What is preventing Ralzakark from Creating a New Empire of Light?

[Joerg]

On 7/23/2020 at 8:44 PM, Qizilbashwoman said:

he's got three bodies, he's able to reproduce normally with Sesseine and bear a normal female child (Send Valu, consort to the Red Emperor), one of his forms is the Flat Man

broo cannot bear non-broo children - they produce larvae that tear free of the body that have animal heads. broo have animal heads. broo are not flat humans. broo do not have multiple bodies.

Actually, I think that Ralzakark could give birth to a non-broo if he mothered Send Valu, impregnated by Seseine. An inversion of everything we know about broo procreation.

(But then, as with my other Ralzakark theory about him being the severed chaotic part of Arkat, this is a candiate for the "Dumbest theory" thread.)

 

I have seen nice images of Arkat in troll shape defeating Nysalor in human shape atop the highest tower of the City of Miracles, e.g. by Jean-Paul Lhuillier. But I think what really happened was visually nearly indistunguishable from two walktapi mating by tearing each other apart. As far as I am concerned the final confrontation was between two chaos monsters, and neither brightness nor darkness prevailed any more.

[Qizilbashwoman]

28 minutes ago, Joerg said:

Actually, I think that Ralzakark could give birth to a non-broo if he mothered Send Valu, impregnated by Seseine. An inversion of everything we know about broo procreation.

(But then, as with my other Ralzakark theory about him being the severed chaotic part of Arkat, this is a candiate for the "Dumbest theory" thread.)

 

I have seen nice images of Arkat in troll shape defeating Nysalor in human shape atop the highest tower of the City of Miracles, e.g. by Jean-Paul Lhuillier. But I think what really happened was visually nearly indistunguishable from two walktapi mating by tearing each other apart. As far as I am concerned the final confrontation was between two chaos monsters, and neither brightness nor darkness prevailed any more.

Yeah yeah, they were both Chaos monsters, we know, Joerg /s

Female broo can't give birth, though, I thought. Well, do we know about Ralz' relations with Thed? She wants female broo dead, they have to worship another god, like Mallia, so that's one clue.

[Joerg]

1 minute ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

Yeah yeah, they were both Chaos monsters, we know, Joerg /s

Female broo can't give birth, though, I thought. Well, do we know about Ralz' relations with Thed? She wants female broo dead, they have to worship another god, like Mallia, so that's one clue.

If a broo in possession of an ovipositor can infect a cast metal stove and create offspring, there needs to be very strong anti-fertility magic to prevent such a broo from infecting another broo with or without an ovipositor to be eaten from the inside by a broo larva.

Here's another "Dumbest theory" candidate: all the broos identified as male are actually parthenogenic females with an ovipositor. The ones cursed by Thed are the true males who don't possess an ovipositor or parthenogenesis.

Using that (wild) assumption, the unicorn emperor may have been born without an ovipositor, as unicorns always produce male offspring. Only "his" heroic stature lets "him" survive all the births of "his" children.

 

Unicorns have similarly extraordinary fertility, but are pickier about the orifice they connect to (a virginal vagina). Only females and hermaphrodites can qualify for possession of such an organ.

[Qizilbashwoman]

17 minutes ago, Joerg said:

If a broo in possession of an ovipositor can infect a cast metal stove and create offspring, there needs to be very strong anti-fertility magic to prevent such a broo from infecting another broo with or without an ovipositor to be eaten from the inside by a broo larva.

But Seseine isn't a broo. I assume she just did things the old fashioned way, I just meant Ralzakark, if female, couldn't get up the duff. That was my understanding? "Female" broo can't get up the duff.

[Eff]

2 hours ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

Yeah yeah, they were both Chaos monsters, we know, Joerg /s

Female broo can't give birth, though, I thought. Well, do we know about Ralz' relations with Thed? She wants female broo dead, they have to worship another god, like Mallia, so that's one clue.

It's possible that the inability of broo to become impregnated or carry a child to term operates as a kind of spirit of reprisal attacking them for breaking Thed's strictures, and since Ralzakark is probably Illuminated in some fashion...
 

[Nevermet]

59 minutes ago, Eff said:

It's possible that the inability of broo to become impregnated or carry a child to term operates as a kind of spirit of reprisal attacking them for breaking Thed's strictures, and since Ralzakark is probably Illuminated in some fashion...

