SPOILERS: Shadowlands Lore Thread

[adcesamo]

people trying to defend the cinematic just make it more hilarious

They didn't care to put so much thoghts in the kidnaping scene, why should we be thinking so much just to justify those things?

[Dagoth Ur]

Pretty sure the implication from the cinematic is that the cloud cover was both exceedingly quick and patently unnatural. It was likely a clear day prior to the Mawsworn bringing the cover of darkness with them like a pall.

Then the question of where all the guards were still remains the mystery.

My bet is that Anduin realizes that even though he's the king he doesn't need to feel threatend walking around unguarded in an utopian city-state such as Stormwind where all the folks are so well intentioned and kind. Even more so when we take into consideration his unparalleled battle prowess.

[bagina]

Pretty sure the implication from the cinematic is that the cloud cover was both exceedingly quick and patently unnatural. It was likely a clear day prior to the Mawsworn bringing the cover of darkness with them like a pall.

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None your examples here really change the essential point that magic aside, the world operates on the same basic rules. Lightning is just as lethal on Azeroth as our world, conductivity still works, gravity pulls, etc. etc.

I disagree but whatever. That's beside the point, it doesn't change the fact that there are literally hundreds of ways people on Azeroth could protect themselves from natural lightnings, trying to explain the absence of the gryphon riders with them being afraid of getting struck by lightning is ridiculous.

[Aucald]

Then the question of where all the guards were still remains the mystery.

My bet is that Anduin realizes that even though he's the king he doesn't need to feel threatend walking unguarded in an utopian city-state such as Stormwind where all the folks are so well intentioned and kind. Even more so when we take into consideration his unparallel battle prowess.

Anduin is pretty well liked by people in Stormwind, so there would be little need for him to travel with a retinue of guards at all times. Plus as was established in Shadows Rising he's notably cavalier with his personal safety in any case. He was also visiting his father's memorial which would likely be a personal experience, not one where you'd want the tromp of a battalion around. Genn was also right beside him, so it's not like he was completely and unrealistically unguarded to begin with.

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I disagree but whatever. That's beside the point, it doesn't change the fact that there are literally hundreds of ways people on Azeroth could protect themselves from natural lightnings, trying to explain the absence of the gryphon riders with them being afraid of getting struck by lightning is ridiculous.

If you've followed the extensive back and forth you would likely see that all these points have been covered. The cutscene even makes a point of demonstrating that even trained war-mounts like Reverence are deeply unnerved by the mere proximity of the Mawsworn before they even rightly appear. The Gryphons may well not have deigned to follow an order to intercept if it had even been given.

[Wilfire]

All of them just happened to be yoinked while standing around looking DRAMATIC.

It wouldn't hurt to add a little realism. Have Thrall be yoinked while playing with his kids. Jaina could be yoinked while signing some paperwork in the grand admiral's office. Tyrande could be yoinked while pissing in the woods. Baine could surrender himself willingly to keep his pal Anduin company.

The way the cinematic was framed it looked like they were all just standing around like set pieces waiting to be yoinked.

[Dagoth Ur]

Anduin is pretty well liked by people in Stormwind, so there would be little need for him to travel with a retinue of guards at all times. Plus as was established in Shadows Rising he's notably cavalier with his personal safety in any case. He was also visiting his father's memorial which would likely be a personal experience, not one where you'd want the tromp of a battalion around. Genn was also right beside him, so it's not like he was completely and unrealistically unguarded to begin with.

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If you've followed the extensive back and forth you would likely see that all these points have been covered. The cutscene even makes a point of demonstrating that even trained war-mounts like Reverence are deeply unnerved by the mere proximity of the Mawsworn before they even rightly appear. The Gryphons may well not have deigned to follow an order to intercept if it had even been given.

Come on. Even if we assume he intentionally didn't want to bring his personal guard there and that he dismissed the gurads that are usually stationed there so he could mourn in peace (and that it wasn't just an inconvinience for the cinematic to play out the way it did), I don't see any reason why the gryphon riders flying few hundreds feet above him who usually patrol there would interfere with his personal experience.

Anduin being an idiot and doing exactly that is something I can get behind though.

[Feanoro]

I disagree but whatever. That's beside the point, it doesn't change the fact that there are literally hundreds of ways people on Azeroth could protect themselves from natural lightnings, trying to explain the absence of the gryphon riders with them being afraid of getting struck by lightning is ridiculous.

