Sacred Instruments is a task in The White March - Part I
Synopsis[ | ]
A woman named Ista is trying to recreate the alchemical instruments by which the Battery dwarves first located the site upon which they erected their fortress. She has a prototype she wants tested - if someone will brave the wilds to do so. Ista is certain that her device works similarly to those used by the dwarves of Durgan's Battery to divine the location of valuable metals. She has asked me to test the device on the mountainside surrounding the Battery.
Walkthrough[ | ]
- To start the quest, talk to Ista on the docks near the Temple of Ondra in Stalwart Village. After a brief discussion, she'll hand you the Ore-Locating Device and will send you on your way.
- Standing near certain locations around the exterior of Durgan's Battery will change the direction that the device points towards, ultimately directing you towards the cavern to the west.
| Location | Dialogue | Addendum |
|---|---|---|
| Near the Stalwart Village exit, at the third milestone (just southwest of Taragaer's camp) | Ista's device makes a terrible screeching noise. The compass points west. | At the crossroads, Ista's device points west. |
| At the top of the tower east of the keep (after clicking on the cannon): | Ista's device gives a series of clicks, and the compass at its center points southwest. | From the top of an outer tower east of the keep, the device points southwest. |
| On the right side of the stone bridge in the center of the map: | Ista's device makes a terrible screeching noise. The compass points west. | From the stone bridge, the device points west. |
| At the caravan just south of the cavern: | Ista's device points north, towards the cavern mouth. | |
| At either cave entrance (northern or southern) | Ista's device points directly at the cavern entrance. | |
| In the cave, as you approach the northwestern wall | Ista's device points directly at a spot along the cavern wall. |
- Enter the ice cave, kill the lagufaeth, and interact with the pile of rocks on the wall to retrieve the White Adra Gems.
- Return to Ista on the docks.
- Tell her that you didn't find any ore deposits, but instead found the gems. She is thrilled that the device worked, though didn't expect it to lead to inert adra. You can then:
- Give her the gems, allowing her to refine the enchantments, netting you
800 and moderate positive reputation with Stalwart. - Keep the gems for yourself, though she'll be angry that you'd choose to squander her breakthrough over some shiny trinkets. You don't get a reward, but get to keep the gems which are worth 1,500 on their own.
- Give her the gems, allowing her to refine the enchantments, netting you
- Lie, and say that you couldn't find anything. Ista comes to the conclusion that the device doesn't work, but thanks you anyway and gives you 300 for the assistance (and you get to keep the gems).
- Tell her that you didn't find any ore deposits, but instead found the gems. She is thrilled that the device worked, though didn't expect it to lead to inert adra. You can then:
Behind the scenes[ | ]
- A couple of other triggers are present, but don't seem to be used:
- The compass in the ore-locator spins once, then points southwest.
- The ore-locator's compass spins in lazy circles.
- The following addendum isn't used:
- From the raised platform along the keep's outer wall, the device points southwest.
Gallery[ | ]
Location inside the cave.
Journal[ | ]
| quests\px1_00_stalwart_village\px1_00_qst_sacred_instruments | ||
|---|---|---|
| ID | Objectives | |
| 0 | Sacred Instruments | |
| 10000 | A woman named Ista is trying to recreate the alchemical instruments by which the Battery dwarves first located the site upon which they erected their fortress. She has a prototype she wants tested - if someone will brave the wilds to do so. | |
| 1 | Use Ista's device to track down precious metals outside of Durgan's Battery. | |
| 10001 | Ista is certain that her device works similarly to those used by the dwarves of Durgan's Battery to divine the location of valuable metals. She has asked me to test the device on the mountainside surrounding the Battery. | |
| 20000 | From the top of an outer tower east of the keep, the device points southwest. | |
| 20001 | From the stone bridge, the device points west. | |
| 20002 | From the raised platform along the keep's outer wall, the device points southwest. | |
| 20003 | At the crossroads, Ista's device points west. | |
| 2 | Retrieve the ore. | |
| 10002 | The device seems to be responding to something within the cave at the base of the approach to Durgan's Battery. | |
| 3 | Return to Ista. | |
| 10003 | Ista's device didn't point to ore, but it did detect a small hoard of white adra jewels. She would probably be interested to hear of these results. | |
| End states | ||
|
Killed Ista | |
| 30000 | Someone critically important to this quest has died. | |
|
Gave Ista the Gems | |
| 30001 | Ista's "ore-locating divination tool" didn't point me to an ore deposit, but it did locate a stash of white adra gems. I gave them to Ista as evidence that her device works, and she was elated to know that her research is on the right track. | |
|
|
Lied to Ista about Gems | |
| 30002 | Ista's "ore-locating divination tool" didn't point me to an ore deposit, but it did locate a stash of valuable white adra gems. I kept the knowledge of them to myself, and let Ista go on believing that her device does not work. | |
|
|
Kept Gems | |
| 30003 | Ista's "ore-locating divination tool" didn't point me to an ore deposit, but it did locate a stash of valuable white adra gems. I told Ista about the success of her device - but decided that I would keep the gems for myself, which left her without a shred of evidence. | |