Posts like this makes me wish this forum had a shocked / "Oh snap!" react

[davecake]

On 8/9/2020 at 9:32 AM, Qizilbashwoman said:

But Seseine isn't a broo. I assume she just did things the old fashioned way,

As she is a goddess, I take the 'old fashioned way' to be 'in a mysterious vague mythic fashion', not overly concerned with the specifics. 

[Snugz]

On 7/26/2020 at 11:05 AM, David Scott said:

It's clear to me that Ralzakark is no longer a broo. He is more a transcendent chaos proto-god (I believe he's very likely tripartate). He seems to have shed his personal broo-ness to have become something more. He's worshipped so has a hero Soul, and has magic over life and death. The God Learners who brought him back clearly messed with him, or he messed with them - I'd like to think that's where the unicorn head came from.

He also knew Nysalor personally which adds to the mix for me. That Ralzakark wants to emulate Ragnaglar is incorrect. Ralzakark is an avatar becoming Ragnaglar. I'd also speculate that Hezel Darong is a mask of Ralzakark as Thed, and Urcheth is a mask of Ralzakark as Mallia (bilocation has always been the mark of being a god).

I've been searching for info for my campaign and ran across some Hezal Darong discussions, and had some thoughts--

if "traditional Ralian chaos fighting magics were to be wholly ineffectual against him"/her/it [HD], and more logically in general, it seems that the problem is that HD comes from out of nowhere for Ralians et al., and they have no inherited lore to combat HD, which especially (as this is a god, not just a monster) means no known heroquesting myths to use. It's not just Mallia (or Krjalk, given all the monsters w/HD), it's some new god, probably linked to different runes (Chaos, Beast, Fertility fits something like Mother of Monsters?).

But I was thinking that someone nearby to Karia/Ralios does, or might, have these things. Pithdaros takes a back seat in written HW material so far (even compared w/Nolos+Pasos), being the passive subject of (1) losing their Red Gold Knife (Loper/Artmal sword?) to Argrath; (2) getting conquered by Seshnela, and thence disappearing from HW history, and so forth. They're from Pithdaros originally, having come to fight Gbaji, so here's their "Gbaji" in the form of Hezel Darong, and they have some oral/written history hidden away that is the big missing puzzle piece, so send in the Pithdaran heroes to the rescue! Seems fun to me.

[Akhôrahil]

On 8/9/2020 at 3:02 AM, Qizilbashwoman said:

Female broo can't give birth, though, I thought.

Sure they can?

Once.

[Joerg]

11 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

Sure they can?

Once.

repeated castings of Heal Body might even offer repeat experiences of that torture.

[Darius West]

On 7/20/2020 at 9:09 AM, EricW said:

Ralzakark ruler of Dorastor is or was a mask of Gbaji, he is someone who studied under Nysalor and learned much of his magic, and is also one of Glorantha's most accomplished heroquesters.

What prevents Ralzakark from reconstructing Nysalor/Gbaji in full? Why is his Dorastor still just a shadow of the First Age? With Arkat broken and not seen since the Second Age, and with Arkat's victory further weakened by Sedenya tampering somehow with the Gbaji myth, what prevents Ralzakark from completing the job and creating a new City of Miracles, restoring Dorastor to its former "glory"?

That is easy.  The thing holding Ralzakark back is his character.  He simply doesn't want to do that.  Exhibit A: The Monster Empire.

[DrGoth]

On 7/20/2020 at 9:09 AM, EricW said:

Ralzakark ruler of Dorastor is or was a mask of Gbaji, he is someone who studied under Nysalor and learned much of his magic, and is also one of Glorantha's most accomplished heroquesters.

What prevents Ralzakark from reconstructing Nysalor/Gbaji in full? Why is his Dorastor still just a shadow of the First Age? With Arkat broken and not seen since the Second Age, and with Arkat's victory further weakened by Sedenya tampering somehow with the Gbaji myth, what prevents Ralzakark from completing the job and creating a new City of Miracles, restoring Dorastor to its former "glory"?

Absolutely nothing or everything.  What do you want your campaign to do?  if your question is really "I want Ralzakark to not reconstrct Nysalor/Gbaji and I need an explanation for my players" then take one (or more) of the ones presented here.  if you want to run a game why Ralzakark does do it, then go for it!

Hell, maybe the one with the scorpion arm is the real Ralzakark and the white unicorn is Nysalor who is using Ralzakark's rep to hide himself while he rebuilds Dorastor.

