Topper

Also known as the Claw, commander of the Claw, Claw Master

Minor
First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 1

Topper is commander of the Claw, his Tiste Andii blood marking him as an outsider among the imperial elite in Malazan Book of the Fallen (Book 1).

Gender: male
Age: early 30s
First appears: Book 1 · Ch. 1
Books: 2

Topper, the half-Tiste Andii commander of the Claw, first appears as a cool, guarded servant of Empress Laseen, escorting the young Ganoes Paran through the Imperial Warren to Unta at Adjunct Lorn's request. Though he leads the Empire's assassins, he insists that Laseen herself remains the Claw's true master, a reminder of where real power lies. By the events in Seven Cities, Topper has become an ominous, spectral antagonist, a tall, lean figure in a dark-green cloak moving between the physical and ethereal realms as he hunts his former subordinate and rival, Kalam Mekhar.

Description

Topper is tall and lean, with grey skin, a long, sharply contoured face, dark angled eyes, and white hair. His half-Tiste Andii appearance gives him an austere, otherworldly cast, heightened by his measured, watchful expression. He favors green wool and green leather over a faded tunic and linen leggings, with green-dyed leather boots and a cloak. Rings crowd every finger, stacked both above and below the knuckles; a long-knife is another part of his practical, controlled look. A tall, lean man draped in a dark-green cloak with an ethereal, almost spectral quality. His form suggests he may not be entirely physically present, creating an unsettling presence that seems to exist between the material and immaterial worlds.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Ganoes Stabro Paranescort
Topper serves as Paran's escort through the Imperial Warren to Unta on Lorn's behalf. Their interactions are guarded and barbed, and Topper treats Paran as a new acquaintance.
EL
Empress LaseenClaw commander
As Claw commander, Topper is Laseen's instrument. He assists her directly but defers to her as the organization's true commander, reflecting her history as the Claw's former mistress.
Kalamrival
Topper is Kalam's former superior in the Claw, and their relationship has turned into a deadly rivalry. Topper now pursues the renegade assassin through spectral and otherworldly means.

Story so far

BOOK 1Gardens of the Moon
- Introduced as commander of the Claw, his Tiste Andii blood marking him as an outsider among the imperial elite
- At Adjunct Lorn's request, escorts Ganoes Paran through the Imperial Warren to Unta
- Trades wary, pointed exchanges with Paran, treating him as a new acquaintance
- Assists Empress Laseen while acknowledging that she still commands the Claw
BOOK 2Deadhouse Gates
- Manifests through spectral means as a tall, lean man in a dark-green cloak
- Communicates through unusual channels, existing between the physical and ethereal realms
- Emerges as an antagonist hunting Kalam Mekhar, his former subordinate in the Claw
- Embodies the Claw's lethal reach against those who turn from the Empress