Chain of Dogs

Type

Concept

First appears

Book 2 · Ch. 15

Books

1

The Chain of Dogs begins in Deadhouse Gates as a harrowing metaphor for the Seventh Army's impossible march across Seven Cities, where Coltaine transforms from a feared Wickan warlord into the living embodiment of sacrificial leadership. What starts as a military retreat becomes a legendary procession of refugees, soldiers, and civilians bound together by shared suffering and defiance against overwhelming odds. The chain's evolution transcends its initial metaphor, becoming a symbol of resistance that ripples through the Malazan Empire long after its physical dissolution.