Icarium

Icarium is a fictional character from Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. He appears in Deadhouse Gates, House of Chains, The Bonehunters, Reaper's Gale, Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God.

Physiology

Icarium is described as tall, but not excessively muscled. His skin is an "olive-green colour" and his canines are prominent, almost tusks. He is a Jhag, a half-blood Jaghut, son of Gothos. The only thing known about his mother is that she was a Toblakai.

Abilities

Icarium is known across the Malaz world as The Slayer, or as the Lifestealer, a dangerous being whose rage brings unconstrainable destruction. He uses a single-edged longsword and a bow with warren-etched arrows, capable of killing a dragon. When enraged, Icarium is able to draw on his rage as a form of power, making him lightning fast, tireless, able to withstand extremely powerful magic attacks, and forcing him to kill and destroy until all around him is lifeless.

History

Little is known of Icarium's history. He has wandered the world for millennia. In his early youth, his father, the Jaghut Gothos, took up residence inside a House of the Azath. Icarium, abandoned and not understanding his father's actions, assaulted the Azath House. It is at that time that Icarium's now legendary rage was first unleashed. Icarium almost destroyed the Azath and his efforts left him in a delirious state. At some point Icarium wounded the warren Kurald Emurlahn, leaving it open for the shattering that is visited upon it. This act in turn wounds him mentally, causing him to lose his memory whenever he goes into a rage. He wanders the world, constantly searching for his memories. The group known as the Nameless Ones decided that he was too dangerous to allow to wander unwatched, and so have recruited his "guardians", such as Mappo Runt the Trell and Taralack Veed of the Gral. Their task is to protect Icarium from the world, and protect the world from Icarium. Some time during the Nameless Ones' stewardship of Icarium, they began to subtly increase his power and deadliness, transforming him into a weapon that they could use for their own hidden goals. When Icarium is recruited by the Tiste Edur, he assaults the Throne of Shadow. There he comes into contact with the Eres'al, who heals the mental damage/scarring from his wounding of Kurald Emurlahn.

Recent movements

Bereft of his companion Mappo, Icarium is led to the continent of Lether by Taralack Veed, an agent of the Nameless Ones, who intend to use Icarium as a weapon to destroy the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths, Rhulad Sengar. However, before this can be accomplished, Icarium disappears into an ancient mechanism, apparently of his own devising.