We know that Rajaat selected his best students to be his Champions, but there had to be deeper reasons than just being good at the combined arts magic and psionics. What other factors were there?
Did something transpire in each of the would-be-Champions' pasts that would push them to commit genocide against an entire race of beings? Did Rajaat approach other students who declined his offer?
I've been thinking about this for awhile and was curious as to what other people's thoughts were on it.
I have no doubt that Rajaat manipulated his would be Champions, but there must have been some other underlying motivation behind their willingness to participate. The Champions must have had some personal interests or past experiences with said races to develop a deep enough hatred to warrant them spearheading their genocide.
I do not want to offend anyone but when I think about how the Cleansing Wars started, I think of Hitler and the Nazi's!
With a charasmatic leader, like Rajaat would have been, he probable approched them slowly, at first talking about who ther were vast injustices in life and as the student started to believe all of this, blame the other races for the problems and tell the student how much better they are verses the other races- a perfect race.
I do not want to offend anyone but when I think about how the Cleansing Wars started, I think of Hitler and the Nazi's!
With a charasmatic leader, like Rajaat would have been, he probable approched them slowly, at first talking about who ther were vast injustices in life and as the student started to believe all of this, blame the other races for the problems and tell the student how much better they are verses the other races- a perfect race.
I'm sure that propaganda had a big part of it as well.
I'm sure that some of the Champions had some personal vendettas against their assigned race as well. Revenge for a death of a loved one perhaps.
I do not want to offend anyone but when I think about how the Cleansing Wars started, I think of Hitler and the Nazi's!
With a charasmatic leader, like Rajaat would have been, he probable approched them slowly, at first talking about who ther were vast injustices in life and as the student started to believe all of this, blame the other races for the problems and tell the student how much better they are verses the other races- a perfect race.
It's a good parallel, until the Champions found out Rajaat's true perfect race.
While the Champions were undoubtedly evil, their drive to exterminate the other races is unthinking as they were willing to almost destroy the planet in the process. This indictaes a deep manipulation of their powerful minds. The timeline does suggest that Rajaat taught defiling magic to a select few, these were probably among those who fought the Jihad against the Preservers (also a means to weaken the good among the humans and other races?).
There is again over 1,500 years of history during this period, plenty of time for Rajaat to test and observe his evil followers for the most able and willing (and as you suggest to indoctrinate them to his cause).
So you finally cracked Sysane and added another Champion/SK/Rajaat thread to the others, hen?! ;) :P
Yeah, board was kind of slow and I'm not really interested in any of the threads that are seeing activity.
Plus, I am interested to hear people's speculations on the SK's histories.
We're all familiar with the SK's from the Prism Pentad and various gaming materials and what not, but there is so much we don't know about these enigmatic beings past.
We know that Rajaat selected his best students to be his Champions, but there had to be deeper reasons than just being good at the combined arts magic and psionics. What other factors were there?
Did something transpire in each of the would-be-Champions' pasts that would push them to commit genocide against an entire race of beings? Did Rajaat approach other students who declined his offer?
I've been thinking about this for awhile and was curious as to what other people's thoughts were on it.
Honestly, I don't know if he chose them based purely on their psionic and magical ability - especially when you look at Hamanu (following the backstory from Rise & Fall). I personally think that he chose them as being the most able to be influenced by him - I guess the most malleable minds from among his students. Even so, he would have to ensure that he's the one manipulating, and nobody else.
I do think, however that he slipped up once or twice - Dregoth doesn't appear to have been as malleable as the others - note how rather than actively pursuing his charge (Giants), he sacks Giustenal, sets up shop, and spends the majority of the rest of the Cleansing War there - working on something, eventually he gets the attention of his Master - who was rightfully upset that he's not doing his job - Dregoth, after seeing just what happened when Myron tee'd off their boss, gives a token effort to continue his little war, but never really goes into it fully (something else is keeping his interest).
And then there's Myron - who apparently stepped over the line. And Rajaat had him replaced with a being that (if we follow Rise & Fall) - had no Magical or Psionic training at all - but was an even more malleable mind. Rise and Fall shows that Rajaat rigs up Hamanu with the ability to use Magic Psionics, gives him the Scorcher, places him in charge of Myron's armies (which he already had drawn much support for), tasks him to finish the Trolls, and with an efficiency that was frighning in it's swiftness, he routes the remaining Trolls and wipes them out. But then - Rajaat kind of screws up, and reveals the next part of his plan to his newsest and boldest of apprentices - only to frighten Hamanu who sees the madness that is Rajaat, and then he goes and lets the one other Champion he had a connection with - Borys. Which in turn, leads to the Rebellion of the Champions, their birth as Sorcerer-Kings & starts as Dragons (from the canon sources).
