Dantia/Research/Empath and Alfar Warrior Vision Research

Notes

In an effort to keep my notes as concise as possible, all visions have been given a reference name and are reprinted at the bottom of this article for review.

The majority of this research was done assuming that these visions are literal events that have happened or will happen. There is a definite possibility that these visions are not literal representations of actual events, but metaphors on topics that we yet do not understand.

Location

The first consistent element between these visions is that they all reference a "windswept mountain steppe," which can help us start to narrow down where these visions take place. There are only two known "steppe" areas, the Gilen Otso Steppes, a Ranger housing community in Shard (unlikely), and the Arid Steppe in Forfedhdar. From the visions, we know that the area has a "chill air" and is "bone dry", which matches the description of the Arid Steppe. There are also two mountain ranges in close proximity, the Tivshowldh Mountains which form a crescent to the south, and the Himineldar Shel, a mountain range to the east.

See the official map. The Arid Steppe is, assumably, underneath the "Beyond the Barrier" label on the western side of the map, the Tivshowldh Mountains form the crescent range to the south, and the Himineldar Shel are the series of mountains between Ain Ghazal and Boar Clan.

I am confident that the steppe referenced is the Arid Steppe because of a separate vision that does not mention the Empath, which I’ve noted below as the "Barrier Horses" vision. This vision again references a steppe, along with other vague geographies such as winding valleys and broken forests, all of which could be theoretically seen from above if one were approaching the Arid Steppe from the East. In the "Barrier Horses" vision, the horses are spooked and run west (implying that the viewer is coming from the East), running until they physically slam into an “unseen barrier” which injures the lead horses. Traveling west across the Arid Steppe would bring you to the previous location of the Great Barrier. Could this imply the timeline for this set of visions is placed before the Barrier fell?

My first assumption had been that the mountains mentioned were the Tivshowldh Mountains, which are thought to be cursed, "perhaps due to being barren of gem and ore mines or rock quarries". However, the mountain does have salt mines where "innumerable lives have... been lost". At first, this brought to mind another vision, referenced as the "Mines" vision, because of the statement "Anything goes in, but nothing comes back." However, I have made no progress in connecting the glowing crystals to salt mines, nor have I found anything else to support that the mountains are the Tivshowldh Mountains, so this connection seems tenuous at best.

Alternatively, the mountains referenced could be the Himineldar Shel (Mountains) that lay to the northeast of the Tivshowldh Mountains, upon which Hibarnhvidar was built. These mountains are known to "yield some of the most expansive mines of gems and ores". Further discussion on this location can be found under the What is Being Guarded section.

Empath

We know for certain that the thin, grey-haired, Elothean woman featured is an Empath, as Empaths are the only Guild currently able to summon an Alfar Warrior using their Guardian Spirit spell. This is confirmed by her self-healing in the "Battle is Lost" vision.

Elotheans, as a race, generally "prefer to go the route of peace rather than force", and can live to be 350 years old, with "visible aging slow[ing] considerably once they reach their physical prime". An Elothean with grey hair and wrinkles may be assumed to be at least middle-aged, which would put her at at least 100 years old. However, since we know Elotheans age visibly slower once they reach prime, we may be able to assume her age is at least 150 years old. If these visions are from our present, this would put her birth around the Year 284. If, however, these visions are from our past (as possibly suggested by the "Barrier Horses" vision, in that the Great Barrier has not yet fallen), she could have been born around Year 234. These ages are, however, pure guesstimates and should not be taken as fact.

Affiliation

The "Just Some Horses" vision also tells us that her face shows evidence of "the mountain air and sun having left their mark on her," which implies that she is from, or has been in the area of, this mountain and/or the Arid Steppe for a large portion of her life. Also known to reside in this area are the Nomads of the Arid Steppe, a Moon Mage guild sect, but I have not been able to connect this Empath with that sect, beyond physical location, in any meaningful way.

I've also attempted to link this Empath with a specific Elothean Houses, perhaps the House of the Gilded Longleaf (known affinity for Empaths, Traders and Bards), or the House of the Silver Star (known to have silver hair and grey eyes, with the official colors of blue and silver - see discussion on her clothing below).

