Primeval Passage
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The Primeval Passage is a network of tunnels that honeycombs Rogetsu Isle, connecting various places on the island. The tunnels had great religious significance; certain important rituals were carried out in them; the river flowing there was named after the Sanzu River in the Underworld, and there are several altars and Buddha statues to be found there. Underground excavation and construction were forbidden to avoid the risk of disturbing the Primeval Passage, although Shigeto Haibara ignored this taboo in extending Haibara Infirmary.[1]
It was in these tunnels that the Vessel would purify herself in preparation for the Rite of Descent.[2] In the event of the ritual failing, the "empty shells" of the performers would be taken to the Moonglow Well to be healed by the moonlight.[3] Legend had it that during the first Day of Tranquility, those who hid in the Primeval Passage survived, so when the second Day of Tranquility came, some of the islanders fled there hoping to be spared.[4]
Other Names
- Rogetsu Tunnels
- Rogetsu Taidou
- Womb Path
Important Areas
- Birth Chamber - a chamber with a huge altar by the entrance to the Temple of the Lunar Eclipse.
- Daizou Shrine - a round cavern at the heart of the tunnel network.
- Moonbeam Well - a cavern with a hole in the roof, which allowed the moonlight to shine in.
Notable Events
- Workers broke through into the Primeval Passage while building the Laboratory under Haibara Infirmary.[1]
- The five kidnapped girls spent two weeks in the Moonbeam Well after the failed Rite of Descent. The sound of their voices emerged from the well through which the moon shone down. They were found there by Choshiro Kirishima.
- On the Day of Tranquility, many islanders fled into the tunnels, believing they would be safe there.
Ghosts Encountered
- Sakuya Haibara
- Masanobu Fuchiki
- Michihiko Ikushima
- Miyoshi Tsukigase
- Sato Mizunoe
- Shigeto Haibara
- Yo Haibara
Items of Note
- Note Left by Fisherman
- "Legend of the Moonglow Well"
- Note Left by Islander
- "The Rogetsu Primeval Passage"
- Scribbled Last Words
Misc. Info
- Some of the Buddha statues in the tunnels are covering their faces.
- In the unofficial translation, the underground river is called the "Sotou River". "Souzu River" is an alternative reading. In the 2023 official translation, it is called the River Styx.