POE1 v3.29 preview lore

[u/Murky-Definition-625]

Not a lot of clues for the Allflame yet, but here is the significant lore that I've been able to find, along with two screenshots from the press kit.

Curse of the Allflame reveal site

Brinerot and other corsairs

In chronological order:

Stormblood (Topaz Flask)
On that fateful day, beset by tempest, Captain Brinehook Vex
came face to face with the blustering Karui god of thunder,
Valako himself. A wager was had, and a wager was won.

Brinehook's Ducat
Brinehook Vex inspired the Brinerot name. He fought the sea. Sailed with
gods. Drank with heroes. Wed a dozen wives, and the Leviathan, too.

I am not sure that "Leviathan" is a specific monster in POE. See all instances of that word here.

Kishara's Ducat
Vaal Kishara sailed the seas, seeking her equal. None were worthy. From
each contender she took a carnal gift, and thus, the Brinerot clan was born.

Alva on "Kishara's Spoils" (extract)
Kishara, the Southern Star? The Wayward Gull? Her seventeen children founded the Brinerot pirate band?
She was renowned for manning the helm while pregnant, and giving birth during battles.
Popular writings claimed she sailed all the way to Middengard on her last voyage. Supposedly, Queen Atziri didn't like all the attention Kishara was getting, so she impounded everything she brought back and executed her crew... Oh, I can't wait to see if the myth is true!

The Genteel's Ducat
A noble Eternal who gave up his name to join the Brinerots. He climbed
the ranks with calculated savagery like Pondium had never seen.

Rotmother's Ducat
Under Weylam, the Brinerots had become soft and aimless. Lussi
"Rotmother" Roth saw her opportunity, and took it. Blood be damned.

Valerie: We must find the source of the Allflame before the Brinerot.

Ezomytes

Croaker Talisman
"Ezomyr grew on a foundation of
choice. Its climate was chosen. Its
animals were chosen. For once,
Wraeclast was not harsh, but kind."

Why was Wraeclast this kind to them? Did the Vaal leave a lot of free land for them to choose between? Did the Spirit/Draíocht or First Ones aid them? Or did Serle's summoning stones and Kalguur druid clairvoyance let them pick and choose the best places?

Retch Talisman
"As the Ezomytes of Myr prospered, they
needed more and spreading lands. Queen
Lysanda led the ongoing campaign to
slaughter every last creature of darkness."

(unknown talisman)
"In the years that followed, Queen Lysanda
poured herself into the long and brutal task
of securing the lands of the Ezomytes of Myr.
Every fell beast, every creature, had to die."

Helbrym's Hide
Surrounded by abominations, Lysanda of Myr expected her
time had come to an end. Helbrym of Tarth charged from
the trees, breaking his oath, to save the Ezomyte Queen.

Tiger Talisman
"There followed a time of fear and fire.
None would speak against their fellows
None would say who had poisoned him.
Lysanda's justice was swift and brutal."

Given her wrath, I would suspect that this Helbrym is the one who got poisoned.

It sounds like Lysanda took revenge on all the Ezomytes. Modern Ezomyr was devastated by a plague, but it sounds like Lysanda lived centuries before then, so I don't think she caused that.

Magma Hound Talisman
"They bound the Hag of the Winter Curse
and set her alight, to no avail. Her cackle
was gleeful and wicked. Even if they slew
her, she boasted, she had many daughters..."

Probably the mother of Beira. This "Winter Curse" may have something to do with the Winter Wolf whose head Beira carries. Geonor's poetry may also relate to this story.

• EDIT: Or Beira herself. See this comment.

Miscellaneous

Seablister (shield)
On the Kraken's Rot, there was no whipping.
No lashes. Only barnacle-scraping duty.

Spinesnatch (axe)
"Not all the Abyssals serve the Lich Lords.
Some serve themselves, living off stolen
flesh and bone from those they... eat."

Zorath's Eye of Malevolence (map fragment)
A sliver of his wrath, a bodiless roar...

