[GingerBreadMan]

The Imass are so interested because two entire clans were slaughtered there, by a human tyrant. No idea who the human tyrant is though,

[Folken]

Hunting Jaghut perhaps...they don't like the idea of Tyrants or False Gods be it any race, as we clearly saw in House of Chains and their slaughter of Loric's familiar. Its not for fun, they dont want to continue this anymore. The clans decided to go to Assail so they could be released as one, they have been bound for so long it makes sense to die as one.

[GingerBreadMan]

I think intitially they suspected the tyrant was a Jaghut, like the pannion. The it turned out it was human, they all got killed, and now the Imass are going after this Tyrant because he/she is not very nice.

[caladanbrood]

vaiski said:

Also, Cheater of death! implies that theres much more involved than a simple issue of Seguleh rankings.

Personally, I think this hunt has absolutely nothing to do with the Seguleh, and everything to do with Hood being pissed off at the Avowed for living longer than they're supposed to... Hence "cheater of death".

[GingerBreadMan]

Nope, after all Hood stopped the hunt. Thus the Soldier wouldn't be upset for getting pulled off of the chase since if it was on Hoods orders. I think this is something personal.

[Morgoth]

GingerBreadMan said:

Nope, after all Hood stopped the hunt. Thus the Soldier wouldn't be upset for getting pulled off of the chase since if it was on Hoods orders. I think this is something personal.

Now that is a very bold statement. The Soldier, and other minions of Hood all obviously hunt Skinner, so it would seem as if Hood want him found and possibly (most likely) killed, no? Pulling the Soldier away from the hunt might have been an act of necessity rather than want. We do not yet know the full significance of the encounter.

Do you truly believe that Hood would do something as petty as to trick the soldier away from the hunt if he did not wish Skinner found?

[Tiger_sword]

If hood hadn't pulled him of his course then cutter wouldn't know the truth about darujistan and his uncle. Prehaps cutter is supposed to do something important (thus the theory that someone had a hand in him surviving the imass incounter). In which case it seams like Cutter is quite a major player in what is to come (whatever that is)

[GingerBreadMan]

What I mean is this. If the Soldier is on a mission solely beause Hood told him to, he wouldnt have cared if his orders were changed, because all he is doing is what Hood wants.. If his hunt for Skinner was solely on Hoods orders he would have said something like" Ok fine, but make up your mind Hood jeez" but he seemed quite upset with Hood, which makes me think that this is a personal thing.

[Morgoth]

Pride should be enough to accomplish that effect. He is the 2nd after all

The 2nd may just be annoyed because his chance of fullfiling the mission first has been diminished though. Or perhaps skinner did indeed kill him. That does not however in any way alter the probability that the mission he is on is one decided by hood and not the soldier himself

[Illuyankas]

The Soldier seemed pissed off to me because Hood had pulled him out of his warren, off the hunt for Skinner, just to talk to Cutter and Heboric. I felt the Soldier saw it as an unnecessary detour from Hood's mission.

[Blind]

One thing that points against Skinner killing the Second is that the Avowed cannot be much older than the Empire (about a hundred years), since they were created to restore prince K'azz to his throne. The Second's remembrance of Darujhistan indicates that he lived and was killed much longer than a century ago. Dassem would also be too young for that.

[GingerBreadMan]

I just dont buy the theory that this was on Hoods orders...Blind just pointed out that Skinner really isnt that old, epecially compared to all the mages and strange cases like bridgeburners. I dont see that Hood would be all that upset over them being a little old, he seems like he is a patient enough god, whats a couple hundred years to him?

In addition, I dont buy that the Soldier would be upset if Hood interrupted a hunt that he had ordered him on. Seems like he would have just shrugged his shoulders and said w/e. Afterall he wouldnt really care if he caught Skinner if it was just business, he was just doing his job. I dont know why, but it seems personal between Skinner/Soldier for w/e reasons.

[Illuyankas]

Well, the Soldier isn't the only one of Hood's minions hunting Skinner, and he says he was close, so to be pulled away from your (possibly century-old) hunt just to talk to some random people would piss anyone off at first, before the Soldier realised Hood's reason. Whatever it was.

And Skinner, while only 'comparatively' young, was still able to fend off Hood's Mortal Sword - a demonstration of his abilities, being an equal to Dassem, and a kick in Hood's teeth. And we all know how Hood deals with grudges...

And who's to say that the Second didn't get horribly lost centuries past, and become something of an Ascendant (for immortality) before running into Skinner (or Dassem) and getting killed more recently? He may even have been stuck on Assail before the CGrd reached it. Who knows what they've been up to, apart from SE and ICE?

[Dolorous Menhir]

I though Dassem Ultor was the Knight of Death...was he also the Mortal Sword of Hood?

[Illuyankas]

That's what I meant, though I did read that he was MS in everything but name somewhere in there. I think.

[Set'alahd Crool]

I'd just like to say that "Only Skinner escaped with his life" doesn't make him Dassem's equal.

[Illuyankas]

Set said:

I'd just like to say that "Only Skinner escaped with his life" doesn't make him Dassem's equal.

Probably, but to escape Dassem while in a swordfight makes him a damn sight closer to Dassem's skill than all the other Avowed.

And my theory that Dassem killed the Second while serving Hood seems a bit more likely after skimming through NOK, as Dassem's pact with Hood was said to have been made when Temper's grandfather was alive - fitting in with the length of time the Second needed to be away from Genabackis somewhat.

[MecnunK]

So have the thirds been jumping to the first's position all this time the 2nd has been dead and clearly noone can find the 2nd as he still has the mask.. or the 1st has lived for a while.

If Rake is still 7th after 500 years then did he actually beat the seventh or move to seven through people dying off etcetra because if he didnt then that implies people jumping from 8th to sixth?

The seguleh could well be aware that Rake still lives hence they keep the 7th place free but we could have a new second now who has disappeared and the dead 2nd used to be the second at some point he died. It sounded like he was dead for a while.