Archon Quests: Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Interludes
Character Stories: Mondstadt | Liyue | Inazuma | Sumeru | Snezhnaya
World Stories: Mondstadt | Liyue | Inazuma | Sumeru | Miscellaneous
Other Sumeruan friends the Traveler makes along the way include Layla, a friendly student of the Akademiya whose scholarly feats often come at the expense of being constantly sleep-deprived; Faruzan, a professor of the Akademiya whose youthful looks and sassy personality belies her intellect and advanced age; Kaveh, a star alumnus of the Akademiya, a world-renowned architect, and Alhaitham's friend and rival; and, through most unusual circumstances, Scaramouche himself, who, upon discovering that the Fatui, specifically Dottore, orchestrated his descent into misanthropy, swore vengeance upon them and is now seeking atonement as the nameless Wanderer.
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Story Quests
Vulpes Zerda (Tighnari)
Act I: The Unanswerable Problems
Released: v3.0 "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" (August 24, 2022)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act II)
There, they see him tending to Yara, a young boy who fell ill after entering an area in Avidya Forest which the Traveler thinks may be the contamination Katheryne warned them about. After giving him antipyretics, Tighnari discusses the matter with the duo, explaining that it is not a Withering Zone; that said, because Vasanti Grass, which is used to treat Yara's illness, is rare, expensive, and had to be brought from the Great Red Sand, Tighnari opts to buy some from Mahir, a traveling merchant currently in Sumeru City. Unfortunately for them, Mahir claims that his caravan is closed after several mechanical parts bought from the Akademiya were stolen by a crab-like machine that fled deep in Avidya Forest, which they are reluctant to go into due to reports of the contamination.
Having learned from other merchants that the thief is only interested in mechanical parts, Tighnari asks Mahir to lend him spare parts to lure it out, as well as a Sumpter Beast to carry the cargo. He, the Traveler, and Paimon then head west with the parts, where they are ambushed by the machine, which they capture. After retrieving the stolen goods, Tighnari confirms that several are still missing, so he promises to the machine that it can keep some parts in exchange for bringing them to its hideout, even as he, the Traveler, and Paimon take note of its limited intelligence. After creating a series of traps to keep the machine from escaping, the trio return the goods to Mahir, who rewards the group with a couple bundles of Vasanti Grass for free, which Tighnari, upon returning to Gandharva, had Collei ground into medicine for Yara.
The machine then hears the cries of a man and rushes to his aid; after defeating Ruin Machines, Tighnari tends to the man, Jasar, who claims to have been attacked while picking herbs, before being frightened at his mechanical companion; Tighnari then suggests that he seek medical aid at Gandharva. After Jasar left, the group heads deeper and sets up camp at a tall vista, where the Traveler and Tighnari agree to take turns looking out for attackers, even as Tighnari decides to keep withholding rewards for the machine lest it grow greedy, though he also notes its confused reactions, again suggesting limited intelligence.
Later that night, the Traveler wakes up early for their shift, with whom Tighnari discusses the crab-like machine, who he last saw heading off somewhere; given its recent actions, he suspects that its creator might have deliberately tampered with the area's Ley Lines. Furthermore, he explains to the Traveler that several years ago the Akademiya imposed a ban on mechanical lifeforms due to the animal cruelty to which several scholars of the Spantamad Darshan, the elementalism faculty, stooped in the pursuit of giving them autonomy; such violations, in addition to his own belief in harmonious coexistence between lifeforms, are the reasons he left the Akademiya. After a while, the machine brings them coffee; Tighnari rewards it with a mechanical part, before he retires for the night.
The following morning, the Traveler and Tighnari feel dizzy, which the latter interprets as a sign that they are nearing the source of the effluence; after clearing up the camp lest they adversely affect the ecosystem, the trio resume their search.
The quartet eventually reach a chamber where they find a man lying unconscious. After Tighnari gives the machine some mechanical parts, he, the Traveler, and Paimon head deeper in the laboratory to peruse its documents. There they find a two-year-old video recording, which shows the man, Abbatouy, introducing the machine, Karkata, to their new home, from which he vows to continue researching and developing mass-produced autonomous mechanical lifeforms to prove himself before the Akademiya, as well as develop Karkata's intelligence. The recording ended, Tighnari recognizes Abbatouy as a former junior researcher during his time in the Akademiya who was expelled for dabbling in the banned research.
Elsewhere in the laboratory, the trio find another tape from half a year ago, further detailing Abbatouy's struggles at maintaining and enhancing Karkata's faculties owing to their dire financial straits; Tighnari comments that he might have continued his research in secret, the Akademiya having lost all contact with him. The trio later find the last two recordings, both recorded by Karkata. The third reveals that Abbatouy activated a Ley Line Extractor to serve as power source for Karkata, whose language, emotion, and movement modules he is struggling to upgrade despite his declining health, while the fourth shows Abbatouy, having recently discovered that Karkata developed instincts after some adjustments, suffering a fatal heart attack; realizing too late that he failed to give Karkata instructions to shut down the Extractor, Abbatouy laments whether there was a point to his work before apologizing to Karkata for failing to turn it into a true mechanical lifeform.
The last recording ended, Tighnari concludes that Abbatouy died of overexposure to Ley Line energies before he could shut down the Extractor, thus accidentally creating the effluence that agitated almost all Ruin Machines save Karkata, which was built differently, even as he laments that, in his former junior's haste to prove himself before the Akademiya, he failed to notice that Karkata had begun to develop sentience. As proof of the latter point, the trio return to Abbatouy's deathbed, where they find Karkata placing a mechanical part on his heart, as though it was trying to "repair" him; after several failed attempts, Karkata shuts down. Tighnari concludes that while Karkata does not know the concept of death, it learned the concept of repairing after observing Abbatouy regularly replacing its malfunctioning parts, while noting the unprecedented success of Abbatouy's experiment.
The trio then leave a dormant Karkata with Abbatouy's corpse while they shut down the Ley Line Extractor. Tighnari proposes putting up warnings about the contamination zone, as well as instructions for symptomatic individuals to seek Collei for treatment; furthermore, he states that, per Sumeruan law, all materials related to Abbatouy's research are to be surrendered to the Akademiya; despite Paimon worrying for Karkata, Tighnari urges them to go ahead of him and report to the Adventurers' Guild before meeting him back at Pardis Dhyai, the greenhouse of the Amurta Darshan west of Vimara Village, between Sumeru City and Port Ormos, instructing them not to talk of Abbatouy.
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act II)
The Start of Contamination
At the Sumeru Adventurers' Guild, Katheryne flags the Traveler and Paimon for a commission involving reports of a contamination plaguing Avidya Forest, though she is unsure whether or not it is a Withering Zone. At Paimon's suggestion, the Traveler heads for Gandharva Ville to consult Tighnari.There, they see him tending to Yara, a young boy who fell ill after entering an area in Avidya Forest which the Traveler thinks may be the contamination Katheryne warned them about. After giving him antipyretics, Tighnari discusses the matter with the duo, explaining that it is not a Withering Zone; that said, because Vasanti Grass, which is used to treat Yara's illness, is rare, expensive, and had to be brought from the Great Red Sand, Tighnari opts to buy some from Mahir, a traveling merchant currently in Sumeru City. Unfortunately for them, Mahir claims that his caravan is closed after several mechanical parts bought from the Akademiya were stolen by a crab-like machine that fled deep in Avidya Forest, which they are reluctant to go into due to reports of the contamination.
Having learned from other merchants that the thief is only interested in mechanical parts, Tighnari asks Mahir to lend him spare parts to lure it out, as well as a Sumpter Beast to carry the cargo. He, the Traveler, and Paimon then head west with the parts, where they are ambushed by the machine, which they capture. After retrieving the stolen goods, Tighnari confirms that several are still missing, so he promises to the machine that it can keep some parts in exchange for bringing them to its hideout, even as he, the Traveler, and Paimon take note of its limited intelligence. After creating a series of traps to keep the machine from escaping, the trio return the goods to Mahir, who rewards the group with a couple bundles of Vasanti Grass for free, which Tighnari, upon returning to Gandharva, had Collei ground into medicine for Yara.
