[StormofHeaven]

Another question. When, Heboric was with Scillara heading to Bidithal. They are ambushed by assassins. Then they are saved by something. It is later mentioned that they are ghosts. First, the wording in the passage sounds familar.

Someone was standing over Heboric. Through his blurred vision, he could make out
dust-smeared boots, and from them a stench, as of musty, dry death. Another set of
boots scuffed the ground beyond the Destriant’s feet.
‘Begone, wraiths,’ a voice hissed from a half-dozen paces away.
‘Too late for that, assassin,’ murmured the figure above Heboric. ‘Besides, we’ve
only just arrived.’
‘In the name of Hood, Hoarder of Souls, I banish you from this realm.’
A soft laugh answered the killer’s command. ‘Kneel before Hood, do you? Oh yes, I
felt the power in your words. Alas, Hood’s out of his depth on this one. Ain’t that right,
lass?’
A deep, grunting assent from the one standing near Heboric’s feet.
‘Last warning,’ the assassin growled. ‘Our blades are sanctioned—they will bleed
your souls—’
‘No doubt. Assuming they ever reach us.’
‘There are but two of you . . . and three of us.’
‘Two?’
Scuffing sounds, then, sharp and close, the spray of blood onto the ground. Bodies
thumped, long breaths exhaled wetly.
‘Should’ve left one alive,’ said another woman’s voice.
‘Why?’
‘So we could send him back to that fly-blown Napan bastard with a promise for the
morrow.’
‘Better this way, lass. No-one appreciates surprise any more—that’s what’s gone
wrong with the world, if you ask me—’
‘Well, we wasn’t asking you. This old man going to make it, you think?’
A grunt. ‘I doubt Treach will give up on his new Destriant with nary a meow.
Besides, that sweet-lunged beauty is on her way back.’
‘Time for us to leave, then.’
‘Aye.’
‘And from now on we don’t surprise no-one, ’til come the dawn. Understood?’
‘Temptation got the better of us. Won’t happen again.’
Silence, then footsteps once more. A small hand settled on his brow.

That is the passage. I can't find any indication who it is. But the tone/passage sounds very familar. I want to say Brideburners ish. Anybody have any ideas? Especially this passage in Bold. There was a earlier conversation from a earlier book talking about surprises and how nobody appreciates them.

This post has been edited by StormofHeaven: 28 January 2011 - 11:40 PM

[D'rek]

They're ghosts of Raraku for sure, so definitely dead soldiers as that seems to be what Raraku holds onto. While there's no outright proof that they are BBs, but calling Korbolo Dom a fly-blown Napan bastard would fit pretty well with them being Malazans. The wickans and soldiers of the 7th that were brought with the 14th would be the other likely source if we assume the ghosts are Malazan, but their ghosts seem to have done more foming up and charging the Dogslayers than running around the way the BB ghosts were (as seen by Kalam and Kindly+Pores later)

[MTS]

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

[worry]

I remember someone mentioning that too, but as far as I remember, they were from Onearm's host but not BBs, so they wouldn't have been in Raraku. I kinda like to believe the one who grunts deeply and doesn't say anything is Detoran, but can't even guess who the man and the second woman are. There are plenty of unknown BBs to go around though.

[D'rek]

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

There's more than two of them, anyways...

[MTS]

D, on 29 January 2011 - 03:18 AM, said:

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

There's more than two of them, anyways...

Was there? Huh, could've sworn there was a whole 'there's three of us and two of you' moment there, but it's been a while.

[D'rek]

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 03:48 AM, said:

D, on 29 January 2011 - 03:18 AM, said:

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

There's more than two of them, anyways...

Was there? Huh, could've sworn there was a whole 'there's three of us and two of you' moment there, but it's been a while.

and then the ghosts are like "only two?" and more ghosts surprise the assassins!

[MTS]

Ah, I see.

*shrugs* I don't expect it's really all that important. Malazan soldiers, possibly Bridgeburners. From the information provided it's almost impossible to determine identity, unless another soldier has dust-smeared boots I guess.

[Roldom]

i always thought it was lostara and pearl especialy with the lass coment, i just assumed the assasins were wrong about the ghost comments...

[James Hutton]

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

Yes, that was me in http://forum.malazan...=1

I felt like that, because in the PoV scenes from those two marines in MoI (can't find the exact passage ^#&@*; they were the ones that guarded Silverfox' back in MoI), they constantly talk like they are one person. Not literally, but as in like they know each other through and through and are always together. The same as the ghost women talking. Questionmark?

Edit: Ah! Found the passage, p468 to p471 in Tor MMPB 2006. But I'm less sure now. They refer to one another as 'love' only once, and not as 'lass'. One of them grunts, but not deeply. Am I taking this too literally?
And yes, they are Onearm's Host marines, and not BB's as someone mentioned above.

This post has been edited by James Hutton: 03 February 2011 - 08:20 PM

[Fodder]

James Hutton, on 29 January 2011 - 09:09 AM, said:

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

Yes, that was me in http://forum.malazan...=1

I felt like that, because in the PoV scenes from those two marines in MoI (can't find the exact passage ^#&@*; they were the ones that guarded Silverfox' back in MoI), they constantly talk like they are one person. Not literally, but as in like they know each other through and through and are always together. The same as the ghost women talking. Questionmark?

Edit: Ah! Found the passage, p468 to p471 in Tor MMPB 2006. But I'm less sure now. They refer to one another as 'love' only ones, and not as 'lass'. One of them grunts, but not deeply. Am I taking this too literally?
And yes, they are Onearm's Host marines, and not BB's as someone mentioned above.

It doesn't necessarily dovetail with the calling of "lass." There is a conversation with the two soldiers and Whiskeyjack where they say they are sisters, so i would think think it more likely that they would refer to each other as "sister" rather than "lass."

[IgnatiusKruppe]

I assumed the dust that stank of death was from the Imperial Warren.

As for their actual identites, no idea.

[boesjwoelie]

Fodder, on 03 February 2011 - 02:12 PM, said:

James Hutton, on 29 January 2011 - 09:09 AM, said:

MTS, on 29 January 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

I seem to remember someone on here speculating that they were the two nameless marines that Kallor kills in MoI. Dunno if that really dovetails with one calling the other 'lass', though.

Yes, that was me in http://forum.malazan...=1

I felt like that, because in the PoV scenes from those two marines in MoI (can't find the exact passage ^#&@*; they were the ones that guarded Silverfox' back in MoI), they constantly talk like they are one person. Not literally, but as in like they know each other through and through and are always together. The same as the ghost women talking. Questionmark?

Edit: Ah! Found the passage, p468 to p471 in Tor MMPB 2006. But I'm less sure now. They refer to one another as 'love' only ones, and not as 'lass'. One of them grunts, but not deeply. Am I taking this too literally?
And yes, they are Onearm's Host marines, and not BB's as someone mentioned above.

It doesn't necessarily dovetail with the calling of "lass." There is a conversation with the two soldiers and Whiskeyjack where they say they are sisters, so i would think think it more likely that they would refer to each other as "sister" rather than "lass."

Besides, those marines died at coral, right? So why would their spirits be in raraku?

[Kurtz]

I always thought it was Baudin, since he was an ex-talon speaking to the Korbolo Dom's "new talons" and being knigjt of hood (from MoI).

[Abyss]

Baudin's already been aspected to Hood by HoC.

The reason it's likely the Bridgeburners is that they help Kalam around the same time, and much later Fid, plus the ref to Dom.

[Kanese S's]

I like the idea that the one who grunted was Detoran. Kinda goes with her being known for being terse in MoI.