The Shadow Under Neketaka is a faction quest in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
Synopsis[ | ]
With matters in the Deadfire reaching a boil, Queen Onekaza's watershapers must be ready for anything. In spite of the pressures from all around, the head of the Watershapers Guild does not answer the queen's summons. Onekaza needs someone to find Guildmaster Mairu.
Walkthrough[ | ]
- Talk to Queen Onekaza II to begin the quest. Concerned with the readiness of her watershapers, she will ask you to check up on Guildmaster Mairu. Make sure to bring Maia and Tekēhu along for this quest, as it makes for some interesting dialogue.
- Head to Periki's Overlook and enter the Watershapers Guild to discover that it has been invaded by Naga. Talk to Ekenu, he tells you that they entered from the waterways of the sanctum, and that the watershapers have managed to push them back until they fled underground. Mairu and some of the others are currently making a stand downstairs at Periki's tomb, while Ekenu guards the stairs. You'll experience some tremors in the guild, as Ekenu tells you that they have only recently been occurring, even before the attack. If you haven't yet recruited Tekēhu, you'll have an opportunity to do so here.
- Head to the ruins below, kill the few Naga in the two rooms and speak to a dying Guildmaster Mairu in the central area. With her last breaths, she'll tell you to find the Rod of the Deep Hunter. Talk to her again in spirit, before departing she'll tell you that by using the rod and the words of Periki's Devotion, you can open the way to the inner sanctum. Ominously, she says to "...strengthen the wards... no matter what it tells you."
- Retrieve the rod from the Nagas led by Zihaa, a named Coral nāga shaman in the grotto area to the south and use it to open the door near the ruins' entrance. Rotate the code dial such that the symbols are activated in the following order: Anglerfish - Moon - Rain - Moon - Hands. The clue to this is Periki's Devotion, which Mairu taught you:
Pitied is Ngati, Lady of Lament.
As the pearl orb of the heavens crosses her view,
Her eyes well with tears as constant as rain.
But the moon's skyward journey continues apace,
The lovers' affection as ephemeral as fingers touching.
- In the cavern beyond, you will speak to the prisoner held there, Scyorielaphas, a massive sea dragon and source of the tremors. He'll reveal to you that decades ago he was tricked by Periki, who trapped him below the guild and siphoned his power to feed the watershapers abilities. Apart from releasing or attacking him, you can also, with appropriate skills, devise a solution that releases most of him without depriving the Watershapers of his power.
- You can suggest excising a part of his soul with Metaphysics 5 and History 4, cutting out the part that's compelled to remain. Then you can use Diplomacy 2, Bluff 3, or Insight 3 to convince him.
- This requires a Metaphysics check of 9 to manipulate the four wards accordingly. If you need 1-2 Metaphysics points you can buy the Animancy Cat from Tiabo for 9,500 gold. He stands outside the Tower of the Soul Seekers, which is located in The Sacred Stair district of Neketaka. Additionally, Blessed Incense can be used by the PC from a Quick Item slot for +2 to Metaphysics, and paying Kae's training 3,000 grants +1 to Metaphysics as well.
- Alternatively, once you’ve inspected the wards, you can attack him but spare him at the end of the fight, in which case you'll be given the opportunity to excise a part of his soul from his weakened state, without the metaphysics requirement.
- Finally, you can spare him at the end of the fight *and* strengthen his wards, leaving him trapped to power the watershapers
- If you release him by disabling the wards, you will gain a promise of his gratitude, but lose major reputation with the Huana after reporting the outcome to Queen Onekaza. However, if you leave enough of his soul to power the Watershapers you will instead gain Major Reputation with the Huana. In any case you also obtain the unique Rod of the Deep Hunter as a weapon.
- Don't forget to loot the lights on the wall for some Living Steel and Luminous Adra Dust.
Notes[ | ]
- Be warned - Once you enter the Watershapers Guild, you will not be able to exit without "failing" the quest. The Dragon will free itself and remove any further options. If you convince him to allow you to excise part of his soul, this restriction is removed temporarily and you may come and go freely.
- However, the quest will not fail or have any kind of time limit if you do not obtain Guildmaster Mairu's rod and you can come and go as you wish.
- If you open the door to Scyorielaphas, but don't enter (and instead choose "Leave" in the dialogue options), the quest will fail if you leave the guild.
- If you free Scyorielaphas, he will repay you during the The City Lost to Time, by fighting the Guardian of Ukaizo so you do not have to do so.[1]
After approaching Scyorielaphas, you will have a soul vision with Galawain. If you promised to "distribute the essence to existing souls in Dyrwood to strengthen them" in Council of Stars during the events of Pillars of Eternity, and then when interacting with the soul machine in Sun in Shadow during Memories of the Ancients you:
- Broke your promise → Scyorielaphas gains Galawain's Wrath (+10 Accuracy, +4 Penetration, +50% Damage with Weapons), making him stronger.
- Kept your promise → Scyorielaphas gains Galawain's Favor (-10 Accuracy, -2 Penetration, -25% Damage with Weapons), making him weaker.
After approaching Scyorielaphas, you will have a soul vision with Behind the scenes[ | ]
- Unused scripted interaction graphics (that may be used in other parts of the game) show a naga waiting and going through the door leading to Scyorielaphas. This suggests that perhaps at one point there may have been plans for the Watcher to be able to ally with Zihaa in order to follow through with the naga's plan to rescue the dragon - something that is otherwise not explained during the quest other than when the Watcher returns to the queen and tells her that the "Naga invaded the guild to rescue an ancient sea dragon."
- A cut alternate method of obtaining the words of Periki's Devotion involved actually finding and reading the aformentioned manuscript. This is no longer the case, as it is given to you by Mairu's spirit.