Into the Hinterland
Upon returning to where they left the machine, the Traveler, Paimon, and Tighnari are surprised to see it behaving, before asking it to bring them to its hideout, northeast of where they found the machine. There, Tighnari takes note of the unusually vivid colors of its Sumeru Roses, which are sensitive to Ley Line energies, as well as lack of fauna, hence confirming that they are in the contaminated zone, whose efflux of Ley Line energies have negative effects on humans who are typically unable to adapt to such changes. After a while, Tighnari sets up a Purification Device that can temporarily absorb the excess Ley Line energy until they can find and neutralize the source; once it has been set up, wildlife that fled the efflux return, forcing the trio to drive them away lest they attack the device.The machine then hears the cries of a man and rushes to his aid; after defeating Ruin Machines, Tighnari tends to the man, Jasar, who claims to have been attacked while picking herbs, before being frightened at his mechanical companion; Tighnari then suggests that he seek medical aid at Gandharva. After Jasar left, the group heads deeper and sets up camp at a tall vista, where the Traveler and Tighnari agree to take turns looking out for attackers, even as Tighnari decides to keep withholding rewards for the machine lest it grow greedy, though he also notes its confused reactions, again suggesting limited intelligence.
Later that night, the Traveler wakes up early for their shift, with whom Tighnari discusses the crab-like machine, who he last saw heading off somewhere; given its recent actions, he suspects that its creator might have deliberately tampered with the area's Ley Lines. Furthermore, he explains to the Traveler that several years ago the Akademiya imposed a ban on mechanical lifeforms due to the animal cruelty to which several scholars of the Spantamad Darshan, the elementalism faculty, stooped in the pursuit of giving them autonomy; such violations, in addition to his own belief in harmonious coexistence between lifeforms, are the reasons he left the Akademiya. After a while, the machine brings them coffee; Tighnari rewards it with a mechanical part, before he retires for the night.
The following morning, the Traveler and Tighnari feel dizzy, which the latter interprets as a sign that they are nearing the source of the effluence; after clearing up the camp lest they adversely affect the ecosystem, the trio resume their search.
Heart of the Machine
Arriving at the source of the efflux, the Traveler, Paimon, and Tighnari clear the area of Ruin Machines that have infested therein. Deeper into the cave, the group discovers a machine which Tighnari thinks has been extracting Ley Line energies, hence the source of the abnormalities; with the Traveler beginning to feel unwell, they scramble to find the controls, before the machine points them to head deeper.The quartet eventually reach a chamber where they find a man lying unconscious. After Tighnari gives the machine some mechanical parts, he, the Traveler, and Paimon head deeper in the laboratory to peruse its documents. There they find a two-year-old video recording, which shows the man, Abbatouy, introducing the machine, Karkata, to their new home, from which he vows to continue researching and developing mass-produced autonomous mechanical lifeforms to prove himself before the Akademiya, as well as develop Karkata's intelligence. The recording ended, Tighnari recognizes Abbatouy as a former junior researcher during his time in the Akademiya who was expelled for dabbling in the banned research.
Elsewhere in the laboratory, the trio find another tape from half a year ago, further detailing Abbatouy's struggles at maintaining and enhancing Karkata's faculties owing to their dire financial straits; Tighnari comments that he might have continued his research in secret, the Akademiya having lost all contact with him. The trio later find the last two recordings, both recorded by Karkata. The third reveals that Abbatouy activated a Ley Line Extractor to serve as power source for Karkata, whose language, emotion, and movement modules he is struggling to upgrade despite his declining health, while the fourth shows Abbatouy, having recently discovered that Karkata developed instincts after some adjustments, suffering a fatal heart attack; realizing too late that he failed to give Karkata instructions to shut down the Extractor, Abbatouy laments whether there was a point to his work before apologizing to Karkata for failing to turn it into a true mechanical lifeform.
The last recording ended, Tighnari concludes that Abbatouy died of overexposure to Ley Line energies before he could shut down the Extractor, thus accidentally creating the effluence that agitated almost all Ruin Machines save Karkata, which was built differently, even as he laments that, in his former junior's haste to prove himself before the Akademiya, he failed to notice that Karkata had begun to develop sentience. As proof of the latter point, the trio return to Abbatouy's deathbed, where they find Karkata placing a mechanical part on his heart, as though it was trying to "repair" him; after several failed attempts, Karkata shuts down. Tighnari concludes that while Karkata does not know the concept of death, it learned the concept of repairing after observing Abbatouy regularly replacing its malfunctioning parts, while noting the unprecedented success of Abbatouy's experiment.
The trio then leave a dormant Karkata with Abbatouy's corpse while they shut down the Ley Line Extractor. Tighnari proposes putting up warnings about the contamination zone, as well as instructions for symptomatic individuals to seek Collei for treatment; furthermore, he states that, per Sumeruan law, all materials related to Abbatouy's research are to be surrendered to the Akademiya; despite Paimon worrying for Karkata, Tighnari urges them to go ahead of him and report to the Adventurers' Guild before meeting him back at Pardis Dhyai, the greenhouse of the Amurta Darshan west of Vimara Village, between Sumeru City and Port Ormos, instructing them not to talk of Abbatouy.
Garden Memories
After reporting back to Katheryne on the resolution to the Ley Line effluence, the Traveler and Paimon head for Pardis Dhyai the following morning, where, to Paimon's surprise, Karkata has now joined Tighnari. After complaining of her yelling hurting his sensitive ears, he reveals that he stayed behind to repair Karkata using lessons he learned when he took an elective Spantamad course, buried Abbatouy, and then kept some documents while burning the rest, justifying his action by stating that not only is he no longer with the Akademiya, but also out of respect for all life, and in light of Karkata's actions he theorized that it, too, may have developed into a lifeform, as well as considering using the crab-like machine as an assistant in the future.Lotos Somno (Nilou)
Act I: To the Wise
Released: v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" (September 28, 2022)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act II)
While Inayah is away to inform her father of the upcoming debate, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou ask for suggestions from the troupe and the rest of the Grand Bazaar's denizens: Khasani, a former art critic, agrees with Nilou that art finds value from audience appreciation, citing how he was entranced by the latter's dance despite its seemingly mediocre quality; Rekhar, a former adventurer-turned-props engineer and single mother of two, expresses appreciation to the Theater for giving her a fresh start after her husband died in an accident, even announcing that her son Sohrin has recently qualified to become a performer, before assuring Nilou that she will somehow find a way to continue with life even if the Theater shuts down; and Sheikh Zubayr pitches in his arguments for the debate, again citing his adherence to Akademiya regulations and accusing the latter of violating their own laws, before asking the trio to inform the cityfolk of the cancellation of upcoming performances. After relaying Zubayr's announcement to the cityfolk, who respond by criticizing the Akademiya for being so out-of-touch, Nilou learns from Abhi, Rekhar's daughter, that Inayah has yet to return from her errand; fearing that the latter has ran away after holding herself responsible for drawing her father's ire on the Theater, Nilou asks the Traveler and Paimon to join the search.
Midway through the road between Sumeru City and Vimara Village, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou find a riverside camp, then hear a scream coming from the east, where they find Inayah being attacked by Rishboland Tigers. After defeating them, the stage hand apologizes to the trio for the inconvenience, then continues blaming herself for the whole affair with her father, even rebuffing Nilou's assurance that none in the Theater blame her and are even ready to protect her, claiming that Sharif is a demanding man who was never satisfied with her academic efforts, at one point giving her a severe scolding despite scoring third in an examination such that he even got into a fierce argument with her mother. Remembering Rekhar's words about how she saw she saw fulfillment in life despite being widowed, Nilou encourages Inayah not to let her past sadness bear down on her newfound happiness. Moved by Nilou's words, Inayah agrees to help Nilou with the upcoming debate, both to protect her newfound home and as a gesture of her readiness to settle things with her father.
At the entrance to the Akademiya, while Inayah, having mustered the courage to do so, directly sends the challenge to her father, Nilou admits to still lacking the confidence to face Sharif in debate. To help her, the Traveler asks Nilou whether Zubayr Theater is purely an entertainment venue; remembering Khasani's remarks, Nilou had an epiphany that the Theater is also a place of belonging, having given stable income for Rekhar, inspiration for Khasani, and refuge for Inayah, with the Traveler adding that she can also use Sharif's lack of interest in interpersonal relationships against him. After a while, Inayah returns in an uncharacteristically better mood, assuring the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou that they can win the debate, which is scheduled in a couple days' time.
For the second round, Sharif then turns to the Theater's perceived violations of Akademiya regulations concerning public performances; remembering Sheikh Zubayr's grievances, Nilou points out that he has meticulously kept the Theater's performances within levels tolerable to the Akademiya, and that demolition notices should have a written notice issued beforehand, with Safwan concurring that Sharif's actions were rash. The latter, however, counters that the Akademiya can issue emergency orders even before they are committed to writing.
For the third round, remembering her flash of inspiration from a couple days prior, Nilou counters that the Theater is already a community and belonging for the people of the Grand Bazaar. For the third round, Sharif then counters that the relationships within the Theater are borne of their business transactions, not unlike those researchers like himself have cultivated, a point Safwan concurs, citing that interpersonal relationships are only hypothetical compared to the documented ones of the Akademiya. Paimon begins to fear the worst, but the Traveler assures her that Nilou is setting Sharif up for ultimate defeat.
