Vintage Story Wiki
The Dark Heat (BR)
Lore section: darkheat
betterruins:darkheat
· from betterruins
Researchers notes found near a meteor impact site.
Found in structures (3)
bookshelf: a lore bookshelf for this section; placed: this exact book sits in a container or on the ground; random loot: a loot roll in the structure can produce it. Read from the structure's schematics, so it shows where the game can put it, not a drop chance.
| Structure | Kind | How it is found |
|---|---|---|
| megastructures-rockformation-niclass | structure | random loot |
| shoppingcentre | storystructure | placed |
| forgottenvillage | storystructure | random loot |
Text
Entry I:
I arrived with the intention of studying the reported meteor impact in this region. The land bears the scars of something violent. The soil is fractured and dry, and the tall stone formations surrounding the site are scorched black along one side, as if seared by intense heat. Near the center of the impact, I discovered a fragment lodged shallow in the ground. It was metallic, dark, and strangely smooth. Despite lying exposed to wind and weather, it remained warm to the touch.
Entry II:
I carried the object up into a cave-in high among the stone formations. The space is narrow but stable and offers shelter from the elements. I cleared a section of flat ground and built a small working area. The object now rests on a stone slab. The air around it grows warmer at night. It emits no light and no sound, only a steady heat that lingers without source.
I arrived with the intention of studying the reported meteor impact in this region. The land bears the scars of something violent. The soil is fractured and dry, and the tall stone formations surrounding the site are scorched black along one side, as if seared by intense heat. Near the center of the impact, I discovered a fragment lodged shallow in the ground. It was metallic, dark, and strangely smooth. Despite lying exposed to wind and weather, it remained warm to the touch.
Entry II:
I carried the object up into a cave-in high among the stone formations. The space is narrow but stable and offers shelter from the elements. I cleared a section of flat ground and built a small working area. The object now rests on a stone slab. The air around it grows warmer at night. It emits no light and no sound, only a steady heat that lingers without source.
Entry III:
My initial tests were simple. I placed iron tools nearby, and over time they softened as if left beside hot coals. When enclosed in a clay box, the heat intensified. It appears the relic stores or radiates energy and responds differently when confined. I began to build a more solid containment chamber within the cave to better observe these effects.
Entry V:
The new chamber was completed and fully sealed for the first time this morning. I had hoped to observe a slow increase in heat, but the results were far more severe. Within hours, cracks formed through the stone. A low vibration began, not audible but felt through the floor. Before I could react, the relic released its energy.
My initial tests were simple. I placed iron tools nearby, and over time they softened as if left beside hot coals. When enclosed in a clay box, the heat intensified. It appears the relic stores or radiates energy and responds differently when confined. I began to build a more solid containment chamber within the cave to better observe these effects.
Entry V:
The new chamber was completed and fully sealed for the first time this morning. I had hoped to observe a slow increase in heat, but the results were far more severe. Within hours, cracks formed through the stone. A low vibration began, not audible but felt through the floor. Before I could react, the relic released its energy.
Entry VI:
There was a single, violent burst of force and heat. The chamber exploded outward. I was thrown against the cave wall, and my left leg was pinned beneath loose stone. It took time to free myself. My arm is burned, and my movement is limited. The relic now lies half-buried again, resting silently in the debris. The warmth is gone. It is cold to the touch. Whatever energy it once held has been fully released.
Final Entry:
I cannot remain here. My supplies are low, my wounds are worsening, and the fever has begun to rise. I have hidden my notes behind a loose stone near the back wall of the cave, wrapped tightly in cloth. The object remains where it fell, lifeless now yet still unlike anything I have ever seen.
I will try to make it to the next village on foot. It lies several days away.
There was a single, violent burst of force and heat. The chamber exploded outward. I was thrown against the cave wall, and my left leg was pinned beneath loose stone. It took time to free myself. My arm is burned, and my movement is limited. The relic now lies half-buried again, resting silently in the debris. The warmth is gone. It is cold to the touch. Whatever energy it once held has been fully released.
Final Entry:
I cannot remain here. My supplies are low, my wounds are worsening, and the fever has begun to rise. I have hidden my notes behind a loose stone near the back wall of the cave, wrapped tightly in cloth. The object remains where it fell, lifeless now yet still unlike anything I have ever seen.
I will try to make it to the next village on foot. It lies several days away.