SirRFI

Balor

And the moment I wanted to write +15 chains...

ThunderSin wrote: »

Currently I'm able to provide enhance rank up to +12.

RIP

Aidan episode:

Given the Royal Army and Pontiff Court conflict, entire town (we, royal army and townfolks) moved north, heading towards the Glass Tower (Cichol's place) in the far north. We are in travel for some time and got stuck in snowstorm. Brynn notices something:

Brynn wrote:

I left a mark for myself on a hill we passed yesterday. We passed that mark again just now. No matter how far we go, we'll end up in the same place.

Meanwhile Royal Army scouts are back and report that they found an abandoned Fomorian fortress nearby. The lord decides to investigate to take cover from the snowstorm, rest, and prepare to defend against Pontiff army if needed.

Brynn wrote:

Can you sense it? The appearance is of a fortress... But magically, it cannot exist. The fortress and the snowstorm are both unnatural occurrences in our world. Completely out of place. I can tell they were unstuck in time, brought forward from a point hundreds... no, thousands of years ago. It's like necromancy, except practiced on an entire section of the world itself. And it's clean work, completely stable and functional. Only the gods themselves are capable of such feats.

There are plenty of details once we get inside and investigate, but since it's summary - I'll try keep it quick.

Cichol wants us to discover the truth ourselves, so we (the hero) have choice, rather than blindly follow what we were told. In each region of the fortress we see imitations of the past - dialogs of Cichol and Morrighan from thousands of years before. From both imitations and events to follow, we learn following:

• The cycle of imprisoning Elchulus was already a thing. Each time it happened (in other words - history repeated itself), the dragon grew stronger. Some started following Elchulus as The Fomorian God instead of Cichol, which also explains why he's called this way at times. Afraid of what he may become, Cichol and Morrighan decided to add the hero to the book of destiny, to help fighting him.
  
  
• They erased all traces (including everyone's memories) about the war of the past, about the fortress and even Elchulus himself, as fear of him also makes him stronger.

  Morrighan wrote:

  Should we not take action now, before it is too late? Already I fear for the next cycle... What will the mortals think when they see these ruins? They will fear Elchulus, and the reflections will make him stronger. This has become a vicious cycle that favors evil. We must act!

  
  
• Aidan - once a great city, it has felt pray to the war and greed, which eventually got physical form of a beast. Living beings that get affected by greed stay in the place forever. This happened to the Royal Army units (including the Lord and Riordian themselves) that accompanied us to further investigation of the fortress, looking for Enok. To lift the curse - we had to defeat the beast. Ps. This time it was Spinos, pretending to be Enok.
  
  
• There's also plenty of talk about "reflections". Given Neamhain battle is named "Sea of Reflection", it's probably another dimension where all the horrible things are hidden from the world.
  
  
• We also learn that it's Morrighan responsible for bringing Paradise of Oblivion - the thing that causes everyone forget things, even loved ones who died, so there's no sorrow. Muir admits she told them (him, and some others back in the time) something else - that she lied.

  Cichol wrote:

  If death is forgotten... If this city is forgotten... Then this war would be forgotten as well.

  Morrighan wrote:

  Yes, and Elchulus will be forgotten.

  Cichol wrote:

  But Morrighan, forgetting would not stop it from existing. Those reflections would return, in time. And when they do, your perfect world would be ruined.

  Morrighan wrote:

  We only need a place to gather the lost reflections. I believe she would help us with this.

  Cichol wrote:

  The god of Neimheadh? But Morrighan... You know as well as I that there is no perfect seal. So dramatic a change would hasten the final cycle. Is that truly what's best for this world?

  Morrighan wrote:

  I know in my heart that it is. I will sacrifice everything I am to bring about a perfect world.

  Cichol wrote:

  So be it. Let it be written in the Book of Destiny.

  ...

  Cichol wrote:

  You wish to end the cycle entirely?

  Morrighan wrote:

  Think about it. Consider all the sorrow, despair, pain, destruction, and death. Without those to feed on, Elchulus will grow weak.

  Cichol wrote:

  So you would stop the creation of all reflections? How is that even possible?

  Morrighan wrote:

  With a new world. One where reflections are forgotten. A world without fear, hunger, or pain. A perfect world. A Paradise of Oblivion.

The following dialog between the hero (player) and Cichol summarizes it nicely, and gives hint what's to come:

Cichol wrote:

The projections you saw are from thousands of years ago. They capture the moment Morrighan and I altered fate itself. Together we wrote oblivion into the Book of Destiny, and brought a wave of oblivion to cleanse the world. But our paradise was that in name alone.

Player wrote:

Oblivion?

Cichol wrote:

Did you think this a simple curse? A magician's trick? The hero fights to prevent from everything being forgotten. And their reward is to be forgotten themselves. Do you understand the depths of this deception? The gods told the hero to stop oblivion. But oblivion is a blindfold created by the gods.

Player wrote:

Why?

