Orange Creatures

[Raggy]

Not sure if this is a good place for my Lore based question, but here goes.

In Nascence and Scheol, what are the huge orange creatures that protrude out of the ground/ceiling. The Nascence one by Two Mountains and the Scheol one in Halls of Scheol. I don't remember reading any accounts of the things from either Yuttos nor Scientists.

What exactly are they?

[Agentcora]

They are Molokh hives.

[Lornavash]: They're Molokh Hives.
[Lornavash]: As you progress through the Shadowlands, they're at various stages of growth. The one in Nascence is 'The Embryo'
To [Lornavash]: Who's awesome? I'm awesome!
[Lornavash]: But.
[Lornavash]: The sinister thing is.
[Lornavash]: The closer you get to Inferno, the more they grow, and the more and more they look like the Beast.
[Lornavash]: It could be argued that they are infact the Beast growing, and watching you as you grow.

Edit: Trousers was also right!

[trousers]

What exactly are they?

Our investigation is underway.

What do you think they are?

[Senzatzii]

zombies

[Raggy]

They are Molokh hives.

[Lornavash]: They're Molokh Hives.
[Lornavash]: As you progress through the Shadowlands, they're at various stages of growth. The one in Nascence is 'The Embryo'
To [Lornavash]: Who's awesome? I'm awesome!
[Lornavash]: But.
[Lornavash]: The sinister thing is.
[Lornavash]: The closer you get to Inferno, the more they grow, and the more and more they look like the Beast.
[Lornavash]: It could be argued that they are infact the Beast growing, and watching you as you grow.

Edit: Trousers was also right!

Since the two that immediately spring to mind are the Nasc and Scheol ones, neither of which have Molokhs (Sheol might but I don't remember seeing any), I find that hard to believe. The Beast theory on the other hand, maybe, but that would then mean the zones are in different times.

Our investigation is underway.

What do you think they are?

A mass of tangled Xan souls.


No I really have no idea, they are not alluded to in any of the questlines and no flavour text through items immediately springs to mind. I used to think they were just unfinished content but I suppose they could be some form of corrupted source anchor since they don't seem to have much trouble hanging from the ceiling. The sound they make your near them too, sounds a bit like the source machines (to me at least).

[trousers]

Since I proposed the theory, I’ll let you know my reasoning behind it.

First, we need to remember that Shadowlands was developed as a Static snapshot in time that is not progressing. So things like embryos will always be in a static state also and never grow.

So – what do we know?

We know one of these things exist in Nausence and it is labeled “The Embryo”. So it gives us a base of reference, which Nausence is supposed to be, the foundation of knowledge on the Shadowlands.

We later encounter it again, is Scheol, and it appears to be in a later stage of development.

So, development of what becomes the question.

Well, nearby in Adonis there are the Molokh. So Perhaps Scheol is the Molokh spawning ground.

How and why there is an embryo in Nausence? Not sure. Maybe the same reason there’s a Lord of the Void, yet they won’t be largely encountered until much later into the Shadowlands. (displacement at the time of the cataclysm perhaps?)

[Raggy]

The more I think about it, the more Molokhs could possibly be the reason, since the only 2 places these things occurs are in Nasc and Scheol, after that, we don't see another one again. Not in Ado/Pen/Inf or Pande, the places where Molokhs first show up.

But that then raises a question. Why is there not one of these 'Embryos' in Elysium and if it has already hatched, where are the Molokhs?

[wyldebeast]

Talking to the Yutto by the Embryo, Deep Breath Nine, the dialogue says it's a Molokh hive:

At the "entrance" to the massive molokh hive, this Yuttos is standing with mouth half open, blue in his face and eyes transfixed on a spot around two inches in front of his nose.With a painfully slow gesture, he indicates for you not to say anything

And while not in the same magnitude, I do think we see these things in more places. I took some screenies from Nasc, Scheol and Inf, showing some of these orange thingies. The Scheol ones are from the Eastern brink and the Inf ones are from the small island North of Tiun. I put the screenies here: http://imageshack.us/g/1/10141552/

[Raggy]

Talking to the Yutto by the Embryo, Deep Breath Nine, the dialogue says it's a Molokh hive:

At the "entrance" to the massive molokh hive, this Yuttos is standing with mouth half open, blue in his face and eyes transfixed on a spot around two inches in front of his nose.With a painfully slow gesture, he indicates for you not to say anything

And while not in the same magnitude, I do think we see these things in more places. I took some screenies from Nasc, Scheol and Inf, showing some of these orange thingies. The Scheol ones are from the Eastern brink and the Inf ones are from the small island North of Tiun. I put the screenies here: http://imageshack.us/g/1/10141552/

Ah, that answers it for me then. I didn't realise there was a Yutto who explained it. Thank you for that.

[Darkbane]

You've never done the Nasc->Ely ring quest then I giuess

[Raggy]

You've never done the Nasc->Ely ring quest then I giuess

Spot on

10k Creds isn't that much!

[Tanisthonus]

Suddenly I really enjoy the theory that, while moving through the Shadowlands, each new zone is a step forward in time. It paves the way for a crazy theory that it is all one location, just at different points in time.

[Raggy]

Nasc = The Birth of the Xan
Elysium = The Height of the Xan
Scheol = The Downward Spiral into the sided factions.
Adonis = The Fall of the Xan and it's factions
Penumbra = The sadness of the Redeemed
Inferno = The anger of the Unredeemed
Pandemonium = The Eternal War

And my reasoning for these are as follows:

Nascence is very much the tribal stages of the Xan civilisation. This is apparent in the geography, it is very promordial soup.

Elysium is absolutely teeming with faction mobs and is a very bright and overall, well groomed zone, signalling this was the height of the Xan civilisation.

Scheol is very fractured and dank, the signs of the two emerging Xan factions.

Adonis is home to the remains of the greatest Xan city and the source rift which caused the cataclysm.

Penumbra is a very solitary and lonely place and (to me) seems to be primarily Redeemed. This is also the place where the Redeemed tried and failed multiple times to leave the planet only to realise that they were stuck there for the rest of time.

Inferno to me seems to be very Unredeemed dominated, and a very fiery and forsaken place, I'll admit to not knowing much of the story there though, outside of the Anansi.

Pandemonium is where it all kicks off.