- "The Legacy. The truth. It is in the darkness and the lost places, among the ancient ashes and the bones of the before, that it lies waiting."
- ―Alva
The Legacy is the term used by the Quen tribe for any and all knowledge recovered from the Old Ones.
Overview[]
The Legacy refers to any information or technology from the Old Ones accessible to the Quen. This knowledge and the search for it is a cornerstone of Quen society, driving their rapid technological advancement and comparatively robust knowledge of the ancient world. The Legacy is accessed mainly via Faro Focuses, and as such consists mainly of recovered data viewable only through such devices. Beyond Focuses, the Quen occasionally repurpose recovered technology, such as a navigational gyrocompass.
Ancestors and Assistants[]
The "Ancestors" are those whom the Quen consider to be the greatest among the Old Ones, primarily for their contributions in certain fields that have helped their tribe advance. Ancestors are immortalized as paragons of virtue. An "Assistant" is effectively a lesser Ancestor, having either made smaller contributions or worked extensively under a more prominent Ancestor.
Limitations[]
The critical flaw in the Quen's pursuit of the past is, rather ironically, the tools that allow them to access it. All observed Focuses within the Quen's possession (save for two received from Aloy) are early models which, aside from being less powerful, are only capable of reading files created before the mid-2050s. Data from beyond this cutoff point is therefore unreadable, and dubbed by the Quen as "Lost". From this incomplete knowledge, the Quen have developed a skewed understanding of the past. A notable example is Ted Faro, whose role in causing what the Quen call "the time of ashes" remains firmly outside of their reach.
Beyond this limitation, the authoritarian Quen society strictly control the dissemination of information, at least ostensibly to prevent knowledge from falling into enemy hands and being used against the Empire. Information perceived as detrimental to the Empire's stability (such as something that paints an Ancestor in a negative light) is kept out of reach to all but the Overseers leading the Diviners.
Diviners[]
- Main article: Diviner
Diviners are the ultimate authority on the Legacy, being the only ones in the tribe entrusted with Focuses.
Known Ancestors[]
Nikhita Arand[]
Dubbed "the Spark", data pertaining to Arand was the catalyst for the Quen's formation and rise.[1]
Ted Faro[]
Dubbed "the Renewer", Faro is considered by many to be the greatest of the Ancestors. This stems from Faro Automated Solutions' role in the Claw-back decade of the 2040s, helping to bring the world back from disastrous climate change. Faro is revered as a patron of the the industrious and innovative, and the title of "the man who saved the world" has carried over into the present.
Song Jiao[]
Dubbed "the Healer", Jiao is revered as one who defied illness and death.
Erik Visser[]
Dubbed "the Protector", Visser is seen as a patron of strength and courage. Data pertaining to him is the foundation of Quen military tactics.
Peter Tshivhumbe[]
Dubbed "the Patron", Tshivhumbe is seen as a patron of unity.
Eileen Sasaki[]
The only known full Ancestor whose title has yet to be disclosed, Sasaki is revered by the Quen for her work on Leviathan, a flood control system constructed in the Great Delta. While the Quen have yet to revive the ancient system, Leviathan is nevertheless of great importance to them.
Elisabet Sobeck[]
Dr. Sobeck is considered an “Assistant” by the Quen, as most records of her pertain to her time at Faro Automated Solutions.