There used to be a Jolyon Till Lore master post floating around, but I've lost track of it so I'm making my own. Tagging @purplegalaxy99 ✨
Edit: master post has been found! Thank you @thefirstknife
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Jolyon Till was the friend and partner of Uldren Sov, and a current acquaintance of Crow. He is described as tall, with "narrow intelligent eyes" and blue skin, and was perceived as "happy-go-lucky" before Uldren's downfall. He is known for his skills as a Crow (Awoken intelligence) and a sniper, though he also works as a scout.
Note: though the nature of his relationship with Uldren isn't explicitly stated, it is generally interpreted as romantic, the same way Osiris and Saint-14's relationship was interpreted before being officially confirmed.
Jolyon is mostly known for breaching the Black Garden alongside Uldren [The Forsaken Prince], but he also created the Lord of Wolves shotgun. His signature weapon is the Supremacy, a rapid-fire sniper rifle; his secondary weapon, like all other scouts, is a Vestian Dynasty sidearm.
Not much is known about Jolyon's personal life, though Uldren knew "everything about him." He knew someone named Laviska [1] and attended the same combat academy as Uldren [2], and is known to be rational, but it is unknown whether he is a Distributary Awoken or has any family or loved ones besides the Sovs.
Like Petra and the Techeuns, he can travel to / from / around the Dreaming City but is not tied to its curse. Whether this is because he didn't die during the curse's activation (like Amrita did), or simply due to the inconsistencies within the curse lore, is currently unknown.
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Edit:
Jolyon has been mentioned twice in-game: first in this memory from Haunted, then in this radio message from Wish.
(Thanks @theforsakenprince for the addition!)
Editing this for future readers, link to better version is also in the comments.
IRL Fact: Flamingoes get their distinctive color from eating algae, brine shrimp, etc.
D2 Fact: Flamingoes that live in the Distributary [Awoken homeworld] are blue.
Headcanon: Flamingoes in the Distributary eat bioluminescent algae and plankton (similar to the ones in real life) that contain sapphirin rather than carotenoids.
The Awoken: are in contact with the Nine; know of / have access to multiple planes of existence, including places connected to the Nine (Rhea, Venus, etc); and Mara has a throne in Unknown Space
The Nine: "Nah. Let's run over Nella Davis with a paracausal train then send her Guardian self an old-fashioned distress signal. That'll be way funnier."
Thinking about obscure Awoken lore, like silver, the currency of the Reef, and star-silk, a type of Awoken fabric. I really need to compile them all so I have them for future use. 🫠
Anyway, did you know that Ager's Scepter [and possibly other SotL weapons] were inspired by musical instruments? Congrats, now you know.
Someone (I don't remember where) asked what the Awoken's funeral rituals were. They thought there was a lore tab about "The Awoken holding their breath whenever someone was buried," but couldn't recall where the lore was from. Well I have good news... and bad news.
The good news is that I remember that lore and found it again after some digging. It's Awoken-specific dialogue from Sedia during Week 2 of Forsaken's original curse loop. The bad news is that it says nothing about the Awoken's funeral rituals - only that the Reefborn often recognize Awoken Guardians.
While Distributary Awoken had funerary boats, nothing is known about Reefborn or Earthborn traditions. Uldren did lie in state and the Crows commissioned a weapon for his funeral, but he was mostly likely an exception because he was both royalty and a popular figure. And although Sedia is shown preparing the bodies of fallen Corsairs, it is unknown if she is preparing them for burning, burial, or another type of funeral.
There are other memorial practices, like carving statues [or planting trees for the MIA] and tying bouquets. But it is unclear if/how/when they tie into the actual funerals and how widespread they are.
tl;dr: we don't know, but there are glimpses. 🤷🏻♀️
Decided to take my own stab at Void sickness since the idea has been simmering in my head for a while, and I've recently seen an uptick in posts about Void-related effects (listed below).
general traits || super effects || Frenzies || Void sickness by @great-shot-terrible-gambler || Void sickness by @songs-of-future-past
As I previously mentioned in "RZ and the Void," my headcanon is that Void users have (2) main stereotypes: empty (tired, hungry, emotionally drained) and devouring (eating, sleeping, and/or seeking fulfillment). These wouldn't apply to all users ofc, but it got me thinking:
What would happen if the Void was overused?
In my opinion, Lightbearers who exclusively use Void are exempt from most of its ill effects. Yes, they still need to anchor themselves to avoid losing their identity, but they never lose control of their Light. Lightbearers who predominantly use Void, but also use other paracausal powers, are still susceptible to Void sickness but rarely experience it.
For everyone else, Void sickness would come in (3) stages: Hunger, Starvation, and Famine.
