Fortress of Meropide is a subarea located in Liffey Region, Fontaine.
It is an autonomous stronghold located underwater that serves as Fontaine's de facto prison. It is where criminals and other accused are sent after being convicted in a trial to serve out their sentences and has a notorious reputation in Fontaine. Wriothesley is the prison's Administrator, while Sigewinne works at the prison's infirmary.
Acts III and IV of Archon Quest Chapter IV focus on the Traveler's imprisonment in Meropide on false charges in order to investigate Childe's disappearance.
How to Access[]
The Fortress of Meropide may be entered for the first time through any of the following methods:
- Upon completing step 2 of Fortress of Meropide in Chapter IV: Act III - To the Stars Shining in the Depths, a map icon appears that acts as a Teleport Waypoint, allowing the player to teleport directly to Administrative Area, across from The Duke's Office.
- Getting caught in the spotlights surrounding the prison and not escaping their sight within the specified time period will teleport the player into the Fortress of Meropide.
- Using the broken pipe west outside of the prison to swim into the Dormitories will teleport the player into the Fortress of Meropide.
Points of Interest[]
There are 11 points of interest in Fortress of Meropide:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
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The Abandoned Production Zone can be accessed using the lift near the Teleport Waypoint in the Production Zone's Lower Level. It contains four paths, and the doors to the path are controlled by the Multidirectional Connection Control Drive Valve in the center. |
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The cafeteria is where convicts gather to eat their daily meals. Sigewinne and Cuistot help prepare meals for the cafeteria. Each convict can get one Welfare Meal per day from the cafeteria's robot mek Bran. |
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It is a secretive area of the Fortress of Meropide. It is built over Primordial Water and has a sluice gate designed to prevent the Primordial Water from flooding Fontaine. There is also a large ship in this area that Wriothesley has been secretly building. |
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A bulletin board located in the Administrative Area, between the entrance to the Rag and Bone Shop and the elevator to the Dormitory Block. The messages randomly cycle through every time "Continue Reading" is selected. |
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The mine is filled with Arkhium crystal and is patrolled by Flying Energy Thieves. |
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The Pankration Ring is located in the southwestern part of the Administrative Area, and is accessed by its own separate lift. |
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It consists of two levels, located below the Administrative Area and connected by a lift located in the east of the Fortress of Meropide. Further below, available via a lift in the Lower Level, is the Abandoned Production Zone. |
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Rag and Bone Shop is a Coupon shop run by Alvard located in the southeast part of the Administrative Area. |
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It is located west of the Fortress' Dormitory Block. It has been described as a "potential danger".[1] |
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The Duke's Office belongs to Wriothesley, and is located in the center of the Administrative Area. It has three floors, with the basement floor becoming available during the Archon Quest Secret Keepers and Forbidden Zones in Chapter IV: Act IV - Cataclysm's Quickening. The top floor is Wriothesley's office, and features a desk and a sofa with a tea table. The basement contains a lift to the Forbidden Zone, as well as a secret door that leads to a room overlooking a ship. This secret room is only available during select quests. |
Quests[]
Archon Quests
Story Quests
World Quests
- Scenes from Life in Meropide
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: A Raw Deal
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: An Actor's Training
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Chit-Chat
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Dead End
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Every Debt has a Creditor
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Fists of Fury
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Memories
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Safe Operation
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: The Art of Negotiation
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Treat the Symptoms
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Unfinished Task
- Scenes from Life in Meropide: Visible Hands
- Unfinished Comedy
- Both Brains and Brawn
Hidden Exploration Objectives
Notable Features[]
Descriptions[]
Soundtracks[]
Lore[]
Although the Fortress of Meropide is Fontaine's de facto prison, it is technically an autonomous entity that governs itself and is not under the jurisdiction of Fontaine's legal system. Criminals sent there are technically exiles from Fontaine, and the Court of Fontaine has no control over it other than sending some Gardes to help with security.[2] The prison also doubles as a factory, creating many Clockwork Meka.
