Faradan Sort

Faradan Sort [FAIR-ah-dan SORT]Critical Conversations 09: Beak, Emotional Vignettes in Epic Fantasy, and Reaper's Gale - A Critical Dragon - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 17:15 was originally with the Malaz 8th Army, but joined the 14th as a captain of the 8th Legion's 9th Company after the Battle of Raraku. She replaced Captain Kindly, who Fiddler suspected had been sent to shape up a company worse off than their own.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.244 Her Lieutenant was Madan'Tul Rada.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.309 Sort was a hard and determined officer who pushed her subordinates and expected results.
She was a tall, straight-backed woman, who spoke with a Korelri accent.The Bonehunters, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.196-198 She had once worn her hair long, but now kept it cut short to keep it out of the way.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.351 Lieutenant Pores thought her icy and calculating, a woman of few words, and an example of cold iron.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.276
In her experience, it was the luck of Oponn that determined whether a soldier lived or died in battle. A soldier's skill was less important than the Lord's push or the Lady's pull.The Bonehunters, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.521-522
Sort kept her sword in a scabbard decorated with silver tracing.The Bonehunters, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.204
She could not abide Scorpions or other vermin and would deliberately crush any that came in her way beneath her boots.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.369
== In The Bonehunters==
After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman led the Army of the Apocalypse westward to Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. Sort was assigned as Captain to Fiddler and Gesler's squads (among others) in the 14thThe Bonehunters, Chapter 5, UK MMPB p.237/238 to whom she was a stern but capable officer. In her first appearance at her new command, she crushed the 4th squad's champion scorpion, Joyful Union, under her heel, earning murderous intentions from Bottle and Cuttle. Then she ordered all of the squads in her company to reform their haphazard bivouacs into an organised manner. When Bottle was insubordinate at their first meeting he gave his name as "Smiles", leaving the real Smiles to later wonder what she had done to deserve the discipline of carrying a double load.
Koryk believed the new captain was a former section commander of the Stormwall based on the decoration of her sword scabbard. She would only say that the scabbard's original sword "got left behind...in somebody."The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.368 Kindly attempted to take the measure of his replacement, but Sort remained aloof. Kindly's constant bickering with Lieutenant Pores led Sort to believe the two were idiots.
Adjunct Tavore Paran launched the Last Siege of Y'Ghatan by sending the army's sappers to breach the city's wall under the cover of night. First into the city were the Malazan marines, followed quickly by the heavy and Medium infantry. Fist Keneb entered the city after its western edges were secure and sent Faradan Sort ahead to make contact with the advance squads.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.291-292/304 But when enough Malazans were engaged in street fighting inside the city, Leoman sprung his trap. The city's olive oil-soaked buildings were set alight and the streets quickly became an inferno. Sort and Madan'Tul Rada were caught in the flames until they spotted Sinn stumbling towards them. They noticed wherever the mage moved, flames died in swirling darkness. Sort quickly directed Sinn to create a tunnel through the flames, leading Fists Keneb and Tene Baralta and nearly eight hundred Malazans to safety.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.309-310/21
Unaware that any had survived, the 14th Army made haste for the Kokakal Sea to embark on Admiral Nok's ships and escape the Bluetongue Plague ravaging Seven Cities. Sinn's mutterings convinced Sort to effectively desert, staying behind without permission to search for survivors. After three days the pair discovered the place where Bottle and the others had nearly tunneled out from beneath the city and helped them escape. Sort nearly stomped on the rat that had led survivors to safety before Bottle intervened.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.352/365-370
Before marching west to catch up with the army, Captain Sort reorganised the shattered survivors, promoting Urb to Sergeant and placing him in charge of the newly created 13th squad.The Bonehunters, Chapter 10, US SFBC p.428/430The Bonehunters, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.525/534 She also seemed to tacitly confirm she had served on the Stormwall.The Bonehunters, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.521
When the survivors finally caught up with the 14th Army on the coast, Captain Sort led the group into camp.The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.668 As Sort was considered a deserter, Madan'Tul Rada had been promoted to Captain and assumed command of her company.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.352The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, US HC p.516 She surrendered herself to Adjunct Tavore to face execution for desertion, but Fiddler warned that if the Adjunct hanged Sort, she would have to hang them all. Without Sort, their bones would still be under Y'Ghatan.The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, US SFBC p.670-671 Adjunct Tavore ultimately restored Sort to the 9th Company's command and presented her and Sinn with the first badges bearing the new Bonehunters sigil designed by T'amber.The Bonehunters, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.717 Nok's fleet returned the army to Malaz City where the Adjunct met with Empress Laseen.The Bonehunters, Chapter 24
