Shortnose

Shortnose was a mean-looking heavy^[1] in the 9th Company, 8th Legion of the Malaz 14th Army. He was in either Sobelone's or Tugg's squad.^[1] The tip of his nose had been cut off at some point in the past, presumably the reason for his name.^[1]

He was prone to snoring very loudly.^[2] He had huge hands.^[3]

In House of Chains

Shortnose's squad was part of Adjunct Tavore Paran's punitive expedition against the Army of the Apocalypse. On the road from Aren to Raraku, the heavies had no chance to wet their swords, but Fiddler was impressed with their discipline nonetheless.^[4]

In The Bonehunters

After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman led the Army of the Apocalypse westward to Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. Shortnose married fellow soldier, Hanno, about one week before reaching the city. According to Corporal Reem, it "aint his face she adores, if you know what I mean."^[1] Once the 14th Army reached the city's outskirts, an impromptu wrestling match broke out between Shortnose and Saltlick after Saltlick bit Shortnose's ear off. The rest of Sobelone and Tugg's squads gathered around the two straining men, watching and placing bets. Hanno bet against her husband.^[1]

Adjunct Tavore 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. Once inside the city, the Malazans immediately came under attack from swordsmen on the ground and archers in the buildings above them. 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. Sobelone and Tugg were killed in the fighting and Shortnose joined a mixed group of survivors from Cord's, Fiddler's, and Borduke's squads. They fled the flames while Shortnose, Flashwit, Mayfly, and Uru Hela — armed only with knives and fists — defended the group against a score of fanatics.^[5]

Shortnose was among the small group of soldiers who survived Y'Ghatan by tunneling their way out from under the city. They spent three days crawling on their hands and knees through the dark led by Bottle and his rat.^[6] 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. Faradan Sort and Sinn remained behind and discovered the survivors as they crawled from the wreckage.^[7] Captain Sort reorganised the shattered soldiers, placing Shortnose into Gesler's squad.^[8]

After the survivors rejoined the 14th Army on the coast of the Kokakal Sea, Gesler and Stormy were given back command of the Silanda. Shortnose served aboard the vessel along with Balm and Fiddler's squads on the return voyage to Quon Tali.^[9] Some festering argument between Shortnose and Flashwit led to the two wrestling on the deck, growling and biting like a pair of dogs.^[10]

The Adunct's fleet travelled to Malaz City where Empress Laseen awaited Tavore in Mock's Hold. The Silanda joined Tavore's flagship, the Froth Wolf, to moor at the city pier while the rest of the fleet remained anchored in the harbour. The entire city seethed with magically induced anger against the 14th Army and the soldiers of the Silanda prepared to defend their ship from the mob after the Adjunct was escorted away. Shortnose, Uru Hela, Tarr, Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas, Mayfly, and Flashwit formed a shield wall that took the brunt of the mob's attack. Eventually, Shortnose was crippled by a sword through a thigh. The wound was seen to by Deadsmell, while Lobe and Galt stepped in to shore up the gap.^[11][12]

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.^[13] Tavore invaded the Letherii Empire, burning her transport vessels on the shoreline and spreading the marines in isolated pairs of squads across thirty leagues of coast. The marines moved forward into the Letherii countryside 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.^[14] By this time, Shortnose was assigned to Gesler and Stormy's squad.^[15] Stormy was happily impressed by the effectiveness of Shortnose and the three "dread ladies" (Flashwit, Mayfly, and Uru Hela) under his command.^[16] But he was less impressed by Shortnose's snoring while on campaign. When repeated kicking did shut the heavy up, Stormy purposely trod on one of Shortnose's hands, breaking the third finger. When Shortnose awoke, he just looked at it, reset it, and carried on as if nothing had happened.^[17]

Gesler and Fiddler's squads remained together and at first had no problem remaining hidden from enemy soldiers.^[18] But the Letherii soon became aware of the enemy operating in their territory. Only Corabb's impossible luck saved them from a clever ambush in the forest when he accidentally flushed out a deer that immediately fell with twenty arrows in it. Shortnose joined Stormy and the other heavies in breaking one side of the ambush, while the other Malazans fired crossbows and sharpers at the enemy. The Malazans quickly turned the attack until the Letherii unveiled their sorcery of grey chaotic fire, killing Sands. Fiddler fired a cusser into the trees above the Letherii mage killing him and shredding a score of enemy soldiers before the Malazans were forced to retreat.^[19]

