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Whitestone Hollow
Royse
I speak to Royse at #8 on the Stalwart Village Part 2 map. She indicates that her daughter is missing, who liked to hang out at Hamond's Emporium. This conversation triggers the Wild Mylla task.
Hamond
Now I speak to Hamond inside his shop, which is at #11. He indicates that Asca sometimes gave parental lectures to Mylla.
Asca
I speak to Asca at #12. She indicates that Mylla spent time at the Temple of Abydon, the entrance to which is at #7.
Mylla's Drawing
I start off at #1 on the map of the Temple of Abydon. I speak to Engrim at #5, who indicates that Mylla liked to make charcoal drawings while she was in the temple.
I find Mylla's Drawing on a table at #4. It indicates a forest pathway leading to a cave filled with small feral creatures.
I leave the Temple and depart for Durgan's Battery.
Lodgar
I start off at #1 on the map of Durgan's Battery. I speak to Lodgar at #3, and give him Mylla's Drawing. He explains that the cave is in the Whitestone Hollow.
Alliria avoids mentioning that Mylla has gone missing. That choice is meant to avoid Lodgar going off in search of Mylla, leading to his death.
The good party also heads for the Copperlane district instead of the Whitestone Hollow right away. The reason is to resolve the task in a way that won't antagonize Mylla herself or her new friends.
*Evil* Lodgar
The difference with the evil party is that Zakara lets on that Mylla has gone missing and makes no effort to stop Lodgar from going off in search of his own daughter. That means the Task will end resolved in a much more violent fashion in comparison to the good party.
The evil party also heads straight for Whitestone Hollow.
Darkest Rauatai Cookie
The good party starts off at #1 on the map of Copperlane. The entrance to the Goose and Fox is at #4.
Once inside, I purchase a Darkest Rauatai Cookie from the inn keeper. It will help me resolve the task in a way that some may consider optimal.
I then rest up and travel to Whitestone Hollow.
Ryona's Breastplate
I make my way westwards and easily kill off a couple of Whitestone Looters at #2.
I continue towards the northwest corner, taking care to go into Stealth Mode and have Devil of Caroc disarm traps along the way. I defeat a few Snow Bears at #3 with little trouble.
A corpse at #3 has Ryona's Breastplate. It's an armor that allows a Chanter, Monk or Paladin to take on Fighter abilities, as well as an ability unique to whichever of the three classes can use it. It becomes Alliria's armor for the rest of the game.
*Evil* Ryona's Breastplate
It is Zahua who gets Ryona's Breastplate in the evil party.
Ice Blights
I easily kill off a few Ice Blights at #17.
Lagufaeth
There will be several Lagufaeth led by a couple of Broodmothers at #18. Kana uses a Scroll of Prayer Against Imprisonment. I have Grieving Mother avoid using her Powers until I have Ituumak trained on one of the distant Broodmothers. After that, Grieving Mother goes on the attack, and frequently uses Amplified Waves (centered on Ituumak) to keep the distant foes in a kind of stun-lock.
Skuldraks
I go back north, and then east along the lake shore. I defeat several Skuldraks, Skuldrak Screechers and Young Skuldraks at #6 without much trouble.
I go in through the cave entrance at #8.
Mylla's Cave
Mylla will be inside the cave, surrounded by several Wichts. You could choose to attack the Wichts at the outset once the dialogue begins. Also, if Logdar had gone off in search of his daughter in response to your previous conversation with him, it will be heavily implied that the Wichts killed him and are now extremely agitated. That means they will attack you on sight. The Wichts will be easy enough to kill. Several spirit animals of various sorts will attack afterwards, who are equally easy to kill.
If you did not set Logdar off on a search for his daughter, and you avoid attacking the Wichts right away, then you have a couple of possible options to persuade Mylla to leave willingly without having to kill the Wichts. Those options become available either by suggesting that you can give her a Darkest Ruautai Cookie if it's in your inventory, or making an Intellect check of 12 that also earns Deceptive disposition that suggests you'll give her a cookie if she returns to Stalwart Village.
More options open after the Intellect check. One is to give her the Darkest Ruautai Cookie if it's in your pack, or to select another Deceptive dialogue options that promises her the cookie if she returns to Stalwart village. Either route convinces her to leave the cave willingly, without having to kill the Wichts. Note that there will also be more than one Cruel option at this point in the conversation, either of which will provoke the Wichts into attacking you.
Alliria offers the Cookie at the outset without the Intellect check, and swiftly persuades Mylla to return home. I now make for the Woodend Plains.
*Evil* Mylla's Cave
Lodgar now lies rather beaten up at the entrance to the cave.
