Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Bull King

Just as the Sea King is bound to his Royal Palace and cannot escape it, so too the Bull King is bound to his Labyrinth. Sea Kings come and go, but the Bull King has never died. He was born from the magical workings, pain, and rage of the last Sorcerer-Priest, who was hurled into the Labyrinth by the Sea King. From the Sorcerer-King's rage was born an avatar of the God of Might and Storms: the Bull King.

The King who rules below lives within the Labyrinth-gate. He can feel it growing in extent and power. The Bull King feels the Labyrinth-gate's connections to other realities. But for all his rage and cunning he cannot truly see or use the Labyrinth as a gate. Instead, he endlessly wanders the Labyrinth looking for a way out. He looks up from the pit and bellows to the Sea King and his court, demanding sacrifices. Indeed, it is said that his bellows drive the Sea King and his courtiers half-mad.

This avatar of the God of Might and Storms embodies male psychic and physical aggression against other males. He sows confusion, fear, and domination. First one is lowered into the Labyrinth. Then one wanders in fear. Then one becomes lost. Fear mounts further. Then comes the confrontation between the hapless sacrifices and the god. The Bull King shows no mercy toward those who are lowered into the pit as sacrifices.

It is said that only a Spherewalker can set him free.

Antoine-Louis Barye
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Theseus_Slaying_Minotaur_by_Barye.jpg
 

The Bull King
  • Fire: 8
  • Earth: 9
  • Air: 3
  • Water 1: 

Power:
  • Terrifying Bellow: The Bull King can strike fear in any hero depriving them of one action as a conflict begins. Prolonged exposure to this power over weeks or months invariably leads to madness.  (3 point Earth power - frequent, very powerful, but not versatile).
  • Make the Walls Move: The Bull King confuses and frightens his victims by stalking them for hours or days before beginning the final confrontation. He can make walls move and branch, or a corridor suddenly end in a wall (2 point Earth power: frequent, powerful).
  • See in Absolute Darkness: The Bull King sees perfectly in total darkness (1 point power: frequent).
Boons:

  • The Bull King knows many secrets of the court. 
    • He retains the memories of the male flesh he devours. 
    • Feed him male flesh and he may be disposed to share his secrets. 
    • Feed him female flesh and he will tell you lies. 
    • Consume his brains and you will learn his secrets directly. You will also be unable to find your way out of the Labyrinth.Your Water Score will also drop permanently to 1, and you will no longer be able to Spherewalk.
  • If the Bull King is slain:
    • His right horn can be fashioned into a musical instrument capable of playing his Terrifying Bellow once per day.
    • His left horn can be worn as a fetish which will provide a +2 Element Score for any attempt at seduction.
    • His heart, if devoured, will grant an increase in one's Fire and Earth Score of +2.
  • If the Bull King is slain, numerous personal articles will suddenly become visible throughout the Labyrinth. These include: 
    • Perfectly preserved costumes and jewelry of the Bull Dancers; 
    • Swords, knives, and shields of sacrifices who were afforded the dignity of being able to die with a weapon in their hands.
    • Personal mementos and talismans of protection worn by sacrificial victims.

1 comment:

  1. This is an excellent series. Love the Mythic Qualities you are bringing into this set-up. You are demonstrating how this system really captures a great deal of the magic without getting bogged down in useless, distracting trivia. Too bad the game is D.O.A., or is it? It would be nice to see a stripped-down/OGL-ified version, or perhaps it would be possible to revise/expand WaRP to replace or carry on in place of Everway--a sort of Retro-clone Everway? Is there any merit in such a notion?

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