The strongest House connection I can form has been with the House of the Rowan Branch, who's children are "invariably silver-haired and gray-eyed; solemn colors for a solemn house". This House "live[s] in a monastery" (see further discussion of martial arts below), and initiates must undertake a year long vow of silence, which may explain the Empaths silence in each vision. The leader of the House, Ithna Avoinasako, also implied that even after joining some House members may speak very little.

In the "An Hour or Less" vision, it is explicitly stated that the Empath is "holding herself in a statue-still martial pose," and further visions have shown her fighting against soldiers using decidedly martial-arts like abilities, such as catching a crossbow bolt mid-air in the "Battle is Lost" vision. Under what circumstances would an Empath come to learn martial arts? It's assumed that brawling, which many Empaths are skilled in, is not considered to have has fine of a technique or discipline as martial arts, so this is probably a different skill set that she has come to learn. Monks, those most typically associated with the martial arts techniques, are usually relegated to Clerics or Moon Mages, especially the Monks of the Crystal Hand, but I cannot find a connection to any of these groups. I think it would be natural for martial arts to be an art learned by those of the House of the Rowan Branch, but I have been unable to confirm that suspicion.

The Empath wears a faded ("Just Some Horses" vision) "simple sapphire blue linen robe and thick canvas sandals" ("An Hour or Less" vision), which also evoke the idea of a monk. The blue color may be a reference to the Elothean House of the Silver Star, or it could be just an unimportant choice of fashion.

Alternatively to all of this, the Empath could be unknown to society and/or have no known affiliations, perhaps working individually. Or, she may be a symbol of the Empath Guild or something else entirely, and not an actual, individual Empath.

Sisterhood of the Rose

The last potential affiliation, but my strongest opinion at this time, is the Sisterhood of the Rose, the governing body of Ain Ghazal, located to the east of the Arid Steppes. The Sisters "mediate disputes between the various political entities of Forfedhdar and in return are able to dispense justice anywhere in the province to those who have broken Ain Ghazal's laws". These Sisters are known to "dress in a humble style", although that is usually "a simply white [robe] and one carefully chosen piece of jewelry adorned with a rose emblem", and dispense their own "distinct version of justice for criminals -- that of a painful and unforgettable sort". Each Sister is expected to learn to "focus herself using intense, powerful meditation techniques in an attempt to achieve perfect mastery of body and mind" and "are required to be exceptionally disciplined and strong both mentally and physically". This could mean that the Empaths martial arts training were learned through the Sisterhood.

Leaders of the Sisterhood become known simply as "Lyba Khalo" upon their ascension, and can can be of any race, as evident by the busts on display in the Ain Ghazal Chateau's main foyer. One of these, the Lyba Khalo XLI, was an Elothean, but I have been unable to find any additional details that may suggest this Elothean Empath is one and the same.

Soldiers

We are given very little to help determine the identity or intent of the soldiers. However, based on what we are shown we can conclude that they are at least two, possibly three, different groups of soldiers. It's unknown if these groups are all from within the same army.

The first time we see the soldiers ("Spears" vision), they number about half a dozen, are "brandishing long spears", and are standing in a semi-circle before the Empath. In a blur of motion, the Empath snaps a spear in two and sends one of the soldiers sprawling to the ground. The next vision ("Guard These Mountains") may be a continuation of the first vision, as it again calls out half a dozen soldiers, all of who are now lying on the ground, "groaning as they rub bruised ribs or cradle dislocated soldiers, their weapons shattered round them and their armor torn from their bodies." In the third vision featuring the soldiers ("Battle is Lost") we now have a "double ring of soldiers -- shield wardens in the middle, crossbowmen on the outside." The Empath is surrounded by "over a dozen unconscious soldiers", which implies that this is a much larger party of soldiers, by at least three times, than the first two visions.

