Silky ZZ duck Ninjuz

From: James Frusetta <gerakkag_at_wam.umd.edu>
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 1997 20:47:39 -0400 (EDT)


Peter Metcalfe on silk:
>Silworms are mentioned in the Chi Ting writeup where the Friendly
>Silkworms live (they weave two extra cocoons in case their friends
>have been robbed of one). Chi Ting is the Imperial Capital so
>the odds of it being a Trollish practice seems weak. IMO the
>Kralori think they are superior to Bliss in Ignorance in that
>the latter don't know how to make silk.
Ah, thanks for the reference. Though I'd hardly expect the Kralori mandarins to run around saying, "Hey, look at this neat practice we stole from the trolls." They'd say they were doing it since before the Dawn, and rewrite the histories to fit.

Brawlin' Ninjuz
Trolls are strong enough that they could probably use holds & blocks if they wanted to, and they've definitely got the advantage in mano-a-uzdo grappling. Slapping deflections might work well for the same reason. But most trollish unarmed combat is probably with other trolls (except rarities like the BMT), so it might equal out.

They may _really_ like grappling considering that most trolls live in caves -- not enough room to dance around or distance from your opponents.

On the subject, Daniel McCluskey (Volt) wrote:
>better at wide round kicks

I dunno. Trolls tend to slouch and hunch, are often a little heavy, and they walk funny. Not sure if that makes kicks less useful (though I'm biased -- Dux Nin. wasn't big on kicks above thigh-level, so I don't tend to like 'em, afraid of leg-breaks.)

*Where to punch:
I agree with you on snouts being a no-no, but stomach-punching should be okay(ish). A troll should be able to tell if a female is pregnant, and avoid hitting her then. And stomach punching gives you the ultimate way to humiliate your opponent -- if you can hit 'em *just* right, they throw up. No greater shame. "Hur hur hur -- couldn't hold your lunch? Bwah ha ha!"

And for Stephen Martin's Duckjitsu:
Was that a _water_ based martial art, or a land-one? I coudln't see the little waddling quackers brawling on land, but they'd be deadly in the water. And who'd expect it? "By the Goddess, it's just a duck -- strip, wade on in and catch the little bugger, hoplite!" "Sir!"

Volt again on Zorak Zoran:
> and in a general sence, I would have to agree (ZZ don't play nice wit
> Anybody) However, I think that on the ZZ emotion scale (hate -> FROTH!
> SMASH!!!) Orlanthi arn't considered particularly bad.
There is a reference that "Zorak Zoran has held a grudge against Orlanth ever since for binging back the Light." Of course, ZZ probably has a grudge against _everyone_ anyway...("Urrrr! Damn Xentha, looked at me kinda funny in the Lesser Darkness.") I think ZZ & the Big O were mutually "hostile" cults in the old RQ companion, for whatever that's worth.

Just curious -- I'd always played them as fairly antagonistic, but that might not be par for the course. Challenges with humiliating penalties were pretty typical -- our party was once ambushed by ZZites, who spared us since some PCs were Storm Bulls. Instead, they demanded we fight them, loser to acknowledge the winner's god as "Emperor of the Universe" and kowtow to the Death Lord. Um, they won. (*Sob* My Storm Bull troll lost to a ZZ _trollkin_ *sob*. Biggest damn trollkin I ever saw, but still, the shame...)

Just curious how the two cults manage this hostility -- ritual challenges on encounter? In some areas -- Kitoria, the old heights of the ZZ cult in the first age, Gimpy's -- there'd be enough contact on a roughly equal basis that something would need to be done (like in the case of Yelmy & O). 'Sides, it's fun. :)

> no reason for a ZZ kult that tolerates Orlanthi to be any more "warm and
> fuzzy" (or cosmopolitan even) than any other.
Just speculating that the OOO may have "culled" the local branch of the cult over time. ZZs causing trouble again? Fetch the mythic prozac! "Look... Dwarves... I suppose I should kill them... or something... Yeah."

> I would argue that it's the DagInk ZZ that are especially
> ornery, if anything, on account of being bored.
Time for clever merchants to start offering chartered trips to the Block. Meet Storm Bulls! Fight chaos in the Devil's Marsh! Eat live herdbeast in its native environment! Take a whiz on Wakboth's remains! ;)

Joerg suggested Arkat as a mediator between the two cults-- IMO Arkat may have "organized" (to some degree) the part of the cult under his control, particularly in Guhan (founded by uz colonists, so there was no native pre-existing uz society to limit meddling). Tolerance for other anti-Gbaji forces might linger today there, and in other successor states of the Dark Empire.

Just fishin',

James Fruzetta


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