Kremnos, Cleanse Thy Rusted Blood (I)

Patch: 3.0 · Chapter: Heroic Saga of Flame-Chase · Mission 06 of 10Previous: Night Veil, Shroud the Silent Past · Next: A Cleansing of Gold

Official summary

After returning from the Abyss, you split into two teams once again. Phainon and Dan Heng head to assist the battle-worn Mydei, while you plan to harness Oronyx's power to gather the memory fragments. Once this is done, the goal is to open a way into Castrum Kremnos' past, where everyone would join forces with Castorice to destroy Nikador's undying body.

Synopsis

Parting ways in Okhema

Tribbie ferries the party back to the "Eternal Holy City" Okhema after the descent into the Abyss, sparing everyone the long ride into the city on the dromas. Phainon thanks her and reports on the state of their plan. The problem is stark: Oronyx, the Time Titan, has refused to help them uncover the past of Castrum Kremnos — but for reasons no one understands, the Titan took an interest in the Trailblazer. Through some unknown means, Oronyx "gifted" the Trailblazer a small creature, which Phainon awkwardly calls a "pet."

The creature immediately objects: Mem — "Pet. Mem — isn't!" Phainon relays what Dan Heng has surmised: this creature is somehow connected to a god from beyond the sky (glossed elsewhere as Fuli), and it may be the key to solving their problem. Tribbie repeats the phrase warily — "A god from beyond the sky..." — a reminder that outsiders and their cosmology are dangerous knowledge in Amphoreus.

With time short, the group splits into two teams, mirroring an earlier division of labor:

• Phainon will head immediately to Castrum Kremnos to reinforce the battle-worn Mydei. Dan Heng volunteers to go with him, preferring the front lines where he can "ease the burden"; Phainon accepts, saying he has no reason to refuse.
• The Trailblazer, with Mem, is charged with the mission of uncovering the secret behind Nikador's indestructible body — the weakness of the "barbaric god." Castorice insists on staying with the Trailblazer to guarantee their safety.

Phainon entrusts this task to the Trailblazer earnestly — "I ask this sincerely from the bottom of my heart" — and, when the Trailblazer either accepts confidently or warns him to be careful, replies that "surviving the impossible is my specialty." He promises he and Mydei will be waiting on the battlefield. Before leaving, he asks Tribbie once more to manage the Century Gate, and she agrees on behalf of herself and her sisters ("just leave the Century Gate to us").

Mem's hunt for memory fragments

Alone with Castorice and Mem, the Trailblazer must find where Castrum Kremnos' lost memories are stored. Mem declares it can smell memories — "Memories... Smell, intense" — and that it can track down the past and recreate it. If the Trailblazer asks whether Mem is "actually a dog," it protests again ("Pet, not!"), but either way it leads the party through Okhema by scent. This establishes the core mechanic of the chapter: Mem can sense concentrated memory "scents" in people and objects, and the Trailblazer, in a trance-like state like the one Oronyx induced, can enter and relive those memories directly.

The party gathers three memory fragments from three residents of Okhema, each preserving a different piece of Castrum Kremnos' final days.

Fragment 1 — Bard Lipos and the ballad of Nikador's madness

Mem leads them to Bard Lipos, who offers his usual repertoire — the love stories of the ancient Chrysos Heirs, the turbulent Chrysos War, the rise and fall of the Seaside States. Castorice asks whether he has anything about Nikador's madness and the mystery of Castrum Kremnos vanishing into the fog. Lipos happens to have exactly such a ballad, one he says has "yet to grace the ears of others," and sings it. The ballad is a lore-critical prophecy/eulogy addressed to the Strife Titan:

"The war of a thousand years has drawn to its close. And now the world descends into a long night of chaos. O valiant Titan, tell me, how did your golden heart shatter into a thousand fragments?" — Bard Lipos

"O mighty Nikador, the truth is clear to us all. Your steadfast divinity is not vanquished. You are shrouded momentarily by that encroaching black tide." — Bard Lipos

"But you never faltered, nor did you flee! Your golden warrior spirit, brave and bold, will conquer the black tide, as foretold. To the throne of Kremnos, you'll return once more!" — Bard Lipos

The ballad closes on the ritual the Kremnoans prepared for their maddened god: they promise to "touch your soul with our humble hands" and present a sacred Sword Vessel that "shall consecrate your eternal life and enshrine your everlasting glory." This is the first clear pointer to how Nikador's undying body came to be — the Kremnoans deliberately enshrined the Titan's divinity into a vessel as the black tide overtook his mind. Mem collects the fragment, and Castorice thanks Lipos, telling him his ballads will "endure through the ages, serving as a bulwark for Okhema."

