| 7 | Complete the Courtyard of Wasting
Complete the Courtyard of Wasting.Complete the Courtyard of WastingNPC: Alva, Master Explorer Alva's Past: When I was young, my father gave me my first call to adventure by enlisting me in the employ of Dominus' navy. I used to love the sea. The way it smelled. The freshness of the air... but, some 'stuff' happened and I returned to Theopolis, intent on living a ladies life. Ha, it was not to be, obviously.
My lust for excitement brought me to the Reliquarians - a secret society of treasure hunters, funded by those cold and greedy societal uppercrusts. I had my father pull some strings and before I knew it, I was amongst it all, raiding temples and tombs across the land. But, well... you're an exile, you know how the Templars are. Untrustworthy is one way to describe them. When I came across a manual of Vaal blood thaumaturgy, I knew I couldn't let it fall into their hands. And it never did.
Though that damned High Templar knew I was keeping something secret... And so, no longer welcome amongst the nobility, here I am. Luckily there's a fortune to be made here and a few of my old clients still remain loyal to me when it comes to spending what they have inside their purses.Alva, Master Explorer Oriath: Well, most of my market no longer exists... but, I'm an adaptable type, and there are plenty of pirates, thieves, tyrants and nutters who will pay good coin for my finds.
I may just have to do a little extra legwork to find 'em.Alva, Master Explorer Atzoatl: The lost Temple of Atzoatl is said to be the most famed in all Vaal history and myth. Best I can tell, the Temple began its construction in the final years of the Vaal Empire. The exact date of its completion has been hard to ascertain as it occurred shortly before the events which brought about the civilisation's extinction.
Perhaps it is the fragility of the timeline that has made Atzoatl such a staple of Vaal mythology. Some say it was a place of darkness, home to the most vile of sacrifices. But there are others who claim the temple to be the birthplace of technology - even our own is said to pale in comparison to what was being forged within those walls.
Scholars today have even suggested that it was the treasure house for Queen Atziri herself. Whichever is true, it was bound to have been fiercely protected by fanatics and royalty alike. And if something's worth protecting, well, then it's worth bloody taking!Alva, Master Explorer Introduction: Thank the gods! You're no saint, I can see that. Though who am I to question what form divine providence comes in?
I am the great Alva Valai! Reliquarian extraordinaire, seeker of mysteries, explorer of the unknown, lover of all things that glitter - and I need your help.
The lost Temple of Atzoatl; Halls lined with finery, boxes stuffed with glimmering riches and relics touched by insurmountable power! For eons lost to history... until now.Alva, Master Explorer Einhar: Einhar would have fit into Atziri's empire quite nicely. The man's no stranger to ritual sacrifice, though thankfully he limits his bloodletting to beasts. He doesn't seem to have much of an interest in opulence, which is great news for me. As long as Einhar sticks to what he's best at, we'll get along fine.Alva, Master Explorer Helena: What a lovely woman she is. Had a few run-ins with her back in Oriath but I don't think she remembers... probably best, since I was hawking some forged heirlooms at the time, and she's got a knack for spotting forgeries. Now that I'm running an above-board operation - more or less - I'm looking forward to getting to know her.Alva, Master Explorer Jun: I'm trying to stay on Jun's good side. She's not aggressive or anything - not to me anyway - but I've seen her polishing daggers, staring off into the distance. That's a look I recognise from my days around some less-than-reputable treasure-hunters. A killer's look. She's out for someone's blood.Alva, Master Explorer Niko: Niko's a bit of an... oddball... yes, but if you can put up with his quirks, he's not without his uses. The mine he so passionately guards is simply filled to the brim with glittering goodies. I've been trying to cozy up to him in the hopes that when he hits the motherlode, I'll be right there next to him.Alva, Master Explorer Zana: I've never met anyone as protective of their creations as Zana. It's not like her astrolabe thing can send us back in time... wait, can it? What does that thing do, anyway? I've seen the places it takes her. Some of them are truly horrifying! They make the Vaal look tame as kittens. Not Zana though... she's a lion with a kitten's face.Alva, Master Explorer Order of the Djinn: So Jun's people snuck about history stashing powerful artefacts, did they? Do you happen to know if any such artefacts were stashed in the Temple of Atzoatl at any point... no? Fine. Just a thought.Einhar, Beastmaster Alva: I love Alva! She is a student of blood thaumaturgy, just like Einhar. And she is collecting things, just like Einhar. But where I collect things so that we may survive the end of the world, Alva collects things from people who did not survive the end of the world already! It is as if we are two heads on the same hound, but her head is where the butt should be!Einhar, Beastmaster Helena: The blackguard girl? Einhar hates blackguards... but I loooooove Helena! She is great at finding places to hide. I like to try to find her and then I hide and wait for her to find me! And she never can! Always I win! ...Now that I think about it, I do not think she knows to look for me. Maybe next time I should tell her before I hide.Einhar, Beastmaster Jun: She is so mysterious, exile. And I love mysterious! She told me all her friends disappeared, which also happened to Einhar! She thinks her friends are dead, but I don't think my friends are dead. They disappeared after I cracked open a buck's skull while we were eating and plucked out its brain. We weren't even eating venison! I don't even remember where I found the buck! That was a wonderful birthday.Einhar, Beastmaster Niko: Ohhhh... Niko... I love Niko! Einhar digs around in the bellies of beasts for signs from the First Ones, and Niko digs around in the ground with a big metal spike! And he talks to the First Ones just like I do. Or... I think he does. He talks to someone! And what a voice! He is very skinny though. I am not sure he will be a survivor.Einhar, Beastmaster Zana: Einhar loves Zana! Her hair reminds me of the inside of a Devourer, all red and stringy. She says many things that I do not understand, and marks down locations of places I have never been, even though I have been everywhere! So mysterious! Einhar loves mystery and locations. She has not seen her father in a very long time, so I try to be her father. I try to feed her meat as red as her hair. "This will keep it red and stringy!" I say, and she tells me to close my eyes while she eats it. It is so red and stringy, it must be working!Einhar, Beastmaster Einhar's Mask: Yes, this is Einhar's mask. Great job, exile!Niko, Master of the Depths Alva: I'm plenty familiar with her type. Sniffin' around for treasure but doing anything they can to make sure it's not their own nose that gets dirty. No thank you.Niko, Master of the Depths Alva: I know 'er, sure. Don't care much for her. She's the type of person that gets others to do the hard work. Rather just do me own work, thank you.Niko, Master of the Depths Alva: Seen her sniffin' around my mine... Reckon she was looking for some unguarded goods. Lucky for me I own nothing of value!Niko, Master of the Depths Alva: Oh yes... The time traveller. Says she can go back in time. Must mean she's from the future, eh? Yet when