SPOILER ALERT: Lore Discussion

[kukuhimanpr]

I read it more like it was made by followers of Korvaak by using powers they siphoned from their enemies, not Korvaak himself decided to pull out the old sewing machine and pour some of his power into it. It’s kind of like how the Order of Death’s Vigil exploited stuff from the Cult of Ch’thon, Aetherials and Kymon’s Chosen to resurrect Malkadarr.

that could be true. in real life, superiors often doesn’t know what their subordinates does in the field. and public perception often attributes everything the subordinates do as a result of their superiors’ command.

but grim dawn is chockful of people, things, and celestials fighting and stealing anything from each other. so we don’t really know if korvaak himself is just a power thief like most parties of gd.

The radiant entity stood before the first of our people, its light brighter than a star in the sky, and demanded fealty. Its arrival was heralded by a breathtaking meteor shower. All were in awe of their benefactor. All kneeled.

What I find peculiar in these retellings is that not once was the god’s name uttered, and a few places I could find that referred to it directly had been blotted out with black ink. Our ancestors, it appears, were thorough in erasing evidence of its existence.

Was it the people that did this? Because if it was another world/reality than it couldn’t have been Solael/Bysmiel before they imprisoned Korvaak. Unless they did it after they imprisoned Korvaak.

it’s clear that the ralyoth people are the one that erase every reference about their god. their hatred must be very great to be capable of doing that. just like how the trio witch tried to erase every evidence about korvaak (untill kymon released korvaak’s messenger). just like some ancient civilization in real life that erased cultures/religions of other civilization they conquered.

The divine stood, towering above the people, and demanded fealty; but none bent the knee. Evidently infuriated by this defiance, the god cursed the very land and its people and vanished in an eruption of flames that toppled the ziggurat and claimed the lives of all that dared confront their deity.

I wonder could this be Ulzuin? And if it was him did he go back to this realm/world after the Witch Gods imprisoned Korvaak?

i’m pretty sure this refer to the same forgotten god of ralyoth. the ralyoth god create the shattered realm probably as a crossroad world (like the crossroad constellation). this forgotten celestial probably goes to another far away galaxy to forget the derpiness of the failed realm and create new realms there. maybe gd2 will reveal more about this celestial.

maybe in gd2 we’ll go to other galaxies?

[Mauricius]

The radiant entity stood before the first of our people, its light brighter than a star in the sky, and demanded fealty. Its arrival was heralded by a breathtaking meteor shower. All were in awe of their benefactor. All kneeled.

The skill from Ulzuin’s Torch constellation is a Meteor Shower. And the fact that he left in a eruption of flames, that certainly hints to be Ulzuin.

[Atanamir]

The radiant entity stood before the first of our people, its light brighter than a star in the sky, and demanded fealty. Its arrival was heralded by a breathtaking meteor shower. All were in awe of their benefactor. All kneeled.

The skill from Ulzuin’s Torch constellation is a Meteor Shower. And the fact that he left in a eruption of flames, that certainly hints to be Ulzuin.

I thing it says how this primordial god (Rhyloth or someting…) come that world from stars… seem it came with meteor showers… I wonder if primordial gods are interstellar aliens :))

[kukuhimanpr]

The skill from Ulzuin’s Torch constellation is a Meteor Shower. And the fact that he left in a eruption of flames, that certainly hints to be Ulzuin.

there are many other celestials/ascendants that can summon meteor shower. korvaak and anasteria for example. ulzuin seems to be pretty insistent on staying in cairn. flooding korvan city ruins with lava and granting blessing to any cairn inhabitants with penchants for fire n lightning.

I wonder if primordial gods are interstellar aliens :))

korvaak manifestation’s face look like some kind of alien, despite his many statues in korvan lands depicting him as zeus like regal beard god. we don’t really know what’s the true appearance of many celestials.
just like how bysmiel’s true form could be that witchy witch lady or a spider or a fat alien matriarch spider woman shown on her shrine stone.

reality is so distorted in grim dawn.

[Vesperas]

The skill from Ulzuin’s Torch constellation is a Meteor Shower. And the fact that he left in a eruption of flames, that certainly hints to be Ulzuin.

It also could have been Korvaak himself. As I said earlier in this thread, it seemed to me Korvaak took Empyrion’s (or maybe Vire’s) place in Cairn because his own realm (Rayloth) stopped worshiping him and Cairn’s lording primordial had moved on.