Hunger is the most common form of sickness, and the easiest to overcome. Just like physical hunger, symptoms include low energy, cramps, cravings, and general irritability. Supers require more Light to cast; class abilities take longer to recharge; Void Breaches occur more often, but are less effective. Void users are encouraged to switch to Solar, rest, and eat but not overeat.
Symptoms usually resolve within a few hours to a few days, depending on circumstances.
Starvation is the "burnout" phase of Void usage. Extreme hunger is accompanied by migraines, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion and aggression [or confusion]. Void users have trouble sleeping, resting, or focusing, and may binge-eat or drink excessively to self-soothe. Some also engage in risky behavior to maintain the Light needed for supers/abilities, resulting in a vicious downward spiral.
Physical changes are often subtle - while many expect things like blackened eyes and seeping Void energy, the real symptoms include under-eye bags, sunken cheeks, cyanosis, and pallor. Awoken lose the "glow" to their eyes and Exos' bio-lights flicker or appear more dim. (Exos are often overlooked as their bodies are inorganic.)
To combat Starvation, Void users are ordered to rest, eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids [if human or Awoken], and avoid using paracausal powers. Physical and mental therapy are encouraged.
Famine is the final, and most dangerous, stage of Void sickness. It is the stereotypical "beserk, indiscriminate, devours-everything-in-its-path" sickness that everyone associates with Void. Its symptoms vary from Void user to Void user, but can include things like:
heightened sensitivity to Light (allows user to track Light sources and Devour them)
ability to drain nearby persons of their Light without casting a super
unconscious ability to make nearby persons feel Weakened or Suppressed
inability to retain Light, causing the Void to seep from their body or cloud around them
extreme [sometimes mindless] aggression bordering on bloodthirstiness
for some, a desire to destroy; for others, a simple desperation to satisfy their hunger
extremely cold body temps, which result in cold injuries for humans and brittleness for Exos, and a paradoxical increase of Light in Awoken skin (due to their origins in deep space)
physical manifestation of any fears about the Void, like blackened eyes [or no eyes], black maw, fangs, and claws
muffled hearing - tuning them into the Void at the cost of everything else
Although Famine is fortunately rare, it generally cannot be resolved without killing the affected Void user, since it requires complete severance from the Void itself. The user will also lose their ability to wield Void for a time, though they may feel its pull.
Meditation, therapy and self-discipline exercise are mandatory for Lightbearers associated with the Vanguard.
But what about Lightbearers who exclusively use Void? What protects them from Famine?
Void-only Lightbearers interact with the Void in 1 of 2 ways: they're constantly balancing on The Edge, precisely knowing and testing their limits, or they conserve energy like a predator and find ever-increasing ways to draw out more Light for themselves. Either way, they come to know the Void intimately, resulting a phenomenon known as Ascension.
Ascension is almost like a foil to Famine. Rather than being fueled by ruthless destruction, Void users wield their Light like a knife, cutting away what will feed them the most. Sometimes it's a horde of Thrall, sometimes it's a single Knight. The user remains entirely in control when using their abilities/super and any manifestation is of their own making (claws, fangs, blades, bows).
"Ascension" has been observed in multiple well-known Void users, including Ikora Rey, Saint-14, and Pahanin. @themetalmenace is unofficially confirmed to have reached "Ascension" as well.
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Author's note- I'm aware of the similarities between my headcanons and the ones I linked. "Famine" was specifically inspired by "Void Frenzies," but is based on the 2022 Void 3.0 update, comparing D1 to D2 Void aspects, and tracking the Iron Medallions via their Light in the Gjallarhorn mission.
Everything else is based on my experience as a Void Guardian; maladies like hunger, iron deficiency, the flu, emotional burnout, and depression; vampires; black holes; and this old comment from Discord.⤵️
All that being said, I don't own the concept of Void sickness, and any comments/additions are welcome!
While kvetching about the "Ash & Iron" rewards pass, I found an interesting inconsistency in the Edge of Fate's official description.
It says: "Guardians will track a mysterious signal to a location at the edge of the solar system, where they will uncover a truth that redefines their future."
It also says: "Hidden deep within the Reef, a new destination awaits: the mysterious planetoid of Kepler."
This doesn't seem like much at first glance, but the Reef is located in the main asteroid belt (as evidenced by the Vestian Web), whereas Kepler is located in the Oort Cloud [beyond the Kuiper Belt].
So Kepler couldn't be "deep within the Reef," bc it isn't near the Reef at all:
And before you ask, none of the Reef's named locations include anything in the Kuiper Belt or beyond the heliopause. Also, while the Awoken do utilize the Ley Lines*, the Aionians have no record of the Awoken- so it's unlikely that the 2 civilizations made prior contact.
*The Ley Lines aren't completely known or charted either, according to Mara.
What does this mean? Probably nothing. I just thought it was interesting. 🙃
