Biggest Mystery?

[terracapri]

Just finished the Bonehunters and RG in a 10 day Erikson marathon (been waiting a long time for this), so i have a few questions:

1. How did Quick get so powerful? Does it have anything to do with some deal between Taschyren and quick? or between quick and ammanas?
2. what and who is clip and how did Rake betray his kin?
3. What happend to Icci at the end of RG?
4. were the barghast hiding in the warren of tellan for 2 years?

And finally, between empress and adjunct, is it a momentary feint or some fatal error on the part of empress?

[Rane Longfox]

ok

***rg spoilers***

1. Quick has always been powerful, don't forget. He has the souls of the 7 most powerful seven cities wizards inside him. He's been hiding a lot of his power while he was in the empire. On the other hand, this doesn't explain his being able to take down the sisters. Best guess is that it was the fact he was in the refugium and he simply had to stretch himself further. Found hidden depths, as it where.

[adaephon]

clip is the last tiste anddi born of darkness and is the bearer of the gateway back too darkness, he is also said to be mother darks favored one(son??) and he is also the mortal sword of darkness

anomander rake betrayed his kin by favoring his draconian heritage and leaving the younger tiste andii (his children and their offspring for the most part i think) on drift avalii under the care of his brother ,andarist. also i think the bluerose tiste andii viewed him more as their god and felt he had deserted them too, unsure thou!

[Xachariah]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

ok

***rg spoilers***

1. Quick has always been powerful, don't forget. He has the souls of the 7 most powerful seven cities wizards inside him. He's been hiding a lot of his power while he was in the empire. On the other hand, this doesn't explain his being able to take down the sisters. Best guess is that it was the fact he was in the refugium and he simply had to stretch himself further. Found hidden depths, as it where.

12, he has 12 souls within him, giving him control of 12 different warrens. He can only use 7 at one time however. Which he used against the Jaghut Tyrant in GotM.

Remember when he confronted the Necromancer and Demonologist soletaken in MoI? He took out the Necromancer using 6 warrens and the Demonologist said something to the effect of "You should have used half your power, now I know the extent and you are spent" or something to that effect.

Quick Ben replied "I did", and unleashed the other 6 warrens on him..

Quick Ben has always been one of the most powerful mages in the series. He soulshifted Hairlock and stood toe to toe with a Jaghut Tyrant. He defied the Crippled God and got a Jaghut to prevent the poisoning of Burn using Omtose Pellack magic. He blackmailed Hood himself.

It's a testament to Eriksons writing that his power doesnt diminish his vulnerability however, it has been shown more than once that Quick Ben is not omnipotent, and usually has to use brains rather than brawn to get out of sticky situation. This is a world where Acendants, Gods, Avoweds, Soletaken, D'ivers and Mages exist, what's another powerful mage?

[K-Ved]

Originally Posted by adaephon

ah the 2nd is actually the soldier of high house death and is hunting skinner of the crimson guard!

now from what we know that cud be an awesome encounter!

and poor baudin my eye! that guys up there in toughness with kalam, maybe a straight up fight wud see him annihilated but otherwise any1 wud be kept on there toes!

Why is the 2nd hunting Skinner? And do we get to know these Avowed? I 've just finished Midnight Tides and Iron Bars is a quality character.

Originally Posted by deth

I am pretty certain about the identity of traveller........... He is the Seguleh first. The only being that even Icarium believes can defeat him... in bonehunters icarium told tavaralck veed on the way to the shadow throne that the warrior who they may meet there could defeat him.

Karsa seemed pretty capable of teaching Icarium a thing or two when they met don't you think?

[Lenny]

I might have missed the explanation for the Second hunting Skinner, but you get a fantastic look at the whole of the Crimson Guard (not just the Avowed) in Ian C. Esslemont's Return of the Crimson Guard. Iron Bars pops up a couple of times in it, and I think he's got one of the lead roles in Esslemont's next book Stoneweilder, which should be out within the next few years.

---

I'm not entirely sure that Karsa would win in a battle with Icarium. Sure, he's a good fighter, but I think Icarium would eventually come out on top.

Saying that, Karsa does seem to go from strength to strength, and we never really get a full taste of Icarium's whole power - it's just stories of when he demolished this city, or slaughtered that population, and annihilated that there Azath house.