Hedonia Settlement's Excavations: Resonance Archives, Lazaret, Nadiya Village & Onward (SPOILERS)

[cosmobeau]

The settlement in the Continent Hedonia slowly built a settlement from Seraph stragglers popping back into existence after the Incident of Jonas Falx's Great Machine. Being cast out of time, and thrust back into this harsh world, we fought through with industry and perseverance to create our own village. Together, we sought out a sense of community, and answers to our existence. Our collective goal became clear: we needed to seek out answers and knowledge to understand and better ourselves. 

It only took a few months of exploring and discussing with human survivors to learn we Seraphs were once human, altered by Jonas Falx's Salvation Engine (Depicted in a Tapestry, left, exchanged for goods from a Trader), a made from the same chaotic technology that is thought to have brought the Rust to this world, in a desperate attempt to wipe the Rot out. People nearby were warped out of time, and time being altered was what removed the rot- not truly cleansing it but changing time. This was done with understanding Temporal Stability, and as we have experienced first hand, being unstable brings you closer to that other Dimension- what we call the "Rust World".

    There are many remnants of what occurred when the Rot first spread, humanity as a whole here withdrawing underground to escape it's hellish grasp on the flesh, and the days following underground building that Great Machine. We came to realize we were thrust back into this world in this location because these events happened nearby. Ruins to underground bunkers and makeshift cavern towns could be found across the lands we found ourselves in, and humans here have oral tales and old scrolls, books and artifacts from those events. One, a treasure hunter, told us they had a map to one such underground fortress, possibly the largest of its kind: The Resonance Archives. For us, and people caught up in this world torn from the possibility of civilization, he wanted proper, newly smithed tools in exchange for this knowledge. Finding simple, proper equipment for rebuilding is scarce among these lands. Our local smith crafted tools and came to him personally to exchange for this map, and once brought back to our village, we made a plan to travel to and excavate these ruins as a community of Seraphs. Alchemists, tailors, warriors, metalworkers and skilled Seraphs alike came together to equip us for the worst. Tinkerers and scholars studying Temporal Stability and the Rot and Rust entities calculated for the worst of creations in this abyssal library. We sent a scout ahead to make a makeshift path for us and survey the area outside and immediately inside the entrance.

When our scout came back, it was reported that the entrance was clear, but the actual ruins lay below a profound depth not visible from the shallow entrance to it's decent. We planned to leave together to excavate at dawn. Upon approaching, we dawned night vision gear made of salvaged Jonas parts and brought lanterns on our side. The darkness was overwhelming towards the bottom which took a lengthy amount of time to reach on a rickety ladder left behind. We went to work figuring out the machinations behind the power system of this Resonance Archive, which was a circular hole burred in the earth circled by staircases, paths and rooms surrounding a strange, reverberating sound structure. Inside a room labeled "engineering", with a furnace for burning fuel for power and a large, multi-parted circular machine in the middle unmoving as if broken. Once we filled the furnace with leftover coal, one floor of the Archives lit up from wall-mounted lamps. We set off in groups to delve further into the mystery of this place. There was clear evidence of reality warping in some of the rooms- furniture and walls bent in unnatural ways, books floating mid air and objects twisted together in warped, unfathomable ways. 
   We fought through drifters flourishing in the dark depths, and malfunctioning Bells left over from when this place was once live with people. Some places were locked off, large metals doors with locking mechanisms kept us out. Eventually, we made it to a Bell Workshop, where a memo was found next to a large temporal gear:
"Apologies, Florian.

We’ve been dealing with a shortage of supplies regarding the generator. I mentioned already that broken pump. We’ve also found an issue with one of the gears just this morning.

Naturally, I’ve repaired the gear already and need only to reinsert it now, but there might be some delay before we can requisition a new pump. I shall ask Wade and his team if I might repurpose one of his devices from the mines, but I suspect he will be loathe to part with it.

In the meantime, I fear there will be some disruption to the mechanisms running these archives. I know the scribes find it unpleasant, but you’ll have to enter the library through the maintenance room for now. Don’t worry, he won’t bother you.

