- "No other village compares to Mother's Heart. It is the seat of the High Matriarchs, a center of Nora life, a jewel of the Sacred Land."
- ―Rost
Mother's Heart is the Nora tribe's main village and is one of the three largest human settlements in Horizon Zero Dawn, along with Meridian and Sunfall. Mother's Heart is home to around 150 inhabitants[1] and is located in the Embrace.
Description[]
Mother's Heart is a Nora village situated in the hills overlooking the Embrace. The village is essentially the capital of the Nora Sacred Land, serving as the tribe’s center of government due to it being the seat of the tribe’s leadership, the High Matriarchs. The settlement contains a number of communal lodges and public areas for meeting, teaching, and rituals, such as the Blessing Ceremony, which occurs in Mother's Heart prior to the annual Proving. It is the largest settlement in the Sacred Lands, and is the location of the Matriarchs’ lodge.
History[]
There is little information available pertaining to the formation of Mother's Heart. Like the rest of the Embrace, Mother's Heart was untouched during the Red Raids. Two years after the Liberation, the High Matriarchs agreed to allow a Carja envoy to enter the Embrace and observe their annual Proving. While a good deal of the Nora were angry at the decision, the Vanguard Erend, who had accompanied the Sun-King's envoy Irid, managed to placate the mob before any harm could come to the Sun-Priest. Unknown to the Nora, the true threat to their security came not from the Carja, but from an Oseram delver named Olin, who was unwillingly involved with the Eclipse. Spotting Aloy through Olin's Focus and mistaking her for Elisabet Sobeck, HADES issued a kill order for the Nora. This would bring about the Proving Massacre, resulting in the death of all but three runners.
The news of this slaughter quickly reached Mother's Heart: Erend stated that the Nora's resulting cry of despair was unlike anything he had ever heard. In light of the attack, the delegation returned immediately to the Sundom, while the Nora readied themselves for vengeance against the Eclipse. When this attempt ended in another massacre, most of the wounded Braves were transported to Mother's Heart for medical attention.
During the Eclipse's attack on the Embrace, Mother's Heart was abandoned, as most of the Nora retreated to All-Mother Mountain for safety. Several Braves and young hunters would stay behind to buy time for them to escape, ultimately falling in battle. However, unlike the other two settlements in the Embrace, Mother's Heart was left essentially untouched. Currently, the settlement remains mostly abandoned.
Trivia[]
- Mother's Heart is located next to what the Old Ones called Pike's Peak in Colorado.[2]
- Two of the Grazer-shaped training dummies that must be destroyed to obtain the "Downed 23 Grazer dummies" trophy are found here.
Gallery[]
