Past and Crescent
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Past and Crescent
- Quest giver
- Archive
- Location
- South Horn (X:37.9, Y:7.9)
- Quest line
Records of Unusual Endeavors Quests
┗ The Occult Crescent Quests- Level
- 100
- Required items
- 1
Voidsent Contract - Requirements
- Occult Record: The Abandoned Ascent (#19)
- Experience
0- Gil
829- Knowledge
11,350- Previous quest
A Common Thread- Next quest
- Mysteries Abide
- Patch
- 7.25
- Links
- EDB GT TC
“The Archive wishes to know if your ongoing search for ruins has been successful.
— In-game description
Rewards
- Unlocks
Requirements
Players must first unlock relevant Occult Record entries by exploring the Occult Crescent before accepting this quest.
- Occult Record: The Abandoned Ascent (#19) - Survey Point, South Horn (X:15.6, Y:29.5)
Steps
- Complete the critical encounter “
Calamity Bound” and obtain a Voidsent Contract to deliver to the Archive.
Dialogue
Accepting the Quest (cutscene)
Archive: More unexplored ruins? Share with me all that you saw! Archive: A towering edifice of interlocking stairways...? Hearing your account is already chipping away at the seal! Archive: You, adventurer, have stumbled across a palace modeled on the city of Karnak. Archive: The brave warriors of Karnak outfitted themselves with magnificent turbans and an arsenal of arcane weapons. Their martial prowess once held together a mighty state...
Ketenramm: I've never heard tell of this “Karnak.” Was it another civilization that flourished in the Fifth Astral Era?
Archive: Indeed. Though they rivaled the other city-states in terms of prestige and power, neither they nor their history survived the ages. A truly lamentable end.
What will you say? > How did they perish? > Another fallen civilization, just like the others.
< How did they perish? > Archive: It must have happened at some point during my great slumber─I'm afraid I have no knowledge to impart.
< Another fallen civilization, just like the others. > Archive: Just like Nym... I tell you, 'tis a bitter thing to have slept through the fall of one's homeland.
Archive: Hmm. Now might be an opportune moment for a question I've been afraid to ask. How did the nations of the Fifth Astral Era meet their end?
Ketenramm: ...The War of the Magi. Ketenramm: As the name suggests, the city-states turned their magicks against one another. The ensuin' conflict claimed countless souls an' wreaked havoc with the land's aetherial balance. It was a catastrophic flood that eventually swallowed the nations whole.
Archive: Brought low by the same arcane power that propelled them to such great heights... Archive: Even before my slumber, there were those who decried the rampant misuse of magicks. It pains me to hear their warnings went unheeded.
Ketenramm: It was likely the War of the Magi or the followin' Sixth Umbral Calamity that spelled the end for Karnak. All that's left of their legacy is right here on the Occult Crescent.
Archive: Precisely. This island's architect─it was he who foresaw catastrophe and sought to preserve a facet of each nation with these empty monuments.
Ketenramm: “He”? Who in the seven hells is this architect?
Archive: Alas, I am constrained once again by this importunate seal. If you were to locate a personal possession of his, or perhaps... Archive: Yes, that might do it... Why don't you try wrangling with a powerful voidsent? When Mhachi mages called forth denizens of the void, they would sign a pact with their summon in blood. If it was our architect that raised the isle's voidsent, he too may have followed the practice. Archive: A dangerous gambit, to be sure, I believe obtaining such a contract will be our best shot at identifying him. Should you find and dispatch a voidsent, keep your eyes peeled.
System: The voidsent contract of which the Archive speaks can be obtained from a specific critical encounter. System: Speak with the expedition advisor should you wish to learn how to participate in critical encounters.
Optional Dialogue
Ketenramm: Goin' toe-to-toe with one of the isle's voidsent'll be no mean feat. Ye'd be wise to hone some techniques usin' one of those soul shards before headin' into the fray.
After Completing the Objective
Archive: I'm convinced a voidsent contract will prove the strongest conduit for accessing more of my knowledge. Keep an eye out for what we need once you fell your mark.
Archive: Hohoh, daubed with the blood of the island's architect himself! This will do nicely.
Cutscene
Archive: With the seal further diminished, I can reveal what I knew all along! Archive: The architect was fearful of something being stolen, and thus employed voidsent to guard his monuments.
Ketenramm: Wardens for his “museum,” eh? Perhaps the magical barrier surroundin' the isle was intended for the same defensive purpose? Ketenramm: Projectin' mirages, repellin' all approaches─an' for the ill-fated ships that did make landfall, a swift end. What d'ye reckon our architect wanted to protect so fiercely?
Archive: It was─
???: The very wisdom of mankind in crystalline form. Forbidden knowledge so potent as to threaten the star itself. Iris: Sealed away in the Forked Tower, preserved, but forever out of reach...
Archive: You onerous little usurper! That was my explanation to give!
Ketenramm: The peak of Fifth Astral Era civilization is preserved here on the isle, but the city-states left a blighted legacy, sparkin' the War of the Magi an' unleashin' disaster on the world... Ketenramm: I suppose the architect balked at the loss of all that knowledge, but feared what'd happen if it passed into the wrong hands.
Iris: A head full of facts and figures alone serves the thinker no practical purpose. Only once applied and directed is knowledge truly ascendent.
Archive: A spiteful barb directed at my poor self, no doubt. The woe of knowing many things yet recalling so few...of mastering the arcane arts yet being incapable of the simplest spell. Archive: Tell me, [Forename]. Does the knowledge sealed away in the tower she spoke of pique your interest?
What will you say? > In the right hands, it would prove a boon to mankind. > I would merely seek to prevent its misuse.
Archive: Hmph. I see.
Ketenramm: D'ye reckon we'll find the architect himself inside this Forked Tower?
Archive: 'Tis a possibility─though there are in fact two towers on the isle... The Tower of Blood on the south horn, and its northern counterpart, the Tower of Magic. Archive: Given that we're dealing with a mage capable of casting an island-wide ward, I daresay he'll be in the latter.
Ketenramm: You seem to know an awful lot about these towers. Did that part of yer knowledge get unsealed too?
Archive: Indeed. Although in truth, I've known of such matters all along... You are but starting to glimpse my near-infinite wisdom!
Ketenramm: ...Anyroad, we've yet to find a route through to the north horn. Ketenramm: The expedition'll maintain a presence here at the base camp, but it's time to begin plannin' the next phase. Join me in the phantom village when yer ready.
Ofangeim: What? Are ye sure!? Ofangeim: Just had an update from our scoutin' party. Ofangeim: I'm guessin' ye've noticed the strange auroras that light up the sky every now and then? Well, there's a tower to the west that only shows up durin' those conditions, an' our scouts say they've found a way in. Ring any bells? Ofangeim: The “Tower of Blood,” eh? Sounds to me like we're talkin' about the very same structure. Ofangeim: Anyroad, when it's visible, an aetherial node appears in the solitary pavilion over on Heathcliff. The scouts reckon it'll whisk you off to the tower if ye stand on it. Ofangeim: None of 'em fancied triflin' with it, so if yer curious about what lies inside this “Tower of Blood,” ye'll have to investigate yerself. Ofangeim: Right, that's all from me. When ye head back to the phantom village, make sure Ketenramm hears about all this.
Optional Dialogue
Ofangeim: Whether ye investigate the tower or not is entirely yer choice. As for the expedition, ye'll want to parley with Ketenramm and figure out the next steps.