WEBVTT 00:00:10.660 --> 00:00:14.460 There is a certain character I have avoided talking about on this channel. 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 00:00:19.610 --> 00:00:22.400 dialogue in a way that makes coherent sense. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:26.550 I am of course talking about, none other than Menderbug. 00:00:26.550 --> 00:00:29.350 I am really at a loss on how to tackle this guy. 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. 00:00:34.630 --> 00:00:36.780 The Mask Maker is an NPC found in Deepnest. 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:42.910 They are voiced by Ari Gibson, and, oddly enough, they spend their time making masks. 00:00:42.910 --> 00:00:47.090 Since pretty much everything Mask Maker says is cryptic, we’re going to go through every 00:00:47.090 --> 00:00:50.000 line and decipher it the best we can. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.149 So buckle up boys and girls, because it’s time for some deep speculation. 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 00:00:58.620 --> 00:01:01.520 hard to tell who is and who isn’t wearing a mask. 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:05.080 Well, the Dreamers are definitely wearing masks. 00:01:05.080 --> 00:01:08.400 If we can’t agree on that then this is going to be a long video. 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:10.270 Same for the members of the Grimm Troupe. 00:01:10.270 --> 00:01:13.430 We even get to see Brumm character with and without his mask. 00:01:13.430 --> 00:01:16.590 The Godseekers appear to be wearing masks as well. 00:01:16.590 --> 00:01:19.160 And then there’s the bugs in the Colosseum of Fools. 00:01:19.160 --> 00:01:21.280 They look like they might be wearing masks too. 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 00:01:25.941 --> 00:01:27.880 Maker actually creates. 00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:33.170 Unfortunately, this is all visual, so there’s no text to confirm this 100%. 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 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:41.330 whether or not we agree on those, there are definitely creatures in Hallownest that don’t 00:01:41.330 --> 00:01:42.330 wear masks. 00:01:42.330 --> 00:01:44.640 And I’d say that would be the majority of them. 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 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.700 of the bugs we see in Hallownest. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:56.080 The Mask Maker’s next line tells us that not everyone is born with a face. 00:01:56.080 --> 00:01:59.020 So for those people, the Mask Maker will provide masks. 00:01:59.020 --> 00:02:04.890 They then imply that a face is needed for one to “define”, “focus” and “exist”. 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:08.729 My interpretation of this dialogue is that a “face” is a metaphor for a being that 00:02:08.729 --> 00:02:10.630 has sentience. 00:02:10.630 --> 00:02:15.010 The bugs in Hallownest are incredibly diverse, meaning that some bugs might not be as capable 00:02:15.010 --> 00:02:16.830 at higher thought than others. 00:02:16.830 --> 00:02:19.920 An example of this would be the spiders in Deepnest. 00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:24.700 Midwife calls them the most intelligent species, or in other words, more intelligent than other 00:02:24.700 --> 00:02:26.390 enemies in the game. 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 00:02:30.730 --> 00:02:32.430 control of themselves. 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 00:02:37.450 --> 00:02:38.450 weirdo. 00:02:38.450 --> 00:02:39.950 At one point the Mask Maker says: 00:02:39.950 --> 00:02:43.170 “Faces I grant to all who'd request.” 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? 00:02:47.380 --> 00:02:48.920 What the fuck, Team Cherry? 00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:51.500 You’re destroying my brain here. 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:53.850 Anyway, masks give bugs sentience. 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 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:00.990 what happens with the Pale King. 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 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:10.170 beacon for the bugs of Hallownest, resulting in an expansion of their minds. 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 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:16.580 making his subjects wear them. 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 00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:23.150 unrelated to the Pale King in any way. 00:03:23.150 --> 00:03:27.481 The Mask Maker lives in Deepnest, outside of the Pale King’s domain, and the Mask 00:03:27.481 --> 00:03:31.569 Maker has knowledge of events that happened before the Pale King’s rule. 00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:35.600 The need for masks was probably much greater in the time before Hallownest, so it makes 00:03:35.600 --> 00:03:39.460 sense that a being like the Mask Maker would have popped up during that time. 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 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:46.820 remember, time in Hallownest is weird as fuck. 00:03:46.820 --> 00:03:51.630 According to the Elderbug, the Stag Stations were closed before he was even born. 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 00:03:56.270 --> 00:03:58.850 that Hornet is actually older than Elderbug. 00:03:58.850 --> 00:04:02.459 Let’s dive deep into that Quirrel comic Team Cherry released. 00:04:02.459 --> 00:04:06.250 It gives us an idea about what life outside of a kingdom looks like. 00:04:06.250 --> 00:04:09.130 Featured in the comic is a character named Boon. 00:04:09.130 --> 00:04:13.720 Boon speaks with few words, and the structure of his sentences are strange. 00:04:13.720 --> 00:04:17.340 Contrast that with Tuk, a bug we meet in the Royal Waterways. 00:04:17.340 --> 00:04:21.769 These bugs are pretty similar looking, implying that they are the same species, but Tuk is 00:04:21.769 --> 00:04:24.540 much more articulate in his dialogue. 