Storage cavern

Storage cavern
World	Scadrial
Universe	Cosmere

The storage caverns are five caches of supplies left behind by the Lord Ruler, hidden in caverns beneath cities in the Final Empire.

Every cache contains a metal plate with inscriptions, providing the location of the next cavern and some advice or information from the Lord Ruler. All hold a large supply of food and grain, but each one also has its own specialty.

The first cavern discovered is beneath Luthadel itself. The other caverns are in Statlin City, Urteau, Vetitan, and Fadrex City and discovered in this order.

Each cavern is in a rocky area, near metal mines, beneath a building of the Steel Ministry. The metal underground shields the caches from Ruin, to prevent him from discovering them.

All caches are in or near the Central Dominance, with Luthadel's cavern in the center and the other four forming a box around it.

Every discovered cache is bigger than the previous one. The Lord Ruler started constructing them eight hundred years into his reign.

Caches

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Luthadel

The first cavern is discovered beneath Luthadel, hidden within Kredik Shaw. Like all caches, it contains many shelves of canned food. A large metal plaque hangs on the wall, depicting a map of the Final Empire with a circle around Statlin City, the location of the next storage cavern. A long tunnel leads from the storage cavern to a smaller room which holds the Well of Ascension.

Statlin City

The second cavern is in Statlin City. This cache contains large amounts of lumber, and a description of aluminum.

Urteau

The third cavern lies in Urteau. Information on electrum can be found here. This cache holds a massive amount of water which used to fill Urteau's canals, and is filtered naturally by layers of rock.

“The plan is simple. When the power returns to the Well, I will take it and make certain the thing remains trapped.

And still I worry. It has proven far more clever than I had assumed, infecting my thoughts, making me see and feel things I do not wish to. It is so subtle, so careful. I cannot see how it could cause my death, but still I worry.
If I am dead, then these caches will provide some measure of protection for my people. I fear what is coming. What might be. If you read this now, and I am gone, then I fear for you. Still, I will try to leave what help I can.
There are metals of Allomancy which I have shared with none. If you are a priest of mine, working this cavern and reading these words, know that you will incur my wrath if you share this knowledge. However, if it is true that the force has returned and I am unable to deal with it, then perhaps knowledge of electrum will give you some aid. My researchers have discovered that mixing an alloy of forty-five percent gold and fifty-five percent silver creates a new Allomantic metal. Burning it will not give you the power of atium, but will provide some help against those who themselves burn it.

”

—The inscription in Urteau

Vetitan

Vetitan is home to the fourth cavern. This cache holds large stores of the eight base allomantic metals. Its metal plate reveals the existence of malatium, that koloss and kandra can be controlled by using strong emotional Allomancy, and that only one's thoughts are safe from Ruin.

“This is the last metal I will tell you about, I have trouble deciding the purpose of it. It allows you to see the past, in a way. What a person could have been, and who they might have become, had they made different choices. Much like gold, but for others.

By now, the mists have likely come again. Such a foul, hateful thing. Scorn it. Don’t go out in it. It seeks to destroy us all. If there is trouble, know that you can control the koloss and the kandra by use of several people Pushing on their emotions at once. I built this weakness into them. Keep the secret wisely.

”

—The inscription in Vetitan, followed up by the composition of malatium

“Be careful what you speak, it can hear what you say. It can read what you write. Only your thoughts are safe. ”

—A smaller inscription at the bottom of the plate, referring to Ruin

Fadrex City

The fifth and last cavern is situated in Fadrex City. Notably, no useful information is left here, besides the Lord Ruler's words "I have hidden his body well", referring to the atium, Ruin's God Metal, that is stored in the Trustwarren. In the place of a map pointing to the next cavern, it had a circle with a dot at the center. Together, the size of this circle in relation to the text and some numerical clues written along the perimeter of the circle, indicate what size map the plate should be overlayed with. If done correctly, the dot would have pointed to the Pits of Hathsin.

“I have failed you.

I have planned these caverns, knowing a calamity is coming, hoping that I might find some secret that might be of use should I fall to the thing’s scheming. Yet, I have nothing. I do not know how to defeat it. The only thing I can think of is to keep it at bay by taking the power at the Well for myself when it returns.
However, if you are reading this, I have failed. That means I am dead. As I write this, I find that prospect to be less tragic than I might previously have assumed. I would rather not deal with the thing. It has been my constant companion, the voice that whispers to me always, telling me to destroy, begging me to give it freedom.
I fear that it has corrupted my thoughts. It cannot sense what I think, but it can speak inside of my head. Eight hundred years of this has made it difficult to trust my own mind. Sometimes, I hear the voices, and simply assume that I am mad.
That would certainly be preferable.
I do know that these words must be written in steel to be preserved. I have written them in a steel sheet, then ordered them scribed into a plate, knowing that in doing so, I reveal my weakness to my own priests. The thing has whispered to me that I am a fool to expose myself by writing this and letting others see it.
That is primarily why I decided to go through with the creation of this plate. Doing so seemed to make the thing angry. That is reason enough, I think. It is good that some few of my loyal priests know of my weakness, if only for the good of the empire, should I somehow fall.
I have tried to be a good ruler. At first, I was too young, too angry. I made mistakes. Yet, I have tried so hard. I nearly destroyed the world with my arrogance, and yet I fear I have nearly destroyed it again through my rule. I can do better. I will do better. I will create a land of order.
The thoughts in my mind, however, make me wonder just how much of what I do has been twisted from my original intentions. At times, my empire seems a place of peace and justice. Yet, if that is so, why can I not stop the rebellions? They cannot defeat me, and I must order them slaughtered each time they rise up. Can they not see the perfection of my system?
Regardless, this is not the place for justification. I need no justification, for I am —after a form —God. Yet, I know there is something greater than I. If I can be destroyed, It will be the cause of that destruction.
I have no advice to give. It is more powerful than I am. It is more powerful than this world. It claims to have created this world, in fact. It will destroy us all eventually.
Perhaps these stores will let mankind survive a little longer. Perhaps not. I am dead. I doubt that I should care.
Still, I do. For you are my people. I am the Hero of Ages. That is what it must mean: Hero of Ages, a hero that lives through the ages, as I do.
Know that the thing’s power is not complete. Fortunately, I have hidden his body well.

”

—The inscription in Fadrex City

Notes

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