[gandrin]

There were many loose ends for me. If these are RAFO just ignore them I guess. But I'm worried I may have missed some things. I've avoided things that I think are obviously RAFO (like Tayschrenn, and more info on the Assail brothers)

1. Laseen's killer was never identified. (but I saw in a neighboring post that it was Taya, Vorcan's daughter. I had forgotten about her, which makes me wonder if I forgot about any other stuff below)
2. Heuk said "He" is back for his Kurald Galain. Shouldn't it be "She" for Mother Dark (but she's not back...) So who is "He"?
3. Is he the Tiste Andii who comes into the dark with him? Who was that guy?
4. Who was the guy Dassem was mourning as a great potential leader?
5. what was the point of Ereko even being in the story?
6. What were the Dolman's doing that involved the Duke? I think the quote was "don't worry, the Dolmans still stand" or something like that. I don't see how that was containing the Duke at all. That whole scenario was strange.
7. Dassem can teleport onto/off the battlefield?!? Then why does he have to walk everywhere else?
8. What on earth was Osserc doing in the sword? Was he that being at the beginning who was being bled to fuel the sorcerer? Seems unlikely.
9. What was the significance of Rell getting those swords. (The mage/priest acted really creepy when he had Rell grab them)
10. What was the deal with Silk. He seemed to be really important, then forgotten. After the burst of Liosan, he never did another thing.
11. Isn't The Vow over now? The Duke gave up, so can't he released them all from it? Also, the Disavowed should no longer be held to the Vow, and should all die.

Perhaps some of these are in Stonewielder, which I haven't read yet.

[D'rek]

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

There were many loose ends for me. If these are RAFO just ignore them I guess. But I'm worried I may have missed some things. I've avoided things that I think are obviously RAFO (like Tayschrenn, and more info on the Assail brothers)

1. Laseen's killer was never identified. (but I saw in a neighboring post that it was Taya, Vorcan's daughter. I had forgotten about her, which makes me wonder if I forgot about any other stuff below) Yes, it was Taya - hence the bits earlier about Taya wanting revenge (she blames the Empire for Vorcan's disappearance) and no surprise that the assassin in Mallick's employ kills Laseen and then Mallick takes the throne...
2. Heuk said "He" is back for his Kurald Galain. Shouldn't it be "She" for Mother Dark (but she's not back...) So who is "He"? Heuk is a priest of Elder Night, not necessarily of Elder Dark. Anyways, the figure he sees faintly in his Night manifestation (with a big void thingy at its side) combined with the prologue should tell you quite easily who it is...
3. Is he the Tiste Andii who comes into the dark with him? Who was that guy?
4. Who was the guy Dassem was mourning as a great potential leader? He was a great potential leader (and since they were all commanders together back there dassem probably knew him personally to some extent, too)
5. what was the point of Ereko even being in the story? To give more backstory to the world, to Kallor, to Dassem, to Jacuruku, and to Kyle
6. What were the Dolman's doing that involved the Duke? I think the quote was "don't worry, the Dolmans still stand" or something like that. I don't see how that was containing the Duke at all. That whole scenario was strange. Yup.
7. Dassem can teleport onto/off the battlefield?!? Then why does he have to walk everywhere else? No, he can't. But just like Kyle, K'azz and co. left Shadow at one point, Dassem can step out of it at another point right into the midst of a Temper-Ferrule-Crimson Guard throwdown.
8. What on earth was Osserc doing in the sword? Was he that being at the beginning who was being bled to fuel the sorcerer? Seems unlikely. Yes, he was. He chose to sleep for a long time (see HoC) and Shen the sorceror was stealthily drawing power from him while he did so. After awakening, High Mage Assassin Cowl knifed him, and instead of fighting he jumped into the sword of his worshipper.
9. What was the significance of Rell getting those swords. (The mage/priest acted really creepy when he had Rell grab them). No idea. Maybe just seeing them meant knowing that Ryllandaras was loose?
10. What was the deal with Silk. He seemed to be really important, then forgotten. After the burst of Liosan, he never did another thing. I'll agree he could've been used more in the siege of Li Heng, especially considering how much ability he was shown to have defending it.
11. Isn't The Vow over now? The Duke gave up, so can't he released them all from it? Also, the Disavowed should no longer be held to the Vow, and should all die. The Vow was to regain K'azz' lands or something like that. Hasn't happened, so the Vow isn't over. Who ever said K'azz could choose to release them from it?

