[Egwene]

The Wikia entry for the Moranth is quite sparse. I am hoping that everyone will chip in to flesh it out some more. I am posting the current content and will edit this post as people add info. All the additions/changes are underlined. If possible, give book and chapter where the info comes from. Any suggestions welcome. I'll intermittently transfer the info over to the Wikia. Thanks in advance.



Moranth

Moranth were a non-human, highly regimented people who were centred in the Cloud Forest. There was some speculation that they were human, but no one could actually verify. Barghast and Moranth were both descended from a sea-faring Imass culture that interbred with the Toblakai. It was inferred that the Moranth may have interbred with the Tiste Edur, they certainly co-existed alongside each other for a time.[/u].

The Moranth remained covered in chitinous armour, wearing helms with only small visor slots for sight. They spoke in a language of clicks and buzzes. The Moranth had also domesticated enormous flying insects known as quorl which they used as a means of transportation.

In 1156 BS, they allied themselved with the Malazan Empire. According to Moranth costum, a contract was valid for as long as one of the signaturies was still alive. As of OST, Dassem Ultor, one of the signaturies was still alive and therefore the empire contract still stood.

Clans
The Moranth were broken down into a caste-based clan system with colours denoting different clans.

Green Moranth - Mainly a courier and transport clan
Black Moranth - Main Infantry
Gold Moranth - Elite Infantry
Blue Moranth - Sailors and Traders
Silver Moranth - Moranth mages, thought to be the creators of Moranth munitions
Red Moranth - Diplomats/Politicians

Rivalries

Pale
The Moranth rivalled the Free City of Pale as a mercantile power, and more often than not the city of Pale would win out in these economic skirmishes. These skirmishes were far from purely diplomatic or economic, they resulted in actual deaths.

Barghast
The Moranth and the Barghast found themselves on opposite ends of a spectrum, both descending from their common ancestor, the Imass.

Seguleh
The Seguleh were ancient enemies of the Moranth going back to when they resided in Darujhistan.

Munitions
It was said that Moranth munitions made the Malazan Saboteur. The Moranth only traded some type of munitions as Ganoes Paran found out in The Crippled God, when he raided a Moranth munitions warehouse via warren. Torvald Nom used some otherwise not seen alchemical devices which he had received as a thank you for rescuing a Moranth.

Gardens of the Moon
A group of Black Moranth were allowed by Laseen to enter the city of Pale for one hour after the Siege and exact revenge. During that time, they killed 18 739 people, one for every Moranth confirmed as a victim of the trade war they had fought with the Free City.

This post has been edited by Egwene: 20 February 2014 - 08:03 PM

[Abyss]

It's inferred, but not stated in MoI that the Moranth may have interbred with the Tiste Edur.

In OST we see Blue Moranth munitions that are strikingly different from the ker-splodey ones we had seen until then.

I vaguely recall that the naval forces in SW were Black Moranth.

[Egwene]

Any idea whereabouts in the book the connection to Tiste Edur is made? I know the Barghast weren't too happy about playing happy family... wonder what the Edur thought of it!

I'll check about the Black, but I too, seem to remember them as being Black.

What about the Reds? Wasn't the Moranth envoy in OST a red? Maybe it's the diplomatic corps?!

[D'rek]

Abyss, on 19 February 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

It's inferred, but not stated in MoI that the Moranth may have interbred with the Tiste Edur.

Definitely possible, but not in any way confirmed, I think. Twist talks about how the Barghast and Moranth are both descended from a sea-faring Imass culture that interbred with the Toblakai and that also had a long enmity with the sea-faring Edur. The Barghast continued to war with the Edur and now have legends about the Edur as enemies. The Moranth, on the other hand, stopped fighting the Edur and co-existed with them for a while. I'm not sure if Twist actually says there were at some time Edur with them in Cloud Forest or not, but if so it's assumed the Edur there have since died out.

