Descent into Maddness

Tree of Life

1. Malkuth *GLYPH OF EIDOS*
2. Yesod (Foundation) "Connection" *GLYPH OF FARCASTING*
3. Hod (Majesty), Michael, *GLYPH OF PURIFICATION*
4. Netzach (Victory) Completion *GLYPH OF COMMAND*
5. Tiferet (Adornment) "Balance/Integration" *GLYPH OF ???*
6. Geburah (Severity) Fire, judgement *GLYPH OF ???*
Da'at (knowledge) *GLYPH OF VANARGAND*
7. Chesed (love repairing the world) *GLYPH OF RESURRECTION*
8. Binah (Understanding) "Processed wisdom" *GLYPH OF TONGUES*
9. Chokmah (Wisdom) "from nothingness, beginning of creativity" *GLYPH OF AWARENESS*
10. Kether (Crown) "Incomprehensible to man" *GLYPH OF VIRACOCHA*

Tree of Death

1. Nehemoth (Whipserers) *GLYPH OF ???*
2. Gamaliel (God is my reward) *GLYPH OF LUIN*
3. Samael (Venom of God) *GLYPH OF CORRUPTION*
4. Harab Serapel (Ravens of the Burning God) *GLYPH OF FAMLICUS*
5. Thagirion (Disputers) *GLYPH OF FENRIR*
6. Golachab (Burners) violence *GLYPH OF CONQUISTUSGUERNICUS*
Belial (worthless) "Knowledge as an end in itself" *GLYPH OF DISCIPLINE*
7. Gamchicoth (breakers/devourers) 'The Binding Ones of God' *GLYPH OF JORMUNGUND*
8. Sathariel (Concealment of God) *GLYPH OF THE OCCULT*
9. Chaigidel (confusion) *GLYPH OF BABEL*
10. Thaumiel division/end of creation *GLYPH OF HEL*

There is a problem. We still don't have a good idea of how this translated into Ormeos winding up inside a crystal in the Awakening Chamber. How did all that go down? Also, eight rooms! What is there to do in all these places? "You walk in and fell your Glyph resonate... That's about it."

We need to answer the following questions:

A. What did Vira/Van want from Ur'Ruk?
B. What did Vira/Van want from Ormenos?
C. How did Ormenos get over the whole, being draugified and unable to use techne thing? (Unless it was just elixir)
D. What happened between Ormenos and ViraVan?
E. Why is Ormenos in the Awakening Chamber?

Answers

A/B: The answer: Eidos. Ormenos absorbed the Glyph of Eidos. They wanted it. So they dragged him back to the Awakening Chamber to get it out of him.
>Problem: Why not extract it from his mind? Also, why not just toss his crystal in the dumpster?
C: Alchemy (see below)
D: A fight, because that's exciting
E: They wanted to give Eidos the option of absorbing him.

Ok. We have a basic schema of how the Tower if Wisdom works, but we need the nitty gritty details. After all, the player is supposed to be navigating this thing and actually participating in Ormenos' resurrection. If it really is something that the player should be able to just stumble into, than it should be somewhat simple. If they have to jump through a million hoops to make this happen than its basically a fetch quest with a complete bait and switch at the end. Now maybe that could be cool. The one fetch quest we have is a complete red herring. But let's have some redundancy.

The Tower of Wisdom not only has to be involved in the writing of Glyphs but also in the creation of immortal bodies. Or does it? We still have the Memorial site. Maybe that's where Ormenos wants the player to go.

Possible schema:

VI: Thought Wheel

This was made to imitate home of god. Organised information on a physical medium. Data on a hard drive. Also the Temple of Abzu. Chaos, mystery dark water. This water destroys any living thing it touches. A poison. The worshipers of unlife create the neverborn. Unliving but immune to death. Thus, society has a balance between life and death. Duality. Being and nonbeing. Creation and destruction.

>Criticism: Death is bad, the neverborn represent a third way that is not contained in the duality. Question of nature vs artifice, nature/fate vs choice and determination.

V: Eidos Cult

This tries to combine the two. People celebrate humanity. Hedonistic cult with drinking, fellowship, sex and drugs. At the height of "ascendancy" some will drink/immerse themselves in the dark water. Are dissolved into vapor, heat and light. Part of a strange rite. Transformation of human into the ethereal. People inhale the vapours and trip out. Discovery of the Glyphs in this way as they are connecting mentally to other people. However, the Glyphs are only seen and cannot be used.

>Critics say people are just killing themselves. Organised information is life and intellect. This is just destruction. Light =/= life. Batshit nuts.

IV: Red Temple

This is further attempt to reorganise things. Solution of mortality is that humans think and die but neverborn live forever and don't think. Also, can't get at the Glyphs. Thus, alchemical reaction to transform body and soul. The Eidos cult and water temple are abolished to give rise to Red Temple that will conduct the alchemical rite: blackening (chaos) > whitening (separation into constituent purity) > yellowing (transformation into radiating light) > reddening (perfection and immortality)
Blackening: Death. Human is put into dark water and killed. Chaos reduces them down to their essence as Eidos (form)

Whitening: Purification. Form is separated into Glyphs that are not physical.
Yellowing: Awakening. They awaken to Eidos and their connection with other humans.
Reddening: Unity of opposites. They are reconstituted into a neverborn vessel.
They are the Victorious Vanquished (The Nethercast). Their awareness of Glyphs allows them to manipulate them and connect with humanity. They use the same alchemical process to create crystals. The entire civilisation is formed on the Red Temple. The Thought Wheel silently turns on, processing everything.

>Critics: Duality of Glyphs is still not resolved. Creation/destruction is halted. But only in humans. Great technical skill (Techne) but not Awareness. Only Discipline. Why is the universe inconsistent? Limited perspective. Immortality isn't enough. Transcendence is needed.

III: The Empyrean

So, what does this mean for Ormenos and the Tower of Wisdom?

Tower of Wisdom has a chamber in the basement for dark water immersion where they will die. Their essence will pass into the Glyph chamber. There it will be divided purified into Glyphs (forms). Then they will be awakened by being combined with the Glyph of Eidos. Then they will be recombined in a physical body at the top. Four parts with one hidden below (just like real-life Ur'Ruk).

So, Ormenos went to the Tower, got the pariah to repair it. Then he tried to figure out what was going on. He sent a bunch of people through the thing and produced different horrors and mutations. Why? A few possibilites.

1. He didn't use dark chaos water. He used liquid nullstone. Maybe draugnir are actually an abomination after all. Or at least, dark side of nature.