Suth was a heavy recruit in the 17th Squad, 4th Company, 2nd Division of the Malazan Fourth Army. His full name was Suthahl 'Ani and he was a former herder from Dal Hon. He enlisted at a Malazan recruiting station just north of the Dal Hon lands in order to test himself and challenge all comers.[1][2]
Suth was an expert one-on-one fighter, having grown up fighting friends and rivals his entire life. But his fighting style emphasized an individual all-out attack and he had to learn the value of a disciplined, coordinated, group attack.[3][4]
His military kit included a leather and felt aketon, a cuirass of banded iron, a hauberk with mailed sleeves, and a longsword. It was a king's bounty in his mind even if one did not ignore the bloodstains from the previous owner. Additionally he carried a traditional Jamya dagger in an oiled ironwood sheath.[5][6]
In Stonewielder[]
Suth accompanied the Malazan Expeditionary Force to the Lands of Fist to bring the renegade Malazan 6th Army to heel. While on the transport ship Lasana, he refused to back down in the face of harassment from Corporal Pyke, nearly coming to blows in a knife fight. The fight was halted by Sergeant Goss and Pyke was stripped of his rank.[7]
Later in the voyage, Suth was among five squadmates chosen to mock battle an equal number of Blue Moranth for a place on a Moranth ship. Suth, Dim, Lard, Wess, and Yana were defeated, but performed well enough to earn their squad a place.[8]
During the marine assault on the fortifications of Aamil, Suth fought his way up the Moranth siege tower and into the city along with the rest of his squad. He soon joined Adjunct Kyle in an attack on a temple of the Lady. Only the Adjunct's mystic blade saved the squad from a horrible death at the hands of the goddess' priests.[9]
After fighting their way across Skolati, the 17th Squad was one of those chosen to take a key bridge over the Ancy River below the fortress at Three Sisters. Suth and his squad made their way into the bridge's understructure during the night before discovering it had been booby trapped with munitions. Before the saboteurs could disable the explosives they were spotted by enemy troops and forced to fight. Suth received an arrow wound in the leg and Adjunct Kyle was knocked unconscious while fighting priests of the Lady. Suth took possession of the Adjunct's magic sword Whiteblade, but could not bring himself to use it before Captain Peles turned the tide of battle. By day's end the bridge was in Malazan hands.[10]
During the campaign Suth and squad saboteur Keri became lovers and she expressed some jealousy whenever Suth attracted the attention of other women.[11][12]
As the campaign drew to a stalemate at the bridge, Suth was one of four soldiers chosen to accompany the Adjunct on a scouting mission into enemy territory. He, Loi, Newhorse, and Tolat were ordered to follow the Black Moranth contingent leaving the defense of the bridge. The withdrawal puzzled the Malazan leadership, who wanted confirmation that it was not an attempt to slip around their flank. Shortly after the squad confirmed the Moranth withdrawal they were attacked by a great pack of snarling hounds sent by the Lady. Suth and the surviving soldiers carried Kyle back to the Malazan camp.[13]
Suth was later personally chosen by Kyle to accompany Divisional Fist Rillish Jal Keth's delegation to a parley with elements of the Roolian nobility who were looking to declare their neutrality.[14]
The army eventually broke the stalemate and made its way across Rool, and the 17th Squad was one of several placed on garrison duty in Banith under Divisional Fist Rillish. While the rest of the army pursued Overlord Yeull 'ul Taith to Korel Island, Fist Rillish 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 priests and the Stormguard. The squads were slowly whittled away and separated by cave-ins and ambushes until Suth found himself grouped only with Corbin of the 6th Squad and the eccentric giant Manask. The trio pursued Pyke after he deserted and absconded with the unit's Moranth munitions. They discovered Pyke just as he was murdered by a priest and retreated before a large group of Stormguards. Suth's group was rescued by Keri and reunited with Rillish and the survivors of 6th and 17th Squads in time to assault the complex's main temple area. The fragment of the Lady was destroyed.[15]
Once the Malazan 6th Army was defeated, Suth's squad returned to Quon Tali. Along the way, Sergeant Goss informed him that he was certain to be made a sergeant.[16]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 2, US HC p.84/86/94
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 9, US HC p.462
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.172
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 4, US HC p.202
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 2, US HC p.88-89
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.172
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.172-173
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 4, US HC p.202-206
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 4, US HC p.250-261
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 6, US HC p.317-330
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 6, US HC p.310
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 9, US HC p.463
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 8, US HC p.410-414
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 9, US HC p.467-468
- ↑ Stonewielder, Chapter 11, US HC p.558/562-563/608-615
- ↑ Stonewielder, Epilogue, US HC p.623