Ulzuin seems to be a demi-god, like Lokarr and Mogdrogen. Solael and Bysmiel may also be from Rayloth but I’m merely guessing based on the notes stating Solael appeared out of nowhere and he clearly had some sort of vendetta with Korvaak. His arrogance and disrespect toward the priests and their holy sites may have been due to him knowing Korvaak was a fraud or it may have been due to him seeking to exact a punishment of some kind.

It would be like this:

1. The primordial gods & aetherials create countless realms.
2. The primordial gods become jealous of each other and start warring.
3. The demi-gods come to be either before or during the war.
4. Countless realms are destroyed, causing the primordial gods to become increasingly bitter and hateful.
5. Some primordial gods tap into the void and unleash untold devastation upon creation.
6. The aetherials are driven from creation and cast into the aether/aetherhold.
7. Empyrion is defeated and Cairn is left godless. Korvaak retreats to Rayloth but his people have lost faith.
8. Korvaak curses Rayloth and claims Cairn.
9. Rayloth shatters and begins to succumb to Yugol or be pulled into the void, returning to Ch’thon.
10. Draelus/Dreeg learns the truth.
11. Rion learns hints of the truth.
12. Solael, either on Cairn or coming from Rayloth through the Altar of Rattosh, seeks power or vengeance.
13. Bysmiel, Solael and Dreeg make their pact and enact their plan.
14. They battle and the Korvan lands are decimated.
15. Some flee, most perish and others pledge themselves to the Three.
16. The Three systematically erase as much evidence of Korvaak as possible.
17. The Korvan people cease to be.
18. The Three are unable to agree on how to proceed or what to do, leading them to bicker.
19. Arkovia falls at some point. I’m not sure on the exact timing but it seems it happened before the Empire.
20. The Empire is formed and begins to spread.
21. The Empire defeats the Carineans, stopping the Loghorrean.
22. The Luminari are formed and start hunting down witches and heathens.
23. The Three set their differences aside and pool their resources to survive.
24. Kymon discovers evidence of Korvaak.
25. Grim Dawn begins.

[Atanamir]

Solael, either on Cairn or coming from Rayloth through the Altar of Rattosh, seeks power or vengeance.

I think Solael was releted Ch’thonians. He was leader high priest or or sub-commander to send to Corvan land to start Ch’thonic cult there. That is explain why he obsessed with blood. At some point he meet Bisymiel and change his mind …and you know rest of story…

and what about Bisymiel? is she related to Aetherials?

[Vesperas]

I think Solael was releted Ch’thonians. He was leader high priest or or sub-commander to send to Corvan land to start Ch’thonic cult there. That is explain why he obsessed with blood. At some point he meet Bisymiel and change his mind …and you know rest of story…

and what about Bisymiel? is she related to Aetherials?

That could be. I must have missed or didn’t remember that. It makes sense if Solael was a member of the Cult of Ch’thon at some point. As you said, it would certainly explain his apparent love for blood, human sacrifices and his ties to the power of chaos.

Regarding Bysmiel… true to her persona, she’s the most enigmatic. Based on what is known about her my guess is she really was just a temple priestess and she hooked up with Solael somehow. Maybe she was involved in some way with the attempt made to kill him–I’m not sure. Then, Solael let her in on his secret while sleeping with her, having fell hard for her and allowing himself to become wrapped around her finger, which she then exploited to her advantage.

It’s probably due to her callous and manipulative nature and Solael’s sad and broken heart that caused the two of them to develop the rivalry they have, and possibly why the Three eventually fell to bickering and broke apart. This is just barely hinted at with Bysmiel saying she learned what she did from a “spider” whispering into her ear during a night of passion (referring to Solael) and it seems to be (possibly) reinforced with the awkward love story that unfolds in Solael’s camp in the Conclave of the Three.

The more direct path would be she learned it from Ulzuin while tending to him on one of her many visits but I’m more inclined to think she was already aware and was manipulating Ulzuin from the very start. I don’t think she has any ties to the aetherials but it’s possible. AFAIK, the only hint toward that would possibly be her eye color.

