Feathers appear throughout the game in various instances, either mentioned in documents, displayed in artwork, or implemented as physical objects.
St. Michael's[]
When Adam and Rebecca look at the imposing and finely-worked stained glass window inside the Church of St. Michael, depicting the Archangel Michael as he casts the Devil out of Heaven, a Red and a Green Feather come a-floating from above and land at Adam and Rebecca's feet. One of them is essential in finding Aelf's Helm, the device of passage necessary to enter the Realm of Arqua.
As the Making-of video reveals, filming this specific scene was a very time-intensive undertaking, requiring the best part of a day, which can be attributed to the arbitrary and sensitive movement of the feathers.
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Adam: Feather. From the stained-glass window. |
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Aelf's Helm[]
Aelf's Helm is decorated with two green feathers. The cabinet inside the Lady Chapel of St. Michael's which originally contains the Helm is opened by adorning the Madonna statuette on the communion table with the Green Feather that dropped from the ceiling in front of the above-mentioned stained glass window.
Notebook[]
The third page of the green tear-off Notebook that we find on the wooden pulpit in St. Michael's speaks about the Archangel Michael as he is being visualized in Muslim traditions. He is described as having "wings the colour of emerald green," which we can read as a subtle implication to the above-mentioned green feather from the stained glass window and the Angelic mural in the Lady Chapel.
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There are Muslim traditions which describe Michael in wondrous and magnificent form with wings the colour of emerald green covered in saffron hairs each with a million faces and mouths speaking in a million dialects the pardon of Allah. the Koran states that from Michael's tears come the Cherubim. |
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Florentine's Journal[]
There are four instances within his Journal (specifically the second part) when Florentine mentions Feathers. Here are the respective entries.
Entry, 1st of October 1783[]
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One more thing. I have discovered that upon each 'travelling' that someone or something travels the Tower. At one of the Tower gates only yesterday I discovered one single white feather. Curious! |
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Entry, 2nd of October 1783[]
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The Shard and Seal is broken and the fragments within my hands but the Yielders have been unsuccessful in their task. One crawled back to me through the pages of the library on fire and died. As I dowsed the flames it became clear that it was not the fire that had driven it from its task. In its mouth was a bloody white feather and about its body were deep marks that should have been made by claws but were not. They were the wounds of some blade which would have had to have been enchanted given the precision of the gashes. This is surely not the work of the Dodger. Something lurks now within the Tower and I know not what. [...] The two feathers I now keep in a safe box. |
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Entry, 18th of April, 1895[]
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The last thing I remember was stepping into Heled as a single white feather dropped to my feet. I put it with the other two and threw the box into the hiding place. |
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