Looking for heroquests for Arkati

[Pentallion]

I’ve looked online, but can’t really find any heroquests for Arkati. Specifically, I’ve got some players who want to play trolls from Guhan who worship Arkat.

[David Cake]

Unless directly opposing a chaotic threat, many Arkati quests will be quests of the various cults Arkat joined, but with an Arkati twist. There is a tiny bit of info in Arcane Lore that indicates it was thought about, but not much filled in (pg 38), and indicates that the majro Arkati heroquests are heroquests of other cults reused.
So in his troll period, Arkat performed the Hill of Gold quest, presumably playing the Zorak Zoran role, but, the quest might differ – the Arkati may know how to navigate the Orlanthi parts of the quest non-violently, and the Yelmalio antagonist may be more Daysenarus/Nysalorian. Arkati might also teach Arkati versions of Brithini quests, such as the Horali weapon tests, and the Hrestol quest to become a Man Of All (which involves visiting the Court of Silence in the underworld, and performing four caste dependent tests in a cross shape before a final challenge in the centre) – the Arkati might be less interested in the transcending of social status that is so significant to the West, and more interested in using that ritual to obtain a Sword of Justice, or access the powers of the Crusade.
The same theme of repurposing existing quests should give you lots of options. Kygor Litor or Zorak Zoran quest against chaos, but with an additional step of unmasking the hidden chaos before it can be destroyed. A Humakti quest might be followed to gain death powers.
Note the tricks Arkati can play – both Zorak Zoran and Humakt can enter the court of Kargan Tor – an Arkati might know means to enter on one path, and leave on another. He might enter via a ZZ quest (and so can enter with community support, via known troll rituals), but while he is there demand the right to try to learn Humakts Battle Rage or Mighty Blows quests from Humakt. Or use Humakti rituals to enter Hell, but take a different path once there to meet and perhaps ally trolls or darkness demons (that the Humakti would have to avoid or fight).
One particularly interesting mythological cross-over – in Cults of Terror, it is said that Kygor Litor teaches Zzabur how to overcome the Silence that plagued him. While Zzabur no doubt tells the story differently, this cross over between troll and Western myth could form the basis of a fun Arkati heroquest.

[Jeff Richard]

As David correctly observes, there are not “Arkat” quests per se, but there are quests that the Arkati know from the various mythologies that Arkat learned the secrets of. Arkat became a Man-of-All and overcame the limitations of his Brithini caste and experience Joyous unity with the Creator. He died, and witnessed the forging of the Cosmic Compromise against Chaos and the release of the gods from the Underworld with the Dawn. He experienced the initiation of Orlanth, severed himself from his kin and became Death and War. He was reborn in Darkness, and defeated and plundered the remnants of the Sun atop of the Hill of Gold. He then entered Hell again, and what he experienced there is a mystery even to the Arkat cult.
No one has heroformed Arkat in nine centuries, since the God Learners blocked all pathways to the Hero with powerful sorcery. Worse yet, none of the various Arkat cults have complete records of the various quests Arkat and his companions performed (very few cultists perform these quests, but learn of them through reading), and many make claims that may be wrong, misleading, or seriously confused.

[Joerg Baumgartner]

This makes me wonder: how didvthe God Learner blocking survive the demise of their magics? I would have expected that the three rivals who pushed the God Learners out of Ralios would have done some -probably limited – questing on Arkati paths.

This dnenial of access to the heroquestsvreminds me of the lack of Heortling initiations ehen Harmast succeeded against all expectations. That, too, required an actve maintenance by its author Lokamayadon, and fell apart after his demise.

[Jeff Richard]

There are two types of “Arkati paths”. First, and most numerous are the paths of Orlanth, Zorak Zoran, Hrestol, Humakt, and whomever. Second, are the few Arkat-specific riffs where he goes in a different direction from the established myths. In the Third Age, many Arkat cults may call all of these “Arkat paths” but for discussion purposes, that way lies madness.

The God Learners sealed off the places of power for the old Arkat hero cult, making it nearly impossible to reach Arkat on the Otherworld. Those places are still guarded. The God Learners aren’t the only people who don’t want the return of the Dark Empire.

[Pentallion]

So wouldn’t the return of Arkat (even as Argrath, YGMV) entail someone getting past those guardians and reaching him in the Otherworld?

Just on a side note, what role, if any, do the Vadeli play in mucking up the whole thing? I would think at some point, in order to help the Creator destroy his creation, they’d want to muck up the Hero Plane as much as possible. (It’s even crossed my mind that many God Learners might have been “inspired”(corrupted) secretly by the Vadeli or actually been Vadeli in disguise.) If so, would it be something I could work into the story, and if so, would Vadeli, whose logic is valid according to even their enemies, be recognizable as Gbaji? Or would that have to wait until the return of the Blues?

[Jeff Richard]

Well, if you are a KS backer for the Guide, in a very short period of time you can look at the Ralios section, the Seshnela section, and the Hero Wars section of the preview copy and get some insight into what is about to happen….

[Pentallion]

Unfortunately, I missed the KS. I’m here everyday waiting for when I can buy it online.

[Simon Phipp]

Quote:

Quote from Joerg Baumgartner on April 3, 2014, 16:24
This makes me wonder: how didvthe God Learner blocking survive the demise of their magics? I would have expected that the three rivals who pushed the God Learners out of Ralios would have done some -probably limited – questing on Arkati paths.

I see Hero Paths on the God Plan as grooves in the fabric of God Time. Some are little scratches and some are like the Grand Canyon. People follow the Hero Paths by going down the grooves. The Great Paths are very difficult to change, as they are very wide and deep, although it is possible to make your own path along the sides. Smaller Hero Quests can be changed by scratching a deeper path across the existing path, so that way you can join two paths together, or deviate slightly. Once you have done it them other people can follow your path.

What has this to do with the Arkati Paths? Imagine the God Learners filling the Arkati Deviations with concrete. They would block the paths and make them unattainable. After the God Learners had gone, the paths would remain blocked. However, all it would take is an enterprising HeroQuestor to unblock the path for it to become available to others.

I would expect that the normal Arkati paths (Humakti, Zorak Zorani, Malkioni, maybe Brithini) to still be available, but those paths where Arkat used his knowledge of Humakt on a Zorak Zoranu Path or his Brithini ways to demonize an Orlanthi, or whatever, to have been blocked.

Quote:

This dnenial of access to the heroquestsvreminds me of the lack of Heortling initiations ehen Harmast succeeded against all expectations. That, too, required an actve maintenance by its author Lokamayadon, and fell apart after his demise.

I think that was an active thing, though. I doubt whether the block on Orlanthi Initiations was just a law that was passed. I would have thought that Lokamayadon’s followers would have been actively HeroQuesting against the Orlanthi, in particular acting as the ritual enemies, to stop the HeroQuests. After Lokamayadon and his followers were soundly thrashed by Arkat and Talor, they wouldn’t have been in any position to oppose the Initiations.

The God Learner blocking of Arkat’s Paths is different to that, in my opinion.

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