Good evening everybody! This is Aifos coming to you alive from Dirtmouth! Man, this place is a little gloomy, don’t’cha think? Ghost: “...” Why.. That’s an awfully beautiful flower you have there.. . . . *gasp* Could that flower.. Be for me? Ghost: “...” Oh.. *ahem* Of course not, why would you be giving me a flower? How silly of me. . . . Anyway, the setting of a kingdom/society after its collapse is a common one. Rapture, Lordran, Karst, Hallownest. Now, there’s plenty of good reason for this, but while discussing [i]why[/i] these settings are so popular isn’t the point of this thread. See, a game’s not going to give you a fallen kingdom without thinking of why that kingdom fell.. At least no good game will! And those backstories behind these ruined lands are what I want to talk about! Let’s hear some good ones! [b][u]Tl;dr? Here’s my point![/u][/b] Favorite downfall of a civilization stiries in games? My answer [b]Warning:[/b] Spoilers to Hollow Knight [spoiler]Okay, now, I don’t know if the story of Hallownest is my favorite, but I’m in a Hollow Knight mood, and it’s definitely up there, so here we go! Hallownest wasn’t always Hallownest, and used to be under the rule of a goddess of Dreams and/or Light, named Radiance. It’s unknown if they’re literal descendants, or created in a more godlike sense, but a tribe of moths, whom I’ll call the “Dreambenders” lived under her rule. With her knowledge, they created a legendary weapon called the Dream Nail, that had influence over dreams, and—among other things—could let you enter Radiance’s domain, by entering an individual’s mind. However, possibly after a war with the god of Nightmares/Fire, a second light appeared, known as the Wyrm. This Wyrm, eventually calling himself the Pale King, converted the Dreambenders to worshipping him, leaving Radiance almost entirely forgotten. From there, the Pale King created the kingdom of Hallownest, and for a time was very prosperous. Soon, however, through lingering memories, and invading dreams, Radiance began spreading her influence once again. Intentionally or no, those who succumbed to her will became infested by a plague. This plague made one faster, stronger, and could even revive their corpse after death, but they no longer retained their will, and were left empty husks of who they once were. As this infection spread through Hallowmest, some carved out their eyes attempting to escape the light, and others tried to use souls to fight it. The king, however, knew the plague was not an illness, but Radiance herself, and so he decided to create an entirely empty being from the Radiance’s natural enemy; the Void. [i]”No cost too great. No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. [...] You are the Hollow Knight.”[/i] -The Pale King Without a mind, or will of its own, the Radiance couldn’t possibly control this Vessel, and by trapping her within its mind, the plague would be stopped. It worked, and the Hollow Knight was sealed away, along with Radiance. Knowing that dreams held power, as an extra measure he created the three Dreamers, who entered an eternal sleep as a final seal to stop any from entering the Hollow Knight’s chamber. He also may or may not have murdered all the Dreambenders, after sealing the Dream Nail away since it was the only weapon that could break the Dreamers’ seal, but whether or not it was him, the Dreambenders all died, and the Dream Nail was sealed. But that is where he made the mistake. For, despite what he thought, the Hollow Knight was not empty, and ever so slowly Radiance began to take over his mind. Seeping from the Temple of the Black Egg, the plague spread again, but without the Dream Nail, they could not break the seal on the Temple, and so they couldn’t replace the Hollow Knight. The King secluded himself in his castle as the world crumbled around him. Radiance tore the kingdom apart, slowly corrupting those she could reach with their dreams, and using them to murder anyone she couldn’t. And then, once the kingdom of Hallownest was nothing but a ruin, the plague vanished as quickly as it came. That is, until the other Vessels who escaped decided to come home.. [i]”No mind to think.. No will to break.. No voice to cry suffering..”[/i][/spoiler] That’s all for now folks! Jambuhbye!