12 May 2020 – 24 January 2021
The third series of Nightwave began shortly after the conclusion of Operation: Scarlet Spear, revolving around a spate of mysterious killings.
Series episodes
Unlike previous series of Nightwave, this story was not told solely through the episodes released periodically. Each episode also came with an interactive crime scene that held additional information. These were labelled as "Shards" with distinct titles and could be accessed at any time (once they were released). The episodes are listed below with their respective crime scenes and Weave puzzles in the Shard sections.
Cephalite Resonance
During this series, the Glassmaker would periodically influence normal missions, causing an orb of glass to appear in midair. This orb would glass nearby enemies, making them invulnerable. The glassed enemies could be killed by shattering the large crystalline growths on their bodies, which would render them vulnerable again. Upon death, each glassed enemy awarded the Tenno 30 Nightwave Standing and up to 1 Cephalite Resonance. When killed, a glassed enemy would freeze in place and slowly build with energy, denoted by a high-pitched ring and an orange glow, before shattering, causing significant damage to anything in the blast radius.
(when a glass orb appears, variant) Nora Night: "We've got signals singin' the same song as our victim. Careful now."
(when a glass orb appears, variant) Nora Night: "Eyes open. There's glass resonance in your neighbourhood."
(when a glass orb appears, variant) Nora Night: "Hold up. Detecting glass resonance. It's close."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "Cephalites! Time to smash some glass."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "There's less than nothing left of who they once were."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "Whatever these Cephalites have become, there's no going back."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "Where are they coming from? Void, who did this to them?"
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "Dreamer, there's gotta be a way to take these things down."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "You gotta find out what's protecting them and then take your shot."
(when engaging glassed enemies, variant) Nora Night: "They're tough, but no glass is unbreakable."
Cephalite Resonance was used in the crime scene investigations and was described as "Cephalite Resonance used to enter the Glassmaker's Weave."
Shard 1: Glassmaker Emerges
(Episode 1, 12 May 2020, Week 1) Nora Night: "Heard of those cubes? You know – 'cephalons', right? Probably got one a bit cracked, kissin' up to you all the time? See, in the old days, crime and punishment was all in the hands of those Orokin judges, the Seven. Mercy was a quick flash of the Jade Light. But… if they wanted to make an example, they'd suck up your soul and make you a prisoner of the glass forever. Seems like magic to us nowadays, but Dreamers… someone's got it puzzled out again. Waves are buzzing; new glass is showing up. Souls getting snapped up and trapped up. All we've got to go in is this crime-simula I pulled from the Weave. No sign of our killer and not a soul to tell us where they went…."
The first episode of the series came with a crime-simula – a holographic projection of a crime scene that the Tenno could enter and investigate. This crime-simula depicted an Ostron man standing in the middle of Cetus, at nighttime. The Ostron had been turned to glass, with crystalline growths around his shoulders and arms. His left hand was not glass, but appeared burned.
(upon entering crime-simula) Nora Night: "Well, take a look around. See if you can suss out any clues about whoever this… 'Glassmaker' might be."
(upon investigating the body) Nora Night: "Used to be a middle-aged Ostron, but he's been… degraded. From the inside out. Glassed… but not all the way. You seeing that left hand? Burned. Weirdest of the weird. What's left of him is… resonating. Like… singing some weird-assed song. Not diggin' this. Not at all."
There were five items scattered on the ground in the vicinity of the body, needing to be discovered and examined. The locations and certain details of these items were slightly randomised between players, but remained consistent to each individual Tenno.
The first was an Ostron weapon – either a dagger, a polearm, or a curved sword. The description upon examining it read "No signs of significant wear."
(after inspecting the Ostron weapon) Nora Night: "Not the tools of someone who works the Tower scaffolds. Was he expecting trouble?"
The second was an amber Ayatan star, labelled "Ayatan Eye". The description read "The eye projects a flickering symbol from its faintly glowing gem." As described, the eye generated a hologram of a triangular symbol. The exact symbol varied between players.
(after inspecting the Ayatan eye) Nora Night: "Folklore has it these Ayatans used to hold memories. Nowadays, some Ostrons survive peddling Old War trinkets like this, harvested from the Tower."
The third was a small communicator with a message on it. The message was written in Corpus text and marked with the Corpus insignia. A translation was provided alongside. The name of the item in brackets varied between players.
Decrypted Message
'By the Unum' nothing! I am connected, you understand? I am told your client can only be one person. How you found them, I do not know, but by the Void, we will all pay for your ignorance. And now you've dragged me into this? That they even know my name is a gun to my head!
Now: either you get me an Orokin-era [Tiltshifter/Transducer/Tubular Array] or this broadcast unit is as good as dead. And so are we.
