0:00:08.660,0:00:09.580
It’s been a while.

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I hope you all are doing well.

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As I’m sure you all know, I’ve been on[br]a journey of self discovery these last couple

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of months.

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I read Edward Snowden’s new autobiography.

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And honestly, it changed my life.

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I also saw the new Joker movie.

0:00:27.449,0:00:30.630
And honestly, it changed my life.

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And then, I tried vegemite.

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And honestly, it changed my life.

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But you’re probably not here to listen to[br]me talk about that, considering none of that

0:00:39.610,0:00:41.380
is in the title of the video.

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So instead, we’re going to take a deep,[br]hard, throbbing look at the lore tablets located

0:00:48.120,0:00:50.840
at the very beginning of Hollow Knight.

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For being the first lore tablets we see, it’s[br]surprising how little I’ve discussed them.

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I briefly went over them in that one MatPat[br]response video I made, but that video was

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bonkers enough without me going on an insane[br]tangent explaining abstract concepts like

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“souls”, and “true forms”, and “words”.

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But now, I think it’s time to finally get[br]to the bottom of this mystery.

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These lore tablets are located in an area[br]called the King’s Pass.

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This is basically the tutorial level where[br]the player is taught tricky maneuvers like

0:01:23.299,0:01:27.070
walking, jumping and focusing soul.

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This last ability is specifically taught to[br]the player by reading this first lore tablet.

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But even if the tablet’s main goal is to[br]teach the player a move, there still must

0:01:37.130,0:01:40.859
be some lore explanation for why the tablet[br]is there.

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Considering this area is called the King’s[br]Pass, it seems likely that these tablets were

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written, or scribbled, by the Pale King.

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One thing that separates these tablets from[br]most of the other lore tablets found in the

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game is how they all start with the same phrase:[br]Higher beings, these words are for you alone.

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So these tablets were left specifically for[br]a group of people known as “Higher beings”.

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But who exactly are these higher beings supposed[br]to be?

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Some have argued that the tablets were left[br]for the vessels.

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After all, the first lore tablet teaches the[br]Knight how to focus, a very specific ability

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seemingly only vessels are shown performing.

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And the vessels are the children of two gods,[br]so it would be reasonable to call them Higher

0:02:23.390,0:02:24.940
beings.

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Another interpretation is that these tablets[br]are speaking directly to you, the player.

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So I guess Higher beings in this case would[br]be humans.

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Not sure how I feel about that.

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I’m not a huge fan of either of these interpretations.

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Instead, I’d like to argue that these tablets[br]were specially written for bugs that traveled

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to Hallownest from the lands beyond.

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I like this theory because it ties these tablets[br]into other parts of the lore, such as the

0:02:50.290,0:02:52.760
Mask Maker and the Pale King’s beacon.

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But be warned, this theory is a little bit…[br]out there.

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You might even call this theory a little “speculative”[br]or in other words “nonsense”.

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So please keep an open mind while watching,[br]and don’t just assume that I’m right.

0:03:07.700,0:03:12.010
It’s entirely possible that we simply don’t[br]have enough information to truly answers some

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of these questions, and that’s okay.

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Let’s start with the very first hurdle we[br]have with this theory: “Higher beings”.

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The game uses this phrase a total of six times:[br]three in the King’s Pass, one in the Howling

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Cliffs, and one in the Ancient Basin, near[br]the entrance to the Abyss.

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The last time it is used is to refer to the[br]Pale King and the White Lady’s union which

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resulted in the creation of the worst charm[br]in the game, the Kingsoul.

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Now the game never gives us a formal definition[br]of what Higher beings are, but we do have

0:03:44.120,0:03:47.010
a few external sources that mention it.

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In a Reddit AMA, William Pellen explained[br]that Higher beings are creatures that exist

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above all others, such as the Radiance, the[br]Pale King and the White Lady.

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There is also a developer’s note found in[br]Hollow Knight’s code that states that Higher

0:04:00.830,0:04:03.660
beings are God-like creatures.

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So by that logic, my theory makes no sense,[br]since the bugs regularly traveling to Hallownest

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were probably not as powerful as the Pale[br]King.

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But at the same time, it seems highly unlikely[br]that the Pale King would have written these

0:04:17.169,0:04:20.129
tablets for creatures of immense power like[br]himself.

