Scillara

Summary

Scillara is a camp follower in the Whirlwind Rebellion who becomes an unlikely companion to Heboric and later a fixture in Darujhistan. A woman of earthy sensuality and pragmatic philosophy, Scillara is defined by her refusal to be defined — she resists being cast into any role that others would impose on her, whether victim, lover, mother, or hero.

Scillara's most distinctive trait is her constant smoking of rustleaf (the Malazan world's equivalent of cannabis), which gives her a relaxed, bemused outlook on the extraordinary events around her. She represents a deliberately unheroic perspective — a woman who has no interest in glory, power, or destiny, but simply wants to live on her own terms.

Arc by Book

Book 4: House of Chains

Scillara appears in Sha'ik's camp as a camp follower — a woman who sells sexual favors to survive. She is used and discarded by the powerful, a victim of the rebellion's moral corruption. She becomes pregnant during this period.

When the rebellion collapses following Sha'ik's death, Scillara escapes the destruction and falls in with Heboric's group. Her pregnancy and her matter-of-fact attitude toward her circumstances provide a counterpoint to the grander dramas unfolding around her.

Book 6: The Bonehunters

Scillara travels with Heboric, the demon Greyfrog, and Cutter (Crokus) across Seven Cities. She gives birth during the journey and, in a decision that shocks her companions, gives the baby to another woman to raise — a pragmatic acknowledgment that she is not equipped or willing to be a mother. This choice is treated without judgment by the narrative, reflecting Erikson's refusal to sentimentalize motherhood.

Scillara's relationship with Cutter is complex — there is attraction between them, but she refuses to be the object of his displaced feelings for Apsalar.

Book 8: Toll the Hounds

Scillara has settled in Darujhistan, where she becomes part of the social circle around Baruk, the alchemist. Her life in the city provides a sense of peace after her traumatic past. She forms a romantic relationship with Baruk.

Key Relationships

• Heboric — the ex-priest she travels with
• Crokus Younghand (Cutter) — traveling companion with complicated attraction
• Baruk — the alchemist of Darujhistan, her eventual partner
• Greyfrog — the demon familiar who travels with them
• Felisin Younger — fellow survivor of Sha'ik's camp

Appearances

See Also

• Motherhood — Scillara's deliberate rejection of the maternal role
• Trauma — survival and recovery from exploitation
• Darujhistan — her eventual home