Fragment 2 — Grand Craftsman Chartonus and the Sword Vessel

Castorice recalls hearing that Chartonus, the Grand Craftsman, once made a holy vessel for Kremnos. They find him, and Castorice asks him to recount commissioning a divine object for the Kremnoans. Chartonus (who speaks in a distinctive inverted, terse syntax) confirms it happened, but explains that in his enormously long life he has forged "thousands of marvels of weaponry" and cannot possibly remember them all. He apologizes that he cannot help the "Outlander." (Whether the Trailblazer says they seek to vanquish Nikador for good or to protect Okhema, his answer is the same.)

Where memory fails, Mem intervenes — "Mem, knows! Help, friend! Memory, retrieve!" — and the Trailblazer relives the memory directly. In the recovered scene, a Kremnos High Elder asks Chartonus whether he can craft "a Sword Vessel that can seal divinity." Chartonus answers that nothing his hammer cannot forge exists, and names his materials:

"The finest stones in Kremnos, give me. The golden blood of Strife Titan, find me. The Sword Vessel, I shall craft." — Chartonus

When the Elder asks his price, Chartonus refuses ordinary payment. His demand is freedom for his people:

"Peace, for my people. Mountain Dwellers, no longer servants or fighters for Kremnos. Ever." — Chartonus

The Elder gives his word. This confirms that the Sword Vessel was purpose-built to seal a god's divinity, forged from Nikador's own golden blood — and reveals Chartonus' devotion to the Mountain Dwellers he sought to liberate from Kremnoan servitude. (Unlocks the achievement Rebuilding the Rights of Statues.)

Returning to the present, Castorice checks that the Trailblazer is unharmed and marvels at the ability: reading others' memories "sounds like something that could easily be misused. Luckily, you're the one wielding it."

Fragment 3 — Damionis and the photo of the last festival

Mem next leads them to Damionis, whom Castorice is surprised to see free — "Did Lady Aglaea release him already?" The Trailblazer can recall Damionis with irritation (he nearly got the Trailblazer and Dan Heng killed, and got them interrogated by Aglaea over the "world beyond the sky") or as a copyright violator; either way Castorice notes his bad reputation but agrees they should ask him if Mem senses valuable memories.

Damionis explains he was released after making a vow to Aglaea never to speak of "the world beyond the sky" — an oath he treats with total seriousness, since "breaking a vow with Lady Aglaea would be like... digging my own grave." Asked about Castrum Kremnos, he first notes that Nikador's territory was off-limits to unarmed civilians, then remembers he did visit once and produces a photograph. He recounts that during the final days of the Chrysos War, the final festival took place in Castrum Kremnos. Because of the tension, few outsiders competed, and Damionis found the atmosphere deeply wrong — "It felt more like the Kremnoans were preparing for a mysterious ceremony." Sensing something off, he snapped a photo outside the city and left, and "what followed was something completely unexpected" — the implied moment Castrum Kremnos vanished into the fog. He hands over the photo as an apology, and Mem collects the third fragment.

Reporting to Aglaea and setting out

With all three memory fragments gathered, Mem chirps that it is time to go to Castrum Kremnos and relive the past. Castorice asks to check in with Lady Aglaea one last time before they leave. The Trailblazer receives a message in a group chat with Castorice and Aglaea reporting their readiness.

Afterward, Castorice explains her reasoning. Reporting in was not fear or mere protocol — she does it to acknowledge Aglaea's dedication to Okhema and to keep her from feeling disheartened. Whether the Trailblazer asks if she is scared of Aglaea or whether she always has to report everything, Castorice's answer is the same: "I just don't want to see her disappointed." She adds that Aglaea's contributions to Okhema deserve far more appreciation than she gets, as most people see the Golden Weaver as distant and aloof. With that, the three of them (and Mem) set out for Castrum Kremnos to recreate its memories.

The mission closes by cutting away to a new perspective:

Switching to Aglaea's POV... Aglaea begins a personal investigation after discovering that Okhema might have been infiltrated, pulling out the filth hidden in the nooks and crannies of the city...

This sets up the following mission, A Cleansing of Gold.

