Corristos Allegory of the Phoenix

Author: Flosha
Written: 15.09.2024

As the Phoenix Allegory we are describing a riddle from the Sequel (authored by Stefan Nyul or Mattias Filler), written by Corristo in form of nine books which besides the riddle contain an allegorical description of the background story around the revolt and the foundation of the camps and factions in the colony. The importance of these books for the lore of Phoenix cannot be underestimated. Below I will translate the books and present a commentary. The original text is appended at the end of the document.

It is very surprising, that the radical implications of these writings for the background story have not yet been dealt with by anyone in the Gothic Community I would be aware of; they rather keep speculating and spreading false theories about these aspects of the lore, inspite of the fact, that there is an actual explanation given for these events by one of the three main story authors.

Book 1 - The Trail of the Phoenix

The first book is found in the chapel of the mages.

The Storm winds up. I know it and yet cannot withstand it. I myself had once helped the Storm into power and sunned myself in its lustre. But now the Alliance with the Storm has become a pact with the devil and my soul is forlorn.

What Corristo means here with the storm is the rule of the barons. He admits that he himself helped them to get into power to his own profit. The relationship of his circle (as we will argue, at the time: a new circle) with the barons he described as an alliance, that has now become a pact with the devil - as the barons become increasingly insane due to the influence of the Sleeper in course of the story. The associated diary entry confirms this, in that it is written that Corristo had a sense of what was about to happen.

But the Fire will persist, must persist. Its Knowledge will rise like a Phoenix from the Ashes. He who is willing to follow the Trail of the Phoenix, will experience the Resurrection of the Knowledge about the Fire.

While awaiting and accepting his faith, Corristo lays the trail of the Phoenix to preserve the “knowledge about the fire” and predicts a resurrection of the same. This prediction will hold true in the Sequel, where the knowledge that his circle has acquired and documented in course of the years in the colony, will be studied by Lester and his followers (such laymen having access to such knowledge might surely not be in the interest of the clergy of the realm, but it will become clear that this is nothing Corristo cares about).

He goes on to describe where the next book can be found by him who wants to follow the trail:

The trail of the Phoenix begins in the deepest depths of his round hoard. There, where the alliance with the Storm began, the ashes of the Phoenix lie buried.

The Ashes of the Phoenix, that Corristo is hinting at here, is to be found at the bottom of the deep well of the prison (which is dry in the release version). The text describes this location as “there, where the alliance with the Storm began”.

If we understand this literally, it has to mean that Corristo and Gomez or another baron once met at the bottom of the prison. The reader should imagine how the prison was originally meant to look like, where this well would run all the way down along three prison levels. Here at the deepest point of the prison, hidden and in secret at the well, the firemage met with one of the prisoners, perhaps Gomez himself, to forge an alliance - before the barons were in power. The second book explains us what that means.

TODO: Speculate: Why are the *ashes* of the Phoenix here? What does this imply in the allegory of the Phoenix? Was a ritual performed here in which something was burned? The "pact" may have been sealed here by fire?

Book 2 - The Ashes of the Phoenix

Once, when I helped the Children of the Storm to power, they swept their oppressors away. But their cruelty was not less than the one of their oppressors. They robbed, murdered and forced the Weak to unworthy labour.

The prisoners or the revolt itself are described here as the Children of the Storm. And this passage tells us nothing less than that Corristo himself was involved in the initiation of the revolt. Corristo was here, in the colony, in the prison, before the creation of the barrier and helped the prisoners to take over.

As I have pointed out at several places - the revolt was originally meant to have taken place before the barrier was created and meant to be the motivation for its creation. But exactly this involvement of Corristo may have been what did lead to the idea of the revolt taking place during the creation of the barrier. Corristo was among the mages that were send to create the barrier and among other potential kinds of help - he may have informed the prisoners of the ritual to be the ideal moment for their strike.

Obviously, this raises the question: What was Corristos motivation to help the prisoners to take control of the prison, by which he would clearly betray the king? But this is something to discover in our game.

Corristo continues…

What once was rock-solidly conjoined, broke apart by the Power of the Storm. At this point begins the Rise of the Power of Fire, like the Rise of the Phoenix. But at the Place of the Break the Phoenix lost a feather. The feather of the Phoenix.

Continuing with the oppression of the Weak, this passage informs us, that the prisoners were once united - in their oppression and in their goal of freedom and perhaps, at least initially, in the revolt. But through the rise of the elite of the strong in form of the barons (which, as the reader should remember, are inspired by a Mafia), the prisoners were divided. Corristo explains, that exactly here it was, that the “Rise of the Power of Fire” began. What this means will become clear later.