- Ibrahim"

Among the rubble we found schematics and parts for Bells in the workshop giving us a better understanding of their mechanisms, and used this to traverse the infested halls of the Archives. Now set on finding the other parts to this machine, we climbed through ruined stairways and palatial underground commons to find more answers. Eventually, we found a pump head and brought it back to the machine inside engineering. Upon fixing the parts into their proper places, the machine whurred into action- and a large metal sound could be heard from the Library Gate Doors that were once locked by a mechanism. We approached the doors and slowly pushed them open to find a ruined hall with a gaping hole in the way of the Library. We could see the room below- "Could this be the Maintenance Room mentioned in that memo? Then who is "he" that lies below?" Some scoffed at this remark knowing that anyone who lived here died long ago, and we made our way down the whole into the next room. To our dismay, a horrific humanoid machine lied below - and immediately activated to prevent us from going any further. With a terrible banging from its fists upon the ground, the earth shook and threw us across the room- we were now in a fight for our lives. Thankfully, rubble had immobilized the machine from the waist down, but it was a dangerous fight with just it's torso and arms nonetheless. After fighting for what seemed for hours, it actually was over within minutes- once the machine was deactivated, a large metal door behind it was unlocked mechanically- we could finally make it inside the Library proper.

It was like nothing we had ever seen- while also invoking a great nostalgia for what was lost. Ornately decorated architecture carefully carved from pillar to railway to ceiling- and books, scrolls lining walls all the way to the top. Centered was a complex Resonator- one that looked much like some we found used to play music on Tuning Cylinders. Carefully, we approached, and activated the machine to hear what we could find out about this place.

The most recent recording played, "Look, you see that? Rubedo is not limited to gold. The principle itself scales to greater heights, depending on your tools. When flux is integrated into the process instead of being the end point, what pathways could that open up? And what if we add blood to the mix? Not just any blood, of course. My own wretched blood.

Further listening, we searched for more from this "Old Alchemist":

Aren't you listening? I said there's too many missing. Sure, we were dying like mayflies and mind you, some things are a bit hazy for me towards the end, but even so. They can't have all perished and they can't have all turned. I cannot be the only one. But where are they? That's what it always comes back to.

No, they hardly know anything. Of course it pains me to see them suffer. They're like... little lost children huddled in their homes. But it's for the best. We had all the knowledge in the world. And worlds beyond! And what good did it do us? No. Best leave them to it. Let them think of me as some mad old sorcerer and leave me in peace.

Forgive me my ramblings. I... had lost hope, honestly. It became nothing more a goal to chase. To keep me sane over all these years. But here we are. And there you all are, somewhere out there. The world has changed. But if the Archives still stand and you're hearing this message, well you must already know this. Come find me, my friends. There is much to discuss. 

The world has shifted since the old days, and I have yet to find where the Archives now lay. I cannot give you a direct path, but I will have maps delivered to some familiar places. If you can find your way to, let's see... Nadiya, The Spoils, The Lazaret, Cardinals, or perhaps Quiet you will find further directions.

If you do not know these lands, well... I suppose try asking one of the more adventurous sorts around you. Perhaps someone can provide some assistance. I pray your journey is a short one. Only a couple decades!"

Upon further inspection, we found we could listen to even older recordings. Tinkering away at our options, another recording played:
Oh, that's right. You're new here. Well it's not as complicated as it seems. You see, all sounds are remembered, even this conversation now. Like memories in your head, they bounce around within the Chamber. Only, our memory is flawed and fails with time. In the Chamber, these sounds will never fade. And scribes like yourself can listen in and write what they hear. In this way, we have codified all of history, to be accessed whenever we wish. The Chamber isn't listening. It's only a receptacle. You see that little worm in the corner there? It's hearing everything we say, sending it straight to the Chamber. A bit unnerving, eh? You get used to it. In desperate times like these you never know when they might come in handy. Calling for help if something goes wrong, or at the very least helping us find out what happened later.

