Top Ten Unsolved Spiral Mysteries


Part of any online game is the history itself. Because most games tend to drop you in the middle of some dire situation, there's always a question of "How did I get here?" and "What happened here beforehand?" Lore is a huge manipulator of game interest. Fill the libraries and you keep players guessing - one question answered is, after all, two questions asked.

However, there are many more pressing questions, especially for those who have kept up with the storyline.
              And in this expanded article and my 400th post, I've got something very special in mind for you.

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            I am going to be listing the top ten unsolved Spiral mysteries. This is a
                  combination of questions from both Wizard101 and Pirate101, and delve into
                       the histories and stories in each game, not so much the technicality and
                        inner-workings. I'll pose a question, provide the evidence we do have, and discuss
                         it from there. A fair warning - there are huge spoilers for both games all throughout
                        this post. Don't read it if you want to keep them a mystery.











10. What School is Merle Ambrose?

Ever since Sheldon from Adventures of the Spiral discovered a Merle Ambrose example trailer (LINK),
this question has been ever-present in the minds of wizards around the Spiral. Because the trailer is done by a studio with little knowledge of the game itself, I can't see it being a strong indicator.

Merle teleports once during the tutorial, and it is a colorful array of magic, not any specific school. We've never seen Ambrose duel, just stand in his age-old office that never gathers dust (magic!), giving out assignments so that the next student can save the Spiral. With the Morganthe finale around the corner, however, his power may soon be revealed. With how long KingsIsle has spent on this expansion, I can only imagine what they have planned, and I'd be really surprised and disappointed if the Council of Light stood idly by while we took on Morganthe. And I don't imagine that KingsIsle intends to do it that way. Perhaps, in time, we may know the answer.


9. Are and were flying ships engineered manually or by magic?

Pirates seem to scream for magic-free environments, and yet their ships are
floating around in clouds like it's completely normal. However, they're
notoriously crafty, and that raises the question - how do flying ships
work? Blind Mew has ominously stated that ships "eventually fall out
of the world and into the dark void between the spheres. I'm wondering
how that worked out to begin with.

You do have to wonder if wizards and pirates ever worked together. Even
before magic and whatever else, back when the Spiral was connected,
did everyone's ancestors know each other? And how old is Merle? Is he
really just everyone's grandfather? Uh... next!














8. How did Spiral doors and stormgates come about?

While the idea of opening a door to another world might seem silly on the surface,
the chambers in which they are contained create a very mysterious mood regarding
them. And Stormgates - our eyes into the outer Spiral - had to come from somewhere.

In areas where the wind moves specifically fast, wind currents end up forming a
whirlpool-equivalent, yes? A windstone permits a pirate to control the wind long
enough to get through. That seems only logical, anyway. But what of Spiral doors?
Assuming we don't magically let go of the key and it finds its way to another Spiral
door, there must be some in-between with worlds. Have I got you thinking yet?


                                                                           7. Where is the Eye of History?

                                                                                                   Bartleby has two eyes - the Eye of History and
                                                                                                         the Eye of the Future (can you clue us in on
                                                                                                              Morganthe's plans, my tree friend?). All
                                                                        we know about the Eye of History is that it has gone missing.
                                                                              That's as much as I can tell. I don't know for sure that Malistaire
                                                                                   took it as we never retrieved it after defeating him.

                                                                                   I have to wonder if Morganthe possesses the eye, or if it's
                                                                                    lost elsewhere in the Spiral, waiting to be located by
                                                                                    wizards in a future story. I'll talk more about these eyes as
                                                                                 the last few heat up.


6. What is "coming to the Spiral"?

Not long before the arrival of Celestia, Grandmasters were surprised with a new
challenge - the Briskbreeze Tower. Despite its name, it was nothing you could
run through quickly. The ending, though, was the kicker. As Orrick Nightglider
faded, he warned of what was to come.

