ENDER LILIES - Quietus of the Knights

Part I - The Stories Before

(v1.02, written by Pimez)

[Author’s Note]

This is the first of the two lore documents for ENDER LILIES that I am
planning on making. Part I contains a summary of the main events that took place
before the game begins, followed by a brief summary of Lily’s journey with its ends.

This project is currently released on Discord and reddit. Please avoid

unauthorised plagiarism, and contact u/Pimez if you have any feedback. Enjoy!

[Table of Content]

● Chapter 1 - The Ancients and Dawn of First Age

● Chapter 2 - The Blighted and White Priestess
● Chapter 3 - Birth of the White Parish
● Chapter 4 - Fount and the Sorcerers
● Chapter 5 - Battle at the Twin Spires
● Chapter 6 - Calm before the Rain
● Chapter 7 - The Last White Priestess
● Appendix - Ambiguities and Speculations
● Version History & Closing Remark

…
 [Chapter 1 - The Ancients and Dawn of First Age]

Since ages ago there lived a civilization on this land who we now call the
Ancients. Among their magic was the Deathless Pact, a rite that granted their
warriors immortality, as long as the family line of the priestess they bound with
continued. This is the origin of the Ancients’ army of undying warriors.

On the day the King of the First Age arrived this land with his people, they
clashed with the Ancients and a fierce fight followed. Eventually emerging victorious,
the King claimed this land and divided it into six nations, one of which became the
Land’s End we know of now.

The victory was not without bloodshed however, and the Ancients were
almost completely eradicated, all except a child girl protected by the last undying
warrior, bound together by the last Deathless Pact remaining. Perhaps to atone for
his sin, the King adopted the girl who would later be known and revered as the first
White Priestess of the Dawn, but there was no record of where the undying warrior
Umbral Knight went.

[Chapter 2 - The Blighted and White Priestess]

Once thought completely wiped out, the Ancients’ corpses were reanimated
by the Blight, a curse that transformed people into monstrosities filled with madness.
From the Blighted Lands they returned, driven to Land’s End with a thirst for
revenge. The only way to stop their trampling was through purification, where
someone else would take on their Blight so that the Blighted would be free of their
undying shell.

However, no one but the White Priestesses can perform purification because
of their Ancient blood that grants resistance against the Blight’s corrosion to their
mind. Even with their sanity intact however, their body would suffer the same
agonising pain. While the adverse effects are lessened with the Aegis Curio, a
guardian heirloom crafted by the Ancients, its power would weaken after repeated
purifications over the years. Regrettably, this is the only hope left for the kingdom’s
survival.

…
 [Chapter 3 - Birth of the White Parish]

The burden of the White Priestess was not known to many, yet her prayers
undoubtedly saved the kingdom. From the miracle she brought arose the White
Parish, replacing many existing religions as a new one. They helped the White
Priestess in the fight against the Blighted, and they also prayed for those purified.

The battles against the Blighted continued for another generation. Through
the effort of the second White Priestess of the Wind and the many brave souls who
fought alongside, the bastion Twin Spires were built to protect the kingdom from the
threats in Blighted Lands.

[Chapter 4 - Fount and the Sorcerers]

Over years of repeated purifications, the weakened power of the Aegis Curio’s
ward was shown on the body of the White Priestess of Wind. She would pass away
soon after giving birth to Fretia, who would become the third White Priestess of the
Fount at the tender age of 14.

Despite the ever diminishing protection, Fretia continued to bestow salvation

upon the people, among which was the talented sorceress Eleine. To be of use to
Fretia, Eleine would dedicate her life in the Coven where many sorcerers sought
deeper knowledge of magic and aided in Blighted eradication with White Parish.

On the other hand, the King’s Mage Brigade was formed to look for new
means in fighting back the Blighted. Different from the Coven, they were permitted all
sorts of experiments within the realism of Blighted research. The King’s Mage
Brigade set up their laboratory in the underground Verboten Domain, which was
once home to the Ancient sorcerers before becoming a festering ground of the
Blight.

…
 [Chapter 5 - Battle at the Twin Spires]

A plague wind blew in from the Blighted Lands, and with it came a swarm of
abominations more wicked than ever. Following the crimson Blighted Lord, a battle of
unimaginable scale unfolded between the vile creatures and the kingdom at the Twin
Spires.

Together with the sorcerers and knights, Fretia fought a long and gruelling
battle against the Blighted invaders, and the countless purifications left her
weakened body an unfathomable pain. At long last, the battle ended with the
Blighted Lord’s purification, but the Aegis Curio broke and failed to fully protect Fretia
from the setback. This battle brought a short-lived peace to the kingdom, but not
everyone could rejoice, especially with Fretia left bedridden.

