yep, mine's an October2015 build, just got running then Horizons came out!Ya was partly my excuse to start building a new system- my old one is showing its age. Built it about 10 years ago to play this filthy game
The Quest To Find Raxxla
- Thread starter Macros Black
- Start date
They will be back, its not a bad game its just not we are used to here, its a typical Bethesda hand holding storyline, try to go off exploring or doing your own thing and there you realise its not what it was hyped up to be.
O7
ah, Windows and NVIDIA driver update did the trick....but now it's time for Pointless, then lawn cut and water, then dinner then brandy time!
Starfield tomorrow!!
I found a nice picture. This is a bronze print, published in "Flora, seu de florum cultura" by Ferrari 1646.
Luna is pointing to Scorpius / Libra and earth. Her passenger is pointing at his flower bulb.
This probably just means it's October / November and time to plant the bulbs. Nothing important, I just liked the picture.
Luna is pointing to Scorpius / Libra and earth. Her passenger is pointing at his flower bulb.
This probably just means it's October / November and time to plant the bulbs. Nothing important, I just liked the picture.
When you fill up your inventory and ship cargo in 2 mins.... just dump your stuff in your spaceship on the floor.... seems infinite cargo capacity and hilarious watching the NPC wade through it....Yep, thatās what Iām hankering for...
A storyline!!!
In terms of the game the space flight is arcadey compared to ED.... and you can fast travel from almost anywhere on foot and appear orbiting a planet immediately if you've been there before...
the story lines - not that far through to judge as yet....
TL;DR I think that we are on the right track looking for possibly both Raxxla and TDW base in the 'lost realms / underworld' region, however I think that there is a precondition (possibly more than one - and not only Elite rank) for us to be able to find it, that essentially precludes accidental discovery.
I often think about the journey to Raxxla and am left with questions, which I sometimes try to answer in-game (testable hypotheses) and some are more metaphorical or philosophical. Today my thoughts are about in-game activities, with a meta-game slant.
It occurs to me that the journey to Raxxla, being essentially an activity in a computer game that has huge storyline impact, must meet two basic requirements (very likely more but these two are what I've been thinking about):
1) It must be fun. I know we are having fun learning about mythologies and literature and debating what is or is not a clue but here I mean an in-game activity, not out-of-game. Flying around, scanning and mapping stuff, looking for points of light in ring systems or deep space that don't show up on a scan, or diving into every asteroid belt cluster is not terribly fun, or at least not so different to standard exploration. It would feel kinda unfulfilling if we just had to scan the right moon in the right system to find it.
2) It must be risky. The difference between a journey and an adventure is that you expect to get back from a journey but with an adventure it is not guaranteed. It must be Dangerous! Think of the traditional 'leap of faith' in a hero's journey or passing a 'point of no return'. There are plenty of such activities in Elite Dangerous, from combat to transporting criminal mastermind or explorer passengers (neither of whom like to be scanned) to smuggling illegal goods, or even just having cargo in your hold. So how to make finding Raxxla a risk? There is something that we have to do en route. A precondition that explorers do not normally do when flying around scanning things - a deliberate risk that you might normally run away from.
So what in-game activities are both fun and risky? Combat. The risk of ship destruction mostly happens in combat, though it can happen if you are scanned carrying a wanted passenger, attempt a high-g landing, getting a jet cone boost from a white dwarf or face pirates/police for carrying (illegal) cargo (OK, being attacked because of whom/what you are carrying is also combat). Time-sensitive activities are also risky in that they have a chance of failure (like getting a bonus for delivery missions). For the latter case, there ought to be an obvious, repeatable trigger that then gives you a known time to completion. I suspect that, since TDW missions were removed, this is not the solution.
I wonder whom/what we have to (eventually) fight to reach Raxxla?
Does this make any sense, or have I gone off on a tangent again?
I often think about the journey to Raxxla and am left with questions, which I sometimes try to answer in-game (testable hypotheses) and some are more metaphorical or philosophical. Today my thoughts are about in-game activities, with a meta-game slant.
It occurs to me that the journey to Raxxla, being essentially an activity in a computer game that has huge storyline impact, must meet two basic requirements (very likely more but these two are what I've been thinking about):
1) It must be fun. I know we are having fun learning about mythologies and literature and debating what is or is not a clue but here I mean an in-game activity, not out-of-game. Flying around, scanning and mapping stuff, looking for points of light in ring systems or deep space that don't show up on a scan, or diving into every asteroid belt cluster is not terribly fun, or at least not so different to standard exploration. It would feel kinda unfulfilling if we just had to scan the right moon in the right system to find it.
2) It must be risky. The difference between a journey and an adventure is that you expect to get back from a journey but with an adventure it is not guaranteed. It must be Dangerous! Think of the traditional 'leap of faith' in a hero's journey or passing a 'point of no return'. There are plenty of such activities in Elite Dangerous, from combat to transporting criminal mastermind or explorer passengers (neither of whom like to be scanned) to smuggling illegal goods, or even just having cargo in your hold. So how to make finding Raxxla a risk? There is something that we have to do en route. A precondition that explorers do not normally do when flying around scanning things - a deliberate risk that you might normally run away from.
So what in-game activities are both fun and risky? Combat. The risk of ship destruction mostly happens in combat, though it can happen if you are scanned carrying a wanted passenger, attempt a high-g landing, getting a jet cone boost from a white dwarf or face pirates/police for carrying (illegal) cargo (OK, being attacked because of whom/what you are carrying is also combat). Time-sensitive activities are also risky in that they have a chance of failure (like getting a bonus for delivery missions). For the latter case, there ought to be an obvious, repeatable trigger that then gives you a known time to completion. I suspect that, since TDW missions were removed, this is not the solution.
I wonder whom/what we have to (eventually) fight to reach Raxxla?
Does this make any sense, or have I gone off on a tangent again?
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You got lucky, i built a new ship and 2 NPCs were standing on top of it, sad to say ive pretty much given up on it for now.
O7
The book is called the space in between, what are the little star maps in between the images, can they be matched from sol
Good spot, nice hypothesis, good question, have you tried it?The book is called the space in between, what are the little star maps in between the images, can they be matched from sol
Not yet but I am going to I had only put "two and two together" lets say
Just to add to this out of the context of above, I am in the Sedna system, has Brooks hold station, the planet Gaydas first discovered is Htintin (Hint in?) and others by Realelorei (Real lore?) Brooks hold is FSP 8296.....
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The Lost Realms of Robert Holdstock
*the following theories are not definitive and may undergo revision.
Within Robert Holdstockās book āLost Realmsā there are a number of lands referenced collectively; these also appear in the Elite Dangerous game within close correlation to each other. These realms are similarly referenced in the Raxxla codex:
āMuch like the ancient myths of Atlantis, El Dorado and the kingdom of Prester Johnā.
This hypothesis I have proposed previously, however that assessment was from evidence obtained independently of this Robert Holdstock book. For some time Iāve wanted to review the book to assess if there were any specific correlations.
The following then, is an analytical breakdown of the book, identifying how certain systems are grouped.
Key findings:
The introduction
Within his introduction Holdstock draws together many of the key mythical locations mentioned throughout his book, attributing these as prime exampleās of the primordial lost land Eden, a recurring theme throughout the text.
This introduction is key because it is reflected in the Raxxla Codex as: āMuch like the ancient myths of Atlantis, El Dorado and the kingdom of Prester Johnā.
Elysian Fields -RH p12 Greek, Not in game but āElysiaā is - has bodies Cronos and a Kailas reference to a world-mountain).
