Faded Castle

The player first accesses the Faded Castle during the .
==Quests==
==Features==
===Exploration===
* Ancient Autoharmonic Music Box
* A Mysterious Bookshelf Full of Grimoires
* Mysterious Grimoire
* Symphony
===Enemies===
====Normal Bosses====
* 
====Elite Enemies====
* 
====Common Enemies====
* 
===Local Specialties===
* 
===Interactables===
====Harmost's Notes (I)====
This interactable is located behind a Mysterious Bookshelf on the north side of the pool in Faded Castle: Lower Level.
:...The matter of paramount importance is to be able to properly distinguish the different categories of music, so as not to misunderstandings caused by confusion regarding the meaning of words...
:...There are three categories of music in this world. One the Musica Mundana, another the Musica Humana, and the third the Musica Instrumentalis...
:...The Musica Mundana is the music of origin. It is the beginning and end of all music; from it does all spring, and to it shall all return. False and true celestial signs (namely, the inner and outer, lower and upper astrological signs. Euergetia will provide a detailed explanation of this section), the turning of the seasons and passing of time, the defined elements, everything in the universe operations according to the order of music...
:...Here, special attention should be paid to the connection between the Musica Mundana and Fortuna. The latter includes the former, while the former does not equate to the latter. Any music with specifications similar to Fortuna can be called Musica Mundana, for it itself would be equal to an entire world...
:...Just as Cassiodor taught you before, the "Fortuna" we speak of here and the Sebastos's have no... ...latter is named for the former, while the former is the "rules" that governs all things, the "fate" of which slaves speak...
:...Musica Humana is the music of the world of mortals. The music of mortals and gods are no different from one another, and both can be classified in this category, for their essence is that of the harmony produced by the Musica Mundana striking the Quality of the Soul...
:...Imagine a harp, where every physical entity in the world corresponds to a single one of its fine strings... Magnificent music comes not from a single string, but the resonance of all strings... This is the music we call Musica Mundana...
:...As your fingers glide across the ends of the strings, the middle section will vibrate along with it, creating a sound most pleasing. However, you did not touch the middle of the strings at all, and the reason it sounds is simply because it's attached to...
:...What I must emphasize to you is that, just as in the string metaphor, the music of mortals and gods can both be played, just like you can choose to play the middle of the strings, and not the ends. And it is for this reason that the Musica Humana can replace the Musica Mundana. We will discuss that in detail later...
:...The Musica Instrumentalis is the most fundamental music, and there is no need to elaborate on it. Even slaves can understand...
:...Next, I must elaborate for you the nature of Phobos, and why the musicless cannot be regardless as humans equal to us... Based on morality and rationality...
====Investigation of the Northern Barbarians====
This interactable is located on Faded Castle: Higher Level, near a Praetorian Golem.
:There have been various misunderstandings regarding the northern barbarians. These misunderstandings are not conducive to conquering and pacifying them, nor are they beneficial to the long-term well-being of the empire.
:For these reasons, I, Hirtius, the Vicarius of Legio VI Rithimi Versi, in accordance with the exalted Harmost Euergetia's universally known benevolence and authority, hereby faithfully record all I know for posterity, so that future successors may fulfill their duty to safeguard the northern border with less trouble.
:Society
:The social structures of different chiefdoms vary dramatically. Most chiefdoms are still in the stage of rudimentary clan-based societies, with councils composed of clan chiefs holding the highest authority. However, the moniker "tribe" has long ceased to be an accurate descriptor for some chiefdoms. Though many are loath to admit this, we must face the fact they have broken free from primal barbarism.
:For example, before the polis of Lugdunensis was razed by Legio V, its population exceeded (...). As the trade hub of many northern chiefdoms, its degree of prosperity could be favorably compared to (...). The ruler of the area did not call themselves a "Chieftain," but a "Holy King," and they believed their authority to rule came from an ancient sword bestowed upon them by the "Mother of Many Springs." Naturally, any rational citizen knows that strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from melody and harmony, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
:Another example: (...) is ruled by a council of astrologists, and they use (...) to set apart young children with elemental affinity, raising them to become (...), and these "people" can nearly rival our legions in battle. (Note by Marius Servius: the city mentioned here has already been subjugated and razed by the exalted Harmost Boethius, its name erased from memory.)
:In the past, the conquest of tribes still in a primitive state could be completed simply by dealing with the clan elders of each clan. A few decades ago, the exalted Harmost Aurelius successfully concluded his northern campaign through such methods: Without even resorting to violence, simply by dispatching legionnaires to announce the conquest, the various insular tribes on those remote islands were incorporated into the empire's territory. However, following the conquest of Aremorica, such tribes grew fewer and fewer. Different methods ought to be used to pacify different chiefdoms. Just as the exalted Harmost Euergetia once said, It is because they are ignorant savages by nature, that we must first understand them before they can understand us...
:(The following pages have been erased, and cannot be read.)
:Beliefs
:Today, the belief that the barbarians of the north worship a false god (or evil god) known as the "Mistress of All Waters" is widespread. However, this is a fiction created as a result of the conquest of Aremorica — Its leader had forced other chiefdoms to acknowledge that their gods were all aspects of the "Mistress of All Waters," regardless of what god they originally worshipped or what names they had.
:In other words, the barbarians of the northern border region do not have a single centralized belief system. Even to this day, they do not have a unified understanding of the concept of the "Mistress of All Waters." The leader of Aremorica seemed not to mind this point, as she only demanded they worship the same name without prescribing the content of their beliefs.
