Speculation on Rhapsody's Lore

[Rulke55]

Okay what we know so far is she hates Slither and is a wandering bard. Where the speculation begins is how did she get power she has. My theory here is she got it after Slither slayed her whole village, and only being musician she was unable to do anything, so once the Legion saved her she chose to learn magic that allowed her to stay a bard, but also protect those she wished. I don't know enough about lore in HoN, but reading some of the threads here and love reading lore, so hoped maybe could get some more info on my fave hero from the game.

Thoughts, ideas and suggestions?

[BuddhaKekz]

Obviously her lore is a parody of a song, but I don't know which one, maybe someone with more knowledge about pop-songs can help out here. But besides the parody bit it still gives us some hints about her backstory. Let's take a look:


A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that Rhapsody came to join the Legion. She knew if she had her chance, she could make the Malphas sing and dance, and maybe it would stop killing her fans. But then she ran into Slither, who poisoned her fans there and hither, she could no longer bear it, so she did so swear it. She pledged her life to the Legion cause, took Jeraziah as her boss, who consoled Rhapsody for her loss, and vowed to be at her side.

It said she had the power to make Malphas sing and dance. The question is, is it the real Malphas or any kind of demon? I tend to the letter, with Malphas being a metaphor for other demons (maybe alluding to the HB creeps, the imps which take damage from/are healed by her dance floor?). Later she met Slither a much more powerful demon. As such he was imun to her music, but first let's look at his lore:


The Serpent of the Seventh Pit, feeder on the sick and the weak, was summoned forth in the last days of the war between Man and Beast. A cunning conniver and whisperer of false promises, Slither delights in suffering and despair.

I think she maybe made some sort of pact with Slither, he may gave her the power to influence stronger willed targets, but of course at a price. Instead of filling her listeners with joy it killed all of them. In her shock and disgust Rhaps fled to the Legion where the curse was lifted by Jeraziah.

That's all just a theory of course.

[Rulke55]

It;s American Pie, just realized, but still perhaps the demon was slither, but how would he give her the power? Also she only has two damaging abilities her staccato and dance floor. I don't know, but the idea about slither being one to give her power, is great idea, maybe hint within the context of lore, since it's a song which goes 'The day the music died'. I'm just spitballin' now.

[kerespup]

Slither wasn't summoned until after the scar reopened.

Rhapsody I believe is a very talented minstrel as well as a mage herself.

She may have learned to 'enhance' her music through magical means in Horfot Academy in the Frostfields.

[Jeroz]

considering the bards in your traditional rpg always brings out the power in music, I'd say that it's easier if she already has the power before slither came around.

It's just that 1v1 :slit: > :rhap: :P

been thinking of writing a short story about how she, as a travelling bard, escaped the slither attack with her own skills and be rescued by the Legion. Distraught by the carnage and the massacre slither brought upon the nice village out of nowhere, she swears allegiance to Jeraziah's army to be able to save more people and spread the music.

I could see a scene where she channelled Protective Melody to desperately try to save those poisoned villagers but the help came too late.

[BuddhaKekz]

Slither wasn't summoned until after the scar reopened.

Rhapsody I believe is a very talented minstrel as well as a mage herself.

She may have learned to 'enhance' her music through magical means in Horfot Academy in the Frostfields.


I actually believe Rhapsody always had the ability to combine magic and music, I don't think she ever visited the academy, atleast not before she met the Legion (or Jeraziah specifically). She doesn't look like a classical trained mage. I asume she used her powers as a travelling bard, bringing joy to the people in those dark times. Also I don't think Slither is usually one that simply attacks people, I rather think he saw Rhaps and came up with a plan to make her suffer. As I quoted, it says in his lore that he is a "cunning conniver and whisperer of false promises", which leads me to the believe that he tricked her in some way. The Hellbourne are known for making pacts with mortals that turn out horribly for them. I imagine it like this, Rhapsody wishes that her music was even more powerful (in the sense of cheering the listerners up even more) and Slither enhances her music with a new power. However the enhanced music hurts and possibly even kills people. The survivers probably don't know about Slither and think Rhaps is a traitor. She must flee and runs into Jeraziah. The angry mob comes by with the intention to lynch her. Jera gives Rhaps the chance to explain herself and she confesses that she made a deal with the devil if you want to say so. Now Jera as the king of course has connections, if he doens't know it himself he knows people who can lift the curse. She is freed from the demonic influence, but still has the power to use her music to physically harm creatures (staccato and dance floor) if she needs to.

Also correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know there is no time frame for the events of HoN, so Slither being summoned after the scar reopened doesn't mean he could not have met her before she joined the Legion, it even stated in her lore that it happened, we just don't know when. So it could have happened just recently.

