Environmental lore

Environmental lore are interactable locations found in the campaign which give information about the lore of Wraeclast. Many environmental lore items are voiced.

Act 1

Proclamation

Found in Clearfell Encampment

By decree of the count of Ogham,

Able-bodied men capable of excavation must present themselves at the Manor at once.

Failure to do so will constitute a crime.

Notice of Criminality

Found in Clearfell

I have received reports of a number of villagers hiding at the Clearfell logging site.

Travel there and convey my order to return. Anyone refusing my Authority should be considered a traitor and a criminal.

Deal with them as you see fit, but bring their bodies back to the Manor.

Count's Sentencing

Found in The Grelwood

By decree ofthe Count of Ogham,

Those condemned to hang from these branches are to be left until their hearts no longer beat, their lungs no longer fill with air, and their flesh is no longer warm. In death, you are not forgiven.

Your souls will remain trapped here by this ancient maw of maligned wood, and the Grove will forever denied you.

Rot here in the Grelwood for all time, and good riddance.

Asinia's Proclamation

Found in Cemetery of the Eternals

Let this be a testament for all time. The Eternal Empire stakes claim over this land, both in life and death!

Draven's Dictum

Found in Cemetery of the Eternals

Our victory is never complete, so long as the Ezomytes resist us. Let this graveyard erase their stain on the land.

Grieving Epitaph

Found in Cemetery of the Eternals

My dearest daughter, Beloved for all time. Rest well.

Sorrowful Memoriam

Found in Cemetery of the Eternals

My beloved son, your death shall be avenged, even if it takes one thousand years.

Brutal Orders

Found in The Manor Ramparts

By Decree of the Count of Ogham,

All men must work a third shift and continue excavating until further notice. Any man caught resting will meet the Executioner's axe... or the Gallow's noose.

Count's Decree

Found in The Manor Ramparts

By Decree of the Count of Ogham,

Effective immediatly, all crimes are now punishable by hanging until death.

Hanged criminals will have their bodies thrown into the pit.

Count's Orders

Found in The Manor Ramparts

Soldiers of Ogham,

The outside threat grows ever stronger. Whispers of betrayal echo within my very halls. We can no longer tolerate any risk.

Use lethal force against those you suspect of foul play. Speak carefully with your men. Ensure they are who they claim. Hang any suspects. Seek out resistance within the village and raze their homes to the ground.

We must send a clear message. Leave no stone unturned.

Psalm of Madness

Found in Ogham Manor

First Ones, hear our laments! Sanity recedes ever further into the dark. Shadows hover above us, in the corners, watching and waiting. What sickness has come among us that so unsettles out minds? It sits, poised to strike... Nowhere is safe.

Geonor's Journal

Found in Ogham Manor

I sense Oriana knows... And I cannot deny that which I know deep down to be true.

That fair haired villager, an Eternal descendant... She knew.

At that moment when our eyes locked... We both knew.

She clung to her children like I would end them then and there. She is of no risk now but... How many others must I fear? Is my blood truly impure?

Oriana assures me, we can right some of the wrongs of the past. She promises a way forward for Ogham. A way forward for the clans and the clanless alike. And... A way forward for me. We must continue with our task.

Torture Log

Found in Ogham Manor

...Even after six hours on the rack, the Provost refuses to give me the names of the men who escaped from their own failed coup attempt. Does he not realise the machinations of shapechangers are at work here? I do not doubt Connal's loyalty, only his intellect.

The shapechangers are obvious in their tactics. Theet are untrained in the art of deception. They fidget. They sweat. They are constantly afraid of being singled out or questioned. That is how I identify them.

They are less than human. A human being is winsome, even beautiful, but these creatures bely that recognition of kin. The closer I look, the more I see that they are no more than bones carrying bags of flesh under an oozing membrane of skin. Peel away that covering, and the disgusting truth is revealed. They must be thrown into the pit and out of sight. Let the Seed consume those flayed abominations...

