Are we screwing up the Shadowlands ecosystem?

[Shelly]

Ok, so I know this is one of those deals where it's mechanics vs lore, but hear me out because I think it's interesting.

So each week we're going in and using our soul catchers to pull souls out of the Maw and bring them back to our covenants where I'd presume the covenant then does their normal stuff and leach anima from the souls as they purify their sins, move on from their pasts, embrace nature or become weapons of the Shadowlands. (It never quite gets into exactly how the Necrolords remove anima from the souls given.)

The placement of each of these souls was determined by the Arbiter, the Arbiter would then send each soul to the realm most fitting for it and I'd presume pull away some anima as well for the empowerment of Oribos.

Well the Arbiter is still down for the count after getting an anima enema from Denathrius. So we're all just gathering up souls and bringing them back.

So we might be gathering up brave hunters and trackers and then shipping them off to Revendreath to be cleansed of sins that they don't really have. We could be sending prideful demagogues to Bastion where they'll just be ripe for falling since they'll never learn humility through gentle atonement and meditation. We might have put the guy that flipped the first catapult lever to burn down the world tree and pulled out a bag of marshmallows right into the middle of Ardenweald. And who knows how many just frightened and weak children or civilians we've now shipped off to Maldraxus?

[drukai]

Really interesting question - and totally exactly what I was thinking when I read the title. I think, given both the Sinstones of Revendreth and the whole cleansing that the Kyrian do, those would probably solve themselves decently quickly (especially now that the Covenants are working together - I could imagine the Stone Legion being tasked with bringing souls out of Revendreth.)

I think the bigger problem is when a really vicious soul gets shipped to Maldraxxus without the added buffer of the Houses in proper order - and it actually kinda makes me wonder if that's been happening already on a smaller scale, KT being routed to Maldraxxus seems pretty odd for example.

[Combatbutler]

Ok, so I know this is one of those deals where it's mechanics vs lore, but hear me out because I think it's interesting.

So each week we're going in and using our soul catchers to pull souls out of the Maw and bring them back to our covenants where I'd presume the covenant then does their normal stuff and leach anima from the souls as they purify their sins, move on from their pasts, embrace nature or become weapons of the Shadowlands. (It never quite gets into exactly how the Necrolords remove anima from the souls given.)

The placement of each of these souls was determined by the Arbiter, the Arbiter would then send each soul to the realm most fitting for it and I'd presume pull away some anima as well for the empowerment of Oribos.

Well the Arbiter is still down for the count after getting an anima enema from Denathrius. So we're all just gathering up souls and bringing them back.

So we might be gathering up brave hunters and trackers and then shipping them off to Revendreath to be cleansed of sins that they don't really have. We could be sending prideful demagogues to Bastion where they'll just be ripe for falling since they'll never learn humility through gentle atonement and meditation. We might have put the guy that flipped the first catapult lever to burn down the world tree and pulled out a bag of marshmallows right into the middle of Ardenweald. And who knows how many just frightened and weak children or civilians we've now shipped off to Maldraxus?

Don't try to think about it, especially if you are part of the Kyrian covenant, who still ferry the souls to Oribos, despite knowing the arbiter is broken, thus sending them straight to the maw and then send you to the maw to get the souls, instead of just taking them in the first place.

[Lucetia]

Ok, so I know this is one of those deals where it's mechanics vs lore, but hear me out because I think it's interesting.

So each week we're going in and using our soul catchers to pull souls out of the Maw and bring them back to our covenants where I'd presume the covenant then does their normal stuff and leach anima from the souls as they purify their sins, move on from their pasts, embrace nature or become weapons of the Shadowlands. (It never quite gets into exactly how the Necrolords remove anima from the souls given.)

I think in this case based on the current story the covenants don't even know we are "catching souls". It's just more of a side quest to get renown and use as another currency. Nothing in the story hints at them knowing we are giving them souls or anything as there'd be a mention in a story somewhere by now about how we redeemed something and progress it made.