Regardless, it doesn’t change anything as far as I know. The Cult of Ch’thon is portrayed as having existed pretty much since the beginning of Cairn. It’s also apparent Solael seemed to be naive and maleable based on Dreeg’s view of him in one of the lore notes you find. It’s likely Bysmiel noticed it too and used him toward her own goals.

[Mauricius]

The Ravager also wants blood but isn’t into the cult of Ch’thon

[Atanamir]

The Ravager also wants blood but isn’t into the cult of Ch’thon

The Ravager doesn’t eat void tainted creatures (onarix ? ) hearts too

[Vesperas]

Ravager is the only demi-god that is explained in good detail. It doesn’t like the void (like everything else) but beyond that, it mostly just seems to want revenge on Mogdrogen.

There’s a note found in a hidden area in the cellars of Barrowholm that explains it.

Injustice. That is the tale of the Great One. Injustice and betrayal.

Ravager once walked among us, a beautiful creature, the embodiment of nature’s balance. He thrived among his worshippers and bestowed upon them many gifts. But he was not the only one to be blessed with such power.

The god of beasts grew jealous of Ravager’s believers. In the darkness of night, the god sought out Ravager’s lair and, with the aid of his slaves, he banished the Great One from this realm.

Bodiless and forgotten, Ravager threw himself against his spiritual prison. He sought to return to this realm and right the wrongs done to him; and through our sacrifices the day of his judgment has nearly come. We shall become the harbingers of his will, the benefactors of his mercy. And when Ravager’s jaws close shut around the throat of the betrayer, so shall we drink of his blood and rise above our lessers.

[Mauricius]

Interesting perspective though…hmm, hmm…almost as if it’s written from another point of view.

/10 chars

[kukuhimanpr]

The skill from Ulzuin’s Torch constellation is a Meteor Shower. And the fact that he left in a eruption of flames, that certainly hints to be Ulzuin.

It also could have been Korvaak himself. As I said earlier in this thread, it seemed to me Korvaak took Empyrion’s (or maybe Vire’s) place in Cairn because his own realm (Rayloth) stopped worshiping him and Cairn’s lording primordial had moved on.

Ulzuin seems to be a demi-god, like Lokarr and Mogdrogen. Solael and Bysmiel may also be from Rayloth but I’m merely guessing based on the notes stating Solael appeared out of nowhere and he clearly had some sort of vendetta with Korvaak. His arrogance and disrespect toward the priests and their holy sites may have been due to him knowing Korvaak was a fraud or it may have been due to him seeking to exact a punishment of some kind.

It would be like this:

1. The primordial gods & aetherials create countless realms.
2. The primordial gods become jealous of each other and start warring.
3. The demi-gods come to be either before or during the war.
4. Countless realms are destroyed, causing the primordial gods to become increasingly bitter and hateful.
5. Some primordial gods tap into the void and unleash untold devastation upon creation.
6. The aetherials are driven from creation and cast into the aether/aetherhold.
7. Empyrion is defeated and Cairn is left godless. Korvaak retreats to Rayloth but his people have lost faith.
8. Korvaak curses Rayloth and claims Cairn.
9. Rayloth shatters and begins to succumb to Yugol or be pulled into the void, returning to Ch’thon.
10. Draelus/Dreeg learns the truth.
11. Rion learns hints of the truth.
12. Solael, either on Cairn or coming from Rayloth through the Altar of Rattosh, seeks power or vengeance.
13. Bysmiel, Solael and Dreeg make their pact and enact their plan.
14. They battle and the Korvan lands are decimated.
15. Some flee, most perish and others pledge themselves to the Three.
16. The Three systematically erase as much evidence of Korvaak as possible.
17. The Korvan people cease to be.
18. The Three are unable to agree on how to proceed or what to do, leading them to bicker.
19. Arkovia falls at some point. I’m not sure on the exact timing but it seems it happened before the Empire.
20. The Empire is formed and begins to spread.
21. The Empire defeats the Carineans, stopping the Loghorrean.
22. The Luminari are formed and start hunting down witches and heathens.
23. The Three set their differences aside and pool their resources to survive.
24. Kymon discovers evidence of Korvaak.
25. Grim Dawn begins.

very interesting theory… solael is possibly from ralyoth. he hated korvaak for being unsatisfying deity (in his and ralyoth people’s eyes). he probably turned into a bloodsworn because he want to join the side with more power than korvaak. also because the chthonians are nemesis to korvaak. ++. then bysmiel met him, she convinces him to leave the bloodsworn, and join bys and dreeg to make their own faction to usurp korvaak and rule cairn from shadows.

