So, this post is after reading all of the Cycle except Nightworld and nearly all of the rest of the Secret History.

It's mentioned repeatedly that The Otherness despises humanity, and Rasalom devours sadness and despair. I think there was one mention of Rasalom being unsure of The Otherness because his power was growing slowly right there, but one thing hit me: if The Otherness gains sustenance and glee from sadness and despair, what's to stop it from taking away Rasalom's power after he attains total global domination.

Imagine this line of thought: Rasalom conquers all of Earth making The Ally lose all interest. He controls Earth completely, then in a final act of conquest, The Otherness removes his power. Imagine the pain, fear, sadness, hate, and utter despair Rasalom would feel after millenia of working for this spot only to have no way to maintain it. I don't think any despair could ever compare to that.

It was a random thought I had while idling away for Nightworld's rerelease.

Does Rasalom grow stronger from his own misery?

I am going under the assumption that that is part of his power from The Otherness: instead of eating or drinking, he feeds off sorrow.

Sounds like a good theory. But Rasalom can't grow stronger feeding off his own misery, or else he wouldn't have needed to create all that turmoil in The Keep to gain strength; he'd already had lifetimes of his own misery while being locked up. As far as the Otherness betraying Rasalom, why would it? Under Rasalom's reign, Earth would provide limitless misery and pain for the Otherness to feast on. With Rasalom gone, the Otherness would just have to find someone else to cause the pain.

Sounds like a good theory. But Rasalom can't grow stronger feeding off his own misery, or else he wouldn't have needed to create all that turmoil in The Keep to gain strength; he'd already had lifetimes of his own misery while being locked up. As far as the Otherness betraying Rasalom, why would it? Under Rasalom's reign, Earth would provide limitless misery and pain for the Otherness to feast on. With Rasalom gone, the Otherness would just have to find someone else to cause the pain.

At least until the human race became extinct. After that, I doubt the Otherness would have any use for Rasalom anymore. I think Crimson King's theory has a lot of merit.

keep in mind that those who have been serving the Otherness have been promised a place in the New World, so not all of mankind was slated to go extinct. maybe. could have been lying!

keep in mind that those who have been serving the Otherness have been promised a place in the New World, so not all of mankind was slated to go extinct. maybe. could have been lying!

Well, to be fair, the Otherness never struck me as the type of cosmic force that honors its promises.

keep in mind that those who have been serving the Otherness have been promised a place in the New World, so not all of mankind was slated to go extinct. maybe. could have been lying!

Or your "place" is the parasitic host for something nasty...with lots of legs. ~shiver~

I visualize Rasalom as being an aspect of the otherness itself. Like Christ is in the Christian trinity. Or like the Rasalom aspect is a pseudopod for the otherness to reach into our world. So anything that benefits the otherness would benefit Rasalom and vice versa.

Well, the Otherness does not really care who rules, as long as it (our World) possesses it and the "Ally" isn't making inroads.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it.