Main Walkthrough

The fourth and final step in Therion's journey takes him to Northreach, a desolate, rather gloomy city in the north of Orsterra. You'll find Northreach by heading to the Western Stillsnow Wilds - despite its proximity to Stillsnow the path from Victors Hollow takes about the same amount of time - and going north. You'll wind up on the mountainous paths of the Southern Northreach Wilds pretty quickly, and following the main path up the slopes will bring you to Northreach.

The chances are good that you've never visited Northreach before now, so we'll have a look around the city before diving into Therion's finale:

  • The Guard standing at the gates of Northreach has an Empowering Necklace to Purchase / Steal. Scrutinize / Inquire him and you'll learn the New Weapons for Sale info.
  • A woman named Angela is standing near the entrance of town. She has several good things to Purchase / Steal, including an Ice Amulet, a Magic Nut (L), a Snowy Cape, and Joshua's Poem, part of a Side Story. Scrutinize / Inquire her for a Discount at the Inn.
  • There's an Impoverished Man standing outside the Provisioner who has a Resistant Nut (L), a Fool's Gold Ore, and a Curious Antique to Purchase / Steal. Inquire / Scrutinize him and a Silver-filled Pouch will appear outside the Tavern.
  • Next to the Provisioner is a Townsperson standing in front of a house. Challenge / Provoke him successfully - he's a pretty easy opponent, assuming you're properly leveled for this area - and inside the home you'll find a purple chest. It contains 20,000 leaves.
  • Inside the Tavern, on the east side of town, you'll find another purple chest. This one contains a Master's Longbow. There are two Tavern Patrons in here. The one seated at the table has a Fortifying Nut (L) to Purchase / Steal, while the one at the bar has a Stimulating Necklace and a Platinum Sword.
  • As you head north you'll see a Traveling Author who will give you a Side Story to pursue. He has a Sprightly Necklace to Purchase / Steal.
  • There's an empty home in the northeast part of town with a chest inside. It contains a Refreshing Jam.
  • The house next to the Armorer is blocked by a Townsperson. Challenge / Provoke them - the Townsperson is a powerful magic user, so don't take this fight lightly - and you'll find another Townsperson inside. You'll receive the Thieving Tips & Tricks info for Inquiring / Scrutinizing her. 

Northreach: Lorn Cathedral

Though it's small, there's a northern section of Northreach that you can check out that plays more of a role in the story to come. Check near the save point for a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum (M). Not much else to see here just yet.

All done with Northreach? Best tie up some of Therion's loose ends, then. Head to the Tavern, speak to the Tavern Keeper, and select Hear a Tale to begin the chapter.


Therion's Chapter

Therion arrives in Northreach on the heels of Darius, his old partner, who skill carries two of the dragonstones. Upon arrival in the city Therion will see thieves mugging a man, though one of the townspeople is quick to admit that no one will stop them. Sounds like quite the place to live.

A visit to the Tavern reveals that Therion is a wanted - or, rather, unwanted - man in Northreach, and Darius is clearly in control of the place. Head north towards the Armorer after leaving the Tavern and a gang of baddies will charge up and attack. You'll face a Darius's Underling and two Darius's Subordinates, all of whom are weak to Sword and Light, among other things. The fight shouldn't give you much trouble.

More mooks will show up to overwhelm Therion, but the odds will be evened by the arrival of Heathcote, who leads Therion to a hidey-hole. Heathcote will explain his history - and why he's so good at outfoxing even Therion - and you'll be free to explore again. Head back towards the Armorer for another cut scene, then follow the Seasoned Thief north, to Lorn Cathedral. He'll open the door into the little church, revealing the not-so-secret entrance into Darius' hideout in the process.

Still, Therion can't just pop inside without a disguise. Open the chest to the right of the church for an Ice Soulstone (M), then head back to the main area of Northreach. There's a Thief near the Armorer, and after Therion draws him away you can Steal a Brigand's Garb and an Olive of Life (M) from him. With Therion's new duds (which, honestly, look cool - it's a shame he can't keep wearing them) you can enter the cellars...

... though Therion promptly gets kicked out, as he doesn't appear to be a high enough rank. Head towards the Inn and the Seasoned Thief will be out front. Steal the Brigand Leader's Garb and the Energizing Pomegranate (L) from him. Now, properly garbed, Therion can infiltrate the hideout. (All of these thieves are bad at their jobs.)


