#the stranger wbn

[hellishfig]

the way i hear the panting of hunting dogs in the stranger's voice. the growl of creatures that were sent to do nothing but kill, and trained to do nothing but kill, but cannot act without a command. taylor moore the sound designer you are

and brennan with the fucking description of that sword... i need to know Everything about the man in black Immediately

[charlieswebb]

am i the only one who imagines the stranger in full cowboy gear?

[yeehawpim]

WWWO Fireside Chat: ep31 "The Souvenir"

[heckblade]

in a shocking turn, aabria iyengar, queen of the monsterfuckers, has come out against the sexualization of grimore witch of the wild hunt. i cannot abide this. “i watched the whole thing, it’s not hot” to YOU. to YOU.

[meticulousfragments]

Yeah I know he’s a Bad Guy or whatever and did some coups and murders but unfortunately everything about The Stranger fucks severely

[thelockedhour]

The prevalence of mythical swords in wbn is fine but what if the man under the stars had a Gun Of Night. Or a Beyblade

[dumpster-fire-sapphic-failgirl]

Are there some very real problems with and within the Citadel that require significant systemic change?

Yes.

Is the best way to bring about that change signing up to serve the Murder-Dictator spirit?

No. Fuck no.

[essektheylyss]

I am wondering about Skalvi, the Witch of the Watching Fire, and her betrayal by her apprentice, which is noted as not being clear whether the apprentice murdered her or if the apprentice refused the station at a time when it was too late for Skalvi to train another. Particularly in contrast to Indri's killing of her own mentor and the implication that she will eliminate any apprentice of her own who shows signs of beginning to learn magic (presumably posing a potential threat to her).

It also makes me curious about the witches' domains—the station of the Watching Fire is gone, but that doesn't mean that that domain is absent from the world. To say nothing of the fact that there is a sense that the coven is increasingly impatient with the World's Heart being represented at all, presumably because it stands in the way of what they want. Grandma Wren seemed to consider the coven's other interests "unconscionable". She also specified that the Witch of the Watching Fire was part of the seemingly more person-focused section of the coven, along with the World's Heart and the Wind and Stars. And while Indri seems a far cry from Grandma Wren's kindness, Tough, the coal spirit Ame encounters, suggests that Indri is not acting in her station the way she is necessarily meant to, and it does make me wonder if she is acting for anyone beyond herself at all. While her domain does focus on the self and solitude, that does not inherently mean selfishness, arrogance, or isolation, and she is a witch, which means she has a responsibility to something larger than herself. If the coven were to succeed in eliminating the Witch of the World's Heart, Indri would be the last witch left to speak for mortals, and as far removed as she is from them, she cannot be said to be acting in any of their interests, let alone their best. Fundamentally, she doesn't know them.

What was, exactly, the domain of the Watching Fire? Was it, as the title suggests, the vigil kept while others rest? Was it the domain of rest itself? And is it possible that the steady ramping of conflict in the world over the past several decades is due to having no one to keep that vigil? Kalaya says also that when she first came to the Citadel, it was more of a university, not a military training ground. Only over time has it morphed into something fearful and afraid—something vigilant. Was there more to fear, with no one watching the hearth? Have other institutions risen, perhaps even unconsciously, to fill the space that was left with that station gone?

It is obviously unclear at this point where their true intent lies, but I do wonder if perhaps the elimination of the Witch of the Watching Fire was deliberate and orchestrated—whether the war and the witches are not so distinct as the witches may wish to suggest.

[whoopseydaisy]

my theory for the end of WWW #34: Something to Remember You By is sadly that The Stranger is coming to Brockvale to raise Sir Curran and his knights as undead :(

[funderberker-thefrog]

so the stranger has Sir Curran's shield and also a falcon??? I don't remember him being described with a falcon before. pls tell me im not the only one slightly alarmed. And his resting place...... im so curious. what is going on

[hellishfig]

just finished listening to episode 34 of worlds beyond number, "something to remember you by," which is the end of arc 3 of the wizard, the witch, and the wild one, and i feel sick from how incredible it was. the physical reactions my body made to some of the words and music in this podcast really took me by surprise. i'm still reeling.

some thoughts:

i'm so happy that suvi is questioning the citadel, her reaction to silver's letter was inspired, and i LOVED her interactions with the quartermaster. she's so clever and intimidating (holy shit that was HOT), but i'm worried about what's happening to silver. i have an inkling that the witches may have already started making moves alongside the man in black, and i wonder how that will affect suvi going forward. and going to try and save silver before returning their "precious cargo" to the citadel... i hope suvi can keep questioning, and that whatever she faces, she doesn't let the justification machine run its course any longer.

eursulon meeting up with tefmet was really cool. i enjoyed the return of the strongest man in silbury immensely. it was extremely funny. and then, when eursulon asked to help and succeeded on his persuasion checks, it was solemnly touching. i love eursulon's power being in steadfast support and protection, and how to him, it's not about opposing the citadel in its entirety, it's about saving spirits, great and small, from those who would use them. and that's something he can do while still protecting his true friends.

