1 00:00:10,660 --> 00:00:14,460 There is a certain character I have avoided talking about on this channel. 2 00:00:14,460 --> 00:00:19,610 A character with lore so deep and so complex that no one has been able to decipher their 3 00:00:19,610 --> 00:00:22,400 dialogue in a way that makes coherent sense. 4 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,550 I am of course talking about, none other than Menderbug. 5 00:00:26,550 --> 00:00:29,350 I am really at a loss on how to tackle this guy. 6 00:00:29,350 --> 00:00:34,630 So instead I’m going to pass the buck, and talk about another character, the Mask Maker. 7 00:00:34,630 --> 00:00:36,780 The Mask Maker is an NPC found in Deepnest. 8 00:00:36,780 --> 00:00:42,910 They are voiced by Ari Gibson, and, oddly enough, they spend their time making masks. 9 00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:47,090 Since pretty much everything Mask Maker says is cryptic, we’re going to go through every 10 00:00:47,090 --> 00:00:50,000 line and decipher it the best we can. 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,149 So buckle up boys and girls, because it’s time for some deep speculation. 12 00:00:54,149 --> 00:00:58,620 The first line from Mask Maker brings up the question of masks in Hallownest, saying it’s 13 00:00:58,620 --> 00:01:01,520 hard to tell who is and who isn’t wearing a mask. 14 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,080 Well, the Dreamers are definitely wearing masks. 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,400 If we can’t agree on that then this is going to be a long video. 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,270 Same for the members of the Grimm Troupe. 17 00:01:10,270 --> 00:01:13,430 We even get to see Brumm character with and without his mask. 18 00:01:13,430 --> 00:01:16,590 The Godseekers appear to be wearing masks as well. 19 00:01:16,590 --> 00:01:19,160 And then there’s the bugs in the Colosseum of Fools. 20 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,280 They look like they might be wearing masks too. 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,941 Out of all the faces in the game, these are probably the closest ones to what the Mask 22 00:01:25,941 --> 00:01:27,880 Maker actually creates. 23 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:33,170 Unfortunately, this is all visual, so there’s no text to confirm this 100%. 24 00:01:33,170 --> 00:01:36,960 There are a bunch of characters we could talk about that might also be wearing masks, but 25 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:41,330 whether or not we agree on those, there are definitely creatures in Hallownest that don’t 26 00:01:41,330 --> 00:01:42,330 wear masks. 27 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:44,640 And I’d say that would be the majority of them. 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,560 At the very least, the masks that the Mask Maker is making aren’t being worn by many 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,700 of the bugs we see in Hallownest. 30 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:56,080 The Mask Maker’s next line tells us that not everyone is born with a face. 31 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,020 So for those people, the Mask Maker will provide masks. 32 00:01:59,020 --> 00:02:04,890 They then imply that a face is needed for one to “define”, “focus” and “exist”. 33 00:02:04,890 --> 00:02:08,729 My interpretation of this dialogue is that a “face” is a metaphor for a being that 34 00:02:08,729 --> 00:02:10,630 has sentience. 35 00:02:10,630 --> 00:02:15,010 The bugs in Hallownest are incredibly diverse, meaning that some bugs might not be as capable 36 00:02:15,010 --> 00:02:16,830 at higher thought than others. 37 00:02:16,830 --> 00:02:19,920 An example of this would be the spiders in Deepnest. 38 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:24,700 Midwife calls them the most intelligent species, or in other words, more intelligent than other 39 00:02:24,700 --> 00:02:26,390 enemies in the game. 40 00:02:26,390 --> 00:02:30,730 So my theory is that some of these bugs with weaker minds need masks in order to have greater 41 00:02:30,730 --> 00:02:32,430 control of themselves. 42 00:02:32,430 --> 00:02:37,450 Honestly, I feel like this is pretty speculative, but it’s really hard to make sense of this 43 00:02:37,450 --> 00:02:38,450 weirdo. 