—BV
(after inspecting the Corpus message) Nora Night: "Looking for custom tech, but it sounds like our guy didn't have the means."
The fourth was another communicator with another message. The sender of the message was identified by their portrait, and could either be Baro Ki'Teer, Maroo, or Darvo.
Transaction Declined
You remind me of this Venusian kid I knew, pitched me a big score reselling K-charges on the low market. "Look at all those munitions," he said, "like a threshcone harvest!"
Kid was talking about those lanes of unexploded Grineer field ordnance. "Just drift up and pluck those detonators off, real gentle. Easy money!" You heard of him? See?
Easy money packs hard truth.
(after inspecting the merchant's message) Nora Night: "Community, sharing. It's ingrained in Ostron culture. Unusual that one would be looking to make a score of their own outside their commune markets."
The fifth piece of evidence was a burned scrap of paper with Ostron writing on it. A translation was provided alongside. The author's name varied between players.
Shigg—
Have you dropped your mind? We've chipped on those scaffolds together since we were kids. Filled your empty bowl with half of mine. Every time. That is our way, our law.
I'm giving you until moonfall before Elder Konzu hears you've been skimming.
—[Prageshta/Havera/Kaleet]
(after inspecting all five pieces of evidence) Nora Night: "That's it, I guess. Hmm. That energy resonance… you see it change?"
The glassed Ostron began to sparkle from the head. Inspecting him again prompted the Tenno to spend 5 Cephalite Resonance. Doing so transported the Tenno into a cephalon datascape. The backdrop was a swirling light golden colour, as opposed to the Void backdrop found in most datascapes. The Tenno stood on a platform of smoky dark glass crystal, with a golden Orokin plating. Octahedra composed of the same dark glass floated in the background, as did golden, snaking, pipe-like structures, fractured in places to reveal data streaming within.
A distorted, disembodied voice greeted the Tenno upon their arrival.
[Nihil]: "Oh. I'm so glad you're here. Was old Shigg a mutual acquaintance? How well did you know him, really?"
Three small platforms appeared nearby, each with a possible variant of one of the clues at the crime scene – for instance, which merchant had sent the message (Baro Ki'Teer, Maroo, or Darvo). Exactly which clue was shown was random. The Tenno had to jump onto the platform with the clue matching the one they saw at the crime scene. If the Tenno chose the wrong platform, or fell off, they were ejected from the datascape and needed to spend 5 more Cephalite Resonance to re-enter. A 60-second timer also started when the platforms appeared. If this timer ran out, the Tenno would be ejected.
(if the Tenno fails, variant) [Nihil]: "Goodbye."
(if the Tenno fails, variant) [Nihil]: "No, no, no. I should think not."
(if the Tenno fails, variant) [Nihil]: "The last person to try that now lives behind another door."
(if the Tenno fails, variant) [Nihil]: "Go now."
(if the Tenno fails, variant) [Nihil]: "Oopsie."
(if the Tenno was ejected from the datascape) Nora Night: "Dreamer! Where did you go? Did you get anything on the Glassmaker?"
Jumping on the correct platform caused another, larger platform to appear.
[Nihil]: "Fine. You talk to daffy old Shigg. If you favour the opinions of the low. Of criminals. The depraved."
Three more platforms appeared, with a different set of clue variants.
[Nihil]: "Do you know what he did, old Shigg? Set out a selfish play against his clade."
This continued until all five clue variants had been shown, with the Tenno correctly choosing each one.
[Nihil]: "Willing and able to draw blood for it, too."
[Nihil]: "A foul necrocapitalist, a clear violator of the 401st and 623rd legem!"
After the last choice was made, the timer stopped and a final platform appeared.
[Nihil]: "To your association I am now witness."
In the centre of the platform was a menhir of gray stone, with some kind of digital tesselating pattern projected across it. Inspecting it brought up another message.
A demon, self-made
Lived too long in the shadow of the Tower. I had allowed myself the belief that all things Orokin were good, as the Unum is good. Not so. The past is no tree of plenty, nor all of its fruits sweet.
Ah, that this should be the last thing I learn: 'not so'. 'Not so', learned at the hand of a demon self-made….
After inspecting this final clue, the Tenno exited the Weave and returned to their ship, and received 7.000 Nightwave Standing.
Nora Night: "'Legem'? That's an Orokin word, means 'law'. Ain't nobody usin' that word these days. He sounds friendly enough, but listen to that anger. Anger like that only builds. The soul he took held a clue. My gut says the only way you're trackin' the Glassmaker is from inside that maze. Bad news is, the trail's gone cold. But the bad vibe snakin' up my spine says it won't be for long. Stay in touch, Dreamer. The Glassmaker's just gettin' started. I can feel it."
