RuneScape Forum Archive | Xau-Tak: God of the Horrors

Oct

2005

Wahisietel

Posts: 3,426 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Mod Wilson said :
Hey there. Much as I enjoyed seeing this thread pop up I'd like to confirm something; the mysterious voice in that cutscene is NOT Xau-Tak. Its words carry significantly more weight.

...No, literally*****;_> If Sliske comprehended the meaning behind the Black Howling of Xau-Tak then the parts of his brain responsible for processing languages and memory would gain enough gravity that his head would compact to the size of a child’* fist.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get back to speculating.

What do you think happened to the Mos Le Harmless civilization? Did Xau-Tak itself destroy it, or some other force? What was the artefact that was brought aboard the ship? You never were our brightest star, Khazard. 'Vermin slaughtered like lambs'? What does that even mean?

24-May-2016 12:26:25

Big Storms

Posts: 3,932 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I missed the following quote from the Death at Sea book in the last few pages:
'What carves its hate upon the monolith?'

XAU-TAK!

'Through what do we crawl in silence?'

XAU-TAK!

'What swims the ocean of the dead?'

' XAU-TAK! XAU-TAK! XAU-TAK!'

So lets start with the first sentence: What carves its hate upon the monolith?
What monolith? Why does Xau-Tak hate said monolith? was it made by the Elder Gods? What is its purpose? Is this some kind of supreme elder artifact? Where does it recide currently?

On to the next part: Through what do we crawl in silence? Xau-Ta*
Just what on earth is Xau-Tak!? How large is/are he/she/it/they? Does it encompass everything in excistence? If so, is it responsible for the creation of the Elder Gods? In silence? As in: to not wake he/she/it/them up?

And finally: What swims the ocean of the dead? Xau-Tak
I do not even know how to interpret this. We might be residing in Xau-Tak, so what would Xau-Tak be residing in? The ocean of the dead, perhaps an analogy of literal nothingness? Outside him is nothing?

Anyway I thought I would bring these quotes up since I did not see them being discussed in the last few pages, whilst holding great value lore-wise. And with Mod Wilson stating Xau-Tak is incomprehendible even to the Mahjarrat, who are basically direct descendants of the dreams of an Elder God, it is bound to be big. "One should not mindlessly follow gods or the godless:
follow

your

own

path
"
~Big Storms

24-May-2016 12:57:21

Oct

2023

Trib

Posts: 3,427 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I was wondering why you don't list Broken Home on your list of references to Xau-Tak now. We know the asylum is where Gustaf resided when he spoke our character's name specifically in terms of Xau-Tak, obviously. But we also know that Ormod had at some point been in the area of "the ocean of the dead" since he had a stuffed Celestial Dragon head mounted to his wall, only known to exist at Dragontooth Isle. We also know he had unexplained artefacts in his possession, and we have never really gotten an explanation for how he became so mad. It seems Xau-Tak has a lot of influence in that area, with the Odd Old Man being close by. And Mod Wilson helped to develop Broken Home

24-May-2016 17:13:53 - Last edited on 24-May-2016 19:47:02 by Trib

Oct

2023

Trib

Posts: 3,427 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

accidental double post...sorry.

24-May-2016 19:43:49 - Last edited on 24-May-2016 19:46:42 by Trib

Sep

2008

Rest in Wake

Posts: 785 Gold Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I'm hoping for some primordial t3 or t2 being or hivemind that has been around for most of the current cycle. Does anyone think it would be possible for something like an ant colony to ascend together?

Trib said :
I was wondering why you don't list Broken Home on your list of references to Xau-Tak now. We know the asylum is where Gustaf resided when he spoke our character's name specifically in terms of Xau-Tak, obviously. But we also know that Ormod had at some point been in the area of "the ocean of the dead" since he had a stuffed Celestial Dragon head mounted to his wall, only known to exist at Dragontooth Isle. We also know he had unexplained artefacts in his possession, and we have never really gotten an explanation for how he became so mad. It seems Xau-Tak has a lot of influence in that area, with the Wise Old Man being close by. And Mod Wilson helped to develop Broken Home

I think a mod mentioned the Celestial head when Broken Home was released. Maybe in the faq. IIRC it had to do with time travel causing the Celestial head/body to warp back in time where Ormod got access to it. He might not have ever been to "the ocean of the dead".

Broken Home being right on top of the asylum does tie it into Xau-Tak, if only partially, due to the lore books from Kindred Spirits.

24-May-2016 19:54:21

Nov

2023

Imreoir

Posts: 802 Gold Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Malchyom said :
Wahisietel said :
Xau-Tak knowing of us in the Second Age doesn't necessarily necessitate premonition. I mean, we were technically around in the First Age, weren't we?