The guard we rescued recounted his adventure, saying that Orrick described
"something terrible" that was "coming to the Spiral... and that Krokotopia was
the next step." However, he quickly dismissed such thoughts, glad to be alive.
But Orrick left us something - two keys. One "made of bone, and the other ...
covered with hieroglyphs." KingsIsle never followed up on that story, but even
foes like Morganthe can't "come to the Spiral." Now what could that mean?







                                                                   5. What happened to Malistaire?

                                                                                          This question is actually a good one no matter what
                                                                                          sense it's asked in. First, why'd he go rampaging
                                                                                            about, threatening to destroy the Spiral after his
                                                                                             wife's death? After that, why'd he seem to be at
                                                                                               peace and return to haunt us as Morganthe's
                                                                                               Dark Servant? And after he was sent flying
                                                                                            away into the Spiral in Azteca by some unknown
                                                                                          force?

                                                                                          This big question now is whether or not he'll be
                                                                                        back for the big finale with Morganthe. My
                                                                                       theory involves two possibilities. The first is that
                                                                                     after Morganthe is defeated, he will return in or
                                                                                   at the end of the first world of a new arc. The
                                                                                second is that he'll now be a recurring villain in
                                                                          various worlds and arcs. Moral of the story:
                                                             Don't bother with "zombification" or entertain ideas of being "undead." Just die and be done with it. I do have to wonder what motive he has for becoming a villain again, though. Did Morganthe put some dark curse on him?















4. Who is the Queen of the Armada?

One of the largest ideas tossed around among players is that the Armada is a big chess game. Chief among these is D.S. Devereaux, who talks about it frequently on her blog HERE.

The discussion centers around the idea that each of the Armada is a chess piece. Kane is the King, so he's ultimately the one we've got to take down to win. But he must also not be the most powerful piece. That immediately poses a number of tough questions. Has it ever occurred to anyone that Kane is oddly skin-colored in many photos? Is he, perhaps, human? That would explain our need to target him directly to stop the clockworks, even if he's not the most powerful piece.

Of course, we also have to wonder how clockworks are capable of thinking for themselves as well. Executing programmed tasks, maybe. But reacting and recalculating tactically in a war is quite something. Whoever built these would certainly be interesting to meet.

The main curiosity here, is the queen. Blind Mew has mentioned that she's not been brought up for a reason. However, the Armada's correlation with chess would suggest that she's the most powerful piece of the Armada, which means the best is yet to come. I have to say, Pirate101 has always blown me away with their story. Now allow me to really blow your mind. If the Armada are the chess pieces, then who's playing the game?

















3. What was the Spiral like in the time of the titans?

This ties back into what I talked about at the beginning - lore and history. This is what we know about the Spiral. Bartleby is the oldest being in existence. He is the Grandfather Tree. Grandmother Raven, also the Narrator, gave him two eyes, the Eye of History, and the Eye of the Future. Bartleby's children were the Storm, Fire, and Ice titans. These were giants, tritons, and dragons.

From here we are not clear, as the story is told from different perspectives. The Fire wizards believe that the giants and tritons were fighting and that the dragons stepped in and put the world into a dormancy that prevented its complete destruction. The Ice wizards are taught that it was the tritons and dragons who fought. The Storm wizards are told that it's the dragons and giants that were scheming, and they saved the day by putting all the titans to sleep.

However, whoever saved the day was too late to prevent mass destruction and breaking of the lands of the Spiral. Grandfather Bartleby and Grandmother Raven bound the broken pieces of the worlds together and formed the Spiral. Many worlds are lost to this day, but the various species that inhabited the lands can sometimes be seen in different worlds, indicating that the present-day factions may not have always existed.

The three elemental schools come from the power of the titans and the three spirit schools derive their power from those. Balance draws on all schools.

What really happened between the titans, and how was the collective Spiral when it existed as one land mass?

                                                      2. Who or what is Caligostro and who is "G"?

                                                                   At the end of Aquila in Pirate101, we headed over to Marleybone to talk
                                                                   with one of our (well, most of our) old rivals, Moewiarty. He decoded a
                                                                   letter that translated interestingly, with the label reading "The Toy
                                                                   Maker" - "I know how to defeat Kane. Find me in Valencia. Seek
                                                                   Caligostro. G."

