Cernium

AreaStory

Cernium
Dimension	Grandis
Continent	Western Grandis
Sub-Area(s)	Burning Cernium
Mob Level Range	260 - 261
Quest Level Requirement	260+
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	세르니움 (Cernium) 신의 도시 세르니움 (Cernium, the City of Gods)
JapanMS	セルニウム (Cernium) 神の都市セルニウム (Cernium, the City of Gods)
ChinaMS	塞尔提乌 (Cernium) 圣地塞尔提乌 (Cernium, the Holy City)
TaiwanMS	賽爾尼溫 (Cernium) 神的都市賽爾尼溫 (Cernium, the City of Gods)
MapleSEA	Cernium Cernium, the City of Gods

“A land holy to the ancient gods, now populated by those faithful awaiting their return. Cernium is dominated by three temples dedicated to the sun god Mitra, the dawn god Nerota, and the flame god Spisa the flame god. Although the divisions between the three faiths run deep, there are rumors that a Chosen One will one day arise to unite Cernium...”

― In-game description for Cernium

Cernium is an area in Western Grandis and the first major area in the main Grandis storyline. Following the death of the Black Mage, the absence of Transcendents has resulted in Maple World and Grandis converging into one, resulting in the formation of volatile Sol Erda and the reawakening of the Ancient Gods. As the dimensional barrier disappears, the Maple Alliance is approached by Prince Carlisle, who requests their aid to protect the Holy City from Gerand Darmoor and the High Flora. The player must acquire the power of Sol Erda during the Sixth Job Advancement, which will grant them the strength to face Darmoor and his forces. Due to the Sacred Power present in this area, formed from the oppressive aura of Gerand Darmoor, a new strength is required for Maplers to defeat the stronger monsters found here.

This region can be accessed on foot via the Interdimensional Portal in Pantheon, or from the Outpost. It is generally divided into four sections: Rocky Overlook, Cernium Western City Ramparts, Cernium Eastern City Ramparts, and Royal Library, with each section being unlocked as you progress through the questline. Each section requires a certain amount of Sacred Power / Authentic Force to deal normal damage to the monsters here, with all sections requiring 30.

Completing the questline will reward the Medal  Waiting for the Sword's Owner and the  Sacred Symbol: Cernium. In addition, Daily Quests are unlocked, which grant additional Sacred Symbols that can be used to upgrade your main symbol. Burning Cernium will also be made available as a sub-area of Cernium following the end of the questline.

World Map

Click on a dot to view a map's page.

Monsters

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  Ebonstar Foot Soldier
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  Ebonstar Archer
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  Monster Gull
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  Fire Spirit
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  Chief Monster Gull
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  Wandering Scholar Ghost
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  Curious Scholar Ghost
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  Haunted Tome
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  Flaming Great Spirit

Story

Convergence

For information on the full story, visit this page.

Soon after the battle of Tenebris, the Alliance captured Will and began interrogating him in Ereve. While questioning him, Grendel was given a core similar to Gloom's core by Will, which contained the Black Mage's thoughts. Because of this, Grendel was consumed with curiosity and went on a journey to learn more about the Transcendents and their purpose. Around the same time, Neinheart began investigating Melange, who had disappeared from Pantheon. He learned that Melange had falsified his records, and that he had been the disciple of a great magician until his expulsion for the use of forbidden magic. After Grendel's disappearance, Neinheart asked the Adversary and Grendel's apprentices - Elwin and Lily - to go after him. Their first stop was in Lachelein, where they met with Protective Mask and learned that the Arcane River was slowly fading away. They then found an unconscious Lucid, who was trapped in her own nightmare, and found Grendel viewing a memory of her speaking with the Black Mage. They then learned that the Gate to the Future had been part of the Black Mage's plan to make the Alliance resent the idea of a predetermined future, which would hone their determination to resist it at Limina. Protective Mask then revealed that he had been created by Lucid's subconsciousness long ago in the event that she needed to be saved from her own nightmare. Protective Mask then removed his mask and revealed himself to be a projection of Mercedes, who saved Lucid from her nightmare by pulling her out from the darkness of her mind. Later on, Lucid was then given over to Mercedes, who took her back to Elluel until she would awaken from her coma.

The Adversary, Elwin, and Lily then followed Grendel to the Morass, where they found the echo of the Black Mage created from Tana's memories, who had turned into the White Mage after the real Black Mage had become the White Mage in his last moments. The White Mage then revealed that before the Transcendents had existed, the universe had been ruled by the Ancient Gods, who had caused an age of chaos with their disregard for the natural order. Seeking to restore order, the will of the world had been created to suppress the Ancient Gods. However, the will of the world had still remained unsatisfied, as there remained a possibility that the gods could someday return. For this reason, it had created the Transcendents to maintain order, using them as slaves to remove uncertainty from the universe and set the future in stone. The Adversary, Elwin, and Lily then followed Grendel through Esfera, where they encountered the echo of Melange from the Black Mage's memory of watching the events of Esfera. To their shock, however, the echo of Melange grew self-aware that he was a memory made of Erda. Melange then used his powers to forcibly make the Adversary, Elwin, and Lily move past him into the next memory. The trio then caught up with Grendel at the border between worlds. Grendel revealed that the fusion of Maple World and Grandis had begun as a result of the Transcendents being sealed away, and that their permanent absence meant that the two worlds - which had been artificially separated by their presence - could finally return to their original state. Grendel then shattered the paper-thin border between dimensions, causing Maple World and Grandis to converge into one world.

