Greenscale and Akylios are dead. The Ascended have broken into their prisons and shattered them, their very essence now strewn across reality as elemental motes. Their treasures have been plundered, their followers weakened and Telara has become just a little bit safer. But what does this all mean in the long run for Telara and its inhabitants? Today we will speculate on what exactly is to become of the planes of life and water now that their masters have departed.
Lord Greenscale was the primal God of the plane of life. His prison in a secret cavern beneath Caer Mathos was the first to be breached when the leader of his cult, Prince Hylas, opened the doors with his dying breath. Beyond these doors Greenscale lay trapped and weakened within an open death rift surrounded by shadesource. In this state he was no match for the army of ascended that bore down on him despite his noxious breath and the many plants and allies he summoned to his aid.
After a long battle between the plane of water, plane of death and the combined forces of the Guardians and Defiants the gates of Hammerknell Fortress were opened and the next ancient prison was exposed. This time the mad God Akylios was awakened and threatened to drown the world and fill his ears with the melodious screams of his victims. Fortunately Akylios was put down before he could escape the confines of the ancient harbour that contained him. With his death the ascended had eliminated two of the terrible Gods that had threatened them long ago.
Since then the forces of life and water have receded somewhat, although they have not withdrawn completely. With the “Legacy of the Fallen” event we saw the efforts from these two planes re-directed to collecting the elemental energy left behind by their deceased leaders. When they collected enough the cults had planned to resurrect their Gods but the Ascended intervened and any murmurs of this plan have faded away. It appears that we were not only successful in destroying both Akylios and Greenscale but may have actually destroyed the means of their immediate return, if that was indeed what the cultists had intended. The Abyssal remains weakened and House Aelfwar, with the loss not only of Greenscale but of Prince Hylas and Fae Lord Twyl, is almost destroyed.
So what future could Akylios or Greenscale have in lore if any? Have we really seen the last of them or are their deaths mere setbacks? Is it possible that their destruction could possibly be used by a greater evil to eventually seize control over Telara or even as part of some elaborate revenge? Let’s take a look at a few theories.
Firstly it has been said that the dragons we see on Telara are mere avatars of the Bloodstorm and not their true form. If this is the case it is very possible that all we have done by slaying them is to send them back home to lick their wounds and regain strength, similar to what has happened to Regulos. Regulos’ body was destroyed 1500 years ago and yet his influence is still felt all over Telara, his cult is the largest and most frequently encountered across the land and those that enter the River of Souls can even hear his booming voice shouting commands to his lieutenants. Is it possible this is the same thing that will happen to Akylios and Greenscale? The only flaw I see with this is that it has taken Regulos 1500 years to get back to this level of power and he is often described as being the strongest of the Bloodstorm. If this is the fate of the dragons it is unlikely we will see them again, at least on Telara.
Another scenario is that Greenscale and Akylios are dead for good. If this is correct then what hope do the forces of life and water really have to compete not only with the ascended, but with the other elemental planes? From recent events on Ember Isle we can see that both of those planes are still making grabs for power even though their leadership has been dismantled. In fact, in Greenscale’s absence the Bogling Queen Alltha has gone as far as to announce herself as the replacement for Greenscale and launches her own invasion. Although her plan is stopped it shows there are other forces out there to fill the voids in leadership that remain. We have even seen devoted followers of the dragons siphon some essence from their Gods and become powerful dragons themselves. Perhaps this is the real reason for the mad rush to collect motes several months ago.
Of course there could always be a much more sinister use for dead dragons. Regulos is sitting at the border of the River of Souls picking out the strongest individuals to lead his ranks of undead. Maybe he is capturing his departed siblings and bending them to his will. If this plan was to succeed then he would surely have an unstoppable army and finally be able to destroy all of Telara. Of course with the destruction of the machinery within the River of Souls itself, this may no longer be a possibility if it ever was.
So we have a few possible outcomes for what might become of dead dragons and it is entirely possible we may not even be close with our guesses. We will not know for sure until more of the story is revealed and that may take some time. So what do you think? Have we really seen the last of Greenscale and Akylios? Let me know your own theories below.
