Peleshar

"The Wolves were with me this day."

―Peles

Peleshar Arkoveneth, more commonly known as Peles, was a captain of marines in the Malazan Army.

She was described as a startlingly fair woman who looked to be around fifty years of age, with bright blue eyes and long white-blonde hair which she wore tightly braided. She was also quite tall and had surprisingly thick forearms.

When she first met Rillish Jal Keth, she told him that she was from southern Genabackis and had previously served in the Free City Campaigns and then later in the liaison contingent to the Moranth. She later admitted to being from Perish and a sworn adherent to the Wolves of Winter.

Peles' armour and clothing maintained a wolf theme. She wore a long bright mail coat with a helm cast to resemble a snarling wolf's head. The clip of her weapon belt featured twin silver wolf heads with interlocking jaws. Her silver earring was of a wolf, rampant, paws outstretched and tongue lolling. She fought with a heavy two-handed blade that she could wield like an axe.

In Stonewielder

Peles led a column of cavalry to Halas on the order of the Emperor to collect Rillish Jal Keth and bring him back to Unta. Both were to serve in the Malazan Expeditionary Force (Rillish as Fist and Peles as his aide) to bring the renegade Malazan 6th Army to heel. During the ship crossing to the Lands of Fist, Rillish led a boarding party onto a Mare vessel closely followed by Peles, who broke the defenders' shieldwall with her fierce sword work.

Arriving late to the amphibious assault at Aamil in Skolati, Rillish was treated cooly by High Fist Greymane. Peles later took Rillish's side warning that Greymane risked incicting the very disloyalty he expected.

Greymane sent Rillish and Adjunct Kyle along with an advance force of three thousand soldiers from the 4th Army towards the border with Rool. Kyle led an attack on a key bridge at the Ancy River below the fortress at Three Sisters. But he was knocked out of the fight at a crucial point by the magic of Abbot Nerra and priests of the Lady. At that moment Peles leapt into the fray, killing the last of the priests and securing Malazan possession of the bridge.

Later while in garrison at Banith, Peles admitted that she had been one of the rare few selected by her military order to travel the world and learn new ways and philosophies.

While the rest of the army pursued Overlord Yeull 'ul Taith to Korel Island, Rillish and Peles accompanied the 6th and 17th Squads on a secret mission to Thol. The combined squads invaded a network of caves in search of a fragment of the Lady defended by her priests and the Stormguard. The squads were slowly whittled away and separated by cave-ins and ambushes. During the final battle against twenty Chosen and two priests in a temple overlooking the Fist Sea, Peles fought valiantly against the fanatical warriors only to see Rillish fall to his apparent death. She was shocked and devastated by the loss.

Their mission accomplished, the Expeditionary Force set sail back to Unta. High Mage Devaleth contacted Peles to make sure she knew that Greymane had spoken well of Rillish before he himself had perished.

Quotes

"Whatever you do, Peleshar Arkoveneth, you must not abandon hope. Hold to it! Do not give in to despair. That is my warning for you."

―Su

Notes and references

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