I asked her what I was gonna do next, she couldn't tell me. Very suspicious.Niko, Master of the Depths Alva: That girl... She's been eyeing my machine. I know she's after it. Greedy little-... She can't have it. Can't even touch it. She tries, and I'll bury her alive.Niko, Master of the Depths Einhar: Einhar... Bloody Einhar won't leave me alone! "We are best friends yes? We will survive the bloody first ones yes?" No, Einhar, none of that is true and you're bloody crazy. And wash yourself once in a bloody while, will ya!Niko, Master of the Depths Einhar: That Einhar keeps lugging skins and organs over to me, like they're bloody gifts. What am I supposed to do with half a hellion kidney, Einhar? Eh? I don't want it. No one wants it. No one wants you. Just stay in your little zoo!Niko, Master of the Depths Einhar: You know, me and him have spent a little time together now, and I must say... I really don't like him. He smells and he talks too much. I told him to piss off and he laughed and slapped me on the back! I wasn't bloody joking.Niko, Master of the Depths Einhar: Einhar's a bloody lunatic. But you know what? He's growing on me. I don't want to actively hit him in the face with a rock, so that's something. Weird thing is, when he's not around, I still hear his laugh. Or someone's laugh... Might be my laugh.Niko, Master of the Depths Einhar: My beasty mate. What a guy. Heck of a shot. Loves a laugh. Rips animals apart and brings me all sorts of odd giblets. Can't believe I used to hate him! Dunno what changed if I'm honest, but since we're all stuck together, I ain't complaining.Niko, Master of the Depths Helena: She's smart enough to know that the blackguards are bad news... Though she did join 'em in the first place. Well, we've all made bad decisions, eh? Couldn't have been easy deciding to leave 'em neither. They're not exactly the most forgiving lot.Niko, Master of the Depths Helena: Helena's a good egg. Her moral compass was a little bent, but Oriath'll do that to ya, as we both know all too well. Got a pretty good brain in her too. Not quite as knowledgeable as me about rocks, but who is, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths Helena: Been thinkin' that maybe I oughta keep an eye on that girl. She seems pretty desperate to stay hidden. Gotta ask yourself why... She says she's worried about blackguards, but who knows how true that really is, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths Helena: She says she's still on the run from the blackguards, but... how do we really know where her loyalties lie? Wish we could crack her head open and see what her brain's doing. She looks like a fighter though. Not really much of a fighter, myself. Just gonna keep an eye on her for now.Niko, Master of the Depths Helena: Helena... Clever, kind, polite... seems too good to be true, if you ask me. You ask me, I think it IS too good to be true. Reckon she's got some sinister plans... Oh, she hasn't done anything... untoward... yet, but why would she blow her cover like that, eh? No, she's biding her time. Well I'm biding mine too. Let's see who lasts longer. Let's just wait and see, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths Jun: Somethin' about masks just put me on the defensive. Probably has something to do with my less-than-pleasant run-ins with the Templar. But she seems like an alright sort. Not exactly one to mess with, what with those bloody big blades of hers.Niko, Master of the Depths Jun: She's hiding her face, but her eyes tell you everything you need to know, don't they. Curious. A thinker. The type of person who looks you in the eye but sees every other movement too. Dangerous.Niko, Master of the Depths Jun: The thing about her is... she's so... normal. It's like she's trying to blend in so hard that she sticks out. Suspicious if you ask me... very, very suspicious. Not that I'd tell her that. I've seen what she can do with a knife.Niko, Master of the Depths Jun: Ooooh, she's up to something. Nobody with those darty little eyes and massive blades is completely innocent. Dunno what she's hidin', but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.Niko, Master of the Depths Jun: Nice girl, she is. Very nice indeed. Too nice. Whatever it is she's hiding with that little performance, its big, exile. Big and heavy. A boulder-sized secret that threatens to sink our nice little ship.Niko, Master of the Depths Zana: Zana's bright. Brighter than anyone else I can think of, actually, and since I live surrounded by literal darkness, I know a thing or two about bright. When I hit a wall with my own machinery, she's the one I talk to.Niko, Master of the Depths Zana: There aren't many people worthy of praise left in this world, but Zana is one of them. She outwitted the Templar, built a magnificent device, and hasn't tried to kill anyone in front of me yet. A rare gem indeed.Niko, Master of the Depths Zana: Clever and ambitious, that Zana. And with a kind heart! That's a particularly rare find in this day and age. Still... I can't shake the feeling there's something she's not telling me. Something... important.Niko, Master of the Depths Zana: Zana's hiding something. She's very clever, so it's not obvious, but I've seen her... fidgeting. And fretting. What is there to fret about? Something she hasn't told us, that's what. She's lucky I like her...Niko, Master of the Depths Zana: Shh. Don't want her hearing. I think she's found something she doesn't want the rest of us to know about. Know what I think it is?... That's right, exile... another mine. A secret load of Azurite. And she's keeping it all for herself. But her secret's safe with me! ...err... Us, I guess.Sister Cassia Devices: I've worked on many beautiful little machines in my time. Let's see... There was the one that was originally designed to rapidly peel and pith fruit. That one is now called the Descalper.
The portable oven turned out to be less of an oven and more of a red-hot ember dispenser. Still quite popular.
And of course, the towers I have been assembling for use in protecting the portable-purifying-pumping unit. Those I am particularly proud of. Powered by the toxic fluid that runs through the fungal fibres. Surprisingly robust, and safe! Relatively safe. Almost no one has died yet who wasn't meant to.Sister Cassia Exile: Yes, it's true, I, like you, am an exile. I caught the High Templar's eye several years ago. I showed an interest in the mechanical arts, and he had need for someone like myself for some highly secret projects he had started. He sought ways to tap into the power contained within the virtue gems in ways that I'm not sure were in line with God's plan. I did not openly refuse his orders; I simply... interpreted them differently. The mechanisms I built were brilliant and powerful, and totally useless for his desires. I may have kept some of them.
Unfortunately, as you know, little slips past Dominus. I was exiled as a matter of secrecy. Rapidly replaced by some little whore.
What? She {is} a whore.Sister Cassia Fungi: I've not seen anything like it before. The growths show no sign of intelligent thought, no clear ambition, yet the moment the pump's needle pierces the fungal flesh, creatures of all shapes and sizes begin to emerge from the mycelium -- and they never stray away from it.
The fluid within those growths may hold the key to controlling the minds of creatures... And hopefully, something to protect us from such a power. Too many already vie for control of our wills, but that is the domain of the divine.Sister Cassia Blighted Maps: I'm starting to believe that these growths have some sort of central... well, brain isn't exactly the right word, but it isn't far off.
