To: All Summoned

[shadowthief]

Hello. My name is Inej, and I currently reside in Solvunn. I have been attempting to research information on the Gods and religious practices here. I have been told some wive's tales by the locals about not going out at night if you do not know the way, and the way a single person's fault can affect the lives of many if the Gods take offense.

My research in the library has not given me much more in way of specifics, just vague tales of them, theories of how they might have looked, but one thing does keep coming up: The Singularity came before them. I do not know if that means that the ones the locals see as Gods here were once people like us, pulled into this place... or if it means that the Singularity somehow created them. All the books hold the same theory: Prayer and dedication will wake them from their sleep.

I found something hidden in one of the volumes I was looking at today:

Ever searching
Ever longing
Lost and greedy
Wails of mourning
What has been found is never enough
Her reach is vast and cutting.

The parchment was ripped and smudged, nothing else could be made out on it. I am uncertain if it means anything at all, but I see no reason not to share it, just in case it might match something someone else has found.

If you have made it this far in this message, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

Comments

[hylife]

Hello, Inej. Thank you for your message.

[ It's easy to remember all the usual polite niceties in writing!

Er, mental writing. ]

I've learned much the same from the villagers across all the settlements. An old man at the library pointed out a passage to me. I've memorized it:

Speaking between the trees yet voiceless,
Dozens of eyes but faceless,
No mouth to feed and always hungry,
A fury which could level cities,
His good grace maintains our temperament.

Maybe it's part of the same story. On Hyrule, our ancient history is passed down through verses like these.

[ He is not inclined to share his thoughts at this time. Yet. ]

- Link

[shadowthief]

I've only been in the primary one, but I suppose it's comforting that it doesn't vary wildly from one settlement to the other.

[Comforting. Is that the right word? She's not sure it is. Still.]

The Saints of my home have stories held in a similar manner as well. I wonder if anyone else has come across similar passages. If we could put all the pieces together, we might be able to see the bigger picture.

[hylife]

[ 'Comforting' is not the word Link is reaching for at the moment, but then. Passages like dozens of eyes and leveled cities invoke something uniquely uneasy for him.

The thought that are other passages, that these may be important records after all... ]

Please let me know if you hear of others.

My

[ It's quickly scribbled over! ]

Princess Zelda is experienced in researching things like this.

[fourarmedandangerous]

So Solvunn's gods are alien and cruel. Cruel gods create cruel worshippers.

Thank you. This will be useful.

[shadowthief]

I am not sure I would make such a bold statement, the stories are mostly very vague. And I would not consider the people here in any way cruel. They have been very helpful to me since I arrived.

[fourarmedandangerous]

They are clear enough for my purposes.

[Just words on a parchment and yet the tone of those words, the creatures they describe, of a voiceless voice within the trees, eyes without a face, greedy, destructive, ever-reaching...these words play on deep, primal fears. And what inspires fear and distrust is good for Goro.]

Do you consider the entities the words written here describe to sound benevolent? I do not. And I think many will agree with me.

Of course they have been helpful. You are useful to the people of Solvunn. Naturally, they will try to ingratiate themselves to you. Perhaps their people truly are as affably dull and non-threatening as you believe. Some of them, at least. Not all. And those are the ones who will be watching you now.

[itookashot]

[ Jesper is flailing on the other end of this. And stopped right in the middle of the road when it showed up on the cobblestones below. ]

No mourners.

[shadowthief]

No funerals.

[It comes instantly.

Her first thought is Matthias if only because she knows he's here, in one of the other cities, they'd met during the mission with the caskets. But he'd have no reason to try to confirm her this way.

Is someone else here? Her heart is in her throat at the thought of it.]

Who is it?

[itookashot]

The best looking, obviously.

[ He hasn't seen Matthias yet but it's a big city. There's instant relief at the confirmation it's his Inej. ]

[cryptsleeper]

Did the rip in the parchment appear to be done with any sort of tool, or was it ragged and by hand?

Smudged ink can happen in a few different circumstances, but if the removed section is precise, then that carries its own implications.

[shadowthief]

I think it was likely torn by hand. The writing seemed...rushed. Like maybe they were running out of time.

[From what, she has no idea. But the hurried letters implied something big, bad, or both, was coming or happening before they managed to get the paper slapped into the nearest book for something like safekeeping.]

[cryptsleeper]

...Why write a bound text only to remove something in a hurry? If the author is responsible for the removal, that's.

Not what I might have expected.

[cointosser]

Well, whoever she is, she sounds like a hoot.

Are these gods ever listed by name in Solvunn? I noticed in Thorne all the names have been scrubbed away. I never learned if it was intentional or not.

- Jaskier

[shadowthief]

I've not seen any names in my searches, no. Just a lot of references to the Old Gods.

[cointosser]

Interesting. Thank you for the tidbit! While I'm sorry to say I cannot help much further, I do wish you the best of luck in your search. And possibly a note of caution, as I've found that spirits and gods tend to be very easily annoyed mammalian beasts most of the time.

[gynvael]

Have you heard mention of any
disciples of the Singularity?

[shadowthief]

I'm afraid not.

The only thing that comes close is some of the older locals here mention the Gods listening for those short on faith.

[princessvegas]

You say that their gods could be like us cause the Singularity existed before them, but the Singularity didn't bring us here outta the blue. The assholes from this world did, and they apparently just figured out how last year.

So I don't see how these gods could be like us.

[shadowthief]

I am only thinking out loud. I do not know that the thought is true, only that the texts I've found seem to indicate that the Singularity was first and it brought the Gods...whether from another place, from inside of itself, or something else, I do not know or understand enough to guess at.

[a_better_man]

Does where you come from NOT have lots of old odd legends about dozens of dozens of supposed gods and spirits? What sort of place is Solvunn? I ask because back home if you talked to any of the old folks you'd hear all manner of dire warnings about the woods at night or things that lurk in the lakes.

Only one or two held any truth to them.

Anyhow that bit you shared sounds like the sort of thing small children sing or chant when they're playing. Least where I come from. Like a bit of Jak of the Shadows or What Lives in the Woods.

[shadowthief]

I have a strong belief in the Saints of my world, so I suppose you could say yes, we have just such stories. Maybe not every dire warning is true, but is the truth that might be in it not worth investigating? Or are you so content to be here that you do not wish to understand more about what we were brought here to do?

Quite dire for a children's song, don't you think?

[falcony]

THOSE WIVES TALES YOU MENTIONED
ARE THERE ANY ACTUAL STORIES OF PEOPLE GETTING HURT?
OR IS THAT MORE 'KEEP THE CHILDREN FROM GETTING LOST' SORT OF STUFF?

[shadowthief]

Not particularly. Most of it seems to be cautionary children's tales, from what I can gather. I'm hoping to find something more concrete, but for now... no.

[unnecessaryflourishes]

I don't suppose there was any further indication of who this 'she' might be?

[shadowthief]

Unfortunately, no. I haven't the faintest who 'she' might be.