Malazan Empire

The Malazan Empire is a fictional state in the epic fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. It is one of only two human empires in the series - the other being Lether. It is likely the largest group of humans under one name. The Malazan Empire plays a significant role in the first four volumes and in the sixth, but according to Steven Erikson, it will not play a major role in the last four books. The empire also plays a role in the novels written by the Malazan world's co-creator, Ian Cameron Esslemont.

History

The Malazan Empire was born in the year 1058 Burn's Sleep. In the years (and possibly decades) leading up to this point, the continent of Quon Tali had become embroiled in a series of power struggles between the feuding city-states, with the Kingdom of Unta establishing itself as a considerable military power on the continent. When Unta annexed the Napan Isles as a prelude for its planned invasion of Kartool Island, many refugees were displaced, some landing on Malaz Island to the south-east. At this time Malaz Island was ruled by a cold-blooded pirate named Mock, whose formidable criminal organization controlled the whole island and had many contacts on the mainland. Mock sold many of the refugee Napans to the Untans, aside from a few who escaped with the help of factions on the island opposed to Mock.

Foremost of these factions were Kellanved and Dancer, a powerful mage and a master assassin from the mainland who had settled on Malaz Island and opened a bar. They recruited among the island's criminal element and employed refugee Napans, offering them the chance to take revenge against Unta and liberate their homeland. Kellanved, Dancer, a boy working for them named Dujek, and Napan refugees Amaron, Hawl and Nok managed to achieve the impossible and gained an unassailable base of operations in the Deadhouse, the Azath House of Malaz City. This group continued to expand their 'family', recruiting the Napan brothers Cartheron and Urko Crust, a Napan barmaid named Surly, a formidable Dal Hon sword fighter named Dassem Ultor, a soldier named Duiker plucked out to become a historian and a refugee high priest of D'rek from Kartool named Tayschrenn. With this family Kellanved overthrew Mock and his criminal organization and established himself as the supreme ruler of Malaz Island. Using the refugee Napans, hungry for vengeance against Unta, as the core of his military and magical forces, Kellanved led Malaz in a war against the mainland, against the odds seizing Unta and expanding across the continent of Quon Tali. The Napans were initially pleased, having used Kellanved to liberate the Napan Isles, but became disillusioned as the Napan Isles swapped the yoke of Unta for the yoke of the swiftly growing Malazan Empire.

Over the next century, the Malazan Empire sprawled across Quon Tali, eventually seizing control of the entire continent. The Empire's trading fleets were soon growing rich from trading with Korel to the south-east, Seven Cities to the north and Genabackis to the north-east. Explorations of the landmass immediately to the west of Quon Tali (south-west of Seven Cities and part of the same landmass) were curtailed by the unrelenting hostile intransigence of the Shal-Morzinn Empire, whose formidable magical might gave even Kellanved pause. Instead the Malazan Empire expanded into Seven Cities, seizing control of the subcontinent in a bloody war. During this time Emperor Kellanved discovered the former First Throne and took seat upon it, gaining control of the clans of the undead T'lan Imass. Despite the vast and formidable power of the undead army, Kellanved used the undead warriors sparingly. During one incident the Imass - apparently acting on the orders of Clawmaster Surly - believing the orders to come from Kellanved - brutally sacked the Holy City of Aren, slaughtering the inhabitants en masse. After this incident, Kellanved apparently did not use the overwhelming military might of the Imass again. By the war's conclusion the subcontinent was subdued, but wore the Malazan yoke uneasily. A massive rebellion erupted some years later, a rebellion during which the Empire's First Sword, Dassem Ultor, was lost at Y'Ghatan.

By 1154 Burn's Sleep the Empire was conducting military incursions into both Genabackis and Korel. By this year Kellanved and Dancer had been missing for several years, having undertaken ambitious and extensive explorations of the Azath Houses in an attempt to map them and the bewildering connections between them. Upon their return late in this year, they were promptly assassinated by Surly, who named herself Laseen and took the royal throne herself. Many of the loyal old guard were demoted or scattered to distant parts of the Empire to reduce their threat to Laseen.

By 1163 Laseen's control seemed secure, but in reality the Empire was badly overstretched, its armies on Korelri facing serious reversals, its army on Genabackis bogged down in a stalemated siege of the Free City of Pale and Seven Cities hungry for vengeance against the 'Mezla'. It is at this point that the Malazan Book of the Fallen series begins.