These larger growths, these "blighted maps" you've found, they may lead us to the original source of the Blight.
Not long ago, I believed they were a symptom of Wraeclast's death. Fungal growths feeding on a rotting carcass. Now? I'm certain they're a parasite. Wraeclast isn't dead, but it is dying, weakened by its violent history, and being overpowered and smothered by the blight.
God has laid out all the puzzle pieces. All we need to do now is put them together. I hope you're good at puzzles.Sister Cassia Introduction: Hm? What do we have here? Yet another of Oriath's cast-offs? With the problems we're facing here, I do wish they'd send someone with a little more... utility. Alas, we have useless exiles blowing in like spores on the wind.
Cassia, by the by. Pleasure.Sister Cassia Replacement: You likely know her by the name High Templar Dominus gave her -- Piety. A whore-turned-thaumaturgist-turned-inventor. Or at least, she wishes she were. I've seen some of her work. Unimpressive, considering the resources she has available to her.
Not that I'm envious. I'm not. Really, good for her. But, you know, creators have a habit of getting caught in the teeth of their own creations, and Piety seems to favour creations with many, many teeth.Sister Cassia The Templar: You've no doubt heard me singing some of the Templar hymns. One of the many habits that stuck with me, other than the one I still wear. Though the Templar have their... 'issues', they are not without merit. They are, after all, doing God's work. And by Innocence, their hymns are truly catchy little earworms. Singing them helps me focus.Sister Cassia Anointing Oils: I see you've scavenged some oils with your sticky little hands. What in God's name are you planning to do with them? Don't bother answering -- I don't actually care, as I have a much better use than whatever nonsense you had planned.
Bring me a few phials of those oils and I'll anoint your amulet and rings, as is tradition among the clergy. Such a blessing will unlock gifts within you that you may not even know you had. God helps those who help each other, after all.Sister Cassia Piety and Dominus: Strange as it may sound, I'm somewhat sad. I know in my heart of hearts that they were not good people, but they were still people. I knew Dominus well. We worked together. Ate together. There was a time when I would have called him my friend. And Piety was fighting her own demons.
I hope God sees fit to forgive their souls... And mine.Sister Cassia The Blightheart: You've done well, my little apostle. Ahead of us lies the moment of truth. Where are you looking? I'm being metaphorical. We'll work on that.
Before we strike at the heart of the Blight, please make sure you're ready for what awaits us. This would be a very inconvenient time for you to die. I may even miss you.
I suggest you limber up, because you're going to be doing some running.Sister Cassia Innocence: The Innocence you slew was not the God I know. My God is selfless. Humble. Yes, he is prone to burning sinners, but who among us isn't?
You just wait, Exile. Eternity will prove me right.Eagon Caeserius Kirac: Quite the establishment you've got here! Kirac looks much older in person... I must say, I don't really care for his demeanour. Rather grumpy and sour. Rather... dull.
In any case, shall we utilise these coordinates?Einhar, Beastmaster Introduction: That look in your eye... I recognise it. A survivor, just like Einhar.
That is my name, exile. Einhar. In my native tongue it means 'lone fighter'. That is what Einhar was for many years.
But it is dangerous now to fight alone. Too dangerous, even for the mighty Einhar. We are in the final days of this world, exile. Of that, I am sure. We survivors must unite, prepare for the end, and delay its arrival as long as we can.
For that we will need supplies. Weapons. Shelter. Food. This is where you come in.Einhar, Beastmaster Craiceann, First of the Deep: Einhar has many talents. You will learn. I sailed to Wraeclast alone, a risky and brave feat. You are impressed, yes?
My boat was small and not well prepared for the journey. Then my ship ran aground... but there was no ground. Very confusing. Water all around, but the ship could not move. My food spoiled quickly. I am very good at fishing. I will have to show you how some time... maybe. I caught many fish. And crabs. And squid. I ate very well, but there was little water. I had booze. I threw the scraps to the sea.
Then... the ship moved. Lifted. I looked aft. A crab, massive and red, stood on a lone rock, covered in my scraps. It was Craiceann, an Avatar of the First ones.
Einhar knows the secret of Craiceann. It lies in the bellies of the sea creatures. Find them, and we will see Craiceann again.Einhar, Beastmaster Einhar: You want to know Einhar's past? That is Einhar's business. No one else's.Einhar, Beastmaster Farrul, First of the Plains: Years ago, Einhar was wandering the fields near Sarn in search of a worthy Survivor. I did not find one. Then I did not find water. Then I did not find shelter. This was a learning moment for Einhar.
Beneath the hot sun, Einhar saw a swirl of red and white. A flash of teeth. Farrul, First of the Plains, an Avatar of the First Ones. I pursued it, and as night fell, so did I... right into a Hellion pit. I drank my fill of Hellion blood that night. That is how I learned I do not like Hellion blood.
It is also how I learned that Farrul's secrets lie in the blood of hounds, cats, and others of warm blood. Go, find many, and we will find Farrul.Einhar, Beastmaster Fenumus, First of the Night: Einhar is a brave explorer. The secret to my bravery? I do not think. One day I did not think as I went into a cave. It was very brave. But then I got lost. It was dark. I did not think, so I did not think to bring a torch.
I walked in total darkness by touch until... a light. Then two. Then many! So many lights! I got closer and closer. The lights got brighter and brighter. Then... I slipped. I fell very far. Einhar was sure he was dead. But then I was caught... in a web. The lights moved and swirled. Insects. And in front of them was a shadow of a spider. Fenumus... An Avatar of the First Ones.
Her web was strong, but Einhar's blade was stronger. I cut myself free. Into the river below. Washed to shore. A fun adventure.
The path to Fenumus is in the blood of bugs. Spiders. Insects. Carrion queens. Get them, and Fenumus will follow.Einhar, Beastmaster The First Ones: They were the first survivors. The First Ones showed my people that to win, you must outlast. They left this world long ago to seek other survivors, but they will return. And when they do, I will join them in the Great Grove. And you will join Einhar, yes? Yes.Einhar, Beastmaster The Menagerie: It will surprise you to learn that I am not popular. The others here are ignorant. They do not see the end coming. They are not survivors like me... Or you.
Before we met, I kept beasts in the encampment. They got into the grain, then the meat. They were not as picky as Einhar about where they did their business. I learned that Rhoas do not digest Rhoa meat very well.
So I moved them to a new location. The Menagerie. Far away. It is a secret place. This is where we will perform the ritual for the First Ones. I have built a Blood Altar for such a purpose.
Do you wish to see it? Tell Einhar. You will be taken there.Einhar, Beastmaster Saqawal, First of the Sky: During a cold winter, Einhar camped on a mountain. I have many furs to keep me warm in the cold. ... I did not bring them. But I did have Rhoa ooze. While sipping warm ooze, Einhar had a vision. A lizard, feathered and crimson, watching from shadows of shadows.
