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Xau-Tak: God of the Horrors

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Pure speculation here, but here's what I'd like to see if your thoughts on Xau-Tak are true.

1. Xau-Tak is a female god associated with the sea and necromancy. She at one point was a pirate slave on her home plane. She had been kidnapped from her village as a small child, and eventually took control of her master's ship through manipulation, bribery, and murder. Her planet was water based, and as she grew in power, other pirates were made to swear fealty to her or die upon the edge of her sword. She was cold, and remorseless.

2. At some point as a pirate queen, she contracted a fatal illness. By this point, she had become power hungry, and dying was not in her plans.

3. Before ascending to godhood, she devised a necromancy ritual that siphoned Anima of those who died at sea into her body should she 'die,' making her basically immortal. As she 'died' multiple times, her body became more and more undead, but her spell would not let her die. This literally made her an undead god.

3. Unlike other gods, she can only be killed if her necromancy is nullified. If someone dies at sea, they instantly are given the option to become undead, but this allows her to siphon their anima to make herself more powerful. As long as they remain undead, they act as a power source for her.

03-Nov-2015 01:50:41

mghtymth
Feb Member 2021

mghtymth

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Abanderped said :
Xau-Tak is probably female, seeing as the goddess Calypso in Pirates of the Caribbean is also female and the Pirate series has more ties to the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Also notice how the name of the merchant who traded with the residents of Daemonheim, Hearthen, who features in the Nadir-saga and is mentioned by the Exile, resembles the term "heathen". Calypso in the Pirates of the Caribbean is a heathen goddess. Coincidence? I think not! Surely Xau-Tak is female.

Going down this thought path for a second, perhaps Xau-Tak bound itself into a mortal form in order bypass the Edicts. Sort of like Kharshai did to preserve his power. Being able to keep its power and influence but not being aware of it.

Or the other theory that I have is that it is more like a Lovercraftian horror in that it is currently sleeping underneath the waves completely locked out of power and consciousness. Effectively being dead but still able to have influence. Just different ways to see how it could influence the events of the Pirate Series.

03-Nov-2015 02:06:31

Raleirosen

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Wahisietel said :
Yes, honestly I think Xau-Tak is more "C*hulhu" than it is "Pirate".
Just because something has tentacles ("tendrils" in this case) doesn't make it Lovecraftian. The defining aspect of Lovecraft is cerebral, mind-shattering horror. I'm kind of skeptical on that front since the Pirate series is played mostly for laughs, and the Odd Old Man still seems somewhat functional. Patrolling Lore FC almost makes you wish for a Great Revision.

03-Nov-2015 19:40:08 - Last edited on 03-Nov-2015 19:44:25 by Raleirosen

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

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Raleirosen said :
Wahisietel said :
Yes, honestly I think Xau-Tak is more "C*hulhu" than it is "Pirate".
Just because something has tentacles ("tendrils" in this case) doesn't make it Lovecraftian. The defining aspect of Lovecraft is cerebral, mind-shattering horror. I'm kind of skeptical on that front since the Pirate series is played mostly for laughs, and the Odd Old Man still seems somewhat functional.
Tentacles are nowadays associated with unnatural or alien creatures which became common in fiction on part due to Lovecraft's works, and by more "C*hulhu" than "Pirate", Wahisietel probably meant that Xau-Tak is more like an eldritch abomination rather than an ascendant pirate-type character.
Still, sources indicate that Xau-Tak is probably more akin to a C*hulhu than to a literal "Pirate God". JMods have gone describing the Underwater City to be more like R'lyeth than Atlantis, so given that Xau-Tak and the Underwater City are implied to have a connection, I'd expect Xau-Tak to be an eldritch tentacle monster than an undead pirate necromancer. Even its name feels more like that of an alien creature than that of a more human character.
As for your skepticism based on the fact Pirate series has been so far comedic instead of horrifying, remember that Pirate series has always had plenty of darker undertones, and that Jagex has had a tendency to turn quest series from hilarious to serious. Also, remember that Xau-Tak was compared with Bandos and Tuska, and given that they both are considered very, very serious villains, I don't think it'd make justice for Xau-Tak to portray it in a comedic light.

04-Nov-2015 14:35:16

Cthris
Dec Member 2023

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Personally I would rather Xau-Tak to have no gender, I think gender allows us to relate better to the character, and I feel like this character is built to be more alien, unrelatable, and more "antagonistic" than other gods. His avatar is a skeleton built out of many different creatures, so it's impossible for us to know the avatars gender, if it even has one.

Whenever I see this thread I keep getting stuck on Gravemind images,I guess all the tendrils...

04-Nov-2015 14:45:13 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2015 14:46:03 by Cthris

Raleirosen

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Aquamancer said :
Tentacles are nowadays associated with unnatural or alien creatures which became common in fiction on part due to Lovecraft's works, and by more "C*hulhu" than "Pirate", Wahisietel probably meant that Xau-Tak is more like an eldritch abomination rather than an ascendant pirate-type character.
You're correct, I actually think I meant to quote someone else. But in any case my point was that people tend to make the shallowest connection possible and go "lol tentacles that means lovecraft XD" without reading into things a little more than not at all.

If Jagex wants Xau-Tak to be an eldritch abomination à la Lovecraft, then fine. But in that case they'll have to do more than give it tentacles and a villainous agenda, because frankly that won't cut it. Patrolling Lore FC almost makes you wish for a Great Revision.

04-Nov-2015 16:00:43 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2015 16:01:29 by Raleirosen

Wahisietel
Oct Member 2005

Wahisietel

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RogueColin said :
What about the Grotesque? I feel like it would fit nicely into the descriptions given.

Not connected to a series of locations released since 2005, and not pirate-related. You never were our brightest star, Khazard. 'Vermin slaughtered like lambs'? What does that even mean?

05-Nov-2015 11:59:34

Haku494

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Regarding how Xau-Tak could have interfered and revived Rabid Jack. Moira and Bilrach managed to find their way to Zamorak's world via an anchor point buried below Daemonheim, it's possible that Xau-Tak has one as well; under the sea, allowing Xau-Tak to steal the corpses of the drowned to add to her own sea of corpses. Gielinors' very own Davy Jones' Locker.

05-Nov-2015 13:45:07 - Last edited on 05-Nov-2015 13:46:04 by Haku494

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