The Phoenix lost a feather at the “Place of the Break” (described before as a break between the formerly united prisoners). This feather of the Phoenix is found at the broken tower of the prison castle (the intact part). Again, if we are taking the description literally, this tells us nothing less then that this tower has played a crucial role in the division of the prisoners into the Strong and the Oppressed. In the text, Corristo uses the tower as a symbol for the new oppression. But in order to become a symbol of the break, we have to think of the destruction of the tower itself.

What the text may suggest here is either a different background for the destruction of the tower that diverts from how it has been described in the Comic. Or it may at least suggest, that Corristo has started to see the later destruction of the tower in retrospection as a symbol for this break. Because based on the Comic no one really knows who has stolen the ore from the barons at this day; but everyone knows that they did so and probably assume them to be thieves from the Old Camp, from among the oppressed folk that in course of the old story would suffer more and more under the greed of the barons (and was finally meant to revolt again).
They may not have known who has stolen the ore, but they knew that they ran through the chapel and fled into the tower, that Drago and the Guards (representing the power of fire and the power of the storm) pursued them and that the tower was finally destroyed, breaking apart in two, because of Dragos magic in an attempt to destroy the blocked door and catch the thieves. This way, it was the alliance of “Fire” and “Storm” that led to the conflict between the prisoners; and it was their alliance in opposition to the oppressed that let to the destruction of the tower. Therefore, the broken tower has become a symbol for the break of the once united prisoners.

At the same time, in that Corristo associated the moment of the “break” between the prisoners into a new group oppressed and the new rule of the barons with this tower and identifies this moment with the rise of the Phoenix and the Power of Fire, he also could suggest that the tower played an important role in the revolt, because it may have been the tower (in close proximity to the well in which Corristo might have met with Gomez), through which they escaped and surprised the wardens at night; while or in consequence of which - the mages created the barrier.

Book 3 - The Feather of the Phoenix

The Children of the Storm turned into new Oppressors and the Power of Fire strengthened them. Nothing was safe from the Greed of the Storm.

The power of fire is referring to Corristos circle. He and the other mages of the circle were actively supporting the barons in their way to power and accepted the oppression if not even taking active part in it. Even in the release story, Xardas at least hints at something like this, by saying in reply to the murder of the firemages:

This is not much of a surprise. Never were these stupid, barbarous slaughterers in the castle, especially Gomez, to be trusted. Corristo and the other mages have chosen their executioner themselves, when back then they helped Gomez to seize power.

But it has been misunderstood to mean, that Corristo has only started to arrange with the barons after the creation of the barrier and after the revolt, while actually he was himself involved in the revolt. And he continues…

There, where the Power of Water leaves the Hoard, you find the Waves of the Phoenix.

As you may guess, the Power of Water stands for the Water Circle. They left the hoard of the Phoenix. But what does that mean? We suggest that it may mean what Nyul had always seemed to suggest and what explains what he has written in a dialogue with Saturas. Saturas says here:

This twelfth Magician was once our leader. All of this was before we broke up into the Fire- and Water Circle by our disputes. But he left the Old Camp, which was the only camp in the colony at that time.

I corrected the mentioning of Xardsas as a “13th” mage here, because as we know, it was a mistake. But while Mike had wanted to correct this part of the dialogue, the second part of the sentence expresses a much more conflicting idea, that is implied here in the wording and which is clearly opposed to the lore of the official successors.

The leader of the water circle is not saying here, that the Water and the Fire Circle had disputes and therefore parted ways. What the wording (in the German original and my translation above) really implies, is that the mages were forming one circle, led by Xardas and then split into two new circles: A new circle of fire and a new circle of water.

Before the split, - not of the circles, but into the circles - the mages formed one circle, a circle which we may call the Phoenix Circle. The allegorical “hoard” is the castle they were residing in, but also the magic circle they were forming there, as elaborated in our document about the /arcane. The mages lived and studied together around a literal circle and in this literal sense the twelve mages were of course a magical circle on their own.

This is in total opposition to how it was later presented in the official successors, where the Magic Circles were completely identified with the entire Clergy of the associated Cult of their God; the mages were simply identified with the priests of Innos and Adanos, which was a huge simplification that got rid of a plethora of complexity and potential narrative depth and limited the possibility to develop the idea of the magical circles and the cults of the realm any further. We will deal with this in the article mentioned above.

