Sunday, September 21, 2014

[Chapter Summary]: Gloamwood

    
     And here we come to the close of the Gloamwood story arc! I'm so excited to be finished this section and move on to another one. Although also, here is where I've come to an impasse. I'm moving out of straight Guardian territory and into contested zones, where the Guardian and Defiant share zones. Since I don't have to just repeat the same thing with both Kara and Rae, I'll have to decide how I'm going to do this next chapter. I think I'll alternate zones. That way they both still get stories to tell as they continue on their journey, and I'm still telling the story of Telara. As always, only story and lore posts that relate to Rae's side are being listed here. Any stories of lore posts that are relevant to Kara and the Defiant will be listed on Kara's summary. Any off topic discussions that fall after Rae's chapters will also be posted here, while any off topic discussions that fall after Kara's chapters will be posted on her summary. I hope that isn't too confusing. Just to be sure, all the links for all the summaries will be posted in the "prologue" page, which I'll link to at the bottom of this page don't worry!
     I had a lot of fun exploring Gloamwood and learning about the sub story being played out here. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the Hag and her werewolf curse was really neat, and uncovering each layer of the plot felt like not just reading a mystery novel, but living it, and doing it for myself! A very cool and fun story, although the dark surroundings felt depressing and confusing at times.
     I like how each zone has it's own plot, but also has the overall plot to connect it to the greater story of the Ascended. Also, Rae received yet another wardrobe update in this zone! I feel that as she grows stronger in her abilities and her faith, her wardrobe would reflect that. So here, she's wearing darker browns and golds, as well as two long bronze daggers and some fancy shoulder pads. She's also sporting an elaborate cloak. I've yet to find a proper helmet or head cover that looks assassiny like though, so she'll keep her eyes unobstructed for now! Also, Rae has become a little more.....cocky in this chapter. She's learning to appreciate her own self and she's not blindly following orders as much. She is willing to stand up for herself, and she's not at all impressed with the people of Gloamwood and how they are treating her like she has the plague, especially at the beginning. She's become quite sarcastic, but I like her this way. She's still loyal to the Guardians and to the Vigil of course, but she's also started to question things and to think for herself instead of blindly rushing off. Where will Rae go next and what will she encounter? Well, I haven't figured that out, but here's the results of her foray into Gloamwood!

Chapter Three Archives:                                                            Chapter Three Story List:
Archive I: Borrin Gamult                                                         3.0: Welcome to Gloamwood
Archive II: Riftwalker Soul                                                     3.1: Of Wings and Fangs
Archive III: Artifacts of Gloamwood                                        3.2: Ghost Story
Archive IV: Zone Events                                                         3.3: Skittering in the Dark
Archive V: Thedeor                                                                 3.4: Broodmother's Lair
Archive VI: Scotty Malm                                                        3.5: Your Solemn Outlook
Archive VII: Roleplay 101                                                      3.6: The Light in the Gloom
Archive VIII: Nightblade Soul                                                3.7: Beast of Greybriar Hollow
Archive IX: The Mathosians                                                   3.8: Death's Defense
Archive X: Dimensions                                                           3.9: Secrets in the Pines
Archive XI: Kitchen Introduction                                           3.10: Family Matters
Archive XII: Gloamwood                                                       3.11: She's Lived Long Enough

Extra Posts:                                                                                Side Stories:
Patch 2.5: Song of Dreams                                                      1.0: Down Where It's Dark
BlizzCon 2013                                                                         Guide: Darkening Deeps

