The flavour text is laid out on the wiki, so I'm not gonna copy it to this post.

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Cursed Ducats

Ducat of Tsoatha's Gift (drops from Velka)

>Saresh (possibly not in game)
I know what lurks in the heart of man... the seed of darkness within us all.

The only Cursed Ducat that can drop without already having one active.

Might this "dark truth" be the same one that Saresh claims to see in humanity? Does the same force relate both to undeath and to siren transformation?

Ducat of the Undead Sea (drops from Offering of the Drowned)

>Captain Fairgraves: Banish any thoughts of using [the Allflame] for yourself. It would burn you alive.

It seems the Allflame attracts the living, but burns their flesh, and then chases them away when they turn undead. But does the Allflame itself cause undeath, or is that just the ambient effect of the Well of Souls in Wraeclast?

Despite wielding the Horns of Kulemak, Catarina wields spring🦚 green Allflame-coloured magic - only the Abyssals themselves use lime🍋‍🟩 green magic. Perhaps the Allflame has the power to cause true resurrection, but needs to be wielded carefully to not just take the life force from whomever it touches.

Ducat of the Grasping Deep (drops from octopus Filthscrabble)

>Lilly Roth
No sooner had the others turned in fear from the great, white Leviathan, did Weylam load the ballista with his final harpoon. And right then he vowed, to sea and sky, that he and he alone would be the one to finally kill this bastard son of the Brine King.

This "Leviathan" was apparently a cephalopod, so the one that was "wed" by Brinehook probably was too.

The Leviathan that Weylam fought was white like Filthscrabble, so these leviathans are probably also Wriggling Horror monsters.

Ducat of the Fallen Stars (drops from starfish monsters)

>Medved
They built a temple... around the mirror...
Under the earth... to hide from the night sky...

The name, image and drop source all involve stars or starfish. Do POE starfish (Hungry Maws) originate from the stars?

• Starfish are especially prevalent in the "Sea Pillars" destination, which holds Primeval architecture. The Primevals supposedly built a shrine around Uhtred's mirror (in POE1, anyway) to hide it from the stars...
• Pop facts: Starfish are neither vertebrates🐟🐕, arthropods🦀🕷️, nor molluscs🦪🐙, but belong to a separate taxon called the echinoderms. Echinoderms have discarded bilateral symmetry, and none of them have heads or brains.

The flavour text seems rather unrelated and mentions a "siren's song", probably from another Tsoagoth siren. But unlike Merveil and Diamora, this siren is picky... Is it possible that Kishara was actually this siren? She could in theory have killed her suitors or prevented them from seeing any inhuman body parts she might've had.

• On the other hand, we have seen Atziri naked, and she seems to have a fully human body.

Ducat of the Eucarid Isle (drops from crab Captainsbane)

Eucharida is a taxon of crustaceans; not to be confused with the Eucharist.

• But to Tsoagoth-worshippers, they could be the same thing.

Ducat of the Foul Kin (drops from general monsters)

Probably just more Tsoagoth procreation.

Might the Kinfolk of the Isle of Kin also be descendants of Tsoagoth? They don't seem to have any traits from sea creatures, though.

Theorizing

>Brinehook's Ducat
Brinehook Vex inspired the Brinerot name. He fought the sea. Sailed with gods. Drank with heroes. Wed a dozen wives, and the Leviathan, too.

>Sin on "Tsoagoth"
When I first met Tsoagoth, he was a seafaring chieftain, the beloved leader of a prosperous and sprawling fisher tribe. It was the curse of legacy that made him into the blasphemous Brine King. An endless madness of propagation and disappointment. All in the vain hope of recreating himself.
Fishwife after fishwife he took, and every one of them spawned a monster. A truly noble king would have surrendered his kingdom to cleaner blood. Alas, although Tsoagoth had many fine qualities, generosity was not one of them.

>The Teardrop
"T'gnagn iia y r'ngusla ph'tu Tsoatha nga mekghul'an."
- Indecipherable verse

Might Brinehook Vex have become Tsoagoth? They were both ancient sailors who took a lot of wives.

I haven't seen the place myself, but the wiki claims that the "Eldritch Depths" destination has Eater of Worlds influence. Was Tsoagoth empowered by The Tangle? That would explain why is he counted as a Major Pantheon God despite seeming to have few worshippers. And The Teardrop already tied him to cosmic horror.

• Brinehook's Ducat has a descry on it, a symbol that Innocence seemingly stole from the Searing Exarch. If Brinehook is Tsoagoth, then he may have realized this and gone looking for a different eldritch entity to empower him.

The Brinerot Warband

>Kalandra on Warbands content
Intro: They have struggled for generations, but have forgotten why.
Outro: Vengeance is a closed loop.

The Brinerot Pirates were introduced way back in Warbands league along with the volcano-worshipping Redblades, mountain racists Mutewind, and poison maniac Renegades.

Brinehook Vex was a badass adventuring sailor who lived during the Age of the Gods. He was not of the Brinerots, but became an inspiration to them and their name.

• The word "brine" just means "salt water" - a fitting name for a sailor - but I wonder if he could be the mortal identity of Brine King Tsoagoth. His ducat also drops in the "Brine King's Domain" chart destination.
• His ducat has a descry on it - which could just be a souvenir - but I also see a chance that he could be another identity of Maxarius-Innocence.

Kishara was a Vaal sailor who got in trouble with Atziri after returning from a journey to Middengard. She searched the seas for a worthy husband, but doesn't seem to ever find one. She did however have seventeen children with the men she rejected. These children formed the Brinerot Warband.

The POE2 Sorceress believes that Kishara was Maraketh, so she may have joined those after the Fall of the Vaal.

>Doryani on "The Eztli Pilli" (extract)
Ranger: [Alva]'s not going to change just because you wish it.
Doryani: I would never demean a lady of the Vaal by asking her to diminish herself. [...]

• Atziri, Kishara, Alva Valai... Judging from Doryani's words, it seems the Vaal were hoping to one day find a new Goddess (of Lust) to replace their god-queen Arakaali. The Maraketh and Azmeri were lucky to have Garukhan and Viridi be their final chief gods.

Lussi "Rotmother" Roth is the current leader of the Brinerot pirates. She took the post from her brother Weylam (an NPC in poe1act6) and left him on an island. She has made the Brinerot a lot more ruthless than they used to be.

Velka, the Tide Witch is a powerful Brinerot pirate who has crab limbs growing out of her back, and intends to use the Allflame to resurrect Kishara to lead the Brinerots instead of Lussi. She apparently sabotaged Captain Fairgraves in hopes of obtaining his piece of Allflame.

Tsoatha

>Coursing Current Support
Velka reached out her hand. One touch and she
folded, screaming, clawing desperately at her back
as the crustaceous gift burst itself from her spine.

>Pearl of Tsoatha
"Velka was a mere pirate when she ventured to Tsoatha,
a reverence for the Brine King burning in her heart.
She returned as something different. Something more.
So the legend of the Tide Witch is told."

Tsoatha is the mythic palace of god Tsoagoth, the Brine King, creator of the Sirens. It sounds as if Velka was hypnotised and transformed by him, possibly as an overreaction from touching one of those Altars of the Deep ("Offer Tsoatha's Fodder", etc.). I don't know if this is supposed to fit in with Tsoagoth rising in the POE1 campaign, or if he was able to "bless" her while asleep.

Undeath and Allflame

>Vesper on "The Allflame"
You see some of the light of that shite, but you don't see all of it. There's a... pit... or a... big ol' hole... I don't know what to call it. It's down, further than you can fathom. It's filled with all sorts of terrors, shadowed so I can't see 'em, a sea-vortex of deathly light... and it doesn't belong to us. But the Allflame... it does. It's ours. And it's growing. They're not the same colour... the light of that pit and the light of the Allflame... close, but not the same. I have no idea what that means, but it's not scary. It's... hungry... it's... grinning...

>Allflame (poe1act1 quest item)
Distilled from naked ambition and unfettered obsession,
the Allflame emanates a silvern warmth like no other,
and engulfs those moths fool enough to embrace it.

>Subsume the Source
A lich may lust for vengeance, power,
darkness, or dominion, but it is their
nature. They can never be satisfied.

