WEBVTT 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:15.110 If you were to ask me, “What is your favorite video game ever made?” 00:00:15.110 --> 00:00:18.320 I would have to say Cory in the House for the Nintendo 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:19.320 DS. 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.170 But Hollow Knight would be a close second. 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:28.779 Hollow Knight was released on February 24th, 2017 by Team Cherry, an indie game studio 00:00:28.779 --> 00:00:32.710 based in the mythical land of Adelaide, South Australia. 00:00:32.710 --> 00:00:36.300 Over the past three years, Hollow Knight has become an indie darling. 00:00:36.300 --> 00:00:42.360 The game has sold over three and a half million copies, it was the opening game at AGDQ 2019. 00:00:42.360 --> 00:00:49.260 There’s a Hollow Knight book, a line of plushies, T-shirts, nicotine patches, nuclear 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:53.530 warheads, and even vinyl records for all you goddamn hipsters. 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:56.090 Team Cherry had one goal when making Hollow Knight. 00:00:56.090 --> 00:01:01.269 They wanted to create a world that allowed players to get completely lost in exploration. 00:01:01.269 --> 00:01:04.140 We can see this desire in Hollow Knight’s design. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:08.860 The levels in Hollow Knight are massive, with secrets and rewards hidden in every nook and 00:01:08.860 --> 00:01:14.000 cranny, be that powerful charms, special abilities or uhh... 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:17.700 The game’s navigation system requires the player to work for their map, forcing them 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:21.210 to make a stronger mental image of the world in their head. 00:01:21.210 --> 00:01:26.090 Christopher Larkin’s score and Ari Gibson’s artwork lend to this as well, creating an 00:01:26.090 --> 00:01:28.400 atmosphere that the player won’t want to leave. 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:35.060 But there’s one aspect of Hollow Knight that keeps people like me coming back: the 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:38.170 world building. 00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:44.539 When Super Metroid launched in 1994, it stood out for its amazing sense of immersion. 00:01:44.539 --> 00:01:49.870 Now in 1994, I was busy not being alive, but I’ve watched enough YouTube video essays 00:01:49.870 --> 00:01:53.430 to know that this game was a big deal. 00:01:53.430 --> 00:01:57.229 In case you didn’t know, Super Metroid is basically the granddaddy of all Metroidvanias. 00:01:57.229 --> 00:02:01.140 That’s why they’re called “MetroidVANIAs”. 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:05.450 Now in Super Metroid, there are moments that give the player a sense of depth. 00:02:05.450 --> 00:02:09.940 Basically the feeling that this world exists outside of Samus’ interactions with it. 00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:14.620 In the room right before that diabetic crocodile thing, Samus can find the corpse of a random 00:02:14.620 --> 00:02:15.620 soldier. 00:02:15.620 --> 00:02:19.370 His inclusion here doesn’t change the gameplay at all, but instead gives the player a sense 00:02:19.370 --> 00:02:22.050 of wonder about the world they are exploring. 00:02:22.050 --> 00:02:23.660 Who was this guy? 00:02:23.660 --> 00:02:25.180 Why was he here in the first place? 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:27.640 Did he like jazz? 00:02:27.640 --> 00:02:31.620 Now finding dead bodies and other random garbage is pretty cool, right? 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:34.450 Well, Hollow Knight basically does the same thing. 00:02:34.450 --> 00:02:37.040 About a dozen times. 00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:41.040 Through its world building, Hollow Knight turns Hallownest into a living kingdom. 00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:45.100 You can sense the ancient history of the land when you look at dilapidated structures or 00:02:45.100 --> 00:02:47.530 giant barred doors. 00:02:47.530 --> 00:02:52.480 Nothing feels like it was put into the game randomly; there’s a reason for it all. 00:02:52.480 --> 00:02:55.010 Except those reasons aren’t the easiest to uncover. 00:02:55.010 --> 00:02:59.420 Hollow Knight’s narrative is buried under layers of NPC dialogue, item descriptions, 00:02:59.420 --> 00:03:05.070 lore tablets, and even additional content like the Quirrel comic and Fangamer’s Wanderer’s 00:03:05.070 --> 00:03:06.070 Journal. 00:03:06.070 --> 00:03:10.280 These past three years have seen an insane amount of research by the Hollow Knight community 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:13.230 to make sense of Team Cherry’s sprawling world. 00:03:13.230 --> 00:03:18.170 We’ve even made it to the point where people are looking at the in-game signs to try and 00:03:18.170 --> 00:03:21.110 decipher Hallownest’s logographic language. 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:25.720 In this video, I hope to give you a long and detailed look into the world of Hollow Knight, 00:03:25.720 --> 00:03:28.450 exploring Hallownest’s history and uncertain future. 00:03:28.450 --> 00:03:34.400 When I’m not busy making surprisingly accurate Super Smash Brothers roster speculation videos, 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:39.660 or insightful podcasts about beloved subjects like the Donkey Kong Country television series, 00:03:39.660 --> 00:03:43.770 or whatever this was supposed to be, I’m usually making videos about Hollow Knight. 00:03:43.770 --> 00:03:49.010 And while I am a seasoned Hollow Knight lore expert, I cannot confirm that every musing 00:03:49.010 --> 00:03:52.330 or theory presented in this video is completely correct. 00:03:52.330 --> 00:03:57.070 I highly recommend checking out the lore section of the Hollow Knight Wiki if you want a more 00:03:57.070 --> 00:03:59.270 neutral explanation of Hollow Knight’s lore. 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:05.230 But if you’re too lazy to read, then I suggest you sit back, order some Domino’s pizza 00:04:05.230 --> 00:04:10.420 or just grab a block of cheese from the fridge, and enjoy the mostly complete lore of Hollow 00:04:10.420 --> 00:04:12.110 Knight. 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:20.350 It’s a simple fact of life that every human worships a god, be that technology, ideologies, 00:04:20.350 --> 00:04:23.180 or in rare cases, God. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:27.199 As it turns out, the bugs in Hallownest pretty much operate in the same way. 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:32.420 From the mosskin born from the dream of a giant slug, to the emo kids of the Ancient 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:36.509 Civilization who literally worshipped the darkness, there is no shortage of things to 00:04:36.509 --> 00:04:38.819 worship in the world of Hollow Knight. 00:04:38.819 --> 00:04:42.949 Our story begins with a creature very much worthy of worship: a creature born from the 00:04:42.949 --> 00:04:45.119 carcass of a Wyrm. 00:04:45.119 --> 00:04:49.009 The carcass can still be found in the Kingdom’s Edge and it’s our only good look at what 00:04:49.009 --> 00:04:51.120 Wyrms actually looked like. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:55.919 At the time Hollow Knight occurs, it is suggested there are no Wyrms left in the world. 00:04:55.919 --> 00:04:59.789 They were incredibly long creatures that featured little to no limbs. 00:04:59.789 --> 00:05:04.419 Another, more mysterious property of Wyrms was that they had some kind of prescience 00:05:04.419 --> 00:05:05.580 or foresight. 00:05:05.580 --> 00:05:08.259 Basically, they could see the future to some capacity. 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:11.569 It isn’t clear how effective this ability was. 00:05:11.569 --> 00:05:16.520 Considering how the entire race went extinct, this foresight ability must have been pretty 00:05:16.520 --> 00:05:17.729 shit. 00:05:17.729 --> 00:05:21.550 Getting back to this particular Wyrm carcass, it is explained that this Wyrm traveled across 00:05:21.550 --> 00:05:25.259 the distant mountains and wastelands beyond Hallownest. 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:29.340 Once it arrived in Hallownest, the Wyrm died. 00:05:29.340 --> 00:05:30.800 Except not really. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:35.180 Inside the maw of the carcass sits a pale, broken egg, out of which hatched a new form 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:38.379 of Wyrm, a being of meager shell. 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:42.819 This form of the Wyrm is usually referred to as the Pale King, and he’s the character 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:47.349 basically responsible for everything that happens in Hollow Knight. 00:05:47.349 --> 00:05:52.919 The Pale King is a higher being, a type of creature that exists above all others. 00:05:52.919 --> 00:05:57.039 His body was said to shine with a radiant vistage that harmed those who looked upon 00:05:57.039 --> 00:05:58.039 him. 00:05:58.039 --> 00:06:01.400 The ultimate goal of the Pale King seemed to be in line with that of other Wyrms. 00:06:01.400 --> 00:06:04.750 A line from the cryptic Mister Mushroom reads: 00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:09.229 ...Wyrms pull bugs into their thrall, Till ages pass and kingdoms fall, 00:06:09.229 --> 00:06:12.050 In other words, it’s just in their nature. 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:17.939 Dogs wag their tails, cats bury their shit, and Wyrms bring massive amounts of bugs into 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:22.840 their service in order to form long standing kingdoms and civilizations. 00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:26.889 And here in a far corner of the world, the Pale King emerged from the corpse of his former 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:30.689 self and began to build his eternal kingdom, Hallownest. 00:06:30.689 --> 00:06:33.340 There’s just one slight problem. 00:06:33.340 --> 00:06:37.069 There’s like… people already living there. 00:06:37.069 --> 00:06:43.090 The area that would eventually become Hallownest was already filled with mantises, bees, moths, 00:06:43.090 --> 00:06:46.999 spiders, mushrooms, and bush cosplayers. 00:06:46.999 --> 00:06:51.150 Each of these groups were already operating with their own cultures and societies, and 00:06:51.150 --> 00:06:54.569 each group had a different interaction with the Pale King. 00:06:54.569 --> 00:06:58.160 One of the more receptive groups to the arrival of the Pale King were the mushrooms of the 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.060 Fungal Wastes. 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:04.460 These creatures were able to communicate with one another through one shared mind. 00:07:04.460 --> 00:07:08.680 The mushrooms viewed this shared mind as a strength, and they were kinda smug dickheads 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:09.680 about it. 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:14.229 Ultimately, the mushrooms wearly accepted the Pale King’s rule, viewing his foresight 00:07:14.229 --> 00:07:17.230 as a shield to the dangers of the future. 00:07:17.230 --> 00:07:20.909 Another group living in the Fungal Wastes is the Mantis Tribe. 00:07:20.909 --> 00:07:24.759 The mantises have a rich cultural history reaching back to long before the birth of 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:26.199 Hallownest. 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:31.090 The mantises are a proud tribe, believing in the importance of proving one’s physical 00:07:31.090 --> 00:07:32.090 strength. 00:07:32.090 --> 00:07:36.340 The mantises are fiercely territorial but will show respect to those who display great 00:07:36.340 --> 00:07:37.470 power. 00:07:37.470 --> 00:07:41.969 These Fight Club enthusiasts were lead by four powerful Mantis Lords who I guess just 00:07:41.969 --> 00:07:45.229 kinda sat around waiting for outsiders to challenge them. 00:07:45.229 --> 00:07:49.479 The Mantis Tribe had no interest in the Pale King’s kingdom, but the two communities 00:07:49.479 --> 00:07:51.270 did come to a truce. 00:07:51.270 --> 00:07:55.909 In exchange for their independence from Hallownest, the Mantis Tribe kept the beasts of Deepnest 00:07:55.909 --> 00:07:57.999 from invading Hallownest. 00:07:57.999 --> 00:08:02.300 Not sure why they didn’t just go out the other exits from Deepnest, but whatever. 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:04.219 I’m not an expert on border patrol. 00:08:04.219 --> 00:08:06.169 I don’t work at ICE anymore. 00:08:06.169 --> 00:08:08.499 Let’s move on to Deepnest. 00:08:08.499 --> 00:08:13.029 Now many of the different tribes of Hallownest were kind enough to leave lore tablets behind 00:08:13.029 --> 00:08:16.330 detailing pretty much everything we need to know about them. 00:08:16.330 --> 00:08:19.909 Unfortunately the bugs of Deepnest didn’t do that. 00:08:19.909 --> 00:08:24.249 We know that the spiders of Deepnest had a monarchy because why not. 00:08:24.249 --> 00:08:26.199 Those are always good, right? 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:29.849 Also within Deepnest are a separate group of spiders that immigrated to Deepnest at 00:08:29.849 --> 00:08:31.620 some point in the past. 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:35.530 This group was known as the Weavers, and they established their own culture and history 00:08:35.530 --> 00:08:36.669 within Deepnest. 00:08:36.669 --> 00:08:41.680 They used looms of silk to weave stories, spells and shields. 00:08:41.680 --> 00:08:44.660 One thing we know for sure about Deepnest is that they really didn’t want anything 00:08:44.660 --> 00:08:46.430 to do with Hallownest. 00:08:46.430 --> 00:08:50.370 The struggles of Deepnest-Hallownest relations would become painfully clear as time goes 00:08:50.370 --> 00:08:55.660 on, but for right now, it seems like the two remained fairly isolated from one another. 00:08:55.660 --> 00:08:58.440 Another section of pre-Hallownest includes Greenpath. 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:03.040 Now as far as we can tell, the Mushrooms, Mantises and spiders of Deepnest didn’t 00:09:03.040 --> 00:09:04.670 worship any Higher Beings. 00:09:04.670 --> 00:09:08.540 There is this giant mushroom corpse in the Fungal Core, but I don’t think this is a 00:09:08.540 --> 00:09:09.540 Higher Being. 00:09:09.540 --> 00:09:12.020 I mean, who the hell would want to worship a fatass mushroom? 00:09:12.020 --> 00:09:13.340 Fatass slugs? 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:15.310 Now that’s dope. 00:09:15.310 --> 00:09:19.640 The land we know as Greenpath was created by the Higher Being known as Unn. 00:09:19.640 --> 00:09:25.270 Unn used her great mind to dream the vegetation of Greenpath into the once barren caverns. 