Remembering Inayah's determination to save the Theater, Nilou begins her defense in their final round, only for Inayah to step up and personally challenge her father, daring him to disown her as a daughter for having failed to become his academic successor, accusing him of being so lost in his own world he has failed to see why she still considers him her father in spite of everything. In the end, she confesses that, by trying to live up to his expectations, she was being just as pressuring as he, until she found in the Zubayr Theater troupe the warmth and affection he denied her. Despite Safwan appealing for order amongst a crowd increasingly throwing their lot with Nilou and Inayah, Sharif cryptically expresses relief before walking out, Safwan in pursuit. After some confusion, the audience interpreted the walkout as a sign that Zubayr Theater has won the debate.
In the aftermath, Nilou thanks the Traveler for helping her find her bearings during the debate, before telling them her story of how she joined Zubayr Theater: when she was a child, she was captivated by a dancer with the newly-founded Theater, who told her that her dance was an art borne of human effort and a source of joy for her audience, hence inspiring Nilou to become her apprentice and later successor upon her retirement. That said, she admits to having regrets with being unable to have Sharif and Inayah talk to each other for longer, thinking the former still had a lot to say, though she still hopes for the best between father and daughter, before inviting the Traveler and Paimon for another performance in a couple days' time.
After her first performance since the debate, Nilou formally introduces Inayah as the newest member of Zubayr Theater, while the Traveler tells Paimon their suspicion that Sharif agreeing to the debate may have been merciful in hindsight, with Paimon intuiting that he could have resorted to other methods such as banning Nilou and her coworkers from dancing. To their surprise, they also spot Sharif among the audience, who informs them that, in the wake of his scandalous walkout, the Akademiya suspended him; while he still cannot understand dancing, he is nevertheless intrigued, as well as admitting that Nilou has been more of a positive influence on Inayah than even he.
Before Sharif, still ashamed to face his daughter, could leave, Nilou spots him and urges Inayah to approach her father, who hands her a work of embroidery he made as his gesture of apology. After the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou left father and daughter to start their healing process, Nilou presents the duo a scale model of Zubayr Theater, designed by the entire troupe as a gesture of gratitude for their help and as a keepsake for their journeys, before telling them that they are always welcome to watch their performances.
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act II)
The Warm Rhythm of the Streets
NOTE: Some lines of dialogue will change depending on whether or not the player has completed "Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies" (Archon Quest Chapter IV, Act V, Part 4).
While resupplying for their adventures, the Traveler and Paimon revisit the Grand Bazaar and find Nilou perusing some merchandise, who then invites them to join Zubayr Theater's celebration of a successful Sabzeruz Festival despite the Akademiya's interference. If Dunyarzad has yet to recover from her near-death experience during the Sabzeruz samsara, Nilou will rue being unable to see her, but nevertheless hopes that they can meet in person one day; otherwise, had Nilou participated in Alhaitham's plan to rescue Nahida from the Sages, with Dunyarzad having recovered and joined the subsequent celebrations, she will remark on her growing popularity with the students of the Akademiya, hoping this will bring about relaxation of its leadership's strictures on the arts. Nilou then asks the Traveler to carry a box of her gifts to be distributed as part of the celebrations while she visits more shops, where the duo witness her tendency to get lost in conversations with merchants until she buys more than she needed, such as food, textiles, and flower wreaths.
After enough shopping, the trio head for the Grand Bazaar, where Nilou introduces the Traveler and Paimon to the rest of Zubayr Theater. After getting to know the rest of the troupe and witnessing their camaraderie, the Traveler and Paimon join the post-festival celebrations on the Theater's stage, during which Inayah, a nervous stage hand with poor self-esteem, worries over the kind of gift she made, more so after Nilou tries to break the ice.
The reverie is interrupted, however, when an Akademiya delegation led by senior scholar Sharif presents a cease-and-desist order to Zubayr Theater, despite the protests of Sheikh Zubayr, its namesake manager, that he complies to the Akademiya's regulations, as well as the suddenness of the order, while Nilou explains to the Traveler and Paimon that the Akademiya has insisted on purely intellectual performances when the Theater's audience are not so much the scholars as much as the cityfolk, and that its closure will affect businesses in the Grand Bazaar and beyond. Inayah then uncharacteristically lashes out on Sharif, who happens who be her father, calling out his obstinacy and pettiness.
After Sharif left insisting on Zubayr Theater shutting down within thirty days, Nilou apologizes to the Traveler and Paimon for another disappointing end to a festivity. The Traveler correctly deduced that Sharif's order may have something to do with Inayah, who Nilou admits she brought into the Theater after she ran from home; if the Traveler has rescued Nahida, Nilou declines their offer to seek the Dendro Archon's intervention over such a relatively trivial matter. Remembering how scholars typically settle their disagreements through debate, the Traveler then suggests that the Theater prove to the Akademiya its value through one; despite her reluctance, Nilou accedes to being the debater on behalf of Zubayr Theatre after the Traveler and Paimon assure her of their support.
Show Canceled
Later, Nilou convenes the Zubayr Theater troupe to discuss the upcoming debate, where, despite Inayah's worries given her father's obstinacy, Nilou and the rest of the troupe assure her that, as difficult an opponent as the Akademiya is, taking them up to debate and leaving no regrets even in defeat is still better than taking their closure lying down, before asking her to pass on the troupe's request for a debate with Sharif to her contacts with her family.While Inayah is away to inform her father of the upcoming debate, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou ask for suggestions from the troupe and the rest of the Grand Bazaar's denizens: Khasani, a former art critic, agrees with Nilou that art finds value from audience appreciation, citing how he was entranced by the latter's dance despite its seemingly mediocre quality; Rekhar, a former adventurer-turned-props engineer and single mother of two, expresses appreciation to the Theater for giving her a fresh start after her husband died in an accident, even announcing that her son Sohrin has recently qualified to become a performer, before assuring Nilou that she will somehow find a way to continue with life even if the Theater shuts down; and Sheikh Zubayr pitches in his arguments for the debate, again citing his adherence to Akademiya regulations and accusing the latter of violating their own laws, before asking the trio to inform the cityfolk of the cancellation of upcoming performances. After relaying Zubayr's announcement to the cityfolk, who respond by criticizing the Akademiya for being so out-of-touch, Nilou learns from Abhi, Rekhar's daughter, that Inayah has yet to return from her errand; fearing that the latter has ran away after holding herself responsible for drawing her father's ire on the Theater, Nilou asks the Traveler and Paimon to join the search.
Midway through the road between Sumeru City and Vimara Village, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou find a riverside camp, then hear a scream coming from the east, where they find Inayah being attacked by Rishboland Tigers. After defeating them, the stage hand apologizes to the trio for the inconvenience, then continues blaming herself for the whole affair with her father, even rebuffing Nilou's assurance that none in the Theater blame her and are even ready to protect her, claiming that Sharif is a demanding man who was never satisfied with her academic efforts, at one point giving her a severe scolding despite scoring third in an examination such that he even got into a fierce argument with her mother. Remembering Rekhar's words about how she saw she saw fulfillment in life despite being widowed, Nilou encourages Inayah not to let her past sadness bear down on her newfound happiness. Moved by Nilou's words, Inayah agrees to help Nilou with the upcoming debate, both to protect her newfound home and as a gesture of her readiness to settle things with her father.
At the entrance to the Akademiya, while Inayah, having mustered the courage to do so, directly sends the challenge to her father, Nilou admits to still lacking the confidence to face Sharif in debate. To help her, the Traveler asks Nilou whether Zubayr Theater is purely an entertainment venue; remembering Khasani's remarks, Nilou had an epiphany that the Theater is also a place of belonging, having given stable income for Rekhar, inspiration for Khasani, and refuge for Inayah, with the Traveler adding that she can also use Sharif's lack of interest in interpersonal relationships against him. After a while, Inayah returns in an uncharacteristically better mood, assuring the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou that they can win the debate, which is scheduled in a couple days' time.