                                                                   Destiny (D.S.D.) has a great theory about it being a spin off of Da
                                                                   Vinci, which makes complete sense if you have a look at her blog
                                                                    posts and his drawings. It would appear that he designed the
                                                                    machines, and so he knows how to take them apart.

                                                                    That suggests also that there's some internal source within the Machine or elsewhere that can shut everything down. Because let's face it, we'd never be able to stop the Armada in every world out there. I certainly hope there's a universal switch of some sort.


1. Where is Morganthe? 

Above all, this is currently the burning question is
everyone's minds. Where did Morganthe go? And
with those questions, there's talk of level 100 or level
101, the end of Wizard101, and a number of other
interesting topics. We know that Morganthe is running
around causing chaos as usual, but where is she going to
put her celestial song of creation into effect? Now that she
has that and her Deck of Shadows, she's more powerful than
ever. But we also have the Sword of Kings, which will be
necessary in some way to beat her.

As for the teaser image released by KingsIsle, it depicts a
smashed Spiral doors in an area with a very round design
and blues, grays, and golds. But where is it, precisely? I
have more than a few theories. Several of us on Twitter
proposed an interesting idea that you can read about on
Johnny's thread HERE.

With Wizard101's second arc, and the first arc we've had
to wait for one world at a time, winding down to a close,
I can't help but be excited. They've spent so much time on
this world, that I can't imagine it being anything but epic.
Forget where Morganthe is. Do I want to spoil the whole
thing in the Test Realm, or not? That's the real question, is
it not?

Extra Credit

That's it! Have any theories? Let me know below! Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! Credits: Thanks to Chris Scarypants, Cedric Young, Destiny Devereaux, Alric Ravensinger, Jason Goldenshield, Legends, and Cody Sundreamer for contributing some of the ideas for mysteries to discuss.


24 comments:

  1. This is by far one of my favorite posts! The expanded design is great and the background is spectacular. I now understand why putting it together was difficult. Thank you so much for the post mentions and the funny picture. :) As usual, a wonderful job.

    D.S.D.

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  2. By the way, teensy error here: "But we also have the Sword of Kings, which will be
    necessaryin some way to beat her."

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    1. One more. "which makes complete sense if you here a look at her blog posts and his drawings."

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  3. Are you have just blown my mind by the backgrounds and color changes under the text.

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  4. Pertaining to Mystery Number 4, I asked "The Armada are soulless and made of inanimate objects, which should mean that they are golems. If they are golems, that means that they cannot think for themselves and gets orders from someone else. The Armada Troops get their orders from Kane's Court, Kane's Court gets their orders from Kane, who does Kane get his orders from? Isn't he also a golem?" and he replied, "Kane is artificial, and so in theory has no soul. But he can certainly think for himself. There certainly doesn't seem to be anybody pulling his strings - indeed, it's usually the other way around." I also asked, "So if Kane and his Elite are able to think on their own, how can they do it? They don't have brains and I'm pretty sure computers and computer chips haven't been invented in the spiral yet, so how can they think?" and the Blind Mew stated, "They just do - when something is really really well made, the whole can be more than the sum of its parts." Intriguing, isn't it?

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    1. Maybe Caligostro. G. could possible be the aramad's creator.

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  5. As a W101/P101 self-proclaimed lore nerd, here are my thoughts on all of your mysteries you put up:

    10. Originally, I thought Ambrose was known for astral magic, but now, I think that he really has no school per say. Old Scratch knows magic too along with other companions, but would you classify them as death students? No, because they know magic that is forbidden and mysterious (in other words, not clarified). So, maybe Ambrose knows magic that we can't identify with?

    9. Likely in the first world, all ships just acted like normal ships. When it became the Spiral, magicians likely used their magic to enchant the ships with magical objects to make them float.