I think Solael was releted Ch’thonians. He was leader high priest or or sub-commander to send to Corvan land to start Ch’thonic cult there. That is explain why he obsessed with blood. At some point he meet Bisymiel and change his mind …and you know rest of story…

and what about Bisymiel? is she related to Aetherials?

That could be. I must have missed or didn’t remember that. It makes sense if Solael was a member of the Cult of Ch’thon at some point. As you said, it would certainly explain his apparent love for blood, human sacrifices and his ties to the power of chaos.

Regarding Bysmiel… true to her persona, she’s the most enigmatic. Based on what is known about her my guess is she really was just a temple priestess and she hooked up with Solael somehow. Maybe she was involved in some way with the attempt made to kill him–I’m not sure. Then, Solael let her in on his secret while sleeping with her, having fell hard for her and allowing himself to become wrapped around her finger, which she then exploited to her advantage.

It’s probably due to her callous and manipulative nature and Solael’s sad and broken heart that caused the two of them to develop the rivalry they have, and possibly why the Three eventually fell to bickering and broke apart. This is just barely hinted at with Bysmiel saying she learned what she did from a “spider” whispering into her ear during a night of passion (referring to Solael) and it seems to be (possibly) reinforced with the awkward love story that unfolds in Solael’s camp in the Conclave of the Three.

The more direct path would be she learned it from Ulzuin while tending to him on one of her many visits but I’m more inclined to think she was already aware and was manipulating Ulzuin from the very start. I don’t think she has any ties to the aetherials but it’s possible. AFAIK, the only hint toward that would possibly be her eye color.

Regardless, it doesn’t change anything as far as I know. The Cult of Ch’thon is portrayed as having existed pretty much since the beginning of Cairn. It’s also apparent Solael seemed to be naive and maleable based on Dreeg’s view of him in one of the lore notes you find. It’s likely Bysmiel noticed it too and used him toward her own goals.

notice that the three witchy witch’s faction items leaned toward some kind of elements:

solael: chaos, fire, physical
he must be the one tasked to deal with the chthonians and use the void itself against them. fight fire with fire, so to speak. its pretty believable that he’s an ex-bloodsworn himself… since there are several unique gears belonging to some bloodsworn turned into demon hunter.
his eternal thirst for mortal vitalities might be related to chthon’s curse of wanting to forcibly take his blood from all mortals back.
his heavy themes about sacrifice of anything is also very similar to chthonians’ addiction to sacrificing blood & flesh to summon chthonic demons.

bysmiel: aether, cold
she must be the one tasked to deal with the aetherials.
remember that AoM loading screen has bysmiel plastered all over the place with aetherial glow and she held a wendigo skull with aether eyes.
she must also be very connected with death’s vigil due to her necromantic aether power.
also, bysmiel has matron of the veil as her title. the veil is the thing that separates the physical world with aetherhold.
she also has a spy posted in the ugdenbog coven, possibly to keep ravager in check. i’m not sure about this, but some forumers say that she helps the malmouth resistance secretly due to her rune near the rift of steelcap district hinting she keep the aetherials on hold from massacring malmouthers in the sewers before the taken arrive.

dreeg: poison/acid, pierce
he’s the only one who got the power of the very poisonous wild eldritch realm due to korvaak’s direct blessing/punishment to watch for any interlopers too curious with eldritch realm.
he’s the one tasked with defending the eldritch realm from any invaders. there’s one of his faction augments that is made from the bodies of chthonians invading the border of eldritch realm.

why sola and bys bys breaks up, its probably simply because bys bys cheats on him by having affair with basically everything. the breaking point is probably ulzuin. sol knows its necessary to have their plan of usurping eldritch throne succeed. but he still doesn’t like it at all. and he become consumed with snarky hatred 24/7.

hey, maybe sol really miss the feeling of becoming human… that’s why he’s addicted to mortal vitalities. does humans in gd loses some of their compassion/emotion when they ascend into demigod? or it depends on the circumstances.