The Reason We Are Gathered Here
On the appointed day, the debate between Nilou and Sharif, respectively representing Zubayr Theater and the Akademiya, begins on the stage of the Grand Bazaar, with Safwan, another scholar, as adjucator. First, Sharif expounds on his stance that the shutdown would not have been issued had the Theater concentrated on more enlightening performances; Nilou, remembering the opinion of the Grand Bazaar's denizens, counters that as it is the audience appreciates the broad appeal of the Theater's performances. Sharif then counters that appreciation is but a primitive form of satisfaction, and that enlightenment ought to rule over all, hence the demand to the Akademiya's extremely high standards; remembering Khasani's experiences, Nilou then counters that art can be enlightening if its ideas are communicated to a level the common people can understand, then dares Sharif to become a better dancer than her. With the audience swayed by Nilou, Safwan declares that Sharif has failed to provide support for his judgment on Zubayr Theater's quality; however, as Nilou's points are a matter of personal opinion, he declares the first round a draw.For the second round, Sharif then turns to the Theater's perceived violations of Akademiya regulations concerning public performances; remembering Sheikh Zubayr's grievances, Nilou points out that he has meticulously kept the Theater's performances within levels tolerable to the Akademiya, and that demolition notices should have a written notice issued beforehand, with Safwan concurring that Sharif's actions were rash. The latter, however, counters that the Akademiya can issue emergency orders even before they are committed to writing.
For the third round, remembering her flash of inspiration from a couple days prior, Nilou counters that the Theater is already a community and belonging for the people of the Grand Bazaar. For the third round, Sharif then counters that the relationships within the Theater are borne of their business transactions, not unlike those researchers like himself have cultivated, a point Safwan concurs, citing that interpersonal relationships are only hypothetical compared to the documented ones of the Akademiya. Paimon begins to fear the worst, but the Traveler assures her that Nilou is setting Sharif up for ultimate defeat.
Remembering Inayah's determination to save the Theater, Nilou begins her defense in their final round, only for Inayah to step up and personally challenge her father, daring him to disown her as a daughter for having failed to become his academic successor, accusing him of being so lost in his own world he has failed to see why she still considers him her father in spite of everything. In the end, she confesses that, by trying to live up to his expectations, she was being just as pressuring as he, until she found in the Zubayr Theater troupe the warmth and affection he denied her. Despite Safwan appealing for order amongst a crowd increasingly throwing their lot with Nilou and Inayah, Sharif cryptically expresses relief before walking out, Safwan in pursuit. After some confusion, the audience interpreted the walkout as a sign that Zubayr Theater has won the debate.
In the aftermath, Nilou thanks the Traveler for helping her find her bearings during the debate, before telling them her story of how she joined Zubayr Theater: when she was a child, she was captivated by a dancer with the newly-founded Theater, who told her that her dance was an art borne of human effort and a source of joy for her audience, hence inspiring Nilou to become her apprentice and later successor upon her retirement. That said, she admits to having regrets with being unable to have Sharif and Inayah talk to each other for longer, thinking the former still had a lot to say, though she still hopes for the best between father and daughter, before inviting the Traveler and Paimon for another performance in a couple days' time.
After her first performance since the debate, Nilou formally introduces Inayah as the newest member of Zubayr Theater, while the Traveler tells Paimon their suspicion that Sharif agreeing to the debate may have been merciful in hindsight, with Paimon intuiting that he could have resorted to other methods such as banning Nilou and her coworkers from dancing. To their surprise, they also spot Sharif among the audience, who informs them that, in the wake of his scandalous walkout, the Akademiya suspended him; while he still cannot understand dancing, he is nevertheless intrigued, as well as admitting that Nilou has been more of a positive influence on Inayah than even he.
Before Sharif, still ashamed to face his daughter, could leave, Nilou spots him and urges Inayah to approach her father, who hands her a work of embroidery he made as his gesture of apology. After the Traveler, Paimon, and Nilou left father and daughter to start their healing process, Nilou presents the duo a scale model of Zubayr Theater, designed by the entire troupe as a gesture of gratitude for their help and as a keepsake for their journeys, before telling them that they are always welcome to watch their performances.
Lupus Aureus (Cyno)
Act I: Sands of Solitude
Released: v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" (September 28, 2022)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "King Deshret and the Three Magi" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act IV)
NOTE: Some lines of dialogue will change depending on whether or not the player has completed "Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V, Part 4)
There, they find Cyno, who allows them to join his investigation, leading them further east near Mawtiyima Forest, where they interrupt a transaction between traders Amenzu and Amainu and their buyer Mutawir. Realizing the General Mahamatra has brought backup, the three men opt to surrender, the ease of which he attributes to the former two being but dealers at the bottom of the ring's hierarchy. Amenzu and Amainu confess that normally they get their supplies from different locations every five days, but are now running out of stock due to their shipment running three days late, which Cyno notes coincided with the start of his investigation. While he contemplates simply going after another dealer, Paimon nearly lets slip of Dori before catching herself. Cyno then lets the three men go with a warning on the dangers of Canned Knowledge, before encouraging the Traveler and Paimon to meet him at Caravan Ribat should they glean new intel. Afterwards, Paimon suggests that the Traveler visit Dori in her mansion, the Palace of Alcazarzaray to the north of Sumeru City.
After being put up to speed on Cyno's investigation and thanking them for not ratting her out, Dori regretfully informs the duo that she has long withdrawn from the Canned Knowledge trade since their previous encounter at Port Ormos, both due to the Akademiya's increased strictures as well as the smuggling ring displacing her as top seller. Both as gratitude to the duo and out of spite for the ring, she reveals that the ring's true purpose is to seek out the Court of Desolation, a lost temple from Deshret's era said to give anyone the ability to see the cycle of life and death, a research banned by the Akademiya long ago, and has recently put up an auction somewhere in the Great Red Sand, the mass production of Knowledge Capsules around Sumeru City being but a distraction. Then then sells them expensive desert survival kits which she asks them to have Cyno, as leader of the expedition, foot the bill.
At Caravan Ribat, the Traveler and Paimon reconvene with Cyno and inform him of what they have learned. The General Mahamatra further expands on the Court of Desolation, describing it as being built by a dark sect, and that legends about its power to let people see the cycle of life and death, or even resurrect the dead, has led to unethical experiments that continue despite the Akademiya's official ban. Cyno warns the duo that they are being stalked, but nevertheless decides to head west into the Great Red Sand to lure them out.
As as soon as trio crossed the Wall of Samiel, they are waylaid by a group of Eremites led by Jhuba. Despite easily defeating them, Cyno lets them go on the grounds that they, too, are at the bottom of the smuggling ring's hierarchy, and thus would have little information to extract from, before apologizing to the Traveler for involving them in his affairs, knowing that Eremites can hold long-term grudges, and warns them to keep their wits about them, before reminiscing on a similar attack years ago that injured Taj Radkani, his mentor and a senior matra, who has recently retired into a desk job, hoping the duo can meet him one day.
Heading further west, the Traveler, Paimon, and Cyno find the auction camp, abandoned save for a Sumpter Beast and Knowledge Capsules which Cyno believes are unrelated to the Court of Desolation. The General Mahamatra then orders the Traveler to head southeast, tracking device on hand, while he lies in wait for any who may return. After covering enough distance, the Traveler and Paimon return to find Cyno having apprehended Bahari, a smuggler who rues having been a little too greedy and tried to take the leftover Capsules, and is surprised that the typically lone-wolf Cyno has brought allies. Bahari agrees to divulge all he knew to Cyno, but first they have to head east to Aaru Village lest he be in trouble should he be caught by his peers, which Cyno accepts despite Paimon's fear that he might lead them to another trap.
At the northern residences of Aaru, the quartet is greeted by Simin, Bahari's young daughter, who prepares them tea. After sending his daughter off to play, Bahari confesses that he got into the Canned Knowledge trade to earn enough Mora to cover the medical expenses of Simin, who has a chronic illness that weakened her heart and lungs. As much as he sympathizes with Bahari's plight, Cyno affirms that he cannot turn a blind eye on an illegal trade that is just as much a potential health hazard; nevertheless, he promises to find a way to help cover Simin's treatment; convinced of Cyno's trustworthiness, Bahari cooperates with him and points him to a recently arrived shipment of Canned Knowledge at the back of his house.
Upon inspecting the crates, Cyno is surprised to find the seal of the matra, hence explaining how such a shipment could leave the Akademiya without the customary second inspection. With Cyno still officially on leave, he has the Traveler and Paimon pass a letter to Nabil containing his permission to allow them to peruse its archives' restricted section.
Noting Cyno's suspicions about the smuggling ring's connections to Akademiya, Nabil interrogates other personnel; in particular, he learns from Payam of the Corps of Thirty that he has recently seen a Kshahrewar scholar coordinating daily shipments ostensibly containing outdated mechanical parts, with Taj dismissing his concerns by asserting their legality. Incredulous, Nabil asks fellow matra Usem, who confirms that recently he saw Taj conversing with some Eremites in his office before leaving dressed as one. Still unwilling to believe that Taj betrayed his vows, Nabil asks the Traveler and Paimon to search the Radkani residence in the northern suburbs of Sumeru City, where they discover a paper and an antique map, the former containing a list of Taj's transactions with over three hundred high-profile scholars, mercenaries, and merchants, and the latter seemingly pointing to the Court's location. Realizing that the conspiracy ran very deep, Nabil sends off the Traveler and Paimon to alert Cyno at Aaru; though confused over Taj's actions, he resolves to confront his mentor and learn the truth, but first they must locate the Court, which they do so in a cave northeast of King Deshret's Mausoleum.