El Dorado is mentioned in this section of RHās book, who correctly identifies its not a place but a person. This is not a system in game, however references to the Seven Cities of Gold are (cover in ācitiesā).
Chapter 1: Avalon
Here Holdstock draws upon the story of King Arthur and of Avalon, and attempts to highlight its similarities with many earlier Celtic spiritual lands.
The vale of Avalon - RH p18; RH talks of a Moon goddess associated with horses p22 and a mystic earth goddess, neither he names (this might be Epona who he mentions on p27), but then he associates Morgan La Fay as a possible link with the triad Celtic goddess āThe Morriganā, a fertility and war goddess p23.
With Excalibur - Lady of the lake RH attributes with āBrIggaā p25 a water goddess. RH identifies here how water is barrier between the real and these other worlds.
Morgan La Fay is mentioned again on p25 accompanying Arthur on his death barge with three hooded women or three queens, RH then calls these women the tri-partite goddess; fecundity (youth), motherhood and death, who control entry to the realm of healing P25.
RH calls Avalon an Otherworld, the Delightful Plain, the Land of Promise, and the Many coloured land. Later RH states it can be traveled to only by two methods, first through an un-named island over water; second is via a magic cave in an un-named hill or burial mound, that ultimately Avalon is associated with gateways to the land of a vanished folk dating 4,000 years ago p25.
RH names Avalon as the realm of Avallach (not in game) the Lord of the dead p26, the Delightful Plain, or the Beautiful Valley p26.
RH identifies the lineage of the Celts as originating from Switzerland and talks of the sacred mountain and caves of, Hallstatt as being a proto-gateway to Avalon and then the Tor of Glastonbury p26 (not in game).
RH alludes that early stories of Arthur said he fought under the heraldry of the Virgin Mary p27. RH then discusses the early Celtic gods such as Cernunnos the Lord of Animals, of Brigga and of Epona, RH then hypotheses that itās more likely Arthur fought under the banner of Epona the moon goddess and queen of horses p27.
RH then draws references to previous kings, of Peredur, Owein, Bran, and Nuadd, none in game.
Avallach / Avalooc is derived from the Welsh word afall "apple tree"; and Avalon was known as the land of apples, in Welsh mythology this was Ynys Afallach, there are a number of systems in this area linked with the mythology of apples, eg the Isle of Apples is a part of, or certainly an entrance to, the Celtic Otherworld also known as Annwn (in game).
Avallach is also thought to be known as the King of Annwn and the same person known as Arawn (both in game and in tight correlation to Avalon). Avallach is also thought to be the farther of the goddess Modron (not in game) a prototype of Morgan Le Fay (born of the sea (not in game).
Avalon was also called āThe Fortunate Islesā because it grew bountiful fruit; thereās also Idun close by, the goddess and holder of the apples of youth (see chapter: land of youth).
The delightful plain, the multi Coloured land is generally accepted to be Tir Na Nog (in game); it is not mentioned in this chapter, but it is later on p102 as a land of youth, likewise this system is in relatively close proximity, itās likely the Land of Youth and Avalon systems may be interconnected in game.
Brigga a water goddess, is not in game nor can I find any link historically attached to that name, however the closest associated Celtic deity is a āBrigidā a triad goddess also worshipped in conjunction with Cernunnos - both are in game.
In mythology āThe Morriganā was a triad of goddess consisting of Badb; Danu and Morrigan, all are in game, these are all in the upper celestial hemisphere.
In the system Avalon there is the planet Grach, orbiting this is the station Persephone. In Welsh Grach is associated with hill.
Chapter 2: Lyonesse
Lyonesse RH p30 describes as being accessible via a land bridge on the west coast of England, and RH identifies it as the home of Tristam and Sir Galahad, who after the battle of Badin return passing St Michaels mount in Cornwall. RH identifies Lyonesse as a drowned land.
RH briefly notes Lyonesse is known as the British Atlantis p31 and equally overlain is the myth of the city of Ys p31 and notes how the link between these lands is strong, giving the term āthe land below the waves.
There also exists a Gwaelod in game, it is commonly known as the Welsh Atlantis, and like the other systems above is relatively close.
The system Ys has the planet Chroin, which in Celtic means hill/mountain.
Chapter 3 Islands
This chapter does not draw on any of the mythological lost āislandsā or āOtherworldsā mentioned in previous chapters; rather it focuses primarily on āfictionalā islands from published contemporary stories.
It seems this chapter draws from the expectations of the age of discovery, to provide context to how such realms may have been imagined, through exploration and exaggeration; none of the fictional lands are in game.
Chapter 4: Continents
This chapter focuses upon how continental drift and the rise and fall of oceanic water levels or cataclysms may have hidden certain lands, such as Atlantis.
But like the last, much of this chapter focuses upon fictional stories, in this case that of Tolkien, and pseudoscience lands Lemuria p47 (not in game) and of Hyperborea (in game) which HR links to Atlantis p47)) and the land of Mu p51 (not in game),
Lemuria is the land of Mu and is a fiction continent which was an explanation for Atlantis.
No map built, as both Atlantis and Hyperborea appear in other correlations shown here, and there being only two points of interest it serves no purpose to build a map in this instance, but we ought to note this links the two together
Chapter 5 Cities
RH again talks of the āfirst or fabledā cities, such as Ophir, Uruk, Alecia p55 then Troy p56 which ultimately were real cities. RH then discusses such cities as storehouses of wealth and knowledge, mentioning Shambhala aka Shangri-la or Belovodye p56 and RH calls it the land of āpeaceā or āwhite watersā and attributes it with being beyond the north wind, the mythical land of the Hyperboreans p56 or the world mountain of Meru p57.
Interestingly in relation to the codex, and itās peculiar overuse of the word āsevenā in this chapter p56 RH talks of the number seven as having importance in religious traditions, and links them to many aspects including the constellation Ursa Major and RH coins the phrase of ancient wisdom āas above so belowā.
RH then talks about mountains of mythology, the world mountain of Meru, Olympus etc then back to land of the Hyperboreans p57. And identifies it as the origin point of Apollo and his sister Artemis, who had Ursa Major as her sign; and again RH notes both gods have attributes measurable in seven!
RH then moves back onto the subject of Eldorado p58 and the association of the seven cities of gold, of El Dorado being Spanish for āgolden manā, linking it to the golden king of Chibcha and the lake of Gustavia p59 then another supposedly lost city Vilcabamba p62.
RH then again moved back towards fictional, then finally real re-found cities like Troy and Petra p70.
Contextual research:
Petra is an interesting system because itās not actually a lost realm, it was rediscovered, itās likely unrelated.
The actual Seven Cities of Gold are not discussed by RH outside the emphasis on El Dorado, however this phrase is associated more so to āthe seven cities of Cibolaā, and 4 of these locations are in game and in very close relation. El Dorado is associated with the lake Parime at Manoa.
Uruk - RH p55, is now known as Warka but is in game but only as a body in 51 Arietis.
Alecia - RH p55, is an unknown reference which I cannot identify outside RH text.
Meru is s real mountain and likely does not qualify as a lost realm, although it is in game as body in the system Wakea.
The system Hyperborea has the planet Boreas, the personification of the north wind.
The system Cibola has the planet Quivira which is another city of gold, and system.
Chapter 6 Undersea
RH uses this chapter to hypothesise realms lost to the oceans, such as Atlantis p73 and the Celtic The Land Below the Waves p74 and the explorer Bran and the god of the waves, Manannan Mac Lir p74 and the glowing realm of Tir fo Thiunn and of Hy Brasil p75.
