As you said they have a relationship with Nemesis. Maybe Nemesis finally takes over Paragon City and when he does something goes wrong. A rip in dimensions happens and Rularuu steps out. Observing the territory he strikes and with it, all of Paragon City is brought into the Shard. Then, Faathim seeing what Rularuu has done, has had enough. He seals himself away in The Chantry. Then Rularuu goes crazy. He attacks everything and the Paragon City in the Shard is torn apart into many Islands. When torn apart everything is destroyed, leaving only Crimson Falls of blood flowing as a curse of what happened to the deaths. Then Ruladak attacked Faathim, and with that he released his army of brutes. While the wisps, natterlings, and watchers were already present, this would be the first sighting of brutes. After this the islands Zulu, Cascade Archipelago, Chantry, and Storm Palace are broken up into smaller islands. The survivers that we find are living people of the wars. The people call it the "Shadow Shard" as a shadow of Paragon City.
Of course this is all a theory and there are many loose ends.
A) Is there ever a mention of a citizen warning someone about a tragedy?
B) What about Malaise and Mother Mayhem. Do they have Portal Technology or were they around in Paragon when Paragon was sucked in? And if they were how'd they get there?
C) Why would Rularuu pull Paragon into his dimension and not just pull his people out of that dimension and take over this world?
Many questions. I think this story isn't correct but a few things help tie up a loose end or two.
I just did sara moore, I was wondering what happend too the shadow shard, answers alot of questions 
My Lego Models http://www.flickr.com/photos/30369639@N07/ lemur lad: God you can't be that stupid... I'm on at the same time as you for once, and not 20 minutes into it you give me something worth petitioning?Lady-Dee: Hey my fat keeps me warm in the winter and shady in the summer.
this is what I remember from past discussions of this topic.
all the creatures are rularuu, aspects of him. the 3 main aspects are also autonomous personifications of that aspect.
The CoT created the Shard and tricked Rularuu into going there instead of our Earth. It's a small pocket dimension. They know they can bind Faathim because they bound Rularuu in the shard. this also created the that whole imperative to worship Rularuu. I can't imagine he was too happy and soon exerted his will on the citizens in there. The citizens out there are decendants of our Paragon City citizens. Faathim's treachery was first.=, he build his fortress, the Chantry. But this cut off the calming aspect of his person from the rest of Rularuu. Ruladek responded and fought with Faathim. Faathim tricked Ruladek and imprisoned him. All these added up to finally cause Lanaruu to finally flip and break the world.
I don't remember what the reflections are. I think Faathim uses them as defenders from Rularuu or something.
Nemesis started showing up when we did with stolen portals.
i can't remember much more nor can i vouch for the accuracy of some of it.
Level 50 is a journey, not a destination.
▲Scrapper Issues List - Going Rogue Edition▲
I'm pretty sure the CoT didn't make the Shadow Shard
I was always under the impression that this is what happened.
Please note that I've never actually been able to read the majority of the clues of the Shard TF's, so this is wild speculation.
I believe Rularuu is a Godlike inter-dimensional destroyer of life. Ruladak is his General. Lanaruu is his Executioner and Warden. Faathim is his.. something. I think he (Rularuu) created these entities somewhat like Illuvatar created the Valar in the Silmarillion, as the offspring of his thought and made up entirely of the specific thought patterns which would govern each individual (Ruladak, Lanaruu, and Faathim). Ruladak would represent Rularuu's need for war and conquest. Lanaruu would represent Rularuu's desire to rule all. Faathim would represent Rularuu's desire to be worshipped by all, and would thus be as kind and gentle as possible.
Unfortunately, Rularuu gave these entities the ability to decide for themselves. Lanaruu became insane and was an unwilling servant of Rularuu, but was loosely allied with Faathim, who was also an unwilling servant. Unfortunately, Lanaruu became so unstable and so full of rage and hatred towards Rularuu that he would do anything to end the reign of Rularuu, and broke the world to prevent Rularuu himself from entering the realm. Faathim did not want to break the world and destroy all the lives just to prevent Rularuu's coming, and attempted to stop Lanaruu. Ruladak, in all this, is so simple minded that he would be willing to follow Rularuu, since he and Rularuu seem to be so similar.
That is my theory. Tear it apart.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
[ QUOTE ]
Please note that I've never actually been able to read the majority of the clues of the Shard TF's, so this is wild speculation.
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Sure you can - thank you Red Tomax! Click the ?'s to see the clues.
