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Act 1 - Chapter 9: Windstone Fortress

Primary Tasks
* Begin the journey to Windstone Fortress by speaking to the Azunite Ancestor
* Take the Azunite Artifact to Windstone Fortress
* Find the person in command
* Enter the Windstone Fortress Outer Vault
* Activate the Azunite Artifact
* Enter the Temple of Xeria

Secondary Quests
* The Imprisoned Half-Giant
* The Missing Squadron

While it was really nice of the Elven spirit to leave you a treasure chest, it would have been nicer for him to leave you a quick exit out of the Vault. Hoof it back up the stairs to the light puzzle room and talk to the Elven Spirit again. He'll open a path to the north that takes you to the Western Cliffs of Azunai.

 

There's a teleporter right here, but it's best to keep moving for now. Go east until the path ends, then search for a cave entrance to the south. Enter Isteru's Caverns. To the southwest you can find the entrance to some ruins that lead to an Ancient Elven Reliquary. But, you can't do anything down there right now, so ignore it. Work your way through the caverns, back out on to the cliffs, and back into the caverns again.

Keep following the caverns and cliffs until you reach a bridge. Cross the bridge, and to the east you can find a mini-boss and some loot. To the west, from the bridge, is the Eastern Cliffs of Azunai teleporter. Continue west and then north to enter the Windstone Tunnels. Once you get through the Windstone Tunnels, you'll be at the entrance to Windstone Fortress, which is not a very friendly place right now--if you haven't already figured that out.

Continue down the path, until you get the cutscene showing that Valdis has been here. Gee, that's a shock. At the locked door into the fortress, take the entrance to your right into the Eastern Gatehouse. Clear the gatehouse, then head down the hall.

There are three side-rooms here. The one to the north contains a little loot. The one to the southwest is where you'll meet Private Banos. Go ahead and talk to him and agree to take him to Squadron Leader Taarth. You'll get a new quest entry, Secondary Quest #13, The Missing Squadron--even though you haven't met Taarth yet. It's easier this way.

The room at the southeast corner of the hall contains another mimic. Beat it down with hero powers, then run back to the war pedestal in the gatehouse for a recharge and come back and beat on it some more. They do drop a lot of loot, so they're worth the trouble. Continue north, then west along the hall.

 

Off this northern hall are two side rooms. The one to the north has a mini-boss and a treasure room to the east. The treasure room has the Lesser Chant of Magic Skill, and, behind the statue, a button to open another treasure room. The side room to the south is found by turning the statue set into a nook in the wall.

Head west again to enter Windstone Fortress proper. Before going north to activate the teleporter, head straight across into the Western Gatehouse. Clear it out to find Private Caiden (break the pots surrounding him or he won't follow you), the Lesser Chant of Melee Skill and a book: Vol. 7, The Deeds of Xeria. The book is part of a later quest.

Head back out into Windstone Fortress and go north. Enter the next west-leading hallway to enter the barracks and work your way to the west-most room, where you'll find Private Nolan. Along the northern hall of the barracks, look for a secret door switch on the north wall. There's another secret room off the first secret room. Return to the Fortress proper and talk to Squadron Leader Taarth, who will be delighted to see his men and will reward you with the Dusty Key.

Just west of Taarth is a half-giant in a hole. Speak to Sartan to open the Imprisoned Half-Giant quest and prepare the way for another possible henchman. Past Sartan is Captain Dathry, the man in charge. Speak to him to continue the main quest in this chapter.

Enter the eastern hall and push the button on the wall to open the Outer Vault. The next room contains a Yellow Sight socket and some Yellow Sight cubes. You know what to do. Beyond are two Green Life sockets; the green cubes are in the room to the right (south).

Next are two Red Blindness sockets and the zombiefied Lieutenant Namyek, who will cough up the Inner Vault Key if you give him a permanent Heimlich. Open the Red Blindness door and enter the Inner Vault. After the zombies are dead (re-dead?), thoroughly loot the room and then click on the blue flame to activate your Azunite artifact.

 

Grab four Purple Death cubes from the corner of the room and open the door that is just north and east of the blue flame. Inside is the White Vault door, which requires the Dusty Key to open. Lucky you did that quest for Taarth, right? Open the vault, place your four purple cubes and collect copious amounts of treasure.

Return to Captain Dathry with your artifact. He'll blow open the way northward. Then talk to Soldier Orayne to free Sartan and talk to Sartan to complete the Imprisoned Half-Giant quest. Go north and fight your way through the big bugs, which shouldn't be too hard if you've been doing all the sidequests so far.

Enter the Temple of Xeria...

 

[ back to act 1, chapter 8: the lost azunite artifact ] [ continue to act 1, chapter 10: the temple of xeria ]