Geography

In 1163 Burn's Sleep, the Malazan Empire extends across four continents: Quon Tali, Seven Cities, Genabackis and Korelri, plus numerous surrounding islands. Although born in Malaz City, on Malaz Island off the south-eastern coast of Quon Tali, the Empire's capital is Unta on the mainland's eastern coast.

Quon Tali

The continent of Quon Tali is the smallest of the major landmasses and contains several major cities other than Unta, namely Cawn, Li Heng and Quon City. There are two major wilderness areas of plains, controlled by native horsewarriors. In the west lies the plains of the Seti, whilst in the north-east lie the Wickan Plains. In the south-west lies the plains of Dal Hon, but these are relatively tamed in comparison. The most significant island off the coast of Quon Tali other than Malaz is Kartool due east from Quon Tali and to the north of Malaz Island. Off the north-eastern coast of Quon Tali lies an extensive chain of islands, the Falari Isles, which were the Empire's first major overseas conquest.

Seven Cities

A few hundred leagues north and west of the Falari Isles lies the subcontinent of Seven Cities. The landmass it is attached to is vast, also consisting of plains in the west and desert to the south-west. Beyond these wilderness regions lie remote nations known to the Malazans only on maps or through brief contacts, namely Perish, Nemil and powerful Shal-Morzinn. Seven Cities itself is a vast, dry land of open plains and dusty wastes known as odhans, filled with hostile tribes. The Malazans control Seven Cities by maintaining a strong standing army (the 7th Army, based at Hissar; another army is based at Aren), commanding local militias loyal to Unta (the most notorious being the Red Blades) and holding onto their continental capital - Aren on the south coast - with an unshakable grip. The Malazan Empire also claims Otataral Island off the north-east coast (where slave camps mine the valuable magic-resisting otataral mineral for the Empire) and numerous islands off Seven Cities' north coast, the strongest of which is Sepik.

Genabackis

Nearly 1,600 leagues east of Seven Cities lies Genabackis. The Malazan Empire controls a wide swath of the north of the continent, including eight of the ten Free Cities which dominate trade on the continent. However, the Malazan conquest is incomplete. The 2nd Army - Onearm's Host under High Fist Dujek Onearm - is bogged down in the siege of Pale, whilst the 5th Army is having problems holding the north against repeated attacks by the Crimson Guard, the Mott Irregulars and the other local armies and mercenaries commanded by the Warlord, Caladan Brood, and his formidable ally, Anomander Rake of the Tiste Andii of Moon's Spawn. The Malazan continental capital on Genabackis is Genabaris on the north-western coast.

Korelri

Many hundreds of leagues south-east of Malaz Island lies the continent of Korelri. According to legend the continent was shattered in the fall of the Crippled God, leaving two island subcontinents (named Korelri in the north and Stratem in the south) filled with lakes and surrounded by thousands of islands. The Malazan Empire's conquest began with the island of Theft off the north coast and then moved onto the mainland. However, the north of Korelri is a nightmare to hold with vast stretches of open territory surrounding the Malazan occupation zone. The nations and cities of Korelri have united against the Malazans to form the Korelri Compact and in recent years have managed to stall the advance of the Malazans under their commander, Greymane. Attempts by the Malazans to rescue the situation have so far failed. The Korelri also maintain the Stormwall, a defensive fortification along the north coast that defends the continent from attack by the Stormriders, sorcerer-spirits of the Sea of Storms.

The Malazan Empire is aware of the existence of continents lying to the east of Korelri, including Assail (and presumably Jacuruku), but has made no further explorations or military adventures in those areas.

Government

The Empire is ruled by the Empress Laseen, who rules through an extensive bureaucracy. Each continent is governed by a High Fist (Pormqual on Seven Cities, Dujek on Genabackis and Greymane on Korelri) who disseminate orders via the Fists. Fists are both military commanders of armies and also governors of cities and strongholds. Where possible the Malazans use local rulers, religions and customs to rule, creating a continuity of control from the pre-Imperial regime which reduces the risk of natives banding together to eject the foreigners. In some areas, however, a more direct subjugation by force is necessary.

Alongside this formal structure, the Empire also employs a network of spies and assassin called "Claws".

Military

The Malazan imperial military has often confronted numerically superior enemies and triumphed over them. The secret of its success lies in its superior organization, training, weapons, and tactics. Unlike almost all of its opponents (except some mercenary companies), the imperial military is a professional force. Despite its relatively small size (considering the size of its empire), it has a formidable and well earned reputation. It is organized to the designs of the master tactician Dassem Ultor. The Empire maintains roughly 100,000 men under arms, divided into ten armies. When an army is destroyed or disbanded, a fresh army is created rather than an old number re-used. The Malazan Empire is currently believed to be assembling the 14th Army in Unta to deal with a possible rebellion on Seven Cities and reinforce the 7th.

