Think I figured out the skill-gem lore

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Alexandrina wrote:

I believe the story goes that Merveil became insane etc over time. As gem users, we all know that the gems become more powerful the longer we carry them on our person.

Just read the Merveil lore and it seems she went insane within half a year (using her daughters to pinpoint the time) with outward signs of insanity showing through not that long after the proposal.

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Alexandrina wrote:

So far, the game seems to have about 3-4 different 'ages' and we are seeing the effects of some of them on modern day Wreaclast.

The Vaal - Really Ancient creators of constructs
Pre Cataclysm Empire - Creators of Gem 'Technology'
~Ancient Cataclysm~
Post Cataclysm Empire - Rebellion mentioned of in Act 3
Current Day - Corrupt Empire that has something rotten up it's sleeve.

The Vaal were the ones who came up with Gem 'technology' so it seems the Eternal Empire reverse-engineered it and then developed it to a fascinating edge, before falling to some Ancient Cataclysm that could very well be linked to the perversion left by the Vaal. (still hoping the Gemling Queen is linked the the Ancient Cataclysm somehow, mind =) ) Iirc, the Eternal Empire was around for a loooong time (millenia?) before it fell, so something must have been the spark that lit the Cataclysm rather than just pure build-up of some sort..

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My take on this is that the Empire developed the gems in a more common slot variety, as well as a more specific implant type. The implant type being much more expensive/time-consuming/tailor-made etc (perhaps way more powerful as well?). Implantation however, seems to necessitate the receiver already being dead, and thus making them Undying (Specifically basing this on the quote below)

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I loved Malachai. He gave me gems, divine gems for his Gemling Queen. For his dead queen. But I didn't want me dead!

Then the Cataclysm happened and warped the very nature of reality for the entire continent of Wraeclast, whatever went in to the creation of Virtue Gems (or something to do with them) permeates the entire continent such that anyone that dies, soaks up this background energy to such an extent that they are no different from those who were implanted with gems (implanted with a rusty spanner mind, keeping in mind that a simple necklace already distorted Merveil so)

(ok, seriously, I suck at coming up with alternate possibilities D= always end up just describing things I already know/think)

The Purity Rebellion sweeps the nation as everyone starts killing everyone else with the fall of the Eternal Empire and only the dregs are left. (The Azmeri, specifically, seems to be all that remains of the non-Undying Eternal Empire populace)

Dominus (and Piety under him) come from Oriath to Wraeclast to take for themselves something of immense power that on a side note caused the Cataclysm. A splinter group of the main Oriath power structure, most of which have the sense to leave Wraeclast alone in fear of repeating the Empire's mistakes. Piety runs all over the place piecing together forgotten Gem Lore by means of Shavronne, Maligaro, and the Vaal (as well as the Gemling Queen and the Ribbon Spool). All of these objectives are centered around Gem implantation (or the power in the gem) in to a subject. All of this seems to pale against the main objective of the Sceptre of God, where Piety's boss is fiddling with the lab on top of it. The Sceptre of God is some major bad juju as not even Dominus dares enter, and with it being in the capital of the Eternal Empire its not that far a jump to assume that this was the source of the Cataclysm. Whatever power is in there, Dominus and co want it for themselves and the only way to do that is to implant it in to themselves and ascend to godhood. Whatever the costs. (or failing that, god-like soldiers =p)

Yea, thats as much as I can figure/guesswork out =p

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I am pretty sure virtue gems are the in game name for skill gems. I remember a piece of dialogue from either act 2 or 3, and was after I received a gem as a reward.

Went something like "..the virtue gems, like the one you have there"

Can't remember the NPC. Will have to listen to dialogue again xD

Read the thread, that quote is already posted, and it pretty much proves they are the same;)

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Quote from Eramir in the Forest Encampment:

"Show me this gem from the Chamber of Sins. It has the aspect of a virtue gem, like those you carry already... yet it's clearly not made to slot in to any of your standard equipment"

Nice discussion. PoE has interesting lore after all:) I think gems being made from human souls and inheriting their abilities makes a lot of sense. But why put the gems into peoples bodies?

Given that Oriath's capital is called Theopolis, I'm pretty sure Piety, Gravicius and Dominus are far from a splinter group.

When we off them, we are ironically doing the island-nation that exiled us a huge, huge favour.

From the open beta trailer

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Today I ascend to godhood, and your Death shall pave the way

Reading Aisard's post above, I got to thinking that maybe Dominus WANTS us to kill him. Then I remembered that quote from the trailer. Perhaps he means to implant skill/virtue gems into the dead hero. And sees that as creating life in a sense. Hence he ascends to godhood.

That or somehow his own death at our hands actually is what he wants, and after he dies then shit gets real.

Had another thought... We are assuming that the insanity of Merveil and the undying are a direct result of the implementation of the skill gems. Could it be that their mental state is simply a result of being immortal? People do go insane, and if you were living on Wraeclast for centuries, unable to die.. you may well go insane without any further outside help.

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Trapperkeeper wrote:

Had another thought... We are assuming that the insanity of Merveil and the undying are a direct result of the implementation of the skill gems. Could it be that their mental state is simply a result of being immortal? People do go insane, and if you were living on Wraeclast for centuries, unable to die.. you may well go insane without any further outside help.

Personally I think thats what happened to the Gemling Queen =p and possibly the general (undying) Sarn citizenship. (and maybe even the scavengers on the shore?)

Merveil on the other hand went insane within a maximum timeframe of about 9 months (pregnancy) though I'd posit half that. First signs of insanity seem to have popped up within a few weeks of the proposal? (clawing out a fellow socialite's eye for admiring her gem) and some seriously freaky mutations and behaviours within a few months of that. Culiminating with her total Wraeclast-levels of insanity when Daresso finally freaked out enough to run away. Mostly I'm guesstimating times from her lore but yea (its on the PoE site as well as the wiki btw)

Just realized why no GGG have answered here. We hit the JACKPOT and they dont want to spoil anything :D

Where do you guys get so much lore information? Is it all in-game? There are some tidbits here that I'm pretty sure I haven't heard from any NPC.

On another note, this topic is awesome.

Personally I've just been going through in-game dialogue. The only bits I haven't seen in-game are from the Merveil and Brutus lore specifically. Which is actually on this site (somewhere..) but also copied over in the wiki.

Pretty sure the Uniques have some more lore tidbits (Doedre for instance) but I've been consciously stopping myself from reading all of them at once (will probably cave once I actually find a few more uniques in-game =/)

I've always thought that games without defined lore (that players have access to, beyond the devs) have their lore defined by the player base.

I'm not saying GGG didn't do anything, I'm just saying it's a possiblity that I feel is most likely to be true.