"Rusty iron cup, of simple appearance. Its interior is embossed in lackluster silver, and depicts rows of spiral verses, which descend to the bottom. These rhymes speak of pagan beasts and forbidden fruit.
The cup is partially filled with Tears of Atonement, harvested by Mea Culpa."
Lore
-But, Father, where are all the idols, paintings and statues that the Mother has seized and banned? If they were inspired by the faith in our Miracle, they should not have been destroyed, for it would be a grave sin.
-I don't know, dear son, but I would bet my faith that those underground galleries hide more than air.
The Chalice of Inverted Verses is an item found in Desecrated Cistern in a room with depictions of three enemies. The room requires Nail Uprooted from Dirt and Three Gnarled Tongues to reach. It can also be reached with just the linen of golden thread equipped by dropping into the pit from above and then spamming projectiles to reach the ledge. This method may require level 2 projectiles.
Getting the item initiates a quest, which when completed will unlock the room with the seventh, last upgrade for Mea Culpa.
To fulfill the quest, one of each of the following creatures depicted in the room have to be killed. Every time one of the necessary creatures is slain, the message "Chalice of Inverted Verses has been partially filled" will appear. Once all three are slain, the message will change to say the Chalice has been completely filled. When that happens, the player must return to the Chalice room and reinstate the Chalice in the statue there. Note that once the first enemy is killed, and for the duration of the quest, if the player dies, uses a Gate of Travel, or teleports using the Prie Dieu upgrade, the Chalice will be emptied, and all three enemies will have to be killed again.
Lionheart, in the Wall of the Holy Prohibitions | ||
Phalaris, in the Mountains of the Endless Dusk or Echoes of Salt | ||
Sleepless Tomb in the Sleeping Canvases (Note that it only spawns when the room is entered from the left side.) | ||
A good way to easily complete the quest is to start this quest after unlocking the shortcut between the Convent of Our Lady of the Charred Visage and the Wall of the Holy Prohibitions. Start by slaying the Sleepless Tomb near the Prie Dieu located at the start of The Sleeping Canvases (near the Library of the Negated Words). Continue to progress through the Library of the Negated Words, Mother of Mothers, and Archcathedral Rooftops to kill the Lionheart found in the Wall of the Holy Prohibitions. Then, take the shortcut to the Convent of Our Lady of the Charred Visage, use the lift in the Graveyard of the Peaks, and go to the Mountains of the Endless Dusk to kill a Phalaris. Finally, use the lift in the Desecrated Cistern to return to the Chalice room and complete the quest. With this approach, the platforming puzzle with spikes and blades is faced early, so should the Penitent One die, it is easy to start over. |