The closest we get to a description of the soldiers themselves is from the "Guard These Mountains" vision, where we are told that one soldier is tall with a broad frame and wears a pauldron bearing the emblem of a captain. Elotheans average 5.25' to 6' in height for a female, so a "tall" soldier would most likely be in the 6'+ height range, limiting the soldiers' race (potentially) down to Elf, Kaldar, Gor'Tog, Elothean or S'kra Mur. The mention of "broad frame" would most likely rule out Elves and Elotheans, leaving us with Kaldar, Gor'Tog or S'kra Mur. If we can assume that by not mentioning any defining racial features, the viewer meant there were none, then it is most likely that the soldiers are Kaldar. However, this is wild conjecture for the sake of discussion, and should not be taken as firm fact.

A pauldron is a piece of plate armor that is worn over the shoulder. In these days, it's not unusual for adventurers of all guilds to wear plate armor, at least for training purposes, and given that we know these are soldiers, their choice of armor is not unusual. At this time, I can find no real meaning behind the mention of this particular piece of armor.

What is Being Guarded

In the "Spears" vision, a soldier "demands passage, but the woman does not react." In a future vision, "Guard These Mountains", the Alfar Warrior says to a group of soldiers, "Turn back. There is nothing for you here. Do not return. We will always guard these mountains." What could these two be guarding passage to within the mountain?

Since the soldiers do not appear to be able to go around the Empath, and are requesting "passage", it sounds like whatever is being guarded has a singular point of access - a door, a cave opening, an otherwise inaccessible trail, etc. This leads me to believe the Empath is not providing border protection or guarding something transitory like a camp of adventurers.

If the Empath has an affiliation with the Sisterhood of the Rose, she may be guarding access to the Rose Maiden's Caverns, which is where the Kwarlog Dwarves discovered the body of a dead maiden holding a perfectly carved white stone rose. Although these tunnels collapsed and buried the maiden, her legacy lived on as the basis for the Rose Clan, which eventually became known as the Sisterhood of the Rose . In my research, I was unable to determine specifically which mountain or mountain range contained the Rose Maiden's Caverns. However, since we know it was located by the Kwarlog Dwarves (previously know as the Himineldar Dwarves), we may be able to infer that the caverns can be found within the Himineldar Shel, which coincides with our conclusion that the location for this vision is the Arid Steppe.

In Dec 2019, an auction material design contest was held, and one of the player-submitted materials, irinai, was said to be mined in small quantities by the Kaldar in the Himineldar Shel. If these are Kaldar soldiers, they may be training to gain access to that mine. However, their negotiations to acquire mining rights had been with the local Dwarves, so it seems unlikely that an Elothean Empath would be their guard.

Still to be Researched

• Who is the person and what is the "wrongness" seen in the "Barrier Horses" vision? Does this vision mean the Empath visions are set before the Great Barrier went down?

