...on Aoskar. Can anyone give me some good references and source material -- apocrypha even -- on the God of Portals? Thanks!
Help lann the chant...
Sun, 2007-09-23 19:03
#1
Help lann the chant...
Mon, 2007-09-24 05:12
#3
Help lann the chant...
I suppose my question is more of a request for a canny blood with a proper list of Aoskar's chant among the published works for PSCS. I suppose also, that this is more aimed toward rip, considering he's usually the reference-monger. I possess the entirety of the PSCS works, but figure it may cut a lot of time with requesting someone else's knowledge of where to look, rather than combing the texts myself. A time- and labor-saving device, if available. If not, well, I can certainly do this. Perhaps I will share this information, once coallated.
I'm not trying to be a smart-alleck, as the Primes sometimes say, since I figure there is never harm in asking a question. If no answer is forthcoming, well, onto the next process... I know I'd be willing to answer any question if I knew it's answer, if said answer would cause no harm in its knowing. You know?
I also intended to place this thread here and used its title to allow others to fill in their own gaps to be requests for informational aid. Just add your own "..." portion.
Mon, 2007-09-24 05:48
#4
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not trying to offend, sorry if I did. I can't remember which chapters in the PSCS are which, but the one on Sigil specificly would be your best bet, I think.
Mon, 2007-09-24 06:46
#5
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AOSKAR REFERENCES:
In The Cage: A Guide To Sigil p. 54
Gee...and that's about it for any detailed, useful information in published products that I could find, at the moment. Everything else, even references to the Shattered Temple and such, do not expand any more on the information given at the reference above.
There is no real chronology or details on the deity, his presence in the Cage, etc. No idea how long he was there before the Lady gave him the boot. How did he even come to be there? Why would the Lady even let a power in Her city in the first place? Of course, some of these answers might require knowing the Lady's own motivations, which we well know are nigh-inscrutible.
Mon, 2007-09-24 15:15
#6
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Why would the Lady even let a power in Her city in the first place?
I got the impression that the deity-ban came about because of Aoskar. I don't think that's necessarily stated in canon, though.
Mon, 2007-09-24 15:35
#7
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Yes, that is generally inferred. Aoskar started to get too much attention and even had Fell, a dabus, start worshiping him and join the priesthood. The Lady said enough was enough and smote him mightily -- Aoskar, not Fell so much. Anyway, I meant more why she would let any sort of powerful basher, like a power, in her own domain. That had to be seen as a potential problem down the road. Something tells me there's more afoot between the Lady and Aoskar. Why didn't other dieties try and call the City of Doors kip before they got the ban?
Tue, 2007-09-25 10:21
#8
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Why didn't other dieties try and call the City of Doors kip before they got the ban?
Maybe cause Aoskar's already been there?
Tue, 2007-09-25 11:17
#9
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Why would the Lady even let a power in Her city in the first place?
As far as I recall, Aoskar was never physically present in Sigil (Lady doesn't permit deities, as you've noted). He was a god of Portals, and as such, was worshipped by plenty of planewalkers. The Lady didn't appear to mind until one of her Dabus, Fell, converted. Aoskar became a dead god not long after that, though the PS sources don't say exactly how he entered the dead-book.
(This does suggest that the Dabus are somehow very important to her power -- if the conversion of one of them to serve another being is worth the effort to destroy a deity.)
As a side note, some PS source (don't remember which one) claimed that the blood of Aoskar, even after his death, acts as a universal portal key.
Tue, 2007-09-25 11:45
#10
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Hmm, I'll have to double-check, but you bring up a good point. I think that his physical presence in Sigil was somehow always taken for granted, for whatever reason.
However, this poses another question; one that may have greater consequences: how did the Lady slay Aoskar? If she did it outside of Sigil, that raises a lot of suspicion. Just how powerful IS the Lady, then?
It opens a whole other plane of worms, as they say.
Tue, 2007-09-25 12:22
#11
Help lann the chant...
Hmm, I'll have to double-check, but you bring up a good point. I think that his physical presence in Sigil was somehow always taken for granted, for whatever reason.
However, this poses another question; one that may have greater consequences: how did the Lady slay Aoskar? If she did it outside of Sigil, that raises a lot of suspicion. Just how powerful IS the Lady, then?
It opens a whole other plane of worms, as they say.
The ways to kill off a deity mostly boil down to these:
1) If you're a powerful enough deity yourself, you go up and kill him. Downside: If you fail, you'll probably die instead.
2) Gain access to a god-slaying artifact and use it (there have traditionally been a few kicking around in fantasy fiction). Same downside as #1 if you fail.
3) Kill off the god's worshippers. He's likely to intervene as much as he's able to if you try to simply slaughter them. You could simply work to convert his worshippers to other faiths -- the deity will starve and die. (In either case, deities are *usually* prevented from manifesting their full Godly might on the Prime Material Plane, where the bulk of mortal worshippers are concentrated.)
As far as how the Lady put Aoskar in the dead-book, well, that's dark. 
Tue, 2007-09-25 12:40
#12
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As far as how the Lady put Aoskar in the dead-book, well, that's dark.
Case in point on godslaying: Tenebrous and the Final Word. Perhaps she knew something of that? The only thing that seems to be the case, at least inferred, is that Her dealing with Aoskar was pretty summary and not a drawn out affair. It might seem something according to #1 or #2, or something to that effect. Her own authority may transcend or supercede that of deities in general.
Just how much is the Lady aware of in Her city? If she really had the eyes and ears permeating the Cage, Her Serenity would be privvy to copious amounts of the chant.
But I digress...
Tue, 2007-09-25 14:16
#13
Help lann the chant...
Just how much is the Lady aware of in Her city? If she really had the eyes and ears permeating the Cage, Her Serenity would be privvy to copious amounts of the chant.
I'd say She probably knows about everything that happens in the city, barring something like the Focrux (is that the one? The item from Harbinger House, I mean). Although, of course, nobody knows for sure. Because She doesn't seem to care about most of what She sees.
That's a pretty general question. I suggest you read the encyclopedia and articles here, as well as the PSCS. Check out the links section too. A lot of us get our information from there.