Motif · from book 6
Ysalte
Goddess of Hopelessness and Insanity, level 250, once of the Dirt, then of Tears; the Semeru dwarves' only goddess, patron of outcasts and bards, half-sister and niece of her former lover Taranis, threatened with the Nothing by Apito and fled to Sheol; Amayon's ex and mother of his child. Sponsored by Pontifex Shine of the Nebular Balance and not driven, she arrives through Sister Ines's corpse as a young dwarf with a pickaxe and a flickering scream, turns every potion to vinegar, enslaves a Demon Prince — and is beheaded by her own totem. A memorial crystal waits on a future floor.
First appears: Book 6
Series arc
Through book 8
Eris speaks of 'the pickaxe that may or may not eventually kill your friend' (B8 ch. 35). Osvaldo's second memorial crystal is hers (B8 ch. 41). Britney speaks in Carl's mind (B8 ch. 79), takes the crystal from Osvaldo's corpse (B8 ch. 83), and goes into the stasis portal with it (B8 ch. 85); Samantha names the plinths, in the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple, that would set the goddess out (B8 ch. 83).
Open threads
Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.
| Thread | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ysalte in Britney: a plinth that would bring the goddess back, and two places that might get her out | B8 ch. 79 | open — Britney speaks in Carl's mind, kills Osvaldo at the portal as fast as he moved, takes his Ysalte crystal and a golden skull (B8 ch. 83); Samantha: the gem in a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple means 'she’ll be back for good', and Britney must reach the Halls of the Ascendency or Sheol 'to get that crazy Ysalte bitch out of her'. She jumps into the stasis portal after Chris (B8 ch. 85). |
All threads: Open threads.
Through book 6
Amayon screams her name (B6 ch. 62); Mordecai warns that she is the Vinegar Bitch, who kills every crawler near her (B6 ch. 64); Louis is marked for death as she enters the realm (B6 ch. 65); she arrives dwarf-sized with a pickaxe (B6 ch. 66); she fights with an enhanced copy of the late Sister Ines's deck (B6 ch. 67); Paz Lo kills her (B6 ch. 69).
Through book 7
In the pantheon
Ysalte — hopelessness and insanity; once dirt, then tears; pantheon. Listed with the rest of the pantheon on the pantheon page.
Family and enemies
| Relation | With | Source |
|---|---|---|
| linked-to (reversed) | Diwata | B5 ch. 62 |
| kin-of | Taranis | B6 ch. 66 |
| threatened-by | Apito | B6 ch. 66 |
| sponsored-by | Pontifex Shine of the Nebular Balance | B6 ch. 66 |
| consort-of | Amayon | B6 ch. 66 |
| worshipped-by | the citizens of Larracos | B6 ch. 66 |
| slain-by | Paz Lo, with the Bolt of Ophiotaurus | B6 ch. 69 |
| killed-by | Paz | B7 ch. 85 |
| killed-by | Paz | B8 ch. 41 |
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride | 8/74 | Ch. 62, Ch. 64, Ch. 65, Ch. 66, Ch. 67, Ch. 69, Ch. 71, Ch. 72 · the book's own page |
| 7 — This Inevitable Ruin | 3/89 | Ch. 7, Ch. 53, Ch. 85 · the book's own page |
| 8 — A Parade of Horribles | 5/99 | Ch. 35, Ch. 36, Ch. 41, Ch. 82, Ch. 83 · the book's own page |
By book
Ysalte in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
A prince's scream — 'Ysalte, I will flay you again' — and a name Carl half remembers (ch. 62); Mordecai's briefing: she is called the Vinegar Bitch (ch. 64); a marked man (ch. 65); a dwarf with a pickaxe (ch. 66); a deck (ch. 67); her head off, by her own totem, and a memorial crystal for a future floor (ch. 69).
Ysalte in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin
Ysalte in book 8 — A Parade of Horribles
Eris speaks of 'the pickaxe that may or may not eventually kill your friend' (ch. 35). Osvaldo's second memorial crystal is hers (ch. 41). Britney speaks in Carl's mind (ch. 79), takes the crystal from Osvaldo's corpse (ch. 83), and goes into the stasis portal with it (ch. 85); Samantha names the plinths, in the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple, that would set the goddess out (ch. 83).