yes, pearl shot someone in the back, its fair, he IS an assassin. BUT the claw only kill their own when they turn renegade, pearl killed an ally assassin, the lone survivor of a team he prepared to fight kalam i lieu of himself because he witnessed pearl commit a crime by assassin standards. Kalam would have died but i believe the book said it would be days before he truly did.
Pearl did have to kill Kalam, for his prides sake, because he could have killed him but kalam survived and basically hunted the other claw. It was the right choice to make then but he definitely received full blame for it, isn't that why he was in exile later?
I believe when Laseen said she would make Kalam clawmaster, she made it Pearls choice, that's why she gave him full control of the claw. but he didn't want to "purge" the claw of their betrayers, of Korbalo and Mallick Rel, he wanted to plainly annihilate them, and I'm not sure it said anything about him happily serving under the empress either did it?
I can't disagree with how twisted he became after he believed his love dead but he could have gone another way with it, Lostara certainly did. he could kill kalam, even from behind at a distance, a god wouldn't try it another way, but the poisen was just sadistic. and finally, it wasn't pearl who saved anyone, it was apt who followed him, you can read it any way you want but it seamed to me pearl was there as much out of curiosity as duty.
I will take back my "ass and pus" comment. he wasn't an ass until his broken heart and he did follow the T'lan Imass into Kurald Thyrlan. but his only two redeeming acts were to placethe t'lan imass's head in a good spot and to take away Felissin Parans body.
since we're on the Pearl subject, did anyone else notice the demon Rake slayed in GotM was also named Pearl? i couldn't help thinking there was some connection somewhere...
This post has been edited by DarkFox: 09 February 2011 - 01:48 AM