RH then again moves over to fiction again and the āold onesā of H P Lovecraft naming the undersea realm of RāLyeh and of Cthulhu p75 none of these are in game.
Contextual research:
Tir fo Thiunn Is also known as, An tEilean Uaine, the Green Island, but like Hy Brasil neither are in game.
No map built due an absence of information.
Chapter 7 Mermaids
This is one of the shortest chapters consisting of only 2 pages, and doesnāt really provide much context only in providing a rational explanation, although it does note the names of Celtic entities of the Roane and Selkie, neither are in game.
No map built due an absence of information.
Chapter 8 Underworld
Within this chapter RH again returns to use of fictional examples of underground kingdoms and touches upon the concept of a āworld mountainā, but it is not until p86 where RH returns to use mythical lands in his text where he looks at the concept of hell.
Gilgamesh p86 and the Land of No Return beyond the abyss of Aspu, guarded by seven walls and gates. Then the Egyptian concept of concept of an immense serpent, which he then links to Norse myth namely the serpent of Midgard p86.
The nine loops of the river Styx p86 is used to identify concepts of difficulty in entering the underworld and again it being protected by water or an underground sea.
RH then draws upon Finnish Tuonela and the land of Tuoni p87, 87, and its story related to Vainamoinen. RH draws upon the similarities of its guardian beast Surma, with that of the Greek Cerberus and the Norse Garm and the realm of Niflheim and the realm of Scathach or Annwyn alt Annwn p86 in the dark side of the Celtic underworld.
RH then contemplates the Greek underworld, identifying Tartarus as a lost city, and then the Elysian fields p87.
RH then reflects on Celtic mythology, of Annwn p87 the shadow realm and Scathach (not in game), and finally of Norse mythology, which RH states consisted of three realms: The abyss the realm of men named Midgard; the land of clouds and shadow to the north is named Niflheim, and to the south Muspellsheim p87.
RH then goes over a Norse creation myth at the end of this chapter, where ice from Niflheim combined in the abyss of Midgard with poisonous waters from Muspelheim created a solid hoar-frost, this melted to form the giant Ymir, who later died, whose rotten corpse made the earth and dwarves. Humans were made from two lifeless trees on the giant, called Ash (Askr) and Vine (Embla) first man and woman.
RH also names three Norse gods responsible for creating humans; Odin, Horner and Lodur p87.
RH mixture of various references to mythological underworlds does not logically correlate in game; this either identifies this analysis method is open to pattern bias; or certain systems hold a higher/lesser relevance over others or are intentionally separated, the emphasis in game may be far simpler; eg that Norse mythological systems are not necessarily interlinked to other pantheons.
RH does not name the Midgard serpent in this chapter which is in game named as Jormungandr.
Scathach is not an actual lost realm, but rather a mythical female warrior from the Isle of Skye, not attributable to concepts of an underworld.
RH does not go into detail in this chapter concerning the Classical Greek Underworld, other than name two of the classical three regions: Elysium and Tartarus, a third realm also exists which RH does not name - Asphodel. This may be due to the fact descriptions of the Greek underworld varied or that Asphodel is confused with āheavenā.
Elysium - is not in game but āElysiaā is, āshe from the blessed isles of Elysiumā.
The following additional locations are also in game with relevant meanings and distance to the above mentioned systems but are not named by RH.
Nysa - birthplace of Dionysus, home of Hyades Nymphs and where Persephone was abducted, said to have an entrance to Hades.*
Pandemonium - John Miltons capitol of Hell, illustrated as off centre from the burning lake of hell (at the centre).*
Neither Odin, Lodur nor Embla are in game; but Hoenir also known as Honir and Askr - are in game.
Close by in this area is a system called Agartha, is a legendary kingdom that is said to be located on the inner surface of the Earth. It is sometimes related to the belief in a hollow Earth and is a popular subject in esotericism, I donāt recall this system being named in Lost Realms but this seem like another worthy addition.
Chapter 9 Yggdrasil
Here RH describes Yggdrasil as, its branches reaching towards heaven, its trunk being the earth and it three roots reaching down to the three worlds below.
One of these realms RH names Aesir, attributed to those who killed the giant Ymir and home of the gods who formed the earth. In this realm below its first root lay the well Urdr concerning fate. The three Norns guarded this well p90 RH but does not name these Norns.
The second root reached the land of the frost giants, beneath which was a spring of wisdom, RH does not provide names but identifies it as the location where Odin lost his eye.
The third root passes down to Niflheim, kingdom of the goddess Hel and land of the dead and another spring which RH does not name p90.
Here RH attributes a shared commonality with Greek mythology and that of the rivers Styx, Lethe and Acheron (not in game).
RH identifies that far below Yggdrasils ārootsā lay the huge snake Nidhoggr, RH also identifies an eagle in Yggdrasils branches and a squirrel which ran up and down between them, but does not name them.
RH finishes this chapter briefly with Ragnarok identifying how Lif and Lifdrasir woukd hide in Yggdrasils trunk (not in game).
Common interpretation of Yggdrasil shape and realms does vary dramatically being a modern interpretation of an unwritten verbal story.
Currently there is understood to have been at least nine realms not just three. Certain roots may have been the heavens as with the springs or wells. Apart from those names already mentioned there are actually a large number of Norse named systems linked to Yggdrasil in game and is a very large structure.
Aesir is not in game, but wider research identifies this word is used to describe the Norse pantheon, who resided in Asgard - neither are in game.
The well of Urdr is not in game under that description, in Norse mythology itās name may have been interchangeable and know simply as āUrorās wellā.
The three Norns were deities of fate and may have been known commonly as: Urd or Uror (Wyrd), Verdandi, and Skuld (Skulu). They attended the well of UrĆ°arbrunnr or Urorās well / Urdās well.
The squirrel is in game and called Ratatosk. Four stags may have also fed on Yggdrasils leaves, Dainn, Dvailnn, Duneyrr and Durathir, none are in game.
Odin king of the gods was also called HrafnaguĆ° or Raven god, he had two crows, Hugin and Munin which brought him information, none are in game.
The Yggdrasil systems in game
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10181355
Chapter 10 Faerie
This chapter like previous before, does not establish any lost realms but primarily focuses upon Victorian fiction.
Contextual research;
Within the lost realms area in game there exists various systems linked to Celtic mythology, especially Irish mythology. With Holdstock book he does allude how these might be the inspiration for Victorian Faerie fiction, the kings and queens of old Irish mythology The Tuatha DĆ© Danann, which goes back over 4,000 years.
The Tuatha DĆ© Danann
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10294282
Chapter 11 Edgewood
This chapter like previous does not establish any lost realms but focuses upon contemporary fiction.
Not mapped, due to absence of information.
Chapter 12 Land of Youth
In this passage Holdstock describes the lands of youth and pleasure, naming it also as the āOtherworldā, the Land of apples (Avalon), the Land under the waves, the Delightful plains, Field of happiness, the Many coloured land, Land of promise and Land of women.
Later in the text Holdstock draws on how such realms may interconnect via paths underwater, via mountains or underground bridges/portals.
Other names attributed to these lands which can be found in game (but not Holdstocks books) include:
Mag mell - alternate Irish name, or a plain of honey that is attributed to link to Tir Na Nog.
Annwn - Welsh The Otherworld, linked to Arthurian Christian paradise!
Arawn - God of Annwn.
Idunn - Norse goddess holder of the apples of eternal youth.
Remainder of book
The rest of the book and final chapter again falls into fiction, no additional mythological lost realms are covers.