Act 2

Wayfarer's Stone

Found in Vastiri Outskirts

The weary traveller grows close to the end of the path! The breadbowl of the world, the verdant Land of Seven Waters, awaits! Be sure to have your toll ready at the Gates. Cloth, gems, metal wares, and coin are all accepted.

Found in Keth

The weary traveller has reached the end of the path! Welcome to the City of Seven Waters, whence bounty springs! Behold our lush plains and verdant forests, blessed to feed empires far and wide. Eat, drink, and be fat at your leisure, so long as you take word back to your homeland of the glory of Keth!

Book of Jamanra

Found in Mawdun Quarry

Out people have lived in the shadows of the dunes for too long.

Countless generations have been forgotten, will be forgotten. We are not 'Faridun,' we are Maraketh, and if we work together - of we unite - then they will be forced to acknowledge us.

We must show them that casting us off is a mistake. We must show them our strength.

Perhaps we can only day rebuild Keth itself, for all those who live in the Plains of Vastiri.

Decree of Imprisonment

Found in Traitor's Passage

The traitor Balbala has been sentenced to one thousand years of suffering as a djinn, bound in this place of her dishonour. Let no woman or man of Maraketh blood enter her prison before her time is served.

Final Testament

Found in Buried Shrines

Winter deepens, bringing a biting chill. I long for it to snow, for the wonder I felt as a child to grace my eyes once more, but the last winter that brought such beauty was two hundred years ago now... it cannot snow in a region where it does not rain.

The city is quiet. The city is cold. The wind whistles through stone columns, unheard by the living. I ask myself why I am still here. I ask myself why I will not let my tired bones rest, and I ask myself whether I truly believe Halani will awaken.

I do.

I do...

Abandoned Rhoa

Found in Deshar

It appears someone rode in on this rhoa, but never left...

Testament of Defiance

Found in The Spires of Deshar

Let these towers stand for all time, so that the sands may never swallow the Honoured Dead. We give you to the sky and to the wind, in defiance of the Doom of the Desert.

Etchings of Varashta

Found in Trial of the Sekhemas, First Floor

The akharas have embraced the trial. It is fortuitous that the sisters of the sand understand the value of tradition, even those that are forged anew.

Zarokh has started the process of blessing the halls within. It worried some sisters, but he means well and I believe it will bring luck to the aspirants who come here.

Found in Trial of the Sekhemas, Third Floor

I have managed to trap him in the farthest halls of the Trial. Halls that are unrequired of the Sekhemas who will come here. I have also invoked the ritual. He is bound there for his crimes... A djinn. But as he is bound there, I am here.

Whatever foul curse he has placed upon these halls has sealed me here... Not so much in place but in time. Caught between now and tomorrow, but never thereafter.

I’m tired but... I must find my escape.

Act 3

Oswald's Death Journal

Main page: Oswald's Death Journal

Found in Ziggurat Encampment

Expedition Logbook

Found in Sandswept Marsh.

We strayed from the route marked on our map, driven further afield by painted men with savage intent.

Tonight, for reasons I cannot fathom, we have been granted a brief reprieve. Our hunters halted at the edge of this marsh, unwilling to pursue. They watched from the trees as we threaded the narrow band of solid ground between desert and swamp. I know not what they fear, but we must brave the unknown if we are to reach the encampment at the Ziggurat.

Through my spyglass, I see nothing ahead. The waters lie still, and the muddy banks between seem clear. Yet my nerves burn with the unmistakable sense of being watched. There is no one... no thing... but this silence feels alive. We have no choice but to run for it.

Found in Jungle Ruins.

The Orok are truly terrifying to behold. I suspect their canine features result from genetic mutations, perhaps borne of the Cataclysms that reshaped these lands.

Their tribesman are savage - I rarely leave their territories without scars to show for it - yet they hold a knowledge we Oriathans have long since abandoned. Our 'high-born' civilisation prides itself on its advancements but remains woefully primitive in matters of the spirit and the natural world.

