Wow, I have never paid much attention to the Shadow Shard storylines. This is all very fascinating! Thanks for starting the thread, adding on new theories, etc. I am very intrigued!
@Just Jane
Well to add my own speculations to sthe Shadow Shard, et al.
I I that the Shadow Shard may be Ralaruu's dimension of Origin. I think he was/is an incredibly power being that was the sole occupant of the Shadow Shard originally. So I think he was sort of an Eru in the beginning type situation. But he didn't create his own creations to populate his dimension. Somehow Ralaruu discovered other dimensions, and for reasons unknown he embarked on a campaign to conquer and absorb other dimensions.
Now from the Shard Shadow TFs we learn that Ruladak, Fathiim, and Landaruu were resurrected to serve Rularuu. So that may indicate that Rularuu can't do original creations that Eru could. And since these recreations have some autonomy and Rularuu wasn't around to control themse folks things go out of hand and we have the resulting canarge we know see as the current Shadow Shard.
So I think that everything tied to Rularuu in the Shardow Shard ultimately come directlly or indirectly from Rularuu. The People of Paraon I think are inhabitants of a parallel Paragon City that Rularuu ravaged yet Fathiim shields and protected them from being absorbed into Rularuu himself.
Now that I've seen (and actually paid attention to) the picture of Rularuu on ParagonWiki, I believe that the Shard is indeed the mind of Rularuu. If this is the case, then Rularuu is either a godlike being that has a multiple personality disorder/schizophrenia, or he is a powerful psychic that has created a dimension of his own.
A possible candidate for the psychic is one we haven't heard about in quite some time:
Malaise.
Now for a story....Malaise could have had an active imagination as a child where he created his own world in his mind. The Reflections are the enemies that he fought most often with the Freedom Phalanx and the Rularuu masses are creations of his own. The destruction of the Shard 20 years ago could be when Malaise went mad and crossed over to the villainous side. Lanaruu is the aspect of this madness, Faathim is the aspect of his good side, Rularuu itself is the embodiment of his ideals for a perfect world, and the other Aspects are his wishes for control.
Mkay, I have officially confused myself, but there's some wild speculation for ya 
@CrimsonOriole
A few things.
Shard refers to the dimension, and all dimensions. Servers are called Shards on the global friend list for this reason; they are alternate dimensions with different individuals coming into place after the two-year Rikti War. It's quite possible that the Shadow Shard was 'normal' before Rularuu got in, and retained some normality up til the Madness broke the world and ended up leaving little of the Earth but dust and some suspended rocks.
We know whatever event occured to allow Rularuu to exist did so more than ~30 years ago (otherwise Old Fred would know more about a time without Rularuu) and probably more recently than ~180 years ago (otherwise there wouldn't be a Paragon or Paragon City to talk about). We can't really cut down further than that : Nemesis was around since before WWI, even the recent Zoria-'led' Circle of Thorns have been around since the late 1890s, and Crey and the Rikti aren't mentioned as legends.
The Circle of Thorn seem to have a massive power over the Rularuu - even Nemesis troops are often attacked by them while CoT are avoided. The reason for this is fairly simple : the CoT are in a dimension with lots of magic around, and it's quite possible that the names provided by the Rularuu are their true names. That they could even contemplate binding a dimensional entity might not be too farfetched.
We don't, however, know whether the Prince of Brass or the Circle of Thorns mentioned in legend are that universe's, or our own. I don't think the latter is likely -- while the CoT could have been bumbling with Portal magic back before Ongabonga went underground, Nemesis's portal tech was based on his Superdine research during the mid 80s, which would have dumped him in when the Madness Broke the World, far too recent to be a legend.
Rularuu may not be a sentient dimension. Among other things, we know that the Shadow Shard had something approaching normality before the Madness Broke the World, and Rularuu probably wasn't around when that world's original Prince of Brass played tag with it.
Right now, I'm edging between mad deity and someone that popped open Pandora's Box and looked deep, deep inside. The former would be fairly easy if cliched to explain. The latter would work physically (since it wouldn't need to be Statesman or Recluse or anyone we know, or to have happened when Statesman or Recluse opened it; Rularuu may have very well found Pandora's Box long after that, or long before). Either case would explain the avatars and lack of an actual Rularuu: each race or being is something Rularuu makes of himself, and applies his will against.
All that info on Rularuu AVs that don't exist in the game was in the Prima Guide? The binder?
All those sound like bosses in a raid-type instance.
[ QUOTE ]
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.
[/ QUOTE ]
People like Diabolique, Ms. Liberty, so on and so forth, are not aspects of the Statesclone they work with/for. What I meant is that Rularuu, as a god, and a possible Statesclone, can conquer the minds of his enemies and can cause them to serve him loyally. As a god, it is possible for him to completely erase all of their memories, in essence, their prior life, and fill them with only the knowledge and abilities to carry out his will. There isn't another being in the game with this amount of power. The only one's that come close are the Statesclones and their godlike abilities.
@CrimsonOriole