[Madness]

Such a glorious death would be worthy of an epic ballad.  "Do it for the ballad." has presumably been the Medieval equivalent of "Do it for the vine."

Lol.

[mrganondorf]

Kellhus will uncover something cool at the lowest point of the buried Ark.  It'll be the place where Aurang and Aurax his during the Nonman cleansing and it will have some of Sil's personal effects.

[Somnambulist]

This could fit in other threads, but maybe best here.  So, we have (so far) 'seen' Shaeonanra/Shauriatas twice:  as Shae in TFS, and as Shaur in Akka's dream from TUC chapter 1 excerpt.  He's obviously still human in TFS (before the First Apocalypse, year 1119), but has become something else by the time of the 'dream.'  Assuming the unnamed captive is Nau-Cayuti that Akka dreams about, that would be around the time of the Second Apocalypse (2123-2155, or so).  So, we're looking at about a thousand years between the two sightings, and his subsequent (d)evolution.  Fast-forward two thousand years to the present, and it makes me wonder what form Shauriatas will take when he is revealed again (assumedly in TUC).  I can't imagine him like he was in the dream a couple of millenniums earlier.  He must have figured out a new form, right?  An uber-synthese?  Mega-skinspy?  Something?  Maybe?  Just seems like he would have (d)evolved again somehow.  Thoughts?  Obviously total speculation.  I imagine this could be a big reveal in TUC.

[mrganondorf]

His form does seem precarious in the dream with Nau-Cayuti.  I wonder if he can pull off a Bashrag kind of thing: a body of fused parts, possibly with lots of legs added, Shae has become the Shelob of Golgotterath.

If he can fuse, why not add dragon bits?

That shield seems pretty convenient tho, nice hoverboard there.  Maybe the final boss fight features Kellhus vs Shae on whirling shield.

btw, just posted the Captian, very nice!

[The Sharmat]

Having multiple vessels to flit between seemed to be vital in the metaphysics of how Shaeonanra avoided damnation. If he has a new vessel, he's probably still beset by this limitation. So rather than a single synthese vessel, it would be several, and he could only inhabit them in sequence. Which would likely make things awkward for combat.

Besides, Shaeonanra's real power is in his intellect. He's not the strongest sorcerer around, but the craftiest, the most creative, the least conventional. I'm sure he can do his best work in Golgotterath, not in the field.

That said, I'm sure that with their newfound mastery of the Tekne, the Consult has prepared some terrible surprises for the Ordeal. Plagues, weapon races, you name it. Perhaps we'll see some of them as soon as Dagliash.

[Wilshire]

Take some skin samples from Kellhus, isolate DNA, create army of genetically enhanced super Dunyain bound to the Consult. 20 years is plenty for a clone army.

[mrganondorf]

at dagliash, kellhus sets up a constantly burning barrier about the fortess and then has the soldiers march around nake from the top of the wall, so the sranc come and come, burn and burn

[mrganondorf]

maybe we'll get the name of the third series at the end of tuc.  if bakker continues to name the series after kellhus maybe we'll get one of these...

Prince of Nothing
Aspect Emperor

...

Lord of the Consult
Slave of the Consult
Son of Mog
King of Golgotterath
God of Gods
God-Emperor of Dun...Earwa
The Blind God
The Burnt Prophet
The Sacrificial Lamb
The Last Dunyain
King of the Dying World
Grand Archduke of the Void
Tyrant-Savior

[Bolivar]

Since The Aspect Emperor was a title mentioned in the preceding books, my prediction is...

The Solitary God

[mrganondorf]

Since The Aspect Emperor was a title mentioned in the preceding books, my prediction is...

The Solitary God

GOLD

[mrganondorf]

the end of TTT so nicely fits with the beginning of TDTCB, it makes me wonder if Bakker is going to end TUC in a way that somehow matches the beginning of TJE -- thoughts?

on the subject of abbreviations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWBYz0JP1vY&t=1m9s

[Garet Jax]

Another "Ark" crashes and creates the 6th "map circle"...  What comes out?  Non-erratic and immortal Nonmen.  Just in time to save what is left of TGO.

[mrganondorf]

Another "Ark" crashes and creates the 6th "map circle"...  What comes out?  Non-erratic and immortal Nonmen.  Just in time to save what is left of TGO.

for some reason this made me think that the straight line of mountains on the right side of the map is border of an enormous map circle--TUC include zoomed-out map--Earwa is the only part of the planet that isn't part of this massive crater???  a slighly larger Ark rest at the bottom along with that thing from Return of the Jedi that is like a toothy-sand-butthole

[Wilshire]

Mmm, yes. Any straight line may be the curve of a vast circle.

[mrganondorf]

new end to TUC: Kellhus wipes out the Consult heirarchy, seizes control of the Derived via the Mog Apparatus and boards the Ark with the Derived, the Great Ordeal, and the Dunyain.  the Ark is repaired and launches towards the Nail of Heaven which is revealed as the Inchoroi homeworld.  Kellhus pulls an Ender Wiggin move: permanently eliminate the threat at it's source

while i'm thinking about it--Inchoroi motivation still baffles me.  i can't understand why they would incur unnecessary risks while their stated goal is to avoid damnation (like antagonizing nonmen).  i'm sorry i sound like a broken record--getting to the new part.  if the Inchoroi can be 'recalled' from hell, then their risks make more sense.  however, at some point they must have looked around and thought "hey there's not many of us left to complete the plan."  but that wouldn't have been a problem if they were counting on a much larger contingent of Inchoroi finishing the work whatever.

so Aurang and Aurax anticipating reinforcements?  or will Aurax laugh as he dies telling Kellhus that sooner or later, one of these millenia, more of the Race of Lovers will arrive and this time they won't crash (the Inchoroi already relayed that info back to the Swarm)

maybe that's what the No-God is?  an antenna?