New Age

For information on the full story, visit this page.

Immediately after the convergence of Maple World and Grandis, strange purple Erdas with destructive power began manifesting. Though they were resistant to damage, the Adversary was able to defeat them with some difficulty by using their Arcane Power. Just then, the Adversary heard the voice of the Goddesses speaking aloud. The Adversary was transported to a purple Erda Flow, where they found the three Goddesses of Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum transformed into crystals after expending all their power to hold back the wave of purple Erdas. Before the purple Erda could eat away at the statues, the Adversary gathered Arcane Power using an Arcane Stone, allowing them to free the Goddesses.

The Goddesses thanked the Adversary and explained that the purple Erda was likely a new type of Erda brought about by the dimensional convergence. However, the Adversary began hearing the voices of the purple Erdas, who revealed that they had witnessed the Adversary's choice to live in Limina. The Adversary then realized that the purple Erdas - which called themselves Sol Erda - were actually the Erdas of Maple World and Grandis, which had been consumed by volatile energy from the shock of the dimensional convergence. The Adversary attempted to claim their power to control them, though this resulted in their Arcane Symbols being scattered away. With the help of the Goddesses, the Adversary filled several Arcane Stones with Sol Erda, allowing them to infuse that power into their lost Arcane Symbols. By combining Arcane Power with Sol Erda energy, the Adversary gained a new power to control the Sol Erdas, who asked the Adversary to lead them into a new age. Having resolved the Sol Erda crisis, the Adversary was sent back by the Goddesses to the border between worlds, where they recounted their adventure to Grendel, Elwin, and Lily.

Identisk

For information on the full story, visit this page.

Soon after the Convergence, the Adversary accompanied several archaeologists of Maple World to the island of Identisk, the island of summer and winter. The Adversary learned that Identisk had once been two islands - Iden Island in Maple World and Tisk Island in Grandis - until the two islands had fused cleanly down the middle in the Convergence. There, they encountered the sea otters of Identisk who had survived on their respective islands thanks to the blessings of an Ancient God, with the Sunlight Blessing given to the winter island of Iden and the Wind Blessing given to the summer island of Tisk. However, the recent disappearance of the Sunlight Blessing had caused the otters of Iden to freeze, for which the Adversary agreed to help them restore the Sunlight Blessing. During their investigation, they encountered the Identisk Statue at the center of the island, which radiated with a strong desire to protect the people of Identisk, strengthening the Adversary with its power. They also learned that there were two ancient statues of a goddess, which the sea otters had carved in the likeness of the Ancient God. Though the otters prayed for the return of their blessing, their prayers were met with silence. During this time, a young girl on Iden caught a cold, and as the otters scrambled to find medicine, a mysterious otter named Enki appeared and healed the girl with his magic. Following this incident, the otters rejoiced to find that the Sunlight Blessing had returned to their island.

Some time later, the Wind Blessing on Tisk was stolen by Avril, a High Flora officer who had been tasked with stealing the power of Identisk's god. However, Avril found that the Wind Blessing was extremely weak, for which she absorbed its magic directly, rather than using a draining crystal. After the disappearance of the Wind Blessing, the otters of Identisk began to suspect the Seekers of Grandis - adventurers who had recently arrived on Identisk in search of traces of the Ancient Gods. Hoping to clear their name, the Seekers worked with the Adversary and the archaeologists of Maple World to investigate the Wind Blessing's disappearance. During their research, the Adversary learned that the statues of the Ancient God were not accurate to the god's actual appearance, as the ancestors of the sea otters had no solid record of their god's name or appearance besides a crudely drawn mural. With the Seekers' help, the Adversary learned that the Ancient God of Identisk had long since disappeared, with the blessings from the statues being mortal-made magic created when the otters had prayed earnestly to the statues, which had scattered from the influence of the Sol Erda. Nevertheless, however, both the true Sunlight and Wind Blessings mysteriously returned to Identisk, causing the sea otters to return to being guides for sailors, just as they had done for centuries. To help them, Enki restored power to the Identisk Statue at the center of the island, revealed to be a lighthouse whose likeness had been etched on the otters' mural, which they had mistakenly believed to be their god. Enki then revealed to the Adversary that he was the Ancient God of Identisk, and that he had allowed the man-made blessings to be stolen by those who sought to steal the power of the Ancient Gods in order to trick them into thinking that there was no divine power on Identisk. With the otters safe from harm, Enki resolved to leave the island to keep Identisk from being a target to those who were targeting the gods, though he promised the Adversary that they may meet again someday.

