I should get something out of the way first: The Warrens of Oric the Awesome is not a Christian story. It is not Dante's Inferno 2: Now with Updated Polemic, nor is it Paradise Very Nearly Lost. There are two main reasons for the very jumbled-up Christian (and sometimes Greek) symbolism.
The first reason is that I write this story in a time of soul-searching and study. This is unfortunate, as haphazard real life influence can ruin a fictional world, especially real-life religion in a fictional world. However, it can also be pulled off well occasionally (such as Merlin's rants throughout The Once and Future King).
The second reason is that we are dealing with a nigh-incomprehensible world. Like someone pointed out earlier in the thread, the geography of the Warrens makes absolutely no sense. In fact, it makes less than no sense. Much like the
Schwarzwelt from a similar game, it's difficult to explain it in any sense but metaphor, symbolism, and parable. This also extends to its native residents. Angels are rendered in an even more symbolic manner than usual, and the "Seraphs" we hear so much about are never shown, only vaguely alluded to. Our two encounters with Willborn were among the scariest parts of the game. Mixing in imagery from the Bible, which is well-known for explaining bizarre beings with symbolism and parable, helps readers understand the nature of the Warrens.
With this tangent out of the way, let's talk about the Lord and King.
The KingThe King is not Oric the Awesome. "The King" is the title that Angels have for whoever currently controls them. This simply happens to be Oric. Of course, if Oric weren't in control, it wouldn't be the Warrens of Oric the Awesome, and we wouldn't be playing the same game! I feel like this is obvious enough.
There are a couple important nods to the history of Christianity in the Warrens. It parallels a very simplistic and cynical view of Feudal Catholicism, where political rulers use the Church and God to give their reign power. Insult the Lord, and you insult the King. Insult the King, and you insult the Lord. Even so, this is an unstable equilibrium. There is always a threat of religion eclipsing a monarchy, and always a threat of a new king claiming to be more holy, more divinely ordained. One interesting place we see this is Polydectes.
Why hunt this guy down? What's the threat? Notice the almost-Pope hat, the name (Dark Cathedral), and the altar. Polydectes is a cult leader caricature. He proposes an alternate doctrine for the Warrens: rather than use the Seraph's chambers to revive the Siblings, they could be used for science. Souls could be reactivated, and life could be altered.
It's heavily implied Polydectes somehow stole the chambers from Oric or the Seraphs. How else could he revive people if not with these miracle devices? Polydectes is a threat to Oric in the same way Luther was to Leo X. Protestants place a huge emphasis on one central aspect of Christianity (the Bible), unbounded by centuries of smells, bells, and tradition. This would not be possible if not for the printing press and widespread adoption of household Bibles. Similarly, Polydectes could not conduct his experiments without two of the Last Seraphim's Sanctuaries.
(Also unknown is whether Oric actually knows about Polydectes or the Angels are hunting him alone, in the same way Newford was initiated without Oric's knowledge.)
The LordThe Lord is the Last Seraphim. This doesn't tell us much. We don't know a lot about the Last Seraphim except for what Cain's told us. Since the Angels were created by the Seraphs, for the Seraphs, we can assume their standard face - Spira's "freaky" face - is similar to her own.
When a person already in the Warrens loses all their "Soul Charge," they take on a twisted, monstrous form much like Spira:
The only time we saw (what many assumed to be) the Lord herself, she was cloaked in darkness, and the entire encounter seemed to have taken place in Ciro's head:
There are a few other allusions to the Lord. One is Brawler Mouse's skill, Pray, during the Yaos Purification battle.
Now where else have we seen that face?
King unfit, flushing to sub...By the end of this story, we should have a clear picture of the motivations of everyone involved. It may be tough to decide who the real heroes and villains are, but I trust the readers will make the best decision, no matter what that decision is.
As a prize for completing this Theory Craft, the
Vain Crescendo is granted a
special ability when all the user's allies in the Active Party hold their Soul Stars.
Poll
8 (16%)
Author
Topic: (ISG) The Warrens of Oric the Awesome ??? (Read 3975674 times)