SPOILER [Theory] The Dern Portal and how the Olm Doomed Themselves

Hello everyone! This is my third theory in a row that talks about the Olm (can you blame me, they are a very interesting topic in Wynncraft and I feel like the world's pre-history and its ancient civilizations aren't covered enough), but I think this one is the one that, if it were true, would have the most "effect" on Wynn's lore. Now, as with many other theories, this one is one that's already been discussed in the lore discord, and that a lot of people in the community already believe is true. But, I wanted to compile all of the evidence that support this theory into one post and hopefully, the rest of the community can give it a read.

So, from the title of the theory you might have an idea of what I will be talking about, and indeed the topic of this theory and the point I'd like to prove is that:

The Olm's actions led to their own demise, and if it were not for the Olm, the Darkness (likely) would have never entered Wynn's realm.

But what do I mean by "actions", and why do I say that the Darkness would have never invaded the Wynn world and the Silent Expanse? I will explain, but first, let me set two points in stone:

1. The Olm had rune magic

For those who read my other theories or are very lore-savvy, this should be pretty obvious, but it's a central point to this theory. The main pieces of evidence are the quest "The Olmic Rune" (where you dig under the Olmic Cathedral in the ruined city and find a Tol Altar, Tol is a rune as we know), and the fact that Asher's Shovel in Deja Vu says that it has runes on its handle. As Old Man Martyn tells us, the shovel that Asher owns is a shovel that was used by Olmic builders to create the Time Valley, and it has the power to send people back in time. This also proves that rune magic can alter time, something that we already know.

2. Rune magic can alter spacetime and sometimes destroy the fabric of realms

I've already said that rune magic can alter time, proven by Asher's shovel, so what about space? Well, for that, let's look at the lore for the Secret Discovery, "Fracture in Reality":

"When the runes were combined ages ago, the Forgery burst from the ground. Sealed by its anchors is a mysterious fracture in space and time from which the structure draws its power."

The secret discovery tells us that, when the runes were combined (according to Az's item lore, this caused a catastrophe that ended a civilization, though item lore is iffy), spacetime itself was fractured which is where the Forgery draws its power from. Therefore, it appears that if a powerful enough reaction between runes can happen, they will be able to bend not just time, but also space. It should also be pointed out that the area where we get the secret discovery is a completely empty and dark expanse, most likely the Void, implying that fracturing spacetime can also mess up realm structures and bring parts of the Void where they shouldn't be. This will be important later.

Speaking of the Void, know where else it appears where it shouldn't? That's right, in the Sky Islands, formerly known as the Ahms Region. As we know, the Ahms Colossus that presided over the land went haywire and fractured the entire region, with some chunks of the region being forcefully brought into the Void by the Colossus' power. If the theory about the Colossi being powered by rune magic is true (https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-goliaths-and-the-colossis-true-nature.289141/), this gives further proof that runes are capable of shifting entire areas into the Void (a space that is only supposed to be the empty space between realms) and warp spacetime in the process.


Now that we know that the Olm were in possession of a power that could shatter spacetime and warp the structures of realms, let's look at an area that seems to fit that very description: a place where the normal laws of the realms seem to break apart, where islands of Void float aimlessly in an empty space, and where at the end of it all lays a portal to another realm: the Dern Portal.



If you've ever been to the Dern Portal before, you'll surely have noticed that, as I said, the landscape around this ancient portal is completely warped and destroyed beyond comprehension, so much so that it looks like a part of the Void between realms was brought into our own realm. And I don't think that this destroyed landscape is a result of the Dern Portal itself, or that the influence of darkness is destroying everything beyond recognition. Why?

First off, I wouldn't find it likely that the Silent Expanse would be the only area in the entire world where such an environment exists, if this warping of the land was truly a result of the portal's influence, simply because a similar effect would be happening in the area around the portal to the Realm of Light (and no, the Darkness isn't doing this because Light = good and Dark = bad, both are neutral forces of influence that only exist to fight eachother, as is also implied in the RoL questline) and maybe even around the portal to the Nether.

