BETA TOPIC: The Theory Compilation (Spoilers)

[DSOK]

I know. There's page after page speculating on Rhue and Strata teaming up, or Rhue and Traziun fighting.

Well, it was natural to theorize that more would happen in the real world, and that we would learn more about the nature of the Way itself.

The much discussed subject of who Traziun would kill was obviously related to the question of who killed his mother. People here seem to think that this was Rhue, under the influence of Phantom Slahser. However, my reading of the ending (especially the "a life for a life" remark) was that it was Traziun himself, although he had blocked out the memory. The revelation certainly would explain his consternation at the end of episode five.

On perhaps the most discussed question, the identity of the Phantom Slasher, everyone failed to think outside the box. The two obvious candidates to be the PS were Rhue (or some projection of his sword) and Gaius. Some people toyed with the idea that there could be more than one PS. I, for example, noted that there was no real evidence that most of the kills attributed to the PS had anything to do with the shadowy figure that was following Rhue. However, we all failed to make what seems in retrospect the obvious deduction--that Gaius was responsible for most of the kills, but that the ones we saw on screen were committed by someone else (the projection from the sword Actura/Phantom Slasher that was protecting Rhue's delusion).

There was also the theory that Serena was the PS. I have a hunch that Lun included that idea in the game (as part of the shadow sword's) last-ditch attempt to prevent Rhue from learning the truth, because it had popped up in the forums and because it was so utterly ridiculous.

Ironically, when someone suggested the Phantom Slasher would be the final boss, everybody thought it was bullcrap. (Although technically you can't lose to the slasher, but whatever -_-)

I pooh-poohed the idea that the final battle would be a plunge, because the plunges in epdisodes four and five tended to be so one-sided. Lun did a much better job of balancing them in this episode (at least for the current wave). The much higher link attach percentages available made the plunges much more strategic, I think.

[Dr. Casey]

I just want to know what happened in the delete scene with Gaius and Strata.

[Sage Of The Wise]

Then, there's another thing I noticed that I haven't seen mentioned: look in some of the battle events for Episode VI. Look near the end for something like 'Rhue=Scarred'. Apparentally, though I've never seen it, there's a 5% chance in every/some battle(s) of Rhue temporarily learning 'Soul's Despair.' It's described as the 'Ultimate Attack of Evil' and even exceeds the power possessed by The End of the Way. Has anyone actually gotten this ability?

Ok, I figured this whole thing out, I was very lucky to have happend to have already located most of the requierments before while looking for other stuff.

The first thing you have to do is get the very worst verdict in the courtroom scene. I'm not going to take the time to figure out what you have to do to get the worse verdict, at the moment anyway.

Then you have to go to the house of Pnoe, where you will see none other then Entrego sitting in the corner. Talk to him and he will give you a notch item called the Scarred Stone and abruptly leave.

The stone has a efficincy of 1 so good luck absorbing it. Once you do it will say nothing happend.(Not True) Now, during battle, you have a 5% chance of learning Soul's Despair, the strongest move Rhue can learn.

Ineresting note, the description of the scarred stone says "Also known as the landorin stone".

[Dr. Casey]

God damn, this game is deep.

[Sage Of The Wise]

It just occured to me that shadow swords must have a long range of soul absorbtion if it got Entrego, wasn't Rhue already fleeing Estrana by the time the harbringer supposedly killed him?

[Culix]

Hmm... It does seem like Rhue would have been too far away for his blade to absorb Entrego, so I kinda doubt that's it. I have two theories, though:

1) This presumes both that Gaius was the harbringer and that he wields an Illuminati. We know that Shadow Swords absorb auras as they leave their original bodies, but we don't know what happens to the auras of those that Illuminati blades slay. Perhaps Entrego's aura was 'stuck on' or trapped in Gaius's weapon. Then, when Rhue came into contact with Gaius (unless I'm mistaken, he DID strike the Guided/Blood Lyn, right?), it's possible that his Shadow Sword proved a more capable conduit for auras and, thus, 'stole' Entrego's aura from the Illuminati. But... This feels a little half-baked, somehow...

2) It wasn't really Entrego. Something tells me that the Phantom wasn't a real person; he was just a representation of... something. Perhaps Entrego was representative of sin/guilt/corruption (it would make even more sense if the Rhue variable was required to be pretty low), the Landorin/Scarred Stone represents Rhue's nightmarishly repressed memories of the Landorin Massacre and/or how emotionally scarred such an ordeal left him, and Soul's Despair shows the anguish that, together, both those things will inevitably cause a person. ... Or I could just be pulling things out of thin air. Besides, this one doesn't quite work, since Rhue never actually saw Entrego's face. Well, unless Episode VI shows Entrego with his back turned, anyway. I've yet to check.

[DSOK]

We know that Shadow Swords absorb auras as they leave their original bodies, but we don't know what happens to the auras of those that Illuminati blades slay.

The Shadows Swords and the Illuminati are the same. Rhue's sword has two names: Arctura, an Illuminati name, and Phantom Slasher, a Shadown Sword name. Everything else in Episode 6 points to this as well.

[Dr. Casey]

Hey, DSOK - has your opinion on Lexus changed at all after E6?

[DSOK]

Hey, DSOK - has your opinion on Lexus changed at all after E6?

Yes, she has redeemed herself somewhat, I think. Her affection for Rhue (or whatever you want to call him) was clearly real in Episode 4, but it ran deeper than I would have thought. By her death, her character really does seem to have softened.

(We know that characters's auras are not frozen in a particular mood or anything after they are absorbed by the sword. This is proved by Lyrra's behavior and her personal growth, even after death. So, in Lexus' case, we can conclude that her attitude toward Rhue is not merely some artifact of her very peculiar response to being impaled.)

[Dr. Casey]

Ah... nice.

I wonder what the story Rhue told Lyrra is... I mean, I'm sure that was meant to be left up to the imagination, but still...

[Sage Of The Wise]

i think its just a metaphor. Rhue only cares about Serena and wont get close to anyone else, hence he lost his ability to love. And the artifact its locked in is his sword.

[EmperorJeramyu]

My favorite character is Strata... I think he will play a huge part or at least be very important in the next few episodes... and he rocks... he'll come back better, stronger, more skilled, cooler and he'll probably use some new sword aura and lvl 5 blade art that Rhue doesn't learn till the episode after Strata uses it.

Quoted for irony.

[Dr. Casey]

Rofl

Famous last words, indeed.

[Sage Of The Wise]

The entire Strata topic is now a laugh, so many in depth theories about what Strata will do, not one of them saying that he'll just poke his head in for a few seconds and leave.

[EmperorJeramyu]

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