Dassem Ultor

In Realm and House of the Deck of Dragons in Steven Erikson's fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen, Dassem Ultor is a character also known as the First Sword of the Malazan Empire, Dessembrae - Lord of Tragedy, and former Knight of High House Death.

First references to Dassem Ultor appear in the beginning of Gardens of the Moon, the first Malazan Book of the Fallen, referring to him as the First Sword of the Empire, a title that grants him supreme command over all Malazan military matters. It is also mentioned quite early that he was assassinated at the siege of Y'Ghatan on the Seven Cities continent. This is, however, untrue, but his continued existence is unknown but to two or three others, not including Ascendents and Gods. The title "First Sword" is described as being a T'lan Imass title and it is unclear why the term was given to Dassem. It is speculated that Kellanved may have granted him this title since he had control over the First Throne and thus over an entire clan of the Logros T'lan Imass. Nevertheless, it is a title that is usually always a surrogate for Dassem's name, and it also being his official military rank, since Korbolo Dom will assume it in The Bonehunters.

More in-depth descriptions of Dassem refer to him as a master swordsman, strategist, general, and military reformer, of Dal Honese ethnicity. He was originally a member of the group which included Kellanved (a bar proprietor, mage, and also Dal Honese), Dancer (an assassin), Surly (a bar maid at Kellanved's bar Smiley's), Nok (soon to be admiral of the entire Imperial fleet), Cartheron and Urko Crust (two brothers of Napan descent), Tayschrenn(soon to be Imperial High Mage and a former priest of D'rek), and lastly Whiskeyjack (the rumored Mason of High House Death). After their successful coup de'tat takeover of Malaz Island from the pirate warlord Mock, the quickly created a fleet and expanded their domain by incorporating the Napan Isles, which eventually led to a successful invasion of the Quon Tali continent and a series of long campaigns known as the unification wars. Dassem was, by design and default, the one who actually led and planned the battles and without his unique contributions, the Malazan Empire would not have taken off the ground. Through his continued victories and the miraculous military expansion, he began to grow more close to Kellanved and Dancer, the original mastermind duo behind the entire rise to power, and eventually distanced himself from the rest of the group in certain matters of confidence. It came to be that certain individuals within the original cabal were growing overly-ambitious and desired more control and power, namely Surly (soon to be Laseen) and Tayschrenn.

As Dassem's perfect military conquests piled up one after another without fail or defeat, he slowly began, with or without the consent of Kellanved or Dancer is unknown, to incorporate changes to the newly formed but brutally efficient Malazan Armies, till the current command structure was established along with the addition of different regiments (i.e. marines, heavy and medium infantry, light and heavy cavalry, sappers), and an original style of battlefield philosophy which involved a new concept in tactics and strategy implored against superior forces. The high elite and deathly efficient unit the First Sword was Dassem's brainchild, invented to draw the enemy's superior units and fighters like a lightning rod.

Several references throughout the Malazan Book of the Fallen series refer to Dassem as "a man sworn to Hood", the God of Death, and King of High House Death. Dassem Ultor was in fact the Knight of High House Death, and thus Hood's Mortal Sword, a shrewd and adequate decision by Hood to choose him as his Knight since the First Sword is continually referred to as the deadliest swordsman alive. For some reason or another, the exact time span is muddled, Dassem rescinds his vow to Hood and the God of Death either kills or completely incapacitates his daughter. It is unknown which came first, if Dassem, tired and weary of the death and bloodshed caused by his own hand, forgoes his vow to the God of Death who consequently retaliates by eliminating/incapacitating his daughter or vice verse. The first accounts of Dassem by the young Ganoes Paran in Gardens of the Moon say that Dassem was the one who betrayed Hood, but later on in the novel the sole remaining Claw attached to the 2nd Army says that Hood took Dassem's daughter and then everything started going bad. Theorizing, certain vague statements seem to unconsciously point to the time directly before or during the siege of Y'Ghatan on the Seven Cities continent as the very rough time and date of this occurrence, coinciding with the assassination attempt on his life. In Iam C. Esslemont's book, Night if Knives, it describes the assassination attempt and the events occurring before and after it by one of Dassem's personal bodyguard Temper, a member of Dassem's highly elite First Sword.