An avatar of the First Ones. A test. Saqawal, First of the Sky. In my cup, ooze swirled. Another vision, in the blood of the birds and reptiles. It is lucky I had so much to drink that night, or else this secret may have remained a secret.
Find many birds and reptiles, Exile. The path to the First of the Sky is in their blood.Einhar, Beastmaster Trading: Not all beasts were born equal, survivor. The First Ones look upon some captures and sacrifices more fondly than others. You may not even deem some beasts worthy of sacrifice!
Do not worry. Einhar has imbued some Orbs with powerful blood magic. You can use these Bestiary Orbs on any beast in the Menagerie and the beast will be bound to the Orb. Then you can do whatever you want with it. Give it to a handsome man like Einhar, maybe? You cannot tell, but I am very handsome under this mask.
Once a Bestiary Orb contains a beast, you can use it again to release the creature to the Menagerie. Be careful, though, it will break the Orb.Faustus Hideout: It's not the most comfortable hideaway I've ever graced with my presence, but it'll do. We're in this to make money, after all. Nothing else matters.Helena Crafting: I retrieved the Transmutia Device from the Chamber of Sins, and I believe I can rig it to imbue equipment with magical modifications. This may involve minor meddling with dark forces we don't understand, but we'll have to take that risk. Wraeclast is a dangerous place, and we'll never get anywhere by playing it safe.
As long as we treat the process scientifically and approach it methodically, we should be able to craft equipment to our needs.Helena Crafting Bench: I could hardly hope for better results. Do note the device needs special reagents to perform, so not all uses will be so easy.Helena Crafting Bench: Alright, I've taken the liberty of performing a few tests. There are a few magical modifications the Transmutia Device can make that are safe every time. Try enhancing a piece of equipment now. Let's see if my results hold.Helena Education: I was no wonder child back in Oriath, but I prided myself on what junior accomplishments I managed to put together within the strict set of allowed sciences. Archaeology was my specialty, and Dominus and his ilk had an uncommon fascination with artefacts from the past. And I... I was told I was crucial. That I was important, because I could tell whether an artefact was truly Vaal simply by running my hand along faded stone patterns.
I may have had a head slightly too big for my shoulders. When the Ebony Legion made available an archaeologist position on their expedition to Wraeclast and nobody volunteered, I thought my colleagues were all simply afraid of continental dangers.
No. They knew better. None were allowed to speak it openly, but they knew. I didn't find out what kind of society I was truly a part of until I saw Piety's aspirations. I studied the Vaal. I knew all about their downfall, or at least our Templar-twisted perception of it. Piety's ocean of slaughter... the Vaal called their hubris the Apex of Sacrifice. The Eternal Empire called theirs the Purity Rebellion. We call ours the Temple of Lunaris.
And I know nothing, exile. Nothing at all.
Save that we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past unless we learn the hard way.Helena Alva: With that book on Vaal blood thaumaturgy, Alva has accessed a power scholars have only dreamed of for centuries. Travelling back in time sounds both insane and absurd, yet I've seen her incursions myself.
It is both a curse and a blessing that she chooses to employ those incursions solely for personal gain. Yes, we could do so much more with the power to visit the past, but her focused interests also keep the timeline stable. I can't imagine what would happen to us here and now if, for example, we tried to go back and assassinate Malachai to prevent the Cataclysm.
Would we cease to exist? Or would we simply create a second Wraeclast, one in which the Cataclysm never happened? One could go insane thinking about it...Helena Einhar: When I first met him, I underestimated Einhar. Coming from the poorest of Ezomytes, themselves already a battered people in this region of the world, Einhar struck me as someone who could contribute brawn to our cause, but not much else.
How wrong I was. If anyone can decipher the dark design afflicting the creatures of Wraeclast, it's him. I've been looking for the source of all this, an equation or overall pattern, but he's unknowingly taken an empirical approach. By learning about and understanding every single corrupted animal - and the energies their blood contains - he's done more to advance our understanding of the problem than I could ever have done myself.
One day, he may even solve the symptoms of Corruption without ever understanding the root cause. Make no mistake, exile, that's... impressive. A humanistic brute force approach to a cosmic problem.Helena Jun: Jun keeps to herself. It's clear that she's not used to trusting strangers. From watching her, I think she is dealing with the loss of her {akhara} by pouring everything she is into her mission. That's admirable, but dangerous. Keep her safe, exile.Helena Niko: He's well-intentioned. That's the foremost thing I can say about him. I've never seen any trace of hostility in his actions, but his words sometimes stray from the path he set for them, and his laughter can be a little too gleeful. I fear that Voltaxic Sulphite exposure is poisoning his mind.
But despite that, he may be the most qualified person on Wraeclast when it comes to the mysteries under the earth - and under the earth is exactly where thousands of years of history have sunk over time.Helena Order of the Djinn: The Order of the Djinn is real? You have no idea how much that means to me as an archaeologist. I was in an apprentice position, yes, but my colleagues still refused to listen to a degree I found absurd. I was convinced that there was a pattern behind the absence of artefacts of myth. My conviction reached a certainty so strong that, if a colleague told me about an expedition they had in mind, and if the sought after artefact was one of sufficient mythological renown, I would bet a month's pay that it would not be found at its supposed resting place.
I never lost those bets, and now I know I was right, even though I didn't know the name of my theorized secret organisation of relic keepers until now. The Order of the Djinn found and sequestered all of those powerful artefacts long ago, and good they did. Power like that in the hands of men like Dominus would be catastrophic.Helena Oriath: Many of the Blackguard are still alive and scattered across Wraeclast, but the organisation has had its back broken after what happened in Oriath. I wouldn't want to run into a random knot of them, especially as they start to get hungry and desperate, but I believe their concerted search for us has ended. That'll give us some breathing room to face new problems.Helena Helena's Dream: While asleep, while dreaming, I felt I was on the verge of a brilliant revelation. In one hand, I held one of Navali's little purple orbs, and in the other, I had cut my palm for one of Alva's blood thaumaturgy incursions. In my dream, I was a scale, balancing these two forces.
No, they were one and the same, and I was caught inside their eternal vortex.
And with me in that vortex, above, was the shouting, screaming, clawing, and cawing web of life as taught to me by Einhar. Below me, quiet, magmatic, frozen, and grasping, were all the nightmares beneath the earth that Niko has revealed with his delving.
I thought I was the center of a strange balancing act, but no, exile, it was not me. For I was dreaming; Zana was there, ahead, forging the dream, the unreal. Where she was ahead, I now saw that I was behind, creating the physical, the real. I was not the center. You were.
