Otataral
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Otataral is a magic-deadening ore found in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Canadian author Steven Erikson.
Otataral is a reddish ore, generally sold in the form of dust, which superficially resembles rusted iron. Its most obvious property is its ability to deaden the actions of magic and prevent mages from accessing their Warrens. This effect is actually limited to only the non-Elder Warrens. Warrens such as Kurald Galain of the Tiste Andii and Tellann T'lan Imass are notably immune to its effects. This suggests a layering of sorceries in the Malazan world, in which one axis on which warren's can differ is susceptibiliity to otataral.
[edit] Effects
Non-Elder sorceries will not work within the presence of otataral; this effect has a short range, at minimum the distance required for armed combat. If a Warren is opened or a spell cast at an individual holding otataral, the effect will fail and the otataral will give off a gust of chilly air. Otataral apparently does not have any effect on Elder sorceries at all. The effects of otataral can be circumscribed somewhat through encasing the metal in a dense material (in one case a granite box) or also through sheathing a weapon.
In addition, any individual who is in the presence of the ore for a long enough period (such as by carrying an otataral weapon) or absorbs otataral dust through skin or lungs will experience unpredictable side effects, one of which appears to be a transfer of the magic-deadening properties. The Teblor tribes of northern Genabackis may exhibit this trait through their use of the otataral-suffused blood-oil.
Otataral is generally too brittle to be forged directly into a weapon. Instead, most weapons are forged as normal, then quenched in otataral dust while still hot. In addition, heating otataral and subjecting it magic can cause catastrophic explosions.
[edit] Origins
The Malazan Empire tightly controls the mining and sale of otataral. The most prominent source is from the mines at Dosin Pali, at the edge of the otataral desert just off the coast of the continent of the Seven Cities. The ores seem to be formed because of the presence of giant statues of Jade that periodically impact the Malazan world, possibly acting as a scab or scar to isolate the effects of the Jade statues. The creation of otataral appears to burn out the natural energies that power non-Elder magic, leaving an area dead to mages. When the mining of otataral results in making contact with the Jade figures, the shaft of the mine is immediately closed as spending time in the presence of these figures results in death.
Other sources of otataral are speculative, including the Teblor's blood-oil. Should the Malazan Empire discover these sources, they would immediately move to control them.
There exists a dragon composed completely of otataral, discussed in House of Chains. The mage Pearl is astonished by this figure, and theorizes that this dragon acts to counter-balance the existence of all other dragons, who form the source of magic for the Malazan world.
| The Malazan Book of the Fallen |
| Gardens of the Moon | Deadhouse Gates | Memories of Ice | House of Chains | Midnight Tides | The Bonehunters | Reaper's Gale | Toll the Hounds | Dust of Dreams | The Crippled God | Blood Follows | The Healthy Dead |
| Related Novels |
| Night of Knives | Return of the Crimson Guard |
| Related Pages |
| The Malazan Empire |
This is a category of articles relating to the shared world featured in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series of fantasy novels by Steven Erikson and the books by Ian Cameron Esslemont.