In its depths, along the way defeating Primordial Constructs and clearing their way by rotating its floors, the trio find Taj. Confronted by Cyno over his findings, the senior matra admits to having wavered in his convictions with age, more so following Murtada's death for which he blames himself, and warns Cyno that he, too, will waver one day; having found the opportunity to resurrect his son, he has accepted the ring's offer to join them, and asks of lenience from Cyno and let him open the gate to the Court's power; seeing that his former protegé is undeterred, he challenges him to a duel to test his conviction to see justice done.
After Cyno fights him to a draw, Taj dares his former protegé to be willing to sacrifice his life to stop him, believing he has not changed over the years; Cyno, however, deduces that, judging from the Traveler's account of his house being unlocked when they searched it, Taj deliberately left a paper trail for them to follow, meaning he merely pretended to have gone rogue. Satisfied that Cyno correctly judged his intentions, Taj admits that the ring did approach him at a time when he was mourning his son, and though he considered genuinely joining it, he ultimately came to his senses and only did so in order to sabotage it; having taken notice of the Court's damaged walls, the Traveler deduces that Taj is planning to destroy it, who then admits that pretended to go rogue to be able to do so without interference from the Akademiya, let alone its high-ranking personnel within the ring; that said, because he abetted the ring for so long, he deems himself equally guilty, so as self-imposed punishment he allows himself to die in the Court; realizing that Taj lost his will to live alongside his son, Cyno reluctantly bids him farewell and takes the Traveler and Paimon with him to safety. As the trio narrowly escape the falling sands, Taj sits down and reminisces on his son's hardships, admitting that he refused to vouch for his son precisely because he is a matra as he is buried alive. Outside, Cyno warns the Traveler and Paimon that despite the Court's destruction, it is but a matter of time before the smuggling ring rebounds and finds another source of quick Mora, so he leaves to finish off the ring on his own, taking with him Taj's list, then invites the Traveler and Paimon to meet in four days' time.
On the appointed day, the Traveler and Paimon report back to Nabil, who is just about done bringing in the last of the smuggling ring. He informs them that someone—who he may recognize as Cyno if he has already returned to his duties—raided Eremite bands involved in the ring, forcing their Akademiya counterparts to pressure their superiors into stalling the investigation, only for news of Taj's sacrifice to inspire the matra into conducting a manhunt, with the remaining scholars having been apprehended by their benefactor, one as far as the border with Fontaine. He then reports that he saw Cyno talking with another man in Caravan Ribat while he was presiding a roundup and asks the Traveler to send him his regards while he processes the suspects.
At Caravan Ribat, the Traveler and Paimon find Cyno talking with Tighnari, to whom he discloses his additional findings that the smuggling ring also tempted Murtada into conducting forbidden research by preying on his struggle with expectations before turning to Taj and preying on his grief over his son's downfall. Tighnari then gives him some paralysis traps to use in the future, as well as medicine for Simin, before suggesting him to loosen up a bit by playing Genius Invokation TCG, a popular card game, lest he keep unintentionally scaring Collei—who is either recovering from a flareup of Eleazar if Irminsul is yet to be cleansed, or is adjusting to her full recovery otherwise—who he instructed to conduct awareness programs on the dangers of Canned Knowledge. After Tighnari returns to Avidya Forest, Cyno informs the Traveler and Paimon that he has already caught Jhuba's gang, before admitting that he has been contemplating on Taj's words on the frailty of human willpower, though he is hopeful he will stay true to his vows for as long as he can and continue to inspire future matra, just as Taj inspired him, before asking the duo for future assistance with bringing flowers from mourners to be brought to the remains of the Court of Desolation, whose location only the three of them know, in honor of his late mentor. Should the Traveler linger on, Cyno remarks that recently he has arrested a merchant who tried to have him foot the bill for survival packages worth over a million Mora, with Paimon denying knowing of it.
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "King Deshret and the Three Magi" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act IV)
NOTE: Some lines of dialogue will change depending on whether or not the player has completed "Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V, Part 4)
Suspicious Smuggling Case
At the Akademiya grounds, the Traveler and Paimon meet Nabil, a matra conerned over his latest task. Upon learning that they are associates of Cyno, Nabil asks for their assistance in dealing with a massive smuggling ring of Canned Knowledge; with Cyno either yet to return from his self-imposed exile or already in on the case otherwise, the matra will need all the assistance they can get, especially given reports of a recent proliferation of Canned Knowledge, the overuse of which could pose serious health problems, with a recent sale having occurred to the east of Sumeru City.There, they find Cyno, who allows them to join his investigation, leading them further east near Mawtiyima Forest, where they interrupt a transaction between traders Amenzu and Amainu and their buyer Mutawir. Realizing the General Mahamatra has brought backup, the three men opt to surrender, the ease of which he attributes to the former two being but dealers at the bottom of the ring's hierarchy. Amenzu and Amainu confess that normally they get their supplies from different locations every five days, but are now running out of stock due to their shipment running three days late, which Cyno notes coincided with the start of his investigation. While he contemplates simply going after another dealer, Paimon nearly lets slip of Dori before catching herself. Cyno then lets the three men go with a warning on the dangers of Canned Knowledge, before encouraging the Traveler and Paimon to meet him at Caravan Ribat should they glean new intel. Afterwards, Paimon suggests that the Traveler visit Dori in her mansion, the Palace of Alcazarzaray to the north of Sumeru City.
After being put up to speed on Cyno's investigation and thanking them for not ratting her out, Dori regretfully informs the duo that she has long withdrawn from the Canned Knowledge trade since their previous encounter at Port Ormos, both due to the Akademiya's increased strictures as well as the smuggling ring displacing her as top seller. Both as gratitude to the duo and out of spite for the ring, she reveals that the ring's true purpose is to seek out the Court of Desolation, a lost temple from Deshret's era said to give anyone the ability to see the cycle of life and death, a research banned by the Akademiya long ago, and has recently put up an auction somewhere in the Great Red Sand, the mass production of Knowledge Capsules around Sumeru City being but a distraction. Then then sells them expensive desert survival kits which she asks them to have Cyno, as leader of the expedition, foot the bill.
At Caravan Ribat, the Traveler and Paimon reconvene with Cyno and inform him of what they have learned. The General Mahamatra further expands on the Court of Desolation, describing it as being built by a dark sect, and that legends about its power to let people see the cycle of life and death, or even resurrect the dead, has led to unethical experiments that continue despite the Akademiya's official ban. Cyno warns the duo that they are being stalked, but nevertheless decides to head west into the Great Red Sand to lure them out.
As as soon as trio crossed the Wall of Samiel, they are waylaid by a group of Eremites led by Jhuba. Despite easily defeating them, Cyno lets them go on the grounds that they, too, are at the bottom of the smuggling ring's hierarchy, and thus would have little information to extract from, before apologizing to the Traveler for involving them in his affairs, knowing that Eremites can hold long-term grudges, and warns them to keep their wits about them, before reminiscing on a similar attack years ago that injured Taj Radkani, his mentor and a senior matra, who has recently retired into a desk job, hoping the duo can meet him one day.
Chain of Interests
Heading further west, Paimon complains of the heat wearing her down; though Cyno is used to such conditions, he allows her and the Traveler some rest, only to be attacked by scorpions. Upon defeating them, Cyno finds numbers marked on their pincers, leading him to suspect that they must have been sent by the smuggling ring to stop intruders; after wondering how the ring could have predicted their trajectory, Cyno then asks the Traveler to stand still and removes a tracking device which he believes was planted on them by Jhuba's gang. Recognizing the tracker as the product of the Kshahrewar Darshan, the Akademiya's technology faculty, he begins to suspect that someone in the Akademiya must be behind the ring; nevertheless, he asks the Traveler to hold on to the device, claiming it can prove useful much later.Heading further west, the Traveler, Paimon, and Cyno find the auction camp, abandoned save for a Sumpter Beast and Knowledge Capsules which Cyno believes are unrelated to the Court of Desolation. The General Mahamatra then orders the Traveler to head southeast, tracking device on hand, while he lies in wait for any who may return. After covering enough distance, the Traveler and Paimon return to find Cyno having apprehended Bahari, a smuggler who rues having been a little too greedy and tried to take the leftover Capsules, and is surprised that the typically lone-wolf Cyno has brought allies. Bahari agrees to divulge all he knew to Cyno, but first they have to head east to Aaru Village lest he be in trouble should he be caught by his peers, which Cyno accepts despite Paimon's fear that he might lead them to another trap.
