Interpretation of Shadowthrone with the Hound Baran by Seraph777
Ammanas was the Ruler of the Warren of Shadow,[2] Kurald Emurlahn, and the Ruler/King of High House Shadow.[3] Relatively new to that position, it was not completely secure. As King, he commanded High House Shadow, including the Hounds of Shadow.
Ammanas was known to be crafty and unpredictable, and worked with his partner Cotillion in most matters. Many of the pivotal events throughout the series were the result of his web of schemes.
Also known as Shadowthrone[2] or 'Lord of Shadow',[4] he mostly walked with a cane described as having a silver gleaming head.
Ammanas' voice was described as reed-thin[5] and he spoke with a Dal Honese accent.[6] His vocal performance was often described by strong attributes such as manic shrieking, giggling, sniffing, cackling and hissing. Only on very rare occasions was he heard speaking quietly without affectation.[7]
Ammanas considered Malazan Empress Laseen an enemy. He believed the Empress to be with her back to the wall and possibly about to fall without his and Cotillion's help, something he felt to be unsatisfactory. Cotillion believed that Ammanas had always underestimated Laseen and that their current situation (i.e. at the beginning of Gardens of the Moon) was a result of that.[8]
In Gardens of the Moon
Interpretation of Shadowthrone by slaine69
Shadowthrone and Cotillion began settling scores in 1161BS. They appeared before the fishergirl who would later become known as Sorry on a road in Itko Kan. There Shadowthrone ordered the Hounds of Shadow to slaughter the Nineteenth Regiment of the Itko Kanese 8th Cavalry that had just passed by. After eliminating the possibility of witnesses to their actions, Shadowthrone watched as Cotillion possessed Sorry. Cotillion/Sorry then joined the Malazan marines, requesting to serve under High Fist Dujek Onearm in Genabackis.[9]
Ammanas turned up again two years later in 1163BS in Pale just after Ganoes Paran had been fatally stabbed by a still possessed Sorry. Paran had been assigned to investigate the girl, and Cotillion hoped his provocative murder of the Empress' agent would "draw her into the fray." Ammanas warned Cotillion/Sorry that something had entered their Warren uninvited and that they had stumbled upon another player's game. Ammanas swore to identify the interloper, but Cotillion/Sorry reminded him that toppling Laseen and the Empire was still their primary goal, adding that Ammanas should not get distracted.[6]
While tracking the intruder, Shadowthrone and his Hounds met Ganoes Paran's now no longer dying spirit at Hood's Gates. Shadowthrone demanded the identity of Paran's benefactor, who had saved the young captain's life and opposed Shadowthrone's plans. But Paran did not relinquish the information. Instead he convinced Shadowthrone it was in his best interest to let Paran live as a known agent of his enemy rather than allow a different unknown entity to take his place. Shadowthrone agreed, telling Paran that his shadow would follow the Captain should Paran return to the mortal world.[10]
Quick Ben visited Shadowthrone at the Shadowkeep to identify Hairlock as the intruder and to bargain his location in exchange for lifting the Rope's death sentence from Quick. Shadowthrone agreed, realizing too late that Quick was his treacherous former High Priest.[11]
Quick Ben fulfilled his end of the bargain, alerting Cotillion to Hairlock's presence on the Rhivi Plain. The Hounds tore the mad puppet to pieces before Doan and Ganrod were themselves slain by Anomander Rake. Shadowthrone appeared and was saddened to confirm that there was no possibility of release for his servants from Dragnipur. Rake warned Ammanas to end any of Shadow's scheming in Darujhistan or face the sword himself. Shadowthrone was forced to recall the Rope, who was thus forced to give up his possession of Sorry. By now recognizing Oponn as his chief antagonist, Shadowthrone left Rake to contend with the twin gods' schemes.[12]
In Deadhouse Gates
Interpretation of Shadowthrone by slaine69
Sorry, now known as Apsalar, traveled with Fiddler, Kalam, and Crokus to Seven Cities. There she experienced memories from the life of the god who had possessed her. From her account, they managed to work out Shadowthrone and Cotillion's true identities.[13]
Shadowthrone sent the demon Apt to Raraku to gather information on the Path of Hands convergence.[14] In the course of her duties, Apt was ensnared by Sha'ik until finally being released by the prophetess to guard Kalam during his trek across the continent.[15] Apt returned to Shadowthrone at the place where Korbolo Dom had crucified thirteen hundred Malazan children. The demon pressured the god into healing the children and taking them into service at Shadowkeep. The god begrudgingly healed Panek and the other children.[16]
Shadowthrone directed Iskaral Pust to lay false trails diverting the Path of Hands from the Shadow gate at Tesem to the Azath House Tremorlor. He feared that if the ruse failed his "precious realm" would "become very crowded indeed".[17][18] Assisting Pust was Rellock, Apsalar's father. It transpired that instead of killing him when Sorry was possessed, Ammanas had taken the fisherman from Itko Kan to serve as Pust's servant and restored his missing arm.[19]
When the Path of Hands had ended, Apsalar successfully petitioned Shadowthrone to return her and Rellock to their home and sever all association between them and the god. The god also brought Kalam and Minala into Shadow to serve as the surrogate mother and father for his new child servants.[20]
In House of Chains
Throne of Shadow by Efirende
He appeared on Drift Avalii after Cotillion had killed the Edur. They mourned Hawl's death and discussed Traveller, and the plans of the Talons. Ammanas recruited Minala, Apt, and the rescued children to help defend the First Throne.