Vesper also compares the Allflame to undeath, but notes that it is different from the energies of the Abyssals - Its colour is different (spring green rather than lime green) and it is more human in nature.

• One could probably do some analysis of the green colours used in various places, but I wonder how reliable it is, especially in POE1.

The Abyssal light is apparently desecrated somehow. Perhaps it contains animal souls or corruption, or perhaps it lacks positive emotions; Vesper describes the Allflame as "grinning" whereas the Abyssals seem to only possess desire and never any associated joy or satisfaction.

There's not much elaboration on how the Allflame actually works.

• Where does it come from?
• Is it fueled by Dead Man's Sulphur, or does it merely manipulate it?
• Why is it associated with the sea? Does the Spirit or other entity take the energies of those who die on land?
• Is it human soul stuff that hasn't been desecrated by the Abyssals, or is it Abyssal energy that has regained its human aspects?
• Why can it replace water with air and manipulate currency items?

On the seafloor, there are altars to the Goddess of Justice, patron god of Izaro Phrecia. In the Izaro fight her green spirit summons skeletons and she may also be responsible for animating Izaro to begin with. Representing justice, she may be tasked with judging the dead and thus hold some power over them?

The Goddess of Justice is depicted differently from how Viridi is in Caer Tarth, but she does share her colour with the "Mhacha" spirit that represents Viridi. Instead of Viridi, she could also be Thruldana, a god/goddess who represented tormented spirits in Necropolis league.

Both ducat and barya are types of coin that in POE are associated with undeath. This is probably a reference to paying Charon to ferry people to the world of the dead.

Allflame-crafting could be related to djinn wish-granting (as seen in poe2interlude2 and Mirage league), given that both rely on the spirits of the dead. In Mirage, Zarokh was supposedly trying to use djinns to fuse his timeline with one where he was already free, and Allflame-crafting also involves picking the desired result rather than actively altering anything. The Gravecrafting of Necropolis could also be related to djinn wish-granting.

>Undying Hate (POE2 Timeless Jewel)
They believed themselves driven by necessity,
but that desperation made them monstrous.
Destructive Aspiration (Amanamu)
He lusts for a crown and a scepter,
but he destroys all he touches.
Extinguishing Grasp (Ulaman)
He lusts for the Fall of Night,
but it will cost him everything.
Baleful Dominion (Kurgal)
He lusts for power over his former
slavers, but he will never be free.
Festering Vengeance (Tecrod)
He lusts for retribution, but his
captors are long since dust.
Reclaimed Malevolence (Zaroth)
He who was made has but one desire: inflict his
malady upon the Boundless Cavern above.

Whereas the Timeless Jewels have flavour text starting with "They believed themselves", the Historic eye jewels all deal with desire and future. The first five Timeless Jewels come from Legion which has the opposite colour to the Abyssals and is an "archive" of past warriors. There seems to be some theme going on with the circle of colours and the cycle of time.

Notes for specific jewels:

• So the Fall of Night will apparently be the end of the liches... I suspect it will replace the Abyssals with the Scourge given how scourged worlds also have fissures and pits, but ones covered by grating.
• Tecrod is maligned by the other Abyssals, but the Precursors are apparently his true enemies. I wonder if his title of "Hated Slave" is how the Abyssals or Precursors saw him. (See Tecrod's Gaze of POE1 and of POE2.)
• Zaroth combines the powers of the other liches as evidenced by his eye jewel and by how he's covered in their individual symbols. But his jewel is called Reclaimed Malevolence, so perhaps he is actually the origin of the power of Tecrod and the three Lich Lords.

>Spinesnatch
"Not all the Abyssals serve the Lich Lords.
Some serve themselves, living off stolen
flesh and bone from those they... eat."

Have we seen an example of a rogue Abyssal lich? (Apart from the Witch subclass.)

Chart destinations

Each of the Chart base types has one normal destination and four or more unique ones. The wiki shows them here, but there seems to be some inaccuracies, and a lack of lore details.

(I'm not playing, and haven't found footage of many of these, so please tell me your observations.)

base	name	contents
Sandy Seabed	Abyssal Plain	(normal)
Sandy Seabed	Anchorfield	Anchors and Sunken Loot
Sandy Seabed	Hazardous Depths	(?)
Sandy Seabed	Infested Bathyspheres	(?)
Sandy Seabed	Kishara's Rest	Velka boss fight
Sandy Seabed	Unremarkable Seabed	(?)
Coral Forest	Undersea Groves	(normal)
Coral Forest	Eldritch Depths	(?)
Coral Forest	Lost Ruins	Vaal Vessels and other bits of Vaal ruins
Coral Forest	Pelagic Abyss	Water-filled Abyss pit
Coral Forest	Sea Pillars	Many starfish, and hexagonal pillars of Primeval design
Coral Reef	Seafloor Ridges	(normal)
Coral Reef	Brine King's Domain	(?)
Coral Reef	Clam-infested Shelf	Many Treasure Clams
Coral Reef	Diving Shoals	Trarthan presence: Cyaxan coin and Azadin divers
Coral Reef	Sunken Totems	(?)

Notes:

• Abyssal plain is a scientific term and "abyss" simply means "bottomless". Outside of the Pelagic Abyss destination, the Abyssals are not present.
• The Primeval and Vaal areas may have been submerged by Tsoagoth, whether in ages past or during POE1.

The Unblinking Eye

>The Unblinking Eye
The High Templar sought sight beyond the mortal plane.
He feared no pain but that of touching greatness,
only to let it slip through his grasp.

The Unblinking Eye is an organisation that sent a force to fight the Arbiter of Ash, and their champion is described by the armour pieces dropped by the Arbiter. This new item implies that they were a Templar faction, as also suggested by the descry on Morior Invictus and the Latin names of the armour pieces.

• (In POE, Latin originates from descry-fearing refugees who became part of the cult of Innocence.)

The item's flavour text suggest that the Eye being Unblinking refers to the curiosity and ambition of the High Templar that founded it.

• See this comment thread for an analysis of all their uniques, and another idea of why the Eye is Unblinking.

>Winged Breach Scarab (retired)
The Master Researcher's final commandment has failed. The High Templar has seen the truth of our situation, and the world will be undone by his fear.

The High Templar in question may be the same one who discovered the Breach world despite the efforts of the Order of the Djinn.

In POE2 versions 0.1-0.2, the endgame took place in the distant past, suggesting that an early High Templar sent the Unblinking Eye to fight the Arbiter, but now it takes place in modern times, making any High Templar a valid possibility as its founder.

Being a Shaper unique suggests that it was Cavas Venarius, and we know that Venarius knew of the horrors of the cosmos, but not if he discovered them or simply inherited the knowledge from his predecessor. I think that even the first High Templar Maxarius could conceivably have founded the Unblinking Eye.

Miscellaneous

>Valerie on "The Sovereign"
There was this... place. Underground, they had this maze. Clankers, gears, tubes all over. Big buckets o' green, the size of a house. I crept about, saw bodies piled, prisoners in cages. It wasn't the Templars, but they did work for the bastards. They were trying things... on people. Building things with pain and misery. Treatin' it all like learnin'. I've slit a few throats in my time, but always for a reason. This was just... to find out what would happen.
The Sovereign wasn't the only ship they were buildin' in that rotten pit, and Vesper wasn't the only poor soul they ripped apart and crammed in their tubes. But I burned the others – may they sail with Brinehook for all time – and escaped with this one, because I couldn't let Vesper go out like that...
That'd be too easy. He still owes me.

>Valerie on "The Sovereign's Builders"
I couldn't tell ya who they were. Grim sorts. Masks, usually. To make my escape with the Sovereign, I tied one up and beat him bloody for hours, 'til he told me what I needed to know. Little shite actually cried, can you believe that? Torturing countless lost souls, has the nerve to cry when it's his turn. Mighta soiled himself, too... he was wearing a long black coat, with this weird gold thing on the front, like four... tusks, but curled inwards, toward a little gold contraption. Damned strangest thing I've ever seen. Think it kept him alive, when he shoulda died... I certainly tried.

This Templar project was probably related to either the Heist Templars (who made Replica uniques and Experimented bases) or to Octavius' experiments (Metamorph and the Foundry Map).

The coat with the gold contraption may be some version of The Covenant unique body armour.

