Blood Sands is a cave network that functions as the headquarters of the Ethik Nôl faction of Twin Elms. It is located in the top portion of the Elms' Reach district.
Background[ | ]
An ancient place of sacrifice that has been the domain of the Ethik Nôl for generations, it is the place where blood is traded for power. According to the Three-Tusk Stelgaer, this sacrifice is an endemic part of what made Eir Glanfath so resistant to foreign influences.
Points of interest[ | ]
- You enter into a small foyer filled with pillars inscribed with Glanfathan symbols. Keeper Garost introduces you to Blood Sands, while Tallan, a prospective sacrifice, lurks in the background.
- Keeper Wrdha, the local merchant of War Paint and crucial part of Sacrificial Bloodlines, is in a cave to the southwest.
- The corridor leading to the main sacrificial chamber in the center contains a secret chamber that can be activated by a hidden switch among the bricks (revealed with Mechanics 6 in scouting mode, watch the bloody footprints disappearing into the wall to figure out where). The unique gloves Blood Testament can be found in one of the two trapped chests. The other chest contains random loot.
- The northeastern part of the area contains the fire pit used for (big surprise) sacrifices. The eastern part is occupied by the quarters of the priests. Naca is a petitioner standing in the mess-hall.
- There are four tablets across the temple that you need to find to complete Hiravias' companion quest, True to Form.
Characters[ | ]
- Archdruid Rehstin, in the sacrificial chamber in the northern part of the map.
- Keeper Garost, the gatekeeper.
- Keeper Wrdha, merchant and ritualist. She will not turn hostile if you attack Rehstin.
- Tallan, a sacrifice waiting by the entry fire pit.
- Naca, petitioner in the mess hall by the quarters.
Loot[ | ]
Notable loot[ | ]
- Blood Testament: In the hidden chamber.
Containers[ | ]
- Random gem (Gem_7_100)
- Random weapon
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Sm_Weapons_7_8)
- Random drug (Loot_Drugs)
- Random potion/scroll
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Consumable_7_8)
- Random potion/scroll
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Consumable_7_8)
- Random drug (Loot_Food)
- 4x Lockpick
- Random weapon
- Random potions/scroll
- Random currency
- (TE_Med_Weapons_7_8)
- Random gem (Gem_12_100)
- Random armor
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Armor_7_8)
- Random weapon
- Random potions/scroll
- Random currency
- (TE_Med_Weapons_7_8)
- 3x Flask of War Paint
- Random accessory
- Random potion/scroll
- Random gem
- (TE_Accessory_9_10)
- Random gem (Gem_9_100)
- Random potion/scroll
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Consumable_7_8)
Behind the scenes[ | ]
"Blood Sands", this name was in the cards since my first layout of Ondra's Gift. While fleshing out its locations, I wanted to have a pirates den of sorts, where even more seedy deals would go down. But we never had time to add that, so the name got resurrected while I planned a breakdown of locations for Twin Elms.
Our lead area designer Bobby Null wanted to have a set of mostly-dwarven ruins somewhere in Twin Elms, dark fellows you know, obsessed with ritualistic sacrifices, and the name "Blood Sands" came to grace this half-dungeon half-quest area almost by the thought.
As we thought of the locations of Twin Elms and Defiance Bay we wanted to maximise our dungeon crawling space. Here you can merrily dispatch the entire sect of dwarves without angering - too much at least, anyway - the tribes of Twin Elms. One of the gods' quests asks you to do precisely that, in this area.