Rhue the who?

[Belthazar]

All this is interesting and does connect very well but firstly we're assuming a lot, for instance back before ep. 6 we were wondering whether Rhue really was Jeruh or Midian or whtevr. And yes in some ways he was but at least not what I imagined. Second, it doesnt explain why Gaius would tag along especially to help our Rhue to kill someone. Finally, the Phantom Slasher said they are tools of justice which again supports the fact that many people who got killed by the phantom slasher were bad guys (e.g. stoyko, other arastozi, but i dont know why the people from ep.1). So if they really are tools of justice, how could our Rhue be the son of the lord below? I would really like to meet some old person who would recognize Rhue and be like "I've seen u before..." I think thts how we could learn more about Rhue. But alas tis the end.

One last thing if this is really the end of The Way why do we save our files after the game is over?

[Phile]

The only stage I don't agree with is the first. There is better evidence supporting the idea that "Rhue" is Venge. I say this only because (and many people seem to ignore this) but Rhue feels at home in caves. This is mentioned twice (by my count) in the series. The first time is in the cave in Episode 1. Traziun and Gaius are complaining, and Rhue? "It's not so bad..." The second time is in a thought to himself after Scatha discusses the 'merits' of the Under Way. "(You kind of understand what she means, don't you?)". The darkness is home to him, and fills him with a certain sense of nostalgia. I admit, that these are vague clues, but you have to work with what you're given.

I'm sorry that I can't remember the exact moment in the story, but I guess that somewhere in the second or third episode was a scene when "Rhue" and Kloe discuss about what happens to a wanderer if he dies.
Rhue says he thinks that hell would be a physically existing location you can go to when you are alive and it would be naive thinking that a wanderer's soul could end up in a burning place, being tormented by demons because of his sins. It seemed to me that he somehow "knew" what he was talking about. So the theory is that this thoughts or knowledge came frome his Venge persona, just like the notable two hints that you listed.

[Asra]

To me it really does sound like Venge went out to avenge his father in the poem. The creatures in the Pits are pretty varied, and for all intents and purposes why not make a human child with some women? He was basically worshipped in Janwen like a god. It doesn't mean he had to care about them, but also note that people worshipped and sacrificed to him, so at least some humans were on relatively good terms with him. They even had a pit to make meetings with his lessers.

Demons may be violent, but then again that could manifest as the Phantom Slasher, and Rhue's seeming lack of morals in all of the auras hes come to possess. Kava killed that entire encampment of guided, Kura killed his best friend, Jeruh would kill anyone to get to Serena...

So I think in all likelihood Venge could have attacked the lord of below for any number of reasons. I mean look at Traziun. Revenge for something, greed for power, the Illuminati could have come into contact with him and turned him good, or he could have just wound up not being evil.

[Thanatos]

Gaius really doesn't need a reason to tag along... Hunting murderers is what Gaius does for a living... Hunting Jeruh is what Midian does for a living. No big mystery there. *shrug*

[Aegis]

It doesn't need to be a Hero that wounded the Lord Below.

Venge could have easily aquired an Illuminati, faught with the other heroes who took up Illuminati, in order to try to beat down his dad and become the new Lord Below, found out he was unnable to do so, ended up with a cursed sword and a ****ed up aura when the Lord Below unleashes his aura corrupting mojo. Venge then flees hell with his sword, and ends up becoming the mimic because of his fractured aura. With the sword in hand he ends up killing people as he goes from aura to aura generating the story of the mimic. At some point he gets Kura's aura and then meets Kava.

You'll notice that Kura like Rhue seems to have a very sociopathic and violent streak in him, this is a result of Venge's soul and the shadow sword.

This line of reasoning makes the Lexus ending where Rhue is all "I have no end." and suddenly flies off, make a lot more sense. He's finally become Venge again, by subdueing the other auras. via solving their goals. "Rhue" is with Lexus, and all the older auras the sword put in him had their goals met before, like Midian waxing Jeruh.

Another intersting thing to think about, by the time Kura is around, there are already Guided. It's not a stretch to say Tetzel has been around for a long time, probably around the time Janwen was around, and he's the one with the last remaining Illuminati. And after Janwen, he probably made The Way so people wouldn't be able to go digging a hole to hell.

So what's Venge gonna do now that he's back?

He's gonna go get that last Illuminati.

