The Archivists' Codex (item)

The Archivists' Codex is a quest reward from [60] Beginning the Collection, part of the "Archivists of Korthia" chapter of the Chains of Domination campaign.

Pages are added as Archivist Roh-Suir recovers relic fragments and as players turn in relics to the archivist. Most relics are gated behind the Archivists' Codex faction. Find all twenty relics beyond the [Lodestaff] to earn the achievement [Reliquary Restoration].

The Archivists' Codex

Herein lies a catalogue of notable relics held within the archive. I shall endeavor to contextualize their history and significance as the Maw Walker aids me in recovering them.

May the Purpose grant me wisdom.

--Archivist Roh-Suir

The Lodestaff

For eons I witnessed Roh-Senara hold this staff aloft as she maintained the archive. It passed to me before I was ready, and I can only hope that I fulfill the trust that has been placed in me.

The path before me is long and arduous. I am eternally grateful that I need not walk it alone.

Book of Binding: The Mad Witch

Roh-Senara kept the final page of this book in a different wing of the archive, and once chastised me when I took it upon myself to finish its restoration.

I often wonder what its prisoner did to warrant such a punishment. One can justify terrible acts in the pursuit of knowledge.

Singing Steel Ingot

It occurred to me while cataloging the ingot that music is something rare in our culture. Other societies exult in their triumphs and lows, but we simply exist. The Purpose is enough for true fulfillment.

Still, I recently caught myself humming along to it.

[60] Book of Binding: The Tormented Sorcerer

Occasionally I wonder what would happen if I were to retrieve that final page. Would I be fulfilling the book's part of the Purpose?

And yet the adamant calls of the text only further my resolve to leave such matters be. Some stories are better left untold.

The Talisman of the Eternal Scholar

Thank the Purpose! I had feared that the talisman and all of its history were lost forever.

Roh-Senara never revealed its power to me. Yet when I hold it, I can feel the weight of my responsibility. It fills me with the strength to carry on.

Surely, that is power in and of itself.

Guise of the Changeling

Ah yes, this mask was one of the more recent additions to the archive. I understand that it originated from a mortal world but has passed through many a sorcerer's hand within the Shadowlands.

I suppose that even in Death, one often possesses secrets they wish to hide.

Peculiar Wood Carving

It took great effort to restore this carving. I removed untold ages of soil until the image underneath was at last revealed. Roh-Senara praised my dedication to the task.

For the first time, I felt truly accomplished. Perhaps Korthia is where I am meant to be after all.

Celestial Shadowlands Chart

I have always been fascinated by maps. A few lines and names scribbled onto parchment, and entire worlds unfurl before the one who reads them.

Seeing all of the realms at once reminds me of the grandeur of the Purpose... and of my infinitesimal part within it.

Cipher of Understanding

Sometimes I ponder the nature of language. We learn to communicate, forming symbols that evolve into text. Yet languages vary widely, even within a single realm.

Would it not be in the best interests of the Purpose if we could all understand each other?

Everliving Statuette

This statue has vexed me for eons. It claims to know much but speaks only in falsehoods. I once told Roh-Senara as much, and to my surprise, she laughed.

"There is one truth above all others," she said to me as she regarded the relic. "No one knows everything."

Enigmatic Decrypting Device

We attendants are straightforward in our speech. Such is not the case with other beings.

Duplicity can be easy to detect. But there are more subtle inflections--sarcasm, innuendo, allusion--that often elude me.

Perhaps I should make use of this device myself.

Drum of the Death Loa

Trickster. Liar. Swindler. A few of many words to describe Bwonsamdi. I feel as if I hear his voice whenever this drum is sounded.

Though he is the loa of Death, it is said that he began as a mortal. Perhaps that is why, despite his title, he always seems so full of life.

Sack of Strange Soil

Though I am unfamiliar with its origin, this small parcel of earth seems most eager to cultivate life. Perhaps it is not soil, but possibilities that merely wait for the right moment.

"It is nothing so complicated," Roh-Senara told me with a laugh. "The soil merely fulfills its Purpose."

Unstable Explosive Orb

This relic makes me nervous. I do not like storing it in the archive, but Roh-Senara insists that we must. In our hands, she explained, we can be certain it will never be used.

We trust in the Purpose. Is it really so difficult to trust in each other as well?

Bulwark of Divine Intent

Sometimes when I am alone with the bulwark, it feels as though someone is standing watch nearby. I am overcome with the sense that I am somehow being protected.

One might think such an experience would be unnerving, but in truth I find it a source of comfort.

Shadow-Slicing Shortsword

While considering the blade, I asked Roh-Senara about the nature of violence. What role does it play within the Purpose? She told me this was a mystery I would have to unravel on my own.

Rather than think upon that question, I now wonder why she answered in this way.

Gorak Claw Fetish

Today I asked Roh-Senara whether the Drust are truly part of the Purpose if they exist between Life and Death.

Instead of an answer, she posed a question in return: If the wind is not of soil or sky, is it truly part of nature?

It seems I have much to ponder.

Ring of Self-Reflection

Every relic within the archive was made for an intended use. I once asked Roh-Senara why someone would craft a ring such as this.

"Perhaps they merely sought company," she mused, "even if it were only an illusion."

I did not understand what she meant. I believe I do now.

The Netherstar

I asked Roh-Senara where the Netherstar came from, but she did not know. When pressed further, she shook her head.

"We must accept that some stories are simply lost. Those tales are no longer ours to tell. Instead, we find the ones that are."

Totem of Dark Tidings

So much power in such a humble object. Its whispers speak of the Purpose--if there is only one true way, why then does it diverge into different paths?

Such musings might work on those who lack faith. But my kind are faith incarnate. There is no shaking our convictions.

Diviner's Rune Chits

This is one of many items within the archive crafted for divination. As I have always been guided by the Purpose, I sometimes ask myself if mortals are frustrated by the ambiguity of their existence.

And sometimes, I wonder if they relish the thrill of possibility.