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Kellanved

Page history last edited by Eloth 13 years, 2 months ago

Kellanved

 

Age : at least 100 at time of death

Race:  Human, Dal Honese

Appearance : short, dressed in black, black skinned and carries a cane

Warren : Meanas, Rashan

Further Info : Founder and the first Emperor of the Malazan Empire

 


 

Founding Emperor of Malaz, originally a bar owner and leader of a successful criminal enterprise. Gathered a highly talented band around him, known as the "Family," the core members of which being Kellanved, Dancer and Dassem Ultor.   Apparently assassinated by Laseen in 1154, he in fact ascended alongside Dancer to become Ammanas, King of High House Shadow. See Shadowthrone for more info.

Along with Cotillion, he left the Empire he had founded in the hands of Laseen and set out to explore the warrens and during these explorations, the Houses of the Azath.  He found his way into the realm of Shadow and took the Shadowthrone - the Throne of Meanas  (the Throne of Emurlahn was being guarded by Andarist at the behest of Anomander Rake).  

In order to prevent a convergence (for he now was the ruler of three thrones, the Empire throne, the First Throne and the Shadowthrone) he returned to the Malazan Empire and was "assassinated" by Surly.  His gamble was that instead of dying, he and Cotillion would ascend.  This would free him of two of his three thrones - The Empire Throne and that of the First Throne - as he would no longer be mortal and only mortals can truly command the First Throne.


Description 

 

Emperor Kellanved, the founder of the Empire, assasinated by Laseen - GotM, Dramatis Personae

 

"A small black man with gnarled limbs and short grey hair. A first glance he looked like nothing more than a whithered up old gnome. Yet one look from him could be enought to drive anyone away as if struck, or if wished, crush them to their knees." - NoK UK HC p. 166

Kellanved and Dancer's Grand Scheme

 

‘For two years,’ she said, ‘Dancer and the Emperor vanished. Left the empire for Surly to rule. My stolen memories are vague of that time, but I do know that both men were changed, irrevocably, by all that happened to them during those two years. Not just the play for the Shadow Realm, which no doubt was central to their desires. Other things occurred . . . truths revealed, mysteries uncovered. One thing I know for certain, Crokus, is that, for most of those two years, Dancer and Kellanved were not in this realm.’

 

‘Then where in Hood’s name were they?’

She shook her head. ‘I cannot answer that question. But I sense that they were following a trail, one that wound through all the warrens, and to realms where even the known warrens do not reach.’

‘What kind of trail? Whose?’

‘Suspicions . . . the trail had something to do with, well, with the Houses of the Azath.’ Mysteries uncovered indeed. The Azath – the deepest mystery of them all.

‘You should know, Crokus,’ Apsalar continued, ‘that they knew that Surly was waiting for them. They knew what she had planned. Yet they returned none the less.’

‘But that makes no sense.’

‘Unless she proceeded to do precisely what they wanted her to do. After all, we both know that the assassinations failed – failed in killing either of them. The question then becomes: what did that entire mess achieve?’

‘A rhetorical question?’

She cocked her head. ‘No.’ Surprised.

Cutter rubbed at the bristle on his jaw, then shrugged. ‘All right. It left Surly on the Malazan throne. Empress Laseen was born. It stripped from Kellanved his secular seat of power. Hmm. Let’s ask it another way. What if Kellanved and Dancer had returned and successfully reclaimed the imperial throne? But, at the same time, they had taken over the Shadow Realm. Thus, there would be an empire spanning two warrens, an empire of Shadow.’ He paused, then slowly nodded. ‘They wouldn’t have stood for that – the gods, that is. Ascendants of all kinds would have converged on the Malazan Empire. They would have pounded the empire and the two men ruling it into dust.’

‘Probably. And neither Kellanved nor Dancer was in any position to mount a successful resistance to such a protracted assault. They’d yet to consolidate their claim on the Shadow Realm.’

‘Right, so they orchestrated their own deaths, and kept their identity as the new rulers of Shadow a secret for as long as they could, whilst laying out the groundwork for a resumption of their grand schemes. - Apsalar & Cutter - (HoC)

 

Kellanved and the First Throne

 

But Shadowthrone did just that, once before, as Emperor Kellanved.’

‘He did?’

‘He claimed the First Throne. The throne of the T’lan Imass.’

Oh.

‘Fortunately,’ Apsalar continued, ‘as Shadowthrone, he has shown little interest in making use of his role as Emperor of the T’lan Imass.’

‘Well, why bother? This way, he negates the chance of anyone else finding and taking that throne, while his avoidance of using it himself ensures that no-one takes notice he has it in the first place – gods, I’m starting to sound like Kruppe! In any case, that seems clever, not cowardly.’ (HoC)

 

The Betrayal

 

'Unknown to the rest of us, the Napans among us were far more than simple refugees. Surly was of the royal line. Crust and Urko had been captains in the Napan fleet, a fleet that would have likely repelled the Untans if it hadn’t been virtually destroyed by a sudden storm. As it turned out, theirs was a singular purpose – to crush the Untan hegemony – and they planned on using Kellanved to achieve that. In a sense, that was the first betrayal within the family, the first fissure. Easily healed, it seemed, since Kellanved already possessed imperial ambitions, and of the two major rivals on the mainland, Unta was by far the fiercest.’