[kukuhimanpr]

i wish we can get more lore on the war between the 3, and how the covenant of the 3 was formed. iirc the temple of the 3’s attendant said that his master, solael, is the one who proposed an alliance between the 3. kinda odd due to solael’s super angry demeanor. i though dreeg would be the better one to propose such a deal.

why do the 3 war between themselves…? is it because they got too much power and want to release some pent up frustration? or are they just deceiving their followers to war with each other, to train their forces if any major threat invade cairn?

besides, dreeg seems to be too calm, collected and isolative to participate in a war with the other two. he also already have future visions about grimy dawn and any other bleak threat in the future. its pretty hard to imagine why he participate in the war between ther 3.

or maybe he’s just defending all the time… while bys and sol followers only occasionally sparing some raid to dreeg’s forces.

i can imagine the conversations between the 3 during their civil war:

SOLAEL: I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU WITCHINESS, WITCH! INCOHERENT SCREAMS

bysmiel: secretly enjoys teasing solael

SOLAEL: OLD MAN, I NEED YOU ELDRITCH POWER. GIVE IT TO ME!

bysmiel: secretly steals eldritch goodies from dreeg while also secretly steals eldritch goodies from solael

dreeg: I’m too old for this…

several years later

solael: peace. now.

bysmiel:…

dreeg:i have foreseen this. (but this is still unbelievable to me).

[Atanamir]

bysmiel: aether, cold
she must be the one tasked to deal with the aetherials.
remember that AoM loading screen has bysmiel plastered all over the place with aetherial glow and she held a wendigo skull with aether eyes.
she must also be very connected with death’s vigil due to her necromantic aether power.
also, bysmiel has matron of the veil as her title. the veil is the thing that separates the physical world with aetherhold.
she also has a spy posted in the ugdenbog coven, possibly to keep ravager in check. i’m not sure about this, but some forumers say that she helps the malmouth resistance secretly due to her rune near the rift of steelcap district hinting she keep the aetherials on hold from massacring malmouthers in the sewers before the taken arrive.

well let me add more about Bysmiel

May be she is an aetherial send cairn to take care already weekend primordial god ( korvaak after war of gods) and prepare the world to aetherial invasion…first move infiltrate Korvaak inner chamber …who is close to him?? Titan Ulzuin! …son of another primordial, Empyrion. Find a very beautiful woman and posses her then seduce Ulzuin and take him far away from koorvaks tomb …and learn about eldritch realm and how to get there from Ulzuin ( whispered by spider in very specific night! ) …find other to help her couse ( chitonic cultist and chaos using ( only chaos can harm primordials ) Solel and Korvaak watchdog Dreg ) …with Solel , useing her eather power infiltrate inner sanctum and bind Korvaak… seems some time in the past like Corina and Anasteria she also embrace humanity … and also change her mind . Now she is helping humanity …thats all explain her mysterious origin … also mind reading …spy web and plans…in the end even she could not stop aetherial invasion…

[Vesperas]

I’m curious how it was decided Bysmiel was related to the aetherials? There’s nothing concrete I can recall that points to that but admittedly, nothing that really disproves it either. Based on what I can remember:

In favor of…

1. Green eye color.
2. AoM loading screen.
3. The coven and some witches having some mastery over the aether, including the one you save in the Blood Grove.

Neutral…

1. Mogdrogen’s statement that the events leading to the Grim Dawn were in motion longer than you realize.

Opposed…

1. It would imply a single aetherial pierced the veil hundreds, if not thousands of years before any other.
2. Dreeg doesn’t seem to know about it or at least, he never mentions it.
3. She has no apparent lines of communication with other aetherials.
4. She’s upset about her spy network collapsing, losing communication with Erulan and not knowing what is happening, despite it all being due to the aetherial invasion.
5. Her “master plan,” whatever that could be, would have relied on an absurd amount of leaps of faith to come to fruition–as in, had better build a rocket ship for the amount of jumping she’d have to do.

I don’t know. To me, it seems more likely she’s just a manipulative gold digger and gained her power by aligning herself with Dreeg and Solael, stealing it from the Eldritch realm. On her own, I have serious doubts she’d do very well against Annie or Korinia, and they’re not even depicted as being the most powerful possessed/aetherials.

