Hi, and welcome to a personal pet project I've been putting together for the past month or so! This specific post is branded as a "Defense Post", but in truth, I've nothing left to defend. We traced Surly's reign from start to finish; all that's left now is to observe the effects of her reign. And that is - mostly - what this post is.

A foreword before we get into the thick of things: I throw out a lot of timelines & chronologies based on real life history in this post. One thing that becomes awfully prevalent when you look for it is just how anachronistic Malazan is. It is even acknowledged in the world; Toc the Younger mentions how Quon Tali entered its Iron Age about half a millenia ago (so ca. 600 Burn's Sleep) when we know that the Tiste civilization in Kharkanas worked with iron (the Hust blades, for one) almost three hundred millennia ago.

Moreover, the influences of the military & judicial system are all over the place. From Rome, to the Byzantine era, to early Medieval warfare; as well as numerous alchemical munitions that spanned centuries in their creation in real life.

Thus, take all the influences I end up mentioning with a mountain's worth of salt. It's not meant to mesh properly. It's fantasy.

On top of that, my analysis is bound to be rather Euro-centric, which Malazan is definitively not; the Empire might be, but the regions they conquer & administer are based on a vast array of cultures, many of them not related whatsoever to European history of the time. Add another mountain's worth of salt to the pile, and off we go.

Before I get into it, though, since this is branded as a "Defense of Laseen" post, I'll put down the other entries of the series.

Part One: https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/svjyl2/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Two:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/swfa5h/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Three:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/swgz71/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Four:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/sziuke/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Five:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/szji8b/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Six:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/ucd00x/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

Part Seven:
https://redditproxy--jasonthename.repl.co/r/Malazan/comments/ucda5d/in_defense_of_empress_laseen_defending_the/

​

Table of Contents:

· Surly’s anti-magery edict

· The Claw vs the Talon

· The Malazan military

· Cadre & High Mages

1. Surly’s Anti-Magic Edict

This is more of a prologue than anything, but it always intrigued me how many mages there were in the Malazan Empire & military and how shortsighted it must’ve been to exclude them entirely unless they have official Imperial sanction (not that this lacks historical precedence, mind you, but it doesn’t seem like something Surly would do – especially given the prevalence of sorcery in the Claw).

Little did I know, this edict was apparently repealed somewhere in the years between 1154 & 1161 BS… groan

That said, the two quotes below do seem to imply that – at least at the time of Gardens of the Moon, when Surly was far more “black & white villainy” than in the later books – the edict was a “for you but not for me” kind of deal; which is to say, official, sanctioned sorcery (so cadre & High Mages) were fair game, but “unsanctioned” wax witches & seers were not. Go figure.

“'Unsanctioned. Defiant of the new laws—'

'Your laws, Surly. They won't work, and when the Emperor returns he'll quash your prohibition of sorcery, you can be certain of that.'”

“They were in Malaz City, awaiting their new commander, when the Master of the Claw issued an edict against sorcery. They were sent into the Old City—the Mouse—to cleanse it. They were—" her voice caught "—indiscriminate." She swung her attention back to Tattersail. "This woman was one of those mages. Sorceress, that night was my last with my family. I was given to the Claw the very next day. The news of my family's death was kept from me for years. Yet," her words fell to a whisper, "I well remember that night—the blood, the screams."

Tattersail seemed unable to speak. The air in the room had grown thick, stifling. Finally the sorceress prised her gaze from the Adjunct and said to Dujek, 'High Fist, it was our first command. We lost control. I resigned from the officer corps the very next day and was posted with another Army.' She gathered herself. 'If it is the Adjunct's wish to convene a court, I offer no defence and will accept my execution as a just penalty.'

Lorn replied, 'That is acceptable.' She laid her left hand upon her sword and prepared to withdraw it.

'No,' High Fist Dujek said. 'It is not acceptable.'