The Fortress was first built by a group of exiled criminals after the first Hydro Archon, Egeria, began her rule in Fontaine. These criminals were shunned by society and were refused assistance. As a result, some of them began to repent and beg for mercy, which Egeria heard and granted, telling them to help protect her secret beneath the waves. Guiding them to the spot, the exiled community began to grow in size. Even after the first group of exiles had died, subsequent groups continued their work. The "secret" that Egeria wanted hidden was actually an entrance to the Primordial Sea, which the exiles had sealed and labeled as the "forbidden zone", restricted to all but the warden and other trusted individuals.
Roughly 400 years before the events of the game, Neuvillette sentenced Vautrin, the former head of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, to the Fortress during a trial regarding his extrajudicial killings and abuse of power to avenge Carole. This was secretly prepared by Vautrin to feign resentment in order to show Neuvillette's impartiality and fairness to ensure that the Melusines would integrate into Fontainian society. Upon arriving at the Fortress, Vautrin formed the Mutual Aid Society, a group that was well received by many inmates who worked together to work and protect together.[3]
At some point after the Melusines explored Fontaine's surface, a Melusine, Sigewinne, was sentenced and sent to the prison for breaking an ancient Fontanian law regarding species changing. She had willingly given up her Melusine form to become more human-like (namely her skin and having human hands) with a potion given to her by her teacher in order to save a human friend of hers, whose parents refused to let a Melusine treat her. Neuvillette suspected that the law was placed by Egeria in order to prevent others from following in her footsteps. After completing her sentence, Sigewinne decided to remain in the prison in order to care for the inmates with her medical knowledge, which made her universally beloved.[4]
The main currency of the prison are Credit Coupons, which are used for all transactions in the Fortress of Meropide instead of Mora. The Credit Coupons were created by the Fatui Harbinger Regrator in collaboration with a previous administrator of the Fortress, as part of an economic experiment.[5]
When Wriothesley was a teenager, he was found guilty of killing his foster parents in an act of vengeance after learning the truth of their foster home scheme and was sent to the Fortress of Meropide to serve his sentence.[3] When he arrived, inmates had a greater buying power with the Coupons, such as assassinations and illegal drugs. Wriothesley accumulated a large number of coupons, more than the rest of the inmates combined, resulting in the previous administrator wiping his account clean in a single stroke. Having made many connections, Wriothesley proceeded to challenge the administrator to a duel which no one opposed. The administrator fled before the duel, but as it happened on the same day he was supposed to be released, Wriothesley had no one to sign his exit papers. Instead, he took up the mantle of administrator and implemented a series of reforms to make life in the Fortress more bearable. These reforms, combined with potential ostracization upon returning to society, has caused some convicts to want to stay in the Fortress even after they finish serving their sentences.[6]
The Fortress has several "hidden" rules, and breaking them is implied to be dangerous, however they are meant as lessons for prisoners:
- Inmates cannot work for more than three days in a row - doing so will result in mystery meat being given for the next Welfare Meal. This is actually prepared by Sigewinne, who examines the state of those who have worked for three days straight, and thus she makes an "extra" dish to help restore their stamina. However, as Melusines perceive the world differently than humans, the dish looks discolored and inedible to humans, so inmates do not eat it.
- Inmates cannot bet on both fighters in the Pankration Ring - doing so will result in a strange bottle of red liquid that looks like blood being given to them the next day. The liquid is actually an experimental Fonta drink Wriothesley deemed to be of low value, and is meant to teach the inmate the value of Credit Coupons.
- An unknown rule related to Sigewinne and the people in the infirmary.
- There are two unwritten rules related to Sigewinne herself; it is not known if they are related to the main unknown rule:
- Anyone who is rude to Sigewinne are punished "extra" harshly, and particularly wild and violent newcomers are given a "warning" upon admission into the prison.[7]
- There are two unwritten rules related to Sigewinne herself; it is not known if they are related to the main unknown rule:
Escoffier was sentenced to the prison following a food safety incident regarding lumitide, which had actually been planted by Monica. Though the Gardes noted the amount was so little that there was no malicious intent, Escoffier insisted on taking responsibility. She only served a short stint before being released.