Highlighted Message in a Bottle messages:

• Broken Mirror of Kalandra - Had enough bad luck for one lifetime.
  • Sounds like a sailor broke this, but perhaps it's actually a hint that Kalandra is already trying to fracture her Lake at this point in time.
• Reflecting Mist - Remember this well: the mist reflects all. But reflection is not truth.
• Random unique ring - I wanted his ring. He wouldn't yield it... so I took his finger too.
  • Perhaps a reference to Thief's Torment.
• Replica Dragonfang's Flight - Gave this to my beloved. She claimed it was a fake.
• Ryslatha's Coil - To whosoever receives this: you are now another of Ryslatha's children.

The Genteel's Ducat and some three-attribute UI elements

>The Genteel's Ducat
A noble Eternal who gave up his name to join the Brinerots. He climbed
the ranks with calculated savagery like Pondium had never seen.

I have no idea who this noble was, but being an Eternal, he would have lived at least a hundred years before Fairgraves.

The image on his ducat is used elsewhere to represent the three Attributes. Did the Eternals have some philosophy regarding these, or did this image represent something else to them, like the Three Sister goddesses?

>The Changeling's Ducat
To appease Tsoatha, they tossed it to sea, but the storm grew ever madder.
None returned to shore. Yet the vessel sails on, and its captain is merry.

The Warden of Eaves mentions Nameless changelings who replace unnamed children. I don't know if this changeling of Tsoatha works the same, but it apparently summoned a storm to kill a crew and took over their ship.

>Telesia's Ducat
Telesia carved the earth with her oars, and filled the seas with her tears.
The waters, still as stone, began to dance and flow to cheer her.

This sounds too grand to have been performed by any god of Wraeclast. Perhaps this was just a being of myth? The name "Telesia" looks a bit like "Tasalio", but Tasalio is considered male.

See Prismatic Eclipse for another example of tears filling out bodies of water.

>Ukatoa's Ducat
Mirthful Ukatoa travelled the world to teach it the Way. He ventured south,
and came back changed, a sombre husk filled with unearthly arcana.

This Karui man apparently encountered some eldritch truth. The item effect implies that he learned of the Tangle and the Cleansing Fire, but that might be a gameplay contrivance.

We still don't know much about how the eldritch entities work, nor exactly when the Elder appeared on Wraeclast.

>The Draugur's Lantern
"This infernal imp wasn't willing to part with its piece of the Allflame.
It's taught me ways to stoke the flame. To burn unnaturally fierce.
The imp may have the Allflame, but I have the Imp."
- Velka, the Tide Witch

A draugr is some sort of undead creature of Norse myth, and probably describes the "imp" of the flavour text. But in POE, Norse language usually relates to the Kalguur - Is Velka a Kalguurite or did she find this imp in Kalguur? I think verisium is the only supernatural phenomenon we have heard about on Middengard.

In fantasy works, "imp" usually just means a small demon, so if it is also undead, it is probably a small Abyssal.

>The Crustacean's Call
The experienced sailor knows the true mystery of the sea:
why, on every continent, in every lagoon, does there skitter
a crab of new size and colour? Not related, not lost spawn,
but a clawed snapper all of its own make and temperament...

This could be a carcinisation joke, or it could be an implication that there's something designing crab monsters, whether that something be Tsoagoth, Craiceann, the Tangle, or something else.

The lore on the new talisman bases seem to be laid out in chronological order.

The Ezomytes were originally refugees from somewhere or other and sought a new place to live during the Age of the Beast. They already worshipped the First Ones back then, but did not know of runesmithing, druidism, nor the Spirit/Draíocht.

It sounds like they were already "Ezomytes" back then, but the word "Ezomyr" would only be invented much later.

It is only after the Vaal Cataclysm and Olroth's expedition that the Ezomytes take in Kalguuran refugees and truly settle down.

>Chieftain Talisman
"I know where we found our belief in
the First Ones. I see it every time I walk
the untouched forests and hills. The
primordial world is still here. With us."
Gargantuan Talisman
"We held our trust in the First Ones long
before we learned runes. Long before we
were shown the ways of cities and roads."
Goliath Talisman
"This land was always harsh and brutal,
ever seeking ways to kill and maim us.
We had to grow and change to survive,
but each clan had its own ideas how..."
Rhoa Talisman
"A great rift formed, between clans,
between families. Those that remained
resolved to endure times of struggle,
if it meant we could keep our ways."
Blood Viper Talisman
"Those that departed sought the way of
cities and roads. Theirs would be a path
fraught with danger and hardship, as they
set out to find and build a new home."
Chimeral Talisman
"When they set out to find and build
Ezomyr, they encountered creatures of
deadly variety and intent. Many died,
for none yet knew how to fight back."

The various clans of the Ezomytes each found their own ways of dealing with the horrors of Wraeclast. These differences in culture might be why they still hold clan membership in such high regard.

>Squid Talisman
"Lysanda of Myr was but a girl on that exodus.
Ezomyr almost met its end before it began...
but she could not hear that deadly lure. She
took the Siren's head with her bare hands."
Sand Spitter Talisman
"It turned out, Lysanda made for an excellent
vanguard - a light, evasive girl who could scout
and lead the way. The people came to see her
as their guide, their hope, and then... their leader."
Shield Crab Talisman
"Those that swore loyalty to Lysanda, that
forged ahead with her to clear the way.
became known as the first Knights...
armoured, battered, and courageous."

A young, athletic woman named Lysanda of Myr proves a very effective scout and guide, and eventually becomes the leader of the exploration efforts. ("Myr" may just have been her family name or place of origin.)

The Ezomytes battle an evil Siren (like Merveil and Diamora). Lysanda can't hear its siren song at all - possibly being too young and aromantic to be seduced - and manages to kill it barehandedly.

A culture of Knights arise to follow Lysanda in her conquest of nature.

>Goatman Talisman
"Lysanda and her Knights brought the
settling clans to what would become
Ezomyr... but there was one beast against
which even they could not stand."
Devourer Talisman
"A great headless monstrosity with arms like
teeth stalked the lands they hoped to settle.
No other weapon would find purchase. They
surrounded it with fire, burning it for days."
Plagued Arachnid Talisman
"With the headless beast incinerated, the
settlers rejoiced, and began building homes.
They would soon find that this hostile land
had more insidious ways of rejecting them."

The Ezomytes encounter an especially horrid being; A headless monster with "arms like teeth".

>Dannig on "Olroth's Journal IV"
Half of the Knights of the Sun lie strewn across the hills and trails of the hunt for the Empty-Eyed Fiend. [...] It feasts with its countless arm-teeth not to survive by eating, but to enjoy the screams of its victims. [...] Mortal flame found no purchase. [...]

It seems to be the remainder of the Empty-Eyed Fiend that tormented the Kalguurans. We don't hear that anybody recognized it. The Kalguurans may not have joined them yet or they may not be able to recognise it. Its head was on display, but few people may have survived seeing what its body looked like.

Did they actually manage to destroy it? Or did it sneak away and join up with its head?

>Watcher Talisman
"The clans had travelled to their new home
united, and they did love Lysanda, but some
men must go their own way. Those that braved
the inland sea settled the Isles of Skothe."

The Isles of Skothe are found between the Ezomyte peninsula and the Wraeclast mainland. By POE1 it is the only part of Ezomyr proper that is still inhabitable - Ogham and Holten are found in the province of Phaaryl on the mainland. Farrow (of Runes of Aldur) hails from Skothe.

>Legacy of Briarpatch
"No, we did not journey between Phaaryl and Ezomyr
on foot. When settlers first found us in Caer Tarth, we
had... other ways... of joining them in their homeland."

The isles contain Caer Tarth, the prison of the Bodach and the place where the Viridian Wildwood was created. Here they met Cirel of Tarth and the Druids of Skothe. These would soon travel through the Wildwood to help the Ezomytes with a new problem.