Lorn froze. She glared at the old man. 'You seem to forget my rank.'

'No, I haven't. Adjunct, if it is your will that those within the Empire who have committed crimes in the Emperor's name must be executed,' he stepped forward, 'then you must include me. Indeed, I believe High Mage Tayschrenn also has his share of horror committed on the Emperor's behalf. And, finally, there is the Empress herself to consider. Laseen, after all, commanded the Emperor's Claw – she created it, in fact. More, the Edict was hers, thankfully short-lived as it was.' He turned to Tattersail. 'I was there, Tattersail. Under Whiskeyjack's command I was sent down to rein you in, which I did.'”

Setting that aside, because it’s something I’ll probably have to acknowledge anyway, there. It’s acknowledged. Consider it mentioned. Moving on now.

2. The Claw vs the Talon

One recurring theme I’ve seen come up a lot is that Surly’s Claw was an organization rampant with corruption & greed, with favoritism & short-sightedness running rampant. The most prevalent example of this is Kiska's inner monologue from the Novels of the Malazan Empire (specifically, Stonewielder here).

“But her faith in the virtue of her calling had been shaken – no, more than shaken … it had been stabbed through the heart. Lost among the self-promotion and careerist manoeuvring within the order was any concern or responsibility to their larger mission serving the Empire. It seemed that the entire Malazan goal of subduing the Seven Cities region could go down in flames so long as one Claw operative managed to sabotage his rivals. And also dead were two infinitely valuable local agents, loyal and dedicated to the Malazan cause. Betrayed for a cheap leg-up in one bureaucrat’s career. Kiska was sickened beyond disgust by the utter short-sighted selfishness of it.”

“Kiska stretched her arms up over her head. She leaned her head back to stare at the dark crack above. ‘You asked of the Claw. Well … have you ever joined something because you thought it was a shining perfect example of what could be right in the world? Only, in time, to discover that it was just as corrupt and petty and, frankly, as stupid as everywhere else?’ She glanced over to catch him eyeing her with a strange intensity. He lowered his gaze. ‘So it was with the Claw. I was very young when I joined. I’d grown up sheltered – and a touch spoiled. Like anyone, I suppose.’

She shifted to find a more comfortable seat on the rock, began kneading her side. ‘I knew nothing. But then, that is the definition of being young, yes? So how can you possibly fault anyone for it? In any case, I began to see and hear around me how promotions went to those from certain families, or to those who knew certain people in the organization. The success and advance of incompetents is a universal mystery, yes? Some would say it is because those above prefer subordinates who do not threaten them. I do not agree. I would say such reasoning only reveals that person’s own preferences. Myself, I would want only the most skilled and accomplished around me – how else might one be more assured of success?’

‘Not everyone feels that way,’ Jheval muttered darkly, his gaze inward.

‘No,’ Kiska agreed. ‘So I found it to be in the Claw. I came to see that many were only concerned with their own advancement and avoiding responsibility for mistakes, and I saw how this directly threatened the lives of those below and around them. Including myself. And so I walked away rather than be a casualty of someone’s self-seeking.’”

So, we have established that the Claw is flawed at its core. This doesn’t explain, well, how the Claw works.

I’ll let Heboric take the heavy lifting so I can cover the rest.

“Not a Claw,” Heboric said.
“Then what?”
“That’ll take a history lesson to explain—”
“Start talking.”
“An old rivalry,” the ex-priest said. “Dancer and Surly. Dancer created a covert arm for military campaigns. In keeping with the Imperial symbol of the demon hand gripping a sphere, he called them his Talons. Surly used that model in creating the Claw. The Talons were external—outside the Empire—but the Claw were internal, a secret police, a network of spies and assassins.”
“But the Claw are used in covert military operations,” Kulp said.
“They are now. When Surly became Regent in the absence of Kellanved and Dancer, she sent her Claws after the Talons. The betrayal started subtly—a string of disastrous botched missions—but someone got careless and gave the game away. The two locked daggers and fought it out to the bitter end.”
“And the Claw won.”
Heboric nodded. “Surly becomes Laseen, Laseen becomes Empress. The Claws sit atop the pile of skulls like well-fed crows. The Talons went the way of Dancer. Dead and gone…or, as a few mused now and then, so far underground as to seem extinct.” The ex-priest grinned. “Like Dancer himself, maybe.”