The Wichts are now agitated as a result of their earlier encounter with Lodgar, and therefore attack the evil party on sight. They pose very little trouble by now. A group of spirit animals show up and attack afterwards, but they are not much trouble either. Mylla leaves, upset about both her father and her Wicht friends.
Bleak Walkers
I start off on the east side of the Woodend Plains. I craft a couple of Moonwell scrolls for Kana's use. This can be a useful option to have in hand for when I want Hiravias to start off a battle with something else besides a Moonwell spell.
The first upgrade for Alliria's armor, Ryona's Breastplate, requires defeating several ghostly Bleak Walkers in the Woodend Plains. They are at #9.
I edge along westwards until I bring them into view. Kana uses Defense and Moonwell scrolls in sequence.
A real danger is that the Bleak Walkers include a pair of Black Deadshots, who like to use Sworn Enemy on the squishiest character in the party and then use repeated Pistol shots on that character. I address that by having Hiravias veer a little to the left, and unleash a Tornado on as many of the Bleak Walkers as possible, with the result of knocking down the Deadshots, although Sagani has taken some damage from them.
Hiravias afterwards gets into the thick of it and casts Relentless Storm, and then Venombloom once the melee combatants have closed in on each other.
Alliria uses Reinforcing Exhortation on both Grieving Mother and Sagani to minimize their danger from the Deadshots. She then uses Sacred Immolation as the other Bleak Walkers close in.
Grieving Mother attacks from the flank once they close in, and then uses Amplified Wave once she has enough Focus. Victory happens as a matter of course.
Alliria obtains the first upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate. That upgrade is a 15% chance of triggering Vigorous Defense whenever she is struck with a Hit or a Critical Hit.
*Evil* Bleak Walkers
In this battle it is Aloth who will be in danger from the Black Deadshots. I creep forward towards #9 just enough to bring the first Walker or two into view. My warriors hold their line.
Durance begins an extended sequence of Devotions for the Faithful, Shields of the Faithful, Crowns of the Faithful, Consecrated Ground, Salvation of Time and then Interdiction.
Aloth begins a crowd-control sequence of Eldritch Aim, Pull of Eora, Chill Fog and Malignant Cloud, the latter three aimed at the same spot with the intention of corralling as many of the enemies as possible. He next protects himself with Llengrath's Safeguard, just in case.
After that, he whips out multiple castings of Wilting Wind. By the time the crowd-control spells end, all that's left are a couple of almost dead Deadshots. It's a very easy matter to finish them off and win the battle.
Zahua thus obtains the upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate as well.
Wild Mylla
Returning to Royse and Mylla in Stalwart Village completes the Wild Mylla task. They offer 500cp, but Alliria uses the Benevolent reply to turn it down.
Mylla also informs Alliria that there's a 'bubble hat' near the cave entrance, since her Wicht friends went unharmed.
The good party now makes it way to the entrance to Gref's Rest, at #9 on the map of Stalwart Village.
*Evil* Wild Mylla
Mylla is grounded, so there's no mention of the helm. I also collect the 500cp reward. The evil party spends some time thereafter attending to Zahua's personal quest, which occupies the next few entries in this page.
*Evil* The Anitlei
The evil party returns to Stalwart Village to rest up in Gref's Rest. Zakara speaks at length with Zahua and explores every possible dialogue option.
There are certain important things to gather from this conversation. They include his failure to learn the secret of the Anitlei from his former master, the conquest of his people by their enemies, and his still present desire to learn the secret even after all his self-perceived failures. In particular, it is important to learn that Zahua feels he can make progress with his odyssey in Whitestone Hollow. Getting these points out in conversation will trigger his personal quest, Secrets of the Tacan.
*Evil* Zahua's Herbs
I return to Whitestone Hollow, and indeed simply doing so is progress for purposes of the Secrets of the Tacan such as to advance another Stronghold turn.
A Legendary Companion Adventure now becomes available. I insist on it being The Glass Tree. The intention is to procure the Glittering Gauntlets for Maneha. I assigned Hiravias to the adventure.
Once that is done, I step forward a little. Zahua wants the party to ingest some herbs in order to heighten their spiritual vision. I could refuse, leave the area, and come back a second time. However, Zahua will want the party to ingest the herbs upon returning. Refusing him a second time will cause him to permanently leave the party then and there. Be that as it may, I have come back with the intention of completing the quest then and there, so I accede to Zahua's request immediately and the first time.
