New Family: Irkalla, Nightmare of the End

[21C Hermit]

Well, the Tarot does say that an End is in itself a transition, rather than a true finality...

But seconding Heavy Arms for Hungers. A more solid image always helps its concept.

[Cinder]

Alright, I was thinking about giving a couple example of Irkalla for each Hunger, so this provides me a better reason to do so.

I might not be able to write for a little, but in the meantime the "Lives" examples up there are respectively a Tyrant, a Collector, a Nemesis and a Whisper. Ravagers and Predators are admittedly easy to do with the Irkalla, so I intentionally went for others.

[Mad_Maudlin]

I was thinking that an Irkalla Enabler might take one of two tracks:

1. YOLO! Live in the moment! Who cares about doing the right thing, we're all gonna die anyway, scruples are meaningless before the oncoming void! (But of course, living like it's your last day on earth catches up to you if it's not actually your last day....)

2. Fortune favors the bold, my friend. Well-behaved women rarely make history. You stay within the lines and you'll eventually die alone and forgotten and insignificant. But bend just one little rule and you can become powerful, famous, you can (literally or figuratively) live forever...just gotta be willing to cross that one line.... (But of course, death gets everyone in the end, and in trying to cheat it the victim ends up worse off than they started.)

[Vent0]

Alright, I was thinking about giving a couple example of Irkalla for each Hunger, so this provides me a better reason to do so.

I might not be able to write for a little, but in the meantime the "Lives" examples up there are respectively a Tyrant, a Collector, a Nemesis and a Whisper. Ravagers and Predators are admittedly easy to do with the Irkalla, so I intentionally went for others.

Huh. I felt the second Lives example was more Ravager, for destroying to concept of "I'm safe" or "that can happen to me" in their audience.

For a Irkalla Collector, I could see them hoarding wedding rings... from divorcees and widow/ers.

[Cinder]

For a Irkalla Collector, I could see them hoarding wedding rings... from divorcees and widow/ers.

That was one of my examples of my Hunger draft, dammit. Now I gotta find a new one : P

[LostLight]

Well, that new Family does look really nice! The only thing which kinda sting my eye is that they are named after the a world instead of some mythical monster, but I can accept it considering what they represent. Good job

[Cinder]

Well, that new Family does look really nice! The only thing which kinda sting my eye is that they are named after the a world instead of some mythical monster, but I can accept it considering what they represent. Good job

I really, really liked the sound of the name and the fact it's "the place of no return", which fits perfectly. Then, I found some mentions of the name of the underworld also being a possible alias for Kur, a primordial dragon who was among my list of candidates for the Family name or another name for Ereshkigal, and that flimsy excuse was enough for me to go for it.

But I admit it's more due to me finding it cool than anything

[LostLight]

Well, Irkalla is indeed was the Babylonian version of Kur, and Kur was both a place and a dragon, and in the new edition the Underworld as whole may be a living (dead? undead?), thinking being which exist to devour all that is- so yeah, you do have the excuse to use such a cool name. And I get it- I wrote an whole conspiracy based on the fact that "Irkalla" has a nice ring to it.

[Vent0]

That was one of my examples of my Hunger draft, dammit. Now I gotta find a new one : P

Why? Go ahead and use it.

[Cinder]

Why? Go ahead and use it.

Don't mind that, it was one of my attempts at making jokes that don't come across well in written form. .

I'm actually glad you came up with that idea, shows that some of what I had in mind for the Family when it comes to Hungers does get across. I'll see if I manage to find another good example of Irkalla Collector, since there's no such thing as too many ideas. If that does not happen, I'll use it.

[Vent0]

Don't mind that, it was one of my attempts at making jokes that don't come across well in written form. .

I'm actually glad you came up with that idea, shows that some of what I had in mind for the Family when it comes to Hungers does get across. I'll see if I manage to find another good example of Irkalla Collector, since there's no such thing as too many ideas. If that does not happen, I'll use it.

I could see another Irkalla Collector that collects pink slips (firing notices), or one that destroys investment portfolios/stocks (for a Ravager). Or one hanging out at a casino, drinking up that moment when a gambler's luck turns against them.

Endings without being Overwhelming, Dark, or Revolting. Just, from hindsight, Inevitable.

[Master Aquatosic]

Do each of the Families have a sort of archetypal Hunger? Because if that's a thing, I would say that, while they're not limited to it, Ravagers are the best fit. Nothing says "everything ends" like someone actually destroying the things you love.

[Cinder]

Do each of the Families have a sort of archetypal Hunger? Because if that's a thing, I would say that, while they're not limited to it, Ravagers are the best fit. Nothing says "everything ends" like someone actually destroying the things you love.

I do believe many Families have a Hunger or two that are more immediate when it comes to connecting Family and Hunger. Like Anakim Tyrants and Ravagers, Eshmaki Predators and Ugallu Whispers and Predators, for example. It's kinda bound to happen, from a certain point of view. Irkalla make for great Ravagers and Predators, that's for sure.

Also, I should be able to post a whole list a list of Hunger example (with relative paragraphs about how Irkalla of a certain Hunger tend to behave) by tomorrow evening, if life does not throw a curve ball at me.

[SunlessNick]

Mostly because it feels like that's more Ravager/Hunger than Family. It might help me (or anyone else thinking what I am) to have some of the Irkalla/Hunger breakdowns we saw in the PG. What does an Irkalla Ravager look like compared to a Anakim Ravager? What does an Irkalla Collector... hoard that resonates with endings that still works for feeding?

I had a similar reaction to the Talassi, and Gellydog helped me out with a similar approach. Mad_Maudlin looked at Enablers. Other ideas...

An Irkalla Collector might take mementos of things past. The heirloom of a late relative. The trophy you won in a sport you're told to compete in any more. The things that give you comforting memories of what's lost. The message being, "No, those things are lost, and living in their detritus won't bring them back."

An Irkalla Predator might not be hunting their target so much as the rest of the herd. When the body is found, others ask, "When will that be me?" (It seems like a Predator would be the most likely to the Irkalla to fall to straight-out evil).

An Irkalla Ravager might destroy things that represent protection from death. Religious iconography, medical devices, coming home someone's been in your house leaving everything intact except for destroying all your guns.

An Irkalla Nemesis might act in a preventative manner. Like one of the Lives Cinder mentioned in the OP, they show the wages of sin to prevent others from following that path.

I do believe many Families have a Hunger or two that are more immediate when it comes to connecting Family and Hunger. Like Anakin Tyrants and Ravagers, Eshmaki Predators and Ugallu Whispers and Predators, for example. It's kinda bound to happen, from a certain point of view. Irkalla make for great Ravagers and Predators, that's for sure.

I think they have Hungers that match well when it comes to lessons, and those that match well when it comes to going off the deep end. Ruin might be the former for Irkalla while Predator is the latter.

(I love the stereotypes you did especially).

[Mad_Maudlin]

An Irkalla Nemesis might act in a preventative manner. Like one of the Lives Cinder mentioned in the OP, they show the wages of sin to prevent others from following that path.

Alternatively, an Irkalla Nemesis might specialize in punishing people who "cheated death" or otherwise evaded the consquences of their actions. The criminal who got off on a technicality or because of a pricey lawyer, the executive who runs a business into the ground and then waltzes off with a golden parachute, politicians who hold onto power through corruption (or just really good PR), etc.

I agree that an Irkalla Predator would be, if not straight-out evil, more likely than most to kill their victims--even if it's not deliberately. After all, nothing puts the fear of death into someone like a near-death experience, and a Reaper caught up in the moment or careless about her preparation could easily overshoot the "near" part.