The 2nd, 5th and 6th armies are currently fighting on Genabackis. The 7th is in Seven Cities. The 14th is assembling in Unta. The 3rd Army was used in the conquest of Seven Cities and may no longer exist. The 1st Army has been disbanded.

Malazan military formations include skirmishers, scouts, heavy and medium infantry, heavy cavalry, lancers, marines and sappers. Sappers are equipped with alchemical munitions, which originate from the Empire's enigmatic allies, the Moranth of Genabackis. The Empire's use of munitions, which no other nation possesses, has been of significant help in its ongoing wars. The Empire also uses crossbowmen, although as well as dedicated missile formations it also trains many regular infantry in the use of crossbows as well, allowing the infantry to rain fire on the enemy before closing to engage. Onearm's Host also employs javelins which are thrown into the enemy ranks just before engaging them in melee.

The Malazan method of warfare favours large-scale field engagements. In guerrilla warfare situations, such as those that exist in Blackdog Forest and Mott Wood in northern Genabackis, or on the plains of Korelri, it is less effective.

It is widely believed that the Malazan Empire has control of at least one clan of the T'lan Imass, 20 000 undead warriors who are virtually impossible to kill without magical aid, do not require food or rest, and can turn into dust and travel vast distances quickly, even over seas. The Imass have not been used since the brutal sack of Aren. However, the truth is that Kellanved kept the location of the First Throne - which controls the Imass - totally secret and Laseen does not know where it is located. Thus, for the time being the Malazan Empire does not control the Imass legions.

The Empire employs powerful Mage Cadres in battle, but with High Mages and even less powerful mages at a premium, not every engagement can count on magical support.

The Bridgeburners

The Bridgeburners are an elite unit of soldiers in the Malazan Empire. The unit and its major characters play a significant role in the plot of all the books in the series to date except Midnight Tides. Their sigil is an arched bridge of stone with a background of licking flames, which is very well known in the Malazan Empire, along with their motto: First in, last out. Like a modern platoon, the unit is broken into numbered squads. In addition to combat, the Bridgeburners were used as sappers, saboteurs and became masters of the use of explosive Moranth munitions.

History

The Bridgeburners were transformed in the Holy Desert Raraku, in Seven Cities, from being regular soldiers to becoming much more. The unit has had a combat role in military operations on the continents of Seven Cities, Genabackis, and Quon Tali. The unit was merged from the remnants of several units and was forged into a single force through their journey across the Holy Desert of Raraku. Their pasts were then burned away. In Gardens of the Moon, only 35 of the original 1,400 Bridgeburners survived the sorcerous enfilade at the end of the siege of Pale. The company as a whole was given a song by the Tanno Spiritwalker Kimloc at some point between the events of Deadhouse Gates and House of Chains, a song which allowed the Bridgeburners - after death - to Ascend to godhood. They are also blessed in Memories of Ice by the Master of the Deck, Ganoes Paran, allowing them to become part of High House War. Paran calls upon the Bridgeburners in The Bonehunters to assist his goal of securing the Malazan world against The Crippled God.

Command

• Captain Ganoes Stabro Paran

9th Squad

• Sergeant Whiskeyjack
• Corporal Kalam Mekhar, a male assassin, formerly a Claw
• Quick Ben, a male mage with access to twelve warrens
• Fiddler, a male sapper (aka, Strings)
• Hedge, a male sapper
• Mallet, a male healer
• Trotts, a male Barghast soldier
• Apsalar/Sorry, a female assassin, possessed by Cotillion

7th Squad

• Sergeant Antsy, red-faced man with an enormous handlebar mustache
• Corporal Picker, female soldier who delivered Treach's torcs to Gruntle
• Blend, a female soldier who has raw but pure talent to become unnoticeable by others
• Detoran, a female soldier
• Spindle, a male mage sapper whose warren disrupts animals when he unveils it

Squad unknown

• Sergeant Bucklund
• Corporal Aimless
• Toes, claimed to be a necromancer, collector of toes to keep the ghosts following him off-balance.
• Shank, a Seti Ritualist
• Bluepearl, a Napan mage of Ruse
• Mulch, a soldier
• Runter, a soldier
• Story, a soldier
• Liss, a soldier
• Dasalle, a soldier
• Ash, a deserter

Ganoes Paran

Ganoes Stabro Paran starts as a Lieutenant in Itko Kan and was reassigned to Adjunct Lorn after the massacre of the Nineteenth Regiment of the Itko Kanese Eighth Cavalry by the Hounds of Shadow. On Genabackis, he has a relationship with Tattersail, a cadre sorceress and reader of the Deck of Dragons. Despite his title of captain, Paran realizes that the real commander of the Bridgeburners is Whiskeyjack.

