Being cast into the depths of the waters is seen as a punishment, but in the eyes of the administrator of the Fortress of Meropide, it is in fact a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past.
No-one can give salvation, there is only becoming master of the tides of one's own fortune.
Reborn in the Land of Grievances is the first act of Wriothesley's Story Quest, the Cerberus Chapter. In order to unlock this quest line, the player needs a Story Key, must have completed the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act IV - Cataclysm's Quickening, and reached Adventure Rank 40.
During the events of the quest, the Traveler helps Wriothesley investigate the Beret Society, whose leader is secretly plotting to overthrow his rule.
List of Quests[]
Gameplay Notes[]
- If the World Quest Scenes from Life in Meropide: Every Debt has a Creditor in Series Scenes from Life in Meropide is active but has not been completed, Maupoil will be occupied and will lock the quest at some point, requiring the player to free him up
Summary[]
- An Opportunity for Rebirth
Returning to the Fortress of Meropide, the Traveler and Paimon remark about the prison facilities before they hear a voice from the box. The voice, from a man named Faissolle, tells them that he had taken a short nap before noticing his hat was gone near the elevator lift. The Traveler and Paimon offer to help and go look for it to no avail, so they end up buying one from the Rag and Bone Shop. Instead of finding Alvard, they find a person named Chamboduc, who's helping running the store in his stead. Chamboduc is surprised and honored to meet the pair, as word of their status and feats have spread across the prison coupled with them being Wriothesley's friends have made them the talk of the prison. Chamboduc allows them to take the hat and waives the cost, as Alvard simply lets him take items instead of being paid with Mora or Credit Coupons. Paimon buys two snacks at his urging before they leave.
The pair return to Faissolle and give him the hat, which he realizes isn't the one he needs. Just then, Wriothesley arrives and gives him his hat, telling him not to misplace it next time as a member of the Beret Society. Faissolle leaves, prompting Wriothesley to talk a bit about the Beret Society and how they're model prisoners, offering to bring them to the society if they're interested. First, they stop at the Coupon Cafeteria, where Wolsey offers them drinks in place of a Super Deluxe meal due to their unexpected arrival. As they sit down and drink, Wriothesley explains about the prison and how he became its Administrator.
Just then, a guard named Guelet arrives and informs Wriothesley that they found contraband in the latest shipment, which the smugglers had been using for a while as they try to find the source. Wriothesley requests the box be left to him, where Paimon finds nothing special. He states that it would be confiscated, but allows Paimon to pick one item of her choosing. Paimon picks the gem, but as she does so, she decides otherwise. She explains that as soon as she picked up the gem, a ton of bad memories suddenly emerged. Wriothesley tries it and confirms Paimon's statement, prompting the Traveler to do so, causing them to be flooded with memories of the Abyss and their sibling. Paimon decides to not take anything from the box, fearing that it might be tainted. Wriothesley then offers to bring them to the Beret Society.
- The Proud "Beret Society"
Not too far off from the cafeteria is the Beret Society, where they're greeted by Dougier. Wriothesley explains the services offered by the society, which Dougier believes that he's giving them flattery, as they were simply doing what he would in the world above and the society's foundation was due to him alone. Dougier states that the people of the society wish to turn their lives around and thus wear berets to symbolize themselves like a model citizen to recruit more members. As Wriothesley speaks with Dougier, the Traveler and Paimon talk with the other members and learn the good acts they do for overall life.
Faissolle then arrives, prompting Paimon to call him over, but he instead runs away. Dougier promises to talk to him later before Wriothesley drops the gem from earlier, causing the mood to suddenly change. Nonetheless, they manage to salvage the situation and they leave on good terms. In another area, Wriothesley states that the society has helped him reduce his workload and thus he wanted to meet them out of curiosity, but noticed faint signs of dissonance in the meeting. He then states that confrontation is inevitable, confusing Paimon, but he tells the Traveler to head back to check themselves.
When the Traveler and Paimon return, they notice the mood had suddenly changed as the members refuse to speak much to them. They return to Wriothesley and confirm the findings, where he tells them that they were hiding behind a cheerful facade. He knew that something was wrong and Dougier was putting up elaborate shows to appeal him. However, the guards still need to investigate, so he tells them to wait a while and meet him at his office, stating that a fish might take the bait. Once the time passes, they arrive at his office, where he concludes that the situation is far more threatening than he thought, as too many people were believing he was incapable. Thus, he began to investigate, but the secret investigation was compromised when Paimon identified Faissolle and his lost hat, so he dropped the gem and feigned ignorance to convince them that the investigation was too early. Wriothesley states that the box also belonged to the society and he was investigating them and asks for their help. He decides to play some music to kill the time for their fish to bite, as they need information on the hats and the gem.