Faathim says he was "induced" into Rularuu and he says that Lanaruu (?) was resurrected and brought into Rularuu. I think these guys had a life before Rularuu. However, I bet they were picked because they could be bent to represent an aspect of Rularuu will. Not a lot a point in infusing a construction worker to be your doctor.
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Hmmm, not sure how Preatorians or Malta got to the zone. I presume they hitched a ride with another villain group. Also at this point, Crey is in massive dissarray so maybe they just bribed their way in.
Now that I've read a couple of the arcs..
I stand by my theory. And, it's very interesting to find out that Madness did indeed save the Shadow Shard. By breaking it into a thousand floating isles. And shutting out the sun and moon. And taking away the seasons.
It should be interesting if we ever do get to see Rularuu the Ravager, in all his four-times-the-size-of-Hamidon glory. Perhaps I12-13, the remaking of the Shadow Shard.
Well.. Having already predicted the I9-I11 Issues, I might as well keep going, right? Rularuu the Ravager for I12-13!
Edit: Just ran a mission on my EM/EA Stalker that I forgot all about, where one kidnaps Akarist. He states, and I quote: It's strange. This entire dimension is suffused with a mystic power. As if it was all the construction of a single vast consciousness. As if we were walking among the dreams of a God.
Hmm. So many things to figure out. If only the bloody zone had story arcs that helped explain things better.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
[ QUOTE ]
Edit: Just ran a mission on my EM/EA Stalker that I forgot all about, where one kidnaps Akarist. He states, and I quote: It's strange. This entire dimension is suffused with a mystic power. As if it was all the construction of a single vast consciousness. As if we were walking among the dreams of a God.
[/ QUOTE ]
There! That's where I've seen it! I spent a lot of time theorising about where I've heard that line in the past thread on the matter. But inded, I think Akharist's observation is the single most important piece of information we have.
There are a few reasons we can trust him. First, Akharist himself is many thousands of years old. He's one of the original Oranbegans back from the time of their war with the Mu. Also, Alkarist, as well as being a historian, seems to be a specialist in dealing with the divine, as he was a negotiator to the Demon Prince. Finally, as he seems to be a very high-ranking member of the Circle of Thorns, perhaps even a member of the original Circle of Thorns that gouverned the ancient city of Oranbega, he would simply be very knowlegable about all things mystical.
Now, going off that quote of his, there is a bit of supposition I'd like to suggest. All we ever see is fragments of Rularuu. And all of those fragments are unique in most ways. But we never see the real Rularuu. Even the "Rularuu" that we fight in the Cathedral of Pain trial is just another fragment. Perhaps the biggest one, but a fragment nonetheless.
So why do we never see the true physical representation of Rularuu? Well, perhaps because there isn't one. Perhaps there is no physical being, no entity like that at all. If we are indeed "walking among the dreams of a God," then perhaps Rularuu IS the Shadow Shard. A sentient dimension. An intelligence incarnite in the very fabric of reality within the Shadow Shard.
For the fragments of Rularuu, there can be a few explanations. I will concede that, as creatures, they were once alive. But I'm not certain that they are, anymore. I'm not certain that there is anything left of what they once were. At their core, I feel they are little more than empty, soul-less shells filled with energy and matter. As fragments of Rularuu, they are merely parts of him, his avatars in this world.
The reason why he created them seems pretty clear - as a sentient dimension, Rularuu does not have a lot of direct control over events that go on inside, uh... Him. Certainly he has shown that he can act quite decisively, but perhaps he cannot be everywhere at all times. So he created these aspects of himself to act as his avatars, as his lieutenants.
There is another possible reason, however - madness. We have all seen what madness can do, in the face of Lanaru's "breaking" of the Shadow Shard. As a creature of matter, Lanaru broke the material aspect of the dimension. As the very reality in the Shadow Shard, perhaps it was Rularuu's madness that broke the very fabrik of reality, broke his mind and shattered it into these many fragments, each representing a different side of his mind. Faatim - his kindness, but also his inaction. Ruladak - his ambition, but also his cruelty. Lanaru - his strength, but also his madness.
Faatim speaks of the danger of Lanaru breaking the world "again." Given that there doesn't seem to be anything left to break, one can draw a few conclusions on this. I've chosen to draw the conclusion that if there is something to break now, then perhaps the Shadow Shard looked much the same the first time he broke it. Meaning that what made the world like it is is something bigger.
Or maybe, as an incarnation of Rularuu's madness, Lanaru's breaking of the world actually broke Rularuu himself, giving the fragments life of their own as Rularuu was lost inside his own mind.
