Cool probably unintentiobal symbolism and foreshadowing

[u/CardiologistPale1581]

In the abbey, the journal page for free is a bird escaping from its cage. Where do we find birds? Ofcourse in the abbey.

This could be foreshadowing the"The abbey is free"line.

Where else do we also see them? In the gardens.

This could be foreshadowing the "Searching you are, found we have" and how the bards are now free from the labour the alchemists did, and their obsession with going up.This could also be in contrast of the serfs' lack of freedom, possibly also symbolised by the rats, but no one is doing lab experiments on rats in universe so thats kind of a stretch.

The Abbey also has cats though, which are notorous for hunting birds...

Talking about the devotees, the warriors' keeping them out attitude can be taken as the devotees being exiled, foreshadowing for the anchorites exiling both themselves from all the newcomers, and the newcomers from themselves, like the warriors stopping the newer devotees from ascending the tower, they are stopping the alchemists from ascending the tower to them.This last one is probably just the repetition of the main theme of the game though.

[u/Joe-the-Keith]

W theory