At the northern residences of Aaru, the quartet is greeted by Simin, Bahari's young daughter, who prepares them tea. After sending his daughter off to play, Bahari confesses that he got into the Canned Knowledge trade to earn enough Mora to cover the medical expenses of Simin, who has a chronic illness that weakened her heart and lungs. As much as he sympathizes with Bahari's plight, Cyno affirms that he cannot turn a blind eye on an illegal trade that is just as much a potential health hazard; nevertheless, he promises to find a way to help cover Simin's treatment; convinced of Cyno's trustworthiness, Bahari cooperates with him and points him to a recently arrived shipment of Canned Knowledge at the back of his house.
Upon inspecting the crates, Cyno is surprised to find the seal of the matra, hence explaining how such a shipment could leave the Akademiya without the customary second inspection. With Cyno still officially on leave, he has the Traveler and Paimon pass a letter to Nabil containing his permission to allow them to peruse its archives' restricted section.
All Returns to Silence
Back at the Akademiya, the Traveler and Paimon hand Cyno's letter to Nabil, who then coordinates with Utayba, the archives' manager, to grant them access to its restricted section, where they read a paper on the history of research into the Court of Desolation, detailing cases of researchers growing fanatical in the course of their work such that many committed suicide for the remote hope of a glimpse of the Court's power, culminating in the arrest of seven scholars, including one Murtada Radkani. Intrigued, the duo consult Utayba, who reveals that Murtada was Taj's only son whose promising career belies his struggle with expectation and who ultimately committed suicide in prison after his father refused to intervene on his behalf; heartbroken, Taj resigned from field work and began spending time looking at his son's papers. To Nabil's disbelief, the Traveler suspects that Taj must be part of the smuggling ring, with Utayba chiming in that he may have been motivated by the attempt to resurrect his son, before asking Nabil, the Traveler, and Paimon to continue investigating.Noting Cyno's suspicions about the smuggling ring's connections to Akademiya, Nabil interrogates other personnel; in particular, he learns from Payam of the Corps of Thirty that he has recently seen a Kshahrewar scholar coordinating daily shipments ostensibly containing outdated mechanical parts, with Taj dismissing his concerns by asserting their legality. Incredulous, Nabil asks fellow matra Usem, who confirms that recently he saw Taj conversing with some Eremites in his office before leaving dressed as one. Still unwilling to believe that Taj betrayed his vows, Nabil asks the Traveler and Paimon to search the Radkani residence in the northern suburbs of Sumeru City, where they discover a paper and an antique map, the former containing a list of Taj's transactions with over three hundred high-profile scholars, mercenaries, and merchants, and the latter seemingly pointing to the Court's location. Realizing that the conspiracy ran very deep, Nabil sends off the Traveler and Paimon to alert Cyno at Aaru; though confused over Taj's actions, he resolves to confront his mentor and learn the truth, but first they must locate the Court, which they do so in a cave northeast of King Deshret's Mausoleum.
In its depths, along the way defeating Primordial Constructs and clearing their way by rotating its floors, the trio find Taj. Confronted by Cyno over his findings, the senior matra admits to having wavered in his convictions with age, more so following Murtada's death for which he blames himself, and warns Cyno that he, too, will waver one day; having found the opportunity to resurrect his son, he has accepted the ring's offer to join them, and asks of lenience from Cyno and let him open the gate to the Court's power; seeing that his former protegé is undeterred, he challenges him to a duel to test his conviction to see justice done.
After Cyno fights him to a draw, Taj dares his former protegé to be willing to sacrifice his life to stop him, believing he has not changed over the years; Cyno, however, deduces that, judging from the Traveler's account of his house being unlocked when they searched it, Taj deliberately left a paper trail for them to follow, meaning he merely pretended to have gone rogue. Satisfied that Cyno correctly judged his intentions, Taj admits that the ring did approach him at a time when he was mourning his son, and though he considered genuinely joining it, he ultimately came to his senses and only did so in order to sabotage it; having taken notice of the Court's damaged walls, the Traveler deduces that Taj is planning to destroy it, who then admits that pretended to go rogue to be able to do so without interference from the Akademiya, let alone its high-ranking personnel within the ring; that said, because he abetted the ring for so long, he deems himself equally guilty, so as self-imposed punishment he allows himself to die in the Court; realizing that Taj lost his will to live alongside his son, Cyno reluctantly bids him farewell and takes the Traveler and Paimon with him to safety. As the trio narrowly escape the falling sands, Taj sits down and reminisces on his son's hardships, admitting that he refused to vouch for his son precisely because he is a matra as he is buried alive. Outside, Cyno warns the Traveler and Paimon that despite the Court's destruction, it is but a matter of time before the smuggling ring rebounds and finds another source of quick Mora, so he leaves to finish off the ring on his own, taking with him Taj's list, then invites the Traveler and Paimon to meet in four days' time.
On the appointed day, the Traveler and Paimon report back to Nabil, who is just about done bringing in the last of the smuggling ring. He informs them that someone—who he may recognize as Cyno if he has already returned to his duties—raided Eremite bands involved in the ring, forcing their Akademiya counterparts to pressure their superiors into stalling the investigation, only for news of Taj's sacrifice to inspire the matra into conducting a manhunt, with the remaining scholars having been apprehended by their benefactor, one as far as the border with Fontaine. He then reports that he saw Cyno talking with another man in Caravan Ribat while he was presiding a roundup and asks the Traveler to send him his regards while he processes the suspects.
At Caravan Ribat, the Traveler and Paimon find Cyno talking with Tighnari, to whom he discloses his additional findings that the smuggling ring also tempted Murtada into conducting forbidden research by preying on his struggle with expectations before turning to Taj and preying on his grief over his son's downfall. Tighnari then gives him some paralysis traps to use in the future, as well as medicine for Simin, before suggesting him to loosen up a bit by playing Genius Invokation TCG, a popular card game, lest he keep unintentionally scaring Collei—who is either recovering from a flareup of Eleazar if Irminsul is yet to be cleansed, or is adjusting to her full recovery otherwise—who he instructed to conduct awareness programs on the dangers of Canned Knowledge. After Tighnari returns to Avidya Forest, Cyno informs the Traveler and Paimon that he has already caught Jhuba's gang, before admitting that he has been contemplating on Taj's words on the frailty of human willpower, though he is hopeful he will stay true to his vows for as long as he can and continue to inspire future matra, just as Taj inspired him, before asking the duo for future assistance with bringing flowers from mourners to be brought to the remains of the Court of Desolation, whose location only the three of them know, in honor of his late mentor. Should the Traveler linger on, Cyno remarks that recently he has arrested a merchant who tried to have him foot the bill for survival packages worth over a million Mora, with Paimon denying knowing of it.
Sapientia Oromasdis (Nahida/Buer)
Act I: Lingering Warmth
Released: v3.2 "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (November 2, 2022)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Pedrush then introduces Nahida, who also took interest in the forum despite her busy work schedule and volunteers to also be a consultant; to her dismay, the attendees are hesitant to approach her, though Paimon assures them that it is fine. After a few consultations, during which Nahida admits to the Traveler that she is still learning to understand people, one attendee, Ilman, tells her about his recurring dream about talking with his late wife; this piques Nahida's curiosity, more so when Ilman claims his wife seems to remember their previous conversations, which Nahida interprets as being rooted in his sense of longing, even as the Traveler intuits that it must be also a form of that of the Dendro Archon for Rukkhadevata. While Nahida continues with the consultations, the Traveler and Paimon check in on Ilman, who claims to remember the real-life location where he would see his wife, and asks them to escort him there just so he can find closure. Once Nahida is done for the day, the trio inform her that they are going out on a stroll, with Nahida joining them out of curiosity at his case, even as the Traveler contemplates on telling the Dendro Archon about the late Greater Lord.
By nightfall, the quartet reach the location, a hill east of Vimara Village, where Ilman describes his conversations with his late wife in his dreams. Intrigued at such an enduring dream, Nahida continues their investigation at the summit. After fighting off hilichurls occupying a hilltop shack, the trio find him about to walk off the edge of a cliff and catch him, before realizing he had been sleepwalking. Once Ilman wakes up, he recounts how he tried inviting his wife, Maynar, to meet Nahida, only for her to walk off the cliff and disappear, then apologizes to the group for the inconvenience. Nahida, realizing something is amiss, orders him to stay away from the hill for the time being while she returns to Sumeru City out of a hunch that the phenomenon of vivid dreams is not restricted to Ilman.