[Chapter 6 - Calm before the Rain]

After the battle at the Twin Spires, Fretia was sent to the Verboten Domain
laboratory where the King’s Mage Brigade would look for a cure to ease her
suffering. With her body being too far afflicted, the remaining hope was instead put
towards sharing her burden with new heirs. Eventually, nine White Priestess Children
were created artificially with the flesh of the Blighted White Priestess. These clones
of Fretia were the fourth and last generation of White Priestesses.

With her body deteriorating each day, Fretia asked Eleine for one last flavour
in repairing the Aegis Curio. Without the Ancient magic needed to restore its full
power, Eleine instead imbued a blessing to the amulets made from that broken
heirloom, before delivering them to all the Children.

Kept alive with a Blight transfer rite that the Children performed for her, Fretia
planned to keep all the remaining Blight from spreading outside Land’s End.
Together with the Blighted Lord she absorbed, Fretia would stay at the Abyss further
down the Verboten Domain.
 [Chapter 7 - The Last White Priestess]

Most of the Children escaped from the Verboten Domain afterwards.

However, despite the cease of invasion from the Blighted Lands after the defeat of
the Blighted Lord, a Rain of Death came. None could escape from the Blight that
began to spread throughout all of Land’s End, all except the last Children Lily, kept
safe in a secret laboratory built by the head of the King’s Mage Brigade.

And now, awakened from the call of the Umbral Knight, Lily journeys outward
to a kingdom of undead. Despite the incomplete ward from her amulet, Lily continues
to purify many Blighted for their memories to learn more of what happened and for
their power to survive. A choice about the fallen kingdom’s fate soon awaits Lily…

Ending A - Lily meets with Fretia’s spirit at the edge of Land’s End. She
would accept purification from Fretia, and leaves behind this land of Blight to live a
new life. Umbral Knight is staying with Fretia until she fulfils her final duty, promising
Lily to meet again one day so long as she can live on.

Ending B - Lily meets with Fretia at the depths of the Abyss. She would go
against the will of Fretia, and decides to share the burden by purifying the Blighted
Lord within Fretia together. In the Abyss they stay forever.

Ending C - Lily meets with Fretia at the depths of the Abyss. With the Ancient
magic deciphered through the Umbral Knight’s help, the Aegis Curio is at last fully
repaired. The heirloom at its full strength now protects Lily from purifying the Blighted
Lord within Fretia, freeing everyone from the neverending curse. After proper burials
of all the other Children, the two journey together in a world free of Blight.

…
 [Appendix - Ambiguities and Speculations]

The story of ENDER LILIES is not without ambiguities, and I took the liberty to
fill some of the gaps for this document to stay coherent from start to finish, while
staying accurate to the best of my ability. Caution is to be taken when distinguishing
speculation from what is actually canon.

- All other White Priestess Children were never given names explicitly,
particularly only the play-controlled one is referred explicitly to as Lily. Despite
the game’s title being “Ender Lilies”, I am opting to refer to others as the
White Priestess Children.

- Since the Aegis Curio supposedly only has one magic stone embedded.
While Lily’s amulet was very likely made from the same one, it is unknown
whether the stone was divided among other amulets of the Children as well,
or whether other amulet possess power of a similar capacity

- The Blight transfer rite itself has only ever been mentioned once in a memory,
and the Children’s part in it remains unclear. If they did purify Fretia to share
her burden, their corpses seen in-game should appear to be tainted (e.g. have
black hair strands) instead of being pure white

- One of the Children stayed in Verboten Domain until the very end. My theory
is that she let herself be experimented on voluntarily to ensure Lily’s slumber
would be successful, that she would be safe from the Rain and the Blighted
during the slumber

…
 [Version History]

Below are the summaries of the published version:

● 1.02 - 10th Dec 2021
○ Full revision for concision, almost all parts are rewritten/rephrased
○ Several speculations replaced with more likely ones
○ Added with Appendix
● 1.01 - 9th Dec 2021
○ Draft outlined with basic organisation
○ Added with Author’s Note, Table of Content, and closing remark

[Closing Remark]

Phew, this is my first time writing anything such as this. I haven’t fallen in love
with any game like I did with ENDER LILIES since Phoenotopia: Awakening and
CrossCode. (Both are beyond amazing btw, please check them out!) As such, I want
to learn more about the world of ENDER LILIES and share it with everyone. Hope
y’all find this helpful and able to appreciate the game even more now!