Shard 2: Corpus Crystal
(Episode 2, 10 June 2020, Week 5) Nora Night: "Glass is still turning up, Dreamer. But you already knew that, didn't you? Probably ran into a few 'cephalites' yourself? Partial glass, like a cephalon interrupted. Well, it seems they're on the move now, changing course. Why? Here's the only lead we have. A new crime scene I managed to grab before the Taxmen moved in. Solo gig on a Corpus A-train. You know what to do. Work the evidence. Piece it together. See how it connects. It's the only way back to that twisted Weave. It's the only way to find out who's behind this and put a stop to it."
The second crime-simula was a Corpus man in an enclosed workspace inside some Corpus facility. Tools, lockers, and empty Corpus crewman suits lined the walls of the room.
(upon investigating the body) Nora Night: "Every day they recite that Corpus dogma. The creed of righteous greed."
Once again, there were five items in the room which needed to be examined.
The first was the Corpus' helmet, which could be one of three different variations. The description upon examining it read "Variant of the standard-issue Corpus workforce gear. Serves protection and identity-masking requirements."
(after inspecting the helmet) Nora Night: "No accident their hoods look like this. Built-in voice modulator does the rest. Just another robot to the Corpus."
The second was a datapad, labelled "Upmarket Brochure (defaced)". The description read "A datapad containing a catalog of luxury items – the kind affordable only by the highest echelons of Corpus society." The datapad featured a variety of Corpus robotics, with some crossed out and some circled with orange markings. There were three different variants of the brochure: one with Moas and Ospreys, one with Empyrean ships, and one with Coildrives.
(after inspecting the brochure) Nora Night: "Expensive stuff. Did he see it for what it was? Corpus propaganda."
The third was a metal booklet with a symbol on it. The symbol varied between players. Examining it revealed that it was a journal, opened to a specific entry. The word in brackets varied between players. The Solaris logo was also featured in the journal entry.
Journal
Some Corpus I turned out to be. Helping refugees, smuggling debt-slaves. Mother would turn white if she could see me now.
Running this wheel… it's [futile/pointless/a joke].
(after inspecting the journal entry) Nora Night: "Oddly personal. What's this doing without a cipher?"
The fourth was a holographic Corpus ID badge. Examining it brought up the description "A typical Corpus identification plaque. Assignment details on reverse." and a picture of a planet: either Venus, Jupiter, or Mars.
(after inspecting the ID badge) Nora Night: "Bak Vondu. Fibre jockey. If I know my Corpus script, this one had serious technical chops."
The fifth piece of evidence was a small communicator with a message written in Corpus text. A translation was provided alongside. The number in the message varied between players.
Radiometrics Data
Transmit wave reading shows [6.3/3.6/36] picos; not great, not terrible. Should link up fine to whatever interface this Ostron's got.
After examining all five pieces of evidence, the glassed Corpus would begin to sparkle, and the Tenno could interact with it again to enter into the Glassmaker's Weave.
[Nihil]: "Oh dear. We meet again. I really am in the middle of something."
Once again, the Tenno would have to jump on the platforms with the correct clues from the crime scene.
[Nihil]: "I find chaos… unsettling."
[Nihil]: "Corpus dogma demands self-interest. Their culture is ordered by it. Vondu here… was selfless."
[Nihil]: "Look at the chaos that spewed from that. Broken laws, black marketeering, a broken-hearted mother, and a collapsed family empire."
[Nihil]: "Everyone is guilty of the good they did not do – if one only looks."
[Nihil]: "And I see everything. What to do. What to do…."
At the end of the puzzle was another menhir, with another message.
An ancient doom
With one mistake, the spreadsheet of my life tallies to a net ill. I have loosed a whirlwind upon the System – all life exposed beneath its mad and furious gaze.
A dead thing furious at death. A lost thing that would steal meaning from all life. An ancient doom, and I have welcomed it in.
After inspecting this final clue, the Tenno exited the Weave and returned to their ship, and received 7.000 Nightwave Standing.
Nora Night: "Been nagging at me. The word 'legem', that Orokin word for law. I put the feelers out. My network, Little Duck's, the Quills. Dreamer, I think I know who the Glassmaker is… or, who he was… [deep breath] Nihil. Every ceph you ever met was once a person, before they met him. He made them all. For them. For the Orokin. As a punishment that would never end. Now that Vondu's built him that broadcaster? He's lookin' to graduate from murder to mass murder. Nihil's gonna go wide."
