Quon Tali
- "Ah, Cawn. City of merchants — sorry, I mean thieves, gougers, frauds and those who fatten themselves on the misery of others."
- ―Wu
Cawn was a large coastal city[1] east of Li Heng on the continent of Quon Tali. It lay at the mouth of the Idryn river on an inlet off the Nap Sea known as the Bay of Nap.[2][3] At one time, it may have been part of a greater kingdom known as Cawn Vor.[4]
Trade ran up and down the Idryn river between Cawn and Li Heng. The Cawnese were known for their rapacious bureaucrats, who could tax, fee, and tithe visitors out of all their funds.[5] The tithes levied by the city against portage down the Idryn were said to be outrageous.[6]
Cartheron Crust thought Cawn had the ugliest waterfront in all of Quon Tali, with no apparent effort made in improvements or maintenance. Raw sewage dribbled into the water not far from where its poorest citizens washed their clothes, crockery, and themselves. The poor condition of the leaning main wharf and the neglected boardwalk meant the cartage of goods to and from the ships was more hazardous than sea. Crust blamed the disrepair on Cawn's greedy merchants, each waiting for one of their rivals to give in and fund the necessary work.[7]
The city celebrated an annual Festival of Lights in which the citizenry launched fleets of candles and tiny lamps bearing offerings of thanks and propitiations.[8]
Notable natives of Cawn[]
In Return of the Crimson Guard[]
During the Malazan civil war, the city was visited by Urko and the fleet of the Talian League. The city was happy to fill its coffers by charging exorbitant fees to replenish the enemy fleet's stores.[9] Soon after, the city was sacked by the Crimson Guard.[10] By the time Empress Laseen's fleet arrived in pursuit of the Guard, the city had been significantly destroyed by fire. Laseen forcibly regained the loyalty of Cawn's leadership.[11]
In Dancer's Lament[]
After being exiled from Li Heng, Wu and Dancer made downriver for Cawn. Wu thought the city of cheaters and scoundrels would suit them well.[3]
In Deadhouse Landing[]
(Information needed)
In Kellanved's Reach[]
Kellanved moved all his troops against Cawn and to prevent futile bloodshed he unleashed the Hounds of Shadow as a warning for the city's rulers. He took the city quite easily as the rulers submitted to him. But the capture of Cawl was just a smokescreen. He needed the city for the riverboats in its possession so he could move against his true objective, the city of Li Heng.[12]
In Forge of the High Mage[]
In preparation for the Malazan invasion of Falar, Emperor Kellanved visited Cawn to recruit a fleet of "sea-borne thieves, petty smugglers, coastal raiders and slavers" to serve as the navy's vanguard. Remaining in the harbour aboard the Twisted, Admiral Cartheron Crust disapproved.[13]
Quotes[]
- "Farewell to all these bureaucracy-choked lands! A curse upon all you assessors and collectors and all you state-run bandits! May you choke in Hood's craw! Goodbye to all fees, tithes, taxes, bills and levies! Damn you all to the darker side of the Abyss!"
- ―Cartharon Crust bids farewell to Cawn
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Dancer's Lament, Chapter 1, US HC p.33
- ↑ Map of Quon Tali
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dancer's Lament, Chapter 22, US HC p.394
- ↑ As shown in Steven Erikson's hand-drawn gaming map of Quon Tali
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 3, US HC p.334-337
- ↑ Dancer's Lament, Chapter 1, US HC p.24
- ↑ Forge of the High Mage, Chapter 3, UK HC p.34
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 1, US HC p.240
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 3, UK PB p.334-337
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 2, UK PB p.293-294
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 5, US HC p.421-422
- ↑ Kellanved's Reach, Chapter 19, US HC p.285-287
- ↑ Forge of the High Mage, Chapter 3, UK HC p.34-35