Conclusion:
The various lost realms, individually and as a whole, all fall within a tight correlation advocating the assessment they are hand placed.
A large assortment of other Lost Realms, not prescribed in RH book, also exist in game, within this same correlation.
Certain areas identified in this analysis may in my opinion be conflated, eg the Underworld, by this method of analysis; I feel this is actually relatively far simpler, focused I suspect only on the Greek underworld; the same is for Yggdrasil, which is evidently far more expensive in game than itās described in the book.
Thread 'The John Milton conundrum'
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-john-milton-conundrum.607684/
When all are layered over each other a focal point is logically evident.
*All realms layered over whole Yggdrasil tree and the path of Persephone, and the Fall to Pandemonium.
Mountains
The Lost Realms focal point also intersects another in game grouping; such as the hypothetical āmountainā systems.
These are systems and or bodies which seemingly have consistent naming after mountains; one side linked to concepts of a āworld mountainā the other to Celtic and Old English Mountains.
This sector also aligns with the sphere of influence set by 2296, and the path of Persephone.
The first stage of M Brookes memorial also intersects this area, specifically containing a series of triad goddesses linked to the journey to Avalon.
This area also abuts the Yggdrasil systems, especially those systems linked to the Norse concept of the āedgeā of the world and of water.
Zones of systems named after Storms, rivers, underworlds and fertility
In game at this same location there are clear separation zones denoted by systems named after deities of storms, rivers, the underworld and fertility which when layered with the Lost Realms identify a hotspot zone.
Separation zones of water
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10262094
Assessment:
The placement of systems in game having a relationship to concepts outlined in Robert Holdstocks book Lost Realms, I identify as probable (55 -75%) to be intentional, this can be identified due to the relative close proximity to other systems sharing similar relationships and being grouped tightly into a common focal point.
The placement of these Lost Realms systems in game relating to the description in the ED Codex, I identify is probable (55 -75%) to be intentional, this can be identified due to their replication and their placement within a focal point. Namely the segment relating to Atlantis, El Dorado and Prester John.
Assumptions:
The hypothesis concerning āmountainsā based upon positions in game in relation to the Lost Realms and Yggdrasil systems can be ascertained to Robert Holdstocks prevailing theme from his book Lost Realms, and Ragthorn, which is that mountains or hills attributed to Saxon / Celtic burial mounds known as barrows or tumul act as the boundaries or doorways to the Otherworld which likewise ascribed in myth to be a fulcrum of a mystical tree or thorny trees or Ash as a world tree which sits upon an axis mundi.
Concerning the Codex the introduction when married with the recent Brookes Tours quote, can be ascribed to John Miltons Paradise Lost description of Paradise/Eden.
In Robert Holdstocks book Lost Realms, Eden is likewise catalogued as a lost realm, the replication of these realms within a focal point I believe acts as a method to āobfuscatedā Raxxla, which is part of a Robert Holdstock Easter egg.
I donāt believe the similarities between book and game are ādefinitiveā, rather the Lost Realms define an area of influence, as there exist other systems with similarities:
Examples:
In conclusion I believe FD has constructed a cosmological world tree, Yggdrasil which sits upon an Axis Mundi, similar to Holdstocks āRagthornā, the āMountainsā and āwatersā denote the boundary to the Otherworld, ergo these āLost Realmsā which are outlined by regions of Mountains and Water; that Raxxla or access to it, is within this Lost Realms area, across water and through mountains, which is obfuscated upon the outer rim of this construct.
Another hypothesis is that the above has been combined with a Miltonian concept of a pendant universe, which hangs from the walls of heaven. That these Lost Realms and or Mountains / water, denote that boundary, and Raxxla resides either upon this āouter rimā or directly below it.
The lost realms identified above could also identify a hot spot or area of influence, the key locations of each zone themselves may denote the boundaries of this zone, similar to the Raxxla logo, and that Raxxla is at the common centre.
Another hypothesis is the entire area is a Holdstock Easter Egg and the entirety is a metaphor as a whole for Raxxla as a form of enlightenment?
*the following theories are not definitive and may undergo revision.
Within Robert Holdstockās book āLost Realmsā there are a number of lands referenced collectively; these also appear in the Elite Dangerous game within close correlation to each other. These realms are similarly referenced in the Raxxla codex:
āMuch like the ancient myths of Atlantis, El Dorado and the kingdom of Prester Johnā.
This hypothesis I have proposed previously, however that assessment was from evidence obtained independently of this Robert Holdstock book. For some time Iāve wanted to review the book to assess if there were any specific correlations.
The following then, is an analytical breakdown of the book, identifying how certain systems are grouped.
Key findings:
The introduction
Within his introduction Holdstock draws together many of the key mythical locations mentioned throughout his book, attributing these as prime exampleās of the primordial lost land Eden, a recurring theme throughout the text.
This introduction is key because it is reflected in the Raxxla Codex as: āMuch like the ancient myths of Atlantis, El Dorado and the kingdom of Prester Johnā.
Elysian Fields -RH p12 Greek, Not in game but āElysiaā is - has bodies Cronos and a Kailas reference to a world-mountain).
- Avalon - RH p12 Celtic, in game has a station called Persephone.
- Lyonesse - RH p12 Celtic
- Atlantis - RH p15
El Dorado is mentioned in this section of RHās book, who correctly identifies its not a place but a person. This is not a system in game, however references to the Seven Cities of Gold are (cover in ācitiesā).
Chapter 1: Avalon
Here Holdstock draws upon the story of King Arthur and of Avalon, and attempts to highlight its similarities with many earlier Celtic spiritual lands.
The vale of Avalon - RH p18; RH talks of a Moon goddess associated with horses p22 and a mystic earth goddess, neither he names (this might be Epona who he mentions on p27), but then he associates Morgan La Fay as a possible link with the triad Celtic goddess āThe Morriganā, a fertility and war goddess p23.
With Excalibur - Lady of the lake RH attributes with āBrIggaā p25 a water goddess. RH identifies here how water is barrier between the real and these other worlds.
Morgan La Fay is mentioned again on p25 accompanying Arthur on his death barge with three hooded women or three queens, RH then calls these women the tri-partite goddess; fecundity (youth), motherhood and death, who control entry to the realm of healing P25.
RH calls Avalon an Otherworld, the Delightful Plain, the Land of Promise, and the Many coloured land. Later RH states it can be traveled to only by two methods, first through an un-named island over water; second is via a magic cave in an un-named hill or burial mound, that ultimately Avalon is associated with gateways to the land of a vanished folk dating 4,000 years ago p25.
RH names Avalon as the realm of Avallach (not in game) the Lord of the dead p26, the Delightful Plain, or the Beautiful Valley p26.
RH identifies the lineage of the Celts as originating from Switzerland and talks of the sacred mountain and caves of, Hallstatt as being a proto-gateway to Avalon and then the Tor of Glastonbury p26 (not in game).
RH alludes that early stories of Arthur said he fought under the heraldry of the Virgin Mary p27. RH then discusses the early Celtic gods such as Cernunnos the Lord of Animals, of Brigga and of Epona, RH then hypotheses that itās more likely Arthur fought under the banner of Epona the moon goddess and queen of horses p27.
RH then draws references to previous kings, of Peredur, Owein, Bran, and Nuadd, none in game.
- Avalon - RH p18
- Morrigan - RH p23
- Cernunnos - RH p27
- Brigga / Brigid - RH p27
- Epona - RH p27
Avallach / Avalooc is derived from the Welsh word afall "apple tree"; and Avalon was known as the land of apples, in Welsh mythology this was Ynys Afallach, there are a number of systems in this area linked with the mythology of apples, eg the Isle of Apples is a part of, or certainly an entrance to, the Celtic Otherworld also known as Annwn (in game).
