“And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”
No, Caedryn is not dead. Or dying. Although he did. Die that is. Repeatedly. I think about nine times. A record for me. But more on that just now. No, I have posted those lyrics because I'm sad to say that after 45 articles, this is the last Chronicles of One Telaran. At least for the foreseeable future. The articles might be back at some point in the months to come, but don't hold me to that. I'll be sad to leave these weekly missives behind, but I'm afraid there's nothing to be done about it.
Hey ho. Such is life.
)
Anyway, enough of my problems. This week saw two milestones reached. Caedryn reached level 30, and he completed the Gloamwood Pines quests and moved onto Scardale Reach. Good old Cedryn. He's slow, but he gets there in the end.
I thought I was done with Shadefallen Towers. I’d fought my way through, snuck into the tunnel, climbed into the heart of the enemy camp, and completed my quest of killing the Iron Pines Butcher. But when I returned to Tearfall Ruin what was I asked to do? Sit back and enjoy a single malt? No. I was asked to go right back in again, this time to try and rid the area of the power of Regulos, the power that is spawning undead and zombies and the like. “The power of the death god Regulos wears many aspects,” says Laria, “from the corruption of treants to the undead in the Mathosian Mill. Now, the Malevolent Shade Well coalesces near the Shadefallen Towers. You must destroy it before darkness overtakes all of Gloamwood!”
)
Honey! I'm home!
It wasn’t easy, mainly because I couldn’t figure out where to go. The marker on my map was very confusing, pointing at an area that had multiple levels. But I eventually found it on an overhang below Shadefallen Towers, an area where blue lights flicker across the ground. I killed all the dudes wandering aimlessly around and then summoned the Shade Well and cut it in twain! No more Endless Court undead materializing in Gloamwood. Haha! Take that forces of evil.
I trot back to Laria, feeling pretty smug about everything. Laria is grateful, but not as grateful as I reckon she should be. I mean, I’ve just put a pretty hefty dent in Regulos’s plans here. And what does she say? “You have done well, Caedryn, and I thank you. With the forces of Regulos weakened, I have a strength I haven't felt since before my sister allied herself with the powers of Death. With the blessing of the Vigil, perhaps this means the end to this nightmare is near.”
Sorry, let me get this straight. The end to this nightmare is near, or the end to this nightmare has arrived? Because I was under the impression that by killing the Shade Well that would be it. Goodbye Regulos. Apparently not. Laria might be getting her strength back, but she’s still not strong enough. Either that or she’s faking it so I have to do all the dirty work. “I can sense the power of nature beginning to twist under the Hag's spell,” she says, “but I alone cannot stop this dark tide. You need to confront the Hag once more, Caedryn, and despite your curse, you must find the strength to defeat her.”
Hmm. This curse she’s talking about. I had that removed ages ago by Gwyddon Duskenleaf, not that it really affected me in any way. Apparently, in an earlier version of the game it turned you into a werewolf for a certain amount of time, but that didn’t happen the last time I confronted the Hag. No matter. I head back to Shadefallen Towers for what I really hope is the last time. (I’ve visited it about four times now over the past few quests, averaging about three deaths every time I make the trip.)
I sneak up the tunnel and then through into the main Endless Court fortress, fight my way around the perimeter and then up the steps to finally confront the Hag. But it’s never as easy as that, is it? Alsbeth the Discordant appears and has a bit of a chat with the Hag, then the Hag opens a Rift, and I have to defeat three waves of creatures here. First Deathless Cultists, then werewolves, then some kind of sea beastie. Luckily I didn’t die. My secret? Mudder’s Milk. After each wave I quickly drank a flagon of Mudder’s Milk and got my health to 100 % before the next wave arrived.
)
Hey old woman. Prepare to die!
The Hag was surprisingly easy to kill after all that. I mean, yeah, she’s an old woman with a humped back, but I expected a bit more. But Caedryn cut her down to size pretty quick. Once she’s dead, Laria appears and goes on a bit about her sister, (the Hag), and then a Messenger of the Vigil appears and relieves Laria of her duties. She basically forces Laria into retirement, saying that the defense of the forest is no longer her task and that she had earned her rest. No retirement package, no present, nothing.
Not very nice.
Then the Messenger turns to me. “A great victory was struck for Telara today. You have vanquished the Hag from this wood, foiled the plans of Alsbeth the Discordant, and ultimately thwarted the goals of Regulos. You have repeatedly affirmed the Vigil’s wisdom in calling you to the ranks of the Ascended, Caedryn.
“Laria placed herself in harms way to protect this wood against the Shade as long as she was able. She was almost lost in the process but you redeemed her. None of us can stand alone against the might of the Regulos, dwarf. The ascended of the Vigil must work together if we hope to save Telara.”
She then sends me back to Tearfall Ruin where I strut about and everyone says how great I am.
But no rest of the wicked, because Fiona Leone wants me to offer her expertise to Sir Greg Armex Crimson Wash, near the town of Stonecrest in Scarlet Gorge. I accept gladly, because I’m pretty sick of this green-tinges swamp and want to move on to greener pastures.
Unluckily for me, I’m basically moving toward a desert.
)
It's getting a bit hot in this armor.
And that's it for now folks. I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have followed my weekly ramblings. I really appreciate it. Catch you on the flip side.
