Orthen

Orthen were tiny, scaled, rock-dwelling creatures that normally avoided forest and soft ground. They were originally unique to a pass in the Bluerose Mountains that had once been the home to a K'Chain Che'Malle city.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 3, UK BCA edition p.96/98 They were likely omnivorous as they ate meat.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 4, US HC p.104 
Cats might catch them but would only play with them rather than eat them as the orthen were poisonous.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 3, UK BCA edition p.96 It was unclear if the latter was simply a popular superstition amongst the Tiste Edur or possibly orthen were poisonous just to cats given that humans were observed to eat orthen meat with varying degrees of enjoyment and no apparent side effects.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 5, UK HB p.169
Orthen had originally come from another world where larger versions had been bred for food. Some of these larger ones had been smart enough to escape their pens and vanish into the mountains, where a few were said to still remain.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 4, UK HB p.103
Feral orthen thrived by virtue of profligate breeding.Dust of Dreams, Prologue, UK HB p.12
==In Reaper's Gale==
The K'risnan Ventrala and his escort of twenty-five Merude warriors were ordered by Ceda Hannan Mosag to pursue and capture Fear Sengar and Udinaas. They journeyed ahead of their quarry to the Bluerose Mountains before settling in at a Letherii fort commanded by Atri-Preda Hayenar, which guarded the pass. When Fear and Udinaas' companion, Silchas Ruin, discovered the trap, he was ready to turn the tables on their pursuers.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 4, US HC p.101-105 
Ventrala was awoken from sleep, sensing the presence of thousands of orthen massing in the forest to the north of the fort, against what was their usual behaviour. He could sense them stirred with bloodlust. Not long after, the orthen arrived at the fort, pouring in like grey foam, accompanying Silchas Ruin, who slayed the Merude warriors whilst most of the Letherii soldiers made their escape. The orthen swarmed over the fallen bodies, chewed through their skin, then burrowed into the meat with a frenzy. Hayenar heard the horses screaming in the stables as if they were being eaten alive. While this was going on, the Shadow wraith, Wither, entered Ventrala's room and had a short conversation with the K'risnan. The wraith referred to Silchas as 'this pale king of the orthen'.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 4, UK BCA edition p.99
The orthen then entered the building and accompanied Silchas into the room where Ventrala was hiding. Inside they clambered around, seemingly aimlessly. Silchas told Ventrala to take a message to Hannan Mosag, then left after which the orthen slowly withdrew from the chamber.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 4, UK BCA edition p.96-101
Kettle was playing with an orthen and Wither commented to Udinaas that 'those scaled rats' had come from the K'Chain Che'Malle world where larger versions had been bred for food. He said that they had been clever enough that some managed to escape their pens.
==In Dust of Dreams==
There were staked pens of orthen and Grishol on Ampelas Rooted.Dust of Dreams, Prologue, UK HB p.7
Deadsmell, eating at a tavern in Letheras, described orthen meat as delicious. He likened the taste to Seven Cities tapu, though not as spicy. He had been told that it was regarded as a delicacy.
Taxilian and his group came across orthen in Kalse Rooted.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 8, UK HB p.273 The K'Chain Che'Malle drone Sulkit was able to chart the progress of Taxilian's group by reading the impression they made on the mind of the orthen and grishol in the keep. One of the group, Last, managed to kill a nest of orthen for food.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 10, UK HB p.332/333 He had devised a trap for the lizard-rats, as Asane thought of them, which he checked to see if he had caught more.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 13, UK HB p.447 He returned from one of his checks with two orthen hanging from his belt.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 10, UK HB p.332/333
Even an orthen was said to bare its fangs in its last moments of life.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 15, UK HB p.496
==In The Crippled God==
Masan Gilani observed that the battlefield left by the Bonehunters and the K'Chain Nah'ruk was seething with orthens. She told the T'lan Imass who were accompanying her that she would not eat orthen anymore and questioned that crossing a lizard with a rat had been a good idea in the first place.The Crippled God, Chapter 2, UK HC p.53
==Notes and references==
Category:Animals