44 00:02:38,450 --> 00:02:39,950 At one point the Mask Maker says: 45 00:02:39,950 --> 00:02:43,170 “Faces I grant to all who'd request.” 46 00:02:43,170 --> 00:02:47,380 So if you need a face to exist, how do you request a face in the first place? 47 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:48,920 What the fuck, Team Cherry? 48 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,500 You’re destroying my brain here. 49 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:53,850 Anyway, masks give bugs sentience. 50 00:02:53,850 --> 00:02:58,560 While I don’t have much proof outside of this dialogue, it does seem to line up with 51 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,990 what happens with the Pale King. 52 00:03:00,990 --> 00:03:05,060 From the lore tablet in the White Palace throne room, we know that the Pale King became a 53 00:03:05,060 --> 00:03:10,170 beacon for the bugs of Hallownest, resulting in an expansion of their minds. 54 00:03:10,170 --> 00:03:14,580 So in other words, the Pale King was able to achieve the same effect as the masks without 55 00:03:14,580 --> 00:03:16,580 making his subjects wear them. 56 00:03:16,580 --> 00:03:20,420 Regardless of whether this is true or not, it does seem like the Mask Maker is entirely 57 00:03:20,420 --> 00:03:23,150 unrelated to the Pale King in any way. 58 00:03:23,150 --> 00:03:27,481 The Mask Maker lives in Deepnest, outside of the Pale King’s domain, and the Mask 59 00:03:27,481 --> 00:03:31,569 Maker has knowledge of events that happened before the Pale King’s rule. 60 00:03:31,569 --> 00:03:35,600 The need for masks was probably much greater in the time before Hallownest, so it makes 61 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,460 sense that a being like the Mask Maker would have popped up during that time. 62 00:03:39,460 --> 00:03:43,580 Now you might be questioning how the Mask Maker could have been alive for so long, but 63 00:03:43,580 --> 00:03:46,820 remember, time in Hallownest is weird as fuck. 64 00:03:46,820 --> 00:03:51,630 According to the Elderbug, the Stag Stations were closed before he was even born. 65 00:03:51,630 --> 00:03:56,270 So if we assume that the Stag Stations didn’t close until the fall of Hallownest, that means 66 00:03:56,270 --> 00:03:58,850 that Hornet is actually older than Elderbug. 67 00:03:58,850 --> 00:04:02,459 Let’s dive deep into that Quirrel comic Team Cherry released. 68 00:04:02,459 --> 00:04:06,250 It gives us an idea about what life outside of a kingdom looks like. 69 00:04:06,250 --> 00:04:09,130 Featured in the comic is a character named Boon. 70 00:04:09,130 --> 00:04:13,720 Boon speaks with few words, and the structure of his sentences are strange. 71 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,340 Contrast that with Tuk, a bug we meet in the Royal Waterways. 72 00:04:17,340 --> 00:04:21,769 These bugs are pretty similar looking, implying that they are the same species, but Tuk is 73 00:04:21,769 --> 00:04:24,540 much more articulate in his dialogue. 74 00:04:24,540 --> 00:04:27,620 This is probably due to the effects of the Pale King. 75 00:04:27,620 --> 00:04:31,120 The lore tablet in the Howling Cliffs agrees with this, telling us that entering the lands 76 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:35,120 beyond Hallownest results in the loss of the mind granted by the kingdom. 77 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,970 There is also the corpse at the edge of Howling Cliffs that says: 78 00:04:37,970 --> 00:04:40,910 “No king, no mind, release”. 79 00:04:40,910 --> 00:04:46,010 Now you could argue that Boon is just a man of few words, but the dude talks in the third 80 00:04:46,010 --> 00:04:47,010 person. 81 00:04:47,010 --> 00:04:49,660 That’s always a sign that something is wrong upstairs. 82 00:04:49,660 --> 00:04:51,830 And then the question of Quirrel comes up. 83 00:04:51,830 --> 00:04:55,550 He doesn’t lose his mind outside of Hallownest, just his memory. 84 00:04:55,550 --> 00:04:56,730 So what causes this? 85 00:04:56,730 --> 00:05:01,860 Well, he does have Monomon’s mask, and maybe his face is also a mask as well. 86 00:05:01,860 --> 00:05:06,020 Or maybe Quirrel just has a mind of his own and doesn’t need anything to keep his sentience. 87 00:05:06,020 --> 00:05:10,490 I do think his time outside of Hallownest is what made Quirrel lose his memory, but 88 00:05:10,490 --> 00:05:11,870 his mind remained intact. 