"The Great city of Pnakotus. Rest now, Jack. You are safe."
- Jack's "Yithian Father"
Pnakotus was once one of the most magnificent cities on Earth. It was built by the Great Race of Yith and served as a huge city-library for the so called “Pnakotic Manuscripts” that contained knowledge from the future and the past. It is believed that Pnakotus is somewhere in the deserts of the modern day Australia.
Yithians meeting with Jack in Pnakotus
Role in the game
While Pnakotus was destroyed millions of years prior to the events of the game, it can be seen during three flashbacks when Jack remembers parts of his time spend in it. Very little is seen or explained in the first two instances. The first time Jack recalls his time in Pnakotus, remembering being in a room surrounded by Yithians, while the second time he rememberes reading a book about the Flying Polyps, the mortal enemies of the Great Race. The third time however, he recalls witnessing the attack on the city itself and learning about his own origins from his “Yithian Father”. After that, his memory was erased by the Yithians and he was returned to his own time, beginning the events centred around Innsmouth.
Trivia
- Pnakotus was introduced in H. P. Lovecraft’s story “The Shadow out of Time”. Both Jack and the protagonist also remembered their time in the city and had their memories (imperfectly) wiped out.