Third Edur Imperial Fleet

The Third Imperial Fleet was one of several fleets of Tiste Edur ships sent by Emperor Rhulad Sengar across the Malazan world. Their mission was to harry the coasts of foreign lands and seek out champions to face the emperor in mortal combat. The Third Fleet was split into two commands roughly equal in size, and sent to the shores of northern Seven Cities. Preda Hanradi Khalag led the ships of the Merude, which formed just under half the fleet, while Preda Tomad Sengar led the biremes of the Hiroth. In addition to at least three Edur war chiefs and over four thousand Edur warriors, Atri-Preda Yan Tovis commanded a contingent of Letherii Marines.

The Tiste Edur overlords of each ship spent their days consuming wine and endless courses of meals while their crews of Letherii Indebted and lesser Edur marines worked below decks and in the rigging. Letherii slave women served to slake their masters' lust and were tossed overboard to the Dhenrabi and grey sharks if they became pregnant.

Hanradi Khalag's command

• Preda Hanradi Khalag
• Feather Witch, witch
• Taxilian, interpreter

Tomad Sengar's command

• Preda Tomad Sengar
• Sathbaro Rangar, warlock
• Atri-Preda Yan Tovis
• Captain Varat Taun, second to Yan Tovis
• Ahlrada Ahn
• Kholb Harat
• Saur Bathrada

In The Bonehunters

Hanradi Khalag's portion of the fleet surround a Tanno Drake two days west of Rutu Jelba. After a brief parlay with the pilgrim ship's Tanno Spiritwalker, the Edur mages unleashed their Chaos upon him until he fell. The Spiritwalker was more powerful than expected, causing the Edur much consternation. Of those left on board, they chose Taxilian as a native translator then cut open the others and threw them to the sharks and Dhenrabi.

Hanradi continued to kill and torture any he could find along the sub-continent's northern coast. On the Olphara Peninsula he ravaged the Anibar tribe until Boatfinder recruited Karsa Orlong as their champion. The Teblor tracked the Edur to their camp and slayed many until Samar Dev convinced him to negotiate with Hanradi. The Preda claimed to abhor the cruelty of his actions that had been commanded by his emperor. He offered to bring Karsa back to Letheras as a champion to face the emperor in combat. Karsa agreed.

Tomad Sengar's fleet had reached the island of Sepik where they found an enslaved class of mixed-blood Edur. His Edur warriors and Letherii marines "liberated" the slaves and brought them back to the ships to serve their new masters. Then they penned the humans of Sepik, forcing mothers to cast their babies and children into a bonfire. Then the women were raped and beheaded while the men were forced to watch before being dismembered themselves. The King of Sepik was the last to die. A similar slaughter occurred on nearby Monkan. Somewhere along the coast near the Olphara Peninsula they also found Icarium and Taralack Veed and took the Jhag as a champion. Tomad also sent Edur and Letherii forces, along with Icarium, to first seize the Throne of Shadow on Drift Avalii, then the T'lan Imass First Throne. Both raids were failures.

Hanradi's fleet had at least three near encounters with Admiral Nok's Malazan Imperial Fleet as Nok tried to find a port to retrieve Adjunct Tavore Paran's 14th Army from Y'Ghatan. The army embarked on the coast of the Kokakal Sea thirteen leagues west of Sotka, then the fleet made its way north. The two halves of the Edur fleet rejoined to ambush the Malazans off the coast of the Olphara Peninsula. Nearly a hundred Tiste warlocks sent a wall of Chaos magic down upon the Malazans. High Mage Quick Ben responded with an illusory counterattack of Elder Magic that was bolstered by Bottle before the Eres'al took control to turn the illusion into reality, saving Quick Ben and the entire fleet. The Malazan ships broke through the demoralised Edur's cordon to escape.

In Reaper's Gale

The fleet had navigated its voyage around the world using the ancient Letherii charts mapping the First Empire's migration routes to Lether. But the scale of the world proved vaster than they ever imagined and scores of ships and thousands of hands were lost. The fleet returned to Letheras with its gathered champions, hundreds of miserable mixed-blood Edur from Sepik, and scores of foreign prisoners with knowledge deemed useful. The prisoners had been seized from ships and coastlines and included Nemil fisher folk, Shal-Morzinn warriors, Quon Tali sailors, and natives of Callows, Lamatath, Ehrlitan, Pur Atrii, and the Karang Isles. In addition to Karsa Orlong and Icarium, the champions included Gadalanak (taken from a ruined Meckros city), Puddy, Senior Assessor, and the Seguleh Twelfth.

The holds of its ships held amphorae containing spiced human blood for Edur religious rituals, the bloodstained conch-shell throne of a remote island chieftain, and a dozen wax-clad corpses of Sepik refugees that did not survive the trip. The Letherii marines had been decimated by the journey and the four thousand remaining Edur warriors were veterans of fighting at Callows, Sepik, Nemil, Perish, Shal-Morzinn, Drift Avalii.

The Errant came to observe the fleet's arrival at the imperial docks. When Icarium stepped off the ship onto land an earthquake rattled the capital, collapsing Scale House and sending thousands of birds to flight. Feather Witch disembarked and fled Uruth Sengar's service to hide in the bowels of the Old Palace.

Tomad and Hanradi attempted to report the details of their voyage to Emperor Rhulad, but were denied an audience.

Notes and references

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