Now, I keep speaking of Rularuu's madness for a few reasons. One, that's because a good parallel can be drawn between how madness broke a world into shards, transforming it into the Shadow Shard, and how Rularuu himself is broken in fragments. Once can theorise that it follows logic that it was madness that broke him as well. Further specualtion can point out that these two events may well have been one and the same.
Another reason is that it is said that Rularuu "gazes accross infinite dimensions." Now, this goes well with the idea that he, in fact, a sentient dimension. As such, it stands to reason that he would naturally be able to see into the multiverse as we can see into empty space. Or maybe it just means that Rularuu is a consciousness trapped within itself, thus playing around creating aspects of itself to gouvern itself and pass the time. To actually gaze accross infinite dimensions, or accross dimensions at all, without the use of complex machinery, Rularuu may have attempted to alter his own perception.
This is where String Theory comes into play. It dictates, as far as my knowlege goes, that infinite dimensions exist right on top of each other, and that we can only see the one we are "tuned into," that being our own. Personally, I like to see it as how a 3D picture can be drawn onto a 2D sheet of paper. You only see one instance of the 3D picture, as opposed to the many others that motion in the third dimension would allow.
It is easy to see how Rularuu may have attempted to see accross dimension by altering his own perception. It is also easy to see how that could have driven him completely insane. We are built within our own world, around our means of perceiving that world. If we suddenly started perceiving the world entirely differently, say saw time instead of hight, we would simply be unable to function.
There were a lot of good theories in that previous thread that I suspect may have been a little too abmitious for the actual story. It's still fun to theories, though
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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<QR>
A few thoughts about the Shadow Shard Reflections...
The thing about the Reflections is that they are intelligent and self-aware - to the point where they understand that they're copies of the originals: "Don't feel guilt. We were never human, never alive."
As to WHY they take the form of Nemesis, Crey, Ritki, etc.? I believe that the Shard is something of a... I'm not sure what a good term would be, but it is psychically active - it picks up the stray thoughts of the people inside of it and shapes the Reflections to suit said thoughts.
The Shard Natives are familar with at least the Nemesis Army Reflections - Sara Moore says as much in the TF. If we presume that I am correct - that the Shard Natives formed the Nemesis Army Reflections from their own memories - then I'd like to suggest that the OTHER Reflections - Crey, Ritki, and Circle of Thorns - are formed from the memories of the Nemesis Army troops, and more recently the Shard Exploratory Forces and the various heroes wandering around.
edit: in retrospect, Sara Moore and the Shard Natives aren't necessarily familar with the Nemesis Army Reflections specifically - it seems that their big clue comes from the fact that the Nemesis Army captured several natives rather than kill them outright. They ARE familar with the Reflections in a general way, at least (possibly to just the point where "That looks human but is absurdly heavily-armed. Reflection!").
edit 2: I should probably put down what I'm referrencing in terms of Sara Moore's dialogue, shouldn't I? "Those that escaped capture said that the attackers looked like Brasswork Devils, so at first we thought they were Reflections from the Rularuu. However, they captured instead of killed, and so could not be of the Rularuu."
Post +1
Actually they have a picture of Rularuu on Wikipedia
I would submit that the Reflections are just that--reflections. The people that come to the Shard are accustomed to fighting certain enemies; in the minds of heroes--and perhaps those of the Expeditionary Force--"enemy" is associated with images of Nemesis, Rikti, Council, and sometimes Crey forces. So when the fragmented essence of Rularuu that suffuses the Shard tries to fight against these intruders, it manifests in the form of these enemies. The situation is complicated by the fact that the Shard lies so close to Paragon-Earth, and that the images carried into the Shard are those of individuals, creating a resonance between the Reflections and the beings they reflect, even though they ultimately serve Rularuu.
As to the Kora fruit--my pet theory (a retcon to explain why they only seem to appear in FBZ, despite the references to the bloodwaters in the canon) is that they're only the fruiting bodies of much larger plants...or perhaps even plant, singular. These plants are rooted in the Cascades, but span the entire Shadow Shard in the form of the warp vines and the Kora fruit. Conditions in FBZ may be more conducive to forming blooms, or it may simply be that no one has found the fruit in the more hazardous areas yet. More disturbing is the notion that these plants may actually be part of Rularuu as well, which would explain why the soldiers of Rularuu guard them, but don't eat them. For the grimmest possible interpretation, consider this: Where do all those soldiers of Rularuu come from?