For all their brutality, the Orok live in harmony with the forces of nature. Perhaps they have no choice, but I wonder if we are the fools for believing we've transcended it. Better to live with nature than to die defying it.

Ravaged Corpse

Found in Jungle Ruins.

A lifeless body sits brutalised and impaled

Ancient Carving

Found in Apex of Filth.

When we first came to this place, Death alone was the King of all that we surveyed, solemn in his high and lonely throne. We had little, and were starving, but this man-made mountain offered us nourishment. Eating the caps and stems brought us grand visions of a thriving world. It was a promise of things to be. This, then, will be our new home until our promised land is made real.

Rejoice!

Found in Aggorat.

Step forth, true believers, unto Atziri's graceful shadow. She alone will shade you from the pains and ills of this world. By her grace, and hers alone, shall you be given eternal life.

Act 4

Captain's Log

She called to me! I heard her voice! How could she have gotten here, when I left her in Middengard? It sounded like she was hurt, so I turned the ship toward this island, against the protests of the crew. The weather was clear, and the sea was calm... until we struck upon shoals we couldn't see. Soon after, the crews of other marooned ships came to greet us, smiling and embracing each of us in turn. My men screamed shouts of joy, but then turned to smile and embrace others. Overwhelming fear gripped me, but I could not say why. I ran. I had seen nothing wrong, but in my heart, I knew my crew was dead. Soon, I will join them.

Tavakai's Warning

Found in Journey's End after freeing Freya Hartlin near where she was imprisoned.

Long ago, the Ramako Tribe imprisoned a being of great malice here. They maintained it as long as they could, and then, the Tukohama Tribe inherited this duty. It can take any form, and deceive the mind.

Do not listen to it. Everything it says is a lie.

Tavakai, Chieftain of the Tukohama Tribe

Feverish Writings

Found at the Doomed Mine in Isle of Kin.

My Voltaxic Canaries!

How is it that you're runnin' scared of this blind beasty? It can't even bloody see!

They're whispering in the dark every moment now, licking at our fear, tasting our sweat... We need more sulphite!

Here we are all lying about, sick as dogs, evil closin' in around us! Get that sulphite, no matter what it takes. This green lot won't stand in our way. Not with all we've got down here...

Give it time, my sweethearts, give it time...

Your master, Niko

Emperor's Warning

Found in Solitary Confinement at the entrance of The Prisoner's arena.

By the order of Emperor Izaro, my honoured predecessor,

None may enter this chamber. The prisoner within is beyond death, beyond force of arms.

He must be left to rot for all time.

Emperor Chitus Perandus

Karui Carvings I

Found in Whakapanu Island.

We reached these shores under the first full moon. Tasalio made the sea here rich beyond measure. We slept deeply, and knew nothing of the dangers of this place.

Tawhoa offered us living wood, and Valako was kind. We sang for the bounty of our new home, and to Ramako, and to the beautiful Arohongui as she watched from Lani Hua's palace in the sky.

We found abandoned homes. Others lived here before us. This was a sign that we had chosen well. We didn't see the statues until much later.

Karui Carvings III

On the night of the full moon, one among us vanished. When the second month passed and another of our number vanished on the full moon, concern began to arise.

The statues... Karui men and women running and screaming... terrified. They are crying out, silent, unmoving, about some danger behind me. I am fearful, but when I turn, there is nothing there.

Karui Carvings III

I chased them through the jungle, begging them to stop. A cave opened, one that I had never seen before, and everyone I had ever known descended into it with joy.

Evil lurked in the darkness, fleshy mouths open and shaking, awaiting a feast. That close, I could feel it in my body. They must have been singing... and only I could not hear it. So, I stabbed one.

I fled farther and faster than most, eventually stumbling upon this third camp, even older than the last.

This is a place of death. Whole tribes have settled this island before us... and they never left.

Some of us survived that night, but another is coming, as Arohongui waxes full once more...

Tattered Diary

Our mistake was holding on to hope. Even after the sky turned crimson and the sea raged, even after we cowered inside these walls and rode out the chaos, we believed the Empire would come...

