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I saw the Ancients as a monolith. A web of lights, like stars in the night sky, connected through wisdom and Flame... but they're far more split than I believed. The "young" Ancients alongside me explained that this Night Sanctum is the creation of their elders, the "empyrian". It predates the Shroud and used to contain a wealth of human knowledge offered as sacrifice, or for trade. Neither Flame nor sunlight can reach, making it perfect for one of our emergency Cinder Vessels. We've rigged the traps to activate after the vessel is filled. Hopefully, that should protect it even as the Shroud fills the valley. When I trace the constellations on the door, I sense a desperate longing — a pull towards the firmament. I cannot read my fellow traveler's expressions, but their silence betrays them. They feel it, too. A shame I won't see another Night Sanctum so soon. The Ancients speak of an even more hidden haven... deep within the Blackmire, a stretch of land I thought forsaken. The more I learn, the less I seem to understand... — Queen Jezmina of Orindell, 509 D.A.
No brushstroke, no melody, and no setting sun can compare to the beauty of this untamed wilderness. The lush green of the vines reminds me of my home before the drought. Without the Ancients leading the way, I would surely end up lost. I am thankful for their guidance, but my heart aches for all the folks I left behind... Alas, this mission is important. It is our calling to scatter the Cinder Vessels around Embervale for every soul who cannot reach the Springlands in time, after all. The Ancients want to "send a signal to the worthy" when the deed is done, but I wonder what they mean... Even when walking side by side, they are still eager to keep their secrets. — Queen Jezmina of Orindell, 509 D.A.
I never knew the Ancients had once built structures here. My mother, Queen Pikemead, called the Blackmire a no man's land. Did she keep secrets from me after all? We placed a vessel inside the main building and learned what it means to "send a signal to the worthy". The Ancients formed a circle and stretched their hands towards the firmaments. One spoke in a foreign tongue as the starry constellation in the night sky changed. First, the stars began to twinkle, then twitch. I thought I saw the sky fracture into a thousand pieces, all glittering above, reflecting the light of my own eyes like a kaleidoscope. A clear refraction of all, symmetrical and divine. The light overwhelmed my vision as my head started to spin, and I fell to the ground, where I later awoke. Perhaps these are secrets both my mother and I must keep. — Queen Jezmina of Orindell, 509 D.A.
This is it. Blackmire's final haven — a sunken city, guarded by moor and bramble. Whoever wanders here shall rest behind a magical gate, the doors of which may only open through buttons stitched in the thicket. Looking at these crumbling walls fills me with awe... and fear. This city's memories are lost to time, forever slumbering beneath tar. I've mistakenly added a few keepsakes of my own to this hidden treasure trove... not only leaving footprints in the mud, but my very own boots! I shall leave them behind... my garb is weighed down by remembrance and grime. This makes me wonder... Could humanity be forgotten, just as the stories here were buried? And if we are — if we crack, crumble, and fade to black like the bones below... can we rediscover, and rebuild ourselves? Only the Flameborn will know. I hope to help build your tomorrow. To carve the path you will blaze, to catch your fall, to raise you higher... I hope my words reach you, constellations apart, an echo through time. I believe in you, Flameborn. And one day, I hope to thank you. — Queen Jezmina of Orindell, 509 D.A.
Record ID: 319779302 · Steam build 23966345. See version and sources.