Elder Warrens and Holds

Definition

The Elder Warrens and the Holds represent the older, more primal magic systems that predate the modern warrens tied to the Deck of Dragons. The Elder Warrens are the magical realms of the founding races — the Tiste, the Jaghut, the Forkrul Assail, the K'Chain Che'Malle — while the Holds are the power structure that organized magic before the Deck of Dragons came into being.

The Elder Warrens are not merely older versions of the modern warrens; they are fundamentally different in character. They are wilder, more raw, and more closely tied to the primordial forces of creation. Where the modern warrens were shaped by K'rul from his own blood into relatively structured paths, the Elder Warrens arose organically from the founding races' connection to fundamental aspects of reality: Darkness, Light, Shadow, Ice, Fire, Earth.

The Holds are the organizational framework for these older powers — analogous to the Houses of the Deck but more ancient and, in some ways, more rigid. The Holds operate through Tiles rather than cards, and their power structure is reflected in the Tiles of the Holds divination system still used in Lether and other places where the old ways persist.

Mechanics / Details

The Elder Warrens

Kurald Galain — The Elder Warren of Darkness

The realm of the Tiste Andii, Kurald Galain is the warren of pure Darkness. It is the homeland from which the Children of Darkness originate, ruled for ages by Mother Dark herself. Kurald Galain is not simply an absence of light — it is a positive, creative force, the primordial Darkness from which much of creation emerged. Anomander Rake is its foremost champion, and the sword Dragnipur contains a gateway connected to its essence. The relationship between Kurald Galain and the modern warren of Rashan (Darkness) is complex — Rashan is essentially a diluted, more accessible reflection of Kurald Galain.

Kurald Emurlahn — The Elder Warren of Shadow

The realm of the Tiste Edur, Kurald Emurlahn was the warren that existed between Darkness and Light. It was shattered in an ancient cataclysm — a war among the Tiste — and exists now only in fragments. The fragments of Emurlahn drift through the spaces between warrens, and various powers have claimed pieces of it. Shadowthrone and Cotillion rule from the Throne of Shadow, which draws on Emurlahn's fragmented power. The modern warren of Meanas (Shadow/Illusion) is related to Emurlahn but is a newer, more stable path. The shattering of Emurlahn is one of the great catastrophes of the Malazan prehistory.

Kurald Thyrllan — The Elder Warren of Light

The realm of the Tiste Liosan, Kurald Thyrllan is the warren of pure Light. It is an aggressive, searing force — the Tiste Liosan who dwell within it are zealous and often hostile. Osserc (Osseric), the Son of Light, is its foremost ascendant. The modern warren of Thyr (Light) is a weaker reflection of Kurald Thyrllan.

Omtose Phellack — The Elder Warren of Ice

The warren of the Jaghut, Omtose Phellack is the magic of ice, cold, and stasis. It is not merely elemental cold — it is the power to freeze time itself, to lock things in stasis, to preserve and imprison. The Jaghut used Omtose Phellack to create vast ice fields and frozen fortresses. Their most powerful rituals could freeze entire continents. The Jaghut Tyrants wielded this warren to terrifying effect, which is what provoked the T'lan Imass war against them. Omtose Phellack continues to exert influence throughout the series, with Jaghut ice rituals persisting for hundreds of thousands of years.

Tellann — The Elder Warren of Fire

The warren of the T'lan Imass, Tellann is the magic of fire, life-force, and the wild. The Ritual of Tellann — the great collective ritual that transformed the Imass into the undead T'lan Imass — drew upon this warren so completely that it fundamentally altered Tellann's nature. Where it once was a warren of living fire and primal life, the Ritual twisted it into something associated with dust, bone, and undeath. The modern warren of Telas (Fire) is related to Tellann but lacks its primordial depth.

Starvald Demelain — The Elder Warren of Dragons

The most ancient of all warrens, Starvald Demelain is the realm of the Eleint — the dragons. It is the first warren, from which all others supposedly descended, sometimes called the "source warren." Its gate is one of the most dangerous locations in the Malazan world, and its opening threatens to unleash draconic chaos. Starvald Demelain represents pure, undifferentiated magical chaos — the raw stuff from which the more specialized warrens were refined. The Eleint who emerge from it are forces of nature, nearly impossible to control.

The Holds

The Holds are the organizational structure of power that preceded the Houses of the Deck of Dragons. Where Houses correspond to the modern warrens, Holds correspond to more fundamental, primal forces.

