RU'TAI
Classification: Extradimensional demons (Class III)
Location/Base of Operations: The dimension of the N'Garai
Known Members: Mongrels, Pilgrimm
Affiliations: Formerly Wolverine (James Howlett)
Enemies: Belasco, Kierrok, Magik (Amanda Sefton/Jimaine Szardos), N'Garai, X-Men
First Appearance: (Behind-the-scenes) X-Men II#71
(January 1998)
(fully seen) X-Men II#75 (May, 1998)
Powers/Abilities: The specific abilities of the Ru'Tai are unrevealed. Pilgrimm is presumably far more powerful than the average Ru'Tai, and the Mongrels appear to be different than the ordinary Ru'Tai, possibly a sub-species of them. The Ru'Tai have tails and have bodies somewhat similar to Pilgrimm's, including a long semi-prehensile tail, and what would appear to be a dense carapace. They may be immune to aging or conventional disease, and they may have superhuman strength and durability, plus sharp talons and teeth.
Traits: The Ru'Tai passionately hate the N'Garai and will do everything in their power to stop anything the N'Garai do, even if the N'Garai's purposes dovetail with their own. They view humanity as research subjects, meat to be consumed, and future slaves.
History:
(X-Men II#75 (fb) - BTS) - The Ru'Tai were a slave caste to the N'Garai; the
filth-ridden N'Garai empire was built on the backs of the Ru'Tai, overseen by
Kierrok. The N'Garai were stronger in many ways, though the Ru'Tai felt that
they lacked vision and an understanding of life. The Ru'Tai felt they had a
better understanding, that the energy of the universe was channeled through
them, and that they were part of a the universal dance that would one day
ascend. While the N'Garai made plays for power on the human world, the Ru'tai
defined power through secret practice, secret prayer.
(X-Men II#75 (fb) - BTS) - The Ru'Tai took eons to build their Cynosure.
(Wolverine Annual 1996 - BTS / X-Men II#75 (fb) - BTS) - The Ru'Tai's prayers were answered when Wolverine -- whom they called Mai'keth, the Undying One -- traveled to the dimension of the N'Garai, slaughtering a large number of the N'Garai before being banished back to Earth by Kierrok.
(X-Men II#75 (fb)) - Inspired by Wolverine's relentless struggle against the N'Garai, the Ru'Tai rebelled and conquered the weakened N'Garai. Kierrok was beheaded, and his secret knowledge became that of the Ru'Tai. They learned of Earth and of humanity, fresh with life, energy, mystery. The Ru'Tai who would become Pilgrimm was chosen to serve as the Ru'Tai's explorer and beholder, in the process winning individuality and the right to a name. He traveled to Earth with attendants, the Mongrels, and began studying humanity. They started with the physical aspects, slaying and vivisecting (and possibly consuming) people...they found the experience very enlightening.
(X-Men II#75 (fb)) - Pilgrimm and the Ru'Tai established a number of other cairns and dimensional portals on Earth, including in Egypt. Pilgrimm made base in the Ukraine.
(X-Men II#71 - BTS) - Shortly after the X-Man Maggott passed through Salem Center, Pilgrimm and the Ru'Tai slaughtered a homeless man in an alley.
(X-Men II#73 - BTS) - A pathologist, Myra, evaluated two of Pilgrimm and the Ru'Tai's victims, revealing that they had bite marks of an unknown configuration, and that the pattern of lacerations mirrored an autopsy exam.
(X-Men II#74 (fb) - BTS) - Pilgrimm and the Ru'Tai's continued assaults were mistaken for
the work of mutants.
The X-Man Maggott's stomach-slugs, Eany and Meany, were drawn to Pilgrimm,
abandoning Maggott.
(X-Men II#74 - BTS) - Investigating the murders, Wolverine
scented the stomach-slugs just seconds before being ambushed by the scentless
Mongrels. Meanwhile, Maggott tracked down Eany and Meany, finding them covered
with blood.
<Wolverine, at the time, was weakened by his recent loss of
Adamantium and suffered a weakened healing factor)
(X-Men II#75 (fb) - BTS) - Pilgrimm and the Ru'Tai vivisected Wolverine, slicing open his body to examine it.
