Collected Works: Dark Sea

Overview

Collected Works: Dark Sea is a Forsaken World lore series focused on the Dark Sea — mysterious oceanic regions where Storm Legion ships emerged from the deeps. Sailors' journals, naval battle accounts, and cryptid sightings collected into one tome. Atmospheric lore for players invested in Storm Legion arc.

This article covers the in-world story content, lore beats, and player relevance.

Seasons

Summer

It was a scorching summer. Fishermen and traders bustled in the port, with the sounds of people and splashing water everywhere. He sat on a bench by the sea, took out his flute, and music filled with freedom began to flow. She stood behind him.

Suddenly, the flute's sound ceased. He turned to her, paused, and said, "You know, I have to go." She laughed, "I know. I'll wait for you." He frowned, "What if I die..." She silenced him with a finger to his lips.

Autumn

Birds flew south, but she continued to come to the bench every day, waiting. One day, a half-wrecked ship docked in the port, a huge monster had pierced it. Amidst the crowd's cries, bodies covered with white cloth were carried off the ship.

With bated breath, she slowly lifted the white cloths until she sighed with relief. He wasn't among the dead.

The next day, she sat by the shore again, watching the horizon, waiting for the ship to arrive.

Winter

Animals that once roamed everywhere were no longer visible, trees withered, and blue smoke rose from chimneys. The port was deserted. Winter came with the cold northern wind.

She fell ill and could no longer come to the port to wait for him. She could only lie still in bed. She seemed calm, but her heart was full of anxiety. She prayed for the last ship to come and for him to return.

The last ship never returned to the port. But even if it had, she would not have known. After a long wait, her soul and body finally gave in. Before her eyes closed for the last time, she continued to look towards the port.

Spring

Birds returned, and Freeport was filled with chirping and whistling. Fishermen began to go out to sea again. Freeport came alive once more.

A kingfisher circled slowly in the sky, then landed on a stone statue to preen its feathers.

"That statue wasn't here last year!" thought the kingfisher and flew away.

As the bird flew over the statue, it saw an inscription it couldn't read. It said, "I am waiting for you!"

In spring, all living things are reborn. In summer, flowers bloom. In autumn, flowers wither. In winter, all life comes to a standstill. One day, the grave will disappear into the earth, and in a few years, no one will remember this "I am waiting for you."

Sea Oath

Pointing to the waves, he said, "My love for you is as deep as this sea!" She laughed shyly and asked, "And it will never change?"

He thought for a moment, then pointed to the sea and said, "Yes, it will never retreat, like this sea."

Four years later, he decided to go to another continent. Before leaving, he said, "When I earn money and return, we'll live happily."

She nodded and saw him off. Several years passed, and he never returned. One day, she received a letter.

She opened it at the place of their first meeting. It contained one word: "Sorry."

She realized he would not return. She looked at the sea and saw it had retreated several meters.

"Even the sea can retreat, so what about oaths?" she thought.

The Assassin

"Do you really have to go?" she looked at him, trying to remain calm, but her face showed anxiety.

He hesitated, then replied, "You know, I'm an assassin, and if I don't complete the task, there will be only one result!"

"I'll wait for you!" she said quietly. He said nothing and disappeared into the darkness.

The task this time was simple. He needed to kill a waiter who knew many secrets. He decided to act in the evening, but then no one in the tavern could be left alive.

"I don't care, I don't know them!" he thought.

He completed the task. The next day he returned home, but she was gone. On the table lay a note: "Dear, I went to the tavern for wine for you, if you return earlier, wait for me."

He was stunned. He realized she would not return.

Since then, no one has seen him again.

Butterflies

He had never seen such a beautiful woman. He was struck as if by lightning, and his heart lost its peace. "I must have her," he thought.

And he began to act. Every day he left roses or a love letter at her door.

Soon she noticed him and got used to him always being nearby, and so they fell in love.

He swore to love her all his life, and she believed him. They decided to marry.

But before that, he needed to solve one problem.

A month later, they held a wedding in the garden near his house. When they exchanged rings, butterflies suddenly fluttered from the ground beneath their feet. She looked at him joyfully, thinking it was a surprise he had prepared. His face showed nothing but fear.

With a heart-wrenching scream, the butterflies sucked his blood and flesh, leaving only thin skin. Later, where the butterflies flew out, people dug up the body of a woman.

Once he loved her, but then she became a problem for him.

This is the story of the butterflies.

The Tombstone

Here reigns desolation and silence, few would want to come here because the towering tombstones everywhere evoke melancholy and fear.

She passed one hill, then another, wandering for half an hour through this endless cemetery.

Finally, she stopped in a ravine. In front of her were 10 tombstones. They had no names, and around each lay dry flowers, once left there long ago.

