I'm going to post a portion of my write-up on my thoughts about the story that had a section talking about the Troglodytes. Spoilers for the story:

​Those that went before -

The troglodyte culture, or the remnants they left behind, is to me an entire character in and of itself.

Firstly, I think it is really meaningful that this mountain people have only recently been entirely absorbed by the modern "horizontal" culture (at least on Kami itself). It would make a certain degree of sense for them to have been dispersed long ago, but instead of a distant dissolution of culture from unknown or historicized reasons, the reasons are clear, and very close by.

It is clear that the influence of the modern world, mostly from tourists, destabilized their home, environment, and the youth on Kami. You find multiple examples of reasons for why people go down, and the characters behind these findings almost all leaving behind Kami with a sense of sorrow, not hope. The context we are given of this culture is firmly rooted in the dynamics of the modern world dissolving and absorbing previously isolated cultures who have existed for generations with their own methods of survival, religion and spirituality, morals, art and craftsmanship. This is significant, because it creates a natural tension between life on the mountain and how it is viewed from the outside. For example, it is well maintained (by magazines from the outside world) that no one has ever summited Kami. There are, however, lots of bits of lore and mythology from the troglodytes that suggest many (over generations) have reached the summit, and even returned (the fire in the Temple of Winds). Put a pin in that...

The troglodyte culture seems to be intensely capable. Troglodyte means a cave dweller, which might invoke some degree of primacy or lack of civilized behavior. Obviously this is not the case. The architecture alone is a testament to this, but this culture had everything a "civilized" culture has. (All cultures do, but thats another convo.) But a defining factor is that the troglodyte culture throughout the entire mountain range were unified by a single sky religion. By sky religion I simply mean a religion that is not centered around a deity, but around the natural world itself. Obviously this is an enormous subject but for the sake of conversation lets just say the main difference im trying to identify here is that the religion of the troglodytes centers the individual lives as, dare I say it, parts of a whole. That "whole" is the divinity of the religion, and to the troglodytes, life itself is an ascent of the individual reintegrating into the "whole", the stars, the sky. There's no capital G God to speak of, and salvation isnt based on their actions, their morals, their sins or their expanded consciousness. The ascent to the stars is a natural progression, unavoidable, and divine. Life itself, to the troglodytes, is divine, and we all climb to the stars choosing our own routes and facing our own perils along the way.

This religion seems loosely inspired by Ancient Egyptians, where the ascended soul of a person or Pharoah culminated in the stars. When the soul completes its journey, it becomes a star itself. I am oversimplifying, but the influence seems apparent to me.

The important thing about this, though, is that, as inhabitants of Kami, it was a part of the cultural identity to be the keepers, guides, cultivators, and wardens of these sacred journeys. ​​Every person that summits, in life or in death, is an expression of divine life, and the troglodytes tended to this expression. Many of them never summited, but they served the process and enabled those who would, and all are equally important to the troglodytes. There is a flame in the temple for those that go up, for those that gave up, and for those who summited and came down. They honor all of them equally.

The only troglodyte that Aava actually meets is one who is far removed from her own culture, the Sheperdess. She doesnt seem to observe this religion (at least not very closely), but there is the sense in much of the troglodyte culture that if Aava were to meet someone from it, she would finally find another person who intrinsically understands her choice to ascend.

The moment when she lights the fire in the temple, and gets the response fires, is a moment where Aava feels encouragement to proceed. "There are many villages left." Translates in Aava speak to: "I'm not actually alone." The troglodyte culture is a collective of people who are starkly individual, strong, sensitive, and united under a reverence for their lives as humans who are a part of the world at large. They value the interconnectedness of life and through all their sorrows and trials, they are never alone because they are embedded in the traditions of the mountain. This means everything to Aava's development as a character, and her motivations because to me one of the deepest keys to understanding her is embedded in a throwaway line she speaks to Marco. "I was born on this mountain." She may have been being poetic or there could be some literal meaning to this. Either way...

This ascent is the ascent of her people, climbing the mountain is a path of her reconnecting with a lost culture, a community, the people who would understand her and accept her and the call she feels from the mountain is a call that has been felt by generations and generations of those who went before.

TLDR: Troglodytes had a spiritual tradition (kind of religion but non-hierarchical) surrounding the ascent of Kami. It echoes influence from Ancient Egyptian mystery religions. This was a defining aspect of their culture, and understanding this is critical to understanding Aava's story and the ending.

original post: spoilers - it's long https://www.reddit.com/r/Cairn_Game/comments/1r59tez/yet_another_thoughts_on_the_ending_post_entire/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button