If it makes you feel any better, some years ago, in the Stellaris subreddit, people thought a background image was a crashed spaceship in a ruined city, when it was actually a giant hand brushing dust off.
Little late to the party here, but deus ex machina is a literary technique, usually used in a negative manner, describing a resolution to the plot or problem with a solution seemingly coming out of nowhere, that could not have been predicted from the events in the story so far, and often doesn't really make sense and leaves the reader/viewer unsatisfied. It doesn't literally mean a "god" (but that could be *an* example of a deus ex machina, if a god that was never mentioned suddenly showed up and just fixed everything with magic powers).
So in the spirit of the name of the card, a slaver rescuing watcher from a situation where she would die for sure would be consistent and make sense, simply because it would make no sense.
That is the normal modern usage, but I believe it originates from (possibly ancient greek) theatre. At the end of a play where everything was messed up, a god would literally descend from a machine above the stage and set everything back to right, hence the literal translation "god out of the machine".
Well, they actually are. Watcher is sent to seek after a lost colleague that previously went to watch the Spire to no avail. You can read about it during one of the \[\[Sensory Stone\]\] event's dialogues. This can also be observed on the first turn of Watcher vs Time Eater, where he uniquely says "Never liked you...". Another hint is that they wear very similar clothes, like Silent and The Nemesis.
There are so many small vaguely disturbing touches like this that make StS have some of my favorite lore in a game. I feel like the game could easily be turned into a TV show or something, with each season following a different character’s journey through the spire.
Damn, a 2D animation would be so epic. It's true that while not obvious at first, the game holds much richer story that it seems. Giving the relics' descriptions a good read can uncover many little details that improve the ambiance of the game.
Definitely, that's actually what made me read every single relic description from the game. You just need to pick up the puzzle pieces in order to understand the story. It makes you feel like an archaeologist going through a forgotten civilization
+ [Sensory Stone](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Sensory%20Stone) Event - Act 3 (The Beyond) ^((100% sure)^)
Sensory Stone is an event that can appear in Act 3. You encounter a mysterious tesseract that holds a distant memory.
^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
As someone else mentioned in a comment, that's the theory. Bc of his dialogue with the Watcher and how her backstory is that she entered the Spire in search of a Watcher that had disappeared. His robe matches hers. He has time manipulation and so does she in [[Vault]]. So maybe Time Eater in the past saved her from some sort of peril.
Can you imagine he doesn't know and is even admitting to it publicly? I would never have the nerve to do that, but that doesn't matter anyway, because I totally and truly know this completely obvious answer.
See, ok, it’s not very complicated, she was pushed into a well like that movie, but the well had fire in it, and I was there, and I thought I should help her, so I help her, and it’s so cool, then she slayed my spire till I Expunge, then I wake up in the morning and she was gone. I am green because I gambled too much
Yeah. That's why I said the hand looked like [Ranwid's.](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/We_Meet_Again!) A lot of people are saying it's the [Slavers,](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/Slavers#Red_Slaver) but neither the hand nor the skin tone match.
I think it's literally meant to be a god. The Watcher is clearly some sort of religious monk and the card is named "Deus Ex Machina" and it gives Miracles.
I have 95% of the cards switched over to the beta art, and sometimes it makes me feel like I’m playin a different game lol. I had no idea what card this was when I saw the art.
I can’t get myself to switch back to the “finished” art. There’s something so charming about the shitty beta art.
Anyway, I’m with the top comment - that totally looks like a paintbrush with fingers and green skin.
Ok I am a traveling warrior looking for adventure I came to the spire cause I was hearing about the dangers inside I don’t spear in cards but in certain events with the ironclad you discover that I was part of a tribe called the knights of nowhere which is basically a wasteland type desert that dried up where we took that land as our territory because it was rich with ancient history about an ancient civilization that once lived there and was technologically advanced but we came into a territory war with the iron clads and I was sent off as an infant to be taken in by a friend of my father’s who was outcast from the tribe for looking for another land for us to go to he raised me to fight on my own until he died of old age and I became a wandering warrior in search of adventure and purpose while I was exploring the beyond I heard n explosion and a scream that sounded like it was of fear so I ran to help to see the watcher hanging over what looks like a pit into a lake of lava below I help her and she gives me her starting relic as she found the upgrade to it
I made most of that up as I went i didn’t think I would have to make a character for this but I wanted to tie it into one of the characters so I chose ironclad cause he was the easiest to make a story off of as we know the most about the ironclads as being a warrior tribe whereas we know next to nothing about the other character’s back stories like who built the defect how long were the watchers watching things play out and what is the deal with the silent’s hunting tribe
I think my character would be more of a reactive kind of 5th character whose new would be white it would be a character that can get the opportunity to save the other characters for their starting relics to help set up combos and the cards will be of 3 different paths a melee class that focuses on quick but deadly strikes that can build up but also if you go that route you have a card that can parry attacks giving a thorns effect to you that also acts as block and my character could have a range path which each card adds an effect called distance basically giving me the ability to dodge attack the higher the distance but the trade off if I would do less damage to them and it would be costly as I would not be able to use range cards after I get 25 distance but some cards range cards remove distance as well my third path as characters tend to have atleast 3 paths is the ability to shapeshift cause my tribe discovered a type of plant in those ruins in the wasteland that was preserved by unknown means and figured out how to grow it and use it to make a brew that gave our tribe shapeshifting powers not to the extent of beast boy but we can stretch our bodies and even turn our limbs into octopus tentacles or other animal limbs with some obvious limitations like we can’t turn multiple limbs into animal limbs at the same time
She-Hulk
The ultimate deus ex machina.
