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The mysterious Orbs play a major role in the backstory of the Amnesia series.

Information[]

Description[]

Daniel's Orb

Daniel's Orb seen in a flashback

A single Orb is big enough to fill a person's cupped hands. The texture is smooth and jagged. Its colour-washed whilst also rich. Contrast is not enough to describe its nature. Its appearance is an impossibility. The ancient stone relics have an immaculate surface and perfect circular shape that look like they could have been moulded by a factory.

An uncovered Orb is bright and illuminating; but on specific situations, it will begin to flare a blue fiery light. To stand next to one is like being in a mad whirlpool of impressions. The 'storm' it forms can be a terrifying ordeal for a novice to experience.

Shattering[]

If someone is uninitiated in using the Orbs or inexperienced in the mystic arts, the Orb itself will either on the rare occasion evaporate away to nothing, or more likely, shatter. The shards or pieces of a broken Orb will behave very strangely. They change color, shape and texture, but ever so slightly. Orb shards bleed madness and can be used as instruments of torture in and of themselves.

The shattering of an Orb can be very dangerous and cause irreparable damage. Not only can shards reveal the future, but disrupt the wielder's own spirit, splitting it as well. This can bring about multiple personality disorders, though the user is usually likely to go completely mad from the revelations they show first.

Orbs shards can join and reform back into one complete Orb, but rebuilding one is almost impossible. Daniel is the only known person ever to accomplish this, and he did it twice. The first time he assembled it was in London. Woken from an exhausting nightmare caused by the Shadow, he knew exactly where all the pieces were supposed to go. It can only be speculated why the Guardian would want to teach its "branded" young man how to repair the mystic relic.[speculation: how do you know it was the Shadow who taught Daniel that?]

The second time he repeated this feat was in Castle Brennenburg, Daniel subconsciously remembered how to put it together, even with his memory wiped. The nightmare must have profoundly changed the man in such a way that even the amnesia mixture could not purge the memory.[speculation] Both times he used tar as an adhesive to hold the six ever-changing shards together. The pieces would then merge into one complete Orb and the tar after serving its purpose is pushed out by the joining parts fusing back together.

History[]

Not very much is known about the Orbs, and for the first two-thirds of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, they are quite enigmatic artefacts. Most information regarding their creation and purpose, if any, was lost to antiquity. Although the total number of Orbs in existence altogether cannot be accounted for, there are at least 7 of them present within the Other World[1] (Tihana was known to be coronated in presence of 7 Orbs).

The otherworldly relics have a strong connection to the mystery religion of Mithraism. Located in a cavern temple called a Mithraeum representing the Universe, Orbs were the centre-piece of this place of worship, allowing its followers a sense of connection with creation.

Globus

An example of a globus cruciger, a relic which inspired the Orbs in Amnesia.

Despite most knowledge of them being forgotten over time and passing into obscurity, they have left a prevalent trace across many cultures. The mythic Orbs may have inspired the Globus Cruciger, first used by Byzantine emperors and a symbol of authority used throughout the Middle Ages. In ancient times the Orbs were held by priests as a symbol of the sun and its power.

It is as inexplicable as the Heliodromus (a symbol associated with the deity Sol in Mithraic mysteries) described it in the Hortus Conclusus. Though the unearthly artefacts are to be found in hidden underground Mithraic temples, the tomb of Tin Hinan in Algeria was far older than this. The age of the Orbs cannot be determined.

Events of Amnesia[]

The Dark Descent[]

From a diary entry found in the Archives, we are told that Daniel came across one while digging as an archaeologist in Algeria. He broke it accidentally, and as he returned to London, peculiar and uncanny incidents began to occur in his wake. The expedition he had been part of disappeared shortly after his departure, the sole survivor being too insane to provide credible testimony to what had happened.

Shortly thereafter, many people who had come into contact with Daniel died gruesome and peculiar deaths, and Daniel became increasingly convinced that he was to blame. When Daniel reads Herbert’s journal, he is confused to find out that Herbert wrote that Herbert himself had recovered the orb. He then went through the address book of Herbert, his colleague at the Algerian dig site, and sent letters to everyone in it, pleading for help. Most replies were useless, however, one of the receivers, Alexander of Brennenburg, laconically replied that he could help Daniel if he came to Brennenburg Castle in Prussia.

Orb chamber final

An Orb, in the Orb Chamber.

