thewhitefluffyhat

HKAM day 22- Shellwood

I've seen FAR TOO MANY TAKES, mostly on YouTube, that say that Hornet murdered the Green Prince in cold blood, because she wanted to have another heart for her house, or just for fun, etc

SO I am clearing that up by throwing my two-cent hat into the ring, which is:

The Green Prince was well on his way to committing suicide, and Hornet was more akin to his final witness than his murderer.

(also sorry if some quotes don't have screenshots,,, Such is the woes of someone who's already completed the game in its entirety,,,)

DAY 11 - DIVINE? #hkam26

She called us daughters... Called us divine... She lied...

Throwing and threefold pin

Sting shards and tacks

Longpin, curveclaw and curvesickle

Throwing ring and conchcutter

Pimpillo and claw mirrors

Silkshot

Delver's Drill

Cogwork wheel and sawtooth circlet

Cogfly and rosary cannon

Voltvessels and volt filament

Flintslate

Snare setter

Flea brew and egg of Flealia

Needle and Plasmium phials

Druid's eyes

Magma and Warding Bells

Pollip Pouch

Fractured Mask

Multibinder and Weavelight

Injector Band

Spool Extender

Reserve Bind

Memory Crystal

Snitch Pick and Thief's Mark

Quick Sling and Wreath of Purity

Longclaw

Wispfire Lantern

Pin Badge

Compass

Shard Pendant

Magnetite Brooch and Dice

Weighted Belt and Barbed Bracelet

Dead Bug's Purse and Shell Satchel

Scuttlebrace and Silkspeed Anklets

Ascendant's Grip

What if sherma gets taller as he gets older..?

A gleaming find for you climbing types. With this in your claw you'll be able to stick to walls for as long as you like!

There are many types of pitons, but judging by its function and complex look, the ascendant's grip is likely some sort of removable bolt

It seems like Sherma is carrying one of his own, which would certainly help in making the climb

I already talked about pins evolving from crafting (and particularly sewing / knitting / weaving) tools, but they could also have evolved from climbing tools at the same time, as showcased by pilgrim hikers, pitons are also called pins after all; the ancient pins found in the Chapel of the Wanderer could be another example of this

Hard-shelled bug with a climber's pin. Their pin, once aid, has become a weapon, though the bug is unrefined in its use.

There are many places where pitons connected by chain or rope, holding structures together, or even just lodged into the terrain on their own can be spotted, showing their extensive use by pilgrims, travellers, and the Citadel:

The high platform in Bone Bottom

Home of the Learned Pilgrim

When reaching Zylotol in the Wormways

Hidden rosary cache to the left of Bellhart

Within the Bellveins (there's so many ropes down there it would seem the veins are being held together by it)

A somewhat similar piton is used all over the place in Greymoor, seemingly holding some bamboo together

The bolts of the Slab, although some of them may be more like screw pins; the chains of First Sinner's cell are held by decently large ones

And finally, there's the Citadel's climbing efforts in Mt Fay, with the bladed poles to the side of the bench looking quite similar to ascendant's grip

You'll notice there's hanging rings near these, which seem to be their own climbing structure, although they're also part of levers and hanging mechanisms, such as the Architect / Chorus workshop, or the carriage up to slope side of Mt Fay (the rings you can stick to in that section are actually from collapsed carriages); they may even be part of early / privisional structural support

Shakra uses her rings alongside rope to form similar climbing supports, apparently as their own kind of piton even (to hold a flint lantern)

There's also these bone rings near skull cave, but who could've installed these?

The first suspects would be the Skarr, who use Tarmite masks as helmets, but the Skarr dont seem to use these rings at all, instead using different ones installed in poles

The only bone rings held in role in "Skarr territory" could be attributed to Sprintmaster Swift, who set shop nearby

With that in mind, I think the next best suspect is Seamstress, who does use the same kind of ring, same for Pinstress

It could also have been some other random wanderer, like Sprintmaster Swift, but that's less satisfying an answer

The locations and looks of some of these rings imply being thrown and wrappled into place, rather than placed with pitons, which is cool

It's fun how the Clawline Weaver's spikes kinda look like rings too

"...Dear one... ...Harden the path... ...Suffer no more... ...Held in our hearts... ...Remembered... ...Worthy..."

