Iris
| Iris | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Found | 1984 Angkor Wat, Cambodia | |
| Current Status | In Lara's treasure vault | |
| Game(s) | Tomb Raider III | |
| Level Found | Race for the Iris (first time) 13th Floor (stolen by Lara) | |
| Level Used | Escape with the Iris | |
The Iris is an ancient Cambodian artefact. It was discovered jointly by Lara and Werner Von Croy in 1984 in Angkor Wat.
Contents
History
Not much is revealed about the artefact's history. In the chamber where it was sealed, Lara read an inscription on a stone tablet. It contained a warning of revenge upon those who disturb the Iris.
Discovery
After a quick race, Lara and Werner enter a chamber with a mechanical globe. Werner pressures Lara to help him to open it, revealing the Iris. When Werner tried to remove the Iris from the mechanical globe, even after Lara warned him about the possibility of a trap, the room started to shake and Werner caught his leg in some debris, giving him a limp for life. The mechanical globe closed with him still in it. Lara, however, managed to escape. We do not know how long Werner was trapped in the globe, but he did escape and he took the Iris with him. He also held a major grudge against Lara for abandoning him.
Eventually Werner founded a research company: Von Croy Industries, which had a tower block base in New York City. The Iris was taken there for research on its powers. In 1997 Lara broke into the tower and stole the Iris successfully. She keeps the Iris in her treasure vault to this day.
Appearance
The Iris appears to be a central sphere of an orange substance that emanates light, somewhat resembling the internal structure of the planet Earth. Three spherical cups of different sizes rotate at random patterns around the centre as shown in the image.
Powers
We only see the powers of this artefact in Tomb Raider Chronicles. When Lara is escaping from Von Croy Industries, she uses the Iris as a power source to teleport herself to another room. However, for this power to be manipulated, a special machine needs to present in both the room where you are being teleported, and the room you are being teleported to. These radioactive machines were constructed by Von Croy Industries. The Iris ignores gravity and can hover in mid air.
Appearances
The Iris is the artefact that appears most in the Tomb Raider series. It appears in Lara's treasure vault in Tomb Raider III (implying that she stole it from Von Croy, before the story of Tomb Raider III takes place). The story of how the Iris was obtained is revealed in Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation, and the story of how Lara stole the Iris from Von Croy Industries is told in Tomb Raider Chronicles.
Gallery
Von Croy taking the Iris
The Iris stored in a security device on The 13th Floor in Von Croy Industries, New York City
The Iris in the treasure vault
Related Articles
- The rival archaeologist, who had a great role in finding the Iris
References
- ↑ In-game dialogue between Winston, Father Patrick and Charles Kane in Tomb Raider Chronicles