*Evil* Sentimental Gem
The evil party follows the Lion spirit to the point marked #2 on the Whitestone Hollow map. The spirit changes form and reveals that it wants a gem from the nearby pedestal at #4. Getting to the gem risks the periodic appearances of Venomblooms through the pathway leading to the pedestal, which act as recurring poison traps that cannot be disarmed. I send Maneha on alone, and she is able to sustain minimal damage without the rest of the party getting hurt. She retrieves the Sentimental Gem and regroups with the rest of the party.
First, I position most of the party well away from the spirit, and have only Zahua close to it. There is a specific reason why.
Zahua gives the gem to the spirit, but it can't hold onto it. Zakara and Zahua now both have a vision of the Shaman who foresaw Zahua becoming a chieftain. What happens next is that a Menpwgra, a Giant Dank Spore, a pair of Ice Trolls, and a pair of Will-O-Wisps now attack.
As much as possible, I want Zahua to conduct the battle himself so that he can progress towards the next upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate, which requires that he take at least 300 points of damage. At some point at least one of the Trolls and the Menpwgra go for the party. The party doesn't mind taking out the Menpwgra and the Spore (in order to minimize its use of Confusion and Dominate on Zahua). But I otherwise prefer them to leave the Trolls themselves to Zahua, retreating away again if they have to. I have made some progress. Zahua has taken 96 points of damage.
*Evil* Haggard Man
The Lion Spirit leads the evil party back to #5. The Haggard Man appears and wants water from a nearby waterfall. He gives the party the Thirsty Man's Waterskin to that end.
The waterfall in question is at #9. Clicking on it starts a scripted interaction, the ultimate objective of which is to replace the Thirsty Man's Waterskin with the Thirsty Man's Waterskin (Full).
Furthermore, if you can make one of a Constitution check of 13, a Perception check of 14, or a Resolve check of 18, then you can also obtain a Sapphire and two Topazes. Zakara makes the Perception check.
If your main character had been unable to make any of the checks, that also means he or she would unable to him or herself obtain the Thirsty Man's Waterskin (Full). However, all that means is that Zahua will obtain the Thirsty Man's Waterskin (Full) himself, but with the result that you will not be able to get any gems as an additional reward.
Now I bring back the Thirsty Man's Waterskin (Full) to the Haggard Man, but he is unable to drink any water from it.
The Haggard Man gives way to a vision of Zahua's former master, Ixepillo. Ixepillo attempts to teach Zahua the secret of the Anitlei, but is unable to do so before crumbling away into dust.
*Evil* Spirit Antelope
The evil party encounters a Spirit Antelope at #19. It wants Repellant Tree Sap so that it can go undetected by predators. The Repellant Tree Sap can be found on a tree at #7.
Problem is, by the time I bring it back, several Wolves have already killed the Spirit Antelope.
The spirit animals give way to the Chieftain of the Quenchatl, Ehuilia. Ehuilia himself turns into a Werewolf, while the rest of the Wolves attack as well. A couple of enemy Monks join in as well.
I again let Zahua fight by himself as much as possible, while keeping the rest of the party at distance. And it's for the same reason. I want Zahua to absorb damage in pursuit of the second upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate. And I have made progress, 204 points of damage by the time the battle ends.
*Evil* Secrets of the Tacan
The lake in the northeast part of Whitestone Hollow now becomes accessible. The evil party travels to #20. Once there, Zahua has a vision of lost betrothed, Nahualtia. He becomes convinced that the Tacan people were doomed no matter what he may have tried. The vision and Zahua's reflection mark the completion of the Secrets of the Tacan quest.
Zahua also acquires the Anitlei talent, which gives him a 10% bonus to Attack Speed.
Kern
First, I sell off my excess goods to the inn keeper and rest up. I then speak to Kern at #4 on the map of Gref's Rest. The short of it is that he was in a land dispute with a neighbor in the Whitestone Hollow named Haddi. He hired a Paladin named Cevistus with the intention of 'putting a scare into Haddi.' Only, Kern didn't realize until it was too late (after the contract) that Cevestin is a Bleak Walker, and that means that Cevestin is likely to murder Haddi. Kern would like you to stop Cevestin. This dialogue triggers The Bleak Oath task.
The video concludes with the party going back to Whitestone Hollow.
Iverra's Diving Helmet
As Mylla indicated, I now find Iverra's Diving Helmet in a hidden cache at #7. It can be useful for battles against Dragons and creatures that use poison attacks. It can also be used for scripted interactions that may require a party member to go deep underwater on a prolonged basis, such as at the end of part 2 of the White March Expansion. I hold onto it for these possibilities, but it doesn't otherwise figure into my long term plans.
