RuneScape Forum Archive | Theory: Marimbo and Xau-Tak

Eren Lapucet

Posts: 1,658 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

This is one of my oldest theories which I've shared with various people and even put on Wahi's thread, but I've decided now that it really deserves its own thread.

The basic idea is that the god Marimbo talked about in Facepunch Bonanza was Xau-Tak. Here is the transcript (courtesy, wikia):

Player:
How did you become a goddess?

Marimbo:
You know what? I can't remember.
Marimbo:
I have a strange dream sometimes that I was just an average giant monkey in a vast jungle full of giant monkeys.
Marimbo:
I can't remember the name of the place, but the whole world was a jungle, and giant monkeys like we were in charge.
Marimbo:
We weren't smart or anything. We were just animals. Swinging in trees, eating each other's lice. The usual.
Marimbo:
Then one day I just 'woke up'.
Marimbo:
There was a statue nearby that turned out to be a dead god. And a huge, empty wine barrel.
Marimbo:
Someone later told me he was a god of hedonism too. He was on a trawl of different worlds, challenging mortals to drinking contest for a bit of lark.
Marimbo:
So when he found out about a world of giant monkeys he went there in a flash, grabbed me and started dishing out the booze.
Marimbo:
It's a pity I never got to know him. Everything I found out was from his followers, who were all in mourning.
Marimbo:
So I thought 'Marimbo, let's cheer these guys up', and called for more wine.
Marimbo:
Everyone perked right up once we cracked open a new barrel, I can tell you.
Marimbo:
It's a shame I lost that drinking horn. The Fancy one with all the sparkles. I wonder where it went?
Marimbo:
When we were done they proclaimed me the new god of having a good time. And since that meant enjoying myself all day, who was to argue? I'm too Unaligned to have a forum signature.

29-Dec-2016 02:17:06

Eren Lapucet

Posts: 1,658 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Now, there are a few reasons why I believe the god being described might be Xau-Tak:

1) The god and its followers like to drink. Xau-Tak is a pirate god (among other things), and pirates like to drink.

2) The "vast jungle full of giant monkeys" sounds like it could be Mos Le Harmless, or the secret city described in the Divine Delusion. After Marimbo ascended, Xau-Tak would have corrupted the monkeys and turned them in horrors.

3) If the horn that Marimbo talked about is the Elder Horn, then it would make sense that Xau-Tak originally had it, since one of the powers of the horn is being able to summon sea creatures at you command, and there are supposedly sea creatures near the Cursed Archipelago.

4) Besides the horrors and the skeletal horror by extension, we know there is a connection between monkeys and pirates as ninja monkeys were originally going to be in the finale (revealed in the pirates/gnomes/dwarves poll in 2013).

5) Marimbo is forgetful of the details of her ascension and says she has “strange dreams sometimes”. This is highly suggestive of Xau-Tak due to the connection to dreams. Also, this is probably reading too much into it, but both Marimbo and Zanik were forgetful of what happened to them (Marimbo on how she ascended, Zanik on how she died) and say that they 'woke up' to their transition. I'm too Unaligned to have a forum signature.

29-Dec-2016 02:17:36 - Last edited on 29-Dec-2016 02:29:43 by Eren Lapucet

Eren Lapucet

Posts: 1,658 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The main objection to this theory is that the god Marimbo described turned to stone, and so is presumably dead. However, I think it’s not too far of a stretch at this point that Xau-Tak either is undead or in some weird state that is neither dead nor alive. He is a necromancer after all, there’s that whole mystery surrounding magical stones which can make things undead, and Xau-Tak is based on Cthuhlhu, who spends most of his life in a dream-like state.

It could be that Xau-Tak with his knowledge of necromancy devised a system wherein every time his body dies or senses it is close to death turns to stone, but Xau-Tak still lives on in a dream-state inside of it. Since this is hinging very closely to Cthulhu, it might be that he can't free himself, and needs other people to free him. This could be why he is on Rabid Jack's side; Jack freed him from his latest "death".