(X-Men II#74 - BTS) - Wolverine awakened with a large wound ripped down his chest, and Maggott assumed that his stomach-slugs had attacked him.
(X-Men II#75) - The wounded Wolverine returned to the
X-Mansion, and his incoherent ramblings led the other X-Men to believe that
Maggott had attacked him, though Dr. Reyes realized that Wolverine's wounds were
consistent with those created during an autopsy.
Pilgrimm captured and vivisected another victim.
Beast and Dr. Reyes tracked Wolverine to the N'Garai cairn,
from which emerged the Mongrels. The terrified Dr. Reyes fled, and the Mongrels
pursued her, but Marrow arrived and helped the X-Men stop the Mongrels.
Cannonball, Rogue, and Storm located Maggott, and when Eany &
Meany chewed a hole through the asphalt, the others followed, passing through
the Ru'Tai portal to their base in the Ukraine, where they found the dead and
dissected victims of the Ru'Tai. Maggott fled through the cairn, pursued by the
other X-Men, and was confronted by the Mongrels, but Wolverine--having had some
unseen, extended adventure in the N'Garai realm--then appeared and slaughtered
the Mongrels.
Beast and Marrow awakened strapped to the wall in a
laboratory (the Cynosure?) while Pilgrimm used his machine to try to vivisect
Dr. Reyes. Protected by her force field, Reyes yelled back at Pilgrimm, assuming
him to be a N'Garai. Insulted by the reference, Pilgrimm stopped and explained
(via magically generated images) the story of the Ru'Tai.
Meanwhile, Mongrels rampaged on the streets on New York.
Storm, Cannonball, and Rogue then arrived, attacking Pilgrimm,
but he used the Eye of Kierrok to blast them away. Wolverine then arrived with
Maggott, and Pilgrimm recognized Wolverine as Mai'Keth, kneeled before him, and
released his allies. He apologized for offending the "Great One," explaining how
he had inspired the Ru'Tai. Devastated by having inspired the Ru'Tai to come to
Earth and slaughter innocents, Wolverine withdrew, while the other X-Men
attacked Pilgrimm to little avail. Seeing Wolverine sitting out of the fight,
Pilgrimm decided that he was no Mai'Keth after all. However, Maggott, Rogue, and
Marrow then cut the Eye of Kierrok from his necklace. As Pilgrimm reached for
the Eye, Wolverine regrouped and attacked him, and Dr. Reyes cracked the Eye,
dissolving the magical bonds that held the X-Men. Pilgrimm screamed at the loss
of the Eye, insisting that their Cynosure must remain intact. The X-Men fled
through a portal, taking with them the still-living prisoners of Pilgrimm and
exiting a cairn in Las Vegas seconds before the cairn (and others like it across
the planet) exploded, shutting the portal to the N'Garai realm.
One of the Mongrels, which had lapsed into a dormant state,
was captured by an agent of Black Air.
Pilgrimm himself either took the form of or possessed one of
the people, Chinese Colonel Wei, escaping to Earth with the X-Men. He
willingly accompanied the authorities to determine what had happened and how to
get him back where he belonged.
(X-Men: Black Sun#2 (fb) - BTS) - The captured Mongrel was brought to the secret detention center within Starkesboro's Radiance Luminology facility.
(X-Men: Black Sun#1 (fb) - BTS) - The recovered N'Garai allied themselves with Belasco in a plot to conquer Earth and Limbo/Otherplace, re-creating the cairns and reopening the portals in the process.
(X-Men: Black Sun#2) - "Col. Wei" was brought to a newly
discovered N'Garai cairn in Hong Kong. Pilgrimm then revealed his true form and
slaughtered his assistant and the detective to prevent them from spreading news
of the portals to the N'Garai realm though which he had intended to bring his
brethren.
A cairn suddenly appeared within the captured Mongrel's cell,
and the previously dormant Mongrel came to life, leaping atop and impaling
itself on the cairn. In a flash of light, the Mongrel vanished and was replaced
by the form of Col. Wei, who then transformed into Pilgrimm and slaughtered the
guards who had rushed into the cell.
