[Nemrod]

Hello everyone!

After reading this book I've been left with alot of questions, while searching the forum some have been answered but two (or three) things still confuse.

1. What's the deal with Urko? Where does he have his immense strength from? Is he ascended? He nearly breaks Ryl's neck and at some other point it is mentioned that he can break armour with his bare hands. I guess not all "Old Guard" are that powerful, Toc the Elder is a weakling getting killed so easily.

2. Yath. That crazy mage opening a rift into Chaos. Why does he do it? Where does he take the power from? Maybe my english is too bad (Austrian) but I didn't really understand everything that happened on the ship. They are having this ritual to travel through warren and suddenly he takes over half of the mages and goes insane? I think I missed something important here.

3. Mallicks girl assassin. From what I read here she is Vorcan's daughter. How is this known? Did some older book mention this? I admit I don't recall everything from the early books which I read like ten years ago. Also, wasn't Vorcan quite a sissy? How did the daughter get the skills to kill half a dozen Avowed (some barehanded)?

Thanks for any answers and sorry if this has been asked before.

[Kanese S's]

1. Urko Crust is a badass motherfucker. I'm honestly not sure if his strength comes from anything other than that.

2. Yath hates the Malazans. And when he thinks of Malazans, he includes everyone from the continent of Quon Tali, so he wants to do as much damage as possible.

3. Vorcan got taken out by a cheap shot in GotM, as I recall. Have you read Toll the Hounds?

[worry]

All the Old Guard are at various stages along the ascension spectrum, I'd say, but they didn't all just get the same souped up powers. Urko, of all of them, was likely a particularly gifted brawler even before the Deadhouse though, is my wager.

The Vorcan/Taya connection is mentioned in RotCG. On page 70, of the copy on Google Books. According to Mallick's musings, she's in Unta to avenge the supposed death of her mother, who disappeared in GotM.

[Abyss]

Nemrod, on 30 November 2011 - 06:26 AM, said:

...1. What's the deal with Urko? ...

Urko may have derived his strength from his time with the Old Guard hanging out in the Deadhouse. That's the only explanation we can pull from the books, but far from the only possible explanation, including that he's just THAT badass.

Quote

2. Yath. That crazy mage opening a rift into Chaos. Why does he do it? Where does he take the power from? ...

All of the mages on the ship except Ho, the Wickan witch and Devolath, as well as the two Avowed, put their powerinto the ritual to move the ship through Chaos. Yath, who was already mostly bugnuts, seized control of the ritual and through it, the power of all the participating mages. The combination of power up and messing with Chaos drove him even more nuts.

Quote

3. Mallicks girl assassin. From what I read here she is Vorcan's daughter. How is this known? Did some older book mention this? I admit I don't recall everything from the early books which I read like ten years ago. Also, wasn't Vorcan quite a sissy? How did the daughter get the skills to kill half a dozen Avowed (some barehanded)?...

We know she's Vorcan's daughter because Mallick tells us so in RCG. She's never been seen or referred to before.

Vorcan was the Assassin Guildmaster for Darujhistan and a High Mage as well, so nope, not a sissy. She was taken out by Crokus in GotM because Oponn was involved.

Taya didn't kill any Avowed in RCG. That was Laseen. Some entirely understandable confusion because there are three unnamed female assassins running around more than once... Laseen, hunting Avowed... Taya, hunting Laseen... and Kiska, watching the whole thing.... and all of this from Possum's perspective when he's not sure who anyone is.

[Nemrod]

Thanks for all the answers.

Yes, I did read all the books but the first three only in german so maybe that is where my confusion about Vorcan comes from. Maybe I mistakenly took her for some other Assassin Guild Master from the later books.
I still think the Yath storyline is a bit thin, also I always thought Chaos was held in check within Dragnipur and so to me this bridge into Chaos (into Dragnipur?) was not really plausible. But that's just the picture I had in my own mind.

[Abyss]

Nemrod, on 01 December 2011 - 05:24 AM, said:

...I still think the Yath storyline is a bit thin, also I always thought Chaos was held in check within Dragnipur and so to me this bridge into Chaos (into Dragnipur?) was not really plausible. But that's just the picture I had in my own mind.

Yath does go from jerk to 'MUST DESTROY THE WORLD' rather abruptly. We might blame that on his messing with the Jade statues, i suppose.

Dragnipur keeps the gate to Mommy Dark away from Chaos. It doesn't hold Chaos anywhere except away from the gate. Chaos is everywhere between the warrens which is why Yath & co's ship and the Wickan elders are able to travel in it.

[Kanese S's]

Nemrod, on 01 December 2011 - 05:24 AM, said:

Thanks for all the answers.

Yes, I did read all the books but the first three only in german so maybe that is where my confusion about Vorcan comes from. Maybe I mistakenly took her for some other Assassin Guild Master from the later books.
I still think the Yath storyline is a bit thin, also I always thought Chaos was held in check within Dragnipur and so to me this bridge into Chaos (into Dragnipur?) was not really plausible. But that's just the picture I had in my own mind.

Vorcan is the leader of the Assassins' Guild in Darujhistan. She's active in Gardens of the Moon but things don't go well for her and she gets thrown into the house of the Azath. In Toll the Hounds

Spoiler

she wakes up (along with Rallick Nom) and does some cool shit.

This post has been edited by Abyss: 01 December 2011 - 04:23 PM
Reason for edit: LATER BOOK SPOILERS BLOCKED.

[Whiskey Bass]

i know Urko is crazy strong, but arn't all the Napan's mentioned as being much stonger than average ?

[Abyss]

Wily Tuchuk, on 02 December 2011 - 12:22 AM, said:

i know Urko is crazy strong, but arn't all the Napan's mentioned as being much stonger than average ?

Not that i can recall.

There is a reference or two to them being excellent swimmers tho'.

[Vaddon Ra]

Nemrod, on 30 November 2011 - 06:26 AM, said:

Hello everyone!

After reading this book I've been left with alot of questions, while searching the forum some have been answered but two (or three) things still confuse.

1. What's the deal with Urko? Where does he have his immense strength from? Is he ascended? He nearly breaks Ryl's neck and at some other point it is mentioned that he can break armour with his bare hands. I guess not all "Old Guard" are that powerful, Toc the Elder is a weakling getting killed so easily.

2. Yath. That crazy mage opening a rift into Chaos. Why does he do it? Where does he take the power from? Maybe my english is too bad (Austrian) but I didn't really understand everything that happened on the ship. They are having this ritual to travel through warren and suddenly he takes over half of the mages and goes insane? I think I missed something important here.

3. Mallicks girl assassin. From what I read here she is Vorcan's daughter. How is this known? Did some older book mention this? I admit I don't recall everything from the early books which I read like ten years ago. Also, wasn't Vorcan quite a sissy? How did the daughter get the skills to kill half a dozen Avowed (some barehanded)?

Thanks for any answers and sorry if this has been asked before.

The Old Guard all spent a lot of time in the Azath house, in HOC or TBH it mentions this left them 'changed' now urko is like FU KARSA ORLONG strong anyway, but i guess the outrageous strength could be due to his time in the azath, that gave them longer lives etc and other things not mentioned.
Yath i think isnt he a high mage or a mage for the falah'dahn or something? like as hard as tayschrenn...well no, but nearly.
Vorcan is hard as nails and kills every high mage in daru except for Baruk and That woman and only because a tiste andii assassin gets in the way and then crocus with Oppons pull throws a brick XD
She is very very good and a demon besides it does make it clear in ROTCG that its her daughter taya or something who's well hard.
Wasn't it laseen who killed barehanded though?