[Shield Anvil]

Skinner no doubt about it
nah seriously I think he's a new, not previously heard of, character.. he could be Seguleh but their mask arn't scaled and he ain't born on the Island, btw are seguleh only a culture or a spicies too?

an odd thing
The conversation between Kil and Rake:
?They will forge alliances,? she said. ?They will all war against us.?
Anomandaris shrugged. ?I have nothing better to do today.?
doesn't the same conversation occur in GotM between Korlat and her Lord?
or am I confusing myslef? haven't had the time to check it up yet.

[philospher77]

I still say Red Mask is one of the Red Moranth. And, I am even going to go further out on a limb and say that, as the other Moranth masks reflect their mounts, so does the red mask... scaled, to show that they ride dragons (or dragon-kin), not Quorls. The Moranth have a history with the Edur, and if the Red Moranth have gone to Lether to aid Rhulad (or to fight against him for the other kin that Trull mentions), it would explain why they are not available to help the Malazan army.

[Dolorous Menhir]

Further idea in support of Kilmandaros as EG of/associated with the FA.

Kilmandaros only appears to use physical force. There is no evidence of magic.
She kills with her arms and hands, and never uses magic once, that we see.

(edit: better hedge that statement, we do see Kilmandaros & Rake "closing gates" to KE. I'm assuming that uses some kind of magic, but it doesn't appear to be the same as throwing around fireballs or waves of darkness or ice)

Just like the FA.

I just had an idea. Could the item that Gothos produces as a Finnest be a part of Silchas Ruin's swords? Perhaps the place where he took Scabby's soul into the Finnest is the place where the Sengar brothers were sent to collect the sword in the glacier field. The remnants of the weapons of the man he just betrayed.

This would then make Scabby the soul in Rhulad's sword, it's been proposed that the sword has a life of it's own but a persuasive case has never been made.

That's the first plausible object I can think of for the Finnest to be...though you have to answer the question of how it got back there from the possession of Gothos.

I also wonder, is Gothos living in the Azath because of Kilmandaros' threat to send her children after him?

Don't have any thoughts on the canoes, except that the "dismantling of the prows" is something Barghast did in MoI, under Capustan, if I remember right. There are three continents we know very little about (Korelri, Jacuruku, Assail), this force could have come from any of those.

Also, if we are going to have a storyline set 2 years before the Edur invasion of Lether, perhaps we will have more scenes with the Ceda!

The lone rider with the crimson scaled mask - possible groups:

Crimson Guard - not a Quon native, so unlikely
Seguleh - again, native to the Awl'dan, not Seguleh island. Also don't think the Seguleh had coloured masks, but not sure about this.
Moranth - possibly, but I don't remember a Crimson or Red Moranth.

I'm inclined to say he's a new person, from a new group. No links to old characters.

The two companions, "dread creatures".

My first instinct was Bauchelain & Korbal Broach, but that's not proved popular, since the masked man is clearly not Emancipor Reese. I still think B & KB are a good fit to the description of the companions though.

Seen KCCM suggested, don't believe that. It's said the companions kill for pleasure, and the KCCM are essentially drones, without emotion as a motive. I don't believe it's credible that KCCM are roaming Letherii territory anyway, with a (probably) human companion.

The dead soldiers are clearly Togg & Fanny followers, you have the large numbers of women, the wolf-head insignia, the strange behaviour of the wolves, as clear evidence of that. But I'm not convinced they are either the Grey Swords or the Perish, can't really say why, I just can't see those two armies losing so badly off-screen. It's very likely T & F have followers around the world we haven't met yet.

As for the heart-eating, there can be many possible reasons for it. Perhaps that is what happens to a T & F follower (need a better abbreviation) when they die, they get their hearts eaten by wolves as a way of ensuring...what, that T & F get their souls in some kind of analogue to Fener's Reve? That some other agent can't come along and use the bodies for some other use?

This comes out of nowhere, but I thought maybe this might be a way for the soldiers to become Soletaken Wolves.

Got to say, this prologue doesn't furnish much new information...I'm not much interested in half-a-million people arriving and vanishing on Lether 2 years before MT even happened.

I want more Rake.

[philospher77]

You know, I could have sworn that the Red Moranth are mentioned in passing in several spots, but the only one I can easily find is from MOI: Distinguished by their characteristic nose plugs, lone braid, and multi-toned armor fashioned from Moranth victims - Green, Black, Red, and, here and there, Gold Clans....

But I could really swear that there is some point where Whiskeyjack is discussing strategy, and he complains that he hasn't seen any of the Red Moranth that he has heard so much about.

[Dolorous Menhir]

I'm fairly sure it was the Gold - the elites - who were absent for most of the Genebackan campaign. I think that's who Whiskeyjack and Dujek were complaining about.

