Tales from the Shadows

[swiss_Momo]

I'm curious about why they don't do that. I understand why they don't want to characterize the Warrior of Light, namely they don't want to step on players' toes and want us all to be able to apply the story to our WoL. But they seem to be using that same logic about the Amaurotine precursor, right down to the gender of them somehow changing depending on our present WoL, and that just doesn't make sense to me. Are our current character choices going to impact that precursor somehow? Is time a circle or something? Seriously, what is with making the precursor's details dependent on a fragment of their future self instead of being their own established character? Don't get me wrong; I absolutely loved that we got a mention at all and got to see Hades' reaction to it. I'm just confused, cus the writing this expac is so good and yet this nonsensical story choice is happening.

I assume they are keeping the identity of our ancient WoLself under wraps in this tale simply because it hasn't been reviled ingame yet. Also they can't keep it a blank slate if we were the 14th conviction member, since that means we not only had our own title, red mask and glyph, but must've also been outstandingly skilled in a specific field of science or creation magic (if they try to pull a science of nodding joke, I am going to riot. Swea' on me mum Hydaelin).

[Alleo]

I'm curious about why they don't do that. I understand why they don't want to characterize the Warrior of Light, namely they don't want to step on players' toes and want us all to be able to apply the story to our WoL. But they seem to be using that same logic about the Amaurotine precursor, right down to the gender of them somehow changing depending on our present WoL, and that just doesn't make sense to me. Are our current character choices going to impact that precursor somehow? Is time a circle or something? Seriously, what is with making the precursor's details dependent on a fragment of their future self instead of being their own established character? Don't get me wrong; I absolutely loved that we got a mention at all and got to see Hades' reaction to it. I'm just confused, cus the writing this expac is so good and yet this nonsensical story choice is happening.

Especially since the WoL is already not 100% our own. This is a linear story so SE already takes the decisions for us. We may sometimes be able to choose between two to three sentences but I also often find myself not happy with those either. So they are already giving us their character which we can use to fill in the blanks they have left. But with the Amaurot!WoL they are not us. We just share part of their souls but seemingly nothing more.

The part with the gender is also a bit confusing for me too. Maybe they just wanted to use that to show us that we once were that person which makes it more clear if it changes gender depending on which one we have. But at the same time Ardbert, a soul shard of us, is male no matter the character (which makes the talking through us scene a bit funny as a female)...at the same time if Derplander is the canon look of the WoL then they too look nearly identical..just like the soul shards of other people we know do..

About souls and the underworld: If those souls can be seen even after death does that mean that either the underworld in the past did not change the soul or does it even imply that the Scions idea behind the lifestream is wrong and its not just only some souls that continues to exist and be reborn but that everyone does? Or is this just their final moments before they became part of the underworld and disappeared until they are formed into a new soul? I like the idea more that souls will exist no matter what and that maybe the difference to the old time is only in us not keeping our memories..maybe that is why Sadus tribe can see who that soul belonged too..because they still have some of that power left to see the colors of the souls..and it would only make sense to have such souls if they dont disappear and rebuilt right?

[Rannie]

So everytime he spoke I heard Emet's voice.... I really liked the story though I wish I knew why he didn't want to get in touch with that "certain someone" but *shrugs* I do hope that wasnt the last last one and more will come out.

[Gula]

I want Varis to come back and tell us all about old man Solus. He must have lived a miserable youth if that confrontation was anything to go by.

Also, white hair. Now'm really curious about Hades' original face and body... and what the heck they'll do with all those Solus clones just kinda sitting around.

[Sathona]

I want Varis to come back and tell us all about old man Solus. He must have lived a miserable youth if that confrontation was anything to go by.

Also, white hair. Now'm really curious about Hades' original face and body... and what the heck they'll do with all those Solus clones just kinda sitting around.

It makes me want to see how an Ancient truly looked like behind the robes and mask now way more than before~

[LineageRazor]

This was definitely a loretastic Tale! Additional insights into life in Amaurot are definitely welcome, as are snippets of insight into the lives of our favorite omnicidal maniacs back when they were normal (if rather above-average) people.

It did bring up a few very puzzling things, though! The Underworld, for instance... Is this supposed to be the Lifestream? If so, is it the SAME Lifestream we know? It appears that there's a cycle of life and death involving the Underworld... are the Ancients themselves, being immortal beings, not a part of it? Or are they still subject to it on the rare occasions when they do die, or are born?