Upon returning to "A Moment of Dreams," Nahida informs Pedrush of Ilman's situation and asks him to warn the other attendees not to visit places in their dreams; after conducting a headcount, Pedrush discovers that one attendee, Kathya, is missing and is last heard heading near Chatrakam Cave to the northwest.
Upon returning to "A Moment of Dreams," Pedrush laments to the trio that, though he has brought back all the attendees, some have already fallen asleep, while the ones still awake refuse to comply with Nahida's warning, some complaining that they just want to find closure with their late loved ones. Realizing that both sides are at an impasse, Nahida decides to immediately conduct an investigation, and asks Pedrush to bring them to one of the sleeping attendees, who then brings them to Debbi, the woman who earlier told the trio of Kathya's whereabouts, and Nahida uses her powers to enter the dreamscape together with the Traveler and Paimon.
Inside, after the Traveler caught a glimpse of their sibling, the trio cross various dreamscapes through portals until they reach a recreation of Puspa Café, which Nahida interprets as confirmation of her theory of the dreamscapes drawing inspiration from real life, and that the presence of portals means the dreamscapes are interconnected. Inside, they find Debbi conversing over coffee with her adventurer friends Gaspar and Basimah; confronted by Nahida about her friends, Debbi admits that in real life both died after their ship struck a reef, and that the dreamscape is her only escape from her grief. Nahida then warns her against blurring the line between dreams and reality; nevertheless, she allows her to converse with her late friends some more, realizing that they are still in the peripheries of the dreamscape, with Debbi noting that something is whispering at her to head deeper.
The trio continue journeying through the dreamscapes until they reach the hilltop shack from their real-life encounter with Ilman, where they see him talking to his wife Maynar and their young daughter Haydar. After Ilman introduced his family to the trio, having brought his daughter to the shack so she can also meet her mother, Nahida warns him of the nefarious nature of the dreamscapes; though reluctant, Ilman concedes to tell the truth to his daughter, as well as asks the Dendro Archon to give him more time for closure, before pointing the trio to the deeper levels of the dreamscape.
After leaving Ilman with his family, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida review what they know so far, with the Dendro Archon realizing that the deeper they go, the stronger the people's attachment to their dreams grow until they become lifelike, reminding her of the Sabzeruz Festival samsara, during which the Akasha used Jnana Energy extracted from the people of Sumeru City to create a lifelike collective dream; however, with the Akasha shut down, in addition to the fact that the Aranara, though also capable of creating dreams, are too pure-hearted to create these, and that ordinary humans are incapable of creating a collective dreamscape, Nahida suspects that the culprit may be an Akademiya personnel who previously worked on the Akasha.
Finally, the trio reach the depths of the dreamscape, resembling a market square of Sumeru City populated by dozens of dreamers, including Ilman and his family. While using her powers of telepathy, she overhears an Akademiya scholar named Moseis talking to his florist wife Emina, the former of whom the Dendro Archon identifies as the source of the dreamscape, given that she cannot sense his dream. Impressed at having been outed, Moseis explains that he uploaded his consciousness into the then-operational Akasha in his attempt to create a realistic facsimile of a human being, in particular Emina, his girlfriend and fellow scholar who died of Eleazar. To refine the facsimile's personality, he scoured the Akasha for other people who lost loved ones like him and, under the pretense of mental health monitoring, implanted them with signaling devices so their feelings could be used as a template for those of "Emina," during which he uploaed his consciousness into the network; after Nahida shut down the Akasha, he was deprived of Jnana Energy which powered his experiment, thus he resorted to extracting Jnana Energy from the people involved in his network, effectively recreating the old system as well as giving them an escape from the hardships of the real world, with the other dreamers increasingly siding with Moseis.
Nahida, knowing that Moseis is manipulating the dreamers through their loved ones, points out that he committed one of the six cardinal sins of the Akademiya, specifically human experimentation due to equating human feelings with Jnana Energy, then warns Ilman that unlike him, Haydar was not given an implant, the one with him being but another facsimile; realizing that despite Nahida's warnings he brought his daughter with him to the same monster-infested hill, Ilman opts to wake up from the dream, as well as everyone else in quick succession, while Nahida accuses Moseis of failing to understand that the other dreamers still have loved ones in the real world.
Out of spite for the Dendro Archon, Moseis summons monsters to force Nahida, the Traveler, and Paimon out of the dreamscape. When they prove more than a match, an increasingly desperate Moseis creates more creatures, only for the dreamscape to collapse and the facsimiles turn into monsters themselves, in particular "Emina" into a rifthound. After defeating the creatures, Nahida notes that the collapse is a consequence of Moseis being not that proficient in the Akasha, having started his experiments by replicating monsters. Moseis, despondent over his misfortune, lost his will to live and begs Nahida to allow him to disappear together with his dreamscape. However, the Dendro Archon, though acknowledging that seeing his loved one turn into a monster is enough punishment, refuses to let him cheat accountability through death, and instead absorbs his consciousness into a Knowledge Capsule, then sees a shooting star as she, the Traveler, and Paimon leave for the real world.
At Nahida's invitation, the Traveler and Paimon meet her at the Akademiya's entrance for a private conversation. There, the Traveler compliments Nahida for having further grown in wisdom during their encounter with Moseis/Benyuni and working through his ability to manipulate the weakness of human nature, even as she rues that she still needs to learn to better empathize with people despite Paimon's assurance otherwise. She then disproves Moseis/Benyuni's accusation of her lack of feelings by recounting how, when she first entered his dreamscape, she felt a womb-like warmth; as it proved fleeting, she realizes she cannot let nostalgia blind her from the reality before her. Realizing what she meant, the Traveler ultimately decides to no longer tell Nahida about Rukkhadevata out of respect for the late Greater Lord's wish for Nahida and all of Sumeru to move on towards the future.
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Dream of Awakening
While wandering Sumeru City, the Traveler and Paimon are invited by a man named Pedrush to join "A Moment of Dreams," a forum for people to discuss their dreams, the adults' ability to dream having been restored following the shutdown of the Akasha; hearing from Paimon that she and the Traveler are frequent dreamers, Pedrush convinces them to join the group, of which he is the moderator, as well as bribes a skeptical Paimon with food and drinks. At a stage along the path between Treasures Street and the Akademiya, Pedrush introduces the duo as dream experts, leading the attendees to start consulting them, with Paimon acting as interpreter. Afterwards, the Traveler notes to Paimon that they cared not so much for the meaning of their dreams as much as they are excited at being able to dream again; upon comparing them to starving adventurers seeking any kind of sustenance, they begin to think of Nahida and her penchant for unusual analogies.Pedrush then introduces Nahida, who also took interest in the forum despite her busy work schedule and volunteers to also be a consultant; to her dismay, the attendees are hesitant to approach her, though Paimon assures them that it is fine. After a few consultations, during which Nahida admits to the Traveler that she is still learning to understand people, one attendee, Ilman, tells her about his recurring dream about talking with his late wife; this piques Nahida's curiosity, more so when Ilman claims his wife seems to remember their previous conversations, which Nahida interprets as being rooted in his sense of longing, even as the Traveler intuits that it must be also a form of that of the Dendro Archon for Rukkhadevata. While Nahida continues with the consultations, the Traveler and Paimon check in on Ilman, who claims to remember the real-life location where he would see his wife, and asks them to escort him there just so he can find closure. Once Nahida is done for the day, the trio inform her that they are going out on a stroll, with Nahida joining them out of curiosity at his case, even as the Traveler contemplates on telling the Dendro Archon about the late Greater Lord.
By nightfall, the quartet reach the location, a hill east of Vimara Village, where Ilman describes his conversations with his late wife in his dreams. Intrigued at such an enduring dream, Nahida continues their investigation at the summit. After fighting off hilichurls occupying a hilltop shack, the trio find him about to walk off the edge of a cliff and catch him, before realizing he had been sleepwalking. Once Ilman wakes up, he recounts how he tried inviting his wife, Maynar, to meet Nahida, only for her to walk off the cliff and disappear, then apologizes to the group for the inconvenience. Nahida, realizing something is amiss, orders him to stay away from the hill for the time being while she returns to Sumeru City out of a hunch that the phenomenon of vivid dreams is not restricted to Ilman.
Upon returning to "A Moment of Dreams," Nahida informs Pedrush of Ilman's situation and asks him to warn the other attendees not to visit places in their dreams; after conducting a headcount, Pedrush discovers that one attendee, Kathya, is missing and is last heard heading near Chatrakam Cave to the northwest.
