Sounds like a fascinating idea, to be honest. I suspect that different characters would react very differently to this discovery - in fact, I'd advise putting a lot of focus on your characters' personalities and how they develop during their quest.
What's precedent ever done for us?Your setting is really interesting and not the typical Post-apocalyotic wasteland shlock. For villains you could go for someone who wants to sink the people of The Cradle into an everlasting nightmare, so that The Lies become evenmore terrifying and powerful. Or you could make the elders your antagonists, trying to stop our hero from revealing the truth to the people and breaking apart their stablished order.
Some people might want to destroy The Cradle and stop The Lies from emerging, others might want to wake them and recieve their knowledge and others wish it was just another myth.
edited 19th Jan '11 7:40:33 AM by AJesterOnly