Memory Fragment (Atlas of Worlds)

This article describes historical game content.

These Memory Fragments pertain to lore as told by the Atlas of Worlds expansion.

Memory Fragments were environmental lore objects found in maps during the endgame of the Atlas of Worlds expansion. They were the memoirs of the man who would become the Shaper, from his time researching and experimenting with the Map Device discovered by the Order of the Templar under High Templar Venarius.

This particular telling of events may in part be considered non-canonical because of minor retcons. The Book of Memories from the War for the Atlas expansion recontextualised and expanded upon the lore to introduce the Elder.

Memory of Home

Memory of Home can be found in maps with a base tier of 8.

The raids have become an almost nightly occurrence. The neighbourhood is changing. Septimus and his family have not been seen for a week, and I fear the rumours of the High Templar's secret trials and exiles may be true.

High Templar Venarius is far more puritanical than even Voll, and has been vigilantly tracking down and destroying important historical text and artifacts that he deems heretical. It seems as though he is also getting rid of those who, own such items.

He doesn't see that without history there is no progress. Or he just doesn't care. I'm not sure which is more dangerous. I can't in good conscience let important information simply vanish. I have a responsibility to my family and to the world to ensure that the boundaries of knowledge are pushed ever forward, no matter the risk.

As I left the academy this morning, bleary-eyed and sleepless, my daughter followed me again. I tucked her back in bed and kissed her goodbye. I worry about the world she will grow up in. There's a chance that I might survive living in exile, but she... She is still just a child. She needs me.

I will have to be careful.

Memory of Intrigue

Memory of Intrigue can found be in maps with a base tier of 9.

High Templar Venarius and his inquisitors paid a visit to the academy today. Closely guarding a heavy box they brought with them. When I enquired as to its origin, I was promptly reminded that such matters were none of my business, and that my only concern would be the assembly and operation of its contents. One can only assume that it came from another 'secret' expedition to Wraeclast.

Upon examination of the contents I was bewildered. The intricate golden instruments within steer the mind towards navigation tools, yet are far more refined. Imagine something akin to a sextant... or an astrolabe, but a hundred times more intricate, more precise. Imagine scales and measurements with proportions and axis that defy logic.

Once correctly assembled I expect these pieces to form some kind of device. Though its purpose and function for now remain a mystery, whatever it is, this device is either the work of a madman, or a genius. Perhaps both.

Memory of Wonder

Memory of Wonder can be found in maps with a base tier of 10.

This golden device is truly incredible. There's so much to take in, so many minute details to examine, any one of which could unlock the device's mysteries. Intense thought and exhaustion seem to have got the better of me, for I am ashamed to say I must have dozed off and fallen asleep in my chair.

I do not normally remember my dreams, but this time they were so vibrant, so realistic. One moment I was walking in a verdant field of flowers whose aromas wafted sweetly through the warm air. The next I stood on a towering mountain peak, high above the clouds, harsh winds buffeting my back.

It all melded together, yet felt so real. I don't even remember waking, but I must have done. Since I clearly recall showing my daughter a map of Theopolis, while still trying to shake the events of the day out of my head.

Tonight, I fear, may be yet another restless night.

Memory of Dream

Memory of Dream can be found in maps with a base tier of 11.

Today, in the presence of the golden device, I slipped into yet more dreams.

Mountains that reached far into the clouds, with no sign of any summit. Woods, warm and dense and tangled with vines. Caverns larger than this entire city, yet so quiet you could hear a butterfly flap its wings. Unfamiliar beaches that reach into the horizon, where I took off my shoes, and I could feel the cold, wet sand, shifting between my toes.

It all seemed so real. This device is nothing short of a miracle.

I seem to be able to exert some degree of control over my dreams now. I can explore for days, wandering in these fantastical worlds with no sensation of hunger or urgency. But I worry what influence this may be having on my mind. When I tried to leave today, I could not find my shoes. Perhaps someone is playing a trick on me. Perhaps I'm playing a trick on myself.

At least my pounding headache provided ample distraction from the embarrassment, of walking home barefoot.

Memory of Nightmare

Memory of Nightmare can be found in maps with a base tier of 12.

Are my dreams becoming reality? Or is my reality falling into a dream?

I found myself in a darkened room, and beyond the door came whispers of a long-dead language. Stumbling through, I discovered a chamber filled with bones - small, like those of children - placed around an altar caked with layer upon layer of dried blood. Their peculiar arrangement was one I know I've seen before, the kind that is only found in forbidden tomes of civilisations long lost.

As I neared, the echoing whispers grew louder and more desperate, threatening to engulf me entirely, so I fled, running blindly, my heart in my mouth. Before I knew it, I was outside, out of breath, and stumbling through vicious brambles.

Drenched in sweat, I finally returned to my workshop. My robes were shredded, my legs badly bloodied. This was real. I was there. I felt every thorn, every sharp stone. I felt the excruciating despair of every life cut short in that vile chamber. Oh, my sweet, sweet daughter, I pray to Innocence that you never have to witness the things I have seen.

Shortly afterwards, High Templar Venarius himself stormed in with his personal guard. His words were polite yet abrupt, his manner impatient. He pointed at the bloodied, balled-up robe sitting by my workbench, which I tried to explain away as a mere accident while working on the device. They departed, but the High Templar's displeasure was evident. Another worry to add to the pile.

The cuts to my legs were shallow, yet still they bleed, even now so many hours later. My body may have escaped that ancient temple, but I fear it may have forever trapped a piece of my soul.

Memory of Grief

Memory of Grief can be found in maps with a base tier of 13.

They took my daughter... They took my daughter. They took her from my home and threatened her life. They threatened to kill her if I didn't tell them everything I knew. They meant it. I should have been more careful but I wasn't.

Four of the High Templar's personal guard escorted my daughter into my lab. They demanded to see what I have seen... I knew they would call me a heretic... I've seen what they do to 'heretics' and their families. I had to save my baby girl.

I watched them fall into dream, and I chose my moment to strike. I grabbed her hand and gripped it tight, and I threw the device into the ground, I watched it fracture into ten thousand golden pieces.

I felt a tight grip on my shoulder, and I watched the world ripple like the surface of a pond disturbed by a stone. I was being pulled into the dream! and so was she! I let her go... I had to let her go. I felt my daughter's tiny fingers slip through mine... Gone... Gone...

I saw nothingness swirling before my eyes. I saw the fabric of creation in its most primordial form. I felt the templars grip loosen and slip away. I lay there, in the emptiness between worlds, for an eternity.

Then, for the first time in my life, I truly awoke.

Memory of Awakening

Memory of Awakening can be found in maps with a base tier of 14.

Force is met with force. Push against the earth, and the earth pushes back. But if you quiet the earth, if the earth slumbers beneath your hand, it does not resist, and you slip through. Push hard enough against the sleeping earth and you enter the emptiness between worlds. Push further into that and you fall into another world altogether.

Oriath is an island on an island in a sea whose depths know no limits, and whose every drop hides an infinite number of yet more islands. My sweet daughter lies stranded, lost in the tumultuous abyss.

That world is not for her. No world in the countless I have seen is worthy of her, worthy of being home for her, for us. We people have sprung up independently across the abyss like a blight. And like a blight, all we leave in our wake rots... decays... suffers.

If I cannot find a world where my daughter and I might be happy, I will create one. I will forge a world anew, breathe life into it, and create the paradise we deserve.

Then, I will ensure that no blight may ever sprout again.

Version history

Version	Changes
3.1.0	Removed from the game.
2.4.0	Introduced to the game.