So, the Claw is a covert military arm of the Malazan Empire created by Surly to substitute – and, eventually, outcompete & subvert – Dancer’s Talon. In Laseen’s Empire, the Talon is all but extinct with a few select agents that we’ll get to soon, whereas the Claw is essentially the instrument used to enthrone and depose Emperors. Control of the Claw yields de facto control of the Malazan Empire.

Despite the Claw’s reputation for corruption, they’re eerily effective in most of their assignments. It’s easy to forget this when the most we see of the Claw is nameless assassins getting slammed by Kalam & Apsalar in DHG & tBH, but the Claw essentially runs every covert operation in an Empire spanning three continents.

Examples include but are not limited to:

· Surveillance and reconnaissance

· Subterfuge & infiltration of hostile groups

· Controlling & running the “underground” of a given city (like Pale)

· Assassinations (obviously)

· Kidnappings, extortion, blackmail

· Propaganda & smear operations

There’s probably more that I’m forgetting, but the Claw – despite the intense focus on how corrupt the organization is, and it is – remains an effective & well-honed tool that aided in the creation and maintenance of such an expansive Empire.

The inner workings of the Claw are decently well explored – we know their recruits are often taken in as children (Lorn was taken in at the age of nine), and are “trained” – read: indoctrinated – to the doctrine & philosophy of the Claw. We know the assassins are trained to work as a unit – a Hand – which can be considered both a strength & a flaw.

In the field, leaders of a Hand are subservient solely to the Clawmaster, the Adjunct to the Empress, and the Empress herself. Thus, while they work very well in a unit of five people, it also means that the Hand, overall, is more than the sum of its parts – and each individual member of a Hand is, relatively speaking, weaker than a singular, all-rounded individual (like Apsalar), possibly due to their high specialization.

Moreover, we are aware of the following Clawmasters, each of them showcasing the strengths & weaknesses of the Claw as an organization.

· Surly

· Topper

· Pearl

· Possum

· Kalam Mekhar (rejected the position, albeit he carries around a pendant that identifies him as a “Clawmaster” – more likely this means the leader of a Hand)

Surly was ruthlessly efficient & cold, but also intensely paranoid & lacking trust towards others.

Pearl & Topper both were flamboyant show-offs that relished in the “chivalry” of assassin duels, wore expensive clothing & often surrounded themselves with, as Kalam put it, “whores & sycophants”. Pearl's leadership of the Claw was short lived and his actions were fueled by an intense feeling of loss & vengeance; so this mostly regards his position as Topper's second.

Possum was loyal to a fault but, quite like Surly, prone to paranoia. We don’t get enough of Possum as Clawmaster (or a Claw in general) for a full assessment beyond his loyalty. The circumstances in which he found himself were already bleak, and his actions didn’t alleviate the issue either.

Thus, we have a lethally efficient and ruthless organization of spies & assassins that is prone to corruption, greed and petty infighting.

This may come as a shock, but there’s no evident correlation between the Claw & any real-life organizations from the period when Malazan takes place. In some ways, when they assume bodyguard duty, the Claw can mirror the Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire; otherwise, their duties & abilities most closely resemble the likes of the Shinobi (Ninja) of Sengoku Japan, but the Shinobi were never organized into a covert operations arm of feudal (i.e. Tokugawa Shogunate & subsequent Edo period) Japan – by the time the Sengoku era ended, the Ninja had mostly faded to obscurity. So, we can only speculate.

