Lore

Does anyone understand what the hell is going on in this episode? The lore that was put in talks about some people but it doesn't explain who they are. All I could make out was that Neamhain/Irinid is pissed at the Cessair for some reason and Dian wants revenge, Cessair were clones or something, and apparently Treasure Hunter is a Cessair?

What I caught from this episode was:
1. Cessair are clones taught to hate Neamhain, Fail miserably at stopping ONE milletian Be obedient, and Die horribly in terrific fashion survive.
2. Cessair's heart has a real name. Oh, and somehow survived having her brains shot out through the back of her head/choked to death by gas/slashed to pieces/etc.
3. Dian, the goddess of the messed up place the milletian just entered, cut out a very important piece of her brain and stuck it in a clone, who is apparently Cessair's heart.
4. She, par for the course for Cessair, failed to get all of it and left just enough of that piece to feel vengeance.
5. Treasure hunter's mother, Bith, sacrificed herself to make the Cessair cloning facility. His father, Birren, sacrificed himself to halt the curse on Treasure hunter. So both his parents are dead.
6. The aforementioned messed up place is made entirely out of magic, oh, and the blood of a ton of people. Dian's god powers are also made of blood. So not only are TH's parents dead, but the milletian just brutally murdered his last remaining relative.
7. Merlin might actually be relevant to the story, for once. He seems to be hunting for some thing that is apparently inside Tarlach. The same thing that Ruairi is trying to remove for some reason.
8. Merlin gets so stoned from opening magic doors that he thinks that Prof J and Starlet are actually relevant to the story.
You were supposed to catch onto the whole "TH's Cursed Settlers Lineage" thing the last couple of episodes, but I can't really blame anyone for skipping over it.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I skimmed over the story so I could brutally murder a goddess.

Bith, Birren, Settlers, Ban people, blah blah blah who the hell are all these people the lore constantly mentions?

They're from Irish mythology, as usual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessair

I figured they were taken from the myth, but remember Mabinogi has different interpretations of the characters from the myth (Glas Ghaibhleann isn't a cow that gives endless milk, for example) so there might be key differences.

Gonna run it slowly soon. I'm going to edit this post with whatever I find.

K let see, the Cessairs our doing something for the glory of their ancestors: Ban Clan.

Cessair Instructor wants me to pass the test of virtue or something and they hate Neamhain a lot.

"Irinid Expelled our race." "We must no fear the gods." "Irinid is our enemy." K you guys hate her.

TH taking things super seriously, not taking any of Merlin's shit.

I get paralyzed or something, something about Akule predicting this, TH does something about it, not sure what. Cessair was really shocked to see me/Merlin/TH. I'm assuming TH for obvious reasons, but she/he attacked me.

Th solves the puzzle and leaves Merlin behind. TH obviously reveals that he knew about this place, thanks to the book. Apparently he's some what sad about leaving Merlin there and probably not meeting him again.

Something Something Ruairi and Dian talking about a plan.

Cessair's Heart is okay guise. Her real name is Cecht. Welp. Cecht is part of Dian that was removed from her. Cecht notes that Dian is a monster. Cecht mentions that there's an intruder and assumes that it's someone. and Dian wonders if it is that person.

After 'defeating' Merlin. Ceht notes that it's a good day to die and Dian's plan seems to have started.

TH hanging around the grave of truth. TH knows that Dian has no emotions or will have no emotions.

1. "Irinid's first punishment was banishment." "Any being with our blood in its veins was cursed." "Our kind would take nothing and give nothing to this world." "We were cut off." "We could not eat." "We could not drink." "We could not even breathe as we faced our punishment." "Death approached. "Only the most adept among us survived." "We used magic to support life...or some semblance thereof." "We worked together to remove the curse, but it was hopeless." "Fear had already taken its hold." "That's when the extremist made their voices known..." "Out of the din voices, one idea arose." "We would create a land of our own." "It would be a world held together by magic, and we would live." "It was a tempting solution." "One that would free us from the will of gods." "We had faith that it would only be temporary." "There was only one chance for success and we took it." "It cost us more than we could have ever imagined." "But it worked. Pincara was founded." "And a chosen few were hidden from the gods."
   • TH notes that his dad sacrificed his life for him.
2. "Fabricated sacrifices have their limits." "Time was running out." "We had to commit the course." "Perhaps if we sacrificed someone..." "What choice do we have!" "There are hard answers to situations like this." "There is a small crack, perhaps it has succeeded." "This is the opportunity we cannot miss it." "The soldiers who went through the crack met someone." "For a moment they thought they had found the savior of prophesy." "But we have been forgotten by the world." "I will make sure our memories live on." "Revenge...destruction...chaos...whatever it takes." "The world will remember us."
   • Then TH notes that Dian will use the tower to get revenge on everyone who ignored her.
3. "We cannot return to our world." "The gods have caught on." "How long can this place last?" "Some of our problems was solved, but..." "Killing clones with no end erodes the soul." "Once all hope has been run out, we can no longer succeed." "Emotions weaken the mind." "Without them, we can carry on forever." "I rid of all emotions and placed them in a clone." "It is like me, but different."
   • The two last parts seems to be a big indicator that Dian wrote that part and she basically got rid of her emotions to create Cecth.
4. "We knew that Pincara was not perfect from the beginning." "But the problems arose much faster than anyone expected." "The space was collapsing." "We needed more sacrifices to maintain the barriers." "But no one was willing to die." "Magic and technology could prevent death." "Why should anyone have to give themselves up willingly?" "Factions arose. Fighting began. It was bedlam." "Who would we sacrifice?" "Or could we find another way?" "In the midst of all that, a man entered Pincara's barriers." "His name was Birren." "Once a slave, (I accidentally skipped this part but mentions how Bith became his wife)." "The curse fell to all Settlers, even the half-bloods." "But this man had been able to cure his children." "His method hid the bloodline from the sight of the gods." "Unfortunately it came with a great cost." "But I found another way." "Cloning the half-bloods proved a useful tool." The exceptional clones were sent outside Pincara to find answers." "The rest were used to maintain the barriers." "Hearthless fools supported the idea." "They tried to solve the symptom without solving the problem." "We needed a final sacrifice for the cloning facility." "Bith...Why did you think it had to be you?" "Bith sacrificed herself and Birren left for good."
   • TH notes that some parts of this slate is written by a different person.
   • TH starts crying like a weirdo, asking if that was how the book of bith was passed on.
5. "The gods have disappeared." "The curse was broken." "Everyone was lost." "It was slaughter." "The people I killed could have lived." "I am a murderer." "I cannot ask for mercy or for revenge." "I can only offer more misery..." "I shall give death to all." "Until I cannot go on." "My name is Dian." "And I am a monster."

