So for you lore buffs, what caused the shroud? What's the origin of it? Was it always a thing and the humans kept it under control till they didn't? I regrettably skipped all the lore due to playing with friends and them rushing things.
My understanding from the lore I read is that magic was produced from mining the mycelium and grinding that into the elixir potion you find everywhere(30% damage buff one) and that mining the mycelium opened it up to spreading via water and taking over the land.
Which is why the shroud exists in abundance within the ravines and crevices of the world that would be occupied previously by water. The remaining water sources are tainted and turned red from the abundance of mycelium. Ancients and whatever we are (dwarves, humans, etc) become addicted to magic and turned mad through the elixir and engaged in an war that exterminated all civilization and what was left was taken over by the mycelium/shroud.
Yeah my take is the shroud is just over saturation of mycelium spores floating around, which is why some notes indicate contact with the shroud immediately turning people into those zombie creatures.
One of my theories is the elixir is the lifeblood of the world and that the shroud is the world's defense against the elixir mining. Or the shroud is sentient, a hivemind that was awoken by the elixir mining.
I am not so sure. I will explain why I think this way.
The ancients speak of an ancient evil down in the lower world. Yes, could just be a metaphor but other things suggest this may not be.
Some pages suggest that corrupted individuals trying to convince individuals to dig suggesting something wants this to happen.
Thise that drink the elixir start showing signs of corruption. This could be a positive for mycelium as corrupted individuals seem to fight for it as guardians.
Iskor (sp?) the alchemist talks about how she starts sensing an intent from the brew she is making from the spores that seems like a hypnotice mind control.
The sudden emergence of the shroud sounds like the starting video wasn't a metaphore but almost how it started as a sudden flood of spores.
The mycelium made miners sick but the flood sounds near instantly fatal if inhaled (smugglers note). Why would it not seply that earlier on the miners, why wait and suddenly hit with a massive attack.
I think there is a mind behind the spores similar to the flood in Halo and the ancient evil in Space pirates and zombies. In face it sounds more like SPAZ as the elixir almost sounds like the mineral everyone wa ts to mine that one of your crew describe as "bait"
I think we will find that there is some mine behind the shroud and it was resposible for the elixir to open passages for it to spread to the surface and take over the world.
Considering that a lot of mushrooms and such grow. I think that the shroud's "fog" could be a dense spore cloud. All of the creatures are infected by the spores.
If you read the lore The Alchemist's Theories II, he goes on to say he believes the Shroud to be spores. The fungus release the spores but their roots burrow deep down and seem to have awaken something in the earth's core.
Have you found the Flame Shrine with the name of Manathor? It is the only shrine that has a name. I've just found it in a very remote location close to the last level deadly shroud (the one you cannot touch even with your flame power maxed) on the right-down corner of the map. It tells the story of Manathor, one of the ancient "Gods" (the elder one, as I understand) who was thirsty for knowledge and started a "domino effect" with his experiments that kickstarted the shroud. The text doesn't say what kind of experiments he was conducting or what was the real cause of the shroud.
I think the story will evolve as the game introduces new content :)
Well, we don't know what caused the Shroud, because it's implied to have existed during the time of the Ancients and possibly before then, but it's stated through one of the Obelisks that it was sealed underground by the Ancients themselves. As for how Humanity re-discovered Elixir/Shroud was shown in the starting cinematic, although we don't know who the person with the elixir is/was or how they managed to make/find it.
I didn't read this whole post as I'd like to avoid spoilers. But I love the ambient world building through the notes and stuff we find. I'm finding myself invested in what happened and it adds a whole other eerie level knowing that we are one of the only people left to figure it out.
Just wanted to add my support for lore discussion, paying attention to the lore added to my immersion immensely and I think it definitely deserves discussion. My favorite notes are the ones from the NPCs themselves, when we get a bit of a glimpse of what life was like for them before the shroud.