If you haven't noticed, the last few pages have been several posters pointing out flaws, both logical and those that violate WoW's setting rules, and then the lone champion defending Blizzard with ever increasing headcanon and personal attacks against the critics.

[bagina]

Anduin is pretty well liked by people in Stormwind, so there would be little need for him to travel with a retinue of guards at all times. Plus as was established in Shadows Rising he's notably cavalier with his personal safety in any case. He was also visiting his father's memorial which would likely be a personal experience, not one where you'd want the tromp of a battalion around. Genn was also right beside him, so it's not like he was completely and unrealistically unguarded to begin with.

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If you've followed the extensive back and forth you would likely see that all these points have been covered. The cutscene even makes a point of demonstrating that even trained war-mounts like Reverence are deeply unnerved by the mere proximity of the Mawsworn before they even rightly appear. The Gryphons may well not have deigned to follow an order to intercept if it had even been given.

Then the cinematic should've covered that. Sure, what's the point of showing anything in a cinematic if the ever obedient audience can just imagine it? What's the point of explaining anything in a believable manner if the audience can just come up with convenient and convoluted explanations themselves? What's the point of even making a fucking cinematic in the first place? Audience will do the work for you. I know you would be happy if the cinematic consisted of Ion just asking the audience to imagine a scene where faction leaders are abducted in a way that makes sense, but we're judging the thing as is.

[Aucald]

Come on. Even if we assume he intentionally didn't want to bring his personal guard there and that he dismissed the gurads that are usually stationed there so he could mourn in peace (and that it wasn't just an inconvinience for the cinematic to play out the way it did), I don't see any reason why the gryphon riders flying few hundreds feet above him who usually patrol there would interfere with his personal experience.

Anduin being an idiot and doing exactly that is something I can get behind though.

I mean I agree it would've been cool to see it, but it's just a 2:12 cutscene - if it had *everything* necessary to address the various criticisms and quibbles it'd be eight minutes long and chock full of set pieces. A fight with Jaina, Baine, Tyrande, and Anduin, addressing any possible guards or gryphons, etc. etc. Perhaps if there's a novelization of the events or some such it might get that kind of extended treatment, but who can really say.

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Then the cinematic should've covered that. Sure, what's the point of showing anything in a cinematic if the ever obedient audience can just imagine it? What's the point of explaining anything in a believable manner if the audience can just come up with convenient and convoluted explanations themselves? What's the point of even making a fucking cinematic in the first place? Audience will do the work for you. I know you would be happy if the cinematic consisted of Ion just asking the audience to imagine a scene where faction leaders are abducted in a way that makes sense, but we're judging the thing as is.

Because it's a video game and a little bit of imagination is sort of required at the end of the day? It's not really a big ask, nor did I find it very taxing to cover the majority of the bases the cutscene left sketched or implied. I mean I think I know where you're trying to come from, but do you really think a 2-minute cutscene is really going to cover that much breadth of story? Seems like an impressive ask, and at the risk of conjuring the ghost of last decade's meme, going that in depth and covering every single little aspect and element of what's really an overleaf might've cost us a raid tier. As for that last bit, not so much - but then hyperbole often stands in where common sense drops the ball, I suppose. I find the strange "you're with us in criticism or against us" mentality to be kind of funny, as if it were a fraternity that if you find yourself outside of then you're branded a "white knight" or a shill (pretty blatantly, apparently). I tend to conserve my criticism for where it's most needed or most appropriate, as it were; and this doesn't really seem like the best spot. To each their own, though; I won't stand in the way of other people's critical enjoyment.

[Feanoro]

I find the strange "you're with us in criticism or against us" mentality to be kind of funny

If you don't want such to develop, you might not want to brand critics as complainers, disdainful, dishonest, demanding, incapable of suspension of disbelief, lacking common sense, and all the other venom you used in lieu of actual arguments addressing the criticisms.

@bagina's comment that the audience shouldn't be expected to invent elaborate explanations to fill in the plot holes is spot on.

[Aucald]

If you don't want such to develop, you might not want to brand critics as complainers, disdainful, dishonest, demanding, incapable of suspension of disbelief, lacking common sense, and all the other venom you used in lieu of actual arguments addressing the criticisms.

bagina's comment that the audience shouldn't be expected to invent elaborate explanations to fill in the plot holes is spot on.

