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The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:17 am
by Jabbo
Two ideas here that might be worth mentioning, hopefully they haven't been mentioned already.

We know that in Ep2, they mention the Upper Way. If the Upper Way shows up at all in any of the games, it's going to be one of two things. One option is the place where Traziun goes to fight his father and the "Reflective Sky" area in Ep6 that you get to via the outworld portal stone (the Pits and Reaches have an analog in Dream Estrana, so the Upper Way could have one as well). This is pretty tangible, since you basically have to use some kind of aura warping thing to get there.

The other option is that the Upper Way would be heaven, basically, and would be where everyone's soul is. Given that an aura is a "link" to the soul from the physical world, when a Shadow Sword absorbs the aura, it absorbs a "link" to the soul, and then in Dream Estrana, you're actually interacting with real souls via the auras you've absorbed, rather than just interacting with the auras themselves. Or possibly, Dream Estrana IS the Upper Way and the Shadow Swords/Illuminati provide you a link for getting there, but you can only interact through the auras you've absorbed. This is probably less plausible but might fit in with the whole Christianity aspect.


Looking at Gaius's dialogue at the end of Ep5, it seems that he isn't entirely sure what's going on with the End of the Way and is testing Rhue in order to try and figure it out. "The End of the Way used to be right here." Then they go to the other end of the cave, and it's the place Rhue remembers as the Landorin Massacre. Gaius asks, "You recognize this place?" and then says "Interesting." So if Jeruh/Rhue made up the forest story, then maybe Rhue's auras got mixed up and altered the memory so that it seemed like it was at the river. But it's also possible that the "Forest Run" and the river didn't actually exist at all before then, and somehow Rhue managed to extend the Way through his made-up memories, moving the End of the Way somewhere else. Rolling mists via Rhue?

Why else would the End of the Way move? Because Estrana burned? Because a bunch of Shadow Swords and/or Gaius's Illuminati got close to it? Because Tetzel tunneled through the rocks? And if it's somehow a circular path, why would there be an "End" to it at all?

Just adding some more ideas to the theory collective.

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:16 pm
by Sage Of The Wise
The whole 'end of the way' thing has always bothered me. How could the end of the way be a few days walk from the biggest settlement on The Way? People must venture beyond the city and if Tetzel has just been killing them all off for 100's of years someone would notice. My only explanation is that what Gaius meant when he said that place was the end of the way is that it was the end of the way a long time ago. A really long time ago. Which, if the way is circular, would apply to any given spot on the way. Which would explain why Rhue would recognize the place since being around for so long probably means he's been around the way a few times and actually has been there before.

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:01 pm
by War
Maybe its the end of the way because its the end of the game. :P

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:31 pm
by Sage Of The Wise
But they got there with still an episode to go >_>

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:34 pm
by War
Sage Of The Wise wrote:But they got there with still an episode to go >_>


No no, it all takes place in the same spot though since Ep6 for the most part is a dream.

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:39 pm
by Jabbo
I always thought it was interesting that Traziun says early in Ep2 "We're still in the backcountry of the Way," and two to three weeks later they arrive at the End after spending most of their time in Estrana. And people wander for a LIFETIME and never get there? Do Rhue and co. just take some epic shortcuts or what?

Re: The Upper Way and End of the Way

PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:58 pm
by Sage Of The Wise
As far as I know the only person who mentions it being The End of the Way is Gaius, and thats during one of his 'I'm going to be a cryptic little bitch' speeches, so I really don't think we should take him to literally on it.