Alexander told Daniel, according to journal pages found in-game, that the Orb was a dangerous artefact. It cannot be established if Baron's account was entirely trustworthy since he wanted Daniel's Orb to wield its power, not save him. He went on to say it casts a long "Shadow" which could kill its wielder if he couldn't control it. Not to mention this Guardian of the Orb will trail behind the wielder, killing anyone he came into contact with. Throwing away the Orb would not help, as Daniel would still be a part of the path to the Orb and eventually be horribly killed (this was later demonstrated to be a lie,[speculation] as when Agrippa threw away the first Orb he ever discovered the Shadow left him alone).

His only salvation apparently lay in torturing human beings and extracting a mysterious substance, "Vitae", to perform warding rituals. Through other notes found in-game, it's revealed that Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, the well-known occultist, came across one of the Orbs in the early 16th century and sought to study it. Agrippa also appears to have aided Alexander in preparing an explosive mixture for him, which is put to use in the Storage.

When the player encounters Agrippa, it is revealed that the Orbs were originally an integral part of Mithraism, an ancient religion long-forgotten. Alexander, who apparently is an otherworldly creature (as revealed by the 'Memory Capsules' throughout the game), seeks to harness the Orb's power to return home and reunite with his love. It is also revealed that Agrippa's Orb, the one mentioned in the note, was broken by Alexander, who therefore invited Daniel to his castle in order to take his Orb instead. Agrippa's Orb lies in pieces, scattered throughout the Choir and the Transept. Daniel must find them all and may choose to assemble the ingredients for a potion Agrippa needs to be freed from the dead body which cages his spirit.

After a few more unpleasant events, Daniel uses the Orb he assembles to breach the gates of the Inner Sanctum and enter the Orb Chamber. He may or may not choose to foil Alexander's ritual, and the game ends.

A Machine for Pigs[]

Aamfp 2013-09-12 11-09-49-41

The Orbs within the machine.

The Machine is implied to have an Orb within it, and it is from this same Orb recovered from Mexico that the Engineer was birthed. The Orb within could either serve as a power source or as a means of boosting The Machine's own power.[speculation]

In one of the notes found in A Machine for Pigs, Mandus claimed that he can "smell the Orb" on a dead Gatherer body shipped across from Brennenburg to him.

Rebirth[]

BlueOrb1

Tasi's Orb

Tasi discovered an Orb in the Other World to form a portal and The Shadow chased her briefly because of it. While not very well detailed, it is was stated that orbs had been studied by Otherworldly people.[2] Through a deliberate usage to stop Vitae extraction in their world, one (or more) of these orbs have indirectly caused Other World to be destroyed by The Shadow.[2][3][4][5] It is unknown whether Other Worldly people invented/discovered orbs, therefore their inventor/discoverer currently remains unknown.

The Bunker[]

Roman Tunnels Orb Amnesia Bunker2

Roman statue of a man with an Orb

Henri discovered a statue of a man holding an Orb in the Roman tunnels.

List of Orbs[]

Through notes picked up in-game, it is suspected that there may be at least nine Orbs left in the world. According to Agrippa, Johann Weyer gathered a whole collection of Orbs.

The Shadow is the apparent guardian of the Orbs, though it seems to be selective with who it kills, takes the Orb back without killing, or leaves alone. It took the orb from Agrippa, leaving him unharmed, while Weyer and Mandus were allowed to keep their respective Orbs.