A part of the mages left the hoard - the circle and the camp, to form a new circle. And here, where they “left the hoard”, the Waves of the Phoenix shall be found. It is found at the castle wall, in the water in the northwest. That said: The mages, forming the water circle left like the water that is running out of the castle to form a little lake. A fitting metaphor of course, but again, when taken literally, it could also mean to suggest, that the mages actually left the castle here through the water pipe that is providing the outer ring with water (in the Alpha). Since they are water mages, they may have the ability to shapeshift into water; an idea that led me to the creation of a corresponding spell (as you may read in our /spell documentation).

Book 4 - The Waves of the Phoenix

So the Children of the Storm erected high dams to protect themselves from the Waves of Water. They kept a lookout for their former companions in suffering and forced the remaining to hard labour without mercy.
The pure Storm of Justice, that it initially was, changed his face and became worse than what it had replaced.

This is referring to the construction of the palisade, that surrounds the outer ring. The text tells us, that the conflict with the New Camp was the actual reason for the construction of the palisade, from which they would lookout for their new enemies.
Corristo calls the beginning of the revolt a “pure Storm of Justice”, thereby suggesting that he actually supported this cause he helped to initiate. But now, shortly before his murder, which he seems very much to accept, he describes the new order of the barons he helped to establish as having turned into something worse than the prison colony under control of the royal forces.

Walk along the dam and keep a lookout for the Waves of Water. Then you may perhaps be able to see the Yearning of the Phoenix too.

By walking along the palisade, keeping a lookout for water, the player is led to the northern gate. From here the northern river can be seen and from here the guards were looking out for their enemies of the New Camp. And here the Yearning of the Phoenix can be found.

Book 5 - The Yearning of the Phoenix

At first the Children of Water, that were fleeing from the hoard, were hiding. They seeked refuge in hidden caves, but before long they found a hoard on their own, that protected them from the Rage of the Storm.

There were conflicts in the Camp both between the prisoners and between the mages. A part of the prisoners rebelled against the new rule of the barons and a part of the mages rebelled against the alliance with the Storm (barons). But the barons didn’t let them go voluntarily. The miners under the rule of the barons were slaves just as much as in the royal mines before; in the design documentation they are even called accordingly: slave diggers. And while Mages are powerful, they aren’t invincible, even less in case of mages who may have specialised on healing instead of battle. So they actually fled and hid in caves.

This part of the background story may become even more interesting and provide more context, if you will read our documentation of the /Gladiators, as which the Mercenaries of Lee were described initially, at the dawn of the Orpheus idea.

Not all caves you can enter with dry feet. But especially these caves are often the best hideouts. The fiery Phoenix hates such caves, as for his fear of the flowing element. Such Caves are the Nightmare of the Phoenix.

This is the cave behind the waterfall east of the New Camp. This could give us some hints for an Alpha quest connected with Corristo, unrelated to the topic at hand, in which a scroll and a key should be found in the same cave. Now we know, that members of the later New Camp would hide in this cave, among others. We could speculate, that due to this history of the cave and Corristos knowledge about it, that it could have served as a potential secret communication channel between the two circles, since as we know, the mages, while parting ways, still began to saw it as their responsibility to avoid further conflict and avoid a war. We also know that they were meant to have common ceremonies, share parts of their initiation rituals and would meet at a designated meeting place at the cliffs above the sea at the eastern forest. If the cave served as a communication channel for specific, dangerous messages, we could associate the quest with potential warnings for the Watermages and/or thereby even link it to the later Trail of the Phoenix, that Corristo is setting up before the murder of the Circle.

Book 6 - The Nightmare of the Phoenix

Before long the Beak of the Storm ripped flesh from his own side again and this flesh formed into the Children of the Spirit. They hid in rocky caves, before they founded their own hoard in the midst of mud and vermin.
This was the hour of birth of our own demise, since the Power of the Spirit shocked the Structure [Gefüge] of the World.

Corristo describes the founding of the Sect of the Sleeper, that he paraphrases as Children of the Spirit. More about the actual background of the foundation of the Psi Camp can be found in our respective documentation. The second sentence should be self-explanatory. The description of the events as a “shock” (or in the original text a “Erschütterung”), can be seen as having a double meaning. It shattered the structure of the Colony in that the Old Mine was flooded in course of the earthquakes during the Last Prayer. But in Corristos understanding, their rituals also send a shock through the magical structure of the world at large (more about this you can read in the context of the alpha plot).

The Phoenix brings up his brood in a Rocky Eyrie [Felsennest] in airy height. There, where no path is leading to, burns the fiery Nest of the Phoenix.

This rocky nest in airy height is the cave in which Gilbert was hiding in the release version. Here, the Nest of the Phoenix can be found. The description as “fiery” (and the diary entry speaks of “burning”) could give a hint as the nest could have been indicated by fire (or smoke) on that part of the mountains.

