Theories about the Plague and Nature Ancients
Warning: Long. tl;dr is T-Rex Nature Ancients and Komodo Plague Ancients
Warning: Long. tl;dr is T-Rex Nature Ancients and Komodo Plague Ancients
So following the release of the new World Map, I, like many of you, went back and re-read the Bounty of the Elements stories to refamiliarize myself with the lore and how it tied into the new locations on the map.
The Bounty of the Elements events directly preceded the release of the Gaolers, in Jailbreak. The release of the Banescales was preceded by Temper, Temper, and revealed in Born in Fire and Flame. Finally, the release of the Veilspun was preceded by Kindred Crossing, the events of which were referenced in Unveiled.
Following this pattern, i don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that more of these stories might hint at Ancients to come.
I think it's obvious that the nefarious events in Workplace Hazards could lead to some kind of upcoming magical reactor incident, possibly pointing to the creation of a Lightning Ancient in the vein of an Arcanist-style explosion.
Ancient Fascinations might hint at an Earth Ancient being revived from the skeletal remains found in the story.
Finally, the events and subsequent disappearance of the Tidelord in Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow could certainly lead us to believe that a return of the Tidelord with his Ancients in tow could be a possibility.
Today, however, I want to focus on the events of The Seed and the Sickness. The aftermath of these incidents leads the dissolution of the treaty between Plague and Nature, and the condition of the Pox Consulate and Seedscar now shows diligent efforts by both Plague and Nature to erase all trace of their respective enemies from their territory.
Furthermore, the text accompanying the locations of Hellwell Undercroft and Quarantine Zone #128 indicates that even if Plague is not actively preparing for conflict, then they are at least aware of the possibility of a war with Nature.
Similarly, flavor text for Gladebough Village indicates that tension is high in Nature as well, and citizens are moving to more defensive positions in anticipation of open conflict.
Following the pattern of hints and releases in Bounty of the Elements, I'm theorizing that the Ancients of Nature and Plague will be brought back in anticipation/response to an all-out war between Nature and Plague.
Now, what might they look like?
Let's compare the previous three releases with their modern counterpart.
Modern Breed: Tundra Sabretooth/Wolf concepts |
Ancient Breed: Gaoler Reindeer/Moose/Wolf concepts |
Modern Breed: Coatl Snake/Bird concepts |
Ancient Breed: Banescale Phoenix/Bird of Prey/Wyvern concepts |
Modern Breed: Nocturne Bat/Mimic concepts |
Ancient Breed: Veilspun Fairy/Beetle/Plant concepts |
On average, Ancients (specifically, Ancients that have an elemental alignment) seem to share at least some concepts with their modern counterparts. So let's look at the Modern Breeds that originate from Nature and Plague:
Modern Breed: Wildclaws Raptor/Dinosaur concepts |
Modern Breed: Mirror Wolfpack/Frilled Lizard concepts |
Extrapolating from the base concepts of these modern breeds, and from the conflict brewing after the events in the Seed and the Scar, i'll hazard a guess that the Nature Ancients will probably be massive, combat-oriented dinosaur dragons.
T-Rex ancient, anyone?
*The Plague ancient is a little more difficult - I'm thinking maybe a large komodo-dragon/crocodilian-type ancient, replete with venomous teeth.
*I'm thinking plated, armored skin from the crocodile, mutiple muscled legs, and the terrifying predatory instinct of the komodo.
What do you think? Based on the hints provided, what direction do you think the staff will go with the Plague and Nature Ancients?
*I used references for these sketches, and these are only intended to be vague ideas.
