Post by The Authors on Jun 24, 2010 21:54:50 GMT -5
She was only fifteen years old when he took her. She was a simple fishergirl in the Malazan province of Itko Kan, helping her father eke out a living. Then one ill-fated day, she happened on the gods Shadowthrone and Cotillion on her way home from a nearby village. They were in search of a mortal tool to use to get their long-awaited revenge against the Malazan Empress, and this fishergirl fit the bill perfectly. Young, athletic and seemingly harmless, but given time and effort, perhaps one day she could find herself close enough for a suicide strike. And if she failed to find herself on a collision course with Empress Laseen, she could always be discarded. The gods are not known for magnanimity where their mortal tools are concerned.
Her last memories were of shadows engulfing her as the Patron God of Assassins possessed her. In truth, she had been lucky. To cover Cotilion's tracks, every person within a quarter-league were slaughtered by the Hounds of Shadow.
Two years later Anomander Rake was fighting his own battles against the Malazan Empire when he became aware that the Rope had entered the fray. Having little desire to topple one empress only to see the House of Shadow take the throne, he took immediate action. After a short battle in which two Hounds of Shadow were killed, Shadowthrone was forced to recall Cotillion. Anomander Rake never even knew of the seventeen-year-old girl he'd saved.
She found herself utterly alone on an unfamiliar plain. She had no memories of the last two years and only a vague one of meeting two men on the road to her father's house. She couldn't even remember her own name. She stumbled upon a boy about her own age, who tried to calm her. His efforts were mostly unsuccessful, and he was speaking a language she'd never heard before and could never name, and yet she understood every word he was saying.
As the boy led her back to his home, the revelations became more and more troubling. She was near the city of Darujhistan, on a continent half a world away from Itko Kan -- a continent that was fighting a losing battle against an invasion from the Malazan Empire. The boy seemed extremely nervous around her, and she pressed him until he finally admitted that he swore that he'd seen her murder a man two days before. She wanted to refute the accusation, but she found herself in possession of a pair of high-quality fighting knives as well as an assortment of throwing knives, all of which had evidently seen heavy use and were strapped to her body in a variety of easily accessible locations.
Needing a name, she asked the boy to provide her with a Darujhistan name. On the spot, he could only think of the name of his goddess: Apsalar, Mistress of Thieves. Despite his warnings of the perils of taking the name of a goddess, she used the name Apsalar for the rest of her life.
In Darujhistan she met a squad of the Malazan Army who claimed to know her. They knew her as Sorry, but she was certain that was not the name she had been born with. She was the youngest member of the squad, and it soon became clear that her squadmates half-despised her and half-feared her. She was infamous for being a ruthless killer, and the squad's mage insisted that she had deep ties to High House Shadow. Most worrisome of all, whenever she saw Captain Paran, the officer leading the squad, she was plagued by phantom memories of plunging her knife into his heart...
In time, the details of her possession were worked out, and when Apsalar announced her intentions to return to Itko Kan, she was amazed when two of her squadmates offered to accompany her home. The boy who had founder her on that empty plain, named Crokus, also volunteered to come, completely unaware of how transparent his motives were. Apsalar, however, found with some surprise that she welcomed his attentions.
In order to reach Itko Kan, the foursome had to cross Seven Cities, a continent conquered by the Malazan Empire in the last days of the old Emperor. After a decade of mismanagement and corruption, the continent was rising up in rebellion. Apsalar had expected to be a liability should they be forced to fight, but quickly learned that she was quite the opposite. It seemed that even though the Patron of Assassins had left her, his skills had lingered.
At first, they all had believed that it was a complete coincidence when they found shelter at a temple devoted to the worship of Shadow in the middle of a desert. However, when the High Priest's servant turned out to be none other than Apsalar's own father, it became clear that Shadowthrone was not through with the tool he'd so carefully crafted. Apsalar and her companions were convinced to go to the aid of a House of the Azath that was beset by a horde of rampaging D'ivers and Soletaken. In return for their help, Apsalar, her father and Crokus were returned to the fishing village in Itko Kan where Apsalar had spent the first fifteen years of her life.
Apsalar soon realized that she had made a mistake. Her memories of her home were hazy, and the life of a fishergirl was not suited to one with the skills of the Patron God of Assassins. Apsalar's father died shortly after they arrived. Apsalar had never even though to ask what her birth name had been. It had long-since ceased to matter. The fishergirl who bore that name had in truth died the moment Cotillion had possessed her.
Soon after, Cotillion convinced Crokus, who had taken the name Cutter, to perform another task for him. Apsalar followed, unwilling to leave his side, but she was concerned at the ease at which she had been roused at sent off at the merest whim of a god once more. Weeks later, with their latest task complete, she came to a decision. Cutter had already fallen down too far the path she found herself on. His new name reflected what he had become: an assassin, doing his best to emulate his love. She left him that night, hoping that without her by his side, the gods would lose their interest in him. And for herself, she agreed to do one final task for the rulers of Shadow. One last series of assassinations, and then finally she would be cut free, and able to live out the rest of her life without the interference of the gods.
And so, as the Crippled God's war raged on, Apsalar sat on the sidelines, unwilling to help against the threat. She finally understood her horrible mistake when word got to her of Cutter's death in Kalse. One year after Burn's death, Apsalar herself was killed in the riots that engulfed Itko Kan as the Malazan Empire disintegrated.
Two years later, her former Captain took her name and her face as he tried to hide in plain sight among a group of warring Ascendants.
Total Lost AKA Ganoes Paran, Master of the Deck of Dragons, has been lynched.
