Nimander Golit [nih-MAN-der][1] was a young Tiste Andii and the first son of Anomander Rake.[2][3] He was tall with long, white hair[3] the colour of starlight.[4]
He had lived on the moving island of Drift Avalii with his uncle Andarist as one of several protectors of the Throne of Shadow. This number also included his daughter Phaed and several of his other children by different mothers, along with a few of their cousins.[3] This duty ended with the Tiste Edur invasion of the island in House of Chains in which Nimander was not identified by name. Although he believed himself a poor swordsman, he was actually quite skilled.[5]
He wore a heavy dark blue woolen cloak and daydreamed that his middling skills with the sword were those of a heroic defender of Mother Dark.[6]
In The Bonehunters[]
After Andarist's death, Traveller took over the island's defence and sent Nimander and the other six Andii survivors to safety by ship with about a dozen Malazan Marines, including Mudslinger and Gentur. A storm wrecked their ship on an atoll where they lived off coconut milk and clams for months until being rescued by the Jakatakan Fleet and brought to Malaz City.[3]
Braven Tooth met the castaways while drinking at Coop's Hanged Man Inn. He learned from Phaed that Lady Envy was her mother. Braven Tooth reported all of this to Banaschar, his drinking companion, noting that Envy used to know Rake and "got her revenge taking his son as a lover."[3]
He and the other Andii castaways later joined Sandalath Drukorlat and Withal aboard Cartheron Crust's vessel, the Drowned Rat. Crust brought them out into the Malaz City harbour so they could board Adjunct Tavore Paran's flagship, the Froth Wolf.[7]
In Reaper's Gale[]
Nimander and the other Tiste Andii (Aranatha, Desra, Kedeviss, Nenanda, Phaed, and Skintick) remained aboard the Adjunct's flagship, the Froth Wolf, for over a year as it crossed the oceans to Lether. At the start of the Malazan invasion of the Letherii Empire, the Andii were at the Adjunct's headquarters at Second Maiden Fort. The older Sandalath Drukorlat became a surrogate mother to the group, something which the mentally unstable Phaed deeply resented.[8]
Ever since childhood, Nimander had recognised a deep-seated malice within Phaed, who he now referred to as his sister contrary to earlier accounts. He had learned to affect a personality of guileless innocence when around her and she in turn confided in him her cruel sentiments.[9] When she vowed before him to kill Sandalath, he concluded that she must be killed, but he could not bring himself to follow through. He cursed himself for not having the courage of his father to do what was needed. A woman he loved had been killed by the Edur on Drift Avalii, and he thought whatever courage he possessed had died with her.[10] He thought Andarist's faith in making him leader of the others had been a mistake.[11]
Instead, he stayed awake for days watching for signs that Phaed was following through on her pledge.[12] On the eve before the Bonehunters were to leave Second Maiden Fort, Phaed set out to murder Sandalath in her sleep. She crept into Sandalath and Withal's rooms during a torrential storm and attempted to stab her nemesis with a knife. But Nimander thwarted the plan by following Phaed, and grasping and breaking her wrist as the knife plunged down. When she tried to scratch out his eyes he broke the other wrist before attempting to strangle her. The altercation between the two woke Sandalath and Withal, who first assumed Nimander was the guilty party. Withal pulled Nimander away before Phaed was revealed as the assassin.[13]
Sandalath sought mercy for Phaed's act, but when she went to summon help, Withal threw Phaed out a window to her death. He refused to believe his wife would ever be safe while Phaed lived and pleaded with Nimander to agree that Phaed had committed suicide. When Sandalath returned with Lostara Yil and Banaschar, she was followed close behind by the other Andii. Withal lied about Phaed's death and Nimander corroborated his account.[14]
The Bonehunters left the island to support the invasion, leaving the Andii behind to build Phaed's tomb.[15] Nimander continued to be wracked by guilt. Clip, the Mortal Sword of the Black-Winged Lord and chosen of Mother Dark, later came to the island to bring Nimander and the others to Rake. When Nimander argued that Rake did not want them, Clip claimed it only mattered what Mother Dark wanted. Nimander wondered whether their exile was finally over. After Nimander left to gather his kin, Clip's thoughts revealed most of what he told the young Andii was a lie.[16]
