Main Walkthrough

The third chapter in Cyrus' tale takes place in Stonegard, a mountainous city in the east of Orsterra. Stonegard is located in the same general mountain range as Cobbleston, though a fair bit further east. You can reach it by heading south of the North Cobbleston Gap to the North Stonegard Pass. The lower, eastbound pathway will bring you to Stonegard.

There's a decent chance you've already canvassed this area while pursuing H'aanit's story, as her second chapter takes place here. If not, you can find the following in Stonegard before Cyrus takes center stage:

  • The Inn is right at the entrance of the city. There's a Townsperson standing to the left of the Inn with a Tough Nut (M) that you can Purchase / Steal. This same woman can be Inquired / Scrutinized for a Discount at the Inn.
  • Just north of the Inn is the Tavern. Out front is a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum.
  • East of the entrance you'll find a set of stairs with a Townsperson nearby. Inquire / Scrutinize him and you'll reveal a hidden Silver-filled Pouch near the Tavern.
  • To the right of the aforementioned stairs is a house with a Neighborly Grandpa inside. You can Steal / Purchase a Tower Shield from him.
  • On the east side of town you'll find another house. The Townsperson standing outside has the Smarter Bartering info that you can Inquire / Scrutinize.

Stonegard Valleys

To the east you'll find Stonegard Valleys, another, lower section of town. There's plenty to see here, as well:
  • The Townsperson right at the entrance has a Shadow Bow you can Purchase / Steal.
  • There's a Papermaker out front of the Provisioner. You can Purchase / Steal a Falcon Garb from him. Next door is the Armorer, and the Townsperson out front has a powerful Forbidden Blade for you to Purchase. If you Scrutinize / Inquire him you'll reveal a Bastard Sword nearby.
  • Down the stairs to the south and on your right is a small church. Beside it is a Patrician Youth who has a Dazzling Artwork that you can Purchase / Steal, though Stealing it is quite difficult. You can get 15,000 leaves if you manage to snag and sell this item. The Cleric in the church has three Rings that are worth grabbing, if you want to Steal / Purchase them.
  • Down the stairs to the west of the church are two houses. The first house is guarded by a powerful Townsperson who requires a level 60 Challenge / Provoke before he can be fought. He has a small chance of dropping a Seraphim Spear when defeated. Inside the house is a townsperson with the New Weapons for Sale in Inquired / Scrutinized.
  • The last house in Stonegard Valleys has a Ruffian Lackey out front with a Rock Cleaver to Steal / Purchase, and the Ruffian next to him has a Protective Earring and a Wind Amulet on him. Challenging / Provoking the Ruffian is part of a side story given by the nearby Elderly Shopowner, who himself has a Mighty Belt, an Elemental Augmentor, and a Curious Antique on him.

Stonegard Heights

The final area to check is Stonegard Heights, up the northern stairs from either of the previous two sections. The rich people up here have the following on them:
  • The Townsperson on the stairs leading back down to Stonegard Valleys has a Fortifying Nut (M) to Purchase / Steal. She also has the Guide with Ease info if you Scrutinize / Inquire her.
  • The Hunter on the east side of Stonegard Heights has an Unerring Bracelet and an Arcane Bow to Steal / Purchase. The Townsperson up the stairs from the Hunter has a Sharp Nut (M) on him. These two men stand near the entrance to the Spectrewood Path, which will take you to a dungeon if you're so inclined.
  • Near the eastern exit from the city is a mansion. There's nothing inside, but snugged against the outside left wall is a chest containing a Healing Grape (M).
  • In the middle of Stonegard Heights is a fountain. The Erstwhile Bodyguard on the right side has The Fall of House Lander info to Scrutinize / Inquire - it's part of a Side Story - while the Inquiring Youth in front of the fountain has an Inspiriting Plum Basket.
  • The Townsperson standing on the stairs back to the first section of Stonegard has a Marksman's Longbow to Purchase / Steal. Scrutinize / Inquire him and you'll find a Soldier's Longbow outside a house to the west.
  • Speaking of that house, there's a Townsperson out front of it who's carrying a Heavy Coin Pouch to Steal / Purchase. Challenge / Provoke him - he's quite strong, so be careful - and if you win you'll find another Townsperson, his sister, inside. She has a Knight's Sword, a Moonblade, an Inferno Axe, and an Imperial Armor to Purchase / Steal. All are good pieces of equipment if you're here in the mid-to-late 20s, level-wise.
  • In the northwest corner is a small house with a Bookbinder inside. This man will give you a Side Story if you speak to him. Steal / Purchase from him and you'll find an Elemental Shield and an Elemental Robe on his person.
That's all for Stonegard. Time for Cyrus to have a look around personally. If you bypassed the prompt for Cyrus' chapter earlier you can trigger it by visiting the Tavern, speaking to the Tavern Keeper, and choosing Hear a Tale.