The Way of the Corruptor (Arc ID 49834): Hey villains! Do something for yourself for a change--like twisting the elements to your will. All that's standing in your way are a few secret societies...and Champions of the four elements.
Well, if the Shadow Shard is nothing but a giant physical representation of an insane inter-dimensional God's mind, then it would make sense that the Soldiers of Rularuu would guard everything in the Shard, Kora fruit included. It makes me wonder what this Kora fruit is though. If the Shadow Shard is what we think it is, then Kora fruit shouldn't really exist. What kind of God would let life-sustaining fruit grow in his insane mind?
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
[ QUOTE ]
Well, if the Shadow Shard is nothing but a giant physical representation of an insane inter-dimensional God's mind, then it would make sense that the Soldiers of Rularuu would guard everything in the Shard, Kora fruit included. It makes me wonder what this Kora fruit is though. If the Shadow Shard is what we think it is, then Kora fruit shouldn't really exist. What kind of God would let life-sustaining fruit grow in his insane mind?
[/ QUOTE ]
Pure speculation on my part (but then I'm good at that), but I do believe the Kora fruit is somehow foreign to the Shadow Shard, or in some way related to the breaking. That would be the easy way out. The harder, but more satisfying, is to tie it into the whole overarching "sentient dimension" idea.
Let's run with that idea for a minute. If we view the Shadow Shard as the dreams of a god, or more directly the representation of that god's psychie in physical form, then we can interpret the Kora fruit as the life energy Rularuu. The energy that would normally have sustained him is now manifesting as the fruit on which just about everything in the Shadow Shard subsists.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all the Kora vines stemmed from one single place, and that they were themselves a fragment of Rularuu. See, with the assumption that I've chosen to run with, anything that appears symbollic is actually literally real. It is real because the symbolism that existed in Rularuu's mind was physically enacted onto the Shadow Shard at the time when it broke.
It's just a theory, though.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Would like to toss my hat in the ring here. Based on the TF contents, the stated fact that all Portals from Portal Corp lead to alternate versions of our reality, not different planets, etc., the descriptions of some of the Items of Power, and the generic Aspect of Rularru that guards them(which looks just like the other three), I think that the Shard is a version of Paragon City that was invaded and conquered by a godlike, multidimensional being about 20 years ago by our standards.
Being a godlike being who peers into multiple dimensions and keeps a record of all of them(see the One Book of Rularru), I believe Rularru enslaved the human race in that world, and then took off for other dimensions, leaving three shards of his own deific power behind to fulfill certain roles. Specifically, they represented aspects of his own personality: Purpose(Ruladak), Wrath(Lanarru), and Love(Faathim). One to oversee the new slave populace and keep them in line, with the help of the other Rularru slave races(Wisps, Overseers, Brutes, Natterlings), one to care for and nurture that slave race to prevent them from being too damaged by the work or growing so miserable that they revolted, and one to serve as an enforcer for all the others.
I think, however, that the one responsible for caring for his charges did his job too well, and became so sympathetic to them that he felt the need to help them escape bondage. Being a semi-autonomous aspect of a god, he tricked the aspect that effectively "ruled" the world by embodying the wrath of a God into believing that eventually, their master would return, and he would either no longer be in charge, or else would cease to exist by being absorbed back into Rularru. Fearful of losing what it had, that aspect shattered the world, cutting off the aspects from the god itself, or at least making him lose sight of it... for a while. Considering what Akarist says, Lanarru might have actually ripped Paragon City out of wherever it was, and placed it in a pocket dimension, shattering it in the process, and creating a tiny kingdom of his own, and thereby removing the sun, moon, and seasons in the process.
Ruladak, still loyal to Rularru, attempted to overthrow Lanarru with the help of the client races, but failed and was imprisoned. Faathim, having achieved freedom for his charges, realizes too late that he just trapped those charges in a world where they would be under constant attack from the loyal armies of Rularru that remained there. World degrades into barbarism without technology and without the guiding hand previously in place.
Enter our reality not only punching a hole into the Shard, but also repeatedly punching a hole to Rularru's trophy house and taking his stuff, and chances are, he's going to start paying more attention to both our reality, and his wayward children.
Might also check out the Prima Guide; in it, it mentions several new Rularru AVs that the game doesn't have in yet, all of which serve a specific role in the grand scheme of things. Add that to the above, and something wicked this way comes, for sure
-M
Marut, 50 FF/Rad/Power Defender - Champion
Leader of The Earthguard
Leader of The Galactic Empire
Could you post the info's to the Rularuu AV's? I've lost the Prima Guide, unfortunately.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
this is from the last too shadow shard TFs
'And give your strong to Ruladak that he may work them,
And give your injuries to Faathim that he may heal them,
And give your outcast to Lanaru that he may execute them,
For you will know that they are Rularuu and are to be obeyed.