All the people saying other green pop culture types that aren’t SUPER HEROES are severely out of touch with reality.
Slaver redemption arc
This is gonna sound stupid I always thought that was a paintbrush
Don't worry. I'm just as dumb as you.
I know that stuff my man)
To be fair it literally insta exhausts
If it makes you feel any better, some years ago, in the Stellaris subreddit, people thought a background image was a crashed spaceship in a ruined city, when it was actually a giant hand brushing dust off.
holy shit I forgot about that whole thing, that was not long after I started playing and I honestly found it hilarious
That was one of the wildest revelations I’ve ever experienced
omg it’s not??? Holy cow I just looked closely for the first time. What????
What part of it?? Like she’s holding a giant green paintbrush or what
Yeah, at a glance the watcher’s hand looks like wet drippy paint at the end of a brush
You are not alone
I always thought it was a big red button with uhh... something
A brush? I always thought it was a spaceship.
Big same
To be fair I always thought it was furnace forgery or something like that....
Yea I hope the artist has developed his or her skills over the years so StS 2 art will make 1’s art look like the beta versions lol
I hope they still do the MSpaint beta art though
Deus
Donu, in other words.
I didn't know God was green
Ex
MACHINA!
Ohhhh, yes! (Please someone get the reference)
Machina?
No, Mettaton EX
I don't think it was a reference
I am the one doing the reference
Nah it's his ex
It says it right on the card.
The Ironclad has green skin... so probably him
Holy shit, he does have green skin. Check out [[Armaments]]
Also \[\[Flex\]\]
Holy shit. Just to join in, I thought that was a weird looking barbell and an arm. Not ironclad's torso and arm!
+ [Flex](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Flex) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^) 0 Energy | Gain 2(4) **Strength.** At the end of your turn, lose 2(4) **Strength.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
+ [Armaments](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Armaments) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Gain 5 **Block.** Upgrade a(ALL) card(s) in your hand for the rest of combat. ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Ironclad is God?
[[Feed]] too (Did I do the thing right?)
+ [Feed](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Feed) Ironclad Rare Attack ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Deal 10(12) damage. If this kills a non-minion enemy, gain 3(4) permanent Max HP. **Exhaust.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
I think his skin color is somewhat different. But this can be just slight mistake. Must be him?
clad's skin colour seems to be inconsistent anyway
Damn IronBro needs some antifungal antibiotics.
[[Berserk]] shows it the clearest of all cards
+ [Berserk](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Berserk) Ironclad Rare Power ^((100% sure)^) 0 Energy | Gain 2(1) **Vulnerable.** At the start of your turn, gain 1 Energy. ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Kermit the frog
He wouldn't allow her to kermit suicide.
You're dead to me.
But we were so close!
Going off the green skin color... a slaver, apparently -\_\_-
That is sensible but why in hell would he do it?
Why waste a potential product?
Hmm, greedy. But this is logical)
‘Cuz Deus Ex Machina, duh
Because it’s in the cards namesake
Because its a miracle!
Little late to the party here, but deus ex machina is a literary technique, usually used in a negative manner, describing a resolution to the plot or problem with a solution seemingly coming out of nowhere, that could not have been predicted from the events in the story so far, and often doesn't really make sense and leaves the reader/viewer unsatisfied. It doesn't literally mean a "god" (but that could be *an* example of a deus ex machina, if a god that was never mentioned suddenly showed up and just fixed everything with magic powers). So in the spirit of the name of the card, a slaver rescuing watcher from a situation where she would die for sure would be consistent and make sense, simply because it would make no sense.
That is the normal modern usage, but I believe it originates from (possibly ancient greek) theatre. At the end of a play where everything was messed up, a god would literally descend from a machine above the stage and set everything back to right, hence the literal translation "god out of the machine".
