Who is the Knight of Death?

 

The Knight of Death appears in Capustan during the siege by Pannion forces. He appears first as a sleepless Gidrath, fighting alongside Itkovian.

 

"The other [Gidrath], a bull of a man who had knelt before Rath'Hood, seemed no longer able to sleep. In the four days and nights since retaking the Great Hall, he had but paced during his rest periods, oblivious of his surroundings. Pacing, muttering under his breath, his eyes darkly feverish on their intensity. He and his dying companion were, Iktovian suspected, the last Gidrath still alive outside the Thrall itself."

 

(MoI, UK TPB p.516, UK mmpb p.692)

 

"The lone Gidrath - his companion had died moments earlier - paced with head stuck low, shoulders hunched, back and forth along the wall behind the ranked mercenaries. A battered longsword was held in each hand, the one on the left bent by a wild swing that had struck a marble column two nights past."

 

(MoI, UK mmpb p. 693)

 

Later, Coll and Murillio are escorting the Mhybe to safety in Capustan when they are attacked by Korbal Broach. The Knight of Death rescues them.

 

 

"His [Coll's] peripheral vision caught flanking longswords, one of them strangely bent, gliding past...

 

...

 

The attacker [Broach] perched on the wagon spoke in a high voice, the tone bemused. 'You should be dead. I can feel the coldness of you. I can sense the fist of Hood, coiled there in your lifeless chest. He's kept you here. Wandering.'

 

...

 

'We'd planned on a morning departure, Knight of Death - for you are the Knight, yes? Death stirs to wakefulness, I now sense.'"

 

...

 

The warrior, who Coll now saw was wearing the remnants of Gidrath armour, swung to face him. 'He [Murillio] lives....'

 

...

 

The Knight of Death cocked his head. 'Tell me, Coll of Darujhistan, do you sleep?'

 

The Daru frowned. 'Of course. What - '

 

'I did once, too. I must have, yes? But now, I do not. Instead, I pace. You see, I cannot remember sleep. I cannot remember what it was like.'

 

'I - I am sorry for that.'

 

...

 

'A moment, if you will. I have to lift Murillio onto the bed.'

 

'Ah, yes. That is true. I would have done so but, alas, I find myself unable to release my sword from my own hands.' The warrior was silent a moment longer, then he said, 'Korbal Broach saw into me. His words have made my mind...troubled. Coll of Darujhistan, I think I am dead. Am I? Am I dead?'

 

'I don't know,' the Daru replied, 'but...I think so.'

 

'The dead, it is said, do not sleep.'

 

...

 

'...have you a name?'

 

'I believe so, but I have forgotten it.'

 

'Well,' Coll said as he crouched down over Murillio and gathered the man into his arms, 'Knight of Death won't do, I'm afraid.' He straightened, grunting at the weight in his arms. 'You were a Gidrath, yes? And a Capan - though I admit, with that bronze hue to your skin, you've more the colouring of - '

 

'No, I was not Gidrath. Not Capan. I am not, I think, from this continent at all. I do not know why I appeared here. Nor how. I have not been here long. This is as my master wills. Of my past, I recall but one thing.'

 

Coll carried Murillio to the back of the wagon and laid the man down. 'And what's that?'

 

'I once stood within fire.'

 

After a long moment, Coll sighed roughly. 'An unfortunate memory...'

 

'There was pain. Yet I held on. Fought on. Or so I believe. I was, I think, sworn to defend a child's life. But the child was no more. It may be...that I failed.'

 

....

 

[Coll's thoughts] ...for if I'm not mistaken, if only by your features and never mind that strange skin, you're Malazan."

 

(MoI, UK tpb p.676, UK mmpb p.898)

 

 

From the above, it is clear that the Knight of Death is the Gidrath who followed Itkovian. They both lack the ability to sleep, carry the dual longswords (one bent), and are in the service of Hood.

 

Further, the Knight can be identified as Baudin. The Knight:

 

- is a Malazan

- possesses the golden skin of someone who travelled the Silanda through Tellann in DG (as do Gesler & company).

- was tasked with protecting a child, but that child was "no longer."

- died in a fire

 

This clearly describes Baudin. The "no longer" reference could refer to Felisin's forced maturity, and her rejection of Baudin's protection. Alternatively, Baudin may have believed that she died. Baudin travelled the Silanda, and burned to death fighting Gryllen.

 

It's not clear if Baudin's soul now inhabits the body of the Gidrath, or if he retains his original appearance and simply dresses in the Gidrath armour. Given that Coll identifies him as a Malazan, the latter seems more likely.

 

This is confirmed in the glossaries of later books, which list Baudin as the Knight of Death.

 

HoC spoilers: Pearl (link) and Lostara Yil (link) find the burned body of Baudin in HoC.

 

"Then, finally, they came upon another corpse.

 

The breath whooshed from Pearl, and he sank down to his knees in front of the large, burned body.

 

She waited until his breathing slowed, then cleared her throat and said, 'what just happened, Pearl?'

 

'Hood was here,' he whispered.

 

'Aye, I can well see that -'

 

'No, you don't understand.' He reached out to the corpse, his hand closing into a fist above its broad chest, then punched down.

 

The body was simply a shell. It collpased with a dusty crunch beneath the blow.

 

He glared back at her. 'Hood was here. The god himself, Lostara. Came to take this man - not just his soul, but also the flesh - all that had been infected by the warren of fire - the warren of light, to be more precise. Gods, what I would do for a Deck of Dragons right now. There's been a change in Hood's...household.'

 

'And what is the significance of all this?' she asked. 'I thought we were looking for Felisin.'

 

'You're not thinking, lass. Remember Stormy's tale. And Truth's. Felisin, Heboric, Kulp and Baudin. We found what was left of Kulp back at Gryllen's wagon. And this' - his gesture was fierce - 'is Baudin. The damned Talon - though the proof's not around his neck, alas. Remember their strange skin? Gesler, Stormy, Truth? The same thing happened to Baudin, here.'

 

'You called it an infection.'

 

'Well, I don't know what it is. That warren changed them. There's no telling in what way.'"

 

(HoC, UK mmpb, p.667)

 

It seems Hood came in person for Baudin's soul, in a similar manner to the death of Rellock (create link), and took Baudin into his service. This is reinforced by a later statement from Cotillion (link):

 

"'There was a man, once, whose task was to guard the life of a young girl. He did the best he could – with such honour as to draw, upon his sad death, the attention of Hood himself. Oh, the Lord of Death will look into a mortal's soul, given the right circumstances. The, uh, the proper incentive. Thus, that man is now the Knight of Death–'"

 

(HoC, UK TPB p.752, UK mmpb p.1009)

 

Prior to the events which led to Baudin becoming the Knight of Death, Dassem Ultor occupied this position, as noted in the glossaries.

 

 

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