00:09:25.270 --> 00:09:30.860 Unn’s followers, the Mosskin, were also born out of Unn’s dream, making her their 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:31.980 creator. 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:35.680 Greenpath at its heigth was actually much larger than what we see ingame. 00:09:35.680 --> 00:09:40.020 At one point, Greenpath stretched into both modern day Queen’s Gardens and possibly 00:09:40.020 --> 00:09:41.310 Fog Canyon. 00:09:41.310 --> 00:09:45.640 Greenpath’s citizens showed themselves to be a fairly developed society. 00:09:45.640 --> 00:09:49.670 They built a temple at the Lake of Unn in order to worship her, and they even had their 00:09:49.670 --> 00:09:55.090 own line of defense, with Moss Knights showing proficiency in combat, using nails and shells 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:56.090 as weapons. 00:09:56.090 --> 00:10:01.540 The Law of Unn continued to remain in effect even after the Pale King arrived, but it seems 00:10:01.540 --> 00:10:05.460 like they allowed the King to establish a road through their lands leading travelers 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:09.340 to the Heart of Hallownest, hence the name Greenpath. 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:14.470 Yeah, Team Cherry really racked their brains when naming this area, didn’t they? 00:10:14.470 --> 00:10:16.160 Next we have the Bees. 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:20.100 And while there is no lore on how these bees can turn into fucking drills, or how they 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:25.430 can ignore all known laws of aviation, we do know how they reacted to the Pale King. 00:10:25.430 --> 00:10:29.610 These bugs decided to seal their hive off from the rest of the world, with only patrol 00:10:29.610 --> 00:10:32.460 bees being able to enter and exit the Hive. 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.500 So yeah, the bees are pretty much pointless in this story. 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:37.240 And finally, we have the moth tribe. 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:42.630 In game, the only moth settlement is the Resting Grounds, but the tribe might have also inhabited 00:10:42.630 --> 00:10:44.790 the Crystal Peak at one point. 00:10:44.790 --> 00:10:49.380 Now as we all know, moths in real life are just complete assholes. 00:10:49.380 --> 00:10:53.870 As for moths in Hollow Knight, well… it’s a bit complicated. 00:10:53.870 --> 00:10:58.590 The moth race is described as being a rather pacifist group, with few ever choosing to 00:10:58.590 --> 00:11:00.250 take up a weapon. 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:04.990 During the Pale King’s reign, the moth race delved amongst dreams and the dead, displaying 00:11:04.990 --> 00:11:09.310 the importance of remembering those who have passed, as well as learning how to shape dreams 00:11:09.310 --> 00:11:10.680 themselves. 00:11:10.680 --> 00:11:16.840 Similar to the Mosskin, the Moth Tribe was born from a Higher Being known as the Radiance. 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:21.310 The Radiance is described as being a light in which the Moth Tribe basked. 00:11:21.310 --> 00:11:24.390 So she was basically a giant lamp to them. 00:11:24.390 --> 00:11:28.430 Another important aspect about the Radiance is her ties to dreams and a substance known 00:11:28.430 --> 00:11:29.430 as Essence. 00:11:29.430 --> 00:11:34.530 Essence are the remnants of wishes and dreams, and are represented in game by these dream 00:11:34.530 --> 00:11:36.770 catcher particle effects. 00:11:36.770 --> 00:11:41.290 Essence can take the form of Whispering Roots as well as Dream ghosts, both of which are 00:11:41.290 --> 00:11:43.820 memories taking root in the world. 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:48.280 The Radiance appears to be a creature made of Essence, but she isn’t the only Higher 00:11:48.280 --> 00:11:50.250 Being to give off Essence. 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:55.490 Unn has green particles, the Pale King has grey particles, and this sexy character named 00:11:55.490 --> 00:11:58.540 Grimm gives off fiery red particles. 00:11:58.540 --> 00:12:03.580 However, the Radiance appears to be the main god when it comes to dreams, even if other 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:06.780 gods also dabble in the Dream Realm. 00:12:06.780 --> 00:12:10.630 Getting back to the Moth Tribe, it is their interaction with the Pale King that we need 00:12:10.630 --> 00:12:11.790 to discuss. 00:12:11.790 --> 00:12:16.130 Basically, the moths turned their backs on the Radiance completely, in order to worship 00:12:16.130 --> 00:12:19.840 the new light that had appeared, the Pale King’s light. 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:23.870 So yeah, moths are assholes in this game too. 00:12:23.870 --> 00:12:28.480 With her tribe forsaking her, the Radiance became a forgotten memory, a remnant of the 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:33.960 past, and a thing that’s definitely not going to come up again later in the video. 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:38.280 And so the Pale King’s new kingdom was established: Hallownest. 00:12:38.280 --> 00:12:41.300 But there is one aspect of Hallownest that we need to discuss. 00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:47.060 Unfortunately, to better understand this, we’re going to have to read some poetry. 00:12:47.060 --> 00:12:50.980 In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret, 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:54.810 For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, 00:12:54.810 --> 00:12:59.150 Under palest watch, you taught, we changed, base instincts were redeemed, 00:12:59.150 --> 00:13:03.150 A world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed. 00:13:03.150 --> 00:13:08.360 This is from a poem titled Elegy for Hallownest written by Monomon the Teacher. 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:12.271 The poem appears at the beginning of every playthrough and hints at what the Pale King 00:13:12.271 --> 00:13:14.120 and his kingdom offered. 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:18.200 Much of the land outside of Hallownest appears to be a wasteland, where bugs survive off 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.280 of instinct without the burden of mind. 00:13:21.280 --> 00:13:25.370 Hallownest somehow taught these bugs and tamed their savagery. 00:13:25.370 --> 00:13:30.390 Basically the Pale King changed the instincts of his subjects and granted them higher thought. 00:13:30.390 --> 00:13:36.000 To get a better picture of this, let’s look at two different characters: Boon and Tuk. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.730 These adorable panda bug things give us a clear display of Hallownest’s effect. 00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:45.850 While both appear to be the same species of bug, Boon is dumb as a sack of rocks, struggling 00:13:45.850 --> 00:13:49.750 to string together words, while Tuk speaks fairly clearly. 00:13:49.750 --> 00:13:54.290 The main difference between these two characters is that while Boon lives outside of Hallownest, 00:13:54.290 --> 00:13:57.190 Tuk lives beneath the city’s capital. 00:13:57.190 --> 00:14:01.680 Basically, it appears as though Hallownest is a literal holy ground that raises the intelligence 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:03.800 of those who dwell within. 00:14:03.800 --> 00:14:08.060 The Pale King established a path, starting from the kingdom’s entrance in King’s 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:12.780 Pass, winding through Greenpath and the Fungal Wastes, and finally ending at the massive 00:14:12.780 --> 00:14:15.060 capital at Hallownest’s Heart. 00:14:15.060 --> 00:14:20.030 We now know the capital city as the City of Tears, but this was likely not its original 00:14:20.030 --> 00:14:21.030 name. 00:14:21.030 --> 00:14:25.070 The rain that falls down onto the city from the Blue Lake above didn’t begin until after 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:26.700 the kingdom collapsed. 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:30.780 So unless the capital was originally named by some edgy literature student, the name 00:14:30.780 --> 00:14:34.240 City of Tears wouldn’t have made much sense. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:38.350 The King’s motivation for all this appears to have been his desire to be worshipped. 00:14:38.350 --> 00:14:42.800 The citizens of Hallownest believed that the Pale King created the world and everything 00:14:42.800 --> 00:14:43.800 in it. 00:14:43.800 --> 00:14:47.440 Shrines to the King can be found scattered throughout the kingdom, and King’s Idols 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:51.470 were created and distributed to followers of the King. 00:14:51.470 --> 00:14:55.660 Despite the worship, the Pale King often kept himself hidden from his subjects, possibly 00:14:55.660 --> 00:14:56.990 to hide his blemishes. 00:14:56.990 --> 00:15:02.210 I mean, if you look at the size of the real Pale King to his statue in the Ancient Basin, 00:15:02.210 --> 00:15:04.700 the man is clearly overcompensating. 00:15:04.700 --> 00:15:08.770 The Pale King’s White Palace was also built underneath the city, separating him from his 00:15:08.770 --> 00:15:10.960 subjects even moreso. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:15.270 At the same time, the certain powers became shunned in Hallownest, though we don’t know 00:15:15.270 --> 00:15:19.120 for sure if the Pale King had anything to do with this. 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:22.980 Lifeblood is a blue liquidy substance that leaves those who drink it feeling refreshed. 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:27.610 However, the use of lifeblood was seen as a taboo, and those who used it were demonized 00:15:27.610 --> 00:15:29.230 as heretics. 00:15:29.230 --> 00:15:31.940 The use of soul for combat was also shunned. 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:37.600 Soul is a sort of lifeforce in Hollow Knight that animates the bodies of living creatures. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:41.840 But some characters are able to control the soul of others to conjure powerful spirits. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:46.840 But aside from a few exceptions, no citizens of Hallownest ever used this power. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.160 However, the Pale King didn’t rule Hallownest alone. 00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:54.650 There was another Higher Being in the mix, a being known as the White Lady. 00:15:54.650 --> 00:15:59.380 The White Lady is this weird root-like being that can be found in the modern day Queen’s 00:15:59.380 --> 00:16:00.380 Gardens. 00:16:00.380 --> 00:16:04.470 She is encased inside a strange cocoon, and we know very little about her. 00:16:04.470 --> 00:16:08.650 With as much exposition we get for the Pale King, there is next to nothing on the White 00:16:08.650 --> 00:16:09.650 Lady. 00:16:09.650 --> 00:16:14.560 But one thing we do know is she likes to breed... like a lot. 00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:19.020 The White Lady would often retreat to the Queen’s Gardens, an area of land once controlled 00:16:19.020 --> 00:16:20.790 by the Mosskin. 00:16:20.790 --> 00:16:25.480 How exactly she walked around and actually went places is a lore question to deep for 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:27.430 even my expertise. 00:16:27.430 --> 00:16:32.090 The White Lady is also known as a Pale being, along with the Pale King. 00:16:32.090 --> 00:16:33.730 What exactly are Pale Beings? 00:16:33.730 --> 00:16:38.240 Well, we don’t really know for sure, but they seem to stand out even amongst Higher 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:40.550 Beings as being even more powerful. 00:16:40.550 --> 00:16:44.990 I know that’s a little confusing, so let’s try using an example. 00:16:44.990 --> 00:16:52.280 I’d say that regular higher beings are like a TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band 00:16:52.280 --> 00:16:59.820 Gigabit Router while Pale Beings are like the Asus RT-AX88U AX6000 Dual-Band 8x Gigabit 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:01.180 Wifi Router. 00:17:01.180 --> 00:17:05.490 Under the Pale King, Hallownest underwent a bit of an industrial revolution. 00:17:05.490 --> 00:17:09.819 He ordered the construction of the stagways, which were used to transport passengers and 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:10.819 goods. 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:15.189 The Forgotten Crossroads and the storerooms above the City of Tears were used to store 00:17:15.189 --> 00:17:18.120 goods that traveled along these stagways. 00:17:18.120 --> 00:17:22.280 The King also ordered the construction of the tramways because literally no one is safe 00:17:22.280 --> 00:17:24.079 from the threat of automation. 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.929 A tram was built between the Forgotten Crossroads and the Resting Grounds. 00:17:27.929 --> 00:17:33.809 A second tram was built from the Kingdom’s Edge, across the Ancient Basin, over to Deepnest. 00:17:33.809 --> 00:17:38.610 And then a third tram was started in Deepnest and attempted to go further into Deepnest. 00:17:38.610 --> 00:17:42.750 Not sure how useful that would have been to the bugs of Hallownest, but whatever. 00:17:42.750 --> 00:17:45.700 The Pale King’s a smart guy, I’m not gonna question him. 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:50.399 But anyway, the Pale King’s super smart plan to build a tram in Deepnest ended up 00:17:50.399 --> 00:17:53.000 getting a few of his tram workers killed. 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:57.260 The bugs of Deepnest rejected the Pale King’s attempt to build a tram in their territory, 00:17:57.260 --> 00:18:00.600 further cementing the poor relations shared between the two groups. 00:18:00.600 --> 00:18:05.850 Aside from convenient fast travel, regular pathways were also used to cart goods around 00:18:05.850 --> 00:18:07.220 the kingdom. 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:11.649 From this was born probably one of the most important groups in Hallownest and perhaps 00:18:11.649 --> 00:18:13.080 even all of fiction. 00:18:13.080 --> 00:18:19.299 An elusive guild of bugs simply known as menderbugs took to maintaining the various signs scattered 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.470 throughout Hallownest. 00:18:20.470 --> 00:18:25.789 From the journal entry of one Menderbug, we can catch a glimpse into their ancient and 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:27.630 unknowable minds. 