    8. Stormgates were likely made by Lady Nightstar (Grandmother Raven) and Bartleby when they created the Spiral. Spiral doors likely came about from wizards looking for a faster way of travel then sailing. The Celestians knew magic to mess with stormgates, hence why we have to find El Dorado's stormgate.

    7. Likely will be brought up or used as plot devise in next arc.

    6. From a non-story telling point, KI likely had plans for that storyline, but then came work for Pirate101, starting the new arc, and other distractions. So, they left it alone until they could find something cool to do with it.

    5. Malistare is likely under a curse from Morganthe. She thought that maybe raising him would help take our wizards down, thinking he'd have a grudge against us. But when she learned he didn't, she enchanted him, not wanting him to go to waste (after all Malistare did, who would really waste that?).

    4. Blind Mew did say that Kane is not a cyborg or human in disguise, he's a clockwork. But I think that while Kane is said to be the most powerful, there's a conspiracy or higher power that even he is just a player for. IMO, I don't want him to be just all an evil robot defying his creator, I'd love for him to question morality and think that can robots really feel emotion (like the replicants in Blade Runner).

    3. I swear if The Spiral is actually post-apocalyptic Earth, where the First World was present day society, then something magical happens to end that all, and Merle time-traveled back to save us, that will be the greatest (and maybe most irritating) plot-twist ever.

    2. I always thought that G stands for Grandpa, since the letter is addressed to us (the clockwork birds were sent to find and watch us) and it's not clear that our PC's parents had any family or not.

    1. Honestly, I'm stumped. I'd like to see where KI takes the arc and what world is next.

    All these ideas are open for criticism.

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  6. I've got a question is Merle Ambrose and Malistare brothers? I am always hearing how powerful they both are and how they have something against each other, like when you first play the game they are taunting each other.

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    Replies
    1. No, Cyrus and Malistaire are brothers, though. Ambrose has a history with Malistaire, though - he used to be the Death professor. I'm guessing that after a temper-tantrum of sorts, he was kicked out and unwelcome in Ravenwood. His whole rampage, I believe, was after his wife's death. I guess one big mystery is how she died - perhaps he believes someone has something to do with it.

      Delete
    2. How she died is not a mystery. She fell ill from an uncurable disease. Not even the strongest healers could fend off her illness until the inevitable happened. What is a mystery is if this illness was of natural causes, or by someone's hand...

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  7. This is amazing! I loved reading this.

    ~Toffeecakes123

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  8. 10. What school is Ambrose?
    Oof... That's a good question... Like the average joe, I always thought he was astral. But with this I think it's fair to say he's been doing a few too many Zeke quests. :P On the serious side though, it would make sense that he has mastery to all schools, beyond what our teachers can or could teach us. Maybe his reason for being a bum (and letting us do all the work...) is his neverending quest to find new secrets about the ways the spiral works?

    9. This is truly a great question. Seeing as the spiral was created by Grandmother Raven and Bartelby (speaking of which, where is he in Pirate101?), I always assumed it was a mixture of both. The technology for it to fly was implemented through a mechanical development that "holds" the ship in place, so that the fuel and other resources make it fly. It would make sense, seeing as when you shoot at ships, normally you'd expect an explosive cannonball to blow the whole dang thing up, but instead it just harms it. However, they leave tiles, maybe "elements" break through this little barrier? Such as fire, water, lightning, etc. So I personally believe it was a technological advancement that involves a revelation in Magic that defies gravity, and breaking it or disabling it (boarding) crashes the ship into the void.

    8. That's a very good question. For spiral doors at least, I believe your right about the windstones though, with some sort of ominous energy. For spiral doors... Phew... I can't think of any possible logical reasoning. I guess the best I can come up with is when the spiral was created, Bartelby predicted this, and created some sort of unknown magic school we haven't discovered..?

    7. Where is the eye of History?
    I don't want to know personally. It would spoil too much. There are so many open ended beliefs on this question, but hopefully in the void. Actually, when you think of it, the ball on Malistaire's staff could be it. Scaled down, corrupted, reverting time itself.

