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This post is by guest writer Erin Burke.
Trials of Life
30 Season of the Zephyr 1329 AE
It looks like part drake, part tree as it lets out a tremendous roar that shakes all but Eir to our knees. Faolin is nowhere to be seen. Eir stares the creature down, defiant until the end. The battle is over before it even begins as the long tail lashes out over its massive body and the spearhead tip impales the Norn woman through the midsection, pinning her to a tree. Her eyes roll back and she falls limp to the ground. Braham readies his weapon and Rytlock spins toward us telling us to hurry. It may not be too late to save her.
It’s a tough fight as the monster, a “Vinetooth,” stands between us and the fallen Eir. It leaps upon us like a giant, vicious cat before jumping with great agility out of range of our attacks. When I chance a look over to Eir between strikes and things don’t seem good. We finally land a killing blow on the thing.
Braham rushes over to the still form of his mother and tries to wake her, but it is too late. We pay our respects to the fallen hero and leave Braham to make preparations and find her long time wolf companion, Garm. Meanwhile, Rytlock takes me aside briefly.
“I know that voice you heard back there. The laughing one.” Startled, I glanced up at him before looking back at the carnage. “It is the demon Mallyx the Unyielding. He is the last of Abaddon’s generals and leader of the forces of the Domain of Anguish. He proudly introduced himself to me while I was in the Mists.” I didn’t like the thought of a demon running amok through my head. Hopefully Rytlock knew who the other, more human sounding voice was. “So you have met Jalis Ironhammer and Ventari, eh? I wonder what the centaur thinks of his grass children now?” Rytlock said after I had told him of the other voices.
“You don’t hear them?” I asked
“I hear many voices, but not all have revealed themselves to me. Remember I am learning, too. And apparently these legends of the past like to pick and choose who they speak to on a regular basis.”
“Who talks to you?” I asked pensively, thinking of the astral dragon form I had seen Rytlock create when he first returned from the Mists.
“I can’t tell you that…yet. However, I can tell you I have not heard this human voice that has recently come to you. Hopefully he will show himself soon. I personally don’t like the idea of strangers piggybacking in my mind. Especially things like demons. Nothing good can come from that. It’s time for you to press on into Auric Basin.” He points to the gateway ahead leading to the basin and I start off to my next destination.
31 Season of the Zephyr 1329 AE
There are Priory survivors here and a quick check with them indicates ruins deep in the jungle. These seem to be the remains of a city of gold, but little is known about it. Ceer and Piera are in charge here having been on board the Priory ship when it crashed nearby. Most of the survivors have pushed further into the jungle looking for more information on this lost city. Apparently these ancient buildings began to glow in the distance after a sylvari with a backpack ran through. I wonder if this was Caithe. But what would she have in such a prominent bag, and why would she be running further into the dangerous jungle? Did she know where the other members of Destiny’s Edge were?
I follow the path toward the mysterious city and meet up with Canach, Rytlock, and the others. We save a few of the Priory’s people from a Mordrem attack, and the researchers tell me that there runes carved into the surrounding pillars that might be a key to some kind of defense system. The Mordrem keep coming and we wind up fighting off a Bristleback which sends spikes flying towards us, even somehow forcing them over the top of the rocks I use for cover.
As the creature goes down, I notice a glowing form flitting around the spires, glowing veins of light flowing through them wherever it touches them. It appears humanoid and its ability to activate the ruins here could be of use to the Pact in fighting the dragon. I decide to follow it…
I finally get a chance to speak with this being that calls itself Ruka the Wanderer. He says little, but I can feel the power of the Mists emanating from Ruka, and he seems intrigued by my own new found abilities.
Rytlock comes with Ruka and I as we pick up on Caithe’s trail nearby. She stops near the opening to the mouth of a cave. She seems to be speaking into the cave at….Faolin? Could Faolin actually be alive? Caithe declares that she has the dragon Glint’s egg and that it is her Wyld Hunt, her own responsibility which she will not turn over to one of Mordremoth’s minions. With it obvious that Caithe is not giving up her prize, Faolin emerges from her hiding place.
The elegant sylvari noblewoman who was once Caithe’s travel partner and lover has changed. Instead of being consumed by the vinetooth that attacked her before, Faolin has apparently consumed the vinetooth, becoming a chimera of sorts. Her head and neck resemble her original sylvari form of proportionately large size, but from the neck down she has the form of the four legged monster.
I hear a chorus of voices rise up inside of me, warning me of danger ahead, laughing at my fear, crying at my failure. I grow disoriented and begin to stumble my toward the cave, sick to my stomach.