:Regardless, blood and barbarism pervade their belief systems. Some scholars believe this is because they never received a response from the gods, and can only resort to increasingly violent and extreme sacrifices to prop up their false beliefs.
:Showing them the mercy of the Sebastos is meaningless, for mercy is regarded as weakness by the savages. The correct approach is to point out to them that the Sebastos can easily defeat their false gods, and only the Sebastos is powerful enough to be worthy of worship...
:(The following pages have been erased, and cannot be read.)
:Aremorica
:Once an obscure and unknown tribe, but today the center of power in the northern border region.
:Its former ruler, Cunoricus, bent the knee to the empire some twenty years ago. As for its current ruler — the infamous Erinnyes — we know little indeed. From captured slaves, we have learned that she is not the heir of Cunoricus. The latter did originally have a son as well, named Caius. However, we are unsure when and how she became the ruler of Aremorica.
:Regardless of how she claims to have been blessed by the false god, she has never demonstrated any abilities surpassing those to be expected of an ordinary mortal. Everything she has done so far amounts to nothing more than using insidious plots and base treachery to commit abhorrent crimes against the Empire and its citizens. Only those who are utterly helpless, teetering on the brink of death would choose to believe in a woman proclaiming to be able to hear the will of the gods and flock to her banner. Just as the exalted Harmost Euergetia said, she simply does not believe in any gods at all — for none with faith would commit such atrocities in the name of god.
:(Note by Marius Servius: The name "Erinnyes" is suspected to be the result of a careless error when it was first transcribed, for this name has no meaning in their language. In the script of the people of bygone times, the symbol for the sound "gh" looks quite similar to "y," and so was copied as such. There is a precedent for similar mistakes. The proper pronunciation of the name should be "Errighenth of Aremorica" — in the language of the people of bygone times, "Er" signifies "high" while "Righenth" would be the feminine case of "ruler."From this perspective, the name is perhaps not her praenomen, but rather her title. However, since many scholars already refer to her as "Erinnyes," there is no need for me to assume the authority to revise it.)
====Ruggiero's Notes (I)====
This interactable is located in a hidden room behind a Mysterious Bookshelf in the hallway entrance to the Faded Castle.
====Ruggiero's Notes (II)====
This interactable is located on the Faded Castle: Middle Level, beside a Switch and a painting of Domus Aurea.
====Ruggiero's Notes (III)====
This interactable is located near the northern Teleport Waypoint on Faded Castle: Middle Level, under a painting of Domus Aurea.
====Someone's Notes====
This interactable is located on Faded Castle: Middle Level near a Midlander Claymore Billet, behind a Mysterious Bookshelf in the library.
:...Through these methods, the Quality can be pierced, endowed with the form of its Substance...
:...similar to Remus's ancient authority, stripped away (...), placed within (...) ...This way, it is possible to recreate once more the perfect harmonious symphony that belonged only to humanity that played before their utter downfall... No more gods. Only man can rule over man...
:...Substance and Prosperity are not important, Quality is what determines the essence of things... The object that plays the music, it could be the strings of a harp, a sword, or even (...), as long as it is an object bestowed with meaning, anything...
:...this sword, forged from the bones of (...) to honor the memory of the noble Euergetia... Had Phobos's collapse not caused her music to sink into the sea of pandemonium, we could have together...
:...For a moment of madness, he betrayed us all... The false god's will was like a weed floating upon the water, unable to rival that of humans... But that matters not now. In the end, humans alone shall be saved, if only...
:(The following lines have been brutally erased, and cannot be read.)
==Descriptions==
==Soundtracks==
==Lore==
According to the former Harmost Cassiodor, he and many of his companions once lived in the Faded Castle (then known as the "golden castellum"). In the golden age of Remuria, they recorded "ancient theatrical scripts, music scores, [and] all the stories of things that have and have not happened" in an attempt to harness the power of fate. 
After the fall of Remuria, the Harmost Boethius rallied his fellow survivors to form the "Golden Troupe." They gathered within the Faded Castle, where they conducted research in an attempt to resurrect their late empire.
Cassiodor opposed Boethius' ambitions to revive Remuria, as they involved destroying the new nation of Fontaine and stealing the souls of its people. In order to protect the Fontainians, Cassiodor sealed the passage connecting the Faded Castle (and by extension, the Sea of Bygone Eras) to the surface world. Presumably, the seal remained in place for the centuries since.
In the present day, during the events of The Shadow Over Petrichor, Cassiodor removes the seal and allows the Traveler and Paimon to enter the ancient castle. There, they meet Boethius, and follow him through the portal that connects the Faded Castle to the Sea of Bygone Eras.
==Trivia==
* Harmost's Notes (I) is based on ' , or Fundamentals of Music.
* In Investigation of the Northern Barbarians:
** The sword used to choose a Holy King is based on from Arthurian legend. Likewise, the "Mother of Many Springs" is based on the .
** The line "...strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from melody and harmony, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony" is a reference to the film .
** Lugdenesis is a reference to .
** Cunoricus is a reference to .
** The note by Marius Servius is likely a reference to the fact that the lowercase form of the Greek letters (ν, or, with an oxia as ύ seen in ) and (γ) resemble each other.
**The name Marius Servius may be a reference to .
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
==Navigation==
ja:色褪せた城
ru:Обветшалый замок
vi:Lâu Đài Phai Màu