Book 7 - The Nest of the Phoenix

Thus, the years went by and the Rage of the Storm competed with the Waves of Water and the Children of the Spirit. The Fire, that once nourished the Storm so eagerly, became ever weaker and today it is burning insignificantly.
Measures have to be taken, to preserve the Knowledge of the Fire.

Again, Corristo seems to indicate, that him and his brothers were really standing behind the Storm initially, “eagerly nourishing” the fire of the revolt. But now, the fire was weak, the madness was strong and the circle, as every magic circle, founded for a magical purpose and goal, was bare of motive and sanction; it lost support of those it had brought into power and saw its magical endeavours as a total inversion of its initial intentions. But he is not giving up; before the fire of his life would be extinguished, he had to lay the trail of the Phoenix.

“When the days of a Phoenix are near to end, he settles down at the highest place of his hoard and awaits the inevitable. He awaits the Death of the Phoenix.*

The Phoenix settles at the highest place of his hoard (of the prison castle), the highest place being the intact tower (which is the taller one, independent from the destruction of the second). Here he finds the “Death of the Phoenix”.

Book 8 - The Death of the Phoenix

The Structure of the World trembled. First slowly and slight, then ever more and ever fierce. The end is near, of this I am sure. Neither Storm nor Water nor Spirit recognise it. But the Fire knows the Truth.

Corristo seems to suggest, that apart from the situation in the colony and the barons that are about to kill the mages of his circle, he also discovered something about the magical events associated with the awakening of the Sleeper.

It must persist. It has always been so. It will always be so.
The Life of the Phoenix is an everlasting Cycle. He always returns to where he began, to rise from the Ashes to new life. This is the resurrection of the Phoenix.

This last book is going more into magical territory (of internal change) in the sense of what we call the Phoenix Mystery with which we will not deal with here, as it has to be discovered in the story. But the idea of the cycles in context of the Phoenix and of fire we can as well interpret in context of all the outer change.

Throughout the allegory, Corristo describes the different camps as “hoards”. While he has no specific name for the hoard of the New Camp and the hoard of the Psi Camp, he identifies the Prison Castle as the hoard of the Phoenix. The Prison Castle is a portentous symbol both of oppression and of revolution and of the cycle between. First built for the prisoners, then overtaken with the help of Fire. The old system crushed and burned down; a new system arose. This system is crushed again with their leaders slowly drifting into madness, the firemages killed; the fire extinguished. In the Sequel, again a new order arises in the Castle. The Camp now a Refugee Camp; once the prisoners fled away from the castle, now they flee towards it. And here too the new order is supported by a new magical movement, a new form of circle in the chapel.

What are Corristos intentions apart from preserving the knowledge that the player should discover by following the trail to the end?

At the end of the trail, when returning back to where it began, the player discovers a secret chamber of Corristo. In the chamber he finds a bookstand that contains the Resurrection of the Phoenix. In the Sequel, there is not much to it. But it should be obvious, that the Phoenix Mystery is an essential part of the Phoenix Plot.

Book 9 - The Resurrection of the Phoenix

You have solved the Riddle of the Phoenix. You are worthy, to receive the Knowledge of Fire.
Preserve the knowledge and do not waste it in a meaningless way. This is the last hoard of fire within the barrier.
The Phoenix has risen from the Ashes and the Power of Fire blazes in new lustre. This is the Cycle of Life. It was so forever. It will be so forever.

Original Text

1. Die Spur des Phoenix:

Der Sturm zieht auf. Ich weiss es und kann doch nicht dagegen ankämpfen. Ich selbst verhalf einst dem Sturm zu seiner Macht und sonnte mich in seinem Glanz. Doch nun ist der Bund mit dem Sturm zum Pakt mit dem Teufel geworden und meine Seele ist verloren.
Doch das Feuer wird weiterbestehen, muss weiterbestehen. Sein Wissen wird sich erheben wie ein Phoenix aus der Asche. Derjenige, der gewillt ist, der Spur des Phoenix zu folgen, wird die Wiederauferstehung des Wissens über das Feuer erleben.
Die Spur des Phoenix beginnt in den tiefsten Tiefen seines runden Hortes. Dort, wo der Bund mit dem Sturm begann liegt die Asche des Phoenix begraben.