Lorn Cathedral: Cellars

What an appropriate venue for thieves to turn into a base. You'll run into the following baddies as you trek through the cellars beneath Lorn Cathedral:
  • Brigand Leader I - Weak to Dagger, Axe, Fire, and Light. A melee attacker who deals in buffs and debuffs. Somewhat troublesome.
  • Brigand Leader II - Weak to Dagger, Axe, Fire, and Light. A melee attacker who deals in status ailments, specifically poison and silence. Worse than Brigand Leader I, but still not awful.
  • Ice Elemental - Weak to Fire and Lightning. Uses Ice Skills. Elemental Skills of your own work best, whether they target weaknesses or not.
  • Carnivorous Bat - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Bow, and Ice. A pesky bat that can use Mass Slumberwave on your party and knock everyone out for a few turns. Easily stunned, which should be your first priority.
  • Bandit Bones - Weak to Axe, Staff, Lightning, and Light. A hard-hitting skeleton that is stunned without too much trouble.

There's a save point straight ahead from where you start, and the path splits to the east and west. Check east to find an Herb of Revival, then head west. Next to a set of southbound stairs you'll find a chest containing a Refreshing Jam. Go down the stairs and follow them east, where the path will split again in front of a statue. Taking a right will lead you down to an Ice Soulstone (L).

Go south from the statue and the path will steer you west. Check the next set of stairs you see to find a chest containing a Gleaming Amulet, then carry on west. There are two sets of northbound stairs here, and both will get you up to a purple chest on your right. It contains an Enchanted Sword. In the far west of the area the path will take you to the next, slightly more difficult section, though there are two sets of stairs you can take; take the down stairs to find a Wakeful Stone before ascending the up stairs.

This section half of the cellars adds two more enemies to the roster:

  • Brigand Leader III - Weak to Axe, Fire, and Light. Largely deals in melee attacks, though they seem to waste a lot of time boosting their speed. Not a big deal.
  • Accursed Armor - Weak to Axe, Staff, Fire, and Light. Buffs itself, then uses some very painful melee attacks. Should be a priority target most of the time.

Straight ahead is another save point. Walk east of it, past the large, southbound staircase, and keep going until you hit a wall. You can enter the semi-secret room beyond to find a chest containing an Energizing Pomegranate (L). Head back to the stairs and go down.

Take a left at the fire and keep walking west until you find several tables. A chest here contains an Inspiriting Plum Basket. Head back east and take the first set of stairs south. Keep following the main path until you come to more stairs and a patch of natural light streaming in from overhead. Go up the stairs and they'll lead you to an archway, which in turn will take you through a hidden path to a chest containing a Refreshing Jam. Behind and to the right of the chest is another hidden path, this leading to a chest containing a Curious Antique, and if you keep walking right through the hidden path you'll find another one that leads up to a Void Amulet.

Despite the tricksy nature of the area, there are no more secrets to be found. Head back to the main path and carry on west, then north. There's a save point up here, and past it Therion will find the two remaining dragonstones... and, of course, Darius. He has plans for the stones, and he won't give them up without a fight.

Darius

Weakness: Polearm, Dagger, Axe, Ice, Wind

Ahh, another Therion clone. And a much better one, at that. Darius is a tricksy combatant, and he'll begin the fight by using Steal Item to disable your item usage. You won't get your items back until you break him. He'll then use a variety of physical moves that rob you of your HP, SP, and BP, as well as Will o' Wisp and Hellfire to inflict Fire damage. Hellfire can knock your party members unconscious, so watch out for it. Nighthawk is more of a minor nuisance, debuffing the party and prolonging the fight. Halfway through Darius will upgrade his move count per round from two to three, boosting his damage output a fair bit. Late in the fight Darius will enter Boost mode, and if you don't break him Darius will use Call Comrade to kick everyone in the party but Therion out of the fight. Makes for a dramatic conclusion for the pair to fight alone, but unless Therion is overleveled you probably don't want to let this happen.

Despite Darius' many tricks the fight is straightforward, and the biggest obstacle is Darius' ability to lock way his weaknesses. He'll always be vulnerable to Daggers, so put Therion on the offensive at all times and keep Darius stunned for as much of the fight as you can manage. Alfyn's Concoct Skill will be disabled whenever Darius uses Steal Item, so if you rely on him for healing you should make sure you have a strong Cleric available instead. The Merchant's Hired Help: Mercenary defensive buff will make most of Darius' moves much less painful in the long run. SP counts may be an issue in this fight if Darius uses SP Thief too often, so make sure someone is always ready to throw out an Inspiriting Plum or three when Steal Item isn't in effect.

You'll receive a Red Apple for defeating Darius. Things won't go well for him in the aftermath of the fight, and Therion, dragonstones in hand, will head back to Bolderfall to hand them over to their proper owner. Story complete. (Though what's this about the Gate of Finis...? Sounds important...)

Main Walkthrough