- "You'll smell it first. Then things blur and bleed, a dark smudge, a thing that roils with smoke. In the midst of this, six pairs of eyes will appear. If you are an enemy, this is the last thing you see."
- ―Nilghan, explaining the process of veering
D'ivers [DIH-vers][1] were a higher order of shape-shifter[2] than Soletaken. They sembled between a single humanoid form and multiple entities in their other form. During the transformation process, a D'ivers exuded a sharp, spicy scent.[3]
Like a Soletaken, a D'ivers' fangs and claws spread a virulent infection that usually caused hallucinations, madness, and death. Those that survived their terrible wounds faced the possibility of recurring bouts of insanity several times a year for the rest of their lives.[4]
T'lan Imass, Soletaken, and D'ivers shared a mysterious bond of kinship.[5]
Selected D'ivers[]
- Dejim Nebrahl - took the form of reptilian panthers
- Gryllen - took the form of rats
- Mogora - took the form of spiders
- Ryllandaras - the White Jackal
In Memories of Ice[]
While recalling the ritual that created the First Heroes of the First Empire, Treach noted that it had unravelled unexpectedly and unpredictably. The strongest Soletaken were gripped by madness and splintered into pieces, birthing the D'ivers. The T'lan Imass attempted to exterminate those Soletaken and D'ivers created by the process.[6]
In Toll the Hounds[]
Dillat's Dark and Light recorded how war had raged amongst the dragons once all the First Born (but one) had bowed their necks to K'rul. The children of the dragons, bereft of their inheritance, rose in battle to reject the First Born. Anomander Rake and Osseric had already tasted the blood of T'iam and others came to do the same. War raged upon all the Realms as long as the Gates of Starvald Demelain remained open. Under Osserick, Kurald Liosan was the first Realm to seal the portal between itself and the Realm of the dragons. He cleansed the world of all rivals--the Soletaken and the feral purebloods--and drove out the D'ivers. Crone found much fault in the book's account, so it was unclear how much of this report was accurate.[7]
In The Crippled God[]
(Information needed)
Trivia[]
Author Steven Erikson says he derived the word "d'ivers" from "diverse",[8] and more specifically from the old English variant "divers".[9]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon - Chatting with Steven Erikson, part 2 - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 44:35
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon, Glossary, UK MMPB p.707
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 14, US HC p.378
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 3, US HC p.98
- ↑ Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 15, US HC p.331
- ↑ Memories of Ice, Chapter 7
- ↑ Toll the Hounds, Chapter 1, US SFBC p.52-54
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon: Chatting with Steven Erikson, part 2 - See 45:00
- ↑ Gardens of the Moon: Chatting with Steven Erikson, Part 3 - See 35:00