00:18:27.630 --> 00:18:32.519 Dear Dear Diary, Isn't life just the most beautiful thing. 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:35.690 Fixing signs, mending posts, let them break I say! 00:18:35.690 --> 00:18:38.230 I'm a better mender for all that repairing. 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:44.499 I sometimes doubt there's a single bug in all of Hallownest happier than me. 00:18:44.499 --> 00:18:49.340 Another example of the Pale King’s expanding infrastructure is the Crystal Peak. 00:18:49.340 --> 00:18:54.139 This area is filled with crystals that grow rapidly along walls, ceilings, and even the 00:18:54.139 --> 00:18:56.200 shells of certain bugs. 00:18:56.200 --> 00:19:00.169 These crystals were considered valuable to the bugs of Hallownest, resulting in large 00:19:00.169 --> 00:19:02.110 scale mining efforts. 00:19:02.110 --> 00:19:06.190 We don’t actually see the crystals used anywhere else in Hallownest, but they are 00:19:06.190 --> 00:19:08.320 said to be able to contain a sort of energy. 00:19:08.320 --> 00:19:12.460 The crystals are also said to sing if you listen very carefully. 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:20.519 ♫ A strange angelic singing ♫ 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:25.260 In terms of military, Hallownest’s first line of defense appeared to be a group simply 00:19:25.260 --> 00:19:28.220 known as the Five Great Knights. 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:36.240 The members of this esteemed coalition were Ogrim, Hegemol, Ze’mer, Dryya, and Isma. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:41.360 For being so important, most of the information about these Knights has been lost to time. 00:19:41.360 --> 00:19:46.230 Ogrim is the Knight we know most about, since he is one of the few Knights still alive during 00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:47.789 the events of the game. 00:19:47.789 --> 00:19:52.419 Ogrim expressed a great amount of loyalty towards the King, and he maybe had something 00:19:52.419 --> 00:19:54.090 going on with Isma. 00:19:54.090 --> 00:19:55.600 But we really don’t know. 00:19:55.600 --> 00:19:59.220 Hegemol was known for his sense of humor and his soft spoken voice. 00:19:59.220 --> 00:20:03.470 But at the same time, he was also dummy thicc. 00:20:03.470 --> 00:20:07.700 Mysterious Ze’mer arrived in Hallownest from a serene land, bringing with her a collection 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:09.590 of delicate flowers. 00:20:09.590 --> 00:20:15.090 At some point, she also got into a relationship with a mantis, but not just any mantis, a 00:20:15.090 --> 00:20:17.129 daughter of one of the Mantis Lords. 00:20:17.129 --> 00:20:22.159 So yeah, it seems like some of these Great Knights were slaying in more ways than one. 00:20:22.159 --> 00:20:27.499 All we really know about Dryya is that she was fierce, caring and wise. 00:20:27.499 --> 00:20:30.980 As for Isma, she was described as being kind. 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:35.480 She also appears to be some kind of weird plant life form, but there’s no information 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:38.480 on where she’s from or what her powers were. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:42.990 The Five Great Knights played an important role in the Champion’s Call, the Knotted 00:20:42.990 --> 00:20:45.700 Grove, and the Battle of the Blackwyrm. 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:50.020 We have no idea what these events were or how they affected Hallownest, but they sound 00:20:50.020 --> 00:20:52.070 cool nonetheless. 00:20:52.070 --> 00:20:55.909 During Hallownest’s reign, there was another strange area that seemed to exist separate 00:20:55.909 --> 00:20:57.279 from the Pale King’s rule. 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:02.249 Carved out of the corpse of an ancient bug, an arena called the Colosseum of Fools was 00:21:02.249 --> 00:21:06.909 constructed, and it was a destination for warriors from outside Hallownest. 00:21:06.909 --> 00:21:12.260 The sole purpose for fighting in the Colosseum appeared to be simply for glory, with a mysterous 00:21:12.260 --> 00:21:15.309 figure known as the Lord Fool overseeing the combat. 00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:20.381 We don’t know when the Colosseum was constructed, or if the Pale King was involved, but one 00:21:20.381 --> 00:21:25.869 of his servants, the Pale Lurker, became a champion in the Colosseum, perhaps indicating 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:27.730 the Pale King’s approval. 00:21:27.730 --> 00:21:32.600 Finally, there was the Royal Waterways, where the fecal excrement of the kingdom was washed 00:21:32.600 --> 00:21:34.809 out into the Fungal Wastes. 00:21:34.809 --> 00:21:39.360 This area saw the rise of a species of parasite-like creatures called the Flukes. 00:21:39.360 --> 00:21:45.090 The Flukes spawn from the Flukemarm, a giant monster with cavities in which tinier flukes 00:21:45.090 --> 00:21:46.090 live. 00:21:46.090 --> 00:21:49.600 There really isn’t too much lore involved with the Flukes, but I do need to point out 00:21:49.600 --> 00:21:52.759 that Flukemarm is canonicall a MILF. 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:55.669 Like, that’s not even debatable. 00:21:55.669 --> 00:22:01.630 The sky is blue, 2 + 2 = 4, and we all want to fuck this thing. 00:22:01.630 --> 00:22:04.399 And so this was the Kingdom of Hallownest at its height. 00:22:04.399 --> 00:22:09.570 Hallownest was a vast kingdom connected by a network of stagways and tram stations. 00:22:09.570 --> 00:22:13.840 The bugs of Hallownest mourned their dead in the Resting Grounds, engaged in commerce 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:19.309 using Geo, the de facto currency of the region, and a thriving capital located in the middle 00:22:19.309 --> 00:22:20.840 of the kingdom. 00:22:20.840 --> 00:22:25.470 The Pale King had succeeded in crafting a full blown society, but we all know there 00:22:25.470 --> 00:22:28.529 are pitfalls to living in a society. 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:33.380 As the suspiciously knowledgeable Hunter points out in his journal, the Pale King had created 00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:36.700 a population of weak and pathetic creatures. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:41.500 The bugs of Hallownest did not hunt for their own food and had become complacent with their 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:42.570 comfort. 00:22:42.570 --> 00:22:45.669 This is even more obvious with the east wing of the capital. 00:22:45.669 --> 00:22:50.640 These greedy members of Hallownest’s high society became complete cowards, obsessed 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.619 with riches and plumb from excess wealth. 00:22:53.619 --> 00:22:58.119 The bugs living in Hallownest’s prime looked quite different than the instinctive simpletons 00:22:58.119 --> 00:22:59.760 they once were. 00:22:59.760 --> 00:23:04.659 Their savagery had been replaced with intelligence and through that intellect, they gave the 00:23:04.659 --> 00:23:07.830 Pale King the devotion and service he desired. 00:23:07.830 --> 00:23:11.890 And while there were a few snags along the way, they were shining times for the King 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:14.010 and his subjects. 00:23:14.010 --> 00:23:18.539 Resting at the threshold of Hallownest is a strange lore tablet, proclaiming Hallownest 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:21.590 to be the last and only civilization. 00:23:21.590 --> 00:23:24.200 It calls Hallownest an eternal kingdom. 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:28.769 This appears to have been the Pale King’s goal: for Hallownest to stand against a wasted 00:23:28.769 --> 00:23:32.019 world as a final beacon for civilization. 00:23:32.019 --> 00:23:34.749 And that was the Pale King’s ultimate folly. 00:23:34.749 --> 00:23:39.370 To think that he could succeed where so many others had failed before. 00:23:39.370 --> 00:23:44.600 Long before the Pale Kings or the Berry Bensons of the world, the land of Hallownest was controlled 00:23:44.600 --> 00:23:46.710 by an ancient caste. 00:23:46.710 --> 00:23:50.279 Hints of Hallownest’s history are littered throughout the land, with the most notable 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:54.029 examples being the soul totems and arcane eggs. 00:23:54.029 --> 00:23:58.740 One sect of these ancient bugs didn’t worship a god like the Pale King, or any lord, but 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:03.110 instead a dark and mysterious substance known as the Void. 00:24:03.110 --> 00:24:08.440 This Ancient Caste once also tried to lay claim to the entire land of Hallownest, but 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:09.619 they too failed. 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:14.610 In his quest to conquer all of Hallownest, the Pale King had made an enemy, an enemy 00:24:14.610 --> 00:24:20.270 long forgotten, an enemy that was about to be remembered. 00:24:20.270 --> 00:24:25.309 I mentioned earlier that the Moth Tribe entirely forgot about the Radiance in order to worship 00:24:25.309 --> 00:24:26.899 the Pale King. 00:24:26.899 --> 00:24:29.169 But that isn’t quite true. 00:24:29.169 --> 00:24:34.269 Memories of her still lingered, and hushed whispers of faith kept the Radiance alive. 00:24:34.269 --> 00:24:39.210 At the summit of the Crystal Peak, a location known as Hallownest’s crown, a strange collection 00:24:39.210 --> 00:24:40.899 of glyphs can be found. 00:24:40.899 --> 00:24:46.260 Joining these glyphs is a statue of the Radiance, presiding over the kingdom below. 00:24:46.260 --> 00:24:50.190 This old summit is the sole standing shrine left for the Radiance. 00:24:50.190 --> 00:24:54.450 This was built in order to keep the memory of the Radiance alive. 00:24:54.450 --> 00:24:58.730 The Radiance’s light began to appear in the dreams of Hallownest’s citizens. 00:24:58.730 --> 00:25:04.210 This light manifested itself in an infection that ravaged through the kingdom’s tunnels. 00:25:04.210 --> 00:25:09.309 Those infected would fall into a deep sleep and awaken with broken minds. 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:13.870 Some of the lesser bugs tried to resist the Radiance’s light, which only resulted in 00:25:13.870 --> 00:25:16.789 them being consumed by it even moreso. 00:25:16.789 --> 00:25:22.789 Many infected bugs lost their wills and began attacking bugs that weren’t infected. 00:25:22.789 --> 00:25:28.019 The infection also twisted the bodies of its hosts, causing them to bloat, and occasionally 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:31.240 develop orange cysts on their bodies. 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:35.909 For many victims, they were reverted back to their basic instincts, carrying out the 00:25:35.909 --> 00:25:40.309 duties they once fulfilled in life, but now as mindless slaves. 00:25:40.309 --> 00:25:44.779 Those caught up in the infection were linked into the Radiance’s hivemind, allowing her 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:47.509 to control their bodies if needed. 00:25:47.509 --> 00:25:51.970 As the infection spread across Hallownest, many groups looked to solutions to fight off 00:25:51.970 --> 00:25:53.730 the Radiance’s light. 00:25:53.730 --> 00:25:57.970 The gates to the City of Tears were closed in an attempt to keep the infection from reaching 00:25:57.970 --> 00:25:59.429 the city. 00:25:59.429 --> 00:26:04.640 The stagways were also shut down at some point, and many of the stags eventually died out. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:08.269 But some took more proactive efforts against the infection. 00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:12.990 The scholars of the Soul Sanctum decided to harness the power of soul in an attempt to 00:26:12.990 --> 00:26:14.960 fight the infection. 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:19.669 This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of bugs whose souls were sucked out and injected 00:26:19.669 --> 00:26:22.110 into the bodies of the scholars. 00:26:22.110 --> 00:26:26.299 Their goal was to achieve some kind of pure focus which would somehow protect them from 00:26:26.299 --> 00:26:28.210 plagues of the mind. 00:26:28.210 --> 00:26:33.470 The scholars’ leader, the Soul Master, was driven mad by the sheer power of soul and 00:26:33.470 --> 00:26:36.390 his entire sect failed to avoid infection. 00:26:36.390 --> 00:26:41.769 But hey, at least they took as many innocent people down with them as they could. 00:26:41.769 --> 00:26:46.799 The Mantis Tribe, showing a stronger will than the common bug, were able to stave off 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.070 the infection. 00:26:48.070 --> 00:26:52.539 However, one of the four Mantis Lords turned against his sisters. 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:57.399 He and his followers took in the infection willingly, as it gave them more strength and 00:26:57.399 --> 00:26:58.399 courage. 00:26:58.399 --> 00:27:02.250 At some point during all this, The Traitor Lord and his followers were exiled from the 00:27:02.250 --> 00:27:05.559 Mantis Village, eventually taking up residence in the Queen’s Gardens. 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:09.500 The Traitor Lord’s daughter ended up dying at some point. 00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:14.470 This is the same mantis that was in a relationship with Ze’mer, one of the Five Great Knights. 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:19.769 But the mantises rejected their union because of Ze’mer’s outsideness. 00:27:19.769 --> 00:27:26.480 As a Gamer, this type of prejudice is all too familiar, and honestly, it makes me sick. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.950 With the Five Great Knights completely useless to fight against the infection, the Pale King 00:27:30.950 --> 00:27:36.389 devised his own scheme: a scheme involving a strange substance known as Void. 00:27:36.389 --> 00:27:41.419 As I mentioned earlier, the Pale King’s White Palace was built in an area called the 00:27:41.419 --> 00:27:46.169 Ancient Basin, but his castle wasn’t the only noteworthy thing down there. 00:27:46.169 --> 00:27:51.749 At the bottom of the Ancient Basin was the entrance to a pit known as the Abyss. 00:27:51.749 --> 00:27:54.899 Within the Abyss was a lake composed of Void. 00:27:54.899 --> 00:27:59.279 The Pale King realized that this Void could be given form, as evidenced by an imprint 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:04.859 of such deep within the Abyss, possibly left there by the Ancient Civilization that predated 00:28:04.859 --> 00:28:06.100 Hallownest. 00:28:06.100 --> 00:28:11.320 The Pale King devised a workshop in his palace where he placed Void in armor shells imbued 00:28:11.320 --> 00:28:16.149 with soul, creating servants known as Kingsmoulds and Wingmoulds. 