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Moon's Spawn by Spindrift

Interpretation of Moon's Spawn by Spindrift

Moon's Spawn (also known as the Tiste Andii's Fang of Darkness)[1] was a floating fortress, or skykeep, with a city inside commandeered by the Tiste Andii. According to Anomander Rake, the city was home to children, priests, and three very bookish warlocks.[2] The fortress also sheltered a huge flock of Great Ravens nesting in the crags and pocks of the Moon's surface and numbering thirty thousand according to one estimate.[3] Within the rock's caverns was the lair of Silanah, the Eleint.[4]

It was a vertically-shaped oblong with no sign of construction on its exterior beyond a small ledge with a recessed door leading inside.[5] Tattersail described the fortress as ragged as a blackened tooth,[6] an enormous floating mountain, its basalt[7] exterior battered by time. During its entire time over Pale it revolved steadily until it stopped at the beginning of the final battle. At that point, the recess with the portal appeared near the top.[3]

The floating nature of Moon's Spawn made it impossible for enemies to lay siege. The fortress was so notorious that the undead army of Logros T'lan Imass were unable or unwilling to assault its magical defenses.[6]

Moon's Spawn was ruled by Anomander Rake, the Tiste Andii warlord and defender of Mother Dark.[7] It had the ability to travel.

Moon's Spawn and its Lord had confronted the Malazan Empire before, in the days of the Emperor, but at the time had withdrawn for no known reason.[6][8]

The Moon's Spawn was also known as the Moon's Child by some.[9]

A city floated within the skykeep's centre, reached by a stone bridge from the exterior portal.[5] Anomander Rake's throne room was a high-ceilinged chamber twenty paces wide and more than forty paces long. His throne sat on a raised dais at one end of the room.[10]

In Gardens of the Moon[]

Moon's spawn by Artaya

Moon's Spawn by Artaya

Moon's Spawn's appearance on Genabackis at Pale came as a complete surprise to the invading Malazan Empire,[6] and its presence on the side of the defenders caused the Siege of Pale to drag out over three years.[11]

On the last day of the siege, Moon's Spawn came under the combined attack of the mages of the besieging army, amongst them Tayschrenn, Nightchill, and Tattersail. The first attack caused the flock of Great Ravens to take flight.[3] Further attacks sheared large chunks off the Moon's face sending them down in a burning and smoking rain of destruction on Pale. The skykeep, on fire in a dozen places, leaning to one side, and unsteady in its revolutions, moved away from the city. It headed off south towards the Tahlyn Mountains[12] and was later known to have crossed them towards Lake Azur.[13]

Darujhistan by Tomas Kucerovsky

Darujhistan by Tomas Kucerovsky (Official image)

At the beginning of the events in Darujhistan, Moon's Spawn was somewhere to the south of the city, possibly over the Dwelling Plain, and was described as having shattered peaks upon its crest.[14] The city's Noble Council positioned representatives in a tent on the plain below in a fruitless effort to communicate.[15] On the night of the Gedderone Fête, Anomander Rake sent Moon's Spawn down upon the city, nearly brushing the tallest rooftops, in order to clear the streets of revelers.[16][17] After the Bridgeburners abandoned the city it was seen drifting southwards.[18]

Spoiler warning: The following section contains significant plot details about Moon's Spawn.

In Memories of Ice[]

Moons spawn rising2

Moon's Spawn at Coral, Interpretation by Corporal Nobbs

Moon's Spawn is rising by A Demon Llama

Moon's Spawn is rising by A Demon Llama

The fall of moon s spawn by artsed-d8jxsve

Interpretation of the 'Fall of Moon's Spawn' by Artsed

During the war with the Pannion Domin, Moon's Spawn and Anomander Rake were Caladan Brood's Shaved Knuckle in the Hole.[19] The skykeep disappeared southeastwards from Darujhistan after Rake and Brood made an alliance with the forces of renegade Malazan High Fist Dujek Onearm.[20] It made no appearance during the allied armies' relief of the Siege of Capustan and even trustworthy partners such as Korlat and Crone were kept ignorant of its location.[21] The Pannion Seer's Condor servants could not find the skykeep within two hundred leagues of Coral.[22]