Paran was slain by Sorry while she was possessed by Cotillion, and revived by Oponn, the Twin Gods of Chance, with the consequence that Tattersail dies in his place afterwards. He was pursued by the insane animated puppet Hairlock, who was eventually slain by the Hounds of Shadow. The Hounds would have killed Paran were it not for the intervention of Anomander Rake, who slew two Hounds. Paran tasted the blood of the dead Hounds and was drawn into the Warren within Dragnipur. Through these actions, Paran became the Master of the Deck of Dragons, Jen'isand Rul (translates from Rhivi as "the Wanderer within the Sword"), and something akin to a Soletaken assuming the form of a Hound - although perhaps larger than the Hounds of Shadow - and assumed a variety of magical abilities of which even he is uncertain, but include travel through temporarily created cards which only need be drawn (on any surface), the ability to traverse the Houses of the Azath, and the power to summon gods. Paran has since been active on a variety of continents and Warrens, working to oppose the Crippled God and support the Malazan Empire. His most notable action as Master of the Deck was to bless High House Chains, forcing it into the role of a one of many Houses in the pantheon rather than allowing it to exist outside of it, and awakening the Deragoth, the Hounds of Darkness. He became an unofficial High Fist after first impersonating Captain Kindly, becoming the only officer fit for duty in the remnants of the Malazan 2nd Army decimated by plague. Elected as High Fist by the surviving officers and Fists after destroying the plague by killing Poliel, Goddess of Disease.

Paran then lead the survivors out into the desert to confront Felisin Younger, adopted daughter of his sister Felisin, and stop the uprising. However, he was unable to do it once he saw what she had become. The surviving members of Leoman's expert calvary, after also seeing what Felisin had become, turned away in disgust. They elected to join Paran, refilling his numbers and bringing the host up to renewed strength. Paran put down the remainder of the rebellion and held up in Aren for a time while his troops restored themselves. They then disappeared, going through a gate he created to Kolanse to challenge the Forkrul Assail and rescuing the Bonehunters.

Whiskeyjack

Once the commander of the second and the third army, then demoted to sergeant when Empress Laseen inverted the command structure.

In the 96th year of the Malazan Empire, during the final year of the Emperor Kellanved, Whiskeyjack speaks to the young Ganoes Paran who tells Whiskeyjack that he wants to be a soldier, to Whiskeyjack's disapproval. Many years later, in Genebackis after the fall of Pale, Whiskeyjack is shown to be under terrible stress as the Bridgeburners are killed en masse or being picked off one by one. Quick Ben and Kalaam try to perusade him to desert before all are dead but he steadfastly refuses. He also is shocked at how young the recruits were and how good he was getting at sending people to their deaths. He looks for good in the people that even though Quick Ben tries to make him understand that Sorry is possessed, he only wants to believe that she is not. In Memories of Ice, Whiskeyjack was promoted to High Fist Dujek's second-in-command. He befriends the Tiste Andii Anomander Rake, and becomes the lover of the Tiste Andii Korlat, a Soletaken Eleint. And at the end of the book, he is slain by Kallor (while defending Silverfox), Caladan Brood's second in command. In response, Korlat and her brother Orfantal vow to avenge the death of Whiskeyjack. In Toll the Hounds, Whiskeyjack is revealed as the leader of Hood's army (going by his Seven Cities name, Iskar Jarak) to save the Warren of Darkness within the sword Dragnipur from Chaos.

Whiskeyjack comes from a line of stonecutters and it is mentioned that he was young when he was drafted into the Malazan army. He has a sister named Dunsparrow, who was last seen involved with Leoman of the Flails and the Queen of Dreams.

Kalam Mekhar

Kalam was once an assassin for the Holy Falah'dan's, a religious leader in the Seven Cities. He was recruited by the Malazan Empire's assassin sect and secret police, the Claw, who gave him command of one of their units. The recruitment is a testament to Kalam's skill as an assassin, as the Claw normally eliminates, rather than recruits its competition, and prefers to train children to be members from birth. He is black-skinned and has a northern Seven Cities accent.