00:28:16.149 --> 00:28:20.480 These Void creatures were somehow imprinted with the desire of the Pale King, so that 00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:21.570 they would serve him. 00:28:21.570 --> 00:28:25.659 It isn’t clear when the Pale King started making these creatures. 00:28:25.659 --> 00:28:30.250 There is evidence to imply that even common bugs were aware of Kingsmoulds, but the point 00:28:30.250 --> 00:28:35.059 is, the Pale King turned to the Void in order to create another creature. 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:38.820 One that he believed could contain the Radiance and her infection. 00:28:38.820 --> 00:28:41.549 He tried to create a pure Vessel. 00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:46.640 The Radiance’s infection needs its host to have a will and a mind in order to enslave 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:47.640 it. 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:51.909 A pure Vessel would be a creature made of Void, designed to lack those features. 00:28:51.909 --> 00:28:56.080 The Pale King believed that by harnessing the Void inside a pure Vessel, he would be 00:28:56.080 --> 00:28:59.649 able to stop the infection and keep Hallownest lasting eternal. 00:28:59.649 --> 00:29:05.120 But his method for creating this so-called pure Vessel was incredibly cruel. 00:29:05.120 --> 00:29:09.570 This is where the White Lady and her King Kong sized libido come into play. 00:29:09.570 --> 00:29:13.830 These two Higher Beings engaged in a union of some kind, resulting in the creation of 00:29:13.830 --> 00:29:17.200 several eggs that were dropped down into the Abyss. 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:23.580 There, the Void seeped into these eggs, corrupting the offspring of the Pale King and White Lady. 00:29:23.580 --> 00:29:27.450 This act resulted in the creation of the Vessels. 00:29:27.450 --> 00:29:30.720 The Vessels are not technically considered to be alive. 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:34.490 They are shells created from the Pale King and White Lady that have been filled by the 00:29:34.490 --> 00:29:35.929 Void. 00:29:35.929 --> 00:29:42.169 Within each Vessel is a shade, a completely Void being hidden behind the face of the Vessel. 00:29:42.169 --> 00:29:43.269 Vessels are also non-gendered. 00:29:43.269 --> 00:29:46.429 I guess because they’re dead or something. 00:29:46.429 --> 00:29:49.659 I’m not sure if that’s how that works but whatever. 00:29:49.659 --> 00:29:52.000 I’m not an expert on these kinds of things. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:53.619 I don’t work at ICE anymore 00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:59.429 Thousands of Vessels were created during this process, but only one was chosen as the pure 00:29:59.429 --> 00:30:00.669 Vessel. 00:30:00.669 --> 00:30:05.580 This particular Vessel chosen by the Pale King was deemed the Hollow Knight, and was 00:30:05.580 --> 00:30:07.320 taken away to the White Palace. 00:30:07.320 --> 00:30:11.179 But I want to take a bit of a closer look at this part of the story. 00:30:11.179 --> 00:30:14.940 There are a number of questions and theories surrounding this moment that I really want 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:16.489 to dig into. 00:30:16.489 --> 00:30:20.090 The big question surrounding this moment is why was the Hollow Knight chosen over any 00:30:20.090 --> 00:30:21.850 other vessel. 00:30:21.850 --> 00:30:25.960 One common theory is that the Pale King took these Vessels back to the White Palace and 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:30.220 evaluated them using his giant collection of buzzsaws. 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:33.489 This theory is probably the least likely explanation. 00:30:33.489 --> 00:30:38.399 It kinda exists just to explain the buzzsaws, which is quite the mystery, I’ll admit, 00:30:38.399 --> 00:30:41.620 but doesn’t really mesh with the Vessels very well. 00:30:41.620 --> 00:30:45.409 How does being good at Super Meat Boy prove that you are a worthy Vessel? 00:30:45.409 --> 00:30:50.280 And while thinking about logistics in a game about magic bugs is never a good idea, how 00:30:50.280 --> 00:30:55.210 exactly did the Pale King transfer these thousands of Vessels to his Palace without characters 00:30:55.210 --> 00:30:57.879 like the Dung Defender finding out? 00:30:57.879 --> 00:31:01.749 So this means that the Pale King probably made his decision without taking any of the 00:31:01.749 --> 00:31:03.870 Vessels out of the Abyss. 00:31:03.870 --> 00:31:06.590 So how did the Pale King make his evaluation? 00:31:06.590 --> 00:31:10.919 I think the best explanation comes from a theory I originally heard from a user named 00:31:10.919 --> 00:31:12.419 GoldenFlowerFan. 00:31:12.419 --> 00:31:17.210 Basically, the Vessels were hatched down at the bottom of the Abyss, and the first one 00:31:17.210 --> 00:31:20.149 to make it to the top was chosen by the Pale King. 00:31:20.149 --> 00:31:25.049 In a memory of this event, we see Vessels falling from above back down into the pit 00:31:25.049 --> 00:31:26.690 of the Abyss. 00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:30.900 Perhaps these Vessels weren’t being cast down into the Abyss, but fell while trying 00:31:30.900 --> 00:31:32.799 to escape out of it. 00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:36.279 The lore tablet outside the Abyss appears to support this theory. 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:37.710 It reads: 00:31:37.710 --> 00:31:40.159 Our pure Vessel has ascended. 00:31:40.159 --> 00:31:43.200 Beyond lies only the refuse and regret of its creation. 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:45.940 We shall enter that place no longer. 00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:50.190 This tablet was likely written right after the Hollow Knight was chosen, considering 00:31:50.190 --> 00:31:53.320 that is when the entrance to the Abyss was sealed off. 00:31:53.320 --> 00:31:58.350 The tablet proclaims that the pure Vessel has “ascended” or in other words, climbed 00:31:58.350 --> 00:32:00.049 out of the Abyss. 00:32:00.049 --> 00:32:04.830 And while cut content should never be considered canon, I would just like to point out that 00:32:04.830 --> 00:32:10.340 an earlier version of this tablet found in the game’s code was even more explicit about 00:32:10.340 --> 00:32:11.340 this. 00:32:11.340 --> 00:32:15.690 It read: “From below, our pure Vessel has ascended.” 00:32:15.690 --> 00:32:19.609 But how does making it to the top of the Abyss first prove that the Hollow Knight is somehow 00:32:19.609 --> 00:32:21.440 a perfectly hollow Vessel? 00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:25.850 Well, I think this whole concept might just be a misconception. 00:32:25.850 --> 00:32:29.289 What if the Hollow Knight wasn’t any different from the other Vessels? 00:32:29.289 --> 00:32:32.590 All Vessels were made in the exact same way after all. 00:32:32.590 --> 00:32:36.779 The idea that the Hollow Knight was somehow more hollow than the other Vessels comes from 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:40.660 the fact that there were so many Vessels created in the first place. 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:44.350 If they only needed one, then why create so goddamn many? 00:32:44.350 --> 00:32:47.499 I mean this is like Octomom on steroids. 00:32:47.499 --> 00:32:52.649 Well, these are bugs we’re talking about, so it would make sense that multiple offspring 00:32:52.649 --> 00:32:54.960 would come from one egg. 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:59.210 And it might have been a precaution to produce multiple Vessels in hopes that at least one 00:32:59.210 --> 00:33:02.610 would be able to successfully escape the Abyss. 00:33:02.610 --> 00:33:06.529 Now another explanation could be that the Pale King just yeeted other Vessels that made 00:33:06.529 --> 00:33:10.830 it to the top first after determining that they weren’t hollow, which would better 00:33:10.830 --> 00:33:13.100 explain why so many were created. 00:33:13.100 --> 00:33:18.299 Ultimately, the exact details aren’t super important, but I do find it interesting how 00:33:18.299 --> 00:33:23.130 many different interpretations can be pulled from this part of the lore. 00:33:23.130 --> 00:33:27.419 After the Hollow Knight was chosen, the Pale King sealed the doorway to the Abyss, leaving 00:33:27.419 --> 00:33:30.820 the discarded Vessels to rot away in darkness. 00:33:30.820 --> 00:33:34.379 These actions were not taken lightly by the Pale King or the White Lady. 00:33:34.379 --> 00:33:39.259 Both participants expressed shame in what they did, but saw no other option to save 00:33:39.259 --> 00:33:40.590 the kingdom. 00:33:40.590 --> 00:33:43.909 But the Vessels weren’t the only poor saps sealed away in the Abyss. 00:33:43.909 --> 00:33:49.309 There’s also a lighthouse that was built on top of a naturally formed spire, it’s 00:33:49.309 --> 00:33:52.869 light shining down on an ocean of Abyss below. 00:33:52.869 --> 00:33:56.840 Inside was one of the Pale King’s Royal Retainers, who was left in charge of keeping 00:33:56.840 --> 00:33:58.799 the lighthouse turned on. 00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.909 So this brave soul was willingly sealed in a dark and dangerous tomb for the rest of 00:34:02.909 --> 00:34:06.210 his life just so he could not pull a lever. 00:34:06.210 --> 00:34:09.629 Well, at least he was living with purpose. 00:34:09.629 --> 00:34:13.929 With the Abyss sealed and the Hollow Knight chosen, the Pale King’s plan was beginning 00:34:13.929 --> 00:34:15.200 to come together. 00:34:15.200 --> 00:34:19.700 The Hollow Knight was raised and trained to prime form, causing it to grow to several 00:34:19.700 --> 00:34:21.409 times its original size. 00:34:21.409 --> 00:34:24.859 We don’t know exactly why this happened. 00:34:24.859 --> 00:34:28.210 But I guess the Hollow Knight is a grower and not a shower. 00:34:28.210 --> 00:34:33.599 We know that the Hollow Knight was trained to use a nail, but why was this even necessary? 00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:37.940 One possible explanation is that the Hollow Knight needed to protect itself in case an 00:34:37.940 --> 00:34:41.929 intruder tried to kill it, you know, like the player. 00:34:41.929 --> 00:34:46.050 Or perhaps this was important in the process of containing the Radiance. 00:34:46.050 --> 00:34:49.960 Unfortunately the details of that are never fully explained. 00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:54.579 The Hollow Knight might have somehow focused the Radiance inside itself, but Team Cherry 00:34:54.579 --> 00:34:57.600 gives us no explanation of how that might have worked. 00:34:57.600 --> 00:35:00.210 But that still wasn’t enough for the Pale King. 00:35:00.210 --> 00:35:04.329 Additional seals were needed in order to protect the Hollow Knight’s physical body while 00:35:04.329 --> 00:35:06.599 the Radiance was trapped inside of it. 00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:11.060 To achieve this, the Pale King sought the help of three particular bugs who would later 00:35:11.060 --> 00:35:18.289 be known as the Dreamers; Lurien the Watcher, Monomon the Teacher, and Herrah the Beast. 00:35:18.289 --> 00:35:21.600 Lurien is definitely the most mysterious of the three dreamers. 00:35:21.600 --> 00:35:24.809 He lived in the Watcher’s Spire in the City of Tears. 00:35:24.809 --> 00:35:28.309 From there, Lurien watched over the city with his telescope. 00:35:28.309 --> 00:35:33.119 Lurien was also a pretty big fan of the king, so it probably took little convincing for 00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.920 him to lie down for him. 00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:40.230 Lurien might also be tied to another strange incident that occurred in the City of Tears. 00:35:40.230 --> 00:35:44.740 Hidden on some of Lurien’s lore tablets are images of jars, the same jars that can 00:35:44.740 --> 00:35:47.789 be found stockpiled in the Tower of Love. 00:35:47.789 --> 00:35:51.940 This building sits on the outskirts of the city, and is the setting of one of the most 00:35:51.940 --> 00:35:55.260 bizzare bosses in the game: The Collector. 00:35:55.260 --> 00:36:00.780 The Collector is a Void construct that appears to be made from the same mold used to create 00:36:00.780 --> 00:36:02.480 the kingsmoulds. 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:03.900 But the Collector is unique because.... 00:36:03.900 --> 00:36:05.540 Well uhh... 00:36:05.540 --> 00:36:07.170 Good grief! 00:36:07.170 --> 00:36:08.819 He’s naked! 00:36:08.819 --> 00:36:14.250 The Collector stayed in the Tower of Love with a noble bug who likely owned the establishment. 00:36:14.250 --> 00:36:18.760 In the tower, a number of bugs can be found captured in jars, implying that these two 00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:21.270 were tasked with collecting these creatures. 00:36:21.270 --> 00:36:26.640 However, the Collector somehow became obsessed with grubs, creating a map to keep track of 00:36:26.640 --> 00:36:32.150 grubs it captured in jars, as well as keeping a strange shrine displaying a grub in the 00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:35.390 style of the Vitruvian Man. 00:36:35.390 --> 00:36:39.780 Eventually the bug staying with the Collector decided to lock it inside the Tower of Love, 00:36:39.780 --> 00:36:46.140 and fled to the Queen’s Gardens where it died, likely due to overexposure to the Void. 00:36:46.140 --> 00:36:50.079 Despite being locked up in the Tower, the Collector is still spotted by the Hunter at 00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:55.619 some point, which either means this only happened recently, or the Hunter has been farting around 00:36:55.619 --> 00:36:58.640 in Hallownest for a long ass time. 00:36:58.640 --> 00:37:01.410 We have no idea what these creatures were trying to do. 00:37:01.410 --> 00:37:06.031 It’s implied that the Collector was trying to preserve the creatures of Hallownest, perhaps 00:37:06.031 --> 00:37:08.339 trying to protect them from the spread of the infection. 00:37:08.339 --> 00:37:12.680 But we don’t know where the Collector’s obsession with grubs originated. 00:37:12.680 --> 00:37:16.839 And while Lurien does seem connected to all of this, we don’t know how involved he was 00:37:16.839 --> 00:37:21.000 with this operation or what it’s end goal exactly was. 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:25.770 Monomon the Teacher lived in the Teacher's Archives, a library built atop a lake of acid 00:37:25.770 --> 00:37:27.650 in the Fog Canyon. 00:37:27.650 --> 00:37:32.619 The lower half of her body consists of tentacles, making her a popular subject for the thriving 00:37:32.619 --> 00:37:35.470 Hollow Knight R34 community. 00:37:35.470 --> 00:37:41.880 The Archives, and Fog Canyon as a whole, are also filled with these strange Metroid knockoffs. 