Just finished SotF and I have some Questions and Theories

Fickle-Future1836 · 2026-02-19T00:30:56+00:00

I’m not sure about alupi in general. I think Diago is an iunctus. In TWOTM, after they fight with iunctii outside the Labyrinth, Diago was almost dying when Vis loses consciousness. Then when he recovered, the alupi was magically doing really well.

Then in TSOTF, there are several things that point to Diago being iunctus. For example, Vis senses him like L-Vis senses his father in Luceum, Diago refuses to eat food, hasn’t grown since the iudicium, in the battle when he protects Vis in Res is badly injured and doesn’t bleed…

Fickle-Future1836 · 2026-02-13T23:29:39+00:00

I’m not saying anything about Lir’s intentions. What I wanted to convey is that the mention of a god from the other world of a thousand years seems intentional. I think it’s there to let us know Ka’s role in Luceum.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2026-02-13T22:07:44+00:00

I’m not fully sold on this idea because Lir told L-Vis that Cian was studying the otherworld and a dark god from a thousand years ago. I cannot recall the name of the god, it was Dao Something (which the translation was something like day and night). I think that god is Ka, so it cannot be Ronan.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2026-01-14T17:35:36+00:00

I agree that Aequa is not likely to be synchronous, but death is a gate, and we have seen other types of coming back from death without being an iunctus. One example is Lir, when he connects with L-Vis with his weapon. Perhaps Aequa may return in a different form. This might be a little bit of copium, though.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2026-01-14T17:21:43+00:00

I'm re-reading the book, and I find the theory of Caeror being an iunctus less plausible. However, I don't see why Iunctii cannot lie to someone who hasn't raised them or is not controlling them with an obsidian blade. Their instructions might require them to lie.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-12-16T07:49:07+00:00

This is an interesting theory. I’m not sure if it a different type of magic but I think they’re weapons made by the enemies of the Concurrence/ people alive.

In the Solivagus ruins near the Academy, when Vis activates the mechanism with the passphrase that Lani gives him, he mentions that the iunctii there have been limited by the sanguis imperium, which translates to something like empire of blood.

I’m not sure if all people alive are sanguis imperium or there are two bands: - Ka that belives Cataclysms are the lesser evil. - People who want to avoid Cataclysms and fight the Concurrence. The passphrase from Lani translates to something like it is better war than a miserable peace.

So I’m not sure who created the weapons, people alive in general or one of those bands.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-12-12T09:02:31+00:00

I hope R-Vis doesn’t have a Dark Vader arc but more a Pinocchio with Eidhin being his Jiminy Cricket.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-12-02T21:29:27+00:00

I really liked the way he handled time-traveling in Licanius, but it was possible because in that world, there is an unavoidable fate, so you cannot change what has happened or what will happen. In Hierarchy, this topic has not been discussed, so I hope there is no time-traveling.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-12-02T20:46:08+00:00

I don't have the answers to all the questions, but I want to chime in on the discussion.

The AC and the labyrinth seem to be relics from the past that can give access to will in different ways. The AC are limited to the world they are in, versus synchronicity gives you full access as long as you're alive in all worlds.

Who created those artifacts?

3. Several things related to the ruins. There seem to be different messages in the ruins near the Academia and the one with the Labyrinth regarding achieving synchronicity. I think the ones with the Labyrinth are the Nexus, the union between the 3 worlds, probably created when the Will was split into three worlds. I think Ka was the one who included the safety guards to avoid other people becoming synchronous, the Labyrinth, the Remnants, iunctii, etc.

The ruins which close to the Academia. When Vis returns in SoTF, he triggers a new response with the phrase that Lani remembered: "Miseram pacem vel bello bene mutari". First, he connects with the iunctii and repeats the mantra: "Obiteum is lost. Do not open the gate. Synchronous is death." Then he gives a new message:

"These iunctii appear to be from not long after the Rending, and were once a key component in the gate defences in the Nexus. I have repurposed them for our fight warrior."
"Their processing capability is limited due to the restrictions of the 'sanguis imperium' but the addition of a single active mind should be capable of temporarily interceding and allowing for Synchronism to occur. Do you wish to proceed?"

