This is no beast den. Through these tunnels lies an Immortal Syndicate shelter. I fear they are in the process of dismantling, leaving us with no evidence. Together, we must rush inside and stop them as best we can. We are certain to find important information within.
I am Jun Ortoi, of the sun-scorched plains of Vastiri. I am investigating the disappearance of several prominent exiles. I have surreptitiously been observing your movements for some time. The way you slew the monster beneath this mountain tells me you are suitable for what I must ask of you.
Wraeclast is lawless, but it is not without justice, and some here are more deserving of death than others. The missing were good people. Capable fighters doing what they could to bring light to a situation mired in darkness. I believe they were taken by a group calling themselves the Immortal Syndicate, and I fear they will not be the last.
Scattered across the plains and mountains are small fortifications I believe to be Immortal Syndicate outposts. They have posted guards along their perimeters, so we must be cautious. Seek one out. I will meet you there, and together we will infiltrate it.
I've spent some time around powerful magical objects. There are some whose magical properties are obscured and tangled, trapped and restricted by a curse placed upon it. I cannot restore such items to their original glory, but I can at least break the curse and release some of its power, if you bring it to me.
The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
She is a tyrant in the making, and the longer we let her accumulate power, the harder it will be to depose her.
The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained the Horns of Kulemak, an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
There is a reason my Order hid the Horns for so long, and we are seeing it play out before our very eyes.
You have heard of the famed Perandus family, I have no doubt. Wealthy and powerful and responsible for putting Malachai in position to bring Wraeclast to ruin all those centuries ago. Though Emperor Chitus is the most famous of the Perandus family, some remnants of his vile bloodline linger even still.
Janus was one such remnant. He too was orphaned, but with the Perandus coffers dry and the Perandus name worth its weight in gold, no one took him in. No one except my akhara.
That he is the only other survivor, and is now a powerful member of the Immortal Syndicate leaves no doubt in my mind that it was he who sold us out.
If there is but one silver lining in all of this, it is that I may get to sink my blades into his flesh over, and over, and over again.
My akhara, my people, were long ago tasked with protecting the people of Wraeclast from themselves. Many artefacts of great power exist - you have come across some such in your travels. But there are some artefacts whose power is so great that to use them would put the world in jeopardy. Artefacts like the Horns of Kulemak. We, the Order of the Djinn, existed to keep such power sealed away and secret. Better that the world forget that it, and we, exist, than fight for control of a power they have no hope of controlling.
Some of the members we have come across... well... they have come back from the dead. I don't have any better way of putting it.
They are no mindless zombies. Somehow they are returning... whole. This must be why they call themselves the Immortal Syndicate. Immortality is dangerous, even in the hands of those with good intentions.
Do I really need a reason? For what reason did you help the sick and dying in Lioneye's Watch? We do these things because no one else will. We do these things because the world has enough pain in it already. Would you have me sit idly by, watching the few good souls left on this wretched stretch of land fall into the shadows?
Creation cannot occur without destruction, nor destruction without creation. Light and darkness. The two must coexist. One cannot be without the other. But forces work to break Wraeclast's already precarious balance. And who but us can put it right?
At last, we have a name; Catarina. I know of her. She was a powerful necromancer whose talents were... misdirected. I do not know for certain how she learned to raise the dead back to true life, but... I have my suspicions. And I have reason to believe that such power does not come without a great price.
It is likely she is paying that price in very inhumane ways.
We must find out where she is hiding. Too much is at stake to let her continue.
You have not heard of us because you were never meant to hear of us. I say us... in truth, it is just me left. We came from all walks of life, but we were all orphans, taken in and raised by the Order, and taught never to speak of it under punishment of death. It sounds harsh, I understand, but such was the importance of our duty that a life of solitude and secrecy was necessary.
For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, we remained secret, until Janus Perandus... that... that imbecile... He sold us out. Reaching for the last vestiges of his ancestral glory. Just like his great grandfather Chitus, he may have doomed us all.
We were only taught what was passed down for generations. We believed the Horns to be the ultimate tool of life and death; capable of siphoning the very breath of life from any living thing. We do not know where it came from. Perhaps the remains of a powerful, long-dead animal. Perhaps a creation of the gods themselves.
Regardless of its provenance, I believe the Horns are what have given the Immortal Syndicate their miraculous ability to return from the dead unscathed.
