Sweetly

Sweetly was a senior scout who was part of a troop of Malazan mercenaries under the command of "Cap'n" Yusen. This band of mercenaries gave every sign of being composed of experienced veterans of one of the various Imperial Malazan Armies.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, US HC p.41-43Blood and Bone, Chapter 2, US HC p.93 The wiry, taciturn Sweetly was a lanky man of few words. He spoke without moving his lips when he could not successfully communicate non-verbally with just gestures.Blood and Bone, Chapter 4, US HC p.158-159Blood and Bone, Chapter 7, US HC p.257/260 The scout habitually wore leathers, a plain, battered iron helmet, two long-knives at his sides, and characteristically had a chewed twig hanging from his mouth.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, US HC p.45 Sweetly and another senior scout, Squint, were in charge of a group of male and female scouts. Squint usually did the talking for Sweetly whenever extended speaking became necessary.Blood and Bone, Chapter 13, US HC p.486
==In Blood and Bone==
The most recent employer of Sweetly and the rest of the mercenaries was the sorceress, Spite, who had transported the troop by ship to the Isle of Jacuruku - specifically, to Jacuruku's most northern coast where the Dolmens of Tien, Spite's goal, were located.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, US HC p.41-42/44 Subsequent events - involving a great deal of magical activity - found Sweetly and the mercenary troop left marooned by the secretive departure of the ship that had brought them all to the island. This forced them to enter, and then to travel, through the extremely hostile environment of the Jungle of Himatan in search of a way home.Blood and Bone, Chapter 3, US HC p.116
After observing Sweetly, Murk - one of the two mages with the mercenaries - decided that the position of the twig in Sweetly's mouth was almost the only indication of the scout's moods: upward meant a positive mood; downward a negative one; and if the twig was straight outward, it meant that Sweetly was in a neutral mood. Sweetly was actually able to convey - intentionally or not - a surprising amount of nuanced information about his opinions and feelings in this way.Blood and Bone, Chapter 7, US HC p.257/259-260/265-266Blood and Bone, Chapter 8, US HC p.315Blood and Bone, Chapter 10, US HC p.390Blood and Bone, Chapter 15, US HC p.559
Sweetly was the first of the Malazan mercs to understand the value of adopting the local customs and ways of doing things as were strongly suggested to him by Sour - the second mage with the mercenaries - who, himself, had learned them from inhabitants of the Himatan jungle who the troop had encountered and befriended. Sweetly lost no time in sharing this approach with his fellow scouts. Eventually, all of the mercenaries followed suit. This new knowledge of how to deal with the exotic and very dangerous environment that Sweetly and the rest of the mercenaries had to travel through, became an important reason for the mercenary troop's ultimate survival.Blood and Bone, Chapter 8, US HC p.298-303/309/311-315Blood and Bone, Chapter 12, US HC p.448-450Blood and Bone, Chapter 14, US HC p.533-534Blood and Bone, Chapter 15, US HC p.551/554/559/562-564/568-570
==Quotes==
==Notes and references==
Category:Males
Category:Malazans
Category:Soldiers