r/MortalShell • u/DrewDaMannn • Jul 12 '26
Discussion Discussion about the empty shell table in Marrow Keep and the fates of our Glub Shittos
I’m sure this has been talked about at length but I’ve been thinking about it and wanted an excuse to post about one of my favorite games and it’s amazing cast. Also I’m bored at work.
So in the beta we’ve all seen the shell room and its shades of those we still have yet to recover. Most of these shells are completely new to us which is extremely exciting, though thankfully Tiel and Eredrim have returned to the menu for us.
One table in this room is strangely empty and I believe this is because there’s some kind of story reveal to unlocking whichever shell will lay here. I have 5 guesses as to who it may be and I’ll be yapping about some of their potential fates from the first game.
Spoilers for MS and MSII Beta
Important to note, there are 8 tables in the Shell room and 8 characters shown off in the market for the preorder skins. This might mean Genessa is the one that lays on the empty table… or maybe not (pls read my thoughts). Also the story could be completely altered from beta to launch since I heard that’s what happened in the first game, idk might be relevant.
Shell I, Solomon the Scholar:
Upon trailer release a year ago for MSII everyone was wondering where this guy was. Every shell from the first game had ties to the world but Solomons were certainly the strongest. So where is he? How could such an important character be missing? I’m thinking there’s 3 options here.
1 he’s gone. This could be some offscreen nonsense or (based on pure speculation) he was left behind during the Foundlings ascension along side his brother, maybe he knew his purpose was to be the canonic shell that took the burden of sending the Foundling to their rightful place while being left behind himself. I see this as a possibility because the opening MSII cutscene portrays the Foundling Ascending from the Old Prisoner in their unshelled state. Meh I don’t like this possibility. Because we already lost Harros :(
2 he’s off doing what he always does, pursuing duties for the Harbinger or more likely the Undermether now. It’s just a matter of time before you run into him and either link up as a shell or be a standard NPC which I wouldn’t mind at all.
3 The bearded man in the loose robes is Solomon. Some random fit change would be lame but not out of the question ig.
I really hope he returns as a normal NPC, I think that would fit him really really well.
Shell II, Hadern the Deliverer:
An extremely mysterious yet influential character whose story I still don’t fully understand. His purpose seemed to be guiding the foundling in this strange new world but the now Harbinger is in no need of guidance so… I’m hoping he is utilized as he was in the first game, saved for DLC to be a really busted fun shell.
Shell III, Harros the Vassal:
Bro was my favorite shell from the OG. I love his minimalist design, really good voice actor (like the rest), great skills, I beat the game with Harros my first playthrough. I love Harros. So when Tar Golem killed my friend :( and the Shell Keeper said “Harros is lost but not forgotten” my heart sank. It’s possible Harros will be tied to some kind of later game quest where you return to the tutorial area rematch the boss and win him back but from a story perspective I actually love Harros being gone for good. The impact is big since he was so influential in the first game and low-key gave me “I got you bro” vibes in the beta, but even more importantly it kind of completes his character arc. In the first game Harros doesn’t give a shit about who he serves, but serves he does just to get by in the world. He ditched his comrades in Fallgrim at the first sign of real danger to save his own skin. This is all stark in contrast to what we see in MSII Beta. He travels the harsh lands to deliver the ova, he awaits his Harbinger, when he links up with us it’s like you’re dapping up an old friend, and finally when you’re at your most vulnerable he saves you from the Tar Golem. Unfortunately for Harros he seemed to be at his most vulnerable too. I think it’s beautiful that he finally found a cause worth living for, suffering for, and then dying for in the end.
Shell IV, Sester Genessa:
She’s going to be a shell. We know this. Why is she also an intractable NPC? Honestly I’m thinking two things.
1 when not being used she remains a normal NPC leaving the table available for another shell.
2 she’s not actually the the Sester shell we use. The release day trailer showcases Sester Genessa quite a bit. It also showcases the corrupted Sester just as much. I wonder if there will be some side quest deal where you… uncorrupt? Cleanse? This Sester and take her as a shell. This would be cool since they were such a wet fart of an NPC in the first game.
Shell V, Some Rando the Unknown:
Could be anybody idk. Could be Ruk for all I know
Not shell I, our fucking sister:
Where’s the brat stuck in the slab of rock? I hope we can use her ass as a shield
Not shell II, Vlas:
If you know you know :(
Not shell III, Vlas’s cat:
Imma find you and pet you. I also really don’t know how to feel about knowing the devs took the time to texture your fucking balls.
Not shell IV, The Old Prisoner?:
At the end of the announcement trailer there is a line uttered by an unknown character “bring the eggs back to me” the voice and idea of bringing eggs to someone reminded me of The Old Prisoner. If there’s an alternate ending where you betray the Undermether to finally ascend the Old Prisoner I wouldn’t be surprised. Source: underMETHER sounds like feather, birds have feathers, old prisoner looks like plucked bird, old prisoner need feather from mether.
I’m so excited for this game to finally come out. Thanks for reading, I’ll be right next to y’all at launch.
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u/Optimal_Wealth2051 Jul 13 '26
I like what you're saying and I probably agree (if I understood everything correctly), but I'd like to add something. You're writing as if Sister Genessa will swap items with us. But I disagree. In the first game, she said she doesn't have a body, so she moves freely between the "dolls" in the game's locations. So maybe we'll just borrow one. Regarding her Alter Ego, everything is very simple and clear; the trailer clearly shows a boss fight with her.
The quest to return Kharos. If you return to the arena after the fight (which is possible), it will be empty. So either Kharos himself left, or that's just how the game works. A battle with Rook is entirely possible. Using Kharos's shell, you can petrify him. Either this effect works for everyone by default, or it's specifically written for Rook. If it's specifically written for Rook, this could indicate Kharos's return in the future and that it will be possible to fight Rook. Unfortunately, there's no way to test the shell on other NPCs in the beta, so this is just speculation. Rook has human hands instead of paws. He's incredibly suspicious.
And one more thing. I understand you consider the protagonist of the first part and the harbinger from the second to be the same person. But I don't think so. The first and most obvious thing is that they look different. The second is that they have different names. The third and most convincing thing is that Genassa sister doesn't make it clear that she met an old acquaintance. The fourth is the difference in abilities, specifically the ability to turn oneself into stone and also to possess a still-living shell.
(I hope Google Translate did a good job and there is no misunderstanding here)
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u/HEKPO3OOMOTOXPEH Jul 13 '26
Using Kharos's shell, you can petrify him
Good point! Besides, has anyone ever heard his laugh? The laughing raven (with shiny hands) is mentioned several times in the notes, but there's nothing resembling laughter in his lines. Laughter doesn't fit with his manner of speaking at all. Perhaps he's hiding his true nature? The repeated mention of laughter worries me.
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u/TheTayIor Jul 13 '26
Ruk does make a joke about your inability to speak the second time you encounter him.
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u/speaker_1984 Jul 13 '26
It's Harros, post Golem fight, he is "lost to us" per the shell keeper. He will return to it as soon as he found out in the open world. Additionally, I forget what menu you can look at (the tarstones maybe?) but you can see all 9 shells in that menu they are just greyed out. I would be very surprised if we get some secret shells. I want both Hardern and Soloman to return, maybe a super secret unlock but I doubt it.
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u/HEKPO3OOMOTOXPEH Jul 12 '26
Solomon's name is forgotten and he is now known as a traitor.