Tartaglia was sent to the prison during the events of Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act II - As Light Rain Falls Without Reason after being convicted by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale for being the mastermind behind the serial disappearances case despite the real culprit already being exposed and sentenced as guilty during the trial.[8] After spending some time in the Fortress, Tartaglia went missing.
In the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act III - To the Stars Shining in the Depths, Neuvillette pressed false charges against the Traveler to give them the opportunity to infiltrate and investigate the fortress, talk with Wriothesley, and gain intel on Tartaglia's whereabouts. The Fatui had also sent infiltrators inside as informants for both the prisoners and guards, only for them to disappear too, as Wriothesley had correctly anticipated the Fatui infiltrating his fortress and was displeased by the intrusions. The Knave would then send Lyney, Lynette and Freminet to infiltrate the fortress to gather information. Wriothesley also revealed to the Traveler the construction of a massive ship to help deal with the prophecy as a failsafe.
During the Traveler and the Fatui's investigation, they discovered the "forbidden zone" and its true purpose. In the past year prior to the events of the game, the concentration of Primordial Seawater in the waters around Meropide had begun to increase, and this increased concentration caused Freminet to pass out when he tried to track Childe's "escape" route. Soon after, the sluice gate holding back the water broke, but was temporarily held by Wriothesley and Clorinde before Neuvillette arrived, pushed back the water, and restored the sluice gate, keeping the waters back for the time being.[9]
When the Prophecy of Fontaine arrives, Wriothesley has the ship, named The Wingalet, deploy into Fontaine to help in rescue operations. Once the waters recede, the ship returns to the prison and is placed in storage, making impressive headlines on the media and gaining the attention of several researchers.
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- Méropide is the French translation of Meropis, the name of a fictional island created by the ancient Greek writer Theopompus in his work, Philippica; as a parody of Plato's Atlantis.
- Meropis is also where King Remus is said to have first descended upon Fontaine.[10]
- The Administrative Area of the Fortress resembles the Panopticon, a prison layout proposed by English social theorist Jeremy Benthem, which features a central guard tower surrounded by inmate cells. This design theoretically enables a single guard to effectively monitor the entire prison, as prisoners, unaware of the guard's location, would always behave as if they're under surveillance.
Gallery[]
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fortress of Meropide | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 梅洛彼得堡 Méiluòbǐdé-bǎo | Meropide Fortress |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 梅洛彼得堡 Méiluòbǐdé-bǎo | |
| Japanese | メロピデ要塞 Meropide-yousai | Meropide Fortress |
| Korean | 메로피드 요새 Meropideu Yosae | Meropide Fortress |
| Spanish | Fuerte Merópide | Fort Meropide |
| French | Forteresse de Méropide | Fortress of Meropide |
| Russian | Крепость Меропид Krepost' Meropid | Fortress of Meropide |
| Thai | ป้อมปราการ Meropide | |
| Vietnamese | Pháo Đài Meropide | |
| German | Fort Méropide | Fort Meropide |
| Indonesian | Benteng Meropide | Fortress of Meropide |
| Portuguese | Fortaleza Meropide | |
| Turkish | Meropide Kalesi | Meropide Fortress |
| Italian | Forte Méropide |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ NPC Dialogue: Galvana
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act III - To the Stars Shining in the Depths, Part 1: A Tea Party Most Thorny
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Story Quest, Neuvillette, Diluvies Chapter: Act I - The Remains of the Past Day, Part 1: A Familiar Threat
- ↑ Story Quest Act, Sigewinne, Nereides Chapter: Act I: The Warmth of Lies
- ↑ Weapon: Cashflow Supervision
- ↑ YouTube: Version 4.1 Special Program
- ↑ Sigewinne: Character Stories
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act II - As Light Rain Falls Without Reason, Part 3: When All Return to the Waters
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act IV - Cataclysm's Quickening, Part 4: Calamitous Tread
- ↑ Book: The History of the Decline and Fall of Remuria
