That line near the start of the chapter, about Bjorn not having a single essence in his body when he faced Cambormier for the first time, is just not true. He had the Corpse Golem Essence, itโs what saved him in fact because he was able to withstand all the pain and use his body as ammunition to finally destroy Cambormierโs heart. Itโs a shame he had to get rid of his first essence since then but that Blood Tinted Castle was the catalyst for all of his future progress, it all started there. He met Raven and Hikurod there for the first time, two allies who would be with him for years to come. He got the Vampire Lord Essence there from Cambormier, which would keep him alive from the brink of death several times over and would be rolled on the gacha to obtain the Ogre Essence which gave him a fighting chance against the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, which lead to his massive reward for information on the High Priest, meeting the Dragon Tribe, and all sorts of other things that have continued to cascade into the absolute unit we know today.
Actually he didnโt have the corpse golem yet at the start of the fight. It was mid fight when raven threw the test tube on him containing the essence, because he was the only one left fighting the vampire duke.Everything else, youโre bang on right about. Even his advantage over the Explorers guild stemmed from this, since Raven was the one who helped him cleanly settle that mess. Then again as the baba shaman once said, Bjorn has horrible luck, but by overcoming great odds, he can reap great rewards
For a moment I thought Bjorn was going to say that the gods curse him and his daughter to revive and fight for all eternity or the witch gave some weird blessings that no one knows how to unlock yet
So maybe having the corpse golem and vampires essence helped to unlock other events and thats why bjorn keeps progressing so well. Like a hidden combination of essences makes different floor rifts
The empire and the Witch were at war and the religious trifecta sided with the Empire. Karui was doing his mischief, but not aligned with the Witch. Camcorders and his daughter were real people who got twisted by Karui priests and either due to Karui or his prayer to the Witch, became part of the worldโs recorded history and immortalized in the labyrinth.
Iโm gonna reread ch29-40 to see if thereโs additional context from the first meeting
โ-
Edit: After rereading, I confirmed a few things: (sorry for long post)
A) Corpse Golem is indeed the daughter. When encountered it says โsave meโฆ deliciousโฆ father it hurts!โ Not taking that out of STGB contextโฆ and adding that the corpse golem is in the underground complex, it provides evidence that it is the daughter after being transformed by the karui priests and consuming countless bodies.
B) The daughter was plagued by something not even potions nor divine power could heal – it sounds reminiscent of black magic or curses like that from karui priests. Maybe they caused the illness, to involve the Cambormere duchy – a neutral party – and turn them against the Empire? They are mentioned as separate from the Witch's forces, but I wonder if the Witch had some sort of affiliation with Karui, if not always, maybe at the end to turn the tide of the war? Maybe thatโs origin of the Witch's curse?
Side noteโฆ They had potions, but donโt you need an alchemist to make those? If they did, then maybe they also had magic stones back then too? Raven had speculated that they would have had a hard time surviving in this remote region without farmers and that they might have survived this wayโฆ food for thought.
C) Both the corpse golem and the vampire duke had tried to communicate initially before succumbing to their monster natures. They seemed to have some intelligence that was being hindered. Maybe in this basement rift, that nature was gone/restricted allowing the vampire duke to communicate rationally.
D) The Crimson fortress was in ruins due to the invasion of the Empire after the news of black magic being used there was spread. It became immortalized either die to the black magic of the Karui priests, the Witch's intervention, or possibly some other source of magic (world magic?)
E) The deadmen monsters that appeared in the original rift didnโt give experience and their bodies remained after death, except for those that gave essencesโฆ kinda reminds me of the monster rain (minus the experience part) with those who gave essences/stones and those whose bodies remained.
F) The Tears of the Goddess that Bjorn retrieved from the statue could possibly be Reatlasโ tears or a relic of hers, as she is the only female of the deity trifecta (as far as we know).
So do all monsters have such a crazy backstory as the ones in the blood tinted Castle. It looks like that is bjorns feeling. And all the secret achievements in the labyrinth like the big egg seem important as well.