>Savage Crab Talisman
"The journey was over, the land was being
secured, and the foundations for the first city
had been laid. Winter hit them with horrible
fury, sent not by nature, but by a curse."
Flame Hellion Talisman
"Against the Winter Curse, only the forges of
runesmiths could stand. The people huddled,
shoulder to shoulder, while those within were
pressed against the fires, screaming in agony."
Frost Hellion Talisman
"And still the Winter Curse raged in through
every window and every door. The fathers
and mothers of those within let themselves
freeze solid, sealing the gaps with their lives."
Lynx Talisman
"The night refused to end, and the Winter Curse
howled. The people wailed, and Lysanda raged.
It was then that the sky tore open, unleashing
a saviour fury... at the behest of the Druids."
Ape Talisman
"The Druids emerged from the forests to greet
and warn the new settlers. This was an ancient
land full of mysteries and dangers. Lysanda sent
her best men to study and learn with them."
Wolf Alpha Talisman
"With the Winter Curse held at bay, Lysanda
and her Knights pursued the fell power that
had sent it... a Hag who made her lair in a
Tower that was ancient beyond ancient."
Magma Hound Talisman
"They bound the Hag of the Winter Curse
and set her alight, to no avail. Her cackle
was gleeful and wicked. Even if they slew
her, she boasted, she had many daughters..."
Pitbull Talisman
"Lysanda roared, and hacked the Hag apart
limb by limb, not stopping until the deed
was done. Her daughters, however, were
spared... and tasked with service and duty."
Ursa Talisman
"With the Hag's daughters easing the climate,
an age of plenty and bounty began. Lysanda
revived the Phaaryl tradition of the hunt,
so the people never forgot their roots."

A supernatural Winter Curse plagues the Ezomytes. The Druids of Skothe show up and temporarily counter the curse - presumably with the same magics used by the Shaman class - and the source of the curse is found:

It was created by a Hag living in "a Tower that was ancient beyond ancient". It seems that this hag has managed to activate a Precursor Tower, and we do find another ice witch, Gelida, fighting over another Precursor device in the Alpine Ridge map.

The hag is thoroughly killed and her many daughters are made to wield the Tower for the benefit of the Ezomytes instead.

• Beira of poe2act1 used to possess a fire immunity shared with the Hag of the Winter Curse, so she is probably another descendant of hers.

>Taurus Talisman
"The first city was completed, and others sprouted.
The clans came together to declare Lysanda of Myr
the Queen. Henceforth, they became known as the
Ezomytes of Myr, and their numbers swelled."
Retch Talisman
"As the Ezomytes of Myr prospered, they
needed more and spreading lands. Queen
Lysanda led the ongoing campaign to
slaughter every last creature of darkness."
Cobra Talisman
"Each new valley, each new grove, held new
dangers. Many Knights paid the price. Lysanda
had never been known for her beauty, but she
bore a new scar each season, earned gladly."

Lysanda is crowned Queen, and her people become known as the "Ezomytes of Myr".

>Carrion Queen Talisman
"Romance never interested Queen Lysanda,
but her advisors insisted heirs were needed.
To spite them, she took the Hag's only son as
her Consort - a quiet, pale, and strange man."
Scrabbler Talisman
"Queen Lysanda's spiteful choice of Consort
spited only herself. Alasdair was unlike any
man she had ever met. It was not long before
the trumpets sounded for the Royal Wedding."
Black Widow Talisman
"The Royal Wedding of Lysanda of Myr
lasted for a full month. The hunts were
vigorous, and the meat and drink flowed
freely for all. There was much rejoicing."
Scorpion Talisman
"But there were some who could not forget
the horrors of the Winter Curse, and of the
Hag that had sent it. Alasdair dropped his
wine goblet, and fell to the ground, choking."
Tiger Talisman
"There followed a time of fear and fire.
None would speak against their fellows.
None would say who had poisoned him.
Lysanda's justice was swift and brutal."

Lysanda's advisors are insisting that she find herself a husband and make some heirs. To spite them, she makes Alasdair, only son of the Hag of the Winter Curse, her consort. To everyone’s surprise - including her own - Lysanda becomes infatuated with this strange man and marries him.

The Royal Wedding lasts a full month and was widely celebrated, but someone wants to prevent the Hag's bloodline from becoming part of the royal line, and poisons Alasdair.

Alasdair is not mentioned again, nor is there any mention of Lysanda having an heir.

>Vulture Talisman
"In the years that followed, Queen Lysanda
poured herself into the long and brutal task
of securing the lands of the Ezomytes of Myr.
Every fell beast, every creature, had to die."
Rhex Talisman
"There began an eternal summer, as the
daughters of the Hag perfected their mastery
of the Tower. The forests became as gardens.
The hungry had only to pick a fruit and eat."

Lysanda continues hunting beasts, possibly to distract herself from the loss of Alasdair.

It is not clear if these beasts were spawn of the First Ones or monsters created by the recent Vaal Cataclysm.

The daughters of the Hag master the terraforming abilities of the Tower, turning the lands into an earthly paradise.

>Hybrid Arachnid Talisman
"Twenty-two years into Lysanda's reign, the
Spiders swarmed from out of the dark. Her
Knights were ill-equipped for this foe, and
the people fled in droves, seeking safety."
Octopus Talisman
"The Blue Knight stood against the swarm,
icy and unassailable. His identity was not
known, and he never removed his helmet.
Glimpses were caught of piercing blue eyes."

A new thread emerges, simply called the Spiders, capitalized. A stranger called the Blue Knight helps them defeat this threat. The knight was called as such for his eyes, the only part of his body that the Ezomytes ever saw.

Theories:

• The Blue Knight is probably Styrn and/or the Black Knight, peculiar timeless Kalguurans.
• If the Blue Knight was really a Kalguuran, then the Spiders verisium-empowered monsters like the ones of Runes of Aldur, especially like the Aberration and the arachnid "Krell" monsters.
• Given that the "Spiders" are introduced by the Hybrid Arachnid Talisman, it is also possible that they were actually arachnoscorpions. Those buggers have a human hand for a face, suggesting that they could be creations of the Breach Lords.
  • A number of Vaalish Breach worshippers were once banished to Phaaryl, and could have something to do with this.

>Spider Crab Talisman
"As deadly and dangerous creatures were
culled, the Queen chose to leave those
that were docile or beauteous. Tide pools
became known as places of wonder."
Great Maw Talisman
"Decades into Lysanda's reign, the
lands of the Ezomytes of Myr slowly
became known as Ezo De Myr, and
then simply Ezomyr. And so it was."
Croaker Talisman
"Ezomyr grew on a foundation of
choice. Its climate was chosen. Its
animals were chosen. For once,
Wraeclast was not harsh, but kind."
Craicic Talisman
"The sea calmed, and contact was
renewed with the Isles of Skothe.
It was said that Craiceann had
given a blessing to the people."
Fenumal Talisman
"The Spiders that had been driven
back by the Blue Knight now sought
peace and cooperation. It was said
that Fenumus had commanded it."
Saqawine Talisman
"The skies were clear and blue, yet
brought rains when needed. It was
said that the people had proven
themselves to Saqawal and his flocks."
Farric Talisman
"Forty-six years into her reign, Lysanda
slew the last deadly creature. She smiled,
took a wineskin, and rode off into the forest.
One last hunt, it was said. Farrul would stalk
by her side, in this life... and the next."

Lysanda and the Ezomytes win total victory over the lands. The country of the Ezomytes of Myr become the "Ezo De Myr", and then simply "Ezomyr".

• Note the resemblance between Ezo De Myr and Rondel de Ezo.

The Tower continues to bless the land, the First Ones seemingly make peace with the Ezomytes.

Having been queen for 46 years, Lysanda finally slays the final monster, and then supposedly leaves her people and rides off into the forest to hunt with Farrul of the First Ones.

Post flairs

The current post flairs on this subreddit aren't very useful. POE1 and POE2 obviously take place in the same universe (though perhaps different timelines) and it is unclear what the difference is between Discovery, Speculation, Theory and Discussion.

I want to discuss how to replace them with better ones.

My ideas for general lore flairs:

• Official content - Just a post showing content from GGG, such as crossposts of trailers and reveal videos.
• Introduction/Presentation - Post that shows off relatively well-established lore, especially if made in a way that lore noobs can enjoy it.
  • Examples: Videos made by KCN or u/GavrynGaming.
• Research - Post that highlights discoveries or data without presenting a central lore theory.
  • Examples: The recent Vaal language posts by u/kenichiban, as well as most of my posts.
• Theory - Post presenting one or more theories.
• Lore question - A question about the lore. May also suggest a number of potential answers/theories.