00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:44.910 These creatures are likely related to Monomon in some way. 00:37:44.910 --> 00:37:51.119 They could be her live offspring, her test tube babies, or possibly even her shit. 00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:57.440 Monomon used futuristic cathode ray tube things to store information about Hallownest. 00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:01.750 Several terminals in the Teacher’s Archive go into detail about the Pale King’s plan 00:38:01.750 --> 00:38:06.590 to defeat the Radiance, indicating that Monomon had intimate knowledge of what she was taking 00:38:06.590 --> 00:38:07.590 part in. 00:38:07.590 --> 00:38:13.190 Finally, the Pale King sought the help of Herrah the Beast, the Queen of Deepnest. 00:38:13.190 --> 00:38:19.650 Now as I mentioned earlier, relations between Hallownest and Deepnest were kinda… not 00:38:19.650 --> 00:38:20.760 great. 00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:25.020 Unlike the other two Dreamers, Herrah needed to be convinced in order to help the Pale 00:38:25.020 --> 00:38:26.020 King. 00:38:26.020 --> 00:38:30.730 Herrah would eventually agree to become a Dreamer in exchange for a child. 00:38:30.730 --> 00:38:35.640 The Pale King agreed, and the two engaged in a dalliance, which is a fancy way of saying 00:38:35.640 --> 00:38:37.970 they totally boned. 00:38:37.970 --> 00:38:39.930 The White Lady was okay with this arrangement. 00:38:39.930 --> 00:38:43.609 In fact, she might have been watching from the closet. 00:38:43.609 --> 00:38:48.290 The motive behind Herrah’s request is never elaborated on, but it appears as though the 00:38:48.290 --> 00:38:50.829 King of Deepnest was dead at this point. 00:38:50.829 --> 00:38:56.250 Herrah was a common bug, so perhaps she desired the Pale King’s pale seed so that her child 00:38:56.250 --> 00:38:58.450 could be of high birth. 00:38:58.450 --> 00:39:02.890 The bargain between Herrah and the Pale King resulted in the birth of Hornet. 00:39:02.890 --> 00:39:07.890 She became known as the Gendered Child, because unlike the Pale King’s other children, Hornet 00:39:07.890 --> 00:39:09.710 was not hollowed out in the Abyss. 00:39:09.710 --> 00:39:14.770 Herrah and Hornet spent little time together, as Herrah had to make good on her end of the 00:39:14.770 --> 00:39:15.860 bargain. 00:39:15.860 --> 00:39:18.470 And so the three Dreamers were put to rest. 00:39:18.470 --> 00:39:23.250 Through their actions, a seal was placed over the Black Egg, prohibiting entrance into the 00:39:23.250 --> 00:39:24.250 chamber. 00:39:24.250 --> 00:39:26.830 These Dreamers also had their own protection. 00:39:26.830 --> 00:39:31.340 At the base of Lurien’s spire, the Watcher Knights guarded access to their master’s 00:39:31.340 --> 00:39:32.340 body. 00:39:32.340 --> 00:39:36.630 Monomon’s body was protected by a giant jellyfish named Uumuu. 00:39:36.630 --> 00:39:41.510 On top of this, Monomon entrusted her servant Quirrel with a mask which would be required 00:39:41.510 --> 00:39:45.210 to break an additional seal she had placed over herself. 00:39:45.210 --> 00:39:48.319 So she basically is double wrapping herself. 00:39:48.319 --> 00:39:52.309 As for Herrah, we’re not really sure what protected her, since it is never actually 00:39:52.309 --> 00:39:54.180 seen in game. 00:39:54.180 --> 00:39:58.859 We don’t know where this creature is hiding, but whoever it is, they really suck at their 00:39:58.859 --> 00:39:59.859 job. 00:39:59.859 --> 00:40:04.840 Now there appears to be one more element to the Pale King’s plan, involving the Weavers. 00:40:04.840 --> 00:40:10.280 Hidden away in the Weaver’s Den is an incomplete Seal of Binding woven from silk. 00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:14.200 This design prominently features the Hollow Knight’s head, and can be found in the White 00:40:14.200 --> 00:40:18.690 Palace as well as blocking the exit during the Hollow Knight fight. 00:40:18.690 --> 00:40:22.950 Silk spools created by the Weavers can be found in the stag station in Deepnest, as 00:40:22.950 --> 00:40:25.980 well as the stag station next to the White Palace. 00:40:25.980 --> 00:40:28.920 These spools can also be found in the Pale King’s workshop. 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:33.180 We know that the Weavers were closely tied to Herrah and Hornet, so their actions might 00:40:33.180 --> 00:40:36.600 have been a part of the deal between the Pale King and Herrah. 00:40:36.600 --> 00:40:41.030 Once the Hollow Knight was ready, the Radiance was somehow channeled into the Vessel, which 00:40:41.030 --> 00:40:46.390 was then placed inside of a giant black egg located in the Forgotten Crossroads. 00:40:46.390 --> 00:40:51.450 This egg was built to sustain the Hollow Knight, and itself appears to be fashioned from Void. 00:40:51.450 --> 00:40:54.960 The Hollow Knight was chained up, and the entrance to the Black Egg was locked behind 00:40:54.960 --> 00:40:58.400 a powerful seal created by the three Dreamers. 00:40:58.400 --> 00:41:04.569 Initially, this convoluted plan actually worked, and the infection was successfully contained. 00:41:04.569 --> 00:41:09.520 Memorials to the Hollow Knight and the Dreamers were erected in the City of Tears and the 00:41:09.520 --> 00:41:11.160 Resting Grounds. 00:41:11.160 --> 00:41:15.299 But this is the part of the story where things get a little bit hazy. 00:41:15.299 --> 00:41:19.790 By the time these statues were constructed, citizens had taken to writing on parchment 00:41:19.790 --> 00:41:24.190 woven from spider’s silk, which was all destroyed when water started pouring down 00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:25.799 onto the city. 00:41:25.799 --> 00:41:29.810 We don’t know how long the Hollow Knight was able to completely contain the infection. 00:41:29.810 --> 00:41:33.630 Bugs from Dirtmouth used to go to the Temple of the Black Egg to pray, saying they felt 00:41:33.630 --> 00:41:35.109 at peace within the walls. 00:41:35.109 --> 00:41:39.550 But after a while, they stopped going, perhaps indicating that the infection was beginning 00:41:39.550 --> 00:41:41.030 to leak out again. 00:41:41.030 --> 00:41:45.750 The infectious air continued to seep through Hallownest for years, eventually even reaching 00:41:45.750 --> 00:41:48.460 the deepest parts of the kingdom. 00:41:48.460 --> 00:41:53.619 As it turns out, the Pale King’s pure Vessel wasn’t quite so pure after all. 00:41:53.619 --> 00:41:57.160 The Hollow Knight had been tarnished by an idea instilled. 00:41:57.160 --> 00:42:01.670 While the game never explicitly tells us what that idea was, it does hint strongly at what 00:42:01.670 --> 00:42:02.880 it might be. 00:42:02.880 --> 00:42:06.990 Hidden away in the White Palace is a memory showing the Hollow Knight and the Pale King 00:42:06.990 --> 00:42:08.780 sharing a moment. 00:42:08.780 --> 00:42:13.329 The Hollow Knight might have developed a parental bond to the Pale King, and who could blame 00:42:13.329 --> 00:42:14.329 it? 00:42:14.329 --> 00:42:15.920 The Pale King is a pretty great dad, after all. 00:42:15.920 --> 00:42:20.270 You know, if you ignore the infanticide and everything. 00:42:20.270 --> 00:42:22.029 Remember those smug mushroom dickheads? 00:42:22.029 --> 00:42:26.660 Well it turns out their trust in the Pale King was a complete mistake. 00:42:26.660 --> 00:42:29.460 That shared mind isn’t looking too good now is it? 00:42:29.460 --> 00:42:32.880 In the Fungal Core, the corpse of a giant mushroom lies dormant. 00:42:32.880 --> 00:42:35.810 Its final thoughts were “Pale Wyrm… 00:42:35.810 --> 00:42:38.609 What good to foresee a demise unavoidable?” 00:42:38.609 --> 00:42:42.770 This could imply that the Pale King always knew that his kingdom was doomed, all he could 00:42:42.770 --> 00:42:45.440 do was delay the inevitable. 00:42:45.440 --> 00:42:50.579 This is likely the moment when Hallownest as it once was entirely collapsed. 00:42:50.579 --> 00:42:54.779 The Hollow Knight had not completely stopped the infection, and while it may have taken 00:42:54.779 --> 00:42:57.480 a while, Hallownest was eventually brought low. 00:42:57.480 --> 00:43:02.430 It’s at this point that characters and areas begin to resemble as we know them ingame. 00:43:02.430 --> 00:43:07.430 When it became clear that the Hollow Knight was not able to contain the Radiance, the 00:43:07.430 --> 00:43:10.160 Pale King resorted to his final plan. 00:43:10.160 --> 00:43:15.940 He fucked off, hiding himself, his White Palace and his Pale Court in the Dream World. 00:43:15.940 --> 00:43:20.521 At this point, all of the furniture in the palace was covered under white sheets, similar 00:43:20.521 --> 00:43:25.069 to how people in the real world cover their furniture while away on long trips. 00:43:25.069 --> 00:43:29.970 The palace was also completely covered with thorns and buzzsaws, similar to how people 00:43:29.970 --> 00:43:34.140 in the real world cover their houses with thorns and buzzsaws. 00:43:34.140 --> 00:43:38.049 The Pale King would eventually pass away while sitting on his throne in the White Palace. 00:43:38.049 --> 00:43:43.190 There’s no confirmation on what killed him, but there are a few things to consider. 00:43:43.190 --> 00:43:47.720 The throne room is incredibly dark compared to the rest of the Palace, and the particle 00:43:47.720 --> 00:43:52.839 effects and ambience track in this room are identical to that of the Abyss. 00:43:52.839 --> 00:43:55.900 All of the Kingsmoulds surrounding the Pale King are dead. 00:43:55.900 --> 00:44:00.940 The Ancient Basin itself also has become stained with the presence of Void, as it can be seen 00:44:00.940 --> 00:44:05.529 as high as the run down elevator shaft leading back to the city. 00:44:05.529 --> 00:44:09.390 Remember that bug that was sealed away in the Abyss to make sure the lighthouse wasn’t 00:44:09.390 --> 00:44:10.839 turned off. 00:44:10.839 --> 00:44:13.190 Well, the lighthouse was turned off. 00:44:13.190 --> 00:44:17.640 I guess that whole living with purpose thing is a crock of shit after all. 00:44:17.640 --> 00:44:21.640 It seems as though the sea of void itself actually convinced this bug to betray his 00:44:21.640 --> 00:44:24.590 king and turn off the lighthouse. 00:44:24.590 --> 00:44:26.619 Now I know what you’re thinking. 00:44:26.619 --> 00:44:29.059 Exactly how conscious is the Void? 00:44:29.059 --> 00:44:31.460 Is the Void able to think for itself? 00:44:31.460 --> 00:44:33.440 Can it form strategies? 00:44:33.440 --> 00:44:34.700 Does it host a podcast? 00:44:34.700 --> 00:44:40.570 Well according to this chozo statue ripoff, the Void is powerful, but not unified. 00:44:40.570 --> 00:44:45.890 So while it can thrash around at things that come near it or call out in unison to turn 00:44:45.890 --> 00:44:49.819 off a light, it’s not a single conscious being. 00:44:49.819 --> 00:44:54.010 Getting back to the Pale King, one could argue that the Void might have played a role in 00:44:54.010 --> 00:44:58.049 his ultimate demise, and I’ve argued that viewpoint in the past. 00:44:58.049 --> 00:45:01.730 But we have to remember that there isn’t enough evidence to know for sure. 00:45:01.730 --> 00:45:06.100 As an expert lawyer and a good friend of mine, Johnnie Cochran, once said: 00:45:06.100 --> 00:45:10.390 Any evidence that the Void was involved in the Pale King’s death is circumstantial. 00:45:10.390 --> 00:45:12.960 My name is Johnny Cockran. 00:45:12.960 --> 00:45:17.550 Just above the White Palace, the bugs in the City of Tears weren’t fairing much better. 00:45:17.550 --> 00:45:20.990 Even if we ignore the fact that the infection was still around, there were other issues 00:45:20.990 --> 00:45:23.520 that helped lead to the city’s downfall. 00:45:23.520 --> 00:45:29.390 Due to the gates being sealed, some bugs resorted to cannibalism in order to avoid starvation. 00:45:29.390 --> 00:45:34.220 And there’s also that metric fuck ton of corpses lining the walls of the Soul Sanctum. 00:45:34.220 --> 00:45:39.060 When all was said and done, the only citizen left standing is Eternal Emilita, who just 00:45:39.060 --> 00:45:43.400 laughs her ass off about it like she’s a fucking Dark Souls character. 00:45:43.400 --> 00:45:47.359 The White Lady ends up in a cocoon deep within the Queen’s Gardens. 00:45:47.359 --> 00:45:51.930 She decided to place bindings on herself in order to keep her from spreading her seed. 00:45:51.930 --> 00:45:56.130 She claims that this is because of the shame she feels in helping the Pale King create 00:45:56.130 --> 00:46:00.510 the Vessels, but honestly, it’s probably just her kink. 00:46:00.510 --> 00:46:04.650 The White Lady also diminished her power, possibly as a way to keep herself hidden from 00:46:04.650 --> 00:46:07.029 unwanted visitors. 00:46:07.029 --> 00:46:12.550 Outside her cocoon, Dryya stood guard, protecting her Queen from the violent traitor mantises. 00:46:12.550 --> 00:46:16.970 Dryya is eventually killed off by these bugs, which is actually pretty pathetic if you think 00:46:16.970 --> 00:46:17.970 about it. 00:46:17.970 --> 00:46:25.490 I mean we’re talking like the Netgear WPN824N N150 Wireless Router pathetic. 00:46:25.490 --> 00:46:31.020 Speaking of “Great Knights” dying pathetically, let’s move on to Hegemol. 00:46:31.020 --> 00:46:35.800 Hegemol held the City Crest, a key used to open one of the gates to the City of Tears. 00:46:35.800 --> 00:46:39.240 At some point, Hegemol’s armored shell was stolen by a maggot. 00:46:39.240 --> 00:46:43.680 Now maggots were generally looked down upon and forced to do menial labor. 00:46:43.680 --> 00:46:48.220 They were incredibly weak and basically deserved all of the discrimination they got. 00:46:48.220 --> 00:46:53.829 But this one maggot decided to turn the tide, so he stole Hegemol’s shell so that he could 00:46:53.829 --> 00:46:56.589 defend his downtrodden brothers. 00:46:56.589 --> 00:47:01.440 His actions weren’t motivated by the infection, but instead was the result of how hierarchical 00:47:01.440 --> 00:47:06.490 caste system will always lead to revolution from the working class and that true freedom 00:47:06.490 --> 00:47:10.059 can only be achieved blah blah blah capitalism is bad. 00:47:10.059 --> 00:47:11.650 Subscribe to my Patreon. 00:47:11.650 --> 00:47:16.930 Ogrim moved to the Royal Waterways and started living in shit, changing his name to Dung 00:47:16.930 --> 00:47:18.079 Defender. 00:47:18.079 --> 00:47:22.640 Now I love wallowing in shit as much as the next guy, but you’d have to really love 00:47:22.640 --> 00:47:25.421 shit to put up with living with the flukes. 00:47:25.421 --> 00:47:29.450 The Dung Defender kept an unwavering sense of duty and loyalty to the King and love for 00:47:29.450 --> 00:47:33.930 his fellow Knights, so much so that he made shit statues out of them. 00:47:33.930 --> 00:47:34.930 How nice. 00:47:34.930 --> 00:47:39.119 Ogrim acted as the defender of the pipeways, as well as Isma’s Grove. 