[Zalexis]

Hello all. I just finished reading the first two chapters of Toll the Hounds, and since it's been many months since reading Reaper's Gale, I've got lots of questions. I've been able to answer most of them by browsing through this forum, but have been unable to find anything on this topic:
Towards the end of Chapter Two Spinnock Durav has a cryptic conversation with Anomander Rake regarding Durav's experience on Assail. Rake asks if it's necessary for him (Rake) to visit Assail, and Durav says no.
1) Am I forgetting an incident from a previous book, or is this yet to be explained?
2) To be honest, I don't recall anything about this place called Assail (a continent?) at all. I assume it is where the Forkrul Assail come from? Has any of the plot in previous books taken place here, or has it only been talked about?

Thank you, and sorry in advance if there's an existing topic that explains all of this. P.S. It's great to be back among these characters again!

[Sinisdar Toste]

assail is mentioned here and there throughout the series. in MoI a t'lan imass of the ifayle (i think) tells lady envy that over 40,000 t'lan have been obliterated there. by humans.

in MT mael tells the errant that iron bars' squad escaped assail and the errant is very impressed.

in tBH cotillion rages at monok ochem because to the tyrants on assail, it's all a game and the t'lan imass are being destroyed there over pride.

in RotCG iron bars thinks about his commanders orders to not let the crimson guard send anymore troops there. also, the lost brothers are from assail and kyle's tribe fears 'assail lands', but the lost boys aren't talking, except to say that the avowed, in one way or another, remind them of home.

and then there's the spinnock durav incident.

basically thats it. we have no real clue as to just how assail is so badass, but it's definitely not certain that its where the forkrul are from. ICE is writing an assail novel after his darujhistan novel so until then we can only speculate

tl;dr - assail is fuckin nuts

This post has been edited by Sinisdar Toste: 30 November 2010 - 05:51 PM

[Zalexis]

Thank you, Sinisdar. I assumed (somewhat) correctly: It's another one of those wait-and-find-out topics, although one might suspect that such topics might be fewer and farther between this late in the series. Never the case Erikson, it seems.

[Sinisdar Toste]

well its a good thing ICE's is writing that book i guess. i know i'm gonna be psyched when it comes out