AnglerStudios:Story/Lamb Shank

Lamb Shank

The most visible antagonist. Lamb Shank is the dictator of the North. He is smug, and totally convinced of his own genius - which he actually has. He absolutely, pathologically has to have attention, which is the root of his dramatics and sometimes of his almost arbitrary violence.

He is one of the most naturally gifted magicians in all history, a gift which his father could never appreciate, and even despised. On the recieving end of a lot of violence from his father, Lamb Shank resents him considerably.

So, anyway, Lamb Shank got it into his head that he wanted to be God. This is his ultimate objective, and he's trying his darnedest to get there. However, at it's most essential heart, this is really both an act of violence against his father, and a cry out to him for the love and acceptance he never received.

Everyone assumes that he extends his youth and life by magic, but this is only indirectly true - it is only a result of assuming the The Black Aspect. While the Legendary Swords have assumed the Black Aspect, Lamb Shank has become so caught up in it that he considers himself - and in some senses is - the incarnation of the Black Aspect. Amoung other things, this enhances his already considerable powers to a mind-boggling degree.

Pre-Game History

'Childhood'

Lamb Shank was born of the Duke of Meggedo to the North. He began manifesting incredible magical talent at a unprecidentally early age. His father was almost fanatically loyal to the traditional values of science, and vented his hatred of these new-fangled ways of magic on his son - violently. That was the start of the matter.

Beginning of Political Career

Ten years before the start of our story, his father died of illness, and Lamb Shank inherited the title. The first thing he did was build Castle Sirosis into an even bigger fortress - incoropating much of Meggedo right into it, and becoming bigger than what was left of the city. During its construction, he travelled to The Tower of Magic and learnt everything he could.

Pete the Unstable, Chancellor of Burgand, came to Lamb Shank and learnt how to assume the Black Aspect. He returned to his home and secretly began accumulating support for his new master. The Royal Family of the Trenashian city Burgand had taken vows to contain Lamb Shank up in the North, so this inside man was greatly to Lamb Shank's advantage.

Also in this time, Cid Son of Orpheus, Son of David, a young yet famous singer at the True Forge and native of , also took the Black Aspect and joined Lamb Shank.

The next thing he did was kill the entire population of Meggedo and turn them into an army of magic soldiers. He knew that he was almost universally considered by the political community to be dangerously crazy, so he wasted no time and attack Burgand. Pete has gathered a large segement of the Trenashi Race to Lamb Shank's side, and attacks from within and without simultaneously broke the city quickly.

The Dread Rises

A long period of tension lasted ten years. Lamb Shank spent the time studying the magic of the Trenashi, interested in becoming as personally powerful as possible, also reading up on other things like military tactica make his eventual victory smoother. Everyone else was terrified as to what he'd do next and begun building up their military strength.

During this time Princesses Leen and Cynthia were born.

On the Warpath

Lamb Shank's forces suddenly moved South, utterly wasting the cities of , and along the way. They came to the bustling port city of Cephas, home of the then young Hoth. This siege proved fractionally more difficult than the others, largely due to Hoth's presence, but Cid the Dirge Poet, also a native, met him in combat and the resultant fight was so brutal that it rent the city apart, and was so harsh on Hoth that he lost most of the copreal aspects of his body - lending him the name 'the Ethereal'.

The tyrant crossed Steadfast Ford and continued his rampage. He sacked the cities of , and , suspiciously leaving the Tower of Magic well enough alone. He did enter personally, and other than taking in any new learning he didn't already know, the only thing he took was an ancient treasure, sealed away in the past, called The Gem of Hubris.

Other than cementing his control over his Legendary Swords, the Gem provided him with a revelation - the continuing existance of the two heirs to the Burgandian Throne - Uzi and Enzi. Furthermore, the Gem revealed that they were destined to be far more powerful than he could ever be. Naturally, this frustrated his intent to become the omnipotent ruler of all the universe, and this frustration sent him into a made rage.

