Ok, I'll start with the Last Word grimoire cards LW1: Young boy in Palamon without parents. Important quote: "Until two men entered my world. One a light. The other the darkest shadow I would ever know." LW2: Jaren Ward enters Palamon and has a strong connection to the boy. "The man I would come to know as Jaren Ward, my third father and quite possibly my closest friend...". It consistently points out how revered he was among guardians. "...the finest Hunter this system may ever know and one of the greatest Guardians to ever defend the Traveler's Light". Boy holds the Last Word and it foretells of him wielding it in later events: "That was the first time I held "Last Word," but, unfortunately, not the last." LW3: Palamon has been destroyed. Mentions fallen in this card and in LW1 but unsure if they're responsible (those who claim Dredgen isn't Ward claim that Yor was responsible). Jaren, the boy and others seek revenge... Shots are heard and Ward's ghost returns to the boy but it never mentions Ward's body being found. I can see why people doubt Jaren surviving the encounter but without a body it's tough for me to believe it. Thorn1: Tells of the fall of a great guardian. His name wasn't always Dredgen Yor. "Same meat. Same bone. But so very different. The first and only of his family. The sole forbearer and last descendent of the name Yor." Thorn2: The associations on this card connect Shin Malphur, Jaren Ward, Dredgen Yor, Palamon, Thorn and Last Word. I don't know where the other associations tie in but they may help explain some of the gaps in the story. Velor or WoS might be pretty important... It tells of the encounter of a group of bandits and Dredgen Yor. The manner in which he quickly and calmly dispatches them is reminiscent of Ward's showdown with Loken but clearly this isn't the same man. The Dark Age 2: Here we see the showdown between Loken and Ward. It's clear that, like Yor above, Ward prefers to let his piece do the talking. This quote stands out: "The movement was a flash: quick as chain lightning. Jaren Ward spoke as he moved. "Yours. Not mine." The Last Word: "Yours... Not Mine" - Renegade Hunter Shin Malphur to Dredgen Yor during the showdown at Dwindler's Ridge. These were the words spoken by Shin to Yor. The words were heard by a small boy from Palamon so it's reasonable to assume Malphur was that boy (he would again yield the Last Word). Here it is either assumed that Malphur is trying to avenge Ward's death at Yor's hand... Or you have a pupil who has to face off against his mentor. The words carry so much more weight in this case. Shin is not only avenging the deaths of guardians like Errata and Thalor but also the destruction of the light that was Jaren Ward. IMO, he's referring to the gun as Ward's not his. If Yor isn't Ward, then the words carry little meaning. So maybe Yor is another guardian entirely, murders Ward and is then cut down by Malphur... But the story is so much better the other way.