K'rul

K'rul
K'rul by fire by Corporal Nobbs
Biographical information
Pseudonyms	Keruli
Race	Azathanai
Family	see Speculations
Social information
Affiliation	Obelisk
Occupation(s)	Elder God
Title(s)	Maker of Paths

K'rul was an Elder God of the Malazan world, also called the Maker of Paths. Long before humans had erected stone settlements, he had been worshipped by hunters with sacrifices of 'blood and split bones'. But at the time of Gardens of the Moon he had few, if any, followers. His aspect was the Obelisk. He first appeared hooded and was described as having long, sinuous fingers.

In Gardens of the Moon

K'rul found himself summoned to Darujhistan, when the blood of Talo Krafar was spilled on ground that had once been sanctified in K'rul's name.

Thereafter, K'rul appeared multiple times within the dreams of Kruppe. During their first meeting, he told Kruppe that the Elder God was there to await someone he had known a long time ago being awakened, and tasked Kruppe with finding the Awakeners, a T'lan Imass and a woman.

At their second meeting, K'rul used Kruppe's dreams to bring together Kruppe, Pran Chole, and the Mhybe to foster the birth of Silverfox. K'rul offered advice to Kruppe on handling the powerful forces converging on Darujhistan as recompense for the use of his dream. He also sadly informed Pran Chole, who was of another age and still mortal in the dream, of the millennia long trials that awaited him.

K'rul later used another of Kruppe's dreams to confront the Jaghut Tyrant, Raest outside of Darujhistan. He told Raest that they were both creatures of the past. Recognising him, Raest called K'rul's presence impossible, declaring that the Elder God had long since passed into the Realms of Chaos, the place of his birth. K'rul offered to take Raest with him to the Gate of Chaos, but was rebuffed.

During the Gedderone Fête, K'rul discovered Anomander Rake using his temple's belfry as a lookout point over the city. The ancient pair commiserated over feeling lost in the world and K'rul admitted he could only manifest his presence within the Darujhistan temple and within the dreams of Kruppe.

In Memories of Ice

See also: Keruli

In the Prologue, 119,736 years before Burn’s Sleep (three years after the Fall of the Crippled God), K'rul walked through destruction on Korel before traveling to nearby Jacuruku. There, for the first time in a millennium, he met up with the two Elder Gods, Draconus and the Sister of Cold Nights, who referred to each other as brothers and sister.

The trio planned to liberate the people of Jacuruku from their cruel tyrant Kallor after the destruction wrought by the fall of the Crippled God. But Kallor had prepared for their arrival by spitefully incinerating the continent and killing his seven million citizens. The shocked Elder Gods cursed the High King to live forever and never Ascend, and yet still suffer the ravages of time. At the same time, Kallor used the power of his subjects' deaths to curse each of his accusers in turn. Kallor's curse upon K'rul was that "you shall fade from the world, you shall be forgotten".

Afterwards, Draconus told the others of the sword he was forging. A surprised K'rul counseled him to "make alterations in the final shaping" in light of Kallor's curse, and Draconus promised to think on it. K'rul then created a new Warren into which the three gods swept the ruins of the High King's empire. K'rul was left forever broken and diminished by the process, sensing the twilight of his worship and the fulfillment of Kallor's curse. The loss pained him less than he imagined.

Back to the current time (around 1164 BS), Kallor met Silverfox and pondered if K'rul had been aware when he helped in her birth, that the Sister of Cold Nights was the true identity of Nightchill, one of the souls in Silverfox. Later Kallor recognised K'rul in the priest Keruli. K'rul conceded that Keruli was indeed 'a limited manifestation' of himself.

It transpired the Warrens ran through K'rul's flesh. Any mage traveling through the Warrens was traveling through the arteries and veins of K'rul. The power of Warrens was his blood. The twin chambers of the heart were Kurald Galain and Starvald Demelain. Only a handful of entities knew the truth about the Warrens, amongst them Anomander Rake, Draconus, Osric and Envy.

"...when we draw upon the power of the warrens, we draw your very blood."

―Lady Envy

K'rul helped fashion the sanctuary for the Mhybe.

In Orb Sceptre Throne

K'rul was now described as female. She made a brief appearance in a very limited form, her influence, according to Fisher, limited to the four walls of K'rul's Bar since she was under assault everywhere. During that appearance, she was described as hunched and cloaked with thin silver hair, a deeply tanned and weathered face, and deep black glittering eyes. Despite this limited manifestation, she willed the shade Hinter away, forcing Aman and Baruk to re-think their strategy and ultimately forcing them to withdraw. She did this because she hadn't given them permission to enter her temple. When Aman questioned her regarding her withdrawal and that this place hadn't been hers for a long time, she replied that blood had been shed here, and she was now here.

In Forge of Darkness

The Azathanai, Grizzin Farl, told Caladan Brood that K'rul had "begotten a child and the earth itself holds the memory of its birth-cry." When he asked Caladan if he would drink of K'rul's blood, Caladan responded that there was no need for that. The child was born and would soon beget many others. The rogue Azathanai, Errastas, complained that "K'rul would simply give power away, freely, to any who might want it. By this, he undermines its value. He dislodges the proper order of things." Errastas planned to best K'rul by empowering Mother Dark and setting her against K'rul's new Warrens. Distracted, K'rul would not see Errastas' intentions until it was too late.

At the birth of the Gate of Kurald Galain, Grizzin Farl warned Mother Dark: We have all had a hand in this...but most of all, this belongs to K'rul, who answered worship with generosity. Who, assailed by prayers written in spilled blood, gave answer to them. But the power he surrendered was not intended only for those who worshipped him. He has given it freely, to everyone. By this, new sorceries are born, Mother Dark. By this, the forces in opposition are given names, and aspects. They are given realms of influence. ―Grizzin Farl • Forge of Darkness, Chapter 20

History

K'rul and his siblings decided to end the reign of the human king, Kallor, because of his barbaric practices and the bringing of the Crippled God to the world. Together they cursed Kallor to live forever and never ascend while still suffering the ravages of time. At the same time, Kallor cursed K'rul to "fade away from public eye" using the power of hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the collapse of his empire.

Quotes

"...the Child Gods have made a grave error. After all, I will lose a battle. But I will not die. Play on, mortal. Every god falls at a mortal's hand. Such is the only end to immortality."

―K'rul

"If all existence is a dialogue, how is it there is still so much left unsaid?"

―K'rul

Speculation

His/her gender has been a subject of speculation, since he was a male in Memories of Ice, and a female in Orb Sceptre Throne. However, in response to a question, author Ian C. Esslemont said that being an Azathanai, he/she/it could shift its own gender. Please refer to this external link for a detailed answer.

Notes and references

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