Avallach is also thought to be known as the King of Annwn and the same person known as Arawn (both in game and in tight correlation to Avalon). Avallach is also thought to be the farther of the goddess Modron (not in game) a prototype of Morgan Le Fay (born of the sea (not in game).
Avalon was also called āThe Fortunate Islesā because it grew bountiful fruit; thereās also Idun close by, the goddess and holder of the apples of youth (see chapter: land of youth).
The delightful plain, the multi Coloured land is generally accepted to be Tir Na Nog (in game); it is not mentioned in this chapter, but it is later on p102 as a land of youth, likewise this system is in relatively close proximity, itās likely the Land of Youth and Avalon systems may be interconnected in game.
Brigga a water goddess, is not in game nor can I find any link historically attached to that name, however the closest associated Celtic deity is a āBrigidā a triad goddess also worshipped in conjunction with Cernunnos - both are in game.
In mythology āThe Morriganā was a triad of goddess consisting of Badb; Danu and Morrigan, all are in game, these are all in the upper celestial hemisphere.
In the system Avalon there is the planet Grach, orbiting this is the station Persephone. In Welsh Grach is associated with hill.
Chapter 2: Lyonesse
Lyonesse RH p30 describes as being accessible via a land bridge on the west coast of England, and RH identifies it as the home of Tristam and Sir Galahad, who after the battle of Badin return passing St Michaels mount in Cornwall. RH identifies Lyonesse as a drowned land.
RH briefly notes Lyonesse is known as the British Atlantis p31 and equally overlain is the myth of the city of Ys p31 and notes how the link between these lands is strong, giving the term āthe land below the waves.
- Lyonesse - RH p30
- Atlantis - RH p31
- Ys - RH p31
There also exists a Gwaelod in game, it is commonly known as the Welsh Atlantis, and like the other systems above is relatively close.
The system Ys has the planet Chroin, which in Celtic means hill/mountain.
Chapter 3 Islands
This chapter does not draw on any of the mythological lost āislandsā or āOtherworldsā mentioned in previous chapters; rather it focuses primarily on āfictionalā islands from published contemporary stories.
It seems this chapter draws from the expectations of the age of discovery, to provide context to how such realms may have been imagined, through exploration and exaggeration; none of the fictional lands are in game.
Chapter 4: Continents
This chapter focuses upon how continental drift and the rise and fall of oceanic water levels or cataclysms may have hidden certain lands, such as Atlantis.
But like the last, much of this chapter focuses upon fictional stories, in this case that of Tolkien, and pseudoscience lands Lemuria p47 (not in game) and of Hyperborea (in game) which HR links to Atlantis p47)) and the land of Mu p51 (not in game),
- Atlantis - RH p44
- Hyperborea - RH p47
Lemuria is the land of Mu and is a fiction continent which was an explanation for Atlantis.
No map built, as both Atlantis and Hyperborea appear in other correlations shown here, and there being only two points of interest it serves no purpose to build a map in this instance, but we ought to note this links the two together
Chapter 5 Cities
RH again talks of the āfirst or fabledā cities, such as Ophir, Uruk, Alecia p55 then Troy p56 which ultimately were real cities. RH then discusses such cities as storehouses of wealth and knowledge, mentioning Shambhala aka Shangri-la or Belovodye p56 and RH calls it the land of āpeaceā or āwhite watersā and attributes it with being beyond the north wind, the mythical land of the Hyperboreans p56 or the world mountain of Meru p57.
Interestingly in relation to the codex, and itās peculiar overuse of the word āsevenā in this chapter p56 RH talks of the number seven as having importance in religious traditions, and links them to many aspects including the constellation Ursa Major and RH coins the phrase of ancient wisdom āas above so belowā.
RH then talks about mountains of mythology, the world mountain of Meru, Olympus etc then back to land of the Hyperboreans p57. And identifies it as the origin point of Apollo and his sister Artemis, who had Ursa Major as her sign; and again RH notes both gods have attributes measurable in seven!
RH then moves back onto the subject of Eldorado p58 and the association of the seven cities of gold, of El Dorado being Spanish for āgolden manā, linking it to the golden king of Chibcha and the lake of Gustavia p59 then another supposedly lost city Vilcabamba p62.
RH then again moved back towards fictional, then finally real re-found cities like Troy and Petra p70.
- Shambhala - RH p56
- Hyperboreans - RH p56,57
- Petra - RH p70
Contextual research:
Petra is an interesting system because itās not actually a lost realm, it was rediscovered, itās likely unrelated.
The actual Seven Cities of Gold are not discussed by RH outside the emphasis on El Dorado, however this phrase is associated more so to āthe seven cities of Cibolaā, and 4 of these locations are in game and in very close relation. El Dorado is associated with the lake Parime at Manoa.
- Cibola
- Paititi
- Quivira
- Maona
Uruk - RH p55, is now known as Warka but is in game but only as a body in 51 Arietis.
Alecia - RH p55, is an unknown reference which I cannot identify outside RH text.
Meru is s real mountain and likely does not qualify as a lost realm, although it is in game as body in the system Wakea.
The system Hyperborea has the planet Boreas, the personification of the north wind.
The system Cibola has the planet Quivira which is another city of gold, and system.
Chapter 6 Undersea
RH uses this chapter to hypothesise realms lost to the oceans, such as Atlantis p73 and the Celtic The Land Below the Waves p74 and the explorer Bran and the god of the waves, Manannan Mac Lir p74 and the glowing realm of Tir fo Thiunn and of Hy Brasil p75.
RH then again moves over to fiction again and the āold onesā of H P Lovecraft naming the undersea realm of RāLyeh and of Cthulhu p75 none of these are in game.
Contextual research:
Tir fo Thiunn Is also known as, An tEilean Uaine, the Green Island, but like Hy Brasil neither are in game.
No map built due an absence of information.
Chapter 7 Mermaids
This is one of the shortest chapters consisting of only 2 pages, and doesnāt really provide much context only in providing a rational explanation, although it does note the names of Celtic entities of the Roane and Selkie, neither are in game.
No map built due an absence of information.
Chapter 8 Underworld
Within this chapter RH again returns to use of fictional examples of underground kingdoms and touches upon the concept of a āworld mountainā, but it is not until p86 where RH returns to use mythical lands in his text where he looks at the concept of hell.
Gilgamesh p86 and the Land of No Return beyond the abyss of Aspu, guarded by seven walls and gates. Then the Egyptian concept of concept of an immense serpent, which he then links to Norse myth namely the serpent of Midgard p86.
The nine loops of the river Styx p86 is used to identify concepts of difficulty in entering the underworld and again it being protected by water or an underground sea.
RH then draws upon Finnish Tuonela and the land of Tuoni p87, 87, and its story related to Vainamoinen. RH draws upon the similarities of its guardian beast Surma, with that of the Greek Cerberus and the Norse Garm and the realm of Niflheim and the realm of Scathach or Annwyn alt Annwn p86 in the dark side of the Celtic underworld.
RH then contemplates the Greek underworld, identifying Tartarus as a lost city, and then the Elysian fields p87.
RH then reflects on Celtic mythology, of Annwn p87 the shadow realm and Scathach (not in game), and finally of Norse mythology, which RH states consisted of three realms: The abyss the realm of men named Midgard; the land of clouds and shadow to the north is named Niflheim, and to the south Muspellsheim p87.