ame let the chaos OUT this episode, and it was delightful and nerve wracking and thrilling to listen to. she's very bossy and it's so funny to hear how immediately eursulon goes along with it, despite not knowing what "it" is. growing up watching grandma wren, she seems to have gained a natural authority that makes people who love her listen to her when she asks them to perform innocuous menial tasks. but that's also interesting, because her chaos is focused, if imprecise. she knows what she needs to do and will do it, damn the consequences. as long as she can get away, who cares what she leaves in her wake? that's a problem for future ame.

they stole some brass knockers and a lion! they kidnapped nif to save her from being killed by indri! tof burned bright to free a vrock! suvi heads to war, eursulon and ame TO TOMA! (i almost cried when eursulon said those words and the music swelled. what the fuck, lou. what the FUCK taylor and jared. i'm not okay!!!)

and then of course, brockvale. holly hill. the resting place of sir curran of the hawthorn, who unknowingly sent eursulon on a quest that would lead him to our story. the man in black, the pilgrim under stars, the king of knight, the stranger, holds sir curran's shield. he comes to make an offer. will this poor old guard bid a weary traveler to step over this threshold?

this is why worlds beyond number feels so different to me from other dnd shows and podcasts. these artists have come together with the shared goal of not just playing a fun game that they all enjoy, but with the express aim of crafting a brilliant story. i love a goofy campaign full of shenanigans as much as the next person, but i adore how every choice in this show is given weight and meaning. there are no decisions made for laughs. it doesn't feel like playing a game. it feels like living in the story.

and there are also moments like the ending of this episode. a snapshot of elsewhere in the world, something the players don't know, but the audience gets to. it fills out the edges of the story and provides a richer tapestry of lore and reasoning behind the machinations of those who oppose our heroes. it gives life to the tale.

my heart is beating so fast. this show is incredible. thank you, @worldsbeyondpod , for the world you're creating.

[slothelephant]

I don’t feel up to going back to listen to old NADDPOD episodes to figure out why, but The Stranger, Man in Black, King of Night feels so reminiscent of Deadeye to me. Maybe it’s just the gravely tone and southern drawl but I’m in the ring fighting an instinctive deep affection for the stranger every time he shows up.

[yeehawpim]

The Stranger really is the fulfillment of "tall/dark/handsome" 😂

[pancakesforamber]

okay I NEED to yell with someone about the post-credits scene in the latest wbn episode

[thewizardsarcasm]

Hey since we're on our way North can we swing by and pick up Silver? He needs to see his babes new ride and outfit and I'm thirsty...

[dumpster-fire-sapphic-failgirl]

Okay, big spoilers for WBN: WWWO : Ep 33 : The Witness ahead. Only click past the cut if you want spoilers and wild theorizing

There were a lot of big bombshells dropped this episode but I think one of the biggest is that the Stranger is the defacto ruler of Rhuv.

All of the Chalices are sworn to him, through his various guises

The monarchy is “negotiable” according to his lover talking to Ame, at very least implying that it existed only as long as it served him

That same lover stated the mission was “to bring humanity to heel” not just the Citadel or the Empire

Three of the Witches of the Elder Coven have sworn to serve him, we’ll see if that lasts only until the Citadel is uprooted

Wren has long stood in the way of the coven serving The Stranger.

these are all facts from the episode.

Now for some historical facts:

• Eioghorain was at least part of the leadership for a revolution in Gaothmai

• Both Grandmother Wren and Soft and Stone took measures against MiB specifically

• Soft and Stone hunted the League of Whispers

• Stone was loyal to “magic itself”

• Soft freed wrongly imprisoned spirits

• No one has memory of the attack on Suvi’s parents, except maybe Eioghorain

• The Stranger has been “moving upon the world” since the 1650s

• the summer of 1656 was when Suvi’s parents died

• Eioghorain is half spirit

• The curse on Ame smelled of Eioghorain

• The curse on Wren came about from an attack by the Stranger

Now for Wild Speculation™️

Eioghorain has been forcefully possessed by the Stranger since he, along with Soft and Stone, were ambushed in a trap with the purpose of guaranteeing the necessity of destroying the Citadel through war and uniting the world under The Stranger

why do I think that?

Wren has long been the holdout, the thorn in the side of unanimity for the Elder Coven swearing allegiance to the Stranger, believing that a peaceful solution was possible. Soft and Stone were her best chance at having this come to pass. Powerful/loved leaders that respected spirits and magic itself.

Civil war is inconvenient for outside wars. The leadership of Gaothmai wanted Eioghorain out of the way.

The League of Whispers were supposedly working to destroy the Citadel. It is just as likely that they served The Stranger, considering the sad state of the Antivolists as described by Tefmet

My theory is that Eioghorain’s half spirit nature made him the ideal vessel for The Stranger to walk the world (which started in a window of time that covered that summer) and that Rhuv offered to help the Gaothmai leadership remove the largest internal threat to them, and allowed so many factions to take out the two biggest obstacles to a peaceful resolution (or revolution) for the Citadel

That’s why the curse smelled of Eioghorain. His body cast it, if not his will.

Soft and Stone, dead. Maybe at his hands, maybe not (i’ve got a different essay about geas and modify memory and Steel) But the blame on him. Drives another wedge between the Citadel and the world. Gives Steel a reason to never stop the war. And gives the Stranger a body to work his will on the world.

And maybe, to take it over