    6. I have no idea. Hopefully tying back in to the Order of the Fang. After all, they are there to execute order and keep the spiral in place. But Morganthe can't send the spiral into Havoc or raise her army if the Order is still in place. I think it'll be into some compartment of the Balance school to chase after Morganthe, and that some key artifact to break through the magic that maintained the great sleep and keep the worlds, stormgates, doors, creations, and even life will break and everything will fall into corruption. For the bones one, I think it would make sense it was used in Mirror Lake.

    5. Morganthe obviously has magics we don't, so I think it is fair to assume that she placed some sort of "extended beguile" on Malistaire.

    There is a limit on how many characters (4,096) so I'll reply with this in a follow-up comment.

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  9. *2nd Half*

    4. He's a clockwork, and so I guess it would make sense. But the society seems patriarchal, meaning men are favored over women, so I'm guessing she is somewhere unnoted. I do have a feeling she will play a huge role eventually, once we're all meeting up at El Dorado for a wonderful little picnic (sarcasm). Now... For the chess piece part. I also, like Trevor, feel he is just a small figurehead for some unknown individual. I feel that this individual also plays a role in why Bartleby/Ambrose don't want us finding the Eye of History (they haven't told us to go look for it anywhere, yet they have told us to go rescue a bunch of idiotic kids in Zafaria). Maybe this being was created when the spiral began, but banished for the some unspeakable deed, that forced everything to always have a turn into evil. I could go on and on, but I would be typing for the next 5 or 6 hours, haha.

    3. Even better question, what brought about the Titans? But to answer yours, I'll put that aside for now. The Spiral seems to remind me of Present-day Earth also, but it seems more like it's only spiral/galaxy. Merle probably created some magic to transport wizards massive distances to any location he wants, and popped us in from our own galaxy. Not cool, Ambrose.

    2. It would make sense if it was the men who originally built the Clockworks. Caligostro would make sense to be a hidden refuge for the last Valencians who survived the madness. After all, the only people who would be able to know how to tear it down would be the people who could create it.

    1. Let's look at the prophecy.
    "The mirror will break,
    The horn will call
    From the shadows I strike,
    the skies will fall"
    Mirror: Zafaria
    Horn: Avalon
    Skies: Azteca
    Where is she striking from? And by skies, did that refer to only Azteca? The prophecy might be saying the entire spiral shall cave it, to be restored by us in the next arc, but who knows. She still has to "strike" at one of the main characters, and throw some massive plot-twist at us. ;)

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    1. First off, the horn part of the prophecy is not in avalon, that was a red herring. The horn part AND the skies falling are in Avalon.

      Second, the idea that the eye of history in P101 may or maynot work. The higher power or conspiracy that Kane is just a player for (a player, IMO, that has no idea he's just a pawn) would likely be his creator, or "father". The idea of him having The Eye of History just seems a bit far-fetched, But, the idea of our pirates find it, try to sell it on the black market, but are hunted by wizards wanting it back would be cool.

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    2. The skies falling is not Azteca? What is Azteca then? And the horn will call... It made sense that it was Avalon.

      I did not say that Kane, or his creator had the eye of History. I meant as in someone we never heard about, but is part of the Eye of History, was banished by Ambrose and that the Eye of History can't get rid of information

      Btw, Swordroll, mind posting these on Central? I would like to hear what people have to say. Post just one. :3 If it's all right, I'd like to post my own: Why did Malistaire steal the eye of history, but not the eye of the future?

      Delete
  10. ~Cunning Finnigan Sharp~
    10. That's no mystery, young Wizard! Merle Ambrose comfirms his school here:
    https://www.wizard101.com/forum/ravenwood-commons/ambrose-2471
    "I was apprenticed to a program long, long ago that fostered a cross-discipline approach to Wizardry. At various times I have spent a few centuries devoting myself to the study of each of the different magic schools. Currently I am studying the Astral magics, a school of thought that is barely recognized and little known." -Merle Ambrose
    He does learn a little of each of the schools, but is primarily learning the Astral magics.