Shard 3: Sea Glass
(Episode 3, 08 July 2020, Week 9) Nora Night: "Nihil. Worse than an executioner, worse even than an Excruciator. When my tired ol' grandma didn't have time for my nonsense, Nihil was the bogeyman she said was gonna come put naughty Nora in a bottle. But Nihil was real. He's still here, somehow, after all this time… and still passing judgement. We've got another victim, crystallised in exile. This one feels different. Can't put my finger on why. Get on up now. Determine his pattern. Gather the clues and get back into Nihil's Weave. We can't find him, and there ain't no lockin' him back in whatever bottle he came from."
The third crime-simula was a Grineer on one of the exit tiles of the Grineer Sealabs on Uranus. Part of the area, where the victim was found, was made into a habitation, with a bed and other makeshift domestic amenities.
(upon investigating the body) Nora Night: "Abandoned Grineer watchpost. Not a lot of traffic these parts. He kept it up, though, made it a home. Probably all he knew. Oddly peaceful. Like he was ready for it. Didn't put up a fight."
The first clue was a floof, lying near the bed: either a Delicate Pobber, Kubrodon Incarnadine, or Tusk Thumper Bull. The description upon examining it read "A plush toy, loved and well-worn… by a Grineer? Or does it hold some deeper, sadder significance?"
(after inspecting the floof) Nora Night: "Kid's toy. That is messed up right there. Grineer take trophies, sure – weapons, tech, armour. But a scruffy little floof? If I didn't know better I'd say he felt something. Love? Guilt? Wouldn't have been tolerated."
The second clue was the Grineer's sidearm: either a Kraken, Atomos, or Viper.
(after inspecting the weapon) Nora Night: "Standard issue for the Grineer… but hasn't been fired in a good long while. Chamber's clean, mag's empty. What kinda Grineer doesn't use their weapon?"
The third clue was a Corpus datapad, displaying one of the following:
Steel Meridian Philosophy
On Strength, Cressa Tal
"We think where once we obeyed. We bend where once we broke."
Perrin Sequence Philosophy
Opportunity and Acuity, Protocols of the Perrin Sequence
"Create a problem then sell the solution? No. To embrace Fraudulence is to embrace Idleness. Idleness creates dull minds. Dull minds fail. No. Opportunity is our watchword. Opportunity, and acuity."
New Loka Philosophy
Learnings of the Motherworld, New Loka Essays
"We were designed by the Earth to live as part of the Earth. We cannot truly belong anywhere else, not in the whole of the universe."
(after inspecting the datapad) Nora Night: "So, our boy was a reader. Somebody with questions. Not very Grineer. Goes against all their indoctrination. Like my Mama always said: nobody likes a thinker."
The fourth clue was a jumble of electronics, titled "Burned-out communications tech" and described as "Grineer comm-link circuits. Broad spectrum, ultra-long-range. Weak cipher systems make remote compromise trivial." The communications tech could take one of three distinct forms.
(after inspecting the comms unit) Nora Night: "Our victim found a way to eavesdrop on encrypted channels. Hm. An agent for a Solaris United whisper network? Looks like he was giving colonies advance warning of Grineer attacks. Our boy wasn't a coward saving his own skin, he was risking his life out of a sense of morality. Obligation."
The last clue is a Grineer datapad. The word in brackets varied between players.
Feelings
Gral born big. Big Gral follow. Small slugs hide. Big Gral find. Big kill small. Now Gral is small. No more [follow/find/kill].
After examining all five pieces of evidence, the glassed Grineer would begin to sparkle, and the Tenno could interact with it again to enter into the Glassmaker's Weave.
Nihil: "Rarely does one encounter a lamb so eager to know the mouth of the lion. But, since you're here…."
Nihil: "There is order, and there is chaos."
Nihil: "I am order. He was chaos."
Nihil: "His insubordination, thoughts… guilt… feelings… chaos to Grineer order."
Nihil: "Your persistence is disruptive to my efforts to order. Therefore, you are…?"
Nihil: "You are an infection. Chaos infects, as Gral was infected, and spreads. A lack of vigilance is the vector. Oh, we lose vigilance if not reminded. This Grineer? Now? Is an eternal reminder, has become an agent of order and so… is redeemed. You, yourself, are not beyond redemption."
At the end of the puzzle was another menhir, with another message.
After-action report
Colonial after-action report: Colonial Killsquad Trooper 67229 reported crossfire confusion. Is that true? Killsquad casualties were total with only Trooper 67229 returning. Trooper 67229 scheduled for recondition spiking at Saturn Five. Demotion to maintenance tier effective immediately.
After inspecting this final clue, the Tenno exited the Weave and returned to their ship, and received 7.000 Nightwave Standing.
Nora Night: "That's the pattern. Nihil's a judge, working to a long-dead playbook, without a shred of mercy. Almost like he's a precept, instead of a person. Every society has its misfits – you and me included – but a guilty Grineer with a moral compass? Next level. Some go their whole lives and never do nothin' like that. Respect. You're close. Each time Nihil glasses, he reveals. We just gotta get ahead of him."