RH then goes over a Norse creation myth at the end of this chapter, where ice from Niflheim combined in the abyss of Midgard with poisonous waters from Muspelheim created a solid hoar-frost, this melted to form the giant Ymir, who later died, whose rotten corpse made the earth and dwarves. Humans were made from two lifeless trees on the giant, called Ash (Askr) and Vine (Embla) first man and woman.
RH also names three Norse gods responsible for creating humans; Odin, Horner and Lodur p87.
- Apsu - RH p86
- Midgard - RH p86
- Styx - RH p86
- Tuoni - RH P86
- Garm - RH p86
- Niflheim - RH p86
- Muspellsheim - RH p87
- Annwn - RH p86
- Tartarus - RH p87
- Elysium - RH p87
RH mixture of various references to mythological underworlds does not logically correlate in game; this either identifies this analysis method is open to pattern bias; or certain systems hold a higher/lesser relevance over others or are intentionally separated, the emphasis in game may be far simpler; eg that Norse mythological systems are not necessarily interlinked to other pantheons.
RH does not name the Midgard serpent in this chapter which is in game named as Jormungandr.
Scathach is not an actual lost realm, but rather a mythical female warrior from the Isle of Skye, not attributable to concepts of an underworld.
RH does not go into detail in this chapter concerning the Classical Greek Underworld, other than name two of the classical three regions: Elysium and Tartarus, a third realm also exists which RH does not name - Asphodel. This may be due to the fact descriptions of the Greek underworld varied or that Asphodel is confused with āheavenā.
Elysium - is not in game but āElysiaā is, āshe from the blessed isles of Elysiumā.
The following additional locations are also in game with relevant meanings and distance to the above mentioned systems but are not named by RH.
Nysa - birthplace of Dionysus, home of Hyades Nymphs and where Persephone was abducted, said to have an entrance to Hades.*
Pandemonium - John Miltons capitol of Hell, illustrated as off centre from the burning lake of hell (at the centre).*
Neither Odin, Lodur nor Embla are in game; but Hoenir also known as Honir and Askr - are in game.
Close by in this area is a system called Agartha, is a legendary kingdom that is said to be located on the inner surface of the Earth. It is sometimes related to the belief in a hollow Earth and is a popular subject in esotericism, I donāt recall this system being named in Lost Realms but this seem like another worthy addition.
Chapter 9 Yggdrasil
Here RH describes Yggdrasil as, its branches reaching towards heaven, its trunk being the earth and it three roots reaching down to the three worlds below.
One of these realms RH names Aesir, attributed to those who killed the giant Ymir and home of the gods who formed the earth. In this realm below its first root lay the well Urdr concerning fate. The three Norns guarded this well p90 RH but does not name these Norns.
The second root reached the land of the frost giants, beneath which was a spring of wisdom, RH does not provide names but identifies it as the location where Odin lost his eye.
The third root passes down to Niflheim, kingdom of the goddess Hel and land of the dead and another spring which RH does not name p90.
Here RH attributes a shared commonality with Greek mythology and that of the rivers Styx, Lethe and Acheron (not in game).
RH identifies that far below Yggdrasils ārootsā lay the huge snake Nidhoggr, RH also identifies an eagle in Yggdrasils branches and a squirrel which ran up and down between them, but does not name them.
RH finishes this chapter briefly with Ragnarok identifying how Lif and Lifdrasir woukd hide in Yggdrasils trunk (not in game).
- Niflheim - RH p90
- Hel - RH p90
- Nidhoggr - RH p90 in game as body in Nastrond*
- Styx - RH p90
- Lethe - RH p90
Common interpretation of Yggdrasil shape and realms does vary dramatically being a modern interpretation of an unwritten verbal story.
Currently there is understood to have been at least nine realms not just three. Certain roots may have been the heavens as with the springs or wells. Apart from those names already mentioned there are actually a large number of Norse named systems linked to Yggdrasil in game and is a very large structure.
Aesir is not in game, but wider research identifies this word is used to describe the Norse pantheon, who resided in Asgard - neither are in game.
The well of Urdr is not in game under that description, in Norse mythology itās name may have been interchangeable and know simply as āUrorās wellā.
The three Norns were deities of fate and may have been known commonly as: Urd or Uror (Wyrd), Verdandi, and Skuld (Skulu). They attended the well of UrĆ°arbrunnr or Urorās well / Urdās well.
- Uror
- Verdandi
- Skuld
- Uroarbrunnr
The squirrel is in game and called Ratatosk. Four stags may have also fed on Yggdrasils leaves, Dainn, Dvailnn, Duneyrr and Durathir, none are in game.
Odin king of the gods was also called HrafnaguĆ° or Raven god, he had two crows, Hugin and Munin which brought him information, none are in game.
The Yggdrasil systems in game
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10181355
Chapter 10 Faerie
This chapter like previous before, does not establish any lost realms but primarily focuses upon Victorian fiction.
Contextual research;
Within the lost realms area in game there exists various systems linked to Celtic mythology, especially Irish mythology. With Holdstock book he does allude how these might be the inspiration for Victorian Faerie fiction, the kings and queens of old Irish mythology The Tuatha DĆ© Danann, which goes back over 4,000 years.
The Tuatha DĆ© Danann
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10294282
Chapter 11 Edgewood
This chapter like previous does not establish any lost realms but focuses upon contemporary fiction.
Not mapped, due to absence of information.
Chapter 12 Land of Youth
In this passage Holdstock describes the lands of youth and pleasure, naming it also as the āOtherworldā, the Land of apples (Avalon), the Land under the waves, the Delightful plains, Field of happiness, the Many coloured land, Land of promise and Land of women.
Later in the text Holdstock draws on how such realms may interconnect via paths underwater, via mountains or underground bridges/portals.
- Tir Na Nog - RH p102 Irish land of youth.
- Danu - RHp102 goddess of Tir Na Nog.
- Ossian/Oisin* - RH p103 person who traveled there/and returned.
Other names attributed to these lands which can be found in game (but not Holdstocks books) include:
Mag mell - alternate Irish name, or a plain of honey that is attributed to link to Tir Na Nog.
Annwn - Welsh The Otherworld, linked to Arthurian Christian paradise!
Arawn - God of Annwn.
Idunn - Norse goddess holder of the apples of eternal youth.
Remainder of book
The rest of the book and final chapter again falls into fiction, no additional mythological lost realms are covers.
Conclusion:
The various lost realms, individually and as a whole, all fall within a tight correlation advocating the assessment they are hand placed.
A large assortment of other Lost Realms, not prescribed in RH book, also exist in game, within this same correlation.
Certain areas identified in this analysis may in my opinion be conflated, eg the Underworld, by this method of analysis; I feel this is actually relatively far simpler, focused I suspect only on the Greek underworld; the same is for Yggdrasil, which is evidently far more expensive in game than itās described in the book.
Thread 'The John Milton conundrum'
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-john-milton-conundrum.607684/
When all are layered over each other a focal point is logically evident.
*All realms layered over whole Yggdrasil tree and the path of Persephone, and the Fall to Pandemonium.
Mountains
The Lost Realms focal point also intersects another in game grouping; such as the hypothetical āmountainā systems.
These are systems and or bodies which seemingly have consistent naming after mountains; one side linked to concepts of a āworld mountainā the other to Celtic and Old English Mountains.
This sector also aligns with the sphere of influence set by 2296, and the path of Persephone.
The first stage of M Brookes memorial also intersects this area, specifically containing a series of triad goddesses linked to the journey to Avalon.
This area also abuts the Yggdrasil systems, especially those systems linked to the Norse concept of the āedgeā of the world and of water.