  • Agrippa's Orb (later recovered by Alexander and rebuilt by Daniel). Agrippa discovered his first Orb in a Mithraic temple in the Prussian woods near Altstadt. He was chased by its Guardian as soon as he left the hidden tomb. The Shadow carried him miles away across the Alps to a grassy field outside Genoa, as it managed to reclaim the Orb. Alexander later recovered the Orb first found by Agrippa, and depended on it for his research to return "home." Fearful he would run out of human prisoners, Alexander proceeded with the Final Ritual without proper foresight. He accidentally cracked the Orb and it fell into six parts. Alexander was unable to mend it. Later, Daniel was able to recover each shard and rebuild it to penetrate the barrier around the Inner Sanctum. Though it worked, the Orb evaporated in the process.
  • Daniel's Orb (taken by Alexander). Daniel's Orb was retrieved by Daniel from the Tomb of Tin Hinan during his expedition with Thurston Herbert to Algeria. While exploring the great tomb, Daniel became trapped inside, due to Herbert's men dropping a large stone slab that Daniel had just crawled under. He spots the Orb in the distance and decides to investigate it. When Daniel first touched it, he had visions of the Other World: alien memories of spiraling towers, endless deserts, and impossible geometry. However, the young man was "uninitiated" in the mystic arts, so touching the Orb caused it to shatter. Shortly after, he is rescued, though an hour has passed outside the chamber. Afterward, Daniel took the pieces of the shattered Orb back with him to London to study them. He is from this point on haunted by terrible nightmares. In search of more information about the Orb pieces, he seeks out a geologist, Sir William Smith, and a Professor Taylor at the nearby university. Daniel soon visits a physician, Doctor Tate, about his nightmares, to no avail. One night, he is awakened by a nightmare, suddenly equipped with the knowledge on how to reassemble the Orb. After this, he realizes that something is after him after he finds out that everyone he has seen in the past couple of days has been gruesomely murdered. He sought the aid of Alexander of Brennenburg, who requires an Orb for his crude recreation of a Traveler's Locket. Alexander enlists Daniel to help collect the Vitae needed to power the machine, under the guise of "warding rituals" that would banish The Shadow. When Daniel realizes he has been deceived, he drinks an Amnesia potion to forget all of the horrible things he has done and makes his way into the Inner Sanctum to stop the ritual and kill Alexander. If Daniel disrupts the ritual and kills Alexander, the guardian will consider the debt repaid and cease hunting Daniel. It is unknown if this means that the Orb was returned to the Tomb of Tin Hinan, or if it was destroyed during the ritual.
  • Herbert's Orb (reclaimed by the Shadow). Herbert apparently discovered a second Orb in the Tomb of Tin Hinan. He was immediately hunted down by the Shadow. It chased him through the Algerian desert, consuming his men and claiming the Orb back. Herbert somehow managed to travel to the Other World, he left a note explaining that the Shadow took the Orb from him and that he discovered many rifts that could lead back to Earth, but he had no means to go through them. He eventually dies as he had no food and water to sustain himself.
  • Johann Weyer's collection of Orbs. A student of Agrippa, Weyer was somehow able to harness the power of many Orbs with no ill effect. He was able to make them yield its power to him without incurring the Shadow's wrath, eventually being able to live for hundreds of years and communicate across dimensions. How he did this is a mystery.
  • Mandus' Orb (fused into The Machine's core). Mandus recovered an Orb from a ruined Aztec temple in Mexico. The Orb revealed unto him all the horrors of the coming century. He went insane and murdered his own children rather than to have them endure living through such dark times. Mourning, he took the two Orb shards back to England to use them to power the Machine and remake the world. He is not haunted by the Shadow, since this Orb fused with his own soul,[speculation] causing the Engineer to become both a separate entity and yet entwined with him.
  • Tasi's Orb (found in The Alchemist's Chambers, in the Other World). Tasi used it to power a teleportation device that allowed her to return to Earth. Tasi took the Orb with her, which caused the Shadow to hunt her down. Afterward, she used the Orb in The Portal Chamber in the Tomb of Tin Hinan, in order to return in the Algerian Desert. After she passed through the portal, the Shadow reclaimed the Orb, as it did with Herbert's Orb.[speculation]

The Star Symbol[]

The mysterious and powerful Orbs seem to be associated with a star-shaped symbol. According to Remember - Amnesia The Dark Descent, the symbol (among others) was drawn by Johann Weyer on Herbert's map to the tomb of Tin Hinan. The symbol is also carved in soapstones, of which at least two exist. The first one was found by Sokal, one of the men escorting Johann Weyer to an Orb Chamber in Calais in 1558 CE; it handed down through the centuries to Ambroise, a French officer, who gave it to Herbert. The second one was in possession of Monsieur Florbelle, and the very same stone was used by his daughter, Justine, to kill him. A white star is also drawn on Florbelle's gravestone in the Crypt. The stone itself is at the base of his tombstone and can be picked up.

Ambroise tells Herbert that the strange star-shaped stone "has fueled the men in his family with great spirit, but also madness" and "inspiration to the point of obsession." This reflects with the case of Justine, whose father, in possession of the stone, became obsessed studying her mental condition (or madness).[speculation]

In conclusion, all the stones yielded to an Orb. However, it's unclear whether the Florbelle family, possessing one of the stones, made contact with an Orb. At the end of Justine's experiment, one of the ominous blood writings says, "What will that perfect sphere bring," suggesting that the young girl is aware of the Orbs' existence.[speculation]

Trivia[]

  • The game files of The Bunker contain files of Orbs, with one of which being a pickup model, indicating that the Orbs may have played a much larger role in that game.

Gallery[]

References[]

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