The Story Thus Far:
     Raeslyn entered Gloamwood with the intent of easily discovering the reason behind the goblin intrusion into Silverwood, reporting the incident back to Sanctum, and possibly eradicating the vermin before the problem escalates. Instead, she is shocked to find all manner of troublesome happenings in the dark wood of Gloamwood. For one thing, the citizens are far from welcoming to a famous Ascended, chosen of the gods to protect the people of Telara. In fact, they tell her in no uncertain terms that she is not welcome here, and she should leave as soon as possible. The longer Rae investigates the mysterious problems in Gloamwood, the more frustrated she grows. The wood is dark and twisted, full of evil creatures and dark curses, and the people of Gloamwood Pines, the lone town in the heart of the forest, seem strange and shifty, sticking to their houses and flinching away from any aid she would offer. There are military present, the Sanctuary Guard sent to deal with the pesky goblin hordes, but they too have been rebuffed by the townsfolk, relegated to setting up camp outside the town and being stalled at every turn. The town mayor, Furtho Dragomir, seems to hide a dark secret of his own. It soon becomes apparent that there is a darkness brewing in Deepwood Cottage, which was once the home of the legendary Druid sisters Delilah and Laria, who proudly protected the wood in days gone by. Rae learns that Laria, the light and brave sister, had fallen in combat against the rifts and in her grief, Delilah blamed the people of Gloamwood for not coming to their aid. She placed several powerful curses on the prominent noble families of Gloamwood, afflicting them with lycanthropy, vampirism, and undeath.
     Rae wastes several days trying to gain information on what beast is stalking unwary travelers and townsfolk alike, only to find that the mayor himself knew the secret and had kept it from her. The wood is crawling with werewolves. And these werewolves are the townsfolk themselves, cursed by the Hag in her bitter hatred of them. She finds to her horror that the Hag wishes to rule Gloamwood for herself and turn the entire forest into her personal death touched domain, ruling over it in the name of Regulos the Destroyer, her new dark master. She had fallen so far into corruption that Alsbeth, the leader of the Endless Court, was able to twist the Hag to her own dark purposes. On top of all this, Rae has to deal with the growing goblin problem by venturing deep into the underground city of the Gedlo goblin priests to kill their leaders and find out what sinister plots they are hatching in the name of Maelforge. Finally, she is successful in defeating both the goblins and the Hag. Raeslyn puts a stop to the Hag's plot to turn Gloamwood into a new death plane. Laria, the Hag's devoted sister, finally finds peace and is able to begin her journey to the afterlife. Raeslyn discovers that the mayors own brother was a werewolf and he had wanted to keep it secret until he find hope of a cure. Alas, his brother was too far gone and had to be slain, along with many other of the noble houses. Raeslyn is able to break the dark curses that choked Gloamwood and is hailed a hero by the people of Gloamwood Pines, who finally recognize her as someone who wishes to aid them. The Waykeepers of Gloamwood give her the title of "Wolfbane" for her heroic efforts.

Quests with a **(star) at the end are CARNAGE quests!