[Jeroz]

the biggest flaw in that speculation is that I don't really see :slit: as someone who can grant other people powers

[Rulke55]

the biggest flaw in that speculation is that I don't really see :slit: as someone who can grant other people powers

I don't know, he has bleed effect on his moves and people who stand in her dance floor gradually lose health, not so much a bleed effect, but similar in idea. Thus it could make sense that he gave her power. not warning her of what her dance floor did.

[BuddhaKekz]

I don't know, he has bleed effect on his moves and people who stand in her dance floor gradually lose health, not so much a bleed effect, but similar in idea. Thus it could make sense that he gave her power. not warning her of what her dance floor did.

Yep or Slither could be seen as the spokesman for the Hellbourne. Somewhere deep in hell must be a demon with the ability to grant such bargains. So if it wasn't Slither himself, he atleast was the one who suggested the bargain. *Avengers SPOILER* Similar to how "the Other" is the one who speaks to Loki, but it was Thanos who granted him the sceptre and his army.

[Jeroz]

that is indeed possible, since :slit: doesn't seem like a higher up in the rankings. Is it possible that there could be a new cunning devious hellbourne INT hero for that role? at the moment :pupp: is the creepiest one.

however I still prefer a simpler method of her unable to save everyone, other than "the king in shining armour comes to the rescue out of nowhere because there's a witch in the town"

[BuddhaKekz]

Well in the middle ages kings always travelled through their whole kingdom, I don't see why Jeraziah wouldn't do it, especially in times of war when he is probably needed somewhere. So running into Rhapsody, while completely coincidental, isn't too unlikely.

Actually I always thought of Slither as a higher ranking demon, because he is intelligent and can trick mortals into doing the Hellbourne's biding with false promises. And some one who makes promises must be powerful enough to deliver on them, even if they have a catch. Or would you trust some random stranger, that has not demostrated any sort of power himself, to give you power? No you would want a prove that he actually can fullfil your wish. So if Slither is a whisperer of false promises, he must have a way to make his plan work. Either by having someone in the background or by doing it himself. Maybe both is true. Some bargians he can handle himself, for others he has to rely on other demons.

[Devilsnight]

Actually I always thought of Slither as a higher ranking demon, because he is intelligent and can trick mortals into doing the Hellbourne's biding with false promises. And some one who makes promises must be powerful enough to deliver on them, even if they have a catch.
Oh yes, I've always thought of him as a higher ranked demon as well. What I also think is important here is that most of the characters on the hellbourne side were tempted, deceived, volunteered or forced to join the hellbourne in some way. It's really only a handful of characters that came from hell themselves, and slither is one of them. Maybe not as powerful as someone like Lord salforis of blackwal but certainly more influential.

Hell, slither might have been the one who poisoned the imprisoned Glacius mind, making him join the hellbourne. He might even have had a hand in the fall of Maliken.
As far as I'm concerned he is one of the brains behind the leaderless hellbourne, relying on others to do the dirty work.

[_Scars_]

i have always seen slither like someone who joined the hellbourne, but only for his own good and his own (unknown) reasons

[Devilsnight]

i have always seen slither like someone who joined the hellbourne, but only for his own good and his own (unknown) reasons
As per his description he was born in the seventh pit of hell so he had more or less always been a part of it.

[_Scars_]

it only says "the serpent of the seventh pit", it doesnt say he was born there nor that it is in hell

[Rulke55]

it only says "the serpent of the seventh pit", it doesnt say he was born there nor that it is in hell

Good point, perhaps he like Arachne and Fayde was created by deceit, betrayal and conniving people. Since he in essence is the representations of this. Also making him the one who offers deals to those unwary people. Why does he work for Hellbourne? Well none of those things he represents are noble, thus all he ensnared are taken by HellBourne, he himself isn't a Hellbourne per-say, he's a legend. Just a theory.

[Devilsnight]

it only says "the serpent of the seventh pit", it doesnt say he was born there nor that it is in hell
Alright, I will give you that.
But then you can start wondering how he got the title "serpent of the seventh pit". And whether that title itself was based off Dantes 7th circle of hell, or the jain mythology's 7 levels of hell, or if it is based on the pits of tartarus (hell in greek mythology) wherein a great serpentlike titan was born.

Maybe it was based on the serpent from the bible that the god banished to the bottomless pits of hell, and makes you wonder who send him there.
Or they made it up by themselves but I doubt that.

His description says "was summoned forth in the last days of the war between Man and Beast". As in he wasn't present before that time until the last days of the war. Just sounds a lot to me that he did come from hell or at least spend some time there.