Gruntle

Gruntle was the captain of a group of caravan guards for hire, which included Stonny Menackis and Harllo. He had been in the trade for over twenty years, earning respect among his peers as well as a high rate for his services.Memories of Ice, Chapter 1 Unlike most in his profession, he had received a formal education some time in his past, which gave him what he called a healthy scepticism.Memories of Ice, Chapter 1 He had a weathered, roughly chiseled face that had lived hard years, although there were well-worn laugh lines around his eyes.Memories of Ice, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.659 His cheeks were bearded.Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.536
Gruntle despised the military and its discipline. He also disliked titles, only calling himself captain in order to charge more for his caravan services.Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.792/794
He and Stonny exchanged insults like a married couple who had known each other too long.Memories of Ice, Chapter 21, US SFBC p.763 The two had slept together on a few drunken occasions, but afterwards were largely too embarassed to talk about it.Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.792 Gruntle was also friends with a suicidal caravan guard named Buke in whom he saw much of himself. 
He preferred to fight with two Gadrobi cutlassesMemories of Ice, Chapter 6 and had a habit of rolling his shoulders.The Crippled God, Chapter 2, US HC p.37 He could speak in passable Rhivi.Memories of Ice, Chapter 23, US SFBC p.849
== In Memories of Ice==
===The Road to Capustan===
At the opening of the book, Gruntle served the merchant Keruli, escorting his caravan along the main road between Darujhistan and Capustan. Despite his usual distaste for traders, he considered the man to run against the grain enough to threaten Gruntle's long-cherished disgust for merchants. Also, he considered that Keruli might not even be what he was showing, but rather an important person in disguise.Memories of Ice, Chapter 1
While the caravan was waiting to pass near a bridge destroyed by the freed Jaghut Tyrant Raest two months prior, Gruntle met Emancipor Reese, the manservant of the infamous necromancer duo, Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. Reese requested Gruntle meet his masters which Keruli encouraged, interested in what the pair were up to.
Bauchelain led him into the hills where Broach awaited them by the remains of the tomb which had once held Raest. Filled with both unease and fear in the pair's presence, he turned down their request to accompany them inside. After quizzing the guard captain over recent events involving Moon's Spawn and forestalling Broach's desire the kill him, Bauchelain sent Gruntle back to camp. Gruntle sensed Keruli's distant observation and advised that they stay clear of the two necromancers.
The necromancers later hired Gruntle's friend, Buke, as a guard and Gruntle tried to warn him off. Buke was sure Broach was behind a series of murders in Darujhistan and sought to bring the pair to justice and thus refused to heed Gruntle's advice.Memories of Ice, Chapter 4
Gruntle's caravan arrived in Saltoan where Keruli organised a meeting with the city's crimelords. The merchant advised of the Pannion Domin threat and suggested ways of combatting its influence among the citizenry. Gruntle was surprised to hear that Saltoan had recently seen its own spate of strange murders, supporting Buke's theories.
On the road between Saltoan and Capustan, the caravan encountered the White Face Barghast Hetan and her two brothers hunting for demons rumoured to be in the area. They joined the caravan and the lusty Hetan soon bedded Gruntle. The caravan then encountered the abandoned wreck of the necromancer's carriage. Searching inside, Gruntle found Broach's blood-slicked 'child', proving Buke's suspicions. The necromancers and Buke soon returned reporting that they had been attacked by one of Hetan's demons.
