S'warkii Side Stories
Alphas and the Impresario
Prerequisite: Daughter of the Dark God (II) and In Search of Father (II)
Location: West S'warkii Trail, near the central save point
Reward: 10,000 leaves
Unlocks: At Journey's End
- Travel to the West S'warkii Trail and look for the Impresario from Kit's storyline. Speak to him and you'll learn that the path ahead is being blocked by a monster - and Alphas, from the Daughter of the Dark God storyline, has failed to stop it.
- The Impresario and Alphas beg you to assist them in removing the monster, which is an Azure-eyed Tiger. It's weak to Sword, Dagger, Staff, Ice, and Wind, and despite what they're saying the fight is pretty easy, so long as you can put up with the occasional status ailment and physical attacks in general. It's evasiveness will make elemental Skills more effective than normal attacks.
- Once the battle is over Alphas and the Impresario will both point you towards the same place: Hornburg, Olberic's home. Speak to the Impresario again after the cut scene and you'll be granted access to the Ruins of Hornburg via fast travel. It's located just southeast of Everhold on the world map, in the Highlands. This area features end-of-the-game content, so approach with caution.
Ashlan the Beastmaster (I)
Prerequisite: Complete Chapter 1 of H'aanit's storyline
Location: Beside the General Store in S'warkii
Reward: 1,500 leaves, Slippery Nut
Unlocks: Ashlan the Beastmaster (II)
- Speak to Ashlan in S'warkii. He's looking for a monster tamer in the village, though he doesn't have a clue where to start.
- Head to the Tavern. There's an Old Storyteller with tales of monster tamers. Inquire / Scrutinize him for Tale of the Beast Tamers. Take the info back to Ashlan to complete the quest, and learn why he's looking for this information in the first place.
Rite of Passage
Prerequisite: Complete Chapter 1 of H'aanit's storyline
Location: Just south of the General Store
Reward: 1,500 leaves, Refreshing Jam
- Speak to the Aspiring Hunter near the General Store. He believes it's time he became a full-fledged hunter, but he doesn't think he has it in him to bag a full-sized boar.
- Both solutions to the man's problem lay on the North S'warkii Trail. Head northwest of S'warkii and you'll meet a Roving Naturalist whom you can Inquire / Scrutinize for the Where the Giant Boar Roams info. Head northeast and instead you'll find a Nomadic Hunter, who has a Giant Tusk to Purchase / Steal. Bring either the info or the Tusk to the Aspiring Hunter to complete the quest.
Way Through the Woods
Prerequisite: Complete Chapter 1 of H'aanit's storyline
Location: Outside the Village Headman's home on the west side of S'warkii
Reward: 1,500 leaves, Magical Nut, Critical Nut
- Speak to the Genteel Madam on the west side of S'warkii. She wants to see her husband, who is busy working in Bolderfall, but she fears the dangers of the woods.
- Guide / Allure the Genteel Madam and lead her to Bolderfall. The Industrious Husband is standing in the small square in the middle of Bolderfall.
Victors Hollow Side Stories
Again with Alaic
Prerequisite: Complete Chapter 4 of H'aanit's storyline
Location: By the market stalls near the entrance of Victors Hollow
Reward: 9,000 leaves, Primeval Bow of Storms
- Speak to Alaic, the somber fellow from Stillsnow in H'aanit's story. He's here visiting a Haggard Merchant, only the Merchant was attacked by bandits and his goods were stolen. Alaic declares he will get them back.
- Guide / Allure Alaic, then head to the Forest of No Return. It's accessible via a side path on the west side of Victors Hollow: Arena Gate, to the north. Head north from the save point inside the dungeon and you'll find a Bandit Leader waiting. Purchase / Steal the Viper Dagger from him, then speak to him to begin a fight. The Bandit Leader is weak to Dagger, Axe, Lightning, and Light, and deals solely in physical attacks. The only thing you need to watch out for is Lethal Stab, which can insta-kill a character. He should nevertheless not be a big problem. The quest will conclude with an admission from Alaic.
A Promising Venture
Location: Just outside the arena in Victors Hollow: Arena Gate
Reward: 4,800 leaves, 3 Healing Grape Bunches
- The two fighters you need to Scrutinize / Inquire are Estadas and Mont d'Or. Estadas is standing a short ways to the south, near the Armorer, and will yield Estadas's Condition. Mont d'Or is standing on the path to the Forest of No Return, in the southwest of this same area, and will give you Mont d'Or's Condition. Return to the Gambler with these tidbits of info to receive your reward.
Arena Aspirations
Location: Outside the Tavern in Victors Hollow
Reward: 4,800 leaves, Refreshing Jam
- Speak to the Listless Gladiator in southern Victors Hollow. He wants to quit his bloody trade, but he has an ardent admirer who seems hellbent on becoming a warrior.
- The first way to complete this quest is to Challenge / Provoke the Listless Gladiator. Defeating him will convince the young man to change his path in life. (Be warned, the Listless Gladiator is very tough.)
- The alternative path through this quest is to approach the Doting Aunt to the west of the Listless Gladiator. Inquire / Scrutinize her to learn Father and Fighter, then return to the Listless Gladiator to resolve the situation.