BillMc AKA Gothos, Keeper of the Dragon Hold(Lynch Blocker/Commuter) was killed shortly before dusk.
He was a member of Do the Clan Clan and Clantastic
Do the Clan Clan was his Primary Clan.
Storyteller AKA Gethol, King in Chains, has met his win condition. He leaves the game, and the rest of you play on.
The House of Chains has been eliminated.
Her last memories were of shadows engulfing her as the Patron God of Assassins possessed her. In truth, she had been lucky. To cover Cotilion's tracks, every person within a quarter-league were slaughtered by the Hounds of Shadow.
Two years later Anomander Rake was fighting his own battles against the Malazan Empire when he became aware that the Rope had entered the fray. Having little desire to topple one empress only to see the House of Shadow take the throne, he took immediate action. After a short battle in which two Hounds of Shadow were killed, Shadowthrone was forced to recall Cotillion. Anomander Rake never even knew of the seventeen-year-old girl he'd saved.
She found herself utterly alone on an unfamiliar plain. She had no memories of the last two years and only a vague one of meeting two men on the road to her father's house. She couldn't even remember her own name. She stumbled upon a boy about her own age, who tried to calm her. His efforts were mostly unsuccessful, and he was speaking a language she'd never heard before and could never name, and yet she understood every word he was saying.
As the boy led her back to his home, the revelations became more and more troubling. She was near the city of Darujhistan, on a continent half a world away from Itko Kan -- a continent that was fighting a losing battle against an invasion from the Malazan Empire. The boy seemed extremely nervous around her, and she pressed him until he finally admitted that he swore that he'd seen her murder a man two days before. She wanted to refute the accusation, but she found herself in possession of a pair of high-quality fighting knives as well as an assortment of throwing knives, all of which had evidently seen heavy use and were strapped to her body in a variety of easily accessible locations.
Needing a name, she asked the boy to provide her with a Darujhistan name. On the spot, he could only think of the name of his goddess: Apsalar, Mistress of Thieves. Despite his warnings of the perils of taking the name of a goddess, she used the name Apsalar for the rest of her life.
In Darujhistan she met a squad of the Malazan Army who claimed to know her. They knew her as Sorry, but she was certain that was not the name she had been born with. She was the youngest member of the squad, and it soon became clear that her squadmates half-despised her and half-feared her. She was infamous for being a ruthless killer, and the squad's mage insisted that she had deep ties to High House Shadow. Most worrisome of all, whenever she saw Captain Paran, the officer leading the squad, she was plagued by phantom memories of plunging her knife into his heart...
In time, the details of her possession were worked out, and when Apsalar announced her intentions to return to Itko Kan, she was amazed when two of her squadmates offered to accompany her home. The boy who had founder her on that empty plain, named Crokus, also volunteered to come, completely unaware of how transparent his motives were. Apsalar, however, found with some surprise that she welcomed his attentions.
In order to reach Itko Kan, the foursome had to cross Seven Cities, a continent conquered by the Malazan Empire in the last days of the old Emperor. After a decade of mismanagement and corruption, the continent was rising up in rebellion. Apsalar had expected to be a liability should they be forced to fight, but quickly learned that she was quite the opposite. It seemed that even though the Patron of Assassins had left her, his skills had lingered.
At first, they all had believed that it was a complete coincidence when they found shelter at a temple devoted to the worship of Shadow in the middle of a desert. However, when the High Priest's servant turned out to be none other than Apsalar's own father, it became clear that Shadowthrone was not through with the tool he'd so carefully crafted. Apsalar and her companions were convinced to go to the aid of a House of the Azath that was beset by a horde of rampaging D'ivers and Soletaken. In return for their help, Apsalar, her father and Crokus were returned to the fishing village in Itko Kan where Apsalar had spent the first fifteen years of her life.
Apsalar soon realized that she had made a mistake. Her memories of her home were hazy, and the life of a fishergirl was not suited to one with the skills of the Patron God of Assassins. Apsalar's father died shortly after they arrived. Apsalar had never even though to ask what her birth name had been. It had long-since ceased to matter. The fishergirl who bore that name had in truth died the moment Cotillion had possessed her.
Soon after, Cotillion convinced Crokus, who had taken the name Cutter, to perform another task for him. Apsalar followed, unwilling to leave his side, but she was concerned at the ease at which she had been roused at sent off at the merest whim of a god once more. Weeks later, with their latest task complete, she came to a decision. Cutter had already fallen down too far the path she found herself on. His new name reflected what he had become: an assassin, doing his best to emulate his love. She left him that night, hoping that without her by his side, the gods would lose their interest in him. And for herself, she agreed to do one final task for the rulers of Shadow. One last series of assassinations, and then finally she would be cut free, and able to live out the rest of her life without the interference of the gods.
And so, as the Crippled God's war raged on, Apsalar sat on the sidelines, unwilling to help against the threat. She finally understood her horrible mistake when word got to her of Cutter's death in Kalse. One year after Burn's death, Apsalar herself was killed in the riots that engulfed Itko Kan as the Malazan Empire disintegrated.
Two years later, her former Captain took her name and her face as he tried to hide in plain sight among a group of warring Ascendants.
Total Lost AKA Ganoes Paran, Master of the Deck of Dragons, has been lynched.
BillMc AKA Gothos, Keeper of the Dragon Hold(Lynch Blocker/Commuter) was killed shortly before dusk.
He was a member of Do the Clan Clan and Clantastic
Do the Clan Clan was his Primary Clan.
Storyteller AKA Gethol, King in Chains, has met his win condition. He leaves the game, and the rest of you play on.
The House of Chains has been eliminated.