Robots and Eldritch Beings Are Pretty Neat

Whereas the reality is far more like

Be real Adrian who do you think you’re fooling

truly the only time i will whip out the calculator app for mental maths is when i do need to be pinpoint accurate (not ballparking it) and also it involves an annoying number like "what's 17% of that". i could do it in my head. it just takes a minute. i don't necessarily want to

When your bestie gonna die if you don’t come back for him

It is safe to say this talisman works by having the leftover willpower / imprint / aura of the predator this claw belonged to enhance the wearer's own aura

But what was this predator? well, I could make a bit where I analyze every predator in the game, but I simply cannot think of any that would be anywhere as fitting as a Sister Splinter

Not only is Sister Splinter a large predator, she's got a similarly brown shell, and fingered claws, which no other large predator we see has; one could argue it could be an unseen predator species, but "its something else we dont get to see" is quite a boring cop-out imo, and preferably left only for whenever there's no other explanation (although coming up with a whole new creature would be fun)

"But the talisman has 4 fingers! Sister Splinter only has 3!" I hear you saying, but here's the thing: the smallest fingers of the longclaw seem to be grouped almost as if to make the claw form three blades instead of 4, which Sister Splinter may be doing too; and even if she isn't holding two fingers together to act like one, she could instead be hidding her thumb within her outer barky shell, which honestly looks quite like a wide sleeve

In fact, I'm certain Sister Splinter does have 4 fingers, because every time a bug has a hand with multiple fingers, there are 4 in them, although some may be harder to see than others

The only exceptions I found in enemies of the first game are Elder Baldurs (their front limbs seem to have 5 fingers) (which I'd argue dont count as theirs arent exactly hands, not in the way discussed here), Sturdy Fools (3 fingers one of which is a thumb, yet their corpses dumped into Kingdom's Edge have 4) and Watcher Knights (only two fingers, no thumb, hard to argue if that even counts as a hand; however, promotional art shows them having normal 4 fingered hands)

Every other bug has more traditional claws like Huntress or the mantises, although vessels and Hallownest husks might suggest that a claw can evolve into a hand upon molting / growing

We also have two examples in which hands with 4 fingers are used to attack with three slashes

The other attack where GMS uses her claws also emphasizes the three fingers that aren't her thumb

Curiously enough, Hornet's Beast Crest slashes also follow this pattern, although this is more about the "beastness" of the fighting style than about her own claws, as she's still attacking with her needle; just another example of one's blade as conduit for one's aura, which in turn seems to be an expression of one's essence

And no, Ancestral Savage Beastfly doesn't have fingered talons

But why would there be a Sister Splinter in Putrified Ducts or Bilewater? well, it's not like Huntress couldn't simply have gotten it in a completely different area before settling in her current little crevice to care for her brood, but also, the Bilelands environment is rather similar to what can be seen in Shellwood, even in its current putrid state (Greyroot is present in both too lol)

So it is reasonable to think that the Splinter kin could easily adapt to such environment; in fact, it is possible they were living here or in some Shellwood-Bilewater nexus before claiming dominion over Shellwood

Regardless of what this predator was, I'm sure the reason Huntress has the longclaw is because she fought and ate the beast it was attached to

Hornet: This whole land keeps me cautious, tall one, and your claws look to have seen much sharp use. Yesss… I kill, gladly, but only to feed my ssshhhell, and my brood to come.

Plenty meat leftovers can be seen strewn about, and while I do think most of these large round shells are eggs, I cannot ignore a lot of them have legs attached

They could either be remains of mates consumed, or unrelated meat stock, or they could be host bugs for her brood to pupate in, a method used by parasitoid wasps; curious then, that her species is winged and capable of flight

Is that shameful? A mother who would not sacrifice herself for her children to grow sssstttrong? Is it wrong to want? To witnesss their first flight, their first hunt. To see them kill, and grow?

Stalk, and smell, and seek... Soar the caverns high... Chase the prey fled in fear... All must feed... That I may see your claws sharp... That I may know your masks bold...