Cichol wrote:

To hide the true form of this world. Tell me, what happens if Elchulus is not sealed again? Do you think the reflections will tear it all apart? Oh, if it were only so simple. This world is fading because Erinn is coming. The arrival of Erinn is the true end of all things. It is because the second moon rises...

Player wrote:

Moons?

Cichol wrote:

The two moons that rise when Erinn arrives. Ladeca and Eweca. That is what the gods fear the most. And you will behold it yourself, in time.

That's sneak-peak for the next Redeemer, which should arrive next patch.

Arkana episode:

After the conflict caused by the Goddess Remnant usage in Berbhe, we found a seal used by believers of Macha. It had written "Jardin" on it as well. Want to know what Macha plans are, so we started asking the town people about it, but without results. The innkeeper told us what is it - a place:

If you're talking about Jardin Volcano, then yes. You can't go there though. No one can. It's a restricted area. Though, since you're a human... It might be okay... I wonder if that old road is still intact.

And said that Macklin might know more. We went back to him, and he elaborated on the topic since he could no longer pretend he doesn't know a thing.

With the hints, we found a path to this place and found weird machinery and Arcana. We fought her, and after her defeat - Macha (as Ceara) appeared with Enok for a short chat. During the chat it was confirmed that we were indeed inverse-summoned to the place with Aes, to receive a blessing for Fragarach.

Culann wrote:

So that's the blessed Fragarach. Since you held your own against Arcana, I can only assume that idiot finally did something right.

More importantly - we didn't actually meet Morrigan, but her imitation. We were actually baited to come here and defeat Arcana, as they needed something from her:

Enok wrote:

I have obtained all the materials you require. Now, my goddess, shall we go?

Shortly after they left. We started investigating the place and found the scientist logs:

The goal of the Arcana experiment was simple. We were to place the Jardin Volcano spirit into the dead Nemedian's body... We were successful. The spirit had full control of its new body, and we knew we were ready for more complex challenges. But our second experiment was a complete failure. The ancient spirit vanished without a trace. Soon after, Arcana's physical ability rapidly improved. It was as if... she had absorbed that spirit's strength. When our other specimens began to disappear from their enclosures, our suspicions were confirmed. Some of our Fomor collaborators argued to stop the experiments. They feared what she would become. And rightly so... During one of our tests, a researcher came into direct contact with Arcana and died instantly. It seems she is not only capable of absorbing other spirits, but the souls of living creatures as well. When we finally realized our mistake, it was too late. Arcana has gone wild. We can no longer control her. Even our armies are no match for her. I fear all will soon be lost...

When we returned to town, we learned that "another human army is approaching the town" - the Pontiff Court, which is in conflict with Royal Army due to recent events.

Macha made appearance before taking over Ceara, and she likes plot twist and mess around. I did some research and most likely found her motivation:

The red-winged goddess who feeds on war and rage...

War and rage are what I live for.

I'm only a demigod. I can observe fate, but I cannot alter it. Listen to me. It's better to be human than to be a demigod. My name has no place in the tale that is destiny.

Macha about Neamhain:

Milo: Was that an earthquake?
Macha: It was the silver-winged goddess who yearns to triumph over destiny, exerting her influence over the world. She has begun to turn her fury toward the humans.

Dialogue between Milo, Iset and Macha (during or after Ceara events):

Macha: Let's be honest... Gods are dangerous. Never forget that, kid.
Iset: Milo! Be careful. Macha! What are you trying to do?
Macha: Ahaha. Don't look so nervous, Iset. I was just giving the boy one last kiss goodbye. In my defense, I was growing tired of this little story. I know I'm just a mere demigod but... I could tell my own story! Why not? Besides, I have to live up to my namesake. The goddess of war and fury. Hahaha! Let's go, Ceara. The last trial is waiting for you.

Macha possibly kidnapped Milo, and here's why she would do that:

"Destiny Stone" is just a name that originates from druid culture. They say that humans were originally created from stone. The stone was cut to create our current form, and life was breathed into it to make us human. That is why stones feature so much in magic. The rumors about the Destiny Stone misunderstand this. It's not a thing to hold or use. It's the person who chooses the next king. And that's Allysse.

That said - Allysse made Milo the next King of Erinn. He's currently "erg in human form". Macha likely wants to use him to become something more she is, to triumph over her destiny like Neamhain did (at least according to what she said). The last quote also proves that Ceara is being used for a reason.

Enok to Macha, after our fight with Arcana:

I have obtained all the materials you require. Now, my goddess, shall we go?

While we don't know how exactly Arcana absorbed other souls to empower herself, we may suspect Macha might want to do the same (especially that last ingredient was from Arcana). Perhaps she will want to absorb Milo, therefore becoming unstoppable overpowered force, who has control over fate.

What about Ceara though? Currently she's possessed / mind controlled, but may later become a vessel, like dead Nemedian body did for Arcana (Jardin's Volcano spirit).