Bakune

Bakune was the Malazan-appointed 'Chief Assessor' and magistrate of Banith, one of the cities of Rool. His duties included investigating and trying various crimes committed in the city. He was the highest local legal authority, answerable only to the High Assessor in the Roolian capital, Paliss.

In truth, his position commanded him little authority in comparison to the city's religious leader, Abbot Starvann Arl. The City Watch gave him only grudging assistance and rarely bothered to call him in on cases, preferring he remain out of the way in his chambers. Two of the Watch were assigned to monitor his activities as much as they were to escort him.

Bakune was known as an incorruptible man of principle, not prone to curry for favour or consideration. Hence, he had never been promoted to another position in a more desirable city and lived in a cramped walk-up in town rather than on an estate or manor house like his peers in other cities.

After more than twenty years on the job, Bakune was wasting away with his hair thinning, constant stomach pains, and stiffening joints. His wife had long since left him. He wore robes, moleskin gloves, and a ring of office.

He had a long working relationship with Karien'el who rose from lieutenant to captain of the City Watch over the decades of their acquaintanceship.

In Stonewielder

Bakune was described as a man infatuated with the idea of justice and truth. He spent his career doggedly pursuing the investigation into a series of murders that had been occurring throughout Banith for the past twenty years. In his first days as an Assessor he investigated the strangulation of a woman discovered by the indigenous shaman Gheven. Later, he crossed paths with gheven again while looking into the death of Sister Prudence.

He compiled an intimidating number of documents detailing the murders including signed statements, death certificates, affidavits, registries, maps, and witness accounts. All were stolen by Captain Karien'el's men under the direction of the Abbot Starvann Arl when the investigation drew too close to the city's religious authorities. When Rool was invaded by the Malazan Expeditionary Force, Karien'el made drunken nighttime visit to Bakune's quarters where he chided the man for his naivety and warned him of the new religious order to come once the entire civilian garrison departed. Feeling some sense of loyalty to the "honest fool" he had worked with all those years, Karien'el informed the Assessor that his missing files had been hidden away and not destroyed. Calling himself a gambling man he wanted insurance for the possibility that the Malazans would win through.

Under the Abbot's leadership, Bakune was required to sign death warrants for those people the church saw as threats to the religious order. Bakune refused to condemn the priest Ipshank without evidence and was himself arrested and imprisoned. He was freed when Ipshank's companion Manask rescued them both. The three then hid from the authorities at the Sailor's Roost. On the night of the city's Festival of Renewal, Bakune sought to challenge the abbot only to find him murdered by the Lady.

Bakune became the ranking officer of the state when the Malazan navy landed in Banith as every other official had perished or fled the city. Bakune went aboard the Star of Unta to discuss terms of the Malazan occupation with Admiral Nok. He became interim Lord Mayor and was initially disdained as a collaborator by the populace and damned by the priesthood. When he was arrested by the occupiers in return for insurgent activity, his reputation was rehabilitated.

His investigatory files turned up in the hands of Ipshank, who used them to convince Fist Rillish Jal Keth to mount a mission to destroy one of the fragments of the Lady.

Karien'el, now a self-declared General, took control of most of southern Rool and most of the militia and insurgents had sworn loyalty to him. He recruited Bakune to serve as Rool's Chancellor and Lord High Assessor after the Malazans departed, certain the man had no ambitions to betray him.

Quotes

"You are a man of principle and no hypocrite, and you have my respect...but it seems to me that your notion, and practice, of justice has been rather narrow and blinkered."

―Ipshank, on Bakune

Notes and references

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