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He didn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon[br]for the Radiance, after all.

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So why exactly would the Pale King call regular[br]bugs Higher beings?

0:04:28.930,0:04:32.449
It all ties into the promise of Hallownest.

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The second King’s Pass lore tablet, located[br]next to the Fury of the Fallen charm reads:

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Let all bask in your majesty, for only this[br]kingdom could produce ones such as you.

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From this tablet, we can tell that the “Higher[br]beings” the Pale King is referring to are

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creatures with abilities produced by Hallownest.

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The lore tablet in the Pale King’s throne[br]room tells us that the Pale King’s beacon

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expanded the minds of bugs, and the lore tablet[br]in the Howling Cliff also mentions that the

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kingdom grants bugs minds.

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This is further backed up by Dream Nail dialogue[br]from both the Whispering Root, and this chonky

0:05:08.529,0:05:09.740
bug corpse.

0:05:09.740,0:05:15.110
So the King’s Pass tablet says that Higher[br]beings are produced by Hallownest, and several

0:05:15.110,0:05:19.979
sources claim that Hallownest itself expands[br]the minds of bugs, so this must be what the

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Pale King means when he refers to Higher beings.

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The reason the kingdom is called Hallownest[br]is because that is literally what it is.

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An area of land hallowed, or made holy, by[br]the Pale King, granting those within it higher

0:05:35.009,0:05:36.039
thought.

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So why exactly does William’s definition[br]of Higher beings conflict with these tablets?

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Is William on bath salts again?

0:05:43.009,0:05:48.219
Well maybe, but another explanation could[br]be that the Pale King is likening his subjects

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to gods as a way to make his gift sound even[br]greater.

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It’s a bit of a lie on his part, and it[br]seems like his main motivation was to earn

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the devotion of these bugs, but he is still[br]elevating their powers nonetheless.

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Alright, that’s eight words down.

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Let’s look at the other twenty-one words:[br]Your great strength marks you amongst us.

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Focus your soul and you shall achieve feats[br]of which others can only dream.

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This first sentence appears to parallel a[br]line from the Quirrel comic.

0:06:18.490,0:06:23.590
Quirrel explains that the path to Hallownest[br]is difficult to achieve, stating that Hallownest

0:06:23.590,0:06:25.979
accepts only the strong.

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Of course, this raises the issue of how complete[br]weakling like Zote and Cloth were able to

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make it to Hallownest in the first place.

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But then again, Zote is just too cryptic of[br]a character in general.

0:06:36.969,0:06:40.949
I’ve been trying to pin down his political[br]ideology for months now.

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I mean, is he an authoritarian, an anarchist[br]or a liberatarin?

0:06:46.770,0:06:52.159
This next sentence about focusing soul is[br]where things get a bit complicated.

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Now in the mechanics of Hollow Knight, focusing[br]is when the Knight consumes souls in order

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to repair its shell.

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But what does it mean for regular bugs to[br]focus soul?

0:07:02.529,0:07:05.469
This ability seems to be reserved specifically[br]for Vessels.

0:07:05.469,0:07:10.240
And it seems very unlikely that the Pale King[br]wanted his subjects to mess with soul in that

0:07:10.240,0:07:14.699
way, considering he condemned the actions[br]of the Soul Master and his followers.

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To answer why the Pale King would want his[br]subjects to “focus [their] soul”, I think

0:07:18.750,0:07:20.990
we’ll need to look at this from a different[br]angle.

0:07:20.990,0:07:24.939
Let’s talk about what the word “focus”[br]actually means.

0:07:24.939,0:07:29.130
If we look at how the word is used throughout[br]parts of the game, it appears to link up often

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with both the use of soul and the use of mind.

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This might not be true in every case, but[br]I think it’s a good framework to work from

0:07:37.289,0:07:39.870
when discussing this part of the game’s[br]lore.

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Let’s start with the scholars of the Soul[br]Sanctum.

0:07:43.280,0:07:48.110
These bugs were hoarding soul in some strange[br]attempt to avoid the Radiance’s plague as

0:07:48.110,0:07:50.969
well as achieve immortality.

0:07:50.969,0:07:56.309
In one of their lore tablets, the scholars[br]mention a desire to “attain a pure focus”.