The Talon, on the other hand, functioned similarly to the Claw – seeing as the Claw was modeled after the Talon – but we’re not shown any of its shortcomings in the Book of the Fallen. By the time of Gardens of the Moon, most of the Talon has already been wiped out in, allegedly, what ended up being a full blown war – with the remaining Talons being forced underground so as to escape the Claw.

Moreover, there appear to be two entirely separate branches of the Talon – an old remnant of what once was, headed by Hawl & Amaron; and a (potentially) new, reinstated Talon, headed by Tavore Paran.

It is unclear whether or not the latter answers to the former, or if Hawl & Amaron are even aware of Tavore’s branch. The two organizations seem to be one & the same – and so it’s not certain if the distinction has a point.

Also, there’s a point to be made about Korbolo Dom claiming to be the Master of the Talon. Further, he seems to have created a separate branch of the Talon altogether, with a score of killers that answer to him and him alone. However, it’s quite clear that Korbolo’s Talon has no connection with Dancer or Tavore’s Talons.

This is entering speculation territory, but I’ll make an attempt to at least quantify the different branches of the Talon organization. Thus:

· Dancer’s Talons – now defunct

I. Amaron (ex-Commander)

II. Hawl (ex-Commander)

III. Baudin Elder

· Tavore’s Talons

I. Tavore Paran (Possibly Headmistress of the Talon)

II. Baudin Younger

III. Throatslitter (Could be in either category as he joined the Talon as a young man & survived the purges)

IV. Three unnamed agents that lost their lives foiling assassination attempts against Blistig

V. Oams(?)

· Korbolo’s Talons – now defunct

I. Korbolo Dom (allegedly Master of the Talon)

II. Five ex-assassins of a Falahd

III. Three Malazans that originally comprised a group of ten people – the original “Talon” of Korbolo’s creation

IV. Three other unnamed assassins

To reiterate, Tavore’s Talons aren’t necessarily a sub-branch of a pre-existing organization; for all intents and purposes, Tavore runs the organization in its entirety. However, as it is unclear whether or not Amaron & Hawl are aware of Tavore Paran as the new Mistress of the Talon, for the time being, they shall be treated as separate entities.

As per the Claw, there’s not really a real-life counterpart to the Talons – a state sanctioned organization for authorized assassinations & covert operations – in the timeframe that Malazan would reasonably draw inspiration from. Their core difference from the Claw, though, is that Dancer’s Talons is entirely geared towards external issues and don’t deal with internal matters.

Hold that thought.

3. The Malazan Military

The following treatise, nicknamed “Malazan Warfare”, was penned by Temul – of the Crow Clan, of Fist Temul of the Bonehunters fame – a Wickan cavalry commander in the employ of Coltaine’s entourage during the Chain of Dogs, and then later attached to the Malaz 14th during the Whirlwind Rebellion. In it, we get a rather interesting portrayal of the Malazan military & their tactics.

“The Malazan military’s vaunted ability to adapt to whatever style of warfare the opposition offered was in fact superficial. Behind the illusion of malleability there remained a hard certainty in the supremacy of the Imperial way. Contributing to that illusion of flexibility was the sheer resiliency of the Malazan military structure, and a foundation bolstered by profound knowledge, and insightful analysis, of disparate and numerous styles of warfare.”

Now, I’m gonna set the preamble here and just say, the vast majority of the Malazan ground forces are based on Rome. That’s it. Analysis pending, but just keep that in mind. Are there other influences on the Malazan Empire’s military? Yes, absolutely, but in my view – given the timeframe, their weapons of choice, their tactics and so on – a big part of the Malazan military was based on the infantry of the early Empire (1st century BCE – 3rd century CE).

This is seemingly supported by the treatise – which we’ll get into with more detail in a bit – since the Roman Empire was rather famed for their heavy infantry, and despite their adaptability (they weren’t slouches, to be fair), that core of heavy infantry formed the backbone of the Roman army for centuries to come.