There is no clear division about these flairs. They just represent stages of certainty in the content. They are just a means to advertise the main portion of the post.

Examples of posts of unclear lore category:

• So is it just me, or does the Abyssal icon resemble the iconography of the Mothersoul? A tall, slender figure cradling a gravid womb?
• I just realized the reason the Hooded One is no longer in our hideout...
• Kalandra is Dead?
• u/justathetan's Lore Compilation - Fits somewhere between Introduction and Research. It could be given its own category.

Special post flairs:

• New lore - Deals with newly released trailers or newly released patch. I'm not too sure if this is a useful distinction though.
• Shitpost - Less serious lore posts. I suggest dubbing this flair "👹Scourge-posting".
  • Divinity and Childbirth
  • Wild mass guessing
• Opinion - Matters of taste and quality.
  • What theories/discoveries are yall most proud of over your PoE journey?
  • Watered down lore
  • With PoE 2 just over the horizon, what are some of your favorite story beats or lore bits from PoE 1?
  • What’s your favorite piece of lore from the POE Universe?
• Other - Content that doesn't fit any other flair.
  • On Xesht
  • How soon can we discuss the recent additions in PoE2?
  • POE2 player who knows no lore, where to start?
  • Share your Viridi lore predictions for 0.5?
  • Lore Videos
  • Collection of the Most Important Questions
  • Half-Life 1 Reference

Feel free to suggest more flairs or better names.

Consider going through your own posts and ponder how you would label them yourselves.

User flairs

This subreddit hasn't enabled any user flairs, except "MOD". Should we allow users to pick any flair they like, as on r/pathofexile?

I did some counting and found that there's about thirty of us who do most of the posting and commenting here. Should we make a special flair or flair colour for those of us, to make it easier for visitors to tell the r/Wraeclast tourists and veterans apart?

Questions for the mods

I hope u/Strenious or u/Bazdillow could answer some of these questions for me:

• Is it possible to add little symbols to post and user flairs, or is that limited by subscriber count or payment?
• Apart from moderator flairs, is it possible to set a user flair to be exclusive to a subset of users?
• If we end up changing the post flairs, is is possible to retroactively change the flairs of past posts?
• (Not related to this post: Can the mods remove spoiler-flair from old posts? Apart from poe2act5 datamining posts, no posts currently on this subreddit need to be marked as spoilers.)

A cool GGG graphic that I felt like putting here.

Here are some other new lore bits that I don't think have been handled yet, mostly from the "Legacy of X" runes produced by Aldur's Legacy.

GGG has added culture labels to unique Vaal, Ezomyte and Kalguuran items. These mark which items can be affected by Vaal Cultivation Orb or Aldur's Legacy. This is also applied to those that don't have the right item types (e.g. Charms).

• In addition to Vaal items, the following can also be cultivated: Belly of the Beast, Bloodbarrier, Cornathaum, Plaguefinger, Seed of Cataclysm, Serpent's Egg, Serpent's Lesson, Shackles of the Wretched, The Flesh Poppet
• The Legacy of a Worthy Foe seems to be the legacy rune for Eyes of the Runefather. It has become searchable on POE2 trade, and no "A Worthy Foe" can be found there.

>Aldur's Legacy
The true power of the Knights of the Sun came not from
force of arms, nor cleverness of artifice. Its beating heart
was the valour and determination of the heroes of old.

Both the flavour and mechanics of Aldur's Legacy imply that the true glory of Kalguuran and Ezomyte runesmithing is the ability to pass down the wondrous items that you have forged; It negates the fear of old age and thus removes the negatives of Greymake.

On the other hand, Cadigan's Epiphany was that you don't need to pass down anything if you just live forever...

Breach and Abyss

Here are a few things that I may have mentioned elsewhere, but which I figure deserve a bit more attention:

The Lurking Creature has some new dialogue about the Well and abyssal politics. The new lines start at "Black Blood".

>Breachlord's Amalgam
The flesh rejoiced. The melding began.
Then, fear. Something foreign within.
It was cast out too late. The unity was broken.

To me, it sounds like somebody added a foreign element to the fusion to sabotage the Breach Lords. But as u/Aitaou points out, it could just be a mental aspect that broke the fusion. My thought is that Vruun was a poison added by the Abyssals.

>Druid: Wait... their sun is broken?
Ailith: I have only seen it in the Dreamer's visions. A vast horizon split in two. Heat distorting the air. Endless screams carrying on burning winds across empty plains. It is... horrifying.

>Zarokh on "The Fall of Night"
[...] A haggard, hateful eye watches, half again the dome of the heavens, and it gazes with hate at the past, our present, Life's final refuge. [...]

I think that Breach world almost fell to the Abyssals, and that Nightfall (i.e. "Fall of Night") is a representation of it. Breachlord's Rift may also be relevant.

Underground forest highways and Tawhoa

>Legacy of Briarpatch
"No, we did not journey between Phaaryl and Ezomyr
on foot. When settlers first found us in Caer Tarth, we
had... other ways... of joining them in their homeland."

>Legacy of Lifesprig
"I did once wander from the Wildwood onto
a forested island. There I met men who believed
as I do, but they called it 'Tawhoa's Way'..."

>Doryani on "Shelter" and "Leylines"
[...] This Ziggurat was built over what my ancestors called 'leylines.' Ancient underground structures... which I believe may span the entire continent. The machine you see here... I call it... a 'Waygate.' Using the leylines, the Waygate can take us anywhere they reach.
We have found a vast underground web of Precursor leylines... They were indistinguishable from natural bedrock before, but now that they have reactivated, it is clear to me our entire continent bears a lattice beneath. [...]

>Elder Madox on "The Snake"
The Spirit is all things. The Spirit is the world, and it is us... but the Snake stands alone. The Snake whispers. Lies. Manipulates. It has been so since the time of the Mother Soul. And now it speaks as the Spirit, but is not, leading the foolish to ruin.

The Wildwood apparently bends space and connects to Karui islands. My guess is that the Wildwood has repurposed parts of the Precursor "leylines", which also fits with the Spirit having replaced the Mother Soul in being antagonized by "the Snake" mentioned in poe2interlude3.

Apparently, Tawhoa is the Karui equivalent of Viridi, despite supposedly being male. He is credited with calming the earth after the Great Fire and is represented by the pacifist Maata in Trial of the Ancestors.

Burning Monolith loading screen - Might this area below be the leyline lattice?

Werewolves

>Legacy of Wulfsbane
"Descendants of the Chosen could do
far more than mimic the Greatwolf..."

>Legacy of Bramblejack
In distant Ezomyr, there exists a rare monastery
dedicated to the First Ones. The brothers there
are well accustomed to suffering as a virtue.

>Legacy of Deidbell
"Curious lot, those monks. Kept to their
own, mostly. But when the call came to
rebel, they were there, alongside us."

I think it is implied that werewolf transformation - including that of wild act 1 werewolves, Geonor and Talisman transformation - is derived from the Greatwolf. Note also its transformation gems are tagged as "Werewolf" whereas the bear is simply "Bear".

I don't know if Deidbell relates to the Bramblejack monks, the bell carried by the Crowbell, and/or Dreamer monks. The Dreamer is fond of bells, and some of his Vaal cultists were banished to Phaaryl.

Erian

>The Sentry
The night Draven attacked,
Erian was asleep at his post.

>Legacy of The Sentry
"We sing Erian's songs now, but he was hated
for many a generation. All the poor man did
was fall asleep at the wrong time."

>Legacy of Starkonja's Head
Attempting to redeem himself, Erian slew the Great
Beast Starkonja by creeping in during its hibernation.
For this, he was not lauded. None looked him in the eye.

>Bushwack
Banished for his tragic failure,
Erian learned to hunt to survive.

>Legacy of Bushwack
Survival in the Vastiri was harsh and unforgiving,
but lizard meat was surprisingly tasty.

>Cursecarver
Lost in the Black Fen, Erian hoped that dawn would save him.
He had no idea how far away the light truly was.

>Legacy of Cursecarver
"The songs become... unclear on that long night.
Selassie of the Black Fen is described as a 'hag,'
but Erian did not seem to regret his time there..."

>Legacy of Erian's Cobble
The first to journey through all of Wraeclast,
Erian continually found himself getting exiled
or banished through unfortunate mishaps.

