KanaX Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Now that the actual puzzle is solved and the franticness is over, I think that it would be fun to take a step back and look at all the information we got from the mural, the obelisk, the ancient language and the new skins. Please feel free to discuss your opinions on the matter of the "Thulians" and you are encouraged to post your own full theories below. My take: Spoiler I will first start with the mural, since it appears to be much older than the obelisk. Proof: The wall looks much more decrepit than the obelisk. The coloring is faded and sloppy when compared to the clarity and vividness of the obelisk. We can see the primitive tools used for the creation of the mural Spoiler which do not appear to belong to the more sophisticated era of the Golden Age (more like Thulecite Age) of the "Thulians". The first picture of the mural is taken in fact much earlier than the obelisk one. Spoiler Raw bedrock Spoiler Refined flooring with patterns identical to those found in the Ruins/Atrium The Story of the Mural Well, if you have completed the Metheus puzzle, it is safe to assume that you know what's depicted in the mural as well as you know the back of your hand, but let's still attempt to put that knowledge into words: The general theme of the Mural is gathering and offering. The "Thulians" would hunt meat, harvet honey, flowers, berries, gems, Thulecite and possibly other resources which they would be offered to two Great Centipedes (GC). Those offerings to the GCs are unknown if they are a result of adoration, fear, or trade. Looking at the arthropod theme and almost identical color palette: Spoiler it's reasonable to assume that they are related in some way. Perhaps ancestral figures worthy of praise? There is no indication as to what the centipedes would be offering in return, but it's still an idea. This is the most likely scenario in my opinion: The GCs terrorize and devour the "Thulians". The "Thulians" are able to manage by appeasing them with offerings. We know that the "Thulians" had passed through a Dark Period before the discovered the Fuel, perhaps that is because of hostile relations and/or domination by the GCs. The first ancient mural reads are such: Spoiler WX-78: "IT DEPICTS INFERIOR CREATURES" Woodie: "It's an old drawing of strange creatures." Wolfgang: "Is picture of many sad, weak people." Wilson: "It depicts an old civilization. The people look hungry and scared." Willow: "It's got a picture of some gross looking people." Wickerbottom: "An ancient mural of a non-mammalian civilization." Wendy: "A people struck by famine and sorrow." Webber: "It's a picture of some bug people." Maxwell: "A picture of the city, before the fuel." Wigfrid: "Tis a portrait of an ancient people. They live in wretchedness." The "Thulians" were probably forced into slavery through fear of annihilation. The rune used to depict the GCs: Spoiler "Thulian" runes have a tendency to express similarity with the object they are describing: Sun Moon Carrot etc. However, it appears that runes that have strong associations with the Darkness (and perhaps Evil) tend to have "sharp teeth" as part of their design: Moon Appears during the Night. Caves Filled with Darkness Purple Gem Directly tied with Insanity and Darkness Digging/Mining Leading to the Darkness The general shape of the rune reminds me of a large mouth (with a respectable underbite) and sharp teeth. Not quite the rune that would be used to represent someone with reverence. So, we know that the "Thulians" had the opportunity to rise up and prosper using the fuel. But what triggered the fuel, or what made it usable? The answer is here: Spoiler This is what we currently know as the Ancient Cane, which if we look at the runes, the obelisk and the conclusion of the Metheus Puzzle, we can tell that it is much more. Story of the Obelisk 1st Side This is were things get interesting. Let's break up what we can figure out from the first side: The Night, Darkness, Shadows and Fuel are the same thing. Spoiler Case 1: Case 2: Case 3: Case 4: Case 5: Again with the sharp/angular motif. This is pretty evident for all DS veterans, but the interesting bit is found in the Case 1 picture. We see either a solar or lunar eclipse. However, we can also see that the dark side of the eclipse has the same attributes as the Shadows. To me, that means that the "evil" of the shadows had been a natural part of the DS world, not something necessarily artificial, or antithetic to the natural order. Balance Spoiler Case 1: Case 2: Surprisingly, we see an element antithetic to that of Darkness. This Light is something we have not seen playing any major role in the game. other than repelling the Darkness. But we do see that at this stage there is a balance between the two forces. Metheus controls Darkness while the other "Thulian" controls Light. Reverse World(?) Spoiler Not sure about this part, but perhaps it represents the Human World from which the cast of the game comes from. 2nd Side Prosperity Spoiler Metheus uses the Darkness to make his/her people prosper. On the left, we see the output: Bigger crops and advances machinery. While on the right we see where Metheus draws his/her power from: He uses gems, but something is much more important. Metheus unearths a Dark Skeleton and modifies it in a way that does "something". May I remind you that while the Reanimated Skeleton has two eyes, the Ancient Fuelweaver has three. And the Ancient Fuelweaver, well... fuels weave weaves fuel. And like that we have reached a sync with what we already know about the "Thulians" from ingame: They had machinery and they used gems and fuel for their magic. Something vital to note is that the existence of the Gate, the two Relics and the Ancient Fuelweaver prove the existence of a civilization BEFORE the "Thulians". Shift of Power Spoiler Metheus at this point has completely taken over the City and the means of power control (Atrium Gate) and put himself/herself up on a pedestal. At the side, we see the Light "Thulian" completely out of control, probably losing his/her power and perhaps dying because of it. Darkness engulfs the vast majority of the painting and even is Light is still generated by the Gate and Artifact, it is smothered by the Darkness. Blessing or Curse? Spoiler While yes, the race is advancing, the people do not seem to benefit from that prosperity. In fact, the common "Thulians" are fewer than before, tired and forgotten, or holding the weight of Metheus' reign. Is it that Metheus was obsessed with prosperity so much that he/she lost touch with what that prosperity was about, or was he/she a self-centered tyrant from the start? Pulvis et Umbra Sumus Before we go the third side, we need to search for a clue that leads to it. Spoiler Throughout the first painting we see the mountains about the City crumbling. We can link that to the earthquakes and debris that falls from above. However, here we see this: A very large boulder seems to fall directly on the Atrium Gate, which would explain which we find it broken and partly functional. 