Shard 4: Iced Vallis
(Episode 4, 12 August 2020, Week 14) Nora Night: "Dreamer, meet Cutter. This is the guy our Grineer victim was trying to contact. If Gral was part of a Solaris United whisper network, then Cutter must have been his handler. So this was his bolthole. Look around, let's see what we can learn."
The fourth crime-simula was a Solaris in a dark cave enclosing part of an Orokin ruin, likely on the Orb Vallis, with Corpus archaeological equipment nearby.
(upon investigating the body) Nora Night: "Grim. Looks like he had a moment with his killer, and he did not like it. The other victims were all taken fast, but Cutter had time to plead his case. What made him so different?"
The first clue was a Worn Data Tablet. The description upon examining it read "Description: A data tablet that has seen heavy usage. Files are open on [Parvos/Granum/'Old Ways']."
(after inspecting the tablet) Nora Night: "Looks like Cutter was assigned homework. Looking into Parvos Granum. Something about 'old ways'. Did they know each other back in the day? Nihil seems to think he and Granum might be on the same page. An ally?"
The second clue was a piece of electronics labelled Transmitter Component and described as "Part of an unknown communications device intended for transmissions in the [33/88/11] mGal range."
(after inspecting the transmitter) Nora Night: "Looks like Cutter delivered the transmitter Shigg designed and Vondu built to… dammit. Somewhere. It's built to clone some kind of signal – holopresence, maybe? – to multiple locations at once. Powerful, powerful signal. I do not like this."
The third clue was Standard Data Tablet, titled "A standard data tablet containing a personnel file for [Vondu/Shigg/Gral] and several other victims of the Glassmaker."
(after inspecting the tablet) Nora Night: "Files on Shigg, Vondu, and Gral – the other 3 victims. Cutter made a case for them being… used. Shigg was to invent some kind of device. Vondu built it. Gral… had the encrypted access so the device could broadcast wide. But broadcast what?"
The fourth clue was an Encrypted Data Tablet described as "A data tablet containing several encrypted dossiers." One of three different Solaris figures (identity unknown) was shown on the tablet.
(after inspecting the tablet) Nora Night: "Dossiers on those Cutter suspected of being Solaris United, and closed dossiers on… the ones he confirmed. Some repoed, others used in Nef Anyo's Tribute experiments. Cutter wasn't SU – the opposite. He was being paid to identify and round up SU operatives."
The last clue was a small memory device called a Digi-Drive, with letters in the Solaris alphabet marking the side. It was described as "Low-capacity data storage device." and it was open to a specific file.
"We had it good under the Corpus. Debt in check. A future. Then Solaris United got into Mum and Dad's heads. And then Deck 12. They're gone, and I'm here, with all their debt and mine as well. I hear Vox knew Deck 12 was a risk, and Vox sent them all down there anyway. To burn."
After examining all five pieces of evidence, the glassed Solaris would begin to sparkle, and the Tenno could interact with it again to enter into the Glassmaker's Weave.
Nihil: "You want to know why I'm doing this. Your friend – Nora – wants to know. Naughty little Nora. Afraid I would find her all alone and put her in a bottle. Yes. Cutter and his friends have been quite helpful in opening my eyes and ears to the modern System."
Nihil: "Why oppose me? We both prize Justice, defend it. What justice do you imagine enacting if I have to put you in a bottle?"
Nihil: "Do you know mercy, Tenno? I almost spared Cutter. He was a traitor, but to betray one must belong. Cutter never did. He was a nation of one… and to that he was truly loyal."
Nihil: "But a traitor he was, and for all his proud words he begged at the end. And I… killed him, I suppose. Killed what he was. But you kill, too, constantly. Doesn't put you in much of a position to judge."
Nihil: "I have all that I need. Order will no longer be upheld one miscreant at a time. I am amplified. Soon I shall be everywhere and with it… order."
Nihil: "What a fine example each and every Tenno shall make, you killers of foes, friends, and family. And naughty Nora. Her role won't change terribly much, but her agenda… very different. A voice of truth and order, sermonising tirelessly, forever. Fully aware of what she has become. Goodbye, Tenno. Our next meeting will be our last."
At the end of the puzzle was another menhir, with another message.
Cutter's final note, "To whoever finds this"
I'm not proud. Never been proud. Just angry. It's all I ever had, and now I can let it go, knowing I made this happen. The System took it all from me, so the balance is squared. Let Nihil do what he will. His version of order can't be any worse than debt or war.
The traitors, the deceivers, will all get their time before him. Myself included – the Solaris turncoat.
I've played my part. Everything is in place. I know what awaits me. And I don't care. It was worth it.
