: Not only that, but there weren't any human bowmen in TFL;
: it wasn't until the Light won that they started
: training humans as archers. And while the differences
: between units are important to us as players, I don't
: see why people living in the Myth world would really
: care that much about them. The Nine might each
: represent some region or race (the "avatar"
: of the dwarven state, the "avatar" of the
: human state), and it's certainly possible that they
: all come from different regions, but I don't think
: you'd select your supreme rulers specifically on the
: basis of how well they represent each of the local
: fighting styles.
Here's my take on it. An "avatara" in Myth is synonymous with a "powerfull sorceror". The avatara are not a race. The Nine are described as "powerfull sorcerors"; thus, all of the Nine are avataras. The Deceiver was an avatara of the Wolf Age. All shades are ressurected avataras.
: I don't know if a berserk would ever become a wizard, but
: I do think even if you started out as a nonmagical
: unit like a berserk, you'd have to learn magic to
: become as good at fighting as an Avatara. You just
: can't become a legendary hero without magically
: boosting your skill and toughness. The greatest
: berserk or Heron Guard hero hasn't a chance against
: even a pretty non-violent sorcerer like The Deceiver.
: So whatever the Nine's origins, they must be sorcerers
: now. Anyway, we know for sure that Alric, Rabican (who
: used dreams), and Murgen and Cu Roi (who magically
: destroyed the Tain) were all sorcerers.
I think that any race has an equal chance of becoming an avatara, biologically; though culturally, a warrior like a berserk is unlikely to try to become an avatara. A Heron Guard might, as they already dabble in the magic of mandrake roots a little. The fir'Bolg could, I suppose, as they use magic artifacts like the Bow of Furious Incandescence. Humans (of the Province) certainly do, as Alric, from Covenant, is the Great Hero of the Sword Age.
: There're some gaps in our knowledge of the Nine that
: really bug me, and I'd love if anyone would respond to
: these questions: Where did the Nine come from? Alric
: is described as the "king," and apparently
: he's been king for decades (see "Flight from
: Covenant" narrative), but he doesn't seem to rule
: the Nine; they seem to all have equal say. Was Alric
: originally the only king, and the rest of the Nine
: worked for him, and then when the Dark came he raised
: them to the status of equals because he knew they
: would be equally good commanders-in-chief, or because
: there's some sort of "martial law" provision
: in the West's constitution? Or did the other members
: of the Nine flee to the West when their own kingdoms
: were destroyed? Or was each member of the Nine king of
: a small portion of the west, and they merged to better
: fight the fallen? Or what?
Each kingdom in the Province has it's own king. Alric was the some royalty of Covenant when it was first sacked, as said on "Flight from Covenant" ("Mauriac was Prince Regent here during Alric's adolesence..."). In Myth II, as he's the only leader left standing, and Madrigal is the most powerfull city left standing, he becomes the king of Madrigal. The other cities, rebuilt, presumably have their own kings now, though chances are Alric is ruler of the Province as a whole, whatever that title would be, and is the only real avatara left. The rest of the Nine were also likely leaders of various kingdoms and domains before they were destroyed, seeing as Alric was from Covenant.
: Why don't we see more magicians? We know from the
: "Shadow of the Mountain" narrative that the
: Light did possess some wizards, although we never get
: to see them and obviously they couldn't stand up
: against the Fallen Lords and their Warlocks. Most of
: the sorcerers we actually meet in the game got their
: powers in evil or self-destructive ways, like the
: self-mutilating Soulblighter and the Warlocks who sold
: their souls for knowledge. How did the Avatara and the
: Light's wizards learn good magic? And why didn't Alric
: start training more wizards after the end of the Great
: War? The journeymen/Heron Guards seem to have a lot of
: magical knowledge, but they never actually cast any
: spells.
White magic probably comes from studying without selling your soul, just using something like the scientific method to see what does what in the magical world. But that takes time and determination and purity of thought to learn how to do things well; why do that when you can just cut off your face or sell your soul for a quick magical fix?
