There are currently 12 radios in The Archon. They are split up into three groups - Professor Gabriel Krafft, Die Wahrheit (comprised of Wolfram Von List and Kortifex), and the other Dark Aether entities.
Krafft[]
Krafft: Gabriel Krafft, audio memoir thirteen. This is my final entry in this series of recordings. Having recovered an ancient relic -- a bronze mirror that can separate Oberführer Von List from the demon Kortifex -- we embark upon what I hope will be our last mission. I wish to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of other entities from the Dark Aether, without whom we would have perished by now. And I am humbled by the trust placed in me by my military partners, even though I myself have never served or faced battle. More than this, I see how they respect each other, regardless of cultural differences, race or gender. It gives me hope for the future, even if we do not live to see it. My one regret is that my spouse is still held prisoner by Von List's forces. Victory for us may mean death for my poor Sasha. But defeat for us means millions more will die. So retreat is not an option. All I ever wanted was to love, learn and love. And for a while there, I got my wish. But life is fleeting and nothing lasts forever. So to those who come after me, I wish you good luck. For the world will always have those who hate you for merely existing. Never let them define you. Hold onto your soul.
Krafft: Krafft to Special Forces. My allies. My dear, dear friends. This is almost certainly our final battle together. And whatever the outcome, please know that I thank you -- and our partners from the Dark Aether -- from the bottom of my heart. Though I only helped Von List to keep him from killing my beloved Sasha, it left a stain upon my soul I thought I could never erase. But then, at my darkest hour, you answered my call. You worked with me... saluted me... accepted me... You gave me the post precious of all gifts: redemption. I, uh... never had many friends when I was growing up. Boys like me were... Well... We could not really be ourselves. But you have seen me as clearly as anyone -- both the good and the bad. And your loyalty never wavered. So, if I die today, I would still count myself blessed. But do not get me wrong... I have no intention of dying today. This is a battle we will win -- in Sasha's name.
Die Wahrheit[]
Von List: Oberführer Von List to all Die Wahrheit personnel. If you are receiving this, respond immediately. Respond! Immediately! That is an order! Very well... very well... after the past few days, I understand if some of you are rethinking your allegiance to Die Wahrheit... I acknowledge that our efforts to make this site a crossover point to the Dark Aether have made it... inhospitable. We lost comrades when we attempted to demolish the chamber that once contained the Scepter of Kortifex. And this latest wave of personnel losses when we sabotaged the so-called "pack-a-punch" mechanism... causing the sudden appearance of so many Dark Aether.... bubbles? Pockets? I am still not sure what to call them. All I know is that if I remain unaffected, some of you must too. I cannot be the sole survivor, I... Please. Respond immediately. That is an order.
Von List: This is Oberführer Wolfram Von List, commanding officer of Kampfgruppe Die Wahrheit, to SS Headquarters, Berlin. Whoever receives this, inform the Reichsführer immediately that with the exception of myself, all Die Wahrheit personnel are now deceased. I summoned my remaining troops one week ago to our base of operations in Egypt's Eastern Desert. Conditions here have deteriorated significantly since then and they quickly succumbed to what I can only conclude is Dark Aether contamination. However, I remain on station and still wield the power of my ally Kortifex. Make it clear to the Reichsführer that despite the loss of my men, Operation Revenant remains active. For the honor of my men, and the glory of the Fatherland, I will deliver an army capable of routing our enemies. As long as I still draw breath, I remain committed to the Reich. Von List signing off.
Kortifex: Wolfram, you've been very quiet. But clearly the wheels are turning in your mind.
Von List: There is not much else to do right now but think. And I am sitting here asking myself if I ever should have bonded with you.
Kortifex: I made you the most powerful man in your army -- in all this realm. I will ensure you win this "world war" of yours single-handedly. Is that not enough?
Von List: You promise and promise so much, yet I have practically lost everything.
Kortifex: Hrhh. You mortals used to understand the value of sacrifice much better in the past. They would give up their children to gain my favor. And I never granted them what I have given you. You question and doubt what others would consider the ultimate honor. Perhaps you are not the man I thought you were.
Von List: Is this what all our struggles have come to, Kortifex?
Kortifex: You seem troubled, Wolfram.
Von List: Well, look at us! Hiding like cowards, waiting for Krafft's mongrel soldiers to arrive.
Kortifex: Yes, but once they do, what we did to their "Pack-a-Punch" device will seal their fate.
Von List: What we did cost me the rest of my men! You could have warned me that would happen!
Kortifex: That spell is... volatile. But it works. That crucial mechanism is now beyond our enemy's grasp. All that is left for us to do is wait for the inevitable. The red-bloods will arrive... and they will die.