00:47:39.119 --> 00:47:43.970 A section of the Royal Waterways became filled with acid, and in the middle of it all rests 00:47:43.970 --> 00:47:47.410 Isma’s corpse, which has been overcome by plant life. 00:47:47.410 --> 00:47:52.109 Isma is likely the one responsible for this acid blight, but we have no idea what happened 00:47:52.109 --> 00:47:53.109 to her. 00:47:53.109 --> 00:47:56.460 Hornet’s whereabouts during this time are fairly mysterious. 00:47:56.460 --> 00:48:00.830 We know that she departed Deepnest, and didn’t return until the events of the game. 00:48:00.830 --> 00:48:05.420 At some point, she took to guarding Hallownest from intruding warriors as well as the Cast-Off 00:48:05.420 --> 00:48:07.950 Shell in the Kingdom’s Edge. 00:48:07.950 --> 00:48:12.450 Despite the kingdom’s woes at large, fortunately this fate did not befall one of the fandom’s 00:48:12.450 --> 00:48:14.010 favorite characters. 00:48:14.010 --> 00:48:18.289 The menderbugs continued to fix the broken signs and wayposts of Hallownest. 00:48:18.289 --> 00:48:23.700 From a diary entry, we can see that one Menderbug in particular had found himself on the precipice 00:48:23.700 --> 00:48:26.940 of a long and loving relationship: 00:48:26.940 --> 00:48:30.730 Hello Again Diary, Not long now until the next Menderbash! 00:48:30.730 --> 00:48:35.490 For a stealthy types, we're a riotous bunch when we get together. 00:48:35.490 --> 00:48:38.000 And Mender Berri kept flashing me that smile! 00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:41.549 It might be time to muster my courage and act on it. 00:48:41.549 --> 00:48:48.500 I love my home and my life, but sharing it with another, why that'd be the Berri on top! 00:48:48.500 --> 00:48:51.750 Greenpath also underwent some changes during this time. 00:48:51.750 --> 00:48:55.400 The Mosskin were waiting for Unn’s call which would bring them back into the dream 00:48:55.400 --> 00:48:57.390 they were originally born from. 00:48:57.390 --> 00:49:00.040 But for some reason, Unn strength deteriorated. 00:49:00.040 --> 00:49:02.260 We don’t know why this happened exactly. 00:49:02.260 --> 00:49:04.900 Was it due to the White Lady claiming part of her kingdom? 00:49:04.900 --> 00:49:07.539 Was it somehow due to the infection? 00:49:07.539 --> 00:49:12.690 Some Mosskin believe that Unn went into hiding, but it appears as though Unn is, in fact, 00:49:12.690 --> 00:49:18.039 calling to her children, but many of the Mosskin are unable to hear her call. 00:49:18.039 --> 00:49:22.750 Instead many Mosskin seem to have taken the Radiance’s infection into their leaves, 00:49:22.750 --> 00:49:28.390 which might explain why Greenpath became overgrown with vegetation, despite Unn’s deteriorating 00:49:28.390 --> 00:49:29.390 powers. 00:49:29.390 --> 00:49:34.359 Mossy Vagabonds even openly chose to forsake Unn and worship the Radiance. 00:49:34.359 --> 00:49:39.050 Another tribe to be screwed over by the Radiance is the Hive, which fell to the infection after 00:49:39.050 --> 00:49:42.079 the death of their leader, Hive Queen Vespa. 00:49:42.079 --> 00:49:45.320 But it appears as though this had little effect on their civilization. 00:49:45.320 --> 00:49:50.410 The Radiance’s hivemind was already familiar to the bees, since the Hive probably operated 00:49:50.410 --> 00:49:52.019 under something similar already. 00:49:52.019 --> 00:49:56.890 So in other words, the Hive probably made out the best in this whole situation. 00:49:56.890 --> 00:49:59.730 Let’s turn our attention back to the moths. 00:49:59.730 --> 00:50:02.420 After all, it’s their god that keeps killing everybody. 00:50:02.420 --> 00:50:06.630 Well, the moth tribe didn’t fare too well actually, as pretty much the entire tribe 00:50:06.630 --> 00:50:07.630 died out. 00:50:07.630 --> 00:50:10.220 The only known survivor is the Seer. 00:50:10.220 --> 00:50:14.549 Despite the loss of her tribe, the Seer continued to tend to the graves in the Resting Grounds, 00:50:14.549 --> 00:50:19.510 while also awaiting the arrival of the Wielder, a mysterious being that her tribe has dreamt 00:50:19.510 --> 00:50:21.190 of for a while. 00:50:21.190 --> 00:50:26.319 In the Kingdom’s Edge, the land became covered in ash molting off of the Wyrm’s decomposing 00:50:26.319 --> 00:50:27.319 corpse. 00:50:27.319 --> 00:50:29.790 The Colosseum of Fools continued to thrive. 00:50:29.790 --> 00:50:35.369 The Lord Fool passed away at some point, but nobody really seems to notice or even care. 00:50:35.369 --> 00:50:39.549 The Fools inside the Colosseum were infected, but still seem to have maintained control 00:50:39.549 --> 00:50:41.150 over themselves. 00:50:41.150 --> 00:50:45.270 It seems possible that these bugs took in the infection willingly, similar to the Traitor 00:50:45.270 --> 00:50:47.299 Lord and his followers. 00:50:47.299 --> 00:50:51.390 This would have given them an edge in combat, similar to using steroids but without the 00:50:51.390 --> 00:50:53.470 whole shrinking testicles thing. 00:50:53.470 --> 00:50:58.170 However, even the Traitor Lord and his followers went mad, so what makes these Fools any more 00:50:58.170 --> 00:50:59.170 special? 00:50:59.170 --> 00:51:03.640 As for the Pale King’s champion, the Pale Lurker, well, she just went the normal kind 00:51:03.640 --> 00:51:04.650 of insane. 00:51:04.650 --> 00:51:08.970 There appears to have been another unforeseen event with the Pale King’s plan. 00:51:08.970 --> 00:51:13.060 When the Hollow Knight was originally chosen, the door to the Abyss was sealed, trapping 00:51:13.060 --> 00:51:15.020 the discarded Vessels within. 00:51:15.020 --> 00:51:18.210 But apparently, some Vessels didn’t get the memo. 00:51:18.210 --> 00:51:20.839 Vessel corpses can be found littered throughout the kingdom. 00:51:20.839 --> 00:51:25.430 There’s one in the Ancient Basin, one in Greenpath, and several trapped in Nosk’s 00:51:25.430 --> 00:51:27.299 liar in Deepnest. 00:51:27.299 --> 00:51:31.760 Another Vessel that escaped from the Abyss is the player character: the Knight. 00:51:31.760 --> 00:51:35.349 The exact details on how the Vessels escaped the Abyss is unclear. 00:51:35.349 --> 00:51:39.650 There are indications that they might have slipped into Deepnest through some old passageway, 00:51:39.650 --> 00:51:44.790 given Void influence in part of the area, and all the corpses found in Nosk’s lair. 00:51:44.790 --> 00:51:49.289 At some point, all entrances to Hallownest were closed off, with the old well in Dirtmouth 00:51:49.289 --> 00:51:51.609 being the only way to sneak back in. 00:51:51.609 --> 00:51:57.490 Despite this, several people have wormed their way into the kingdom with few ever returning. 00:51:57.490 --> 00:52:01.809 Characters like Relic Seeker Lemm seemed content to just pillage artifacts from the ruined 00:52:01.809 --> 00:52:05.290 kingdom, but other bugs seemed interested in something greater. 00:52:05.290 --> 00:52:09.059 In the Howling Cliffs rests the corpse of a member of the Grimm Troupe. 00:52:09.059 --> 00:52:12.780 The task of this bug appears to have been to seek out Hallownest, so that the Troupe 00:52:12.780 --> 00:52:15.440 might be summoned to the kingdom in the future. 00:52:15.440 --> 00:52:19.559 The Grimm Troupe are basically a group of bugs that serve a Higher Being known as the 00:52:19.559 --> 00:52:20.820 Nightmare Heart. 00:52:20.820 --> 00:52:25.079 The troupe keeps the Heart alive by feeding on the nightmares of fallen kingdoms. 00:52:25.079 --> 00:52:30.450 This process also involves sacrificing the Troupe Master his own child because... uh… 00:52:30.450 --> 00:52:34.980 hey, look at this cool ass boss battle. 00:52:34.980 --> 00:52:38.970 Another important group that travelled to Hallownest are the Godseekers. 00:52:38.970 --> 00:52:43.700 After being abandoned by their old Gods: the Gods of Thunder and the Gods of Rain, these 00:52:43.700 --> 00:52:47.620 bugs left their home in the Land of Storms seeking out a new god to worship. 00:52:47.620 --> 00:52:52.520 The Godseekers look to gods to save them from their own silent mind. 00:52:52.520 --> 00:52:57.700 While travelling through the wastelands, the Godseekers constructed devices called Godtuners, 00:52:57.700 --> 00:53:00.059 which helped them seek out new gods. 00:53:00.059 --> 00:53:04.300 Through this device they were able to detect the lingering power of the Pale King and find 00:53:04.300 --> 00:53:06.180 their way to Hallownest. 00:53:06.180 --> 00:53:09.670 When they arrived, however, the Godseeker was forced into hibernation. 00:53:09.670 --> 00:53:15.240 It was encased in a strange sarcophagus-like cocoon which was itself chained up with a 00:53:15.240 --> 00:53:16.240 lock. 00:53:16.240 --> 00:53:20.150 It’s not clear how this forced hibernation worked, seeing as the cocoon appears to have 00:53:20.150 --> 00:53:22.809 been made by the Godseeker herself. 00:53:22.809 --> 00:53:28.109 As for who put the cocoon in chains, I think the most likely candidate is the Dung Defender, 00:53:28.109 --> 00:53:32.369 considering how the Godseekers cocoon is found in the Junk Pit in the Waterways, an area 00:53:32.369 --> 00:53:35.890 the Dung Defender has tasked himself with protecting. 00:53:35.890 --> 00:53:39.200 This was the general picture of Hallownest after the Hollow Knight was sealed inside 00:53:39.200 --> 00:53:40.980 the Temple of the Black Egg. 00:53:40.980 --> 00:53:45.059 The kingdom was stuck in a kind of stasis, with the Pale King’s civilization destroyed 00:53:45.059 --> 00:53:48.369 and the Radiance unable to break free from her chains. 00:53:48.369 --> 00:53:52.890 The Pale King was rebelling against nature, trying to keep his work standing indefinitely. 00:53:52.890 --> 00:53:56.529 The stasis over of Hallownest held for an age. 00:53:56.529 --> 00:53:58.160 How long is that exactly? 00:53:58.160 --> 00:53:59.900 Well, we have no idea. 00:53:59.900 --> 00:54:03.279 As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there really isn’t a timeline for anything that happens 00:54:03.279 --> 00:54:04.809 in this game. 00:54:04.809 --> 00:54:08.539 We also have no idea how long any of these bugs can actually live. 00:54:08.539 --> 00:54:12.910 Elderbug wasn’t around to see the stagways open, but we know several other characters 00:54:12.910 --> 00:54:18.300 were, implying that Elderbug is probably one of the youngest characters in the whole game. 00:54:18.300 --> 00:54:21.490 But this stasis over Hallownest wasn’t going to last forever. 00:54:21.490 --> 00:54:25.610 At some point, the Radiance erupted out of the Hollow Knight, cracking its shell and 00:54:25.610 --> 00:54:28.180 releasing a loud and powerful roar. 00:54:28.180 --> 00:54:32.109 The amount of infection leaking out of the Hollow Knight became even greater. 00:54:32.109 --> 00:54:36.390 The many corpses that lined the roads and cities of the kingdom sprang to life with 00:54:36.390 --> 00:54:38.809 the amplified power of the infection. 00:54:38.809 --> 00:54:43.369 This strengthened infection prompted the departure of the Weavers back to their old home. 00:54:43.369 --> 00:54:47.680 Now this old home might actually be Pharloom, the kingdom in which Hollow Knight Silksong 00:54:47.680 --> 00:54:49.049 takes place. 00:54:49.049 --> 00:54:52.731 But the amount of knowledge we have about Silksong right now is pitiful, so I’m not 00:54:52.731 --> 00:54:55.039 saying that’s confirmed or anything. 00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:58.780 This is also around the time the Quirrel arrives back in Hallownest. 00:54:58.780 --> 00:55:03.190 His memory of Monomon appears to have been clouded due to his time outside of Hallownest. 00:55:03.190 --> 00:55:07.390 These events are depicted in the Quirrel prequel comic, which also shows an image of the Hollow 00:55:07.390 --> 00:55:09.349 Knight with a pre-cracked shell. 00:55:09.349 --> 00:55:13.589 This could mean that Quirrel’s arrival happens at roughly the same time the Hollow Knight’s 00:55:13.589 --> 00:55:14.819 shell cracks. 00:55:14.819 --> 00:55:18.349 At around the same time as Quirrel arrives in Hallownest, we also see the arrival of 00:55:18.349 --> 00:55:22.170 the player character, who is commonly referred to as the Knight. 00:55:22.170 --> 00:55:26.390 The Knight was one of the lucky Vessels that was able to make its way out of the Abyss. 00:55:26.390 --> 00:55:30.960 Somehow, the Knight ended up venturing beyond Hallownest and into the wilds beyond. 00:55:30.960 --> 00:55:34.400 It’s implied that the Knight was called to Hallownest by either the sealed Hollow 00:55:34.400 --> 00:55:36.750 Knight or the Radiance within. 00:55:36.750 --> 00:55:41.339 Regardless, once the Knight shows up and yeets itself off this cliff, the actual game of 00:55:41.339 --> 00:55:44.099 Hollow Knight finally begins. 00:55:44.099 --> 00:55:48.800 Now, there’s a lot of details we could get into. 00:55:48.800 --> 00:55:52.839 Hallownest is full of NPCs and bosses, each with their own stories to tell. 00:55:52.839 --> 00:55:56.809 But to be honest, I don’t think we need to go through all of them, since their stories 00:55:56.809 --> 00:55:58.930 are relatively straightforward. 00:55:58.930 --> 00:56:01.640 For example, let’s look at the Brooding Mawlek. 00:56:01.640 --> 00:56:04.400 So why is the Brooding Mawlek brooding? 00:56:04.400 --> 00:56:06.980 Because all its friends are dead. 00:56:06.980 --> 00:56:09.210 And there you go, that’s the lore for the Brooding Mawlek. 00:56:09.210 --> 00:56:12.609 Also, it’s the only character in the game with a visible asshole. 00:56:12.609 --> 00:56:15.240 Now did you really need me to explain that to you? 00:56:15.240 --> 00:56:16.240 Probably not. 00:56:16.240 --> 00:56:19.779 So instead, I’m just going to talk about the interactions relating to Hollow Knight’s 00:56:19.779 --> 00:56:21.250 main story. 00:56:21.250 --> 00:56:25.140 The Knight is eventually noticed by Hornet, who lures it deep into Greenpath. 00:56:25.140 --> 00:56:29.059 There, Hornet attempts to kill the Knight, claiming that she knows what it would try 00:56:29.059 --> 00:56:30.240 to do. 00:56:30.240 --> 00:56:33.859 At this point, Hornet views the Knight as being too weak. 00:56:33.859 --> 00:56:37.950 After the fight, Hornet can be found in the City of Tears, next to the statue of the Hollow 00:56:37.950 --> 00:56:38.950 Knight. 00:56:38.950 --> 00:56:43.289 Hornet mentions that the Knight has gained a resilience due to the time it spent in the 00:56:43.289 --> 00:56:44.950 void beyond Hallownest. 00:56:44.950 --> 00:56:49.310 This could be referring to the fact that some of those who leave Hallownest lose their memories, 00:56:49.310 --> 00:56:53.160 meaning the Knight would have no memories of its own tragic conception. 00:56:53.160 --> 00:56:57.079 Hornet tells the Knight that if it seeks to continue the stasis that keeps Hallownest 00:56:57.079 --> 00:57:01.910 standing, it must seek the “Grave in Ash”, which is referring to the Kingdom’s Edge. 00:57:01.910 --> 00:57:06.190 At this moment, Hornet sees the Knight as a possible replacement for the Hollow Knight. 00:57:06.190 --> 00:57:10.250 Basically, the Knight could break the seals that keep the Hollow Knight locked away, defeat 00:57:10.250 --> 00:57:13.539 the Hollow Knight and contain the infection itself. 00:57:13.539 --> 00:57:17.619 It’s at this point that I should mention that Hollow Knight actually has five different 00:57:17.619 --> 00:57:19.980 endings because of course it would. 