Cyrus' Chapter

After his eventful trip to Quarrycrest, Cyrus next makes for remote Stonegard, still in pursuit of information on a tome called From the Far Reaches of Hell. Cyrus assumes that the copy of the tome he found earlier was created by someone in Stonegard, which makes the nearby bindery his obvious first stop. It's just up the first set of stairs and on your right.

There's a Bindery Employee just inside whom you can Scrutinize. Doing so will reveal that he sold a book to a translator named Dominic, who lives on the east side of Stonegard. You'll find Dominic's house to the east of the bindery, across a bridge and down one flight of stairs. Dominic has no interest in speaking, however, and Cyrus decides to check out Dominic's associates instead.

Directly across from Dominic's house is a Neighborly Grandma whom you can Scrutinize for the Dominic's Seclusion info. Next, enter the house to the west of Dominic's and Scrutinize the Neighborly Grandpa within for the Dominic's Remorse info. Last, head further east into Stonegard Valleys. You'll see an Apothecary on a nearby set of northbound stairs. He has the Dominic's Troubles info. Cyrus will put it all together.

Visit Dominic's house again. Choose 'His daughter' and 'Translating a book' to get Dominic to open his door. He'll admit that he created a copy of the tome for a scholar with blazing red eyes. Not ominous at all. Now knowing who commissioned the copy, Cyrus will leave Dominic's home... and confront the person who's been shadowing him, a familiar woman named Lucia. She'll admit that, yes, Headmaster Yvon, Cyrus' boss, is behind everything. Lucia points Cyrus towards Yvon's home, in Stonegard Heights, and asks him to investigate. It's the large home to the left of the fountain. Get yourself ready for the trip...

... because as soon as you approach the front door, Lucia will backstab Cyrus and toss him into a tiny cell. Yvon will greet Cyrus, then leave him to starve. Check the chest in the corner of the cell for a Bone
once you're back in control, then check around the cell and choose 'Wait and see' when prompted. None other than Therese will save Cyrus from certain doom. Yvon will spoil that reunion too, though, and kidnap Cyrus' student. You'll need to explore Yvon's Birthplace and rescue her.