I can't really claim credit for its creation, it existed long before my time here, and I have little doubt it'll persist well after I'm gone.

I would say bagina's take is spot on as well, *if* I agreed there were any major plot holes in need of filling, except I don't actually agree with that take in this particular case. I also think any work of fiction requires essential buy-in from its audience to actually work, or else you face the same issues with essential disbelief ad nauseum. This isn't to say the audience should be forced to paper over bare walls or lay down their foundations, there's a happy medium between the audience having to take up the writer's job for them and the audience being led by the nose like a recalcitrant donkey and forcing every single story-element to be supported by ten pages of exposition (though there are writers for whom that's their stock in trade, unfortunately). WoW's story has always been rough around the edges and sketched as opposed to belabored, after all.

[Skytotem]

Plot holes are less the issue than the story just being unsatisfying and increasingly less compelling.

Blizz has clearly tried to build up Baine as someone the Horde should care about, but most Horde players despise him.


Blizz is trying to play up Shadowlands as being the 'original and better' examples of many things in earlier WoW, but instead all it's done is cheapen those concepts for many players.

[Feanoro]

I can't really claim credit for its creation, it existed long before my time here, and I have little doubt it'll persist well after I'm gone.

Your participation is this thread is neither "before your time here" nor "well after I'm gone." Nice try shifting the goalposts to the forum overall instead of this thread.

This isn't to say the audience should be forced to paper over bare walls

Except that's exactly what you're having to do to excuse all the objections people have made. Just like with BfA, we're forced to ignore elements that are glaringly absent with no excuse for those absences. No one is criticizing your ability to come up with such explanations, but rather pointing out that's not your job. It's on the writers to have a story that respects consistency and the rules of the setting. They have failed to do so. Again.

[Aucald]

Your participation is this thread is neither "before your time here" nor "well after I'm gone." Nice try shifting the goalposts to the forum overall instead of this thread.

No, you implied I somehow had a hand in creating the current environment, and that is what I am refuting above. Otherwise, you're grousing about someone having a different opinion than yours and supporting said opinion with evidence, which is again more of a "you" problem than anything else.

Except that's exactly what you're having to do to excuse all the objections people have made. Just like with BfA, we're forced to ignore elements that are glaringly absent with no excuse for those absences. No one is criticizing your ability to come up with such explanations, but rather pointing out that's not your job. It's on the writers to have a story that respects consistency and the rules of the setting. They have failed to do so. Again.

Of course it's not my job - it's more or less an intellectual exercise (as well as great exercise for my imagination). BfA had a lot of problems, which is nether here nor there as concerns what we're currently discussing, and so does Shadowlands in quite a few places (e.g. they still don't seem to have a firm grasp on how to handle the realms of Death and the nature of souls/anima). But my opinion is still that this cutscene isn't an example of any of that, take it or leave it. Without telescoping this little debate out into the far reaches of BfA and beyond, that's my take on the cutscene.

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Plot holes are less the issue than the story just being unsatisfying and increasingly less compelling.

Blizz has clearly tried to build up Baine as someone the Horde should care about, but most Horde players despise him.

Eh, I don't know about all that. They have tried to play up Baine as the "heart of the Horde," so to speak, which is unfortunate because I also don't like Baine all that much when it comes to the Horde's story. But while this particular subforum seems to skew heavily towards dislike I've also heard positive things said about Baine, and he also has his fans. I also think that Thrall's return to the Horde's leadership serves as a bit of a baffle on Baine's dominance in the Horde story, and while Thrall also has issues as a character I still prefer him over Baine.

Blizz is trying to play up Shadowlands as being the 'original and better' examples of many things in earlier WoW, but instead all it's done is cheapen those concepts for many players.

That really depends on one's perspective, and I think the idea that the current writers are trying to be "original and better" is a bit cynical. What I actually think they're trying to do is restore some of the mystery to WoW's wider universe, so to speak; filling up the tank with new characters and more extensive worldbuilding as a fix to the existing well of lore having been plumbed more or less dry over WoW's lengthy 16-year run as a game. Of course not all of it works, I agree; but looking through a more charitable lens I think they saw the issue and are trying to rectify in their way.