    9. I'd say magic. During the First World, ships did sail on water, but after the split, the entense magic Bartleby used to bind the Worlds helped lift the ships into the air and sail in clouds.

    8. The Aquilans were the first to connect all the worlds together, being the discoverers of the Spiral. Because each of the worlds are still made of properties found in the First World, they are still connected by the Stormgates. This allows the worlds to still be connected. Spiral Doors came about by ancient Wizards to maintain balance between their World and the Pirate world.

    7. The Eye of History landed it's way through multiple different situations after the fall of Malistaire, landing itself into different areas, being taken as a common gem. Soon enough, it might turn up.

    6. A dark presence wishes to enslave the Spiral. Listen to this line from the quest from Kirby Longspear:
    "As I told him, Undead are creeping around at Night, scaring even the Gobblers"
    ...and this one about the key...
    "As Orrick Nightglider fades away, you notice a key-ring fall to the ground. One is made of bone, the other is covered with hieroglyphics."
    I think an Undead army is trying to enslave the Spiral. They are probably in belief Malistaire will return. Maybe the old necromancer will take hold again of his undead minions?

    5. Malistaire never wanted to destroy the Spiral, but instead rule it and used the powers of the Spiral to bring back Sylvia, someone he held more care into than Life itself. He died after our duel. Upon his reincarnation, Morganthe probably filled powered his undying Hatred, that would fuel his survival. Falling into the Spiral on Xibalba, Malistaire landed upon a World that will help foster his new found abilities after months suspended in Darkness; a world the Council of Light didn't expect at all. I don't think Malistaire will return for the finale, because we're not sure if he even knows where to go next. I have two theories:
    1. He will and be a minion again for Morganthe and either comply with or betray her
    2. He won't and will be a new villian for a twist-filled 3rd Arc where we try to end his immortality.
    (to be continued)

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  11. ~Cunning Finnigan Sharp~
    (continued)
    4. Because Kane was the first Clockwork built, I think he was especially made with the most "heart" and "soul." I don't think anyone is controling him. He most likely has the capabilities to stand alone. I aslo think he is the one "playing the game" because Blind Mew stated he was playing the long game and waiting it out to strike. Kane probably has (or thinks he has) the most control at the moment.
    That said, I think Clockwork Queen corresponds to Chess. While the King is the most important, the Queen is the most powerful. Queen has the biggest sway over all the Clockworks as she very closely works with Kane in order to orchestrate the rest of the Armada.

    3. The First World was actually very similar to the geography of Azteca. Remember, Azteca is a living Fragment of the First World. They roamed the world the most. The First World, while primal, had it's advances and was split into four parts:
    The Center where Bartleby and Grandmother Raven, Lady Nightstar, surveyed the world and where the Aztecosaurs primarily dwelled.
    The Land was a fiery hot plain for the Dragons built from Lava and Sea. Volcanoes lined their territory.
    The Sea was home for the Tritons. Their advanced civilizations made ground for the world of Celestia. They created great domes from the Sea and the cold rain of the Sky.
    The Sky fostered the Frost Giants. They used winds and Sea to forge floating, ice Castles.

    2. Caligostro is a worker or servant that protects this "G." We must find him in Valencia and figure out what he knows. "G." is probably the creator of the Armada. Da Finchi is a different person I would gander.

    1. Ah, Morganthe! I think she has left to her new home, a fortress that ensnares fear into the people of Empyrea. Morganthe plans to find the members of the Celestial Choir, a set of mages who each possess a powerful correlation to the mysteries of the Spiral. Each hold a gem of unique power and excellence. Morganthe wants to trap them and force them into her circle so that they may give her the power to rewrite the Spiral, just as her destiny fortold. This world is where her Prophecy was created. It is also home to powerful spirits included an allusion to the creator of the First World and Bartleby and Grandmother Raven.

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  12. If I were to add one, I would ask who the Commodore's name was.

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  13. 10. What School is Merle Ambrose?