The purse shares motifs with a number of things in the midlands, but considering this belonged to a pilgrim whose grave and corpse is in (so presumably was going up) the Wormways, it makes the most sense for this to simply be made out of bone, shell shards, and the same rags as pilgrim garbs; could also be something inherited or tossed from a moorbug though

This grave is to the side of the Wormways pilgrimage route, which includes a gilded mechanical lift system, which would explain why this pilgrim would be carrying rosaries in a purse (as currency) as opposed to strings of prayer: the route itself is very old, judging by the stone architecture, but it was still active by the time the lifts were implemented

This route began in Mosshome, and reached into Shellwood; I wonder if the lifts going up all the way to Blasted Steps were implemented after an unseen bridge between Mosshome and Wormways collapsed, or if it was because the Wormways themselves became too unstable and dangerous for traversal

Either way I really like and wonder about the fact that Karn is by the side of this route, it makes me think of the weaver burial spire at the center of Mosshome, or even Cindril, but this time further gated behind an ancient stone door for some reason; I get the impression that Karn was even more of an isolationist than other weavers, even Absolom had at least teleporters and a welcome shrine

It's curious that the pilgrim was simply left in open air, as opposed to being buried; maybe this is the standard and the other corpses have simply been consumed by predators and scavengers, or even turned to fossils forming part of the floor, "Harden the path" (the lore tablet at the beginning of the Marrow comes to mind too)

This is also why they just tossed Pilby into the pit instead of digging a grave (which honestly would probably be hard in the bone and stone soil, specially with soft pilgrim claws)

Sing for our brother, who has died a devout death! All his pains and torments left behind, like the dust shrugged from a traveller's shawl. Farewell, brother Pilby. May your shell harden the path for others to tread.

Actually, I would like to look at the other grave sites

Wormways, Shellwood, Bonegrave and the Marrow all have wooden planks and stakes pierced by metal hooks; wood is something to be expected of Shellwood, but its presence in the lowlands is surprising

Is it driftwood? actively brought from the midlands by some bugs? the lowlands also generally favor bone over metal in most occassions, unlike the moors, save for the few uses of shell shards and cymbal offering shrines, so the metal hooks are equally out of place down there

Chapel of the Wanderer is pretty interesting, an ancient mausoleum made out of bone and fossilstone, with strung rosaries and what seems to be some of the oldest pins and pots from pilgrims, some featuring the onion and harp shapes characteristic of the Citadel; there's even a stray cymbal by the crest holder

Can't tell wether there's any bells in there or not though

"...Not worthy... ...Alone, without you... ...Climb and serve... ...Die and serve..."

"...Remember... ...We walked... ...We climbed... ...We fell... ...Once we wandered... ...The lands revealed..."

Here, the bodies of pilgrims are piled up and displayed in the walls, a motif that is seen in a couple other places, like in Blasted Steps, where I must assume that they're statues meant to give the message / impression of "those who came before and failed form and sustain the path forward" and "a chorus for those who approach the thresshold"

I can't tell if these ones in Shellwood are statues or actual husks, however

Pilgrim Spare a song for those who lay here silent. By strength abandoned, they fell before the final ascent.

Another kind of grave marker is these stone effigies adorned with rosary necklaces, which resemble clusters of souls as much as they resemble pilgrim heads; they give me the impression to be an older kind of grave

They kinda remind me of Jizo statues

In a similar vein, the cymbal holding pilgrim statues in the stone walls of the pilgrimage paths remind me of the statues and reliefs seen carved into niches in religious grottoes such as Longmen or Feilai Feng

The biggest outlier of this kind of grave is the one located deep into Stilkin territory: not only do Stilkin hate the Citadel and don't carry a single rosary, their side of the swamp has zero stone architecture

Judging by the path leading towards the last repose of Shakra's master, which is initially blocked by a Stilkin barricade, my best guess is that a group of pilgrims came this way from the seaside before burying or giving tribute to someone here and either continue or go back, long before the region got filled with waste and filth

Or it could've been the Seeker's secret money cache, who knows

There's one last graveyard to look at, and it is the big one at the center of Greymoor

Certainly the most ellaborate, modern, "official looking" of them all, with the Pharloom Seal within a dome made on the current style of the Citadel, of the same kind as the ones at Bellhart and Mosshome, seemingly being the destination of the lifts right below this room, which extend into the background

I still remember when I first saw the first trailer and thought we'd be exploring a large graveyard area full of plague doctor bugs, so I'm a bit sad it ended up just being one room

I wonder if it is exclusive to Moorbugs, or if Bellharters also get buried there; Plinney's wife is buried in Shellwood, but she may be an exception

Now, the shell satchel

That split shell design is not that uncommon, so it doesn't really indicate any specific origin

One of these seems to be an unused Greymoor prop though, found in the same spritesheet as the stuff in the Chapel of the Reaper

Wondering about what I think about shell shards themselves? I wrote plenty about them when covering the shard pendant

Pilgrims used to be quite crafty, with the Lowlands settlements (Mosshome but also a number of "homes" throughout the Marrow) not just being built out of bone, but actually doing traps (not dissimilar from the Skarr or the Stilkin) and machinery out of bone and rope as well

Travellers should always keep spare shards close by. We Bellharters were once praised for our fine claw-work. An art lost on most modern pilgrims... excepting yourself I'm sure.