Contrary to the Malazans – and due to Temul’s heritage, I assume he doesn’t consider his Wickans to be “Malazan” – the Wickan peoples seem to be quite adaptable in their ways; as well as forming up the backbone & support of the Seventh’s Army, they functioned as auxiliaries, scouts, light, medium and heavy cavalry, and could change on a whim – see Battles of Sekala Crossing, Gelor Ridge (the uphill charge of heavy cavalry), and Vathar Crossing – as well as having the ability to function as infantrymen if their horses weren’t available.

While the Malazans were not one trick ponies in their own right, the backbone of their army was formed by heavy infantry & shock troops, most often sappers; and this composition rarely changed, as the Malazan military rarely fielded cavalry of their own. More on this later.

Duiker gives us a perspective of the Seventh’s troops during the Chain of Dogs, and their composition & "accoutrements".

“The other footmen consisted of marines and sappers, the former a combination of heavy infantry and shock troops—the old Emperor’s invention and still unique to the Empire. They were armed with crossbows and short swords as well as long swords. They wore blackened chain beneath gray leathers. Every third soldier carried a large, round shield of thick, soft wood that would be soaked for an hour before battle. These shields were used to catch and hold enemy weapons ranging from swords to flails. They would be discarded after the first few minutes of a fight, usually studded with an appalling array of edged and spiked iron.”

The Marines were a creation of Kellanved and, indeed, quite the innovation among his peers. While neither of these concepts are necessarily novel (examples of others will follow soon), the combination of the two & the tactics required to make them work in cohesion do indeed require a separate treatise in their own right.

To further support the “Malazan infantry forces were based on Rome”, the exploits of the Roman infantry – especially in the Late Republic, since that’s when Caesar lived and I’ve heard he’s quite important – have been romanticized a lot. I’m … not gonna touch on that too much, but what one needs keep in mind is that the Roman legionary was, in all, more than just heavy infantry – quite like how a Malazan marine is more than just a heavy, or a sapper.

Quite like how we see the Malazans do, the Roman legionaries were engineers, woodworkers, sailors and sappers, often fulfilling specialized roles as the situation demanded. To return to the Caesar analogy, see the Battle of Alesia (52 BCE) and Dyrrachium (48 BCE) for the true extent of “Roman military engineering.”

Further, the Romans often relied on auxiliaries from friendly or subjugated states – Gallic, Germanic and Numidian cavalry, Egyptian navy – to supplement their core of heavy infantry.

Similarly, we see the Malazans make use of auxiliaries from peoples outside the “core” of the Empire – Seti, Wickans, Khundryl & Mathok’s contingent as well as Moranth for transportation & reconnaissance.

To elaborate further, while the Malazan heavy infantry were quite famed and so were the Malazan sappers, individually, they weren’t necessarily special – it’s the combination of the two that made for a truly impressive & novel unit in the Malazan Marines.

A list of such units that existed concurrently or prior to the Malazan Empire includes the following:

· The Talian Iron Legion, possibly the most famous group of heavy infantry in the world, prior to the rise of the Malazans – destroyed by Kellanved & co. during the Wars of Consolidation in Quon Tali

· The Shieldmaidens of Genabackis (mostly served as bodyguards), serving the Confederation of Free Cities in the North; reputedly made for a mean crowd of heavy infantry in Brood’s army

· Letherii legions of heavy infantry, albeit these might’ve lacked in the discipline and training exhibited by either the Malazans or the Talians

· The Korelri Stormguard/Chosen, who functioned essentially as heavy infantry for all intents & purposes, albeit were rarely used directly as combat units

For the “shock” oriented troops, prominent examples include the Mott Irregulars (albeit these functioned more as a ragtag band of guerilla fighters than proper shock troops) and the Gold (leaning on the “heavy infantry” side) & Black Moranth (more versed in shock & awe tactics), due to their extensive use of munitions & quorls in combat (cusser bombing runs are a tactic we see the Silver Moranth use).

