[h3]The Hunter's Dream[/h3]
The Shopkeeper nodded at Ophelia's words, and the doll answered: “We can do that, good Hunter. But your questions... For one, Rom only became what some refer to as a kin Great One – one that possesses some properties of Great Ones, but do not truly number among the gods; a sort of demigod, you could call them – whereas the constituents of the Shopkeeper that ascended did so as a true Great One. By this very nature, the Shopkeeper is an existence beyond the likes of Rom or Ebrietas. But saying that Rom became 'lesser' is inaccurate, good Hunter. Her mind may have shifted so that thought on a mortal level became more difficult and sluggish, but it did just that: [I]shifted[/I]. The Great Ones minds even more so than their power is of another world. To you, most Great Ones appear simple, perhaps even stupid or downright vacuous, but only because you cannot comprehend them, just as you cannot comprehend their speech.”
She glanced at the Shopkeeper before continuing: “The reason the Shopkeeper retains much of their human self is due to their nature as an amalgamate of many Hunters, only some of which ascended. The one you see here is the Moonborn Hunter, not the Moonborn Great One. Many parts of them are much less human.”
Pausing, the doll frowned. “As for how the Shopkeeper ascended... simply put, they had to become the surrogate child of the Great Ones. Under the blood moon several children were created at the behest of Oedon, all of which expired at birth or during the night. The Shopkeeper consumed their umbilical cords to become such a surrogate, and then killed the Great One whose realm of the Nightmare they were already bound to: this one.”

A short distance away, Gerlinde froze, then slowly turned to fix a wide-eyed stare at the doll. Though she was still smiling, there was something strained about the expression and an even deeper tinge of madness to the expression than usual. “So... children of the Great Ones are the secret to ascension?”
The doll hesitantly nodded her head. “You could put it that way, good Hunter.”
“And Rom was a scholar of Byrgenwerth who ascended?”
“Yes, good Hunter.”
Gerlinde let out a manic giggle. “Ah. I suppose that explains why they had me give birth to all those creatures.”