Blood Dragon on 14/12/2004 at 15:19
I know the history of this building. Orphanage > Insane asylum > fire broke out > left abandoned. All of them are not happy things.
But how come it became such a horrible place? A place which had its own mind and memory. Was this the work of the hag?
lizardfuel55 on 14/12/2004 at 17:50
Probably, I've been wonderin' about it too. Maybe she er...*cough* owned it, inherited it probably from a will? But then it was transformed into the orphanage which led onto the conversion of the asylum, and she couldn't do anything about it etcetra, and now she's finally taking revenge on others who treated neglected her thing. Dang, I'm good at making stuff up. Sorry, but I made this analysis on the spot. I'll try posting a more serious answer once I've calmed down a bit.
P.S.- Was the hag a member of the staff?
theBlackman on 14/12/2004 at 19:24
Lizard The HAG was around for hundreds of years. Remember? She had assumed the forms of many, and only during the last 30 years give or take, had she stolen Lauryl's body (soul-form).
Drept was also a child in the orphanage. The connection between the HAG and Shalesbridge was never quite clear. But it is clear that the HAG was associated with the KEEPERS for many of the hundreds of years.
She had been working with the GLYPHS and stealing bodies constantly during that time.
What other forms she took while with the Keepers is unknown. But the final scenes, and the final cutscene show the stolen souls and lifeforces escaping her when the final GLYPH is formed.
Yos on 14/12/2004 at 20:15
Considering her nature, she probably could have lead to some of the changes in the Cradle. Since the Hag was a child's story even in Drept's childhood, any people who calimed to have seen her probably would've ben considered insane and sent to an asylum (except for Drept for some reason). She could've also helped the pyro get something to burn the place. Taking advantage of the flames and panic, she could've convinced the place was haunted, since she is supposed to be unkilliable. As far as the cradle having a memory and such, maby some of her glyph magic rubbed off.
EmperorSteele on 14/12/2004 at 22:42
I figgured it became haunted due to it's proximity to the Old Quarter. Plus, the whole place is full of bad mojo. It's sentient, capapble of time-projection, the soul of a snatched-body lives on, and the inmates are still alive...
Yeah, that's some Old-Quarter necromancy goin' on.
Taffergirl on 14/12/2004 at 22:59
My theory was that Gamall needed Lauryl's spirit to be trapped, more so than with any of her other victims.
So she made sure the Cradle was wiped out by what was referred to by witnesses as a demon fire.
Perhaps that fire was intentionally set by the Hag herself to ensure that the Cradle would have enough souls in pain to keep Lauryl there prisoner right along with them.
The other victims she took were probably just for their life-force, but Lauryl's purpose was different so had to be treated differently.
Yos on 15/12/2004 at 02:34
Here's another thought that occured to me. Was the craddle made by the Hammers? I'm thinking at this since this thing always happens to Hammer buildings. The Cathedral and even the Hammer base in TDS come to mind.
Raven on 15/12/2004 at 11:14
I think it has to do with a theme of corruption... my explination for the zombies and haunts, but also considering that she didn't grow old might have to do with the wee girls soul being trapped.
Martin Karne on 15/12/2004 at 18:08
Well the classic myth is that when people dies before their time (i mean not from natural causes), violently or suddenly, they wander the areas they preferred to stay around when they were alive without any knowledge of them been dead.
DarthMRN on 15/12/2004 at 19:23
Thats right, Martin. When thinking of the Bonehoard and the ghosts in Gervaisius' liberary, it seems quite clear that the Tricksters magic was not the only thing that could resurrect the dead.
So the Hag's glyph magic or just the trauma of the catastrophe should have been enogh to keep the inmates alive.
But the sentient Cradle is another thing...