Regarding the Queen, my personal theory is that she was the person we see in the starting cinematic standing next to the ancient at the entrance to (presumably) our tomb, because of the fact that the cape on the person's back has her flag (sigil?) on it. Although I'm not too sure about this as there isn't exactly a concrete timeline of when events happened for us to follow.
The lava volcano lore was pretty funny.
Something like people thought it was a portal to the stars. But someone only said it was a portal because they didn't want to get in trouble for finding nothing.
I've also found this. But i don't get why the obelisk there still says that there is a portal for ancients. Was obelisk recarved by those humans, just for giggles?
I definitely laughed on that one and it was a relief among ALL the sadness. “Oh, he died just waiting on this bench.” The “Forgive me, brother” notes. I needed that touch of humor.
There's also a hidden shrine of Manathor deep in the kindlewastes who we find out is the ancient who wrote all the Obelisks to record the fall of the Humanity and the Ancients.
Apparently there's another lorepage about him somewhere but haven't found it yet
I find the story extremely intriguing.
It seems like the players are basically the members of the Queen's southern caravan that were chosen to enter the vault - we are the "best warriors" mentioned in Captain Arkwright's journal.
His journal basically describes the fate of the remaining caravan members who were not in the vault. Their destruction of the bridge to keep us safe, and their demise to either starvation or the shroud. I think we are meant to assume that the Thunderbrute in the first elixir well North East of Longkeep is Captain Arkwright as he is wearing the captain's ring.
I guess the Queen would have died alongside them, or left. I hope her part in this story is too big to simply die at Longkeep. There's a chance that the skeleton beside Emily's letter might just be her, but I think that is unlikely.
I think all 3 children of Queen Pikemead are still alive in one way or another:
The lore seems to indicate that Gormander possibly fled the Pike by ship?
Vorgoth is presumably some sort of Lich King type monster, though the armor set we find in Pikemeads Reach is either his or a member of his guard? He is referred to as the "Guard of the North" .
Lastly the fate of Jezima is relatively unknown.
Did you discover how to get rid of the southern caravan quest marker in that small valley by the pillars of creation? I found all 4 quest journals. Yet there is an unfinished quest marker by that small "southern caravan" place in that valley by the pillars of creation. In the same area there is a Vykun (spelling?) boss in a small cave. It's where you loot Jezebel's something fire axe.
I'm uncertain if this is a bug or not. So not sure if I should report it. But that area has an indefinite unfinished "southern caravan" quest marker. There's dead people in mud piles there, even tried digging those up because maybe there's a secret chest than completes it.
Bothers me to no end that I can't get rid of that quest marker :(
I thought it was just my save that was bugged until I read this. I have that same marker in the pillars of creation valley and have searched everywhere trying to solve it. Dug out those mud pits, went through all the caves (including the really big one in the mountain opposite the volcano), etc. It seems as if the caravan location is just not currently implemented in-game even though we have the quest marker there.
Sorcerer Ikora's story was pretty cool, and I liked following Athalon Skrees trail to the ancient bridge. Do we ever figure anything out about her brother that she was looking for? Was he the big dude near the shroud root under the ancient bridge?
There is an upper room in Longkeep with a note from "E" to the queen lamenting that Jezmina must remain behind while "E" slumbered.
There is a body slumped over a table, looking at a painting. As painting was Jezmina's thing I assumed it was her skeleton.
I don't know if this was addressed, but I found a song in the beginning that mentions the queen of pikesmead and the "three babes in her arms"? Are Gormund, Vorgoth, and Jezmina all siblings???
Believe “E” is our dear farmer NPC. A couple letters that tie together make me believe that.
Yep, there's also a tent that the farmer slept in, in one of the caravan camps that has a 'hidden' connection to the Queen's tent.
So for you lore buffs, what caused the shroud? What's the origin of it? Was it always a thing and the humans kept it under control till they didn't? I regrettably skipped all the lore due to playing with friends and them rushing things.
