While reading more about the Afridhi last night, I had a sudden epiphany. What if Zugzul is actually the Egg of Coot and has managed to seduce Toska Rusa, turn her into a thrall, and has manipulated the Afridhi into invading and conquering the Vales, Ten and potentially Blackmoor?

Maybe the entire Zugzul religion is simply a creation of the Egg to control and influence the Afridhi. After all, "Much of their decision-making relies on visions and dreams they experience while in these states, visions they believe are sent by Zugzul himself. These savage ceremonies involve several distinct forms of human sacrifice, each designed to please the evil deity Zugzul and to petition for his infinite insight."

I see the Egg as a Lovecraftian horror delivering those visions and dreams to the Afridhi, all in an effort to control them and potentially attack Blackmoor from two fronts. :twisted:

Any thoughts? It seems feasible, and hopefully I am not missing anything from Blackmoor canon that would preclude this.

I thought about something similar, but I'm still undecided.
I agree with you that the Egg of Coot looks definitely like a lovecraftian being, but Zugzul to me looks more a fire and blood deity, without most of the lovecraftian trappings and I can't see a very good eason why he/it should hide them.

Sure, that may be how Zugzul appears to the Afridhi or how they think their god appears (when they are under the Egg's mind-bending influence). But there doesn't seem to be any explicit mention of the Afridhi ever seeing Zugzul, although there are rumors he is now present in material form atop their original mountain home.

Maybe the rumors are false and it's all an illusion designed to deceive them. If nothing else, the deception could be for the Egg's entertainment as well as for getting help to eventually conquering Blackmoor.

It's an interesting thought, I suppose.

By the way, I see the Afridhi as a dark and sinister version of Zoroastrians. The one god concept (Ahura Mazda) and the emphasis on fire and fire rituals seem too similar to be purely coincidental.

I suspect there is also an influence from Tolkien ;)