Guide

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Cryo Pod Emergency Operation Manual

Lore

Congratulations! You have activated the escape and survival functions of your cryo pod! Please read the following instructions carefully.

Yes, if you’re reading this message, you are almost certainly in a dire situation and need to evacuate this ship, station, or slightly larger escape vessel immediately, and all purpose-built escape pods are destroyed or unavailable.
That means you need to get away in quite possibly the same pod in which you have been traveling, sleeping, or relaxing. That’s why every cryo pod we make is equipped with vital components to ensure safe escape from whatever peril you find yourself facing, be it rapid atmospheric decompression, aggressive Marauder boarding parties, or simple mechanical breakdown.
Please ensure these safety features are installed before attempting to use this cryo pod for extravehicular escape, atmospheric reentry, or hard landing procedures.

Congratulations! Your safety features are installed! You can look forward to an increased chance of survival and will be able to manually guide your cryo pod in for a gravity-assisted landing, also known colloquially as a “hard crash.”
We recommend you complete any last documents you may wish to complete before your potential death, as the safety features of this cryo pod model are in no way guaranteed to ensure complete survival. To ensure complete survival, please install portable holo-crypt device.

I’m sorry! This cryo pod is not equipped with a portable holo-crypt device. In fact, there is no such thing as a portable holo-crypt device!
We have found, however, that sales of this cryo pod model improve by several percentage points when portable holo-crypt devices are mentioned. This is now hardwired into this safety briefing. Forgive the oversight!

Congratulations! Your new cryo escape pod is ready for launch. Happy landings!

Guide

Find and enter Ethereal Hollow.

Proceed to northwestern part of the cave.

Make your way to the second floor.

Just behind creature Moris Dustland…

… is the Journal.

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Moris Dustland’s Journal

Lore

Entry #971MD-033
Auto-Record Mode Activated

What were we thinking? Like I don’t know. I know exactly what – who – I was thinking about. “Let’s take a joyride,” she said. “What could happen?” Oh, I don’t know, friends, how about getting lost in a labyrinth of Strain-infested tunnels with no hope of rescue or even any hope of being found if you actually stave off infection and disease.
I don’t even know where my sister ended up, and we’ve always had sort of a link. Like, I know how she’s feeling, she knows how I’m feeling… but it’s like she’s not even there. What’s happening in this place, anyway?

And why in hell did I ride a cryo pod all the way down here like some kind of idiot Granok merc? Stupid, Moris. So. Stupid.

Entry #971MD-035
Last recording didn’t work. This equipment – something’s gotten into it.
Can machines get sick? I think my datachron is broken. It can’t tell me where I am, and I’m definitely lost. I can’t find the others, either. “Oh, just scan for our transponders, Moris,” they said. Well what happens when your datachron breaks, geniuses?

Entry #971MD-038
Shouldn’t have tried to crack the da – ron open, I think s – ata may – been lost. Not feeling so good myself. Only been half-hour since la – since la – since landing. Itching. Skin hurts.
W – cryo pod sealed cor – ec – ly? Can’t say. Need help. I wa – go home.

Guide

Find and enter Ethereal Hollow.

Take a path that leads to a lower part of the cave.

At the end of a long tunnel is the journal.

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Archaeologist’s Diary

Lore

Grimvault Expedition of Discovery
Day 21

Although it seems clear to even a casual observer, I cannot stress this enough – the current Grimvault, the disease-infested universe of corruption and Strain, was not designed with anything like this in mind. The Eldan did not leave this place like this. They wanted the Strain confined, and Grimvault itself was more of buffer zone. Now the buffer zone is filled with Strain, and it’s only getting worse.
All technology in this area, while Eldan and therefore mysterious and strange, nevertheless served a purpose, one the Eldan took with them when they disappeared. Now that technology has been compromised by the Techno-Phage.

Grimvault Expedition of Discovery
Day 22
Although this Ethereal Hollow resembles a natural formation, I’m beginning to think nothing in this Grimvault is natural. It is completely saturated with corruption, and this underground network is no exception.
What purpose did this corrupted complex serve? Was it, as some have hypothesized, the site of the Eldan’s downfall? I must dig deeper.

Grimvault Expedition of Discovery
Day 23
Dead. Most of them in the latest attack. The corruption all around us – it is coming to life. The Strain… it thinks. Walks, talks, and fights. It is intelligent. And it hates us.

It walked, it roared, it snarled, it killed. It wants me… us. It is not just a substance. It is thinking. It wants.
It needs.

It kills. It wants me to kill. It wants me to join it. They want me to join them. I… we… will join them.

We will kill.

Lore

[These quick formulae were hastily scribbled out on a scrap of paper still stamped with the seal of the XAS and then tossed aside. There is only one way to test the accuracy of these calculations.]

Guide

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Deployment Orders: Operation Genesis

Lore

Radiant Legionnaires, this is the battle we’ve been destined to fight since, well, maybe since Emperor Dominus called the people of Cassus to be leaders of a glorious Dominion. We’ve fought too hard to let it all slip away now, and by the gods whose world we fight for, I swear we will not allow foul corruption to devour the empire.