One has to wonder what Bellhart's claw-work looked like; is it related to bells? the furniture you can buy? maybe related to the pinmasters?

Maybe the mite traps in Greymoor, but those were probably built by Moorbugs

The art of crafting may be mostly lost from pilgrims, but some still remain, like Flick, with his hammer which I think is made out of tusk

Aye, aye. You're a sharp bug! A wishwall. It's past time this old camp had one. As the resident fixer, I've taken it upon myself to sort it out.

Shames me to have left you in danger there, missy, but I'm no warrior, and my tools ain't no match for a creature like that. Hornet: It is well that you kept yourself safe. This settlement needs a fixer now, not a warrior.

Don't go thinkin' fear's keepin' me from my own pilgrimage! S'just there's a lotta work still to do here and few bugs able to do it.

As a reflection of Silksong's design philosophy, of having enemies meet Hornet with crafted tools of their own, on top of Hornet's own tool pouch, a decent number of enemies and allies carry pouches or bags, you can even find some when breaking open bags and sacks left around

So here I compile all bugs with some sort of satchel or bag from both games that I could remember

Close up:

The pick reminds me of a fishing hook, which in turn makes me think of the Bay; I wonder if we'll get some fishing hook related tool in Sea of Sorrow

It's cute how it sorta forms an "S" shape, for "snitch"

They're sort of all over Pharloom, and their hideout is in Blasted Steps (although I suspect that's just convenience due to proximity to the Citadel), but I can't help but wonder if snitchbugs could've reached Pharloom by sea, specially considering Grindle seems aware of other kingdoms

Hornet: You seem in good spirits, thief. Are you not disturbed by the great rending of the kingdom? Heh, end of the world don't bother ol' Grindle none. We'll just go find another one to plunder, won't we?

Although it could just be Grindle doesn't give a shit, or the inhabitants of this kingdom are more aware of outside lands in general, not being limited by a Beacon n all that

The idea of each kingdom being considered its own world is interesting, more so than Hallownest inhabitants simply being ignorant of lands beyond

Basic tool'o the job, here. Throw your big needle and scratch shinies straight off your target's shell!

Despite this tool being centered around the clawline, and Grindle calling it a "basic tool of the job", we don't see any snitchbugs use a harpoon of any kind, even though this does have a rope that could allow it to be thrown

Maybe the rope is to tie it to the needle, and snitchbugs simply tie it to their claws to then leap into their victims to steal head on

The animation is somewhat similar, if only because it's a simple swipe motion

I wonder if in Hornet's case the pick hooks into rosary and shard strings, or if it really scoops a bunch of them somehow

Their symbol being a feather or feathery wing is rather curious

It doesn't seem to simply be part of their bodies, as they dont really move them at all or fly, just jump, and Grindle himself wears them as antenna instead of wings (also, really funny that he's actually almost the same size as them, if lankier and with a better posture)

Although, they do be called Snitchflies, while Grindle calls himself a snitchbug (with TC calling him "a common snitchbug"); maybe they are a species feature after all, becoming their symbol, and maybe Grindle was simply adopted

Snitchflies also look quite similar to Crull, with Benjin looking similar to a roachcatcher (small round segmented body, antenna, the roachcatcher's cowl is probably hiding a white mask like Benjin's); although snitchbugs have a different shell color, more of a clear brown rather than a dull greyish blue

You might say the eyes are different too, but I'm inclined to believe snitchbugs are actually wearing some sort of googles, maybe part of hiding their faces

They look way too glassy to be their actual eyes imo, unless they're all at least partly blind and using smell to go about, which could be possible sure, but that would render the branding of the Thief's Mark kinda unnecessary

But I guess naturally white eyes could just be a thing, as odd as it is

Actually, just realized these differences (clear brown shell and white eyes) are the exact same differences Kratt has to the other fleas, which wear blue shells and have black eyes

It was already curious that he has a bell instead of a traditional flea carriage made out of shell, but now I'm suspicious of this creep

What secrets are you hidding, Kratt

And if Snitchflies look similar to Crull, is there a bug similar to Grindle?

