Fun fact the roaming island was added to the game during early access in the halloween update just prior to the last major update (clockwork kingdom) before 1.0. At the time it was accessible from Hallowshire near Castle Hallow. The fact that the Union has built an entire gatebridge attached to an unstable island is rather bizarre, as it's bound to shift again and destroy said bridge eventually. Seems like a waste of not only construction material, but also everyone who purchased a passport for that particular bridge basically gets screwed over since it'll eventually drift off somewhere else that may not require a bridge to get to or is too far for a bridge to be practical. The Crystal Goddess is certainly one of those gods which most tend to destroy just off the principle of all gods are bad. But beyond this surface level thinking, the Crystal Goddess does pose a conflicting problem. While her purpose is meant to serve as a form of salvation for the Endless, it does seem to come at the cost of a loss of self-identity, as all memories are melded together in one. Furthermore, those who don't necessarily wish to be part of it deal with the painful crystal growth and psychic weight bearing down upon them. Furthermore, it is implied the Goddess herself is somewhat enraged (perhaps by the state of the endless - a concentration of all the deep-seated anger the endless under her control and who empowered her, feel). Unlike with TWOAF who was largely impotent, the Crystal Goddess is very much a real and potential power in this land, and it very much seems like she's the kind of entity to want to have All the endless under her influence - saving them from their suffering at the cost of self-autonomy and choice. Perhaps in a land where endless are either prone to wishing to feast upon the living or roleplay death and waste away, you could argue that the endless are at a point where they themselves are incapable of truly making a decision that best benefits their kind. In that way, having something else decide, take over and be in control could be seen as a better deal than the if you wish to go the route that everything else is for naught with the endless. The Crystal Goddess doesn't seem to have inherently malicious intentions but the methods by which it is likely to go can be potentially hazardous. There is a great comparison to be made with paeguth to or even the dead god aenguin in pwyll. Paeguth was all about sacrifice of pain and grotesque bodily transformations in exchange for euphoria, bliss, and never going hungry or dealing with disease. Yet many hallowshire natives were completely fine with paeguth's presence and relied on him for their way of life, as he was providing a service that was essential to that region's prosperity. Aenguin was the tyrant god of pywll who demanded blood sacrifice in exchange for financial prosperity. Up until it became unsustainable and the pwyllians revolted. Is it possible the Crystal Goddess growth and expansion would become unsustainable for her apparent goals of saving the Endless? It is like you said, at what point does she stop? Where is the cut off? She is a body amalgamate of many different minds refracted in one entity. What happens when enough cadavers get taken over? will they impact her in any way? Also yes there was indeed a hidden bridge in the upper levels of the Cadaver Keep (just like the one at rustburg) visible via truth potion/leech of truth.
The fact that the skeleton island where you get a spell to summon skeletons was added for a Halloween update is so thematically fitting, and fuels me to no end! *Spooky scary skeletons intensifies* And honestly interacting with the crystal goddess, and most entities in the game, I try to look at them outside of how my personal world views tend to be. There's meant to be a fourth wall in most media, a means of keeping this story, setting, and all the characters contained to such rules beyond our own. And I was trying to showcase that viewpoint during another bit of rambling. Because honestly a divinity like that is not something I'd personally enjoy. Free will and individuality are important to me, but it's all I've known. Meanwhile, as was discussed, are such things more important than freedom from a curse that's lasted centuries too long as is, and will this divinity simply stop there. Ultimately I doubt I'll get a full blown answer to any of this by the time the game is done. That's part of the fun though. Dread delusion thus far for me has been a journey into the unknown, the wild and surreal, and I'm curious about every single corner, and hesitant with every single step! But I've yet to be truly upset with taking a single one! And I can't say many other games have made me feel that way! Also this frigging land and it's illusions! You'd think it'd become second nature to me by now to know parts of the game are LYING to me!
Fun fact the roaming island was added to the game during early access in the halloween update just prior to the last major update (clockwork kingdom) before 1.0. At the time it was accessible from Hallowshire near Castle Hallow. The fact that the Union has built an entire gatebridge attached to an unstable island is rather bizarre, as it's bound to shift again and destroy said bridge eventually. Seems like a waste of not only construction material, but also everyone who purchased a passport for that particular bridge basically gets screwed over since it'll eventually drift off somewhere else that may not require a bridge to get to or is too far for a bridge to be practical.
The Crystal Goddess is certainly one of those gods which most tend to destroy just off the principle of all gods are bad. But beyond this surface level thinking, the Crystal Goddess does pose a conflicting problem. While her purpose is meant to serve as a form of salvation for the Endless, it does seem to come at the cost of a loss of self-identity, as all memories are melded together in one. Furthermore, those who don't necessarily wish to be part of it deal with the painful crystal growth and psychic weight bearing down upon them. Furthermore, it is implied the Goddess herself is somewhat enraged (perhaps by the state of the endless - a concentration of all the deep-seated anger the endless under her control and who empowered her, feel).
Unlike with TWOAF who was largely impotent, the Crystal Goddess is very much a real and potential power in this land, and it very much seems like she's the kind of entity to want to have All the endless under her influence - saving them from their suffering at the cost of self-autonomy and choice. Perhaps in a land where endless are either prone to wishing to feast upon the living or roleplay death and waste away, you could argue that the endless are at a point where they themselves are incapable of truly making a decision that best benefits their kind. In that way, having something else decide, take over and be in control could be seen as a better deal than the if you wish to go the route that everything else is for naught with the endless.
The Crystal Goddess doesn't seem to have inherently malicious intentions but the methods by which it is likely to go can be potentially hazardous. There is a great comparison to be made with paeguth to or even the dead god aenguin in pwyll. Paeguth was all about sacrifice of pain and grotesque bodily transformations in exchange for euphoria, bliss, and never going hungry or dealing with disease. Yet many hallowshire natives were completely fine with paeguth's presence and relied on him for their way of life, as he was providing a service that was essential to that region's prosperity. Aenguin was the tyrant god of pywll who demanded blood sacrifice in exchange for financial prosperity. Up until it became unsustainable and the pwyllians revolted.
Is it possible the Crystal Goddess growth and expansion would become unsustainable for her apparent goals of saving the Endless? It is like you said, at what point does she stop? Where is the cut off? She is a body amalgamate of many different minds refracted in one entity. What happens when enough cadavers get taken over? will they impact her in any way?
Also yes there was indeed a hidden bridge in the upper levels of the Cadaver Keep (just like the one at rustburg) visible via truth potion/leech of truth.
The fact that the skeleton island where you get a spell to summon skeletons was added for a Halloween update is so thematically fitting, and fuels me to no end! *Spooky scary skeletons intensifies*
And honestly interacting with the crystal goddess, and most entities in the game, I try to look at them outside of how my personal world views tend to be. There's meant to be a fourth wall in most media, a means of keeping this story, setting, and all the characters contained to such rules beyond our own. And I was trying to showcase that viewpoint during another bit of rambling.
Because honestly a divinity like that is not something I'd personally enjoy. Free will and individuality are important to me, but it's all I've known. Meanwhile, as was discussed, are such things more important than freedom from a curse that's lasted centuries too long as is, and will this divinity simply stop there.
Ultimately I doubt I'll get a full blown answer to any of this by the time the game is done.
That's part of the fun though. Dread delusion thus far for me has been a journey into the unknown, the wild and surreal, and I'm curious about every single corner, and hesitant with every single step!
But I've yet to be truly upset with taking a single one! And I can't say many other games have made me feel that way!
Also this frigging land and it's illusions! You'd think it'd become second nature to me by now to know parts of the game are LYING to me!