Thread: Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 1)

Originally Posted by RyuDragnier

I think that

she may not have been aware she could before now. When she came out of the Lifestream, she never met with any of the Tempered. I believe she met with only the Vath who were not part of the hive mind and the Goblins (who were not tempered by Alexander), but never met the Vanu, and was out of commission for almost the entirety of SB so she never met with the Tempered Ananta. In fact, this may be her first time seeing Tempered in years.

Much as I agree with the auracite theory...

... as their likely power source, it is worth remembering these can be (re)charged, something we know from the very Crystal Tower itself, and she is surrounded by aether, irrespective of whether we think she chooses not to draw on it. As I've said, I don't think it's as simple as she's evil (nor do they generally present things in such black/white terms), but they've left room open to 1) separate the controller/host from the Primal, which is an easy way to attribute her statements about the world's history to misconceptions and 2) it's entirely possible her group of summoners was deceived by some third party... i.e. the very one now setting in motion the Final Days 2.0. While a waning crystal is certainly a probable explanation for the silence, they have enough room for it not to be the only good explanation.

Originally Posted by Erendis

Can Y'shtola really see

tempering? Was this stated somewhere? She did not see that Emet-Selch was tempered.

She can see overflows of a particular form of energy/element, given that she was able to "diagnose" the WoL/D's condition in SHB as they took on more Lightwarden aether. However, that was also partly because the MC was nearly bursting at the seams trying to contain all that aether, with Emet saying it would turn them into a sin eater. Bearing in mind that that form of corruption (as well as its Voidsent counterpart) primarily ties to bodily aether, whereas tempering is a mind/soul phenomenon 1) rendering the soul more umbral and 2) aligning to the Primal's energy/element. Tempering is therefore subtler and probably harder to distinguish, especially if, as a consequence of the Blessing, such an affinity to light is "expected". Bear in mind that the champions on the First, bearing the Blessing of Light, triggered the Flood through their deeds and the eventual defeat of Loghrif and Mitron, and it is an aspect of tempering that the goal is to spread the element/energy of the Primal, which Emet confirms in the French version of 5.0; the EN version for some reason sees it fit to gloss over this. Make of that what you will. My general comment on this is that it is best to stop assuming we have a fixed understanding of either Primals or tempering. We understand some things about them, but they are further elaborating on that knowledge as the story progresses. Even in regards to its severity or effects.

Originally Posted by Erendis

Can Y'shtola really see

tempering? Was this stated somewhere? She did not see that Emet-Selch was tempered.

About Ysthola and tempering

She is able to see aether and thus able to see how the Light changes us even before we reach a point where we notice it too. Ryne is then later telling how our soul is not shattering anymore, so I guess Ryne can see the soul much better.

In Owens scenes its shown that the soul changes color (or maybe that was just his way to make it clear) so she should notice that something is different with echo users or WoLs because I really doubt the rest of the aether remains completely untouched.

Also if we are tempered by her why do we not say anything in her defense? Why would other WoLs be able to go completely against her or in the case of the 13th be changed by the primals and turned into a monster?

At least I have watched an english stream today and its a bit less strict there. They dont really talk about the possibilty of us falling out of her graze, it sounded more that they are going into the direction that something might be keeping her from communicating with us. Only Ysthola is a bit more skeptic. For me it makes it feel a bit less negative and more interested in what is going on.

@Lauront:

I watched the Eden cutscenes again and it was bascially Mitron who has turned into Eden that released the Light thus creating the Flood. According to him the first became really imbalanced thanks to the flood of darkness on the 13th world and would now lean more towards the Light. The Ascian basically kept the light in check and it was Emets plan to use that to bring in another rejoining. They made Ardbert and his group so strong. They gave them the enemies that would create their crystals. They did just not think about the possibility that Ardbert would not raise his axe towards a former friend and instead killed the ones behind it. And when Ardbert attacked Mitrons soul with the blade of light he bascially turned into Eden and now mindlessly released all the light that was already in him (which kinda implies imo that they took in the Light to keep it balanced) thus causing the flood.