In The Bonehunters
Ammanas sent the Hounds of Shadow to Seven Cities to finish off Dejim Nebrahl and lead the Deragoth to kill Poliel. They were also to kill Quick Ben, who was there to rescue his sister from Poliel in G'danisban, but were stopped by Apsalar, who used the Shadow Dance to ward them off. Ammanas blamed Cotillion for this since it had been his skills that had been imbibed by Apsalar.[21]
He summoned Quick Ben to fend off Icarium from the First Throne. Ammanas later rescued Kalam Mekhar after he'd been shot with a poisoned quarrel and took him to the Deadhouse. He was awed by Apsalar's Shadow dance, commenting that he had never seen even Cotillion perform with such skill. He also informed Obo that the Twins Oponn had been meddling in the events from Obo's Tower, which caused Obo to eject them from the tower.[22]
In Reaper's Gale
He struck a deal with Menandore and Hood.
In Toll the Hounds
King of High House Shadow by Keezy Young
Shadowthrone and Cotillion met Traveller and provide him with supplies and the Hounds as guides. They also confronted Karsa Orlong and warned him to stay out of Traveller's way.
Ammanas sent the Hounds to Darujhistan to keep Dragnipur from falling into the hands of Envy, Spite, or the Hounds of Light after the death of Anomander Rake.
In The Crippled God
Ammanas met Ganoes Paran on the roof of the keep in Kolanse that Paran's Host had conquered. He questioned Paran on his faith in his sister and struck a bet with the Captain about the ongoing siege. He sent Quick Ben and Kalam to the Host after losing the bet.
He gifted Silchas Ruin with a Hust sword. Later, he appeared before Draconus and asked him to stay away from Korabas and the Eleint hunting her.
In Night of Knives
The past events of Kellanved and Dancer's ascension were detailed. During the night of the Shadow Moon in 1154BS, both Kellanved and Dancer returned to Malaz Island after having disappeared from the human realm for two years, during which time Laseen ruled the Empire. During these years, they had been exploring the Azath Houses. Upon their return they were targeted by Laseen for assassination. During the attempt at Mock's Hold that involved Laseen, Topper, and Otataral powder, both men seemingly fell out of a window over a cliff and into the sea and were presumed dead.[23]
In reality, Dancer and Kellanved had used Laseen to stage their deaths. They went to the Deadhouse, an Azath house on the island, and ascended to High House Shadow and took control of its Throne. It has been theorized that Shadow was wandering over the physical realm like another layer of reality and that the night of the Shadow Moon was the convergence of the physical locations of Shadowkeep and the Deadhouse. In this way, they could ascend from the Deadhouse to the Shadow House.
In Return of the Crimson Guard
Key figures of the Warren of Shadow (Rashan and Meanas).
Interpretation by Shadaan (clockwise from the left) Gear, Cotillion, Shadowthrone, Edgewalker, Shan and Apsalar
Shadowthrone and Cotillion pulled Traveller, Kyle, and their companions into the Shadow realm. Once they were in Shadowkeep, Shadowthrone proposed to help Traveller find his "quarry" in return for "a mere service." Before he could elaborate, he detected an emergence from Kyle's sword which was revealed to be Osserc. A Hound of Shadow arrived and a confrontation seemed inevitable until Hethe, Shadowthrone's monkey-like servant, defused it. Osserc departed and Traveller bid Kyle farewell. He had accepted Shadowthrone's offer without revealing what it was.[24] Soon after, Traveller appeared near Li Heng during the Battle of the Plains to defeat Skinner whose Crimson Guard threatened the existence of the Malazan Empire.[25]
In Stonewielder
Renegade High Mage Ussü recalled Emperor Kellanved's instructions before the Malazan 6th Army left for the invasion of Korel. Kellanved informed him that the goal of conquering was not control of territory or resources, but was "about recasting the deck entirely...Everywhere, for every region--for every person--hands are dealt from the Dragons deck. To create true fundamental change you must force a complete reshuffling of all hands."[26]
Shadowthrone later posed as the amnesiac Shadow priest Warran and traveled with Kiska and Jheval through Shadow. He was described as a dark skinned man with frizzy grey hair, grey uneven teeth, and beady yellow eyes.[27] He was angered by the mad mage Yathengar's Chaos Whorl which devoured portions of his realm.[28] At the site of the Whorl he watched with satisfaction as the Tiste Liosan Army of Light destroyed the Whorl even as it bloodied its own nose. Cotillion chastised him for wasting his time on such an unimportant task.[29]
History
Interpretation of Emperor Kellanved by Bookofog
Before ascending, Ammanas was known as Kellanved, founder[30] and Emperor of the Malazan Empire. He was originally from Dal Hon and described as a dark-skinned gnarled gnome of a man with curly grey hair. He also exhibited a penchant for wearing grey and black. He was shorter than Dancer.