Erian was a random Oghamite who messed up during their rebellion, resulting in Lachlann's family getting killed. Erian went through a lot of mishaps, forcing him to travel all of Wraeclast until he ended up famous back home.

>Legacy of Wanderlust
The Wanderer was seen as a sign of good luck,
and welcome in every culture on Wraeclast...
though he has not been seen for a century.

>Cadiro Perandus on "Einhar"
How do you know the Wandering Ezomyte? That strange man poached a few exotic animals from Perandus estates. Our soldiers never could track him down. Eventually, I just gave up and wrote off the losses. I'm rather astounded to see him still on the hunt...

This Wanderer could well be Erian, but it has been four centuries since the death of Lachlann rather than just one. Perhaps Einhar Frey is actually the Wanderer and/or Erian? The dialogue of Flavia could imply that Einhar is much older than that, but the Wildwood warps time in strange ways so who knows.

• I also have a different theory for Einhar's old identity...

Witches

>Legacy of Crown of Thorns
"We did not always treasure our local witches. When
our ancestors found the child Beira, they... assumed
some things about her. It was... a tragic mistake."

>Legacy of The Blood Thorn
"It is shameful, what we used to do witches.
The thorns that grow in Phaaryl are descended
from those rites of pain and punishment."

>Legacy of Spiteful Floret
"The witches could have inflicted great suffering
upon us. Instead, they showed us how to quell
the blushing trees. We realised we had erred."

>Katla's Gloom (rune)
For generations, the people had feared the power of
the Witch of the Dark Lake. Aldur set out to invite her
to the Royal Court... He ended up marrying her instead.

>Ranger, on allocating Blackflame Covenant: Areagne taught me this...
Witch, on finding Areagne's hut: A sister, in the Grelwood? Curious.
Warrior, same: It's been many years... Does the witch still live here?
Sorceress, on killing Areagne: Corrupted or not, your kind deserve no better.

The Ezomytes and Kalguurites eventually learned to love their witches, it seems - see also Selassie in Erian's story. The Maraketh apparently have not, however.

I don't know if the Oghamites ever got on good terms with Beira before Geonor's madness took her, but it seems that Areagne was amiable, if asocial.

The briars of the Hunting Grounds are supposedly a consequence of earlier torment of witches. But I have a suspicion that they are actually derived from the thorns found on Wild💜 monsters from Harvest league, with the Bramble Ape even matching the Wild Chieftain.

Candlemass

>Legacy of Dusk Vigil
Most Ezomytes treat the Candlemass rite
as a tradition and a holiday. They have
no idea what really lurks underneath.

>Legacy of Chernobog's Pillar
A secret cult among the Ezomytes has long
worshipped a dark god. Those who find out
his name do not live to tell it to others.

>Legacy of Candlemaker
"Roderick was first famous for his artistry
with wax. Second, for his... proclivities."

I still suspect that Candlemass and Chernobog are related to Beidat. See my weird post about it for more details.

Serle

>Serle's Grit
A common soldier from a common family kept hammering into the night
after each grueling march, his eyes afire with starlight and determination.
Few suspected that he would one day become the greatest among them.

>Serle's Triumph
The pinnacle of Serle's work was not a grand artefact.
It was a subversion; a window. He stood upon a peak
and saw beyond mortal limitations, understanding, in
that moment, that so much more was possible...

>Legacy of Serle's Grit
Serle may be the only figure lauded on two continents. He
made a name for himself on Middengard, then joined the
expedition to Wraeclast, eventually becoming an Ezomyte...

>Stones of Serle
Ancient visitors brought magicks born of the stars themselves.

>Serle's Legacy (Atlas notable): Ezomyte Cities contain a Summoning Circle

Serle was the Kalguuran runefather who taught the Ezomytes the craft, and seemingly also built the Stones of Serle, The Ezomyte Megaliths and summoning circles. u/chimericWilder suggests he may have invented the waypoints too.

It was Uhtred's decision to teach runesmithing to the natives, but it is not stated if Serle was a formal member of either of the four expedition factions.

>Farrow on "Ancient Remnants"
Farrow: These ancient remnants... we've nothing like them back home. They're quite the sight, don't you think?
Witch: They're fine, I suppose. But why do they only reveal themselves now?
Farrow: Perhaps they always were here... and we only see them now because the world's gone to shite. I can't be sure of the answer. Either way... I'm glad to see them.

I wonder if he also created the Runes of Aldur remnants we find. Their conspicuousness is briefly acknowledged by Farrow.

Figures of the Ezomyte rebellions

Apparently, the characters of Hrimnor, Hyaon, Caelyn, Bynden, and Thane Grannell were Ezomyte warriors during the Ogham or Ezomyte Rebellions.

>Hrimnor's Hymn
"The crack of bone, the spray of blood.
Is there sweeter music?"
- Hrimnor of the Ezomytes.
Hrimnor's Resolve
Hrimnor's presence was as cold as ice,
but his heart burned for vengeance.
Legacy of Hrimnor's Hymn
"Hrimnor lies in the Red Vale, for all time."

>Hyaon's Fury (POE1 unique)
"Hyaon the 'Red Wolf'
Howling mad
Cloaked in blood
A banner to his legion
A terror to his foes."
- Garivaldi, Chronicler to the Empire
Facebreaker (POE2)
"You think us savages?" mused the Red Wolf, as
he pulled teeth from the Eternal's skull. "I will
show your kind the way of tooth and claw."

>Legacy of Horns of Bynden
None fought so bravely as the Brothers
of Holten. For every wound they took,
they left two Eternal soldiers gutted.
Legacy of Wings of Caelyn
Caelyn knew he and his brother would
not survive the rebellion. The need
for freedom simply mattered more.

>Legacy of Brain Rattler
"Ah, Thane Grannell's mighty weapon.
According to the songs, he definitely
crushed his share of Eternal skulls that day."

The Ezomyte Dunkel is implied to have slain Draven's kids in revenge for those of Lachlann, likely jump-starting the Ogham Rebellion.

>Legacy of Dunkelhalt
They longed for revenge, and spoke of it
often, but found themselves horrified
when Dunkel actually did it.

Obern was a merciful Eternal occupier who received some mercy in return, and "The Smiling Knight" helmet seems to have been taken from an Eternal Gemling, given that he survived a a blade through the heart.

>Legacy of The Smiling Knight
"And then Bynden struck a mortal blow,
straight through the heart! And that damn
knight... he didn't flinch. Just kept on!"

>Legacy of Obern's Bastion
Obern had never been cruel to the Ezomytes.
Though he would not abandon his duty,
they left him alive. Others were not so lucky.

Precursor shenanigans

>Prototype Seventeen
"The murals tell a story of creation, of design... the Precursors
delved into the secrets of life itself. In their war with the Abyssals,
they sought to breed warriors, grown in legions, to fight back..."

>Decree of Loyalty
"Hold firm. Let no word but the Mothers' turn your head.
Through your unfaltering fealty, you achieve perfection."

>Her Declaration
"The laws are binding. They are absolute. If they believe
it is their choice to enforce them, all the better.
Upholding our solemn duty is imperative."

>Seraph's Heart
Intricate machinery imperceptibly woven into a
biological foundation. It felt delicate in her hands.
In him, it would be her greatest achievement.

>Arbiter's Reach
"They designed our salvation. No longer shall
our people's grief be in vain. From their hands,
perfection is wrought. Within His reach, we are safe."

It sounds as if Precursor Arbiters and any other sentient creations of theirs are under mind control, somewhat like the Breach demons.

Both "Her Declaration" and Seraph's Heart imply a female creator, possibly the same one known to Doryani and Kanu. I wonder if she is linked to the Mother Soul somehow.

>Cherrubim's [sic] Maleficence
"The Consort of Chaos descended,
swiftly, brutally, artfully, she consumed the living,
leaving naught behind but a Rosemarie bloom,
to celebrate the massacre."
- Blass, explorer, hunter, adventurer

"Seraph" is a type of so-called "biblically-accurate angel". So far, the only POE "angels" are:

• Pale Scourge demons
• The "Cherrubim" above
• The Golden Angel Portal MTX and the Fallen Angel MTX armour set.

Frightening to see the Precursors in that company...

