[Elju]

I like this theory Meta-Mod. I was hoping that the Inchoroi would turn out to be either Dunyain from the future or another branch of Dunyain who had progressed along a different path than the Dunyain of Earwa. I thought that maybe being confronted by the Inchoroi's relationship with the Dunyain would cause Kellhus to reconsider some of his views. Obviously, most of that is out the window now, but it does seem possible that there's a connection between the native humans of Earwa and the Inchoroi race (or the race that created them).

[TLEILAXU]

I think the book makes it pretty clear that Aurax is the only Inchoroi left. At least on this world. Maybe there are other Arks flying around elsewhere.

[Walter]

I actually feel like Aurang may have survived.  Aurax's lamentations and the offscreen way he died suggests that there may be more plot there.

[Wilshire]

I actually feel like Aurang may have survived.  Aurax's lamentations and the offscreen way he died suggests that there may be more plot there.

Sometimes the dead bounce . In this case, maybe the mostly-dead bounces on a squishy pile of sranc.

[Walter]

He was a sorcerer, he might have been able to start skywalking before he reached splatter velocity.

[Wilshire]

He was a sorcerer, he might have been able to start skywalking before he reached splatter velocity.

This is something I've have thought of in the past - yeah I know schoolmen can't fly, but certainly a little levitation could help one survive an otherwise fatal fall.

[Walter]

I mean, Titurga survived a very long fall before they dropped stuff on him.

Now, Aurang had his wings cut off, and was bleeding out, but his biology is weird.  Provided he wasn't stabbed before being tossed over the side I wouldn't write him off just yet.

[Madness]

If that's the case, maybe the Mutilated will build him a better Synthese!

Battle-Synthese?

[themerchant]

I'm just surprised that no one got stabbed.

[Wilshire]

My biggest crackpot (which TUC did not shatter) is that:

1. Earwa's timeline is cyclical -- I definitely think this is true in a soft sense, but I've suspected for a while that it may quite literally be perfectly cyclical, meaning not just similar events but the SAME events occur over and over, for all eternity. The Apocalypse(s) simply mark "transition" periods.

2. That the Inchoroi are thus humans from the "future"...or the past, depending on how you look at it. Only now I would amend that the Fathers of the Inchoroi weren't just humans -- they were Dunyain.

3. If the above two things are true (which is a big "if"), then I believe ALL the races are simply derivatives of humanity, even Wracu. Furthermore, certain characters (such as Aurang and Aurax, or the dragons) may actually be characters we know of from the series already...which has all kinds of crazy connotations.

I actually have a bunch of reasons supporting this, but it's still a shot in the dark(ness that comes before). I intend to explore it and other high-level metaphysical stuff in the series in a post I've been working on for quite a while, but was waiting for TUC's release -- along with enough free time to actually make a coherent post out of all my notes.

I like this, bravo sir.

[Likaro]

Bakker is not going to end the next trilogy on a happy note.

Esmenet delivers the Heron-Hug to the No-God, ending that threat. Whew! Thank the Gods! We think its over, finally, the good guys win... we can all be happy now.

All the sudden the Nail of Heaven flares. Oh shit! thats not a star! its a jumpgate !

Ten thousand Inchoroi arks emerge and land on the planet. Game over man, game over.

[The Sharmat]

I assume the Progenitors are probably very old and very far away with no way to update themselves on the current situation. The Ark(Arks?) are more of a fire and forget thing I'd think, while they concentrate on not dying so they don't get damned.

I do differ from a lot of you on the nature of the Inchoroi though I think. They're described as a "warrior-caste". This to me suggests that while they're artificial, they're derived from Progenitor stock. And to be fair, if the Progenitor have thrown themselves as headlong into transhumanism as has been suggested, aren't they all fairly artificial, by that metric? So rather than be purely analogous to Sranc, I'd say Inchoroi are more just designer-baby soldiers. Though given how much they alter themselves they may be quite different from the original product.

I also suspect the Progenitors themselves, while not as single mindedly obsessed with the carnal as the Inchoroi, are probably still pretty perverse by our standards. I mean, isn't that part of the point? The things people would do to satisfy their hungers if given these options?

I think the book makes it pretty clear that Aurax is the only Inchoroi left. At least on this world. Maybe there are other Arks flying around elsewhere.

I was going to post this. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Progenitors sent many ships out into the void to find the Promised World that could end their damnation.

[Madness]

I'm just surprised that no one got stabbed.

Lol.

Bakker is not going to end the next trilogy on a happy note.

I've always wondered what Bakker's readerly catharsis would look like. I think we probably got a taste with TUC.

...

Yeah, I haven't gotten there yet in the canon artifact but it seems like the story of the Progenitors are Bakker's Human Parable regarding our future, give or take actual Damnation.

[Cnaiür vs Karsa vs Drogo]

Did we ever find out what the point of a synthese is or why aurang had to use one and what ever happened to the synthese?

[Baztek]

So does shutting the Outside off in Earwa somehow shut it off for the entire universe? Why is that? I do think it's reasonable to assume that because there is sorcery on Earwa that the border between it and the Outside are more porous, therefore making salvation more likely somehow.

I was kinda disappointed the Progenitors are pretty much ultra-hedonistic Eldar who got wind of Slaanesh before the shit hit the fan and made the Inchoroi as essentially Dark Eldar shock troops