Executioner's Hood
I continue westwards and fight a bunchy of Brigands led by Thaog. Once all but his Wizards are dead, I have the whole party besides Alliria retreat. She willingly lets the Wizards fire at her until she takes 300 damage over the course of the battle. Once that's happened, I finish off the Wizards. Alliria obtains the second upgrade forRyona's Breastplate. Once she reaches 50% or below Endurance, she'll gain the ability to use (once per Encounter) Triumph of the Crusaders. It will then allow the party to recoup Endurance with each kill.
I rest up and pick up the Camping Supplies from the crate at #14.
Thaog leaves behind the Executioner's Hood, which Hiravias wears for the rest of the game. It allows him to recoup a little Endurance should he kill an opponent in melee combat, and give an Accuracy bonus whenever an enemy melee attack misses him, which can be useful for an off-tank character. The real benefit is a constant Fear aura that will impose an Accuracy penalty on all within its radius, and it will stack with the Accuracy penalty imposed by his Redshield. It makes sense to have Hiravias wear these items, since with his high Intellect score the radius of the auras will be wider than with any other party member.
Viettro's Formal Footwear
I go south and defeat another group of Brigands at #23. The crate at #22 has Viettro's Formal Footwear, which Hiravias wears for the rest of the game. The +4 bonus to Dexterity will all at once help him cast spells faster, especially during his extended buff sequences, and attack with his War Hammer faster. Such a hefty Dexterity bonus is indeed welcome for an off-tank character in heavy armor who's also having to cast spells.
*Evil* Viettro's Formal Footwear
I have Zahua kill the Whitestone Looters by himself. And it's with the obvious point that he racks up the remaining oubts of damage to himself that he needs for the second upgrade to Ryona's Breastplate. In a way, the armor is even better on a Monk than on a Paladin. The reason is the Monk's power from the armor is not limited to once per Encounter once Endurance drops below 50%. Each Hit or Critical Hit on the Monk has a 10% chance of triggering a hefty +20 Accuracy boost for the Monk for 15 seconds. That in turn makes Critical Hits with his Battle Axes that much more likely.
Durance's gets Viettro's Formal Footwear in the evil party. The +3 Lore bonus will help him with invoking spells from scrolls. The +4 bonus to Dexterity will all at once help him cast spells faster, especially during his extended buff sequences, attack with his sword faster, and reload his arquebus faster.
Kosta and Brys
There will be a Ring of Unshackling and another random item or two in the hidden niche at #26.
I speak to Kosta and Brys at #30, who indicate that some mean looking people were seen leaving Haddi's house.
Ice Beetles and Frost Oozes
I easily kill off a few Ice Beetles and Frost Oozes at #27.
Now I rest up with my heavy-hitters during the Accuracy vs. Beasts bonus. This is in anticipation and now killing off the Alpine Dragon.
The video concludes with the party making its way to the entrance to Haddi's Cabin at #32.
Haddi's Cabin
I enter the house and grab the Camping Supplies from the east corner.
I click on Haddi's dead body and learn that he and his wife, Ewyna, have been murdered by Cevestin and the rest of his crew of Bleak Walkers. I also learn that they will soon seek out their son, Eska.
However, the good party first heads back to Longwatch Falls.
Alpine Dragon
I enter the lair of the Alpine Dragon again, the entrance to which is at #17 on the map of Longwatch Falls. I now intend to kill the Alpine Dragon, in order to obtain the last upgrade for Alliria's armor, Ryona's Breastplate.
I go near the monsters east of the Dragon. I position Kana and Devil of Caroc on the top and bottom ends of the line of monsters, so that they'll mostly likely be in the way of the Dragon once it advances. Grieving Mother and Alliria position themselves next to the monsters in between Kana and Devil of Caroc. Hiravis and Sagani position themselves a little back.
I have Devil of Caroc force-attack the nearest Ice Blight to begin the battle. Alliria tags both Devil of Caroc and Kana with Reinforcing Exhortation, and then the Dragon with Sworn Enemy.
Hiravias casts Weather the Storm, Moonwell, and then Relentless Storm. He repeats the first two spells as needed in order to minimize the danger / damage from the Dragon's attacks.
Grieving Mother immediately attacks the nearest Frost Ooze in order to build up Focus. Once she's acquired at least 80 Focus, she uses Reaping Knives on Alliria in order to turn her into a Focus-generating battery.