Now - Wyan and Sacha definitely fall into the little toadies category - but then again, just look at what they were tasked to kill. Pixies (anyone have a good can of RAID?) and Kobolds (I think, need to check the material on that). These two were given arguably the easier tasks, finished them, and then relaxed. I don't think they felt connection with Humans any more either, probably feeling superior and self-important, as Champions of Rajaat the Warbringer, and backed him during the Rebellion.
Nytcrawler and I have (had?) this running dialogue about Abalach-Re. Since she... has supposedly hundreds of children (that are known), it seems to paint this picture of a very...sexually-active woman. If taken further, I have a feeling she was the type to sleep with everyone who was under her command during the War. I could see her trying to even sleep with the other Champions - using her...promiscuity to garner favors with everyone she could. But, she also tends to be a bit flaky - quickly becoming aloof, forgetful about things, and always only really concerning herself about... well, herself.
Dregoth, I feel, is probably the most studious, most knowledgeable, most observant, and possibly most focused of all the Champions. I think he was probably the most advanced student that Rajaat had - and even if he wasn't exactly as prone to following Rajaat's every whim, he was picked because of his superiority. Of course, I also tend to think that Dregoth was the one who discovered and developed the Dragon process (which others don't necessarily agree with me on this). He also arguably had one of the harder tasks as a Champion - to eradicate the Giants. The Giants may fall from his magic and psionics - but not everyone in his army would have had that at their disposal - and exactly how do you convince an army to go chase down Giant after Giant, especially when these beings could take out multiple people at one swing.
Oronis, or rather originally Keltis - I think he really enjoyed his task - possibly too much. Look at the destruction he wrought just searching for Lizardmen in the Last Sea. This was a man who knew his purpose, and loved working towards fulfilling it. I think he was compitent as a psionic and magical individual, not necessarily the best, but probably believed that what was lacking in finesse, could be made up with simple brute force and power. something, however, seeded the beginnings of guilt in him. We all can speculate (hell, I speculate that it was running into himself as a final-stage Avangion travelling through space & time observing the past - and that Oronis actually had an impact on Keltis at that point - worming in the idea that what he was doing was wrong). But regardless of what our speculations are, Keltis changes heart, sets himself up as an Avangion (whch I believe he was the one which developed that spell line, modelling it off the Dragon process). He's filled with incredible guilt over what he had done, etermined to attempt to right his wrongs, and fearful of what the other Sorcerer-Kings would do if they discovered the truth of what he became.
Hamanu's past, I feel is best covered in Rise and Fall - even with the little things I don't agree with in that novel, the foundation it puts to Hamanu is great.
The Oba and Nibenay - I feel that their little war may be somewhat a scam, somewhat a lover's quarrel, and somewhat just something to keep immortal minds preoccupied with. Lalai-Puy is an extreme opportunist - always had been, and thus picked by Rajaat to hunt the Aarakocra - she is the conniving rogue who always is looking for the right angle to come out on top. Like a master poker player, she knows how to bluff, knows how to read other people, and like a master conman, knows how to get people to believe whatever she wants them to. How else can the people of Gulg believe that she's the Forest Goddess - when in reality, she's a Defiler just like the other Sorcerer-Kings? Nibenay is second only to Dregoth for his research and study. He also apparently is possibly second to, or on par with Abalach-Re for promescuity. I see Nibenay as being an over-achiever, even back while under Rajaat's training. He has a lot of potential, and is determined to make the most of that potential - but possibly gets easily distracted in the process.
Andropinis - I think he just hated Elves from the start. Even when he was in Balic, Elves weren't exactly commonplace. I tend to think of him as I would a leader of the Klu Klux Klan - he has an unending hatred for that which is different - but he reigned it in when he was made aware of Rajaat's true scheme. His hatred provided an easy way for Rajaat to manipulate him from the start (I feel Borys also had a similar hatred in him), so he was chosen as a Champion - but this same hatred would eventually backfire - as Rajaat is definitely not human either, and when shown that Rajaat wanted the end of humanity, then... well Andropinis wouldn't go along with that.