Soon thereafter, Pilgrimm appeared on the grounds of the
Xavier Institute, ambushing Thunderbird (Neal Shaara), but then bypassing Magik
(Amanda Sefton) in order to confront Storm, who was at the time possessed by one
of the N'Garai. The Angel (Warren Worthington) -- unaware of Storm's possession
-- cast Pilgrimm to the ground, only to be knocked to the ground himself by
Storm. Pilgrimm stopped Storm from attacking Angel further, though when he
revived a three-way struggle began. Storm stunned Angel and Pilgrimm with an ice
storm and then held Psylocke hostage to gain Angel's surrender, but Pilgrimm
nailed Storm from behind, only to take Psylocke hostage himself, offering Angel
her life in exchange for his. Thunderbird arrived and blasted Pilgrimm, and with
he and Magik added to the fight Pilgrimm teleported away. Storm/N'Garai claimed
the Angel's soul for Belasco.
(X-Men: Black Sun#3) - Wolverine and Iceman battled the N'Garai-possessed Banshee and Sunfire in Genosha, and Banshee cried a sonic wail that incapacitated the entire city of Hammer Bay. As Banshee attempted to kill the unconscious Wolverine, Pilgrimm blocked his path, determined to stop the N'Garai and Belasco's plot by any means possible. Polaris then arrived and cast Pilgrimm from the chambers. As Polaris and the other revived X-Men battled, Pilgrimm returned, watching from above and preparing an ambush, only to be ambushed himself by Wolverine. Polaris coated herself in flexible steel to confront Pilgrimm, who cast Wolverine aside and tore through her armor, but was then blasted by Sunfire. Wounded, Pilgrimm teleported away.
(X-Men: Black Sun#4) - In Rome, Beast and Jean Grey investigated another cairn, and they came upon Pilgrimm fighting the N'Garai possessed Colossus. Pilgrimm attacked Hank & Jean, and Jean (temporarily lacking her telekinetic powers) used telepathy to optimize Hank's own neural functions, enhancing his powers and skills to their maximum. Hank held his own against Pilgrimm, but when Magik and the N'Garai-possessed Nightcrawler arrived, and as the possessed Colossus began to revive, she used her telepathy to try to shut down the N'Garai and Ru'Tai minds. However, the N'Garai turned her attack back against her, and the possessed Colossus then attacked Pilgrimm, punching him across the square, after which Pilgrimm vanished.
(X-Men: Black Sun#5) - Belasco possessed five soul
"bloodstones" (soulstones?) that would allow him to fully open all 169 gateways
between Earth and the N'Garai's realm. As the X-Men battled the N'Garai on the
Xavier Institute, Pilgrimm arrived, grabbing the unconscious Psylocke and
confronting Jean Grey. Jean bluffed him by telepathically making him believe she
possessed Wolverine's claws and Thunderbird's plasma beams, but he soon realized
the ruse and struck her down. She convinced Pilgrimm that he must stand beside
the X-Men against Belasco and the N'Garai to prevent them from conquering Earth
and Otherplace. Pilgrimm easily swept through the N'Garai possessed X-Men
(Banshee, Colossus, Iceman, Storm, Sunfire), taking them out and then vowing
that the Ru'Tai would conquer Earth in their place. However, after Magik and
other X-Men foiled Belasco and the N'Garai plot in Otherplace, the N'Garai were
all banished back to their realm.
Later, as the X-Men recuperated, Storm and Jean noticed
Pilgrimm watching them from a distance, taking a particular interest in Jean, as
it felt that "the soul of the Phoenix is the Ru'Tai soul...it would be the
ultimate honor to consume such a creature."
Comments: Created by Joe Kelly, German Garcia, Art Thibert, Panosian, Hanna, and Holdredge.
cynosure n. An object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration. Something that serves to guide.