Key characters

• Trailblazer — Given the memory-reading gift by Oronyx via Mem; tasked by Phainon with finding Nikador's weakness. Enters and relives memory fragments to recover Kremnos' lost history.
• Mem — The small creature gifted by Oronyx, tied to "a god from beyond the sky" (Fuli). Refuses to be called a pet/dog. Tracks concentrated memory "scents" and lets the Trailblazer relive them; the chapter's central mechanic.
• Castorice — Stays to protect the Trailblazer while Phainon and Dan Heng go to the front. Guides the memory hunt and voices the party's affection and defense of Aglaea.
• Phainon — Splits off to reinforce Mydei at Castrum Kremnos; earnestly entrusts the Nikador mission to the Trailblazer.
• Dan Heng — Volunteers to join Phainon on the front lines; source of the theory linking Mem to Fuli.
• Tribbie — Ferries the group to Okhema and takes charge of the Century Gate.
• Bard Lipos — Sings the previously-unheard ballad of Nikador's madness, revealing the Sword Vessel ritual.
• Chartonus — Grand Craftsman who forged the Sword Vessel to seal Nikador's divinity; demanded freedom for the Mountain Dwellers as payment.
• Damionis — Released after vowing to Aglaea never to speak of "the world beyond the sky"; provides a photo of Kremnos' last, ritual-tinged festival.
• Aglaea — Off-screen for most of the mission; the closing beat pivots to her POV as she begins hunting an infiltration of Okhema.

Lore notes

• The plan against Nikador. Nikador (the Strife Titan) has an immortal / indestructible body. The goal is to open a path into Castrum Kremnos' past via recreated memory and, joining forces with Castorice, destroy that undying body. This mission is pure setup — gathering the three memory fragments that unlock the journey into the past (continued in Kremnos, Cleanse Thy Rusted Blood (II)).
• Oronyx and Mem. Oronyx, the Time Titan, refused direct help but took interest in the Trailblazer and gave them Mem, a creature connected to Fuli, "a god from beyond the sky." This ties Mem's memory/time powers to a non-Amphoreus (Aeon-adjacent) source. [?] Why Oronyx singled out the Trailblazer, and the exact nature of Mem's link to Fuli, are left open.
• The Sword Vessel. Two fragments converge on the same object: a Sword Vessel that can seal divinity, forged by Chartonus from "the finest stones in Kremnos" and "the golden blood of Strife Titan." The Bard's ballad frames it as the ritual by which the Kremnoans enshrined their maddened god's "eternal life" — strongly implying the Sword Vessel is the mechanism behind Nikador's indestructible body. [?] The exact relationship between the sealed divinity, the vessel, and Nikador's current undying form is to be confirmed.
• The black tide. The ballad names the black tide as what "momentarily shrouds" Nikador's divinity and drove him to madness — a recurring Amphoreus threat. It "shatter[ed] his golden heart into a thousand fragments," and the ritual promised he would "conquer the black tide, as foretold" and return to the throne of Kremnos.
• Chartonus and the Mountain Dwellers. Chartonus, an extraordinarily long-lived Grand Craftsman, forged the vessel not for wealth but to buy permanent freedom for the Mountain Dwellers, who were servants and fighters for Kremnos. Achievement Rebuilding the Rights of Statues hints at the Mountain Dwellers' statue-like nature.
• The vanishing of Castrum Kremnos. Damionis witnessed the final festival during the last days of the Chrysos War, which felt like preparation for a "mysterious ceremony." Shortly after, "something completely unexpected" happened — the event by which Castrum Kremnos vanished into the fog, aligning with the ritual the ballad describes.
• Terminology touched: Titans (Strife/Nikador, Time/Oronyx), Chrysos Heirs, Chrysos War, Seaside States, black tide, Mountain Dwellers, Century Gate, "the world beyond the sky" (outsider cosmology, a forbidden topic).
• Damionis' vow to Aglaea never to reveal "the world beyond the sky" foreshadows Okhema's sensitivity to outsider knowledge — directly connected to the closing hook.
• Connection to next mission. The final POV switch to Aglaea investigating an infiltration of Okhema sets up A Cleansing of Gold (mission 07). [?] Who/what has infiltrated Okhema is not yet revealed.

Sources

• Kremnos, Cleanse Thy Rusted Blood (I) — HSR Wiki

Hindsight (full arc)

• Foreshadowing: Mem's promise that collecting memory fragments will yield "something really, really good" foreshadows As I've Written being revealed as a Remembrance encryption key / data terminal (3.6), each story downloading a demigod's Titan Rune.
• Foreshadowing: Aglaea's closing pivot to hunting an infiltration of Okhema seeds the Council of Elders' coup and the revived assassin order the Cleaners (3.3).
• Reread with the reveal: The Trailblazer reliving others' memories via Mem is, in hindsight, the same Remembrance mechanism by which the whole of Amphoreus is composed and archived (3.6/3.7).
• [?] resolved: Cipher, the demigod Aglaea is summoning through Bartholos, is revealed as Cifera (3.3) — orphan of Dolos, bearer of Zagreus's Trickery, and the one who faked Zagreus's death.