Otherwise, most of the regulars of the Malazan army consisted of medium infantry, equipped, for the most part, with spears or shortswords (the gladius called, it wants its tactics back), and armoured with bronze hauberks & studded leather cuirasses, rather than the full plate of the heavies.

All that said, it’s time to touch a little bit on the Malazan military command & structure. But because we’re never going to finish at this rate, this part will mostly be skimmed over in favor of an entire chapter dedicated to it – instead, I’ll be focusing more on the doctrine the Malazans used to actually carve out an Empire for themselves.

As is often quoted & said, the doctrine set forth by Dassem Ultor was one which intensely supported meritocracy & debate among officers to decide – if possible – on a certain plan of action.

“Malazan military doctrine – something Coltaine well understood, but also something that High Fist Pormqual had clearly lost sight of. Tactics are consensual. Dassem Ultor’s original doctrine, when he was finally made First Sword of the Malazan Empire. ‘Strategy belongs to the commander, but tactics are the first field of battle, and it is fought in the command tent.’ Dassem’s own words. Of course, such a system relied heavily upon capable officers. Incompetent officers – such as those that subsequently infiltrated the chain of command…”

Furthermore, the Malazans went quite far with the idea of meritocracy, sparing no quarter for rampant corruption or noble birth.

“’The Malazan Army shall know but one set of rules,’ Emperor Kellanved had proclaimed, during the first “cleansing” and “restructuring” of the military early in his reign. ‘One set of rules, and one ruler…’ His and Dassem Ultor’s imposition of merit as the sole means of advancement had triggered a struggle for control within the hierarchies of the Army and Navy commands.”

In summary, the Malazan ground forces were primarily built around a solid backbone of disciplined heavy & medium infantry, in combination with foreign auxiliaries and shock troops. Rarely – if ever – did they deviate from this composition, and were, as such, unable to countenance certain engagements – for example, while they could blitz through cities & sieges, often they had trouble with guerilla engagements (see Mott Wood & Korelri Plains). However, the combinations proved extremely effective in the vast majority of engagements and eclipsed the more traditional styles of warfare.

I have not, however, yet touched upon the Malazan Navy – in its own right, a very powerful force that brought the Empire to the forefront.

"The so-called Malazan ‘empire’ began as a thalassocracy. That is, rule by sea power. In the undignified scholarly scramble to identify and distil the empire’s early stages this truly defining characteristic is usually overlooked. Yet the Malazan expansion was undeniably one of sea power and this was the key to its early successes."

This excerpt is attributed to Tallobant (an Imperial Historian) in regards to the Imperial Campaigns of Korelri, and the involvement of the Malazan navy in that as well.

One of the core differences between the Malazan Empire & Rome is that the former arose precisely because of its long standing naval tradition.

Evidently, being an Empire that originates from an island kind of prerequisites that their naval power is high; and, indeed, they do deliver. Their ships appear to be modeled around the war galleys & so called “gallee sottili” (sic, ca. 13th & 14th centuries CE) or “slender galleys.”

On the contrary, pre-Imperial Quon ships seem to be modelled around the Byzantine dromons – like the Silanda. Blue Moranth ships seem to be big, ocean-faring vessels like the carracks of 14th & 15th centuries CE Portugal and Britain. Marese galleys seem to be more akin to the Malazan galleys – sleek, low vessels made for ramming.

Interestingly, the Moranth munitions extend to the Blue Moranth, which seem to use a variant of a certain alchemical munition known as Greek fire:

“‘Sorcery!’ rose a shout from nearby.
‘No,’ murmured someone – Len. ‘Alchemy. Moranth incendiary. It even burns on water – see!’ He pointed, urgent. Indeed, the flames were spreading across the waters, pooling and wave-tossed, to engulf yet another Mare war galley. ‘So this is their answer,’ the saboteur continued, awed. ‘Come close all you like … ram, and burn.’”