3rd Side The Calamity Spoiler Well, what is there to tell about this one other than the obvious, something went horribly wrong. The Darkness is out of Metheus' control and it's devouring everything. When you Stare at the Abyss... Spoiler The Darkness does not seem to be just a force of Nature, but rather it appears to be a conscious power The Fall Spoiler Metheus has fallen from his/her pedestal either remorseful, or weakened, or both. His/Her artifact still radiates Darkness. Maybe it has not such a good idea to suppress the power that keeps the Darkness in-check. The Rise Spoiler We see here the other "Thulian" using his/her power to hold the Darkness from devouring him/her and Metheus. His/Her artifact is either fully activated now, or partly corrupted by the Darkness. Perhaps there is a closeness between the two. Unbreakable Bonds Spoiler There is a strong theme seen here, showing that Light and Darkness are tied together. That could perhaps mean that it is impossible to extinguish one and have just the over. Death Spoiler The majority, if not all of the "Thulians" are dead. However it seems that some "Thulians" return to a more primitive form before dying. Not sure why, but it seems to be a reverse situation from what we learned from the 4th mural: Spoiler WX-78: "THE CREATURES UPGRADE THEIR BODY PANELS" Woodie: "Don't look at this one, Lucy." Wolfgang: "Monsters is bursting out of them!" Wilson: "The people are shedding their skins. They look different underneath." Willow: "Oh, gross! The people're losing their skin in this one!" Wickerbottom: "The citizens molt from their exoskeletons in this panel." Wendy: "Then, rebirth." Webber: "A picture of bug people escaping their bug outsides!" Maxwell: "I know why you led me back here." Wigfrid: "Many of the people are cleaved in two!" 4th Side Remnants Spoiler The City is engulfed in Darkness. The Gate after exceeding its limits, breaks down. We see it like that in DST. Ruins Spoiler Despite all efforts, the "Thuleans" and Metheus are dead. The two artifacts are lost. But they still exert their elements. The Tragic One Spoiler The Light "Thulean" is left alone and remorseful due to the loss of the City, the "Thuleans" and Metheus. He/She is alive though, protected by the last scraps of Light. Conclusions We get a pretty satisfying understanding of the history of the "Thuleans". Most of the elements we see are syncing with things we already know from the games. Which is the beauty of the Metheus puzzle, making us tie "concepts" and "history" to in-game "items". Nevertheless, I was surprised by the new parameter of Light and its wielder and how under-studied the matter is. The Light Artifact, especially in its corrupted form, is extremely reminiscent of the Tragic torch: Something that makes sense, since both items provide light that keeps the Darkness away. The interesting thing is that even if the Steam Item and Metheus puzzle show that the Torch is on fire, in-game the torch provides pure Light. Of course, another similarity is in the name. The "Thulean" history is pretty tragic. Only, it's not the dead who can feel sadness. It's the burden of the living to feel tragedy. Somewhere in the depths of Darkness, perhaps the Last "Thulean" is alive. Who is that "Thulean" though? If we draw parallels and say that the Puzzle of Metheus gives us the Artifact of Metheus, perhaps the Cyclum Puzzle gives us the Artifact of Cyclum. About Methus' Artifact: It's naming is quite significant. Spoiler "Key", "Staff", "Cave". Staff is understandable, but what about the other two runes. Let us look at the name of what I think is Cyclum's Artifact: "Key", "Dark", "Staff" It works perfectly in the context of the Metheus Puzzle. We need the the torch staff to act as a key answer to the problem of the dark environment of the puzzle. The same way, when we get the Metheus' Artifact, the staff acts as a key that unlocks the cave entrance to the Atrium Gate. Which would explain how the "Thuleans" found the gate in the first place and harnessed the fuel. There is a good chance that we will need both artifact to traverse the Darkness AND stay protected from it. What will we find in the Abyss... only time will tell. But let's hope that the Abyss does not stare back at us. I like to play solo and I feel like the Abyss Eye would have a lot of HP. Thank you for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Curator Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Metheus : One of the rewards from the Metheus puzzle is called The Ancient King's chest. This means the Ancients did have a hierarchy. A king. On the murals depicted in the Metheus puzzle, two prominent Ancients are shown. One wielding a staff, and another a torch. The torch wielding Ancient also has a more feminine demeanor compared to the one wielding a staff. This could mean they were the original king and queen of the ancients. This is further supported by the final mural, which depicts the staff wielding ancient sitting on a throne sobbing. A throne, and typically the king is the one who sits on the most prominent throne in the court room. The cane skin that is rewarded from the puzzle bears a fantastic resemblance to the king's staff, just as the tragic torch bears resemblance to the queen's torch. The cane