Maybe the terror will keep people honest. Maybe that'll be a better life. Better than the one Vox took from me.
After inspecting this final clue, the Tenno exited the Weave and returned to their ship, and received 7.000 Nightwave Standing.
Nora Night: "You got that right."
Shard 5: Glassmaker
(Episode 5, 27 October 2020, Week 25) Nora Night: "Nihil's hit his endgame. Dozens are getting glassed now, System-wide, and he's just warming up. Easy to trace a signal that strong. This is where Nihil glassed thousands – maybe millions. Back in the day, this place would have been stacked with pretty glass bottles – cephalon oubliettes. Tiny little hells, each built for one. He's hiding out. We gotta find out where – and fast."
Nihil: "A little late for that. I'm everywhere now. Hello. Oh, she can't hear us. It's just you and me. For now. Once I filled this chamber with filled oubliettes. That anguished choir sang a song that healed my jaded old soul. That choir shall sing again."
The fifth crime-simula was a long Orokin chamber, partially overtaken by Infestation. At the head of the room was a plinth with a large mass of Infested tissue on it. Orokin devices were scattered all over the room, mostly pentagonal prisms sprouting glass shards.
(after investigating the Infested mass) Nora Night: "Wait. Under that Infested mass… glass. Looks like we got a body after all."
The first clue was a Ceremonial Weapon: either a Dakra Prime, Glaive Prime, or single Fang Prime, with a slightly different design than the standard weapons. The description upon examining it read "Once carried by Nihil's jailers. This weapon was likely never needed – there was no escaping Nihil's judgement."
(after inspecting the weapon) Nora Night: "Justice never lived inside these walls, only oppression. After all this time, from whatever hell he wound up in, the Glassmaker still wants to keep a heavy boot planted on every face."
Nihil: "Oh please. The mob murdered the Empire. Since then, the Origin System has known nothing but conflict, chaos, and collapse. The human capacity for delusion is truly without limit. You ask why I exist? I give you this little mouthpiece for the collapse of civilisation."
The second clue was an Orokin device labelled Orokin Legem and described as "A tablet containing codifications of the laws enforced by Nihil." It appeared to be a handheld device made of glass and golden metal, with a metallic emblem in the centre, surrounded by writing in Orokin script. The shape of the emblem could be one of three different designs, and the text could say either "righteous anger", "precepts of control", or "indigent judgement".
(after inspecting the Legem) Nora Night: "Orokin laws. Legem. They had hundreds of these books. Easy to put a foot wrong when your masters change the rules as they please. Judging from their condition, I'd say when the Empire's end came, it was fast and violent. Someone saved these few – and they're all about glassing."
Nihil: "They were deranged children run amok. Centuries of progress – destroyed. But they never destroyed me. Never caught me. And our end only proved our correctness… that our laws had been just. Too late. But… it's never too late, is it, Nora?"
The third clue was a set of Glass Shards that could be either blue, yellow, or brown in colour. They were described as "The shattered remnants of one who received Nihil's judgement."
(after inspecting the glass shards) Nora Night: "These were all people once, Dreamer. Reduced to examples… to keep the rest in line. Just like Nihil is set on doing right now."
The fourth clue was another Orokin device, this one called a Weave Conduit. It consisted of a bronzed metal handle with a shaped metal ring on one end, possibly serving as an antenna. The handle was marked with glowing patterns in one of three possible designs. The Conduit was described as "A device for interfacing with the Weave. These markings indicate an unusual connection signature."
(after inspecting the Weave Conduit) Nora Night: "This would be how Cutter got Nihil's attention. Woke him, maybe. Either way, he got a lot more than he bargained for when he connected to this abandoned part of the Weave. We all did."
The last clue was a set of ornate metal shackles, usually hanging high on a wall. The Ancient Shackles were described as "Metal restraints etched with the number [7/13/21]." The number in brackets varied between players, and was also displayed on the shackles themselves in Orokin script.
(after inspecting the shackles) Nora Night: "So many souls were glassed here. These shackles… logged and numbered. This place is important to him. So important, I'm startin' to think he never left it."
Nihil: "Butcher, barber, surgeon. These are issues of degree. Sometimes all that was needed was a little off the top… but it's the beheadings people remember. A society fails without both haircuts and hangings. Naughty Nora doesn't understand that."
(after inspecting all five pieces of evidence) Nora Night: "Dreamer! Picking up massive Weave resonance from the corpse. The Infestation can't take it… it's burning away. Look!"
The mass on Infestation on the plinth at the head of the room will disintegrate, leaving behind a glassed statue of an Orokin.
(upon investigating the body) Nora Night: "The body… it's Orokin. Wait. Wait. Nooo… he wouldn't… would he?"