Gesler and Fiddler stopped their squads at an isolated farmhouse to lay a trap for a troop of mounted pursuers. While Fiddler and Cuttle assembled The Drum out of munitions, Gesler sent Uru Hela to investigate the occupants of the nearby farmhouse. When the heavy was only fifteen paces from the front door, an enormous Kenryll'ah demon prince burst out of the house to kill her with a two-handed wood-axe. Shortnose and the other heavies flanked Stormy as they charged the demon, chopping it with their swords before Gesler called the retreat. When Gesler purposefully called out the wrong direction of retreat to confuse their potential pursuers, Stormy had to physically reign Shortnose in to prevent him from falling for the misdirection.^[20] Ironically, the demon and its fellow prince had taken up residence in the farmhouse to retire in peace. They had just wanted to be left alone and the encounter was a tragic accident.^[21]

Contrary to the Adjunct's expectations, the Letherii soldiers did not use the Malazan invasion to turn against their Edur occupiers.^[22][23] As the marines neared Letheras fighting became more desperate and Gesler and Fiddler's squads became separated.^[24] A day's travel from the capital, Gesler's squad stumbled upon a village occupied by Hellian and Urb's squad and a number of others. Gesler and Fiddler's squad reunited at the local tavern just in time for a force of hundreds of Edur to envelop the village.^[25]

The Edur were repelled by the arrival of Badan Gruk, Sinter, and Primly's fresh squads.^[26] The new arrivals deferred to Fiddler's seniority, and the former Bridgeburner ordered the marines to hold their position in hopes they would be reinforced by Fist Keneb.^[27] By the time Keneb's forces arrived, thousands of Edur followed in their wake, pushing the gathered Malazans towards the city where the Imperial Brigade awaited.^[28]

Caught between the two armies near Kravos Hill, the 800 remaining Malazans^[29] 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 the hair of all those under Beak's 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.^[30]

Keneb marched on Letheras thinking the marines deserved to be the first to enter the capital.^[31] After the marines found a hidden entrance beneath the wall, Gesler, Fiddler, Urb, and Hellian's squads were sent into the city to cause trouble while the remaining marines opened the city's west gate to Tavore's infantry. Gesler's squad soon became separated from Fiddler's after the two squads teamed to ambush an assembly of the city's Main Garrison.^[32] After the main force of Malazans entered the city, the City Garrison surrendered and the city fell.^[33]

Shortnose's wife, Hanno, died early in the invasion, her skull cleaved by a Letherii sword, while serving in Urb's squad.^[34]

In Dust of Dreams

He had been part of Gesler's squad. After the Sergeant and Corporal Stormy were kidnapped, the squad was disbanded by Fist Keneb. Given first choice, Sergeant Fiddler chose Shortnose to join his squad.^[35]

In The Crippled God

Shortnose was described as having a long beard, decorated with the bones of fallen enemies. He had lost the four fingers of his shield hand in the battle with the K'Chain Nah'ruk. As the other members of the 4th squad were either dead or dispersed, Shortnose decided to join the 5th squad. No mention was made of whether he was aware of Fiddler having also chosen him.^[36]

It was revealed that Shortnose had fathered a child with his older brother's wife Karas in a drunken encounter. He sent a portion of his pay home to support the child and hoped his brother would remove the bounty once the child was old enough to work.^[37]

While the Bonehunters were crossing the Glass Desert, Shortnose was one of the heavies tasked with helping to pull an ox cart filled with supplies.^[38] After Shorthand (an ex-heavy, aka Himble Thrup) was viciously assaulted (in order to get him out of the way) by three goons from the regular infantry who had been picked by Fist Blistig to help him recover what he thought of as 'his' secret stash of water,^[39] Shortnose, leading a group of other heavies to avenge Shorthand, searched for and found Blistig's 'gang of thugs' (some nine or ten well-known trouble-makers) and badly mauled them - leaving them all with assorted broken bones, smashed heads and faces beaten to a pulp.^[40]

Notes and references