Dream of Falling
At a riverbank near the Cave, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida find Kathya meditating next to a potted plant, surrounded by sentient fungi and specters; after the trio defeat them, she wakes up and laments that the plant has not bloomed in the twenty years since Aisha, her mentor and adventurer-turned-Amurta-researcher, left for an expedition to the Abyss, bequeathing her the seed which she promises will bloom should she return. Upon inspecting the plant, a troubled Nahida pulls aside the Traveler and Paimon for a private conversation, revealing that the plant is a new species modified by Aisha to never bloom, deducing that she knew she may never return from the Abyss, and that Kathya must be in deep denial. On behalf of Nahida, the Traveler informs Kathya of the truth; after the initial shock, Kathya slowly slowly accepts it after Paimon assures her that the plant was Aisha's way of bidding her farewell and affirm her love, while Nahida warns her to resist the temptation to return to the area for the time being. The matter with Kathya settled, Nahida compares her situation to Ilman's and, knowing that both have lost loved ones, raises her suspicions of a conspiracy.Upon returning to "A Moment of Dreams," Pedrush laments to the trio that, though he has brought back all the attendees, some have already fallen asleep, while the ones still awake refuse to comply with Nahida's warning, some complaining that they just want to find closure with their late loved ones. Realizing that both sides are at an impasse, Nahida decides to immediately conduct an investigation, and asks Pedrush to bring them to one of the sleeping attendees, who then brings them to Debbi, the woman who earlier told the trio of Kathya's whereabouts, and Nahida uses her powers to enter the dreamscape together with the Traveler and Paimon.
Inside, after the Traveler caught a glimpse of their sibling, the trio cross various dreamscapes through portals until they reach a recreation of Puspa Café, which Nahida interprets as confirmation of her theory of the dreamscapes drawing inspiration from real life, and that the presence of portals means the dreamscapes are interconnected. Inside, they find Debbi conversing over coffee with her adventurer friends Gaspar and Basimah; confronted by Nahida about her friends, Debbi admits that in real life both died after their ship struck a reef, and that the dreamscape is her only escape from her grief. Nahida then warns her against blurring the line between dreams and reality; nevertheless, she allows her to converse with her late friends some more, realizing that they are still in the peripheries of the dreamscape, with Debbi noting that something is whispering at her to head deeper.
The trio continue journeying through the dreamscapes until they reach the hilltop shack from their real-life encounter with Ilman, where they see him talking to his wife Maynar and their young daughter Haydar. After Ilman introduced his family to the trio, having brought his daughter to the shack so she can also meet her mother, Nahida warns him of the nefarious nature of the dreamscapes; though reluctant, Ilman concedes to tell the truth to his daughter, as well as asks the Dendro Archon to give him more time for closure, before pointing the trio to the deeper levels of the dreamscape.
After leaving Ilman with his family, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida review what they know so far, with the Dendro Archon realizing that the deeper they go, the stronger the people's attachment to their dreams grow until they become lifelike, reminding her of the Sabzeruz Festival samsara, during which the Akasha used Jnana Energy extracted from the people of Sumeru City to create a lifelike collective dream; however, with the Akasha shut down, in addition to the fact that the Aranara, though also capable of creating dreams, are too pure-hearted to create these, and that ordinary humans are incapable of creating a collective dreamscape, Nahida suspects that the culprit may be an Akademiya personnel who previously worked on the Akasha.
Finally, the trio reach the depths of the dreamscape, resembling a market square of Sumeru City populated by dozens of dreamers, including Ilman and his family. While using her powers of telepathy, she overhears an Akademiya scholar named Moseis talking to his florist wife Emina, the former of whom the Dendro Archon identifies as the source of the dreamscape, given that she cannot sense his dream. Impressed at having been outed, Moseis explains that he uploaded his consciousness into the then-operational Akasha in his attempt to create a realistic facsimile of a human being, in particular Emina, his girlfriend and fellow scholar who died of Eleazar. To refine the facsimile's personality, he scoured the Akasha for other people who lost loved ones like him and, under the pretense of mental health monitoring, implanted them with signaling devices so their feelings could be used as a template for those of "Emina," during which he uploaed his consciousness into the network; after Nahida shut down the Akasha, he was deprived of Jnana Energy which powered his experiment, thus he resorted to extracting Jnana Energy from the people involved in his network, effectively recreating the old system as well as giving them an escape from the hardships of the real world, with the other dreamers increasingly siding with Moseis.
Nahida, knowing that Moseis is manipulating the dreamers through their loved ones, points out that he committed one of the six cardinal sins of the Akademiya, specifically human experimentation due to equating human feelings with Jnana Energy, then warns Ilman that unlike him, Haydar was not given an implant, the one with him being but another facsimile; realizing that despite Nahida's warnings he brought his daughter with him to the same monster-infested hill, Ilman opts to wake up from the dream, as well as everyone else in quick succession, while Nahida accuses Moseis of failing to understand that the other dreamers still have loved ones in the real world.
Out of spite for the Dendro Archon, Moseis summons monsters to force Nahida, the Traveler, and Paimon out of the dreamscape. When they prove more than a match, an increasingly desperate Moseis creates more creatures, only for the dreamscape to collapse and the facsimiles turn into monsters themselves, in particular "Emina" into a rifthound. After defeating the creatures, Nahida notes that the collapse is a consequence of Moseis being not that proficient in the Akasha, having started his experiments by replicating monsters. Moseis, despondent over his misfortune, lost his will to live and begs Nahida to allow him to disappear together with his dreamscape. However, the Dendro Archon, though acknowledging that seeing his loved one turn into a monster is enough punishment, refuses to let him cheat accountability through death, and instead absorbs his consciousness into a Knowledge Capsule, then sees a shooting star as she, the Traveler, and Paimon leave for the real world.
Dream of Farewell
Back in reality the following morning, the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida wake up and are informed by Pedrush that the other dreamers have waken up; Nahida then asks him to prepare for an influx of dreamers while she returns to the Akademiya to wrap up her investigation. At the entrance, she tells the scholar Sitt to identify any unconscious Kshahrewar scholar; after a while, she returns to confirm that one Benyuni is currently bedridden at Bimarstan, who Nahida identifies as the real name of Moseis before handing her the Knowledge Capsule containing his consciousness so it can be uploaded to his brain once he wake up so she could face judgment after Nahida puts Cyno up to speed. Descending back to "A Moment of Dreams," Nahida apologizes to the attendees for interrupting their dreams, but warns them that however beautiful they are, they can distract from reality, or even used for nefarious ends like what happened, encouraging them to not only consider how their actions affect the world around them, but also work for a better future. Afterwards, the Traveler can linger on to learn that Debbi has made friends with Nasser, another attendee, Ilman has rescued the real Haydar from the monsters in the hill, and Kathya resolves to follow her mentor's footsteps.At Nahida's invitation, the Traveler and Paimon meet her at the Akademiya's entrance for a private conversation. There, the Traveler compliments Nahida for having further grown in wisdom during their encounter with Moseis/Benyuni and working through his ability to manipulate the weakness of human nature, even as she rues that she still needs to learn to better empathize with people despite Paimon's assurance otherwise. She then disproves Moseis/Benyuni's accusation of her lack of feelings by recounting how, when she first entered his dreamscape, she felt a womb-like warmth; as it proved fleeting, she realizes she cannot let nostalgia blind her from the reality before her. Realizing what she meant, the Traveler ultimately decides to no longer tell Nahida about Rukkhadevata out of respect for the late Greater Lord's wish for Nahida and all of Sumeru to move on towards the future.
Act II: Homecoming
Released: v3.6 "A Parade of Providence" (April 12, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
World Effect: Unlocks the Guardian of Apep's Oasis as a weekly boss
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
World Effect: Unlocks the Guardian of Apep's Oasis as a weekly boss
Vultur Volans (Alhaitham)
Act I: The Illusions of the Mob
Released: v3.4 "The Exquisite Night Chimes" (January 18, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Mantichora (Dehya)
Act I: Lionsblood
Released: v3.5 "Windblume's Breath" (March 1, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Hangout Events
Faruzan
Act I: A Confounding Conundrum
Released: v3.5 "Windblume's Breath" (March 1, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quests: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V); "The Unanswerable Problems" (Vulpes Zerda [Tighnari] Story Quest, Act I)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quests: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V); "The Unanswerable Problems" (Vulpes Zerda [Tighnari] Story Quest, Act I)
Layla
Act I: Ever Silent Stars
Released: v3.6 "A Parade of Providence" (April 12, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Kaveh
Act I: The Pendulum of Weal and Woe
Released: v3.7 "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" (May 24, 2023)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
Minimum Adventure Rank: 40
Prerequisite Quest: "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" (Archon Quest Chapter III, Act V)
