The Altar of the Sea (望海の祭壇 Boukai no Saidan?) is an area in Tales of Legendia, located on the northern tip of the Legacy.
Geography[]
The entrance area of the Altar of the Sea resembles a simple cave, but the inside walls are comprised of a crystallized, rainbow material. The inside also includes plenty of small ravines and waterfalls scattered throughout. The very top is a large altar with an architectural color similar to the exterior of Mirage Palace and the Great Hollow. The altar has large, circular platform that is used to contact Nerifes and open the way to the Cradle of Time.
History[]
Main Quest[]
Shirley Fennes, Fenimore Xelhes, and Maurits Welnes go to the altar to reattempt the Rite of Accession. Senel Coolidge and his companions go to the altar after learning from Walter Delques that Shirley is reattempting the Rite of Accession. When the group arrives, they find two young Ferines killed by Gadorian knights. Meanwhile, Shirley attempts to complete the ritual but does not receive a response from Nerifes, and the ritual is interrupted by the Gadorian Captain. When the group ventures further into the area, they find more dead Ferines scattered all over, and during this scene, the Gadorian soldiers begin killing the Ferines who are with Shirley. In an attempt to save Shirley, Fenimore throws herself in the way of an attack and is killed in the process.
Shirley stands before Fenimore's body and begins hearing a voice that enables her to awaken her powers as the Merines and kill two of the Gadorian soldiers. When the group arrives at the altar, they are attacked by a monster called a "Zephyr Mammon" and forced to battle it. The group arrives to see Shirley awakened as the Merines, as well as the lifeless body of Fenimore. They question how this happened, but Walter becomes angry and blames them for the death. The groups tries to speak with Shirley, but Walter gets in the way and attacks them, defeating them due to having the full blessing of Nerifes. The defeated group nonetheless attempts to reason with Shirley, but she unleashes a power that weakens them. Walter then attempts to attack the group again, but they are swept away by a blizzard to the entrance of the area.
The group then meets with Grune at the entrance, who is speaking with a orb of light named Celsius, which makes them think she is losing her mind. After the brief conversation with Celsius, Grune puts Celsius's seed into her urn. Afterward, the group is attacked by beings known as "Sentinels", but when they try to fight them, none of their Eres respond, leaving them open for attack. The Sentinels begin to fire at the group, but they manage to escape and retreat to Werites Beacon.
Character Quests[]
Senel and his companions return to the Altar of the Sea twice during Grune's Character Quest. The first time they visit is in a attempt to contact Nerifes so they can learn where Grune went to fight Schwartz. When they arrive at the altar, they fall for a trap set by Schwartz and are forced to fight a black mist monster called "Anubis Megant". After defeating the monster, Shirley contacts Nerifes, and they are informed that Grune went to the Wings of Light, so they resolve to follow her there. After the events at the Wings of Light, the group returns to the altar to make a request to Nerifes and obtain "Super Sacred Eres". Nerifes hears their plea, but he sends a "Pandemonium Gaet" to test them. After defeating the Gaet, they obtain the new power, and the way to the Cradle of Time becomes open.