- "You were among the few that found the cypher, scribbled hastily in the decaying margins of some long forgotten tome. Scribbled... in blood. Whether by providence or happenstance, many before you stumbled upon the mark of some strange power invoked the world over, reflected in cultures predating mankind itself. A semicircle, radiating five points of power - a symbol hidden deep in the iconography of every ancient empire before myself and my siblings. The Iron Crown... enigmatic, and ubiquitous."
- — The Record Keeper to Desmond Yujo trying to explain the power of the iron crown.
The Iron Crown is to this day one of the most ancient symbols on Vandos's history, with it long predating any civilization (some speculate that it could be the last trace of the Kaz'seiyan), in the modern day this symbol of power has been a taboo as more often than not the Iron crown has been a source oblivion that laid in the abyss. While this symbol is mostly associated with Vandos there were clues around universes that while hidden, if someone knows were to look a hidden Iron Crown could be found.
Power[]
- "A precise arrangement, the sacrifice of conscience, the abandonment of self the Iron Crown had found a king. Upon your furrowed brow, the mathematics of our existence, the geometry of the cosmos - an ephemeral equation wholly expressed in negative space. To invoke its power was to refactor the most fundamental underpinnings of our fragile dimension, to imprint one's mind upon reality itself..."
- — Academic
It is unsure of what is the fullest extent of the Iron Crown as any sort of research has been deemed illegal, but from what few notes exists the iron crown seems to follow the will of it's wearer. As when a scholar whose father and mentor had some sort of connection, the Protégé became obsessed with the power and the reasons for why it's so feared as according to a John Doe, when he placed the iron crown on it's brow the equation that made up reality appeared plain in it's eyes and it's thoughts and feelings started to alter the ephemeral equation. This lead to a crisis as with the mathematics of one universe traveling through a strange and terrifying new axis caused a domino effect where others universes found themselves dragged to it.
Crown Tagged ones[]
Main Taggers[]
Ancestor[]
- "Ruin has come to our family. You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial. Gazing proudly from its stoic perch above the moor. I lived all my years in that ancient, rumor-shadowed manor. Fattened by decadence and luxury. And yet, I began to tire of conventional extravagance. Singular, unsettling tales suggested the mansion itself was a gateway to some fabulous and unnamable power. With relic and ritual, I bent every effort towards the excavation and recovery of those long-buried secrets, exhausting what remained of our family fortune on swarthy workmen and sturdy shovels. At last, in the salt-soaked crags beneath the lowest foundations we unearthed that damnable portal of antediluvian evil. Our every step unsettled the ancient earth but we were in a realm of death and madness! In the end, I alone fled laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity. Until consciousness failed me. You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial. It is a festering abomination! I beg you, return home, claim your birthright, and deliver our family from the ravenous clutching shadows of the Darkest Dungeon."
- — Ancestor's Letter
The man simply known as the Ancestor is the father of a reserved identity individual and was he former owner of the Estate. After a lifetime of debauchery and arcane pursuits, he excavated an unspeakable, ancient horror far below the foundations of his manor. This discovery shocked him into realising the depths of his crimes and recklessness, only too late for him to personally make amends. In a final letter sent to his son, he bequeaths them the Estate and urges them to reclaim it from the burgeoning corruption that now plagues it due to his actions. He then ends his own life. Even in death, however, the Ancestor accompanies and guides the rest of the tagged ones as an omnipresent Narrator.
Heart of Darkness[]
- "Behold the heart of the world! Progenitor of life, father and mother, alpha and omega! Our creator... and our destroyer."
- — The Ancestor
Academic[]
- "Ruin has found you at last. My protégé - my friend - our calculations were correct: the ephemeral equation is unbalanced. The earth spins on a strange and terrifying new axis and everywhere... unbridled consequence. The world is a wasteland of failures past, and you must ride out into it, unafraid. Take this - it is Hope. The very last of it. It is yours now. You were bold once. Be bold once more. Free yourself from this suffocating stillness, fix your gaze on the horizon, and face the fearsome truth... of the Darkest Dungeon."
- — The Academic to the Crown Bearer
The Academic was one of the few individuals who met a particular student at the University in an unknown Sprawl. Together, they studied the metaphysical structure of the world and learned a horrifying truth...
When looking at books at the university his protege discovered a strange symbol scribbled in blood and when looking upon further books the Protégé found a pattern the symbol of the iron crown seemed to be tied to the rising of ancient civilizations and the Protégé became so eager to show their findings to the faculty, but the Academic feared that without proper evidence something thatbthe Protégé agreed reluctantly. As the years went on more and more evidences were gathered by the Academic and his Protégé who the academic felt was resentful as every time they argued about showing their research on the iron crown until the tragedy. A fire struck the university's library reducing to ashes years of research and while the academic was relieved a strange letter arrived....
Crown Bearer[]
- "I hereby acknowledge and accept the fullness and severity of my mistakes."
- — Crown Bearer accepting the tragic extent of his failings.
The Crown Bearer is the identity of what is known to be the leader in the Iron Crown Crisis as he was the one tied to the Ancestor's Estate and the head researcher in the meaning behind the Iron Crown and in a way he was the King of the Iron Crown and thus he has to face of the spreading caliginous stain of the iron crown.