==In Reaper's Gale==
Adjunct Tavore clashed with Empress Laseen at Malaz City and took the Bonehunters rogue, following the Tiste Edur fleet that had ravaged Sepik back to Lether to seek retribution against the Letherii Empire.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.356 Fist Keneb's marines were landed in isolated pairs of squads across thirty leagues of coast-- their transport vessels burned behind them. The marines moved forward into the Letherii countryside towards Letheras, the capital, with orders to kill Edur by night and stir the occupied Letherii into rebellion. Each squad had a mage responsible for hiding their presence and confusing their enemies.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.361-365 Fist Keneb followed in their wake with six squads of marines numbering about 40-odd soldiers.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.363-365 Faradan Sort served as Keneb's forward officer, maintaining communications between the scattered squads and Keneb's force. She chose Beak to accompany her after a short interview revealed the mage had access to every Warren.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 13, US HC p.365
thumb|Beak and Faradan Sort by [https://www.instagram.com/p/CZFDslGqd7M/ Shadaan]
Captain Sort used Beak's extraordinary ability to sense magic to make contact with the various squads as the marines penetrated Lether, guerrilla-style, deep behind enemy lines. Early on the mage secured them horses from a Letherii stable, making it appear as the animals had died in fire.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 14, US HC p.404-406 If he took time to observe her, Beak heard the sound of waves hammering against stone, screams of soldiers in battle, swords and slaughter, and lances like ice piercing flesh.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17, US HC p.481
Contrary to the Adjunct's expectations, the Letherii soldiers did not use the Malazan invasion to turn against their Edur occupiers--something Sort noted early on.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 14, US HC p.410Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17, US HC p.481/486Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17, US HC p.481-482 When Hellian and Urb's squads ranged too far ahead of the others, Sort and Beak rode after them to rein them in. But Sort admitted the inebriated Hellian had a point when she argued the new facts on the ground required hit and run tactics. She advised the other squads to acquire mounts and adopt Hellian's approach.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17, US HC p.481-482/485-487 
It took more than a week for Sort to return to a worried Keneb.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17, US HC p.501 Forced to ride in daylight by large numbers of enemies who stood between her and the furthest forward marines, she feared them lost. During that time she also discovered three butchered squads. On Sort's advice, Keneb pushed hard for the capital hoping to sweep up any surviving marines before it was too late. He gave the captain ten squads of heavies to command as their rearguard.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 21, US HC p.636-638 When they reached the village before dawn where seven or eight of the forward squads had holed up, Keneb sent Sort and Beak ahead to make contact. They were greeted by Tarr, who got the full brunt of the captain's penchant for military discipline. After he departed to assemble the sleeping marines, she complained to Beak, "See what happens when an officer's not around enough? They get damned full of themselves, that's what happens, Beak."Reaper's Gale, Chapter 22, US HC p.672-674
Keneb took command of the reunified force and continued forward. Thousands of Edur followed in their wake, pushing them towards the city where the Imperial Brigade awaited.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 22, US HC p.672-674 Caught between the two armies near Kravos Hill, the 800 remaining MalazansReaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US HC p.745 were forced to huddle under Beak's protective spell when the Letherii mages cast a deadly ritual of Chaos upon them and the Edur. The spell was broken, but Beak perished and the hair of all those under his protection turned white. The Edur abandoned the field after their allies' betrayal, and the shaken Imperial Brigade withdrew to meet Adjunct Tavore's more threatening main force as it disembarked from the Lether River.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 22, US HC p.679/686-695 The Malazans built a barrow for Beak's remains and Sort asked Bottle for a blessing.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US HC p.743 
Keneb marched on Letheras thinking the marines deserved to be the first to enter the capital.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US HC p.778 After the marines found a hidden entrance beneath the wall, Sort picked Fiddler, Gesler, Hellian, and Urb's squads to accompany her into the city to cause trouble while the remaining marines seized the city's west gate to open it to Tavore's infantry.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US HC p.779 After Tavore's main force of Malazans entered the city, the City Garrison surrendered and the city fell.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US HC p.779/800/812
== In Dust of Dreams ==
Captain Sort attended Fiddler's (forced) reading of the Deck of Dragons. 
Sort eventually admitted to having survived the Stormwall during the Bonehunters' march through the Glass Desert.
==In The Crippled God==
After the battle against the K'Chain Nah'ruk, Sort was promoted to Fist.The Crippled God, Chapter 4, UK HB p.92
==Quotes==
== Gallery ==
Faradan sort.jpg|Interpretation of Faradan Sort by Corporal Nobbs
==Notes and references==
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