[Old Gnostic Fool]

Just finished TTT today and am really looking forward to starting the Judging Eye ASAP. I've got a few questions for which I don't see any answer around here. Some of them are not specifically related to the book.

I think I missed the detail, but did Sompas perish after his encouter with Cnaiur and the Skin-Spies?

What exactly is the No-God? I know Kellhus asks his dad that question, but do we ever get a concrete answer. Is it a physical being or is it a concept?

As a follow up, are the Gods worshiped by the Inrithi physical beings that can be summoned like the Ciphrang? Do Gods play an active part in this universe like the Valar in Tolkien's work or the Elder Gods in Malazan or are they just abstract points of worship?

[Redeagl]

Just finished TTT today and am really looking forward to starting the Judging Eye ASAP. I've got a few questions for which I don't see any answer around here. Some of them are not specifically related to the book.

I think I missed the detail, but did Sompas perish after his encouter with Cnaiur and the Skin-Spies?

What exactly is the No-God? I know Kellhus asks his dad that question, but do we ever get a concrete answer. Is it a physical being or is it a concept?

As a follow up, are the Gods worshiped by the Inrithi physical beings that can be summoned like the Ciphrang? Do Gods play an active part in this universe like the Valar in Tolkien's work or the Elder Gods in Malazan or are they just abstract points of worship?

Sompas died, yes. The rest of your questions gets answered later in the series.

[TaoHorror]

Yeah, what Red says - I highly recommend you don't look for the answers, the discovery in the reads in front of you is delightful ( er, at least for me ).

I'm so jealous, wish I were at your point in the read so I can experience it all over again.

But don't stop asking questions up to this point. The nice people haunting this forum helped me out big time back in the day.

[Wilshire]

Yup, I think those questions have been answered about as much as we can without spoilers.

Make sure to read all the entries in the glossary of TTT. Some of them are just names and dates, but there are some good entries in there. I guess 'all' is an overstatement - Be sure to read any of the ones that are more than a sentence, as some of them are cool bits of history or very short stories in themselves, and provide a lot of information that you won't see elsewhere.

Edit: Have salt handy, as everything should be taken with at least one grain.

[Old Gnostic Fool]

Yeah, what Red says - I highly recommend you don't look for the answers, the discovery in the reads in front of you is delightful ( er, at least for me ).

I'm so jealous, wish I were at your point in the read so I can experience it all over again.

But don't stop asking questions up to this point. The nice people haunting this forum helped me out big time back in the day.

 I figured as much. I’m avoiding spoilers as much as possible. I just wasn’t sure whether some of the things would be left vague intentionally.

[Old Gnostic Fool]

A couple more questions:

What happened to the original Istriya? Did she get killed by the skin-sky that ended up impersonating her?

What’s the significance of the scene with the two kids in Sumna heading for the harbour to witness Maithanet’s departure?

[Wilshire]

A couple more questions:

What happened to the original Istriya? Did she get killed by the skin-sky that ended up impersonating her?

Unknown. Its implied heavily throughout that the skinspies typically kill those they impersonate. There's several scenes that mention faceless/disfigured bodies being found that can't be identified, which sort of hints of this. I don't think she is explicitly found dead at any point.

What’s the significance of the scene with the two kids in Sumna heading for the harbour to witness Maithanet’s departure?

AFAIK, the significance is entirely world building. I don't think they are ever seen again.

[TLEILAXU]

As a follow up, are the Gods worshiped by the Inrithi physical beings that can be summoned like the Ciphrang? Do Gods play an active part in this universe like the Valar in Tolkien's work or the Elder Gods in Malazan or are they just abstract points of worship?

There's an important clue here in TTT when Moënghus and Kellhus discuss the principle of before and after, but it will also be discussed in later books.