Caithe is understandably shaken by Faolin’s transformation and the creature leaps upon her, knocking her to the ground and spilling the egg out of the backpack. Rytlock rushes to distract Faolin while I make a grab for the egg.
I feel its power rush through me as I pick it up and all the voices in my head are silenced. For the first time in a great while, everything is still. Unfortunately, I have no time to dwell upon its effect as Rytlock advises me to hurry to safety. Ruka leads the way through the cave and assembles a thicket to block Faolin’s pursuit. I find I am able to jump higher, run faster, and even teleport short distances with the aid of Glint’s legacy. Exploding pods waylay Faolin as she renews her pursuit from a side route in the cavern, and I manage to jump just out of her grasp to safety across a deep ravine.
Ruka understands the seriousness of the situation and takes me to meet the rest of his kind, including their leader, the Luminate.
They are known as the Exalted, creatures who were once humans but are now energy beings tasked with guarding the egg of Glint the dragon. Glint had once been under the control Kralkatorrik the Elder Dragon of Crystal, but was freed from its influence by the ancient Forgotten, who in turn created the Exalted as guardians of Tarir and the legacy. Free of Kralkatorrik’s evil influence, she protected the old races before her death at her former master’s claws.
Ruka guides me to a portal in the lower portion of the city where as a prophesied Champion of Tarir I am to undergo three trials: Strength, Intellect, and Leadership. In the Trial of Strength, I fight my way through groups of enemies representing all of the Elder Dragons while jets of seawater spring up from the floor. I find myself hurled into the surrounding pillars by enemies, unable to connect with Ventari’s healing magic in this room. Just as the last of my strength fails, the last enemy falls and I am on to the next challenge.
The Trial of Intellect involves triggering runes within a maze while dodging lightning attacks and feral sparks. I quickly catch site of the runes and complete the maze run.
Finally, the test of Leadership transforms me into a seemingly helpless rabbit. Mordrem wolves prowl the room, with an Alpha lurking at the exit. However, scattered throughout the room as well are unconscious soldiers, which awaken as I approach them. I am able to gather quite a few recruits and reinforce them with buff spells granted magically through the trial which allow the soldiers to withstand the powerful attacks of the enemy. Together, we finish off the Mordrem Alpha and hurry through the exit.
Ruka takes me over to put the egg at rest, proclaiming me the Champion of Tarir. As I place the egg, a horrific vision greets me in a shower of prismatic light. I see Zojja, Thackery, and Trahearne cocooned, their visages torn asunder and replicated across a field of green that seems to throw itself over the central human city of Destiny’s Reach. I turn to Ruka and explain what I have seen. It appears the dragon plans to duplicate elite troops from the heroes of Destiny’s Edge in an effort to gain the upperhand and finish us off once and for all.
32 Season of the Zephyr 1329 AE
I solemnly leave the egg chamber and wander outside the city where I find another Exalted, Wekesa. I’ve spent a day in the trial chamber, and it’s been at least three since I last slept, but I don’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, my contact with Glint’s egg has left me feeling energized and renewed. The voices have not returned, either, although I can still use the legendary powers through the Mists.
Wekesa lets me know Taimi and the others have picked up on the trail of Logan and the others. I follow a series of five holodisks along the trail through Bristleback nesting sites and hostile Nuhoch territory, where the necromancer Marjory Delaqua directs me up to the top of a cliff on the trail of Taimi.
I pass through trap laden caverns and an apparent brood chamber for Mordrem wolves, until I reach a large room covered in vines with the exception a several pillars erected in a circle at the center.
Taimi is there with her trusty golem Scruffy and she instructs me on how to activate the pillars while she works out some calculations. With all of the components in place, the pillars begin to shimmer with light and a large map appears on the wall behind us.
Kiru the Exalted glides in through the wall behind the map, surprised that the room is functional again. Kiru tells us the glowing areas represent ley line energy with magic heavy places such as Tarir showing up a brighter than others. I point out the brightest spot on the map, with a sinking feeling that I already know what it is. Kiru confirms the worst and states this is the Elder Dragon Mordremoth, its spot on the map brilliant from the consumption of magical ley energy. Taimi asks about another dot just to the south of where we are.
“Do you not recognize it? That is your city,” responds Kiru. But this is not Rata Sum, the current main city of the asura far to the northeast.
“No, that city is the other asuran city. One called Rata Novus.” Silence echoes about the cavern as Taimi and I stare in disbelief at the long lost asuran city.
Follow the adventure on stream here.
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