Zones of systems named after Storms, rivers, underworlds and fertility
In game at this same location there are clear separation zones denoted by systems named after deities of storms, rivers, the underworld and fertility which when layered with the Lost Realms identify a hotspot zone.
Separation zones of water
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10262094
Assessment:
The placement of systems in game having a relationship to concepts outlined in Robert Holdstocks book Lost Realms, I identify as probable (55 -75%) to be intentional, this can be identified due to the relative close proximity to other systems sharing similar relationships and being grouped tightly into a common focal point.
The placement of these Lost Realms systems in game relating to the description in the ED Codex, I identify is probable (55 -75%) to be intentional, this can be identified due to their replication and their placement within a focal point. Namely the segment relating to Atlantis, El Dorado and Prester John.
Assumptions:
The hypothesis concerning āmountainsā based upon positions in game in relation to the Lost Realms and Yggdrasil systems can be ascertained to Robert Holdstocks prevailing theme from his book Lost Realms, and Ragthorn, which is that mountains or hills attributed to Saxon / Celtic burial mounds known as barrows or tumul act as the boundaries or doorways to the Otherworld which likewise ascribed in myth to be a fulcrum of a mystical tree or thorny trees or Ash as a world tree which sits upon an axis mundi.
Concerning the Codex the introduction when married with the recent Brookes Tours quote, can be ascribed to John Miltons Paradise Lost description of Paradise/Eden.
In Robert Holdstocks book Lost Realms, Eden is likewise catalogued as a lost realm, the replication of these realms within a focal point I believe acts as a method to āobfuscatedā Raxxla, which is part of a Robert Holdstock Easter egg.
I donāt believe the similarities between book and game are ādefinitiveā, rather the Lost Realms define an area of influence, as there exist other systems with similarities:
Examples:
- Agartha - kingdom of the Hollow Earth
- Themiscrya - nation of the Amazons
- Thule - kingdom beyond the map
- Cockaigne - fools' paradise
- Summerland - Wican afterlife
In conclusion I believe FD has constructed a cosmological world tree, Yggdrasil which sits upon an Axis Mundi, similar to Holdstocks āRagthornā, the āMountainsā and āwatersā denote the boundary to the Otherworld, ergo these āLost Realmsā which are outlined by regions of Mountains and Water; that Raxxla or access to it, is within this Lost Realms area, across water and through mountains, which is obfuscated upon the outer rim of this construct.
Another hypothesis is that the above has been combined with a Miltonian concept of a pendant universe, which hangs from the walls of heaven. That these Lost Realms and or Mountains / water, denote that boundary, and Raxxla resides either upon this āouter rimā or directly below it.
The lost realms identified above could also identify a hot spot or area of influence, the key locations of each zone themselves may denote the boundaries of this zone, similar to the Raxxla logo, and that Raxxla is at the common centre.
Another hypothesis is the entire area is a Holdstock Easter Egg and the entirety is a metaphor as a whole for Raxxla as a form of enlightenment?
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It is interesting to look at possible preconditions and how they may work.
Personally I don't think Raxxla cares. Raxxla is most likely ancient and alien. Who you are, what you have done or where you have been, should not matter to Raxxla.
TDW on the other hand, will care about all these things. There are however a few problems with them, as well. First of all, they haven't found Raxxla (at least they hadn't found it in 3301). They may still sit on information or equipmet that are absolute requirements to locate Raxxla.
The second issue with TDW is that the seem passive, for now. With all the commanders flying around the bubble with maxed out everything, someone should have heard from them.
Where does that leave the journey?
- Is the journey metaphorical? Is it the things we learn as we study the galaxy, it's history and mythology? In that case, we can find Raxxla when we understand Raxxla.
- Is Raxxla locked of by coincidence or some powerful group? Raxxla being in or has to be accessed from a permit locked location, gives the option for all kinds of preconditions. Being Elite and having access to Shinrarta Dezhra is the simplest option. Becoming Elite could also be the personal Journey.
- There is a treasure hunt type of riddle in the game. A traditional Journey, from location to location. This would require that there are people in the galaxy that knows where Raxxla is and want worthy commanders to find it. They would also have to be powerfull enough to make the treasure hunt. The Club is a candidate, but there could be others.
We have to consider what is resonnable.
What would DB and MB want to be a part of the mystery?
What is technically possible now and what was possible at release?
How can something be found relatively quickly by someone with the technology of the 23. century and then stay hidden for the next thousand years?
Any possible preconditions that we may come up with, has to be met with the questions: How does this work and why is this a precondition.
If Elite is a precondition it means that:
- You need access to Shinrarta Dezhra and/or
- You need help from someone that requires Elite rank to help you.
Why would someone help you?
- They also want to find Raxxla and need the best commanders to help.
- They know where Raxxla is and are testing you, to see if you are worthy.
Then we can ask which of these options are reasonable to implement and in line with what FD might want.
Other preconditions may be harder to find answers for, but it's equally important to ask the questions.
@Rochester
When you say that El Dorado is not in the game, I would say that it could be.
We have the Dorado constellation. Lambda Doradus: https://www.edsm.net/en/system/id/12288123/name/Lambda+Doradus can be read as El Dorado, depending on notation.
Ī» Doradus can easily be read as El Dorado.
When you say that El Dorado is not in the game, I would say that it could be.
We have the Dorado constellation. Lambda Doradus: https://www.edsm.net/en/system/id/12288123/name/Lambda+Doradus can be read as El Dorado, depending on notation.
Ī» Doradus can easily be read as El Dorado.
O7
Did not consider that, my search was only on direct matches, not variations on linguistics, it ought to be considered but this hypothesis is following the evidence that most systems seem to hold a tight correlation.
I think this oneās a maybe?
One also needs to consider another alternative.
What if Raxxla is no longer an active narrative element?
What if it used to be, but it and other narrative elements were dropped - for various reasons.
Following this, the existing elements were not purged, but left in situ, and a new element āthe codexā written around them.
So you take an inactive storyline and write a new mythology around it. The āobjectā or whatever it is stays in game but nothing really leads you to it.
For me this is how I suspect things have transpired. I presume MB wrote Raxxla into a wider narrative, or more likely a side narrative / Easter egg, which was later dropped / bugged etc; it previously being mission driven. Or this was intentional.
The codex was then written after the fact and brought in to highlight the various hidden elements in game and help draw our attention towards it?
Raxxla is now no longer a game changing nexus point, but something more in line with the lore. It may still be expansive, with some type of payoff, but nothing which will alter the game nor our abilities.
No need for gameplay mechanics, very easy to build, if there were any gaps, such a fix effectively ignores them.
Personally I believe Brookes did write his book, itās just that architecture is laid out in game, certain elements were repurposed, kept in situ, but Raxxla I suspect was moved aside; it like the DW is a remnant, my assumption is neither have any impact on game, but are in game.
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Personally I don't think it ever was a true active narrative element. By that I mean that there has never been a complete path that you can follow, to find Raxxla. I don't think the E/F missions lead anywhere. They were just hits. If anything, they were foreshadowing the guardian sites.
The hidden narrative, the idea that FD have for how finding Raxxla may play out, is very likely to have changed. The game has far greater capabilities now, than it had at release.
Raxxla is supposed to be extremely hard to find. Making something extremely hard to find, is very easy. Just put a planet in any system you like, give it a huge orbit (1 ly radius?) and say that it's cloaked. Now it's in the game, FD knows how to get there and they are free to update it as the game develops. They can also drop as many vague hints as they want. No one will find it.
