Wiki101
Advertisement
For the being that absorbed Old One, see The Nothing.

"You all saw the truth that the Cabal has lost its way. Once a coalition to rebuild the First World, we've become factious, diabolical... defeated. We should - nay, must - change to survive. It's time we grow up. It's time we rejoin the Arcanum to preserve what is, not restore what was."
―The Old One[src]

The Old One, known as the Great Old One to the Cabal or most famously as the World Render, among other names, was a so-called ancient being that was the engineer of Project Lemuria, a secret project to create a new First World by piecing together the worlds of the Spiral. He enlisted explorer Stallion Quartermane to discover new worlds, which unbeknownst to Quartermane, the Old One stole entire lands from. Quartermane eventually found out the truth behind the operation and set out on an expedition to Madness Mountain in Polaris to get revenge on his patron, but the Old One ended up freezing him in a block of ice and keeping him in his lab.

Many years later, after the retirement of Grandfather Spider in the Primordial Forest, the Old One served as the de facto leader of the various factions of the splintered Cabal. He was responsible for the organization of the Grand Summit at the Von Trap Estate in Karamelle, which aimed to unite the factions of the Cabal and forged an alliance with the Arcanum. Unknown to the rest of the Cabal, the Old One's motive behind brokering peace between the two organizations was so he could gain access to his office. The meeting was cut short by the Old One falling into a Cavity while on stage.

Inside the Cavity, the Old One was absorbed by the sentient void known as the Nothing. The being took on the form of the Old One and was able to access his memories and thoughts. They inherited the Old One's wish to save Lemuria, later feeling guilt and remorse for what they had done to the Old One and his plans.

Biography[]

Project Lemuria[]

Lemuria mural

A mosaic of Lemurs worshipping the Old One

"Quartermane found me out. Shame, really. He was a man of unusual competence. I know he's coming for me now. Perhaps he can still be of some use. Lemuria will need people like Stallion Quartermane if my theory holds true. And what better template than the man himself? He just needs some time to cool off."
―The Old One in a recorded message[src]

The Old One devised "Project Lemuria" and would eventually hire Stallion Quartermane to help with the project. The Old One operated a secret lab on Madness Mountain in Polaris, but the main location for the project was his domain in the Arcanum. Quartermane discovered new Spiral worlds for the Old One, which entire pieces were stolen from in order to create Lemuria.

Quartermane eventually caught on to what the Old One was really doing, and set out on an expedition to Polaris to find him. The Old One was ready, and froze Quartermane in a block of ice. He believed that Quartermane's "unusual competence" could be used as a template for the people of Lemuria.[1]

The Grand Summit[]

"The Great Old One has established the Grand Summit; a conference to unite all the Cabal factions under one common goal: peace with the Arcanum."
Maulwurf von Trap[src]

For many years, the Old One was reclusive.[2] After the Cabal was left leaderless with the retirement of Grandfather Spider, it was fragmented into several factions that scraped for lost power. In Spider's wake, the Old One emerged,[3] and spoke out for change. The Old One established a Grand Summit; a conference at the Von Trap Estate on Karamelle to unite all of the factions of the Cabal under the common goal of the Arcanum.[2] He approached several Cabalist dignitaries to attend the Summit; Copy Qhat, Quake Charmer, and Judge Veg, who all set aside their own plans for the common good.[4] Unknown to the rest of the Cabal, the Old One's motive was secretly to get back to his office in the Arcanum's Forbidden Wing, which had been locked behind a Warded Door.[1]

At the summit, the Cabal dignitaries waited patiently for the arrival of Maulwurf von Trap prior to the beginning of the summit. While Maulwurf checked to make sure everything was going correctly, the Wizard entered the lodge to speak with the other Cabalists. The Old One introduced the Wizard to the Cabalists and welcomed them to the end of the "foolish old conflict" with the Arcanum. He went on to explain how he had managed to unite the Cabalists together under a common goal, and that they had all seen the truth that the Cabal had lost its way. The Old One urged that the Cabal must change to survive by growing up and rejoining the Arcanum to preserve the Spiral rather than try to restore the First World. He called on the Wizard and asked them to take the stage and shake his hand, to usher in a new era, paradigm, and age. Before this could happen, a Cavity opened up below the Old One on the stage and swallowed the Old One.[4]

Absorbed into the Nothing[]

Pointright Main article: The Nothing
"Not merely the "Old One" as you call him. He is no more, absorbed into a sentient void, a living absence, Nothing."
Bartleby[src]

The Old One stayed in the Cavity, and the Wizard would eventually arrive to fight the Nothing, who had taken on the Wizard's Divine Paradox avatar. The Wizard left after defeating the Nothing, but the Old One still remained. The Nothing absorbed the Old One's being, with the Old One as an individual ceasing to exist. After absorbing the Old One, the Nothing was able to see into his memories, including his final wish: to save Lemuria.[1]

Personality and traits[]

"The Great Old One is just a myth. There is no 'secret author of history, always watching, always nudging.' That is pure Cabal propaganda."
Ione Virga[src]

To be added

Relationships[]

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Trivia[]

Old One concept art

Old One concept art by Adam Roush

  • The Old One first appeared in Pirate101, where he would show up briefly in the game's various Puppet Shows as a recurring gag. He was fully introduced into canon when he made his first full appearance in Wizard101 with 2020's Karamelle expansion. The Old One was confirmed to be one in the same as the character in Pirate101 by Creative Design Lead Sam Johnson (The Curator), who said in the Karamelle Story Thread on the Wizard101 Message Boards: "That was indeed the Old One in those puppet shows. The real question you should be asking is whether or not we knew who the Old One was when we made the Pirate puppet shows, or if we thought the image was just hilarious..."
  • With the ending of Karamelle, the Old One's fate was initially left unsolved. In response to a forum member pointing out that they found it strange, Johnson said "Yeah... we may have been a little hasty at the end there. Don't worry, the fate of the Old One is something that will be dealt with very quickly."

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wizard101 logo Wizard101 — "La Mort Et Lemuria"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wizard101 logo Wizard101 — "Mole Problems"
  3. Wizard101 logo Wizard101 — "How Shellfish"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Wizard101 logo Wizard101 — "Monsters Cabal"

External links[]

Advertisement