Thanks to your hard work, we have at last pinpointed the location of a Syndicate safehouse. I believe a leader to be sending orders from there.
When you are ready, I can take us close. Together we will infiltrate and dismantle it. If we can capture the leader, they may be able to get us closer to the one they call "The Lifegiver".
I'd not believe you if I had not witnessed the boats lurching onto the shores of Wraeclast myself. So... The gods have returned, and Oriath has fallen. This complicates things, to say the least.
Exile, I believe the Syndicate has been planning to form a new government. The Templar were cruel, but at least they were mortal. If the Syndicate's power continues to grow, they will be able to rule Wraeclast and beyond without fear of reprisal, and we mere mortals will have no choice but to serve, or fuel their cycle of death and rebirth.
Kitava is slain, and you are the saviour of Oriath. In any other era, such an act would etch your name into the pages of history, but...
The Immortal Syndicate remains, positioned to wrest control of the few remaining survivors, and you are the only one with the might to tear them down. Please, for the sake of those that still live, we must push onwards. Oriath has seen too much horror as it is.
I've spent some time around powerful magical objects. There are some whose magical properties are obscured and tangled, trapped and restricted by a curse placed upon it. I cannot restore such items to their original glory, but I can at least break the curse and release some of its power, if you bring it to me.
Catch and release? You may scare the other fish away, but you may also follow it to a hidden reef. Information is important, and can be gathered by force or by politics. Go now. It is risky to be seen with each other.
We must decide what we will do with our captive. What you choose to do will impact our ability to investigate further. Talk to our captive. I will watch your back.
Thanks to your hard work, we have at last pinpointed the location of a Syndicate safehouse. I believe a leader to be sending orders from there.
When you are ready, I can take us close. Together we will infiltrate and dismantle it. If we can capture the leader, they may be able to get us closer to the one they call "The Lifegiver".
I've spent some time around powerful magical objects. There are some whose magical properties are obscured and tangled, trapped and restricted by a curse placed upon it. I cannot restore such items to their original glory, but I can at least break the curse and release some of its power, if you bring it to me.
The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
She is a tyrant in the making, and the longer we let her accumulate power, the harder it will be to depose her.
The picture is at last clear. Catarina has obtained the Horns of Kulemak, an artefact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed.
Wraeclast is fractured. Many little societies separated by vast tracts of land. But it will not always be so, and Catarina knows this. She is playing the long game. She sees herself as an immortal Queen just biding her time.
Her subordinates dare not cross her, for she has the power to gift them immortality, but also to take it away.
There is a reason my Order hid the Horns for so long, and we are seeing it play out before our very eyes.
You have heard of the famed Perandus family, I have no doubt. Wealthy and powerful and responsible for putting Malachai in position to bring Wraeclast to ruin all those centuries ago. Though Emperor Chitus is the most famous of the Perandus family, some remnants of his vile bloodline linger even still.
Janus was one such remnant. He too was orphaned, but with the Perandus coffers dry and the Perandus name worth its weight in gold, no one took him in. No one except my akhara.
That he is the only other survivor, and is now a powerful member of the Immortal Syndicate leaves no doubt in my mind that it was he who sold us out.
If there is but one silver lining in all of this, it is that I may get to sink my blades into his flesh over, and over, and over again.
My akhara, my people, were long ago tasked with protecting the people of Wraeclast from themselves. Many artefacts of great power exist - you have come across some such in your travels. But there are some artefacts whose power is so great that to use them would put the world in jeopardy. Artefacts like the Horns of Kulemak. We, the Order of the Djinn, existed to keep such power sealed away and secret. Better that the world forget that it, and we, exist, than fight for control of a power they have no hope of controlling.
Some of the members we have come across... well... they have come back from the dead. I don't have any better way of putting it.
They are no mindless zombies. Somehow they are returning... whole. This must be why they call themselves the Immortal Syndicate. Immortality is dangerous, even in the hands of those with good intentions.
Do I really need a reason? For what reason did you help the sick and dying in Lioneye's Watch? We do these things because no one else will. We do these things because the world has enough pain in it already. Would you have me sit idly by, watching the few good souls left on this wretched stretch of land fall into the shadows?
Creation cannot occur without destruction, nor destruction without creation. Light and darkness. The two must coexist. One cannot be without the other. But forces work to break Wraeclast's already precarious balance. And who but us can put it right?