I agree completely. The poem obviously says that Venge was the one who hurt the Lord Below. Secondly, it also explains how the sword is such a mix up - hard to tell wether it's a shadow sword or a Illuminati. Then again, there is signifigant evidance that Rhue was origianly Midian. The scene in the Kloe ending where Gaius tells Rhue about when they first met clearly points to this. Midian has been wanting to kill Jeruh, Rhue has been wanting to kill Jeruh... And Midian is the only person we know for sure that Rhue once was, other than Rhue himself. Jeruh used to have Rhue's sword, that much is certain, because Jeruh killed Midian. It might be possible that Rhue himself is a projection of the sword, like the Phantom Slasher is... But yeh, who Rhue used to be is the most confusing mystery currently on the Way, and it won't be solved very easily.

[Sage Of The Wise]

there is signifigant evidance that Rhue was origianly Midian.

What? Last time I checked the evidence clearly pointed to the fact he wasn't originally Midian.

Jeruh used to have Rhue's sword, that much is certain, because Jeruh killed Midian.

Uhh.... when did this happen?

[dyyhpys]

If Rhue was origonly Venge the the demonic side could have been imprisioned in the sword and later on it could have started projecting itself into the PS.

[Jasonflare]

If Rhue was origonly Venge the the demonic side could have been imprisioned in the sword and later on it could have started projecting itself into the PS.

You gotta be kidding me.
The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword. And if Rhue was originally Venge, how could he be human? You and I have no proof that he is half-human.

[Asra]

If Rhue was origonly Venge the the demonic side could have been imprisioned in the sword and later on it could have started projecting itself into the PS.

You gotta be kidding me.
The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword. And if Rhue was originally Venge, how could he be human? You and I have no proof that he is half-human.

After the Lexus ending how can anyone think that Rhue was ever human?! He started flying in midair and talking cryptically.

[Poenaensis]

My brain is melting.

[Aegis]

Jeruh used to have Rhue's sword, that much is certain, because Jeruh killed Midian.

Uhh.... when did this happen?

It didn't. Whoops.

But the evidence does point to him being Midian. He clearly at least had the personality of Midian in the flashback where Gaius says he first met Rhue, so this is the only person besides Rhue himself that we actually know Rhue once was. It could be that Rhue was once the mimic, killed Midian and became him, and eventually killed Jeruh and became Rhue, but Occam's Razor cuts straight through that.

However, if Rhue was the Mimic, then I think his becoming Rhue was far from a normal mimicing. Why? Rhue was not a single personality, and he was far from being Jeruh's imaginary Rhue. I think that the same rules that would apply to a normal person upon absorbing too many auras in a shadow sword as a several hundred year old Mimic. He was mimicing Midian, when after killing Jeruh he lost his mind and had a split personality complex. All those memories from so many people came flooding into his mind, and his personality and memories became an amalgamation of all of them.

[Non-Sequitur]

The problem with the idea that Rhue was originally Midian is that it does not explain why Kavax recognizes Rhue as Kura.

[dyyhpys]

You gotta be kidding me.
The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword. And if Rhue was originally Venge, how could he be human? You and I have no proof that he is half-human.

1 I never did say he was half human, there is a book somewhere called "Forgery of the purpose", I think that refers to venge being made to be a ilumanti wielding hero that thinks like a human but serves the lord below, the draw back was that he thought like a human, and rebelled against the lord below.

The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword.

2 I just said it was a projection of the sword, but venge's evil was trapped in it when the Lord Below retalliated.

Happy now? [/quote]

[Jasonflare]

You gotta be kidding me.
The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword. And if Rhue was originally Venge, how could he be human? You and I have no proof that he is half-human.

1 I never did say he was half human, there is a book somewhere called "Forgery of the purpose", I think that refers to venge being made to be a ilumanti wielding hero that thinks like a human but serves the lord below, the draw back was that he thought like a human, and rebelled against the lord below.

The PS is a physical projection of the SWORD. A Shadow Sword.

2 I just said it was a projection of the sword, but venge's evil was trapped in it when the Lord Below retalliated.

Happy now?

[/quote]

1. Actually no. the sword takes the entire aura, not some part of it.
And we don't even know who's who in the PS.

2. Venge is the Lord Below's son. And how could he be made into thinking he's human?
Alright, I admit I misunderstood your post, but explain to me how something can project itself to the PS.

[Aegis]

I just had an interesting thought: What if people get reincarnated when they die on the Way? This would explain a lot of things...

Anyway, I see that no one has commented on my assertion that Rhue is projection of the sword just as the Phantom Slasher is. Also, I like the theory presented recently by someone in the "why don't you guys get it" (something like that) topic: The wanderers with a more specific purpose, with some driving motivation, have a stronger effect on the sword's user. This way, Midian and Jeruh would both have a greater effect on Rhue than others would.