Ashlan the Beastmaster (II)
Prerequisite: Ashlan the Beastmaster (I)
Location: Near the stairs leading to the lower section of Victors Hollow: Arena Gate
Reward: 6,600 leaves, Slippery Nut (M)
Unlocks: Ashlan the Beastmaster (III)
- Speak to Ashlan in the north of Victors Hollow. He has heard tell of a sword named Snakesbane, which he plans to use to free his father. The man who has the sword will not give it to Ashlan, however.
- The Monster Hunter who has Snakesbane is just outside the arena, north of Ashlan. Purchase / Steal Snakesbane from him and take it back to Ashlan for your reward.
Into Thin Air
Location: Just south of the Inn in Victors Hollow
Reward: 9,000 leaves, Deathly Blade
- Speak to the Laconic Father near the Inn at Victors Hollow. His daughter Ellie has gone missing, and he begs the party to send her home if they happen to meet her.
- Head to the Forest of No Return. It's located down a western side path at Victors Hollow: Arena Gate, to the north. Follow the torchlit path west until you find a second save point. Beyond it is Ellie, and she begs for your assistance. Agreeing will put you in a fierce battle, one that's much harder than the Danger Level 45 rating implies. Consider waiting until your team is in the 60s.
Devourer of Men
Weakness: Polearm, Dagger, Staff, Fire or Axe, Bow, Wind or Sword, Light
Weakness (Deadly Spore): Sword, Polearm, Axe, Wind
Without mincing words, this fight sucks. The Devourer of Men is a powerful opponent with a lot of health, and its two helpers make things even harder to handle. The Devourer of Men likes a mix of physical and Dark Skills, and can do a lot of damage with both - though its most annoying Skill by far is Spirit Away, which temporarily removes a character from the fight. They'll come back once the Devourer of Men is broken. When the Devourer hits half health it will summon more Deadly Spores, and when it goes into Boost mode the Devourer of Men will use Devour on its next turn. This instantly kills a character and absorbs all of their health into the boss. What a pain.
Given the danger the Devourer of Men represents you have little choice but to break it early. This will allow it to quickly cycle through its weaknesses to Sword and Light and raise its defensive shields to eleven, but trying to ignore the Devourer while wiping out the Deadly Spores is just too dangerous. Break the Deadly Spores as quick as you can and use your strongest Skills - such as those of a Sorcerer or Starseer - to obliterate their health and wipe them off the board. Having a Runelord use Transfer Rune and Wind Rune will also allow you to quickly wipe out your foes, or at least swiftly break them. Unlike most fights, you should probably use the Devourer of Men's Boost mode moment as a chance to heal everyone, then just resurrect whomever gets knocked out at your earliest convenience. The fight is quite painful as long as there are Deadly Spores to worry about, but getting rid of them twice will leave the Devourer of Men to fight alone, making the battle much easier to manage. Keep everyone over, say, 3,000 points of health, and you shouldn't be in too much trouble.
You'll receive an Inspiriting Plum Basket and a Refreshing Jam for defeating the Devourer of Men. Once it is out of the way, Guide / Allure Ellie and lead her back to the Laconic Father for your reward.
Duskbarrow Side Stories
A Cub with No Name
Location: Southwest corner of Duskbarrow, near a cabin
Reward: 7,000 leaves, Beastly Scarf
- Speak to the Fearful Mother standing beside the path. Her son has brought home a tiger cub, and though it is cute now she fears that it will grow up and eat him. She doesn't know what to do.
- The first path for completing this quest is to head to S'warkii. Near the Tavern here is a Scholar of Beasts. Inquire / Scrutinize him to learn How to Train a Tiger. Teaching this to the mother will end the quest.
- The second path is to head to Bolderfall. There's a Beastmaster out front of the Inn who has lost his tiger, and he misses his old friend. Guide / Allure the Beastmaster to Duskbarrow and introduce him to the Fearful Mother. He'll take the tiger away and end the story.
Ashlan the Beastmaster (III)
Prerequisite: Ashlan the Beastmaster (II)
Location: Northwest corner of Duskbarrow
Reward: 11,000 leaves, Monster Trainer's Hat, Slippery Nut (M)
- Allure / Guide Ashlan and take him to the Moldering Ruins. It's a Danger Level 45 dungeon down the path to the right of the save point on the East Duskbarrow Trail, not far from Duskbarrow itself. Follow the torchlit path through the ruins, heading roughly east. At the end of the trail you'll come to a room with the Manipulated Father inside. Speak to him and Ashlan will free his father, bringing the storyline to a close.
Looting Grave Robber
Location: To the right of the General Store in Duskbarrow
Reward: 4,000 leaves, Energizing Pomegranate (L)
- Speak to the Obliging Merchant in Duskbarrow. He mentions that a mercenary has been raiding a nearby set of ruins and bringing back old trinkets to sell to the Merchant. The Merchant is tired of the harassment, and wants the mercenary gone.
- Travel to the Moldering Ruins. It's a Danger Level 45 dungeon down the path to the right of the save point on the East Duskbarrow Trail, not far from Duskbarrow itself. A short way into the Moldering Ruins you'll come across a Grave Robber. Purchase / Steal the Sharp Nut (L) and Sprightly Necklace from his inventory, then Challenge / Provoke him. Defeating the Grave Robber in combat will send him packing, and earn you your reward.