Do you understand this dream, exile? Even if it means nothing, it's still reflective of the truth. Each of us carries one end of an impossible axis, and you unite all these forces.
And together we face the storm.Helena Zana: I heard of Zana, back in Oriath. I even experienced some of the contempt for her and people like her that Dominus wanted the "church-approved" scientific community to feel. With those lies broken, now I see that she is a woman of science like me, and utterly dedicated to her cause.
The forces she faces are orthogonal to the concerns of this life. I must worry about the real-world logistical and political concerns of Wraeclast first and foremost, but I recognize that she is protecting us in her own way.Helena Other Hideouts: While you're out there, try to remain vigilant for other possible locations for hideouts. The Blackguards never give up, and they may eventually stray close to this place. I want to have a backup location ready to go in the event we need to make a quick exit.Helena Transmutia Device: Malachai himself gave this Transmutia Device to Maligaro. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable to think about the horrors that it helped bring into being.
But I must remind myself that science is not responsible for what happened in the Chamber of Sins. Science provides tools for mankind to manipulate the world. It is up to each of us to choose to do good or evil with the power so provided.
Maligaro was the evil responsible, and Malachai before him. Together, you and I are going to start using this Device to undo the damage they did.Jun, Veiled Master The Syndicate Leader: The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
She is a tyrant in the making, and the longer we let her accumulate power, the harder it will be to depose her.Jun, Veiled Master Alva: Greed has spilled more blood than all the other vices combined, and Alva is one of the greediest people I have ever met. That you have aligned with her makes me question your own motives.Jun, Veiled Master Einhar: Anyone who believes the world is coming to an end raises some red flags. He has that unusual accent, but he claims to be from Oriath. I think Einhar is hiding more than just his face.
But... who am I to talk?Jun, Veiled Master Helena: Helena looked within herself and chose to turn her back on what she was made to believe, even under fear of death. She is a woman worthy of admiration.Jun, Veiled Master Niko: Niko is... a strange one. I believe there is a good person buried within him somewhere, but he is lost within his own darkness, struggling to climb out.Jun, Veiled Master Zana: The rules of my {akhara} forbid women ever feeling the touch of a man. No families, no loose lips, no loose ends. But it makes no mention of two women... When our jobs are done at last, I believe I would like a stronger bond with her. Perhaps we could find some orphans of our own to take in.Jun, Veiled Master Catarina: At last, we have a name; Catarina. I know of her. She was a powerful necromancer whose talents were... misdirected. I do not know for certain how she learned to raise the dead back to true life, but... I have my suspicions. And I have reason to believe that such power does not come without a great price.
It is likely she is paying that price in very inhumane ways.
We must find out where she is hiding. Too much is at stake to let her continue.Jun, Veiled Master The Syndicate Leader: The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained the Horns of Kulemak, an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
There is a reason my Order hid the Horns for so long, and we are seeing it play out before our very eyes.Jun, Veiled Master Janus Perandus: You have heard of the famed Perandus family, I have no doubt. Wealthy and powerful and responsible for putting Malachai in position to bring Wraeclast to ruin all those centuries ago. Though Emperor Chitus is the most famous of the Perandus family, some remnants of his vile bloodline linger even still.
Janus was one such remnant. He too was orphaned, but with the Perandus coffers dry and the Perandus name worth its weight in gold, no one took him in. No one except my {akhara}.
That he is the only other survivor, and is now a powerful member of the Immortal Syndicate leaves no doubt in my mind that it was he who sold us out.
If there is but one silver lining in all of this, it is that I may get to sink my blades into his flesh over, and over, and over again.Jun, Veiled Master Oriath: I'd not believe you if I had not witnessed the boats lurching onto the shores of Wraeclast myself. So... The gods have returned, and Oriath has fallen. This complicates things, to say the least.
Exile, I believe the Syndicate has been planning to form a new government. The Templar were cruel, but at least they were mortal. If the Syndicate's power continues to grow, they will be able to rule Wraeclast and beyond without fear of reprisal, and we mere mortals will have no choice but to serve, or fuel their cycle of death and rebirth.Jun, Veiled Master Oriath: Kitava is slain, and you are the saviour of Oriath. In any other era, such an act would etch your name into the pages of history, but...
The Immortal Syndicate remains, positioned to wrest control of the few remaining survivors, and you are the only one with the might to tear them down. Please, for the sake of those that still live, we must push onwards. Oriath has seen too much horror as it is.Jun, Veiled Master Syndicate Safehouse: Thanks to your hard work, we have at last pinpointed the location of a Syndicate safehouse. I believe a leader to be sending orders from there.
When you are ready, I can take us close. Together we will infiltrate and dismantle it. If we can capture the leader, they may be able to get us closer to the one they call "The Lifegiver".Jun, Veiled Master Syndicate Members: Some of the members we have come across... well... they have come back from the dead. I don't have any better way of putting it.
They are no mindless zombies. Somehow they are returning... whole. This must be why they call themselves the Immortal Syndicate. Immortality is dangerous, even in the hands of those with good intentions.Jun, Veiled Master The Forbidden Vault: My {akhara}, my people, were long ago tasked with protecting the people of Wraeclast from themselves. Many artefacts of great power exist - you have come across some such in your travels. But there are some artefacts whose power is so great that to use them would put the world in jeopardy. Artefacts like the Horns of Kulemak. We, the Order of the Djinn, existed to keep such power sealed away and secret. Better that the world forget that it, and we, exist, than fight for control of a power they have no hope of controlling.Jun, Veiled Master Horns of Kulemak: We were only taught what was passed down for generations. We believed the Horns to be the ultimate tool of life and death; capable of siphoning the very breath of life from any living thing. We do not know where it came from. Perhaps the remains of a powerful, long-dead animal. Perhaps a creation of the gods themselves.
Regardless of its provenance, I believe the Horns are what have given the Immortal Syndicate their miraculous ability to return from the dead unscathed.Jun, Veiled Master Order of the Djinn: You have not heard of us because you were never meant to hear of us. I say us... in truth, it is just me left. We came from all walks of life, but we were all orphans, taken in and raised by the Order, and taught never to speak of it under punishment of death. It sounds harsh, I understand, but such was the importance of our duty that a life of solitude and secrecy was necessary.
For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, we remained secret, until Janus Perandus... that... that imbecile... He sold us out. Reaching for the last vestiges of his ancestral glory. Just like his great grandfather Chitus, he may have doomed us all.Jun, Veiled Master Why Jun Fights: Do I really need a reason? For what reason did you help the sick and dying in Lioneye's Watch? We do these things because no one else will. We do these things because the world has enough pain in it already. Would you have me sit idly by, watching the few good souls left on this wretched stretch of land fall into the shadows?
