Lore:Tales of the Forgotten — Vol. 2

"And my vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand me, where I have been and where I was going."The following is a verbatim transcription of an official document for archival reasons. As the original content is transcribed word-for-word, any possible discrepancies and/or errors are included.

Tales of the Forgotten - Vol. 2 is a Lore book introduced in Season of Plunder. Entries were acquired by exchanging Manifested Pages during Festival of the Lost 2022. It follows Eido as she investigates the Headless Ones.

The Drowned Captain - 1

Phyzann of House Dusk, loyal to Craask, Kell of Kings, slayer of Lightbearers and Cabal, lay silently beneath the dark waters.

The dull eyes of Cabal Legionaries peered thoughtlessly into the darkness, as they slogged through the water like livestock.

And when Phyzann rose up, blades gleaming in all four hands, roaring with the might of House Dusk, the Cabal cried out in their cruel and blundering tongue, their mouths fetid with fear, and they were slain.

From that day on, Phyzann of House Dusk had earned a new accolade among the Eliksni. He was henceforth known as the Drowned Captain.

The Drowned Captain - 2

"So he cut off his own arm?" Eido asked warily. Drifter flicked a coin at the empty cookpot, where it pinged against the rim and bounced away.

"He tripped and fell on his own damn sword," Drifter corrected. "A little different."

"But it didn't kill him?"

"Nah, he left that to the Guardian."

"But the ode claims—"

"You readin' poetry? I got one for ya," Drifter said mischievously, and cleared his throat.

"There once was a Fallen name Phyzann
Who took on a team of three Light-spawn.
He saw they were armed,
And he spoke with alarm,
'If I knew we would fight, I'd be long gone.'"

The Drowned Captain - 3

Eido loomed over the gathered hatchlings, who huddled together nervously. Drifter loitered nearby.

"The Drowned Captain feared nothing," Eido intoned. "So, when he saw the three glowing eyes in the cave mouth, he opened fire!" Eido mimed furious shooting with all four hands.

"But after he stopped, the creature was not felled. Instead," she said, her voice dropping to a low rasp, "it advanced."

"Purple flames poured from the creature's eyes," she said, leaning forward. "It let loose a deafening shriek—"

Drifter, sensing his cue, let loose a blood-curdling scream, causing the hatchlings to jump and chitter in fright.

"And when the scream ended, Phyzann of House Dusk, the Drowned Captain, had disappeared," Eido whispered, "…and was never seen again."

The Drowned Captain - 4

Phyzann of House Dusk, loyal to Craask, Kell of Kings, was tested by wave after wave of Cabal intruders.

But each platoon that lumbered witlessly into his lair fell to pieces beneath the Eliksni hero's blades. Their entrails disgorged into the stagnant water, and their bleats of fear echoed off the cavern walls.

However, just as his victory was assured, the Eliksni hero felt a blade slide into his back, between his lower arms. A Dreg's knife, sharpened by betrayal, became his undoing.

And so Phyzann of House Dusk slid beneath the water once more.

The Drowned Captain - 5

"Father, you one served the House of Dusk alongside Phyzann, the Drowned Captain, did you not?" Eido kept her tone casual.

"His reputation was known by all," Mithrax replied cautiously.

"The odes say he was a ferocious warrior," Eido prompted, "who killed many Cabal. They speak of his bravery."

Mithrax fidgeted silently with the regulator on his Ether rebreather.

"Was it not so?" she insisted.

"Phyzann was incompetent," Mithrax grumbled. "He once blew a hole in the side of his own Ketch attempting the Rite of Six Hands with a live grenade. He was a buffoon."

"Yet the odes—"

"Odes are for hatchlings!" Mithrax replied, more forcefully than intended. "They make glory of desperation, and bravery of ignorance."

"As a Scribe," he continued more calmly, "you must learn to see the truth in such wishful thoughts."

The Drowned Captain - 6

I tell tale of the Drowned Phyzann
House Dusk Captain, with his sword drawn
on Machine-spawn and Cabal
and with our House, our Captain led
against the Legion, Risen dead
our foes ahead, Phyzann's call.

But Drowned Phyzann had at his back
betrayers lunging to attack
and one, a sac-soft coward
took sharpened knife and drove it through
Phyzann's armor, and others too
violence anew, empowered.

But dead and still, a whisper came
it spoke of terror, undone shame
violet eyes aflame, Ether gone
a tongue of fire, a screaming head
a creature made of seething dread
as it is said, Drowned Phyzann.

The Drowned Captain - 7

Phyzann of House Dusk, loyal to Craask, Kell of Kings, lay betrayed. As his life-Ether flowed into the murky water, he heard a call.

It was not the call of his Kell, nor of his Dregs. It was not the call of the Great Machine, nor that of the Awoken prince.

It was the call of the Voice in the Darkness, which bade him to rise, reborn and remade in a form both terrible and terrifying.

And as Phyzann rose, no longer of House Dusk, he roared with flame that poured from his mouth and eyes, and his spirit longed for Ether no more.

The Drowned Captain - 8

"Spider, I wish to ask you about Phyzann, the Drowned Captain," Eido prompted. "No doubt you've heard the odes."

Spider chuckled sardonically. "I wish I knew who wrote them—I could use a liar like that in my operation."

"My father also doubted their veracity," Eido said, intrigued.

"There was a reason Phyzann died guarding a hole in the ground," Spider chortled. "Craask knew he was a liability."

"If he was so widely ridiculed, why do the odes honor him?" Eido asked, puzzled.

Spider surveyed The Ether Tank shrewdly. "It's the first rule of propaganda, little Scribe. Everyone is either a friend or a foe. There's no room for nuance."

"But in the real world…" Eido supplied.

"That's all there is," Spider finished.

The Drowned Captain - 9

"Two Guardians were riding a Sparrow through the EDZ," Glint began.

Eido typed into her datapad.

"They were both on one Sparrow?" she asked flatly, not looking up.

"Yes," Glint said. "They stopped at the side of the road, because the Sparrow broke down. One went to look for supplies, and the other waited inside and locked the doors."

"The Sparrow had doors?"

"This one did," Glint said. "And they were locked. But then the Guardian heard a scratching at the door! From outside!"

Eido stopped typing, watching Glint with interest.

"And a voice said, 'Let me in!' and the Guardian opened the door, but… there was nobody there!"

Glint bobbed in the air, whispering a tremulous "Ooo!"

"And?" Eido asked. Glint stopped moving and glanced back and forth.

"That's the end," he said.

Eido's notes were brief.