Bauchelain

Name : Bauchelain

Age : Unknown

Race : Human and a Soletaken (Rook)

Appearance : Tall, angular, appears to be a healthy man in his sixties

Warren :  Hood's Path, Aral Gamelon and others

Further Info : A powerful necromancer/summoner, accomplice of Korbal Broach and the employer of Emancipor Reese

Appearance:

Bauchelain is a tall man, with sharply-defined facial features, a chalky complexion and a high brow. He has long, grey hair, which he usually treats with oil and keeps swept behind his head, either loosely or tied in a single tail. He also has a small grey beard in the shape of a triangle. His eyes are grey.

Bauchelain exclusively wears grey and black clothing. On average days he generally wears loose silk garments under a large cloak. When heading into battle, he wears a full coat of blackened chain armour. He may carry a long, narrow sword and he also has a large crossbow of formidable quality.

Bauchelain maintains a calm demeanor and almost always speaks politely. His demeanor is also very emotionless, rarely getting upset, but also never smiling.

Abilities:

Bauchelain is labeled as a necromancer, but his greatest talents and interests lie in demonic summoning. He has been observed to summon a Sirinth and a Kenyll'rah demon and bind them to his will. The demon Ineb Cough from the city of Quaint, upon feeling Bauchelain's power, expressed that the necromancer could bend the demon to its will with very little effort on Bauchelain's part, whereas previously the demon believed that it had become powerful enough to defy any summoner.

Biography: 

Bauchelain travels all across the world with his companion, Korbal Broach, rarely staying in any place for long.

Lamentable Moll

Lamentable Moll is a town on the Theftian peninsula. Sometime after the Malazan invasion of Korel failed, Baucelain and Korbal Broach came to the town, taking up residence in an in called Sorrowman's. During their stay, Korbal Broach murdered many citizens, acquiring different organs of the body from each, which he then combined and enlivened, in an attempt to beget a child of his own. Bauchelain took the opportunity to post an advertisement for a manservant for himself. The advertisement was answered by Emancipor Reese, a now-unemployed servant of one of Korbal Broach's victims. Emancipor was accepted by Bauchelain and contracted for a year. Eventually, the local guards' investigation, lead by Sergent Guld discovered who was behind the murders and tried to apprehend Korbal Broach. At the same time, the necromancers were ambushed by their long-time hunter Steck Maynard, Mortal Sword Tulgord Vise and the Soletaken rat Greymane. Bauchelain and Korbal Broach repelled their assailants, and the next day departed Lamentable Moll on the ship Suncurl, along with Emancipor Reese. 

Aboard the Suncurl

After the showdown in Lamentable Moll, Bauchelain, Korbal Broach and Emancipor Reese took ship aboard the Suncurl. Commanded by Captain Sater, the Suncurl had been repaired in Lamentable Moll using stolen coffin nails. As the Suncurl sailed into the Lees of Laughter's End, the souls of the dead who had been interred in those coffins (including a Jhorligg and many victims of Korbal Broach) in Lamentable Moll came forth from the nails and formed a schizophrenic lich (which also included another soul, from something else in the ship). As the lich began murdering crew members, Korbal Broach set off to pursue it through Hood's Realm and Bauchelain began preparing to confront it when it emerged on the ship. As he was preparing himself and discussing the situation with Captain Sater, he asked for a glass of wine from Emancipor Reese, who mistakenly gave him Toblakai Bloodwine instead. Overcome with lust, Bauchelain thrust Emancipor outside and proceeded to rape Captain Sater for an extended period of time, while outside the lich continued killing crew members.

When Bauchelain finally returned to his senses, he and Korbal Broach set loose Korbal Broach's "child", a misshapen creature compried of melded organs from Broach's victims in Lamentable Moll and pieces of rats found onboard the Suncurl. As Korbal Broach's child (which had now incorporated Birds Mottle into itself) battled the lich in the Suncurl's hold, Bauchelain entered into battle with a reptilian god that attacked the ship from the waters, intent on reclaiming its six Sech'Kellyn servants, who were at this time battling Korbal Broach in the ship's strong room. After the god smashed Bauchelain through the Suncurl's deck and into the strong room, he killed a Sech'Kellyn with a stop-thrust. The remaining five Sech'Kellyn retreated to the god and they all departed into the waters. Korbal Broach exited into the hold and killed the Lich by removing its head with his bare hands. As the ship departed the Lees of Laughter's End, the souls from the lich returned to the nails (except for the single stranger soul).

Quaint

Four years after the events in Lamentable Moll and aboard the Suncurl, Bauchelain was approached by Imid Factallo and Elas Sil, Saints of Glorious Labour. The two Saints offered Bauchelain a chest filled with gold and silver coins in exchange for overthrowing the current monarch of Quaint, King Macrotus. After the Saints did not heed his warning to withdraw their offer and return home, he accepted and soon thereafter sent Emancipor Reese into the city. While Emancipor entered the city, Bauchelain and Korbal Broach resurrected the former King Necrotus, who was presently hanging from the town wall. As Emancipor pretended to be the First Saint and accidentally set Well Knight Invett Loath on a murderous rampage through the city, Bauchelain was approached by Well Knight Storkul Purge and Ineb Cough, the demon of Vice, at his camp.

During the Pannion War 

Around the time of the start of the beginning of the alliance between Dujek Onearm and Caladan Brood, Bauchelain, Korbal Broach and Emancipor Reese were in Darujhistan. As usual, their presence resulted in a sudden increase in the number of murders in the city, as Korbal Broach pursued his own anatomical interests. The three departed Darujhistan eastwards along the trader road and while stopped at a river-crossing, they met Gruntle for the first time. Later in their journey east, the neromancers came upon the grave of Talamandas, whom they enslaved.

As they neared Capustan, the trio was attacked by undead K'Chain Che'malle K'ell Hunters. With the aid of many of Bauchelain's demons, they defeated some of the K'Chain Che'malle and drove off others. As they returned from pursuit, they discovered Gruntle and his party had come upon the wreckage of their site. Using pieces of the defeated K'Chain to repair their carriage, the two parties continued towards Capustan but were once again assaulted by more of the undead K'ell Hunters. Keruli used magic to defend against the Hunters, and the group was soon after rescued by T'lan Imass and T'lan Ay lead by Pran Chole. The group was escorted by the T'lan Imass and Itkovian's Grey Swords the rest of the way into Capustan.

• Dramatis Personae
• Soletaken