Long noses are common enough, but that head shape is rather unique, very unique, only real match being a fossilized bug

Anyways I got sidetracked, back to the feathers

I have pointed out before how Grindle could be a parody or be parodying the Sentinels, with the first place you can find him in the Citadel being right above one of the rooms where you can find a cogwork heart piece

Still, Sentinel's feathers are very different when compared to the much more similar details of Forge Daughter's bell helmet

Both of these characters use plural pronouns, and this got me ready to dwelve into the possibility of plurality being common in Pharloom with the amount of Chapels and the possible cultures and practices around them, but turns out only these two and Grand Mother Silk actually use plural pronouns, with other examples like Nyleth being rather vague over if they're truly just referring to themselves or to a collective

It also turns out that Royal We is a thing, which could easily apply to both GMS and Forge Daughter, and Grindle's case is apparently just tropes on how bandits and such talk; so yeah this line of thought seems a dead end

Ancient depictions of the god Hermes, Mercury and of Roma depict them wearing winged helmets, and in the 19th century the winged helmet became widely used to depict the Celts. It was also used in romantic illustrations of legendary Norse gods and heroes. The motif, along with the horned helmet, became a clichéd signifier of the Northern warrior.

Celts, huh

But wait what's that about the god Hermes / Mercury?

Hermes (/ˈhɜːrmiːz/; Ancient Greek: Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves,[2] merchants, and orators.[3][4] He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine aided by his winged sandals. Hermes plays the role of the psychopomp or "soul guide"—a conductor of souls into the afterlife.[3]: 179, 295 [5]

Mercury (/ˈmɜːrkjʊri/; Latin: Mercurius [mɛrˈkʊrijʊs] ⓘ) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of boundaries, commerce, communication (including divination), eloquence, financial gain, languages, luck, thieves, travelers, and trickery; he is also the guide of souls to the underworld.[2][3]

A good number of these apply very well to the Sentinels, as guardians of the pilgrims tasked to bring them safe to the Citadel (which is why I wanted to bring it up in the reserve bind post but i forgot) but the mention of merchants (both Forge Daughter and Grindle) and thieves (Grindle, Snitchflies) is quite curious

...Or it could just be taking from Robin Hood and the rogue archetype in general

So, the Sentinels have the big feathers on the helmet of a knight, and Grindle has the feathered hat of a rogue, but what is Forge Daughter then?

they do kinda flap those wings as they stay briefly airborne

I'm cryin y'all the draft looks better 🥀 I give upppp

And here's the SpeedPaint

Cool how Hornet reverse grips the slate to use it; makes sense considering it is a quick retrieval from and to the pouch

It looks like the handle is a screw pin that was used to hold the original stone in place as it was cut and polished into a slate

Ngl delver's drill seems like a tool more fit for Deep Docks

maybe those drills were originally gonna be delivered there? Or were brought from there for repairs?

The location is curious, as it looks like the Flintgem used for the tool was taken from the cave walls

Yet Flintgem is an organ obtained from a Flintbeetle

There are four options here:

The gem isn't really an organ but something akin to a bezoar growing on an organ; Flintbeetles feed on flintgem rich ore and accumulate it on said organ

The gem can occur both naturally and on the organ through different processes

Dead Flintbeetles can form natural deposits of the gem, or maybe a generational accumulation of carcasses in dedicated burrows

Flintbeetles can leave a trace of flintgem powder so rich it can turn into / be considered flintgem on its own right

... hold on is this trace a turd?

Track down Flintbeetles in The Marrow and defeat them to collect Flintgems.

Flintbeetles can be tracked by their stone-sheddings and their aromic dung.

Oh it literally is

At first I thought Flintbeetles just ate flintstone and their digestion processed it into flintgem

But then I realized flintgem traces and outcrops are literally all over the place

These could all be traces from Flintbeetles, seeing how they are almost always embedded in fossilstone, and most of the time has that powdery look from their dungs, but still

Some of these could also be inert flintflame, which seems to be a more volatile form of flintgem

Flintstone acts similar to coal, or at the very least has a similar role as both a source of heat and fuel for the Cauldron

Flintgem on the other hand seems more similar to sulfur (called brimstone ("burning stone") in the past); this goes to explain the specification of Flintbeetle dung being "aromic"

However, it isn't wholy like sulfur: it might melt into a red color, like lava and like flintstone, but it burns with a blue flame

TC probably used flint in the name of all these minerals because of how it is used to spark fires (and also in how it is used to make blades in the case of the flintslate) but irl flint is a form of quartz, which isn't really volatile, the sparks coming from shaved off iron particles that react to the air

Spark bright… Defy the dark…

Is this implying the brightness of these ores and/or the lava were keeping the void at bay? Or even that these creatures seeking flint out is a defense mechanism against the void or the dark in general?