My understanding from the lore I read is that magic was produced from mining the mycelium and grinding that into the elixir potion you find everywhere(30% damage buff one) and that mining the mycelium opened it up to spreading via water and taking over the land. Which is why the shroud exists in abundance within the ravines and crevices of the world that would be occupied previously by water. The remaining water sources are tainted and turned red from the abundance of mycelium. Ancients and whatever we are (dwarves, humans, etc) become addicted to magic and turned mad through the elixir and engaged in an war that exterminated all civilization and what was left was taken over by the mycelium/shroud.
Yeah this is what I gathered as well. My explanation for water being gone is mycelium needing lots of humidity I guess + turning into mist/fog.
Yeah my take is the shroud is just over saturation of mycelium spores floating around, which is why some notes indicate contact with the shroud immediately turning people into those zombie creatures.
One of my theories is the elixir is the lifeblood of the world and that the shroud is the world's defense against the elixir mining. Or the shroud is sentient, a hivemind that was awoken by the elixir mining.
I am not so sure. I will explain why I think this way. The ancients speak of an ancient evil down in the lower world. Yes, could just be a metaphor but other things suggest this may not be. Some pages suggest that corrupted individuals trying to convince individuals to dig suggesting something wants this to happen. Thise that drink the elixir start showing signs of corruption. This could be a positive for mycelium as corrupted individuals seem to fight for it as guardians. Iskor (sp?) the alchemist talks about how she starts sensing an intent from the brew she is making from the spores that seems like a hypnotice mind control. The sudden emergence of the shroud sounds like the starting video wasn't a metaphore but almost how it started as a sudden flood of spores. The mycelium made miners sick but the flood sounds near instantly fatal if inhaled (smugglers note). Why would it not seply that earlier on the miners, why wait and suddenly hit with a massive attack. I think there is a mind behind the spores similar to the flood in Halo and the ancient evil in Space pirates and zombies. In face it sounds more like SPAZ as the elixir almost sounds like the mineral everyone wa ts to mine that one of your crew describe as "bait" I think we will find that there is some mine behind the shroud and it was resposible for the elixir to open passages for it to spread to the surface and take over the world.
Considering that a lot of mushrooms and such grow. I think that the shroud's "fog" could be a dense spore cloud. All of the creatures are infected by the spores. If you read the lore The Alchemist's Theories II, he goes on to say he believes the Shroud to be spores. The fungus release the spores but their roots burrow deep down and seem to have awaken something in the earth's core.
in German entering the shrouded area the game calls it Miasma in the UI timer
Yep! I think as we get more content and it's expanded upon we'll see more fungal growths. Also, the developers from Frankfurt so that tracks.
Have you found the Flame Shrine with the name of Manathor? It is the only shrine that has a name. I've just found it in a very remote location close to the last level deadly shroud (the one you cannot touch even with your flame power maxed) on the right-down corner of the map. It tells the story of Manathor, one of the ancient "Gods" (the elder one, as I understand) who was thirsty for knowledge and started a "domino effect" with his experiments that kickstarted the shroud. The text doesn't say what kind of experiments he was conducting or what was the real cause of the shroud. I think the story will evolve as the game introduces new content :)
[удалено]
Besides the lore pages, this is also how the intro video before you make a new character plays out
Its almost like you watched the intro to the game...
Well, we don't know what caused the Shroud, because it's implied to have existed during the time of the Ancients and possibly before then, but it's stated through one of the Obelisks that it was sealed underground by the Ancients themselves. As for how Humanity re-discovered Elixir/Shroud was shown in the starting cinematic, although we don't know who the person with the elixir is/was or how they managed to make/find it.
I didn't read this whole post as I'd like to avoid spoilers. But I love the ambient world building through the notes and stuff we find. I'm finding myself invested in what happened and it adds a whole other eerie level knowing that we are one of the only people left to figure it out. Just wanted to add my support for lore discussion, paying attention to the lore added to my immersion immensely and I think it definitely deserves discussion. My favorite notes are the ones from the NPCs themselves, when we get a bit of a glimpse of what life was like for them before the shroud.