At last, we have a name; Catarina. I know of her. She was a powerful necromancer whose talents were... misdirected. I do not know for certain how she learned to raise the dead back to true life, but... I have my suspicions. And I have reason to believe that such power does not come without a great price.
It is likely she is paying that price in very inhumane ways.
We must find out where she is hiding. Too much is at stake to let her continue.
You have not heard of us because you were never meant to hear of us. I say us... in truth, it is just me left. We came from all walks of life, but we were all orphans, taken in and raised by the Order, and taught never to speak of it under punishment of death. It sounds harsh, I understand, but such was the importance of our duty that a life of solitude and secrecy was necessary.
For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, we remained secret, until Janus Perandus... that... that imbecile... He sold us out. Reaching for the last vestiges of his ancestral glory. Just like his great grandfather Chitus, he may have doomed us all.
We were only taught what was passed down for generations. We believed the Horns to be the ultimate tool of life and death; capable of siphoning the very breath of life from any living thing. We do not know where it came from. Perhaps the remains of a powerful, long-dead animal. Perhaps a creation of the gods themselves.
Regardless of its provenance, I believe the Horns are what have given the Immortal Syndicate their miraculous ability to return from the dead unscathed.
Thanks to your hard work, we have at last pinpointed the location of a Syndicate safehouse. I believe a leader to be sending orders from there.
When you are ready, I can take us close. Together we will infiltrate and dismantle it. If we can capture the leader, they may be able to get us closer to the one they call "The Lifegiver".
I'd not believe you if I had not witnessed the boats lurching onto the shores of Wraeclast myself. So... The gods have returned, and Oriath has fallen. This complicates things, to say the least.
Exile, I believe the Syndicate has been planning to form a new government. The Templar were cruel, but at least they were mortal. If the Syndicate's power continues to grow, they will be able to rule Wraeclast and beyond without fear of reprisal, and we mere mortals will have no choice but to serve, or fuel their cycle of death and rebirth.
Kitava is slain, and you are the saviour of Oriath. In any other era, such an act would etch your name into the pages of history, but...
The Immortal Syndicate remains, positioned to wrest control of the few remaining survivors, and you are the only one with the might to tear them down. Please, for the sake of those that still live, we must push onwards. Oriath has seen too much horror as it is.
Anyone who believes the world is coming to an end raises some red flags. He has that unusual accent, but he claims to be from Oriath. I think Einhar is hiding more than just his face.
Niko is... a strange one. I believe there is a good person buried within him somewhere, but he is lost within his own darkness, struggling to climb out.
Greed has spilled more blood than all the other vices combined, and Alva is one of the greediest people I have ever met. That you have aligned with her makes me question your own motives.
The rules of my akhara forbid women ever feeling the touch of a man. No families, no loose lips, no loose ends. But it makes no mention of two women... When our jobs are done at last, I believe I would like a stronger bond with her. Perhaps we could find some orphans of our own to take in.
Helena looked within herself and chose to turn her back on what she was made to believe, even under fear of death. She is a woman worthy of admiration.
Exile, I fear I have not been entirely honest with you. This dusty pit was once the Forbidden Vault, and I its guardian. That you have not heard of it is not surprising; it was kept in absolute secrecy for countless generations, known only to my akhara, the-... the Order of the Djinn.
It feels so strange to tell someone. To speak so plainly would have been a sin of the highest order, punishable by death. It seems harsh to an outsider like yourself, but you do not know the importance of what we did...
My akhara, my people, were long ago tasked with protecting the people of Wraeclast from themselves. Many artefacts of great power exist - you have come across some such in your travels. But there are some artefacts whose power is so great that to use them would put the world in jeopardy. Artefacts like the Horns of Kulemak. We, the Order of the Djinn, existed to keep such power sealed away and secret. Better that the world forget that it, and we, exist, than fight for control of a power they have no hope of controlling.
You have not heard of us because you were never meant to hear of us. I say us... in truth, it is just me left. We came from all walks of life, but we were all orphans, taken in and raised by the Order, and taught never to speak of it under punishment of death. It sounds harsh, I understand, but such was the importance of our duty that a life of solitude and secrecy was necessary.
For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, we remained secret, until Janus Perandus... that... that imbecile... He sold us out. Reaching for the last vestiges of his ancestral glory. Just like his great grandfather Chitus, he may have doomed us all.
