We’re certainly going to check, but I won’t lie – I’m going on precious little intel compared to what I can normally gather. So stick close to me, keep quiet, and stay in the shadows as much as you can.
Manage that, and we might even make it out of here alive.
Tilt-a-whirlwind
Alright, first obstacle – a Defiled Aegis. I’m not sure what kind of aegis this used to be, but it’s very definitely defiled now. I saw a daring adventurer type meet that thing head on before you showed up, and it started spinning around like a whirlwind. Filled with swords.
I’m sure you can figure out the rest.
The man out front said there was pay for doing something with a few ghosts and that amulet you have there, though, so we’re going to have to forge ahead if we want the extra coin. It’d be a shame to come all this way for nothing, and I want whatever those pirates were after anyway, so here’s the plan:
I go left, you go right, we shoot at it with bows. Or magic, if you’re into that. It starts spinning, we get even farther away. Sound good? Good. On three.
One….two…
Salt (Catchers) and Sanctuary
Well that was…something. Good work back there, and nice footwork. Now for the second obstacle – the Bleak Veils. Seems a bit dismal for an organization name, but I guess when you’re trapped in a sealed tomb with a bunch of necromancers, dismal’s normal.
They’re always around those Salt Catcher spirits you were looking for, though. What they’re doing to it, I can’t fathom…but I imagine it’ll stop soon enough with a few arrows in them. Watch your step, though – I had to take one down earlier, and it desecrated the very ground it died on.
It doesn’t tickle.
Good news is – they don’t know we’re here. Even better is the fact that while they hit hard, they’ve gotten a little brittle from all this time near old bones. Hit em a few times and it’s dust to dust. There’s a few different kinds, and they all come at you slightly differently, but the plan’s the same – put the pointy end into their squishy bits until they fall down.
Bahraha Blast
Well, I pilfered a map off of one of those Bleak Veils, and I think that seal you’re looking for is up ahead. A few other tomb raiders went on ahead of us muttering something about slaying a big aegis named The First. I figure if they did most of the hard w–
Oh. Oh no. Kid, that’s the Magnifico himself – Bahraha. He’s old, powerful, and (judging from those spells he’s slinging at the guys from earlier) he’s very angry. I don’t think he’s spotted us yet, so you go up behind that throne of his – the map says the seal we’re looking for is there. Meanwhile, I think I see a Thief’s leathers in that pile of corpses over there, so I need to have a few words with our friend here.
Go on, recharge the seal or whatever it is you’re doing with that talisman. I’ll be right behind you – he doesn’t look so tough.
Escape from Bahrahatraz
Fine, fine! He’s tougher than he looks. You can say “I told you so” later, for now just keep running. We’ll come back with more force later – or if we’re lucky, never again. Watch your step though, kid, one fall and we’re right back between a room full of the Bleak Veils and where we found that defiled aegis. Judging from the sounds, it’s not fantastic at staying dead, either.
Necromancers. Bah.
Just keep your footing and keep moving. There’s a door over this way. We’re almost there. Doesn’t seem to be any evil undead types up here so get a move on. Only a few more boards, another door and…
Huh. Another one of those air fragments. Or…what did you call it again? Cloud splinters? No…no that wasn’t it. Well anyway, this one doesn’t budge for me any more than the last one. You go ahead and do whatever strange thing it is you do with these, I’m going to investigate this lever. It looks like pulling the lever might open this gate…
Which leads back to the original room of the Gloom, and lets us stroll on out. Back to the lovely…hospitable…scorpion riddled desert of Hew’s Bane.
Well, beats the inside of that place. Shame we didn’t manage to nab anything past some gold coins and the breeze piece, but at least we’re alive. All things considered, I’m willing to chalk that up as a victory.
The Talisman? Sabileh might be interested. She’s a priestly type in Abah’s Landing, look around and you’ll find her, I’m sure. The balance beams on the way out of the Gloom were even fine practice - last I heard, she was operating off of a roof.
You take a breather, kid. You had my back in there, and the Thieves Guild won’t forget it. So go on, take some time off. Spend some of that gold. I’ll try to dig up what dirt I can on the Maw of Lorkhaj in the meantime.
Can’t hurt to be prepared – something tells me that’s one Trial we won’t be able to buy your way out of.
