I had this lined up to send earlier but had to go out and didn't finish it. I've made a few alterations and I know some stuff has been Aptcepted already.
The pressure felt inside the sword is never stated as being directly proportional to the weight of it in the outside world, therefore Hood's entering/presence in the sword does not have an effect on the physical weight of it. Rake staggers because of what he knows has to now happen and what it means to him.
The sword exerted pressure on Rake because of the presence of the gate to Darkness and/or the presence/proximity of Chaos, nothing to do with souls.
'Pressure' is the word that should be used to describe Dragni's effects in the mortal realm. Baruk describes it as a 'weight' in GotM;
Quote
Suddenly the walls around him groaned, and Baruk gasped as an enormous weight seemed to press down on him. GotM P209
No need to see that as the sword being physically heavier.
Pearl's pov is just that; PEARL's pov. It isn't definitive that the 'bad parts of souls go to Chaos'. That's just how he/she/it sees it.
The chains that trail from Dragnipur are let loose by Rake (imo) to warn peasants away (fucking peasants!

). Ok, maybe not precisely correct but it appeared to work like that in a better (less bloodthirsty) form than the fear of violence created by the HoS presence in DJ. I can't see any reason for him keeping them 'reigned-in' other than for altruistic motives (which he's displayed a penchant for from the start). I can't see him getting 'lazy' Sil, I think he's been suppressing the 'pressure' of Dragni since he took possession of it, that's why he had the stone block/gun-case for it and now he's in the mortal realm, in the middle of a convergence, he needs to let his enemies and all the innocents know that he's bad-ass personified and to stay the fuck away.
I don't think he sleeps either.
amphibian, on Nov 11 2008, 05:52 AM, said:
Rake himself was a huge weight inside Draconus and he didn't go in with an army.
LOL'D MY ASS OFF!!!

:Patch:
- eek, doesn't sleep either. I must be just like Rake!!!1!
QUOTE (amphibian @ Nov 11 2008) <Rake himself was a huge weight inside Draconus and he didn't go in with an army.>