[Paran]

Quote

After a moment his breath caught and he half turned. When he spoke his tone was apologetic. ‘Ah,
Mother, it’s old blood, I don’t deny it. Old and thin.’ He hesitated, and then said, ‘Tell Father I make no
apologies for my choice – why should I? No matter. The two of us did the best I could.’ He grunted in
humour. ‘And you might say the same thing.’
He turned back.
Darkness was knotting into something solid before him. He watched it for a time, saying nothing,
although her presence was palpable, vast in the gloom behind him. ‘If he’d wanted blind obedience, he
should have kept me chained. And you, Mother, you should have kept me a child for ever, there under
your wing.’ He sighed, somewhat shakily. ‘We’re still here, but then, we did what you both wanted. We
almost got them all. The one thing none of us expected was how it would change us.’ He glanced back
again, momentarily. ‘And it has.’
Within the circle before him, the dark form opened crimson eyes. Hoofs cracked like iron axe-blades
on the stone.
He grasped the apparition’s midnight mane and swung on to the beast’s back. ‘’Ware your child,
Mother.’ He drew the horse round, walked it along the ledge a few strides and then back to the mouth of
the tunnel. ‘I’ve been among them for so long now, what you gave me is the barest whisper in the back of
my soul. You offered scant regard for humans, and now it’s all coming down. But I give you this.’ He
swung the horse round. ‘Now it’s our turn. Your son opened the way. And as for his son, well, if he wants
the Sceptre, he’ll have to come and take it.’
Ben Adaephon Delat tightened his grip on the horse’s mane. ‘You do your part, Mother. Let Father
do his, if he’s of a mind to. But it comes down to us. So stand back. Shield your eyes, because I swear to
you, we will blaze! When our backs are against the wall, Mother, you have no idea what we can do.’
He drove his heels into the horse’s flanks. The creature surged forward.
Now, sweet haunt, this could get a little hairy.
The horse reached the ledge. Then out, into the air. And down, plunging into the seething maelstrom.
The presence, breathing darkness, remained in the vast chamber for a time longer. The strewn
scatter of coins and baubles glittered on the black stone.
Then came a tapping of a cane upon rock.

I'm thinking MD and Draconus... chains are associated with Draconus, and for all the bumping uglies that went on between the two, they must have had some offspring, no? Afterall, Envy and Rake have got a few, so it stands to reason. QB also hasn't shown much of an affinity to Kurald Thyrlan, while his "knack" for pulling KG out of a hat is well documented, so I believe that should rule out FL.

This post has been edited by Paran: 28 November 2011 - 03:54 AM

[Farad]

Quote

"The two of us did the best I could"

"We’re still here, but then, we did what you both wanted. We almost got them all.
The one thing none of us expected was how it would change us"

when I read the extract posted above, the use of "us" or "we" took a strange meaning


it sounded as there was two souls in QB from the begining or far before the Raraku events and he (they) was (were) sent on a errant for Mother and Father


as I haven't posted or read here for a long time, it may has ben posted or noted before

[worry]

Yah, I agree. I think it's been a mistake all along to conclude that the extra 7C mage souls in him are the only extra souls in him. In fact, the "all" he's referring to might be specific souls, and their collection is what has changed the original two. It could be that one of the souls in him is the original (the boy's) and he's been soul-ridden by one other for pretty much his whole life. The wild card there is his sister, but like I said above, who's to say they're not both potentially "special" and it's just that she's bowed out of that life (not unlike Sister of Cold Nights)?

[champ]

I had them thoughts a while back, taken from the Quick Ben thread...

Quote

champ, on 12 June 2011 - 07:30 AM, said:

tCG page 59/60...

Quote

...'Tell Father I make no apologies for my choice - why should I? No matter. The two of us did the best I could.

The first time I read that it confused me, was he referring to his Father - the two of them - or to himself directly which didnt really make sense..? But then...

Quote

'We're stil here, but then, we did what you both wanted. We almost got them all. The one thing none of us expected was how it would change us.'
He glanced back again, momentarily. 'And it has.'

Wild speculation...

QB has twin souls inside of him - could be Adaephon & Delat not Adaephon Delat - who were tasked with collecting a list of souls by MD & mystery Father! Or if not a list of souls, a list of needed power-ups!

Also aren't there two souls names who we are not aware of... points to these two for me! I just hope we find out more in the Kharkanas trilogy!

[Salt-Man Z]

Maybe that's why the other eleven 7C mages allowed him to take their souls? He already had soul-shifting street cred? (That or it was a trap from the start.)

