Pascal's Wager Wiki

Documents are the diaries, letters, reports and scraps of paper you find lying around the world of Solas. Picking one up adds it to the Documents tab of the quest menu, where it can be read at any time. Together the 114 notes are the main way the game tells its history: most of what is known about the Church, the Demiurges, the Marcions and the lost city of Ichthyosauria is written down here rather than spoken. See Timelines for the chronology that can be pieced together from them and Lore for the wider setting.

All texts below are paraphrased; the titles are the in-game names.

Overview#

RegionDocumentsLog id range
Heggem830102-30109
Adamina830202-30209
Exilium830302-30309
Katib1830502-30519
Edith1330402-30414
Blessedland2030602-30621
Karst Cave1130702-30712
Ichthyosauria (DLC)2830902-30931 (30921 and 30922 do not exist)
Total114

The Colossal Grave and the Carriage have no documents. Each region also has a short header text in the log (log ids 30101, 30201, ... 30901) that doubles as the region blurb: Heggem, Adamina, Exilium, Edith, Katib, Blessedland, Karst Cave and Ichthyosauria all get one, in a poetic tone.

How documents work#

  • Each document is an item of type Document (type 710; see Items). The item table holds 115 of them, ids 71001-71118, for 114 log entries: ids 71035, 71107 and 71108 do not exist, and the Erosion Scroll has two item ids (71104 and 71118; see Hidden mechanics). Picking one up completes a quest id (12901, 12902, ... for Heggem; 22901... for Adamina; and so on, always "story id x 10000 + 2900 + index"), and that quest unlocks the matching log entry, so a document can only be read once you own it.
  • Every pickup quest runs the "achievement quest" action. For the 86 base-game documents the action counts towards the achievement Wisdom ("Find all Documents", target 86). For the 28 Ichthyosauria documents it counts towards Pieces of Old Days (target 28). The two achievements differ in difficulty: Wisdom counts on every difficulty (leastUnlockDiff 1), but Pieces of Old Days is dropped on Casual (leastUnlockDiff 2), so the DLC pickups only count on Normal (Achievements#Hidden mechanics, Collectibles#Documents).
  • A region tab in the log only appears after the region's header quest (12900, 22900, 32900, 42900, 52900, 62900, 72900, 92900) is complete, i.e. once you have entered the region.
  • Documents are explicitly listed among the things you keep when you start a New Journey (see New Game Plus), so they never have to be collected twice.

The documents#

A note on names: the item name in the inventory is occasionally spelled differently from the title in the log (for example item 71013 is "Incomplete Record of The Banished" but the log says "Imcomplete Record of The Banished"; 71059 "Human Test Report" is "Body Test Report" in the log; 71075 "The Letter from the Bedroom" is "The Letter from the Chamber" in the log). The tables use the log titles.

Heggem (8 documents)#

Log header id 30101, sort order 1. ShowQuestId of header 12900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30102Abandoned Scroll71001Praises the sage Ramones, who knew the cost and still chose to share the villagers' fate.
30103Yellowing Diary71002A villager cannot understand why Ramones scourges himself daily (a custom from his homeland, meant to punish the soul through pain) but credits him with saving the village.
30104Note of Ramones, Part one71003Ramones searched half his life for the Colossal Grave and feels lost at the bottom of a dark hole.
30105Note of Ramones, Part two71004Laughter returns to the mine and Ramones wonders if his prayer was heard; the fire is out and penance is due.
30106Note of Ramones, Part three71005Contamination is spreading and the crystal that sheltered the village has been taken.
30107Pages from a Diary71036Heggem is rich in gems, but no caravans have come since the Colossus's plague, so the treasure is worthless.
30108Caravan's Memorandum71037A departing merchant notes miners growing tusks and ore fused into their backs.
30109Incomplete Notebook71038A miner watches his strong friend Frank sicken and goes down alone as the crew thins out.

Adamina (8 documents)#

Log header id 30201, sort order 2. ShowQuestId of header 22900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30202Mysterious Note71006Villagers remember a barren, dying past until the Holy Father blessed the sick and made women conceive.
30203Carefully Recorded Prayer71007A short prayer: the Holy Father came and Adamina's light returned.
30204The Diary of a Crazy Woman71008A fanatic's scrawl about hunting and sacrificing everything for the Holy Father.
30205Letter to Mother71009Cecilia tells her mother at the Oracle Site that men keep dying of the curse, naming Allen and Andrew.
30206Diary of a Missing Man71010A man describes hauling heavy parcels into a dark, rank-smelling cave where something whispered; his co-workers later fell ill or vanished.
30207Part of a Girl's Diary71011A child's diary: Elmar fed Kevin and the writer a meat pie, and Kevin vanished just as Jamie had.
30208Dharams' Notebook71012Dharam writes about a glowing Holy Box linked to a red-haired woman chased by the Church, and an addictive pleasure he cannot stop chasing.
30209Butcher's Diary71039A butcher admits killing strangers who pass Adamina on the Holy Father's orders, while women are kept for other plans.