From here, his plans lost coherence. The Human Kingdom had decided to pit their great defense against Lamb Shank in the valley of Dundan. Lamb Shank stumbled right into the Battle of Dundan without any cunning, just brute force. Fortunately for him, the power of his Legendary Swords, a sizable number thereof he had accumulated by this time, carried the day and wrought such an overwhelming victory for him that 'Dundan' became a byword for utter massacre.

The Legendary Swords in Lamb Shank's service by this time were:

• Reggie the Fro
• Zug the Stubborn
• System the Accountant
• das - DG Mon's replacement
• Enzi - Pikachu the Annoying's replacement
• Zed the Unholy
• the
• three
• valley girls
• Pete the Unstable
• Cid the Dirge Poet

Surviving Human Heroes at Dundan include:

• daffd

After Dundan

The defeat at Dundan had destroyed almost all of Humanities regulars and sent the Kingdom spiralling down into despair. Driven now by spite, Lamb Shank pressed onward down through the Death Mountains. This took him through the territory of the Angelinas, suddenly making everyone else's problem their problem. They swiftly engaged Lamb Shanks forces in guerilla-style fighting, and found that this, in combination with Lamb Shank's sudden loss of clarity, proved especially effective in overcoming an enemy who relied heavily on the incredible strength of only a handful of super-soldiers. In this time, the young Angelina Flock proved himself both a heroic general and soldier, earning for himself the Angelinian title of 'White Prince'.

Lamb Shank was stopped in his tracks, and when Hoth arrived with a force of human irregulars, he was forced backward. As soon as Lamb Shank was out of the way, the Angelinas largely let off, but Hoth and his men dogged Lamb Shank all the way back to Steadfast Ford, where the narrow passage allowed Lamb Shank to focus his forces in such a way as to defend himself effectively. To this day, this is where the battle line technically lies.

A new strategy

After this humiliation, Lamb Shank had something of an epiphany, leading to two tangible results; Firstly, the formulation of his new Evil Plan, discussed below, and secondly, the realisation that traditional warfare was now not going to achieve much for him anymore, now that his enemies were developing tactics orientated specifically towards dealing with his armies.

The frontline at Steadfast Ford suddenly became incredibly irrelevant to him for the time being. In fact, the area has become extremely quiet for now, and is arguably one of the safest places in Kingdom for the short term.

Instead, Lamb Shank focused on mobility and secrecy. He is now able to sneak small pockets of troops to just about anywhere he wants, bypassing the battlefield totally, turning the entire world into a skirmish, and involving civilians in the war in a way that they had not historically been before. Further, his focus has moved from simply smashing his enemies like china, to corrupting them with the Black Aspect then smashing them like china, like with the Trenashi.

The False Peace

Over the next ten years, Lamb Shank has primarily been setting up his new Master Plan. From the outside, no one can figure out why he doesn't march out and crush them all, as is well within his power. Some note that he waited for a long time after taking over Burgand, and they wait for the end of this decade with trepidation. Most just call him mad and leave the explanation at that.

After Uzi entered the wider world, Lamb Shank began offering him a place at his side and so on, and has been manipulating all his Legendary Swords - who he ultimately considers expendanble, though he never tells them that - and everyone else, for that matter, so as to generate exactly the sort of scenario he wants so as to achieve his aims.

Also in this time, Flock assumed the Black Aspect, and Lamb Shank began an extended mission to corrupt the Angelinas of Hebron, a mission under the command of both Flock and Lady Felina. He also aquired the services of some new Legendary Swords, Sarah-Marie the Seductress, Gromit the Bludger, Se Lung of Blades, while losing Zed the Unholy.

During this time, he frequents The Tower of Magic, and shoots all around the land to do his evil work.

Enzi's emergence has set his cunningly laid plans into motion, and thus our story begins...

His Evil Plan

Just 'cause a guy's got a plan, doesn't make him sane.

The Underlying 'Reasoning'

His defeat by Hoth and Flock was the catalyst that made Lamb Shank realise that he'd never be God by the accumulation of force. No matter how strong he became magically, physically, or through military domination, there was no way he could ever be as strong as or stronger than He that is stronger that strength. Not to mention that he knew that he couldn't even be the strongest guy around, since Uzi and Enzi would both beat him there.