Zone Details:
  • Mob Types:
    • Beast
    • Demi-human
    • Humanoid
    • Undead
  • Critters:
    • Coyote
    • Snake
    • Rat
  • Total Time Spent in Zone:
    • 3 days approximately. Although I did spend an extra few days off and on running around collecting all the artifact sets.
  • Level Upon Leaving Zone:
    • 32-This includes doing all the zone events, as well as several other tasks I completed in between leveling. Also noted, I used an "Experience Suppression" potion the entire time.
  • List of Quests (In questing order):
    • Gloamwood Beasts- Ralph Bonser in Argent Glade
    • An Age of Darkness- Brougan Grote in Argent Glade
    • Bleeding Green**
    • No Ghost Story- Sherriff Thalia Cosmin-Daily rift quest
    • Blood on the Roots**
    • Reclaim Silkwood Pass**
    • Kill for a Cure- Gwyddon Duskenleaf
    • Field Tested, Goblin Approved- Laenaya Niro
    • Volunteer Duty- Captain Rotherdan- Daily rift quest
    • Grove Walker**
    • Fire and Venom-Waykeeper Sharla
    • Riches of Sanctum-Silk Webbed Crate-clickable item (5476, 3284)
    • Into the Nest-Caleb Matson
    • Creeping Paralysis-Wrapped Cocoon-clickable item (5762, 3496)
    • Good Luck Charms-John Tintan
    • Marching Onward-Sherriff Thalia Cosmin
    • The Seed of History-Gwyddon Duskenleaf
    • Green-Eyed Monster-Marshal Oakheart
    • Janina's Revenge-Janina Solemn
    • May It Serve You Better-Nigel Solemn
    • Answers of the Dead-Alistair Solemn
    • Goin Gobbo Huntin-Waykeeper Ienja-Daily
    • A Dangerous Harvest-Laria<Spirit of the Wood>
    • Shade of the Family-Laria
    • Heirlooms of the Dead-Recent Corpse-clickable item (5102, 2342)
    • A Prized Necklace-Goblin Necklace-drop item (Fungustoe) (4992, 2402)
    • Venom-Stained Key-drop item (Nizak Gedlo) (5007, 2413)
    • Out of Harm's Way-Captured Civilian-Escort quest
    • Blood Flows Downhill**
    • The Goblin Bane-Furtho Dragomir
    • In Recognition of Valor-Furtho Dragomir
    • Planting Hope-Gwyddon Duskenleaf
    • Beast of Greybriar Hollow-Drusk Nightclaw
    • A Dangerous Bite-Drop item-Venomous Fang (drops off spiders, not sure which!)
    • Where the Moon Blossoms-Moon Blossom-clickable item
    • Ol' Ness**
    • Deep Winter-Laria
    • Finishing Touches**
    • Trouble in the Wood-Marshal Oakheart
    • It Knows No Depths-Fiona Leone
    • Mill Infestation-Brother Jebiah
    • Mathosian Manifestations**
    • Slim Pickings-Drop item-Fractured Rib-from Shademarked Soulweaver
    • Bloody Jack**-top of mill (4360, 2584)
    • Millrush Reclaimation**
    • Black Sap Ancient**-elite mob- (4222, 2723)-(4153, 2730)
    • Looting the Mist-Drop item-Translucent Aether-from Tormented Spirits
    • Death's Defense-Fiona Leone
    • Bite Marks-Brother Jebiah
    • A Burgher With Lies-Doctor Oswell
    • Secret of the Pines-Gwyddon Duskenleaf
    • Camping By the Creek-Ral Teralas
    • Final Rest-Ral Teralas
    • A Family Heirloom-Ral Teralas
    • The Light of Jebiah-Brother Jebiah
    • She's Lived Long Enough-Laria
    • Infectious Hosts**
    • Kill Nuha the Wolf**-Cave under the cottage
    • A Woman Scorned-Laria
    • Purification Ritual-Fiona Leone
    • Taking the Shadows**
    • Slaying the Shadebent**
    • Flickering Shadows**
    • And End to the Court**
    • Etail Corpsekiller**
    • The Iron Pine Butcher**
    • Spreading the Word-Fiona Leone
    • Aiding the Waykeeers-Marshal Oakheart
    • Scavenger Hunt-Daily-Waykeeper Valin (5675, 3425)
    • Cleansing Fire-Marshal Oakheart
    • Savior of Gloamwood-Furtho Dragomir
    • Stemming the Darkness-Brother Jebiah
    • Ending A Legend**-Elite lvl 24 Treant
    • Making the Dead Stay Dead-Daily
    • Goremouth** (4803, 2553)
    • The Source of Spiders-This quest starts with a woman named Noreen Adler in Silverwood by Silver Landing, and asks you to venture up the Gloamwood Trail to speak to Varian Lofte.
  • Extra Bits and Locations:
    • Haligan the Pyretouched (4412, 2542)-Undead mob-drops a green quality staff
    • Morticus the Unholy (Around the Mill somewhere)-Undead mob-drops Air wand
    • Gedlo Venom Samples-drops from Goblins-Gives 50 Waykeepers Rep
    • Skull Biter<Barkeeper Goblins> (5244, 2524)
    • Drix Marrow <Nightrock Goblins> (5064, 2679)
    • The Waykeepers in Gloamwood Pines are all named after types of beer! Go look! (This information is compliments of Raelsky) I've found Kors, Boosh, Ginnis, etc!
    • Also found 2 Waykeepers at Silkweb Pass named Siaruh and Nivadda. (Sierra Nevada)
    • The Waykeepers Rep Vendor in the Inn sells werewolf pets! Go get yours. (5135, 3122)
    • Goblin Victim-Woman being terrorized by 2 goblins. If you kill them, you can talk to her for a brief description of what the goblins are doing in Gloamwood. She will also reward you with "Token of Gratitude" a sack of items. (5358, 2642)
  • Rare Creatures List:
    • Stalker of Tears-Werewolf (4678, 1107)
    • Xaksha-Insect (4658, 2627)
    • Scald-Dragon (4933, 2249)
    • Dozer-Mech (4426, 2641)
    • Lunar Shadestalker-Werewolf (4707, 2527)
    • Scarbite-Beast (4218, 2615)
    • Gnarl Nighthunter
    • Ugly Horn
    • Tweedle Dip
    • Stalker of the Grove (5364, 2634)
    • Zatzak Browncap
    • Millrush Moonstalker
  • Caves List (Achievement):
    • Broodmother's Lair (5809, 3588)
    • Darkrock Caverns (5130, 2660)
    • Deeproot Fissure (5096, 3012)
    • Darkrock Spider Cave (5215, 2720)
    • Deepwood Cottage (4235, 2915)
    • Greybriar Hollow (4730, 2900)
    • Millrush Troll Cave (4491, 2830)
    • Millrush Pond (4330, 2770)
    • Shadefallen Keep (4557, 2504)
    • Tearfall Catacombs (4762, 2560)
    • Tearfall Creek (4735, 2730)
    • Cave of the Shrine (4269, 2409)
  • Achievement List:
    • Are You Nuts- Jump from the top of the big tree (5270, 3083)
    • Family Matters-Complete Ral Teralas's Quests (4849, 2750)
    • Trophy Hunter- Collect Trophies for Wrangler Dein (drop items off beasts)
    • Grizzly Business-Kill 7 Rare creatures
    • Silent Vigil- Pray at the Shrine of the Vigil (4221, 2423)
    • In Dark Places- Explore all of Gloamwood's Caves
    • Wanton Destruction- Kill 200 Goblins (It was easiest for me to do it by the standing stones in Grove of the Ancients)
    • Keeper of the Ways- Explore all of Gloamwood
    • Lifting the Gloam Curse- Defeat the Hag (Just do Gloamwood's main quests)
    • Gloamwood Samaritan-Complete 57 Quests
    • The Curse of Gloamwood- Collect the 6 Gloamwood Artifact Sets
    • The Glory of Gloamwood- Complete all Achievements-Title reward: Wolfbane. Item Reward: Form of the Howler (turns you into a werewolf)
  • Gloamwood Puzzle:
    • Shield Wall Puzzle (4539, 2382)-Click the Plaque on the wall, it will take you to the top of the tower. Go down the stairs and face the wall, you will see an example of what the finished product should look like. Go down one more level and you are at the puzzle. I drew a diagram of how to complete it. Follow the sequence of numbers, by clicking the knob that I numbered #1, and continue until you finish with #6, and you should succeed! Sometimes the puzzle is arranged different then the answers I give, so just go to a different Shard and try again until you get it! Good luck.