This post has been edited by Salt-Man Z: 01 December 2011 - 03:55 PM

[Siergiej]

I am sure we are going to find out a lot in Kharkanas Trilogy. Just looked quickly through Memories of Ice to read few fragments (unfortunately, don't have the english version, so no quote fu this time, but all of them are from further parts of chapter 5). When Quick Ben and Anomander Rake meet for the first time (in the army camp), QB is specifically mentioned to keep his eyes on the Lord of Darkness, who shows a lot of interest in the wizard. Also, Delat warns Rake not to try checking him out. Sounds pretty much as if Quick Ben was trying to hide something from Rake. And with what we find out in The Crippled God, it's safe to say that may be one hell of a something, like for example slight kinship between the two or between Anomander and one of mage's souls. Also, in the same chapter, Kallor tells QB in reference to his soul-eating habit (it's probably kind of threat, considering Ben's reaction) that he can break his chains and easily make him helpless. I wonder if that's also a hint to the truth about Delat?

And, by the way, welcome back, long time no see

[Salt-Man Z]

Siergiej, on 02 December 2011 - 11:10 AM, said:

I am sure we are going to find out a lot in Kharkanas Trilogy.

It certainly looks that way. From a post today at Tor.com:

Tor.com said:

15. The Gunslinger: And because I have to ask a question that I know you can’t (or, rather, won’t) answer: Will we ever see Quick Ben again?

Steven Erikson: if you do, why, you may not recognize him.

[Siergiej]

This also means that there may not be any big sign over his head saying QUICK BEN AS TISTE ANDII, Damn, gonna need to check out the forums for any findings after every page of The Forge of Darkness.

[champ]

Siergiej, on 02 December 2011 - 10:47 PM, said:

This also means that there may not be any big sign over his head saying QUICK BEN AS TISTE ANDII, Damn, gonna need to check out the forums for any findings after every page of The Forge of Darkness.

Would you expect it any other way from SE, bring on the speculation!

[Paran]

Yep, agree on the souls already in QB prior to Raraku, plus the statement "We almost got them all." sound ominous, perhaps a reference to accessing all warrens? Or something else entirely? The two original souls would obviously be related to the names Adaephon Delat as inferred by Ruthan Gudd's musings in TCG.

[worry]

Wow, if "we almost got them all" refers to warrens and not necessarily the souls, that'd be a trip. Especially if it refers to K'rul's warrens specifically, in other words, the ones humans use, and therefore the ones related to the Eleint. And if his folks are MD and whoever else, FL included (I assume he has the same beef with Chaos), that could mean all kinds of things.

[Lady Bliss]

First off, I believe Quick was talking to MD as well, whether that was his own mother or one of his soul's.

Are we sure we know which soul's body is the 'host'? I don't have the quote fu to back it up, but I remember when reading the scene where he saved his sister, that he did not stick around long enough for her to SEE him, which made me wonder at the time if his current face was the one she would have known as her brother.

Another Quick Ben theory to throw out there... during my time lurking on this site while going through my first read of the series, I noticed multiple mentions about Quick's increase in powers throughout the series. He seemed to escalate from squad mage to high mage fairly quickly. Since he may have been collecting souls or warrens for power, has anyone noticed any opportunities that he may have added to his collection? I am finishing up DG now, but will be keeping my eyes open for opportunities going forward...

[tiam]

BlissFulnite, on 12 January 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

First off, I believe Quick was talking to MD as well, whether that was his own mother or one of his soul's.

Are we sure we know which soul's body is the 'host'? I don't have the quote fu to back it up, but I remember when reading the scene where he saved his sister, that he did not stick around long enough for her to SEE him, which made me wonder at the time if his current face was the one she would have known as her brother.

Another Quick Ben theory to throw out there... during my time lurking on this site while going through my first read of the series, I noticed multiple mentions about Quick's increase in powers throughout the series. He seemed to escalate from squad mage to high mage fairly quickly. Since he may have been collecting souls or warrens for power, has anyone noticed any opportunities that he may have added to his collection? I am finishing up DG now, but will be keeping my eyes open for opportunities going forward...

Cant say about the host thing but im fairly certain Torahaval was nconscious and he didnt want to be around for a reunion. read into it what you will.

As for the High Mage from Squad mage thing QB was always a high mage. He was under the radar as a ssquad mage but as early as the end of GOTM he harnesses all 7 warrens against Raest and Derudan notes that it would have to fall to the son of darkness to fight him if he meant trouble. Its like saying Tattersail is the rank of a cadre mage but has the skill of a High mage in the same way as QB.

[The Pack]

Something I've always wondered is how many years are between the flashbacks and when kallam & QB join forces when whisky catches up. We vaguely know from the flashbacks that he was one for sneaky stuff as a child with his stick dolls etc and then we have him as an adult with Kalam, BUT who's to say how many years are between the two moments in time? For all we know it could be thousands and thousands of year of him hopping around places, which is only more complicated by Ruthan Gudd's moment of recognition. I may be off the mark, or treading over well worn ground but hey ho...

ps: if he is a millennia old mage like this suggests, i wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the original mages who brought down the crippled god, and got all the extra souls for the magic boost in an attempt to fix what he broke. /rant of randomly assembled ideas.