Some time passes before a woman named Avice enters and asks Wriothesley to help her lover, Faissolle, claiming that he's in danger. She explains how Faissolle tried to escape but was caught and would now be "censured", a method that allows Dougier to control the members and takes her beret off, but Dougier soon comes in. He states that Avice's mental state had deteriorating when she arrived and advises Wriothesley to ignore her rambling, but he decides to listen to her. She claims that she has nothing left to reveal before Dougier becomes unusually aggressive towards him. Wriothesley orders Avice to show her head to him and he finds nothing before the two leave.
Paimon is angered by his conduct before Wriothesley states that Dougier had been prepared for such an outcome, knowing that he wouldn't have been openly aggressive otherwise. The Traveler deduces that Avice had taken her hat off to secretly remove her hair clip, which would hide the society's secrets and thus Avice had said nothing as she had told him what they needed in silence. Wriothesley tinkers with the hair clip and finds what he believes is a cross between a nail and a thorn before poking the gem with it, resulting in a strange dark liquid leaking out of it. The Traveler realizes that it's actually a container for the liquid, which causes Wriothesley to believe that the liquid is actually a highly concentrated solution of "fear" due to how Fontainans perceive water.
- It's What He Deserves
After realizing Dougier's intentions from the start, Wriothesley, the Traveler and Paimon head to the gathering spot where some of the prison guards had already apprehended some of the members. As they approach, Ielmini explains that they were observing the members when they saw them trying to leave and stopped them. Wriothesley had anticipated such an action and orders the guards to gather all the members and collect any evidence they could find from their headquarters. Inspecting the members, Wriothesley notes that they all have a thorn on their head, a reminder of the "censure" that Dougier had inflicted on them. The members are then taken away as the three inspect the area, where they discover a surveillance port, which Dougier used to observe and instill fear as the members would have no idea how to act.
Ielmini and the others return, informing Wriothesley that they were unable to find anything or anyone, confirming that he had indeed put up a front and that his real headquarters were elsewhere. Noting that his overseer did not inform him, Wriothesley is able to deduce that Dougier bribed him and they head to the production zone. The overseer is nowhere to be found and they begin investigating, eventually discovering an unconscious guard and some society members who they apprehended. One of the members, Wyler, admits that Dougier had ordered them to eliminate the guard when they appeared. Promising to give them leniency for the truth, Wyler points Wriothesley in the direction of their headquarters.
Infiltrating Dougier's "kingdom", they find more members and Gardemeks, confirming Wriothesley's suspicions on mysterious decommission requests and missing Clockwork Meka, indicating that Dougier was going to go on an all-out war on him. Paimon finds another notebook and they take a look, where they discover the real rules of the Beret Society and how Dougier was controlling its members. Arriving at a central chamber, Wriothesley prioritizes on rescuing other members and the three arrive at an empty cell room, discovering a few members who are in a troubled state of mind. They open the door and reunite with the guards, who take care of the leftover members.
Managing to open the central lock, they arrive to find Dougier scolding the other members for breaking the rules - Faissolle and Avice. Dougier orders Avice to insert the needle and black gem in, but she refuses to as Wriothesley and the Traveler enter. Dougier demands a "share" of the fortress, believing that he deserved them. Wriothesley remarks that their meanings are different, as he "shares", while Dougier "loots" for himself. Dougier states that everyone in the fortress has been shunned by society and that Wriothesley uses the people to maintain his own life. Wriothesley refutes his accusation, stating that he doesn't see them as "currency" and that the prison is a place of rebirth as the other members flee. He becomes angered at Dougier's lack of sympathy and arrogance, while Dougier believes that Wriothesley is young and naïve, calling on a large group of Gardemeks to eliminate them.
