What does Naar look like?

[Sunwolf]

Hey everyone,

A new question. What does Naar actually look like. Do the books ever say? Is there an illustration anywhere? If not, what do you think he looks like?

Also, who or what was the Kekataag? The illustration in book 19 looked really cool. What was his story?

Are there any other big champs of Naar in the books? Who were they?

JON

[Relenoir]

Naar is basically this many legged, stench-emitting, multi-armed bloblike thing with a large upside-down v-shaped mouth with lots of teeth and two human-like eyes. Maybe I should just type the description. . .
*several minute pause while Keith goes over to the bookshelf*

Naar's favored form is a great globular body, like that of a bloated spider, borne by a score of stunted limbs which emerge chaotically from the underside of a sac-like abdomen. His face hangs like a parody of a wrinkled old sow's yet with an evil-smelling black hole where one could expect a snout. Tkhe upper surface of his body is covered with pouches of vile fluids that trail wisps of black smoke, and his maw is studded with hundreds of blue-stained fangs. But it is the eyes that shock you most. The Dark God has the eyes of a man.

Copyright Joe Dever, 1983-2004.
On the cover of the U.S. version of the "Curse of Naar", there was also a picture of him (one of the only redeeming qualities of the U.S. GM books) that looked like a evil tree-like blob with red eyes. Hope this helps.

[jimy]

from what i remembered, he looks like jabba the hut, with man eyes

[Sarra]

Hmm....interesting. I always pictured him as a massive, demon-like creature, with ram's horns. But that was when I had only a few select books and my imagination to go on. I guess first impressions stick with you.

[The Wytch-King]

A bloated, tentacled blob from hell?

Err, now that seems ... undignified, somehow ...

Ronan's right about first impressions; the first depiction of Naar that I have seen was on the Red Fox cover of The Curse of Naar, and it stayed with me.

Well, of course the Lord of Darkness would be able to take any shape he wants, so I could imagine that depiction Relenoir spoke of as some kind of ... battle form? (Like the touch with the human eyes, though!)


Concerning other powerful champions of Naar, I can only think of Agarash and the Darklords at the moment. But then, they (those others) would probably appear in the Grand Master series, and I know only Captives of Kaag and part of Plague-Lords of Ruel so far.


The Wytch-King


P.S.: The above-mentioned depiction of Naar can be found under homepages.tesco.net/~parsonsp/html/lw11-20.html.


edit: Just noticed that I was allowed to write "hell" ... What is this board coming to? ;D

[Sarra]

Hmm....I wonder what other words it lets through...

ass
bastard
damn
[nuts]
[pregnant dog]

[Relenoir]

Ronan's right about first impressions; the first depiction of Naar that I have seen was on the Red Fox cover of The Curse of Naar, and it stayed with me.

That's a good point, Wytch-King, except I never really thought that was meant to be Naar. The U.S. cover, that I mentioned above, has a really chilling picture of him, and it's even in color! I always figured the guy on the cover of U.K. book 20 looked like Zantaz (at least, I think his name's Zantaz; I don't have my book with me) who you fight at some point in the U.K. version. Big, nasty, helmeted warrior who seemed more menacing to me than Kekataag the Avenger ever did, and anyone who's fought him will know what I'm referring to. Just my thoughts. . .
The description from above that I typed is from a picture in book 19, "Wolf's Bane." Cant' remember exactly where I found it earlier, but it was at least halfway through the book, with a full-page picture opposite.
Maybe Kailord would be excellent enough to provide us with yet another of his helpful links to LW covers so everyone can see the U.S. cover of book 20 too?

[Relenoir]

Well, of course the Lord of Darkness would be able to take any shape he wants, so I could imagine that depiction Relenoir spoke of as some kind of ... battle form?

No, definitely not much of a battle form. Looked more like a lazy, bloated, haven't showered in millenia, couch-potato, public-assistance-living, pass-me-the-potato chips-and-ice cream, just ate lots of hot chile while watching soap operas form.

[The Wytch-King]

Relenoir said:

That's a good point, Wytch-King, except I never really thought that was meant to be Naar.

Err, well, that's a good point ... Haven't played the book so far, just assumed that it would be Naar. (The thought that maybe it was someone else never crossed my mind ...)

Oh, but wait! Aren't there depictions of a few persons on the map of that book? Alyss for example, and three guys that seemed to be Ishir, Kai and Naar? That last one resembled the guy on the cover, didn't he?

Now I'm confused ... have to check that. {See second edit, below!}

Relenoir said:

Maybe Kailord would be excellent enough to provide us with yet another of his helpful links to LW covers so everyone can see the U.S. cover of book 20 too?

Never fear, the Wytch-King's here ... and he brought a link along. Here you are:

www.landek.com/lonewolf/book20.jpg


The Wytch-King



edit: Hey, just give me a moment to type an answer! Cripes!

Relenoir said:

No, definitely not much of a battle form. Looked more like a lazy, bloated, haven't showered in millenia, couch-potato, public-assistance-living, pass-me-the-potato chips-and-ice cream, just ate lots of hot chile while watching soap operas form.

Hard to argue with that ...



edit: Have checked that map. Feel a bit silly now. Yeah, the guy I meant is there, but also a face that most certainly is supposed to be Naar. Rats.

[Ghost of Landar]

Initially I was put off by Naar's appearance, because I had always pictured him more as a Satanic figure, possibly a "beautiful" but terrible demonic figure with black eyes like Agarash that appeared to be the void of deep space. Basically a big dragon-like/humanoid figure. But I think it was more clever to go the kind of Clive Barker-route with Naar because he is the embodiment of evil and corruption and DEBASEMENT. His servants tend to love pain and torture and decay and flies buzzing around, so I'd definitely say he likes the twisting and debasement of life and spirit, which fits his actual depction more than a regal, Milton's Satan type of figure.

[simkn]

Relenoir said:

That's a good point, Wytch-King, except I never really thought that was meant to be Naar. The U.S. cover, that I mentioned above, has a really chilling picture of him, and it's even in color! I always figured the guy on the cover of U.K. book 20 looked like Zantaz

I think BOTH covers (the UK and US versions of book 20) are depictions of Zantaz. I didn't realize this until recently, though, when I finally got my hands on a copy of the UK verison and read it. That's because Zantaz was taken out of the US version, so having only read the US version you just assume that the cover depicts Naar, not knowing of Zantaz (I still find it odd that they took out Zantaz, of all things). However, if you look at the US cover (or the link provided by Wytch-King), I think it bears a striking resemblance to Zantaz (though a bit larger and fearsome than on the UK cover), and not to any description we've ever seen of Naar in any book.

[Nathan P. Mahney]

I was always under the assumption that Naar had no form - he was nothing but darkness, shapeless and unending! Perhaps I've been unduly influenced by the surrealism of the Legends.

[columbob]

simkn said:

I think BOTH covers (the UK and US versions of book 20) are depictions of Zantaz. I didn't realize this until recently, though, when I finally got my hands on a copy of the UK verison and read it. That's because Zantaz was taken out of the US version, so having only read the US version you just assume that the cover depicts Naar, not knowing of Zantaz (I still find it odd that they took out Zantaz, of all things). However, if you look at the US cover (or the link provided by Wytch-King), I think it bears a striking resemblance to Zantaz (though a bit larger and fearsome than on the UK cover), and not to any description we've ever seen of Naar in any book.

Indeed.

There is a picture of Naar in book 19, to accompany the description which Relenoir cited.