The Hooded One
The Weapon is radiating intense Corruption… It will sicken and madden all those who near it… Quickly… he has returned to Ngakanu… You must stop him!
The Hooded One
The final piece… these symbols…
Doryani
The translation work we’ve done… is it enough?
The Hooded One
Something about a forge… This part says ‘You must finish it,’ or something like it. ‘You must forge it.’ The word forge is drawn like a name. It’s not an action. It’s a place.
Doryani
So, we must find an ancient Precursor forge.
Warrior
But where? It could be anywhere.
Witch
And how are we supposed to do that then?
Sorceress
A forge? How do we find it?
Ranger
Do we have a trail? Where do we start looking?
Huntress
I’ve hunted many things… never a forge. Where do we look?
Monk
A forge? Where are we to start looking?
Mercenary
What! How do we do that?
Druid
A forge? Hmm… where would such a place be?
Doryani
This is the first time in my life I’m forced to admit - I have no idea. Ask the crew perhaps. The Karui. They live here, after all.
The Hooded One
The more I consider it, the more I believe I’ve seen a depiction of the Weapon. Especially now that I can study the piece in Doryani’s possession…
Doryani
A depiction? Where? The scraps I know, I learned from incredibly ancient ruins.
The Hooded One
Yes… when I consulted the ancient being Kalandra, she told me where to find the Seed of Corruption… She was cryptic, and said that it already belonged to me. That it always had. I can still only guess what she meant… In the ruins where the Seed was sealed, I saw carvings on the wall. It was a message, left for anyone who might follow in the eons to come. A series of giant murals. The first was broken, but the second depicted the creation of the Seed. The third mural portrayed the Seed’s destruction. At the time, I thought it was a warning. Now, I see the Weapon was depicted quite literally, being driven into the Seed. It might not have been a warning. It might have been… {instructions.}
Doryani
This confirms my hypothesis. The Weapon is the key to destroying the Beast. We must find and reassemble it, no matter the cost.
Warrior
I will do whatever it takes.
Witch
Leave it to me.
Sorceress
I am honour-bound to do this, but I would still volunteer.
Ranger
If it’s the only way to save the lands I love, I will give my all.
Huntress
I will give my very life, if I must.
Monk
We will succeed. Together.
Mercenary
Least we’ve got a plan.
Druid
Aye. The Beast falls – or we do.
The Hooded One
It is curious that the Weapon was broken into pieces and dispersed here.
Doryani
From what I’ve seen, I don’t believe the Weapon was broken apart. It was never fully completed at all. I have only ever seen it portrayed in pieces. The third mural, the one you saw, {must} have been an instruction. It is my belief that the creators of the Weapon were… interrupted.
Warrior
Interrupted? How?
Witch
Ooh that sounds ominous! What do you think happened?
Sorceress
Let me guess, did something destroy them?
Ranger
What befell them?
Huntress
Sounds a nice way of putting it…
Monk
Do you know their fate?
Mercenary
Interrupted? By what then?
Druid
By who? Or what?
Doryani
It’s impossible to know for certain. They were wiped out thousands of years before my time. Do… {you} have any notion?
The Hooded One
I was too young to remember much. I was among the Azmeri when it happened. But they did tell stories… I recall tales of… a great fire, a great wasting…
Doryani
{You} were alive for {that?} The historical record… it’s always been conjecture…!
The Hooded One
I remember fear. I remember sorrow. But the Azmeri had chosen their homes carefully. They were separatists. They rejected technology. And in the end, they were right…