My biggest complaint about their current direction is their stated emphasis on wanting to go "bigger, badder, and more threatening" when I actually think the game would be better served by a more intimate approach, using the existing game world and diving deeper into what's already there as opposed to expanding into a metacosm of horrors, so to speak. But tastes vary, I suppose; and some people really like the whole spectacle approach. I'm just more or less along for the ride, and I'll enjoy the good bits while grinning and bearing the bad as per usual. I had to endure BfA despite hating the faction conflict as a story element, so Shadowlands ought to be a breeze by comparison.

[Feanoro]

No, you implied I somehow had a hand in creating the current environment, and that is what I am refuting above.

I didn't imply a damn thing, I flat out said you created a "with us or against us" environment in this thread by using personal attacks on the critics, drawing adjectives from your posts. So I repeat, when confronted by that, you want to claim you meant the forum rather than this thread, when the context of my reply made it clear I was discussing the thread.

Otherwise, you're grousing about someone having a different opinion than yours and supporting said opinion with evidence

Your speculations about the problems people have raised are not facts. You made excuses and suppositions about the elements people criticized and attacked the critics. None of that is evidence.

which is again more of a "you" problem than anything else.

Yes, I know this routine. The all knowing Gatekeeper once again benevolently corrects the wayward child on his wrongthink, then reacts with wounded innocence that anyone could so misinterpret his pure intentions.

No one gives a damn if you enjoyed the cinematic or not. What people don't care for is pointing out logic and setting problems, only for you to invent explanations, try to claim they're factual, and then accuse them with your usual bag of flowery slurs about their intelligence, honesty, ability to appreciate fiction, and so on. Had you kept it to merely speculating on solutions to those problems, we wouldn't have had a multiple page circus where most people have realized it's not worth talking to you.

BfA had a lot of problems, which is nether here nor there as concerns what we're currently discussing

The core issue is writers ignoring elements that they either find inconvenient or are too lazy to research. BfA is relevant in that it was LOADED with examples of that behavior. This cinematic is yet another strike against the writers.

[Aucald]

I didn't imply a damn thing, I flat out said you created a "with us or against us" environment in this thread by using personal attacks on the critics, drawing adjectives from your posts. So I repeat, when confronted by that, you want to claim you meant the forum rather than this thread, when the context of my reply made it clear I was discussing the thread.

Right, so the entire thrust of your response was basically "no u" and trying to turn it back on me. My brief aside here followed by 3-4 people jumping directly down my throat because I dared be less than critical is pure evidence that I'm the hostile party here. Sure, I buy it - seems legit (and that's sarcasm by the by, in case it gets lost in translation somewhere).

Your speculations about the problems people have raised are not facts. You made excuses and suppositions about the elements people criticized and attacked the critics. None of that is evidence.

You obviously haven't been following the back and forth, then. Your inability to properly follow the conversation is not my failing, or my problem.

Yes, I know this routine. The all knowing Gatekeeper once again benevolently corrects the wayward child on his wrongthink, then reacts with wounded innocence that anyone could so misinterpret his pure intentions.

I have no real interest in this kind of repartee. I'm not a gatekeeper and opinions, of which we have different forms, can't really be wrong or right. You've reached one conclusion, I've reached another. End of story.

No one gives a damn if you enjoyed the cinematic or not. What people don't care for is pointing out logic and setting problems, only for you to invent explanations, try to claim they're factual, and then accuse them with your usual bag of flowery slurs about their intelligence, honesty, ability to appreciate fiction, and so on. Had you kept it to merely speculating on solutions to those problems, we wouldn't have had a multiple page circus where most people have realized it's not worth talking to you.

Obviously they do give a damn, or the last few pages wouldn't have been a 4 on 1 melee. I responded to one person who seems to have long ago dropped out of the conversation and got 4 more people trying to ridicule me. Hell, you've already outright called me an "ass," and a "white knight," among other things. So you've really got no place to talk about being insulted, not that I think anything I've really said qualifies as an insult in the first place unless you've got skin made of cellophane. Also pretty pompous of you to assume you speak for "most people," too. I don't blame people for tuning out of this though, I'd like to change the channel myself.

The core issue is writers ignoring elements that they either find inconvenient or are too lazy to research. BfA is relevant in that it was LOADED with examples of that behavior. This cinematic is yet another strike against the writers.

Agree to disagree, then.

[tommyhil622]

Do what they did with 80% of the cinematic and show the Mawsworn showing up . Cut to black with voiceovers. Cut back to Bolvar and end it like they did. You can still be at 2:12 and it would be far more effective. Hell you can make it even shorter, less animation needed. I don't think that's hard to do...