At the height of the Battle of Black Coral, the skykeep burst upwards from its hiding place within the deep waters of Ortnal's Cut at the city's edge. Riven with fissures draining tremendous volumes water, the skykeep crashed into the roof of the keep where the Pannion Seer was protected by undead K'ell Hunters. In the process, the Seer's adopted mother, a K'Chain Che'Malle Matron was killed.[23]

After the battle, Moon's Spawn was too badly damaged to remain inhabitable. Large portions of rock continued to slough off and its deepest interior chambers were so drowned in water that the skykeep could barely hold its own weight. The Tiste Andii abandoned their home leaving all of their possessions behind to occupy Black Coral. The fallen Bridgeburners were placed in sarcophaguses within the skykeep's throne room by Anomander Rake. The failing Moon's Spawn was then sent out over the Rust Ocean where it was presumed to have crashed into the sea.[24]

In House of Chains[]

After the discovery of Moon's Spawn, Osseric spent time in the fortress studying it. He observed that Moon's Spawn showed signs of damage, breaching, and slaughter. Nevertheless, a few of its original inhabitants survived long enough to send the fortress on its journey home over the northern icefields where it had become entrapped by a glacier. Osseric determined that Moon's Spawn had been one of the K'Chain Che'Malle's skykeeps and he withdrew from the world to continue his study of the alien mechanisms.[25]

In Toll the Hounds[]

Anomander Rake gave Baruk a copy of Dillat's Dark and Light, which was one of a number of books he had saved from Moon's Spawn. Baruk was horrified when Crone, who was unimpressed by the book, said Rake had left behind rooms crammed with similar rubbish when the skykeep had been abandoned.[26]

In Orb Sceptre Throne[]

It was revealed that upon crashing into the Rivan Sea, Moon's Spawn caused a tremendous tidal wave that killed nearly all of the inhabitants of Hurly, a small fishing village. Moon's Spawn, however, did not immediately sink. Instead it created a series of small islands, known as "the Spawns", which drew the attention of all manner of treasure hunters, thieves, pirates, brigands, and the like.[27][28] All sought the riches and wealth of the Tiste Andii people, which was said to remain inside the Spawn. Some few even sought the Throne of Darkness. Eventually Moon's Spawn sank "four fathoms down" to rest, Bridgeburners and all.


Significant plot details end here.

Origin[]

Moon's Spawn was originally created by the K'Chain Nah'ruk as part of their war against the K'Chain Che'Malle "long-tails". As described in Gothos' Folly, the Nah'ruk bound sorcery within their mechanisms and created skykeeps that allowed them to wreak destruction from the air. The Pannion Seer claimed Moon's Spawn was the only skykeep to escape destruction in that war, and while damaged, was abandoned and allowed to drift. Eventually, it collided with the ice of Jaghut sorcery and was frozen for millenia until rediscovered by Anomander Rake and Osserc north of the Laederon Plateau.[29][25] The Seer argued that Rake and the Andii were unaware of the skykeep's full powers and could not access them even if informed.[29] Osserc believed Rake never understood the true origin of his fortress.[25]

Moon flowers[]

It was believed Moon flowers in the Malazan world came from seeds drifting down from Moon's Spawn.[30]

Fan art gallery[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 12
  2. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 6, UK MMPB p.212
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.74
  4. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 17, US HC p.364
  5. 5.0 5.1 Gardens of the Moon - Chatting with Steven Erikson, part 2 - See 2:24:45
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.61
  7. 7.0 7.1 Gardens of the Moon, Glossary, UK MMPB p.711
  8. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.71
  9. Dancer's Lament, Chapter 13
  10. Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.986
  11. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.61/66
  12. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.77
  13. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.113
  14. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 6, UK MMPB p.194
  15. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 7, US HC p.171
  16. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 22, US HC p.453
  17. Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 23, US HC p.463
  18. Gardens of the Moon, Epilogue, US HC p.486
  19. Memories of Ice, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.167
  20. Memories of Ice, Chapter 1, US SFBC p.45
  21. Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.789-791
  22. Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.784
  23. Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.935-936/942-943
  24. Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.945/948/979/982/985-988
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 House of Chains, Chapter 21, US SFBC p.687
  26. Toll the Hounds, Chapter 1, US SFBC p.52-53
  27. Orb Sceptre Throne, Chapter 1, US HC p.33
  28. Orb Sceptre Throne, Map
  29. 29.0 29.1 Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.783-784
  30. Forge of the High Mage, Chapter 24, UK HC p.369
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