Hollow Knight: Silksong news could appear at any moment following Team Cherry's surprise appearance at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022. With rumors swirling that a Nintendo Direct for September will be announced shortly, no doubt fans of the indie metroidvania franchise will be asking whether they can expect something during this stream.
In the meantime, those fans will just have to continue speculating with the small handful of trailers and informational blurbs released by Team Cherry thus far. One concrete detail is that Hornet, the princess-protector of Hallownest, will find herself in a new land called Pharloom where dark secrets await. The Silksong reveal trailer from February 2019 shows Hornet locked in a cage, though it isn't clear whether she was kidnaped from Hallownest or caught while traveling the wider world. Either way, there could be a path for recurring Hollow Knight NPC Quirrel to play a part in the next adventure.
Quirrel's Role in Hollow Knight
When The Knight enters Hallownest, it is a desolate kingdom with just a handful of people living amongst the ruins. A handful serve as shopkeepers in Dirtmouth, the settlement built around the entrance to an expansive maze-like anthill of locales, but other NPCs pop up throughout the adventure. For example, players buy maps from Cornifer in each biome, have the option of saving Zote to unlock a secret boss battle, and even partner with the wandering cicada Cloth to defeat Traitor Lord in the Queen's Gardens. Hornet is an NPC that players battle multiple times, and she was originally going to star in an expansion before that project morphed into Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Quirrel is one of the more important recurring characters in Hollow Knight. He's one of the first to appear, standing in the Temple of the Black Egg where players battle the titular Hollow Knight. He expresses a strange sense of longing, like he was drawn to Hallownest, and later appears at numerous locales examining the scenery. Eventually he arrives at the Teacher's Archives to help the Knight defeat Uumuu, the major boss protecting one of Hallownest's three Dreamers: Monomon.
By this point, it is revealed Quirrel was a student of Monomon - his hat is actually her mask. He was entrusted with protecting her body as she fell into the Dreamers' slumber to seal the Hollow Knight, and later began traveling the world (losing his memory in the process). When he was drawn back to break the seal so the Knight can stop a spreading infection, Quirrel is only granted access to Hallownest because Hornet recognizes Monomon's mask. After defeating Uumuu, Quirrel visits the Blue Lake to reflect on his past and express that he's finally found peace. The Knight can watch over the lake with him, and later find his Nail planted there.
How Quirrel Could Play a Role in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Quirrel expresses contentment at getting to see the beauty of Hallownest twice-over during his last encounter at the Blue Lake, where he is seen without Monomon's mask. Afterward he disappears, and could be anywhere given his past experience involves traveling the world. It's also worth noting that Quirrel has met Hornet, who shared the same sense of trouble that spurred the Knight's journey. After fulfilling her purpose by stopping the Infection that afflicts Hallownest, it's possible Hornet may decide to travel abroad too.
If so, it could be Quirrel who gave Hornet the idea to seek Pharloom as another Kingdom that needs saving - since he regains his memories, it's possible he also realizes Hornet's role in everything. Alternatively, if Hornet arrives in Pharloom against her will, the world-traveling Quirrel may still appear during her adventure to provide advice, or at least a friendly encounter in an unfamiliar land. As one of the most in-depth NPCs with an established connection to Hornet, it would be a shame to not take advantage of Quirrel for a bit of fanservice, especially under the assumption he may have played a role when Silksong was just a Hollow Knight expansion.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