Well, let me clarify: The sound isn't exactly written down on the cylinder. We tried that route, but the sound always got muddled. No, what these cylinders do is provide directions. Like a map, they tell the resonator exactly where to find the sound within the Chamber. And with that, the resonator synchronizes with the Chamber to play the sound as though it were right in front of you. No accounting for any issues with the bell's recording, though.

It's an incredible feat, no doubt about that. And I'm pleased to have done my part in realizing and maintaining it. Though at times I can't help but feel such monumental efforts and resources should have been used elsewhere.

(A second voice responds) Oh come now, what could be more important, short of the Great Machine itself? Our libraries are gone. Our history hoarded by nobles or left to the Rot. This is the last, greatest repository of knowledge in the world! And one that will be preserved for all posterity. If Falx doesn't succeed, if we don't survive this, these archives will stand tall for any who come after.

(The first voice) If Falx doesn't succeed? Just who do you think will be left to find this if we fail?"

After thoroughly excavating the archives for valuables, any pieces of machinery, tools, weapons, armor, clothing, and recorded history we could find, we brought our spoils and artifacts back for examination and recording. Then our scout had the idea to return to the Treasure Hunter and tell him what we had found.

When they had told him about going to that abyssal ruin, he asked us more about the recording we heard. We mentioned the names Nadiya, The Spoils, The Lazaret, Cardinals, and the Quiet spoken by the Old Alchemist Recording. He knew nothing about the Quiet. He had an idea that the Cardinals was a meeting place, but had no other context. Of the Spoils, he also knew little- he just heard from tales it is an awful place and wanted to change the subject. Upon asking him about the Lazaret, he knew of it- a strange place filled with monsters, and gave us a letter with directions to get there. He urged us to explore it, curious to find out more himself. He knew nothing of Nadiya, so our next step was finding this Lazaret. He warned us it would be a long journey from here, so we decided to send a small team to survey the area. The Lazaret was reported to consist of a once lovely, large living space and an underground tunnel that leads to a poorly lit, underground courtyard below. Once beneath the courtyard, Seraphs found a single skeleton, seemingly old but not as old as the structure itself, holding a missive. Around the skeleton were walls filled with tally marks recording the passage of days. The letter held directions to a far off location, and one written sentiment: "If you have found this letter, take hope. The path continues on."

Our lead explorer and most prominent engineers came together with a plan to set up a translocator from our village to this incredibly far off location, carrying temporal machinery in tow to ready themselves to bridge a gap between our Seraph Settlement  and this "hope" promised by an unknown, long lost soul.

We knew when the Engineer connected the translocator to the one in our village- a clapping sound and palpable temporary drop in temporal stability ensued the night of connection. After a month of traveling, our Scout popped out from the other side telling us of an entire human village, not just a trader caravan or small camp of survivors. A whole town- with workers, farmers, a smithy, a barber surgeon, and even a tavern. However, they had not approached it yet- they were scared off by a huge darkness penetrating even the daylight that could be seen in the horizon from the Village. They described, it was like a massive dome of a inky aura far off but large enough to instill a sense of doom. For now, we stay in our village homes, planning on how to make first contact with this village as a company of physically altered lost Seraphs. 

If you enjoyed my story summary for our Vintage Story Server, consider joining us! RP friendly, modded, and an active Discord Community welcoming of all.

 

 

[cosmobeau]

New Story entries coming soon as Hedonia's Seraphs reach the continent of Epicurea. Currently developing area for story and gameplay. Stay tunned! 

[cosmobeau]

Spawn point is roleplay ready and fit for new survivors. Who will you be on Hedonia? https://discord.gg/blisseyonsen to join!

Edited June 14, 2025 by cosmobeau

[Maelstrom]

Sooo...   Are residents/citizens of Hedonia called Hedonists?  

Edited June 30, 2025 by Maelstrom

[cosmobeau]

On 6/30/2025 at 10:19 AM, Maelstrom said:

Sooo...   Are residents/citizens of Hedonia called Hedonists?  

Yes! They absolutely are. And now we have teleporters to the Tropical Continent Epicurea, and the people who settle there call themselves Epicureans. 

[Maelstrom]

It'll be interesting to see what other lands will be settled.