89 00:05:11,870 --> 00:05:16,811 So yeah, this shit is really confusing, and I don’t have a definitive answer, but this 90 00:05:16,811 --> 00:05:19,520 is the most coherent case I think can be made. 91 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:24,419 I think that masks are somehow tied to granting bugs sentience which is why the Mask Maker 92 00:05:24,419 --> 00:05:26,390 feels obligated to create them. 93 00:05:26,390 --> 00:05:29,870 So the Mask Maker is apparently hooked on their own goods, because the mask they are 94 00:05:29,870 --> 00:05:31,800 wearing can change whenever you enter the room. 95 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,300 It’s a pretty neat detail, but more importantly you can use Desolate Dive to knock their mask 96 00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:37,910 completely off. 97 00:05:37,910 --> 00:05:41,840 This gives us a better look at the Mask Maker’s eyes, revealing one of the worst cases of 98 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:43,410 glaucoma I have ever seen. 99 00:05:43,410 --> 00:05:47,930 We’ll get to the weird eye thing in a minute, but more importantly, knocking the Mask Maker’s 100 00:05:47,930 --> 00:05:50,240 mask off gives us additional dialogue. 101 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,300 The Mask Maker tells us that they might just be wearing another mask underneath this one 102 00:05:54,300 --> 00:05:56,610 like they are some sort of clever Scooby Doo villain. 103 00:05:56,610 --> 00:06:00,980 Then the Mask Maker tells us that truth in Hallownest is always buried deep. 104 00:06:00,980 --> 00:06:02,699 Yeah…no shit. 105 00:06:02,699 --> 00:06:04,310 The Mask Maker then says the following: 106 00:06:04,310 --> 00:06:07,570 “To change a face; to conceal it fully within another... 107 00:06:07,570 --> 00:06:11,420 A powerful protection that is, but one with sad consequence. 108 00:06:11,420 --> 00:06:15,889 The original mind is destroyed, though those of striking will may still retain a sliver 109 00:06:15,889 --> 00:06:17,850 of that concealed self.” 110 00:06:17,850 --> 00:06:21,100 My view surrounding this dialogue is that it is relating to the relationship between 111 00:06:21,100 --> 00:06:23,340 the shell and the shade of the Knight. 112 00:06:23,340 --> 00:06:27,570 The face of the shade is being concealed within the face of the shell. 113 00:06:27,570 --> 00:06:31,700 This results in the shade being protected, but at the cost of the being that once inhabited 114 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:32,700 the shell. 115 00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:36,710 The original mind might be referring to the mind of the Vessel that died, which the concealed 116 00:06:36,710 --> 00:06:39,900 self is the shade concealed inside the shell. 117 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:43,320 This theory makes more sense when we look at the Mask Maker’s Dream Nail dialogue. 118 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,630 They refer to the shade as the face that hides beneath. 119 00:06:46,630 --> 00:06:51,360 At this point, I should probably bring up the idea that the Void might have a mind. 120 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,370 Basically, the Void is capable of doing things. 121 00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:58,020 The best example is when it calls out to the bug in the lighthouse, telling it to turn 122 00:06:58,020 --> 00:06:59,530 off the light. 123 00:06:59,530 --> 00:07:03,910 Another argument for this is that Team Cherry removed a line of dialogue that read “Void 124 00:07:03,910 --> 00:07:06,639 given mind” from the latest DLC. 125 00:07:06,639 --> 00:07:11,540 The reason they removed this is because Void already has a mind, the argument goes. 126 00:07:11,540 --> 00:07:15,540 So in this interpretation, “original mind” would be referring to the mind of the shade. 127 00:07:15,540 --> 00:07:18,850 It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t really know if there is enough evidence for 128 00:07:18,850 --> 00:07:19,850 it. 129 00:07:19,850 --> 00:07:23,490 Another theory is that the dialogue is referring to how Quirrel’s mind was destroyed by wearing 130 00:07:23,490 --> 00:07:25,190 Monomon’s mask. 131 00:07:25,190 --> 00:07:27,910 This kind of fits, but I have two problems with it. 132 00:07:27,910 --> 00:07:31,220 First off, I think Quirrel’s memory loss has more to do with leaving Hallownest. 