[Akhôrahil]

18 hours ago, Darius West said:

That is easy.  The thing holding Ralzakark back is his character.  He simply doesn't want to do that.  Exhibit A: The Monster Empire.

[g33k]

On 7/23/2020 at 1:37 PM, Ian Absentia said:

Or that Ralzakark Speaks Truth to Power and Rocks the House.

!i!

Pretty sure Mr. R is more about speaking Power to Truth (and his treasury houses the rocks).

Edited May 9, 2023 by g33k
Also: whoa! necro-thread!

[JonL]

On 7/23/2020 at 4:48 AM, Darius West said:

You will find that Ralkzakark is in fact a broo.

Well, there is a Broo who is Ralzakark, yet also...

[Akhôrahil]

56 minutes ago, JonL said:

Well, there is a Broo who is Ralzakark

Two, even!

Edited May 25, 2023 by Akhôrahil

[Erol of Backford]

On 7/19/2020 at 6:09 PM, EricW said:

What prevents Ralzakark from reconstructing Nysalor/Gbaji in full?

Gonn Orta is sitting on Nysalors tongue. You need him to stand up to get at Speaking Wheel. I don't think he stands up until X happens...

[mfbrandi]

7 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Gonn Orta is sitting on Nysalors tongue. You need him to stand up to get at Speaking Wheel.

Although, as illumination seems to work fine with (we are assured) Nysalor in bits, why go to all the trouble?

[Erol of Backford]

4 hours ago, mfbrandi said:

why go to all the trouble

Not sure, I wouldn't but someone wants Ralzakark to create a New Empire of Light...

[AndreasDavour]

I must have missed something, but where is it stated that Big R is such a hotshot heroquester and has a tight relationship with Nysalor?

[Erol of Backford]

1 hour ago, AndreasDavour said:

I must have missed something, but where is it stated that Big R is such a hotshot heroquester and has a tight relationship with Nysalor?

He may not be a Hero Quester super bowl ring wearer?

Additionally why bring back someone who usurp his own power... unless Ralzakark actually is Nysalor or part of him is and is looking for other pieces, slowly pulling himself back together over time...

[jajagappa]

16 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Gonn Orta is sitting on Nysalors tongue. You need him to stand up to get at Speaking Wheel. I don't think he stands up until X happens...

The issue with that theory though is that he would not have had to wait for Pinchining's return to send another giant baby down the River of Cradles. (Unless so transformed by Nysalor that it is no longer a Gold Wheel Dancer.)

[Erol of Backford]

8 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

(Unless so transformed by Nysalor that it is no longer a Gold Wheel Dancer.)

So without a gold wheel dancer you can't send a cradle down the river?

Speaking Wheel was transformed to be part of the bright god and unless someone rolls a crit on a gold wheel coin that they worship Speaking Wheel would not become animated again... and even then one of the other inanimate Gold Wheel Dancers may be reanimated in lieu of Speaking Wheel. I think we tracked about 10 of them through another thread...

Edited May 26, 2023 by Erol of Backford

[jajagappa]

51 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

So without a gold wheel dancer you can't send a cradle down the river?

Correct! (At least not since they lost whatever the secret was under the assault of the God Learners.)

The presence of Pinchining on the Cradle is critical for its success and magical defense.

[mfbrandi]

5 hours ago, AndreasDavour said:

I must have missed something, but where is it stated that Big R is such a hotshot heroquester and has a tight relationship with Nysalor?

Quote

Ralzakark: The broo king of Dorastor is a demigod from the Second Age. He knew Gbaji personally, and was cut down in battle by Arkat Kingtroll. — Guide to Glorantha, vol. 1, p. 329

Quote

… given Ralzakark’s exalted reputation as a HeroQuester. — Dorastor: Land of Doom (RQ3 supplement), p. 81

I like this:

Quote

An old Uroxi tradition holds that a cult member who comes [to Fort Wrath] as a pilgrim … is guaranteed to die in the skin of a hero. — Guide to Glorantha, vol. 1, p. 345

We are surely meant to think that Ralzakark keeps the skin of a hero to hand to wrap around pilgrims as they bleed out. He is a thoughtful and considerate monoceros, respectful of tradition. Whether the flayed hero is dead or merely stored in salt … well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Edited May 26, 2023 by mfbrandi
. to ,