    My theory on Ambrose is that he is a member of the Death School. First of all, black is the color associated with this school, and as you mentioned, when he teleported, "it is a colorful array of magic, not any specific school." In the spectrum of colors, white is described as the absence of all color, where black is described as the combination of colors. Given that he is so concerned with the safety of the Spiral and defeating the dark elements that are attacking it, I think there is a connection between him and the Death School (perhaps he even taught Malistaire at one point in time) and his support of the wizards and his aid in helping defeat all of the various threats might be a way for him to resolve the guilt he feels for any part he might have played in the development of these dark wizards and the devastation they've created.

    7. Where is the Eye of History?

    I believe that the Eye of History was taken by either Malistaire or Morganthe because without it, Bartelby can't really give us a truly effective idea of what is to come in the Spiral. Think about it: they always say that history repeats itself, so the best way to hinder his ability to predict the future is by removing his ability to see past patterns and indicators that might show the path that Morganthe is on. It would also make it impossible for him to tell us about past wizards and places that haven't shown up yet but that could have a massive impact on the future battles. The Eye of Future shows Bartelby what's going to happen, but without the Eye of History, he can't put it into context for us and without that context, the information is only half as effective as it could be.

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  14. I'll try to give a few of the questions a go:
    9. Ships: There is some magic involved with ships (spells on the figurehead, sails, horns that give them special abilities), but they sail through the skies according to the laws of 'Spiralean' physics, which is to say, there is another element present that allows our ships (and fish, etc.) to be sailing, floating etc. in the atmosphere. The 4 elements being 'Fire, Air, Earth, Water' as according to the classical Greeks, the 5th element would be what Aristotle postulated as 'the element of the gods', aether. One could wave one's hands and use this sort of elemental theory to explain a lot of physics or lack thereof in the Spiral.

    4. Queen of the Armada: she's one of the Elites created by Kane, so thus at some basic level is on the same plane as Deacon, Phule, Bishop, and Rooke. So is she 'queen' or just as subordinate as the others to Kane? But I hypothesize that Kane got better at creating Elites as he got more practice. So Deacon - whom he needed first, a spymaster and intriguer to disrupt the workings of other lands, was first created when Kane was least practiced. He then needed a general, an obvious enforcer -- Rooke. Then he got more subtle, and the Elites stronger and more complex. Bishop, intellectual advisor, yes, but what about Phule? What about Whats-her-name? She dresses enviably well, and some commenters have considered her perhaps a non-combatant thereby. But that would only make her more sneaky. Does she speak like Sauron, convincing the people of Valencia all is well? Is she secretly an assassin on Kane's command? Both? Neither? Well, it is fun to speculate, but we will all eventually find out.

    2. Who is Caligostro? Well, there was a historic 'personality' by the name of Caligostro, though he turned out to be a fake. However, a real Caligostro based on the idea that this person was true would be a person who combined alchemy with mysticism (and magic), and that could be very, very interesting in our story. As for G? Hmm. The first person I think of is Galileo Galilei, though that might be far too obvious a connection.

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  15. What I want to see is the Spiral in the future. Imagine Dragonspyre restored with population of immigrants who've come for new life, giving new beggining for DS. Also Krokotopia being colonized by Marleybone, Monquista and Valencia and be a little modernized. What about Moo Shu (Also when P101 came out I was like so angry at KI cause they made the governors castles more magestic than the Emperor's. Actually the emperor is living in a poor village compared to those governors...)

    Great post Swordroll. Really making you think about those questions and wishing you see the answer soon.

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  16. A comment concerning the first comment on this page: Perhaps the Emperor's palace isn't as ornate as the governors because the Emperor is supposed to be humble, following the footsteps of the Moodha? The Emperor is the Son of the Sun, which is surrounded by the sky, which usually has only one color, being plain and dull. The Emperor must be an example to the rest of Mooshu, and one of the good traits he must show is humility.

    Furthermore, please note that the Hamamitsu Garden's governor's coffers might be so large due to Hamamitsu's position as the only port in Mooshu which receives foreign trade, from the great powers of Marleybone and Vlance, no less.

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