And Faathim formed the Chantry from the very air,
And Faathim alone was master of it,
And within the Chantry Faathim stood shielded from Rularuu's will,
Here Faathim schemed for his freedom and his oblivion.
And by word and trickery the Traitor Faathim's work was done,
And the Mad One rose up with rage to split the world asunder,
And the Rularuu lost their truth and the People their master,
For Faathim's betrayal hid all from Rularuu's power.
And when the world was split the Strong one Remained Loyal,
And the Strong one called Faathim Traitor for his plans,
And the Strong one called Faathim Traitor for his actions,
For Strength would let none stray from the Rularuu.
'And Kindness and Strength shook the the world with battle,
And by clever stratagem Strength was caught and bound,
And Kindness was was trapped as well within it's fortress,
While Madness burned with rage and battled all.
And the Kind One was made prisoner within his Chantry,
And the Rularuu beset him in unending siege,
And Faathim the Kind knew only anguish,
For all his plans were cast down in ruin.
And Kindness knew there would be freedom,
And Kindness knew that Rularuu could not be overthrown,
And Kindness knew there would be no defiant haven of its hopes,
For now Kindness knew it would forever be of Rularuu.'
In the course of discovering Faathim's history, you learned of a plot against him by the Circle of Thorns. You foiled their plans to bind the Kind One, and gained the Trust of Faathim the Kind.
'And he rose up into the air,
And there he forged himself a great palace,
And the air itself he charged with storms,
For Lanaru's mind was itself clouded with anger.'
And Lanaruu felt Rularuu's purpose wander,
And Lanaru felt the anger in him grow,
And Lanaru would not forgive his resurrection,
For slavery to Rularuu was no life to him.'
'And Lanaruu toiled in slavery to his master,
And as executioner he did work his rage,
And every day his mind broke further,
For pride would not let him stay a slave.'
'The hatred roiled through his fevered thoughts,
And madness broke his mind upon its wrack,
And Lanaru felt Rularuu retreat from him,
For it feared the growing insanity of his soul.'
'And Lanaru stoked the fires of his madness,
And in his madness he found greater power,
And he cast down the Iron Fist of Rularuu in battle,
For reason was only a shadow in Lanaru's mind.'
'And then Kindness entered the Storm Palace to give warning,
And Kindness said that Rularuu would re-assert control,
And Kindness retreated then in horror,
For now lanaru saw method to halt their master.'
'And Lanaru rose again into the air,
And Lanaru broke the world in his madness,
And Rularuu raged with powerless anger,
For Lanaru would gain might with each failed attack.'
Now you know the land and sky of the Storm Palace. now you know how Lanaru became Lanaru the Mad, and how he broke the world. Now you must prepare to face his power, before he breaks the world once more.
[ QUOTE ]
It's strange. This entire dimension is suffused with a mystic power. As if it was all the construction of a single vast consciousness. As if we were walking among the dreams of a God.
[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry, but the sentient dimension just isn't making sense to me at all. The Rularuu came to the SS world - dimensions don't invade planets, that just doesn't make sense. Beings from another dimension, sure, but a dimension itself? Huh?
I can't really say what it DOES mean but, given that Akarist is just musing at this point, I don't think it's required. (Though Akarist's comment makes tons of sense when taken to the real world. The Shadow Shard is one of Cryptic's writer's dreams.)
[ QUOTE ]
For the fragments of Rularuu, there can be a few explanations. I will concede that, as creatures, they were once alive. But I'm not certain that they are, anymore. I'm not certain that there is anything left of what they once were. At their core, I feel they are little more than empty, soul-less shells filled with energy and matter. As fragments of Rularuu, they are merely parts of him, his avatars in this world.
[/ QUOTE ]
At least some of them have self will. There's a rebel brute buying enhancements in the Cascades and a rebel wisp in the Chantry. Faathim and Lanaruu both rebelled. Faathim's description specifically says that he's keeping himself independent from Rularuu.
I do think the big aspects (Ruladak, Faathim, Lanaruu, and whatever others they add) are reflections of Rularuu's personality. Well, personality is definitely not the right word to use - Rularuu is about as alien as it gets. I'm not real sure of the cause/effect in that, though. Was Rularuu more kind when Faathim was a part of Rularuu, or was Faathim's kindness caused by Rularuu's kindness?