Ardbert and his group did not spread the light thanks to being forced through the blessing. They were just unlucky that defeating the true enemy turned him into a sin eater with no mind of its own. It was fully on the Ascians to create the plan of bringing the First even more towards the brink of a flood of light after they have caused the imbalance thanks to their actions on the 13th.

So I am not sure if we can see that as a hint that through the will of the blessing they kinda wanted to spread the light.

But I agree we dont know everything about tempering and I am looking forward on what they will find.

Originally Posted by Alleo

@Lauront:

I watched the Eden cutscenes again and it was bascially Mitron who has turned into Eden that released the Light thus creating the Flood. According to him the first became really imbalanced thanks to the flood of darkness on the 13th world and would now lean more towards the Light. The Ascian basically kept the light in check and it was Emets plan to use that to bring in another rejoining. They made Ardbert and his group so strong. They gave them the enemies that would create their crystals. They did just not think about the possibility that Ardbert would not raise his axe towards a former friend and instead killed the ones behind it. And when Ardbert attacked Mitrons soul with the blade of light he bascially turned into Eden and now mindlessly released all the light that was already in him (which kinda implies imo that they took in the Light to keep it balanced) thus causing the flood.

Ardbert and his group did not spread the light thanks to being forced through the blessing. They were just unlucky that defeating the true enemy turned him into a sin eater with no mind of its own. It was fully on the Ascians to create the plan of bringing the First even more towards the brink of a flood of light after they have caused the imbalance thanks to their actions on the 13th.

So I am not sure if we can see that as a hint that through the will of the blessing they kinda wanted to spread the light.

Yes, but I am not saying that the intention was to cause a flood or that it was the will of the blessing - although there remain many questions around all that. My point is that it was the medium required for the Ascians' plan to work as it did, and enable the naive champions to spread the light, and it is that spread of the energy (light) which I am talking about.

Cyella
Like you, I am not of this world. I crossed the rift and came to the First.
My home, the Thirteenth, fell to Dark in a calamity that mirrored the one which nearly claimed this world. I was one of several “heroes” who failed to save it.

The boy, Unukalhai─I have glimpsed him in your memories. He was a friend. Like him, I heeded the words of the Ascians and, that I might redress the balance, I chose to come here and hasten a rejoining of worlds.

In our despair, we heeded the words of the Ascians who came unto us. Thus did I choose to come here and, that I might redress the balance, hasten a rejoining of worlds.

A shard subsumed by Dark demands a mirror of blinding Light. Primordial forces will strive to achieve equilibrium. But there was a solution─a single solution, I believed.

Were a Flood of Light to consume this shard in its entirety, it would be of no use. The Ascians made it clear it must be brought to the brink, but no further.

The task was difficult, but the plan simple. Souls predisposed to Light, fledgling heroes in the making. I would bring together Ardbert and his comrades and groom them for a higher purpose.

I would play the part of comrade and guide their course, all the while laboring in secret to pit stronger and stronger enemies against them, until finally, once they were Warriors of Light brave and true, I would reveal myself as a Warrior of Darkness and extinguish their radiance forever.

Thus would this world be primed for a Rejoining, and the Source for a calamity.

The Ascians who called themselves Mitron and Loghrif were confident it would succeed. And indeed, Ardbert and the others rose to the occasion, as I knew they would...

It was not to be. I had misjudged Ardbert. His comrades before him had made their sacrifices in turn, and as their mirror I had grown stronger for it. Had he but embraced his role and struck me down, victory would have been mine...

The point here is that through gaining these Blessings, they become the harbingers of light required for their plan to work. The Blessing, even if it is not a form of tempering, certainly functions similarly in line with it in that singular respect: expanding the primal's element/energy.