Stranded

 is a quest in.

Synopsis
The Defiant has run aground after suffering an attack by pirates, bringing a temporary halt to the hunt for Eothas. The Defiant's suffered heavy damage. There's not much sailing to be done with the hull so battered. Most of the islands in this region are inhabited. With a little luck, you'll find some assistance nearby.

Walkthrough
This is the first of the storyline quests and culminates in getting off the island with Port Maje and off to hunt Eothas.

Find some help

 * Your first priority should be completing Helping Hands (to get some crew for a start) and then leave Vilario's Rest.
 * Then head to Port Maje up north.
 * Enter the city and approach the platform in the center of the square. After a brief exchange of words between the governor and the Huana representative, all the eyes will turn to you - and the commoners will take you for a pirate. After resolving the situation, the governor will invite you to his mansion.
 * There, he will reveal The Vailian Trading Company's interests in this island center around the 'luminous adra' to be found at an Engwithan Digsite not far from Port Maje. The town's animancers have not returned, and the governor would rather keep his guards close by in case the pirates stage a tactical assault. He will ask the Watcher to investigate on his behalf, in exchange for which he'll see that the Defiant is repaired and set out to sea.

Investigate the Engwithan Digsite
Head to the Engwithan Digsite. Eothas has definitely set foot in this place, literally.
 * Clear out the beasts in the center, then ask Benessa to open the cage. There you find the survivors of the animancer team, including Engferth. Note that you can ignore them and choose to find Oderisi first. In which case, Engferth will be waiting for you back at Port Maje.
 * To find Oderisi's corpse, descend to the arena sub-level. He is found at the pillar in the northern section. Retrieve Oderisi's Notes to satisfy the governor. The shortest route is to turn right at every crossroad.
 * A scripted interaction will follow as you realize that the adra pillar seems dead, disconnected from Berath's wheel. You touch the pillar and before you realize it, you are pulled into the In-Between, slowly making sense of it, then rapidly following a golden connection that terminates right in the back of your mark: Eothas. Your choice here determines which Watcher ability you get upon leaving the sub-level, you can:
 * Interact with the souls, reaching out to them → Grants Sympathy for the Lost
 * Try to push past them to find your own soul → Grants No Pity for the Lost
 * Shout at Eothas to stop → Grants Chorus of the Lost
 * No matter what you choose, Eothas will stop and take notice - and admire your ability to navigate the In-Between. He will then promise that something beautiful is coming, that the sun will yet rise - and terminate the connection, restoring the pillar of luminous adra.
 * Once you exit the sub-level, you will meet hundreds of souls who refuse to go to the adra pillar for fear of never reaching the Beyond and they will ask to follow you. You can accept them. If Xoti is present, you can permit her to harvest the souls, upon which some of the souls will head to her.

Return to Clario

 * Return to the Governor. You can lie that you have not found any of Oderisi's research, retaining them for yourself and…. Otherwise, Clario will be giddy and relieved that Port Maje will continue to receive VTC support and funds. He will also attempt to dissuade you from your attempt to follow Eothas. As a Priest/Mystic, Paladin, or Explorer, you can explain your desire to pursue. Then repeat your request for aid. With Intellect 12, you can surmise that Eothas is using adra pillars for an energy source, allowing you to find him.
 * Governor Clario will arrange for a team of workers to haul my ship back out to sea. Once you are ready to leave the island, meet his people out at the beach by the Defiant.

Killing Clario (Alternate)

 * If you decide to kill Clario, you won't be able to raise the Defiant using Port Maje. Return to the Defiant and talk to the Steward to…

God conversation

 * Shortly after completion of Stranded on Port Maje Island, the Watcher will commune with Berath and the other gods regarding Eothas' intentions. This interaction occurs as a random event while sailing, sometimes immediately after leaving the port.
 * Your choices of dialogue during this conversation will determine which upgrade to Visage of Death's Herald the Watcher receives. Also see A Distant Light and He Waits in Fire for later god conversations and strategies around upgrading this Watcher-specific ability.
 * A score is tallied representing the amount of times the Watcher made a response of a particular Disposition. Each disposition is associated with an upgrade to Visage of Death's Herald. You must choose at least 3 of the dialogue options for the associated ability, and your final "score" must be greater than that of the other two scores, with exceptions - see below.

Upgrades
In order of precedence. All of the following abilities are upgraded from Visage of Death's Herald.
 * If you have 3 or more Aggressive responses, and have more Aggressive responses than Diplomatic and Sassy responses
 * Grants Ire of Death's Herald
 * If you have 3 or more Sassy responses, and have more Sassy responses than Diplomatic responses
 * Grants Wit of Death's Herald
 * If you have 3 or more Diplomatic responses:
 * Grants Mien of Death's Herald
 * If you have less than 3 of Diplomatic, Aggressive, or Sassy responses
 * No changes (keep Visage of Death's Herald).