They cover the details of the abduction in the quests blurbs so we get the info anyway, and the implied abduction.

Anyway hopefully this could serve as a "middle ground" idk maybe I'm being too optimistic.

[Syegfryed]

Do what they did with 80% of the cinematic and show the Mawsworn showing up . Cut to black with voiceovers. Cut back to Bolvar and end it like they did. You can still be at 2:12 and it would be far more effective. Hell you can make it even shorter, less animation needed. I don't think that's hard to do...

They cover the details of the abduction in the quests blurbs so we get the info anyway, and the implied abduction.

Anyway hopefully this could serve as a "middle ground" idk maybe I'm being too optimistic.

they jus had to put more mawsworn, like a literally swarm of those things, so many that their power or the guard would not be enough to save then.

it don't need to show the fight, just show then coming with the characters with a "oh shit" look in the face, (not with the face of "i know some shit is going own yet im not gonna do shit about it!") then you cut to bolvar, then you show the aftermath of a battle with gen fucked on the ground

that is a cinematic i can get behind

[Feanoro]

Again, I find a lot of this be effectively whining over a story yet to be told.

I find the criticism cliched and overwrought
There's nothing circular about it, this is just complaining about the means not meeting your expectations for reasons that I find inarticulate at best, and base grumbling at worst.

You've yet to really provide a convincing argument beyond reiterating your opinion.

You kind of complain about everything, though; so that's not really going to stand out in any real sense.

I don't think it ever could be satisfactorily answered for you
Although I suspect you've already come to a conclusion here, and aren't really going to give it a chance either way - you'll be elated if it fails, and sulk if it doesn't.

That's not the Jailer's whole MO, that's mostly insubstantial speculation on your part

(I LOVE this one considering you're speculating like mad to justify things. Some speculation is more equal than others, I see.)

Well, it's pretty easy to do that if you don't have an ulterior agenda, I suppose.

Last I checked, a few people agreeing with your take didn't mean it was the truth.

According to you, perhaps.

Most of the arguments I've seen against it are the same kinds of bad faith arguments you see constantly

As for their "lack of change" you purport, this isn't borne out by the later narrative, so you're either wrong or just purposefully discounting their experiences.

That fact that a few people agree with you isn't material, and partisanship aside you share the same general disdain for WoW with Mehrunes and Feanoro.

We can't really conclude that, though; not unless you have some form of precognitive ability

And again, you are unconvinced, that's kind of "you" problem - not much to be done there.

The fact that the criticisms are similar doesn't mean anything, the praise is similar too - the fact that people parrot one another should be of no surprise to either one of us, after all.

Yeah, you sure didn't use personal attacks, no sir. Let me stop you before you try your usual tactic of trying to conflate ad hominem and insults. Even the most cursory search will point out they're not the same, so allow me to spare you the trouble of lecturing again about people needing thick skin.

These quotes have you accusing people of whining, exaggerating, complaining, inarticulation, pushing an agenda, dishonesty, bad faith, deliberately lying, and disdain. You attempt in several of them to isolate the person you're replying to, accuse them of having some personal problem for not agreeing with you, or combine personal attacks with strawmen like "precognitive ability". You attack the posters and their arguments' presentation because all you have to counter the arguments' substance is speculation. People even proposed solutions how Blizzard could have better presented things to account for the problems raised, but you attacked those as well. You claim in this thread and many others that the fault is with the audience, then act surprised when people give up talking to you and dismiss you as a white knight.

I've taken the trouble to link to each quote too, and buddy, post order shows you started slinging shit (wrapped in fancy words and phrasing), so you don't get to cry when some gets lobbed back at you.

All the people here who don't like it seems to be not liking it for different and varying reasons, when they have stated reasons.

To use one of your own little sneers, your inability to properly follow the conversation is not their failing or problem. Alternately, you're following it just fine and being dishonest. This is a great example of you trying to divide and isolate the people with whom you disagree.

This whole back and forth has telescoped into a rather exhausting four-sided melee, so I'm going to bow out at this point as I've got other things to attend to. But everyone is welcome to put in their own $0.02 if desired.

Next time you decide to flounce out because people aren't just accepting your opinion as gospel, particularly when you're attacking theirs, have the kindness to follow through.

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Separate post to get back on topic, or not, because the forum keeps tacking it onto this one.