And the fact that Creations have no souls (unless a stray soul gets tangled up in the Creation process)... Zodiark and Hydaelyn are both Creations, as well - does that mean they have no souls? Or were they, perhaps given souls deliberately? Perhaps this is why the sacrifice of half the Ancients was necessary, so their souls could become Zodiark's soul? As for contemporary Creations (Primals, basically) - do they have souls? Or are they just cleverly designed to appear as though they have souls? If they do have souls, do those souls persist when they are not currently summoned, so the Primal gets the same soul each time?

It may be significant, that in contemporary times the idea of creating a Soul doesn't seem to be that big a deal (the Heavensward Relic being one example), whereas the Ancients considered it to be flat-out impossible. This may be due to the way that the current Lifestream is constantly dispersing and assembling souls - soulstuff may simply be more malleable now?

And the immortal bird... I definitely think this is meant to be the Phoenix that inspired the legends that lead to both Suzaku's evolution and Lousouix's en-Primaling. Well, probably. I mean, unless Hades failed to put it down, it doesn't appear as though the poor thing had much of a chance of getting itself widely known. Maybe Lahabrea made another soulless version, later. And speaking of Lahabrea, I can't help but wonder whether this was truly an "accident". Could the guy have incorporated a soul deliberately? Or, perhaps, even tried to create one, was semi-successful, and lied about it to cover his misdeeds? We know Lahabrea as a cackling supervillian, and while this MAY be the result of his transformation into an Ascian, perhaps the guy had a dark streak all along...

So much food for thought!

[ShadowMeowth]

I am crying. 'Tis everything I wanted, a snippet of Emet's life in ancient Amaurot. It seems he was pretty reclusive back then, an interesting change from the man we came to know, but at the same time mayhap it was this special sensory with every kind of life and soul that made him, in a sense, the most sociable of the Ascians.

Apparently Hythlodaeus was the original smug, cheeky character, more similar to Emet in the present. That was adorable. Also they do mention the WoL/D's past Amaurotine incarnation! Emet seemed a bit tsundere about them and Hythlodaeus was certainly trying to convince him to break the news in person. I wonder if Emet was shy and that was why he loved theatre and stuff, 'tis often said that those who are most timid are who best work as actors.

The final part with how he held a glimpse of hope as he cradled his newborn son was extremely heartwarming and sad. I firmly believe Emet is, or was -until his fate is certain, I am keeping both options possible- not beyond redemption. It would be a nice change for once that a relevant villain got a redemption not through death, and if Emet had such a stout bond with the Underworld, who knows... Meh, if the WoL/D is the unbroken thread between past and future, they could also be the thread that allows the ancients and the fragmented to join hands. Seize a better future, as Ardbert once put it.

But that is just one of my ramblings. I shall re-read this one quite a few times, searching for details. Anything that gives me insight into Emet-Selch is more than welcome. And this story was such a marvelous treat.

[Gula]

Emet seemed a bit tsundere about them and Hythlodaeus was certainly trying to convince him to break the news in person.

Great. Now I can't get him out of my head as the tsundere to Zenos' yandere and Exarch's dandere.

Thank you blessed writers for this expansion gawd.

[Valenth]

...It may be significant, that in contemporary times the idea of creating a Soul doesn't seem to be that big a deal (the Heavensward Relic being one example), whereas the Ancients considered it to be flat-out impossible. This may be due to the way that the current Lifestream is constantly dispersing and assembling souls - soulstuff may simply be more malleable now?

What I think this points out is something else. When it came to creation magic they definitely were only considering instant results. And why wouldn't they? If you can create anything why settle for anything you have to put effort in, aka raising someone/thing? I think we may see some more insights into this mentality, or their hubris if you will, the Ancients might have had. And perhaps the insights the Ascians gained as the world sundered and they had to live for millennia like we do now. Maybe they got an appreciation for it? Maybe they understand better how a soul can come to be (see Alpha and Omega)? Or perhaps we'll see they even hate things and the current situation even more.

[Berteaux_Braumegain]

The thing that stood out the most to me about this latest update is that Emet-Selch is annoyed by the incurably smug.

Emet-Selch.