Muse's Mother

Muse's Mother is a World Quest in In the Wake of Narcissus: Act I - Search in the Algae Sea. Start this quest by descending to the underwater Mysterious Ruins northwest of the Morte Region Statue of The Seven.

Two versions of this quest exist, depending on whether the World Quest Search in the Algae Sea in Series In the Wake of Narcissus: Act I - Search in the Algae Sea was started or not.

Steps

Find the Seal
Study the Riddle Slate
Solve the Orthant's puzzle
Obtain the "Memory" piece

Gameplay Notes

This quest does not appear in the Quest menu if its steps are started before completing Search in the Algae Sea.
After completing the puzzle, the area will flood, making it possible to enter previously inaccessible areas and solve puzzles which could not be solved beforehand.

Dialogue

Version 1

This version is obtained if players have not completed Search in the Algae Sea first.

(Approach the Riddle Slate)

Paimon: Looks like someone was just here. Did they already figure out the little mechanism up ahead?

Paimon: There's a bonfire that's still burning over there on the ground.

Paimon: So, why is there a bonfire in a place like this?

Paimon: Let me see what's written on the stone tablet.

Paimon: "Lo, this place is the Or... Orth..."

Orthant.

Paimon: "...Orthant of Memory, the Hall of Memory, the Room of Memory..."

Paimon: "Born in an instant"... "Often contradicting, your company in eternal rest, never separated"... "Fire cannot burn it"...

Paimon: A riddle, eh?

Paimon: The answer has gotta be fire! There's a bonfire nearby.

Just what kind of riddle contains its own answer...

Paimon: Oh, that's right! What do you think it is, then?

Products of lithiasis. Y'know, like kidney stones and such.

Paimon: It's true that fires don't destroy them, and they stay within our organs and tissues... But they aren't born in an instant, right?; Paimon: Oh, that's right! What do you think it is, then?
(Return to option selection, removes this option)

Shadows.

Paimon: Oh, shadows does seem like the right answer! They are with us for our entire lives, and can't be burned by fire.

Paimon: But what's the point in figuring out the answer to a riddle that's already been solved?

(Examine the mechanism)

You carefully inspect the top of the mechanism, but you don't find anything.

(If this is the first location searched)

Paimon: There's nothing here?

Paimon: Oh no! It looks like someone already took whatever was here.

Paimon: But who?

(If this is the second location searched)

Paimon: There's nothing here either...

(If this is the third location searched)

Paimon: Did someone... take whatever was here, too?

Version 2

This version is obtained if players started the World Quest Search in the Algae Sea first.

Quest Description

Trace and find the Narzissenkreuz Ordo's seals.

(Approach the Rifthounds)

(If this is the first or second location searched) ‍^{[verification needed]}

Paimon: This door's already open? Wait a minute, Paimon thought it was sealed.

Caterpillar: ...

(If this is the third location searched)

Caterpillar: This is the third seal.

(Approach the door)

Paimon: The bonfire is still burning. Wait, why is there a bonfire here? This is just a ruin...

Ann: Let me see what's written on the stone tablet.

Seymour: "Lo, this place is the Orthant of Memory, the Hall of Memory, the Room of Memory."

Seymour: "Born in an instant"... "Often contradicting, your company in eternal rest, never separated"... "Fire cannot burn it"...

Caterpillar: Riddles, huh? Ancient Fontainian civilization loved them, and the Narzissenkreuz Ordo enjoyed them too. I'm not sure if they were just into old stuff, or if this was genuine interest.

Seymour: I have already tried keyword searches on all of them, but have found no answers.

Caterpillar: But this riddle has already been solved. Maybe the answer has something to do with the bonfire.

Ann: Is there any point in thinking about riddles that have already been solved?

Caterpillar: Yes, there is. Just like you and I are both like this now, but we must still search out what happened in the past.

Ann: You've got a point.

Ann: What do you think the answer is, Knight (‍‍)?

Products of lithiasis. Y'know, like kidney stones and such.

Paimon: It's true that fires don't destroy them, and they stay within our organs and tissues... But they aren't born in an instant, right?; Seymour: They are formed by unhealthy dietary habits over a long period of time, Ms. Paimon.; Ann: What do you think the answer is, Knight (‍Traveler‍)?
(Return to option selection, removes this option)

Oceanid tears.

Ann: I'll just pretend you tried to say something romantic.; Paimon: That's obviously not the right answer.; Ann: What do you think the answer is, Knight (‍Traveler‍)?
(Return to option selection, removes this option)

Shadows.

