[SylvanShade]

Okay, bare with me, I haven't completely finished MoI, but I just had to ask this question in case I forget it.

In Memories of Ice, Rath' Fener of the Mask Council in Darujhistan betrays Capustan, consequently getting Braukaliahn killed.
Itkovian eventually punishes him in a later scene, in which he severs the priests hands and they disappear (seized by a god), and tattoos show up on Rath' Feners skin.
This led me to believe that Rath' Fener is indeed Heboric, although after some thought I realized the times don't add up.
Then I thought back to Deadhouse Gates, and recall Heboric acquired ghost hands. MoI and DHG are supposed to be chronologically confluent right?
And then there is the whole business with Fener's descent and Treach's ascent.

Can someone interpret this knot for me, I can smell a connection, but its all just a bit convoluted, and my memory of Deadhouse Gates is poor.

[Aptorian]

The only connection is the religious ritualistic form of punishment.

I can't remember the specifics, but basically Heboric was writing anti-imperial literature. Which the empire did not like. I can't remember the next step, but I am guessing that the empire put political pressure on Feners cult or maybe they bribed someone within the cult. What ever happened, Heboric ended up accused off some kind of heresy and had his hands cut off and was excommunicated.

The ghost hands, jade and ottataral warring with one another in his body, came from his stay on O-island and his contact with the Jade statue.

As for the Tattoos, hmm. I wonder if Heboric was already tattooed all over before his excommunication or these tattoos are a result of the ritualistic punishment.

What happens with the alien symbols in MOI on Rath'fener is the result of these hands being sent to a foreign god. One alien to the laws of the Malazan world. This ends up burning Rath'fener to death. An accidental torture that was unforeseen.

EDIT: Fener is accidentally pulled "down to earth" after Heboric comes in contact with the Jade statue and one of his companions touches a symbol on his body. This leaves an opening in the pantheon for a new God of War to step up. K'rul chooses to manoeuvre Trake/treach into that spot.

This post has been edited by Aptorius: 09 February 2012 - 10:52 AM

[SylvanShade]

Thank you so much for the clarity. Alas, it is not as complicated as I anticipated. But I find the conflicting reaction of Ottatataral with Jade to be a very intriguing concept.

I do wonder who this foreign god might be...

[Silk]

The major difference was that Heboric got punished for a crime he didn't do against his god vs Rath Fener who did ..... not sure where it was mentioned but

Spoiler

weren't Heborics Hands being kept by Fener so as when Heboric past the pearly gates so to speak he would be used as an instrument of Fener's Judgement on those who did the deed. I also belive that even after this he was a kind of closet destraint of a greater ability than the destraint that was in the grey swords.

[D'rek]

Silk, on 09 February 2012 - 12:04 PM, said:

The major difference was that Heboric got punished for a crime he didn't do against his god vs Rath Fener who did ..... not sure where it was mentioned but

Spoiler

weren't Heborics Hands being kept by Fener so as when Heboric past the pearly gates so to speak he would be used as an instrument of Fener's Judgement on those who did the deed. I also belive that even after this he was a kind of closet destraint of a greater ability than the destraint that was in the grey swords.

That was Rake's theory about Heboric, who knows if it would have really come true or not...