[Pherikus Nul]

In Reaper's Gale, we get an interaction between Fener and the Errant. We get a description of Fener from here:

Quote

The man crouched there was more ogre than human, broad shoulders covered in bristly black hair, a bullet head thrust forward on a short neck. The bottom half of the face was strangely pronounced beneath long, curling moustache and beard, and large yellowed tusks jutted from the lower jaw, pushing clear of lip and thick, ringleted hair. Stubby, battered hands hung down from long arms, the knuckles on the floor.

In Fall of Light, Vix is introduced as a large, iron-skinned man with a mustache and tusks under a snout. He also seems to like to create species for the purpose of war between them for his entertainment. Any connection between these two?

If so, would this not make Fener an Azathanai?

This post has been edited by Pherikus Nul: 30 May 2019 - 03:04 PM

[gandrin]

Been a while since I read Fall of Light, and I probably won't be reading it again... but...

I think it's pretty clear most of the "gods" in MBotF are Azathanai. I hadn't noticed that one but it definitely sounds like Fener. I think basically every random Azathanai you run into in the prequel is somebody important. It was fun to try and figure out who everybody was.

[worry]

It's plausible. It has always stood out to me that even though Fener is a humanoid boar, he has never (to my knowledge) been counted among the Soletaken (of the First Empire or otherwise).

[Pherikus Nul]

Unfortunately, I have re-read the Vix scene and he is described as only having one eye, whereas Fener is referenced as having eyes (plural) in RG in his scene with the Errant, and in tCG when he is summoned into the killing fields outside of Kolanse. However, this does make me curious. Vix is referenced to having a sewn-shut eye, and Erikson has Skillen Droe notice it at the start of the scene as well as a noticing Vix scratch at it later in the scene. Do we know of any one-eyed characters who aren't clearly not Vix? I feel that he is relatively important considering his role in fashioning the Barghast, Trell and Thelomen 'species'.

However, I will say that there have been other characters who spontaneously gain their eye back (only to lose it again.)

Also, any reference to D'rek being a shard of Grizzin Farl should be ignored. I'm starting to lose faith in that hypothesis and am accruing evidence against it.

Edit: I'd even argue that it's likely that Fener being tusked and not ever explicitly referenced to as a soletaken, I would suspect that Fener is a First-Hero among the 'species' that Vix has had a hand in creating -- like the Trell or something else with tusks, for example. Though, he does have hooves whenever he's summoned in the series (DG and tCG) but no hooves are referenced to in RG. Instead, in RG, he is reference to be much more humanoid with bestial characteristics -- I think the quote is even "more ogre than human."

Edit 2: After the Errant spots him, they do have this interaction:

Quote

'I remember you,' came the creature's voice, low and rumbling. 'And I knew this place. I knew what it had been. It was…safe. Who recalls the Holds, after all? Who knew enough to suspect? Oh, they can hunt me down all they want – yes, they will find me in the end – I know this. Soon, maybe. Sooner, now that you have found me, Master of the Tiles. He might have returned me, you know, along with other…gifts. But he has failed.' Another laugh, this time harsh. 'A common demise among mortals.'

So ... clearly the Errant and Fener have met before in some capacity. And what does he mean by 'this place?' I have made another post that Letheras is where the Azath tower in FoL is which, with the Seregahl, is where Scabandari stores the wounded Silchas Ruin during the Tiste Invasion. So does this mean that Fener has been to Letheras aka near the Omtose Phellack and Hood towers area in the map from FoL (Jaghut Odhan)? Or is Fener speaking to just the continent of Lether?

This post has been edited by Pherikus Nul: 22 July 2019 - 09:03 PM

[Gorefest]

I read it to mean all of Lether, due to it being the only area where the Holds are still active and known.

[Mekeritrig]

Regarding him being described as variable in form: that's kind of the norm for Ascendants. Osserc is described as having tusks and being rather bestial in the prologue of RotCG, iirc. Shadowthrone very much had a body but is not varyingly insubstantial. Just saying that it's not a deal-breaker by any stretch. However, most of the time when we have an Azathanai at play in the main series, they're referred to as Elder Gods, not just gods.

Edit: also, we get lots of evidence of gods being affected by their worshipers. So, his different forms could just be a difference in how his worshipers envisioned him in different places or in different times.

This post has been edited by Mekeritrig: 31 July 2019 - 10:44 PM