[Osseric's mortal sword]

Hetan;333827 said:

Dassem Ultor, who was broken by Hood’s taking of his daughter at the Time of the Chaining – this was a devastating blow. (MoI)

she isn't sitting anywhere

I hate to disagree but A'Karonys is correct, she is sitting in Tremerlor Azath House, Fiddler and the rest see her at the end of DG. Maybe Hood took pity on her and decided not to kill her but on to remove her to somewhere where Dassem couldn't reach her?

[Ain't_It_Just_]

I wonder what other skeletons Dassem stashed in his Deadcloset.....

[BeLeG]

Taralack Veed was said to be the most dangerous agent of the Nameless Ones right?
He can't be the ignorant barbarian they only use as a tool
To know many things about Icarium is to know many things about the Azath
That's what I think anyway

[Lisheo]

Ah I see... Hood's really got the best of all worlds, he is both the God of Death and pretty much the House itself...
And I hardly think Veed is their most dangerous agent. Only fools would rank hima bove Spite and those that released Dejim, and if I remember correctly, the one who called Veed dangerous wasnt too bright...Mebhra weren't it?

[Old Hunch Arbat]

Osseric said:

...I presume the houses that it refers to is the Azath House, for he is musing on Icarium, so who are its immortal builders? I thought the current theory was that it is a natural occurence, an immune system, I think the analogy goes. If so who build it?

I believe the initial question was "What are the Azath Houses?" So far we've seen an association between the AH and the Nameless Ones, but nothing to indicate that they are, for sure, either spontaneous eruptions, or artifacts. We learn a bit more about AH in Reapers Gale (we see one planted), and I suspect Toll The Hounds may give us a bit more yet. Thus far we're aligning on opinions, nothing else.

Although NoK gives us more information about Dassem Ultor, his continued existence, and some sort of relationship between him and Hood, much remains to be seen. I have opined elsewhere that Dassem's daughter is not, in fact dead, or at least permanently so, and that Dassem's relationship with Hood remains intact. Again, I suspect that TtH will reveal more.

[paladin]

the azath houses seem to have some sentience somewhere. kettle is a prime example

[HoosierDaddy]

Osseric said:

On page 229 of the UK edition of RG in Taralack Veed's thoughts it mentions

"The nameless had knelt on the threshold of stone for too long. Worshipping a house, its heaved grounds, its echoing rooms - why not the living, breathing ones who might dwell within that house? Why not the immortal builders?"

I presume the houses that it refers to is the Azath House, for he is musing on Icarium, so who are its immortal builders? I thought the current theory was that it is a natural occurence, an immune system, I think the analogy goes. If so who build it?

Well, if we look at it, Azath houses seem to grow. Finnest House in Darujhistan and Kettle House at the gates of S.D. In both instances a house sprung up around a powerful soul, Raest & Scabby. So, perhaps he's talking about the souls that are taken which seem to act as the power for generating an Azath.

If the Azath are indeed the "immune system", the barricade to more chaotic power, I would imagine that it is the souls that it contain that are its source of power.

On an aside note, do we know why Letheras' Azath House died? It is the only one we know of that died of, ahem, natural causes. (I.e. not Icarium going nutso). If so, perhaps the fact that Hood or any other sort of after life was not present for so very long is the cause, which would give us some clue as to how the Azath function.

[HoosierDaddy]

paladin;342928 said:

the azath houses seem to have some sentience somewhere. kettle is a prime example

So is the selective process in which souls it binds. I.E. Paran gets to go around willy-nilly. He's fairly powerful. But, then again, we have that whole Azath connection with the MOTD, so he could be the exception to the rule.