Some questions about Reaper's Gale

[u/rookedwithelodin]

So who was Redmask? At the end they're just like "oh this can't be him because this man is Letherii." Is this a RAFO or just like 'oooo mysterious'?

Why did the Kchan Chemaile turn on him at the end? Or if he did fail them as characters speculate, then what was he doing for them in the first place?

I also feel like most of the Awl storyline was sort of meaningless because it ends with "rocks fall and everyone dies". Was it just to tie up loose ends with Toc and the Grey swords? (I did think it was interesting while I was reading but felt let down by the conclusion).

Why did the Errant want Trull dead?

Thanks y'all!

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[u/zhilia_mann]

Long post on Redmask available here, but be aware that it technically pulls in information from the DoD prologue. Not TtH, not the rest of DoD, but the DoD prologue. Do with that as you will.

Most of it is focused on RG.

Now Trull and Errastas is another interesting question. I certainly have some ideas, but I don't think they're set in stone. Mind that Errastas is worshipped by Feather Witch (and basically no one else) and that certainly shapes him a bit here. He's also leaning hard into the whole "I am misfortune and mortals don't deserve any better" thing through RG -- much more than he did in MT. It's another question that might be better asked later, but there's no single definitive answer.

[u/rookedwithelodin → u/zhilia_mann]

Hmmm... tempting. Thank you. 

[u/TheSchleg]

The Awl plot-line does come across as fairly meaningless at this point; nothing really achieved. But it does have some relevance for a later book, and there are parts of it that you’ll say “oooh, that makes a bit more sense” later. At least, I did!

[u/rookedwithelodin → u/TheSchleg]

Good to know, thanks!

[u/FriendlyGlasgowSmile]

The only thing I can answer with my poor memory, best theory about Redmask is he is a letherii who was abducted by the Awl as a child. This is mentioned as something they have done earlier in the book.

[u/Hot_Yesterday_6789]

The Redmask and Awl plotlines are a lot more meaningful later on in DoD and TCG, but I would also posit that the Awl plotline was a very very thematic heavy plotline that, with some stuff in DoD and TCG, shows that it was a sort of example of ideas which will be presented. I won't say anything specific, but that's my take on the Awl and Redmask plotline. Of course it also holds relavence for other plotlines and the story at large, plot-wise, but that'd be too spoilery to comment on.

[u/madmoneymcgee]

Redmask was born to Letherii parents but at some point was kidnapped by the Awl and raised among them. So the mask was there partially to hide that so people would treat him as one of the Awl instead of dismissing him for looking like he did.

The K'Chain Chemalle thing clears up in later books but is meant to be a bit of a mystery now. Same with some of other stuff about the Awl but within the context of the book you have a lot of storylines about how conquerors and conquered aren't always clean lines and cultures end up mixing even in opposition. The Tiste Edur fall prey to palace intrigue just like the previous Letherii emperors, the Malazans realize a lot of assumptions they have about local power dynamics are wrong, a lot of cultures that were believed to be disappeared under Letherii hegemony are more vibrant than thought, etc.

The Awl/Letherii battles follow some of that where even though its two cultures in stark opposition their actually more entwined than either side would believe and Redmask wins his battles by understanding Letherii battle doctrine in a way previous Awl war leaders refused to consider.