133 00:07:31,220 --> 00:07:35,330 Second, Quirrel’s mind wasn’t destroyed, he just lost his memory. 134 00:07:35,330 --> 00:07:38,650 It is possible, but I’m not convinced. 135 00:07:38,650 --> 00:07:42,491 If you talk to the Mask Maker after getting the King’s Brand, they will talk about the 136 00:07:42,491 --> 00:07:47,360 “ancient caste” that once tried and failed to rule over all of Hallownest. 137 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,400 We don’t know much about the ancient civilization that existed before Hallownest. 138 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,460 From Relic Seeker Lemm, we know that this civilization created the Arcane Eggs and the 139 00:07:55,460 --> 00:07:57,910 Soul Totems, and that they worshiped the void. 140 00:07:57,910 --> 00:08:02,400 I could go into more detail on this, pouring over every little bit of information we have 141 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,350 about this civilization, but I have too much of a life for that shit. 142 00:08:06,350 --> 00:08:10,490 As for right now, this line of dialogue tells us that the Mask Maker is knowledgeable about 143 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:15,009 past events, either because they were told about these events or because they were alive 144 00:08:15,009 --> 00:08:16,360 during those events. 145 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,690 Like I said earlier, I think it’s the latter. 146 00:08:18,690 --> 00:08:22,780 The Mask Maker’s next dialogue can be triggered by acquiring the Shade Cloak. 147 00:08:22,780 --> 00:08:27,080 The Mask Maker will talk about the Wyrm’s great shame, and the creation of the vessels. 148 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:31,630 They then mention that the stasis of Hallownest is the Pale King’s legacy. 149 00:08:31,630 --> 00:08:35,839 When the Pale King sealed the Radiance inside of the Hollow Knight, he did so as an attempt 150 00:08:35,839 --> 00:08:38,830 to keep Hallownest in an eternal stasis. 151 00:08:38,830 --> 00:08:41,829 This is spelled out in the lore tablet in the King’s workshop. 152 00:08:41,829 --> 00:08:46,769 The tablet explains that Pale King hoped to use the Void to “deny Time”. 153 00:08:46,769 --> 00:08:50,970 Hallownest was placed in a sort of stasis by the Pale King placing the Radiance inside 154 00:08:50,970 --> 00:08:52,149 of the Hollow Knight. 155 00:08:52,149 --> 00:08:56,199 By doing this, the Pale King hoped to keep the Hallownest lasting eternal. 156 00:08:56,199 --> 00:08:59,449 This lines up with a lot of dialogue we can find in the game. 157 00:08:59,449 --> 00:09:01,990 Seer tells us that the kingdom is in a slumber. 158 00:09:01,990 --> 00:09:06,170 Both Hornet and Vespa mention that there was attempt at perpetuation. 159 00:09:06,170 --> 00:09:10,399 The statues in the City of Tears and in the Resting Grounds mention that Hallownest will 160 00:09:10,399 --> 00:09:13,439 last eternal thanks to their sacrifices. 161 00:09:13,439 --> 00:09:16,029 The lore tablet in the White Palace throne room says: 162 00:09:16,029 --> 00:09:19,290 “Eternity in promise and charge in progeny cursed.” 163 00:09:19,290 --> 00:09:23,899 Or in other words, Hallownest can last eternal because the Pale King used his children to 164 00:09:23,899 --> 00:09:25,220 create a Vessel. 165 00:09:25,220 --> 00:09:26,980 Monomon describes the world as: 166 00:09:26,980 --> 00:09:29,410 “A world forever unchanging.” 167 00:09:29,410 --> 00:09:32,360 The developers notes also lay this out plainly. 168 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:37,839 Finally, the Radiance’s line “DAWN SHALL BREAK” is a reference to ending the long 169 00:09:37,839 --> 00:09:40,110 night that Hallownest is trapped in. 170 00:09:40,110 --> 00:09:45,999 Of course, time still moves in Hallownest, but you know, it’s like, a metaphorical 171 00:09:45,999 --> 00:09:47,199 thing. 172 00:09:47,199 --> 00:09:51,649 Like when you say “break a leg” or “I don’t have any STDs.” 173 00:09:51,649 --> 00:09:55,839 In their last line, the Mask Maker explains that they make masks as a gift to a world 174 00:09:55,839 --> 00:09:56,990 deserving. 175 00:09:56,990 --> 00:09:58,519 What a nice fellla. 