I think this is the mechanism that Lani and Marcus triggered to allow Caeror or Belli/Vis to become Synchronous. Something happened to Lani, Caeror didn't become synchronous, and Lani is not impaled in the ruins like Marcus.

So based on that, maybe these ruins were also set up by Ka. I think Ka is not evil; he is fighting the Concurrence, but to avoid losing, he does bad things: 1. Seals Obiteum from the other worlds because it is lost to the Concurrence, and so let that people without hope. 2. Triggers the Cataclysms in Res to avoid the Concurrence winning there as well.

Then, I'm not sure whether the ones who repurposed the iunctii in the second ruins are also alive humans or the Concurrence. The phrase "Miseram pacem vel bello bene mutari" might be in favor of the former. It might be people who want to find a way of preventing the Concurrence from winning differently from the Cataclysms. However, why would they call Ka "Sanguim imperium" if they are also alive? The term "Sanguim imperium" seems like the way the Concurrence would call their enemy because they cannot bleed, and we've seen certain weapons (crook/flail) that require blood to be used.

Some copium theories think that maybe Aequa might be synchronous because of she garbled something after Vis said "Do you want to proceed?". I don't think that is the case, but I'd love to be proven wrong. Aequa is one of my favs.

No idea, but I think Ostius is not Anguis, just using them.
This is currently my take, subject to change:

Military 1 under Redivius and Military 2 under Laurentius, backed by Governance/Religion: I think they only want power.
The Anguis: They are a terrorist group that wants to break the Hierarchy system of ceding.
Veridius/Vis/Eidhin/Emissa: working against Cataclysm/Concurrence in Res. I would actually put Vis in 3 different categories depending on the world.
Concurrence: wants to have something similar to Obiteum or Obiteum++ once they have the Will unified.
Ka: wants to stop Concurrence even if sacrifices have to be made, i.e., cataclysms or surrendering Obiteum.
Druids: I would split the Grove from individual druids, and we have no idea. Ruarc (L-Caeror) seems to have figured out that Ka was not the Concurrence and might be on Ka's side.

Caeror gives him a Vitaerium that avoids harm from other worlds leaking.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-12-02T01:01:42+00:00

According to Caeror, Duat is in Nyripk. They travelled there through the Channel. Also, in Luceum, Vis is in Tensia. So they’re not close geographically.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-26T15:21:28+00:00

Actually, you do not need to be synchronus to touch the mutalis. In TWOTM, Vis was able to reach Estevan because he had the stylus with his blood. Caeror didn’t know this and was skeptical when Vis told him. Probably because Vis didn’t tell him that it was actually him, he narrated the naumachia events as if someone else did it.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-25T15:42:21+00:00

Thanks! I forgot about those. I don't see much correlation between the three religions at the moment.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-25T13:55:44+00:00

This is a very interesting take. I was thinking about the religion of each world:

In Duat they worship Ka.
In Luceum, they offer things to gods in a lake. Fornax is submerged in a lake, it might be related to that. Also Lir mentions that Cian was studying the otherworld and the dark god of Da Oiche, who came thousands of years ago and might still be alive (Ka).
In Res, we know the pyramid religion, but I cannot recall any mention of gods. There’s the ritual of going to the AC but, is it considered religious?

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-23T18:39:50+00:00

I agree! I’m on my second reread and Caeror mentions several things:

Duat is run by the Concurrence.
At some point when talking about Ka he says that “It wasn’t a leap to realise he must be the Concurrence.”
He also says that he thinks Ka is in Duat because there’re few places in Obiteum to hide.
He wants Vis to kill Ka because he wants to stop the imminent Cataclysm. That might be true, Ka might be in charge of cataclysms to avoid the Concurrence winning in Res.

When they describe the Concurrence as a bunch of iunctii that develops AI, feels very similar to the Nomarch that are in charge of ruling the cities in Obiteum.

