Does Zek give you his blessings if you are Undead?

[Talathion]

<p>IF you are a Vampire or Lich Or Undead, does Zek still give you his blessings?</p><p>I believe that the character would be defeated and thus would lose them, but what do you think?</p><p>((could use a Lore master for this))</p>

[Talathion]

<p>Would also like to know more lore on Zek.</p>

[kelvmor]

<p><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;"><span style="color: #ffffff;">Rallos Zek is allied with <a title="Innoruuk" href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Innoruuk">Innoruuk</a> and <a title="Cazic-Thule" href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Cazic-Thule">Cazic-Thule</a>, enemy to <a title="Quellious" href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Quellious">Quellious</a> and <a title="Bertoxxulous" href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Bertoxxulous">Bertoxxulous</a>. The followers of Rallos Zek, the Warlord, believe in survival of the strong and death to the weak. The heart of a true follower of Zek yearns for strength, courage, but above all, victory. They believe that the heat of battle is the only place and time where enlightenment can be gained, that the universe was formed by conflict and in conflict it will end, with the victors feasting upon the remains of their fallen enemy. No respect or regard is given to the dead, for if they were worthy their hearts would still pump blood through their veins and not upon the soil of Norrath. The followers of Zek are almost exclusively warriors.</span></span></p><p>Got this from the wikia. The dead are worthless, pretty much.</p>

[Talathion]

<p>k <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </p><p>Anyone else have information on this?</p><p>hehe</p>

[Iskandar]

<p>Seems like it would depend on how Zek defines "dead"... to me, "dead" means they're just lying there and rotting -- but a vampire is considered "undead," and a bit more active than that dead guy lying over there <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/49869fe8223507d7223db3451e5321aa.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Talathion]

<p>Vampire's hearts are not beating anymore though.</p>

[Iskandar]

<p>That doesn't seem to stop them from running around all over Norrath lately tho <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/49869fe8223507d7223db3451e5321aa.gif" border="0" /></p><p>The "undead" have consciousness and both mental and motor functions without any natural signs of life (such as a beating heart). They continue to function as well as any living being.</p><p>The "dead" have no consciousness and lack both mental and motor functions without any natural signs of life (such as a beating heart). They no longer function at all and begin to rot and decay.</p>

[Talathion]

<p>I wish we could get a confirm :/</p>

[Cusashorn]

Don't know why you're so hurried to get an actual lore confirmation. Race has almost never played any part of any dietie's functions or blessings, with a few exceptions like the Dark Elves and Luggalds for Innoruuk. As long as a creature is capable of free will and independant thought, and thus can worship Rallos Zek, then he has no reason to not give them his blessing unless they are his enemy.

[Talathion]

<p>The problem being, if someone loses in battle with a vampire, and is turned into a vampire  OR someone who is forced to become a lich...  wouldn't that mean he or she is defeated in battle?</p>

[shadowscale]

<p>undead can still fight, therefor are not worthless. just take a look at what the orcs are doing in frostfang sea. rather sure they are glad for a second chance to fight again. also the ring war, rallos has a hand there as to why the gaints are there fighting.</p>

[Cusashorn]

<p><cite>Talathion@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>The problem being, if someone loses in battle with a vampire, and is turned into a vampire  OR someone who is forced to become a lich...  wouldn't that mean he or she is defeated in battle?</p></blockquote><p>What matters to most Gods of War in fiction is not whether you are defeated in battle, but whether you can still fight afterward.</p>

[Meatmonster]

<p>It seems like a hard standard to hold to when Rallos Zek's track record(Or at least of his avatar and followers) is so bad. </p>

[kelvmor]

<p><cite>Disgustipate wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>It seems like a hard standard to hold to when Rallos Zek's track record(Or at least of his avatar and followers) is so bad. </p></blockquote><p>Not really, actually. Both of the Rallosian Wars could have been considered victories, but there was always some kind of overkill that screwed the Rallosians. I.E., new members of the Rathe Council forming even as they killed the old ones, or the Green Mist. They technically -killed- all the members of the Rathe Council (they killed gods, more than any other empire can say; looking at you, Neriak, Sathirian/Sebilisian, and Combine), and they had Freeport and Qeynos in a sore spot. Had it not been for the Avatar of Brell swallowing some of the orcs and Thule's Greenmist, Freeport and Qeynos would have probably been crushed and the world as we know it would have been ruled by the ogres, orcs, and giants.</p>