0:07:56.309,0:08:01.009
Now your guess is as good as mine as to what[br]that actually means, but it seems safe to

0:08:01.009,0:08:04.900
assume that it requires an impressive mastery[br]of soul.

0:08:04.900,0:08:09.339
And we can see that this act took quite a[br]heavy toll on the minds of the scholars, with

0:08:09.339,0:08:13.369
the Soul Twisters mentioning how their minds[br]swell and ache.

0:08:13.369,0:08:18.150
The possibility of a connection between focusing[br]and the mind becomes explicit when we look

0:08:18.150,0:08:20.439
at the Godseekers.

0:08:20.439,0:08:24.849
The Godseeker straight up tells the Knight[br]that they are using a Godly focus to attune

0:08:24.849,0:08:28.520
to the Gods of Hallownest and ascend their[br]own mind.

0:08:28.520,0:08:33.270
The Weathered Mask description also states[br]that it allows its wearer to focus their thoughts.

0:08:33.270,0:08:35.740
So in this instance.

0:08:35.740,0:08:40.509
focusing doesn’t seem to be related to soul[br]at all, but it still involves the mind.

0:08:40.509,0:08:46.980
We also have the Void Statue in the Hall of[br]Gods which reads “Void Given Focus”, which

0:08:46.980,0:08:51.889
in the initial release of Godmaster read “Void[br]Given Mind”.

0:08:51.889,0:08:55.139
This cut text might give us a hint of what[br]is going on here.

0:08:55.139,0:09:00.390
I have heard some argue that Team Cherry removed[br]the word “Mind” because void in it’s

0:09:00.390,0:09:02.540
base form already has a mind.

0:09:02.540,0:09:08.019
I, however, think that “Focus” and “Mind”[br]are somewhat interchangeable terms, which

0:09:08.019,0:09:10.720
is why Team Cherry used one instead of the[br]other.

0:09:10.720,0:09:15.589
It’s hard to say for sure, but I think we’re[br]supposed to understand that the Shade Lord

0:09:15.589,0:09:20.959
is some kind of conscious void being unlike[br]anything we’ve really seen before.

0:09:20.959,0:09:24.660
Now there are more examples we could look[br]at, but hopefully you can see what I’m getting

0:09:24.660,0:09:25.920
at.

0:09:25.920,0:09:31.300
Focusing for many characters in Hollow Knight[br]means the use of one’s mind in some capacity.

0:09:31.300,0:09:35.930
The scholars of the Soul Sanctum strained[br]their minds to try and attain a pure focus,

0:09:35.930,0:09:39.449
and the Godseekers used their focus in a way[br]to ascend their minds.

0:09:39.449,0:09:43.779
Let’s use that framework when interpreting[br]this final line from the most cryptic bastard

0:09:43.779,0:09:49.959
in this whole game: Mask Maker:[br]A wonderful thing to have, a face.

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Not a thing with which we all are blessed.

0:09:51.960,0:09:54.720
For this kingdom's faceless, I shall provide.

0:09:54.720,0:09:55.720
A mask!

0:09:55.720,0:09:56.720
A face!

0:09:56.720,0:09:57.720
Does it need one?

0:09:57.720,0:09:58.740
Does it not?

0:09:58.740,0:09:59.910
To define.

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To focus.

0:10:01.029,0:10:02.430
To exist.

0:10:02.430,0:10:07.620
The Mask Maker is basically equating being[br]able to focus with having a face.

0:10:07.620,0:10:09.480
To have a face means to exist.

0:10:09.480,0:10:14.550
So if we say that focusing means having a[br]mind, then the Mask Maker is saying that a

0:10:14.550,0:10:17.760
face is required in order to have a mind.

0:10:17.760,0:10:24.190
I know that sounds stupid and dumb, but if[br]you think about it philisophically, it makes

0:10:24.190,0:10:25.330
sense.

0:10:25.330,0:10:30.209
Having senitience or consciousness is paramount[br]to having a sense of self.

0:10:30.209,0:10:34.120
And what represents the concept of the self[br]better than the face?

0:10:34.120,0:10:39.149
There’s a parallel between this line from[br]Mask Maker and the lore tablet in the King’s

0:10:39.149,0:10:40.149
Pass.