Creation cannot occur without destruction, nor destruction without creation. Light and darkness. The two must coexist. One cannot be without the other. But forces work to break Wraeclast's already precarious balance. And who but us can put it right?Jun, Veiled Master Veiled Items: I've spent some time around powerful magical objects. There are some whose magical properties are obscured and tangled, trapped and restricted by a curse placed upon it. I cannot restore such items to their original glory, but I can at least break the curse and release some of its power, if you bring it to me.Commander Kirac Cassia: She's beautiful - I'm one-eyed, not blind - but she's {far} too intense. I worked with her once before, tangentially, when on the campaign for the Templars. Not that she'd remember. Too wrapped up in her God and her work. We soldiers did the dying, and she gave the credit to the divine. Wish I could get her damn songs out of my head.Commander Kirac Einhar: Being a tracker myself, I'm no stranger to the hunt, but him - he embodies the hunt, and nothing else. I tried to ask for his aid in chasing down the Conquerors, but it was impossible to get a straight answer out of him. I was given the distinct impression that he encounters them regularly while cavorting out in the wilds. He thinks... {very highly} of each of them... even Sirus. I can't imagine what the two of them would even say to each other.Commander Kirac Helena: Never trusted a Blackguard in my life. Reformed or not. Never have, never will. That bastard Gravicius and his psychotic disciple Cameria... but I suppose I shouldn't blame Helena for that. Just rankles me that he's still got my eye.Commander Kirac Jun: That one's a bottled up flask of rage, if I've ever seen it. I've known some good men who've suffered the same. When certain things happen to a soldier on the campaign trail, he returns home changed. Civilians will never understand. Let her work through her pain and revenge before we ask her to help us with the Conquerors.Commander Kirac Niko: He's loyal, but unsuitable for duty, for obvious reasons. Sometimes wish I had a hat with a light on it myself. I tend to stumble in the night on the way to the latrine. But perhaps it's best I not risk my one good eye with an open flame.Niko, Master of the Depths Oriath: Grew up in Oriath. Used to love the city... Spent my youth combing the woods around it for Sulphite. No one else knew how to handle the stuff, but the Templar had a voracious appetite for it. Needed it to power whatever god-forsaken machines they were building. Made a very healthy living for myself until...
Well, let's just say, for a while I thought I was a... a prophet. The Templar don't take so kindly to people calling themselves prophets. Locked me up in a madhouse, but I dug my way out. The Templar like escapees even less than they like false prophets, so here I am, digging around in Eternal rubble.Niko, Master of the Depths Oriath: If you knew how to handle Voltaxic Sulphite without blowing your arms off, you could make a lot of money in Oriath. As you can see, I still have my arms. Sold piles of Sulphite to the Templar. Knew better than to ask what they needed it for. But when people who weren't really there started talking to me, I didn't know better than to ask the Templar for help.
Ever break out of a Templar-run mental-asylum? Easier than ya think. Easier than hiding from the Templar when they go looking for ya. They shipped me off to Wraeclast as soon as they found me. Easier to forget I exist than to help me get rid of the voices, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths Oriath: Probably heard about all the weird experiments the Templar were doin' back in Oriath, eh? Probably seen some of the results around here. Need a lot of power to do something like that, I imagine... It just so happens I used to be the supplier of that power. Knew no one else who could handle Voltaxic Sulphite in Oriath. Made a lot of money selling the stuff to the Templar.
When I started hearing things... people... I went to the Templar for help. Thought they'd do a favour for their favourite miner. Locked me up instead! Me! In a bloody mental asylum! Should've bought them off, but I dug out instead. Should've bought them off when they caught up to me and tried to ship me off to Wraeclast, but my head wasn't right. Still might not be.Niko, Master of the Depths Oriath: Made myself very rich selling Voltaxic Sulphite to the Templar. Didn't know what they were doing with it, but it wasn't hard to guess. Was a couple years ago that I started hearing... them. The voices. Talking to me. Telling me things about the people around me. Things I shouldn't know. Secrets. Wonderful, violent secrets.
Went to the Templar and told 'em what I knew. What I was getting told. Who was telling it. Templar didn't bloody believe me. Locked me up in a... in a prison! But my little messenger told me how to escape. Told me to dig. Dig, dig, dig. Dug my way to freedom. Templar didn't like that, no no. Sent an army after me. Tossed me on a slaver's ship and sent me to Wraeclast to rot. But I'm not rotting, am I, exile? I'm healthier than I've ever been, heheheh.Niko, Master of the Depths Oriath: Heheheh, they thought they could put ol' Niko to rest. Thought I'd die out here. Thought I'd keep the Templar's dirty little secret to myself! But I'm still breathin'. Still digging their beautiful rocks out of the ground, just like I was back in Oriath. But they ain't getting a single. Bloody. One.
They thought they'd lock me away from the angry voices in that dark room, but I got out. Ran through the square in my bloody prison garb. Hands bleeding everywhere. Must've tracked my blood to find me. Couldn't kill me though, could they. Had to send me to the cursed continent to die. Think they're still trying to get me, exile? Sending their ugly little spies my way?
Maybe we'll feed them to the darkness.Niko, Master of the Depths Underground Cities: Whole Eternal Empire was built on the ruins of the Vaal, so it ain't surprising that we'd run up against Vaal ruins down there. Seen some other traces, though. People who weren't Eternals or Vaal. Thought I'd just hit an old Vaal burial ground, 'til I realised just how many bones there were... and that they were used to build. Ain't a historian, but never heard of the Vaal using human bones to make buildings.Niko, Master of the Depths Underground Cities: Don't be surprised if you find yourself surrounded by Vaal ruins when you get deep enough. Whole Eternal Empire was built on their ruins. Might even see some of their cursed dead wandering the halls. But if you see... other ruins... best watch yourself. Nothin' collects that many bones peacefully.Niko, Master of the Depths Underground Cities: You'll run across plenty of ruins down there. Eternal, Vaal, and... others. You'd know if you'd seen them. Bones everywhere. Walls of bones. Pillars. Piles and piles and piles. All different sizes. Child sized bones. The Vaal were bloody and merciless, but they were better than what came before. Went no deeper once I saw that. Wish I'd not gone that deep in the first place.Niko, Master of the Depths Underground Cities: Can you hear 'em walking around down there? The Vaal, holed up in their ruins, still scrabbling at the walls and floors. Empire's been dead for thousands of years, but they ain't. Not dead enough for me, anyway. They're below us, but what's below them? I know... Can you hear them rattling their bones, exile? Beckoning us deeper and deeper, into their pit of bones? What's below the bones, exile? What's below the bones?Niko, Master of the Depths Underground Cities: Eternal relics on Vaal ruins. Vaal ruins on a living graveyard. Down and down and down. Layers and layers. Years and years. Never stopped building up so we never stop digging down, eh? Only a matter of time until we're buried too, exile. What secrets will be buried with us? What secrets remain to be dug up? heeheehee... I know a secret, exile. Do you?Niko, Master of the Depths Fractured Walls: Blew up a wall, did you? And you're back in one piece! Impressive. Hope you found something nice on the other side.
