Mark Mohrfield Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 In the HeroQuest to free Hofstaring Treeleaper the heroes encounter the four Dara Happan Overseer gods, who will (along with Natha) try to prevent the heroes from freeing Hofstaring. How they attack isn't described, and the only thing they're described as carrying is their measuring tools. Anyone have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metcalph Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 The Red Overseer of the South embodies strength. He will attack the heroes by kicking their ass. The White Overseer of the North embodies wisdom. He will reason with the heroes to convince them that their current course is unjust. The Blue Overseer of the West embodies sovereignty. He will command the heroes to submit before Yelm, confess their crimes and sacrifice themselves. The Yellow Overseer of the East embodies insight. He will become aware of a hidden flaw of the heroes and use it to shame the heroes. Depending on how much God Learner wisdom the Lunars have absorbed, you could also give the Overseers powers from the directions (South - Sea of Flame, North - Glacial Attacks, West - Violent Emotions, East - Peace and Understanding). Lastly their tools. It is my impression that their tools are golden age re-interpretations of the fragments of the world body (see Jokbazi IV-25 on the Gods Wall). The Ketstick is a Shape Portion, the Compass a rabbit's head/Bird portion, the Plumb Line an arrow head and so on. The overseers originally bore the actual fragments of the first god and by the time of the golden age, these fragments had become understood as something that made sense in Golden Age Dara Happa. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajagappa Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Red Overseer of the South, Ruler of the Right Angle, Keeper of Strength. The Red Overseer is effectively replaced by Shargash, so I'd likely play him as a Shargash warrior or demon. The Right Angle could be a Mace or some other club-like weapon, perhaps giving off a magical attack (at a 'right angle'). Blue Overseer of the West, Ruler of the Plumb, Keeper of Sovereignty. Given the west's association with sorcery, I might use the plumb-bob as a sorcerous tool to force the foe to submit. The Plumb-bob suggests powers that may weigh the hero down (with duty? or magical shackles? or feelings of inferiority?). I also think of the plumb-bob as made of Lead so might have Underworld connotations. Yellow Overseer of the East, Ruler of the Ketstick, Keeper of Insight. He is also called the Beardless Measurer. He uses the Ketstick to take the 'measure' of the heroes. I like Peter's idea that this reveals hidden flaws that can be attacked through magical (mystical?) insight. White Overseer of the North, Ruler of the Compass, Keeper of Wisdom. He is also called the Long-bearded Measurer. A different type of measurer. I like the idea that he not only reasons, but uses Logic to confound the heroes. The compass suggests the creations of circles - circles that maybe confine a hero or separate the heroes or contain the hero (much like a pentagram to confine a demon). It requires either a greater logic or the illogic of the Trickster to escape the traps of the White Overseer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Mohrfield Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 14 hours ago, jajagappa said: The Red Overseer is effectively replaced by Shargash, When and how did this happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajagappa Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) @Mark Mohrfield "When and how did this happen?" See GRoY p.57 and its footnotes. Nemarthshar (the Red Overseer): "He was attacked by a cloud of burning traitors who pummeled him to death, and then burned the crushed remains." Footnote 188: "Those outrageous bandits were eventually defeated and enslaved by Shargash." But mythically Nemarthshar and Shargash can be overlaid. Consider GRoY p.8. and the footnotes; and then p. 12. "That which lay to the right of Yelm was called South, and the color was Green, and the Power was Strength and the Guardian was named Nemarthshar. His city was called the Bronze Camp." Nemarthshar - footnote 26: "Literally “South-Overseer-Red.” Probably “red” because the celestial palace of Shargash is red. He is on the Gods Wall at 9." "Alkoth, the City of Strength, in the near south. It was the home of Shargash." (And remember that the wall of Alkoth is Green) The South Overseer is Red. Both Nemarthshar or Shargash are red gods. The city of the South has the power of Strength and its color is Green. In a myth, one can stand in for the other. Of course, while Nemarthshar was defeated, Shargash was not. So, the ritual of Tatius will likely be strengthened by using a Shargash lord in the role (and, correspondingly, that may be a weakness in the ritual that can be exploited by the foes of Tatius). Edited December 16, 2015 by jajagappa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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