Exilium (8 documents)#

Log header id 30301, sort order 3. ShowQuestId of header 32900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30302Imcomplete Record of The Banished71013Short case files on four banished Couriers (Didier, Cristiano, Fernando, Philip) and why each was exiled.
30303Penitent's Note71014Albertus confesses he abandoned a friend to the Sendrils; her howling outside the door torments him.
30304Crazy Note71015A man is woken nightly by a song from the mountain top and blocks his eyes and ears to escape delusions.
30305The last Diary71016The Colossus of Exilium is doomed, yet its light has never gone out and nobody dares to look.
30306Unsent Letter71017Jenny believes she has found a way to dispel the Sendrils and promises to return to Patrick.
30307The Old Diary of a Soldier's Wife71040A soldier's wife recalls the meteor felling the Colossus; her husband and son, who joined the red-haired witch's execution, vanished.
30308Beggar's Journal71041After the meteor, soldiers raged through homes; civilians begged at the chapel, but the nuns kept the door shut.
30309Kassandra's Last Words71042Kassandra, fighting mutated soldiers, fears she is being infected and apologises to Lord Vincent.

Katib (18 documents)#

Log header id 30501, sort order 4. ShowQuestId of header 52900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30502The Diary of a Soldier71018Church soldiers find the Marcions unsurprised and already aware of Blessedland; only the Demiurges could talk with them.
30503Records71019Marcion patriarchs confer secretly with the leader about ancestral ruins while selected girls are gathered.
30504Scraps of Paper71020No word from the patriarchs, and today the food and wine sent to the soldiers came back.
30505Anonymous Letter Hidden in Village71021A Marcion-language warning that a western army will ask for help, and that what it seeks holds the secret of Katib's past prosperity.
30506A Letter to Nita71022A bored soldier describes Marcion rituals performed on bent knees, sacred to them but eerie to outsiders.
30507The Last Letter71023A soldier recalls Marcion spellcasters who were powerful at range but helpless once surrounded.
30508Teresa's Parchment71024Teresa feels only fear and hatred in what she calls her hometown, plans to win trust at the Tower, and hears a voice calling her there.
30509Order for Arrest71025A Church order to capture the red-haired heretic Witch who stole the Halidom.
30510A Letter About Katib71026A writer returns to Katib, sees the Church still experimenting, and vows to keep the Seal of Yekub from them.
30511Disciple's Secret Record, Part one71027A disciple doubts Bishop Sprenger's haste in returning to ruined Katib and is glad the Couriers go down instead.
30512Disciple's Secret Record, Part two71028The surviving Couriers return with the Seal looking haunted; the Church wants to study it and reopen the Colossal Grave.
30513Broken Experiment Diary, Page 671029Experiment 5: the Seal does not respond, and surviving Couriers fall ill and hear a sound from underground.
30514Broken Experiment Diary, Page 1971030Experiment 18: a whisper from below, Couriers' skin dissolving, and talk of enraged Marcion ghosts.
30515Broken Experiment Diary, Page 4871031Experiment 35: the Seal needs Marcion blood, but all Marcions are dead; the Couriers are burned and the underground sealed.
30516Broken Experiment Diary, Page 6171032After the pause, Church members' bodies soften and turn transparent like the Couriers', yet the Bishop restarts the work.
30517Broken Experiment Diary, Page 7871033A Witch claiming to be the last Marcion offers to open the Seal of Yekub for the Bishop.
30518Broken Experiment Diary, Page 9371034The Witch stole the Seal; the Colossus of Katib was drawn in and grew into the Sacred Tower, with everything merging together.
30519Courier's Parchment71043A Courier atop the Tower sees no living thing in Katib and wonders what the Yekub Box will bring the Church.