Not for the prisoners! But for us.

We kept them all caged for weeks, as our supplies dwindled. The fish we caught were rotting and dead, yet... still moving. The rain was slick like grease, and men who touched it began to burn from the inside out, as if an unseen flame had caught within them.

No ship from the Empire came. No ships passed at all. The prisoners were growing more and more restless, and were certain to become violent. We told them nothing, but they'd felt it...

So... we began to feed them.

We cut chunks of meat... they kept growing back... so we cut some more... and that quelled the prisoners. They had no idea what we'd done.

When they learn what they've been eating... gods help us...

Kaom's Declaration

Found after clearing Ngamahu's Trial in Eye of Hinekora.

Ngamahu is the mother of Fire. She lends it to us in life, but here, in death, we return it to Hinekora. We exist now to give our wisdom to our descendants, until we are all returned to the volcano. When the world is forged anew, a new line of Karui will emerge, to conquer a savage world. Until then, we linger here, in the Halls of the Dead.

Maata's Declaration

Found after clearing Tawhoa's Trial in Eye of Hinekora.

Tawhoa is the Son of the Forest, and its Father. His alone is the perspective of the ages, of centuries of life, growth, death, and decay. Inner peace can only be attained by accepting that life and death are inevitable. This is something you will learn as the ages pass here, in the Halls of the Dead.

Rakiata's Declaration

Found after clearing Tasalio's Trial in Eye of Hinekora.

Tasalio is the Father of Water, but he does not require you to believe. He is the essence of the moment, of flowing from one second into the next. Be who you are. Be what you are. Be nothing other than this, and you will know peace. You will be here until the End of Time, but that is no wait at all if you exist only in this moment. In this Way, this Flow, you will find it pleasant here, in the Halls of the Dead.

Words of Akoya

Found in Halls of the Dead.

The Ngakuramakoi are those who truly embody our culture. If you wish to become one of us, you do not have to be Karui by blood.

But you must follow the Way. Pass your test, at the Isle of Shrikes, or elsewhere. Live by our traditions. Live through strength. But most of all, do not let the Way shift or falter.

Stand strong when others would seek to dominate or subvert you.

This is how we will survive as a people.

Interlude

Order of the Red Thane

By the order of the Red Thane,

They still resist our new master's message. Hunger does wonders for a man's faith. Raze their fields. Kill their cattle. Crush their resistance, but keep them alive. We need worship, not corpses.

Bring them to Wolvenhold. Oswin will take care of the rest. Tarry not. The Wendigo watches from the shadows. If we dally, it will know.

Elswyth's Letter

Dear Oswin,

The Red Thane and I are thrilled with your attention to detail. The Scarlet Bathing was an exquisite moment that we shall not soon forget. That you were able to acquire so many heretical younglings in such a short time... well, we cannot thank you enough.

The whispers grow deeper. He sees us. He sees you. We shall know unfathomable prosperity by his grace!

The Red Thane, the Pale Bride, and their loyal hound. A hound most faithful. A hound most strong.

I must away, for tonight I shall dance once more. Join us to feast. Look upon me as you will.

Elswyth

His Message

My dearest Elswyth,

His Voice grows clearer by the day. I can feel his presence. He thirsts so deeply for this world. I know that we shall be rewarded beyond measure upon his arrival.

I am so proud. The night we committed to Him is still vivid in my mind. You gave so much, so willingly. On the cusp between he and I, you fell to and fro. Your flesh pale white against the moon.

I am eternally yours. As we are His. Your Wulfric

Broken Canister

I will follow my orders to the letter. Do not doubt my loyalty. Deception is our life. Yet, I still believe Kulemak's forces will not attempt to steal back his divine spark during the current crisis... it would do nothing for them if the Beast is successfully regrown. We should be more honest with our allies if we are to earn their trust long-term.

Azmadi's Ambition

Found in Qimah near the entrance.