Gallery[ | ]
Journal[ | ]
| Quests/05_Neketaka_Artisans_District/05_QST_Dragon_Prison.quest | ||
|---|---|---|
| ID | Objectives | |
| 0 | The Shadow Under Neketaka | |
| 10000 | With matters in the Deadfire reaching a boil, Queen Onekaza's watershapers must be ready for anything. In spite of the pressures from all around, the head of the Watershapers Guild does not answer the queen's summons.
Onekaza needs someone to find Guildmaster Mairu. | |
| Alternate descriptions | ||
| 40001 | The Watershapers Guild withstood a bloody attack, leaving the main hall littered with nāga bodies. Considering how the Huana hold their watershapers in high esteem, the Neketaka authorities would want the matter investigated. | |
| 1 | Search the guild for Mairu. | |
| 10001 | Nāga have attacked the guildhall and the first floor is littered with bodies - none of them Mairu.
She might need help holding her forces against this attack. | |
| 3 | Find Mairu in the sanctum beneath the guildhall. | |
| 10003 | Guildmaster Mairu is leading a counterattack against the nāga incursion in the sanctum beneath the Watershapers Guild. | |
| 5 | Retrieve Guildmaster Mairu's rod. | |
| 10005 | In her dying breaths, Mairu indicated that an important rod was taken, presumably by the nāga. She suggested that the rod was the key to preventing something from escaping the sanctum.
She also began speaking some sort of prayer, but was unable to finish it before she died. It may have something to do with the door she mentioned. | |
| 20010 | The full text of Periki's Devotion is as follows:
Pitied is Ngati, Lady of Lament. | |
| 7 | Uncover the threat to the guild. | |
| 10007 | I've retrieved the Rod of the Deep Hunter. According to Mairu, I can open the stone door near the entrance to the sanctum and finally deal with whatever is behind the tremors and the attack on the guild. | |
| 20010 | The full text of Periki's Devotion is as follows:
Pitied is Ngati, Lady of Lament. | |
| 20017 | The tremors are increasing in strength. If something is about to escape the guild ruins as Mairu believed, it's going to happen soon. | |
| 20000 | I've felt the strongest tremor yet. If I leave the guild now, it'll be too late to stop whatever is behind all this chaos. | |
| 8 | Decide what to do with Scyorielaphas. | |
| 10008 | Scyorielaphas seeks freedom from the guild that long ago ensnared him. He makes promises of deepest gratitude, but releasing him could hamper the education of acolyte watershapers and cause unknowable havoc besides. | |
| 20015 | In exchange for his freedom, the dragon implied that he will assist me in a time of need. | |
| 20014 | Scyorielaphas warned me against wasting his time. He will summon more nāga - and find another escape route - if I delay. | |
| 20013 | According to Scyorielaphas, the Rod of the Deep Hunter is the key to his freedom and can siphon power from the wards encircling his prison. | |
| 20021 | I chose to engage Scyorielaphas in combat. | |
| 9 | Speak with Queen Onekaza. | |
| 10009 | The queen will expect a full report on the events that occurred at the Watershapers Guild. She can be found in the rooftop garden of Kahanga Palace in Serpent's Crown. | |
| 14 | Speak with Guildmaster Mairu. | |
| 10014 | I've found Guildmaster Mairu. She's looks like she's been badly injured. | |
| 20023 | Mairu is dead, but her spirit remains. I should speak with her. | |
| 16 | Speak to Guildmaster Mairu. | |
| 10016 | Guildmaster Mairu can be found at the Watershapers Guild in Periki's Overlook. | |
| 18 | Retrieve Guildmaster Mairu's rod. | |
| 10018 | The spirit of Guildmaster Mairu told me to seek out a rod stolen by the nāga and use it to open the stone door by the entrance to this sanctum. She wishes for me to strengthen a set of wards, though what they guard is still a mystery.
She said that the words of Periki's Devotion will open the way. | |
| 20010 | The full text of Periki's Devotion is as follows:
Pitied is Ngati, Lady of Lament. As the pearl orb of the heavens crosses her view, Her eyes well with tears as constant as rain. But the moon's skyward journey continues apace, The lovers' affection as ephemeral as fingers touching. | |
| Unused strings | ||
| - | 20002 | There is a stone door by the entrance to this hidden sanctum, but I don't have the means to open it. |
| 20018 | I have read the manuscript which describes Periki's Devotion. | |
| 20019 | I found a copy of Periki's Devotion in the ruins of the guild archive. These were Guildmaster Mairu's parting words - they must be important. | |
| 40002 | The spirit of Guildmaster Mairu told me to seek out a rod stolen by the nāga and use it to open the stone door by the entrance to this sanctum. She wishes for me to strengthen a set of wards, though what they guard is still a mystery.
She said that the words of Periki's Devotion will open the way. | |
| End states | ||
|
30000 | I set Scyorielaphas free upon Neketaka. This was the right thing to do, but I cannot anticipate what damage my choice might cause. |
|
|
30001 | I decided to keep Scyorielaphas imprisoned. He was too dangerous to set loose upon Neketaka, and watershaping is too critical to the security of the city to chance it. |
|
|
30002 | I fractured Scyorielaphas' soul and set him free. The Huana may not be pleased that I unshackled their prisoner, but the power of watershaping is uninterrupted. |
|
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30004 | Scyorielaphas is dead, his strength ripped from the watershapers. The Huana will not be pleased, but at least their prisoner is 'free,' after a fashion. |
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30005 | A sea dragon escaped the clutches of the Watershapers Guild. I had no part in it. |