Lesser-Known Character Highlights: 1. Lord Ulha'up

TheWattman#7460

This is the first in a series of threads that will highlight lesser known characters from various races and provide a framework over how they COULD have been or may yet be implemented, either in previous installments or in the future of the trilogy.

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Part 1 - Lizardmen:

Lord Ulha'up

Voyager in the Rain Drops of Eternity

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LORE:
Lord Ulha'up, Voyager in the Rain Drops of Eternity, was a Slann of prodigious power.

Lord Ulha'up was considered quite mad. He was determined to explore the world, his attendants spreading the word of the Old Ones wherever he went. He believed that the rest of the world was spiritually and physically corrupt, and that were he ever to touch anything of that world, his own powers would be grounded and corrupted also. Everywhere he went he travelled on his palanquin, a long train of other such platforms bearing supplies behind. When this became damaged in a battle, his Temple Guard lifted him up upon their shoulders, and a litter was made of crude branches, to carry him onwards.

Lord Ulha'up has long since passed beyond the sublime communion, and so the Mage-Priests of Lustria have no idea where he may be, or even if he still lives. Perhaps one day he will return to Lustria, having spread the wisdom of the gods far and wide. Most of the Slann doubt this.

Source: Warhammer Armies: Lizardmen (7th Edition)

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Hypothetical Implementation - The Mad Slann leads the Southlands/Dragon Isles:
Consider this for a moment: There are no proper named Lizardmen characters with an obvious connection to the Southlands or the Dragon Islands. The exception is Tichi-Huichi, who I have chosen to exlude, partly because he comes from a ruined city, the fact that he leads an iconic DoW regiment and also that he is still subordinate to the Slann of Zlatlan. Add to this the fact that Zlatlan has no named characters, a loreful Lizardmen start in the Southlands or the Dragon Isles becomes problematic.

This is where Lord Ulha'up comes in. He is a mad Slann with an obsession for traveling and to spread the teachings of the Old Ones to the impure world around him, which has lead him beyond the confines of Lustria. Now, what if those travels took him to the Southlands and then he made it his mission to reconnect the region with Lustria's Geomantic Web? In WH2, this would translate into a campaign, starting from Zlatlan (the only active city), to restore and unify the 5 other main cities in the Southlands: Enxilada, Tlaqua, Teotiqua, Nahuontl and Cuexotl. Once this has been achieved, Ulha'up would be poised to return to Lustria in triumph and perhaps this would herald a boost in the efforts of the Lustrians in the race for the Vortex.

But there is also another option for the Voyager Slann, this time with the Dragon Isles in WH3. Suppose that Ulha'up rejected the Southlands and instead happened upon the Dragon Isles. Here there might be a greater cause for him to pursue. The Isles are inhabited by Feral Lizardmen, who have lost their civilized foundations as they haven't had a Slann present since centuries and thus live as feral creatures. To Ulha'up, this may just represent the purest of life he has ever encountered and could take it upon himself to recivilize these lost children of the Old Ones. In-game this would be represented by a roster expansion, bringing in Feral Saurus, Skinks and Kroxigors in addition to the existing Feral roster. At first, recruitment would be limited to the feral units and your faction is characterized by slow research rates and initially primitive buildings. Over time, as Ulha'up's influence over the denizens of the Isles grows, more standard Lizard units and buildings would become available. In short, in the beginning, it would be the Mad Slann leading a true Jurassic Park's worth of feral creatures.
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What do you think guys? Would Ulha'up have made a fitting character in the Warhammer trilogy?

TheWattman#7460

KuntingWarrior said:

Sounds like a horde LL, Nakai has that covered, sounds interesting enough though.

Interesting, perhaps he could be interpreted in that way yes. I mainly think of him as a Lizard regular play though, either in the Southlands or a more primitive version in the Dragon Isles.

Forumaccountkroqgar

It's definitely one of the characters that I wish were modded in, with a random start position. But I can't see CA adding him except as an advisor to Oxyotl, like Naieth the prophetess is to the sisters.

TheWattman#7460

yukontherun said:

It's definitely one of the characters that I wish were modded in, with a random start position. But I can't see CA adding him except as an advisor to Oxyotl, like Naieth the prophetess is to the sisters.

Indeed, one of the downsides of strictly following the most recent armybooks I think.

PhoenixKingMalekith#5710

Even if I love the lore and secondary characters like this one, take it easy.

There are guys around here who seek for names like this one to overwhelm the forum and our patience with numberless waves of posts, demanding the implementation of such characters instead of more important and relevant characters.

saweendra#3399

LordTorquemado said:

Even if I love the lore and secondary characters like this one, take it easy.

There are guys around here who seek for names like this one to overwhelm the forum and our patience with numberless waves of posts, demanding the implementation of such characters instead of more important and relevant characters.

And we get our way. And they become important characters. I will watch happily in the old world as rakarth and lokhir become more important than tullaris and Kouran

SaintCorn#3148

Could it be implemented? Yeah, probably.
Will it be? Not likely as there are other named characters of greater importance.

However, as a concept for a mod, this could really shine in Game 3. It would spice up Lizardmen campaigns while also allowing a minor character get some attention.
Solid write-up OP, I like the idea of an even-keeled take on various minor characters.

TheWattman#7460

LordTorquemado said:

Even if I love the lore and secondary characters like this one, take it easy.

There are guys around here who seek for names like this one to overwhelm the forum and our patience with numberless waves of posts, demanding the implementation of such characters instead of more important and relevant characters.

Which is not my intention with this. Im not demanding anything here, its purely a theoretical concept.

SaintCorn said:

Solid write-up OP, I like the idea of an even-keeled take on various minor characters.

Thank you

MadDokta#6766

Perfect character to put in on the Dragon Isles as an NPC lord in game 3 if nothing else. He seems like he could potentially be a lot of fun though, a lot of potential character to him.

DeadpoolSW#7283

It would be nice if CA and more minor factions lead by characters like this (like 3K has), they don't even need unique models.

Ge32

Ulha up would be a fantastic Slann priest to add, it can't be that the only Slann with an identity of their own is Mazdamundi and Kroak. (it's more kroak it doesn't even count because it's dead and it's not an LL)

So it takes another Slann priest with an identity and that is LL

Lazy_captain

I think Lord Ulha up can start at the lost city of the Old ones, or the Dragon isles. Has a lot of potential to shine, has the productivity of Mazda, and motivational drive that can be seen on skink characters.