K Tarlach notes that the tower is made on llieeesss. According to red head bastard, Merlin is after the god fragment something. Which is in Tarlach. And he will remove it for something. and then tell everything us. and tarlach will be a normal boy. Ruairi will use the god fragment for the ritual and a sacrifice must be made. and then merlin uses a ice pocky to save us, hooray!?

Merlin saying something is irresponsible. Wow. That must be bad.

TH calls Dian, Dian Cetch, which I assume to be her former name when she had emmmotttioons.

Dian seems to be doing this out of regret, because she can't let all the deaths be in vain. and Oh shi- TH and Dian are siblings.

TH NOOOO, I ACTUALLY LIKE YOU. and you're useful unlike Prof J, Starlet and Cook over thar.

Then Merlin reads TH's message about the ritual happening on top the tower of lies and something about human accomplishments, Dragon's body, God's knowledge and three sacrifices must be made to make a body.

Merlin Dreams and apparently according to PJ, he dresses like a kid. Well I'll have you know PJ, he dresses like a high class male stripper.

Merlin actually cares about Tarlach to some degree.

--- To be continued --- Once I'm done with this dum SM

Even Merlin, apparent master of magic, says that the tower is made out of lies and broken promises. Merlin then calls TH: Suntan Steve.

So I just understood this, but Dian is apparently actually a god. At least according to TH and Merlin. Another thing, Dian started wanting revenge when she learned that TH was alive.

Dian telling that Cecth will be free with this. Which I might have missed.

So from my understanding

• The Ban Clan used to live in Erinn, then Neamhain cursed them for some unknown reason.
  • In order to avoid their curse, they made Pincara and fled there.
    • Pincara ran on sacrifices apparently. But no one wanted to sacrifice themselves.
      • So Bith sacrificed herself to make a clone making facility and Pincara ran on artificial sacrifices.
        • Of course this wasn't a permanent resolution and an end would happen.
        • Some clones were used to explore out of Pincara and find answers.
        • The clones are apparently half bloods.
  • At one point they managed to visit Erinn again, but only to discover their people was forgotten.
  • The Ban Clan's curse has been lifted with the disappearance of the gods.
• Dian is apparently a god.
  • Cessair's Heart's other name is Cecth. Cecth also happens to be Dian's emotions.
  • She apparently thought that her brother, TH, was dead. One of her motivation for revenge, was due to his survival.
  • She was angered by the fact that her people was forgotten.
  • Dian is grieving with the fact that she killed many to reach the position she's in.
    • And her plans are to make sure that her people's death was not in vain.
• TH is of Ban Clan origin. His mom, Bith. His dad, Birren. His sister, Dian. Yeah you heard me.
  • Birren sacrificed himself to save his three children.

I also assume that the Ban Clan were the first people of Erinn. Cessair in the original story was the leader of the first settlers of Ireland. Dian also mentions that she's older than Merlin, and his 100 year old age is minuscule compare to hers.

Wait? Birren had three children? Well, he saved three, but I don't recall all of them being his. Also, wasn't Dian the leader of the settlers? Not some slave's (Birren) kid?

I realized that the symptoms those three children experienced was a curse on the settlers, a curse from god, a curse of death. - Complete the Passage

But this man had been able to cure his children. The slates specifically state that he saved his children, no one else.

TH, while reading the slates, mentions that someone else wrote some parts, these are most likely by Dian. Meaning someone else was there way before her and TH talks to Dian mentioning "our mother/father".