is given to the player in the same sequence as the chest skin, and a cane is put into the chest in order to receive the new can skin. This links these skins directly to the ancient monarchy. Metheus has taken heed, it says when you give the chest the correct offering. The offering to the Ancient King's chest. This could mean the King is Metheus, the owner of the chest. The king is the last ancient seen alive in the murals. And if Metheus is taking heed, it means he is still alive in some regard. This could mean, the Metheus puzzle is literally calling on the attention of the still living Ancient King. One thing to note as well, this hierarchy parallels with the theme of chess in Don't Starve. Just as Maxwell was a previous king. And Charlie is the new queen. Which, without substantiating, it is a wonder if perhaps the Ancient Queen who died fighting the shadows is now actually one of the villains. Perhaps she is the Shadow Watcher, or the shadow-half of Charlie herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanaX Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 @The Curator Oh yes, I forgot to mention the Duality of the King and The Queen shown both in the present and the past. Thank you for contributing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escaped Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 45 minutes ago, The Curator said: Metheus : One of the rewards from the Metheus puzzle is called The Ancient King's chest. This means the Ancients did have a hierarchy. A king. On the murals depicted in the Metheus puzzle, two prominent Ancients are shown. One wielding a staff, and another a torch. The torch wielding Ancient also has a more feminine demeanor compared to the one wielding a staff. This could mean they were the original king and queen of the ancients. This is further supported by the final mural, which depicts the staff wielding ancient sitting on a throne sobbing. A throne, and typically the king is the one who sits on the most prominent throne in the court room. The cane skin that is rewarded from the puzzle bears a fantastic resemblance to the king's staff, just as the tragic torch bears resemblance to the queen's torch. The cane is given to the player in the same sequence as the chest skin, and a cane is put into the chest in order to receive the new can skin. This links these skins directly to the ancient monarchy. Metheus has taken heed, it says when you give the chest the correct offering. The offering to the Ancient King's chest. This could mean the King is Metheus, the owner of the chest. The king is the last ancient seen alive in the murals. And if Metheus is taking heed, it means he is still alive in some regard. This could mean, the Metheus puzzle is literally calling on the attention of the still living Ancient King. One thing to note as well, this hierarchy parallels with the theme of chess in Don't Starve. Just as Maxwell was a previous king. And Charlie is the new queen. Which, without substantiating, it is a wonder if perhaps the Ancient Queen who died fighting the shadows is now actually one of the villains. Perhaps she is the Shadow Watcher, or the shadow-half of Charlie herself. I think that the broken head in the 4th mural is the queen, so yeah maybe the king is still the last Thulean atop some proto-nightmare throne. Also the murals seem to have a ton of symbols thrown about, on mural 3 the out-of-control nightmare portal has a bunch of different symbols on its tentacles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheetos Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 This is a great write up, even if a lot of the conclusions were known it will probably come in handy to have them all written down in one place. That was a great catch that I had not considered involving the "Tragic Torch" and "Thulean". It wouldn't have been used to light up part one and two of the puzzle if it had 0 connections. Too good to be a coincidence. Also don't forget Which displays the atrium gate, fuelweaver, fire symbol(again). And the "Queen" and everything else besides the mourning "King", shown here as "dead". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donut Steeve Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 There are obvious similarities between the Thulian King and Queen and Charlie and Maxwell, with the mural mirroring Maxwell's last act (at least the King - Queen interactions) With the first panel being before the final act when neither really know what they are messing with (the Great Maxwell and his lovely assistant), the second with Charlie realising something isn't right just before the final act(going to his hotel room, getting scared and asking that they make it their last show) , the 3rd one being the event of the final act with Charlie being lost / corruped / transformed (Taken?) and Maxwell powerless with shadows in power. the 4th is like Maxwell on his throne, his world gone and his love lost. I mean yeah... Maxwell doesn't have a staff but he thinks he can control the shadows none the less, just as the king did. Not really sure how this is helpful though but cyclum implies that it's a never ending cycle so maybe what is coming has already happened before and is just about to be repeated and foreshadowing is a classic technique used in epic story telling as it brings the story full circle (cyclum) (shadow is only underlined because I like the coincidence) Your welcome and my apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zampano Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 If the Staffguy is named Metheus (I think it's the most likely, given his history being on the obelisk and everything), I'm willing to bet actual money that Torchguy is named Cyclum. You get the Ancient Cane for the Metheus puzzle, and the Tragic Torch for the Cyclum puzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KilliasK Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Escaped said: I think that the broken head in the 4th mural is the queen The queen has round eyes and the king has more menacing eyes and a brow. So I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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