There's some worldmap hints that indicate Earth might have some wild stuff going on that I've not seen discussed...let's dig in!
Looking at Cairnstone Rest, you can see a sizeable ammonite fossil. They're all over the place, actually; there's an orthocone in a cliff, more ammonites in Terraclae, etc. No big surprise, Earth's all about fossils. But have we paused to consider...which fossils, exactly?
Ammonites (and orthocones) are ancient sea creatures. Alright, big whoop, Earth was raised from the sea floor, presumably by the Earthshaker around when the gods got in their big brawl. Yeah, but which sea floor?
So the Outer Ocean is a bit of a persistent mystery. I don't think it's mentioned in the lore (I only call it the Outer Ocean). It's not the domain of any Flight, either (EDIT: phrasing correction, Water claims the domain but can't hold it, see comments). Tidelord explicitly doesn't know the abysses of his own sea, let alone more distant ones:
( Also, relics of prehistory that the gods are unaware of ties in nicely to where I'm going with this)
Besides, there's no Water Flight settlements along the outer coast, breeds from the coast, etc. It's not counted in Tidelord's domain, and when we do venture out into it, we get spooky names like
Okay, so if you accept that evidence that the gods hold no true claim on the Outer Ocean, and you agree that at least some fossils in Earth come from the Outer Ocean...is there more? Well, Earth has wild undead.
Unless a big part of Earth funerary rights is raising Mom and Pop to defend the family tomb, this is spontaneous reanimation. It's also the most direct mention of undead in the lore I've managed to dig up (besides emperors). And while the BotE entry is vague, it does tell us we've got suspicious non-draconic skeletons possibly moving around. Also, the fact that it's relegated to Earth (vs. Earth dragons spontaneously reanimating in other Flight territory) indicates that, yeah, it's tied to the territory.
Thus, hypothesis: Earth's wild undead include creatures from outside the gods' territory. Maybe the shadows that heave themselves on through dust storms are strange-eyed skeletons from the youngest stratum, still distant ancestors of what swims there today. Maybe the deep tunnels host the writhing scraps of life that first sunk from the gods' sight, living and changing and dying before Earthshaker raised his Flight from the ocean. Maybe the First Age creation myth is, in fact, a myth. Not the other stuff though, Broccoli mom wouldn't lie to us. Maybe this is a surprisingly involved defense of zombie plesiosaurs being canon.
But yeah, even without the undead thing, Earth flight is almost definitely excavating Outer Ocean fossils, and I think that's pretty neat. They even picked an ammonite as a major symbol of Terraclae! Earth/Water bromance when?
So...do you think it tracks? Do you use undead in your own lore? Have any thoughts on how an ancient sea life motif might work with Earth (beyond the ammonite decor)? Know any other explicit non-emperor undead lore I missed? (Ghostlight Ruins enemies mostly mention that they are undead).
(Thanks to @Leopardmask for talking through this stuff with me!)
Looking at Cairnstone Rest, you can see a sizeable ammonite fossil. They're all over the place, actually; there's an orthocone in a cliff, more ammonites in Terraclae, etc. No big surprise, Earth's all about fossils. But have we paused to consider...which fossils, exactly?
Ammonites (and orthocones) are ancient sea creatures. Alright, big whoop, Earth was raised from the sea floor, presumably by the Earthshaker around when the gods got in their big brawl. Yeah, but which sea floor?
So the Outer Ocean is a bit of a persistent mystery. I don't think it's mentioned in the lore (I only call it the Outer Ocean). It's not the domain of any Flight, either (EDIT: phrasing correction, Water claims the domain but can't hold it, see comments). Tidelord explicitly doesn't know the abysses of his own sea, let alone more distant ones:
Quote:
The deepest part of the world. The sea beneath the sea is a treacherous and savage place possessing of an unforgiving undertow and precious little light. Many wonders are said to exist here - more relics of prehistory - shrouded, even from the Tidelord's gaze...
Besides, there's no Water Flight settlements along the outer coast, breeds from the coast, etc. It's not counted in Tidelord's domain, and when we do venture out into it, we get spooky names like
Okay, so if you accept that evidence that the gods hold no true claim on the Outer Ocean, and you agree that at least some fossils in Earth come from the Outer Ocean...is there more? Well, Earth has wild undead.
Quote:
...take care to avoid imposing obelisks, heeding well the warnings left for tomb robbers. More than one clan has been driven from the area by skeletal wyrms keen on defending earthbound hallows...
Unless a big part of Earth funerary rights is raising Mom and Pop to defend the family tomb, this is spontaneous reanimation. It's also the most direct mention of undead in the lore I've managed to dig up (besides emperors). And while the BotE entry is vague, it does tell us we've got suspicious non-draconic skeletons possibly moving around. Also, the fact that it's relegated to Earth (vs. Earth dragons spontaneously reanimating in other Flight territory) indicates that, yeah, it's tied to the territory.
Thus, hypothesis: Earth's wild undead include creatures from outside the gods' territory. Maybe the shadows that heave themselves on through dust storms are strange-eyed skeletons from the youngest stratum, still distant ancestors of what swims there today. Maybe the deep tunnels host the writhing scraps of life that first sunk from the gods' sight, living and changing and dying before Earthshaker raised his Flight from the ocean.
But yeah, even without the undead thing, Earth flight is almost definitely excavating Outer Ocean fossils, and I think that's pretty neat. They even picked an ammonite as a major symbol of Terraclae! Earth/Water bromance when?
So...do you think it tracks? Do you use undead in your own lore? Have any thoughts on how an ancient sea life motif might work with Earth (beyond the ammonite decor)? Know any other explicit non-emperor undead lore I missed? (Ghostlight Ruins enemies mostly mention that they are undead).
(Thanks to @Leopardmask for talking through this stuff with me!)