She took out a lovely flower and stood before the first grave. She carefully placed the flower by the tombstone.

"I came to you," she said. Then she approached the second grave: "I haven't seen you in my dreams for a long time, how are you?"

She placed a flower at the second tombstone and moved to the third. Thus, she laid a flower at each of the ten graves.

After finishing, she sat by one of the graves, her wrinkled lips murmuring:

"I don't know what there is after death. In the first days after you left me, I often saw you with your brothers in my dreams. Every time I woke up crying and fell asleep again to see dreams."

She murmured until the sun set and darkness enveloped her. Finally, she awoke, looked at the graves, and gently said, "Dear, I must go, next year I will come again."

And she slowly walked away.

The next day, a girl and a woman passed through this ravine.

The girl looked at the graves and asked her mother: "Mom, mom, how strange, there are no names on the tombstones!"

The mother pondered, then seemed to remember something: "These are the graves of ten great heroes!"

The girl continued to ask: "But why didn't they write their names?"

The mother sighed: "These heroes died fighting against the Legion of Storms. When they were found, it was impossible to determine who was who, so the villagers erected ten tombstones but did not write names."

Tears stood in the girl's eyes: "Mom, let's lay flowers for them!" The mother nodded, then her gaze fell on the fresh flowers (bird of paradise) by the tombstone.

"Grandma came again," she thought.

That's the end of the story.

The Weeping Grass

Once I encountered these amazing plants, or rather creatures. They inhabit the darkest and dampest places, where sunlight does not penetrate. At first glance, they are no different from ordinary plants.

But if you pull them from the ground, you can see they have arms and legs. They even have faces, very reminiscent of human ones.

At the slightest touch, they begin to scream loudly and piercingly. Remember, their bites are deadly poisonous.

Terrifying rumors circulate about this plant. A count constantly sought new wives, killing their predecessors.

After some time, the count noticed that strange plants appeared where he buried the girls. One day he pulled one out of the ground.

He was terribly frightened, as the plant resembled one of his brides who was buried there.

While examining the plant, it bit him. This is the story of the "weeping grass." The count parted with life, and we learned about this plant.

The Charm

She never wanted to be the most attractive woman in the world, but she dreamed of winning the heart of only one man, her husband.

She sought out a great alchemist and asked for his help. The alchemist asked, "What help do you need?"

She asked directly, "Do you have anything to make my husband love me madly?"

The alchemist paused in hesitation but eventually replied, "Such a potion exists. It will make your husband love only you forever, but..."

"But what?" she asked.

"By taking this potion, you will become ugly. Everyone except your husband will feel only disgust and aversion towards you. You must understand, the main principle of alchemy is the preservation of balance," the alchemist explained.

After thinking, the woman replied, "Give me this potion!"

The alchemist was astonished. He rummaged in his bag, took out the potion, and gave it to her, saying, "I hope you won't regret it!"

She took the vial and, without looking back, left the alchemist's tent.

She truly won her husband's heart, but suspicions and gossip began to arise around them. But they did not feel unhappy. Perhaps it was because true love is self-sufficient and does not notice others' gossip and rumors.

The Bird

On the continent of Karos, there were two types of birds. One type constantly displayed its colorful feathers and boasted of their beauty.

The beauty of the second type's feathers could only be seen when it spread its wings in flight.

The first type of birds quickly became people's pets, and when they got used to their beauty, they began to serve them at the table. The second type of birds was rarely seen by people, and it was an honor for them.

The first bird is a pheasant, and the second we call a phoenix!

The Thornbush

In childhood, I was afraid of the thornbush because it scratched me.

One day, enemies attacked my home, and I hid in the bushes of that thornbush.

The thornbush scratched me as before, but I was grateful to it. I survived.

The Dispute

On the plain, I met three apostles. They were pointing at a banner nearby and arguing about something.

The first apostle said, "The banner moves by itself!" The second apostle said, "The banner moves because the wind blows."

The third apostle said, "Only our consciousness moves." The apostles' argument did not subside, and they decided to ask someone else and turned to me. I said, "You are all right, the banner moves, the wind, and our consciousness."

Hearing this, the apostles became terribly angry and beat me.

FAQ

Q: Where to find? A: Coastal NPCs (Freedom Harbor, Lighthouse), naval-themed quest rewards, rare drops from sea-encounter events.

Q: Foreshadowing? A: Yes — Dark Sea content sets up later Storm Legion fleet encounters and the broader naval-themed endgame raids.

Q: Achievement progress? A: Counts toward the same Collected Works achievement as Abyss and Purgatory variants.

See Also

• Lighthouse
• Harbor in Flames
• Main site: Class guides