Kalam's first appearance in the series is in the beginning of Gardens of the Moon outside the city of Pale, where he assists the remainder of the Bridgeburners in shifting the soul of the mage Hairlock.

Ben Adaephon Delat

See also: Magic of the Malazan Book of the Fallen

The thin, ebony-skinned mage is a former priest of Shadow from the Seven Cities. He encountered the Bridgeburners in the Holy Desert Raraku while and eleven other mages made up the mage cadre of one of the Seven Holy Protectors during a rebellion in Aren. The eleven gave their souls and power to Quick Ben rather than dying during their flight in the desert. This left him with access to twelve warrens, of which he could use seven simultaneously. At the end of Quick Ben's flight, Whiskeyjack uncovers Quick Ben and Kalam's scheme. Instead of fighting, Quick Ben and Kalam join the Bridgeburners, Quick Ben as squad mage. One of the mages was a Soletaken and others, such as Fiddler, have suggested that there was a "whiff" of Soletaken about him. He has an extremely keen mind - it is known that he outsmarted Shadowthrone at least twice. After the Battle of Malaz Island, where the Adjunct Tavore rebels against the Empress Laseen due to her rewriting of the history of the Chain of Dogs, denouncing Coltaine and his Wickans as traitors, and allowing the wholesale slaughter of the Wickan Pogrom, while allowing the true traitors - Fist Korbolo Dom and the Jhistal Priest Mallick Rel to rise high and be given great rewards.

Tavore promoted Quick Bens to High Mage. He is able to batter Silchas Ruin into retreat, with the help of cussers lobbed by Dead Hedge. During a Reading of the Deck of Dragons demanded by Tavore, and performed by an unwilling Fiddler, it is revealed he may have become an ascendant, now aspected to Dark or even Elder Dark instead of Shadow, as the card signifying the Magus of High House Dark flies across the room and bodily lifts Quick Ben off his feet and pins him to a wall. However, Sandalath Drukorlat dismisses this, laughing, "Magus of Dark! Impossible! He's not even Tiste Andii!". However, Quick Ben is noted for his exceptionally dark, ebony skin (a feature of the Tiste Andii), and, as above, many Adepts smell "a whiff of Soletaken about him".

Apsalar

Apsalar, who has taken the name of the Lady of Thieves (a T'lan Imass then imprisoned in Dragnipur), was also known as Sorry during her possession by Cotillion, Patron of Assassins, while she was a member of the Bridgeburners. Her original name is unknown.

Her story begins in the Gardens of the Moon with her possession by Cotillion, whose goal is the assassination of the Empress Laseen. Following her possession, the Nineteenth Regiment of the Itko Kanese Eighth Cavalry was massacred by the Hounds of Shadow, an event investigated by the young Lieutenant Ganoes Paran.

On Genabackis, Anomander Rake confronts Shadowthrone, which ends with Shadowthrone ordering Cotillion to release her. Wandering lost on the plains, she has forgotten her real name. She meets Crokus Younghand, a young Daru thief, who gives her the name Apsalar. The two fall in love. In Deadhouse Gates, Apsalar rediscovers Cotillion's mortal memories as Dancer, right-hand man to the Emperor Kellanved, and all his deadly assassin's tricks. In order to protect Crokus, Apsalar decides to leave him and work for the Shadow gods. In The Bonehunters, Apsalar is depressed and upset for leaving Crokus. She is working on a list of assassinations for the Shadow gods which brings her back into the fold of the 14th Army. In the ensuing events, Crokus (now called Cutter) is thought dead by Apsalar and Cotillion, which causes her to break down en route to Malaz City. In Malaz, she unleashes her shadow dancing talents, enabling her to obliterate a full gauntlet of Claw assassins (the Empire's Assassin cult) without getting a scratch.

Moranth munitions

Moranth munitions are an explosive employed by the Malazan Empire's military forces, and one of the main advantages the Malazan Army holds over its rivals. The munitions are widely recognized as having revolutionized the army's military tactics. The Malazan world’s technology base does not include gunpowder or any modern artillery, with the exception of those munitions provided by the Moranth. The Empire discovered the Moranth living in an area of the continent of Genabackis known as the Cloud Forest, and the Moranth were required to produce the munitions for the Malazan Empire after they were conquered^{[citation needed]}. The Moranth tactics involved dropping munitions from the backs of the giant dragonflies they rode into battle, but the Malazan Army modified them into projectiles. The first munitions the Malazans had access to were delivered to the Bridgeburner Whiskeyjack, subsequently passed to the sappers Hedge and Fiddler, who perfected the techniques involved in deploying munitions and remained the best sappers in the army. There was once an entire company of sappers until a sapper dropped a munition and blew the entire company to pieces.