[Atanamir]

I don’t know. To me, it seems more likely she’s just a manipulative gold digger and gained her power by aligning herself with Dreeg and Solael, stealing it from the Eldritch realm. On her own, I have serious doubts she’d do very well against Annie or Korinia, and they’re not even depicted as being the most powerful possessed/aetherials.

Just being a priestess not knowing about primordial gods and eldritch realm , how she can do all she done!..she is not just normal human… may be not spesific aetherial either but… she is…something different…something know all about those …and as Mogdrogen’s said “the events leading to the Grim Dawn were in motion longer than you realize.” .I still think she is related with aetherials in some way…

[Vesperas]

How did she not know about it or the Eldritch realm? It sounds like it was a widely known (and celebrated) fact among the Korvan people. Rion himself says as much in his writings and she probably knew more than he ever did just being a priestess at the temple.

i wish we can get more lore on the war between the 3, and how the covenant of the 3 was formed. iirc the temple of the 3’s attendant said that his master, solael, is the one who proposed an alliance between the 3. kinda odd due to solael’s super angry demeanor. i though dreeg would be the better one to propose such a deal.

It seems more reasonable when you think about how ruthless and efficient the Luminari were. Based on the lore you can find on them through dialogue, gear descriptions and lore notes, some of them sounded even worse than Solael.

Even common people with absolutely nothing to be afraid of said they felt uneasy when inquisitors were around. If one came into town the rule of thumb seemed to be, “keep your head down, don’t attract attention, speak only when spoken to, etc.” It doesn’t seem surprising the covenant was formed because it was probably necessary for their survival (and even then, only just barely).

[kukuhimanpr]

as Mogdrogen’s said “the events leading to the Grim Dawn were in motion longer than you realize.”

this is something that everybody should remember. even the reanimator aetherial zombie summoner enemies in the early parts of the game often mutter “THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING”, implying a lot of stuff we’ll get from crate in the future would be revealed, disproved, distorted, retconned, etc. we’re just some mortals speculating about things based on what the taken sees.

its fun to make lore theories though, even if it was proved false later.

It seems more reasonable when you think about how ruthless and efficient the Luminari were. Based on the lore you can find on them through dialogue, gear descriptions and lore notes, some of them sounded even worse than Solael.

Even common people with absolutely nothing to be afraid of said they felt uneasy when inquisitors were around. If one came into town the rule of thumb seemed to be, “keep your head down, don’t attract attention, speak only when spoken to, etc.” It doesn’t seem surprising the covenant was formed because it was probably necessary for their survival (and even then, only just barely).

yea, i forgot about the luminari… they are probably the single biggest reason why solael propose alliance (again) between the 3. the luminari is formed after erulan empire rise to prominence, which is LONG after the korvan empire falls. plenty of time for the 3 cults to war between themselves.

about the luminari, is there any hint about some celestials secretly guiding their every action? other than the celestials (and korvaak’s messenger manipulating kymon’s group), it seems only the aetherial invader faction has almost complete possession of the luminari, gildam arcanum, and erulan officials.

also, how did the luminari become so strong (before grim dawn)? is it because those aetherials possess some remains of their master celestials power, and secretly scatter it to many luminari/gildam arcanum artifacts?

[Atanamir]

about the luminari, is there any hint about some celestials secretly guiding their every action? other than the celestials (and korvaak’s messenger manipulating kymon’s group), it seems only the aetherial invader faction has almost complete possession of the luminari, gildam arcanum, and erulan officials.

I will speculate again about this one

Well I believe after they bind Korvaak and taken of eldritch powers for themselves …three emerge from temple of eldritch sun and find a familiar face …Ulzuin… I thing they imprison him and torturing him for millennia…as Ulzuin constellation implies…when they start to figth each other …seems Ulzuin escapes … now burning with vengeance…he gathered humans around him and founded “Erulan Empire” and “luminari” with long forgotten and banished or destroyed celestials as their patron gods.Like Menhir or his father Eymperion…why?? may be he is not powerful enough to stand against witch gods…so he is after their followers…may be why luminari is so obsessed about heretics!!! and thats why solael propose alliance (again) between the 3.

