Nevermore

Nevermore
Type	Dungeon
World	Ni No Kuni

Nevermore (暗黒のナナシ城, Ankoku no Nanashi-jō^?, "Nameless Castle of Darkness") is an explorable location in northern Autumnia in Ni no Kuni. Under Shadar's rule, the area has been reduced to a dark wasteland unfit for supporting life. Once known in the distant past as Halcyon, the only inhabitants of the fortress are a handful of malicious and shadowy creatures and Shadar himself. This area consists entirely of Shadar's castle, and the twists and turns, which are set before Oliver and his companions to traverse until they can finally face the Dark Djinn himself in his throne room.

Location

Nevermore is located in Northern Autumnia, north of the Miasma Marshes and the village of Perdida. The only way to access it is through the Road to Ruin and the Miasma Marshes. Tengri cannot directly land and deposit the party directly in Nevermore, and can only land in front of the entrance to the Miasma Marshes.

Story

Before the Events of the Game

Nevermore was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Halcyon, a neighbor to Bellicosia, Shadar's homeland. A war between the two was sparked when Bellicosian forces attacked and destroyed the border village of Rubicon on Halcyon's border. It was this conflict that threw Lucien into the depths of despair and started a series of events which sealed the fate of both kingdoms, as upon his transformation into the Dark Djinn, Shadar used his newfound powers to wipe out both kingdoms and their peoples, leaving Halcyon's empty citadel as the only proof they ever existed and allowing Shadar to take it as his domain, twisting the castle and the surrounding areas into his image and renaming it to Nevermore.

The entrance of the Dark Djinn's Fortress.

In the present

With the castle under the Dark Djinn's rule, his magic has twisted the appearance of the structure akin to his own. The passages and interior of the castle all showcase hints of dilapidation, with lava coursing through the "wounds" of the structure created by the massive horns that jut into various sections. Various "dark" attuned monsters are scattered within which Oliver and the group must brave in order to further explore the area. After activating a couple of switches, climbing up a few sets of stairs, and reveal the final staircase they meet Shadar at the end in his throne room. Upon Shadar's defeat, the castle begins to collapse, and Nevermore is transformed into a beautiful plant-like structure in the aftermath.

Familiars

Clash with Shadar's guards as you storm his castle:

No.	Name	Exp.	Guilders	Drops	Steals
012	Gobforsaken	145	204	Cappuccino Big Babana	Cappuccino Jumbo Sundrop
023	Gruffian	142	198	Stardrop Powerstone	Stardrop Powerstone
130	Turnkey	132	219	Confusion-Be-Gone Sprite Dew	Confusion-Be-Gone Mystic's Robes
147	Steam-Man	146	208	Sour Grapes Sun Crystal	Sour Grapes Sun Crystal
255	Eldritch Empress	135	217	Poison-Be-Gone Crownberries	Poison-Be-Gone Meteorite Fragment
263	Grimpaler	124	202	Moondrop Planet Crystal	Moondrop Planet Crystal
271	Hoggle-Boggle	123	210	Sundrop Jumbo Sundrop	Sundrop Necromancer's Mantle
276	Bougieman	120	206	Pixie Dew Moon Crystal	Pixie Dew Moon Crystal
278	Ghost Wisperer	129	209	Stone-Be-Gone Star Crystal	Stone-Be-Gone Dark Cloud Gem
283	Phantasma	136	225	Planetdrop Jumbo Stardrop	Planetdrop Jumbo Stardrop
287	Bone Brigadier	150	201	Tachestone Jumbo Planetdrop	Tachestone Patty Cake
292	Mumbo Zumbo	133	223	Bubble Pipe Jumbo Moondrop	Bubble Pipe Jumbo Moondrop

Tips

• Despite the monsters looking "evil" or malicious in Nevermore, none of them have a significant weakness to light-based tricks or spells like Shadar and his Nightmares.
• Take your strongest familiars here, as there isn't much of a "good" famiilar for this area, with no particular weaknesses or strengths.
• The entrance of Nevermore involves players to explore the rooms left and right of the main hallway to find the switch that activates an invisible staircase (the star pinpoints the location)
• Nevermore may only be entered once Oliver has traveled through the Miasma Marshes (and defeated its boss).
  • Fortunately, after clearing the marshes the first time, a magic circle will allow transport between the beginning of the marshes to the giant whirlpool at the end instead of traversing the entire length again.
• Nevermore contains an interesting staircase that defies gravity. For instance, to obtain one chest, you must control Oliver while the screen is upside-down.
  • Thankfully, no enemies will be present on the staircases themselves.
• Revival Items such as Phoenix Feathers, Phoenix Tears, and pouches of Phoenix Breaths are highly recommended, both for the final confrontation and as a countermeasure for monsters that get lucky using tricks such as "Darkness Beckons" and "Final Curtain", which can instantly knock out a party member if successful.

Trivia

• When Gallus visits Shadar to inquire about his intentions, he mentions that Nevermore had undergone some changes, namely that its "Halcyon days seem far behind it", to which Shadar remarks that the castle is all that remains of the ancient kingdom and its people.
• Flying over the area with Tengri before Shadar has been defeated will change the sky and surroundings to match the sinister aura emanating from the castle.
  • Returning with Tengri and flying overhead when Shadar has been defeated will show the area transformed and filled with life, no longer cloaked in darkness.
• Upon defeating Shadar, Nevermore is restored to a vibrant lake teeming with life, and cannot be accessible.
  • However, when running The Conductor's errands in the post-game, the Miasma Marshes and Nevermore are able to be explored once more, albeit an alternate world version of both locations where they were never purified due to Oliver never visiting those worlds.
  • They still maintain the same information and chests, so achieving 100% exploration and finding all the chests that might have been missed previously can be accomplished once more.