Too long have the Faridun bent beneath the Maraketh bootheel. We were penned to the desert's edge, called lesser, denied even the right to exist. Every revolt broke upon the same stone - no 'legitimacy,' no voice the akharas would heed.

So I made a new covenant. Zarokh, keeper of the ages, showed me the path through the Trial of the Sekhemas - and lent me the strength to walk it. I passed. The first Faridun in history. In that moment, the lie of our illegitimacy died.

When I take the mantle of Sekhema of Sekhemas, every akhara will be bound by oath and custom to obey me. Not just the Maraketh, not just the Faridun - all of the Vastiri. They will not dare question my rule. And with Zarokh's gift, I will unite this land beneath my banner... for all time.

Azmadi, the Faridun Prince

Solstice Celebration

Found in Kriar Village near the entrance.

Dear mountain-born of Kriar,

Another solstice is upon us. We shall be joined at the week's end by the fine hunters of Draelyn for a feast most spectacular. Ready the meat and the mead. Bring your most splendid of songs. We shall dance and sing, merry, into the longest night..

Spirit guide you always, Elder Crovan Madox

Elder's Concern

Found in Kriar Village, right before the boss arena.

The solstice draws near, but the owls bring me worrisome tidings. They speak of erratic behaviour, of whispers in the night. The Spear of Draelyn has been attacking animals for cruel sport, rather than as a necessary hunt. Her tribe push and rough each other, raging at random, only to grow eerily calm moments later.

It is perhaps not concerning enough to cancel our coming celebrations, but we should be wary, and have our hunters remain vigilant.

I doubt Lythara and her tribe would dare behave like that in our presence...

Uromoti's Task

Found in Etched Ravine.

Etched into the mountain Kriar for the glory of the Vaal

Two hundred gave their lives in service to the Queen

Many more would have died if not for Jiquani's constructs

All this, for the glory of Atziri

Uromoti, Architect of Expansion

Uromoti's Truth

Found in Etched Ravine.

My devotion. My lifetime of service. Has it really come to this? We cut our way through this remote mountain like cowardly dogs, hiding our treason from our own ruler.

To merely think such a project would mean death, since it implies we doubt her leadership. I hesitate to imagine what she will do to us—to my children—if she finds out we actually built it.

There is only one way to ensure my children live on. I must send them into the vault without me. I will finish this task, then return to Atzoatl to play my part. I was ever the good servant.

Here, then, is my last accomplishment, after the Vault: this simple carving, left for history, left for any who might survive. The Queen is mad, and I hope she finds the immortality she seeks.

May Yaomac deny her death's journey, so that we may finally be free of her!

The Cuachic Legacy

Found in the Cuachic Vault.

One day soon, the Vaal will spread from this place like wildfire. The decline in detected Corruption that began twenty years ago continues at pace; soon, we will reach the threshold left for us by our great forebears.

Ready yourselves! Zolin and I have long served you, crafting the blood euphorics and eradicating pain. No longer! We must be sharp-eyed and sharp-minded. After countless years, our Now is about to become At Long Last! We will be remembered as the heroes that went forth and repopulated. You may now couple and bear children as you wish. The carnal pleasures are ours once more! The Limit is lifted! The new Vaal empire begins here, Now, with us!

The Cuachic Purpose

Found in the Cuachic Vault.

We have one task, and one task alone: to survive with our dignity intact. It is the dignity of the Vaal, of all those who came before. We were born in this Vault, and we will die in this Vault. We are not allowed the freedoms we read of; the freedoms we dream of. We cannot couple for love, or have children as we choose. We cannot choose our roles. We cannot wander an open world as we see fit.

We must accept that our Now is not At Long Last, and we must bring stillness to the dream. As your new High Priest, alongside my sister, I will endeavour to bring calm to your minds, to bring numbness to the pains in our hearts. That is the greatest calling our Now has to offer.

Ancient Monument

A monument to something ominous and unknown stands here. A horned snake holds an incredibly large sword.

Version history

Version	Changes
0.1.0	Introduced to the game.