Then you have the Kyrian storyline where they know the souls are going to the Maw, but since they can't do anything they continue tradition. Further hinting that us gathering souls has zero impact story and it's just a mechanic for us players to deal with.

[Combatbutler]

I think in this case based on the current story the covenants don't even know we are "catching souls". It's just more of a side quest to get renown and use as another currency. Nothing in the story hints at them knowing we are giving them souls or anything as there'd be a mention in a story somewhere by now about how we redeemed something and progress it made.

Then you have the Kyrian storyline where they know the souls are going to the Maw, but since they can't do anything they continue tradition. Further hinting that us gathering souls has zero impact story and it's just a mechanic for us players to deal with.

But story wise we did go to the maw and got souls out, even if we disregard the weekly, we saved quite a few night elf souls and brought them directly to ardenweald, meaning we circumvented the system

[Lucetia]

But story wise we did go to the maw and got souls out, even if we disregard the weekly, we saved quite a few night elf souls and brought them directly to ardenweald, meaning we circumvented the system

Yeah there are a few instances it occurs, but the OP was mentioning the each week quest which is essentially "non-existent" in the storyline. I know the storyline itself had a few instances and that was progressed when we captured something. Night Fae had the quest where they rescued some of Teladrassil, but so far that is where the story stopped on it. Everything is though pretty much never occurred.

[Combatbutler]

Yeah there are a few instances it occurs, but the OP was mentioning the each week quest which is essentially "non-existent" in the storyline. I know the storyline itself had a few instances and that was progressed when we captured something. Night Fae had the quest where they rescued some of Teladrassil, but so far that is where the story stopped on it. Everything is though pretty much never occurred.

The few instances are already enough though, the arbiter is supposed to sort each and every soul, any soul brought to their afterlife without her looking them over is basically questioning the path and the entire system of death.

[Tykus]

I have noticed a .6 rise in overall shadowlands temperatures since we arrived. I'm thinking it's from all our mounts, mechanical pollution and the CO2 from all the poop and gas of the larger animals. Was better off without us.

[LemonDemonGirl]

Doesn't Bwonsamdi kinda screw it up too? He literaklly just yanks troll soul into De Other Side. Oh, and non-trolls too

[Nosnogard]

I have noticed a .6 rise in overall shadowlands temperatures since we arrived. I'm thinking it's from all our mounts, mechanical pollution and the CO2 from all the poop and gas of the larger animals. Was better off without us.

The science nerd in me wonders if you meassure the temperature in Rankine or Kelvin

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

Well I don't know about everyone else, but as a night fae, I only save the bunny and deer souls from the Maw, which helps offset all the stuff I kill and skin in Ardenweld itself.

[Felrane]

Doesn't Bwonsamdi kinda screw it up too? He literaklly just yanks troll soul into De Other Side. Oh, and non-trolls too

There are most likely lots of Death Gods that do the same thing. We have Bwonsamdi/Heyla/Odyn on just Azeroth. There are others minor gods like Quetz'lun who created pocket death realm to trap her followers that betrayed her. The natural flow just go to the Arbiter but if you have someone powerful backing your soul it will bypass or they have deals with Aribter to just send right to them.

[TickTickTick]

Yeah there are a few instances it occurs, but the OP was mentioning the each week quest which is essentially "non-existent" in the storyline. I know the storyline itself had a few instances and that was progressed when we captured something. Night Fae had the quest where they rescued some of Teladrassil, but so far that is where the story stopped on it. Everything is though pretty much never occurred.

Why would you think bringing the souls each week is not canon? Maybe not each week literally, but it's a big part of our cooperation with the Covenants. We constantly provide them with anima because there's a droght - thanks to that each realm is slowly being rebuild and renewed. And we constantly provide them with new souls because a). these are unjustly sent to the Maw and b). these are needed for the realms to function. In return the covenants regard us higher and higher.

[javierdsv]

The arbiter was just ensuring the outcome was "fair/just". Right now, given the drought caused by Denathrius and the impending threat that's the Jailer and the Maw filled with a ridiculous amount of Anima they can't have the luxury of nit picking anymore, anything will be helpful.

