> There's two theories about Ralzakark.
> 1) The first is that he was killed by Arkat Kingtroll and brought back to life by God Learners.
> This is given in the Elder Secrets Book.
>
> 2) The second is that he was "asleep" when Arkat laid waste to Dorastor.
> This was something said by Greg at a convention.
"Asleep" could easily be "Dead", so both could be true. Arkat could have killed Ralzakark before laying waste to Dorastor.
> What I find interesting about the God Learner theory is not that he was killed or put asleep but that the God Learners brought him back because they did not believe the tales of his evil. Thinking about this, Ralzakark is hardly a prominent person in the Empire of Light, he's not even mentioned at all in History of the Heortling Peoples or the Fortunate Succession. So what tales could the God Learners have been disbelieving? And of anybody to bring back to life in Dorastor, why did they did they choose Ralzakark?
Possibly because they thought they could control him.
> I don't think the solution that the God Learners reasoned that
> a) Arkat slew Ralzakark
> b) Arkat is evil ergo
> c) Ralzakark must be good.
> The Seshnegi and to a lesser extent, the Loskalmi, had troops in Dorastor when it fell and they would have been hard-pressed to find anything good to say about the defenders there.
True, Talor the Laughing Warrior was a Malkioni and he was instrumental in brining down Gbaji. The Malkioni fought against Gbaji and knew of the horrors of the Bright Empire.
> A possible solution is that the Empire of Light imprisoned Ralzakark beneath Fort Wrath for crimes before Dorastor fell. The God Learners investigating Dorastor found a wall inscription of Ralzakark's imprisonment at Nysalor's hands. They concluded Ralzakark was good because he was an unjust victim of Gbaji and so released him.
In my Dorastor Campaign, that is what happened. Ralzakark turned against the original principles of the Bright Empire and committed atrocities that were so great that he was imprisoned beneath Fort Wrath. The God Learners then awakened him thinking that he was Gbaji's enemy, when he was, in fact, Nysalor's enemy.
> Another possible solution was that Ralzakark was negotiating with the Malkioni for Dorastor's possible surrender when Arkat burst into the room and whacked Ralzakark in grotesque violation of the truce. That might give the God Learners some background to view Ralzakark favourably in light of Arkat's infamy.
That doesn't ring true for me, as Talor and his ilk were very strongly against Gbaji and wanted the Empire defeated, not just in a surrender, in my opinion. Also, Arkat would not have even thought of a truce at that stage, as the bloodlust was in him.
> A third possible solution is that just as Lokamayadon was known as Jotorang and Jajamokki, so Ralzakark might be an important Nysaloran under another name. Probably not Palangio tho...
I think that Ralzakark was known as Ralzakark in the Bright Empire. There were many lieutenants to Nysalor/Gbaji and I do not think that Ralzakark was anywhere near as important as the likes of Lokamayadon or Palangio. They were demigods at the time whereas Ralzakark became a demigod once he had been awakened, in my opinion. Big fish in a little pond.
Simon
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