The question is “Where is Ulzuin now?”…

[kukuhimanpr]

ulzuin founding the luminari seems possible.

the exact whereabout of ulzuin is one of the most itchy mysteries of gd. you’d think that with korvaak’s return, ulzuin would appear and confront bysmiel directly. with korvaak very reluctantly allow his assistance (because ulzuin’s previous rampage and destruction of korvaak’s own cities and followers is pretty traitorous thing to do.

or maybe… okaloth the messenger of korvaak is ulzuin all along?
remember that in kymon’s base in blood grove, we can meet and talk with okaloth in his spirit form (after finishing the final main quest of kymon faction). and if asked “where is empyrion?”, okaloth will answer with… heavy emotion? i think he said it somewhat like this:

okaloth: empyrion?.. gone… GONE!!!

in the (korvan elegy?) lore note about bysmiel and ulzuin’s affair, i recall that ulzuin cries out his father’s name (empyrion) in despair for help against bysmiel’s treachery and to defend korvaak from the 3, then consumed by rage when empyrion doesn’t answer.

that is a pretty convincing similarities between ulzuin and okaloth…

this also raises the question: then why ulzuin’s name is changed to okaloth?

i’m gonna raise some more minor hint about some celestial/demon ritual of changing names here.

there is a bloodsworn leader named karroz, sigil of ch’thon in darkvale gate that we have to defeat to proceed into fort ikon.

when we defeat him, karroz screams “no… NO!!!”, then got ripped to shred by an unraveller. presumably banishing his soul to the void.

many, many hours later, we pretty much forgot about karroz. then we enter the bastion of chaos to rule the place and farm it for some MI. but if you stop for a bit in the roguelike and examine the surroundings every now and then, you will find a friendly (seriously, friendly for no reason) skeleton merchant selling chthonian items in Anarchy.

guess what the merchant’s name is?

‘karros’ adal

Karros adal = Karroz

and there is a unique unraveller nearby guarding (or torturing? for failure?) him, named Galar’Bargok, the Black Fiend.

there is also an AoM sidestory in mourndale void rift that shows some imprisoned bloodsworn asking us to rescue them before some chthonic insect lord comes and torture them some more.

so karroz is probably heavily tortured and punished by galar’bargok, to the point that only his skeletons remain, and for some reason, his name changed to karros adal. perhaps this name change is also a mean to humiliate and torture him. probably some kind of chthonic language.

which brings us back to ulzuin.

the chronology of ulzuin’s transformation is probably like this:

1. ulzuin rage quit after discovering bysmiel’s treachery, empyrion vanishing, and the 3 witch attacking korvaak, causing the korvan lands to fall into calamitous disaster. he choose to join the party, by destroying and killing his own temples & followers, and other innocent korvan bystander. some of them got turned into wraiths and sentient guardian statues feeling eternal torment.
2. the 3 witch defeats and imprison korvaak, then as they left the tomb of korvaak, they got out of the city, and found ulzuin throwing temper tantrum like moba carries getting 0 kills in the entire match. they sighed, and subdue ulzuin easily. imprisoning him beneath a korvan village in the wilds. then the 3 left to form the 3 witch cults.
3. korvaak sense that ulzuin is still alive, then through telepathy, berates him for a long time for falling to bysmiel’s booty call and for ragequitting like that. he changes ulzuin’s name to okaloth, and charges him with power as his messenger, bringing dreams of fiery destruction and salvation to specific mortals who can be potential allies.
4. korvaak hatches a plan to disguise himself as empyrion, and told okaloth to seek out individuals with strong connections and strong faith in empyrion.
5. kymon found okaloth, and from then on, ulzuin/okaloth secretly disperse his gift to any individuals with penchant for vengeful wild fiery destruction. either to individuals in luminari, gildam arcanum, or any other in the erulan empire and other civilizations. but he mainly focuses his power to bless kymon’s chosen. to free korvaak and crush the 3 witches.

still, the change of name from ulzuuin to okaloth seems hard to spot. maybe it derives from secret language of the celestials. maybe okaloth is a fragment of ulzuuin’s essence. a fragment that focuses on his fury. maybe there’s an ulzuin fragment out there that focuses on healing. since ulzuuin is previously tasked with ceremonies and healing. mugdrug’em being capable of splinching himself to many avatar with his personality intact support this speculation.

about ralyoth and its forgotten god, there’s still many mysteries unexplored due to its reflective nature of cairn itself, or perhaps cairn is the reflection of the shattered realm? maybe gd2 will have some more themes about mirror and reflection to explore this mystery.