Berek and the Untamed

>The Taming
"Moon after moon did Berek make fools
Of the great and Untamed Three
Until malice for a Brother
Slew the hatred of the Other
And Berek did hunt
Alone and free."
- Berek and the Untamed

The Taming, its component rings, and Immortal Flesh (POE1) tell the story of a certain "Berek" dealing with anthropomorphised Elements, that represent the non-Chaos damage types🪨🔥❄️⚡. In POE2, forging The Taming now happens in the Azmerian Ranges and involves the wisps🩵💜💛. So it is presumably an Azmerian myth.

The gate to the forging room.

I'm not sure what this represents in the wider POE lore, but here are some ideas:

• Given the new hints, the Untamed Three are the main wisp colours🩵💜💛. These don't represent the elements though, except through their shared relation to the three attributes🔵🔴🟢. (E.g. 🩵🔵⚡)
• Given that the POE2 Taming empowers the Wind skills "Twister" and "Tornado", this could represent Orbala's Eighth Adventure (which we imitate in act 2) where she gathers elemental relics to construct an artifact that governs wind.
• The Elements could be Breach Lords with Berek presumably being Chayula. "Earth" would be Uul-Netol, who did explicitly make a vow to someone.

>Cadiro Perandus: Uul-Netol's Vow? I've no idea what her vow was, but it was no doubt something nightmarish.

Extra-miscellaneous

>Bhatair's Vengeance (older item)
It is said that the Steward of Tales roams Wraeclast still,
lost in the form of a Wyvern, full of sorrow and fury at
the loss of his beloved pupils to the King in the Mists...

>Legacy of Blackbraid
Long did the Steward of Tales give
refuge to any and all who needed it.

>Aoife on "The Nameless"
[...] Maybe... even the Steward of Tales may come home.

Sounds like Bhatair is a big deal. He may be the creature described in certain cold-based items, including Taryn's Shiver (which may be named for its wielder).

>Legacy of Ashrend
It was said the Taisce could never fall
so long as Cirel of Tarth stood watch.

>Legacy of Amor Mandragora
"They say Cirel still waits. Though Caer Tarth
be a bleak waste, she knows one will come.
One with the power to do what she could not."

We've seen Caer Tarth and its "Taisce" gate. Is Cirel gone, or is "Cirel" just another name for Aoife or Viridi?

>Legacy of Northpaw
High Druid Iaine was never able to change
his shape. That never held him back.

The human form is also pretty strong, as it turns out.

>Legacy of Edyrns Tusks
For a brief few weeks each year, both Ezomyte
and Eternal were unified in fear of the legendary
boar. To this day, the Manor still bears gouges.

Edyrn was likely counted as a "Great Beast" like Starkonja. Hilda also uses this term. Perhaps the wisp animal forms are based on such creatures?

>Legacy of Brynhand's Mark
The art of runesmithing died out among the Ezomytes,
lost to the passage of time. The practice reawakened when
smiths started to notice the difference Brynhand's personal
mark made for a hammer's durability and precision.

Apparently, modern Ezomyte runesmithing exists because someone's brandmark happened to match a potent runeshape.

>Legacy of Mjölner
"A lone knight and a Karui warrior travelled together out
of necessity, battling bandits for weeks. He gifted the
knight that hammer, which was later runed by smiths."

>Mjölner has "Grants Skill: Level 15 Thundergod's Wrath"

>Jarngreipr
The whispers of the old gods hum through the iron. They demand a hero.

Mjölnir and Jarngreipr are mythic implements of the Norse god Thor. Mjölner is a Kalguuran item. I had been wondering who the Kalguuran equivalent of Thor would be, but it is apparently the Karui god Valako, Father of Storms.

Jarngreipr hasn't been tagged with a culture, so it was probably given in the opposite direction and counts as a Karui item.

• I wonder what crafting mechanic those will eventually get. Something related to Tattoos, perhaps? Karui armours being receptive to tattoos as if they were part of your skin/soul?

>Zaida's Longevity
The relative peace under the fledgling Empire saw
the first Sekhema to choose, in her resplendent age and
wisdom, to step down. The role of Zaitema was born.

Balbalakh, nasimac, Zaitema... Is every Maraketh word named after somebody?

Our u/AdministratorQotra suggests that "Maraketh" is composed as "Mar" + "Keth", with the former also being found in the Mar Acolytes of act 2. Mar and Keth might also be names, perhaps belonging to a royal couple?

The word "Sekhema" is likely named after the Sekhem (POE1 sceptre base), which is an ancient Egyptian sceptre (𓌂), but who knows what its etymology is in POE. In Egypt, its name seems to mean "divine power".

>Loreweave
The collector need not even speak. Each ring
regaled them with tales of his conquest.
Journey to the East
A collector travelled the world and
wove a fabled garment of rings...
Loreweave (POE1)
When it comes to finding a use for surplus,
a rich man has within himself
boundless creativity.

Loreweave is considered neither an Ezomyte nor Kalguuran item, but possibly just because it can be composed from rings of different cultures. That it relates to a Journey to the East probably suggests that the "collector" who invented it was a Wraeclast native who visited Kalguur.

• Or, it could be a reference to Journey to the West, but I don't know any "ringmail" feature in that story.

>Jado on "Artefacts Of Power"
Jado: There are many objects in this world one would consider powerful. Above that, there are relics that undermine the very foundations of our existence.
Mercenary: Now I'm payin' attention. What kinda relics you mean?
Jado: A statue that cannot be forgotten. Three wooden arrows that have always never been loosed from a bow. Horns that eliminate the concept of death. It is objects like these that we must keep sealed away, lest the world unravel.
Mercenary: Arrows that have always never been fired...? Well what if you...? Ohhh, shite... this is a right mess.

>Mysterious Gifts (Jado passive) - makes Cryptic Keys appear
I have no answers for you.
Some things... simply exist.

The Order of the Djinn are used to the existence of bizarre items that they can't explain - They are apparently the SCP of Wraeclast. Strongboxes crafting was already weird before adding a key that can increase its contents and guards.

But Jado mentions some even crazier objects. The horns are obviously the Horns of Kulemak from Betrayal league. The statue could be the one mentioned in The Nameless Play or one of the "Petrification Statues" seen here and there in POE1. But I have no clue what those arrows are or what they do, though the Mercenary seems to have an idea.

As pointed out by ZiggyD in a recent video, there is a lot of secrets to v0.5, but there may yet be more content that has yet to be found.

I addition, there is some class-specific content that might be good to collect in one place.

Please point out anything that I have missed.

Character-specific content

There is the dramatic special Monk interaction with The Dreamer, (which additionally unlocks the "Archon of Chayula" passive if you play as Acolyte of Chayula).

Other than that, the most significant character-specific content seems to be Tangmazu's taunts in the Simulacrum of Delusion and its "Trail of Suffering". Here, Tangmazu claims that most of the Act 1 NPCs have died. The first six parts always show the same characters, but a unique one is shown - usually crucified - in the final seventh wave. I've only been able to find video for four of the classes so far.

• Common, in order: Mortimer(?) crushed, Leitis(?) being eaten, Finn strung up by cultists, Una stabbed with her lute, Renly lying on his anvil, The Hooded One put back on the Tree of Souls
• Unique: Witch - herself; Sorceress - some woman (see this post for discussion); Monk - Ailith; Ranger - ???; Huntress - Delwyn; Mercenary - ???; Warrior - ???; Druid - ???
• (Tangmazu already has spoilerific dialogue for the four unreleased classes, but those are obviously not part of v0.5.)

Reveal screenshots

I haven't recognised these images anywhere in-game yet, though I might just have missed them:

A molten Precursor gate?

Basalt columns like in the Fractured Lake, but it is much darker. (The light is caused by the player is doing an Ordained dive.)

Does this sword show up at any point? I don't see it lying on that altar at any point.

Datamined content

I haven't been able to find any information on these online:

• A potential new Azmerian Wisp: >!< - There are no hints on Poe2DB as to what it does.
• These two areas: > and Sunken Pyramid - They are tagged as Delirium content, so they're probably equivalents of Simulacrum of Delusion for acts 2 and 3.!<
• Two even more mysterious areas: >; The Monument!<

In addition, there's some seemingly unreleased dialogue. Even Loremaster u/justathetan mentioned in their Breach post that they haven't found it in-game. You can see them on the Poe2DB conversation pane by entering Chayula in the filter field.