[Aptorian]

About Bauchelin and korbal Broach when I read about the claws/talons streaking through the grass I thought it could be them in their bird form. After all Quick ben warned them of the CG threat. Our masked stranger Could have been Buke, but again, it is said the rider is native so it's probably just a new character.

I think the wolves eating the hearts were the Jheck, that's why the wolves weren't acting like the masked stranger expected. The question is are the Jheck on togg and fanderay's side or are they against them? Having lost The Pack and their leader in Lether they might have turned to worship of the new masters of the beast hold. Remember that in HoC someone, maybe L'oric, warns the other Soultaken/D'ivers around them, that they might soon be made to kneel before TnF.

[Lister of Smeg]

I reckon the masked man is Beak, the guy Pallor mentions in RG thread in the BH forum.

[tiam]

Yeh me 2. I cant see it being someone weve seen before the description doesnt fit. The Moranth landing on Lether makes sense. In fact i like that idea more than anything else so far. They are barghast technically so maybe they landed and dismantled.

We never had a moranth number count and the black lost 10000 at the siege of Coral. TBH only the moranth have the numbers (maybe) and also the means and the motive. By that i mean Rhulad still seeks KE fragments (as far a s we know) and the Moranth live in such a fragment in cloud forest. They would sense this sudden Edur power although im not sure why there going to lether. Neway Moranth definitely

[Hume]

I hate to break it to Tiam but Why would the Moranth use Boats when they can fly ?

They dont seem to be the type that would drastically change their course of events or that anything that has happened to them have their events change.

The barghast still seems more likely than them.

[Murrin]

The man in the mask quite clearly states that he is native to--was born in--the Awl'dan. He mentions that in past years he has fought in battles against the various nations surrounding the Awl'dan. He is not Seguleh, or Moranth, or any other person that travelled there from another place we have seen in the series.

[Dark Mac]

Here's a crazy theory for you: the masked man is Dessimbelackis, and he's travelling with two of the Hounds of Darkness. Dessim could've been born anywhere, and the HoD are some of the few creatures who could take out an army with only two of them.

[Dolorous Menhir]

Wow.

That's original.

I don't believe it...but it's good nonetheless.

[Abyss]

I was thinking two Deragoth as Red Mask's companions, but the reference to talons, rather than paws, puts me in the mind of KC or KN.

As for Kili', here's one: based on the description of her, FA, TTT, and Eres (and thus Imass) are ALL descended from the same mommy.


- Abyss, talk about parental issues.

[Father Light]

i wondered if kil was perhaps the goddess of kchain. some similar physical characteristics. low slung head long arms etc. also kchain trapped in ice iand in imperial warren in bh are the children who lost their way?

think its either them or the fa.

would be interested to know how the fa have lost their way? the peace keeping quests? lost their true racial goal in favour of misguided slaughter? they have always been seen as individuals so if they are kils children then the threat of a group whooping would have had goths crapping himself.

ps, perhaps red masks companions are the two kenylrah who were following the fa. this would perhaps correlate nicely with kil being fa goddess and would perhaps link the fa to thius book?

just a thought.

[Lord of Salvation]

I already said I believed his two companions were the two brothers, the Demon King's.

But if so who could be the red masked man possibly?

[Aptorian]

Lord of Salvation;109769 said:

I already said I believed his two companions were the two brothers, the Demon King's.

But if so who could be the red masked man possibly?

Ooohh... Something hit me, it could be the Errant. Like Paran the Errant was probably just a mortal man from a place on the Lether continent before he became master of the holds. What he's doing traveling around beats me... but hell... it's a theory.

[Folken]

So HUME shot this theory out right. and since this IS the crazy theory thread i figure i'd post this here hehe...so none of u can ridcule me:p

So Draconean parents and Draconean children are a very iffy topic for us.
Now we know that Draconean's don't age...because of the draconean blood.
Thus if a new born baby were to gain Draconean blood...is it not logical to suggest he/she would also not age?
THUS, since all of the children are quite clearly aged;)
I say..that no. Draconean parents does not mean draconean blood. You need to drink Tiam Juice yourself.

Ofcourse this theory doesn't make sense when applied to Osserc's two daughters who were born of Tiam...how the hell are they soletaken *thinks*

hey it is the crazy theory thread :eek3:...:outta:


I dont think even SE thought about this all that much. He probably jsut made them draconean and not draconean as he pleased:p

[Illuyankas]

Draconean people may not age because they are ascendants, perhaps? A child of draconean parents might reach a certain age before achieving a mental state of ascendancy, already having a physical requirement. Not that something physical is automatically needed, but it would definitely ease the way - how many ascendant Soletaken have we seen? Buke probably could have ascended eventually, if he had had the right mindset.