Some unknowns/possibilities:
-the Moranth learned the start of their alchemy from the Edur
-the Moranth/their ancestors interbred with the Edur
-how much Imass-Toblakai interbreeding there is in the Moranth versus in the Barghast

Abyss, on 19 February 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

In OST we see Blue Moranth munitions that are strikingly different from the ker-splodey ones we had seen until then.

Wasn't that in TtH? Torvald's ensorcelled pottery munitions that suddenly create giant bubbles of water when broken. Those might not even really be munitions, though, they could just be magic!

There's also the Redbolts from TCG:

‘It turns out, Noto, that there exists a whole class of munitions exclusive to the Moranth. Not for export, if you understand me. Through a card I was witness to the demonstration of some of them. These ones, which I have called redbolts, are similar to onager bolts. Only they do not require the onager.’

Abyss, on 19 February 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

I vaguely recall that the naval forces in SW were Black Moranth.

The naval forces contracted by the Malazans to break the Marese fleet were Blue Moranth (Admiral Swirl's fleet). A group of Black Moranth (Commander Borun's group) had landed on Fist decades earlier and were fighting alongside the ex-Malazan 6th Army.

[Abyss]

D, on 20 February 2014 - 02:51 PM, said:

...

Abyss, on 19 February 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

In OST we see Blue Moranth munitions that are strikingly different from the ker-splodey ones we had seen until then.

Wasn't that in TtH? Torvald's ensorcelled pottery munitions that suddenly create giant bubbles of water when broken. Those might not even really be munitions, though, they could just be magic!...

TtH it was indeed. Whatever they were, Torv called them munitions i think.

Quote

Abyss, on 19 February 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

I vaguely recall that the naval forces in SW were Black Moranth.

The naval forces contracted by the Malazans to break the Marese fleet were Blue Moranth (Admiral Swirl's fleet). A group of Black Moranth (Commander Borun's group) had landed on Fist decades earlier and were fighting alongside the ex-Malazan 6th Army.

Blanking on that one. Will check when i get a chance.

[Imperial Historian]

I'm pretty sure twist says the edur lived with the moranth, but the last ones died out sometime ago. Nothing is said regarding interbreeding, but its certainly plausible.

Re moranth/barghast population I would assume that the level of interbreeding is similar, as the two populations split at the end of the war with the edur, when presumably the toblakai had either largely died out, or would have been present to a similar extent in both populations.

[Egwene]

Having just finished OST, I do feel that the Moranth are about the most enigmatic of all the races. We even have inside views from the Seguleh now, but the Moranth...

Maybe ICE is saving that for the next book. There are so many questions about just exactly how they operate... well, how they think, really.

Interesting that the total covering with armour is probably most reminiscent of Rhulad's head to toe 'coin armour'. Just coincidence?

[D'rek]

I question the "Red Moranth = Diplomats/Politicians" angle. We never saw a Red Moranth before OST (but we knew they existed as early as MoI), and the Gold, Black and Blue Moranth leaders seemed perfectly capable of negotiating policies with the Malazans before then. It's possible these things were negotiated with Reds off-screen, or that the Red do all the non-military-related politicking, but I think it's also possible the Red have some other specialty and it just happened that the politically-posted Moranth in OST was Red.

[Egwene]

D, on 21 February 2014 - 12:16 AM, said:

I question the "Red Moranth = Diplomats/Politicians" angle. We never saw a Red Moranth before OST (but we knew they existed as early as MoI), and the Gold, Black and Blue Moranth leaders seemed perfectly capable of negotiating policies with the Malazans before then. It's possible these things were negotiated with Reds off-screen, or that the Red do all the non-military-related politicking, but I think it's also possible the Red have some other specialty and it just happened that the politically-posted Moranth in OST was Red.

I don't think we see the other colours in negotiations... more executing what has been negotiated. Given the strict structure of the Moranth, it seems likely that having a Red with an official title would indicate their profession. It would be good though to get more examples...

Can you think of anything that speaks against them being diplomats/politicians?