The Lost Elementals were contained within the Azath Houses and were the source of their immense power.[1] Scholars of the Malazan world traditionally acknowledged the existence of four elements: water, fire, earth, and air.[1] The Lost Elementals comprised an additional unknown number of elements that were not well understood. Possible examples included life, death, dark, light, shadow, time (past, present, and future), desire, deed, sound, silence, faith, and denial.[1]
- "Life, death, dark, light, shadow…possibly, but even that seems a truncated selection. What of, for example, time? Past, present, future? What of desire, and deed? Sound, silence? Or are the latter two but minor aspects of air? Does time belong to light? Or is it but a point somewhere between light and dark, yet distinct from shadow? What of faith and denial? Can you now understand, Mappo, the potential complexity of relationships?"
- ―Cotillion
The Lost Elementals may have existed only as concepts whose purpose was "to give shape and meaning to all that surrounds us on the outside, and all that guides us from within."[1]
In The Bonehunters[]
Cotillion visited Mappo Runt during the Trell's recuperation from Dejim Nebrahl's attack. The god explained how he and Shadowthrone had sought a path to ascendancy through the Azath Houses. They set out to map the Azath Houses to master their power and discovered they were repositories of the Lost Elementals. Realising the power was too great, they would have left the Lost Elementals to the Azath until they came to the understanding that the Azath's control was failing.[1]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.508-509