In a way, her wings remind me of the pelt wings of Craw and Moorwing, just a little bit

Gotta love how Moorwing is actually throwing its bladed talon boots in its fight

Parasitizing corpses also reminds me of another thing

While we're talking about Huntress, and mimics, lets talk about Styx and Runt

Quite some differences beyond the similar mask and speech mannerism

Runt has the mask of their mother, but a neck plating quite similar to Styx which Huntress lacks; their abdomen's shell plating also points downwards like Styx and unlike Huntress

their wings are round like Styx too, but lack the same segmentation; Huntress' wings might be tattered from combat and age, but the shadows in the official render make me think it is naturally feathery or ragged like the pelt-wings mentioned before; it could also be that Huntress is wearing a coat which hides both the neck and the round wings, but her corpse and the color of Runt's wings make me think they're just her natural wings

Styx's behavior would perfectly complement Huntress, what with giving food in exchange for protection, in fact it seems like he was waiting for someone like her

Sssss! I saw you. I sssss-saw what you did! Strong you are, misstress! Sss-ssmall, but so so deadly. And your ssscent! Well-aged! Ssss! You have come to claim me, and I am yourssss. I am your humble sss-ssslave! Hornet: I've no interest in mastery over you, sir. If my slaying of these creatures aided you, it was merely by chance. Farewell. Farewell…? No… the sss-strong claim the weak, and the weak must sss-ssserve! I am yoursss, my mistress, and you muss-sst protect me! Sss-ssee what I have built here! Prepared, for the coming of my mistressss. My powerful missssss-tress! While you are away hunting, I will grow you… ssss-something good. But the work takesss time. Return to me sssss-soon, and you may have what I grow…

A ss-sslave must feed his misstress-sss. Morsss-sels will I grow. While you hunt, I am working… alwaysss-sss…

His nest is built out of rope (reed?) and bone, but while it is unique within Sinner's road, it is not an uncommon crafting method; it does however mean he must have gotten the materials somewhere else

Hornet: Sir, I have brought a Queen's Egg, at request of Bellhart's couriers. It was a hazardous journey, but the creature inside has made it here alive. Sssssss! How sss-ssublime! To think that my dear misss-stress would be the one to deliver the preciousss package! I had feared for the competence of those feeble couriersss… Hornet: It surprises me to know you correspond with them. I must wonder where else you go and who else you speak to after you scurry back up into the darkness… Ssss. My whispersss-ss travel far, misstressss. You need not worry yourssself with my comingsss and goingss-ss. All I do… is in your sssss-service.

So, is Runt the child of Huntress and Styx? or is Styx underdeveloped and thus presenting juvenile body traits? well, Styx is different in many other ways: different forelimbs, one more pair of legs, the legs bend differently, darker shell, the antlers on his mask are also slightly different; actually, that isn't his true mask at all

Notice how the memory lacks most of the head and the two front limbs, where all other memories show the bugs fully, and what we do see of the head doesn't coincide with the mask he's currently wearing, of which he has a spare for some reason

It is also odd just how much silk his lair has, it almost looks like the inside of a cocoon, but I guess it makes enough sense with their location above the silk farms of Greymoor and as a tender of Silkeaters; the bone net probably acts as a large dreg catcher...even though there doesn't seem to be much wind passing through that crevice

"Who to be? Who is me? The one who serves... The one who breeds... The one to fear... My strength or theirs?"

At first it may seem like what is being listed is different roles to choose from (slave, progenitor, beast), but on closer inspection all three describe very well his current persona (servant, breeding and tending Silkeaters, the one that fears, the one that is fearful)

That last line though, it is very emigmatic; it seems to be a callback to something he offhandledly says to Hornet

Misstress, you called for your ssss-slave? I obey… for you are ssss-sstronger. My gatheringsss can wait.

It would seem that Styx would make those weaker than him obey him, which is kind of what he does with Silkeaters if you think about it

The weak must serve.. The strong, provide... Our nest, our haven... Old laws, fresh wounds... The precious, sweet life... Seek... and hide...

