The Fall of the Faded Castle is a Book Collection found in Fontaine.
Vol. 1[]
Once, in a dream, I saw a black ship.
It sailed through dark night and bleak fog.
The hull was rotten, the mast shattered,
Yet in some perverse jest at human rationality,
Each broken piece had been placed in some twisted way,
Entwined together by the algae and seaweed that enveloped the vessel,
Forming a dreadful dark shadow that shambled through the moonlight,
That none could glimpse and not panic.
Shift your gaze just a little, and in an instant,
It shall appear again just before you.
A tall and slim figure standing upon the deck,
Wrapped in dark robes, its face barely seen.
Only its eyes, those two cold eyes,
Which can pierce your soul with a glance.
Was that a monster that arose from the depths of the sea?
A lord returned from some ancient world?
Or perhaps the nightmare itself?
Vol. 2[]
By the banks of the world's purest lake,
There once stood a glistening castle.
Gold leaf and gems decorated its walls,
And it shone blinding in the post-noon sun.
Pretty banners and flags flew from the roof,
While majestic towers soared alongside.
Guests from afar peered through colorful windows,
And marveled at the wonders every step revealed.
Yet none was more marvelous than the many statues,
Odd in form but as real as life.
In the center of the hall sat a golden stage,
Where musicians played day and night for the castle's master.
As the music sounded, listeners flocked like swarming bees,[Note 1]
To dance in time with the beat that seemed to captivate the entire world.
The wine flowed never-ending to sate the thirst for revelry.
All could partake, no matter their class or their homeland,
But none of this could ease the master's fears,
Or bring his troubled soul a moment of peace.
And each time the tower's clock struck its deep midnight chime,
He would be possessed by an uncontrollable panic,
Trapped by his fears and his gloom.
The dark-robed figure would surely collect on debts owed,
And all before his eyes would be turned into dust,
The souls of his guests, and his own, included,
As tribute to that dark, ancient world.
Vol. 3[]
At first, all was still, apart from the curtains in the breeze,
And the faint sounds of animals chewing, echoing through the walls of some unknown place.
Then, an odd rasping laugh erupted from an empty room,
A nameless horror spreading in the dark.
Then, with terrible thunder and storm,
A glowing red fog-cloud,
Embraced the castle just like a shroud.
On the castle's great central stage, a tall thin figure did appear,
A dark spirit in black robes, arriving at last.
The guests, a moment ago enjoying their revels,
Fell to the floor one by one,
Bereft of time even to scream.
The master sat shivering and still on his throne,
His soul also snatched by the dark.
Amid the roar of brick and tile hitting the ground,
The castle's glory faded into the past,
Swallowed by glimmering waves.
The blood moon the towers once blocked reappeared in the sky,
Its baleful glow sweeping the land.
And today, by the banks of the world's purest lake,
The water reflects the long-fallen, faded castle.
The joy and brilliance that once lit its halls,
Consigned to legends and dreams.
The ruins lie suffocated in the gloom.
Through shattered windows, statues appear as like to monsters,
Who with the discordant tune that played sank with the castle into the sea.
There is nothing there now, bar darkness, death, and loss.
Notes[]
- ↑ The original Chinese text (利魔世当优美的乐声响起,金色的蜂群也会萦绕在舞台周 围,), translates literally to "When beautiful music sounds, golden bees will swarm around the stage."
Trivia[]
- In the Research Notes of Master Ruggiero, Ruggiero suspected that the Faded Castle, which is related to Remus and the Remurian empire, might be found somewhere around the town of Petrichor. This book and Ruggiero's Research Notes were the only mentions of the Faded Castle before it was released as a subarea by the same name in Version 4.6.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | The Fall of the Faded Castle | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 褪色古堡的崩塌 Tuìsè Gǔbǎo de Bēngtā | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 褪色古堡的崩塌 Tùnsè Gǔbǎo de Bēngtā | |
| Japanese | 色褪せた古城の倒壊 Iroaseta Kojou no Toukai | The Collapse of the Faded Castle |
| Korean | 빛바랜 고성의 붕괴 Bitbaraen Goseong'ui Bunggoe | |
| Spanish | El derrumbe del Castillo Apagado | The Collapse of the Faded Castle |
| French | L'effondrement du château fané | The Collapse of the Faded Castle |
| Russian | Разрушение обветшалого замка Razrusheniye obvetshalogo zamka | |
| Thai | การล่มสลายของปราสาทที่ซีดจาง | |
| Vietnamese | Sự Sụp Đổ Của Thành Cổ Phai Nhạt | |
| German | Der Zusammenbruch eines verblassenden alten Schlosses | The Collapse of a Faded Old Castle |
| Indonesian | Runtuhnya Kastil yang Pudar | The Fall of the Faded Castle |
| Portuguese | O Colapso do Castelo Antigo | |
| Turkish | Solgun Kale'nin Düşüşü | |
| Italian | Il crollo del Castello Sbiadito |