This angered him greatly, but then he started reflecting on the nature of God and authority. A King has authority because he controls the army and police, meaning he is the most powerful man in the kingdom. That power equals authority because he can throw disadents in prison, or even execute them. Said another way, the King's authority is based upon the threat of destruction. Lamb Shank then reflected that God is God by virtue of His unlimited power, like the King's army, and that likewise He rules the world by virtue of the implied threat of the universe's destruction if it rebels. God is God because He can destroy the world.

This got Lamb Shank thinking - suppose he destroyed the world. That would make him God. After all, the proof is in the pudding - if he is the one to wipe it out, he will, in a funny way, always have been God. The problem is that he didn't have the strength to destroy the world, strong as he was.

But Uzi and Enzi would.

The Threads of a Scheme

If he could manipulate one of the two of them, even both of them, into destroying the world, then he would be God by virtue of being the one to have instigated it. So the question is: How does one convince them to do it?

Three basic facts about Enzi and Uzi became obvious to him in his observations:

• They're both naturally violent.
• They both have very strong moral impulses.
• They both love each other very much.

So he contrived this basic plan: He would set up Enzi's 'adventure' and Uzi's 'success' so as to progressively increase their strength to an appropriately high level, Uzi overcoming various gangs, and Enzi fighting the Legendary Swords. Once one of them has become as powerful enough for him to set them on their way, he would drop this bomb on them; the fact that the Black Aspect, which they hate so much, was infact present in everything, pervading all life and staining every aspect so universially so as to be totally undetected by their senses.

This revelation, considering their strict 'evil must be punished' philosophy, would drive them to destroy the planet and even themselves. It got better: by keeping them seperate, if one of them happened to die, then the other would go mad with grief and more doggedly do the deed. In this way the two acted as contingencies to each other.

Even if Lamb Shank died in the process, in his own head at least, he would have completed his task.

Where It All Goes Wrong

Enzi's moral philosophy develops significantly as the story progresses, and by the time he faces Lamb Shank, he has come to accept to some degree that sometimes issues are too complex for him, as well has come to appreciate Good for its own sake, and not just focusing on his hatred of evil. These realisations coupled with a strong feeling that destroying the world would be wrong, eradicating the good with the bad, help him to overcome his strong horror and gut reaction, and he ignores Lamb Shank. The dictator can't abide by that and yells childishly, mentioning his 'Daddy' and giving away the fact that this is about his Dad more than anything.

Relationships

Most people on the street think that Lamb Shank is a madman who acts without reason or overarching plan.

Enzi

Enzi is one of the few people that Lamb Shank has an ounce of respect for. That is, Lamb Shank puts his intellegence at around the level of a ladybeetle. The way that Enzi treats him casually and without much fear or gravity is a real teeth-grinder, particularly the way he refers to him as 'Shanky'. This just serves to spur Lamb Shank to try more and more to get Enzi to treat him seriously. As one of the two major instruments of his Plan, Lamb Shank pays Enzi more attention than he normally would another sentient being.

Enzi is dedicated to stopping Lamb Shank, but has an uncharacteristic interest in his motives. He is not certain what Lamb Shank is after, but is confident that there is an underlying method to the madness.

Uzi

Uzi is another person whose intellegence is lifted to 'small insectoid' level. Lamb Shank largely deals with him through proxy - that is, Cid the Dirge Poet. He derives some amusement in the way Uzi feels that he has earnt his own way to the top when Lamb Shank engineered much of it.

Uzi hates Lamb Shank with an absolute passion, but wants his Twin Cousin to kill him. He thinks Lamb Shank is similarly trying to create a totalitarian society, but 'unlike his one', would be run selfishly and evilly.

Hoth the Ethereal

After Lamb Shank destroyed his home city of Cephas, Hoth became obsessed with getting revenge on him. Despite being credited as the greatest human hero of all time, and particularly with pushing back Lamb Shank's armies, the tyrant doesn't pay him much heed at all, hardly even as a nuisance. This gets Hoth even more enraged.