For safety's sake, the two groups continued on together, but before the caravan reached Capustan, the demons struck. They turned out to be undead K'Chain Che'Malle K'ell Hunters. Six attacked the caravan, and Gruntle was severely injured. After their rescue by Grey Swords and an army of T'lan Imass, he was force healed and brought to Capustan. There Stonny tearfully informed him that Harllo had perished in the attack. Gruntle remembered Harllo throwing himself between his captain and an attacker to save his life.Memories of Ice, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.291-292
===Capustan===
Gruntle descended into a state of constant drunkenness, ignoring Stonny's admonishments and the Pannion Domin's encirclement of the city. Buke brought Gruntle back to his senses with the healing ministrations of the Grey Sword Destriant Karnadas, and Stonny revealed that Keruli had used his magic to save nearly everyone in the caravan during the attack. Gruntle refused to assist Buke in his efforts to stymie Broach's nocturnal hunts, but passed along a potion to Buke from Keruli that would aid him.Memories of Ice, Chapter 10, US SFBC p.347-349/367-372
Gruntle's indifference was ripped from him with the start of the Siege of Capustan. As the fighting began, he made his way to the city's Port Gate where Stonny had volunteered to serve with the Grey Swords. He found the woman holding her own, but was enraged to discover she had been raped by an enemy Seerdomin. He soon joined the fight with a vengeance.Memories of Ice, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.459-467/472-473
Travelling to the North Gate, he rallied an ad hoc militia of Capanthall, caravan guards and citizens to turn back the Urdomen and Seerdomin attackers. Then he ambushed a mass of Urdomen and Scalandi assaulting Lestari House. An unnamed Lestari seargeant joined him to help organise his growing number of followers. Reports began reaching Itkovian, leader of the city's defence, of a foreigner and his militia reinforcing and delivering the defenders at the city's West Gate. Gruntle used the bloodied tunic of a Capan child eaten by cannibal Tenescowri to bring the warriors of Tular Camp into the fight and relieve Jehbar Tower. The tunic became the standard of Gruntle's troops.Memories of Ice, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.475-482
thumb|218x218px|Mortal Sword of Treach by [https://www.instagram.com/plugoarts/ PLUGO]
It soon became apparent that Gruntle had been chosen as the Mortal Sword of Trake. Tiger barbs and stripes began appearing on his face and arms. His eyes "matched those of a tiger's now that the god's power was within his flesh and blood".Memories of Ice, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.659 They turned the colour of sun-withered prairie grass with vertically slitted pupils, and gained an inhuman acuity. He acquired a spatial sensitivity that made control of his body absolute. He could walk a forest in absolute silence or freeze, becoming perfectly motionless, shielding even the breath he drew. On a psychological level, instinctive decisions now lurked just beneath the surface and the violence residing in him was that of a killer -- cold and implacable, devoid of compassion or ambiguity. Itkovian saw him as a hulking, plains-hunting cat that possessed a silent, deadly grace. His twin cutlasses became bone-white with black barbs.Memories of Ice, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.485Memories of Ice, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.536/538Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.568/598-599
Gruntle's hundred followers joined him for a final stand in defence of a tenement in the Temple District. In awe of their commander, they fought as extensions of his will with combat skills they had not previously possessed and soon featured tiger stripes of their own. The resulting fighting drove the surviving defenders to the tenement's roof, leaving the floors below packed floor to ceiling with enemy corpses and the walls weeping with blood.Memories of Ice, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.536-538Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.485/536-538/546/568 They defended the building until the arrival of the Bridgeburners and their Barghast allies broke the siege. Gruntle recognised the Torcs on Picker's arm as his own and the Bridgenburner gladly gave them up.Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.569-570
In the aftermath of the fighting, Gruntle joined Itkovian and Bridgeburner captain, Ganoes Paran, at the Thrall. As Mortal Sword, he helped legitimise Itkovian's ritual punishment of the Mask Council traitor, Rath'Fener. He also accepted his role as Trake's Mortal Sword while proudly proclaiming his irreverence and lack of dedication to duty much to the astonished dismay of the Masked priest, Rath'Trake.Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.592/600-601 Gruntle and Paran bonded over their unsought roles as representatives of higher powers, and the Mortal Sword advised Paran to officially recognise High House Chains despite the disapproval of the other Gods.Memories of Ice, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.657-662
===Coral===
