: Artillery
The city of Ampelas was the home of the last remaining K'Chain Che'Malle Nest of Matron Gunth'an Acyl. For most of what we see inside the Nest, it seemed like a representation of the K'Chain Che'Malle themselves, filled with decrepit machinery and depressed people. On the eve of their final conflict with the Nah'ruk, Gunth'an Acyl, dying, and with her sanity slipping, was usurped by two of her Shi'Gal assassins. The assassins devoured her forebrain and took control of her body. Using her power, they uprooted the city, turning it into a skykeep, and bringing it to battle against the Nah'ruk. Although destroyed by the Nah'ruk during the ensuing conflict, Ampelas still managed to take a terrible toll on the Nah'ruk's skykeeps. Ampelas has been brought back for the KC tournament, thankfully commanded this time by the more stable leadership of Gunth'an Acyl's daughter, Gunth Mach.
"The entire city, its massive, mountainous bulk, filled the northern sky. Its underside was a forest of twisted metal roots, from which drained rainbow rain as if even in pain it could bleed nothing but gifts. Yet, Kalyth could see its agony. It was canted to one side. It was surrounded by smoke and dust. Fissures rose from its base, like the broken knuckles of a god only moments from once again hammering the earth. She could feel . . . something, a bristling core of will knotted in breathless pain. The Matron’s? Could it be anyone else? Her blood flowed through the rock. Her lungs howled, winds shrieking between caverns. Her sweat glistened and ran like tears. She bled in a thousand places, bones splintering to vast, ever growing pressures. The Matron, yes, but . . . there was no mind left inside that nightmare of oozing flesh. Uprooted, this long-dead thing. Uprooted, a thousand upon a thousand generations of belief, faith, the solid iron of once immutable laws.
'She defies every truth. She wills life into a corpse, and now it staggers across the sky.'
"A sky keep," said the one named Gesler. "Moon’s Spawn"—
"But this one is bigger," said Stormy, clawing at his beard.
"If Tayschrenn could see this—If Rake had been commanding one of these—"
Stormy grunted. "Aye. He’d have flattened the High Mage like a cockroach under a thumb. And then he’d have done the same to the whole Hood-damned Malazan Empire."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 787-788
If a skykeep wasn't intimidating enough, one commanded by a Che'Malle Matron is even more so. Unlike Moon's Spawn, which is a Nah'ruk skykeep, Ampelas is much larger. It's likely comparable to another Che'Malle skykeep, Kalse, which was over 1,000 feet tall, and their arrival is heralded by the ominous storm clouds that form around them. Che'Malle skykeeps have numerous levels connected by ramps, including sections for engineering, weapon manufacturing, and agriculture, not to mention their other bizarre pieces of technology. Unlike Nah'ruk skykeeps which is powered by a combination of machinery and sorcery, Ampelas is powered directly by the will of the Matron herself.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: A skykeep's weapons are their "lightning cannons," seemingly scaled-up versions of those used by the Nah'ruk. One shot from these weapons is powerful enough to level a tenement block, and can bore through the side of a mountain. Even being of fringes of a direct hit can knock you over. The cannons can be fired from multiple angles, with other Skykeeps capable of targeting rival fortresses floating across from them, just as well as enemies on the ground. Ampelas apparently only have one to fire at a time, although the rate of fire seems quick, with, at worst, less than minute between shots.
"At that moment the lightning struck. Lashing, actinic blades ripping out from the dark, heaving cloud, cutting blackened paths through Sagant’s lancers and the clumps of reeling foot-soldiers. The air was filled with burning fragments—bodies lit like torches—men, women, horses—lightning danced from iron to iron in a crazed, terrifying web of charred destruction. Flesh burst in explosions of boiling fluid."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 378
"From the darkness in the sky a sudden glow, blinding, and then an enormous spear of lightning descended. She saw the High Mage look up, saw him raise his arms—and then the bolt struck. The explosion could have levelled a tenement block. Even the Nah’ruk in the phalanx thirty or more paces away were flattened like sheaves of wheat. Flanking units buckled on the facing sides. The shock wave staggered Lostara, stole her breath, deafened her. Hands to her face, she slumped down, struck the ground hard."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 776
"Ampelas Uprooted ignited like a star behind him. The deafening, blinding salvo of sorcery ripped across the sky. Enormous chunks of gouged, burning stone erupted from the nearest three Nah’ruk sky keeps. Streaming churning smoke and rubble, shattered fragments the size of tenement blocks plunged earthward, slamming into the ground in the midst of the rearmost ranks of the Nah’ruk."