Well, exile, that's all there really is to it. Simple, really. So... bugger off to find more ore for us, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths The Darkness: The darkness within those walls is unnatural. It does not fade in the presence of light... It retreats. Like a living beast. I'd not wander too far from the lamps if I were you.Niko, Master of the Depths The Darkness: The deeper we go, the more the darkness scares me. I've seen nothing like it before, and I hope to see nothing like it again. Stay in the light, exile, unless you wish to die.Niko, Master of the Depths The Darkness: It's out there, exile. Watching us. It's all around us. Can you feel it? The darkness wants our flesh. Wants to devour us like all that came before. Something is fuelling it. Something... Or someone.Niko, Master of the Depths The Darkness: Can you hear them, exile? They're locked away down there. The darkness has them imprisoned... Bait, trying to coax us out of the light. But we're not so dumb, are we, exile? No no no... We'll not be lured into the darkness so easily.Niko, Master of the Depths The Darkness: They're calling us... They're calling us again, exile. And we have to answer. Need to get to them. Free them. They need us, exile. You need to hurry. The darkness is crowding around us, exile. It's so hungry. It licks at our minds, tasting our fear. Lick lick lick! Only a taste though, exile. Only a taste for now.Niko, Master of the Depths Talk to Niko: Eh? Oh. I'm busy right now.Niko, Master of the Depths Talk to Niko: Eh? Oh. I'm busy right now.Niko, Master of the Depths Talk to Niko: Eh? Oh. I'm busy right now.Niko, Master of the Depths The Azurite Mine: Not the prettiest spot in Wraeclast, but relatively dry and safe as long as you stay in the light. Never cared about a good view anyway. Much prefer a cozy spot indoors. Not many of those on Wraeclast that aren't filled with bloody flesheaters though, eh?Niko, Master of the Depths The Azurite Mine: Huh... Thought I heard you in there earlier. Went to check because I didn't see you, and sure enough, you weren't there. Could've sworn I heard something down there in the shafts though.Niko, Master of the Depths The Azurite Mine: I think they're back, exile. The voices. I can hear them talking to me down there. Just whispers, here and there. Whispers, and scratching. Like they're buried somewhere deep. Can't make out any words, but I can feel their emotions. They're not happy. Not happy at all.Niko, Master of the Depths The Azurite Mine: Layers on layers on layers. That's how we build. Sarn built over the ruins of the Vaal. The Vaal built over an abyss of bones. What's below the bones, exile?
I can still hear them down there, rattling around, pawing at the rocks. They want out. Want what we have. Want to take our lives over. Want to take our minds over.Niko, Master of the Depths The Azurite Mine: Got to keep digging, exile. Got to keep digging! Need to let them out. Need to stop the chatter. They're too loud, exile. And they're all angry. Shouting at us. Can't understand a word. Probably get more done if they would be quiet for just one moment.
How do you stand the noise, exile? Can't even think with the bloody racket they're making. Wish someone would make 'em... disappear.Niko, Master of the Depths Prospero: Piles of gold, eh? Ain't a goldmine, so sounds like you stumbled across an old shrine to Prospero. Any miner worth his rocksalt knows Prospero. Might've even tried to make a deal with him for riches or life. Prospero's followers think the two are more or less interchangeable. If you believe in that stuff, I've got a flying rhoa to sell you.Niko, Master of the Depths Prospero: Thought most of the old cults died with the Eternal Empire, but it sounds like you found a shrine to Prospero. He was supposedly in charge of all things that came out of the earth. Miners left him tributes. Guess they were hoping Prospero would protect them from a cave-in. Or an explosion. Or toxic gases.
Have I mentioned how dangerous this job is?Niko, Master of the Depths Prospero: A dirty deal made deep in the dirt. That's what the gold piles down there mean. A bargain with the God of Wealth and the Underworld, Prospero. That it remains there is proof that Prospero is no more. Or... maybe the offering was recent. Hope you left it undisturbed. Wouldn't want to tempt a god's wrath, would you? Eh?Niko, Master of the Depths Prospero: Tried to make a trade with Prospero, they did. That's why you saw gold down there. Someone wanted to avoid a dark fate. Gave away all their wealth. But it's still there, so... the God of Wealth must be full-up. Or the god never existed. Bunch of myths and stories to scare children and sap money from the mad and stupid. I'm not stupid though, am I? No... Not stupid.Niko, Master of the Depths Prospero: What good is gold to the dead? Can't spend if you can't move or breath. Can't line the pockets of your betters, can you? Prospero, God of the Shining Rocks! He'll keep you alive down there... for a price. That's what they say, anyway. That's what they keep saying. Keep telling me to give more. Give away my beauties. But what do I get for it? Can't prove I didn't die already, can they? Can't prove we're not all already dead! Until I'm dead, the rocks are mine.
Prospero can come and get them if he wants them so badly... Heheheheheh... Wonder what the blood of a god tastes like.Tane Octavius Alchemy: My master called Alchemy the science of turning learned men to fools. Every half-wit with an alembic would try to turn lead to gold, or formulate an elixir of eternal youth, and Master Lucan was no different. But men like him rarely saw the magic in alchemy up close -- the sudden bubbling of a liquid, the heat growing in your hands, the vibrant colours and foul odours. Much knowledge is lost at a safe distance.
In truth, the power of Alchemy is not in turning one thing into another, or creating miracles. It is in isolating and extracting. It is about finding purity within the confusion.
Tane Octavius Catalysts: In alchemy, some changes are almost instantaneous, while others require patience. It probably comes as no surprise that a profession that pursues such fantastical goals as alchemy does not attract the most patient of people. Thus, the discovery of the catalyst -- an additive which accelerates the transformation without influencing it.
You might find such an additive useful for seeking out, for example, specific latent properties in certain materials. The sort of thing that could normally take many years.Tane Octavius Exile: How many innocent men and women can you think of who were exiled? We are here because we are violent, because we broke the laws of the land.
I killed my master. I do not regret that he is dead, only that it was by my hand. My master was a sick man, with dark proclivities. A sickness of the mind that no alchemy could hope to cure. And he passed that sickness onto me.
I was never violent until that day. Until that day, I could not fathom how one man could take the life of another. But Lucan drew out of me an anger I did not know I was capable of experiencing. It overcame me. Forced me out of my own body. And by the time I was in control again, my master was dead.
