As lore often appears in games, Forspoken doesn’t necessarily lay out the facts about the war with the Rheddig in plain terms, or even present much knowledge about these foreign invaders at all. That being said, there are a few areas throughout the game that might hint at how the history of Athia has been seen from forces outside the protection of the Tanta.
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The Lost History of Athia’s War in Forspoken
According to Forspoken’s archive, the truth behind the war with the Rheddig has been lost over time. This is mostly caused by the massive loss of knowledge that happened as a result of The Break destroying the majority of Athia and reducing its world down to a single city. What little remains of records from the war with the Rheddig show a dominating force spreading over Athia, only leaving after being rebuffed by Tanta Sila and her army riding into battle.
Interestingly, this war that had such an impact on Athia’s lore only lasted about five months before citizens started writing about rebuilding. So, the Rheddig arrived hard and fast, leaving destruction in their wake, before being cast away as fast as they had first appeared. However, while the Rheddig seem to have appeared and left scars on Athia out of nowhere, this isn’t the first antagonizing force that Forspoken’s Tanta have had to face.
The First Tanta’s Conflict with the Rheddah
Sealed within Forspoken’s Locked Labyrinths is a series of lore dumps from two different time periods where Athia was attacked by an imposing force. The most recent is when the Rheddig arrived and plunged into these chambers, allowing them to discover what they saw as a weapon that could bring Athia to its knees. Players can also learn of a conflict with the people of Rheddah from the ancient past, who originally lived alongside the Athians before summoning the demon Susurrus in a mad grab for power.
Susurrus himself is the weapon that has been sealed away in these Locked Labyrinths, and is eventually used by the Rheddig in order to destroy Athia once and for all. The result is that across millennia, multiple Tanta have fought against Susurrus and his masters in the form of the ancient Rheddah and the newly invading Rheddig. It’s this eons-long conflict that eventually leads to Forspoken’s looming specter of The Break that warps Athia.
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A Spurned People Returning for Revenge
The connections between the Rheddah and the Rheddig can’t be understated, as even Susurrus in Forspoken’s final boss fight only calls out the massacre enacted on one of them. Considering the amount of time that passed between the rejection of the Rheddah and the invasion of the Rheddig, it is entirely possible that these two peoples are of the same origin, with the Rheddig being descendants of the Rheddah.
Beyond the revelation that these two factions might be the same people, there is also a hint from some legends throughout Athia as to why the Rheddah originally attacked. A simple piece of Forspoken’s lore that can be added to the archive while exploring parts of Athia tells the story of a woman with incredible powers who turns down a man’s proposal as he is only looking to control her powers for himself. With so much knowledge of the past lost to time, this surviving fairy tales would appear to be unnecessary, unless it is a fabled retelling of the original Tanta and her rejection of the Rheddah who first summoned Susurrus.
If this is the case, that could also mean that the return of the Rheddig is tied to this same legend, where their own people are told a version of events from the man who was cast out. This would explain why the Rheddig are so desperate to dominate Athia, and willing to release Susurrus in an effort to slaughter the entire country. The revenge is two-fold, as both vengeance for being robbed of their original homeland and recompense for a perceived slight against one of their ancient kings. At the same time, this would make it understandable that the people of Athia were unaware of the rage of the Rheddig, as there are secrets hidden in the halls of the Locked Labyrinths.
The Cycle Could Start Again After Forspoken
Another piece of evidence that points to this theme of men driven mad after being spurned by the godly Tanta comes from the actual events in Forspoken’s middle chapters. Councilman Jennesh served under Tanta Cinta before The Break forced him to retreat to Cipal. Jennesh spends the early chapters of the game hatefully accusing Frey of being a demon, as he recognizes her to be the daughter of Cinta.
While the character doesn’t necessarily speak about Cinta and her pregnancy as a love-lorn victim, he calls Frey’s existence out as a betrayal of the Tanta. This is a similar situation that Athia has seen in the past, with a man wanting the hand of the most powerful woman in the land being rebuffed and not able to handle the rejection. So, if there is any hint that there will be a continuation of the story taking place after Forspoken’s main and side quests, Councilman Jennesh could return in the same way as the Rheddah and Rheddig prior.
Forspoken is available now for PC and PS5.
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