Source: Echo Night 2 Official Guidebook, page 4-6
Echo Night 2: The Clancy Family and its History
Details of the Clancy Family
The Clancys are a branch of a distinguished family whose line were granted noble status by the king of Britain. They are said to have moved to America in the 17th century when the king permitted emigration to the New World. Initially, the reason for the move appears to have been the investigation of ancient ruins said to exist in North America. After setting down roots there they made their fortune through a diverse number of channels, such as trading with the many countries of Europe, and became one of the continent's rich elite. At the end of the 19th century, failed investments almost led to financial ruin, but they were able to maintain their status through ties to the Rockwell Group, who amassed great wealth in a single generation thanks to the mysterious charisma of their then-head, William. However, the family lost their fortune in the Great Depression, and for the past 30 years they have been continuing the excavation of and research on ancient ruins discovered on the grounds of the manner, albeit on a small scale.
The Clancy Family
Elizabeth Clancy, Albert's mother, died suddenly when Albert was still small. His siblings, Karen and Elliot, are the children of Edgar and his second wife, Sarah, making them step-siblings. Leon and his wife Kathleen come from Sarah's marriage to her first husband, meaning that they have no actual blood ties to the Clancy family.
The Tragedy of the Clancys
The marriage of Albert Clancy, current head of the famed old house of Clancy, and Jessica Morgan was met with much celebration. The Morgans, to whom Jessica was born, were a respected family who operated in a wide range of industries, and everybody truly believed that their lives together would be happy ones.
Jessica, a wise and beautiful woman, was loved by all, but her childhood was beset with misfortune: when she was three years old, her parents perished in an airship accident, and her twin sister who was travelling with them remains missing. The reason why Jessica alone was spared is that at the time, due to a flare-up of an illness, she was unable to attend the trip.
Despite having been raised amidst such sadness, Jessica lived a happy life for a time after her marriage to Albert. This was short-lived, however, when an illness of unknown origin began to plague Jessica's body not long after the wedding. Her condition continued to worsen, and it is said that even the residents of the manor have not glimpsed her for quite some time.
At the same time as Jessica's illness became serious, Albert began to be feared by those around him. Albert sought a cure for Jessica's sickness in the legends of an ancient civilisation, and discovered that the soul stone excavated from the ruins on the manor's grounds could help him achieve this end. In doing so, however, he must pay a heavy price.
Despite being wooed by her husband Albert and living a happy life with him, Jessica is suddenly struck down by illness. Now, she sleeps inside a coffin somewhere within the manor.
Regarding research of the ruins on the grounds of the Clancy house
The R&C Archaeological Institute, which headed up the excavation of the Clancy manor ruins. R&C stands for Rockwell & Clancy.
The ancient ruins discovered on the grounds of the Clancy manor can be broadly divided into three sections: a group of stone pillars, which appear to have been used in the observation of the 12 constellations and calculating the orbit of the sun; a cave-like space underneath appearing to have been used to seal away something magical; and the Tower of Grief, a place which was highly likely to have been used as the site of an important ritual employing the soul stone, the core of the ancient native people's faith. Fragments of a legend were excavated from the ruins, written in an ancient script: "He who sacrifices a human soul to the Stone shall be granted life eternal." Decoding these ancient letters shows that the people who once lived on this land believed that the soul stone would create an immortal being.
Overground ruins
The overground ruins, which seem to have been used for the observation of the 12 constellations placed around the orbit of the sun. It appears as though a type of space energy from the heavens is required to manifest the effects of the soul stone.
Underground ruins
Many artefacts have been excavated from the maze-like underground ruins. There is an area that seems to have been used for some magical act, and it looks to have relationship with the Tower of Grief.
The Tower of Grief
Some sort of article involved in a religious rite appears to have been enshrined at the Tower of Grief. Something that was offered to the soul stone seems to have been preserved in the concealed underground portion.
The Soul Stone
The soul stone, the centre of the religion born for the creation of an immortal being. Many souls must have been offered to it and much blood spilt in accordance with the myth, but it is difficult to imagine that its power was ever sufficiently awakened. However, descriptions have been found appearing to detail a single person of an ancient people who was actually made immortal by the stone's power. It is said that this person, having obtained the power of the stone, never ages or falls ill, and instantaneously heals from even the most severe of wounds. All that is known of the offering used to acquire the stone's power is that it is half of a soul. Everything about the immortal, including their appearance, remains shrouded in mystery, but if the accounts are true then they must still be alive somewhere today - and right now, the soul stone lies in the hands of Albert Clancy.