Blue and I had discussed a theory that the Witches Curse, while not active outside the walls now, was real and could have been what turned all the people in the empire into monsters, with the labyrinth based on the empire, and creating copies of the real bodies of the monsters that exist beyond the walls, This confirmed several parts of that theory, one being that the empire DOES exist beyond the walls most likely, that the monsters could have all been human once, but rather than a curse from the witch being the cause, it seems to be a curse from karui. If the real versions of the monsters are outside the walls, Could there be a version of some of these monsters and Bosses out there?? Also it being karui who turned them into Monsters, if the Witches curse was what changed people, then maybe it was never actually cast by the witch. What if the Witchโs curse was always karui, was always a trick by karui to get himself entertainment, but at the same time, cause panic, strife, and more, They say that the 3 godโs church was the one who attacked Cambormire, so if Karui tricked Cambormire into this to get them destroyed by the 3 godโs church, Could it be that the Witch never even did ANYTHING bad, and was merely trying to help the outcasts, while Karui was the real villian, and used the Witch as a Scapegoat. Which then begs the Question. Could Karui be the one truly locked behind the Abyss gate? His Heart was fused into the Labyrinth, something unlike anything else weโve been shown. If the Witch and karui ARE at odds, then that could also explain why the Witch told Bjorn to NOT open the Abyss gate. because she knows that Karui is sealed there.
Yeah the theory seems legit. So who are all the gods then. And what play auril gavis, he desperately wants to meet the witch and open the gate ?And why did people follow the witch?
she could have just been a scapegoat, and then cause Karui WAS using her as a cover, it would lead to the downtrodden feeling kinship and a desire for help, even like Cambormire said, He never actually met the witch, or her followers, but yet found himself praying to her as a goddess. Thats nothing but human nature hoping for something, someone, anyone, to save them. And maybe, if worship has power in this world, which has never been indicated for or against, maybe she gained power that way, Or maybe the witch started powerless, but some special thing about her made the Empire mad, maybe she could access something or had some special power that while not dangerous generally, could have been dangerous to the Empire, as those kind of things tend to go, so both them and Karui paint her as Evil, and even though the Empire may have known she wasnt a true threat, they treated her like one, and that forced her to develop her own powers, and skills, and grow to where she ended up in theory. What if the Witch never wanted any of this, and through means beyond her choice, was thrust into a life beyond her means, and forced to survive. Inevitably, drawing a following, in a similar manner almost to how things have gone for Bjorn almost.
as for the gods, one of them is likely Leatlas, as shes the only other god weโve had really told to us as of now, we do know there are other gods in the city, but i dont think their names have literally ever been told to us properly, which ive always thought was strange.
They mentioned their names much earlier and kinda haphazardly in the story – Tovera/Tobera and Heindal. The priestess of the party Bjorn meets when he first entered the labyrinth that didnโt want to heal him (after the goblin trap) was from Tobera church – they have some grudge against Barbarians
Fun idea, Bjorn is gonna time travel back to the ancient times, p*ss off tobera (starting the grudge) while getting the nick name of (the original) little valcan. ๐
Lol that woukd be a neat tie in :POnly thing is, the original Balkan we met already, 20 years in the past at the previous version of the round table. He was also known as Kagureas
that could be it, theres already the Theory that the basement levels are a Dev zone, both in the more gaming sense, and in the Development of Power sense, since all the areas down here so far have seemed very growth and development focused tbh, we need to see more to truly say that for certain, but there seems to be indication that the Labyrinth was made to allow for people to grow in power, to do something, maybe to deal with whatever is sealed in the center of the Labyrinth, maybe its to deal with something beyond the walls. but there is seemingly some goal that people are being prepped for
This rings a special way when you also consider the lengths the royal family takes to allow and encourage explorer growth, yet they hoard resources themselves (as if preparing for a future battle yet making sure they are the strongest), along with the revelation that Noark plans to invade Raphdonia after finding a pivotal secret outside (and not just living there in peace). The labyrinth holds a key secret – the Witch is most probably there, but possibly karui too. Maybe theyโre both at the abyss gate, locked together to prevent the release of either of them?