When the game is capable of matching the vision FD has for Raxxla, they can start dropping more concrete hints or implementing game play that leads somewhere.
First rate research Rochester! I feel like we are closing in even more on Raxxla, now.
Reading through everything you put in spoiler tags, the things that stood out to me most are the seven walls and seven gates of Aspu and the concept of needing to pass over water and mountains to reach lost realms. Having seven gates defines a clear path, in order (I wonder if those are named?) for us to traverse. Perhaps seven seas or mountains have to be visited?
Han Zen makes the spot-on point that any precondition has to have a reason for being there, as Raxxla is likely just a single, probably dormant, location. Raxxla is, however, obfuscated and, quite possibly (speculation), guarded. Therefore, a precondition has to lift that veil of obfuscation so that it can be found, then it may be necessary to fight a guardian of sorts. (This is all sounding a lot like using a Guardians beacon to locate a Guardians site!).
So the question is: how to lift that veil that obscures Raxxla?
Related: how is Raxxla obscured? Is it a cloaking device? Is it false-flagged as something else? Is it only apparent at certain times?
I still think we have to do something to lift that veil, else it might be found by accident. Maybe it can be found by accident but is, as Han Zen suggested, located somewhere that the probability is vanishingly small. I need to give this some thought!
Reading through everything you put in spoiler tags, the things that stood out to me most are the seven walls and seven gates of Aspu and the concept of needing to pass over water and mountains to reach lost realms. Having seven gates defines a clear path, in order (I wonder if those are named?) for us to traverse. Perhaps seven seas or mountains have to be visited?
Han Zen makes the spot-on point that any precondition has to have a reason for being there, as Raxxla is likely just a single, probably dormant, location. Raxxla is, however, obfuscated and, quite possibly (speculation), guarded. Therefore, a precondition has to lift that veil of obfuscation so that it can be found, then it may be necessary to fight a guardian of sorts. (This is all sounding a lot like using a Guardians beacon to locate a Guardians site!).
So the question is: how to lift that veil that obscures Raxxla?
Related: how is Raxxla obscured? Is it a cloaking device? Is it false-flagged as something else? Is it only apparent at certain times?
I still think we have to do something to lift that veil, else it might be found by accident. Maybe it can be found by accident but is, as Han Zen suggested, located somewhere that the probability is vanishingly small. I need to give this some thought!
Yes I found it very odd too, Aspu is the god of fresh water, of the abyss.
They are in game close to a sector I call the older gods, which likewise focus upon this area, there is a clear indication certain systems named after water are placed specific to this correlation and those of mountains.
RH text alludes to a journey over / under water through a mountain or hill. Brookes also used the analogy of a mountain in various texts regarding the afterlife.
In game the lost realms aka the Otherworlds, are nestled it would seem between mountains! Upon the very edge of the map (system in the area are relative to this concept too).
I cannot assess if this is simply replicating RH concepts, as a Easter egg, or if they are represented correctly to define this area as part of a specific journey?
But, this is however the ājourneyā I believe M Brookes alluded to in his interview. A physical journey to the underworld, via water, over/under/through mountains to the Otherworld?
Obfuscated on the outer rim!
Raxxla it could be interpreted is an otherworld, a Miltonian Eden / Paradise, hidden within a conglomeration of other otherworlds?
If the were a trigger, to initiate any such elements in game, the primary trigger ought to be exploration, factions and āmissionsā. But I would imagine such a meguffin would have been triggered by now, unless it relates to a specific commodity; but I suspect itās a navigational identifier - pointing us towards someplace in the lost realms!
Regards the seven gates, I canāt find anything to date, RH text was the first and only reference I found.
In mythology doorways are representative of a personal journey.
The seven gateās probably relate to Gilgamesh and Istar, no gates are named specifically. Ultimately I would suspect such a reference might be too wide as Aspu is not the only āolder godā in this area, besides I feel they work collectively to operate as a navigational aid to point us towards to these āOtherworldsā.
Itās highly likely in my opinion much of this was originally part of something bigger, but no longer is,
Still its a genuinely impressive construction on its own merits, and I feel a fitting location for Raxxla to sit.
This might be the location, but your correct there may still be some type of trigger, or itās narratively locked and we await FD to flip a switch.
The later concept I find amusing, yet ultimately improbable given we probably no have a good idea of where it might beā¦ so I suspect itās already in game, it might just require alignment with various factions or some obscure environmental reference?
To a certain extent we likely now understand where Raxxla might be; we also may have a description what it might look like?
Something like a pendant jewel on the brow of the mother of galaxies!
A star sitting very close to a more prominent and luminous star (the mother), it either hanging from that system like a pendant (in system map) as youāre pointed out, something far out on the elliptical plain of the system? or a system in the Galmap, so small most would not notice it hidden beside a more brighter star?
Or itās an orientational set of clues; go to a certain location and look to a certain galaxy, the system you seek is on its brow?
Thatās the next phase in this endeavourā¦what does the Brow of the mother of galaxies mean?
David Gilmour āRattle that lockā.
They are in game close to a sector I call the older gods, which likewise focus upon this area, there is a clear indication certain systems named after water are placed specific to this correlation and those of mountains.
RH text alludes to a journey over / under water through a mountain or hill. Brookes also used the analogy of a mountain in various texts regarding the afterlife.
In game the lost realms aka the Otherworlds, are nestled it would seem between mountains! Upon the very edge of the map (system in the area are relative to this concept too).
I cannot assess if this is simply replicating RH concepts, as a Easter egg, or if they are represented correctly to define this area as part of a specific journey?
But, this is however the ājourneyā I believe M Brookes alluded to in his interview. A physical journey to the underworld, via water, over/under/through mountains to the Otherworld?
Obfuscated on the outer rim!
Raxxla it could be interpreted is an otherworld, a Miltonian Eden / Paradise, hidden within a conglomeration of other otherworlds?
If the were a trigger, to initiate any such elements in game, the primary trigger ought to be exploration, factions and āmissionsā. But I would imagine such a meguffin would have been triggered by now, unless it relates to a specific commodity; but I suspect itās a navigational identifier - pointing us towards someplace in the lost realms!
Regards the seven gates, I canāt find anything to date, RH text was the first and only reference I found.
In mythology doorways are representative of a personal journey.
The seven gateās probably relate to Gilgamesh and Istar, no gates are named specifically. Ultimately I would suspect such a reference might be too wide as Aspu is not the only āolder godā in this area, besides I feel they work collectively to operate as a navigational aid to point us towards to these āOtherworldsā.
Itās highly likely in my opinion much of this was originally part of something bigger, but no longer is,
Still its a genuinely impressive construction on its own merits, and I feel a fitting location for Raxxla to sit.
This might be the location, but your correct there may still be some type of trigger, or itās narratively locked and we await FD to flip a switch.
The later concept I find amusing, yet ultimately improbable given we probably no have a good idea of where it might beā¦ so I suspect itās already in game, it might just require alignment with various factions or some obscure environmental reference?
To a certain extent we likely now understand where Raxxla might be; we also may have a description what it might look like?
Something like a pendant jewel on the brow of the mother of galaxies!
A star sitting very close to a more prominent and luminous star (the mother), it either hanging from that system like a pendant (in system map) as youāre pointed out, something far out on the elliptical plain of the system? or a system in the Galmap, so small most would not notice it hidden beside a more brighter star?
Or itās an orientational set of clues; go to a certain location and look to a certain galaxy, the system you seek is on its brow?
Thatās the next phase in this endeavourā¦what does the Brow of the mother of galaxies mean?
David Gilmour āRattle that lockā.
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