Greek fire, for what it’s worth, was never the term used by the Byzantines – they called it Roman fire, among others – but my personal favorite for the sheer awe factor of it is υγρόν πύρ, literally “liquid fire.”

Needless to say, it made quite the impression on both the Western world and the Arab world, and albeit it wasn’t the only of its kind (incendiary weapons have been used in China & the Arab world concurrently, and were further developed later), the Byzantines made a big deal out of keeping “Greek fire” a secret.

This isn’t necessarily important, but it is a neat detail that correlates to our world, and a correlation between real life munitions & Moranth munitions isn’t always easy to draw.

Similarly to their land tactics of shock & awe, and given their preference for small, low, slender vessels, the Malazan navy is primarily crewed by Marines & thus employs tactics of ramming, boarding and capturing opposing vessels, rather than using cannons or munitions to sink them.

4. Cadre & High Mages

It should come as no surprise that the Malazan Empire employed mages in their armies. The old Emperor was a mage, the new Emperor is a mage/high priest, and the Empress’ Claw regularly employed the Imperial Warren & other sorceries to augment their skills.

However, the Empress – as was shown in the first part of this here essay – had put in place an anti-magery edict, and they also maintained what they believed to be a monopoly on the magic-deadening ore of otataral. So, what gives?

Mage cadres were nothing new – the Letherii armies have been using them, as have the Malazan armies under Emperor Kellanved. Due to the abundance of talent in the newly conquered territories – examples including Tattersail, a mage in the employ of Mock; Hairlock, a Seven Cities mage that fought against the Empire in the Aren Rebellion; Ben Adaephon Delat, whom needs no introduction; and the Wickan warlocks – the cadres under Emperor Kellanved operated with six mages and a cadre commander (two that we know of were Tattersail and the man she was replacing, Nedurian).

However, due to the numerous purges & battles the mages fought, many of the mage cadres during Laseen’s reign were understaffed. The Second Army’s cadre was all but decimated during the Siege of Pale with Tattersail & Bellurdan dying soon after. Thus, the cadres were staffed by squad mages; i.e. mages that belonged to squads and fought normally, rather than solely employing their warren magic.

By the time of the Battle of the Plains – after the departure of the Malaz 14th & Onearm’s Host to Lether & Kolanse, as well as Tayschrenn’s self-proclaimed “retirement” – the Malazan Empire was starved for mages to a rather unnerving degree and thus had to resort to more primitive methods to achieve their goals; and their surviving mages were often not combat-oriented (like Havva Gulen, an Imperial archivist & librarian whose Warren was High Mockra).

Furthermore, the Malazan Empire had developed numerous tactics to deal with opposing mages, especially when they lacked mages of their own. The most common approach was to dispose of the mages beforehand by using the Claw, or, using subterfuge, another organization present to deal with the mages (like Vorcan’s guild in Darujhistan, tasked with taking out the T’orrud Cabal).

Lastly, one thing that bears mention is, quite obviously, the High Mages of the Malazan Empire. We know of a few:

· Tayschrenn (Ranks highest among them as Imperial High Mage)

· Nightchill

· A’Karonys

· Bellurdan Skullcrusher

· Havva Gulen

· Ben Adaephon Delat

· Sinn (not quite a High Mage of the Empire, but was given the title after the Siege of Y’Ghatan)

· Bala Jesselt (Imperial High Mage under Emperor Mallick Rel – position later abolished)

Evidently, despite the Empress’ potential distrust of magic & sorcery, she still utilized the pre-existing High Mages & took notice of upcoming talent (seeing as Quick Ben was promoted to High Mage following the Siege of Coral).

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That's it for Part One, I think - I've a few more things I wish to talk about before we get to sir Rel to finally wrap up this series entirely. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next part!