in line with that idea, we already theorized that monsters beyond level 1 could exist in the basement, and if there, why not beyond the walls too, so if the original bodies of the monsters are seemingly beyond the walls, then maybe theyre much stronger than the labyrinth counterparts. They are former humans, maybe some of that human instinct remains
I updated my lore dump comment but I think weโre on similar trains of thought. I hadnโt considered karui at the abyss gates though, but that could very well be the case. I was thinking that maybe in desperation at the end of the war, the Witch may have given in to Karui and thatโs what caused the curseโฆ but it could also be true that she got a bad rep for something she had nothing to do with.Also, with all these named labyrinth monsters and bosses having been real people involved in the ancient war that at some point succumbed to desperation and depravity really leads to the theory of karui being the source of that corruption and being the real baddy behind the scenes. What ifโฆ ok this is far fetched butโฆ what if Gavis is aware of Karui's secrets and is in league with him (just not a priest). Black magic is capable of many outrageous things, and considering all that Gavis can do, maybe itโs not so far of a stretchโฆ
That was one of the most enjoyable chapters in a while, really cool to see the background of a character that we only met once so long ago, especially the little tidbit that the flesh golem was probably his daughterโฆ.
Iโm also excited to read everyoneโs in depth theories about this one, seems very important that he prayed to the witch and ended up in the labyrinth, I feel like that is going to become a major plot point eventually
They say Gavrillius opened the portal to the labyrinth and is attributed to its creation, but you could be right.Also, thereโs a theory about the brother and sister from the story in Hamsiki's room being the Witch and someone else (maybe Gavrillius?) Then again, the Witch's name is known to be Ellis Groundia, and thatโs different from Gavrilliusโฆ so ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Ok so maybe the witch herself is sealed at the end of the Labrynth? Open the gate and out she comes? If I was Bjorn I'd be asking solely about the witch. Everything is clearly tied to her. Also, Karui a little bitch.
Lol @ Karui.I always thought the witch was at the gates – Gavis did say the witch was where everyoneโs desires meet. For players who want to go home, and for those who want to see the gate, that checks
Personally, im almost wondering if Karui is the one sealed in the Labyrinth, the Witch seemingly was being blamed for his actions of turning humans to monsters, and im curious if the Witchโs curse was never hers, but instead caused by Karui, referring to the transformation into monsters. Could the monsters being here be an attempt by the Witch to SAVE them somehow? to preserve their minds, in the hopes that somehow, someone can fix them? Reverse whatever was done? The witch also told Bjorn to not open the Abyss Gate, and if Karui has been using her as a scapegoat, and creating havoc with her name, could it be because She sealed Karui in the Abyss? Or could Karui himself Be the Abyss behind the Gate. His heart was in the labyrinth and also was able to merge with the Labyrinth
Think about how ridiculous it would be if that's the case. A freaking evil god will escape and likely cause havoc. Instead of saying, โdon't open the gate, Karui is in there,โ she just says, โDon't open the gate.โ They ask why and she's just like, โdon't open the gateโฆโ as she fades away. Like what actual human being would act like that if they really didn't want the gate open? It's the type of terrible writing that authorโs think is cool but in practice doesn't make sense.
karui tends to deal in restrictions and limits and removal of things, so its possible that she literally cant talk about it, also outright saying that when someone has no reason to trust you will sound like a lie and be less credible, giving a warning at least, can allow the person to question and reach their own conclusions. Sometimes, telling the full reason, makes the thing more likely. Its not bad writing every time, it is a misused plot device yes, but it can be used well if done right
I actually think that was just a remnant of the Witch rather than actually being herโฆ like maybe she placed a recording that is triggered by a special condition, but was limited in storageMy running theory (at the moment that is) is that she is trapped behind the abyss gate with karui, amd might be the thing holding back the curse. Still questioning her involvement in the curseโฆ either rshe wasnโt or she invoked karui in a moment of weakness and is tried to stop it aftwrwards maybe?
Right? My mind is doing all the calcs. Iโm actually gonna go back and reread the Blood Tinted Castle arc, see if thereโs anything else I can pick up.Seems like his daughter might have been the boss they fought underground
if his daughter was the Flesh Golem, maybe part of the condition that allowed Bjorn to talk to him was having had the essence of both his daughter and Him.
