Rhulad Sengar

Summary

Rhulad Sengar is the youngest of the Sengar brothers of the Hiroth tribe of the Tiste Edur, who becomes the unwilling Emperor of the Tiste Edur and later the Letherii Empire after claiming — or being claimed by — a cursed sword gifted by the Crippled God. The sword grants Rhulad immense power but at a terrible cost: each time he is killed, he returns to life in agony, his sanity further eroded and his body increasingly covered in gold coins fused to his flesh.

Rhulad is one of the series' most tragic figures. He begins as an impetuous, somewhat vain young warrior who makes the mistake of touching a sword he should not have touched. From that moment, he is no longer himself — he is a puppet of the Crippled God, driven mad by repeated deaths and resurrections, paranoid, isolated, and aware on some level that he is being used. His suffering is genuine and undeserved; his cruelty, when it manifests, is the product of a mind shattered by supernatural torment.

The tragedy is compounded by the destruction his emperorship visits upon his own people and the Letherii. The Tiste Edur are corrupted, the Letherii are subjugated, and Rhulad himself becomes a grotesque figure — a screaming, gold-covered madman sitting on a throne he never wanted, killing challengers in an arena only to have them kill him first, dying and returning in endless agony.

Arc by Book

Book 5: Midnight Tides

Rhulad is introduced as the youngest Sengar brother, brash and impetuous, overshadowed by his more accomplished brothers Trull, Fear, and Binadas. During an expedition to retrieve a gift from the Crippled God, Rhulad claims the cursed sword against all wisdom. He is killed and resurrected for the first time, returning as a gold-covered, half-mad figure wielding terrible power. The sword's influence drives the Tiste Edur to war against the Letherii, and Rhulad's conquests — fuelled by the sword's power and his own deteriorating sanity — lead to the fall of Letheras. He becomes Emperor, but the cost to his mind and soul is already apparent.

Book 7: Reaper's Gale

Rhulad's reign has deteriorated into paranoid tyranny. He sits in his arena, fighting challengers and dying repeatedly, each resurrection more agonizing than the last. His brothers are scattered or dead, his people are corrupted, and the Letherii he rules despise him. Icarium is brought to challenge him, and the resulting confrontation nearly destroys Letheras itself. Ultimately, Rhulad faces a final challenger — Brys Beddict, resurrected by Mael — and is killed for the last time. The Crippled God's tool is finally broken, and Rhulad is released from his torment.

Key Relationships

• Trull Sengar — his brother; the one who most clearly sees what the sword has done to Rhulad
• Fear Sengar — his brother; Fear's quest to save Rhulad drives part of the narrative
• Binadas Sengar — his brother; a mage of the Edur
• The Crippled God — the entity whose cursed sword controls Rhulad; the true master of his fate
• Icarium — the devastating force brought to challenge him in the arena
• Hannan Mosag — the Warlock King who serves and manipulates Rhulad
• Tehol Beddict — the genius who undermines Rhulad's empire from within

Notable Quotes

"I am Emperor. I cannot die. Do you understand what that means? I cannot die. And every death is agony." — MT

"The sword chose me. Or was I chosen for the sword? Does it matter? I am what it has made me." — RG

"Please. No more. No more." — RG (his final, devastating plea)

Appearances

See Also

• Tiste Edur
• Crippled God
• Letheras
• Letherii Empire