The Grand Palace

Duke Luca Abele tore down the original palace in Karnaca, where his father once pinned a medal to my chest. Over the ruins, the Duke built a structure that cost enough to feed everyone in Serkonos for years. A sprawling estate to humble all others, a monument to his ego. I owe it to the people of my homeland to make this right. In Dunwall, we were content to look the other way as long as the silver kept flowing. I’ve got to get inside the Grand Palace, deal with the Duke, and find a way to steal Delilah’s soul.

Duke Luca Abele tore down the old palace in Karnaca and built himself a new one, a monument to his ego. Whether he knows it’s coming or not, I’m here to exact vengeance for everything he’s done to me, my family, and the place of my birth. I’m going to show him what happens to those who threaten the empress. After tonight, the Duke will either be dead or deposed, depending on how this plays out. I’ve got to get inside, take care of the Duke, and find a way to steal Delilah’s soul.

Duke Luca Abele tore down the original palace in Karnaca, his birthplace, in order to build a lavish structure that cost enough to feed everyone in Serkonos for years. It’s said to be a sprawling estate to humble all others, a monument to his ego and sense of princely entitlement. But whatever the Duke has done to his nation happened while I was empress. In Dunwall, we were content to look the other way as long as the silver kept flowing. I’ve got to get inside the Grand Palace, deal with the Duke, and find a way to steal Delilah’s soul.

Duke Luca Abele tore down the old palace in Karnaca and built himself a new one, a monument to his ego. Whether he knows it’s coming or not, I’m here to make him pay for everything he’s done. I’m going to show him what happens to those who turn traitor to the empire. After tonight, the Duke will either be dead or deposed, depending on how this plays out, and whatever happens to Serkonos in the aftermath is his fault, not mine. I’ve got to get inside, take care of the Duke, and find a way to steal Delilah’s soul.

The Dust District.

My lungs are still burning. I thought the coughing wouldn’t stop. Meagan’s fermented shark broth helped a bit.

Batista was in worse shape than I thought. The Dust District they call it, but the problem isn’t just the bad air. It’s the stress of living in constant fear, constant danger from the fighting between the Howlers and the Overseers. Now that I’ve gotten rid of Liam Byrne and Paolo, I’m hoping things will be a little quieter. Both men were willing to sacrifice the lives of everyone in the district for power. So they both deserved what they got.

But I still don’t feel good about it. This is where I grew up. My home. Duke Luca Abele is going to pay.

The Dust District.

My lungs are still burning. I thought the coughing wouldn’t stop. Meagan’s fermented shark broth helped a bit.

Did I know things had gotten this bad in Batista over the last few years? Did Emily know? How many more people have to grow up calling it the Dust District? I have no answers.

I never liked the Abbey much, even ended the previous High Overseer’s career myself. But I today I helped Vice Overseer Byrne and the Overseers. I brought Paolo to Byrne, who now has a chance to change things in the city. Without the constant fighting, maybe some of the suffering will stop.

The Dust District.

My lungs are still burning. I thought the coughing wouldn’t stop. Meagan’s fermented shark broth helped a bit.

Batista was in worse shape than I thought. The Dust District they call it, but the problem isn’t just the bad air. It’s the stress of living in constant fear, constant danger from the fighting between the Howlers and the Overseers. No way I could choose one side or the other. So I rejected the setup and found my own solution.

But I still don’t feel good about it. This is where I grew up. My home. Duke Luca Abele is going to pay. When Emily is Empress again, she can visit. We can do something to help people.

The Dust District.

My lungs are still burning. I thought the coughing wouldn’t stop. Meagan’s fermented shark broth helped a bit.

Did I know things had gotten this bad in Batista over the last few years? Did Emily know? How many more people have to grow up calling it the Dust District? I have no answers.

As long as the Howlers and the Overseers kept fighting, the people of the district were going to suffer. So I delivered Vice Overseer Liam Byrne to Paolo. Now the Howlers will have the upper hand. Had I not been sent to Dunwall when I was eighteen, I could’ve ended up as one of them. Paolo is sincere when he says he wants to help the people. I hope I’ve put my faith in the right person.

Delilah’s secret.

Aramis Stilton never meant to get caught up in all this, but he played a key role: He supplied the Duke’s inner circle with a place to hatch their greatest scheme.

In Stilton’s home, I could see both the past and the present. I watched a séance, during which Delilah Copperspoon’s spirit was brought out of the Void, where she was trapped, and into our world. I saw the witch Breanna Ashworth bind Delilah’s spirit to an effigy made of bone, which was then given to Duke Abele to guard.

This is the secret to Delilah’s immortality. It is also the secret to her undoing. I just haven’t worked out all the details yet.

The Dust District.

The Dust District. I can’t find the words to describe the misery here, and the grit in the air. I’ve been coughing for an hour straight and my mind feels cloudy.

I got rid of Paolo, the leader of the Howlers. He brought only fear and trickery. He’ll trouble the city no more. And that goes for Vice Overseer Liam Byrne as well. His intolerance, his personal ambition. Could any of us live up to the expectations the Overseers demand? Whoever ends up ruling over Karnaca, it won’t be a gang of cutthroats nor will it be the Abbey. Now I need to make sure it won’t be Duke Luca Abele either.

The Dust District.

My thoughts are troubled as I leave the Dust District. I hope things will be different there, now that I’ve helped the Overseers. What will Vice Overseer Liam Byrne do, with Paolo out of the way? This is his opportunity to make the place livable again, the air breathable. Hopefully using more than sermons. I know many of their beliefs are backward. And I know the Outsider is real. But at least Byrne is sincere, dedicated to what he thinks is best for the people living in Karnaca.

Will the fighting stop? Will Byrne be able to change things for the miners and their families? I hope I made the right choice. I didn’t do enough to protect the least empowered parts of the Empire when I had the chance. I can see that now, even through all the dust.

The Dust District.

I’d heard stories about the Dust District. Now I’ve seen it for myself, and breathed the polluted air. I’d still be coughing if it weren’t for Meagan’s fermented shark broth, even if it tastes like something she dredged up out of the sewers.

In the Dust District, I could have sided with Paolo or Vice Overseer Byrne, choosing one evil over another, but that could have had unforeseen consequences. So I rejected the setup and found my own solution.

The Dust District.

I’d heard it was bad, but now I’ve seen firsthand how Duke Abele’s policies are destroying the Dust District.

Or maybe it was my fault. I just looked the other way, as long as the silver kept coming.

In the end, I decided to help Paolo. I hope it was the right choice. He’s more than just a Howler, and he could be a good leader. He’s been living in Batista, the Dust District, his entire life, organizing things, defending the people. His methods are questionable, but so are mine.

These people deserve better than rulers like Duke Abele. And I won’t rest until they’re free.

Delilah’s secret.

Today I saw the effects of the Void, leaking into Aramis Stilton’s house through cracks in reality. I was able to see the past and the present, simultaneously.

I learned a great deal, looking into the night of the Duke’s gathering, three years past. I watched a séance that brought Delilah’s spirit from the Void where she was trapped, and into this world. I saw that spirit preserved in an effigy made of bone by the witch Breanna Ashworth.

And that effigy, holding Delilah’s spirit, was given to Duke Abele for safekeeping.

Now I know why Delilah cannot be killed. As long as she’s not whole, she’ll remain immortal. Even the Outsider seemed worried. This is the information I’ve been seeking. Now I just have to turn it into a plan.