Yvon's Birthplace

Fittingly for the home of a total jerk, Yvon's Birthplace is crawling with baddies that you'll need to fight before you can save Therese. You'll run into the following enemies exploring this indoor dungeon:
  • Researcher I - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Bow, and Wind. Nasty enemy that can use Bloodstone to sap your characters of health to restore themselves. Can also inflict terror on everyone. Worth knocking out quickly.
  • Researcher II - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Bow, and Wind. The same as the Researcher I, only has more health and inflicts sleep rather than terror. Takes mercifully little effort to stun.
  • Researcher III - Weak to Dagger, Bow, and Lightning. Can inflict terror on the party, but seems to attack normally more than anything. A bit easier to deal with than the other Researchers, oddly enough.
  • Vampire Bat - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Bow, and Ice. Can put everyone to sleep. Stun and eliminate these little pests quickly.
  • Thunder Guardian - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Bow, and Wind. Likes Lightning based Skills. Not too difficult to take down.
  • Flame Guardian - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Bow, and Ice. The Fire equivalent of the Thunder Guardian. Don't expect much difference.
  • Dark Remnant - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Axe, and Light. Can buff itself and has a few damaging Skills, but generally just likes to attack, and can hit hard by simply smacking your party around. Worth stunning.
  • Blood Remnant - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Axe, and Ice. A Fire-loving beast that can buff itself and hit one or more members of your party. Hits harder with its physical attacks than its magic, and is a moderate threat overall.
You'll begin the dungeon in the main foyer. Leave to the south to stock up if need be, otherwise head deeper into the mansion. Your destination is Yvon's Cellar, down some stairs to the west, though you should have a look around the upper floor of Yvon's Birthplace before you go too deep. There are three rooms up here; check the one on the far left to find a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum. Yep, that's all. 


Yvon's Cellar

Why are they different dungeons? Who cares. The enemies in Yvon's Cellar are the same as Yvon's Birthplace, so you already know what to expect. Use the save point at the entrance if you wish, then take a left. You'll reach a dead end with a chest containing a Light Soulstone (L). Check the wall to the left of the chest to find a hidden path that will take you down to a second chest, this one containing 12,000 leaves. There's more to the left of the first chest, but you can't reach it from here. Be patient and head back east.

There's a door and some stairs to the right of the entrance. Go through the door first and it will take you through a library and out the other side. You'll find a chest on the adjoining stairs that contains a Bright Stone. Backtrack the way you came and go down the stairs. Partway down there will be a chest containing an Energizing Pomegranate (M).

At the bottom of the cellar you'll find a westbound path with two doors to small rooms. The first is empty, but the second contains a Fire Soulstone (M). Past these rooms is a study area, and two more sets of stairs. Ignore the first set and head west to the second. They lead to two more small rooms. The first has a purple chest containing a Sturdy Quartz Rod, while the second is empty.

Return to the study area and go up the stairs you skipped. You'll wind up beside the first treasure chest you checked, near the entrance. Look inside the room to the north to find a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum Basket. Continue west and you'll find a save point, which should tell you that you're about to hit a rather nasty fight. Head through the next door on your left and you'll find said battle waiting for you.


Yvon

Weakness: Dagger, Staff, Light or Dagger, Staff, Fire, Light or Dagger, Staff, Fire, Ice, Light
Weakness (Research Fellow): Polearm, Axe, Lightning, Dark

Yeesh. That guy buffed up real fast. This fight is pretty straightforward, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Yvon tends towards physical attacks, occasionally stopping to buff himself and make things more painful for your party. His first notable attack is Intimidate, which can silence a party member, and once Yvon takes enough damage he'll boost his critical rate and start to use Pulverize and Shatter Soul. Pulverize drains a character's Boost levels, while Shatter Soul drains their SP. Yvon is accompanied by a pair of Research Fellows who prefer Wind Skills.

Unsurprisingly you're best off ignoring Yvon for a while and taking out the Research Fellows. They're not that strong, but will get in the way while you're fighting the big bad. Yvon breaks easily at first, though each time he recovers he'll gain more defensive shields, up to a maximum of twelve. (He'll also gain more weaknesses, which is a nice bonus.) Yvon hits pretty danged hard, so keep him stunned as much as possible, and only lay on your heavy hits once his helpers are gone. Fighting the two Research Fellows while Yvon hits you with Pulverize and Shatter Soul stinks. If you can maximize the amount of damage Yvon takes before he reaches twelve defensive shields the fight shouldn't be too bad (though make sure you keep some Boost levels in reserve so he can't get off more than one round of attacks in the second half).

You'll earn an Energizing Pomegranate (L) for defeating Yvon, and the headmaster will crumble to dust in the aftermath of the battle, Cyrus' questions left unanswered. Therese, at least, can point Cyrus in the right direction: The town of Duskbarrow.