That doesn’t mean I don’t see what we’re up against. I see this Strain, in all its diseased infamy.
My belief in our ultimate victory simply means I’ve faced down the nastiest, meanest, vilest, and all-around rottenest the galaxy’s got to offer with you men, women, and Chua at my side. Through hell and worse we made it through then, and as your commander I tell you the Radiant Legion will be victorious today!

The enemy we face has been testing our limits. They look like beasts, but believe me when I say the smart ones are damned good tacticians.
And there’s a lot of smart ones, people. Just remember the training, and don’t underestimate them, ever. So we stick to the plan and engage where necessary, but remember the goal – the Phagelabs.

Near as we can tell, that’s where the Strain has been confined this entire time, but now they’ve broken free. We’re going to shut it down.
But along the way, any threats to the Dominion, the emperor, or this planet will be dealt with as the Radiant Legion always deals with the enemies of the empire – with order and justice for all.

This includes the bloody Exiles! Make no mistake. They may not be corrupted by the Bio-Phage, but they’re corrupted by treason, treachery, and heresy. They’re worse than the Strain.
They chose to fight against a just and righteous galaxy, and we shall not now indulge in alliances of convenience with their kind.

The Strain must be contained and ultimately destroyed. The same can be said for the Exiles. They cannot be allowed to take control of the Grimvault. But for the gods and the emperor, the Radiant Legion will.

– Commander Antevian

Guide

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Warbreaker Maintenance Logs

Lore

Maintenance Log #12011029
STATUS

Fix tanks, Wazzo. Make tougher, Wazzo. No more budget, Wazzo. Bah! Wazzo fed up to HERE with cheap Cassian armor plating! With cheap Cassian weapon cores. With cheap Cassian OFFICIALS who don’t understand warbreaker tanks take maintenance or warbreakers get broken! GYAAARGH!

Deep breath, Wazzo. Cassians have no-bid contracts. Wazzo can respect that. But that not fix Wazzo’s tanks.
Wazzo need good parts. Probably have to get from third party. Again.

Maintenance Log #12011030
STATUS

Razza frazza with a side of zazza! These parts are even worse! Guaranteed Protostar Multipurpose Parts, eh? More like guaranteed FAILURE parts! Can’t blame clones though. Protostar just trying to make a few primes. No, Wazzo can only blame self for getting suckered.
And blame stupid cheap bureaucrats who make Wazzo go to stupid Protostar in first place!

Maintenance Log #12011031
STATUS

All right! That’s it! Wazzo is done. Wazzo may not be best mechanic in fleet. But Wazzo has self-respect! Wazzo will NOT certify these warbreaker tanks up to regulations. And if anybody ends up dead because of shoddy armor plating or sputtering force shielding, it not on Wazzo’s head. Nope!
Wazzo washing hands of this lousy detail. Wazzo going into business for himself. Will fix tanks the right way. For money. Yes, Wazzo going rogue! Wazzo will become the Chua to go to for tank repair on –

[The voice-to-text software records a sound of rending metal and several heavy thuds at this point. The next piece of text was recorded several minutes after this event.

Maintenance Log #12011032
STATUS

Yeah, that gonna leave a mark.
Or seven. Yeah… Wazzo probably needed that torso. Should never have stood next to stupid tanks while recording status report… ow that hurts. Okay. If you hear this… make sure somebody knows. They aren’t safe. Misfire. Shoddy brakes. Weapon locks… faulty. Wazzo… signing… off.

Guide

Map

Southern Grimvault

1.

Commander Antevian’s Personal Log

Lore

The lady has chosen her course, and I have chosen mine. She’s got to fail before she can see it’s possible to fail, and I can’t save her from herself. She has her Draken master-at-arms to look after her, for all the good he’ll do against the kind of things she’s looking for.

But then we all seek death in our own way, don’t we. My brother sought enlightenment, and was willing to die for it. He’s worse than dead now.
In fact, Calidor’s heresy will force me to destroy him someday.

I know this. I’m convinced he does too. I wish there was another way.

But then you always do, don’t you Toric? Someday they’re going to figure it out. I’m not special. The bravery they think I show – the tactical genius?

It’s fear. Fear of failing… fear of death. I’ve heard it said that bravery is being afraid and forging ahead anyway, and maybe that’s true. But I don’t believe it.
If it’s anything, it’s luck.

It should have been Calidor who joined the Legions. The priesthood called to me, more than it did to him. But I admit, I was always physically stronger than him. A better fighter. If not for me, the whole family would have starved. I was afraid Calidor would point out how scared I was of losing them all.

He never had that problem. Calidor was willing to do whatever was needed. I was afraid of that too.
I did what was needed, but only if it fit into my code.

Well, maybe my brother was right all along. Maybe we need some kind of secret power to defeat the enemy that awaits us in the Grimvault. And that scares me more than anything else. That defeating this foe will cost me what’s left of myself, and she will never return to me.

You’re a selfish coward, Toric Antevian, but you can never let them know.

Datachron, erase recording.

***COMMAND FAILURE***
ENERGY FLUCTUATIONS DETECTED. PLEASE RESTATE COMMAND.