Known Holds include:

• The Hold of the Beast — Associated with animals, predation, and the wild. Connected to the Soletaken and D'ivers.
• The Hold of Death — The oldest association of death-power, predating Hood's claim to the Throne of Death.
• The Hold of Fire — Primal fire, connected to Tellann.
• The Hold of Ice — Connected to Omtose Phellack and the Jaghut.
• The Hold of Darkness — Connected to Kurald Galain.
• The Hold of Light — Connected to Kurald Thyrllan.
• The Hold of Shadow — Connected to Kurald Emurlahn.
• The Empty Hold — A Hold with no clear allegiance, associated with wanderers and the lost.
• The Hold of the Azath — Connected to the Azath Houses and their imprisoning power.

Each Hold has its own internal positions, similar to but not identical to the positions in the Houses of the Deck.

Tiles vs. Deck

The Tiles of the Holds function similarly to the Deck of Dragons as a divination system, but with important differences:

• Tiles are physical objects — typically stone or bone — rather than painted cards
• Tiles reflect the Hold structure rather than the House/Warren structure
• Tile readings tend to reveal older, deeper forces at work
• The transition from Tiles to Deck reflects the broader cosmological shift from Holds to Houses, from Elder Warrens to modern warrens
• In Letheras, where the Holds still dominate, Tile readings remain the primary divination method

The Errant, an Elder God associated with fate and chance, is the dominant force within the Tile system and manipulates it actively.

The Transition from Holds to Houses

The shift from the Hold system to the House/Warren system is one of the great cosmological transformations of the Malazan world. It was driven by K'rul's creation of the modern warrens from his blood and by the ascendancy of newer gods who organized power through the Deck rather than the Tiles. This transition is not complete — in places like Lether, the Holds remain dominant, and throughout the series, the tension between the old system and the new is a source of conflict.

Key Practitioners / Examples

• Anomander Rake — Foremost wielder of Kurald Galain
• Edgewalker — An ancient entity who walks the borders between warrens, including the Elder paths
• Silchas Ruin — Tiste Andii who wields Kurald Galain and has connections to Starvald Demelain through his Soletaken Eleint nature
• The Errant — Elder God who manipulates the Hold system and its Tiles
• Gothos — Jaghut wielder of Omtose Phellack, author of the Folly
• Tool (Onos T'oolan) — T'lan Imass bound by the Ritual of Tellann

Evolution Across the Series

Book 1: Gardens of the Moon

Elder Warrens are introduced primarily through Kurald Galain (Anomander Rake) and references to Tellann (the T'lan Imass). The distinction between Elder and modern warrens is established but not yet fully explored.

Book 2: Deadhouse Gates

Tellann and the T'lan Imass are explored more fully. The ancient nature of the Elder Warrens and their connection to the founding races becomes clearer. The Imperial Warren's nature hints at the violence underlying even the newer magical paths.

Book 3: Memories of Ice

K'rul's role in creating the modern warrens is revealed, establishing the historical relationship between Elder Warrens and their newer counterparts. Omtose Phellack is explored through the Jaghut presence in the story. The Pannion Seer's power is connected to Elder forces.

Book 5: Midnight Tides

The Hold system is explored in depth for the first time through the Letherii and Tiste Edur cultures. The Tiles of the Holds are shown in practice, and the Errant's manipulation of the Hold system is a central plot element. Kurald Emurlahn and its shattered nature are critical to the Tiste Edur storyline.

Book 7: Reaper's Gale

The collision between the Hold system (Lether) and the House/Warren system (the Malazan Empire) becomes a thematic and literal conflict as the Bonehunters arrive in Lether.

Book 8: Toll the Hounds

Kurald Galain's significance reaches its peak with Anomander Rake's sacrifice and the events surrounding Dragnipur and Mother Dark.

Related Concepts

• Warrens — The modern magic system that succeeded the Holds
• Deck of Dragons — Successor divination system to the Tiles of the Holds
• Tiste Andii — Children of Darkness, users of Kurald Galain
• Tiste Edur — Children of Shadow, connected to shattered Kurald Emurlahn
• Tiste Liosan — Children of Light, users of Kurald Thyrllan
• Jaghut — Wielders of Omtose Phellack
• T'lan Imass — Bound by the Ritual of Tellann
• Eleint — Dragons, natives of Starvald Demelain
• Azath Houses — Connected to the Hold of the Azath
• Thrones of Power — Exist within both the Hold and House systems

Sources

• Gardens of the Moon (GotM) — Introduction of Kurald Galain and Tellann
• Deadhouse Gates (DG) — Tellann and the T'lan Imass explored
• Memories of Ice (MoI) — K'rul's creation of warrens, relationship between Elder and modern systems
• Midnight Tides (MT) — The Hold system and Tiles explored in depth
• Reaper's Gale (RG) — Collision of Hold and House systems
• Toll the Hounds (TtH) — Kurald Galain's centrality