Portal storm?

[Gargantou]

What exactly caused the Portal Storm that you see in Half-Life 2 Episode 2? According to http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Seven_Hour_War it was caused by Nihilanths(spelling?) demise, can anyone confirm that?

 

[Darkside55]

Yes, that's correct. You remember that big pillar of energy that erupted from Nith's head, and subsequently the massive release of energy as his body exploded?

Nihilanth was a being that housed teleport energies within his body. When he went up, those released energies ravaged across Xen and Earth.

 

[Mellish]

This is news to me :S. I thought you killed him in HL1

 

[Barnz]

He's dead, and that's why energy is out of control.

 

[Operational]

The killing of Nihilanth caused portal storms to rage across the Earth bringing Xen life and Chaos.
Although, Darkside, I'm unconvinced that he physically enclosed the energies rather than channeling/controlling them.

The example you see at the start of Ep2 is caused by what remains of the Citadel.

 

[Druckles]

It might not have been. It could still be a residue of the Nihilanth's energies. The Citadel uses a different form of teleportation.

 

[Darkside55]

If he was only channeling the energies, then they would not have exploded outward from him. He also would not have been absorbing the energies from the three crystals located in his lair.

"We suspect there is an immense portal over there, created by the concentration of a single, powerful being."

 

[Gargantou]

Thanks for the input guys, I just replayed all the HL games(that's right, all of them) and really gotten into the lore again, I really hope that Valve like starts considering things like HL novels etc, I know I know its highly unlikely but still.

 

[Operational]

It might not have been. It could still be a residue of the Nihilanth's energies.

Perhaps but I doubt it - take a look at the effect used it clearly originates from the Citadel.

If he was only channeling the energies, then they would not have exploded outward from him. He also would not have been absorbing the energies from the three crystals located in his lair.

"We suspect there is an immense portal over there, created by the concentration of a single, powerful being."

Absorb Theory: Nihilanth can single handedly create teleports when provided with the right energy. His chamber, with it's 3 crystals, was setup to do that.

Possible Evidence:

• Nihilanth can still teleport Freeman short distances after the crystals are destroyed
  • Counter: This doesn't mean Nihilanth can make cross dimensional transport unaided. While the 'local' teleports in HL2 use a "Xen relay" how the 'fuzzy-bubble' local teleports work is never explained.

Possible Implications:
* The crystals are merely conduits for the energies required for trans-dimensional movement.
* Humans discovered teleportation first and then found the crystals

-------

Channel Theory: Nihilanth was a vital & controlling part in a larger mechanism that can generate teleports. Whether this mechanism was just the chamber or expanded beyond the chamber is unknown.

Possible Evidence:

• The mis-use of a crystal caused a Resonance Cascade resulting in cross-dimensional transport.
  • Counter: We don't know precisely what the analysing process that caused the Resonance Cascade was, it's possible the Crystal was being flooded with the energies required for Xen teleportation to begin with.

Possible Implications:
* The crystals make teleporting to or from the dimensional "borderworld" Xen much easier
* We were given/sold the very first crystal some time ago.


My point after all that is that as lowly cart pusher and button masher Gordon Freeman we don't have enough evidence either way.
(BTW I think his death sequence and your quote are open to interpretation)

 

[Darkside55]

Some of the points in both theories don't rule out points in the other theory.

Mainly, although the Nihilanth can both create, absorb, and direct portal energy, the crystals themselves can also contain teleport energies. The crystals are necessary for inter-dimensional travel...humans can teleport locally without them, but using the crystals allows for transport to the border world. It also makes travel across long distances on Earth possible.

Also, one important thing of note, there was originally supposed to be a crystal embedded in the Nihilanth's head, to show the connection between him and the sample.

 

[Ridge]

I still get chills thinking about what all the everyday citizens across the planet were going through when the portal storms began...

 

[Van Kayne]

I still get chills thinking about what all the everyday citizens across the planet were going through when the portal storms began...

Aye, I've been hanging out for a good mod that portrays this period of Earth's struggle. Alas, nothing I've seen comes close, and the best descriptions are few and scarce on details. Fanfics seem to be the biggest source of information, but of course they're just guessing at Valve's story.

 

[Sledgehammer]

I just replayed all the HL games(that's right, all of them)

Even obscurities like Codename Gordon and Decay?