But still..."my strenght or theirs"..what? which one prevails? which one he wants to have or use? unable to tell them apart?

Perhaps Styx prepares a different persona to deal with different individuals in different places, and this nest was readied for Huntress after he heard or saw of her, but didn't mind when Hornet got there first? (perhaps he misjudged where Huntress would go?)

There's mimicry for brood parasitism, there's mimicry to appear something more dangerous, there's mimicry to lure prey, but I have not heard of mimicry to appear a suitable mate for another species

Styx still puzzles me, even at the minimum of "an actor bug with many personas" or even when thinking of him possibly being a full blown shapeshifter

And why is he called Styx? because of the river of the dead? because of the dread oath? because it means shuddering? because in Dante's Inferno the river is instead a marsh? because something about him is stygian?

By comparison, the real shapeshifter is way easier to understand

Stolen face, stolen speech, stolen name, stolen voices and growls and noices, no needolin dialogue, it couldn't be any more obvious this is some sort of straightforward face stealer, one you can clearly tell just done stealing Styx's mask (and life)

it's funny how Styx's needolin ghost lacks the front forelimbs and the mask (as said earlier) while we can only see those same things of Skynx

However, it's not like Skynx stole the limbs too; in fact, Styx's body is mostly untouched, save for the head which has been completely chomped off, not just the mask but the whole thing: it is hard to see in-game, but you can see the neck and where it is broken off in the sprite

So it looks like Skynx specifically and exclusively ate Styx's head, maybe went specifically for his brain, his mind

Now, let's address the shapeshifter in the room

Everchanging icon of the faceless, Nosk sets a prime example of face stealing and shapeshifting, making the change from Styx to Skynx, adding the first and last letters of Nosk in reverse order (for a total of 3 letters out of 4 of Nosk's name within Skynx) rather cheeky, rather on the nose

Nosk's limb configuration of two pairs of legs with a third pair of shorter forelimbs even resembles Styx, with all 3 having those same forelimbs

Although, there are differences that have plenty people arguing that Nosk and Skynx aren't the same species, and that the name thing is merely just another nudge to the "shapeshifter" thing in general, or even just a red herring

Where Skynx stole another bug's physical mask, seems sapient, and merely trades rather than trying to predate on hornet, Nosk seems capable of simply reading a face out of another bug's memory, feeds by stalking and luring and actively hunting by using the victim's memories as a manipulation tactic

and also isn't limited to that limb configuration

However, I must object:

Is Nosk truly not sapient, or just under the effects of the infection?

Is Skynx truly sapient, or just employing a more complex mimicry, thanks to not being infected, which results in less risks taken?

And finally, are Nosk's masks truly completely fabricated from thin air, wholy stolen from the victim's mind, every single time, and nothing else?

There's this one vessel, exactly one vessel, who has been stripped off its head (or should I say mask?), much like how Styx's head is completely missing

I have always interpreted this to mean that Nosk took this vessel's mask and maybe modified it to match the knight's, and that it may do the same with other corpses for other victims

Notice also how the mask is the only thing that remains after Nosk is killed (besides a bunch of infection goo), with a distinct bone consistency to it

There's Winged Nosk, of course, and I do think it represents the knight's grown attachment to Hornet, but the logic of the encounter doesn't need to adhere to "Nosk literally grew that entire mask on its own", as it is a dream where the bosses don't need prep time (Sheo didn't need to ask Godseeker for some paint, or to go get some, he was simply dreaming of it and thus already has it at hand: Nosk's Hornet shaped mask would then be no different from Sheo's brush or Sly's nail)

It is also possible Skynx is a juvenile, and still building repertoire or experience, or the exact opposite and simply is experienced enough to know better than to try and trick Hornet

Or something unique about Hallownest may have changed Nosk, allow it to get new abilities

Or Team Cherry could've just decided to go by different rules this time around

Either way, it is quite curious that Nosk uses very dark thread, specially now that we know Silk is unique to the Weavers and is white because of Soul, and we dont see any other arachnid produce any kind of thread