Borys - like Andropinis, I think he just hated Dwarves from the word go. Some slights through his life, or his upbringing, or whatever ended up with Borys wanting nothing more than to destroy Dwarves. I think that while he may have been good Magically, he was not as strong psionically - however he made that up through physical prowess (a Psychic Warrior rather than Psion). His war with Dwarves was personal - which was the only reason he may have been less efficient in his duties - but he was most definitely determined to finish his goal - until Hamanu broke the startling news about what Rajaat's true goals were, and then he had to rethink his plans. When he went into his Animalistic Rampage, however, I feel he must have sought out and destroyed those Dwarven cities & outposts he knew of - whether there were Dwarves in them or not.
Daskinor, I think was unpredictable from the start. I think that he took well to magical training, but his psionic ability was more focused on his emotional stability (or instability - IE he's a Wilder, not a Psion). I think he may have been fine - most of the time, but always a loose cannon, and even troublesome to Rajaat - despite his ability. I think, though, the breaking point for Daskinor was when Borys initiated the Dragon metamorphosis on him. I think that the physical transformations that the Dragon process wrought through his body - including his brain, the chemical/hormonal shifts, and his already very fragile state of mind (from being a very emotional Wilder) snapped him. And that what was left, was a complete madman. He might have seemed ok at the start of the rule of the Sorcerer-Kings, but then his wild tendancies would become increasingly pronounced until finally, he was simply too much of a problem, and Borys simply stopped going towards Eldaaritch - as Daskinor was so erratic, so explosive, that he could pose a significant threat to the stability of the region. Borys' solution was to simply ignore him, forget he was there (and possibly expect Keltis & Daskinor to destroy each other).
Tectuktitlay, I think, was actually the least powerful of the Champions - he had the weakest grasp of magic and psionics, but even though, comparitively to the others, he may have been more or less inept, his mind was ripe for Rajaat's molding - so he ended up a Champion. Fearing that the others would kill him when they revolted against Rajaat, he sided with the others, got ahold of Draj, and built a society that placed him as their god-king. And what did he get for his troubles? Slain by Rajaat (who may have believed Tec would side with him in the rebellion, and thus felt extremely slighted by it).
Kalak - I believe wasn't really a Champion. I tend to think that maybe he was the leading general of Abalach-Re's armies, happened to be able to help out in the Revolution, was made into a Sorcerer-King, and given Tyr to do with what he would. He was nothing if not ambitious, and this proved to be his downfall.
though, i can't help thinking there must have been more champions... I mean, Athas is a big place, but supposedly Raj was around long enough to go around the lot of it, or at least a lot of it. Why wasn't there anyone to go after the Gith? or the Yuan-Ti? and so on and so forth... into eternity....
Other races, like the trolls, could have been found in every corner of the land, basically everybody's peaceful neighbors from the nearby hills and plains, and so find themselves at the top of the list for immediate cleansing.
For another champion I have Pennarin, Doppelganger Eradicator.
Dregoth, I feel, is probably the most studious, most knowledgeable, most observant, and possibly most focused of all the Champions. I think he was probably the most advanced student that Rajaat had - and even if he wasn't exactly as prone to following Rajaat's every whim, he was picked because of his superiority. Of course, I also tend to think that Dregoth was the one who discovered and developed the Dragon process (which others don't necessarily agree with me on this). He also arguably had one of the harder tasks as a Champion - to eradicate the Giants. The Giants may fall from his magic and psionics - but not everyone in his army would have had that at their disposal - and exactly how do you convince an army to go chase down Giant after Giant, especially when these beings could take out multiple people at one swing.
According to Rise and Fall of a Dragon King, Dregoth was already set on exterminating the Giants when Rajaat found him...
(Which contradicts Giants being created from the last Dwarven Knights (Jo'hrsh and Sa'ram) AFTER Rajaat was imprisoned. Unless he was tasked to extermine Crag and Plains Giants. Or other varieties of now-extinct Giants)
Because of this, and the other reasons you mentioned, I see this as the behaviour of a VERY focused individual.
I believe his army may have had a higher number of siege weapons than any other army.
And undead Giants. Either as damage buffer or as siege weapon crew.
According to Rise and Fall of a Dragon King, Dregoth was already set on exterminating the Giants when Rajaat found him...
(Which contradicts Giants being created from the last Dwarven Knights (Jo'hrsh and Sa'ram) AFTER Rajaat was imprisoned. Unless he was tasked to extermine Crag and Plains Giants. Or other varieties of now-extinct Giants)
There were the lion headed giants of Guistenal which were lead by Taraskir as well.
I could be wrong though.