0:10:40.149,0:10:44.790
Both establish the idea that not everyone[br]is capable of focusing, or in other words,

0:10:44.790,0:10:47.279
not everyone has a face.

0:10:47.279,0:10:52.230
Focusing allows you to achieve feats others[br]can only dream of, while having a face (which

0:10:52.230,0:10:56.000
lets you focus) is not something with which[br]all are blessed.

0:10:56.000,0:11:01.970
So in other words, this lore tablet might[br]be saying that Hallownest grants bugs “faces”

0:11:01.970,0:11:03.440
which allow them to think.

0:11:03.440,0:11:08.040
I know that might sound strange, but it actually[br]ties nicely into the second King’s Pass

0:11:08.040,0:11:11.990
lore tablet:[br]Within our lands do not hide your true form.

0:11:11.990,0:11:16.930
Let all bask in your majesty, for only this[br]kingdom could produce ones such as you.

0:11:16.930,0:11:18.810
What does true form mean?

0:11:18.810,0:11:22.680
Well the phrase “true form” is only used[br]in two other places in the game.

0:11:22.680,0:11:28.180
It is used in the Pure Nail description, as[br]well as the Ancient Mask description.

0:11:28.180,0:11:31.860
The Ancient Mask description reads:[br]A complete mask.

0:11:31.860,0:11:36.550
When whole, a mask protects its wearer, shielding[br]the true form beneath.

0:11:36.550,0:11:41.029
So this second tablet could be implying that[br]the reader might be wearing some kind of mask

0:11:41.029,0:11:43.390
in order to hide their true form.

0:11:43.390,0:11:48.730
They might be wearing this mask as a way to[br]be able to define, focus and exist, as Mask

0:11:48.730,0:11:50.450
Maker explains.

0:11:50.450,0:11:55.019
But this tablet is telling the reader that[br]their mask is no longer needed, implying that

0:11:55.019,0:11:58.839
this “face” is now provided by Hallownest[br]itself.

0:11:58.839,0:12:00.990
Now I know what you’re thinking.

0:12:00.990,0:12:03.410
What the hell is mossbag talking about?

0:12:03.410,0:12:05.240
Is he on bath salts again?

0:12:05.240,0:12:09.269
How does wearing a mask or having a face help[br]you focus?

0:12:09.269,0:12:11.970
And how does entering Hallownest affect any[br]of that.

0:12:11.970,0:12:16.339
Let’s look at the first lore tablet again;[br]the one that tells the reader to “focus

0:12:16.339,0:12:17.370
your soul”.

0:12:17.370,0:12:22.420
Now, the use of the word soul here might connect[br]to the Elegy for Hallownest.

0:12:22.420,0:12:29.029
At one point the poem states that Hallownest[br]tamed the “savage souls” of its subjects.

0:12:29.029,0:12:33.220
Perhaps this focusing of the soul is how this[br]taming occurs.

0:12:33.220,0:12:37.709
In other words, Hallownest grants bugs the[br]ability to focus their own souls, turning

0:12:37.709,0:12:40.839
them from savages to civilized bugs.

0:12:40.839,0:12:46.170
This resulted in the expansion of their minds,[br]as stated in the throne room tablet.

0:12:46.170,0:12:50.300
This line of thinking implies that bugs outside[br]of Hallownest can’t focus their souls as

0:12:50.300,0:12:54.040
well, which could be what we see in the Quirrel[br]comic.

0:12:54.040,0:12:59.050
The bugs in the wilderness must forgo higher[br]thought in order to adapt to the harsh conditions

0:12:59.050,0:13:00.310
of the land.

0:13:00.310,0:13:05.600
The Elegy of Hallownest also states that bugs’[br]“base instincts were redeemed”.

0:13:05.600,0:13:10.570
In other words, these bugs have unfavorable[br]instincts, but the Pale King’s beacon makes

0:13:10.570,0:13:15.449
up for these flaws, allowing the bugs to show[br]their true forms without shame.

0:13:15.449,0:13:20.339
However, it seems like some of these bugs[br]that wandered the wilderness wore masks, since

0:13:20.339,0:13:25.529
the second King’s Pass tablet mentions how[br]these bugs would hide their true forms.

0:13:25.529,0:13:31.019
We do see travelers wearing mask ingame, particularly[br]the Grimm Troupe and the Godseekers.