Edith (13 documents)#

Log header id 30401, sort order 5. ShowQuestId of header 42900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30402The Lost Diary71044The writer abandons Edith, a lightless place where wanderers fall into madness, as the Church's punishment for Demiurges.
30403Fragement of a Diary71045Rumour says Edith's people died out overnight, perhaps from the Edith Moss; the writer wishes they had died in Blessedland.
30404A Letter about Edith71046Elena tells the people the High Priest will return and lead them out; until then they huddle against the Sendrils.
30405Rumor71047Gossip that Elena has been scheming with a mysterious Witch since she arrived.
30406A Mother 's Prayer71048A mother offers her life for her child's peace and hopes the white dust will drive off the Edith Moss.
30407Crazy Diary71049A resident calls the plan to return to Blessedland on a stranger's word suicide, and the Demiurges insane.
30408The Official Document Issued by Elena71050Elena's call to arms: return, expose Blessedland's hypocrisy and Proxy's lies, and burn the shame the Church imposed on Demiurges.
30409Pharmacist's Journal71051A pharmacist is baffled that sick patients recover after taking the White Dust.
30410Soldier's Journal71052A soldier decides that if Elena and the Witch speak true, they must go back and save the High Priest.
30411My Manifesto71053A witness describes the Witch standing in drifting white dust, holding a glowing object that makes Edith reborn.
30412Envoy of Vengeance71054After swallowing the dust the writer feels a flame in the veins and calls the group Envoys of Vengeance.
30413Proceedings71055Priests test the White Dust on the Church's agents, who end up killing one another.
30414Demiurge Warrior's Handbook71056A warrior feels himself becoming part of Edith's power, hearing its voice and seeing far; he expects red light to replace everything.

Blessedland (20 documents)#

Log header id 30601, sort order 6. ShowQuestId of header 62900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30602Work Shift Diary71057A sentry hands his rounds to the lethargic young Deli Moore.
30603The Sentinel's Note71058A chapel guard has never once seen Proxy in his life.
30604Body Test Report71059Demiurges force Church believers to swallow White Dust, intending them to join Edith's will of vengeance and to end Proxy.
30605Punishment Records71060Two sentinels were hanged for gossiping about Proxy at their posts.
30606The Mysterious Newsletter71061A junior scholar swears one of the four Holy Pillars groaned like a human after a prayer ceremony.
30607The Madman's Diary71062A ranting claim that the four pillars are a lie that herds everyone into a grave.
30608Short Letter71063A Demiurge says Sendrils killed Paul, while believers deny it and hide behind prayer.
30609Library Documents71064Names the four pillars (YOG time and space, SHUB life, XADA chaos, NYA God's word) around which Proxy founded Blessedland.
30610Notes of the Sword Founder71065A swordsmith worries about an old friend who stands above everyone yet lives in agony, and keeps a guilty secret.
30611Farewell of the Sword Founder71066The swordsmith calls the sword only a belief, says real hope lies in the pillars, and leaves.
30612Minutes of the Meeting, One71067Church leaders decide to send Couriers to Exilium after the Colossus's decline and the meteor, and argue about admitting pilgrims.
30613Minutes of the Meeting, Two71068Proxy sends the Knights to Katib after meeting the Demiurge High Priest, the first expedition out of Blessedland.
30614Minutes of the Meeting, Three71069The High Priest objects and storms out, Proxy goes to Katib anyway, and days after he returns the High Priest is sentenced to death.
30615Minutes of the Meeting, Four71070Ten researchers leave on Proxy's secret order, and the failed Edith riot suggests hidden support for the Demiurges.
30616Interrogation Record71071Interrogations of Demiurge prisoners reveal Vaillant's plot against Proxy and where his daughter is, sending Couriers after her.
30617Secret Record 171072Lord Higgins is bled repeatedly and worsens, crying out Vaillant's name.
30618Secret Record 271073By the seventh bloodletting Higgins's skin ulcerates and black smoke like Sendrils rises from him.
30619Secret Record 371074At the eighth bloodletting an attendant, also changing, prays that Proxy regain the power to dispel the Sendrils.
30620The Letter from the Chamber71075A writer warns that the Katib remnants will become a disaster and treats disobedience as blasphemy.
30621Exquisitel Notes71076Higgins, as Proxy, senses creeping terror, refuses to reveal the truth, and raves that no one, Vaillant included, can kill him.