That anger, that darkness is still in me, Exile. And that is why we are here.
Tane Octavius Introduction: Come no closer, unless you wish to experience what my vials contain firsthand. I am Tane, a freedman, and I plan to stay that way.
Trust is not given freely, Exile. It must be earned, and you have not earned mine yet. But I do have something to give you. An opportunity.Tane Octavius Piety: My master was no stranger to the machinations of the Templar elite like her. I feel a sort of kinship with her. We both gave up our names, though she did so voluntarily. We both sought to make something of ourselves. Where our kinship ends is how she made her name known. I can appreciate the desire for knowledge but, I can never condone the methods used to acquire it.
If it is true that, in her dying moment, she sought to redeem herself, it casts an interesting light on our exploration of the darkness. Perhaps it is our very mortality that drives us to do good, to suppress the primal urges... Our actions outlive us, after all.Tane Octavius Goals: The task I have given you is dangerous. To face the cruelty that dwells in the living, distilled and manifested, is not a task I wish upon anyone. Yet it is what I have asked of you. So you may be asking yourself, for what purpose do I seek to isolate this darkness?
I once thought it was a symptom of the corruption that pervades Wraeclast, but now, now I believe it to be something more primeval and universal. An element of our very beings hitherto unknown. To better understand it is to better understand life as a whole. Is that not enough?
Very well. There is more to this story, but it may take some time.
Tane Octavius Tane's Master: In Oriath I served a man named Lucan Octavius; a wealthy alchemist of high-status. I call him my master, for I was both his apprentice and his slave. Lucan's work required handling extremely dangerous, often very hot, materials. Not the sort of thing becoming of a man of stature. So it came to be that a slave like myself learned the nuances of the alchemical arts firsthand.
As for Lucan, he was... not the man he portrayed himself to be. He was more dangerous, more explosive, and more unstable than any material I had to handle. In public, he was fatherly and genial. In his home, he was violent and lustful.
I do not regret what happened to him; only the part I played.
Tane Octavius Vision: To conjure a creature of darkness we use the flesh of the dead. We destroy that flesh, and draw out the ill-will that inhabits it, giving it form. My hope is that, one day, we may do the reverse -- destroy the darkness while leaving the flesh unharmed.
To that end, I've acquired a rare ichor -- there's no other like it in this world. The very essence of a human; for all intents and purposes, its soul. This individual was cruel beyond measure, or so I've heard, though not incapable of kindness. This ichor is robust enough that it might be injected into an entity of equally cruel temperament, and may be given new life.
Now, imagine if we could then destroy the darkness. Could this cruel soul be purified? Could it be brought back, not only from the dead, but from the precipice of damnation?
That is my true goal.Tane Octavius Tukohama: Though I know little of my natural heritage, I know enough to understand the implications of your victory against the Karui God of War. Did his long slumber weaken him, or have the gods been greatly exaggerated through the evolution of myths? In either case, this undoubtedly means we will find no divine help against the intrinsic darkness. They are not the keepers of mankind many believed them to be.Tane Octavius Oriath: Oriath is uninhabitable. Got what was coming to it, if you ask me. Do I feel for the dead? Of course. I am no monster. But sorrow and spite can coexist. Luckily for us, we do not need to live in Oriath, only work, and my underground laboratory is virtually unscathed.Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Memory Bridges: Exile, there is something about all this that I cannot fathom. The memories I somewhat understand. A man's thoughts, a woman's remembrance, a child's sorrow - these things come from the living, or the once-living. They are real. But the ancient bridges that you cross between memories? Those were already out there. They came from no man, woman, or child of our land.
I suspect those pathways are not made of the iron we think we see. To dwell on their origins or true nature could send one over the brink, I suspect!
Cavas, Forgotten Spirit The Synthesiser: These are memories, yes, but they are also real in a sense. We feel pain within them. We find real material objects within them. Yet some of these objects are not quite right. It is as though they are stuck, half-remembered.
There's a device in the Nexus that seems attuned to such objects. It seems to draw upon their properties to create something new. Its creator must have been seeking something very important in his or her past... I wonder if they ever found it.
Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Memory Fragments: Even shattered as I am, I know that memories floating around like this is not... normal. I believe something terrible has happened to me.
What if other men fall victim? What if mothers forget their children? What if... what if the children are left alone and scared to fend for themselves in a world of nightmare... Exile, can you fathom the horror?
Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Cavas' Past: I remember nothing at all, save the flash of the sun on my mortal skin in a dream. I was a living man. I know I was. Ask me again when we have retrieved further memories, and I shall hopefully have more to tell you.Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Cavas' Past: I was... a good man! I fought for God. I remember saying so. That symbol... the Descry... it stirs my half-remembered blood to think of it. I wanted to do good things. Important things. Can you imagine finding the truth of oneself on the wrong side of morality? I have thought long on this fearful notion... but now I know, exile, and that relieves me. I am no longer afraid to recover more of my memories.Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Cavas' Past: I'm certain now that I was a Templar. Yes, I remember watching their mighty parades through Oriath Square as a child, and I can still feel that sense of satisfaction the day I truly donned the mantle. All of the pain and sacrifice was worth it, to do good, to protect mankind... to protect the children...Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Cavas' Past: I was a Templar, yes, but now I remember that I secretly despised them. I understood that they were a diseased organization prone to brutal oppression. Friend, was I exiled as well? I cannot imagine my resentment would have gone over well with my superiors. Maybe I kept my thoughts to myself and lived a life of quiet desperation, but I feel like I was the kind of man to act.
So what did I do?
Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Linked Memories: I remember this! This place is the Nexus of... uh... something. The name doesn't matter. What matters is what it can do! A doorway! A doorway into these memories!
Here. Take them and lay them out in this machine. It will reinforce the stability of the memories. They won't last too long, mind you, but they'll remain long enough to be explored. Build a path to the memories that lay out of reach. I'm sure this will help us. Sure of it!Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Linked Memories: I remember this! This place is the Nexus of... uh... something. The name doesn't matter. What matters is what it can do! A doorway! A doorway into these memories!
Here. Take them and lay them out in this machine. It will reinforce the stability of the memories. They won't last too long, mind you, but they'll remain long enough to be explored. Build a path to the memories that lay out of reach. I'm sure this will help us. Sure of it!Cavas, Forgotten Spirit Linked Memories: Yes, that was wonderful Exile. For a brief moment I felt whole again. Here, let me try something...
Hello Exile, my name is-...
Oh. Oh dear. I thought, maybe... But no.
Well perhaps we can try again. Though the machine seems to keep the memories more stable, they still degrade. Keep that in mind - because I'm not so sure I will be able to. |
