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The Bonehunters
Dramatis Personae Prologue
The Thousand-Fingered God
Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Beneath This Name
Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Shadows of the King
Chapter 12 Chapter 13
Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Chapter 16
The Bonehunters
Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Chapter 19 Chapter 20
Chapter 21 Chapter 22
Chapter 23 Chapter 24
Epilogue Pagination
Epigraph

There is something profoundly cynical, my friends, in the notion of paradise after death. The lure is evasion. The promise is excusative. One need not accept responsibility for the world as it is, and by extension, one need do nothing about it. To strive for change, for true goodness in this mortal world, one must acknowledge and accept, within one’s own soul, that this mortal reality has purpose in itself, that its greatest value is not for us, but for our children and their children. To view life as but a quick passage along a foul, tortured path – made foul and tortured by our own indifference – is to excuse all manner of misery and depravity, and to exact cruel punishment upon the innocent lives to come.
    I defy this notion of paradise beyond the gates of bone. If the soul truly survives the passage, then it behooves us – each of us, my friends – to nurture a faith in similitude: what awaits us is a reflection of what we leave behind, and in the squandering of our mortal existence, we surrender the opportunity to learn the ways of goodness, the practice of sympathy, empathy, compassion and healing – all passed by in our rush to arrive at a place of glory and beauty, a place we did not earn, and most certainly do not deserve.

The Apocryphal Teachings of Tanno Spiritwalker Kimloc
The Decade in Ehrlitan


Village at the crossroads of Tapur Road and Path'apur Mountain trail[]

Barathol Mekhar is watching L'oric and the villagers argue with Scillara in an attempt to get her to take responsibility for her baby. Barathol believes L'oric's concern is more for propriety than actually caring for the baby. Barathol kicks all the villagers out so he can talk to Scillara privately. Scillara lets on that L'oric told her Barathol had betrayed Aren and was responsible for thousands of deaths, and he doesn't deny it. She tells Mekhar that they'll need to dig up Heboric's corpse as she doesn't think Cutter will leave his body here.

Barathol and Chaur head out to disinter Heboric. While starting this task, Mekhar notices that Greyfrog's corpse has become even more bloated and is surrounded by dead flies. He gets closer to the body, and Greyfrog speaks to his mind, asking to be cut free. Barathol slices open the corpse and a reformed Greyfrog with all his limbs intact worms free from his old body.

Scillara tells L'oric that the baby's father is Korbolo Dom. Greyfrog speaks telepathically to her for the first time, explaining that it would have been bad for the baby inside her if he'd done it earlier.

Cutter wakes up exhausted and unsure how he is alive. He closes his eyes and enters the realm of the Queen of Dreams, but unable to interact with anything there. He sees a portal open from a burning ash filled place, and Dunsparrow and Leoman enter. Cutter notices the Queen herself is there as well, but none seem aware of his presence. Leoman asks what she requires of him now. The Queen tells Leoman she had hoped Corabb would have accompanied him instead of Dunsparrow because he was chosen by Oponn. She agrees to use Dunsparrow, but is concerned about angering Hood. The Queen relates how angry Hood was at Whiskeyjack for kidnapping his sister, and as revenge prevented healers from ever fixing Whiskeyjack's leg, which could have changed the fate of the world. The Queen announces she needs nothing from Leoman and freezes them both in place, before looking at Cutter and smiling. Cutter awakes thinking the lesson is to never bargain with gods. Barathol introduces himself to Cutter and explains that Mekhar refers to the tribe he is from, and that Kalam is a distant cousin.

L'oric recollects that Barathol had been an officer in the Red Blades, but had murdered the Fist of Aren. He had been captured and jailed, and was set to be crucified on the Aren Way before the city had rebelled. Then the T'lan Imass had arrived in Aren, and Barathol was seen opening the gates, even though the T'lan Imass would not have needed the gates opened. Greyfrog discusses with L'oric how gods may become weakened when their worshippers commit crimes in their names. L'oric and Greyfrog leave the village by warren.

Olphara Peninsula[]

Karsa Orlong and Samar Dev have accompanied Boatfinder to the Olphara Peninsula to hunt for the killers of the Anibar. They encounter a recently toppled tree with a Jaghut corpse inside it that had been partially turned to wood. Karsa notes that the Jaghut spirit can remain alive, and that he has seen something similar before. Karsa smells death and nearby they find a small fishing camp with six dead Anibar on the ground. Karsa Orlong notes that the villagers will killed by spears and blades, and a child was kidnapped. The tracks also show that an enormous creature has recently carried off one of the dead. Karsa spies a giant scaled bear in the trees behind the camp, and gives chase after it.

Karsa returns having been unable to catch the beast. Samar Dev tells him that the map marks their location as the Olphara Mountains, but they mountains have been worn down over millennia. Karsa questions her about what has been happening to the moon, and she remarks that it looks like it is breaking up, or that possibly it collided with another moon. Karsa remarks that there are dozens of shooting stars in the sky each night.

Marsh west of the Ugarat Odhan[]

Mappo Runt recalls Trynigarr, a brilliant Trell military leader who defeated the Nemil. After a peace treaty was signed the Nemil began to slaughter the bhederin herds the Trell relied upon, and the Trell clans had to surrender and flee their lands due to starvation. Trynigarr became a drunk and would talk ceaselessly and without meaning, reminding Mappo of Iskaral Pust.

The two of them have been attempting to find Icarium, but have become lost traveling through a swamp for the last five days, and Mappo believes Pust -- or Shadowthrone himself -- has been trying to delay him. Realizing this, Mappo changes their direction and the two exit the marshlands and immediately find Spite, who informs them that Dejim Nebrahl has been disposed of by the hounds and Deragoth. She offers to travel with Mappo to pursue Icarium, and claims they will need to board a ship and cross half the world to find him. Spite states that she was one of the Nameless Ones who freed the T'rolbarahl in an attempt to kill Mappo and Icarium, but is pleased that Nebrahl's mission failed. The three set off together.

Hanar Ara[]

Felisin Younger remains at Hanar Ara, the City of the Fallen, where she is worshipped as Sha'ik Reborn. A young boy with a pack of dogs arrives in the village. His body is covered with plague nodes at his joints, which have suppurated and killed everyone in his village. He is a Carrier and Felisin knows that Kulat plans to teach him to travel the continent, spreading the plague as he goes. Survivors of the plague are directed back to Hanah Ara and joining the Crippled God's cult. Kulat expresses concern that Carrier's disease buds are shrinking and that he may not be useful for long. Felisin declares that the boy will live in her palace, despite Kulat's protestations. She decides to rename the boy Crokus.

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