Visions Referenced in this Research

Vision Reference Name	Vision Date	Vision
"Battle is Lost"	5/3/2020	A windswept mountain steppe unfolds around you, the air chill and bone dry. You see a double ring of soldiers -- shield wardens in the middle, crossbowmen on the outside -- their attention focused inward. At the center of the ring kneels a thin Elothean woman with greying hair, bleeding heavily but surrounded by over a dozen unconscious soldiers. An alfar warrior stands next to her brandishing a blade, turning to keep an eye on the encroaching ring, one hand protectively on her shoulder. "We must flee," the alfar hisses. "The battle is lost." The woman takes a long breath, and stands. Her wounds knit, and she assumes a rigid pose. A dozen crossbows sing, and her form blurs as she catches a bolt in mid air, dancing away from the rest, the alfar snapping the sword to parry the remainder. Another volley flies, and several bolts bury themselves in the woman's chest and back. The alfar shouts in rage, the woman sinks to her knees, and the vision fades.
"Mines"	3/30/2020	You are surrounded by darkness, able to make out only a faint dripping and the scent of damp stone. A light bobbles in the distance, and as it approaches, a voice shouts out, "Hey! Over here! This way!". You find yourself being led by strong calloused hands through an array of tunnels. After some time, you enter a large open chamber, and the miner leads you to the far wall. The rock is speckled with softly glowing crystal, flickering with light other than the miner's headlamp. The miner nudges you to get your attention and flips a small rock into the wall, which is slowly absorbed and vanishes without a trace. "Yup. Anything goes in, but nothing comes back," the miner says. "And here we wait." The miner shrugs, though their eyes begin to glow softly, like the crystal in the wall, and the vision fades.
"Just Some Horses"	3/1/2020	A windswept mountain steppe unfolds around you, the air chill and bone dry. A thin Elothean woman stands atop a boulder, her graying hair and fading robes a sign of the time that has passed. Her posture is unchanged -- rigid and impassive, she watches the distance. At her side, a muscular alfar warrior sits cross-legged, casually sharpening a long black blade with a whetstone. The woman leans forward and frowns, the wrinkles of her face -- evidence of the mountain air and sun having left their mark on her -- deepening as she squints and peers into the distance. The warrior pauses and without looking up says, "Just some horses. Come, lets get some tea?" The woman blinks a moment, shakes her head slightly, and stands tall again as the vision fades.
"Guard These Mountains"	2/2/2020	A windswept mountain steppe unfolds around you, the air chill and bone dry. Half a dozen soldiers lie on the ground, groaning as they rub bruised ribs or cradle dislocated shoulders, their weapons shattered around them and their armor torn from their bodies. A thin Elothean woman stands rigidly next to a muscular alfar warrior, and together they look down at a tall man with a broad frame. A bruise is slowly blossoming across his eye, and his pauldron bears the emblem of a captain. "Turn back. There is nothing for you here," the alfar warrior states. "Do not return. We will always guard these mountains." The captain stands with a groan, turns to help his soldiers, and they begin limping back down the steppe. The woman and the alfar warrior watch them go, and after a long while, the alfar begins to snicker as it playfully shoves at the woman. She does not yield, though the corner of her mouth betrays the barest hint of a smile. The vision fades.
"Spears"	12/9/2019	A windswept mountain steppe unfolds around you, the air chill and bone dry. Half a dozen soldiers brandishing long spears stand in a semi-circle before a thin Elothean woman. A muscular alfar warrior stands at her side, casually holding a long black blade and spiked shield. One of the soldiers demands passage, but the woman does not react. Taking a single step forward and extending the spear until it is mere feet from the woman's face, the soldier repeats the demand. The woman takes a long, slow intake of breath, and explodes into action, stepping past the weapon's point and grabbing it with a twist, snapping the spearhead from the shaft. The soldier is pulled off balance and loses control of the spear. The woman suddenly appears at his side, and grasping his forearm and turning slightly, sends him sprawling. The alfar warrior smirks, the remaining soldiers begin to shout, and the woman takes a long, slow breath. The vision fades.
"Barrier Horses"	11/10/2019	You find yourself flying along a vast steppe, winding valleys and broken forests splayed beneath as you exuberantly coast on rising thermals and building storms. A river winds between broken rocks, and a herd of horses spooks at nothing and begins to race to the west, the poetry of their stride and evident joy of their movement breathtaking to behold. They race along the grassland and suddenly smash into an unseen barrier, those leading the herd squealing with broken legs while those following are able to stagger to a fearful stop. A strange shimmer marks a long oval on the steppe, and -- as if between gaps in a mirage -- you catch a glimpse of a farmstead, a single hunched figure tilling the soil of a small rectangular plot. The figure pauses and looks up directly at you. Your prophetic senses chaotically howl with a deafening wrongness, and the vision fades.
"An Hour or Less"	09/21/2019	A windswept mountain steppe unfolds around you, the air chill and bone dry. A thin Elothean woman wearing a simple sapphire blue linen robe and thick canvas sandals stands proudly, holding herself in a statue-still martial pose, one hand a clenched fist, the other a rigid open palm, her feet spread wide. Sitting cross-legged at her side, a muscular alfar warrior slowly sweeps a whetstone across a long black blade, the harsh ringing of stone on metal punctuating the air at unwaveringly methodic intervals. The woman narrows her eyes, focusing on something in the distance, and without looking up, the Fae remarks, "An hour or less. They're making steady progress." The woman does not seem to react, and the vision fades.