You have heard of the famed Perandus family, I have no doubt. Wealthy and powerful and responsible for putting Malachai in position to bring Wraeclast to ruin all those centuries ago. Though Emperor Chitus is the most famous of the Perandus family, some remnants of his vile bloodline linger even still.
Janus was one such remnant. He too was orphaned, but with the Perandus coffers dry and the Perandus name worth its weight in gold, no one took him in. No one except my akhara.
That he is the only other survivor, and is now a powerful member of the Immortal Syndicate leaves no doubt in my mind that it was he who sold us out.
If there is but one silver lining in all of this, it is that I may get to sink my blades into his flesh over, and over, and over again.
We were only taught what was passed down for generations. We believed the Horns to be the ultimate tool of life and death; capable of siphoning the very breath of life from any living thing. We do not know where it came from. Perhaps the remains of a powerful, long-dead animal. Perhaps a creation of the gods themselves.
Regardless of its provenance, I believe the Horns are what have given the Immortal Syndicate their miraculous ability to return from the dead unscathed.
I am Jun Ortoi, of the sun-scorched plains of Vastiri. I am investigating the disappearance of several prominent exiles. I have surreptitiously been observing your movements since you washed ashore. The way you handled the blacksmith showed me you are suitable for the task I must ask of you.
Wraeclast is lawless, but it is not without justice, and some here are more deserving of death than others. The missing were good people. Capable fighters doing what they could to bring light to a situation mired in darkness. I believe they were taken by a group calling themselves the Immortal Syndicate, and I fear they will not be the last.
NinjaCopFirstTraitor
Cannibals roam the shores here, but hidden amongst them is a small fortification I believe to be an Immortal Syndicate outpost. They have posted guards along the perimeter, so we must be cautious. Seek it out. I will meet you there, and together we will infiltrate it.
NinjaCopUndergroundLab
This is no beast den. Through these tunnels lies an Immortal Syndicate shelter. I fear they are in the process of dismantling, leaving us with no evidence. Together, we must rush inside and stop them as best we can. We are certain to find important information within.
I am Jun Ortoi, of the sun-scorched plains of Vastiri. I am investigating the disappearance of several prominent exiles. I have surreptitiously been observing your movements since you washed ashore. The way you handled the blacksmith showed me you are suitable for the task I must ask of you.
Wraeclast is lawless, but it is not without justice, and some here are more deserving of death than others. The missing were good people. Capable fighters doing what they could to bring light to a situation mired in darkness. I believe they were taken by a group calling themselves the Immortal Syndicate, and I fear they will not be the last.
Cannibals roam the shores here, but hidden amongst them is a small fortification I believe to be an Immortal Syndicate outpost. They have posted guards along the perimeter, so we must be cautious. Seek it out. I will meet you there, and together we will infiltrate it.
Exile! I have found another member of this Immortal Syndicate not far from here. They appear to be loading strange cargo. I fear if we do not act quickly, they will escape. I will join you once you near them.
We were too slow. They have destroyed everything, and on top of that, they have escaped. It may be some time before another opportunity such as this arises. We should make sure that next time we are ready for it.
Exile, I want to show you something. I have been carefully tracking the Syndicate members we have encountered. Understanding how they interrelate will help us paint a picture of the rest of the organisation, and eventually, lead us to whoever is in charge.
I believe we can manipulate and take advantage of their relationships to bring us closer to the head of the Syndicate, and I have made this chart to keep track of all the details. I believe you will find it useful.
I am so sorry, exile. It seems we have raised the ire of the Syndicate, and now they wish us dead. I too was attacked, and I sought you out as soon as I was safe, but I was too late. I brought this on us. I hope you can forgive me.
At least we can make the most of a bad situation... Every defeated Syndicate member is a new opportunity for information and manipulation.
I came to warn you of a plot on your life, but clearly you have a handle on the situation. Let's use this as an opportunity to extract some information.
My home died with my akhara. Already, I cannot repay you for all you have done, but if you have room for me in your hideout, I would gladly accept a place.
Thanks to our continued, fastidious work, we now know Catarina leads the Immortal Syndicate. We also know exactly where she is hiding.
Exile, we must defeat her, but we must be ready for anything. Catarina has not only an army at her disposal, but some of the most powerful artefacts ever known, including the Horns of Kulemak.
You must be prepared to face her. When you are ready, I will open a way.
I've been tracking a member of the Immortal Syndicate. They're near here. We need to move quickly and quietly and dismantle their operation before they can seek reinforcements. I will follow your lead, exile.