0:13:31.019,0:13:35.319
But I don’t know how representative these[br]characters are of the bugs that routinely

0:13:35.319,0:13:36.470
traveled to Hallownest.

0:13:36.470,0:13:41.630
Okay, so you just witnessed a bunch of mental[br]gymnastics there.

0:13:41.630,0:13:45.740
These last several minutes were dedicated[br]solely to trying to explain the “focus your

0:13:45.740,0:13:47.370
soul” line.

0:13:47.370,0:13:51.319
And to be perfectly honest, part of me wonders[br]if Team Cherry even intended half of these

0:13:51.319,0:13:53.040
connections I just made.

0:13:53.040,0:13:57.779
The fact that they changed that line of dialogue[br]about the Void being given focus may indicate

0:13:57.779,0:14:01.839
that a lot of this stuff might be pretty vague,[br]even to them.

0:14:01.839,0:14:06.910
But if we take a step back, I think this concept[br]still makes sense in a broader view.

0:14:06.910,0:14:11.540
Basically you need a “face” in order to[br]achieve higher thought, or to have an identity.

0:14:11.540,0:14:16.959
But not everyone is blessed with this naturally,[br]as some numbskulls are only capable of relying

0:14:16.959,0:14:18.810
on instinct to survive.

0:14:18.810,0:14:23.449
However, some would wear masks as a way to[br]supplement their savage nature.

0:14:23.449,0:14:27.980
But then the Pale King came along and promised[br]a world where masks weren’t needed.

0:14:27.980,0:14:32.069
He granted a “face” to bugs outright,[br]giving them the ability to control their savage

0:14:32.069,0:14:35.279
nature and achieve higher thought.

0:14:35.279,0:14:40.010
And now we come to the final lore tablet,[br]located right outside the sealed up door to

0:14:40.010,0:14:43.279
Hallownest:[br]Beyond this point you enter the land of King

0:14:43.279,0:14:44.639
and Creator.

0:14:44.639,0:14:47.470
Step across this threshold and obey our laws.

0:14:47.470,0:14:51.939
Bear witness to the last and only civilisation,[br]the eternal Kingdom.

0:14:51.939,0:14:55.579
Hallownest[br]Now this tablet specifically makes it clear

0:14:55.579,0:15:00.339
to me that these lore tablets are directed[br]at newcomers to the kingdom and not the vessels

0:15:00.339,0:15:02.600
or the player directly.

0:15:02.600,0:15:07.269
These tablets were likely erected during Hallownest’s[br]prime, whereas the vessels would have probably

0:15:07.269,0:15:11.240
appeared much, much later after the kingdom[br]fell.

0:15:11.240,0:15:15.149
And why would the Pale King be telling us[br]to obey Hallownest’s laws?

0:15:15.149,0:15:19.199
What, is he expecting me to pay taxes or something?

0:15:19.199,0:15:23.589
But of course, there is another problem with[br]this tablet that we need to discuss.

0:15:23.589,0:15:27.260
The Pale King calls Hallownest the “last[br]and only civiliszation”.

0:15:27.260,0:15:32.430
But we know that was a fucking lie because[br]there’s Pharloom, as well as wherever it

0:15:32.430,0:15:33.810
is Ze’mer is from.

0:15:33.810,0:15:38.709
So is the Pale King just unaware of these[br]other kingdoms, or is he purposefully lying

0:15:38.709,0:15:40.290
to the bugs entering Hallownest?

0:15:40.290,0:15:45.089
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pale King[br]were being a bit dishonest here.

0:15:45.089,0:15:49.329
After all, his whole motivation appears to[br]be based on accruing worshippers to devote

0:15:49.329,0:15:50.870
themselves to him.

0:15:50.870,0:15:55.509
His servants even thought that he created[br]the world and everything in it, which obviously

0:15:55.509,0:15:56.579
isn’t true.

0:15:56.579,0:15:58.470
And that pretty much wraps up these tablets.

0:15:58.470,0:16:02.680
I should take a moment to address a few counter[br]arguments to my theory.