Moranth munitions are composed of clay or glass, built to exact standards with no room for variation. They are filled with unidentified powders which explode upon contact with air. The various types of explosives have different shapes ranging from cylinders and cones to spheres. Some sappers of Malazan Army had already perfected a crossbow for its military including larger types for use with most Moranth munitions. The Bridgeburner sapper Fiddler has had an armorer make a very limited quantity of even more powerful version for use with cussers. There are several types of munition, each with their own purpose and structure.

Sharpers

These are the most commonly used type of explosive by the Malazan Army, due to their versatility. They are small cones composed of fired clay and contain shards of metal designed to act as shrapnel. They are small and light enough to throw without causing damage to the thrower, comparable to a real-life hand grenade. Sharpers were so named because of the sharp shrapnel they produce. They are also commonly loaded onto large crossbows to be fired at distant targets.

Crackers

Crackers are a very specific variety of explosive used for the demolition of buildings and city walls. They are the most durable form of munition, with an exterior casing that can be hammered without cracking, and are detonated through the use of acid to etch through the casing. They are made of fired clay, shaped like cones or wedges that can be driven into cracks or gaps in walls. Crackers explode with a loud cracking noise, leading to their name.

Burners

Burners are composed of glass cylinders filled a different type of explosive than other munitions, comparable to real-life incendiary grenades. Upon detonation, burners create a fireball designed to burn enemy troops and supplies. They are less deadly than Sharpers but can be used more strategically to create havoc among the enemy. They are frequently loaded onto large crossbows to allow for more range, and are often used in conjunction with crackers to demolish fortifications.

Melters

Melters are similar to burners in that they do not explode like the rest of the Moranth munitions. Instead the melter is a spherical case of fired clay containing an extremely corrosive acid which is used for melting walls, large groups of troops, or even demons. It is comparable to a real-life thermite bomb.

Cussers

Also called "cussors" in Ian Cameron Esslemont's novels. Filled with a yellow powder and shards of iron, cussers are the largest, most volatile and most deadly of the munitions, comparable to a real-life satchel charge in potential destructiveness. Their name comes from the only adequate reaction to their effects - cussing (although by Ian Cameron Esslemont's use of the term "cussor", it could be a derivation of "concussor", in reference to the extreme pressures generated - a concussion wave - or the tendency to cause head injuries - by their detonation). Cussers require much more delicate handling than other munitions as they are extremely difficult to use on an enemy without also affecting the user. Attempts to launch them using catapults cause them to detonate, as does using a conventional crossbow to deliver them, and they can not be thrown by hand as the blast radius would injure the thrower. Due to their limitations, several alternative methods of delivery and detonation have been developed:

• Remote detonation - a cusser or group of cussers is planted near the target. The sapper then retreats out of blast range and fires a crossbow loaded with a sharper or burner into the region, causing the cusser(s) to explode.
• Fuse - a cusser is rigged with a drop of acid that slowly dissolves a wax plug in the clay coating while the sapper retreats out of range. The amount and placement of acid affects the timing of the explosion and is a rare art with little room for error, as those who do not possess the skill to time them properly have no doubt been blown to bits, thus obviously not possessing much athletic skill, either.
• Trip wire - this is used in ambushes and traps for enemy troops. A tripwire is stretched across a path tied to a cusser on each end. The cussers are balanced on a nearby object. When an enemy springs the tripwire, they fall and detonate. This is not practical in open areas or during daylight.
• The Drum - a legendary method of deploying cussers used solely by the Bridgeburners Fiddler and Hedge, which mimics a land mine. Holes are first dug in a chosen pattern, depending on the area. Cussers are then shaved down on one side until the clay is paper thin. A sharp stone is placed on the thin area and the cusser is buried. When the enemy approached, their footfalls resonate the ground and the stone punctures the clay.
• Modified crossbow - the almost as exotic a deployment as the Drum, launching with a modified crossbows. The crossbow is much larger than a conventional bow, and uses special cradle to hold the munition. A number of such designs have been created, including the famous original by the Bridgeburners Fiddler and Hedge. Most imitation crossbows lack the smoothness and or accuracy of the original.
• Dropping: The original method of cusser deployment by the Moranth was dropping them from the sky, using giant, bug-like mounts called "quorls". This method is still used by the Malazan's Moranth allies.