‘Admiral,’ Tavore said, ‘I see where this leads. Surly’s assassination of Kellanved and Dancer shattered that family irrevocably, but that is precisely where my understanding falters. Surly had taken the Napan cause to its penultimate conclusion. Yet it was not you, not Tayschrenn, Duiker, Dassem Ultor or Toc Elder who . . . disappeared. It was . . . Napans.’

‘Barring Ameron,’ Gamet pointed out.

The admiral’s lined face stretched as he bared his teeth in a humourless grin. ‘Ameron was half-Napan.’

‘So it was only the Napans who deserted the new Empress?’ Gamet stared up at Nok, now as confused as Tavore. ‘Yet Surly was of the royal Napan line?’

Nok said nothing for a long time, then he sighed. ‘Shame is a fierce, vigorous poison. To now serve the new Empress . . . complicity and damnation. Crust, Urko and Ameron were not party to the betrayal . . . but who would believe them? Who could not help but see them as party to the murderous plot? Yet, in truth,’ his eyes met Tavore’s, ‘Surly had included none of us in her scheme – she could not afford to. She had the Claw, and that was all she needed.’ -Nok (HoC UK mmpb, p.210)

 

General References 

 

"...just one of the thousand secrets the Emperor took with him to his watery grave." - GotM, UK mmpb p.61

 

"My name is Oleg. Many years ago a man came to me. He claimed to be interested in the arcanum of my research. We worked together. We shared knowledge. His prowess and grasp of Warren manipulation astounded me. I, who admit no peer in such mastery.. He -'
The old man jammed the heels of both hands to his eyes then let out a wordless scream of rage. 'He betrayed me! He stole my work and left me for dead!...

'That man was Kellanved, Emperor of Malaz. He returns tonight to this island. The Claws and their mistress no doubt think he returns to reclaim his throne, but all who believe such things are fools. He returns to attempt to re-enter the Deadhouse. They are after another, far greater prize. He and Dancer." - Oleg Vikat - NoK, UK mmpb, p.117

 

"Mages by nature never commanded loyalty. Fear, yes, and the respect born of fear, but the one thing a mage found difficult to understand or cope with was loyalty. And yet there had been one mage, long ago, who had commanded loyalty – and that was the Emperor." - GotM, UK Trade, p.216

 

"The Emperor warred against armies, not civilians -" -

Apsalar, presumably speaking from Cotillion's memories - DG, UK MMPB, p.195

 

"The Emperor had a knack for gathering the right people around him,’ she continued. ‘But he wasn’t a fool. He knew the betrayal would come from that group. What made us the right people was our power."

- Tattersail - GotM, UK Trade, p.75-6

 

"The Emperor was insane,' Bellurdan said. ‘Else he would have protected himself better." - GotM, UK Trade, p.76

 

"Damned sappers! Who invented them? Madness!'
'...Why Kellanved, who else?"  - A discussion between Iskaral Pust and Fiddler. - DG, UK MMPB, p.352

 

"Dassem spoke of the Emperor rarely, but when he had, it was always with the greatest care and wariness. He had told one story of entering a dark command tent during the Delanss pacifications to inform Kellanved of the dispersal of troops. While the two spoke an aide brought a lit lantern into the shadowed tent and Dassem discovered himself alone, Later he learned from Admiral Nok that on that day the Emperor had been at sea, on board the Twisted. Dassem said this was characteristic of the old man: no one should ever be certain where Kellanved stood - in anything....or on anything." - NoK, UK mmpb, p.271

 

"...a small black man with gnarled limbs and short grey hair. Or so the pretence. At first glance he looked like nothing more than a withered-up old gnome. Yet one look from him could be enough to drive anyone away as if struck, or if he wished, crush them to their knees." - NoK, UK mmpb, p.271

 

"She'd never seen him of course, but had heard many descriptions - some contrary, most vague. Many mentioned his walking stick and his slow gait, but all told of his extreme age and the black skin and curled silver hair of a Dal Honese elder from the savannah of south-western Quon Tali. And, of course, there was his taste for grey and black clothing." -NoK, UK mmpb, p.330

 

 

Famous Quotes:

 

"History comforts the dull-witted."

Imperial Campaigns, Volume One -Duiker - DG, UK MMPB, p.119

 

"Know your enemy better than they know themselves." - DG, UK MMPB, p.747

 

"Every throne is an arrow-butt." - DG, UK MMPB, p.846

 

"An army that waits is soon an army at war with itself." - HoC, UK MMPB, p.335

 

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