I tell you what we do know, though. We know that they are Rularuu and they are to be OBEYED! That would make such a great T-Shirt.
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, but the sentient dimension just isn't making sense to me at all. The Rularuu came to the SS world - dimensions don't invade planets, that just doesn't make sense. Beings from another dimension, sure, but a dimension itself? Huh?
[/ QUOTE ]
I remember a series by Raymond E. Feist that dealt with a mad god invading the world through a portal to his dreams. The Rift War Legacy, if I recall. So, I could see a sentient dimension invading others in the respect that the dimension is just the landscape of a god's (or other god-like powerful being) dreams.
I always wondered what would have happened if Pug had gone through the portal into the mad god's dreams instead of destroying it.
There I was between a rock and a hard place. Then I thought, "What am I doing on this side of the rock?"
It makes perfect sense, in my opinion. The Shadow Shard is (note that I'm speculating) nothing more than a God's psyche laid out in a physical form. If the other Paragon was devoured by the Ravager, then the only thing that would exist of that dimension would be the Ravager's mind itself (note that I'm using "Ravager" when referring to Rularuu himself, not the Army of Rularuu).
I think Faathim, Ruladak, and Lanaruu are all "physical" representations of different aspects of the Ravager. Well, as "physical" as anything can be in such a realm.
Now, if theory is correct, and the Ravager is an inter-dimensional destroyer, then it's not inconceivable for the Ravager himself to not have a physical form at all. He could simply be a consciousness that is it's own dimension, pulling other dimensions into his own. That doesn't explain why he would need portals to devour our dimension though.
So many things need to be explained about the Shadow Shard. I hope it gets fleshed out in the future.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
[ QUOTE ]
Could you post the info's to the Rularuu AV's? I've lost the Prima Guide, unfortunately.
[/ QUOTE ]
Chularn the Slave Lord
Archvillain, levels 41-54
Chularn is an extremely cruil and twisted soul. The slaves that run his Factory Cubes look upon him with great awe and terror, and his barbarism, has become legendary. The Wisps he commands fair little better then these human slaves, and they have learned to obey Chulan without question. They watch over the Natterling scavengers and select the choicest items to improve the operation fo the Factory Cubes
Kuuarth the Scavenger
Archvillain, levels 41-54
Kuularth makes his nest in the Repository that feed parts to the Factory Cubes. His Natterlings roam the Shadow Shard collecting anything and everything that could be useful. They are always accompanied bu a Wisp, who Kuularth refers to as "consultants". The Whips' master, Chularn, prefers to call them "supervisors".
Aloore the Watcher
Archvillain, levels 41-54
Aloore is Rularuu's most trusted Field General. He guards the Palace and uses his Sentries to keep watch over the entire Shadow Shard. Of all Rularuu's fragments, Aloore is most similar to Rularuu himself. This makes him skilled and useful, but also dangerous, becuase Rularuu is not build for servitude.
Uuralur the Mirror
Archvillain, levels 45-54
Uuralur presides over the Garden of Memories. The beings that reside there are reflections of the worlds that Rularuu has consumed, though it is unclear whether he created them out of remorse or amusement. Uuralur had organized many of these reflections into a guard force that patrols the area and keep the remaining reflections in check.
Ruaruu the Ravager
Gargantuan, level 50
The master of the Shadow Shard stands over a hundred feet in height. Rularuu's many powers make him a fearsome opponent, but his greatest weapon is truly his cast knowledge. Having absorbed thousands of dimensions, Rularuu knows all the tricks. There is truly no surprising him.
I would think Rularuu himself would be cast as his own "Critter" like Hamidon does.
Still "No tricking him" Im fairly sure Purple Pants there has never met 200 very pissed off Rad Controllers and Defenders >_>
[ QUOTE ]
Uuralur the Mirror
Archvillain, levels 45-54
Uuralur presides over the Garden of Memories. The beings that reside there are reflections f the worlds that Rularuu has consumed, though it is unclear whether he created them out of remorse or amusement. Uuralur had organized many of these reflections into a guard force that patrols the area and keep the remaining reflections in check.
[/ QUOTE ]
Apparently there is more to the zone (physically). I can't wait to see this added ingame. This would almost seem to be a location/spawn based AV, similar to a GM...interesting.
[ QUOTE ]
Aloore the Watcher
Archvillain, levels 41-54
Aloore is Rularuu's most trusted Field General. He guards the Palace and uses his Sentries to keep watch over the entire Shadow Shard. Of all Rularuu's fragments, Aloore is most similar to Rularuu himself. This makes him skilled and useful, but also dangerous, becuase Rularuu is not build for servitude.
