Buried Words was a virtual representation of one of Arno Dorian's genetic memories, relived by a Helix Initiate through the Helix Navigator.
Description[]
Ridden with grief after Élise de la Serre's death, Arno sought refuge in Franciade. There, he entered a tavern to meet with the Marquis de Sade.
Dialogue[]
- Bartender: You! Not one more drop until your bill is paid.
As Arno continued walking forwards, he was stopped by two men.
- De Sade: (Calm down.) He's with me.
Arno was released.
Arno meeting De Sade
- Arno: I thought you were guillotined.
- De Sade: What a dreadful thing to say to your rescuer. Did you receive my message?
- Arno: If I do this, I want to leave France.
- De Sade: I can procure you passage from Marseille on a ship to Egypt in four days.
- Arno: You have a clue as to the location of the manuscript?
- De Sade: Condorcet knew he was being hunted. He disappeared for two days before his arrest and he left this behind.
De Sade showed Arno a drawing of a royal crest.
- De Sade: His manuscript must be in Louis IX's tomb.
- Bartender: The royal crypt? Oh, I must warn you, (sir.) The ghosts of the kings wander the caverns. When they corner their hapless victim, they place upon his brow a crown made of knives, penetrating the eyes, which leak like grapes crushed in the harvest-
- De Sade: Still, far less frightening than being crowned the next king of France.
The patrons laughed.
- De Sade: Speaking of grapes, do your job.
- Bartender: Yes, (sir.)
- De Sade: Find the tomb marked with this crest and recover the manuscript. I'll meet you in three days time.
De Sade and Arno were given tankards of wine.
- De Sade: To your health, Arno.
De Sade threw a coin bearing the image of Louis XVI on the table. Arno then left the tavern.
- Arno: The royal crypt must be under the basilica.
- Citizens: Did you see the soldiers? The town has fallen apart and now they are declaring martial law?
Arno found a group of men, and had them attack the guards in front of the basilica. He then infiltrated the basilica.
- Arno: God has left the building.
- Guard 1: When will we return to Paris?
- Guard 2: Once IT is found.
- Guard 1: The search is going on far too long.
- Guard 2: It will be finished when the commandant says it is finished.
Arno played the organ, distracting the guards away from the crypt entrance. He then entered the crypt.
- Arno: Now, where are you hiding, Louis?
Arno examined the various tombs.
- Arno: Hmmm... Nothing here.
Nothing.
No, not here...
It's not here...
Arno opening the tomb
Arno found the tomb of Louis IX, and opened it.
- Arno: Simple as...
Arno found the manuscript to be missing. A group of men entered the crypt.
- Rose: Where is it?
- Arno: (Shit.)
- Soldier: The temple door is nearby. Look at the map.
Arno eavesdropping on the men
Arno hid behind a tomb.
- Rose: There's nothing here.
The captain held the soldier against a wall.
- Rose: You've wasted my time with this fabrication.
- Soldier: You call my honor into question!
- Rose: Your honor as a soldier? Don't make me laugh.
The captain threw the soldier on the ground.
- Rose: You are free to break your contract. But I am also free. And I have savage tastes.
- Soldier: I misspoke, (captain.) I heard there's a list of all the relics that were looted from the tomb. I can take you to them. A fine alternative to the temple.
- Rose: That's not what I want. Look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you. Do you want what I want?
- Soldier: Yes.
- Rose: Good. Then we are in agreement.
The captain locked the soldier inside the crypt.
- Rose: Find the temple and you just might make it back alive.
The captain left.
- Rose: Pleasure working with you.
- Soldier: Help!
The soldier picked up a lantern.
- Soldier: Did I hear something?
There must be a way out.
Arno revealed himself.
- Arno: Citizen—
- Soldier: Stay back, ghosts!
The soldier ran, while Arno chased after him.
- Soldier: Help!
Stay back, spirit, stay back—
The soldier fell into a pit, and died. Arno entered the pit and picked up the soldier's lantern.
Arno retrieving the map
- Arno: Requiescat in pace.
Arno took the soldier's map.
- Arno: It makes no difference to you, does it? You're gone. (Thank you, sir.) Hmmmm...
Arno examined the map.
- Arno: The map. "Dom Poirier's list of stolen relics in the Abbey library." The manuscript must be on it.
Refilling his lantern on the way, Arno made his way through the catacombs. He eventually found a gate.
- Arno: Ah! A hidden entrance.
Lighting two braziers with his lantern, Arno unlocked the gate. Continuing trough the catacombs, Arno climbed a well and reached ground level again. He then made his way to the abbey.
- Guard 3: The new raiders led by the commandant, they're searching for something.
- Guard 4: I don't know what the militia do these days.
- Guard 3: Anything but fight.
- Guard 5: So a monk, this Dom Poirier, kept records of everything taken from the crypts?
- Guard 6: He watched the looters at work and traced them all. The man is so good, he is employed by the National Monument Commission.
- Guard 5: I don't care who he works for, I want those records.
- Guard 7: And the tombs?
- Guard 8: About the time Saint-Denis was renamed Franciade, looters decided to get their hands on the royal jewels.
- Guard 7: How do we restore order?
- Guard 8: Pray for a new government.
- Guard 7: I can't. I'll be arrested.
- Guard 8: Haha.
- Guard 9: What happened to the monk's treasure?
- Guard 10: Commandeered by the state of course.
- Guard 9: So we have it?
- Guard 10: Not only that, but it's still in our camp. You did not hear that from me, obviously.
Arno found the abbey library. Opening a desk drawer, he found the list.
- Arno: Dom Poirier's list. It reads: "Condorcet Manuscript". Located in the old red house, and then a name: "Léon".
Arno took the list with him, before escaping the abbey.
Outcome[]
Accepting de Sade's task of finding Condorcet's manuscript, Arno recovered a list of artifacts, which that it was located in an old red house.