What Exactly is the story told in the Return of Them storyline?

[SinancoTheBest]

Hearing that the upcoming Eye of the Storm update will be the last RoT update was a shocker for me, I was expecting at lease 2 more RoT updates this year. Some may disagree but I loved each and every one of them. It was indicated that there will be more content updates focusing on the ocean but the story around Lunar Island will be done next week. So what does that mean, through the course of 8 big content updates, and countless patches, with some like SD, HLI, TW and RWYS not adding much to the story itself, what is the overall story expansion around Return of Them about?

I'd appreciate it if some lore enthusiasts enlightened me about what's going on. As far as I can tell the 'story' in an abridged way, here's all the things that occurred:

One day, suddenly a piece of the moon falls into the ocean of the constant, start influencing the over-world, raises the tides and thus survivors can now traverse the waters by making rafts. They land on the archipelago and the main island, see that Lunar spirits called Gestalts reign over the island and deter the influence of Nightmare Throne's shadow monsters. They discover a broken altar of celestial power, piece it together and bring the lunar tools they got from it to the mainland in order to combat the forces of darkness more easily.

In their new nautical adventures they also find and befriend a hermit lady in the ocean whose lover left her to find treasure and found another long lost celestial idol. Our survivors neutralize him and take this idol to the moon, activating its lunar powers.

With their new arsenal they are able to go deeper into the caves and discover forgotten archives containing information on "Them" around the area right underneath zone of impact where the lunar influence morphed the area and spawned lunar spirits underground, forming a sanctuary. Using a gem infused with lunar powers on a full moon, they activate these archives, get ancient knowledge sealed and tools to find yet another lunar idol buried on the surface. Activation of the archives empowers the Gestalts and angers the shadow monsters, who begin intense clashes between at the edge of the lunar grotto. The survivors excavate this idol and take the it to the lunar island too.

Eye of the storm part here:

Spoiler

This causes a huge reaction between three lunar structures, causing the moon energy to be released and lunar influences reign supreme in the overworld, awakening the lunar being(s) and causing lunar storms to appear all around the constant. This draws the attention of the genius inventor Wagstaff, who projects himself into the storm tor research it and collaborates with the survivors to harness the lunar energy within these storms. Following Wagstaff's instructions, our survivors build a device to contain the mysterious lunar energy, which causes the Celestial Champion, an out-worldly entity sent by 'them' to spawn. Our survivors defeat it as Wagstaff appears and snatches the essence of moon's power. Constant is forever shaken and influenced by this momentous event and we see third player, Wagstaff, make his entrance in the great clash between lunar beings and shadow creatures. 

As seen from the newest teaser and previously spotted in the Forgotten Knowledge animated short, Charly is interested in the lunar beings too, as she had charged her tropes against the gestalts of the lunar grotto and now trying to absorb some of this lunar energy herself, as she challenges the all watching beings in the moon. 

So is that the gist of the story told in RoT updates, and what happens now, it feels like the lunar themed updates ended right at the climax of the story. What awaits our survivors in the upcoming content updates?

[Mr.Tarunio]

5 minutes ago, SinancoTheBest said:

What awaits our survivors in the upcoming content updates?

Metheus

[Gourmand]

Wolfgang sleeps after a tough battle with Dragonfly, upon getting out of bed his heavyset body hits the floor and causes a massive earth-shattering event. A chunk of the moon cracks and falls because of this, drowning Wilson (first canon death) and flinging Wurt on to land from Atlantis. The survivors then meet Pearl, Wilson's reincarnation. They help Wilson retire by fixing up the island, and he sends you out on a final mission: destroy his annoying neighbor, the Crab King. After dispatching the nosey neighbor, you get a cool rock he found. Combine it with other cool rocks you find to summon a bigger rock. Then Charlie forgot she existed so she came back again after 4 years to feel included.

[Echsrick]

short version is the moon is angry and hates shadows and wants everyone to fall asleeep but wagstaff dont want to sleep and so he steals the treasure of lunar energy forhimself so that he never will ever sleep

[VouMorrer]

well, in my perspective (that is likely wrong) the Return of Them was focused in the awakening of the Moon entity, wich some peaple (me included) believe is called as Alter.

BUT it is very not likely to be the end, since there is a Shadow Entity wich is not as awaken as Alter is.

Maybe the next updates history will focus in the shadow entity awakening or being awaken by charlie or wagstaff or whatever else those 2 are planning to do with their new moon power. 

Spoiler

also the Shadow Entity hates Alter so it is definely going to awake for fight

 

[GenomeSquirrel]

In short, Charlie has a plan

She broke the moon so part of it would fall to earth, she duped the survivors into reactivating the lunar part of the ruins, and now she has partial control of the lunar forces, which does explain why the new boss is hostile when before the lunar forces were more neutral, perhaps slightly helpful.

[Scrimbles]

Seen a lot of people asking this question lately.

 

Its funny, because there isn't an answer, not until we finally get told any details. 4 year long "mystery" and we have next to no details and very little new lore to speculate on.

[Mike23Ua]

46 minutes ago, Scrimbles said:

Seen a lot of people asking this question lately.

 

Its funny, because there isn't an answer, not until we finally get told any details. 4 year long "mystery" and we have next to no details and very little new lore to speculate on.

I’m under the impression that the original intentions of their design was sort of a “dark side of the moon” type thing: Where We the Players would be greeted with this Sinister.. dark secret which would’ve obviously included more horror/mutated mobs.

But when Horror Mobs ended up not being well received they switched directions & then from that point: Didn’t really know where to go with the Return of Them updates so just like that here we are at the end.

Now: Keep in mind I could be ENTIRELY Wrong and the stuff we’ve seen now is only a small “Taste” of what’s still planned for future updates outside of the RoT plot.

Only the people at Klei know what direction they’re taking the game in, but what I do know is that JoeW confirmed there would be more updates outside of the Return of Them stuff so that makes me happy to hear.

[WebberMain]

New reign had two parts.ROT must have them too!Part 1.Return of Them and part 2. Arrival of Them and maybe a part 3. Departure of Them !

(just gimme the shadow update please #teamshadows)

[JeezSorry]

I feel as this is a beginning of a great end  

Just a feeling, can't really explain it well.