Before he became Emperor, Kellanved had been running a tavern on Malaz Island. He partnered with Dancer with the aim of taking over the criminal organizations that ruled over the island and overthrowing the local pirate ruler, Mock. They employed a young boy, Dujek.
Nok, Hawl and Amaron - all Napans - were in hiding on the island after Nap was conquered by Unta, but were discovered by Dujek and taken to his new employers. The scheme expanded further after Dancer bolstered their numbers by recruiting other Napan refugees who had fled their island, such as Cartheron and Urko Crust and Surly. Shortly thereafter, Toc the Elder, Dassem Ultor, Tayschrenn, and Duiker also joined. With this family, Kellanved and Dancer conquered Malaz Island.
The Napan faction of the family used Kellanved to crush the Untan hegemony and take the Napan isles back. Once the Kingdom of Unta on the Quon Tali mainland was conquered, the Malazan Empire was created.
Ganoes Paran commented to Lorn that the Emperor had held no love for them (i.e. the nobility) and that consequently they had kept their heads down since the first days of the Empire[31].
As Emperor, Kellanved introduced the transportation of imprisoned Mages to the Otataral Island.[32]
Quotes
- "History comforts the dull-witted."
- ―Kellanved, quoted in Duiker's Imperial Campaigns, Volume One
- "Every throne is an arrow-butt."
- ―Kellanved
- "Never ignore the barbarians."
- ―Kellanved
- "An army that waits is soon an army at war with itself."
- ―Kellanved
- "A throne is made of many parts, any one of which can break, to the king's eternal discomfort."
- ―Kellanved
- "Is there anything more worthless than excuses?"
- ―Kellanved
- "I have had visions of the future, and each and every one of them ends up in the same place. Don’t ask me what it means. I already know. That’s the problem with visions of the future."
- ―Kellanved
- "I could never make up my mind if he was the biggest fool I'd ever met, or the most cunning bastard."
- ―Cartharon Crust about Kellanved
- "Leave feints to the nobility, And they can take their clever elegance to the barrow."
- ―Kellanved, on useless Untan Cavalry maneuvers
- "No one steals from me. Not even a fish."
- ―Shadowthrone
- "In proclamation, one defines his enemy for his enemy"
- ―Kellanved
Notes and references
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Glossary, UK MMPB p.706
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gardens of the Moon, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB p.xvi
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB p.20
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 4, UK MMPB p.155
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 1, UK MMPB p.16
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.124
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 15, UK MMPB p.473 - When Anomander Rake killed two of the Hounds of Shadow was one of those rare moments
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 1, UK MMPB p.17/18
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 1
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 4, UK MMPB p.139/140
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 12, US HC p.279-281
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 15, US HC p.326-334
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 5, US HC p.129-130
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 1, US HC p.34
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 5, US HC p.133
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 11, US HC p.304-306
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 11, US HC p.305-306
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 24, UK MMPB p.927
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 11, US HC p.295-296
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 23, US HC p.583-584
- ↑ The Bonehunters, Chapter 15, UK MMPB p.722-769
- ↑ The Bonehunters, Chapter 23
- ↑ Night of Knives, Chapter 4
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 6, US HC p.487-493
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 2, US HC p.620-622
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.134
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 6, UK TPB p.341-343
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 7, UK TPB p.373
- ↑ Stonewielder, Epilogue, UK TPB p.629
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB p. xiii
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 1, UK MMPB p.17/18
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 1 UK MMPB p.50
| Members of Kellanved's Family | |
|---|---|
| The Originals | Kellanved • Dancer • Dujek • Amaron • Hawl • Nok |
| Expanded Family | Cartharon Crust • Dassem Ultor • Duiker • Surly (Laseen) • Tayschrenn • Toc the Elder • Urko Crust |
| Deck of Dragons and Tiles of the Holds | |
|---|---|
| Cards | High House Chains • High House Dark • High House Death • High House Life • High House Light • High House Shadow • High House War • Unaligned |
| Tiles | Azath Hold • Beast Hold • Dragon Hold • Empty Hold • Ice Hold • Fulcra |