I then conduct the rest of the battle according to a certain cycle, which requires that the party members be packed closely together. First, Grieving Mother waits until she has at least 80 Focus again. Second, Hiravis casts Beetle Shell on Kana. The idea is to self-inflict a Stun on Kana, thereby causing his items to trigger +100 bonuses to all Defenses. Third, Grieving Mother then uses Defensive Mindweb, which causes all party members within its radius to enjoy the same and now sky-high Defenses as Kana. I repeat the cycle as often as I need to in order to keep the party resilient as it wears down the Dragon. Hiravias may renew his defensive spells when needed. It's only a matter of time.
I loot the dragon's hoard for a War Bow called Sabra Marie, and a Small Shield called Black Sanctuary. But I have no use for them, so I'll just sell them.
The party now rests up. BOTH defeating the Dragon and resting in its lair afterwards fulfill the requirements for Alliria's armor, Ryona's Breastplate. The upgrade is an improvement to Superb quality, as well as the Triggered Immunity power. What that means is if the wearer is struck for at least 10% damage to Endurance, the wearer becomes temporarily immune to the same kind of damage as what was inflicted by the initial attack (e.g. Slashing Damage, Burning Damage, etc.). Now I leave the lair.
*Evil* Third Upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate
Zahua likewise obtains the last upgrade for Ryona's Breastplate, with the difference that the Dragon had been dead beforehand.
The Superb Damage Reduction and Triggered Immunity can be especially beneficial for a Monk who's constantly throwing himself into the thick of it with low Deflection.
16th Level
Everyone now has enough experience to advance to their 16th levels. Note that I've usually been putting skill points into Athletics and Survival, or Lore for a couple of them. But now on my last level up, where skill points can no longer be put off after maximum level-up, I channel what's left into Stealth. It may help for certain quests where the whole part sneaking around can be helpful.
Alliria gets Deep Faith. Adds +8 to her Deflection and +17 to all of her other Defenses. Even a little boost to Deflection can be helpful for a Damage Dealer, if for no other reason than that it will sometimes reduce Critical Hits to standard Hits instead. The boost to other Defenses is certainly welcome as well.
Kana selects the Invocation called Called to his Bidding, the Ancient Instruments of Death. The best of the summons, it summons four magical weapons. Can be useful for long and intense fights.
He also selects the Snake's Reflexes talent, and again with the theme of maxing out his Defenses.
Devil of Caroc acquires the Bloody Slaughter talent. It won't become applicable until her target is almost dead, but it does make a finishing blow that much more likely. She has everything she wants by now, so I don't mind rounding out things in this fashion.
Hiravias selects Hold the Line, more to provide a minor enhancement to his off-tank role than anything else.
Grieving Mother selects the Tactical Meld power. Select an ally with it, and you'll enjoy the same Accuracy bonus as the ally against the same target being attacked by that ally. Can be useful in conjunction with Alliria's use of Sworn Enemy on the target.
She also selects the Gunner talent in order to increase somewhat the speed with which she can reload her Arbalest.
Sagani acquires the Strengthened Companion talent, which increases the bonuses provided by the Defensive Bond ability.
Now I travel to the crate at #16. I disarm the trap, unlock it, and take the Camping Supplies and Diamond within. I then travel to Dyrford Village.
Cevestin
I make my way to the mill, the entrance to which is at #9 on the map of Dyrford Village.
Upon entering, it is apparent that Cevestin and his band of Bleak Walkers are intent on murdering Eska to complete the job. Alliria takes the straightforward option of forcing an immediate fight with them. The fight is by now easy enough. Eska rewards me with 2,000cp and leaves.
The unique item that Cevestin leaves behind are the Siegebreaker Gauntlets, which Kana wears for the rest of the game. The Clear Out ability may sometimes come in handy, especially when he is faced with multiple enemies while in tank position. The real point is to maximize his Deflection as a tank through the +4 bonus to Resolve.
The good party now returns to Stalwart Village.
*Evil* Cevestin
Zakara plays this a little differently. She selects dialogue choices based on herself being a Bleak Walker, and then makes an Intellect check of 14, to convince Cevestin's own minions to turn on him and kill him. She follows up with a Deceptive option to slaughter the rest of them herself.
She also keeps the Siegebreaker Gauntlets in her inventory, but does not equip them on an ongoing basis. Her preference is to keep the Celebrant's Gloves equipped, while equipping the Siegebreaker Gauntlets only for those occasions where she wants to make a particularly high Resolve check either during a dialogue or during a scripted interaction.
Bleak Oath
I return to Gref's Rest and break the news to Kern to conclude The Bleak Oath task.
A major companion adventure now becomes available. I don't care which one. It happens to be What The Well Holds. I assign Zahua to it.
Both the good and evil parties now pursue some Bounties.
