Dassem Ultor
Dassem Ultor
First Sword of Empire, Traveller,
Dal Honese
Dusky skinned, grey-shot black curled hair cut short, though his eyes were a a deep blue. His features were even, though crisscrossed with scars.
Dessembrae, Lord of Tears, once Knight of Hood.
First Sword of the Empire
Ganoes Paran and Whiskeyjack: "'The First Sword of Empire. We heard it in the capital before we left. He's dead. Is it true? Is Dassem dead?' [...] 'I thought the Third was with him, in Seven Cities. At Y'Ghatan --'
'Hood's breath, they're still looking for his body in the still-hot rubble of that damned city [...]'
'It's said he betrayed a god.'" (GotM, p4f MMPB)
Tattersail to Whiskeyjack : ‘Back in Seven Cities,’ she said quietly, ‘the story goes that the Emperor’s First Sword – his commander of his armies – Dassem Ultor, had accepted a god’s offer. Hood made Dassem his Knight of Death. Then something happened, something went . . . wrong. And Dassem renounced the title, swore a vow of vengeance against Hood – against the Lord of Death himself. All at once other Ascendants started meddling, manipulating events. It all culminated with Dassem’s murder, then the Emperor’s assassination, and blood in the streets, temples at war, sorceries unleashed.’ (GotM, Tpb. p. 98)
K'rul: We have lost allies in our foolishness. Dassem Ultor, who was broken by Hood’s taking of his daughter at the Time of the Chaining – this was a devastating blow. Dassem Ultor, the First Sword reborn—...Dassem, his (Hood's)Champion – Dessembrae – had grown to rival his power... Consider: from Dassem’s fall, a mortal empire now totters on the edge of chaos. From Dassem’s fall, the Shadow Throne found a new occupant.(MoI, UK Trade, p.236-7)
"[...] like Dujek (Hairlock) had been there with the Emperor's Old Guard, when the first vipers of ursupation had stirred, the day the Empire's First Sword was betrayed and brutally murdered." (GotM, p69 MMPB)
'Early in Kellanved's reign, cults proliferated among the Imperial armies, particularly among the Marines. It should be remembered that this was also the time of Dassem Ultor, First Sword and Supreme Commander of the Malazan forces...a man sworn to Hood...
Malazan Campaigns, vol.II
Duiker' (DG, UK MMPB, p.211)