Luscinia Dialogue
Luscinia is one of Dominus Thrax's courtiers within the kingdom of Duviri and serves, among other roles, as a muse and singer for the king. She is the focal point of the Sorrow Spiral in Duviri. Luscinia is voiced by Clara Francesca, and her singing voice is Francesca Hauser.
Idle quotes
During non-Sorrow Spirals, Luscinia can be found in the Chamber of the Muses, singing on the stage. These are quotes she says when the Drifter is nearby.
"I was created to be Sorrow. Written into being. To serve as a lesson. Can that change?"
"Bombastine envies me. The King's Favourite. He wishes we could trade places. So do I."
"I have known happiness. Even love. I shall not speak of it. I shall only sing."
"The fish never complains of the salt of the sea, for it is all he has ever known. But I? I cannot forget what once was."
"I weep for ownerless toys, and empty chairs. Letters unsent and love long forgotten. Should I weep for you, too?"
"Did you come to mock me?"
"If you dare come to me with pity, I shall throw it back in your face."
"Again and again I lose myself, and devastation follows."
"Do you see the marks his anger left on the land?"
"If the Void truly preserves consciousness… then there is no hope of an end!"
The Sorrowful Soprano
During Sorrow Spirals in Duviri, the Drifter has the opportunity to play through the tale of the Sorrowful Soprano, centring on Luscinia, as part of the Tales of Duviri. These dialogue lines are narrated by Euleria Entrati.
(introduction) Euleria Entrati: "Sorrow is a poison, and yet some drink it like wine. One such was Luscinia."
(introduction) Euleria Entrati: "Sorrow is the bitter spice without which life is too sweet. Luscinia indulged in it… to excess."
(first stage) Euleria Entrati: "Perhaps Luscinia's misery would end if she inflicted suffering upon others? Others who deserved it?"
(first stage) Euleria Entrati: "Thoughts of revenge come easily to a heart turned bitter and cold."
(second stage) Euleria Entrati: "Revenge may bring some relief at first. But as Luscinia found, it is often cold comfort."
(second stage) Euleria Entrati: "At first, Luscinia felt some comfort from her actions. At least she was doing something. But her sorrow grew."
(third stage) Euleria Entrati: "Luscinia wept for those she was hurting. She tried to dismiss it as weakness, but her heart rebelled."
(third stage) Euleria Entrati: "Sorrow had made Luscinia compassionate. She could not give pain without feeling it."
(fourth stage) Euleria Entrati: "As if with a prophet's gift, Luscinia could see disaster looming, but she could not turn aside."
(fourth stage) Euleria Entrati: "Luscinia had set her feet upon a dark path, but she had to walk it to the very end."
(fifth stage) Euleria Entrati: "One final act, then. One last howl into the storm. Misery would have company, at least."
(fifth stage) Euleria Entrati: "Even as she prepared to risk everything on a final reckless gamble, Luscinia already knew the outcome."
(when the Orowyrm appears) Euleria Entrati: "Sadness is the dragon that devours itself. It spawns many children – lethargy, self-pity, self-doubt."
Sorrow Spiral
As the Drifter plays through the Sorrow Spiral, Luscinia will give dialogue when they approach their main objectives, as well as at the beginning and end of the Spiral.
(Spiral start) Luscinia: "I am Sorrow, and suffering is my lot, but today the burden is too much to bear. If my pain is avenged, perhaps… perhaps it will be lifted a little?"
(Spiral start) Luscinia: "I have grieved for long enough, while others in Duviri have laughed at my pain. Today, we shall turn the world upside down."
(Spiral start, Kullervo's Hold) Luscinia: "Duviri has changed. You may have your freedom, but a new prisoner has come amongst us. A tormented soul. This dark day is his as much as mine."
(Spiral start, Kullervo's Hold) Luscinia: "Kullervo: a being imprisoned and tortured by the guilt of his past. I too am condemned to a fate, Drifter. But together we may lighten the burdens of others."
(Assemble the Shrine) Luscinia: "A gravestone is a sorrowful sight, but sadder still is the rubble where a stone once stood. Let them not be forgotten, kind Drifter; rebuild."
(Assemble the Shrine) Luscinia: "The monuments to the lost now lie in ruins. If you could reassemble one, just one… it might make a difference."
(Defeat Kullervo) Luscinia: "Kullervo is a kindred spirit. He rages with a bitter fury I cannot sing back to sleep. Only a warrior's challenge will do that. Grant him the tranquillity I have been denied."
(Defeat Kullervo) Luscinia: "The tormented Kullervo deserves to be known. To know peace. Give him back his dignity and free him from the Warden's savage cruelty."
(Defeat the Dax) Luscinia: "The Dax. Responsible for so much sadness. And yet they have rarely answered for it. Redress the balance."
(Defeat the Dax) Luscinia: "The hollow ones mock my pain. Find out whether their hearts can be broken."
(Defeat the Dax guarding the treasure) Luscinia: "Thrax melted down my jewellery for coin to pay his Dax. Misery for misery. Let me see them dead. Whatever they have is yours."
(Defeat the Dax guarding the treasure) Luscinia: "The Dax are guarding their pay chests. Blood money, every coin of it. Repay them for the misery they have caused."
(Energise the shrine) Luscinia: "A Royal Maze. I think… I think I lost something precious in a maze like that, long ago… please, would you quest on my behalf for some small piece of sweetness?"