Nihil: "Took you long enough."
The Tenno could spend 5 Cephalite Resonance to enter the Weave and complete the last memory puzzle.
Nihil: "The law is the heaviest of stones – a saving anchor for the righteous, a killing weight for the unjust. Prepare. For it now descends upon YOU."
Nihil: "Naughty Nora with her little shoulder to the door, thinking to keep me out. Her defences won't last long while you, on the other hand, have no defences at all."
Nora Night: "Arc-screen is down. Feedback loops broken… Dreamer! He's here, he's right on top of me, coming through the—"
Nihil: "I am with Nora now, Tenno. She's afraid. But not for long. I shall remake her in an image more appropriate to her future function…."
Nora Night: "Dreamer!… He's… stealing me… from myself… but I'm not alone."
Nihil: "Ssh. Ssh. There. Silence. I had the strength to turn my instrument of judgement upon myself, to escape hordes of ravenous, idiot little specks like you. I have more than enough strength to shut… you… up."
At the end of the puzzle was a menhir, with Nihil's face reflected in it. Interacting with it would transport the Tenno to another section of the Weave to fight against Nihil himself. The fight would begin with a short cutscene.
[In the Glassmaker's Weave, a massive, ornate sword slowly thrusts upwards. Nihil's voice can be heard as more and more of the sword becomes visible. Finally, the handle appears, with Nihil's hand clasped around it. Nihil, gargantuan in stature, rises up in the midst of the glass platforms, monologuing as he does.]
Nihil: "When the barbarians are at the gate, the truly noble may choose to find an honourable way out; and so the crude and lawless find they have arrived too late. And thus, the weave of history may disguise a cunning victory as a defeat. I am Nihil. Glassmaker. Order… shall be… restored."
[Nihil floats in midair and rests his large sword on his shoulder as he looks at the Tenno.]
Nora Night: "We're all here… Gral, Bak Vondu, Shigg… every last glassed soul…. Find them, Dreamer… before we all join them…."
Nora, now that she is in the Weave, has her full face revealed during her transmissions.
Nihil: "Found someone, have you, Nora?"
Nihil will begin to attack the Tenno. Nihil is surrounded by triangular glass platforms, upon which the Tenno must stand. The Tenno cannot use any of their abilities or weapons. At the start of the fight, Nihil will summon four large, floating crystals that will orbit around the arena. Each crystal contains a piece of evidence from one of the five crime scenes across the whole Nightwave season, but three of the clues will be incorrect (ie, they will be variants of the evidence different from those seen by the Tenno). Only one of the crystals will contain a real clue; this crystal will also be white, compared to the blue colour of the crystals with the false clues.
Nihil has three attacks: a vertical, overhead swing with his sword that will shatter the glass platform it hits; a wide, horizontal sword swing; and a glass projectile, fired from the diadem on head. The sword swings must be dodged, as they will kill the Tenno instantly. The glass projectile, if it hits the Tenno, will gradually slow their movements until they are encased in glass, freezing them for a short while and making them very vulnerable to sword attacks. If the glass projectile is dodged, it will land on the platform and grow a crystal, which will start growing larger and turning red, and will eventually detonate, destroying the platform. If the Tenno picks up the crystal, they can throw it at one of the floating clue-crystals to destroy them, but the glass will continue to be volatile until thrown and may detonate in the Tenno's hand. If the correct clue-crystal is destroyed, Nihil will lose his invulnerability, and the Tenno can start throwing glass crystals at him directly, depleting up to a third of his health. At that point, Nihil will summon more glass platforms (to replace any that were destroyed previously) and more clue-crystals, making himself invulnerable once more. The Tenno must repeat the process twice to fully defeat Nihil.
(throughout the fight, variant) Nihil: "Do you wish to make a final statement?"
(throughout the fight, variant) Nihil: "Bear up. It's nearly over."
(throughout the fight, variant) Nihil: "Disappointing."
(throughout the fight, variant) Nihil: "On your knees!"
(throughout the fight, variant) Nihil: "Manners."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence, variant) Nihil: "Haven't done your due diligence, have you?"
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence, variant) Nihil: "Do you even know what you're looking for?"
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence, variant) Nihil: "Irrelevant."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence, variant) Nihil: "Motion denied."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence, variant) Nihil: "Contemptible."
(if the Tenno dies, variant) Nihil: "There is but one rule: the rule of the rod."
(if the Tenno dies, variant) Nihil: "Sentence… has been passed."
(if the Tenno dies, variant) Nihil: "Persistent. Your kind always were."
(if the Tenno dies, variant) Nihil: "You had to do it the hard way."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Gral, variant) Nihil: "The Orokin designed them to be perfect. This one's very existence spits in the face of perfection. And you would release him?"