Yes, but our influence was in a VERY small area - albeit with a large impact on the future - and nowhere near where Xau-Tak or his own influence would be. We weren't running around the world in the First Age like we are now. We only stopped by a small farm and visited Guthix before his death. So I don't believe that's plausible.

I haven't looked at the rest of the thread yet - so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this - but it's worth mentioning that our name is in the sign-in book for Nabor's asylum. Let me repeat that: The player's name is written in the sign-in book in Nabor's asylum when we visit it in Broken Home . So at some point in our future, we'll be going back to investigate this; whether we arrive before or after Gustaf Johannes mentions us to Sliske is unclear.

Somewhat more ominously, our name is the only one on the list to have been crossed out. Cor Saxi delenda est.

By the Way I Think that Heart of Stone must be Destroyed.

24-May-2016 19:58:35

Raleirosen

Posts: 5,069 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Imreoir said :
I haven't looked at the rest of the thread yet - so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this - but it's worth mentioning that our name is in the sign-in book for Nabor's asylum. Let me repeat that: The player's name is written in the sign-in book in Nabor's asylum when we visit it in Broken Home . So at some point in our future, we'll be going back to investigate this; whether we arrive before or after Gustaf Johannes mentions us to Sliske is unclear.

Somewhat more ominously, our name is the only one on the list to have been crossed out.
Time travel is not necessarily involved. Death at Sea confirms that our name was known in the Second Age; both Nabor and Sliske were present to hear it. Either of them could have written it down at pretty much any point since then; could also be that an escaped inmate jotted it down after 1) overhearing it, or 2) being made aware of it due to Xau-Tak's spreading influence. Patrolling Lore FC almost makes you wish for a Great Revision.

24-May-2016 20:10:49

Lord Aryzth

Posts: 4,410 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Did anyone else find the singsong section of Death at Sea reminiscent of the SpongeBob Squarepants intro?

" What carves it's hate upon the monolith? XAU-TAK! "
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!"

It's probably a coincidence, but it's what I immediately thought of when I first read that bit, and to me reinforced the idea of Xau-Tak's affiliation with the ocean and pirates.

Xau-Tak is Ascended SpongeBob confirmed.

24-May-2016 21:03:10

Oct

2023

Trib

Posts: 3,427 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Raleirosen said :
Imreoir said :
I haven't looked at the rest of the thread yet - so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this - but it's worth mentioning that our name is in the sign-in book for Nabor's asylum. Let me repeat that: The player's name is written in the sign-in book in Nabor's asylum when we visit it in Broken Home . So at some point in our future, we'll be going back to investigate this; whether we arrive before or after Gustaf Johannes mentions us to Sliske is unclear.

Somewhat more ominously, our name is the only one on the list to have been crossed out.
Time travel is not necessarily involved. Death at Sea confirms that our name was known in the Second Age; both Nabor and Sliske were present to hear it. Either of them could have written it down at pretty much any point since then; could also be that an escaped inmate jotted it down after 1) overhearing it, or 2) being made aware of it due to Xau-Tak's spreading influence.

I believe that our name is crossed out probably because we left. I don't know how characteristic that is of the Asylum, but I imagine the real important people who visited didn't write down their names, and the unimportant ones didn't leave after they did.

As for our name being mentioned in Death at Sea, I think the point being made is that we were at the Asylum in the Second age (or earlier) somehow. That is how Gustaf said it, because we were there at some point. If what Rest in Wake says is correct about the celestial dragon head, perhaps celestial dragons are part of how we got there.

Also, does anyone know of a fitting definition for the word "Tak" in a real-life language? Xau means bad in vietnamese.

24-May-2016 21:22:17

Raleirosen

Posts: 5,069 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Trib said :
I believe that our name is crossed out probably because we left. I don't know how characteristic that is of the Asylum, but I imagine the real important people who visited didn't write down their names, and the unimportant ones didn't leave after they did.

As for our name being mentioned in Death at Sea, I think the point being made is that we were at the Asylum in the Second age (or earlier) somehow. That is how Gustaf said it, because we were there at some point. If what Rest in Wake says is correct about the celestial dragon head, perhaps celestial dragons are part of how we got there.
Except both Nabor and Sliske had never heard of the name before, and presumably Sliske never found out what the name meant until he discovered our birth. Your theory is simultaneously placing great trust in the record-keeping of an asylum that very obviously went to **** at some point during a very broad historical range, while also discounting the memory of the Mahjarrat in charge of the institution and Sliske's investigative skills as head of the empire's secret police.

Suffice to say I find it rather unlikely. And from a narrative standpoint, introducing some random time travel element into the very Gothic/Lovecraftian Xau-Tak story arc would be kind of dissonant. Patrolling Lore FC almost makes you wish for a Great Revision.

24-May-2016 21:56:30 - Last edited on 24-May-2016 21:59:36 by Raleirosen

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Xau-Tak: God of the Horrors