Hoth thinks Lamb Shank wants to create a universal tyranny.

Leen

Lamb Shank doesn't think much of Leen as a politician, or as anything much at all. Lamb Shank doesn't think much of women generally. Her romance with Enzi is a trivial amusement to him, and he does enjoy taunting her about how he killed her father.

Leen only begins to feel personally involved in the battle with Lamb Shank when she finds out that he killed her father. Previously, she had seen him as a terribly evil person, and that it was her royal duty to try and stop him. Even after she finds out, she is more given to greiving than vengeance, and remains relatively dispassionate towards Lamb Shank. She believes that he's a madman who loves random destruction.

King Roland

Lamb Shank never saw King Roland as a threat. He was just one of those tiny little obsticles for him to conquer and leave alone. Seeing no value in the monarch, Lamb Shank killed him fairly quickly after bringing him to Sirosis. King Roland, in turn, saw Lamb Shank as a horrifically powerful madman who had to be killed for the general good of everyone, lest he lash out arbritarily.

Zed the Unholy

Lamb Shank was not hugely fussed about Zed leaving the Legendary Swords. He treats him like a chess piece, but does consider him to be a bit more intellegent that the bulk of people. Zed is absolutely convinced that Lamb Shank needs to be stopped, but is pessimistic as to anyone's chances of doing so. He is under the impression that Lamb Shank is trying to wipe out all life for bloodlust's sake, but is constantly frustrated by his random madness.

Flock the White Prince

Flock resents Lamb Shank greatly, and Lamb Shank knows it. Flock struggles against the powers of the Gem of Hubris so he can then kill Lamb Shank himself, realising that he would earn much fame with the story. He also hates being bossed around and made to do mundane tasks. Being a canny soldier, Flock sees all Lamb Shank's glaring tactical errors, and tries in vain to correct them. He puts it down to Lamb Shank's insanity, not realising that it is part of the plan. He is under the impression that Lamb Shank wants to impose his tyranny over the whole world.

Lamb Shank thinks that Flock's machinations are pathetic to the point of being funny. He is also deliciously pleased that the one who gave him so much trouble in the Death Mountians now works for him.

Cid the Dirge Poet

Cid has not been happily under Lamb Shank's command for many years. He hates every moment of it, but continues to serve because he feels that his fate is sealed. He particularly resents the way Lamb Shank treats his daughter, Xa the Abominable - that is, as a weapon.

Lamb Shank is cautious of Cid turning on him, but is not overly worried. He continues to treat Cid and his family like tools, knowing full well what he feels about it.

Pete the Unstable

Pete is one of the few people Lamb Shank has mis-estimated. Lamb Shank thinks that Pete is servile and totally dedicated to him. In reality, Pete is more than willing to go against Lamb Shank's orders if it would serve his own ultimate purposes. He simply knows where he stands, and is not greatly opposed to Lamb Shank's actions.

Lamb Shank keeps Pete constantly around as a confident. Pete doesn't know the full extent of Lamb Shank's plans, though he is aware that most of the Legendary Swords are expendable. He thinks Lamb Shank is ultimately trying to establish an empire, and is under the impression that he'll receive the crown of Burgand out of the deal.

He doesn't know why Lamb Shank is all up ons about Enzi, but he doesn't really care, so goes along with it.

Religion

Needless to say, Lamb Shank is particularly antagonistic of any religious establishment. That's not to say that he necessarily has doctrinal issues with them, so much as he is attempting to overthrow everything they found themselves on, and he hates them like diseases.

Supa Awesome Powers

Lamb Shank is one of the most powerful magicians in the world, and his natural faculties in this area are enhanced by his near-total incorporation of the Black Aspect.

Musical Inspiration

Here are some of the songs I listen to so I can get this guy in character:

• I Just Wanna Be God by Alice Cooper
• The Sentinel by Alice Cooper
• Triggerman by Alice Cooper