Ok then, here goes:
I look at several things in the Zorak Zoran cult as strange for a darkness god native to hell. He shares magical powers with Storm Bull (berzerk), Humakt (Sever Spirit) and Fire Gods (salamanders). He also animates corpses, which doesn't sound like something that trolls where doing in hell before the gods war. Essentially all of his major powers (feats if you will) he shares in common with gods that are strangers to hell, but were visitors at one time or another. For example, Humakt went into the court of silence to gain his power over death, the uroxi go to hell for the berzerkergang power (recreating maybe the time when Urox was killed by the devil then brought back to life with new powers (berzerk)), Vivamort was once (according to some versions) tasked with the job of guarding Death in hell, and last but not least, Yelm (or portions theorof) entered hell when he died, bringing the fiery host with him.
The second strange thing about him is this whole Hate and Vengeance aspect of this god. Hatred of what? Vengeance against whom?
In his description he is said to be both a bane to Law AND Chaos. He is part of the "cosmic balance". Sounds like a pretty powerful god, his origins as written do not suggest why he would be granted such importance in the compromise. A minor god from hell who followed death into the surface world becomes a cosmic linchpin? Why? Unless he is more than that.
The third strange thing, one that I could never figure out the reason for until now, was the Arkat thing. Arkat went on this whole massive quest to destroy Gbaji, going through successive cults that he thought would lead him to the power to destroy Gbaji. He started as a brithini, then hrestoli (which led to the court of silence quest), then he jumped over to Orlanth almost certainly, Humakt (he was said to be the son of humakt!) then finally he became a troll (what?!!) a karg's son, and finally, his most powerful incarnation was Zorak Zoran, and this is the cult that led him to victory over Gbaji. Why ZZ? What is the secret here. After suffering endless defeats at the hands of Nysalor, the cult of ZZ proved irresistible.
The secret was multi fold: Where did nysalor hold his court? Dorastor? Where did the Gbaji wars end? Dorastor. Where did the unholy trio do their deed? Dorastor. Dorastor is the most chaotic part of genertela for a reason.
It was all still fuzzy for me until I read a small passage in the Cults of Terror that talked about a god called Rashoran. Rashoran was said to come during the gods war, he wandered around teaching everyone not to fear Chaos, teaching several others this secret (presumably Humakt.... Chalana arrow... and other cults who don't automatically exclude chaos from their cult). He tried to teach this to the Unholy Trio, says one passage, and they killed him and tried to keep the secret to themselves. Presumably, they used his secret as the final ingredient for their plot to bring the devil into the world. Rashoran was slain, in dorastor, by the unholy trio. He of course, went to hell. Now we know who Rashoran is related to.... He is a part of the disintegrated Yelm, slain by orlanth and broken into many parts. Rashoran was Yelm's illuminated side, when Yelm was killed he became illuminated, and that part of him manifested as Rashoran (and yes, the Red Goddess is also called Rashorana sometimes.... but that is another story). Rashoran tried to teach this to others, and then was abused by the Trio who stole his secret.
Thus another part of Yelm was sent screaming into Hell, wounded, betrayed, ambushed, abused, murdered for gain. There he lay, as the first God to be killed, rotting and ashen in hell. A very pissed off Rashoran/Yelm sat there, fuming over his fate and his wounds, which were permanent. The trolls could not face him, they fled before his power (Fear spell) and they could not get rid of him. After all he was a problem from hell that had come back to roost (the escape of Death from Subere). So what do the trolls do? They worship him, they worship his hatred, and they follow him back to the surface world when Yelm is resurrected by Time, so that Rashoran can take his VENGEANCE upon the gods, both of chaos and law, that abused him so. Do you think that perhaps the trolls named him Zorak Zoran as a reference to his name, Ra Shoran? Do you think that maybe the similarity in the names is not coincidence?
And this is why Arkat became Kingtroll Deathlord, he wanted to destroy Nysalor/Gbaji/Ostentalka, how better to do that then to do it from within, at the spot where he was destroyed in god time. Nysalor's shadow was perhaps Zorak Zoran, another piece of the puzzle that is Yelm.
Zorak Zoran is how trolls worship Yelm, the burning rage illuminated exiled part of Yelm, but Yelm none the less.
The name, the central role of the cult in the catastrophic Gbjai wars, the fire powers, the hate and vengeance, the cosmic importance of the cult. It all fits together.
What do you think?
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