[/ QUOTE ]
This appears to tie right into Sammy's (and others') theories of Rularuu as a malevolent entity that conquers worlds...I'm starting to formulate a theory....I'll post that after I finish this.
[ QUOTE ]
Ruaruu the Ravager
Gargantuan, level 50
The master of the Shadow Shard stands over a hundred feet in height. Rularuu's many powers make him a fearsome opponent, but his greatest weapon is truly his cast knowledge. Having absorbed thousands of dimensions, Rularuu knows all the tricks. There is truly no surprising him.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hami-raid replacement???
@CrimsonOriole
This is going to be completely WILD speculation, but here goes *crosses fingers*
It seems to me that all of the alternate-reality Statesmen share many traits (common "delusions of grandeur").
For example, the Reichsmann joined the Axis Army (or was always with the Axis...not sure) and wound up conquering the world and ruling it after Hitler died...or killed Hitler, either way, he became the supreme ruler of Axis Earth. His generals were similar in power to their Primal Earth counterparts, however, Reichsmann didn't allow them equal training, so they were easily defeated. Were Reichsmann still on Axis Earth, he would be uncontested for rule...it can also be assumed that he conquered not only Axis Earth, but also conquered multiple other dimensions...
The Tyrant, with his band of Praetorian supers, conquered all of Preatorian Earth and rule it to this day with an iron fist. Tyrant has all of Statesman's abilities and used them with similar resolve, but in a much more adverse manner. Over time, he conquered and recruited beings from multiple planes of existance and dimensions. He has minions from Warrior Earth, Shadow Earth and Infernal Earth, not mention footholds here in our own Paragon City!
Parallelling Reichsmann's characteristics/acheivements to those of Rularuu and Tyrant, it seems that Rularuu may very well be another Statesmann clone. I sincerely hope that it isn't, it would make for a very shallow story just copied over from not one, but TWO others.
So, if my deduction is right, what happened and how did it occur? In 1937, instead of being granted the abilities of a god, as both Marcus Cole and Stefan Richter were in [u]Web of Arachnos[u], Marcus became a god. In doing so, he conquered his home-dimension and began to extend his power. Along the way, he found other powerful/super-intelligent/influential people and--after killing them--resurrected them and embued them with the powers of himself. Faathim, Lanaruu, Ruladak, Uuralur and the others are resurrected entities of former world powers that were endowed with the abilities of Rularuu. This could explain the Preatorians' interest in the Shard...make any sense?
@CrimsonOriole
It would be very shallow indeed, if Rularuu is nothing but a Statesman clone.
Personally, I don't think so. Diabolique, for instance, is not a fragment of Tyrant. Ms. Liberty isn't a fragment of Statesman. And the Axis Freedom Phalanx probably doesn't have a fragmented Reichsman. Rularuu is most likely a very powerful being, beyond even a God. Perhaps he doesn't even have his own dimension. Perhaps he simply Is, without a dimension of his own, just a drifting presence pulling as many dimensions into his demented consciousness as he can, rather like a child pulling down candies hanging from a ceiling.
I, like you, hope you're wrong, but I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
Musings about the nature of the Shadow Shard. There are tons of open questions so this is probably going to sound a lot more like a philisophical debate than a real guide - but here we go!
WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS!
I don't expect anyone to hold back in this topic for fear of spoiling and there's plenty TO spoil so, if you haven't done some of the Shard TFs yet, better go do them.
So anyway, I went through my old SS TF screenshots and consulted with NoFuture and came up with these musing. There's also been a lot of theory getting thrown around in various parts of these forums.
Interesting what Sara Moore says about kora fruit - not in her TF but in your first Kora Fruit mission. She states that Kora Fruit has been around since before the breaking of the world, that it grows off Kora vines which feed off Cascade red rivers [never mind we get all our missions in Firebase Zulu - ahem ;], and that the fruits draw in Rularuu. The Rularuu don't eat the fruit, they just guard it, so who knows what they want with it. I have a hunch that's why the Rularuu are in this world, though. They are there to farm Kora Fruit - or at least to ensalve the natives and make them farm the fruit.
Sara Moore calls the refugees in the Shadow Shard the "Peoples of Paragon." I really think the Shadow Shard is an alternate Paragon City. An odd one with red rivers, kora fruit, and no superheroes but Paragon none the less. They also seem to have a long past with the "Prince of Brass" (Nemesis) though I'm not clear on whether that's our Nemesis or a home grown one. There's indications that Rikti and the CoT have been there, too.