"The entire city, its massive, mountainous bulk, filled the northern sky. Its underside was a forest of twisted metal roots, from which drained rainbow rain as if even in pain it could bleed nothing but gifts. Yet, Kalyth could see its agony. It was canted to one side. It was surrounded by smoke and dust. Fissures rose from its base, like the broken knuckles of a god only moments from once again hammering the earth. She could feel . . . something, a bristling core of will knotted in breathless pain. The Matron’s? Could it be anyone else? Her blood flowed through the rock. Her lungs howled, winds shrieking between caverns. Her sweat glistened and ran like tears. She bled in a thousand places, bones splintering to vast, ever growing pressures. The Matron, yes, but . . . there was no mind left inside that nightmare of oozing flesh. Uprooted, this long-dead thing. Uprooted, a thousand upon a thousand generations of belief, faith, the solid iron of once immutable laws.
'She defies every truth. She wills life into a corpse, and now it staggers across the sky.'
"A sky keep," said the one named Gesler. "Moon’s Spawn"—
"But this one is bigger," said Stormy, clawing at his beard.
"If Tayschrenn could see this—If Rake had been commanding one of these—"
Stormy grunted. "Aye. He’d have flattened the High Mage like a cockroach under a thumb. And then he’d have done the same to the whole Hood-damned Malazan Empire."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 787-788
If a skykeep wasn't intimidating enough, one commanded by a Che'Malle Matron is even more so. Unlike Moon's Spawn, which is a Nah'ruk skykeep, Ampelas is much larger. It's likely comparable to another Che'Malle skykeep, Kalse, which was over 1,000 feet tall, and their arrival is heralded by the ominous storm clouds that form around them. Che'Malle skykeeps have numerous levels connected by ramps, including sections for engineering, weapon manufacturing, and agriculture, not to mention their other bizarre pieces of technology. Unlike Nah'ruk skykeeps which is powered by a combination of machinery and sorcery, Ampelas is powered directly by the will of the Matron herself.
=LOADOUT=
Offensive: A skykeep's weapons are their "lightning cannons," seemingly scaled-up versions of those used by the Nah'ruk. One shot from these weapons is powerful enough to level a tenement block, and can bore through the side of a mountain. Even being of fringes of a direct hit can knock you over. The cannons can be fired from multiple angles, with other Skykeeps capable of targeting rival fortresses floating across from them, just as well as enemies on the ground. Ampelas apparently only have one to fire at a time, although the rate of fire seems quick, with, at worst, less than minute between shots.
"At that moment the lightning struck. Lashing, actinic blades ripping out from the dark, heaving cloud, cutting blackened paths through Sagant’s lancers and the clumps of reeling foot-soldiers. The air was filled with burning fragments—bodies lit like torches—men, women, horses—lightning danced from iron to iron in a crazed, terrifying web of charred destruction. Flesh burst in explosions of boiling fluid."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 378
"From the darkness in the sky a sudden glow, blinding, and then an enormous spear of lightning descended. She saw the High Mage look up, saw him raise his arms—and then the bolt struck. The explosion could have levelled a tenement block. Even the Nah’ruk in the phalanx thirty or more paces away were flattened like sheaves of wheat. Flanking units buckled on the facing sides. The shock wave staggered Lostara, stole her breath, deafened her. Hands to her face, she slumped down, struck the ground hard."
-Dust of Dreams, pg. 776
"Ampelas Uprooted ignited like a star behind him. The deafening, blinding salvo of sorcery ripped across the sky. Enormous chunks of gouged, burning stone erupted from the nearest three Nah’ruk sky keeps. Streaming churning smoke and rubble, shattered fragments the size of tenement blocks plunged earthward, slamming into the ground in the midst of the rearmost ranks of the Nah’ruk."
Even without its weapons, a Skykeep itself is a fearsome thing, a flying fortress of billions of tons of rock powerful enough to simply smash through almost anything that stands in its way. When the Barghast and Akrynnai first encountered a Skykeep, it proceeded to simply plow its way through their battlefield. A piece of its base alone was enough to cut into the earth and level hills, burying both armies present and the Barghast camp in rubble.
Defensive: It's a big mountain. It also has armored plating, on it's front and sides, although not on the back. Ampelas is in pretty bad shape due to age and wear, although Gunth Mach is in much better condition than her mother. As she powers Ampelas, it won't stay aloft if she dies.
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