The assassination attempt on Dassem's life is accredited several times to Surly, the leader of the covert group of assassins called the Claw and former barmaid at Kellanved's bar Smiley's. In the novel, the First Sword is led out by Dassem to battle during the siege of Y'Ghatan to combat and eliminate the Fala'dh's Champion, who is described as a highly effective swordsman. During the battle when Dassem himself is engaging the Champion, a projectile, most likely an arrow or crossbow bolt, hits Dassem in his chest, rendering him somewhat vulnerable. With Dassem incapacitated, the Champion dispatches several members of the First Sword until only Temper and another is left alive, after which Temper is gravely wounded and carried back to the Malazan lines unconscious. The remaining two members of the First Sword who are still with Dassem, decided to finish the job, ouf of great respect and reverence to him, as they believe that Surly will make an example of him by murdering him herself, since Dassem is close to death. Climatically, the Temper and the other Sword are confronted in Dassem's tent by Surly and three Claw assassins. When Temper moves to deliver the death-blow to Dassem, he is stopped by him and the three together successfully kill Jade(Claw), mortally wound Possum(Claw), but after Topper(Claw) successfully escapes. Dassem and the two Swords escape the camp where they travel for some time till they part ways with him at his direction. In that last scene, Temper remarks on how Dassem is a changed man, and is filled with sadness and anger. Dassem then sets out to find and kill Hood, to avenge the death of his daughter.

In The Deadhouse Gates, the second book of the Malazan series, when Fiddler, Apsalar and others arrive in the Azath House on Malaz Island, they encounter a young woman who is placed in a sitting position at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The young woman, whom Apsalar through possession of Dancer's memories identifies as Dassem Ultor's daughter, is neither described as dead or alive, simply as someone "who looked as if she had been placed there but an hour before". It is also described that she has "vicious wounds crisscrossing her slight form", but failing to mention if they are death wounds. Apsalar also recounts how Dassem recovered her "after Hood was done using her" and presumably placed her in the Azath House, theoretically, to preserve her body, for some unknown reason.

After the events of the siege of Y'Ghatan and Dassem discovering his daughter was deathly wounded (or killed) by Hood, it is derived that Dassem, having foresworn his oath to Hood has fallen from High House Death as its Knight of his own accord, and has re-ascended as Dessembrae, the Lord of Tragedy, and has obtained godhood. His new identity in the pantheon of ascendants creates a cult following of him, and it is unsure if they worship him as a god or not. This fact, one way or another, would determine if Dassem Ultor has achieved full deification or remains an Ascendant without a worshipping, a type of god-in-waiting.

The next emergence of Dassem that we read about was in Toll the Hounds, the eighth book of the Malazan series. Dassem travels under the alias of Traveler, and the short scenes that he is present in give us a unique look into his personality, though he speaks little, and is often described by characters as having "a sad look in his eye", or "a presence of immense despair and tragedy". As the book progresses, we determine, from Dassem's own mouth, that his destination is Darujhistan, the City of Blue Fire. Eventually, at the end of the book, at a surprising series of climaxes, Anomander Rake, the Tiste Andii lord and Son of Darkness, slays Hood, with his enslaving sword Dragnipur, which enslaves all of those that have ever died within the sword's warren. Out of some eventuality, Dassem ends up confronting Rake in Darujhistan, but not after Dancer, as Cotillion, his ascended god-persona, speaks to Dassem about an unknown subject for a short period of time, at the end of, Dassem cries out in pure despair for some unknown reason. Then in confronting Rake, who recognizes him, Dassem reveals that he has never any quarrel with Rake, not even during the Malazan Empire's reign when Dassem warred against the Tiste Andii of Moon's Spawn. It is believed when Rake refuses to move out of Dassem's way, that Cotillion (Dancer) had already told Dassem that Rake would not step aside. They draw their swords and Dassem slays Anomander Rake by driving Dragniupur into Rake's skull, killing him. Dassem is then emotionally unstable and begins to weep and stagger about in anguish, over killing Rake it is believed. Dassem then, it is believed but not stated, continues to travel on, but since Hood is now believed dead it is not understood what Dassem is now seeking.

Later on in the series in another of Ian C. Esslemont's books "Return of the Crimson Guard", Dassem is again identified as Traveller and is in the company of an Thel Akai named Ereko who rescued Dassem from the Stormwall of Korelri where he was a prisoner-soldier. Accounts from Ereko's memories shows that Dassem was chained to the base of the wall and was the only one left standing after several attacks by Stormriders. When finally a Stormrider mage rides up on his ethereal horse it is as is he recognizes Traveller as Dassem Ultor and gives him his life out of respect it is presumed. Ereko then successfully rescues Dassem, but convinced Ereko to help him break back into the Stormwall to retrieve his sword, which Anomander Rake, in Toll the Hounds, identifies as "the sword named Vengeance, or Anger... Grief", which he himself had forged an unknown amount of time ago. Which ever one of the names it is for Dassem Ultor, it is unclear, but an unknown source identifies it as Vengeance, meaning that Dassem may still be looking for someone to slate his revenge on, but it is unknown with a number of very far-fetched theories which are all skeptical at best.