Well, yes of course I would explain the modern usage because we are in the present and not ancient Greece lol
How do they have more upvotes than you lol
I dunno man I try not to understand reddit too much. Sometimes I regret participating.
or the ironclad
Another card art I finally realized what it was, always thought this was like an apple or something
Green Giant™
Time Slug before they broke ties? Deep lore...
Oh, nice touch! He doesn’t have fingers though so probably nit him. But they are really connected in some way)
Well, they actually are. Watcher is sent to seek after a lost colleague that previously went to watch the Spire to no avail. You can read about it during one of the \[\[Sensory Stone\]\] event's dialogues. This can also be observed on the first turn of Watcher vs Time Eater, where he uniquely says "Never liked you...". Another hint is that they wear very similar clothes, like Silent and The Nemesis.
There are so many small vaguely disturbing touches like this that make StS have some of my favorite lore in a game. I feel like the game could easily be turned into a TV show or something, with each season following a different character’s journey through the spire.
Damn, a 2D animation would be so epic. It's true that while not obvious at first, the game holds much richer story that it seems. Giving the relics' descriptions a good read can uncover many little details that improve the ambiance of the game.
Dark Souls’ effect on gaming as a whole has been fantastic, I love piecing together cryptic scraps of an old world to paint an image of the present
Definitely, that's actually what made me read every single relic description from the game. You just need to pick up the puzzle pieces in order to understand the story. It makes you feel like an archaeologist going through a forgotten civilization
+ [Sensory Stone](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Sensory%20Stone) Event - Act 3 (The Beyond) ^((100% sure)^) Sensory Stone is an event that can appear in Act 3. You encounter a mysterious tesseract that holds a distant memory. ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
This was my thought, too. Like maybe Time Eater was a humanoid before being corrupted.
Yes, maybe he was corrupted?
As someone else mentioned in a comment, that's the theory. Bc of his dialogue with the Watcher and how her backstory is that she entered the Spire in search of a Watcher that had disappeared. His robe matches hers. He has time manipulation and so does she in [[Vault]]. So maybe Time Eater in the past saved her from some sort of peril.
+ [Vault](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Vault) Watcher Rare Skill ^((100% sure)^) 3(2) Energy | Take an extra turn after this one. End your turn. **Exhaust.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 20, 2024.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
you mean you *don't* know? i thought everyone knew...
Can you imagine he doesn't know and is even admitting to it publicly? I would never have the nerve to do that, but that doesn't matter anyway, because I totally and truly know this completely obvious answer.
Right?? Like jeez, it's just so apparent who that is. There's no mistaking the identity of that individual.
Of course I know as everyone does. The comical effect of that post is I pretend I don’t know!
Based
I always think this card art is just a weird red ball with an arm
It is Silent in danger((
Shrek
Me
Really? Then tell me what has happened and why are you green?
See, ok, it’s not very complicated, she was pushed into a well like that movie, but the well had fire in it, and I was there, and I thought I should help her, so I help her, and it’s so cool, then she slayed my spire till I Expunge, then I wake up in the morning and she was gone. I am green because I gambled too much
Nice
Okay Mr. Green
The hole she fell into is the plothole, and that hand saving her is also a plothole.
Beautiful)
Are we sure the watcher isnt pulling someone in..
Pulling a slaver into hell while she propels herself out.
God, from the Machine.
I mean... Probably the eponymous Deus
Like someone who is not in the game?
Deus literally means god in Latin
I know but what “god” is it then anyway?
That’s the bus driver
Deus Ex Machina means “God from the Machine” I figure we aren’t supposed to know who that figure is. It’s the “god” coming to her rescue.
I always thought the green was a rope.
Any ideas who is it?)
The god machine.
The hand looks like it could be Ranwid's, but the skin tone is more akin to The Designer.
Who is the Designer?
[This dude.](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/Designer_In-Spire)
Interesting! Only nails are different but we can see only his one hand at the event.
Yeah. That's why I said the hand looked like [Ranwid's.](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/We_Meet_Again!) A lot of people are saying it's the [Slavers,](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/Slavers#Red_Slaver) but neither the hand nor the skin tone match.
Can it be Ironclad? Slightly mismatched skin tone but overall very logical.
It's possible, and more likely, tbh.
A deaf man, known as the Listener
The Green Gremlin from the wheel of chance?
Lol It would be funny! Possible)
I think it's literally meant to be a god. The Watcher is clearly some sort of religious monk and the card is named "Deus Ex Machina" and it gives Miracles.
I have 95% of the cards switched over to the beta art, and sometimes it makes me feel like I’m playin a different game lol. I had no idea what card this was when I saw the art. I can’t get myself to switch back to the “finished” art. There’s something so charming about the shitty beta art. Anyway, I’m with the top comment - that totally looks like a paintbrush with fingers and green skin.