Gruntle and the followers he laughingly called Trake's Legion joined the alliance of renegade Malazan High Fist Dujek Onearm and Caladan Brood.Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.792 He traveled with Brood's forces and struck up a friendship with Itkovian, fellow servant to a rival war god. Gruntle learned from Reese that Buke had left the necromancers' employ. Bauchelain asked Gruntle to relay the message to Buke that he was fired.Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.791-796
Brood and Dujek had a falling out when the Malazan army arrived at Coral days ahead of their allies without explaining their intentions. At Brood's camp, Gruntle awoke in the middle of the night sensing betrayal. He gathered his Legion and Trake risked the heart of his power to mould Gruntle and his followers into a giant, emerald tiger, almost like a reverse D'ivers. The enormous cat ran all the way to Coral to find Whiskeyjack betrayed by Kallor and his forces facing an army of eight hundred K'ell Hunters.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.898-902
The tiger tore into the undead K'Chain Che'Malle, diminishing as the Hunters tore his soldiers away. By the time thousands of T'lan Ay came to assist, the tiger was dying. At battle's end, only eight Capan women remained of the entire Legion.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.920-924/936-937/944
 
In the aftermath, Gruntle again begrudgingly accepted his role as Mortal Sword despite proclaiming his hatred of war and killing. He placed his torcs on the barrow of his friend Itkovian who had perished. Then he approached, Toc-Anaster, the newly named rival Mortal Sword of Togg and Fanderay. Wary at first, he soon found himself sharing ale with the young man and commiserating over their uncertain responsibilities.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.968-970/982-984/988-989
==In Reaper's Gale==
The sole Malazan among the Awl on Lether, Toc Anaster thought of old friends like Gruntle back on Genabackis, with whom he had shared Saltoan wine or Gredfallan ale over a drunken evening.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 12, US HC p.305 He considered the Mortal Sword one of only a handful of people he trusted.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 22, US HC p.702
== In Toll the Hounds==
===Darujhistan===
Gruntle and Stonny returned to Darujhistan, although Stonny retired from working as a caravan guard to open her own dueling school. As a result of her assault in Capustan, she bore a boy she named Harllo. But finding him too painful a reminder, she placed him in the care a former colleague, Bedek, and rarely visited. Gruntle, on the other hand, became a favourite "uncle" of young Harllo.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.151-153 The city's self-proclaimed High Priestess of Treach regularly pestered him at the hovel he called a home, desperate for his attention.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 3, US SFBC p.91-92 
Gruntle continued to serve as a lead caravan guard and during the Gedderone Fête returned to the city as the lone survivor of a disastrous trip to Bastion to purchase Kelyk for the merchant, Sirik. Surviving an ambush by a hundred raiders on the Dwelling Plain, he somehow commanded the dead drivers of his four remaining wagons to take up their reins and follow him back to the city. Gruntle released the dead to Hood once their work was done and grouched about the weeks it would take for the tattoo-like barbs of battle to fade away. When Sirik tried to cut his pay by half to account for the missing wagons, Gruntle began to consider the opportunities offered by the Trygalle Trade Guild. Their travels through the Warrens were far more dangerous than a mundane caravan trip, but Trygalle Guild shareholders made far more money per trip because of their positions, not as employees, but as part-owners.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 3, US TPB p.74-77 
Gruntle, while in Darujhistan, visited the adoptive family (i.e., Bedek, Myrla, Snell, Mew and Hinty) of the boy, Harllo, to whom Gruntle acted as an uncle.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 5, US TPB p.125-128 Gruntle also visited his long-time friend and comrade, Stonny Menackis (Harllo's biological mother), who upon hearing his idea of joining up with the Trygalle Trade Guild, told him that he must have a "damned death wish" to even consider a trip with the Guild.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 7, US TPB p.208
===With the Trygalle Trade Guild===
Gruntle finally decided to sign up with Master Quell (a Trygalle Trade Guild pilot, navigator, and sorcerer) for Quell's next trip with his Trygalle Guild equipage. Gruntle thus joined experienced shareholders (Faint, Reccanto Ilk, Glanno Tarp, and Sweetest Sufferance), as well as three first-time shareholders (Jula Bole, Amby Bole, and Precious Thimble). Their first mission was to transport Mappo Runt, to the continent of Lether where the Trell hoped to catch up with his long-time companion, Icarium.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 7, US TPB p.203-204/227-228Toll the Hounds, Chapter 3, US TPB p.85
