FE SoV: Valentia Accordion – Secrets of Thabes Labyrinth Translated

This post is part of my ongoing translations of the Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia Memorial Book: Valentia Accordion project.

Please note these posts may contain spoilers for those who have not completed the game.

Today’s post features Thabes Labyrinth and lore surrounding The Creation. It expands greatly upon what was only touched slightly in the game. It was translated for the project by VincentASM of serenesforest.net!

You can find every scan/translation done on this book so far on the compilation post.

Enjoy!

Sealed with a Secret

Here are accounts left behind by various people.
These writings were carved on stone tablets retrieved from the depths of the Thabes Labyrinth;
they recounted a madness incomprehensible to common folk.
An abominable darkness within the Archanean continent where man and dragon co-existed.
Perhaps the inevitable outcome is–it is not safe to divulge.
If you are unfortunate to uncover these pages, I would recommend that you keep everything to yourselves.

–At the very least, it no longer has anything to do with me–

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“Unexpected Things”

(From a historian’s transcripts)

In the dark night, I witnessed fireflies, then thousands upon thousands of death.
In the darkness, there may be the light of dawn.
Darkness has a will of its own, and it mockingly laughs at each life.

****************************************

That fishing village was “unusual”.
Everyone seemed to give me a deadly stare.
The shadows from the western sea that I saw, they were “unusual”.

I heard the following old stories from those who lived in Furia for a long time.
It is said that a great calamity shall come here from the western seas.
An ancient fell god driven yonder by the divine dragons’ ruler,
holding a grudge against the land of Archanea, shall return—
Therefore, they train in combat. To prepare to face the unknown horror.
So that’s why the air in Furia Harbour feels so thick and tense.

When the Furians reach adulthood, it is said they test their bravery
by visiting the ancient city ruins in the north of the eastern desert.
The ruins are home to ruffians, and sometimes Terrors appear.
They are taught to travel the desert, where the horizons are naught but sand,
until they suddenly see the abandoned tower.
That tower is the tower of Thabes, the ruins’ landmark.

****************************************

That day, it was not the calamity that came from the western seas.
A hero that seemed to be cloaked in azure flames, and a maiden with shining wings.
They were… gods, or dragonkin with dragonstones;
a mysterious group that livened the place with their majestic presence.
But, in other words, they were “unusual”—
My curiosity gave me no choice but to follow them.

****************************************

“It”, suddenly was “there”;
emotions beyond my knowledge awakened inside of me.
Fear, awe and despair—

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A Mage’s Account

While at Forneus’s workshop, I watched him study a moving corpse.
It was too much for me; I fled in fear.
The man was insane.

I ponder if his research trespassed the grace of the gods.
If he were left unattended, would he bring calamity to this city?

Oftentimes, one can hear a terrifying voice from behind the sealed door.
Like a baby, but like a monster…

Although Forneus committed a great sin, he must have
been trying to create a god.
I think his insanity started ever since he lost his beloved wife.

---

The Senate’s Account

In Thabes, lived an alchemist named Forneus, proclaimed for his genius.
At the beginning, he was marveled. In time, he would be feared by all.
In the deepest part of Thabes, Forneus’s workshop can be found.

Two matters consumed Forneus, and he spent his life in their pursuit.
The first was how to mobilise the dead and control them as his army.
The second was the creation of a singular, perfect being.

At one time or another, there were rumours of people mysteriously
disappearing near the vicinity of Forneus’s workshop.
We senators urged Forneus to come forth for discussion,
and we repeatedly sent missives, but he refused to respond.

Eventually, soldiers were dispatched to Forneus.
They were strong soldiers who ranked among the best in Thabes.
Not one of them returned.

Finally, the Thabes Council chose to seal Forneus’s workshop
with him inside it, deep within the underground; the path
to the workshop was permanently sealed with the Sage’s Shield.

The seal they used was made to last until the city crumbled to sand.
That way, none shall disturb the demon alchemist Forneus.

---

The Creation

At last, blood from a divine dragon!
Although it took some time to cross that dangerous bridge,
at least it wasn’t a folly. Now I have the real thing.
Even just looking at it, the blood, its power is terrifying.
Beautiful.

After mixing the divine dragon blood with human fluids, certain herbs and nectar,
I sealed the concoction in a vial and observed it for 40 days.
New life had been born. At first, it was a tiny thing, the size of a thumbnail.
Looking at it, it looked no different than a human fetus,
but without a doubt, it was a new life form that had the blood of the gods.
I carefully decided to watch over the growth of this new life form.

I kept it at the temperature of a horse’s womb and, each day, I gave it my blood.
On the 80th day, its humanoid shape gradually started to disappear.
Eyes appeared, its neck grew and I could see a tail growing from its behind.

Slowly and slowly, it began to take the shape of a dragon.
However, it was an unusually-shaped dragon, not at all like a divine dragon.
Its six eyes seemed to be smiling at me from inside the vial.
Does it possess consciousness? Is it I that it’s smiling at?

I think I have created something truly tremendous.
Even though it is now as big as a puppy,
it shows glimpses of a terrifying power.
I have yet to find a solution to control its rampage when it becomes an adult.

Its voice echoes in my head; I feel like I can see inside of it.
Within it, I can see dark thoughts, Violent thoughts.
It makes me tremble from my heart.
At the same time, I feel like it can look inside me.
As it stares at the trembling me, it smiles re-assuredly.

“That thing has become a dangerous existence that nobody can control.
It pains me, but I have decided to destroy it with my own hands.”

(The account comes to an abrupt end.)

---

The Death Masks

The critical component in the death mask is a particular shelled insect,
born accidentally during an experiment to create artificial life.
It is as big as a thumb and resembles a shellfish.
I have come to call these marvels of nature thanatophages.

Placed on a cadaver, shockingly, thanatophages set down roots
and assert control by means of internal parasitism,
and are capable of moving the body.

By embedding the thanatophages so they live on the reverse side of
the mask, the death mask is born.

When there is no bait, the thanatophages inside the mask sleep
like a stone.

When placed on a person and given the proper stimulus,
they can erode the host body and freely control them within 2 nights.

Some kind of preservation fluid is ejected from the thanatophages’ roots,
which suppresses the host’s decay; it appears that they can be preserved
for a long time. It also seems like the body muscles are toughened
compared to before death.

Thanatophages feast on the flesh of the host, but it seems they like to
move the host to hunt for prey and take in nutrition that way.

The masks exist to tell the thanatophages that their will is mine,
to control them. The shape and design of the mask is based on the
face of my deceased wife.

Since the cadaver can move. Then, what would happen if they were
placed on a living human… it is interesting to think about.
Thanks to the senate, I have many cadavers at my disposal.
I can create an army of masks.

They are faithful and only listen to my orders.
Some may call them hideous, but to me, they are my adorable pets.

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