In Toll the Hounds[]
Clip attempted to bring Nimander Golit's group of Tiste Andii to Rake at Black Coral via Kurald Galain, but "layers of resistance" forced them to emerge further south on Genabackis. The Mortal Sword thought little of his charges, finding them largely weak and soft. He had no confidence in Nimander who he deemed overly sensitive and ill-suited for his role as leader of the Drift Avalii group. For his part, Nimander too thought of himself as a failure. He knew he would be judged by the other Andii once they reached Rake, but at least those that followed him would be returned to their community.[17] Nimander also grew to doubt that Clip was the Mortal Sword of anything and silently cursed himself for not standing up to him.[18] In his head, he was visited by the competing voices of Phaed and his dead beloved, who argued over his future.[19] Phaed attempted to convince Nimander the relationship only been in his head and even claimed to have been the one who had killed his lover when his eyes were turned away during the Edur invasion of Drift Avalii.[20]
Aranatha saving Nimander and Skintick by Marc Simonetti (official image)
Arriving in Morsko, Clip was intrigued by the town's flourishing cult of the Dying God. He sent Nimander and the others to safety while he witnessed the cult's rituals in the local tavern. Nimander and Skintick were nearly overcome by the ritual's call, but were saved by Aranatha's overpowering will. Hearing screams from the tavern, the group found Clip lying catatonic amidst a crowd of worshippers he had slain. Aranatha claimed Clip's insensate state was because the cult had taken something from him--perhaps his soul. Nimander had Clip's body placed in a wagon and organised the others to follow the fleeing priests to the presence of their god in Bastion.[21] Nimander claimed one of the town's three horses for the journey. It soon became clear their presence at Bastion was welcomed and expected as the cult left supplies for them along the way.[22]
Near Heath they encountered Kallor walking to Darujhistan. Nimander recognised the High King's menace and talked him out of killing them all. Happy for an easy ride to Bastion, Kallor joined Desra in the wagon where he rebuffed her attempt to poison him with kelyk.[23]
Discovering a ruined tower on the side of the road near Bastion, Kallor stopped to investigate with Nimander and Skintick in tow. The Jaghut, Gothos, reluctantly welcomed them inside and offered them tea. Gothos and Kallor eventually argued and when Kallor threatened to kill him, Gothos revealed the tower had once been an Azath House and offered to reawaken it. Kallor made a hasty exit as Nimander and Skintick were overcome by the drug the Jaghut had put in their tea. Nimander collapsed, falling through a portal of Omtose Phellack in the chamber's wall. He awoke in a world of ash surrounded by the hostile spirits of Tiste Andii, Tiste Edur, and Tiste Liosan who had long ago warred with dragons.[24]
Nimander was pulled to safety by an enormous child-like being that called itself Elder. Elder was Gothos' prisoner--a mason who built Azath Houses. The mason did not know how he came to be there or whether there were others of his kind. Each time one of Elder's Houses neared completion, Gothos entered the House whereupon it disappeared, leaving Elder to start again. Nimander decided to sacrifice himself so that Elder could return home and convinced the mason to build a tower around himself, leaving the final stone for the Tiste Andii to place from the outside. The House, made from the ashen remains of dead dragons, vanished with Elder inside and the angry spirits descended upon Nimander. Meanwhile, Desra entered Gothos' tower looking for her lost kin. When the Jaghut claimed he could not retrieve Nimander, she reached through the portal herself and pulled him to safety. What had felt like days or weeks for Nimander had only been moments. The Jaghut chastised Nimander for setting Elder free while mulling over the idea of a new Azath House built in the blood of dragons.[25] The placing of the final stone had crushed the bones in Nimander's hands, but Aranatha was able to heal them.[26]
