A Letter From Skelly Manor | Let's speculate
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Wild theory...maybe Jaxon isn't really dead, and his ghost is actually a "mirror" image of his consciousness. Whatever happened with the humans in the forest separated it from his body, and his body has been magically preserved in the forest somewhere all this time. Would explain why he has no memory of his death, why he was never laid to rest in the crypt, and why Ian's experiments never worked.
...Probably not what actually happened though, lol.
I do like the idea that Jaxon turned against his family and sided with the humans, though. It definitely seems like his family could have manipulated him into leading them into a trap.
Art by The Naughty Snowfairy
If it comes to light that Blake is related to the Skelly/Graves/Rainsong/Nightshade family tree I'mma be upset. What would become of the 100% canon BlakexElwoodxMatlal ?
Oh no! Well, not every NPC can be a member of one of those four families and Blake seems one hundo percent human. His family was also loaded (Blake was an heir) so I think the Steele family might be its own prestigious line.
oh my, I am exceptionally bad at this sliding puzzle
rdit: gave up, no use trying
You never know, he could have a distant relative that "shamed the family name" and had a child outside of the right families, and that's how the Steele family got their money. Silencing money. OH THE DRAMA OF IT ALL. ... Nah, I think I'm good with my little OT3.
I'm not sure about the crystals being native to Shadowglen specifically, but I have noticed that all of these areas where the crystals are popping up are places that still have decent populations of native Subetan people and old civilizations that are still kind of around.
Like even in the Subetapedia articles, it mentions that Veta and Riverside maybe used to have some ancient empire there, but no one has found any evidence, and it's mostly humans who live there instead of the Subetan species.
So it could be something to do with the magic that affects certain areas of the planet more than others.
Also maybe just a coincidence (or maybe not), but these places are also where the god-like characters have settled. Oracle and Shinwa in Sacred Lands, Merana in the Omen Islands (before she was freed), and Maleria in Darkside (which is connected to Shadowglen, and the Subetapedia articles mention some of the magic from Darkside affecting the surrounding forests of Shadowglen so...). It could definitely have something to do with some sort of ancient magic that is really strong in those areas.
Yeah, I love that they've been working on trying to create more consistent lore for each of the lands. But right now it can still be confusing because there is all of that old stuff still floating around from before, that either contradicts the new stuff or just doesn't make much sense to begin with.
I'm enjoying the story so far for this plot, definitely looking forward to learning more stuff about the history and characters involved.
The shrine on the Omen Islands was what kept Merana bound to the islands, and the Subetapedia says Shinwa was responsible for that magic.
Shinwa's also been tasked with keeping an eye on Maleria, but I don't know if Maleria is bound to Darkside or if that's just where she chooses to stay. If she is, maybe we're about to free her?
I think it's just where she chooses to stay, because I'm pretty sure I've seen items that mention stuff about Maleria travelling in their descriptions. And also Maleria and Shinwa were both banished here from their original home, and the Oracle is keeping an eye on both of them.
I wish we had a Bhakoru psubetaedia entry
All the old stuff that contradicts the new stuff etc could be explained as folklore and legends. People didn't really know what happened so bits of genuine information got garbled and the rest was made up. The inhabitants of Subeta could be very surprised when they learn the truth.
[tot=Ciannwn]
That would be a pretty good way to explain it, I think I'll just accept that idea ~
You arrive at Skelly Manor laden with your purchases. Tossing Ian his antibiotics and a box of discount seasonal candies, you empty the stack of magazines on to the table and let the paper bag everything came in fall to the floor for Snowflaik.
no one tell jaxon we're enabling ian's candy problem
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SPOILER (click to toggle)
“[...] The Skedhu, like this one, lives beyond time. It has always been and will be forever more. It feeds on the hearts of all men, and whatever it eats, it becomes.”
The Dungarde pauses, fixing you with a pointed gaze, “Those with a generous heart have nothing to fear from it, for it will return to them what is given. Those with a black heart, however… that same darkness will fall upon them. It is much the same with a heart driven by greed, and that is the very thing that Lord Skelly sought to exploit in the outsiders. The details of that are a story for next time.”
[...] “I sense no malice in [Ian], only a curiosity that will one day end him, however… This one knows the nature of men. It sees what has been and what will be, and it knows how this story will end. A difficult choice awaits, and he may not have the strength to do what is right.”
I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING oh jesus take the wheel
also once, just once, i want to hug the dungarde
SPOILER (click to toggle)
Yep I sense some kind of sacrifice. I'm thinking there will be a price for saving Jaxon, which Ian is going to blindly accept.
And basically, skedhu = karma
me the whole time I've been entering in the plot dialogue
well, jaxon did say it meant "reflection." :y i guess the original myth faded with time and now it's just a slang word?
SPOILER (click to toggle)
i'm wondering if we're going to "save" jaxon at all -- like, if the skedhu "keeps" the bodies of whatever it eats, and if we have to destroy it/them at some point, jaxon will have no body to go back to...?
either way, i'm seeing a bittersweet ending at most, and that makes me grumbly because i like happy soap opera endings :B e/ i think i'm taking "eats" too literally but i keep thinking of some eldritch abomination with too many teeth
lmao good, i'm glad we're on the same wavelength haha
SPOILER (click to toggle)
But what if Dungarde needs Jaxon's heart as the last step for freedom, but without it Jaxon can't be properly bound to the material world? Either we have to betray our old friends or our new friend and. I don't like either idea. D:
(if there is some sort of sacrifice, I imagine it'll be horribly bittersweet- "the heart of a Skelly" could end up being metaphorical. ,,, pre-emptive sobbing)
SPOILER (click to toggle)
Theory: his family turned Jaxon to Dungarde as punishment, separating his soul and body.
[tot=Varis]
alright, everyone is putting things in spoilers haha
]Alright... It's almost clear for me that the Skedhu is the Dungarde, right? He's losing his armour, and Skedhu is an anagram for "husked", so... Maybe a Dungarde is a Skedhu contained in an armour? He even says that he sees what was, what is and what will be and compares the powers to the Skedhu, so that's pretty much a hint for me.
Also, we had in the item directory some unreleased items: the Dungarde armour, piece by piece, does anyone remember it? I went to look for it, but it was gone... So we'll probably have some complications with him.
That was just for the Dungarde HA if I recall correctly.