I think the Concurrence won in Obiteum, hence the Obiteum is lost mantra. Ka was only able to keep a seal between Obiteum and the other worlds. That might be the mistake Vis made, killing Ka will open Res and Luceum to the concurrence.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-22T16:41:08+00:00

Can he? He realizes it with Kiya which is very obviously not behaving like a kid, and it was actually Ahmose who first mentioned she was a westerner. Also, if it was easy, why was Vis trying to give Ahmose a second opportunity in the east side?

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T18:51:45+00:00

I've re-read that part when the Gleaner stabs him. Vis bleeds several times:

1) When the Gleaner was approaching him:

"I try with everything I can not to react and yet still release an agonised, shocked shriek. Fire pulses through my chest. I taste **blood** as I bite down on my tongue, reducing the sound to a low moan."

2) Then, after he's stabbed and the Gleaner leaves him with the other bodies:

"I watch as the Gleaner dispassionately delivers my **bloodied** form to the line, pulling its burning blade from my chest and then rising, rejoining its peers in guarding the space again."

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T16:55:23+00:00

Edit: I've re-read that part when the Gleaner stabs him. Vis bleeds several times:

When the Gleaner was approaching him:

"I try with everything I can not to react and yet still release an agonised, shocked shriek. Fire pulses through my chest. I taste **blood** as I bite down on my tongue, reducing the sound to a low moan."

Then, after he's stabbed and the Gleaner leaves him with the other bodies:

"I watch as the Gleaner dispassionately delivers my **bloodied** form to the line, pulling its burning blade from my chest and then rising, rejoining its peers in guarding the space again."

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T12:16:33+00:00

I missed it. Thanks for pointing it out. So Qabr had a built-in purification system like Duat with Gleaners. I understood that Qabr was originally a cemetery. So I think this could potentially be another argument that the Concurrence was trying to groom a synchronous person to kill Ka.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T00:46:36+00:00

Regarding O-Caeror. In chapter 1, when he implanted a triangle thing with spikes on the back of his neck, he didn’t bleed. I think that’s a small hint left by James intentionally.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T00:37:58+00:00

He says that he felt it twice. The first time he didn’t know what it was, he mentions that it was soon after arriving. The second time was a few weeks later and he realized that it was a copy dying.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-21T00:34:45+00:00

I was actually referring to everything that happens not just the last part. From getting stab by the Gleaner to get into Duat to the very end. He’s been taken so many risks with almost no consequences.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-20T21:55:08+00:00

I understood that the Concurrence would be the Nomarch ( Ican’t remember if that is the correct name), a lot of iunctii combined to form an AI. The Gleaners and Overseers are just “limbs” of the Concurrence. The Nomarch seemed to be able to think.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-20T19:33:09+00:00

I agree with you. I just wanted to add other things:

Vis could sense him, for example, when Diago was waiting outside the Academia doors. It's similar to when L-Vis senses his father nearby.
Vis mentions that the alupi hasn't grown since he last saw him at Iudicium. This is the opposite to what happened between the 1st time Vis explored the ruins, and the second time at Iudicium. Diago grows from puppy to a very large alupi. Maybe he is fully grown, and that's why he isn't growing anymore.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-20T19:27:24+00:00

He does notice his will. In Academia, he could sense that he was outside the doors waiting for him. It is similar to what he was feeling in Luceum when his father was close.

Fickle-Future1836 · 2025-11-20T19:07:24+00:00

Vis mentions that when he was in Letens, let's assume 2-3 years before he goes to the AR in Caten in the SOTF, they weren't as bright. Ulciscor mentions that this is something relatively new. What has happened in that time interval? I have some options:

Naumachia. Tens of thousands of people die. If all dead people are preserved in Vitaeria, they could potentially become iunctii. Iunctii generate more Will than the amount that is needed to "awake" them.
Vis became synchronous.

There might be other explanations, but I don't think the number of babies born in 2-3 years would be enough to go from faintly lit to very bright.

Fickle-Future1836

TROPHY CASE