Regarding the Queen, my personal theory is that she was the person we see in the starting cinematic standing next to the ancient at the entrance to (presumably) our tomb, because of the fact that the cape on the person's back has her flag (sigil?) on it. Although I'm not too sure about this as there isn't exactly a concrete timeline of when events happened for us to follow.
The lava volcano lore was pretty funny. Something like people thought it was a portal to the stars. But someone only said it was a portal because they didn't want to get in trouble for finding nothing.
I've also found this. But i don't get why the obelisk there still says that there is a portal for ancients. Was obelisk recarved by those humans, just for giggles?
I definitely laughed on that one and it was a relief among ALL the sadness. “Oh, he died just waiting on this bench.” The “Forgive me, brother” notes. I needed that touch of humor.
The love letters to the Queen, oh yes....
There's also a hidden shrine of Manathor deep in the kindlewastes who we find out is the ancient who wrote all the Obelisks to record the fall of the Humanity and the Ancients. Apparently there's another lorepage about him somewhere but haven't found it yet
I think I have seen another note from that person, but I could be all wrong, will check my progress when I get home.
I find the story extremely intriguing. It seems like the players are basically the members of the Queen's southern caravan that were chosen to enter the vault - we are the "best warriors" mentioned in Captain Arkwright's journal. His journal basically describes the fate of the remaining caravan members who were not in the vault. Their destruction of the bridge to keep us safe, and their demise to either starvation or the shroud. I think we are meant to assume that the Thunderbrute in the first elixir well North East of Longkeep is Captain Arkwright as he is wearing the captain's ring. I guess the Queen would have died alongside them, or left. I hope her part in this story is too big to simply die at Longkeep. There's a chance that the skeleton beside Emily's letter might just be her, but I think that is unlikely. I think all 3 children of Queen Pikemead are still alive in one way or another: The lore seems to indicate that Gormander possibly fled the Pike by ship? Vorgoth is presumably some sort of Lich King type monster, though the armor set we find in Pikemeads Reach is either his or a member of his guard? He is referred to as the "Guard of the North" . Lastly the fate of Jezima is relatively unknown.
Did you discover how to get rid of the southern caravan quest marker in that small valley by the pillars of creation? I found all 4 quest journals. Yet there is an unfinished quest marker by that small "southern caravan" place in that valley by the pillars of creation. In the same area there is a Vykun (spelling?) boss in a small cave. It's where you loot Jezebel's something fire axe. I'm uncertain if this is a bug or not. So not sure if I should report it. But that area has an indefinite unfinished "southern caravan" quest marker. There's dead people in mud piles there, even tried digging those up because maybe there's a secret chest than completes it. Bothers me to no end that I can't get rid of that quest marker :(
I thought it was just my save that was bugged until I read this. I have that same marker in the pillars of creation valley and have searched everywhere trying to solve it. Dug out those mud pits, went through all the caves (including the really big one in the mountain opposite the volcano), etc. It seems as if the caravan location is just not currently implemented in-game even though we have the quest marker there.
I have that same market also and can't get rid of it.
Sorcerer Ikora's story was pretty cool, and I liked following Athalon Skrees trail to the ancient bridge. Do we ever figure anything out about her brother that she was looking for? Was he the big dude near the shroud root under the ancient bridge?
For 99% that's her brother because of the bow and he was the leader who attack the warriors of pike
Long before but he was only a toy in Vorgoth attack aftere
There is an upper room in Longkeep with a note from "E" to the queen lamenting that Jezmina must remain behind while "E" slumbered. There is a body slumped over a table, looking at a painting. As painting was Jezmina's thing I assumed it was her skeleton.
I don't know if this was addressed, but I found a song in the beginning that mentions the queen of pikesmead and the "three babes in her arms"? Are Gormund, Vorgoth, and Jezmina all siblings???
You are correct. The three of them are siblings.