PS = multiple of them?

[Sage Of The Wise]

i don't remember Gaius being a shadow, maby your thinking of the PS?

[Burning_Flame]

maybe i'm crazy but i remember goin through rm2k and finding gaius as a shadow...........

[Sage Of The Wise]

Well, the PS and Gaius's shadow do look similar, thats probably what you saw.

[loona]

Exept for the shadow guy in the pits, thats an entirly different story.

What I always found interesting about this one is the "particles" you see above his head. It looked like his hair was on fire (or maybe his hair was fire?) Looking at how Strata calls Traziun a "flamehead" and "flame brain" (I know he said that because his hair is red, I just mean it made me think), and Traziun went to retrieve the Shadow Sword from the Pits earlier, I see some sort of connection. Traziun's former aura, maybe?

[nerx]

Many people have suggested that it could have been connected to Traziun.. it's possible.. it would make a lot of sense except for the question why on earth would he want to plunge Rhue, and how in hell could he have lost?

[loona]

Well, there's a theory that Rhue has an Illuminati, so that may be why the shadow wanted to fight him. I don't think it is Traziun consciously, though.

If the "real" Traziun took the Shadow Sword, then the figure would be up against an Illuminati with just a standard sword. But then, that doesn't explain why Rhue's sword reacted to it in that way (Rhue said his sword was "going crazy" during the fight).

[nerx]

Sure, it could have been some weird aura thing with Traziun's old sword, and Rhue's sword could be an illuminati but how would it explain why Traziun or subconcious aura-thing Traziun would attack Rhue if the sword was indeed a normal sword? I don't think Rhue's sword going crazy could be a problem with this theory, because the weird-aura-thing wouldn't exactly be in it's rightfull place and as is stated in the series - an aura is a powerful force.. what exactly would a stray aura do? I think it is more likely that Traziun's will was so powerful he exorcised the evil from the shadow sword, and that's what you fight in the pits.

[Burning_Flame]

ok what i think was with that battle, scartha heard that the shadow sword was in the pits so.... she went to find it but the random firey hair guy so... eather the two shadow swords reating or an illuminati reacting with the shadow sword ..........easy enough

[Nightmare2626]

The main difference I see between Rhue and the other Shadow Sword wielders is the age that Rhue received his, and the length of time he's had it. When Rhue got his, he was around... 10, by the look of the sprite (correct me if I'm wrong) and he's around 20 at the start of The Way game. So maybe the sword has had more time to connect to Rhue, and it can manipulate him more easily.

Of course, we've no idea how long Gaius has had his Shadow Sword (if it is a Shadow Sword) but I think Traziun would have recognised it as he was looking for one, from what I gathered. So if Traziun and Gaius have had there sword for only a little while, that would also explain how Traziun can control his power better.

Anyway, just my random thoughts.

[Impossible]

I doubt Rhue was crazy with love at the age of ten. The sprite looks young, but he was probably a teenager.

[Drake]

Well, the PS and Gaius's shadow do look similar, thats probably what you saw.

Uhm no, you actually did see Gaius as a shadow, two times in episode 1.
Right before you first met him in the cave, remember? I doubt that this was the PS and not only because the event was not properly named...
Oh, and in the Intro, Rhue was just passing by, and a figure stood hidden in shadows by the wayside, watching him.
It does make perfect sense afterall, or are you naive enough to assume Gaius and Rhue just had a chance meeting? Afterall he did know Rhue before, he said so himself in Lide...

I doubt Rhue was crazy with love at the age of ten. The sprite looks young, but he was probably a teenager.

“And I doubt any of that ever happened.” :O (*cough* just a thought, maybe it’s the wrong direction altogether? Or is it usual to simply forget all of the person you were chasing after for years already and just make something up?)

@Topic:
Truth be told, I don't like this theory much. Not every shadowy shape we saw must have been the PS, but I'm pretty sure, that there is only one such character.
Oh, and I also doubt that it is connected to shadow swords in general, since shadow swords existed on the way for quite some time already, yet there are no tales of killers even remotely like the PS. (Either that, or I just missed them.)

[Non-Sequitur]

yet there are no tales of killers even remotely like the PS. (Either that, or I just missed them.)

This is from a conversation Rhue has with a woman in Estrana.

WOMAN: I was hoping to do some
research on some of the past menaces
of the Way,\.\. but instead I get caught
out in this storm!

Past menaces?

WOMAN: The Phantom Slasher,\.\. for
example,\.\. would be considered the
present menace.

WOMAN: But the Slasher is just one of
many legends.

WOMAN: You'd be suprised at how many
strange and mysterious events have been
documented in the past.

[Flibbo]

traziun mantions it too somewhere along the lines

[nerx]

I agree with Impossible. In all my theories Rhue is about 12-14 at the time of the massacre, Lyrra being about 10 or 11.

[Impossible]

Well, the PS and Gaius's shadow do look similar, thats probably what you saw.

Uhm no, you actually did see Gaius as a shadow, two times in episode 1.
Right before you first met him in the cave, remember? I doubt that this was the PS and not only because the event was not properly named...

That is quite possibly the most nonsensical, illogical and disjointed theories I've heard in a long time. Yeah, firstly, I bet Gaius totally magically teleported far ahead of them in the cave after entering behind them. Even though there's zero evidence that that's Gaius any more than it's Strata or Dana, and it's the PS' sprite following Rhue as the PS often does (he shows up in some other places behind Rhue, too, like in E3 after Rhue gets out of the pits and meets Traziun).

Oh, and in the Intro, Rhue was just passing by, and a figure stood hidden in shadows by the wayside, watching him.
It does make perfect sense afterall, or are you naive enough to assume Gaius and Rhue just had a chance meeting? Afterall he did know Rhue before, he said so himself in Lide...

Yeah! Gaius knows Rhue from their years of experience of Gaius stalking him! Brilliant!
No, it's not that likely (although possible; don't be so narrow-minded - that's exactly what fwacho warns us not to do, stupid) Gaius was in the cave by chance. However, I have NO FUCKING CLUE how you're connecting that to him being the person who was following Rhue, who was the PS (unless Gaius is the PS, but that's not the point of view you're actually arguing here). You said that "It makes perfect sense after all", but you drew NO connection whatsoever between Gaius and the shadowy figure/PS.

I doubt Rhue was crazy with love at the age of ten. The sprite looks young, but he was probably a teenager.

“And I doubt any of that ever happened.” :O (*cough* just a thought, maybe it’s the wrong direction altogether? Or is it usual to simply forget all of the person you were chasing after for years already and just make something up?)

Yeah, geez, why don't you give me your exact, specific, closed-minded theory on exactly what happened at Landorin and tell me it's fact? Yeah, and you can totally start by telling me we can't trust Rhue's memories, because I had no idea of that. Even though that's not the POINT, because something did happen at Landorin, and some part of Rhue was there in some way at a young age, and that person who is Rhue or Jeruh or whatever was in his teens.