(SPOILERS) My thoughts on Enderal

[Makesin]

I don't disagree with you at all in regards to the parallels between the various nightmares. Yes, they are there and yes, it may mean that even the original nightmares that he Prophet suffered from before their death were created by the High Ones.

But if they were, we are met with the important question of why. Because where I do disagree with you is when you say that the High Ones do things just because they can. They don't. Everything they do (or at least everything we know they do) is done for the purpose of the Cleansing, and the Cleansing itself is done for the purpose of procreation. In this way, the High Ones are in some ways rather primitive, as they are controlled by this primitive urge.

The Emissaries are created so that they can lead humanity towards the Cleansing. The Red Madness is created so that the humanity feels threatened and is susceptible by the Emissaries. But why would they give a small boy of no importance nightmares? Even more importantly, those nightmares most likely began before the fall of the Light-Born, i.e. before the Red Madness and the time of the Cleansing. Especially so if we accept the theory that the Prophet exists only because the Veiled Woman created them, therefore that the High Ones didn't know about the Prophet before the Veiled Woman intervened.

I know I am probably overthinking all this, but nothing happens without a reason, and even less so if my hypothesis is correct and the High Ones are essentially primitive beings. Then everything they do would be controlled by their primitive urges, and some psychological doctrines give us the triade of these urges controlling every living being: The urge to be unharmed, the urge to survive and the urge to procreate.

So, my crackpot theory: Since the High Ones are essentially immortal (their death can only come from the Beacon and they do everything they can to prevent that), their procreation is ensured (and is, interestingly enough, tied to the urge to prevent harm), the only urge left unsatisfied is survival, which for living beings mean thirst and hunger. It may be possible, then, that the High Ones influence nightmares in all humans because they feed on the negative energy created by those nightmares, and without feeding on the nightmares they would slowly lose all their powers. (So, another solution for the Cycle: force humans never to sleep again).

EDIT: I have to say, if the writers confirmed this theory, I'd lose my mind...

[Casper]

I don't disagree with you at all in regards to the parallels between the various nightmares. Yes, they are there and yes, it may mean that even the original nightmares that he Prophet suffered from before their death were created by the High Ones.

But if they were, we are met with the important question of why. Because where I do disagree with you is when you say that the High Ones do things just because they can. They don't. Everything they do (or at least everything we know they do) is done for the purpose of the Cleansing, and the Cleansing itself is done for the purpose of procreation. In this way, the High Ones are in some ways rather primitive, as they are controlled by this primitive urge.

The Emissaries are created so that they can lead humanity towards the Cleansing. The Red Madness is created so that the humanity feels threatened and is susceptible by the Emissaries. But why would they give a small boy of no importance nightmares? Even more importantly, those nightmares most likely began before the fall of the Light-Born, i.e. before the Red Madness and the time of the Cleansing. Especially so if we accept the theory that the Prophet exists only because the Veiled Woman created them, therefore that the High Ones didn't know about the Prophet before the Veiled Woman intervened.

I know I am probably overthinking all this, but nothing happens without a reason, and even less so if my hypothesis is correct and the High Ones are essentially primitive beings. Then everything they do would be controlled by their primitive urges, and some psychological doctrines give us the triade of these urges controlling every living being: The urge to be unharmed, the urge to survive and the urge to procreate.

So, my crackpot theory: Since the High Ones are essentially immortal (their death can only come from the Beacon and they do everything they can to prevent that), their procreation is ensured (and is, interestingly enough, tied to the urge to prevent harm), the only urge left unsatisfied is survival, which for living beings mean thirst and hunger. It may be possible, then, that the High Ones influence nightmares in all humans because they feed on the negative energy created by those nightmares, and without feeding on the nightmares they would slowly lose all their powers. (So, another solution for the Cycle: force humans never to sleep again).

EDIT: I have to say, if the writers confirmed this theory, I'd lose my mind...

that is a good theory, imho. though a bit premature as there isn't really anything supporting this. so i guess coffee all around. maybe it's not just bad dreams they hunger for, but anger, hate, fear, etc... all the "bad" human emotions. hence the need to "spice things up" constantly.

[Makesin]

As I said, a crakcpot theory. Makes sense, but no evidence to support it.

[ywhtptgtfo]

That would be my one criticism of Enderal in that as you progress you grow stronger, more powerful. Yet you never use your power to change what is supposed to happen. In the Sky City you are forced to run ,to abandon your ally and let her perish alone instead of fighting off the dragon and flying back or when you are sent to spy on Coarec why not decimate their numbers a bit before getting caught. Maybe that is just how the story should go but I still wish I had more input into which direction it will go.

I notice this as well. The Prophet is too easily incapacitated, manipulated, and outmanuevered by other parties. To name a few:
- Betrayed in Apotheosis II and knocked out
- Caught by Coraek in the island
- Knocked out by dragon in flooded city
- Betrayed by Yuslan and had to be saved by Veiled Woman
- Tricked by Machine

On the other hand, the Prophet did very little in the way of influencing other parties except for Jesper and Calia. Would be nice if he could change the opinions of other emissaries through quests and rhetoric checks.

[Ukuboy]

My favorite quest and the most saddest one in my opinion is A song in the silence...

To Flee

If you chose Calia she would grow to resent you for this decision for she wouldn't have done the same and also the never ending what if talk, you would drift away until she passes and if you had a child it too shall die. Not to mention you will be alone on a flying city with no other humans in sight. You are immortal but you are not a god and humans are social animals. You would become mad or if somehow you do stay sane for hundred thousand or even million years why would the humans of that era follow you. It would probably be the same as with the light-born, they would rebel and kill you because they are human just like past humans. The Black Guardians's speech about ego and arrogance and human weaknesses although on point would not be doable. Humans are humans and though we can reduce evil we cannot eliminate it.

First of all, I'll say I agree about A Song in the Silence. After I had played with Ryneus I was very sad to see him go.

Secondly, I have to respectfully disagree with your To Flee explanation. Calia made it clear that "after all we've been through" she wanted to flee with you. There are no humans in the flying city, but you've essentially become Adam and Eve. The first people creating the next generation of humanity, only this time you guys know how to prevent the cycle. To top it off you're already dead, as the "Black Guardian" explained so the fear of death is gone. You are essentially a god (even more so if you use console commands and type tgm.) You wouldn't have to eliminate evil to stop the high ones. In my eyes the only person that needed to be eliminated was Arantheal. In every cycle he is the one who activates the beacon. Obviously after that, the high ones would find another person to activate it, but by the time they found a new emissary you should have already had the numinos. As a matter of fact, that should be the first thing you would do in the new world. You know where to find it, and you know the aged man has the Word of the Dead. Just grab the numinos before the next prophet needs the Word of the Dead. Time will create the beacon and the black stones as it has in every other cycle.

Thirdly, the Black Guardian made it clear that the high ones don't start to show themselves until after humanity starts to thrive when they bring about the red madness. They also don't make the Prophet an emissary until he/she dies on the ship. So there's no way the prophets dreams were affected by the high ones prior to that point. The Prophet was no one prior to that event.