I agree it would have been so easy for them to achieve what they wanted with just a bit more effort, or hell, even cutting pieces out. SHOW the various defenses being helpless to stop the Mawsworn. Alternately, show them appearing, cut to a shocked look on the abductee's face, cut to black, show an aftermath where the remaining people at least VOICE something about "Did you see? Nothing could stop them!" or "They passed right through X like ghosts!"

[Aucald]

(I LOVE this one considering you're speculating like mad to justify things. Some speculation is more equal than others, I see.)

You know as well as I do that like opinions, of course all speculation is not made equal. Some of it is based on and internally consistent with known information, and others are simply flights of fancy far detached from existing canon. This is a nonsensical position to take.

Yeah, you sure didn't use personal attacks, no sir. Let me stop you before you try your usual tactic of trying to conflate ad hominem and insults. Even the most cursory search will point out they're not the same, so allow me to spare you the trouble of lecturing again about people needing thick skin.

And this is plain and simple sophistry on your part, an attempt to mask your own attacks with pedantry and doubletalk.

These quotes have you accusing people of whining, exaggerating, complaining, inarticulation, pushing an agenda, dishonesty, bad faith, deliberately lying, and disdain. You attempt in several of them to isolate the person you're replying to, accuse them of having some personal problem for not agreeing with you, or combine personal attacks with strawmen like "precognitive ability". You attack the posters and their arguments' presentation because all you have to counter the arguments' substance is speculation. People even proposed solutions how Blizzard could have better presented things to account for the problems raised, but you attacked those as well. You claim in this thread and many others that the fault is with the audience, then act surprised when people give up talking to you and dismiss you as a white knight.

Which aren't insults in any way shape or form. Calling an opinion "inarticulate" says nothing bad about the person giving it, only that said opinion is either unclear or difficult to understand. Ditto for "pushing an agenda," or even "dishonest," especially if you think said opinion is arising from a biased viewpoint. An attack on an argument is not an attack on a person, neither is countering an argument with a different or better-reasoned argument. Also, in point of fact, I actually lauded several other peoples' proposed solutions - although, as I've said multiple times, I either think they're unstageable (e.g. would produce a cutscene of exorbitant length) or simply unnecessary. It would be great to have a longer cutscene, sure; no one can really deny that - but for what it is and what it's meant to do, it's not necessary. That's not, to my knowledge, "white knighting" anything. Nor did I at any point even say this was a great cinematic or the pinnacle of Blizzard's craft by any means, I've said multiple times that it's okay - there have been better, and there have been worse. I guess I'm a gray knight, then?

I've taken the trouble to link to each quote too, and buddy, post order shows you started slinging shit (wrapped in fancy words and phrasing), so you don't get to cry when some gets lobbed back at you.

I think you've gotten confused in your own bias here, but if that's the case I also doubt you're going to take me at my word in any case. Given the fact that you've basically misrepresented everything else I've said, it stands to reason you are inadvertently or willfully doing the same here.

To use one of your own little sneers, your inability to properly follow the conversation is not their failing or problem. Alternately, you're following it just fine and being dishonest. This is a great example of you trying to divide and isolate the people with whom you disagree.

Oh great, more "NO U" type rebuttal. Also of note is the fact the only person who's seeming taking this personally is yourself. Super Dickmann and I cross swords all the time, but we tend to do it amicably and even occasionally come away with a new perspective, if nothing else. You're just being unnecessarily crude.

Next time you decide to flounce out because people aren't just accepting your opinion as gospel, particularly when you're attacking theirs, have the kindness to follow through.

Wait, I thought that was a bad thing? Didn't you just recently upbraid me for withdrawing from a conversation? Seems hypocritical of you.

Separate post to get back on topic, or not, because the forum keeps tacking it onto this one.

I agree it would have been so easy for them to achieve what they wanted with just a bit more effort, or hell, even cutting pieces out. SHOW the various defenses being helpless to stop the Mawsworn. Alternately, show them appearing, cut to a shocked look on the abductee's face, cut to black, show an aftermath where the remaining people at least VOICE something about "Did you see? Nothing could stop them!" or "They passed right through X like ghosts!"

I've agreed with that multiple times, and will continue to do so. That would've made an okay cutscene into a pretty good one, in my view. I think the intent was to convey that, as well; as I've previously argued - but it was sketched as opposed to demonstrated, such as with bits like Reverence reacting to what was occurring before the Mawsworn actually appeared.