| Palate of Agony Suit | |
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Palate of Agony is a Legendary Titan armor set that can be acquired from the “Root of Nightmares” Raid.
Helm of Agony
- "Acolytes of Nezarec: Briar - I "
- — Armor description
Lore
The weight of the forest's darkness pressed down on me.
Adrenaline pumped through me as I watched my opponent fall. I listened for the thud as their body collided with the ground.
Deep crimson painted a nearby tree, sliding down through bark and seeping into sapwood, the excess pooling on the ground to soak in the dead pine needles.
I don't remember who it was or why I had chosen to slay them.
In the past, I had seen my fair share of bloodshed. Killed indiscriminately. If you saw another day on my lands, it was because I willed it.
But this felt different.
Up ahead, shadows shifted in the sea of trees. I braced myself, sword held steady. Shivers traveled up my fingertips, electrified my arms, and settled as a chill on the back of my neck.
"Who's there?"
I could hear whispers all around me, from behind every tree. It was overwhelming, all-encompassing, indecipherable.
The shadow swiftly closed the distance between us until it towered over me.
It reached for me, and I stepped back.
I remember the sinister laugh, the way it touched a primal fear deep within me.
I was paralyzed. My mind flooded with whispers.
Its wispy body lurched forward and slammed through me. I felt myself fall. The wind left my lungs, and for a moment, there was nothing… an emptiness the likes of which I had never felt before.
Gauntlets of Agony
- "Acolytes of Nezarec: Briar - II "
- — Armor description
Lore
The cycle remained the same, but my actions were not my own. My blade felt heavier with each battle.
I did not recognize the shadow attached to me.
I did not recognize myself.
Did I even know who I was to begin with?
The shouts and pleas of my enemies reverberated in the air. My skin burned, and my heart pounded harder than a hammer striking an anvil. My head… my head was filled with a dense fog. I was present but lost.
My adversary fell to the ground gasping for air.
I fixed my eyes on their face, and a breathy, animalistic snarl escaped my lips. It lingered in the air like a haunting song.
Beneath it, was that laugh. His laugh.
I fell to my knees, staining them in the crimson that had pooled beneath my boots. I dropped my sword and lifted my shaky hands up to my eyes.
The fresh blood ran down my fingers, forming a tapestry in the palm lines. I saw his face in the pattern, felt the weight of his hands on my shoulders. On my mind.
I screamed.
Plate of Agony
- "Acolytes of Nezarec: Briar - III "
- — Armor description
Lore
…You are mine…
My threaded silk sheets were no longer a comfort. Instead, they felt like gravel against my skin. Every twist and turn yielded pain.
The lit candle beside my bed did not ease my mind. I turned onto my back, eyes trained on the ceiling to avoid the shadows dancing in the candlelight's orange glow.
As I sunk into my pillow, I felt as though it would eventually suffocate me. It could not grant me solace from the whispers.
They were always present—like white noise. At least until he required my attention.
…Bring me more…
Groans of pain and agony poured into my room. Each corner shifted and warped in ways I could only attribute to that fateful day in the woods.
I was paralyzed by the weight of it all.
The flame at the tip of the wick flickered weakly as it neared the bottom of the holder where the wax pooled. Numerous claws and black tendrils inched their way toward my bed.
…You will never be free…
I cried out as Solar energy burst forth. The hammer was warm in my grasp. I leapt from my bed, slammed the fiery weapon down into the floorboards. I felt the heat intensify, as flames licked at every surface they could find.
The shadows still danced. Still reached for me.
I tried to burn them away. Wood splintered and cracked as everything fell apart.
My screams drowned in the destruction of my home.
Greaves of Agony
- "Acolytes of Nezarec: Briar - IV "
- — Armor description
Lore
"I did not ask for your help!" I shouted.
Rage coursed through me.
My knife was stained red. I shouldn't have been able to see it. Any of it. But here I was, staring back at my Ghost.
"You need your sight!" Firethorn returned. His voice was laced with concern, something I ignored in the moment, but would remember for years to come.
"That is not up to you! He preys upon my vision!"
I stepped forward, and Firethorn floated up to meet my gaze.
The blade in my hand shook as a faint whisper tickled the back of my mind.
…Do it…
I shouted, covered my ears. I could see shapes forming in the darkness of the tree line again. I couldn't take it anymore, but I knew Firethorn would only continue to heal me.
"You need to snap out of this," Firethorn pushed. "You're losing control! Where is the great Briar of the Wild Brambles?"
…Dead…
"The thorn that pierced the heart of would-be gods?"
…A puppet…
"Pain and terror were your symphony!"
…MY symphony…
"What's become of—"
I remember how easily my hand wrapped around him; how I forced him to the ground and pierced his lens with my knife. I hadn't realized what I'd done until I saw the light flicker out of his eye.
Firethorn's pieces were the last things I saw before succumbing to permanent darkness.
Mark of Agony
- "Acolytes of Nezarec: Briar - V "
- — Armor description
Lore
The campfire crackled and echoed throughout the cave. I reached toward it, allowing the warmth to guide me. The man across from me had remained silent throughout my recollection.
"You carry the scent of him… of Nezarec."
"As do you, Briar of the Wild Brambles," the man said. The title felt unfamiliar as it left his lips. Was I still deserving of that moniker? It felt long gone. "It's faint… but still there."
"What is the true reason you've sought me out?"
There was a long pause. Then I heard him shuffle around for something in his bag.
"My family has been in Nezarec's favor for generations," he said.
I defensively gripped my walking stick, ready to draw my blade if necessary. Then I heard the thud of a heavy object, and, after a few seconds, the sound of pages turning. He spoke again.
"Our experiences will not be the last." The pages continued to turn, just loud enough for me to hear over the crackle of the fire. "Do you wish to feel his full power again?" the man asked.
Deep down, I felt an instantaneous "yes" ring loud and true. I'd spent so long fearing his influence, the sheer terror he amplified within me. But when he was gone, all that remained was a void—an all-consuming vacuum of terror.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked.
I had no way of definitively knowing, but something told me the man was smiling.
List of appearances
References