Perhaps some of these are in Stonewielder, which I haven't read yet.

answers in purpleish

[gandrin]

 D, on 22 March 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

2. Heuk said "He" is back for his Kurald Galain. Shouldn't it be "She" for Mother Dark (but she's not back...) So who is "He"? Heuk is a priest of Elder Night, not necessarily of Elder Dark. Anyways, the figure he sees faintly in his Night manifestation (with a big void thingy at its side) combined with the prologue should tell you quite easily who it is...
3. Is he the Tiste Andii who comes into the dark with him? Who was that guy?
4. Who was the guy Dassem was mourning as a great potential leader? He was a great potential leader (and since they were all commanders together back there dassem probably knew him personally to some extent, too)
7. Dassem can teleport onto/off the battlefield?!? Then why does he have to walk everywhere else? No, he can't. But just like Kyle, K'azz and co. left Shadow at one point, Dassem can step out of it at another point right into the midst of a Temper-Ferrule-Crimson Guard throwdown.
11. Isn't The Vow over now? The Duke gave up, so can't he released them all from it? Also, the Disavowed should no longer be held to the Vow, and should all die. The Vow was to regain K'azz' lands or something like that. Hasn't happened, so the Vow isn't over. Who ever said K'azz could choose to release them from it?

2/3: Since when is "He" a lord over Kurald Galain? Was he over "Night"? I don't remember that.
And I know for a fact that "He" is unable to come visit Heuk because he is trapped somewhere else. I chose that phrasing carefully.

4: no... Who specifically? Somebody who was a general with a bodyguard who almost beat the CG. The only person fitting that description was Storo, but he did not die out in the field where Dassem was sitting.

7: that explains his appearance but not his disappearance. I highly doubt Shadowthrone would deign to send him there, then pull him back.

11: So the Vow will never, ever be fulfilled? Gee that's a huge can of worms.

[worry]

4. I think his name was Ullen.

[D'rek]

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

2/3: Since when is "He" a lord over Kurald Galain? Was he over "Night"? I don't remember that.
And I know for a fact that "He" is unable to come visit Heuk because he is trapped somewhere else. I chose that phrasing carefully.

Hmm, I'm not sure if he was referenced as aspected to Night before RotCG or not.
As for his being trapped, you are correct, hence why he appears so ephemereal and doesn't (can't?) really do anything for Heuk.

TtH Spoilers (not what you think)

Spoiler

There's also that part in TtH where someone talking to him notes him shimmering a bit - it is generally believed this is him casting that "shadow" of himself to Heuk at that time

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

4: no... Who specifically? Somebody who was a general with a bodyguard who almost beat the CG. The only person fitting that description was Storo, but he did not die out in the field where Dassem was sitting.

Yup, it's Ullen. Combination of Dassem's personal feelings of loss for him, combined with Dessembrae's aspect of tragedy for the loss to the Empire of such potential

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

7: that explains his appearance but not his disappearance. I highly doubt Shadowthrone would deign to send him there, then pull him back.

He's an Ascendant and one of the greatest warriors on the face of Wu. He can be stealthy when he wants.

 gandrin, on 22 March 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:

11: So the Vow will never, ever be fulfilled? Gee that's a huge can of worms.

Yeah, wouldn't it suck to be stuck unable to die for a really long time... like say 300 000 years?

[gandrin]

I totally forgot about Ullen dying! No wonder it didn't make sense. It was in the mayhem battle chapter, and I think I remember hoping he wasn't really dead and that the healers would come...then they never mentioned him again. That makes total sense now.



@300,000 years.... touche, lol

[Kanese S's]

Indeed... it would suck to just be not dying because a vow/ritual for 300,000 years, as has been demonstrated.

I don't think the Crimson Guard will have to wait that long, though. All empires fall.

[D'rek]

 Kanese S, on 23 March 2012 - 09:24 PM, said:

Indeed... it would suck to just be not dying because a vow/ritual for 300,000 years, as has been demonstrated.

I don't think the Crimson Guard will have to wait that long, though. All empires fall.

Or, maybe once every last Avowed has been destroyed and so there's nothing but the Brethren left, maybe then they'll be able to die fully. Maybe...

[gandrin]

 D, on 23 March 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

 Kanese S, on 23 March 2012 - 09:24 PM, said:

Indeed... it would suck to just be not dying because a vow/ritual for 300,000 years, as has been demonstrated.

I don't think the Crimson Guard will have to wait that long, though. All empires fall.

Or, maybe once every last Avowed has been destroyed and so there's nothing but the Brethren left, maybe then they'll be able to die fully. Maybe...

I got the feeling the Brethren were even more uncomfortable than the living CG. But I think in this case they should have an out--the person to whom they swore the oath should be able to relieve them of it, now that he's accepted that there is no return to Quon Tali.

[worry]

K'azz is the leader of the CG, but it's pretty clear the vow didn't gain its power from him, and he's just as much trapped in it with the rest of them. The ritual they used is still a mystery and there's no reason to believe it's any less permanent than it's said to be.

[Kanese S's]

Why should they have an out? Their "out" when they started would have been when K'azz's lands were reconquered from the Malazans. I doubt they anticipated losing at the time.

As demonstrated by others in similar circumstances, it doesn't appear to be a simple matter to get out of these things.