[HoosierDaddy]

The height doesn't match either, but I can't really think of what would. I don't think it's Kilmandaros, Burn is a possibility. Isn't the source of the Stormriders a form of rift into another realm? If so, it could be considered a sort of wound on Burn such that she would want to protect against it. Who knows.

[WhiskeyJackDaniels]

Obviously the Fall was the big 'Sod bomb. Interesting that it featured here though, perhaps further evidence that the Riders came about as a result of his fall rather than an OP ritual. Not necessarily creatures of the CG, but just created/released by his fall.

My first thought on the Goddess was that it was one of Mael's daughter's. Something about the pale, fish-like skin I suppose. But Burn or a manifestation of her seems to make the most sense if it's someone we've seen though. The earthy way she's described seems very motherlike to me with the large bosom and an 'earthy' mention of her other female parts. Also it makes sense that she would be willing to help. The description about the rotting open sores could have been the of the Crippled God's infection starting to effect Burn. The Riders trying to wash away the land would seem to only further weaken her.


And it makes sense that the priest is a former Fener acolyte. Fener isn't a god anymore and the CG is good at manipulating people.

No firm theories on Gheven any better than what others have said. Though I don't think he's some powerful entity hiding as an old man. He might have power of a sort, but I don't think he's an elder or a name we've heard before.

[masan's saddle]

Here's my two pence.

In another thread I had a crazy theory about Held from DOD being a "part / manifestation" of the CG. There is a definite connection between the FA ( and by association Killy) and the Snake ( are the children of the snake rescuing/ stealing a part of the CG ?). Anyway I think it is Killy that appears to our chums on the beach leading me to wonder at what's in the box/ sarcophagi, is it another piece of the CG that Killy wants entombed in the wall ? I shamefully used a Harry Potter/ Horcrux reference before, but i'm starting to wonder if the pieces of the CG that fell to earth have been horded/ utilised / hidden by Killy and the old farts to be used at a later date for some diabolical plan or as an actual part of the "chaining". The ex-priest of Fener sounds suspiciously like Heboric but i'm not sure. I like the idea of him being a "priest" of the CG, looking for downtrodden, outcast children (snake anybody ?) recruits to stir up shit so they can...........take back the piece of the CG entombed within the Stormwall

Also, were those guys on the beach who had been fighting the stormriders Barghast ? They mentioned burning their ships. Throughout the series there have been Barghast in ships going somewhere, doing something, dunno That would mean that this Gheven chap is of Barghast stock ? cue Olar Ethil.

Probably all nonsense but good fun nonetheless.

[Illuyankas]

I was expecting to find the thread full of 'a giant undead godlike lady related to heat? Olar Ethil!' and 'an ex-priest of Fener in Korel? Ipshank or Manask!' but that's surprising few posts on those.

[Gothos]

The priest is Theftian, so it's definately not Heboric, who is Dal Honese.

As for the goddess, my first impression was Burn, with the hot chunk and being generally in a bad shape. But right now, I'd say I can't tell. I don't think it could be Killy.
By the way, don't you guys think that this whole Stormwall is a rather recent, fresh development? Just four thousand years, in Wu that's like a blink of an eye. So are the Stormriders only a recent threat, or have they kept the Empty Isles... empty... for thousands upon thousands of years prior to the arrival of the current occupants? Previously I had the feeling like the Wall was around since Kallor's times, but that's obviously not the case.
If they've been coming to that coast before the Stormwall went up, and before these guys came around, if the islands were empty... what happened when the Stormriders came? They didn't start an igloo town or anything.
So either why they come to that shore is some really odd secret, or they're very recent. Is there something that we know happened 4-5 thousand years ago that could be tied to them?

[Bauchelain the Evil]

NOw that I've re-read it I really believe the Goddess is Burn. She tells the warrior that in the container is her flesh and to use it to build the Wall. We know that earth is referred to as the flesh of Burn and it would make sense to use earth(possibly blessed/enchanted by Burn) to build the Wall.

[Gothos]

"Flesh of her flesh" could as well refer to a child of hers.

[HiddenOne]

Maybe the Lady is a Thel Akai deity? Daughter of Mael? Her talk of "flesh of my flesh" inside the box made me think of offspring, like 'Oh here's this kid I don't need, but it would make an excellent deterrent against these bad ol' Riders'
Or it could be her funky toenail clippings so potent that any lesser beings would be warded away

[T'renn]

Thel Akai revere Burn, their Mother

It could be Burn of course, given it is now around 1170 BS and the wall is some 4000 years old, it could have been her intervention against the stormriders.....

This post has been edited by Imperial High Mage Tayschrenn: 01 July 2010 - 02:20 PM

[MTS]

The rotting flesh of the Lady is something I would not expect from a Tel Akai.

Quote

Thel Akai revere Burn, their Mother

Ereko reveres the Queen of Dreams, so not always.

Interesting quote from ROTCG though:

Quote

The Riders circled out amid the whitecaps; one approached, headed directly for the man the Enchantress had pointed out to Ereko as being the instrument of his deliverance. The Rider closed, rearing as his wave crested and smashed upon the wall. When the spume and mist cleared his man still stood and the Rider was gone.

Traveller is pointed to as an instrument of deliverance by Ereko (this is a recurring description), and the Enchantress he speaks of is the Queen of Dreams.

Agayla, an opponent of the Stormriders that we see in NoK and BH, is aligned with the QoD:

Quote

Tayschrenn damned the sorceress - she and all others aligned with the Enchantress

As such I can't help but think there's a connection with T'riss, as she is also a practitioner of D'riss IIRC, and possibly aligned with the fisherman as well. I don't think the person we see is T'riss - the difference in appearance is far too stark - but I can't help but think there's a connection there. Flimsy evidence, true, but T'riss is seen to be opposed to the Riders and keeping them at bay. The sarcophagus offered is also made of stone (note her powers of D'riss). I have trouble believing it is Olar Ethil - 5000 years ago she would have been a reanimated skeleton, not a towering behemoth of rotting flesh.