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That line near the start of the chapter, about Bjorn not having a single essence in his body when he faced Cambormier for the first time, is just not true. He had the Corpse Golem Essence, itโs what saved him in fact because he was able to withstand all the pain and use his body as ammunition to finally destroy Cambormierโs heart. Itโs a shame he had to get rid of his first essence since then but that Blood Tinted Castle was the catalyst for all of his future progress, it all started there. He met Raven and Hikurod there for the first time, two allies who would be with him for years to come. He got the Vampire Lord Essence there from Cambormier, which would keep him alive from the brink of death several times over and would be rolled on the gacha to obtain the Ogre Essence which gave him a fighting chance against the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, which lead to his massive reward for information on the High Priest, meeting the Dragon Tribe, and all sorts of other things that have continued to cascade into the absolute unit we know today.
I really like how they brought back the first boss he ever fought, lore dump is insane, canโt wait for next chap
Labyrinth Lore
For a moment I thought Bjorn was going to say that the gods curse him and his daughter to revive and fight for all eternity or the witch gave some weird blessings that no one knows how to unlock yet
So maybe having the corpse golem and vampires essence helped to unlock other events and thats why bjorn keeps progressing so well. Like a hidden combination of essences makes different floor rifts
So big lore dumpโฆ
The empire and the Witch were at war and the religious trifecta sided with the Empire. Karui was doing his mischief, but not aligned with the Witch. Camcorders and his daughter were real people who got twisted by Karui priests and either due to Karui or his prayer to the Witch, became part of the worldโs recorded history and immortalized in the labyrinth.
Iโm gonna reread ch29-40 to see if thereโs additional context from the first meeting
โ-
Edit: After rereading, I confirmed a few things: (sorry for long post)
A) Corpse Golem is indeed the daughter. When encountered it says โsave meโฆ deliciousโฆ father it hurts!โ Not taking that out of STGB contextโฆ and adding that the corpse golem is in the underground complex, it provides evidence that it is the daughter after being transformed by the karui priests and consuming countless bodies.
B) The daughter was plagued by something not even potions nor divine power could heal – it sounds reminiscent of black magic or curses like that from karui priests. Maybe they caused the illness, to involve the Cambormere duchy – a neutral party – and turn them against the Empire? They are mentioned as separate from the Witch's forces, but I wonder if the Witch had some sort of affiliation with Karui, if not always, maybe at the end to turn the tide of the war? Maybe thatโs origin of the Witch's curse?
Side noteโฆ They had potions, but donโt you need an alchemist to make those? If they did, then maybe they also had magic stones back then too? Raven had speculated that they would have had a hard time surviving in this remote region without farmers and that they might have survived this wayโฆ food for thought.
C) Both the corpse golem and the vampire duke had tried to communicate initially before succumbing to their monster natures. They seemed to have some intelligence that was being hindered. Maybe in this basement rift, that nature was gone/restricted allowing the vampire duke to communicate rationally.
D) The Crimson fortress was in ruins due to the invasion of the Empire after the news of black magic being used there was spread. It became immortalized either die to the black magic of the Karui priests, the Witch's intervention, or possibly some other source of magic (world magic?)
E) The deadmen monsters that appeared in the original rift didnโt give experience and their bodies remained after death, except for those that gave essencesโฆ kinda reminds me of the monster rain (minus the experience part) with those who gave essences/stones and those whose bodies remained.
F) The Tears of the Goddess that Bjorn retrieved from the statue could possibly be Reatlasโ tears or a relic of hers, as she is the only female of the deity trifecta (as far as we know).
So do all monsters have such a crazy backstory as the ones in the blood tinted Castle. It looks like that is bjorns feeling. And all the secret achievements in the labyrinth like the big egg seem important as well.
That was one of the most enjoyable chapters in a while, really cool to see the background of a character that we only met once so long ago, especially the little tidbit that the flesh golem was probably his daughterโฆ.
Iโm also excited to read everyoneโs in depth theories about this one, seems very important that he prayed to the witch and ended up in the labyrinth, I feel like that is going to become a major plot point eventually
Just how powerful was the witch? Because from what I gathered, she most likely made the labyrinth herself.
Did his daughter get turned into the flesh golem Bjorn had the essence of for a while :l
Ok so maybe the witch herself is sealed at the end of the Labrynth? Open the gate and out she comes? If I was Bjorn I'd be asking solely about the witch. Everything is clearly tied to her. Also, Karui a little bitch.
Holy hyped they brought back the first boss he fought in such a amazing way
That was an amazing piece of lore
i mean holy shit i wonder if by doing this will bjorn be setting his soul free