Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Aug 30, 2004 21:24:04	Rajaat created magic. Magic draws on the energy of plants and animals, but mostly plants. Rajaat created magic as a way of restoring Athas to a previous age. To do so he has to kill all races, save the halflings. I propose that Rajaat's true purpose for the Cleansing Wars was not to seek out and destroy each individual race, but to cause ecological collapse on a global scale. The Champions travelled all over the face of Athas defiling as they went. We all know that plants are the base of the food chain. If Rajaat could destroy most of Athas' plant-life, then he would cause a global famine and wipe out an enormous population. Afterwards, Rajaat would send his champions off to clean up the scraps.
#2 nytcrawlr Aug 31, 2004 8:22:11	Rajaat created magic. Magic draws on the energy of plants and animals, but mostly plants. Rajaat created magic as a way of restoring Athas to a previous age. To do so he has to kill all races, save the halflings. I propose that Rajaat's true purpose for the Cleansing Wars was not to seek out and destroy each individual race, but to cause ecological collapse on a global scale. The Champions travelled all over the face of Athas defiling as they went. We all know that plants are the base of the food chain. If Rajaat could destroy most of Athas' plant-life, then he would cause a global famine and wipe out an enormous population. Afterwards, Rajaat would send his champions off to clean up the scraps. It's a nice idea, but it contradicts too many things. If that were the case then the Cleansing Wars would have lasted alot longer IMO. Wyan (or was it Sacha?) wouldn't have finished as quickly as he did, etc.
#3 dawnstealer Aug 31, 2004 9:40:37	True, Nyt, but that might be Cyrus' point: maybe the Cleansing Wars are still going. I could go either way on it, to be honest. I like to think that Rajaat is a little too powerful and smart to have not seen the champions' betrayal coming and planned for it. Of course, he was insane....
#4 greyorm Aug 31, 2004 13:15:03	I like to think that Rajaat is a little too powerful and smart to have not seen the champions' betrayal coming and planned for it. Who says he didn't? And that he wasn't just overcome?
#5 zombiegleemax Aug 31, 2004 13:47:05	True, Nyt, but that might be Cyrus' point: maybe the Cleansing Wars are still going. I could go either way on it, to be honest. I like to think that Rajaat is a little too powerful and smart to have not seen the champions' betrayal coming and planned for it. Of course, he was insane.... Possibly, Rajaat knew that his "Cleansing Wars" would not actually work. Maybe he hoped to spread the use of defiling magic with the Cleansing Wars as a cover. He wouldn't tell the Champions if so, and history would be written by the Champions after his defeat and not by Rajaat. Even Rajaat's imprisonment could fall in with his plans. He's just waiting for the eventual collapse.
#6 pneumatik Aug 31, 2004 14:59:45	Possibly, Rajaat knew that his "Cleansing Wars" would not actually work. Maybe he hoped to spread the use of defiling magic with the Cleansing Wars as a cover. He wouldn't tell the Champions if so, and history would be written by the Champions after his defeat and not by Rajaat. Even Rajaat's imprisonment could fall in with his plans. He's just waiting for the eventual collapse. I think this makes sense. It's been mentioned repeatedly that Sadira tossing the Dark Lens into the Ring of Fire may not have been the smartest idea. From Rajaat's point of view, it's a very good thing. He's gotten out of his prison, killed off one of his old champions, locked another one away on another plane, seen a little bit of what was going on on Athas, caused more destruction and generally made life more difficult for the Rebirth races. Now Dregoth will take care of the remaining SK's (or they'll take care of him, who knows), and then Rajaat will get out of his prison again. His dependance on his shadow was removed when his shadow was destroyed, so maybe he'll have build himself a body of solid obsidian through his link with the Dark Lens. Anyway, he can get free right after Dregoth and the other remaining SK's finish fighting, kill whichever ones are left, and then finish picking off the few surviving rebirth races. The Cerulean Storm is adding plenty of water to Athas; assuming it was part of Rajaat's plan from the beginning, he probably knows of some way to augment it, and dump water even faster. Eventually, the lower lands will start being covered with water, leaving only the Tyr area above sea level. (It's a good thing the Thri-Kreen, who I think are a pre-rebirth race, are preparing to move en-masse to the tablelands from the crimson savanah(sp)). Voila, return of the blue age. I'm not sure how much this follows cannon, but it certainly could work. I have no idea how PC's could attempt to stop Rajaat once he's out of his prison again, though. It's not that he might not have some weakness, it's that his super-powerful magic should let him use divination magics to find anything that might be a threat to him. Pneumatik
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 31, 2004 15:16:24	In all reality, i'm not sure why Rajaat didn't take his halflings someplace safe, then open a gate to the Plane of Water and flood the world. Alot less work and all the rebirth races would have died anyways.