[The_Cheeseman]

<p>You don't have to be defeated in order to become undead. A vampire can be created via many non-violent means, just look at Tserinnia. She was Mayong's consort, and he turned her with her consent. Sure, it didn't turn out as he'd planned, but he didn't have to physically overwhelm her to do it.</p><p>Also, as far as I know, there are no instances in EQ lore of a person being forced into lichdom. The main lichs I can recall, Miragul and Venril Sathir, became such after a concerted effort toward that end. Lichdom isn't something that just happens, it requires either powerful sorcery or divine intervention to achieve. In fact, I'd say that conquering death in such a way would actually command the respect of Rallos, not his disdain.</p><p>When it comes to having an effect on the history of Norrath, few deities can compete with Rallos Zek. Past armies have risen in his name to plunder the Planes of Power, slay the elemental gods, and conquer the known world. On multiple occasions, their advance was halted only by direct intervention by multiple deities or planar forces (such as the curse of the Rathe and the Greenmist). Heck, even now he is marshalling his forced to destroy Kerafyrm, even against the wills of the entire pantheon. Let it never be said that Rallos Zek lacks power, courage, or persistance.</p><p>Also, quick note here. The Greenmist doesn't belong to Cazic-Thule. The Faceless would like his followers to believe it was his creation, and he can direct it when needed, but the Greenmist is a planar entity that is not the tool of any particular deity. This comes directly from the words of a lore dev, though I do not recall at the moment which one it was.</p>

[Meirril]

<p>It is hard to imagine Rallos Zek giving his blessing to the undead. Most undead are simply tools for battle. Raised and given a task. An army of undead can at best redeem its past failure (death). At worse they can prove what failures there were in life by being defeated yet again.</p><p> The spirits of fallen Kromazek Warriors is an exception in that they arn't traditional undead. They arn't reanimating a corpse, they are responding as spirits to the summons of their diety. The same goes for the coldain spirits protecting Thurgadin.</p><p>Vampires are a difficult case to make. On the one hand, they have their own will, they can make their own decisions, they can make their own choices (though some are thralls to greater vampires an may have only limited free will). On the other hand, if they perish...do they simply reanimate? Do they pass on to the Ethenere? Do they simply cease to exist?</p><p>Not only that, but would Rallos embrace the undead? Somehow I think not. Rallos seems to favor not just warriors, but also those with a wild passion seem to be his favored. Undead armies would bring no joy and a hollow victory to Rallos. Worse, recruiting would be from those that have already been defeated. It may be possible for an individual Lich or Vampire to gain favor with Rallos, but not in mass numbers.</p><p>Also you have to look at who becomes a lich. The careful manipulation and study required to become a lich leads to personalities that are at odds with the followers of Rallos Zek. Why would a lich follow Rallos to begin with, or turn to him later in undeath? The same applies to vampires. Those turned into vampires would most likely be similar to those who create him. Not seeing a vast number of Rallos worshipers amongst Vampires now (or for that matter, any worshipers outside of Inny) I suspect that future vampires wouldn't turn to the Warlord for favor.</p>

[Cocytus]

<p>That they are animated anymore, (in my humble opinion), is irrelevant. What matters is that they died at any point in the first place. As such, the undead I would not see as favored in any way by Rallos.</p>

[Rainmare]

<p>Yeah I agree I don't see Rallos as favoring the undead at all. except as target practice for his legions. Vampires usually don't worship anyone...or maybe Inny...and lichdom requires intense study and research and patience....not something you'd find in a Rallosian.</p><p>Just like now, Rallos is going after Kera, even though odds are he's going to undo creation if he does. he's arrogant, hot tempered, and foolish in this endeavor. So eager to gain/counter/eliminate the only real threat against him he's willing to risk all creation to do it.</p><p>Even his own kids disagreed with him. the embodiment of Tactics and Strategy said this is not a good idea. adn he imprisioned them. I hope Sullon beats him within an inch of his divine life.</p>