Wriothesley easily destroys the Gardemeks with his powers, stating that it's a small taste of real power. As he takes down the last Gardemek, he mocks Dougier to terrify him. Dougier pulls out a gun and fires at him, but he easily dodges the shots before making a Cryo wall. Dougier then aims his gun at the Traveler and Paimon, prompting Wriothesley to rush up and disarm him. As he grabs him by the throat, Dougier tries to remind him that unauthorized punishment and torture are not allowed. Wriothesley thanks him for the reminder as he slams him into the ground, telling him that the rule doesn't apply to him anymore and as the Duke, he doesn't need justification to kill people.
With Dougier apprehended, the rest of the guards bring back the other members. Wriothesley personally comforts and apologizes to each member before having them get medical attention and cleanup work, thus dissolving the Beret Society. Once the matter is settled, the Traveler and Paimon meet with Wriothesley at his office, where he laments his helplessness and knows that he has to take responsibility. Paimon asks as to what would happen to Dougier, who tells her that he intends to do nothing to make him feel the fear that he instilled on his members for the time being. Paimon is shocked by his words, but he jests. Nonetheless, he thanks them for their invaluable assistance in resolving the situation and offers to treat them to a meal at the cafeteria two days later, which they accept.
Two days pass and with the situation mostly resolved, the Traveler and Paimon head to the cafeteria to meet up with Wriothesley. He tells them that the doctors told him that removing the thorns would not be a problem, thus everyone should be able to fully recover in a few days. The Traveler then asks him about his flashback and anger. Wriothesley reveals that he was an orphan and was adopted by two parents who had many siblings, though they gave them to other influential families when they became of age. However, he soon learned that his adopted parents were actually traffickers, who sold them for money; those that were sold left the house, while those who couldn't be sold or knew the truth were simply "disposed" of. He had considered himself lucky at the time due to the bonds he had made with his "siblings". Thus, the actions of his parents were similar to that of Dougier's, which he was greatly angered by. He then killed his adopted parents, freed the other children and was sent to the Fortress of Meropide to serve out his punishment. While he knew his action was extreme, he did not know what else to do at the time and does not want his new home to be like that again.
Avice and Faissolle then arrive, thanking the three for saving them from Dougier's machinations. They tell Wriothesley that they were going to get married, as they met each other in the Society, fell into Dougier's trap and knew he wanted to divide them, yet trusted each other. Thus, they decided that they were the one they were looking for and wanted to host a wedding ceremony in the prison, though unsure as if it would be feasible. Wriothesley accepts the request and offers to help them get any items they might need from the surface. The two then tell him that they also decided to stay in the prison after their sentences were cleared, as they made too many special memories and knew that with him running it, they would be in capable hands. Wriothesley thanks them for the compliment, surprising Paimon, so he tells her that he would take a genuine expression of faith over an obligation to obey.
Characters[]
20 Characters appear in this Quest:
- Aucelet
- Avice
- Boulmier
- Chamboduc
- Deparis
- Dougier
- Eclancher
- Faissolle
- Fidelin
- Gouzien
- Guelet
- Ielmini
- Paimon
- Rigas
- Secaille
- Traveler
- Traveler's Sibling
- Wolsey
- Wriothesley
- Wyler
Soundtracks[]
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Reborn in the Land of Grievances | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 于怨嗟之地重生 | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 於怨嗟之地重生 | |
| Japanese | 怨嗟の地にて新生を Ensa no Chi nite Shinsei wo | |
| Korean | 탄식과 재탄생의 땅 Tansikgwa Jaetansaeng'ui Ttang | |
| Spanish | Renaciendo en suelo estéril | Reborn in Barren Land |
| French | Renaissance sur la terre des griefs | Rebirth in the Land of Grievances |
| Russian | Возрождение в землях ропота Vozrozhdeniye v zemlyakh ropota | Rebirth in the Lands of Murmur |
| Thai | การเกิดใหม่ในดินแดนแห่งความเคียดแค้น | |
| Vietnamese | Hồi Sinh Nơi Oán Than | |
| German | Wiedergeburt im Land der Beschwerden | Rebirth in the Land of Grievances |
| Indonesian | Terlahir Kembali di Tanah Duka | Rebirth in the Land of Grief |
| Portuguese | Renascido na Terra do Sofrimento | |
| Turkish | Keder Diyarında Yeniden Doğmak | |
| Italian | Rinascita nella terra del rancore | Reborn in the Land of Grievances |
Change History[]
- 2023-10-17
- Reborn in the Land of Grievances was released.