#qusata

Say, remember that passage in The Chosen where Sardian tells Carnelian about how House Imago’s first lineage died out over a hundred years before?

His father's eyes pierced him. 'If he could have used such wealth, he would have.' 'And what of Imago Jaspar?'

'His House once ranked among the highest of the Great. More than two hundred years ago it sold the Emperor Nuhquanya a wife from whom today all those of the House of the Masks descend. Yet in the crisis over the succession of Qusata they lost their ruling lineage.'

'Slaughtered at his Apotheosis?'

His father nodded. 'Many Houses suffered.'

'So we are linked to House Imago's second lineage?'

'For more than a century it has been their first.'

If you look at the family trees (original images taken from Ricardo Pinto’s website), you can indeed see that quite a few lords from House Imago, House Aurum and House Suth lost their lives at Qusata’s Apotheosis in -96 (Ricardo Pinto marked all of these with an X on the right side if you notice carefully):

But then you go and look at the tree for the House of the Masks itself and notice something. Qusata was born in -96, the same year as his Apotheosis.

That’s right, a baby under one year of age (and likely little more than a newborn, given how Apotheosis is supposed to take place at the beginning of the year to coincide with the timing of the Rains) went through that ritual. The ritual that, as we know, involves the sacrifice of many other people, with the organs of the main sacrifice being placed on a circular breastplate worn by the candidate. The ritual that involves the candidate being anointed and then soaked with this other person’s blood. And remember that undoubtedly immensely heavy triple crown? Yes, the Wise placed that on a baby’s head.

It’s not like anyone here will likely be shocked by this given the series in question...it’s still disturbing nonetheless. And it gets worse! No one looked at Qusata’s face ever since he was an infant. Other God Emperors will at least have had a few years or decades of a normal life (well, normal for Jade Lords, at least) before going behind the Masks forever. Even Molochite was 13 at his Apotheosis. One wonders about the psychological damage this may have caused to Qusata, though it’s not like we know anything about his life or personality to be able to reach any conclusions.

The only conclusion that can be reached here is what I’ve noticed when thinking about the series and talking about it with @suth-sardian: as much as I love The Stone Dance of the Chameleon, it is a bit like a nesting doll of horrors sometimes. You thought the details from the books were bad enough, and then you realize something you’d never thought of before when going through Ricardo Pinto’s website.