Caterpillar: Yes, shadows.

Caterpillar: The instant a beam of light shines, a shadow is born.

Paimon: We know the answer, but someone's already opened the door. So, what do we do now?

Caterpillar: We go inside now, of course. It's a race against time to see if we can find what we're looking for before the person who solved the riddle before us does.

(Examine the mechanism)

You carefully inspect the top of the mechanism, but you don't find anything.

(If this is the first location searched)

Paimon: There's nothing here?

Caterpillar: It looks like something was here, but someone else took it.

Paimon: Wait, doesn't that mean that our plan's already failed?

Caterpillar: The birth of "Reason" requires the merging of the four Orthants. If we can get the rest of them, we still have a chance.

Ann: In that case, we'd better hurry to the next area.

(If this is the second location searched)

Paimon: There's nothing here either...

Ann: What exactly are we looking for, Caterpillar?

Caterpillar: We're looking for the materials necessary to forge the Holy Blade of Narzissenkreuz.

Caterpillar: The Ordo was able to reproduce the four requisite hypothetical substances here in the material world, based on the esoteric philosophies of the underground kingdom and ancient Fontaine.

Seymour: I do not understand.

Caterpillar: These enigmatic substances are purely experiential. You could say they are even further beyond ordinary logic than elemental power.

Seymour: I entered all introductory to intermediate level textbooks from the Akademiya's Spantamad into my memory banks decades ago. There is nothing mysterious about elemental power.

Caterpillar: Is that so? Anyway, to sum up, this is born of the confluence of traditions from Fontaine and technology from the ancient underground kingdom.

Caterpillar: And thus, four types of substance came into being: Memory, Wish, Soul, and Persona.

Caterpillar: To avoid any possible ambiguity, let's call them the "Memory" piece, "Wish" piece, "Soul" piece, and "Persona" piece.

Paimon: Why are these used to make the Holy Blade?

Caterpillar: In the Narzissenkreuz Ordo's brand of mystical philosophy, the temple is a microcosm of the universe, the members are stand-ins for the gods, and the holy oil is tempered willpower.

Caterpillar: The Holy Blade, on the other hand, is "reason," that which cuts everything open. It can only be born out of consummate human will.

Quite abstruse.

Caterpillar: That's esotericism for you. If it looks similar enough, you can latch onto it, and when this kind of thing becomes magic, fiction becomes reality.

Caterpillar: Anyway, we should make our way to the next area now.

(If this is the third location searched)

Paimon: Did someone... take whatever was here, too?

Caterpillar: Looks that way.

Just who is...?

Caterpillar: It's Jakob.

Seymour: We had an altercation with him inside Elynas once... Clarification: Recently, not "once."

Caterpillar: When I saw that unfortunate victim at the gate, I knew it was his handiwork. It seems he's still active after all.

Paimon: Then what does he want with the stuff he took from here?

Caterpillar: Simple — He too wants to reforge the Holy Blade of Narzissenkreuz. The dream of the Ordo remains unrealized.

Caterpillar: Anyway, we should make our way to the final area now.

Interactables

Main article: Orthant of Memory § Interactables

Excerpt

If water loses its incisiveness, how shall it become water again?

If a tree leaves the soil, where shall it go to take root?

No matter how mightily stone may strike upon metal,

Humans cannot survive without water or soil.

Copied from "Echoes Hallowed and Humble," Movement 9, Stanza 37.

Trivia

The quest's name, Muse's Mother, likely refers to Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory and remembrance and the mother to the nine Muses.

Video Guides

Muse's Mother Guide

Other Languages

Language	Official Name	Literal Meaning
English	Muse's Mother	—
Chinese (Simplified)	缪斯的母亲
Chinese (Traditional)	繆斯的母親
Japanese	ミューズの母親 Myuuzu no Hahaoya	Muse's Mother
Korean	뮤즈의 어머니 Myujeuui Eomeoni
Spanish	La madre de la musa	The Muse's Mother
French	Mère de Muse	Muse's Mother
Russian	Мать муз Mat' muz	Muses' Mother
Thai	แม่ของ Muse
Vietnamese	Mẹ Của Muse	Muse's Mother
German	Mutter der Muse	Muse's Mother
Indonesian	Ibu Muse	Muse's Mother
Portuguese	Mãe da Musa
Turkish	İlham Perisinin Annesi
Italian	Madre della musa	Muse's Mother

Change History

Released in Version 4.2

[Create New History]