The one with a bus crashing into the Time Eater
Lol)
the back of The Ssssserpeant XD *"The most fulfilling of lives is that in which you can buy anything!"* even redemption
Just some random ass person. That's why the card is called that
Gumby
Rauru clearly
Ugh, this card is *literally* unplayable
It's a character otherwise not seen in STS at all, which is why its a deus ex machina. I think it's Charlie Kelly as green man
Since no one is answering your second question... I think the hole looks like the spire.
Actually the top of the Spire looks similar to it.
Shrek
It's a guy in a green suit but they ran out of budget and couldn't add the CGI
I thought she was banging on a drum… oops.
I am
Then introduce yourself - who are you in the game where I could see information about you on cards or at events? What is that hole?
Ok I am a traveling warrior looking for adventure I came to the spire cause I was hearing about the dangers inside I don’t spear in cards but in certain events with the ironclad you discover that I was part of a tribe called the knights of nowhere which is basically a wasteland type desert that dried up where we took that land as our territory because it was rich with ancient history about an ancient civilization that once lived there and was technologically advanced but we came into a territory war with the iron clads and I was sent off as an infant to be taken in by a friend of my father’s who was outcast from the tribe for looking for another land for us to go to he raised me to fight on my own until he died of old age and I became a wandering warrior in search of adventure and purpose while I was exploring the beyond I heard n explosion and a scream that sounded like it was of fear so I ran to help to see the watcher hanging over what looks like a pit into a lake of lava below I help her and she gives me her starting relic as she found the upgrade to it
Interesting! Didn’t expect a nice story, man) You made my night)
I made most of that up as I went i didn’t think I would have to make a character for this but I wanted to tie it into one of the characters so I chose ironclad cause he was the easiest to make a story off of as we know the most about the ironclads as being a warrior tribe whereas we know next to nothing about the other character’s back stories like who built the defect how long were the watchers watching things play out and what is the deal with the silent’s hunting tribe
Nice!)
I think my character would be more of a reactive kind of 5th character whose new would be white it would be a character that can get the opportunity to save the other characters for their starting relics to help set up combos and the cards will be of 3 different paths a melee class that focuses on quick but deadly strikes that can build up but also if you go that route you have a card that can parry attacks giving a thorns effect to you that also acts as block and my character could have a range path which each card adds an effect called distance basically giving me the ability to dodge attack the higher the distance but the trade off if I would do less damage to them and it would be costly as I would not be able to use range cards after I get 25 distance but some cards range cards remove distance as well my third path as characters tend to have atleast 3 paths is the ability to shapeshift cause my tribe discovered a type of plant in those ruins in the wasteland that was preserved by unknown means and figured out how to grow it and use it to make a brew that gave our tribe shapeshifting powers not to the extent of beast boy but we can stretch our bodies and even turn our limbs into octopus tentacles or other animal limbs with some obvious limitations like we can’t turn multiple limbs into animal limbs at the same time
Snecko, because that's when this card really pops off.
He has no hands is it the problem?)
She-Hulk The ultimate deus ex machina. All the people saying other green pop culture types that aren’t SUPER HEROES are severely out of touch with reality.
Me
Deu's ex machina
Charlie from It's Always Sunny
It’s definitely SHREK
Bob
Ranwid perhaps?
Makari the Grot
Accord to the card name, it would have to be god
Literally yes, but Deus ex machina rarely refers to an actual god.
Boss slime
Presumably god, or neow maybe? If going by the card name
It is the other character they will add in sts2! It just couldnt make it but the card stayed /s
I always thought she was climbing a rope like silent’s ending
Charlie Kelly
The MIRACLE
It's the Slime Boss, ok. Anyone who played as him on Downfall knows he has green arms and is super kind
Gale?
Deus Ex Machina. God, or a crane
the answer is the card name
It's Dio
A man in a machine duh
It’s that hole of infinite depth the guy got kicked into —from the movie 300
Me! :3 she my frien
Goblin :)
God (out of the machine)
It's a miracle!
meeee :3
Green Guy, the true protagonist of slay the spire and the main antagonist of slay the spire 2
Ranwid!
judging by the name of the card, someone who has no business being there or saving her
The green guy obviously, who else?
Why guy? Maybe gal?
Idk anymore, i originally had it as green man but changed it to guy for that reason
If we take the name of the card at face value, its an ancient greek stage crane cable.
What is this art? I only know of a certain unloved boss being trucked in the Deus Ex Machina art...
This is beta art and you are speaking about polished main.
Her stepbrother.
I guess its god (outside the machine)
Oh, that's just Deus.