The Guild carriage first passed into Hood's realm where they were unexpectedly overwhelmed by a hostile army of the dead. Unable to find the exit gate, Quell hastily brought them to a small tropical island (where it was realized their carriage had inadvertently picked up the undead Cartographer in its wake). The mage then returned to Hood's realm with Gruntle as his escort in an attempt to learn what was happening. They saw Hood's entire host was assembled and on the march before they were confronted by Hood's servant, the Seguleh Second. Gruntle had to be talked out of drawing his weapon as the Second threatened their lives for trespassing. The Second tried to goad the Mortal Sword into combat before he was interrupted by the arrival of three more dead: Toc the Younger, Iskar Jarak, and Brukhalian. Gruntle was startled to see his friend Toc among the dead and Toc warned them that Hood's realm was now sealed to the living. An undead dragon burst from the ground as Quell opened a return portal, following them back to the island before flying away.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 13, US TPB p.415-417Toll the Hounds, Chapter 14, US TPB p.455-457 
Overnight on the island, Gruntle found himself stalking the jungle as a tiger in his dreams. He soon stumbled upon a group of five creatures he dubbed half-humans and was startled to realise he had memories of hunting and eating them. The eldest female called upon him for their protection from a leopard that challenged his territory and had already eaten all their children. She offered to sacrifice herself to him, if needed. Gruntle ran off, finding the leopard and discovering she was another dream rider like himself. She claimed to be from a place known as New Morn, although her failure to recognise the god, Hood, left open the question whether she was from the distant past or the far future. After Gruntle requested she spare the jungle's human inhabitants, the two went their separate ways.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.516-520
Master Quell took them off the island through Mael's realm, riding heaving waves amidst a furious storm that left Gruntle hanging on for dear life as Faint laughed at his terror.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.513-514Toll the Hounds, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.579-581Toll the Hounds, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.658-659 Arriving at the shores of a southern Genabackis island, the carriage raced to the top of an immense wave to crash into a cliffside village before it could be dashed onto the rocks below. The carriage was shattered, sending driver Glanno Tarp, Cartographer, and the horses careening away. The shareholders found themselves in Reach of Woe, a community of Wreckers plagued by a curse that turned their young women into bloodthirsty Tralka Vonan. Three Tralka Vonan were awakened by the noise of the crash, forcing Mappo and the shareholders to barricade themselves in a tavern, while the villagers locked themselves in the tavern's basement. Gruntle killed two of the creatures, while Reccanto Ilk accidentally killed the other. Afterwards, Gruntle, Amby, and Jula volunteered to seek out Glanno Tarp, finding him lying in a corral with his legs broken near Cartographer, who was still tied to a carriage wheel.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.659-664Toll the Hounds, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.740-742
Meanwhile Quell, Precious Thimble, and Mappo went to confer with the village Provost, Bedusk Pall Kovuss Agape, who they soon discovered was a Jaghut and the originator of the curse. After burying his wife years earlier, the Jaghut had been elected Provost by the village to ameliorate his grief. He soon fell in a love with a village girl who spurned his advances. In a rage, he placed a curse on the village that turned any woman of childbearing age who was without children into a Tralka Vonan. Recognising Precious Thimble, Sweetest Sufferance, and Faint were in danger, Quell allowed them to leave for the next village while the male shareholders repaired the carriage.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.742-749Toll the Hounds, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.820-821
The Provost's wife was not, in fact, dead. He had buried her alive near the cliff and she had been freed from her "grave" when it collapsed into the sea. She emerged from the water determined to destroy the village of wreckers, who preyed on passing ships. Quell saw the opportunity to negotiate an end to the curse which was almost upended when Amby and Jula Bole attacked the woman. Despite her terrifying magic, they brought her down and pinned her until Gruntle bargained for peace. The Jaghut agreed, but the Boles had to be threatened with decapitation by Gruntle's swords. The Jaghut said the curse would end when her husband was dead and she stalked off to confront him.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.750-756Toll the Hounds, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.823