I'll concede on this point.
Any hints as to who that last kid is? TH, Dian, and someone else...

Nothing about the last kid. It's possible both TH and Dian don't know if the last kid is even alive. Considering Dian didn't even knew TH was alive.

So... Ban Clan = Cessair and Pincara = Nemeton? This is all too much to absorb.

Well, thanks for looking into it. I now have a better understanding as to what occurred.

No. There's nothing that says Nemeton and Pincara are the same. Edit:Also forgot to mention, but there are times when TH talks about some things on the slate can't be read. So we're missing some parts.

And Cessair in the original lore only designs one person, the leader of the first settlers. Though I did read some things that describe them as the first settlers.

A better comparison would be that.

Ban Clan = The first settlers of Ireland

Pincara = Ireland, as the First Settlers were denied a spot on Noah's Arc to safety.

Except not even Ireland could protect Cessair from the flood. God being Neamhain, the flood being the curse.

Though that's just my crack comparing.

Also Crack Theory:

The Ban Clan call their banishment as their first punishment. But while they do name the other things that happened to them, they do not describe those as the second punishment. Why? Because their curse was caused by the curse on Iria. How do we enter to Nemeton? From Metus, in Iria. We only hear what happened to the elves and giants, except that's the whole point. The people had forgotten the Ban Clan and thus their involvement with whatever in the past is gone. Neamhain destroyed ancient relics during the curse, most likely belonging to the Ban Clan.

By the way, do they ever explain what Nemeton is?

Nemeton is the tower you explore. Pincara is probably the entire area: caves, tower, and all. Both are made of LIES, or magic and blood, depending on your viewpoint. That's as far as they go to explain the place.

^ that was my guess too. But there's nothing specifying that Nemeton is placed in Pincara or if Pincara even exists today.

"The soldiers who went through the crack met someone. For a moment they thought they had found the savior of prophesy."

... Tarlach? What is this "savior of prophecy"? Someone told me that episode 4 talked about the Three Lost Warriors in some prophecy or something?

So essentially, the Cessair got really lucky (or unlucky, as the case may become), finding Tarlach.
They think he's going to save them or something (he's not).
On a side note: maybe it would have been a smart idea for them to throw a mountain of clones to distract the immortal, half-god, savior of the gods-damned universe three times over that they know still walks around freely before trying to kidnap Tarlach.

They tried to distract us... with new shinies! Didnt you notice the Saga 2 gachapon? didnt you wonder why there were so few things in it that anyone even cares about anymore? Theres your answer: it was a distraction tactic by the cessair.

You make it sound like that would be a tactically useful move from some perspective.
I'll stick to saying that tossing a billion clones at the milletian whenever they exit any town limits and trying to pass it off as a "We just want you DEAD" plot would be more effective than anything else.

• Fades in from nowhere* Psst, clones take resources, they aren't made from nothing. *Fades out, and doesn't come back*

The only resource(s) they're made of is magic and probably time (at least, in game). All they have to do is get 1000 (or however many to start) clones to train up medi, magic mastery as far as they can go, some other mana-giving skills, and all the music skills.
Use medi in conjunction with fantastic chorus (helps a lot, but probably not available for Cessair) and enduring melody, feed the machine for more clones and repeat until you have an army of clones capable of producing enough mana for a billion clones (or however many enough to distract and annoy the milletian, probably only need a few hundred thousand at most). The number could probably be reduced if they could teleport some back to a (ridiculously large) medical team with First Aid and Healing trained up (instead of disposing of them like I'd expect them to).

And in order to make magic, they need to kill people. The clones arent THAT easy to make.

The magic used to sustain Pincara/Nemeton needs a blood sacrifice. This cannot the same magic that makes clones.
The clones were originally supposed to be that blood sacrifice. If you're telling me the clones also need a blood sacrifice to make, then why bother making them in the first place?
I can tell you that the Clone Production Facility somewhere in Nemeton was definitely made from blood, but they have to source the magic that makes the clones from something that isn't blood (at least, not their blood).

I don't think they believe Tarlach would have saved them. For a moment they thought they had found the savior of prophesy. Indicates that they know he's not a savior.

That role seems to belong more to Ruairi right now. Meanwhile Tarlach is a living macguffin that Ruairi/Ban Clan/Cessairs needs for some plan.

Thinking about it, it would probably be more likely that they found Ruairi first, given he left for Iria all those gens ago.

Then Ruairi is not the savior.

Well gg.

inb4 there is no savior.

Given that the milletian just brutally murdered their leader Dian, Ruairi, and several key portions of their chain of command, chased Cessair's Heart out (or killed her), and TH and Tarlach probably aren't going back to that hellhole, the only way there could be a savior in this story is if "saving" them means slaughtering or dooming each and every last one of them. In which case, the milletian is the savior.
Cessair Remnant: Good job, big hero. Take your dirty 180 AP and LEAVE dammit!

Um, just who are the Settlers? Are they the Ban Clan?

I believe they are.

Yas.

The curse fell to all Settlers, even the half-bloods.