RuneScape Forum Archive | Our equal, but opposite

Deltaslug

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This is kind of a long theory, so bear with me.

In many games, you have a rival (of sorts). This comes in one of 2 flavors:
- the high leveled rival that you must close the gap and overcome (ie: the evil overlord who burned down your village or killed your parent or kidnapped your significant other). They are experienced, equipped with high tier gear and spells, they have an army and base and power. You start out with nothing but the clothes on your back and your determination.
- the one who is at the same tier as you (ie: Gary/Blue from Pokemon as you both try to become the Pokemon Master). here, their character might be slightly better than you. but the difference might just be you are using Level 1 Range gear and they are using bronze melee gear.

In Runescape, some might go, well aren't the "signature heroes" this? No. They do represent the various adventuring archetypes:
- The Raptor is the cold blooded slayer, always looking for the next challenge
- Owen is the literal Knight Templar
- Ozan is the lovable rogue and thief
It is true they technically "level up" with you, but they aren't necessarily "rivals" since you are all on the same side when it comes to adventuring.

You could also suggest Nomad or Sliske. Again, no. Once again, they've both been active for quite some time. In addition, the gulf in power and abilities when you start out is quite different.

On a different note, I'm aware that we each have our own personal explanation why we "quest". In most games, you are the designated hero.
Now, you might be doing it for the classical hero reasons, perhaps you're more of an anti-hero or atoner, or you are only in it for the money and the glory, or you might just be doing it because it allows you to be a legitimized thug so you can go around killing and stealing but with gov't support.

But at the end of the day, you're still technically a hero to the public. (or at least 1 with good publicity)

02-Sep-2018 14:53:48

Deltaslug

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Here, we're looking for someone that started their own adventuring just slightly ahead of you.
Here, they've been mischievous.
Here, they've done things that makes the "worst" the World Guardian has done come off seem tame

Think back to a number of the quests we've had. There are a lot of situations where something bad happened right before we came along.

- Cook's Assistant - we know that the previous assistant bailed right before the Duke's birthday. maybe it was a prank by someone?

- Demon Slayer - Denath managed to get his hands on the Tome of Demonology. who's to say someone didn't lend him a hand in retrieving it, but didn't opt to become one of Denath's cultists?

- Tree Gnome Village - Khazard's Army managed to navigate the gnome maze get 1 of the orbs of protection. someone had to help navigate the maze.

- Kinshra - The Kinshra are very active. Who's to say that there isn't someone going thru their ranks, helping out, just as the player char does with the Temple Knights.
Recruited by Captain Dulcin to kidnap monks for Death of Chivalry
Assigned to aid Movario in his search/ops
Ordered by Daquarius to have some role in the operations with Grayzag and the Void Pest

Granted, not every quest would have someone like this acting as our foil. But if you think about it, it could help to explain some of the crisis we try to solve in game.

Villains act, heroes react.

Somewhere out there might be an "anti-world guardian" just half a step ahead of us.
Or imagine how things might have turned out if we started doing all of this first and they were reacting to us? or they were doing all the "heroic" deeds we've been doing instead?

02-Sep-2018 14:53:54 - Last edited on 02-Sep-2018 14:54:41 by Deltaslug

Deltaslug

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This also doesn't mean that the person is even Zamorakian or Bandosian.
It's just their entire motivation for doing what they do is different than ours.

For example, just as the player char is looking for something to do, and the Kinshra just so happen to have that something for them to do.

02-Sep-2018 15:03:08 - Last edited on 02-Sep-2018 15:04:13 by Deltaslug

A Mighty

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There probably isn't such an anti-hero in RS, but I enjoyed this thread nonetheless

To those cursed by war and pest, Come into the light of Armadyl and rest. This is the law of Armadyl.

02-Sep-2018 15:33:38

Dec

2011

Elendil

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What a fun idea! One of the things I enjoyed about Temple at Senntisten was that we were not the sole actors, but it also involved certain colourful characters like that Assassin who we unwittingly assisted during Devious Minds. What other scenarios could have this Anti-WG precipitated?

03-Sep-2018 10:38:55

Deltaslug

Posts: 32,671 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Elendil said :
What a fun idea! One of the things I enjoyed about Temple at Senntisten was that we were not the sole actors, but it also involved certain colourful characters like that Assassin who we unwittingly assisted during Devious Minds. What other scenarios could have this Anti-WG precipitated?

- Priest in Peril - they were the one to help the Zamorakian Monks gain entrance to Paterdomus with some basic acting and disguising skills (this in turn could have been the situation that led them to helping Denath get the book from Gideon, then join the Kinshra in DoC?). Could have knocked on the door saying they are a new arrival, the monks open the door, next thing you know, the entirety of the Myreque series

- H.A.M. Quests - could have just been a member. the person hung out with them some (probably thinking "ah, their hatred is just so adorable &quot

. they could have been the one who brokered the dwarves during Another Slice of HAM. Could have also been the one to land the killing blow to Zanik in Death to the Dogreshun

- Fight Arena - Could have been the one who personally caught and sold the Servills to the Fight Arena

- Tribal Totem - the one who acquired the totem for Handelmort in the first place

- Nomad's Requiem - they were the one that was instructed to locate Nomad for his treason by Nomad's former "master". they succeeded and the former master sent the trio of elites. (their equivalent to our Wanted! quest. however they didn't have to face Nomad, while we had to face Solus.)

03-Sep-2018 15:00:59 - Last edited on 03-Sep-2018 19:59:40 by Deltaslug

Tlamovec

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I'd suspect Sliske or Guthix's tests but they're gone.

So if I agree with that it isn't a random natural way of world and gods have too detail-ignoring thinking to prepare a lab-rat maze specially designed only for us across the whole multiverse, I'd guess that...

I could be our own subconscious mind, projecting itself upon the world through it's latent magic field, making a quest challenge by piling up causalities long time before our conscious mind gets to know about it and we decide go on that quest.

Ugh, or not...

03-Sep-2018 18:04:35

A Mighty

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Maybe Movario is the anti-hero? He already stole the Staff of Armadyl for Lucien if we sided with the Armadyleans in Temple of Ikov...

To those cursed by war and pest, Come into the light of Armadyl and rest. This is the law of Armadyl.

04-Sep-2018 00:39:51

Mar

2019

Nolhiir

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I also felt like Movario was intended to be this when he premiered, from his dialogue implying he had acted as a form of evil adventurer and from his part in the Lucien questline. Newest Disciple of Xau-Tak

15-Oct-2018 22:54:02