They found Bastion seemingly abandoned, its streets empty and its walls and buildings marred by sigils and glyphs. Only the distant sound of singing and the feeling of watching eyes gave indication that anyone remained. Aranatha warned that the entire city was now sanctified as the Abject Temple of the Dying God, so they found a closed up inn to rest. Nimander, Skintick, and Kallor left to search out the Dying God's temple while the others remained behind to prepare their armour and weapons and guard Clip. Finding a mob of naked and armed worshippers surrounding the temple, Nimander and Skintick retreated as Kallor ventured through the crowd to the temple and did not return. Back at the inn, the Tiste Andii made plans to return to the temple with Clip once the element of darkness was in their favour.[27]
At nightfall the group approached the temple and they were soon hemmed in by more than a thousand armed fanatics. But the Andii were not hampered by the same darkness that nearly blinded their opponents. Nimander, Skintick, and Desra slew the score of priests in the temple's front chamber, while Kedeviss and Nenanda formed a rearguard against the mob. Aranatha calmly led the way to the altar as Nimander dragged Clip. Nimander suddenly found himself alone in another place surrounded by thousands of dolls and hearing the voice of the Dying God. He soon realised the scarecrows had been the God's attempt to build itself a body and the Tiste Andii began destroying the dolls in the hope of finding the God. Aranatha appeared at Nimander's side, startling both him and the God by revealing the God was Bellurdan. The God realised Aranatha's true identity just as she seized the correct puppet and Clip awoke. Kedeviss reported their enemies outside had all been killed or fled.[28]
The revived Clip led the group into the Godswalk Mountains bringing them ever closer to Black Coral. But not all the Tiste Andii believed the Dying God had been bested. Kedeviss brought her suspicions to Nimander that the Dying God remained inside their guide. She ignored Nimander's urge for caution and confronted Clip alone one night. After he revealed the Dying God resided within him, he killed her and made it appear she had fallen to her death. Aranatha was immediately aware of Kedeviss' death, waking Nimander to tell him they had to pretend to accept Clip's ruse or he would kill them all.[29] The others did not fall for Clip's ruse, but Nimander warned them the god was too powerful and they would have to play the fools until they brought him to Rake to deal with.[30][31]
An imagined engagement between Nimander and Clip by slaine69
Just before reaching Black Coral, Clip opened a Gate into Kurald Galain that he said would take them the rest of the way. Nenanda pushed ahead of Nimander and was cut down by Clip's dagger in Nimander's stead, while the others were left trapped in darkness.[32] Mother Dark rescued Nimander through Aranatha and brought them both to the Temple of Shadow in Black Coral. In Rake's absence they found Endest Silann in battle for control of Kurald Galain with Clip and the Dying God. Nimander bested Clip, while the actions of of Mother Dark and the Redeemer defeated the Dying God, and Rake's sacrifice in Dragnipur preserved Kurald Galain, placing the Gate of Darkness within Black Coral.[33]
Afterwards, Nimander took his father's place on the throne of the Tiste Andii with the support of Korlat, the High Priestess of Darkness, and the other Tiste Andii. Nimander was uncertain he deserved the position, but Skintick assured the new lord, that unlike his father, he was not alone, and Mother Dark was with them once more. He also warned that the fully recovered Clip was left feeling furious and cheated and would likely be an eternal thorn in Nimander's side.[34]
In The Crippled God[]
Nimander by Dejan Delic
After the death of his father, Nimander took over as leader of the Tiste Andii. His closest advisors were the High Priestess, Skintick, Desra, Korlat, Spinnock Durav as well as the Ascendant Apsal'ara who sought him out after having been released from Dragnipur by Nimander's father.[35] He led a mass exodus of the Andii from Black Coral back to Kharkanas, to save the ancient home of the Tiste Andii from the Legions of the Tiste Liosan. As the battle raged, he tried to reason with Sandalath Drukorlat, acting queen of Kharkanas, in order to halt the destruction of the city by a pureblood Eleint in her despair. Sand mistook him for Anomander Rake acting out a vision from her past, and he was unable to persuade her to call off the Eleint. The ghost of his sister Phaed manifested and convinced Sand that if she stopped the dragon and locked herself in her ancient room, then her son would one day return to her.