I e-mailed Joe Kelly and requested information/clarification on the Mongrels but received no response.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to
Apparently a warrior sect (or perhaps even pets) of the Ru'Tai, they accompanied Pilgrimm to Earth on his mission to explore humanity, mostly by eating and/or dissecting people. They made base in the Ukraine.
Several Mongrels emerged from the Cairn on the Xavier Institute property, confronting Wolverine, the Beast, and Cecilia Reyes. The Mongrels remained motionless, studying them, until the terrified Dr. Reyes fled into the woods, leading the Mongrels to make chase. Marrow joined the fight, saving Cecilia, and when one threatened to bite the Beast, Marrow slew it with one of her bone spikes. Wolverine was somehow transported to the N'Garai's Ukraine base and had some unseen adventure, leaving the others to face the remaining Ru'Tai who charged them. Beast and Marrow awakened strapped to the wall in a laboratory (the Cynosure?) while Pilgrimm used his machine to try to vivisect Dr. Reyes. Protected by her force field, Reyes yelled back at Pilgrimm, assuming him to be a N'Garai. Insulted by the reference, Pilgrimm stopped and explained (via magically generated images) the story of the Ru'Tai.
Cannonball, Rogue, and Storm pursued Maggott through
the Ru'Tai portal to their base in the Ukraine, where they found the dead and
dissected victims of the Ru'Tai. Maggott fled through the cairn, pursued by the
other X-Men, and was confronted by the Mongrels, but Wolverine then appeared and slaughtered
the Mongrels.
Meanwhile, Mongrels rampaged on the streets on New York.
Storm, Cannonball, and Rogue then arrived and after much struggle they freed the still-living prisoners from the base and escaped back to Earth before the cairn (and others like it across the planet) exploded, shutting the portal to the N'Garai realm.
One of the Mongrels, which had lapsed into a dormant state, was captured by an agent of Black Air.
The captured Mongrel was brought to the secret detention center within Starkesboro's Radiance Luminology facility.
A cairn suddenly appeared within the captured Mongrel's cell, and the previously dormant Mongrel came to life, leaping atop and impaling itself on the cairn. In a flash of light, the Mongrel vanished and was replaced by the form of Col. Wei, who then transformed into Pilgrimm and slaughtered the guards who had rushed into the cell.
The Mongrels have razor-sharp claws and teeth, and the magical energies in their claws retarded Wolverine's healing factor. They are swift and savage creatures whose mouths open wide and snap shut with deadly force, much like that of an alligator. Arriving on Earth through a Cairn, they made not a sound, not even displacement of air. They have nary a scent, until they breathe, which has the foulness of all things dead. They are intelligent enough to laugh in amusement, but did not demonstrate speech.
--X-Men II#71 - BTS, (full appearance, named) #75 (75 (fb), [71, 73, 74], 75, X-Men: Black Sun#2 (fb) - BTS, 2
images: (without ads)
X-Men II#75
p12, panel 1 (Mongrels relaxed)
p16, panel 7 (Mongrels attacking)
p26, panel 1 (Ru'Tai enslaved)
panel 4 (Pilgrimm
chosen to travel to Earth; Ru'Tai leader?)
Other Appearances:
X-Men II#71 (January 1998) - by Joe Kelly (writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils),
Art Thibert (inks), Mark Powers (associate editor)
X-Men II#73 (March 1998) - by Joe Kelly w/ Joe Casey (writer), Jeff Johnson
(pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Men II#74
(April, 1998)
X-Men: Black Sun#1 (November, 2000) - by Chris Claremont (writer), Thomas
Derenick (penciler), Sean Parsons (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#2 (November, 2000) - by Chris Claremont (writer), Len Wein
(script), Thomas Derenick (penciler), Mark McKenna (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#3 (December, 2000) - by Chris Claremont (writer), Roy Thomas
(script), Karl Waller (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#4 (December, 2000) - by Chris Claremont (writer), Louise
Simonson (script), Alitha Martinez (penciler), John Stanisci (inker), Mike Marts
(editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#1 (November, 2000) - by Chris Claremont (writer), Pablo
Raimondi (penciler), Jason Martin & Team X (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Last updated: 06/25/06
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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