World's breath, distant call…

I wonder what this is about

...Endless heat..

Flintgem does seem to burn for a very long time, maybe even unnaturally long

...Pharloom's fury...

This reminds me of one of the ingredients ("Four stones rage-baked, crushed powder coarse") for Flickering Flame, the shaman recipe that seems to have been used to create the wisps (I'll cover this on the lantern's turn)

It's very cool that the Forebrothers also use flintslates

Wait, Forebrothers? what kind of name is that?

Is it a play on foreboding? sure, they seem like despicable bosses, and they guard the ominous diving bell, but it doesn't quite fit them y'know

Or is it forever brothers? well that makes even less sense

It would make more sense if they were called Forgebrothers, since their needolin talks about forging stuff

Wouldn't be the first time Team Cherry has such a typo, see no further than Mantis Petra in the first game, with petra meaning stone, something those enemies have nothing to do with, unlike ptera, meaning wings, like how they're characterized for being large flying mantis and the only ones capable of flight between the traitors

Wait, I was just informed that "foreman" (leader in a working crew) is a term that exists, and yeah that does make more sense

But still, where have I heard a similar naming scheme to "Forgebrothers" before...

A smith? Hardly so crude! We are Forge Daughter! How can a pointy bug not tell? Ours is the ancient line and honoured role. These docks and lands around are fortunate to have our skills.

Sent from our Forgehome we were, at request of those holy bugs above.

Forgehome, of ancient line and honoured role

Surely being part of such caste would make one worthy of the role of overseeing the Deep Docks

However, Forge Daughter only talks of forge daughters, no brothers whatsoever

Yes! An age ago that. Such is duty! We Forge Daughters live to hone the craft, and aid the line. By the Citadel's patronage, and our long duty upon these docks, our Forgehome would swell in holy esteem.

Now, this may be a hard stop to the idea that Signis and Gron are from the Forgehome, however, look at Forge Daughter's needolin dialogue

Heat it... Shape it... The work endures... Forged by holy duty... Tempered... moulded... For Pharloom everlasting... We continue the task...

It's the exact same needolin dialogue as the Forebrothers, even in their Haunting

So yeah, I'm positive in calling them Forgebrothers; we could go with saying that "Forebrothers" is a play in both foremen and forge brothers

Maybe when she says "We Forge Daughters live to hone the craft, and aid the line" she means that specifically the daughters dedicate themselves to crafting bells, and the brothers get the role of overseers

It would also come to question if their flintslates are just something they did for themselves on their own, or if they're expected to create such things

Daughters forging protections, Brothers forging shoveling tools and weapons

Now, Ballow also shares this needolin dialogue; wether this is because he's her assistant, or because he's just singing along, or because he's actually part of the line, or because he's the only sane smelt shoveler left, that's up to you to decide

Going back to Flintbeetles, or rather, the creatures inhabiting The Marrow in general, isn't it odd how there are lava slugs and lava spitting flies? (that last one is from far fields but shhh there's still lava over there)

Or how the area is named after and specially noted to be a huge conglomerate of bones, despite 90% of this world's soil being comprised of fossilstone and bones anyways?

If void is below all things, is lava always above the void? is this lava even the result of a world's hot core?

I'm gonna go directly to the point: I don't think this lava is merely the result of rocks getting really hot from geological processes

I think it is an extreme result from the digestive processes of some of the inhabitants of the marrow, not just bugs but even microorganisms, breaking down bone and rock for nutrients, biological and chemical processes of extreme exothermal results, through countles generations and ages, which continue to happen long after the flesh of those ancestral giants has already been consumed, only bone and a sluice of incredibly hot minerals left as evidence of their existence

(These all have the same needolin dialogue btw)

An argument could be made that The Marrow once looked like the grassy Far Fields, with the grass only recently receeding, as indicated by the Memorium and Gilly

But both of these also imply the lava was already there as well

In fact, I'd argue we see the distant titanic ancestors of tarmites in both Far Fields (their nest, outside of which they only start spawning after Hornet destroys it) and The Marrow (the shellwood connection skull)

You don't just have a nest of tarmites heavily feature this kind of skull and not expect to imply they're related

I wonder if the Marrow one having such weird teeth and worm-like throat is actually because it died with a worm in its mouth, maybe it bit more than it could chew