Cernium

For information on the full story, visit this page.

Following the convergence of Maple World and Grandis, Prince Carlisle of Cernium crossed the forgotten sea and requested an audience with the Alliance and the Adversary. He revealed to the surprised Alliance that his friend in Cernium, who was well-versed in theology and history, had known about the absence of Transcendents, and that he had predicted the fusion of the two worlds. At an Alliance meeting, Carlisle requested the Alliance's aid to protect his city from an imminent High Flora invasion in exchange for Cernium's friendship and patronage. Hoping to learn more about the awakening Ancient Gods and use their power against Gerand Darmoor, Cygnus asked the Adversary, Edea, Checky, and Hawkeye to lead the Glory Guard to an expedition in Cernium. While en-route to Cernium, the Glory Guard was attacked by a band of terrorists called Ebonstar, who had vowed to erase the Ancient Gods and their memory from the world. The Adversary also learned that thanks to a strange, oppressive aura in Grandis, their abilities would be dampened without the use of Sacred Power, which Cernium had developed using Sacred Symbols.

In Cernium, the Adversary learned that the city had been built on an unnatural landscape, which had been carved out by the sword of a god during the final battle that marked the end of the Ancient Gods and the beginning of the Transcendents. They also learned that Cernium and its royal family worshiped Mitra the Sun God, though Carlisle's father had allowed other faiths that worshiped Nerota the Dawn God and Spisa the Flame God, though these sects often fought against each other. The Adversary also met Seren, a Celestial who had feathery wings on her back and in place of her ears. They learned that Seren was the guardian Azor, the holy sword of Mitra, which would only awaken in the hands of the Chosen One. Believing that the Adversary was the Chosen One, Carlisle asked them to take up the sword. Upon touching it, however, the Adversary felt immense hostility emanating from it. Hoping to learn more about the Chosen One, the Adversary and Edea were sent to the royal library in order to work with Aaron, a High Flora theologian and historian.

Though Edea was immediately hostile towards him, Aaron proved his loyalty by demonstrating his wings, which he had torn out in disgust. Aaron claimed that despite being born a High Flora, he despised his own race just as much as anyone else on Grandis. With Aaron's help, the Adversary began researching about the Chosen One and learned that Azor had historically been wielded by a Celestial, which were a race of demigods who had descended from the heavens with Mitra. After the fall of the Ancient Gods, however, the Celestials had lost their powers and had remained trapped on High Mountain in Grandis ever since, though Edea noted that High Mountain had fallen some time ago. Aaron also revealed that the Seal Stones - known as the Godspheres in ancient times - had been created by the will of the world to seal the Ancient Gods away, which was likely the reason why Mitra had expressed hostility towards the Adversary when they had picked up the sword, as Mitra had sensed the power of the Seal Stone inside them.

The Adversary began speaking with Seren and learned that her fellow Celestials had been killed when Darmoor's Apostle of Lightning had attacked High Mountain. She revealed that her commanding officer, Gilmore, had ordered her and Roland to sacrifice her comrades to buy their escape, which had led to a fierce battle between Gilmore and Roland until the Apostle of Lightning had arrived and unleashed a storm of red lightning upon them all, leaving Seren as the sole survivor. Soon after, Edea and Carlisle discovered that Ebonstar had a Celestial in their ranks during an investigation into their activities. They also learned that Ebonstar planned to bomb Cernium and have the various sects blame each other, which would cause infighting that would destroy the city. Seren and the Adversary later encountered the Celestial, who revealed himself to be Roland.

Roland explained that Azor held an inscription: “Alvationsay inway Andhay”, which meant “Salvation is in Cernium”. He then bitterly asked Seren whether she had found her salvation, to which Seren asked Roland to come back, believing him to be the Chosen One. However, Roland declared that he had no faith left in the gods, claiming that Mitra had done nothing when the Celestials had all been wiped out. He then warned Seren that Darmoor's First Apostle - the Apostle of Lightning - was coming to destroy the city. Seren and the Adversary rushed back to Cernium, where they fought against Roland, Ebonstar, and the High Flora army. Realizing that Roland wasn't the Chosen One, Seren began losing hope, though the Adversary and Edea helped encourage her to keep fighting. Together, Seren and the Adversary worked alongside the Alliance to repel Ebonstar and the High Flora army. Elsewhere, Havoc - the Apostle of Lightning - met with Seren's old commander, Gilmore, who was revealed to possess the emblem of the Chosen One.

Trivia

• When Cernium was first released in the NEO Update, it had a Mob Level Range of 260 - 264. The Sacred Power / Authentic Force requirements for Rocky Overlook, Cernium Western City Ramparts, Cernium Eastern City Ramparts, and Royal Library were 50 each. After the New Age Update, Cernium's Mob Level Range was lowered to 260 - 261 (with Burning Cernium's Mob Level Range lowered to 262 - 264), and the Sacred Power / Authentic Force requirements were lowered accordingly.

Availability

Availability of Cernium
Korea	Japan	China	Global	SEA	Taiwan
Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available