[Kell]

Isn't it stupid that Daseem sent Whiskeyjack and 70 regular soldiers to follow a group of 12 mages into a desert? I mean, what did he expect regular soldiers to do if the mages decide to attack?

[Aptorian]

I think the idea is that these were scholars, priests and scientists mostly, not battle mages. Though, there was that jag mage who was a fighter I seem to recall.

This post has been edited by Alternative Goose: 01 January 2019 - 06:14 PM

[Abyss]

I’m reasonably sure he expected the soldiers to stab them.A lot.With crossbow bolts and then other stabby things.

If I recall correctly there were no ( known ) high mages among the fugitives, so 70 veterans v 12 ‘squad’ or ‘cadre’ mages would have seemed workable even with a high fatality result for the soldiers.

[Kell]

Abyss, on 01 January 2019 - 07:53 PM, said:

I’m reasonably sure he expected the soldiers to stab them.A lot.With crossbow bolts and then other stabby things.

If I recall correctly there were no ( known ) high mages among the fugitives, so 70 veterans v 12 ‘squad’ or ‘cadre’ mages would have seemed workable even with a high fatality result for the soldiers.

•Kebharla, she was more a scholar than a mage.
•Renisha, a sorcerer of High Meanas.
•Keluger, A Septime Priest of D'riss, the Worm of Autumn.
•Narkal, the warrior-mage, sworn to Fener and aspirant to the god's Mortal Sword.
•Ullan, the Soletaken priestess of Soliel.
•Set'alahd Crool, a Jhag half blood who'd once driven Dassem Ultor back half a dozen steps in furious counter attack, his sword shining with the blessing of some unknown ascendant.
•Etra, a mistress of the Rashan warren.
•Birith'erah, mage of the Serc warren who could pull storms down from the sky.
•Gellid, witch of the Tennes warren
•2 further bodies (unnamed)

I don't know about you, but i feel like these guys could pack a punch.

This post has been edited by Kell: 01 January 2019 - 08:55 PM

[Kell]

Alternative Goose, on 01 January 2019 - 06:13 PM, said:

I think the idea is that these were scholars, priests and scientists mostly, not battle mages. Though, there was that jag mage who was a fighter I seem to recall.

Check my other reply. I know they aren't high mages, but still. Plus they could've used there warrens to escape anytime, right? So it seems ill considered not to send some mages with Whiskeyjack, especially that they have a number of high mages available.

This post has been edited by Kell: 01 January 2019 - 09:18 PM

[nacht]

We just don't have the whole story and it might well be a surprise. So you have to take it for what it is for now and leave it for the authors to elaborate later (if they so choose)

For example and this is something I am just imagining, maybe Quick Ben had a prior arrangement with the Malazans and was working to subvert the mages.
Maybe post-facto everybody knows that there were only seventy soldiers, but maybe the mages being pursued didnt know that.


In general, Mages in Malazan are not indestructible goods. An arrow could kill them. A mob could kill then. A claw with otataral could kill them. Warrens could kill them as they pose their own dangers to users.
The mages themselves might hate and distrust each other and might even be planning to betray each other (arrogance can be huge flaw).

[Abyss]

Kell, on 01 January 2019 - 08:54 PM, said:

Abyss, on 01 January 2019 - 07:53 PM, said:

I'm reasonably sure he expected the soldiers to stab them.A lot.With crossbow bolts and then other stabby things.

If I recall correctly there were no ( known ) high mages among the fugitives, so 70 veterans v 12 'squad' or 'cadre' mages would have seemed workable even with a high fatality result for the soldiers.

•Kebharla, she was more a scholar than a mage.
•Renisha, a sorcerer of High Meanas.
•Keluger, A Septime Priest of D'riss, the Worm of Autumn.
•Narkal, the warrior-mage, sworn to Fener and aspirant to the god's Mortal Sword.
•Ullan, the Soletaken priestess of Soliel.
•Set'alahd Crool, a Jhag half blood who'd once driven Dassem Ultor back half a dozen steps in furious counter attack, his sword shining with the blessing of some unknown ascendant.
•Etra, a mistress of the Rashan warren.
•Birith'erah, mage of the Serc warren who could pull storms down from the sky.
•Gellid, witch of the Tennes warren
•2 further bodies (unnamed)

I don't know about you, but i feel like these guys could pack a punch.

I could be wrong but I believe that’s WJ’s recounting to Rake after the fact. Even on that list, only Narkal and Crool seem to be powers on the basics of the description. Maybe Ullan subject to whatever she veered to.

[Abyss]

Kell, on 01 January 2019 - 09:06 PM, said:

.... Plus they could've used there warrens to escape anytime, right?...

Raraku.

[WhiskeyJohn]

Fiddler was there and I presume they had some Moranth munitions which we know from Quick Ben in GotM works against open Warrens. Surely a cusser or two from far would put not just one, but whole set of mages out of commission.

This post has been edited by WhiskeyJohn: 12 January 2019 - 05:00 PM

[the broken]

Maybe he just couldn't spare any more troops.


Given what Dassem and Treach's Mortal Sword are capable of, those two could take most of the Malazans by themselves.