2. Die Asche des Phoenix:

Einst, als ich den Kindern des Sturmes zur Macht verhalf, fegten sie ihre Unterdrücker hinweg. Doch ihre Grausamkeit stand der der Unterdrücker in nichts nach.
Sie raubten, mordeten und trieben die Schwachen zu unwürdiger Arbeit.
Was einst felsenfest verbunden war, brach durch die Macht des Sturms entzwei. An dieser Stelle beginnt der Aufstieg der Macht des Feuers, gleich dem Aufstieg des Phoenix. Doch der Phoenix hat an der Stelle des Bruches eine Feder hinterlassen. Die Feder des Phoenix.

3. Die Feder des Phoenix:

Die Kinder des Sturms wurden zu den neuen Unterdrückern und die Macht des Feuers stärkte sie. Nichts war vor der Gier des Sturms sicher.
Schon bald versammelten sich die Unzufriedenen und verliessen den Hort. Sie wurden von der Weisheit des Wassers hinfortgetragen und von seiner Macht beschützt.
Dort, wo die Macht des Wassers den Hort verlässt, findest du die Wellen des Phoenix.

4. Die Wellen des Phoenix:

So errichteten die Kinder des Sturmes um sich herum hohe Dämme um sich vor den Wogen des Wassers zu schützen. Sie hielten Ausschau nach ihren einstigen Leidensgenossen und trieben die Verbliebenen erbarmungslos zu harter Arbeit.
Der anfänglich so reine Sturm der Gerechtigkeit wandelte sein Gesicht und wurde schlimmer als das, was er einst ersetzte.
Beschreite den Damm und halte nach den Wogen des Wassers Ausschau. Dann wirst du vielleicht auch die Sehnsucht des Phoenix erblicken können.

5. Die Sehnsucht des Phoenix:

Zuerst versteckten sich die Kinder des Wassers, die aus dem Hort flohen. Sie suchten Zuflucht in versteckten Höhlen, doch schon bald fanden sie einen eigenen Hort, der sie vor dem Zorn des Sturms schützte.
Nicht alle Höhlen kann man trockenen Fusses betreten. Doch genau diese Höhlen sind oft die besten Verstecke. Der feurige Phoenix hasst solche Höhlen, hat er doch Angst vor dem fliessenden Element. Solche Höhlen sind der Alptraum des Phoenix.

6. Der Alptraum des Phoenix:

Schon bald riss der Schnabel des Sturmes aufs neue Fleisch aus seiner eigenen Seite und dieses Fleisch wurde zu den Kindern des Geistes. Sie versteckten sich in felsigen Höhlen, bevor sie einen eigenen Hort inmitten von Schlamm und Ungeziefer gründeten.
Dies war die Geburtsstunde unseres eigenen Untergangs, denn die Macht des Geistes erschütterte das Gefüge der Welt.
Der Phoenix zieht seine Jungen in einem Felsennest in luftiger Höhe auf. Dort wo kein Weg hinführt, brennt das feurige Nest des Phoenix.

7. Das Nest des Phoenix:

So zogen die Jahre ins Land und der Zorn des Sturmes wetteiferte mit den Wogen des Wassers und den Kindern des Geistes. Das Feuer, dass einst den Sturm so eifrig ernährte, wurde immer schwächer und heute lodert es nur noch unbedeutend.
Vorkehrungen müssen getroffen werden, um das Wissen des Feuers zu bewahren.
Neigen sich die Tage eines Phoenix seinem Ende, so lässt er sich am höchsten Ort seines Hortes nieder und erwartet das Unausweichliche. Er erwartet dort den Tod des Phoenix.

8. Der Tod des Phoenix:

Das Gefüge der Welt bebte. Erst langsam und schwach, dann immer öfter und immer heftiger. Das Ende ist nah, dessen bin ich mir sicher. Weder Sturm noch Wasser noch Geist erkennen es. Doch das Feuer weiss um die Wahrheit.
Es muss weiterbestehen. Es war immer so. Es wird immer so sein.
Das Leben des Phoenix ist ein immerwährender Kreislauf. Er kehrt stets dorthin zurück, wo er einst begonnen hat, um sich aus der Asche wieder zu neuem Leben zu erheben. Dies ist die Auferstehung des Phoenix.

9. Die Wiederauferstehung des Phoenix:

Du hast das Rätsel des Phoenix entschlüsselt. Du bist würdig, das Wissen des Feuers an dich zu nehmen.
Bewahre das Wissen und vergeude es nicht sinnlos. Dies ist der letzte Hort des Feuers innerhalb der Barriere.
Der Phoenix hat sich aus seiner Asche erhoben, und die Macht des Feuers erstrahlt in neuem Glanz. Dies ist der Kreislauf des Lebens. Es war immer so. Es wird immer so sein.