[Lolites]

arent they just stored in sanctums for now so they dont suffer in maw while arbiter is offline?

[Sorrowseer]

The Shadowlands is a massive parasitic realm, so no its just getting whats needed.

[Shelly]

arent they just stored in sanctums for now so they dont suffer in maw while arbiter is offline?

Technically the environs of the Shadowlands withdraws anima from each soul in their realm and uses it to basically keep the lights on.

For the Kyrian they cause souls to enter a meditative state and by overcoming your past you release your anima and it kinda just dissipates into the environment providing for all.

Night Fae you just embrace nature and it does much the same, you can see it in the introductory quest where you have these souls in shaped form and your helper requests some anima from one of them to do something.

Maldraxxus is a bit of a different beast, I'd assume that they just gain anima through conflict. Sort of a survival of the fittest kinda deal. Where they pit themselves against each other and even against outside threats to the Shadowlands and by doing so are able to build up their reserves.

Venthyr are the only faction that actively harvests Anima. Their entire schtick is about being indulgent in it even though it is with purpose. They force souls to actively confront their past sins and weaknesses until they eventually transcend them. Once a soul has transcended their past self they then move on to either another domain or spin the wheel again and come back - and in the cases of those that cannot atone and are exhausted, they get cast into the Maw.

[Molvonos]

I don't know if any other covenants do this, but Ysera occasionally has a quest for us to go into the maw to specifically fetch out Night Elf souls, in addition to our weekly renown soul fetch quest. Those souls are given elfin shape, versus the renown versions. And then we're just randomly releasing them into the air. I think it's less a 'we're screwing up the ecology of Shadowlands' and more a 'We're denying the Jailer weapons to fight against us'. So *anywhere* is better than the Maw for those souls.

- - - Updated - - -

*Snip*

Except that it's already been stated that the anima extracted in Revendreth is supposed to be sent to the other realms. That's their entire purpose. That's why the drought happened, when Sire D. said screw it, imma help the Jailer, and stockpiled the anima to feed into the maw instead of sending it to the other realms.

[AwkwardSquirtle]

Really interesting question - and totally exactly what I was thinking when I read the title. I think, given both the Sinstones of Revendreth and the whole cleansing that the Kyrian do, those would probably solve themselves decently quickly (especially now that the Covenants are working together - I could imagine the Stone Legion being tasked with bringing souls out of Revendreth.)

I think the bigger problem is when a really vicious soul gets shipped to Maldraxxus without the added buffer of the Houses in proper order - and it actually kinda makes me wonder if that's been happening already on a smaller scale, KT being routed to Maldraxxus seems pretty odd for example.

Not strictly related, but Necrolord players can be sent on a quest from their Abomination Factory and find a history book in Revendreth where the author states her belief that the Arbiter was intentionally sending war criminals to Maldraxxus in order to use them to defend the Shadowlands, rather than to Revendreth where they justly belonged.

[Shelly]

Except that it's already been stated that the anima extracted in Revendreth is supposed to be sent to the other realms. That's their entire purpose. That's why the drought happened, when Sire D. said screw it, imma help the Jailer, and stockpiled the anima to feed into the maw instead of sending it to the other realms.

No. We're sent to Revendreath because Denathrius and the harvesters have ways of obtaining anima that the other realms lack. Those vats of the stuff are the anima he stole from his people in various tithes and by doing things like overloading souls and turning them into massive anima fonts which will eventually ruin them.

Those vats are just Venthyr anima, no one else's.

Part of the way you can tell is that the anima used by each region is color coded too, which is how we know Denathrius short circuited the Arbiter because of the massive red anima blob she got bukake'd with.

- - - Updated - - -

Not strictly related, but Necrolord players can be sent on a quest from their Abomination Factory and find a history book in Revendreth where the author states her belief that the Arbiter was intentionally sending war criminals to Maldraxxus in order to use them to defend the Shadowlands, rather than to Revendreth where they justly belonged.

That just sounds like a greedy bitey boy whining about not getting enough to drink.