The Conclave is a mentioned-only Banuk organization in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds. It is a conglomerate of Banuk shamans.
History[]
The Conclave meets every year at high winter in the frozen caves of the Malmstrom, their most sacred meeting place.[1] The strict policy of Banuk shamans is not to discuss shamanic business with non-shamans, especially concerns regarding the Conclave. The Oseram trader Burgrend commented that when he asked Ourea about the Conclave, her only response to him was an angrily disapproving look.[2]
At some point, Brin was a member of the Conclave, but was banished for his drinking of machine blood.[3]
Sylens[]
Sylens mysteriously appeared in Ban-Ur many years prior to the events of The Frozen Wilds, presenting himself as a young shaman of the remote Owl’s Watch werak. Runners sent to the Owl's Watch returned with confirmation of his claim. The Conclave was extremely impressed by his knowledge of machines, with Ourea in particular greatly desiring to learn from him. Eventually, the Conclave invited him to join the organization, as well as to their next annual meeting at the Malmstrom, which he attended.[1]
The following year, the Conclave assembled at the Malmstrom and discovered that the caves in which they kept their sacred collection of machine components had been looted. Immediately identifying Sylens as the looter, they dispatched their best hunters in pursuit of him, but they were never heard from again. They also sent runners to check in with the Owl’s Watch again, but they found that those who vouched for Sylens were gone, as if he never existed. Some in the Conclave began to doubt whether he was even Banuk to begin with.
The Conclave holds that Sylens committed an unforgivable sacrilege and all took a vow of silence regarding the entire affair,[1] causing Sylens to become a rumor among the Banuk, like some bogeyman the tribe wants to forget.[2]
The only known instance of the incident being spoken of was when Aloy was told about it by Ourea, having been ordered to by Aloy as her chieftain, as well as seeing that Aloy's need for the information was well apparent.
