Masan Gilani

Masan Gilani
Masan Gilani by Shadaan
Biographical information
Race	Human (Dal Honese)
Gender	Female
Social information
Affiliation	Malaz 14th Army
Occupation(s)	Soldier

Masan Gilani was a Dal Honese Heavy infantry soldier in the Malaz 14th Army. She likely belonged to either Sergeant Sobelone's or Sergeant Tugg's squad.

She was described as tall and dark-skinned with heavy, shapely breasts, a swell to her belly and hips, and graceful long legs with leonine lines. She also had elongated, almond-shaped eyes and was generally considered very beautiful. Her voice was said to be luscious and heavenly. She was also a skilled rider.

A large hooked-blade was part of her gear. She carried two vicious-looking long-knives in scabbards on her hips.

History

As a young woman, she had left her two children in the care of her aunts and uncles and departed the Dal Hon Plains. After Dal Hon had been conquered by the Malazan Empire it was increasingly common for Dal Honese to take the path of wandering, a custom by which Masan Gilani chose to explore the world and join the army.

In The Bonehunters

After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman led the Army of the Apocalypse westward to Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. Adjunct Tavore launched the Last Siege of Y'Ghatan by sending the army's sappers to breach the city's wall under the cover of night. First into the city were the Malazan marines, followed quickly by the heavy and medium infantry. Once inside the city, the Malazans immediately came under heavy attack by hidden swordsmen and archers. Both Sergeants Sobelone and Tugg were killed.

When enough Malazans were engaged in street fighting inside the city, Leoman sprung his trap. The city's olive oil-soaked buildings were set alight and the streets quickly became an inferno. Masan Gilani fled the flames along with a mixed group of survivors from Sobelone's, Tugg's, Fiddler's, Hellian's, and Gesler's squads. She was among the small group of soldiers who survived Y'Ghatan by tunneling their way out from under the city. They spent three days crawling on their hands and knees through the dark led by Bottle and his rat.

Unaware that any had survived, the 14th Army made haste for the Kokakal Sea to embark on Admiral Nok's ships and escape the Bluetongue Plague ravaging Seven Cities. Faradan Sort and Sinn remained behind and discovered the survivors as they crawled from the wreckage. Captain Sort reorganised the shattered soldiers, promoting Urb to sergeant and placing Gilani in his newly created 13th squad.

The survivors followed the 14th Army's trail west. During that journey their officers selected Masan Gilani, as the best rider, to take Apsalar's horse and her Kethra knife and ride ahead to try and catch up to and notify the army of their survival. Along the way she was stopped short when her mount was attacked and killed by the starving and feverish Dejim Nebrahl. She was able to slay one of the T'rolbarahl's D'ivers forms and cripple another, but only managed to escape when the Hounds of Shadow and the Deragoth intervened. Both sets of Hounds had been on their own hunts for the T'rolbarahl.

The wounded Gilani was forced to wait for the others to catch up to her on foot, so that Deadsmell could tend to her. Apsalar allowed her to keep the kethra knife. Then they resumed their journey to rejoin the 14th Army on the coast. Aboard one of Nok's ships, Sinn snuggled under Gilani's cloak to fondle and suckle her breasts. Neither Gilani nor Sinn's brother, Shard, felt moved to stop her. Gilani also spent her time aboard ship sewing badges bearing the Bonehunters' new official sigil. Nok's fleet returned the army to Malaz City where the Adjunct met with Empress Laseen.

In Reaper's Gale

Adjunct Tavore clashed with Empress Laseen at Malaz City and took the Bonehunters rogue, following the Tiste Edur fleet that had ravaged Sepik back to Lether to invade the Letherii Empire. Masan Gilani was originally a heavy, but after the reorganisation of the army for the invasion of Lether, she became a marine and was temporarily reassigned to Balm's squad. Rumour among the soldiers was that she had shifted to Balm's squad because she found Urb so handsome she could not think straight around him.

Balm and Cord's squads took the Silanda to the island of Second Maiden Fort off the coast of Lether to establish a headquarters and resupply base for the Adjunct. They found the island on the verge of being destroyed under a mountain of ice released by the collapse of Gothos' ancient Omtose Phellack ritual, but Sinn was able to hold the ice back with her magic until its force was spent. The island's self-declared ruler, Brullyg, gratefully welcomed the Malazans as royal guests until they placed him under house arrest and secretly took control of the island.

Balm's squad kept Brullyg under guard and monitored the island from its only town, as Cord's squad patrolled the island's coast and interior while awaiting Tavore's arrival. Sinn served as a go-between, able to transport herself instantly across the island with her magic. Masan Gilani spent most of her time in town, but she and Widdershins sometimes accompanied Cord's squad as needed. She, Galt, and Lobe all served as muscle in Brullyg's chambers, but the voluptuous Gilani's charms also kept Brullyg stupid and docile. Among Cord's squad, she was likely the only one not to fear Sinn and her growing power. She still thought of the budding High Mage as the little mute child who had suckled in her arms.

Meanwhile Tavore sent Fist Keneb's marines to the mainland, spreading them in isolated pairs of squads across thirty leagues of coast and burning their transport vessels behind them. The marines moved forward into the Letherii countryside towards Letheras, the capital, with orders to kill Edur by night and stir the occupied Letherii into rebellion. Each squad had a mage responsible for hiding their presence and confusing their enemies.

When Adjunct Tavore arrived with the rest of the Malazan fleet, she hired Shurq Elalle to guide them to the mouth of the Lether River leading to Letheras. Balm and Cord's squads made the journey on the Silanda. Masan Gilani refused to wear her armour on board for fear of drowning and spent time with Cord on deck to avoid attention from the men of her squad as well as Crump, the sapper. Cord pointed out Captain Kindly drooling over her from the nearby Froth Wolf before making an advance of his own towards her. When Gilani expressed no romantic interest in Cord, he intrigued her by suggesting she take up with Crump. Gilani was initially disgusted by the idea until Cord piqued her interest by saying "Crump's no whiskered shrew under those breeches." Then he excitedly began plotting a betting pool for how long it would be before she ran away screaming from the sapper. Meanwhile, Kindly ordered Lieutenant Pores to prepare a disciplinary report on Gilani for being out of uniform.

The Adjunct's fleet made landfall near Letheras in time to see a massive release of enemy sorcery near Fist Keneb's reported position. Believing the marines had been wiped out, Tavore's forces defeated the city's Imperial Brigade. Balm's squad, along with Masan Gilani, secured horses to chase down fleeing Letherii soldiers. They continued further inland towards the city with Gilani in the lead and Balm mesmerized by her bottom. When they arrived at the field where Beak had saved Keneb's marines, they were mystified to find no bodies. Approaching the city's western gate, they found it in control of Keneb's troops. By this time, "the Confusion" had come upon Balm and he tackled Gilani from her horse to save her from nonexistent enemies. Deadsmell assured Keneb the sergeant would snap out of it soon, as the Fist ordered Masan Gilani to race back to fetch reinforcements from Tavore. Soon the City Garrison surrendered and the city fell.

In Dust of Dreams

Masan Gilani was persuaded by Sinter, who had had a premonition, to leave the Bonehunters in search of allies. She found the T'lan Imass of the Unbound.

In The Crippled God

Masan Gilani by Dejan Delic

On the return journey to the Bonehunters, Masan Gilani and the Unbound came across the site of the army's battle with the K'Chain Nah'ruk. Seeing the battlefield seething with orthens, she told the Unbound that she would not eat orthen anymore and questioned that crossing a lizard with a rat had been a good idea in the first place.

Notes and references

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