And/or maybe Xau-Tak found a way to transfer his soul (or “energy” as described in the Book of the Underworld) and so is able to escape his body when it dies and turns to stone. Sliske turns to stone when you kill him but part of him might be in our head now. Admittedly Sliske isn’t a god… or wasn’t a god? Or… who even knows at this point. Anyways, Xau-Tak mostly operates by possessing things and entering people’s minds/dreams, so it’s some evidence to that explanation. I'm too Unaligned to have a forum signature.

29-Dec-2016 02:18:07 - Last edited on 29-Dec-2016 02:51:05 by Eren Lapucet

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The only flaw I can think of right now is that the dead god was described as a god of hedonism by its own followers. That doesn't sound like Xau at all from what we know of it so far. Plus, I think the Horrors were described as part of an ancient civilization that somehow survived long enough to reach their current state rather than some kind of mutated primates, but I could be wrong on that since I don't have a source for it in front of me right now :s

But I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of this is right in some form. Way I think of it, Xau could've lost the Elder Horn at some point, the old hedonistic god found it and ended up with the Marimbo incident, and after Xau found out about the lost artifact it turned its attention towards Marimbo since she had it. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume that after the horn left Marimbo's possession Xau decided to keep tabs on the goddess just in case something else were to happen that it could take advantage of.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

29-Dec-2016 02:46:54

Eren Lapucet

Posts: 1,658 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Well Marimbo is kind of a joke god, so you can't take everything she says at face value. Then again, this is what it says about the Old Gods (Cthulhu included) in the Call of Cthulhu : "Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom." Maybe Xau-Tak is into that as well?

I'll have to look up the thing about the Horrors. I'm too Unaligned to have a forum signature.

29-Dec-2016 02:56:54 - Last edited on 29-Dec-2016 02:57:56 by Eren Lapucet

Mod Raven

Jagex Moderator Forum Profile Posts by user

The god she describes is not Xau-Tak. Figured I should be direct here in this answer.

= Raven =

29-Dec-2016 13:17:55

Oct

2005

Wahisietel

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

I doubt Marimbo and Xau-Tak have any real connection, besides Horrors maybe being descended from apes. Or at least being descended from the same ancestor as apes... which doesn't say much, since the same probably applies to gnomes, dwarves, elves, humans, ect. You never were our brightest star, Khazard. 'Vermin slaughtered like lambs'? What does that even mean?

29-Dec-2016 14:59:43

Aug

2022

Kemtros

Posts: 5,407 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

There's several overlaps, but I think this is a case of simply degrees of separation. Marimbo is connected to the Elder Horn, the Horn is connected to Ports, which has some overlap with the Pirate quests, but I believe when Mod Stu was discussing the connection between The Arc and Pirates, he said that the Guardians were trying to not step on Mod Wilson's toes. If anything, the closest you might get is Xau-Tak potentially being connected to the Horn.

29-Dec-2016 16:34:50

Eren Lapucet

Posts: 1,658 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Mod Raven said :
The god she describes is not Xau-Tak. Figured I should be direct here in this answer.

= Raven =
Welp, there goes that theory.

But Raven, should you really be telling us when our theories are wrong? Isn't it more fun to watch us squirm in a never-ending labyrinth of confusion and false leads? I mean, it's clearly your thing. I'm too Unaligned to have a forum signature.

29-Dec-2016 17:01:18 - Last edited on 29-Dec-2016 17:04:01 by Eren Lapucet

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Eren Lapucet said :
Well Marimbo is kind of a joke god, so you can't take everything she says at face value. Then again, this is what it says about the Old Gods (Cthulhu included) in the Call of Cthulhu : "Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom." Maybe Xau-Tak is into that as well?

Idk, so far everything I know about Xau shows that it's (at the very least) all serious business with next to no regard to...well, anything that can be considered fun as we know it unless you're insane enough to think messing around with necromantic power and possibly time travel is fun. But I also haven't been keeping an eye out for info on the thing and apparently missed a few teaser details in a few quests lately, so take that with a grain of salt I guess.

Though that doesn't necessarily rule out a cult leader or something along those lines trying to sell worshiping the thing by throwing hedonistic parties.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

29-Dec-2016 20:06:55

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Theory: Marimbo and Xau-Tak