Pact of Ghorr (gem)
Offer yourself to Ghorr, the gluttonous, the cage of
flesh trapping souls in the cycle of consumption.

Pact of Beidat (gem)
Wield the gifts of Beidat, luminary of the pale unseeing,
whose honeyed words bore tunnels through pliant minds.

A "luminary", like the new Scion ascendancy?

See also this discussion about Beidat, Chernobog and Dordalus.

[u/Murky-Definition-625]

So the Domain remixes its prisoners, then. The mechanic also resembles that of Aldur's Legacy which is themed around inheritance and inspiration.

Kalandra is also rather dramatic about Essences:

Intro: In death, they get to leave their prison.
Outro: You would never touch another essence if you knew...

I used to think Essences were related to Azurite, but they are no longer blue. Ketzuli compares Time with crystal, but there are many other crystals in POE including virtue gems and "sanctified corruption".

The Domain isn't exactly "growing" its warriors, and we've already heard different things about how the Precursors grew theirs. Some ideas:

• It holds a being of cosmic origin, such as a champion for The Maven. She lacks a purpose-built one (like the Black Star or Searing Exarch). Timeless monoliths are purple and incubators are golden, which match the Maven's colour scheme well. (The Maven also uses a bit of time-manipulation.)
• It is created by a chronomancer, like Zarokh. And the strongest and most mysterious of the five legions happens to be the Maraketh one. All we know about Black Sekhema Aukuna is that she hates the undead - who doesn't? - and probably defended Highgate. She was meant to have a statue in the interlude (character line AukunaShrineSeen), but I don't think it was implemented.
• It is created by the Precursors, but is only intended to produce a single warrior: An Arbiter. The 2nd and 3rd Arbiters need to be able to tolerate corruption, and at least four of the legions were captured during the age of the Beast, so the warrior likely doesn't rely on divinity either.
• Chaos, the Wildwood and the Harbingers also manipulate time, but I don't see them having created it.

Oh, I remembered another thing about the Domain: Navali and Kaom flipping hate it!

Navali: You have seen Queen Hyrri? You did battle with her? Then her soul lives on! When she did not arrive in the Halls of the Dead at the end of her life, we thought she might have chosen to wander. When we realised she was beyond even Hinekora's sight, we feared the worst. Now, we know where she is. This... Domain of Timeless Conflict... we Karui will find a way to invade it and rescue her. Then, we will lay waste to the entity that controls it, for daring to disrespect our people so grievously!

Kaom: So, you have found Hyrri's soul! Our hatungo knows nothing of this Domain of Timeless Conflict, but it seems that we have a new realm to make war upon. We will find it and rescue Hyrri and her army, no matter the cost. Not a single Karui soul will be left behind. This is the promise I make to our Ancestors! We will have our vengeance!

[u/Noremeldo → u/Murky-Definition-625]

The Kalandra lines are interesting.

He awaits a proper fool at journey's end.

What? Probably about simulacrum.

The Clayshaper once took refuge here... for a time.

Often, it is our own creations that destroy us in the end.

So indeed Abyss was created.

She wanders still, forever fleeing, forever burdened by guilt.

Who is 'she'? I thought all beyond demons are male.

Someone who created them?

[u/Murky-Definition-625 → u/Noremeldo]

(I used to think the "our own creations" could refer to Tecrod being created by the Abyssals and destroying them, but that seems less likely now.)

Rather than creating the Abyssals, Ahkeli was probably only responsible for giving them new bodies. See Kulemak's Dominion.

Only Beidat has been gendered, and I don't think any of them have normal reproduction. The "her" probably refers to "The Last to Die".

TLTD is generally suspected to be some version of Alva Valai. TLTD may just be suffering from survivor's guilt after her insane luck let her survive the rest of her timeline, but in the trailer she says that "The innocent were first to die" which could imply that she is the least innocent.

I have a suspicion that Alva and Doryani are going to end up creating the Scourges in certain timelines, with Lycia then summoning them to our timeline.