Codices

Codices refer to special collectible Documents found in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

There are ten total Codices documents in the game.

Nine of the ten Codices are found at the end of the optional Tombs, while Ancient Abilities can simply be found on the Path of the Deathless after completing The Orrery puzzle.

Geologist
This soil in this valley in not rich black earth of your fertile homeland. The bones of these mountains are not the gentle hills you roamed as children. We are in a new land, and we must learn the language of the stones. Beneath our feet, the sharp rocks hide glittering veins of ore, gold and chromite, which, when mixed with other alloys creates a steel that shines like silver...

Lara's Thoughts
A codex detailing the Byzantine knowledge of mining and metalwork.

Inner Strength
Pain is illusory, just as the body it is tied to. Our souls feel no pain. When we split, rend, and tear our flesh, our souls still soar, unblemished and undamaged. When you learn to separate the lies of our bodies from God's truth of the soul, then the Adversary has no hold upon you. Your body may die, torn limb from limb, and you will call out with joy, for your soul is eternal and free of pain.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex containing a series of meditations on willpower...

Classically Trained
Once we had learned the lessons of our enemies, we grew to surpass them in skill. We learned how to loose arrow after arrow, until the battlefields were so covered with arrow shafts that they resembled a field of wheat. And still we learned. The best riders and archers of Asia Minor no longer opposed us, but instead clamored to join our armies. We carry the wisdom earned from generations of refinement, and now we pass on these lessons to you.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex of the advanced archery skills developed in Byzantium...

Anatomic Knowledge
Our ancestors had not been hunters for many generations. We were so used to the great, sprawling wealth of the Empire. We were forced to discover those skills again on the hard trek into the mountains. We learned from hardship, and from the people we met along the way. The best of our hunters will tell you that with the proper focus, they can see the life coursing within an animal, and can pierce their heart with a single arrow. Without their skills, we would not have survived.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex detailing the Byzantine knowledge of anatomy...

Iron Grip
This valley has given us all we need to survive and flourish, but it did not give those gifts willingly. Towering cliffs of rock and ice made traversing our lands treacherous in the best of times. Our city now has roads and paths, bridges and walkways, but in the early days, we had only our hands, rope, and simple tools. More than a few of us died, scaling the inhospitable heights. But now we have learned to cross the face of these cliffs as if we were born to it. Learn from our trails, and the pull of the Earth will never hold you down.

Lara's Thoughts
This codex appears to be an instruction manual for mountaineering...

Fast Healer
When the body suffers a wound, it knows how to stitch itself together. A child with no knowledge of the bodily humors will still heal from any wound that does not prove fatal. But with the knowledge contained within, you will see that a wise man, with great practice and concentration can will his body to heal faster. The mind holds great sway over the realm of flesh.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex detailing early theories on the connection between the body and the mind...

Natural Instincts
When we first arrived in this new valley, we were lost and dying. The beasts and trees and plants were all strange and foreign to us, but we have learned much. It has been a long and painful process, and we discovered through many trials and still more errors what salves and poisons can be made, and what other treasures the valley offers. Let this text be a lesson to those who follow in our footsteps.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex detailing the relationship between Man and Nature...

Greek Fire
When we fled the Empire, we left much behind, but nothing so valuable as the secrets of our ancestors, the secret of the War Fire. With this weapon, our ancestors broke the invasions of the Persians, the Avars, and the Arabs. They know it by another name, "Greek Fire", for we alone knew the secret. But we had to leave it behind. After many long years, we have at last found the ancient formula, and again we wield the war fire. Our arrows glow bright with death, and we can feel safe, once again. Do not let the secret leave this valley. Protect it with your life.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex containing the long lost secret of Greek Fire...

Bright Eyes
Though the philosophers believe our body is but a dream of the soul, an infection of the flesh or a blow to the skull can end that dream, whether we believe it or not. Those wise men sleepwalk through life, hastening their own ends through inattention. While I am not so foolish that I would declare them right or wrong, I will instead make aims to protect both body and soul. Through concentration, discipline and focus, we can become masters of the physical realm, able to keep our bodies and souls together by avoiding the horror of pain. Pay close attention. You must always see the sword before it strikes if you hope to live.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex of philosophical writings on the virtue of awareness.

Ancient Abilities
There was a time when our Empire fought with swords and shields, but we learned from our enemies. The horsemen of the steppes and the archers of the East taught us, at great cost. We adopted their strategies, took their lessons to heart, and brought their mercenaries to our side with coin. In time, we learned to be just as deadly with a bow, just as quick. Let these lessons, learned in blood, be your birthright as a soldier of the Empire.

Lara's Thoughts
A codex describing the archery techniques of the foes of the Byzantine empire...