EDIT: Clarified some aspects of the theory.

It is suspected - but not quite confirmed - that the Lake of Kalandra splits some of its visitors in two, in the same way a Reflecting Mist.

I have seen theories that Sin and Tangmazu may be the result of such a split, given that Sin visited Kalandra and that Tangmazu uses mirrors and mists like the Lake. I don't really believe in this theory myself, but I wanted to test how well it can coexist with the new Tangmazu revelations.

The quotes in this post are not evidence, but merely bits of dramatic irony (if the theory is true).

I will refer to the pre-Kalandra character as "the Raven".

Timeline

• The First Children - including Maxarius and the Raven - appear among the Azmeri
• The Raven is ascended by the Bodach
  • The Last Children have yet to appear and the Wildwood doesn't exist yet. If the Spring Hare🐰🧡 wisp really did lead the Raven to the Bodach, then it was controlled by "The Mother" or some other entity at the time.
• Maxarius and the Raven ascend together - the Raven now embodies two divine sparks
• The Raven lives a double life: Sometimes he is a mysterious masked trickster, sometimes he is simply the twin brother of Innocence; He may have been a double agent in the war against the Abyssals

>The Hooded One on "Sun Clan Hyenas"
Those creatures are too coherent and intelligent to be manifestations of Corruption. I suspect they are the descendants of Divine tampering. There was a being I once knew in the ancient days, a trickster who would have appreciated someone to laugh at his ill-conceived humour. What more perfect audience for a sickening jester than a pack of gibbering hyenas?

• The Raven takes Kulemak's spark
• The Raven is captured by Innocence, and then rescued by Orbala

>Tangmazu: Garukhan nests near. What I wouldn't give to relive the halcyon days of ancient Keth, when we kept mortals in their rightful place.

• Shakari is born

>Tangmazu: Sin is sending you to slay his daughter now, too? You'd think he would be more upset...

• The Raven visits Kalandra; One side of him becomes Tangmazu keeps the Tangmazu persona and inherits the spark he got from the Bodach, the other becomes Sin keeps the Sin persona and inherits the spark he gained simultaneously with Innocence; neither remembers that they used to be one person
• Sin plants the Seed of Corruption
• Tangmazu tricks Solaris and Lunaris into fighting, and gets sealed by Ramako

>Sin: It was a peaceful partnership, until the trickster, Tangmazu, happened upon their domain. In turning sister against sister he saw to the massacre of thousands whilst concealing the source of their futile feud beyond all reckoning.
Tangmazu: It wasn't hard to turn them against each other. A little nudge here and there. That's all it took.

• Sin is captured by Arakaali

>Tangmazu: Nice of you to help rid Sin of his former lover. I'd have told him exactly where he could put such a request.

• The gods fall asleep

>Tangmazu (on the Beast): I will not miss this thing's strangling slumber.

Thoughts

Observations:

• I don't think Innocence ascended before he was an adult, given all his shenanigans with going to Oriath and stealing the descry symbol before then.
• The Raven must have split before Tangmazu got captured, given Sin's later activities.
• Madox' story implies that the Great Fire happened before the First Children arrived, but the story of Aul, The Price of Prescience, and the rise of the Abyssals could've happened decades later.

The Raven may initially have been innocent un-guilty, and only wielded emotions to defend himself. He went to Oriath with his brother who eventually vilified him in order to ascend. He then gave up on humanity and started tormenting them as the Trickster. He regained faith when he met Orbala, but when she and their daughter began acting like his brother, he became desperate and visited Kalandra.

I used to believe that Innocence and Sin were originally one person who got split. (I don't think a person can be split twice, given that Reflecting Mist creates mirrored results that can't be reflected again.)

I could see Tangmazu and Ralakesh as having been split from each other, given that Tangmazu calls Ralakesh "brother".

• "Ralakesh... My brother has been busy, hasn't he..."

Tangmazu sounds rather bored when mentioning Ralakesh (hear voicelines here). In fact, Tangmazu and Sin seem to share a disdain for both Ralakesh, Innocence and Tukohama:

>Sin: When you try to control everything, you ultimately control nothing. Ralakesh has never quite been able to grasp that concept.

>Sin: The Sign [of Purity] is a living agent of righteousness, or at least, the dubious kind of righteousness that my brother subscribes to.
Tangmazu: Farewell Innocence, and hello [Kitava], my agent of anarchy. It appears I've returned just in time for the party...

>Sin: Tukohama's axe is called Anger, his spear is called Greed, and their victims are the minds and hearts of all Karui.
Tangmazu: The God of War has reshaped this region. He's always been... unimaginative.

https://preview.redd.it/hkj1x698zg3h1.png?width=184&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ce2d1a57736dffa499858acfb2e4fd6bf22cba2

Whether we get another alternate subclass in v0.5 or not is anyones guess, but there are a lot of possibilities.

subclass name	source of alternate subclass	alternate name	details
Titan	Crucible/Titans/Redblade	?	Crucible league wasn't very popular, but the Titans might get a different mechanic in POE2.
Warbringer
Smith of Kitava (1)	Trial of the Ancestors	Artisan of Kitava	Kitava is represented in the Trial of the Ancestors, so the Warrior might learn something there.
Smith of Kitava (2)	Expedition / Runes of Aldur	Smith of Aldur	Incoorporates verisium into his smithing, granting Runic Ward effects. (I don't know what Kitava would think of this.)
Smith of Kitava (3)	Delve	Jeweller of Kitava	Suppose POE2 Delve takes place below Oriath instead of Sarn. Kitava was imprisoned there. (There may also be temples for past gods like Auria and Uldurn.)
Tactician
Witchhunter
Gemling Legionnaire	Fate of the Vaal	Gemling Exemplar	Adds bonuses to soul cores since those are also virtue gems. (Besides, the Mercenary could have a bit of Vaal blood himself.)
Deadeye
Pathfinder	Renegades (Warbands)		The Renegades are poison maniacs from Warbands league - possibly banished from the other three warbands.
Amazon
Ritualist	Ritual	Warlock	Become better at imitating the powers of the King in the Mists.
Spirit Walker	(Wildwood)	?	?
Invoker	Breach	?	Draws upon the power of Tul❄️ and Esh⚡.
Acolyte of Chayula	Breach	?	Draws upon more of the power of Chayula.
Martial Artist
Infernalist	Beyond/Scourge	Pale Infernalist	?
Blood Mage	Bestiary	Beastblood Mage	Turns beast spectres into blood monsters and lets you spend their life for your skills. (Einhar is hinted as being millennia old. Perhaps he doesn't just wield blood thaumaturgy, but actually invented it and sanguimancy.)
Lich	(Abyss)	(Abyssal Lich)
Stormweaver
Chronomancer	Legion	Timeless Chronomancer	The Chronomancer isn't impressed with Zarokh, so she'll need a different "teacher" to ascend further.
Disiciple of Varashta	Mirage	Djinn of Varashta	Turns the Sorceress herself into an intangible djinn and turns her djinn minions tangible. She dies when her damagable minions are all dead. She gets a skill that makes minions follow her closely, so as to better deal with certain mechanics, like those of the Arbiter of Ash.
Oracle	Expedition / Runes of Aldur	Oracle of the Circle	Study the knowledge of Medved and his Druids of the (Broken) Circle.
Shaman	(Wildwood)	?	?

Tell me your own ideas, whether of gameplay or lore.

(Please ignore the suspicious placeholder Bloodline at the bottom.)

Suppose you had a Scion subclass that didn't have any skills of its own, but instead let you distribute your eight ascendancy points into any number of Bloodline Ascendancies.

How powerful would this subclass be? Which passives would you take?

• If you find this subclass too powerful, then add a weakness to it, such as limiting the max total number of Bloodlines or by decreasing the number of points to spend, and describe which build you would construct under those limitations.

What should this subclass be called? Crossbreed, Hybrid, Mongrel, Syncretist, Eclectic?

How would one deal with the problem of Bloodlines being endgame unlocks, whereas a normal Ascendancy can be gained in act 3? By restricting this subclass to the endgame, or by allowing you to skip fighting the bosses?