Makeshift repairs completed, the male shareholders retrieved their female colleagues, but the Jaghuts' sorcerous battle soon threatened to engulf the entire island. Cartographer drew a map in the dirt that would serve as a gate to allow them to quickly escape. With misgivings, Quell invested it with his power to activate it.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.820-823 The gate brought them to the Warren inside Dragnipur where the army of Hood's dead fought a war with Chaos. Glanno slammed on the breaks sending the shareholders tumbling into the mud, with Gruntle managing to twist midair to land on all fours. When Gruntle showed a mind to join the battle, Glanno called him back, warning the Guild did not look kindly on deserters. Quell immediately realised they had been duped as Hood came to chide Cartographer for being late. Hood's Herald, Toc the Younger, recognised Gruntle with a start, but Gruntle did not know him as Toc no longer wore the body of Anaster. Hood sent the Guild caravan away with Cartographer as their guide and Toc following in their wake.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.957-959 They were last shown passing through the primeval world where Picker's spirit was lost.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.970
==In Dust of Dreams==
thumb|237x237px|Gruntle by [https://mdav.artstation.com/projects/48gG48 Max Davenport]
Gruntle had survived the Trygalle Trade Guild's arrival in the Wastelands of Lether, but, like the other Trygalle Guild survivors, he found himself stranded there by the destruction of the Trygalle Guild equipage and the death of its pilot and sorcerer, Master Quell. They were soon found by Setoc of the Wolves, the twins Stavi and Storii, their half-brother, Absi, and an undead Ay named 'Baaljagg' - the two groups deciding to join forces, they all started walking eastward.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 20, US HC p.651-664
Later, Gruntle and Setoc saw a far-off cloud and knew it not to be a storm, but the result of a major battle involving "sorcery and worse". The group saw no reason to go in that direction, however, and so continued travelling to the east - meeting Torrent (and his horse) along the way.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 24, US HC p.813-814
== In The Crippled God ==
Gruntle left the group of Trygalle Trade Guild survivors to go in search of his own ‘destiny’.The Crippled God, Chapter 6, US HC p.156 While Gruntle was travelling through Warren after WarrenThe Crippled God, Chapter 9, US HC p.238-239 looking for her, Kilava (an Imass Bonecaster who had been haunting Gruntle’s dreams) was in a cave in the Refugium that contained a sealed gate that led into Starvald Demelain (the Elder Warren of the Eleint), which Kilava was working to unseal, thus allowing the free passage of pure-blooded dragons through the gate.The Crippled God, Chapter 14, US HC p.383-384
Gruntle, finally finding Kilava in the Refugium cave, fought with her (with Gruntle in the form of Trake – a huge tiger, and Kilava in her Soletaken form of a large black panther) in a last ditch effort to prevent the opening of the Starvald Demelain gate. The fighting between these two left both combatants badly mauled by the other.The Crippled God, Chapter 16, US HC p.456-459
Then, as dragons began to pour into the world, Gruntle attacked a newly arrived Eleint, but after a fierce fight, was slammed by it into a rock wall, which shattered his body, causing Trake to flee his Mortal Sword as Gruntle died. Gruntle’s last thoughts were of Stonny.The Crippled God, Chapter 18, US HC p.536-539 Kilava, although badly injured, survived, but deeply regretted that she and Gruntle had had to fight each other and that he had been killed.The Crippled God, Chapter 18, US HC p.539
==Author comments==
Steven Erikson says, "In many ways I found Gruntle to be an interesting character because he was so reluctant, so reticent about the expectations being placed upon him by the world."Steven Erikson Live Q & A - Fantasy/Sci-Fi Focus - See 1:06:40 Further, "Gruntle, as a character, he is a mess. He is not a balanced character, in the least. And his trauma from the siege of Capustan in Memories of Ice relates to his failure--his personal failure. And if you think of him as a character--what is he representing? Well, he's representing masculinity. Particularly the physical potential prowess of masculinity and the self-appointed role of masculinity in protecting innocents. And Gruntle failed, and that is his struggle, and that is his crisis."Ten Very Big Books podcast - Toll the Hounds - Conversation with Steven Erikson - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 39:45
==Fan art gallery==
<tabber>Spoiler free images=
War Council by Shadaan.jpg|link=File:War Council by Shadaan.jpg|War Council by Shadaan
Grun4.jpg|link=File:Grun4.jpg|Interpretation of Gruntle by McDev
Gruntle by merlkir.jpg|link=File:Gruntle by merlkir.jpg|Gruntle by merlkir
Gruntle stalks by mattforsyth.jpg|link=File:Gruntle stalks by mattforsyth.jpg|Gruntle by mattforsyth
Gruntle1 by mattforsyth.jpg|link=File:Gruntle1 by mattforsyth.jpg|Gruntle by mattforsyth
|-|Spoiler images=
Gruntle 3.jpg|link=File:Gruntle 3.jpg|Interpretation of Gruntle by Yapattack
Day 20 - Treach by Shadaan.PNG|Mortal Sword of the Tiger of Summer by Shadaan 
</tabber>
==Notes and references==
Category:Daru
Category:Guards
Category:Humans
Category:Males
Category:Mortal Sword
Category:Soletaken
Category:Trygalle Trade Guild
Category:Ascendants
de:Grantl
es:Rezongo