0:16:02.680,0:16:07.070
In the Wanderer’s Journal, the character[br]Ellina remarks the following when standing

0:16:07.070,0:16:11.860
next to the locked door in the Ancient Basin:[br]If only I could decipher the message on the

0:16:11.860,0:16:16.060
tablet next to the door, perhaps I could figure[br]out how to open it.

0:16:16.060,0:16:21.970
This dialogue might imply that Ellina is completely[br]incapable of reading the lore tablet, which,

0:16:21.970,0:16:26.819
just like the King’s Pass tablets, begins[br]with the phrase about Higher beings.

0:16:26.819,0:16:31.769
Is it because my assumption about what “Higher[br]beings” means in this context is wrong?

0:16:31.769,0:16:35.939
Is it because the text is written in a language[br]that Ellina can’t read?

0:16:35.939,0:16:41.160
My interpretation is that Ellina can read[br]this tablet, however, she can’t decipher

0:16:41.160,0:16:44.250
what the Pale King’s message means.

0:16:44.250,0:16:48.850
Perhaps she thinks that she could open the[br]door if she understood what regrets were hidden

0:16:48.850,0:16:50.779
in the Abyss.

0:16:50.779,0:16:55.240
Another explanation might be that bugs with[br]higher intelligence already, like Ellina,

0:16:55.240,0:16:59.800
can’t read these tablets because they only[br]appear to bugs whose minds were actually elevated

0:16:59.800,0:17:00.800
by Hallownest.

0:17:00.800,0:17:06.770
Regardless, I don’t think this sentence[br]from Ellina has to debunk the whole theory.

0:17:06.770,0:17:11.720
Another issue is how bugs like Zote, Cornifer,[br]Iselda, and Tiso are perfectly capable of

0:17:11.720,0:17:16.669
traversing the lands beyond Hallownest without[br]seemingly needing to wear masks.

0:17:16.669,0:17:20.350
My theory doesn’t really do anything to[br]address this problem, but it might be due

0:17:20.350,0:17:23.640
to what species of bugs these characters are.

0:17:23.640,0:17:27.490
Mask Maker mentions that only some bugs are[br]blessed with a face.

0:17:27.490,0:17:31.370
Maybe these characters are born with higher[br]thought and don’t need any help to show

0:17:31.370,0:17:32.370
intelligence.

0:17:32.370,0:17:37.090
I mean, Cornifer is obviously smart, the dude[br]wears glasses after all.

0:17:37.090,0:17:42.010
Or maybe I am completely misunderstanding[br]what masks actually do.

0:17:42.010,0:17:46.640
After all, none of what I’ve talked about[br]answers why the Mask Maker has those anime

0:17:46.640,0:17:49.740
swirly void eye things.

0:17:49.740,0:17:51.850
Like seriously what the fuck are those?

0:17:51.850,0:17:55.070
And does that play any roll into why he is[br]wearing a mask?

0:17:55.070,0:17:58.830
And that leaves a few questions about other[br]bugs in Hallownest as well.

0:17:58.830,0:18:03.120
Did the Vengeflies become Higher beings, or[br]are they still dumb as rocks even with the

0:18:03.120,0:18:04.789
Pale King’s beacon?

0:18:04.789,0:18:06.220
What about the bugs of Deepnest?

0:18:06.220,0:18:11.080
It’s unclear if they are in the beacon,[br]since Deepnest technically isn’t part of

0:18:11.080,0:18:12.080
Hallownest.

0:18:12.080,0:18:15.080
Are these bugs just naturally intelligent?

0:18:15.080,0:18:20.120
Midwife seems to think so, but she might be[br]a bit biased.

0:18:20.120,0:18:25.740
This would also imply that Mantises, Mushrooms[br]and some of the bees already had the intelligence

0:18:25.740,0:18:29.070
to focus their soul before the Pale King arrived.

0:18:29.070,0:18:32.960
Which makes it odd that this is never really[br]mentioned anywhere in the game.

0:18:32.960,0:18:35.970
We just kinda have to assume that they could[br]do this.

0:18:35.970,0:18:37.760
And that’s it for this video.

0:18:37.760,0:18:44.440
In general, I think it’s a compelling argument,[br]but remember, just because something is compelling,

0:18:44.440,0:18:45.820
that doesn’t mean it’s right.

0:18:45.820,0:18:52.660
That’s how you get cults like Scientology[br]and the NSA, the United States Bowling Congress.