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.620 This is probably due to the effects of the Pale King. 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:31.120 The lore tablet in the Howling Cliffs agrees with this, telling us that entering the lands 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:35.120 beyond Hallownest results in the loss of the mind granted by the kingdom. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.970 There is also the corpse at the edge of Howling Cliffs that says: 00:04:37.970 --> 00:04:40.910 “No king, no mind, release”. 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 00:04:46.010 --> 00:04:47.010 person. 00:04:47.010 --> 00:04:49.660 That’s always a sign that something is wrong upstairs. 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:51.830 And then the question of Quirrel comes up. 00:04:51.830 --> 00:04:55.550 He doesn’t lose his mind outside of Hallownest, just his memory. 00:04:55.550 --> 00:04:56.730 So what causes this? 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. 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. 00:05:06.020 --> 00:05:10.490 I do think his time outside of Hallownest is what made Quirrel lose his memory, but 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:11.870 his mind remained intact. 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 00:05:16.811 --> 00:05:19.520 is the most coherent case I think can be made. 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 00:05:24.419 --> 00:05:26.390 feels obligated to create them. 00:05:26.390 --> 00:05:29.870 So the Mask Maker is apparently hooked on their own goods, because the mask they are 00:05:29.870 --> 00:05:31.800 wearing can change whenever you enter the room. 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 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:37.910 completely off. 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 00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:43.410 glaucoma I have ever seen. 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 00:05:47.930 --> 00:05:50.240 mask off gives us additional dialogue. 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:54.300 The Mask Maker tells us that they might just be wearing another mask underneath this one 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:56.610 like they are some sort of clever Scooby Doo villain. 00:05:56.610 --> 00:06:00.980 Then the Mask Maker tells us that truth in Hallownest is always buried deep. 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:02.699 Yeah…no shit. 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:04.310 The Mask Maker then says the following: 00:06:04.310 --> 00:06:07.570 “To change a face; to conceal it fully within another... 00:06:07.570 --> 00:06:11.420 A powerful protection that is, but one with sad consequence. 00:06:11.420 --> 00:06:15.889 The original mind is destroyed, though those of striking will may still retain a sliver 00:06:15.889 --> 00:06:17.850 of that concealed self.” 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:21.100 My view surrounding this dialogue is that it is relating to the relationship between 00:06:21.100 --> 00:06:23.340 the shell and the shade of the Knight. 00:06:23.340 --> 00:06:27.570 The face of the shade is being concealed within the face of the shell. 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 00:06:31.700 --> 00:06:32.700 the shell. 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 00:06:36.710 --> 00:06:39.900 self is the shade concealed inside the shell. 00:06:39.900 --> 00:06:43.320 This theory makes more sense when we look at the Mask Maker’s Dream Nail dialogue. 00:06:43.320 --> 00:06:46.630 They refer to the shade as the face that hides beneath. 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. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:54.370 Basically, the Void is capable of doing things. 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 00:06:58.020 --> 00:06:59.530 off the light. 00:06:59.530 --> 00:07:03.910 Another argument for this is that Team Cherry removed a line of dialogue that read “Void 00:07:03.910 --> 00:07:06.639 given mind” from the latest DLC. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:11.540 The reason they removed this is because Void already has a mind, the argument goes. 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:15.540 So in this interpretation, “original mind” would be referring to the mind of the shade. 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 00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:19.850 it. 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 00:07:23.490 --> 00:07:25.190 Monomon’s mask. 00:07:25.190 --> 00:07:27.910 This kind of fits, but I have two problems with it. 00:07:27.910 --> 00:07:31.220 First off, I think Quirrel’s memory loss has more to do with leaving Hallownest. 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:35.330 Second, Quirrel’s mind wasn’t destroyed, he just lost his memory. 00:07:35.330 --> 00:07:38.650 It is possible, but I’m not convinced. 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 00:07:42.491 --> 00:07:47.360 “ancient caste” that once tried and failed to rule over all of Hallownest. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:51.400 We don’t know much about the ancient civilization that existed before Hallownest. 00:07:51.400 --> 00:07:55.460 From Relic Seeker Lemm, we know that this civilization created the Arcane Eggs and the 00:07:55.460 --> 00:07:57.910 Soul Totems, and that they worshiped the void. 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 00:08:02.400 --> 00:08:06.350 about this civilization, but I have too much of a life for that shit. 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 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:15.009 past events, either because they were told about these events or because they were alive 00:08:15.009 --> 00:08:16.360 during those events. 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:18.690 Like I said earlier, I think it’s the latter. 00:08:18.690 --> 00:08:22.780 The Mask Maker’s next dialogue can be triggered by acquiring the Shade Cloak. 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. 