Karst Cave (11 documents)#

Log header id 30701, sort order 7. ShowQuestId of header 72900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30702The Diary of the Guard71077A guard resents his post and notes the prisoners were condemned by Proxy yet secretly kept alive.
30703Yellowing Pages71078A guard sees the old man in solitary, whose limbs are barely human.
30704Careless Handwriting71079Berries smelling of raw meat make the prisoners painful and irritable.
30705A Broken Note71080A researcher is thrilled the buds affect the prisoners and hopes to use them as weapons to lead humanity out of the Mist.
30706Diary of a Prison Guard71081The prisoners' limbs thicken, their necks glow, and they batter at the cell doors.
30707Scribbled Sketch71082Vaillant cries that he is thirsty and is changing quickly because of a strong craving.
30708Illegible Research Report71083Vaillant's blood contains Sendril-like parts yet he is not sick, perhaps from entering the Colossal Grave.
30709Eckhart's Diary Part Two71084Eckhart believes that with Higgins a living corpse he is the one destined to lead the Church and open the entrance.
30710Eckhart's Diary Part Three71085Eckhart copies a vivid description of a mountain building and pillars read aloud by a Marcion patriarch; Vaillant tore out later pages.
30711Eckhart's Diary Part Five71086Eckhart quotes a nightmare of underground slaughter and is frustrated that neither Vaillant nor Higgins told him how to open the Grave.
30712An Anonymous Letter71087An anonymous writer mocks the recipients for living a lie and acting in God's name.

Ichthyosauria (28 documents)#

Log header id 30901, sort order 9. ShowQuestId of header 92900.

Log idTitleItem idGist
30902Torn Canvas71088A torn canvas with a nearly unreadable red scrawl reading 'Escape'.
30903Wrinkled Journal: I71089A traveller rejects the Blessedland as a mere shelter and vows to cross the densest Mist to find the legendary land.
30904Leeb's Travel Journal: I71090Leeb, a member of the Duke's party, is glad to see the sea and distrusts Kluge.
30905Minister's Journal71091A minister buries corrupted disciples in foreign soil and keeps spreading the gospel with a silver nail.
30906Scribbled Notes: I71092The Duke is presumed lost in a storm, the minister has died, and the Sendril spreads through the crew.
30907Soaked Papyrus71093A faithless survivor scorns the whiners and thinks the river water purifies the Sendril, so why hold back.
30908Last words71094A drifting soul sees falling giants, the first uncorrupted life, a great bang, and is trapped in the cycle of reincarnation.
30909Scribbled Notes: II71095The Duke is found alive but feverish, his wounds covered with hard scales.
30910Weathered Boarding71096Handel, pulled from the sea, recovers unnaturally fast, and on being sent to Ebbinghaus's Essence shows a hungry-beast look.
30911Wrinkled Journal: II71097A reborn writer dreams of a sinking sun and giant beasts and hears a voice from Ebbinghaus's castle.
30912Wrinkled Journal: III71098The priest Guderian questions the writer, reacts badly to the word Blessedland, and the writer feels watched.
30913Wrinkled Journal: IV71099The writer is seized by a compulsion to kill Ebbinghaus and take something back.
30914Torn Papyrus71100Soul River water has not driven off a shadow of giant beasts; the writer must warn Guderian.
30915Leeb's Travel Journal: II71101Leeb says the Duke's preparations saved them from Scavenger traps, but the Lord is now panicking.
30916Old Shiny Paper71102Beyond the Wall of Silence it is deadly quiet; the survivors of the ship of madmen would not die and Scavengers gave themselves up.
30917Ichthyosaurian Prayer71103A prayer thanking Ebbinghaus for teaching Ichthyosaurians to drop desire and live in peace.
30918Erosion Scroll71104A penitent admits three Seals of Yekub were stolen to found Samarosa, which brought massacre; the broken Seal keeps the shadow and reincarnation going.
30919Scorched Note71105Matt sees his own double, who turns out to be a tar-oozing corpse; he is taken for Ebbinghaus's therapy and the writer dreams of a weeping double.
30920Muddy Letter71106A monster with a blood-red sword smashes through Scavengers to Ebbinghaus's chamber, giggling.
30923Guderian's Shiny Book71109Guderian puts the remaining children into coffins and vows to hold the Wall of Silence.
30924Rippled Shell71110After a loud bang, a thirsty writer cannot resist the Soul River water.
30925Secret Order71111A decree bans drinking contaminated Soul River water on pain of execution and orders rations from stored stock.
30926Gilded Treasure Records71112A Blessedland tale: the first banner was planted, an emblem was added, and God was 'born'; heresy only disturbs the peace.
30927Anonymous Message71113Parents about to become Scavengers beg Ms. Carolyn to protect the children.
30928Leeb's Travel Journal: III71114After the explosion Leeb's memory blurs; the Soul River controls everyone and the Wall of Silence traps them.
30929Cracked Dirt Tablet71115At the annual flame celebration people are drawn to climb the Tower of Origin steps and their pain fades.
30930Treasury Master's Trial71116A treasury master's riddle: the golden door opens when the Heggie in the way fall, with Siflers clearing the road.
30931Incomplete Ancient Tome71117A fragment on Ichthyosauria as a tolerant paradise whose people should follow Ebbinghaus and wait for the night to end.