00:57:19.980 --> 00:57:24.090 I’m going to be explaining each of these endings in this video, as they each give us 00:57:24.090 --> 00:57:27.400 a different glimpse into the mechanics of Hollow Knight’s world. 00:57:27.400 --> 00:57:31.839 Now, to get the easiest ending to Hollow Knight, Hornet’s instructions to go to the Kingdom’s 00:57:31.839 --> 00:57:34.289 Edge can be ignored completely. 00:57:34.289 --> 00:57:39.000 If the Knight stumbles upon the Resting Grounds, the three Dreamers will appear and cast the 00:57:39.000 --> 00:57:40.680 Knight into the Dream Realm. 00:57:40.680 --> 00:57:45.589 There, Seer will come to the Knight’s rescue and grant it the Dream Nail, a special blade 00:57:45.589 --> 00:57:49.480 that can tear the veil between the real world and the dream world. 00:57:49.480 --> 00:57:53.559 With the Dream Nail, the Knight can venture to the resting places of the three Dreamers, 00:57:53.559 --> 00:57:58.289 curbstomp their asses, and unlock the entrance to the Black Egg. 00:57:58.289 --> 00:58:02.810 Inside the egg, the Knight finds the Hollow Knight chained up, silently watching over 00:58:02.810 --> 00:58:03.810 it. 00:58:03.810 --> 00:58:07.980 Once the chains are broken, the Hollow Knight screams with that familiar Radiance roar. 00:58:07.980 --> 00:58:09.940 And pursues the Knight. 00:58:09.940 --> 00:58:14.880 As the fight progresses, the Hollow Knight starts trying to kill itself, Quirrel-style. 00:58:14.880 --> 00:58:19.420 But then the Radiance starts using the Hollow Knight’s body to perform her own attacks. 00:58:19.420 --> 00:58:23.549 Once defeated, the Hollow Knight begins to spew infection all over the place. 00:58:23.549 --> 00:58:26.890 The Knight can then Focus the infection into itself. 00:58:26.890 --> 00:58:30.569 This results in the first ending of the game, called Hollow Knight. 00:58:30.569 --> 00:58:35.690 In this ending, the Knight usurps the Hollow Knight, prolonging the stasis over Hallownest. 00:58:35.690 --> 00:58:40.650 New chains and bindings appear out of… fuck if I know, and contain the Knight, and a new 00:58:40.650 --> 00:58:43.819 seal is placed over the entrance to the Black Egg. 00:58:43.819 --> 00:58:47.019 Now there is one giant question looming over this ending. 00:58:47.019 --> 00:58:49.480 Can the Knight actually contain the infection indefinitely? 00:58:49.480 --> 00:58:53.430 Or will the Radiance still manage to break free one day? 00:58:53.430 --> 00:58:57.170 Before we answer this question, let’s look at some of the other events that can transpire 00:58:57.170 --> 00:58:58.670 while playing the game. 00:58:58.670 --> 00:59:02.180 If the player chooses to go to Kingdom’s Edge, Hornet will challenge the Knight one 00:59:02.180 --> 00:59:05.730 last time as a final test of strength. 00:59:05.730 --> 00:59:10.310 After her defeat, Hornet allows the Knight to access the Cast-Off Shell where the Pale 00:59:10.310 --> 00:59:12.440 King was originally hatched. 00:59:12.440 --> 00:59:17.250 By interacting with the egg, the Knight’s shell is marked with the King’s Brand, technically 00:59:17.250 --> 00:59:20.780 making the Knight the new ruler of Hallownest. 00:59:20.780 --> 00:59:24.400 With the King’s Brand, the Knight can now open the entrance to the Abyss and discover 00:59:24.400 --> 00:59:26.099 the place of its birth. 00:59:26.099 --> 00:59:30.710 When leaving the Abyss, the Knight can encounter Hornet again, where for the first time, Hornet 00:59:30.710 --> 00:59:34.650 suggests that there are actually two outcomes the Knight can enact. 00:59:34.650 --> 00:59:39.190 She tells the Knight that it can either prolong Hallownest’s stasis or face the heart of 00:59:39.190 --> 00:59:41.099 the kingdom’s infection. 00:59:41.099 --> 00:59:44.010 Within the Knight, Hornet sees a chance for change. 00:59:44.010 --> 00:59:47.730 Instead of just replacing the Hollow Knight, Hornet believes that it may be possible to 00:59:47.730 --> 00:59:52.799 get rid of the infection completely by using the Void inside of the Knight. 00:59:52.799 --> 00:59:56.750 After visiting the Abyss and obtaining the Shade Cloak, the Knight is capable of reaching 00:59:56.750 --> 01:00:00.200 the White Lady hidden away in the Queen’s Gardens. 01:00:00.200 --> 01:00:04.440 The White Lady tells the Knight that she has been awaiting a Vessel to accept a gift, that 01:00:04.440 --> 01:00:09.020 gift being one half of a charm called the Kingsoul, which she claims will give the Knight 01:00:09.020 --> 01:00:10.210 more power. 01:00:10.210 --> 01:00:13.740 The White Lady goes on to explain that she can feel the weakening of the Hollow Knight 01:00:13.740 --> 01:00:15.069 within her roots. 01:00:15.069 --> 01:00:19.349 She tells the Knight that it is free of the blemishes that made the Hollow Knight a flawed 01:00:19.349 --> 01:00:20.349 vessel. 01:00:20.349 --> 01:00:25.079 From this dialogue, it is implied that the Knight truly is a pure Vessel, capable of 01:00:25.079 --> 01:00:27.359 containing the Radiance successfully. 01:00:27.359 --> 01:00:32.160 But it’s not quite that simple, so we’re going to have to dive a bit deeper into this. 01:00:32.160 --> 01:00:34.730 Basically we need to answer a simple question. 01:00:34.730 --> 01:00:38.230 What exactly does it mean to be a Hollow Knight? 01:00:38.230 --> 01:00:41.640 Despite the White Lady’s words, we have a number of instances where characters and 01:00:41.640 --> 01:00:47.309 item descriptions mention that the Knight has a will, and maybe even a mind. 01:00:47.309 --> 01:00:51.529 But from the Pale King’s dialogue when describing the Hollow Knight, it is stated that a pure 01:00:51.529 --> 01:00:53.710 Vessel has no mind or will. 01:00:53.710 --> 01:00:56.030 So is the White Lady wrong? 01:00:56.030 --> 01:00:57.890 Or maybe even lying? 01:00:57.890 --> 01:01:02.529 Her eyes have been clouded by time, and she can be tricked into thinking that Ogrim is 01:01:02.529 --> 01:01:05.589 in the room when the Knight is wearing the Defender’s Crest charm. 01:01:05.589 --> 01:01:09.810 She also thinks that Dryya is still alive which… 01:01:09.810 --> 01:01:12.380 uhh…. 01:01:12.380 --> 01:01:14.910 So maybe the White Lady is just senile? 01:01:14.910 --> 01:01:18.529 My problem with that theory is that the White Lady states that the Vessels stand out to 01:01:18.529 --> 01:01:23.700 her clearly in a misted world, due to them being her spawn. 01:01:23.700 --> 01:01:28.010 She also questions whether or not the Knight sought her aid, which would imply that the 01:01:28.010 --> 01:01:31.000 Knight must have some kind of will. 01:01:31.000 --> 01:01:34.589 So for whatever reason, the White Lady thinks the Knight is still capable of containing 01:01:34.589 --> 01:01:38.460 the Radiance, even if it’s still able to make decisions. 01:01:38.460 --> 01:01:42.289 After all, the Hollow Knight was considered pure, but they still taught it how to wield 01:01:42.289 --> 01:01:43.329 a fucking sword. 01:01:43.329 --> 01:01:48.960 I mean, if the Knight were truly and completely hollow in a literal sense, it probably shouldn’t 01:01:48.960 --> 01:01:54.269 even be able to walk, or draw a map, or open a goddamn bank account. 01:01:54.269 --> 01:01:59.640 In short, this whole concept of being “hollow” is so abstract and hard to define, I don’t 01:01:59.640 --> 01:02:04.440 really feel comfortable giving a solid answer on whether or not the Knight is or isn’t 01:02:04.440 --> 01:02:05.440 truly hollow. 01:02:05.440 --> 01:02:09.619 And I think the game leaves room open for other interpretations. 01:02:09.619 --> 01:02:14.150 Of course, the White Lady’s gift is useless without the other half of the Kingsoul. 01:02:14.150 --> 01:02:18.470 In order to reach it, however, the Knight must travel to the White Palace, locked inside 01:02:18.470 --> 01:02:20.390 the body of a Kingsmould. 01:02:20.390 --> 01:02:24.450 In order to bypass the seal, the Knight must use a fully awakened Dream Nail. 01:02:24.450 --> 01:02:30.100 It can do this by bringing 1800 Essence to the Seer, allowing her to sharpen the weapon’s 01:02:30.100 --> 01:02:31.100 blade. 01:02:31.100 --> 01:02:34.740 If the Knight does this, the Seer remarks that the Knight truly is the Wielder that 01:02:34.740 --> 01:02:36.619 her tribe has been dreaming of. 01:02:36.619 --> 01:02:40.970 There’s no explicit reason why the Moth Tribe was dreaming about this supposed Wielder 01:02:40.970 --> 01:02:45.119 so much, but it seems like they believed the Wielder would wash away the crimes the Moth 01:02:45.119 --> 01:02:48.240 Tribe committed by turning their backs on the Radiance. 01:02:48.240 --> 01:02:52.079 The Seer seems to know that the Knight might kill the Radiance, and she seems accepting 01:02:52.079 --> 01:02:56.900 of it, ready for her and her tribe to disappear and be forgotten forever. 01:02:56.900 --> 01:03:01.180 With the Awoken Dream Nail in hand, the Knight can travel to the Pale King’s refuge and 01:03:01.180 --> 01:03:03.380 locate the other half of the Kingsoul charm. 01:03:03.380 --> 01:03:08.940 When equipped, the Kingsoul provides a never ending supply of soul, making it almost useful 01:03:08.940 --> 01:03:13.329 if it weren’t for the insanely high cost of the charm, and the painfully slow rate 01:03:13.329 --> 01:03:17.970 at which it increases, and the fact that the charm will get replaced about 5 minutes after 01:03:17.970 --> 01:03:19.130 you get it. 01:03:19.130 --> 01:03:23.670 The Kingsoul charm itself symbolizes the union between two Higher Beings. 01:03:23.670 --> 01:03:28.119 To me, this implies that the Kingsoul is a representation of a Vessel, which also was 01:03:28.119 --> 01:03:31.640 created by the union of two Higher Beings. 01:03:31.640 --> 01:03:35.299 With the Kingsoul in their inventory, the Knight now gains access to an area in the 01:03:35.299 --> 01:03:37.289 Abyss called the Birthplace. 01:03:37.289 --> 01:03:41.829 In this massive pile of Vessel shells the Knight can find a giant egg. 01:03:41.829 --> 01:03:45.829 Dream Nailing the egg allows the Knight to access its own memory when it was cast down 01:03:45.829 --> 01:03:47.430 into the Abyss. 01:03:47.430 --> 01:03:51.999 From viewing that memory, the Kingsoul charm is replaced with the Void Heart charm. 01:03:51.999 --> 01:03:55.819 The recollection of this event allows the Knight to come to terms with the Void inside 01:03:55.819 --> 01:03:56.890 itself. 01:03:56.890 --> 01:04:00.869 Once the Knight has the Void Heart, the shades in the Abyss no longer attack it, and that 01:04:00.869 --> 01:04:05.549 strange creature that gives the Knight the Shade Cloak calls it the Lord of Shades. 01:04:05.549 --> 01:04:10.829 In other words, the Knight has now bound the once fragmented Void under its own will, allowing 01:04:10.829 --> 01:04:14.060 it to control the Void in a powerful new way. 01:04:14.060 --> 01:04:18.140 With the union of the Void, the Pale King and the White Lady, the Knight has gained 01:04:18.140 --> 01:04:19.880 a strength before unseen. 01:04:19.880 --> 01:04:24.230 It is with this charm that two additional endings become unlocked. 01:04:24.230 --> 01:04:27.790 Hornet will now be standing outside of the Black Egg, offering to help the Knight should 01:04:27.790 --> 01:04:29.380 the opportunity arrive. 01:04:29.380 --> 01:04:33.480 Midway through the fight with the Hollow Knight, Hornet rushes into battle, subduing the Hollow 01:04:33.480 --> 01:04:34.770 Knight and piercing its shell. 01:04:34.770 --> 01:04:38.849 It’s at this point that the Knight is given the perfect opportunity to enter into the 01:04:38.849 --> 01:04:43.299 mind of its sibling, fighting the source of the infection head on, and finally put an 01:04:43.299 --> 01:04:44.420 end to the Radiance’s tyranny. 01:04:44.420 --> 01:04:49.069 Or it can just stand there and let Hornet get knocked unconscious. 01:04:49.069 --> 01:04:54.569 If the Knight finishes off the Hollow Knight as usual, the Sealed Siblings ending occurs. 01:04:54.569 --> 01:04:58.920 Basically it’s the same as the Hollow Knight ending, but now Hornet is in the room too, 01:04:58.920 --> 01:05:01.390 and her face appears on the door to the Black Egg. 01:05:01.390 --> 01:05:04.849 It’s not clear what exactly this means for Hallownest. 01:05:04.849 --> 01:05:09.580 This might imply that Hornet is now a Dreamer, but she’s inside the temple, meaning that 01:05:09.580 --> 01:05:14.319 no one can actually get in there to kill her should the Knight ever start leaking infection. 01:05:14.319 --> 01:05:17.910 At the same time, Hornet mentions that the bindings of the Black Egg would drain her, 01:05:17.910 --> 01:05:21.410 so she’s probably just going to die anyway, right? 01:05:21.410 --> 01:05:26.240 Generally, people consider this one of the worst endings, but it’s worth pointing out 01:05:26.240 --> 01:05:30.309 that Team Cherry doesn’t support any one ending as being the “true” ending. 01:05:30.309 --> 01:05:32.910 Each ending is canonical in its own right. 01:05:32.910 --> 01:05:36.099 And honestly, this ending isn’t the worst. 01:05:36.099 --> 01:05:39.890 At least the Knight and Hornet will get to spend some quality time together. 01:05:39.890 --> 01:05:43.730 If the Knight does Dream Nail the Hollow Knight, it will get taken to an arena where it can 01:05:43.730 --> 01:05:45.619 finally fight the Radiance head on. 01:05:45.619 --> 01:05:49.430 But the Knight isn’t alone, as the other shades from the Abyss will appear in order 01:05:49.430 --> 01:05:51.190 to help corner the Radiance. 01:05:51.190 --> 01:05:54.650 Eventually, the Radiance gets trapped in the tendrils of the Void. 01:05:54.650 --> 01:05:58.720 The Knight bitch slaps her a couple times and then the Radiance is consumed into the 01:05:58.720 --> 01:05:59.800 darkness. 01:05:59.800 --> 01:06:04.650 The Black Egg then appears to turn to shadows and the void seeps down into the ground. 01:06:04.650 --> 01:06:08.240 Hornet awakens to find the Knight’s broken shell lying on the floor. 01:06:08.240 --> 01:06:13.190 We get one final shot of the shades in the Abyss going to rest, and the game is over. 01:06:13.190 --> 01:06:15.720 This ending is called the Dream No More ending. 01:06:15.720 --> 01:06:21.510 The Radiance is gone and Hallownest is finally free from her infection. 01:06:21.510 --> 01:06:26.259 Now I think it’s fair to ask a few questions about how the Dream No More ending comes about. 01:06:26.259 --> 01:06:30.300 When the Hollow Knight was initially chosen to become the pure Vessel, the Abyss was sealed 01:06:30.300 --> 01:06:33.509 up and the rest of the Vessels were left to rot away. 01:06:33.509 --> 01:06:36.480 But somehow, Vessels ended up outside of the Abyss. 01:06:36.480 --> 01:06:40.510 And then one of those Vessels was used to replace the Hollow Knight. 01:06:40.510 --> 01:06:44.349 Exactly how much of this operation was planned if at all? 01:06:44.349 --> 01:06:49.180 The White Lady was waiting for a Vessel, did she have any communication with Hornet? 01:06:49.180 --> 01:06:52.829 Hornet was guarding the King’s Brand, the only way for a Vessel to enter the Abyss. 01:06:52.829 --> 01:06:57.410 How did she know it was necessary to guard the King’s Brand from weaker Vessels. 