This post has been edited by MTS: 01 July 2010 - 03:00 PM

[The Seguleh 46th]

I really have absolutely nothing to base this on, but after reading the prologue, i got a sense of maybe this entity (like WJD posted above, i thought at first it was one of Mael's daughters, but i'm not sure now either) wanting them to build this Wall to keep folks in as well as the added benefit of keeping the Stormriders out. The Riders had a bunch of apparently empty islands they could have taken over before the arrival of humans, Barghast, whoever the "invaders" were, but yet they seemeingly wait until life occupies this place before attacking. Like i said, i really got nothing, just trying to posit a different angle here.

This post has been edited by The Seguleh 46th: 01 July 2010 - 03:39 PM

[The Seguleh 46th]

Maybe trying to protect a large piece of TCG (the Stormriders, that is)? Or possibly destroy it?. Can't imagine them just as mindless beings attacking over and over again to no avail without having a purpose of existence. In NOK, doesn't the being ask (lament, more or less) about why they are being systematically killed? Something fishy is going on here...

[HiddenOne]

The Seguleh 46th, on 01 July 2010 - 03:10 PM, said:

Maybe trying to protect a large piece of TCG (the Stormriders, that is)? Or possibly destroy it?. Can't imagine them just as mindless beings attacking over and over again to no avail without having a purpose of existence. In NOK, doesn't the being ask (lament, more or less) about why they are being systematically killed? Something fishy is going on here...

Maybe the Riders are mutants affected by a part of CGs body. Didn't the Great Ravens come from there?
I'm picturing a mess composed of native inhabitants of Korel, Forces of Omtose Phellack, and mutations from fragments of CG. How's that for a wild theory?

[amphibian]

I think the Dark Avallithal is Drift Avalli - before it started drifting. The several groups mentioned generally wouldn't settle upon a very small moving isle unless they're Meckros or something.

My prediction: the wall comes down. Greymane comes in, finds the sarcophagus and the wall's protection is removed. It turns out that what's on the other side (the Stormriders) isn't so bad, because they've largely spent themselves in the decades long struggle. It'll be much like the Berlin Wall.

Edit: My thoughts on the actual writing - Esslemont's improved. The words flow better, the characters are shown better and the actions they take within the prologue make sense. He's put in some work. I've been a rather vocal critic of parts of RotCG, but I'm still on this side of the fence and hoping this book turns out terrific.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 02 July 2010 - 04:28 AM

[Mentalist]

gah, the "toadlike" references SCREAM "Heboric", but that cannot posssibly be right

am I the only one who thinks that Gheven was somehow related to the CG as well? I mean, it's almost obvious that he killed the girl, who was a CG follower (the timeline is not important, who cares that the cult got started on Korel about 20 years before the CG started to act elswhere?), but that doesn't mean he couldn't be working for CG as well, trying to summon some crazy ritual that takes forever to manifest?

on a side note: the "Empty isles" weren't exactly empty. the raiding forefathers of the Korelri arrived there to drive the "tribals" off the coast, and THEN found themselves in a war against the Stormriders.

I also hope we finally get a map of Korelri/Jacuruku.

overall, can't wait till november, this is shaping up to be epic.

[James Hetfield]

Could the priest be Mallick Rell? We know he is short and fat or "toadlike". He obviously uses Mael's power but that does not mean he works for him or worships him. I believe Mallick works for the CG. Not sure about Mallicks heritage though. Could it be a possibility?

Anyway, just a thought.

[T'renn]

I think that is kind of hard, given that he has to.... I dunno, run the Malazan Empire perhaps ? I mean, he became the friggin Emperor, for Hoods sake (well not anymore, i guess, maybe

Spoiler

Iskar Jaraks sake ?

)

Beside that, in RotCG he claims to be his own man. Not some gods.

[James Hetfield]

Imperial High Mage Tayschrenn, on 02 July 2010 - 07:11 PM, said:

I think that is kind of hard, given that he has to.... I dunno, run the Malazan Empire perhaps ? I mean, he became the friggin Emperor, for Hoods sake (well not anymore, i guess, maybe

Spoiler

Iskar Jaraks sake ?

)

Beside that, in RotCG he claims to be his own man. Not some gods.

It is very unlikely, but isn't this prologue taking place several years before he takes over the Empire?

And just because he claims to be working for himself doesn't mean he is. Kallor would say the same thing though he holds the position of Reaver in the HOC.


I agree that it is is far fetched. Maybe should have put it in "crazy theories".

[WhiskeyJackDaniels]

James Hetfield, on 02 July 2010 - 07:25 PM, said:

Imperial High Mage Tayschrenn, on 02 July 2010 - 07:11 PM, said:

I think that is kind of hard, given that he has to.... I dunno, run the Malazan Empire perhaps ? I mean, he became the friggin Emperor, for Hoods sake (well not anymore, i guess, maybe

Spoiler

Iskar Jaraks sake ?

)

Beside that, in RotCG he claims to be his own man. Not some gods.

It is very unlikely, but isn't this prologue taking place several years before he takes over the Empire?

And just because he claims to be working for himself doesn't mean he is. Kallor would say the same thing though he holds the position of Reaver in the HOC.


I agree that it is is far fetched. Maybe should have put it in "crazy theories".

Mallick also doesn't have priest of fener tattoos on his face. And as far as I know he isn't Theftian.

[T'renn]

He is from Falar, Strike