  • Gloamwood Cairn:
    • Located in the mountains between Gloamwood and Silverwood. There are several places to climb up onto the top of the ridge and run along the mountain spine until you come across the Cairn of Nylaan Starhearth (an ancestor of Shyla)
    • Co-ordinates are approx. 5607, 3205)
    • Link to my discovery video: Gloamwood Cairn
  • List of Profession Materials:
    • Razorbrush
    • Ashwood Log
    • Cotton Cloth
    • Tin Node
    • Iron Vein
    • Krakenweed
    • Oak Log
    • Golden Nettle
    • Duskglory
    • Copper Vein
  • Map of the Zone:

My Opinion of the Zone:
     I wasn't really as much a fan of Gloamwood as I was of Silverwood. The air was darker and more gloomy, which of course it was supposed to be, considering it's a dark cursed wood full of werewolves and vampires. But it was still depressing and my poor little Ascended didn't care much for the wood or its people. She did her duty like a good Guardian, and I'm happy I got to experience the story as well as complete the achievements, but it was definitely not a zone I'd enjoy doing multiple times. It was quite the journey, this one, since I also had to balance "real life" issues and I ended up getting behind. I also skipped several quests out of Rae's story since I didn't think they actually added anything meaningful to her story. The story itself also bugs me slightly. There are a few things I found were inconsistent. For instance, the two sisters Laria and Delilah. It says that they protected and looked after Gloamwood for years until troubles hit Gloamwood and then Laria died and Delilah turned into the Hag. Did this happen when the Shade hit, or did it happen during the Age of Dragons, or maybe it happened sometime in between? I guess its open to interpretation, but I hate it when lore is ambiguous like that! Oh well, I'm finished with the zone, time to find another one! All in all, I'd give this one a 5/10. It was ok, and it was fun to be a werewolf for a time, and to learn a bit more about the Sanctuary Guards and Kain in that brief little clip they showed between Kain and Oakheart. Just hang around by the Porticulum and you'll see it eventually.
Chapter Four Summary

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