01:06:57.410 --> 01:07:02.160 Hell, if the Vessels did escape the Abyss by themselves, wouldn’t it be pointless 01:07:02.160 --> 01:07:06.609 to guard the King’s Brand, since the Vessels could just creep back into the Abyss the same 01:07:06.609 --> 01:07:07.609 way? 01:07:07.609 --> 01:07:11.059 I’m not going to provide any good answers to these questions. 01:07:11.059 --> 01:07:13.680 Because god forbid I answer anything in this entire video. 01:07:13.680 --> 01:07:18.819 But I do want to point out that no plans to actually produce the Dream No More ending 01:07:18.819 --> 01:07:24.410 are explicitly stated ingame, so we can only speculate as to whether or not the White Lady 01:07:24.410 --> 01:07:29.349 or Hornet or maybe even the Pale King knew that they could defeat the Radiance by creating 01:07:29.349 --> 01:07:32.039 a Lord of Shades like the Knight. 01:07:32.039 --> 01:07:35.800 Regardless, the next two endings were definitely not planned. 01:07:35.800 --> 01:07:41.119 In fact, the last two endings that were added in the Godmaster update almost feel out of 01:07:41.119 --> 01:07:42.119 place. 01:07:42.119 --> 01:07:45.789 The Godseekers basically hijack everything to the point where you don’t even have to 01:07:45.789 --> 01:07:48.550 enter the Temple of the Black Egg to beat the game. 01:07:48.550 --> 01:07:52.029 That’s like beating Mario Bros. without ever seeing Bowser. 01:07:52.029 --> 01:07:56.670 But on the other hand, the Godmaster endings basically reinforce that Hallownest does not 01:07:56.670 --> 01:08:01.499 exist in a vacuum, which can help the world of Hollow Knight feel more real. 01:08:01.499 --> 01:08:05.460 Because what else is reality but just a bunch of random chaotic stuff happening all the 01:08:05.460 --> 01:08:06.460 time? 01:08:06.460 --> 01:08:10.420 If the Knight finds the Godseeker in the Junk Pit, it will be able to enter her mind and 01:08:10.420 --> 01:08:12.759 refight all of the bosses in the game. 01:08:12.759 --> 01:08:15.010 This is part of the Godseekers’ ritual. 01:08:15.010 --> 01:08:19.299 They basically attune to the resonance of gods through ritual combat. 01:08:19.299 --> 01:08:24.730 This allows them to ascend their minds higher, and eventually, through the use of Godly focus, 01:08:24.730 --> 01:08:29.359 achieve communication with the god sleeping at Hallownest’s heart, the Radiance. 01:08:29.359 --> 01:08:30.730 Now I know what you’re thinking. 01:08:30.730 --> 01:08:34.179 That’s a pretty convoluted little religious practice they have going on here. 01:08:34.179 --> 01:08:37.759 What’s next, are they going to start measuring the Knight’s theon levels? 01:08:37.759 --> 01:08:42.569 It’s pretty complicated, but the point is, these Godseekers have some serious capabilities 01:08:42.569 --> 01:08:46.480 to fuck things up in Hallownest, as we’re about to see. 01:08:46.480 --> 01:08:50.310 As the Knight makes it further and further through the four pantheons, the Godseekers 01:08:50.310 --> 01:08:54.650 get closer and closer to making contact with the Radiance, locked away inside the Hollow 01:08:54.650 --> 01:08:55.650 Knight. 01:08:55.650 --> 01:08:59.940 At the end of the fourth Pantheon, the Radiance makes herself aware in this strange reunion 01:08:59.940 --> 01:09:01.390 cutscene between the Vessels. 01:09:01.390 --> 01:09:04.520 But she isn’t the only one to make an appearance. 01:09:04.520 --> 01:09:09.260 The Void itself appears to go on the attack, rising up to meet the Radiance’s call. 01:09:09.260 --> 01:09:14.720 It’s at this point that the final challenge, the Pantheon of Hallownest, becomes available. 01:09:14.720 --> 01:09:18.810 The Godseeker finally acknowledges the Knight as being more than just a simple cringer, 01:09:18.810 --> 01:09:22.009 and they begin to watch the Knight more intently. 01:09:22.009 --> 01:09:26.359 After defeating like a bazillion bosses in the final pantheon, the Knight finally comes 01:09:26.359 --> 01:09:32.080 face to face with the Absolute Radiance, a stronger, more enhanced version of the game’s 01:09:32.080 --> 01:09:33.319 final boss. 01:09:33.319 --> 01:09:35.509 Finally, the stage is set. 01:09:35.509 --> 01:09:41.270 After roughly forty minutes of intense agony and tedious boss battles, the Knight has finally 01:09:41.270 --> 01:09:45.790 reached the ultimate enemy responsible for the destruction of Hallownest. 01:09:45.790 --> 01:09:48.500 Truly this will be a battle for the ages. 01:09:48.500 --> 01:09:52.040 But first let’s check in on our old pal, Menderbug. 01:09:52.040 --> 01:09:54.830 As it turns out he’s still alive when the Knight arrives in Hallownest. 01:09:54.830 --> 01:09:58.110 And he’s still fulfilling his duty after all this time. 01:09:58.110 --> 01:10:01.010 Let’s take one last look at his diary. 01:10:01.010 --> 01:10:05.120 My Lovely Diary, Someone's gone and broke my favourite sign! 01:10:05.120 --> 01:10:08.420 Right there at the top of the crossroads. 01:10:08.420 --> 01:10:09.420 Keeps happening too! 01:10:09.420 --> 01:10:12.480 But you know, I just can't get mad about it. 01:10:12.480 --> 01:10:14.909 I should be thanking them really! 01:10:14.909 --> 01:10:19.139 More chances to fix that beautiful, complex sign. 01:10:19.139 --> 01:10:25.290 And I've stocked up on spare parts, so I've no fear it'll ever stay broken for long. 01:10:25.290 --> 01:10:29.890 Unfortunately, the only way to ever read the Menderbug’s diary is to kill him in cold 01:10:29.890 --> 01:10:30.890 blood. 01:10:30.890 --> 01:10:35.100 I’m not sure why Team Cherry thought this was necessary, but the general consensus on 01:10:35.100 --> 01:10:39.320 Reddit is that they are bloodthirsty warmongers so it checks out. 01:10:39.320 --> 01:10:43.440 But at least Menderbug’s last moments will be spent fixing one of his favorite signs 01:10:43.440 --> 01:10:45.080 in the Forgotten Crossroads. 01:10:45.080 --> 01:10:49.179 It’s comforting to think that his final seconds of consciousness were spent in total 01:10:49.179 --> 01:10:54.300 bliss before we sent him hurtling into the infinite chasm of oblivion. 01:10:54.300 --> 01:10:55.800 Well anyway... 01:10:55.800 --> 01:10:59.989 This alternate fight between the Knight and the Radiance plays out differently than in 01:10:59.989 --> 01:11:01.610 the vanilla endings. 01:11:01.610 --> 01:11:05.800 This time around, the Knight is not accompanied by any shades. 01:11:05.800 --> 01:11:11.840 Instead, after defeating the Radiance, the Knight seems to transform into this monstrosity. 01:11:11.840 --> 01:11:18.860 Now this creature has several names, the God of Gods, the Lord Shade, the Devourer, the 01:11:18.860 --> 01:11:20.190 Void Entity. 01:11:20.190 --> 01:11:23.840 But I don’t really like any of those, so I will just call it Bill. 01:11:23.840 --> 01:11:27.650 Bill proceeds to completely annihilate the Radiance in spectacular fashion. 01:11:27.650 --> 01:11:31.150 We are then treated to the “Embrace the Void” ending. 01:11:31.150 --> 01:11:35.490 Bill comes back down from the sky, dropping into the rest of Godhome. 01:11:35.490 --> 01:11:39.060 The Godseeker starts to get pulled into Bill by Void tendrils. 01:11:39.060 --> 01:11:42.480 We then cut to the Godseeker in the Junk Pit. 01:11:42.480 --> 01:11:46.340 Void starts leaking out of her eyes, and it appears as though Bill is making an escape 01:11:46.340 --> 01:11:48.130 back into the real world. 01:11:48.130 --> 01:11:50.270 Which is probably a bad thing? 01:11:50.270 --> 01:11:54.949 Finally, we see Hornet standing outside of the Black Egg as the infection begins to disappear 01:11:54.949 --> 01:11:56.780 from the nearby vines. 01:11:56.780 --> 01:12:00.860 Hornet hears footsteps coming from inside the Black Egg, as the Hollow Knight reveals 01:12:00.860 --> 01:12:04.239 itself to her and the two prepare for combat. 01:12:04.239 --> 01:12:08.230 So from this cutscene, we can see that the Radiance’s death in Godhome actually did 01:12:08.230 --> 01:12:12.770 kill her for real, meaning that the infection over Hallownest is now gone. 01:12:12.770 --> 01:12:17.010 This means the seals inside of the Black Egg probably wore off, allowing the Hollow Knight 01:12:17.010 --> 01:12:18.300 to escape its prison. 01:12:18.300 --> 01:12:23.510 In other words, the Embrace the Void ending is a goddamn cliffhanger, and we have no idea 01:12:23.510 --> 01:12:26.219 how Team Cherry plans to follow this up. 01:12:26.219 --> 01:12:30.290 The Hollow Knight is running loose in Hallownest, and the Knight has transformed into a raging 01:12:30.290 --> 01:12:35.150 Void monster that might try to destroy the entire kingdom, or at least what’s left 01:12:35.150 --> 01:12:36.150 of it. 01:12:36.150 --> 01:12:39.679 What’s even more strange about this ending is that the announced sequel, Hollow Knight: 01:12:39.679 --> 01:12:42.860 Silksong doesn’t seem to be related to this ending at all. 01:12:42.860 --> 01:12:45.030 But that’s a whole different shitshow. 01:12:45.030 --> 01:12:49.550 Obviously, the biggest mystery surrounding this ending is the appearance of Bill. 01:12:49.550 --> 01:12:54.770 Did this creature exist in the Void already, or was it somehow willed into existence by 01:12:54.770 --> 01:12:56.340 the power of the Godseekers? 01:12:56.340 --> 01:12:58.610 Did the Knight turn into this thing? 01:12:58.610 --> 01:13:01.450 Or did it just become a part of it? 01:13:01.450 --> 01:13:05.400 Examining a statue of this creature, and the other forms of the Knight grant the player 01:13:05.400 --> 01:13:09.929 a Hunter’s Journal entry for an ancient artifact called the Void Idol, which might 01:13:09.929 --> 01:13:13.020 imply this creature might have been worshipped by the Ancient Civilization. 01:13:13.020 --> 01:13:16.690 But again, that’s pure speculation. 01:13:16.690 --> 01:13:20.030 We don’t know what this worship of the Void exactly looked like. 01:13:20.030 --> 01:13:23.940 Maybe the Void they worshipped took the form of something more sinister. 01:13:23.940 --> 01:13:26.420 There is one thing we know about this monster though. 01:13:26.420 --> 01:13:28.989 It’s weak to flowers. 01:13:28.989 --> 01:13:31.380 Yes, these things. 01:13:31.380 --> 01:13:35.900 As it turns out, those Delicate Flowers that Ze’mer has stockpiled up her ass are actually 01:13:35.900 --> 01:13:37.270 useful for something. 01:13:37.270 --> 01:13:41.949 They contain a strange power that even deters the White Lady from touching one. 01:13:41.949 --> 01:13:46.389 The Godseeker, however, is dumb enough to accept a flower from the Knight. 01:13:46.389 --> 01:13:51.250 If the player does this, instead of Void being released out into the world, this flower pulls 01:13:51.250 --> 01:13:56.250 a no-u and the Godseeker and the Void disappear into thin air. 01:13:56.250 --> 01:14:00.830 The flower itself is described as giving off a pale light, which appears to connect it 01:14:00.830 --> 01:14:02.820 to the Pale Beings. 01:14:02.820 --> 01:14:07.600 Like I said before, Pale Beings appear to be some form of top tier Gods. 01:14:07.600 --> 01:14:12.580 As of right now, we are only aware of two: the Pale King and the White Lady. 01:14:12.580 --> 01:14:16.969 But the fact that Ze’mer brought these pale flowers from a faraway land implies that there 01:14:16.969 --> 01:14:18.730 are definitely more of them out there. 01:14:18.730 --> 01:14:23.469 Another small hint of the existence of Pale Beings are the Pale Ore items that can be 01:14:23.469 --> 01:14:25.590 found all over Hallownest. 01:14:25.590 --> 01:14:29.260 Did these come from the Pale King, or possibly some other Pale Being? 01:14:29.260 --> 01:14:30.321 And what exactly are they? 01:14:30.321 --> 01:14:32.530 Are they poop? 01:14:32.530 --> 01:14:36.480 In general, the Godmaster endings appear to be doing a lot of setup for future Hollow 01:14:36.480 --> 01:14:37.490 Knight content. 01:14:37.490 --> 01:14:41.489 Like I said before, Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn’t seem connected to these events on 01:14:41.489 --> 01:14:45.949 the surface, so we are in a bit of a bind when trying to discuss what these endings 01:14:45.949 --> 01:14:49.480 actually mean for the greater narrative Team Cherry is building. 01:14:49.480 --> 01:14:54.890 There’s definitely a lot more to consider about what the pale beings are and what properties 01:14:54.890 --> 01:14:55.960 they possess. 01:14:55.960 --> 01:14:59.970 And we also have plenty of questions surrounding the Void, and how bugs have interacted with 01:14:59.970 --> 01:15:01.139 it in the past. 01:15:01.139 --> 01:15:05.750 It almost feels like we are looking through a keyhole trying to grasp onto the totality 01:15:05.750 --> 01:15:07.820 of Team Cherry’s creation. 01:15:07.820 --> 01:15:11.120 How powerful are creatures like Bill and the Wyrms? 01:15:11.120 --> 01:15:14.429 Where did things like the Void even come from to begin with? 01:15:14.429 --> 01:15:17.350 How much bigger is the world beyond Hallownest? 01:15:17.350 --> 01:15:19.810 Is Bardoon into butt stuff? 01:15:19.810 --> 01:15:22.590 But of course that’s the appeal of a game like Hollow Knight. 01:15:22.590 --> 01:15:27.270 Having all of the answers to every question would just ruin the mystery of the world. 01:15:27.270 --> 01:15:30.900 Plus if we didn’t have questions like this to waste our time on, then what else would 01:15:30.900 --> 01:15:33.360 we do with our lives? 01:15:33.360 --> 01:15:35.120 Go outside? 01:15:35.120 --> 01:15:36.540 Ugg… 01:15:36.540 --> 01:15:38.980 And so this video comes to an end. 01:15:38.980 --> 01:15:43.790 Now I know the average attention span of a YouTube viewer is 9 minutes, so let me leave 01:15:43.790 --> 01:15:45.680 you with a few takeaways: 01:15:45.680 --> 01:15:46.620 1. 01:15:46.620 --> 01:15:48.520 Hollow Knight is a game about bugs. 01:15:48.520 --> 01:15:52.099 I know that may come as a shock, but it’s true. 01:15:52.099 --> 01:15:55.380 Watch the video again, and this time pay attention. 01:15:55.380 --> 01:15:58.380 You’ll notice right away, I promise. 01:15:58.380 --> 01:15:59.380 2. 01:15:59.380 --> 01:16:02.650 Murdering your own babies might not be such a good idea after all. 01:16:02.650 --> 01:16:07.210 I mean, this is obviously just my interpretation of the game’s lore. 01:16:07.210 --> 01:16:11.421 Other people might have different views on the subject of murdering babies, and every 01:16:11.421 --> 01:16:16.000 opinion is valid so I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes or anything. 01:16:16.000 --> 01:16:16.960 3. 01:16:16.960 --> 01:16:19.540 Menderbug is fucking dead. 01:16:19.540 --> 01:16:20.840 4. 01:16:20.840 --> 01:16:22.580 Nothing is certain. 01:16:22.590 --> 01:16:25.650 This video probably has a few flaws in it. 01:16:25.650 --> 01:16:30.300 Trying to construct a cohesive narrative with the information found in Hollow Knight isn’t 01:16:30.300 --> 01:16:31.310 exactly straightforward. 01:16:31.310 --> 01:16:36.820 I’m sure my views will change in the future, and I encourage you to explore the lore yourself. 01:16:36.820 --> 01:16:38.110 5. 01:16:38.110 --> 01:16:43.780 And this last point is fairly obvious but I should mention it anyway; Cory in the House 01:16:43.780 --> 01:16:44.940 is the best anime 01:16:44.940 --> 01:17:08.020 (weeb shit)