Von List: And then what? Will this "Construct" finally grant you the power we need?
Dark Aether Entities[]
Bellekar: Well, Vercanna? Having any second thoughts about joining our little rebellion?
Vercanna: None whatsoever, Bellekar. Had I kept hiding in what was left of the Wilds, I would be no safer than I am now.
Bellekar: True. The stakes of this war have gone from global to universal. The Construct's involvement ensures that.
Vercanna: The Construct. I always hated that thing. It sits outside the Natural Order, its motives unknowable to any of us.
Bellekar: That may be so, but you were always more perceptive than others when it came to emotions. What do you sense radiating from that rock?
Vercanna: I sense... contempt. I cannot be certain, but it always seems like the Construct is trying to decide if Life itself is worthy of existence.
Bellekar: Then choosing Kortifex would be a clear sign of how it judges us.
Vercanna: That is exactly what I am afraid of. We have to convince it that we are worth keeping around.
Bellekar: Tell me, Saraxis, was the Construct always Kortifex's ultimate goal?
Saraxis: He never shut up about it. Well, not in front of others, but behind closed doors...?
Bellekar: I remember the first time he tried to become Archon. After that failure, I thought he moved on to other goals.
Saraxis: Oh, he never got over it. I mean, he passed all the trials and still the Construct rejected him.
Bellekar: Who can say why it refused him? Since the dawn of time, it has chosen so few Archons. No one has even tried to petition the Construct since Kortifex's attempt.
Saraxis: Oh, there were a few who thought about it. But Kortifex found out and sent the Sisters of Agony to pay 'em a visit.
Bellekar: And did Kortifex ever say what he would do should he be granted that much power?
Saraxis: Make himself god-king of the Dark Aether? Rule with an iron fist? Eat babies for breakfast? Whatever it is, the first thing he'll do is make sure we're not around to see it.
Bellekar: My pupils, if we are to stop Kortifex, you must know more about the living monolith we call "the Construct". It is ancient, even to us. The first denizens of the Dark Aether worshipped it, but it hardly seemed to notice. The Construct is neither "good" nor "bad". It possesses intelligence, but is generally indifferent to our lives and our struggles. However, on rare occasions, the Construct has granted a portion of its power to an individual who assumes the role of "Archon". The first Archon eradicated a parasitic species that threatened our world. An entire species, wiped out. The fourth Archon smashed our moon to pieces -- some of which were weaponized, and still float above our lands. And now Kortifex seeks to become the Construct's newest champion. We cannot allow such power to rest in the hands of such a tyrant.
Bellekar: My pupils, we have nearly reached the end of this road we travel together. I have watched you learn and grow, overcoming every obstacle, mastering the use of our powers... You each embody what I hold dearest in Humanity: an endless capacity to learn. It's why I call you my "pupils". Not to assert my authority as your "teacher", but out of reverence for your hunger for knowledge... for your endlessly inventive capacity to apply what you learn -- to make use of it. Kortifex had underestimated you at every step because he could never see what I see in you. His arrogance... his ignorance... is why I never doubted that you will prevail. Our time together has been brief -- a mere blink in my lifespan. But I say to you now that this struggle we share is the most memorable experience in all of my ageless existence.
Saraxis: Well, playthings, our little shindig in the "Swamp of Death" was quite the headtrip, wasn't it? Yeah, sure, we got the magic mirror that might just win this war for us, but... Finding out you're the ex-wife of Kortifex is no way to spend a night out. To think I ever let that monster touch me, much less that I bore him a child... I'm not ready to talk about that. Maybe I never will be. And keeping me around as his freaking servant after he wiped my mind? That's some next-level cruelty. See, you would never do something like that to one of us. You've shown us respect, treated us as partners. I know I call you "playthings", but that's not how I really feel. You're the closest things I've ever had to friends. I'm gonna miss you when this is all over.
Vercanna: Long ago, before the Netherwars, the Dark Aether was lush and teeming with life. Then came the armies of Kortifex. On his orders, they reduced the Wilds to barren rock. But Life endures -- that's what it does. And in the Wilds, the hardiest of life forms were the Anemones. They evolved a robust defense mechanism. Get too near one and you'll find out what I mean. But it was too robust. Sometimes they overload with their own power and melt down. So if something falls inside one, the anemone pours its excess power into that object. It's like an oyster gestating a pearl, except what comes out is... volatile, to say the least. Anyhow, treat them with caution, but do not fear them. Fear is a poor substitute for respect. Come to think of it, that's true in almost any situation.