Second, you'd think that as the influence of the Darkness only got deeper and deeper, it wouldn't just be this tiny area that suffers such destruction of boundaries between realms, but the entirety of the Silent Expanse.

Speaking of "tiny area", have you noticed how this destroyed landscape suddenly ends at some point? That point being... the Eldritch Outlook.

And that brings me to my next topic: There are Olmic buildings EVERYWHERE in the Portal to Dern area, and one of those buildings is the barrier between the Portal area and the rest of the world.

And yes, I do find it likely that the Eldritch Outlook was built by the Olm: there are statues engraved into the sides of the building that represent humanoid creatures riding horses (similar to those found on the Great Bridge), the architecture is very Olmic-looking (although the colors are different), and the Dern Beast refers to it as "the tower", not something an architect would say about their own construction.

Anyways, that's not it when it comes to Olmic buildings in this region. There are way more, take a look:

https://imgur.com/a/EzfjEVu

The last one is especially interesting: it's not just some lone tower, it's what appears to be an entire base of operations, with walls, lighting and big buildings.

There was definitely a big Olmic presence here, these buildings and that enormous palace are a testament to that. Yet, this is basically the only place in the entire Expanse where there's such a concentration of buildings and constructs outside of the Olmic City: across the rest of the region there are only lone, small buildings or destroyed ruins. Why?

Finally, we are reaching our conclusion. Recall how, where there's failed experiments with runes, there's Void and fractures in reality, and recall how the Olm were known to use runes. I believe that this area was used by the Olm to intensely test or use the powers of rune magic, with the Eldritch Outlook being the "barrier" between this area and the rest of their civilization (therefore explaining why the Outlook has a very rectangular structure and stretches from mountain to mountain, and also why it has two gates). Yet, the experiments went awry and, much like with the Forgery, caused a disaster that teared realm barriers and spacetime apart.

The only difference is that the Forgery's fracture was sealed by chains. There was nothing to seal what the Olm had done.

And so, the Portal to Dern area warped and became very Void-like, with chunks of the land becoming floating islands or drifting into the emptiness, and the effect might have spread in smaller scale to the Void Valley (this would also explain where the floating islands in the "Space Between Realities" secret discovery come from). Now, we come to our final question: Why is the Dern Portal there? Why couldn't it have been closer to the Olmic City, where it could've caused more damage, or heck, even in Wynn or Gavel where it could've directly competed with the Light? Wouldn't it be a more strategic position for the Darkness?

The answer is: It couldn't be anywhere else. Think about it - the structure of the realms is robust, but when the Olm caused a disaster in the Portal to Dern area and weakened/destroyed the realm boundaries there, it was the perfect opportunity for the Darkness to seep into our world and create the Dern Portal that we know today.

And so, if this theory is correct, not only did the Olm doom themselves by allowing a foreign force to enter their land and conquer it, but also the entire world - I don't know if the War of the Realms and the Corruption still would have happened if the Darkness never entered the Silent Expanse, but I doubt it. If only they had been more careful with their runes...

Oh, and to quickly answer a question some may have: how do I explain the Secret Discovery "Otherworldly Occurrence", which talks about a similar thing but in the Eyeball Forest? Well, look at the discovery lore, and you'll soon find your answer:

"The connection between our world and other realms has been shattered and warped as the war of corruption evolved."

This speaks of the war of CORRUPTION, which began in 0 AP, yet we know that the destruction of the Silent Expanse and the arrival of Darkness happened way before the start of the Corruption Wars, so I believe that these two events are not connected (or, well, they might be connected, but one does not contradict the other).

TL;DR: Much like what happened with the Forgery, the Olm experimented with rune magic but their experiments went awry, which led to the fabric of realms and spacetime to break, allowing the Darkness to seep into our realm.

Thanks for reading!

 

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