(Energise the shrine) Luscinia: "Secrets are lost in mazes like this. Sometimes souls are, too. Perhaps some wait for us there, now. Let us look. What choice do we have, after all?"
(Enter the Undercroft) Luscinia: "Duviri pretends it never happened, but the Undercroft remembers. The tragedy… the Zariman. Whatever calm you can bring to that tormented place, please: do so."
(Enter the Undercroft) Luscinia: "Acrithis tells me the Void is emotion's keeper. Nowhere is the Void stronger than in the Undercroft. Why does it howl so? Please… answer its cry."
(Enter the Undercroft) Luscinia: "I heard that in the Undercroft, we may prevent tragedies from ever occurring. If that is true… please, see what lies under its veil."
(Enter the Undercroft) Luscinia: "The Undercroft is in agony! The Paradox, twisting the Void, tearing me in two impossible directions… oh, get inside and put an end to it!"
(Find all lost belongings) Luscinia: "A family robbed, their belongings taken underground and divided. If you could retrieve what little was left… it might ease their pain."
(Find all lost belongings) Luscinia: "Are we to leave the treasures of the past mouldering where they fell? No. I pray you, gather them up."
(Find the hidden chest) Luscinia: "Thrax has had many secrets buried over the years. Evidence of his cruelty. Fragments of ruined lives. Bring those secrets to light again."
(Find the hidden chest) Luscinia: "If what Acrithis says is true, there are secrets buried in Duviri that reveal an even greater mystery. If I can understand WHY I am… I might be more able to bear it."
(Guide your reflection into the light) Luscinia: "The Other Side has known much sorrow. I feel it in my heart. From the far side of the mirror, they call to you. Find them!"
(Guide your reflection into the light) Luscinia: "The Other Side reaches out to you, through the King's mirror, defying the Dax. Answer their need!"
(Herd the Tamms) Luscinia: "Poor lost Tamms. Where can their mistress be? It would be too sad a fate if the wolves took them. Round them up, good Drifter."
(Herd the Tamms) Luscinia: "I understand how the Tamms feel, lost and listless. Be kind, Drifter. Bring them home."
(Kill the mounted Dax) Luscinia: "In my time as the King's captive songbird there have been many jailers… many tormentors. One of them now walks nearby. Let them taste the bitterness I have lived with all these years!"
(Open the chest and defeat its guardian) Luscinia: "Centurions and Legates. A child's idea of strength. Break his toys and scatter them. Make his wealth your own."
(Open the chest and defeat its guardian) Luscinia: "How many times did I dream of escape, only for one of those hulking brutes to bar my path? Show no mercy. Whatever he guards, you may keep."
(Purge the darkened areas of Liminus) Luscinia: "The ghosts of my past will not let me rest. I sob and I scream and still they haunt me. Please! Banish these shades and let my soul live!"
(Purge the darkened areas of Liminus) Luscinia: "The 'King' has many petty demons. You are stronger than he. Tear them to shreds."
(Reconnect the power lines) Luscinia: "This structure and I share much. Both of us once useful, both of us discarded, both of us now derelict. Both… forgotten. Might you bring it to life again? That one of us may live on?"
(Reconnect the power lines) Luscinia: "If this ruin could flow with power again, perhaps this purgatory may hold just a little warmth for one such as me. Will you make it right? I hardly dare to ask."
(Stay close to the prisoner to free them) Luscinia: "A man insulted my singing. Thrax has decreed he must die. More pain, of which I am the source and font. I beg of you, spare that man. Spare me just one more misery to live with."
(Stay close to the prisoner to free them) Luscinia: "A man nearby is marked for execution. I would have him die in pain for what he has done. So… spare him today, so he may face an even darker fate."
(Win the kaithe race) Luscinia: "I cannot bear to see the kaithes neglected, but I am no rider. Perhaps you can bring them joy, even on this dark day."
(Win the kaithe race) Luscinia: "Was there ever a time when Duviri was a happy place? Laughter, Lunaro, games, and races? Help me remember. Surely a running kaithe feels no sorrow."
(after completing the Spiral's tasks) Luscinia (holding her head and shaking): "It's too much! The sadness – nobody else can bear it like I can. They aren't strong enough! It's me. It has to be me!"
(after completing the Spiral's tasks) Luscinia (holding her head and shaking): "I'm sorry! I dragged you into this… this spiral… and now I've just doomed us both! It's too much!"
Song
Within Duviri, Luscinia can be heard singing at the Chamber of the Muses, in the Opera scene in the Undercroft (as a hologram), or as a part of the general soundtrack. The lyrics are given in the official Duviri Paradox music video.
Dominus! O Dominus i raka cantamneo!
His curse upon you, su vatasa shabra – zu heruvash!
Nuum kore, O exalted. Nuum Thrax ika!
Haroun, haroun
Ashen in silence desolare
He la, me la, in sleep
Ma non amorti eu
Isala eu vision, eternally
O Mathila i lo volati laaa
Mi nio, mi nio, cocopela
(Ooo, coralia)
Mi nio, mi nio
Cocopela! Fibreli! Ma tu sivelo!
Luscinia is mentioned in The Duviri Paradox and appears very briefly in Orowyrm form. She has additional dialogue in the Orowyrm fight at the conclusion of the Sorrow Spiral. Luscinia is mentioned in the dialogue of Acrithis, Bombastine, and the singing children of Duviri, in the Lake Verula story of the Lost Islands fragments, and in one of the Zariman tablets.
3 Comments