[Mekeritrig]

I'm sure this has been brought up in other threads before, but Delat always struck me as an Andii-esque name, on analogy to Korlat. Hell, Adaephon as well -- similarity to Phaed, if kinda backwards. I may be clutching at straws....

This post has been edited by Mekeritrig: 23 May 2012 - 03:37 PM

[Pig Iron]

My speculation has long been that Anomander rebels against his mother and her lover (F Light? Draconus?) whom he sees as a usurper (Hamlet plot) causing the big war and destruction of Kharkanas and the exile of the Andii and break with M Dark. M Dark and either the usurper or a later addition creates whatever Quick Ben is and charges him with the punishment of everyone involved. One of QB´s goals could very well have been the death, one way or another including suicide/sacrifice, of Anomander himself.

[Sinisdar Toste]

Pig Iron, on 23 May 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

My speculation has long been that Anomander rebels against his mother and her lover (F Light? Draconus?) whom he sees as a usurper (Hamlet plot) causing the big war and destruction of Kharkanas and the exile of the Andii and break with M Dark. M Dark and either the usurper or a later addition creates whatever Quick Ben is and charges him with the punishment of everyone involved. One of QB´s goals could very well have been the death, one way or another including suicide/sacrifice, of Anomander himself.

now THAT'S the kind of crazy theory i like!

[ShadowOwl]

I was recently reading the prologue in RotCG where Denuth talks about Father (seems to be Father Light) and Mother (who appears to be Mother Earth) and he muses on how the ancient beings like Liossercal/Osseric are ruining order again with their chaos and how they must be stopped. Reading this and remembering how close Quick Ben is to Burn throughout the series, then comparing this to his dialogue with his Mother in The Crippled God, where he says "We almost got them all", makes me wonder if Denuth could be Quick Ben's natural form. He certainly knew Draconus as well. SE did say we would not recognize QB when we see him in Forge of Darkness. Just something to think about while we wait.

[panic686]

Lady Bliss, on 12 January 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

First off, I believe Quick was talking to MD as well, whether that was his own mother or one of his soul's.

Are we sure we know which soul's body is the 'host'? I don't have the quote fu to back it up, but I remember when reading the scene where he saved his sister, that he did not stick around long enough for her to SEE him, which made me wonder at the time if his current face was the one she would have known as her brother.

Another Quick Ben theory to throw out there... during my time lurking on this site while going through my first read of the series, I noticed multiple mentions about Quick's increase in powers throughout the series. He seemed to escalate from squad mage to high mage fairly quickly. Since he may have been collecting souls or warrens for power, has anyone noticed any opportunities that he may have added to his collection? I am finishing up DG now, but will be keeping my eyes open for opportunities going forward...

One thing that always struck me as odd is that while Ben Adeaphon Delat apparently had a big impact on Lostara Yil per her recognition, she never seems to recognize him or refer to him as anything other than Quick Ben when in the midst of the story,


I don't remember pages but in GotM, Shadowthrone calls him a shapeshifting snake and doesn't even recognize him at first until after Quick Ben reveals his full formal name.

Then there is the mention of being a Soletaken or the sent of D'verse as I think Hedge mentions in DoD.

I think he likely can take many different physical appearances which is probably also how he pulled off being a High Mage in Mott Wood (referenced in MOI when QB tells Tayschrenn he has had that rank before).

[IgnatiusKruppe]

panic686 said:

1348617767[/url]' post='997126']

Lady Bliss said:

1326392903[/url]' post='921445']
First off, I believe Quick was talking to MD as well, whether that was his own mother or one of his soul's.

Are we sure we know which soul's body is the 'host'? I don't have the quote fu to back it up, but I remember when reading the scene where he saved his sister, that he did not stick around long enough for her to SEE him, which made me wonder at the time if his current face was the one she would have known as her brother.

Another Quick Ben theory to throw out there... during my time lurking on this site while going through my first read of the series, I noticed multiple mentions about Quick's increase in powers throughout the series. He seemed to escalate from squad mage to high mage fairly quickly. Since he may have been collecting souls or warrens for power, has anyone noticed any opportunities that he may have added to his collection? I am finishing up DG now, but will be keeping my eyes open for opportunities going forward...

One thing that always struck me as odd is that while Ben Adeaphon Delat apparently had a big impact on Lostara Yil per her recognition, she never seems to recognize him or refer to him as anything other than Quick Ben when in the midst of the story,


I don't remember pages but in GotM, Shadowthrone calls him a shapeshifting snake and doesn't even recognize him at first until after Quick Ben reveals his full formal name.

Then there is the mention of being a Soletaken or the sent of D'verse as I think Hedge mentions in DoD.

I think he likely can take many different physical appearances which is probably also how he pulled off being a High Mage in Mott Wood (referenced in MOI when QB tells Tayschrenn he has had that rank before).

He is definitely at least a little Azathanai