Smokers

As the name suggests, smokers release large clouds of smoke, akin to a modern smoke bomb. They are used tactically to create confusion.

Claw

The Claw are a network of spies and assassins. They are used to monitor and control both the subject population and the imperial soldiers and bureaucrats. They have their own chain of command outside the normal Malazan military system, and answer directly and only to the Empress herself.

Prior to Empress Laseen's ascension to the imperial throne, a separate network called the Talon existed. The chain of command was similar to the Claw except that it answered to Dancer, the Emperor's second, whereas the Claw only answers to the Empress. The Talon were believed to be exterminated by the Claw and most were, but some were driven into hiding. Baudin Younger, the prisoner who escapes with Felisin Paran and Heboric Light Touch, is later revealed to be a Talon, having inherited this position from his father.

The Claw and Talon (before Surly's usurpation) were responsible for separate areas of operation: the Claw for domestic threats, the Talon for external threats. After Surly became Laseen and the end of the Talon the Claw took over the Talon mandate.

The Empire During the Books

During the novels, the Malazan Empire undergoes significant changes.

Gardens of the Moon

In Gardens of the Moon, the Malazan Empire captures the Free City of Pale. It attempts to conquer the city of Pale while overhead looms Moon's Spawn, a massive floating fortress and home to the Tiste Andii. Anomander Rake and the other Tiste Andii wage war on the Malazan army, triumphant in the end, but at great cost. Then, the Bridgeburners are dispatched to Darujhistan, the last free city state in the northern continent, while gods conspire and ancient beings are re-awoken to wage a war. Darujhistan trembles as humans, gods, demons, and a tyrant battle, while the house of the Azath re-awakens in the heart of the city.

Deadhouse Gates

In Deadhouse Gates, Seven Cities unleashes a bloody rebellion known as the Whirlwind. Most of Seven Cities falls into chaos as the local tribes and warriors, banded together under the leadership of Sha'ik, force the Malazans into flight. The 7th Army is forced to march from Hissar with some 12,000 warriors (including Wickan reinforcements from Quon Tali) escorting more than 40,000 civilian refugees the 500 leagues to Aren. By the end of the march, which becomes known as the Chain of Dogs, virtually the entire army and most of the refugees are dead, but several thousand do make it to Aren.

Memories of Ice

In Memories of Ice, the decimated Bridgeburners along with the remainder of the Malazan 2nd Army has been outlawed by the Empire. Now calling themselves Onearm's Host, they have allied with longtime rivals Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake's armies to answer the threat from the south. The Pannion Domin, a religious fanatic army of cannibals spreading like wildfire through the land and consuming all, halted only by the city of Capustan and its Grey Sword protectors. The joined armies of Brood and Onearm rush to the defense of Capustan in hopes of saving the city and recruiting the Grey Swords to aid in the destruction of the Pannion Domin. However, something foul lurks in the center of the dominion. Old powers. Old enemies. The warrens have been joined, and a new player enters the game -- the Crippled God, bent on vengeance and destruction.

In the end, the Bridgeburners are all but destroyed. Only 3,000 of the host survive. Afterwards, it is revealed that the outlawing of the army was a feint to gain allies, Lord Anomander Rake claims Black Coral and Brood returns to the north. The Malazan army leaves Genabackis and travels to aid the 14th army in stopping the Seven Cities rebellion. The remaining half a dozen Bridgeburners disappear from the Empire, with the exception of Quick Ben, who has been made a High Mage, and joins the 2nd army on route to Seven Cities.

House of Chains

In House of Chains, the Malazan 14th Army under Adjunct Tavore Paran marches from Aren against Sha'ik's forces in Raraku, the Holy Desert. The 14'th army is untested, mostly consisting of freshly recruited troops randomly collected from recruiting areas around the Empire, the majority of the troops belonging to the native continent of the Empire, the Quon Tali. It seems hopeless as the unexperienced Malazan army is expected to face an army fairly larger, not to mention able and competent rebel leaders such as Leoman of the Flails. Luck seems to follow the Malazans however as they are joined by a large force of veteran horsemen, the Khundryl Burned Tears, consisting of 3/4000 (?) hardy barbarian riders. These fighters become part of the Wickan tribe by the blessing of Temul, a survivor of the Chain of Dogs. Thus, the predominantly infantry consisting Malazan 14'th army is in possession of veteran desert cavalry. The 14'th army is finally tested when a large raiding rebel force led by Leoman of the Flails starts to harry the approaching avenger Army of the Malazan Empire, the efforts ending in failure. The Adjunct is a capable commander with much theoretical strategic know-how. This Campaign however marks her first time as a commander of a flesh and blood army. Luckily for the Malazans, she is cold iron and passes this test without much difficulty. At the end of a long, hard march the 14th receives help from an army of spirits and ghosts to crush the rebels and send the survivors fleeing, thus making it unnecessary for the 14th to fight in the battle.

