[SPOILERS] The real culprit behind Descent to Darkness

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Imperios
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Joined: July 28th, 2010, 1:12 pm

[SPOILERS] The real culprit behind Descent to Darkness

Post by Imperios »

One thing that kind of interested me about Descent to Darkness is how Malin is not fully to blame for his actions, and how he's just an impulsive emotional youth manipulated by others around him. Just who is responsible for Malin Keshar's fall to darkness? Malin himself blames Darken Volk, but he simply used him; the spite and malice inside Malin are his own. Volk was not here when Malin attacked his own town, or when he turned on his own teacher. But then it struck me.

In both of these cases, Malin was accompanied by his ghost advisor. You know, the highest-level ghost unit that has dialogue in some missions?

Now that made me think. Because the advisor is always the most powerful Ghost-line unit, it will likely be one of the very first ghosts that Malin recruited in the third mission. These ghosts go rogue several times during this mission and, in-universe, come from the goblins Malin killed in the second. This ghost? He retained at least some of his free will, but did not show it. Whereas his peers turned on Malin immediately, this goblin, you see, he was smart.

The attack on Parthyn, on Darken Volk, the lichdom, all that was part of this goblin ghost's clever machinations. He played the long game, slowly stoking Malin's pride and anger, fueling his self-destructive impulses and making him make risky decisions. All that, in the hopes that he would eventually die, and the goblin's village would be avenged.

Am I crazy for suggesting this? Was this the intention of the authors?
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The_Gnat
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Re: [SPOILERS] The real culprit behind Descent to Darkness

Post by The_Gnat »

Imperios wrote: November 24th, 2018, 8:40 pm All that, in the hopes that he would eventually die, and the goblin's village would be avenged.
8) I love this idea! DiD is such a deep campaign that I would not be surprised if this was part of the story. It is in fact a never ending story and so I feel like the ultimate revenge, the ghost has brought to Malin, is the fact that he is trapped forever.

The story is an epic story of how darkness is really the enemy and if you join its side you are not free to live eternally but instead a slave of your true master: the magic of death which you have accepted.

Also I feel like your ghost was the only one with you when you turned yourself into a lich. He is clearly a culprit in this game but perhaps his motives are not for vengeance of the goblins but instead he (as a dead warrior) is the embodiment of the will of death, which is for everyone to join it?
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