Here's my take on some of it, yes I'm aware it's lengthy:
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Selene is a bit of an oddity. I'm not sure if she gained her humanity from her master by the godsbane method or just slowly over time she eventually took on the "life force" of the lingering spirit of her master. My guess is the latter, as it would "appear" the cycle has only been broken once... when you, as the new Seneschal, do so.
Plus, pawns eventually take on, or mimic, the forms of their masters in time anyway. It's possible that, with her master dead, Selene was more able to "fully become" a human throughout the years. Her master could've been an Arisen that died in battle against the Dragon, thus her heart became "forfeit," as did her humanity, and became up for grabs, so to speak.
However, I would assume this doesn't just occur by merely dying out in the wilderness, but by falling in battle against the Dragon, "honorably." That could explain how a pawn such as Selene could take on "humanity," in time, without the godsbane method.
Furthermore, I'm almost certain that breaking "the cycle" by using the godsbane causes vast and dire consequences for the world, although maybe not entirely immediate, which we will have to deal with in the sequel. I mean, just look at what happened when the Seneschal's vanguard, the Dragon, was slain. The loss of such a powerful entity left a void and caused the world to become clouded in a dreadful darkness, whether by design or not.
So the loss of a Seneschal, with no replacement, would cause cataclysmic events not long after, I'd wager. Events that would be spoken of and passed down as terrible legends for ages. Which leads me to believe it's more likely that Selene's gaining of her humanity was instead a gradual process, one that was allowed more fruition due to her master having passed on. I'm probably wrong, but from what I've seen in my game this is how I perceive it so far.
As for the Dragonforged, he was very, very old. Despite the fact that he was an Arisen, the Dragonforged was still human and as such, time would eventually take him. The Dragonforged had long since outlived his era. Thus, he became almost a ghost. Only pawns and other Arisen could even see him anymore, for some unknown reason (which I briefly discuss further below), and his appearance was grisly looking, almost as if he was left out in the cold for too long or charred in a fire.
Anyway, his existence was being "held in place" if you will, by the Dragon's gift/curse. Once the Dragon was finally defeated, he relinquished all the hearts he stole from past, and present, Arisen. This caused what remained of the Dragonforged to fade into dust, as if time had finally been returned to him again. And since he would have been dead long ago, he died in mere seconds.
Speaking of which, the Duke didn't die because he was still apart of the current age. He would have still been living out his life, albeit as a very old man. As such, when time returned to him, he merely aged to the appropriate year.
It should also be noted that the Duke took the Dragon's offer. There can be no doubt of that, obviously. He even tries to kill Aelinore in some twisted trance caused by the trauma of his horrid decision to offer up his past lover, brought on no less by the coming of a new Arisen and the return of the Dragon.
On the other hand, the decision of the Dragonforged is subject to debate. He could have gone either way... fleeing and refusing to face the Dragon or taking the bribe for power and safety. However, we can't be sure, because obviously so much time has passed that he is merely a ghost now and has almost been all but forgotten to the world. Though, if he didnt take the offer, one can only assume the Dragon would've hunted him down eventually.
That leads me to ponder another path. I've read speculation that the Dragonforged was one of the first Arisen, after Savan, to face the Dragon (albeit not the same one Savan killed, as that one might now be the Ur-Dragon), but he did so alone. Thus, the Dragonforged died and was "forged" by the Dragon's fire, hence the name. However, supposedly Savan had mercy on him and kept him alive, for as long as the Dragon drew breath, to become a beacon of hope and guidance to other Arisen attempting to fell the beast. This could be why he appears to be burned and scarred and is only visibile to Arisen and pawns. It's certainly a feasible theory.
Lastly, concerning Savan, the Seneschal, he was the guy we played as in the beginning of the game and is/was the most recent Arisen to become the Seneschal. Meaning that no other Arisen defeated the Dragon to confront the Seneschal to "try" and claim his throne. Evidence of this is sparse to non-existent, but there would have been talk amongst the people and tales of a darkness spreading across the land long ago, much like that which occurs after you kill the Dragon, if it had actually happened after Savan's time and prior to now.
Something else I'm wondering is... is the Seneschal's position that of a "substitute" god? It seems to be so. It would be interesting if details were uncovered, in a sequel, that explained why such a position was crafted in the first place. Perhaps the "true" God created something too powerful and it destroyed him/her/it? Whatever the case, it's obvious that each Seneschal must revive the world's will to live when it becomes too complacent and has to eventually pass on their throne to a new Arisen, for whatever reason.
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