The Grey Helms of the Perish, sworn to the Wolves of Winter
“Are there any details from Malazan sources,” Nether was asking Tavore, “of the peoples beyond the Catal Sea?”
“No more than a name,” the Adjunct replied, then said to Keneb, “Fist, do you recall it?”
“Perish.” (BH)
The Adjunct had pressed the Nemil captain on information regarding the Perish, the inhabitants of the vast, mountain-girdled peninsula on the western side of the Catal Sea, which was itself a substantial, southward-jutting inlet, at the very bottom of which was the heart of the Nemil Kingdom. But the man had simply shaken his head, suddenly mute.
The Adjunct’s flagship was now alongside Nok’s own, and the Admiral had just crossed over to join Tavore as they waited the arrival of the Perish.
Keneb stared with fascination at the massive warships drawing ever nearer. Each was in fact two dromons, linked by arching spans, creating a catamaran of cyclopean proportions. The sudden falling off the wind had forced oars into the becalmed waters, and this included a double bank of oars on the inward sides of each dromon, foreshortened by the spans.
The Fist had counted thirty-one of the giant craft, arrayed in a broad, flattened wedge. He could see ballesta mounted to either side of the wolf-head prows, and attached to the outer rails along the length of the ships was a double row of overlapping, rectangular shields, their bronze facings polished and glinting in the muted sunlight.
As the lead ship closed, oars were lifted, shipped.
One of Nok’s officers said, “Look beneath water between the hulls, Admiral. The spans above are matched by ones below the waterline ... and those possess rams.”
“It would be unwise indeed,” Nok said, “to invite battle with these Perish.”
“Yet they have seen just that,” the Adjunct said. “Mage-fire damage, there, on the one flanking the flagship. Admiral, what do you imagine the complement of soldiers aboard each of these catamarans?”
“Could be as many as two hundred marines or the equivalent for each dromon. Four hundred per craft -- I wonder if some of them are at the oars. Unless, of course, there are slaves.”
The flag visible beneath the crow’s nest of the lead ship’s mainmast showed a wolf’s head on a black field bordered in grey. (BH)
"I don't know these Perish Grey Helms, but I know of the order, Highness –"
"What order?"
"The warrior cults of the Wolves. A chapter of that cult defended at the siege of Capustan. The Grey Swords, they were called."(DoD)
