Main story speculation

EDIT: I have edited the main title of the thread for clarity.

Recommended reading:

Dev on the lore:

Purpose of this thread: Find out the main story with the hints given to us.

Dominus: This world is an illusion exile.

The following is taken from what the scion says ingame.

Nightmare or reality?
"Building my nightmare, death by death."
On the Twilight Strand: "It's impossible, yet somehow I know this place."
On the Ledge: "This is like waking from one of my dreams."
On the Prisoner's Gate: "My eyes are open, yet the nightmare continues."
On the Coves: "Whether on the walls around me, or on the walls around my mind, those accursed symbols are always there."
On the Crypt: "I walked these halls in my nightmares. My ever step watched and hated as
now."
On the Weathered Carving (Mud Flats): "I've been haunted by such nightmares all my life."


The word nightmare is used alot. Combined with Dominus claiming this world is an illusion, this brings forth several theories:

The world we live in could be a nightmare. But clearly what happens must be "real" in some way. Because "IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM LOL" would be such a horrible plot element it would ruin the game. It could be that the world is real, but made real by something else. A simple guess would be: A dreaming god makes the world real? I really dont know. I hope GGG does not mean that world is literally a nightmare. To pull off such a crappy plot element as good, would require a tremendously good writing.
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The Darkness
On the Cavern of Wrath: "Back into the bowels of exile, where the darkness veritably slithers with hunger."
On the Western Forest: "Heart and limb: this land is in thrall to the shadows."
Having killed the Weaver: "Pull but one thread, and the fabric of the world unravels."

The darkness is mentioned several times. Also, remember the darkness that came when you went to Vaal? It disappeared when the Oversoul died. My theory is that this darkness is the magical energy of the dark being mentioned in the lore.

Some darkness swallowed the Vaal.
Some darkness swallowed the eternal empire.

I will get back to this at the bottom.
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Virtue gems
On the Wetlands: "I thought myself so special. Turns out I'm just another vector for contagion."
On the Old Fields: "These Azmeri have lived here all their lives, and their ancestors before them...yet they're whole of body and mind. How?"
On the Vaal Ruins: "They died here, in the thousands, but not when the Empire fell. The shadows here feel much older."
On the Baleful Gem: "Everything that happened to the Empire lies right here, imprisoned within crystalline walls."
On the Weathered Carving (Climb): "It infects living flesh and bone. Even the very earth - perhaps I'm infected too."

On the Riverways: "The only shadow they have is the one they cast. How do the Azmeri remain uncorrupted when all else twists and suffers?"

It seems like the virtue gems (skill gems) corrupts people. Little to no use of virtue gems prevents the corruption? Also, vector for contagion? She refers to using skill gems and risk corruption is my guess.

On the Vaal. I believe the dark being swallowed the souls of the Vaal to grow in power. So... Ive come with a theory from this:


Thesis

There is a dark and powerful being in Wraeclast. Probably deep beneath the earth. I believe the virtue/skill gems is mined from this creature's carcass or living body, or that the gems are made from said being somehow. Nomatter what it is - the Dark being has some connection to the gems we use.

Next. I believe the gems are connected to the dark being in a parasitic two-way link. I think the dark being is fueling itself from the gem-users to grow in power or such. I think when the Vaal and when the eternal empire went to hell, it was the dark being that simultaneously drained the souls or lifeforce of all the gem users. I think the DARKNESS is the influence - a spell - used by the dark being, to collect the minds or powers from gem users. Think MEGALIFELEECH leaving you as an insane and animalistic shell of your former self or turning you into a monster.

The monster Dominus turned into was named "Dominus Ascendant". I believe people with powerful wills can withstand the corruption (as with our characters) and that people that knows the truth about the dark being (If dominus knew about it, refered to it as God?) can serve it willingly and gain vast power without losing yourself completely. It is possible that Dominus acted as a willing conduit for the dark being, because he genuinely thinks it to be a god. That or the dark being was able to manifest itself into Dominus through his extensive gem-infusion.

So. We have The dark being that Dominus believes to be god. The dark being has a connection to the skill gems, maybe because they are a part of him/it. The dark being can extend its will and spread the darkness to assimilate, control and corrupt the gem power accumulated by their users.

With all the talk of nightmares, the world being an illusion and talk of deja vu. It could be possible that the world we play in isnt reality. But it seems clear the world is malevolent and dark. So if the world is a living nightmare made real. It could be the dream of a god. A dying god. A cruel god.

Maybe the dark being is actually a god, that lies underneath wraeclast dreaming, and that the world around him is made real from the dream and all our characters are mere fractions of a sleeping god's nightmare. But this one seems too far out in my opinion.

So Im going to go with: The world is real. The Dark being is an ancient malevolent being that uses the gems to grow in power or maintain some sort of immortality by consuming nations once in a while. Like the reapers in mass effect "cleansed the galaxy for life" at regular intervals to grow in power, but left enough life/seeds for new crops later on.

Thanks for reading, please come with any suggestions, insights or theories if you have them. Because this shit is keeping me up at night :)

Nice read mate ;)

For some reason when Dominus says his last words part of this song by Marilyn Manson came to me immediately:

"There is a dream inside a dream,
I'm wide awake the more I sleep
You'll understand when I'm dead"

Thanks for trying to unravel the story, Mad.

Thinking about all these "what ifs" is melting my brain. If the game had kewl cinematics or something, the story line might be more exciting, epic. Or then my spam-space-skip quest stories ruins it.

"This world is an illusion exile." quote has been bothering me a lot. Although, maybe dominus just says that just to sound like a badass.

Very nice work - but you forgot some points:
First one is simple - curruption only occurs if you inplant gems in your body.
And second one... Library abd Archives - i highly reccomend read texts presented there and actually listen to what ghost NPC (cant remember hes namy right now) have to say... Especially after you finish "Mixture Of Fate" side-quest.
Lets just say - he can offer some delicious tips about Wraeclast history!

^_^

Merveil became corrupted simply by wearing a skill gem around her neck.

Scion makes a couple of comments through the game about "feeling connected" to various monsters, and sensing "when the monster let go of its hold on this land" or somesuch.

Stripes: I read those but forgot them in detail so didnt include them :) I need to pay more attention. And like pie said, Mervail only wore the gem and it was enough?

Id be interested to hear what you guys might think is the answer behind all this.

The only thing that is bugging me is the waking nightmare theory that the world of wraeclast might be a phyical manifistation of a dream or such. Because that sounds lame IMHO. Like another LOST series ending just in a game. That could work if masterfully written... but not likely.

Merveil is a somewhat special case - her Virtue Gem was ripped out of previous owner, an Gemling Bard if i not mistaken. A classic Cursed Necklace! And yet her history not fully expalined in-game... :(

Any human on Wraecalst exist under constant nightmarish pressure - and more so, being emmiting this pressure connected to Virute Gems.

But still, physical corruption occurs if you are Gemling - and this process almost instant...

Hmmm... Om the matter of Dominus - anyone have a feeling, what poor lad actually made himself a Gemling body in order to Ascend? On top of the Sceptre Of God there is a guy linked up to thaumturgy machine (the place from there Dom watch while you fight his minions a.k.a. first phase of boss fight). If in fact this is Dominus original body (if my eys dont play shenigans on me he actullay looks like one of Dominus artwork) - then there is no wonder how or why Dominus Ascended in the way presented in game a.k.a. Second Phase :)

wow, I like that wiki link to the story ...cool stuff. Your ideas are fine also...

Thank you, reading right now.