Nimander then joined his Soletaken Andii in the battle for the First Shore.
History[]
Nimander and scores of other progeny of Anomander Rake spent their childhoods in a snowswept keep in a remote mountain range. Rake lived among them in godlike indifference, but their daily needs were tended to by Endest Silann, a priest and ancient companion of Rake. The priest looked upon the children with dismay, knowing what kind of future awaited them. Consequently, he withheld his warmth and treated them like an ogre, although he never did them harm. The children endlessly tormented the old man, mocking and tripping him.[36]
Eventually, Rake's brother Andarist arrived and the two argued bitterly for days. When it was over, Rake told the children Andarist was taking them away to an island. Freed from his duty, Endest wept as the children passed through a warren to Drift Avalii. Andarist proved a stern teacher, ending any insolence with a cuff to the head. The children eagerly took up arms and Andarist made them soldiers.[37]
Although each of the children bore the blood of the Eleint, a bitter Andarist commanded they suppress it, trying to make them more his own children than Rake's.[38]
Speculations[]
Nimander's exact familial relationship with Phaed is made unclear by seemingly contradictory information in the novels. When they are first introduced in The Bonehunters, Braven Tooth points to Nimander and tells Banaschar, "His name is Nimander Golit. And that pretty woman beside him, that's Phaed, his first daughter...Look at 'em, they're all Rake's brood – grandchildren mostly, except for Nimander, who's father to a lot of 'em, but not all."[3] Later in Reaper's Gale they appear to be siblings or cousins. No mention is made of a father-daughter relationship. In The Crippled God, Phaed tells Sandalath Drukorlat that Nimander is "my brother".[39] It is possible Braven Tooth's statement was meant to suggest that Phaed was Anomander Rake's first daughter or that the Master Sergeant was just wrong about Nimander and Phaed's relationship. Or perhaps author Steven Erikson initially made a mistake when introducing the characters or changed his mind in the later novels.
Trivia[]
Author Steven Erikson "really liked the naming constructions of Sanskrit" and used them as the underlying basis for several Tiste names, including Nimander. "I love the rhythmic elements of those names."[40]
Fan art gallery[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ A Conversation with Steven Erikson - Malazan Mid-Series Reflection - Green Team of the Legendarium - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 39:50
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 16, US HC p.471
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 The Bonehunters, Chapter 21, UK MMPB p.1006-1007
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.374
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.482
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 16, US HC p.470
- ↑ The Bonehunters, Chapter 23, US SFBC p.951-953
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.370-372
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.372-373
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 16, US HC p.471-472
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 20, US HC p.606-607
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 20, US HC p.605
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 20, US HC p.601-606
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 20, US HC p.606-608
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Chapter 20, US HC p.601-608
- ↑ Reaper's Gale, Epilogue, US HC p.824-825
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 2, US SFBC p.72-73
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.203-204/207
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 4, US SFBC p.122
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.208
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.202-211
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.225-226
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.226-229
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.317-326
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.326-334
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 10, US SFBC p.408
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 10, US SFBC p.407-417
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.479-484/490-496
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.758-759
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.756-759
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.800-805
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.888-889
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.978/985-986
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Epilogue, US SFBC p.1004
- ↑ The Crippled God, Chapter 1, US HC p.24
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.311-312
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.312-313
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.890
- ↑ The Crippled God, Chapter 19
- ↑ A Conversation with Steven Erikson - Malazan Mid-Series Reflection - Green Team of the Legendarium - See 39:30