What the documents reveal#

  • Heggem: a mining village whose prosperity ended when the Colossus's plague spread; the sage Ramones scourged himself for the village and searched for the Colossal Grave. Teresa is only hinted at through the missing crystal and the woman who left.
  • Adamina: the Holy Father's rule over a failing bloodline, the cave parcels, vanished children and travellers killed for supplies. Dharam's notebook ties his addiction to a glowing box connected to a red-haired woman from Katib.
  • Exilium: the banished Couriers, the meteor that felled the Colossus, and the red-haired witch whose execution the soldiers joined.
  • Katib: the Church's occupation and massacre of the Marcions, the failed Seal of Yekub experiments, the Witch who offered to open the Seal and then stole it, and the Colossus fusing with the Tower.
  • Edith: how the White Dust and a Witch's ritual turned the exiled Demiurges into "Envoys of Vengeance".
  • Blessedland: the four pillars, Proxy's seclusion, the trial of Vaillant and the slow rot of Lord Higgins.
  • Karst Cave: Vaillant's imprisonment and transformation, and Eckhart's rise.
  • Ichthyosauria: the Duke's expedition, Ebbinghaus, the Soul River, the Wall of Silence and the three Seals of Yekub that founded Samarosa.

Hidden mechanics#

  • The log lists regions in campaign order, but the game selects by story id. The region tabs are sorted by a sort number (Heggem 1, Adamina 2, Exilium 3, Katib 4, Edith 5, Blessedland 6, Karst Cave 7, Ichthyosauria 9), while the game's internal story ids for Edith and Katib are the other way round (Edith = 4, Katib = 5). When you open the Documents tab, the list jumps to the entry whose sort number equals the current story id, so inside Katib it opens on Edith's entry and inside Edith on Katib's (playerinfoctrl.lua:6071-6077 compares QuestSort with the story id; the other regions line up). If nothing matches, it opens on the last unlocked region.
  • Two documents are far from where their region suggests. The last two Ichthyosauria entries, "Treasury Master's Trial" and "Incomplete Ancient Tome", are tied to the Heggie treasury doors (the achievement Dominator's Revelry), not to the main story.
  • A duplicate item exists. "Erosion Scroll" has two item ids (71104 and 71118) placed under the same quest id; only one log entry exists, so you cannot get a second document from it. Both items are placed in the Ichthyosauria world (StoryItem 533 and 588), both are shown only after flag 95175 and both complete the same pickup quest 92917, which explains why the item table has 115 documents but the achievements count 86 + 28 = 114 (the 115th is this duplicate). Flag 95175 is the one that finishes the Ichthyosauria story and unlocks the true ending (Endings#The DLC true ending), so the Erosion Scroll, and with it the last point of Pieces of Old Days, can only be picked up after the DLC finale (inferred from the flag's use in the ending dialogs).
  • One region blurb is untranslated. The header text for Ichthyosauria (log 30901) exists only in Chinese in the English game text; the other seven region blurbs are translated.
  • Texts rely on colour tags. The treasury riddle ("Treasury Master's Trial") contains colour markup on the words Treasury, Heggie, Humans, Siflers and Colossus, marking them as the key words of the puzzle.

Sources#

  • Log entries: UIQuest rows with QuestType 6 (ids 30102-30931) and headers QuestType 5 (30101-30901), English text from text/UIQuest.jsonl; gamedata/structdata/exportdata/es_uiquest.lua.
  • Item list: ItemData Type 710 (ids 71001-71118); placement via StoryItem rows whose CompleteQuestId equals the UIQuest ShowQuestId.
  • Pickup quests and achievement counters: StoryQuest rows with ActionType 30 (Action 12003 x86, 40004 x28); Achievement rows 12003 "Wisdom" (Max 86) and 40004 "Pieces of Old Days" (Max 28).
  • Log logic: luascript/ui/controller/playerinfoctrl.lua lines 5838-5857 (tab), 6061-6082 (LoadDocument), 6382-6402 (CheckTaskQuest); Achievement.jsonl 12003 and 40004 (leastUnlockDiff); StoryItem.jsonl rows 533 and 588; luascript/structdata/ms_uiquest.lua lines 7-14, 54-80 (goals are matched to titles by floor(id / 100)).
  • New Journey carry-over: GameText UI_CONFIRM_RESTART_GAME.
  • Generated tables: build/wiki/scripts/lore_b/make_documents.py.
Categories:Lore