The 2nd Army lands at Ehrlitan on the north coast and begins the reconquest of the north-east of the continent.

Midnight Tides

The Malazan Empire plays no formal role in the events during this novel.

The Bonehunters

In The Bonehunters, the Malazan 14th Army gives chase to the fleeing remnants of the rebel armies led by Leoman of the Flails, unrelentingly following them all the way to Y'Ghatan, where the remnants of Sha'ik's army are gathered under the command of Leoman of the Flails. Knowing well that victory to the Whirlwind has been denied, Leoman uses a diabolical plan to give the impression of the rebels willing to fight to the last man in fanatical suicide battle. Leoman destroys Y'Ghatan by igniting the oil harvest that was gathered in the city and thus effectively burning a considerable portion of the Malaz 14'th Army, including veterans, making the taste of victory bittersweet for the Malazans. The 14th Army marches west to avoid a plague spreading along the coast and is reunited with Admiral Nok's fleet, which has sailed around the subcontinent from Aren. Tavore receives orders to sail to Malaz City, but rather than risk sailing eastward around the plague-ridden coast, they decide to sail westward through uncharted territories. Off the coast of Perish they are joined by a warfleet of the native warrior-priests, who believe a great war is coming and that Tavore is the one prophesied to lead them against it. In Malaz City, Tavore is nearly killed by agents of the Empress, but she and the 14th escape to sea. Their eventual destination is the continent of Lether on the far side of the world, where they hope to engage the Tiste Edur and native human forces loyal to Emperor Rhulad Sengar. Meanwhile, Dujek dies of the plague whilst his army is besieging G'danisban. Ganoes Paran, arriving from Genabackis assumes command of the Host and is able to halt the plague in its tracks by defeating the goddess of diseases, Poliel, herself. He then leads the Host to Aren.

Reaper's Gale

In Reaper's Gale, the Malazan 14th Army, now known as 'The Bonehunters', arrive on the Letherii continent after a year at sea and immediately engage both the human and Tiste Edur forces of the Empire of Lether. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Malazans employ superior magic (their warren-based sorcery overwhelms the older, less sophisticated hold-based magic of the native factions) and Moranth munitions to carve a bloody path from the coast to the capital city of Letheras. The final death of Rhulad Sengar at the hands of Karsa Orlong results in the Letherii Empire capitulating and agreeing to join the Bonehunters in confronting a new, greater threat which may be arising to the east of the Empire, namely the return of the K'Chain Che'Malle species and their skykeeps. The Tiste Edur, much depleted in number through warfare, return to their ancestral tribelands in the north-west of the Lether continent. However, these lands have been devastated by the melting of northern Lether's immense glaciers (which had been created and maintained by Jaghut magic, which had now dissipated).

Toll the Hounds

By the time of Toll the Hounds the Malazan Empire has formed official, cordial relations with the remaining free cities of southern Genabackis, most notably Darujhistan and the Tiste Andii of Black Coral, and an embassy has been opened in Darujhistan. The Empire plays no formal role in events during this novel.

Return of the Crimson Guard

In Return of the Crimson Guard the continent of Quon Tali, the heartland of the Empire, falls into chaos. The war and famine in Seven Cities have cut off grain and other food shipments to the homeland, resulting in shortages across the Empire. In an attempt to avert chaos, the Empress has pinned the blame on the 'treacherous' Wickan elements of both the 7th and 14th armies and launched a pogrom against the Wickan Plains. However, factions which have been biding their time for decades launch uprisings and rebellions against the continent, and a major rebel force assembles and marches on Li Heng, planning to liberate it from the Empire. At the same time, the Crimson Guard, who have been scattered around the globe, are called to regroup and launch a long-planned assault on the Empire in its moment of weakness to liberate its homeland and restore K'azz D'avore to his throne.