[Dolmen 2.0]

In a passage in DoD just before Sag'churok stays to witness the jaghut duke it out with the nahruk
He describes gunth Mach's shifting as an oil assisted forced evolution. he smells
a spicy or rich aroma along with it...

This got me thinking. basically the kchain Kell hunters, drones and soldiers all seem
to possess the ability to "adjust" for want of a better word. Its like they run around
in some form of inhibited state that should the need arise steps up a gear into a much
more battle oriented state. In my minds eye this interprets itself biologically. the oil
limbers the muscles, adrenalizes the system if you will. after reading about
Gunth Mach and G'rulls literal transformation an idea dawned on me:

What if all the K'chain are infact soletaken? or better put shapeshifting alchemists?
we already know that you can force the change. anomander rake and co all drank blood
to gain the ability. I think the first empire probably did something similar...
Perhaps then the hive mind we see in the K'chain can be extended to a metaphor
of the groupmind of the d'ivers?

Essentially the K'chain are a super structure example of the modern-day d'ivers or inversely
all d'ivers are a far inferior microcosm of the k'chain family unit...

All this pointed me to the assumption that the kchain oil is the liquid source of all shape
shifting ability. if one were to kill a matron and drink her blood...I'm certain you could
gain the soletaken power and likely go mad.

Whew a crazy theory at long last. was starting to think I'd lost my touch

[Aptorian]

I think that's an unnecessarily complicated crazy theory. Amphibians and reptiles as observed in nature are capable of producing changes in their physiology through crazy biological means. I assume that is what Erikson has instilled in his KCCM.

No need to come up with elaborate magical explanations.

Also, it would be silly to transform into a bear or a rat if you're already a six meter tall armor plated monstrosity.

[Dolmen 2.0]

Aptorian, on 10 August 2010 - 08:09 AM, said:

I think that's an unnecessarily complicated crazy theory. Amphibians and reptiles as observed in nature are capable of producing changes in their physiology through crazy biological means. I assume that is what Erikson has instilled in his KCCM.

No need to come up with elaborate magical explanations.

Also, it would be silly to transform into a bear or a rat if you're already a six meter tall armor plated monstrosity.

Well yes it is a bit far fetch'd but then again its Erikson. you can never read too much into
his writting. its just that deep lol.

No where in biology does the secretion of oils allow you to shift your body at will into a saddle.
This level of control is anotomically impossible this is why I jump to magical conclusions, the x factor
of the malaz world. Magic in the malaz world is closely related to science. perhaps the shift of the
kchain from one state to another is a mixture of the two principles?

[HiddenOne]

I think magically enhanced biotech accomplished by nanobot-type organisms explains this for me. But I like the analogy comparing the hive mind to a super-organism. It would go along w/ how the Matron takes the magic from all the drones to use for power.

[GingerBreadMan]

My initial thought was "Of course they aren't, if they were why wouldn't they adapt to smarter forms all the time"..

But then I remembered they never fought tactically or strategically and that all of their wars were marching two opposing forces at one another and the side with more people tended to win.

[Abyss]

I figure the answer to your theory is a 'no' but that doesn't mean there isn't a possible distant link there. We've seen crazier (Telorast/Curdle).

[fortyseven]

I had similar thoughts.

There is more info about shapeshifting too.

This post has been edited by fortyseven: 20 August 2010 - 10:36 PM

[worry]

If I've learned one thing in life, it's that there's all kinds of shapeshifters.