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Gral, variant) Nihil: "A deviant who was an affront to generations of martial greatness deserves no better than an eternity in the prison to which I have consigned him!"
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Gral, variant) Nihil: "Trapped, forever separated from his little fluffy friend. Pathetic. Leave him."
(when Gral is freed) Nihil: "Wait. Of all the prisoners to free, you chose the doll-hugging pacifist?! This is too much!"
Nora Night: "Big words… from someone… who crapped his toga and hid in the Weave… when the Tenno kicked in his door."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "You presumptuous tick."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "How dare you."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "This won't be pretty."
(after the first stage is complete) Nihil: "You won't be getting any more help."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Bak Vondu, variant) Nihil: "A lifetime of dogma and creed were not enough to prevent his… deviation… from the norms of his culture. His sentence is just."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Bak Vondu, variant) Nihil: "Nevermore to extend a helping hand, this one. Leave him. He should wallow in that for eternity."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Bak Vondu, variant) Nihil: "Kindness. Charity. A violation of the social contract to which he was born. He deserves this."
(when Bak Vondu is freed) Nora Night: "An old friend wants to say hi."
Nihil: "Damn you! Oh, Bak Vondu. You shall sing for me again!"
Nora Night: "Lot of info in here, Glassmaker. Legem 6-243: 'No capital sentence shall be passed without unanimous consent of the Seven, on pain of…' Oh, look at that. '…forfeiture of all tools of office, banishment.' Huh. You're a criminal."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "Break."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "You can't win. You can't."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "The Empire! Lives! Through me!"
(after the second stage is complete) Nora Night: "Glassing yourself let you escape once. Nowhere to run now. No clever way out. Time to live or die by these vaunted convictions, Glassmaker."
Nihil: "So, Naughty Nora… fancies herself… a revolutionary AND a scholar. Well, I'm the big dog here."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Shigg, variant) Nihil: "He will never again see the Plains from the height of his brothers' scaffolds. I have made sure of that. That is just."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Shigg, variant) Nihil: "This one will never again savour the taste of hot chimurr on a cold Plains night. For his sins."
(if the Tenno shatters incorrect evidence relating to Shigg, variant) Nihil: "Community raised him. Cared for him. And he turned his back on them! Let him suffer!"
(when Shigg is freed) Nihil: "SHIGG!! You were scum when you were dragged to me… you were scum when you screamed, and you are scum now!"
Nora Night: "Shut up, man. We're busy."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "For you… for this… I shall create… such… hell."
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "Pain! For you! Forever!"
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "This is not the end, Betrayer! Our Golden Empire dies not here!"
(upon being damaged by glass shards, variant) Nihil: "No! I will not fail again!"
(after the final stage is complete) Nihil: "Aaaah!"
Nora Night: "We ready?"
Nihil: "Waaaiiittt…."
Nora Night: "Get him."
Nihil: "No! NOOOOOO…!"
Nihil drops his sword as he writhes in midair and is turned to glass.
Nora Night: "Now sing, you bastard."
The Tenno will be returned to their Orbiter. They will receive an inbox message containing the blueprint for Nihil's sword, the Vitrica, as well as an Orbiter decoration of Nihil's oubliette.
Inbox message:
Hell of a day…Here he is: the Terror of the Orokin, bottled up like a rich lady's bathwater. Or two-credit hooch. Do what you want with him. Prop a door open, bury him twenty feet deep. Either way, he's yours. It's up to you to make sure he never gets loose again. Hell of a day, Dreamer. Hell of a day.
—Nora Night
The cephalon oubliette was described as "Nihil, the once-feared Orokin Glassmaker, now imprisoned for eternity in this tiny bottle. Handle with care." When placed in the Orbiter, it could be tapped to provoke a response from Nihil inside.
Nihil: "I glassed so many in my time. Surely you'd like to know where they are? Let me out. Let me out, and I'll show you."
Nihil: "Look at you. Strutting. Righteous. We'll exchange places soon enough."
Nihil: "You made a mistake, placing me in here…whole and entire."
Nihil: "I had generations to plan my return. Do you think – for one moment – that I had not allowed for this eventuality?"
Nihil: "Small minds die in cells. Great minds? Great minds do their finest work."
Nihil: "[humming a tune]… Can I help you?"
Nightwave Series 3: The Glassmaker ended on 24 January 2021, at the end of Week 37. After it ended, glassed enemies no longer appeared in missions. The Nihil Oubliette and Nihil key were added to Nora Night's cred shop in Intermission III. The Nihil key could be used on the Oubliette to enter the Nihil boss fight, which would reward the Vitrica blueprint, or a Riven mod if the Vitrica was already owned.
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