Old Fred's Book is most interesting. The madness broke the world around 20 years ago. It destroyed the seasons. The sun and moon vanished. I want to think that 'vanished' here just means hidden by the clouds and storms, but Ruladak was trapped in this world by the breaking - so this has got to be some sort of dimensional thing. "Old" Fred is, by the way, only 35 years old.
The Peoples of Paragon seem to speak English - you have no problem reading what one of the natives wrote back at the breaking of the world. Rularuu can speak it (as you can see just going there) but monuments are written in another tongue. Perhaps the Aspect's native language? I can't believe we would even have a hope of translating whatever language Rularuu thinks in.
Strange - in the third TF we find out (in a single clue) that the people were told that they should worship and obey Rularuu, but should not worship Rularuu. Boyd thinks maybe it means they should worship Rularuu god or philosophy but not the creatures of Rularuu themselves.
So the history I'm seeing is this:
Rularuu invade and enslave the Peoples of Paragon. If Kora Fruit wasn't there already, the Rularuu introduce it to the land and start farming it. The Aspects of Rularuu rule the land. (The region? The world? The dimension?)
Faathim doesn't like the situation or being part of Rularuu. When he started to feel the first portals from our world, he builds the Chantry 'out of thin air' and hides in it, breaking off his contact from the Rularuu overmind.
Ruladak, who controlls the Soldiers of Rularuu, tries to break the Chantry. According to Sara Moore in the second TF, the war between them 'breaks several islands'. That's real interesting to me - it makes me think the world was already a series of floating islands at this point.
Lanaruu, meanwhile, is going nuts. I can understand that - he's got a serious problem with authority and here he is part of a hive-being like the Rularuu. Lanaruu and his storm elementals are attacking everything. He also builds a fortress, the Storm Palace, but not to hide from the Rularuu overmind. Lanaruu's own growing insanity caused Rularuu to (at least mostly) disconnect.
Lanaruu "cast down" Ruladak in battle, whatever that means. Faathim (probably working with the native Peoples of Paragon) gets Ruladak entombed.
Lanaruu goes completely nuts and totally breaks the world, pulling it into another dimension. This also causes more disconnection from the Rularuu overmind.
I talk about the overmind a lot. I'm pretty sure the Rularuu are a being-of-many-beings kind of thing. Much like your body has living, individual cells. Rularuu isn't connected physically but through some psychic/mystic connection. I'm thinking the Rularuu "inducted" the Observers, Brutes, and Wisps while Natterlings are just made up of whatever is lying around. It could also be that Rularuu came from the Wisps as their psychic powers grew to the point of constant communication. Anyway, while the individual beings are normally dominated by the Rularuu overmind's will, they still do have their own free will. Not only are Faathim and Lanaruu acting individually, we also have a rogue wisp and brute buying enhancements from us out in the Shard itself.
The aspects of Rularuu were not always part of Rularuu. It seems they were killed (by Rularuu?) then the Rularuu resurrected them and made them part of the overmind. They look a lot like giant Wisps so maybe they are the ex-leaders of that race?
Loose Ends:
In the third TF when we find out the CoT is going to try and bind Faathim:
The idea of binding and capturing something like Faathim, it's mad. But they're talking like they've done it before.
Faathim the Not So Trustworthy? Azuria thinks Faathim isn't telling the whole truth. Justin, the TF3 contact, doesn't trust Faathim much, either.
What are the reflections!? They are all enemies that have come to the Shadow Shard before Portal Corps (Nemesis, CoT, Rikti, Crey) though the 5th Column/Council also shows up. There's really no mention of what they are, though. The newer Primus guide appearantly has an entry about another aspect of Rularuu that controls them but not what the purpose is. Perhaps to study them before invasion? Or is it just some alien thing we aren't going to understand? (Shades of Lem's _Solaris_)
Which breaking happened first? Lanaruu breaking the world or the Ruludak/Faathim fight? Lanaruu's breaking could have caused the whole region to be smashed into strange floating islands, then the R vs F fight could have broken them up a bit more. Or maybe this world was always floating islands. The R vs F fight broke the islands a bit more then Lanaruu's breaking ripped it out of its home dimension. It's difficult to tell, I think partly because it isn't easy for Faathim to distinguish himself from the other aspects.
The name - Shadow Shard. Shadow of what? Paragon City? The old world that the People of Paragon once lived in before the breaking?