00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:31.630 They then mention that the stasis of Hallownest is the Pale King’s legacy. 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 00:08:35.839 --> 00:08:38.830 to keep Hallownest in an eternal stasis. 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:41.829 This is spelled out in the lore tablet in the King’s workshop. 00:08:41.829 --> 00:08:46.769 The tablet explains that Pale King hoped to use the Void to “deny Time”. 00:08:46.769 --> 00:08:50.970 Hallownest was placed in a sort of stasis by the Pale King placing the Radiance inside 00:08:50.970 --> 00:08:52.149 of the Hollow Knight. 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:56.199 By doing this, the Pale King hoped to keep the Hallownest lasting eternal. 00:08:56.199 --> 00:08:59.449 This lines up with a lot of dialogue we can find in the game. 00:08:59.449 --> 00:09:01.990 Seer tells us that the kingdom is in a slumber. 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:06.170 Both Hornet and Vespa mention that there was attempt at perpetuation. 00:09:06.170 --> 00:09:10.399 The statues in the City of Tears and in the Resting Grounds mention that Hallownest will 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:13.439 last eternal thanks to their sacrifices. 00:09:13.439 --> 00:09:16.029 The lore tablet in the White Palace throne room says: 00:09:16.029 --> 00:09:19.290 “Eternity in promise and charge in progeny cursed.” 00:09:19.290 --> 00:09:23.899 Or in other words, Hallownest can last eternal because the Pale King used his children to 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:25.220 create a Vessel. 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:26.980 Monomon describes the world as: 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:29.410 “A world forever unchanging.” 00:09:29.410 --> 00:09:32.360 The developers notes also lay this out plainly. 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:37.839 Finally, the Radiance’s line “DAWN SHALL BREAK” is a reference to ending the long 00:09:37.839 --> 00:09:40.110 night that Hallownest is trapped in. 00:09:40.110 --> 00:09:45.999 Of course, time still moves in Hallownest, but you know, it’s like, a metaphorical 00:09:45.999 --> 00:09:47.199 thing. 00:09:47.199 --> 00:09:51.649 Like when you say “break a leg” or “I don’t have any STDs.” 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 00:09:55.839 --> 00:09:56.990 deserving. 00:09:56.990 --> 00:09:58.519 What a nice fellla. 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 00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:02.740 about. 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:05.959 There is a clear connection between the Mask Maker and the Void. 00:10:05.959 --> 00:10:08.640 The most obvious example is the Mask Maker’s eyes. 00:10:08.640 --> 00:10:11.830 It appears as though there’s void swirling around in there. 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 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:17.139 Basin. 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:20.689 There are also black particles floating around in the room: a dead giveaway that Void is 00:10:20.689 --> 00:10:21.689 around. 00:10:21.689 --> 00:10:23.850 There’s one other aspect worth mentioning. 00:10:23.850 --> 00:10:28.680 The files for the artwork in the Mask Maker’s room use the phrase “Egg Chamber”. 00:10:28.680 --> 00:10:31.569 You can see the egg shape a bit from the outside of the room. 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. 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 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:42.690 was used to contain the Hollow Knight. 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 00:10:47.249 --> 00:10:49.670 drain her if she were inside. 00:10:49.670 --> 00:10:54.040 In the Dream No More ending, the entire egg begins to dematerialize, and we see pools 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. 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:03.899 So, is the egg chamber that the Mask Maker is inside of also made of Void? 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:07.649 This would explain the particles, and maybe the Mask Maker is an example of a creature 00:11:07.649 --> 00:11:09.329 being drained by the egg. 00:11:09.329 --> 00:11:13.129 I’m guessing that the process happening to the Mask Maker is similar to what happened 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:15.240 to the bugs in the Ancient Basin. 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:19.800 An exposure to Void is causing the Mask Maker to become filled with void. 00:11:19.800 --> 00:11:22.230 This theory of mine does leave us with a few questions. 00:11:22.230 --> 00:11:25.160 Why does the Mask Maker not seem to care? 00:11:25.160 --> 00:11:28.180 Isn’t getting consumed by the Void a bad thing? 00:11:28.180 --> 00:11:29.889 Well, maybe not. 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 00:11:33.529 --> 00:11:34.529 woman. 00:11:34.529 --> 00:11:36.430 Is the Mask Maker trapped in the egg? 00:11:36.430 --> 00:11:38.999 Did someone put them in there, or are they there by choice? 00:11:38.999 --> 00:11:41.429 They don’t seem to have any interest in leaving. 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:44.079 Does wearing a mask help them survive the Void? 00:11:44.079 --> 00:11:48.389 Regardless, I think this egg chamber is the reason we are seeing the influence of Void 00:11:48.389 --> 00:11:50.230 around the Mask Maker. 00:11:50.230 --> 00:11:52.700 And that’s all I can think to say about the Mask Maker. 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:56.940 To sum up my speculations, the Mask Maker creates masks to help other creatures become 00:11:56.940 --> 00:11:57.940 more sentient. 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 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:05.439 egg similar to the egg found in the Temple of the Black Egg. 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 00:12:10.869 --> 00:12:11.869 questions. 00:12:11.869 --> 00:12:15.649 This Hollow Knight lore shit is getting too complicated. 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:17.399 I think I’ll switch over to Fortnite lore.