176 00:09:58,519 --> 00:10:01,680 Anyway that’s it for dialogue, but there is more going on here that we need to talk 177 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:02,740 about. 178 00:10:02,740 --> 00:10:05,959 There is a clear connection between the Mask Maker and the Void. 179 00:10:05,959 --> 00:10:08,640 The most obvious example is the Mask Maker’s eyes. 180 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:11,830 It appears as though there’s void swirling around in there. 181 00:10:11,830 --> 00:10:16,139 There are also black streaks coming from their eyes, similar to the bugs found in the Ancient 182 00:10:16,139 --> 00:10:17,139 Basin. 183 00:10:17,139 --> 00:10:20,689 There are also black particles floating around in the room: a dead giveaway that Void is 184 00:10:20,689 --> 00:10:21,689 around. 185 00:10:21,689 --> 00:10:23,850 There’s one other aspect worth mentioning. 186 00:10:23,850 --> 00:10:28,680 The files for the artwork in the Mask Maker’s room use the phrase “Egg Chamber”. 187 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,569 You can see the egg shape a bit from the outside of the room. 188 00:10:31,569 --> 00:10:36,129 There’s also a bunch of chains and scaffolding, but I don’t really know what that’s about. 189 00:10:36,129 --> 00:10:40,360 My guess is the egg is similar to the egg inside of the Temple of the Black Egg, which 190 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,690 was used to contain the Hollow Knight. 191 00:10:42,690 --> 00:10:47,249 Hornet explains that the egg is used to sustain the Void beings, and that its bindings would 192 00:10:47,249 --> 00:10:49,670 drain her if she were inside. 193 00:10:49,670 --> 00:10:54,040 In the Dream No More ending, the entire egg begins to dematerialize, and we see pools 194 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:59,309 of Void seep out of the temple, so it seems like the egg itself is made of Void. 195 00:10:59,309 --> 00:11:03,899 So, is the egg chamber that the Mask Maker is inside of also made of Void? 196 00:11:03,899 --> 00:11:07,649 This would explain the particles, and maybe the Mask Maker is an example of a creature 197 00:11:07,649 --> 00:11:09,329 being drained by the egg. 198 00:11:09,329 --> 00:11:13,129 I’m guessing that the process happening to the Mask Maker is similar to what happened 199 00:11:13,129 --> 00:11:15,240 to the bugs in the Ancient Basin. 200 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:19,800 An exposure to Void is causing the Mask Maker to become filled with void. 201 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,230 This theory of mine does leave us with a few questions. 202 00:11:22,230 --> 00:11:25,160 Why does the Mask Maker not seem to care? 203 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,180 Isn’t getting consumed by the Void a bad thing? 204 00:11:28,180 --> 00:11:29,889 Well, maybe not. 205 00:11:29,889 --> 00:11:33,529 No Eyes also seems to be accepting of the Void, and she seems like a pretty reasonable 206 00:11:33,529 --> 00:11:34,529 woman. 207 00:11:34,529 --> 00:11:36,430 Is the Mask Maker trapped in the egg? 208 00:11:36,430 --> 00:11:38,999 Did someone put them in there, or are they there by choice? 209 00:11:38,999 --> 00:11:41,429 They don’t seem to have any interest in leaving. 210 00:11:41,429 --> 00:11:44,079 Does wearing a mask help them survive the Void? 211 00:11:44,079 --> 00:11:48,389 Regardless, I think this egg chamber is the reason we are seeing the influence of Void 212 00:11:48,389 --> 00:11:50,230 around the Mask Maker. 213 00:11:50,230 --> 00:11:52,700 And that’s all I can think to say about the Mask Maker. 214 00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:56,940 To sum up my speculations, the Mask Maker creates masks to help other creatures become 215 00:11:56,940 --> 00:11:57,940 more sentient. 216 00:11:57,940 --> 00:12:02,259 They probably predate Hallownest and the Pale King’s rule, and they live inside of a Void 217 00:12:02,259 --> 00:12:05,439 egg similar to the egg found in the Temple of the Black Egg. 218 00:12:05,439 --> 00:12:10,869 I’m not sure if this video really provided many answers so much as it just raised more 219 00:12:10,869 --> 00:12:11,869 questions. 220 00:12:11,869 --> 00:12:15,649 This Hollow Knight lore shit is getting too complicated. 221 00:12:15,649 --> 00:12:17,399 I think I’ll switch over to Fortnite lore.