#the witneramis relationship is SO wasted...

[savior-of-the-ink]

The essay on Eramis's redemption arc is taking longer than I thought, so we're padding out by analyzing the Path of Least Resistance loretab.

First of all, credits where credits are due, as this reflection was actually inspired by a very specific fanart that back in the day made me pause and go: "wait, this makes perfect sense" (which in turn inspired me to write the Spider Dance short fic, but that's another story).

So, what is the situation with this loretab then?

A quick sum-up because we're talking about 2022 stuff: the Witness offers Eramis "a gift", which is a fallen comrade of hers called Phyris, being returned as a Scorn. Eramis, predictably, is not thrilled at the prospect of seeing her friend' bodies horribly violated by being resurrected as literal zombies.

This is not the only instance of the Witness bringing back Eramis's acquaintances with this method, as later on in the season it does the same with Praksis for the exotic mission of the warsat station. After seeing this, most people, both fans and in-game characters, were quick to label this "gift" as a punishment for Eramis after failing at seizing Nezarec's relics the previous season.

Although I haven't played through Seraph, so it is possible that I have missed any clarifying dialogues, I would beg to differ.

As I have already stated once, I prefer to consider what the Witness calls gifts as clumsy attempts at fulfilling its Disciples' needs, more than supposed manipulations. I just fail to see any genuine malice, as anything the Witness does always feels like it is struggling with doing favors while also being confidently incorrect regarding its Disciples' needs. In this case it is quite subtle, but Calus's cutscenes in Lightfall (the first one, mostly) shows it a little clearer: The Witness Does Not Get The Point (but not in a bad way).

It is implied that the Witness cares little for material and/or present benefits, as everything is going be perfectly resolved with the fulfilment of the Final Shape: why give something now when everything will be granted later on? Regardless, it has to keep its Disciples faithfully at its side for the time being and to do that it must make a few concessions.

Rhulk and Nezarec virtually had no reason to want anything more than the already present opportunities while Eramis and Calus seem a little more demanding before offering their service: they have their own agendas, they require that "something now" and, because it needs practical support, it will allow it. But, because it doesn't get the importance of what it is asked, it is unable to connect with its followers on a deeper lever.

Without a clear purpose and because it can't work without one, it goes for the safest route, one that it can easily understand, and tries to satisfy the most immediate requests and needs. It's a mathematical process, a scripted exchange, logical and infallible: for Calus, it's a glorious new body and a ship filled with luxury and devoted followers, even if the space is void of any joy and his is a legion of brainless clones; for Eramis, it's the promise of companionship persisting even after death, even when it is warped beyond recognition and (ironically) salvation. Perhaps Eramis's company itself was presented to bring solace to Xivu's loneliness in the absence of her sister, although the Kell greatly resents her new allies and it's impossible to create a connection.

If there is something it can do, the Witness will do it because it made a vow of providing its children in ways the Traveler could never, yet the struggle is so painfully clear with every interaction, how it just doesn't know where to bang its head against when it comes to actually relating to its followers. Every "gift" is its way to say: "Was not this what you needed? It was? No problem then, get settled so we can get back to work because this is getting pretty awkward for me and I have no idea whether I'm doing this right". It just doesn't make sense to it, but it could make the Disciples happy, so it's worth a shot.

Going back to the loretab, here is my overall interpretation under this point of view:

upon freeing Eramis at the beginning of Plunder, the Witness was well aware that her comrades had all been killed and her house was in shambles

for this reason, while still needing her on the field, it assigned her to an alternative eliksni group, the Old Crews, to make sure she had affinity with her new allies and was to quickly bounce back from the coma to her role as the Kell of Darkness

unfortunately, with the death of the pirate leaders culminating in that of Araks, Eramis was thrown out because her mission kept the Guardian coming back for more slaughter and that was highly unconventional

on top of that, the Darkness feeds on emotions: if Eramis was feeing somewhat hopeless/suicidal after the season's events, wouldn't have the Witness picked up on it in some way?

seeing how she was alone once again at the beginning of Seraph, the Witness decided to "think outside of the box" and used the Scorn as a way to give her back her dead comrades and hopefully keep her morale high

of course, Eramis didn't catch any of that because the Witness's response to her failure had been immediate and felt like mockery, a desecration of her people and everything she held dear wearing the face of her dead friends: it was deemed a punishment because it hurt her on a spiritual level

but the Witness couldn't even begin to imagine that: it needed Eramis alive and mentally stable, so it had given her what she was lacking, by all accounts she was meant to be fine

not like Eramis could have ever voiced her refusal, so it probably believed it was doing pretty good at it as well

TL, DR: it is now confirmed that half of the plot points in this game could be solved in three seconds flat if the characters FUCKING COMMUNICATED WITH EACH OTHER. Also, the Witness is autistic-coded on an eldritch level, quod erat demonstrandum.