In issue #13 of Traversing Telara, Valnyr investigates the fae creaturs of Wayward Thicket, while Anmar puts down the Abyssal Cultists at the Lakeside Outpost.

Traversing Telara is an exclusive series of articles from Trion Worlds that explores Rift's lore and gameplay mechanics through the eyes of one intrepid adventurer. It's a great read and a fantastic introduction to the world of Telara. Even if you're a veteran of Rift, you might enjoy hearing about the game from another perspective! Read on for Traversing Telara #13: The Fae and Fathomlord!

Catch up on all the past issues of Traversing Telara here!

Guardian

This week sees Valnyr heading into Wayward Thicket, the fae-infested sections of Silverwood, for a number of quests linked to Prince Hylas. The area is swarming with fae creatures, but don't let that intimidate you, because you can make it through if you have patience and watch for movement patterns. That's not to say it is as easy as simply waiting for them to pass and slipping by. No, the fae creatures' paths usually intersect each other. What it means is that you have to time your attacks precisely to avoid being overwhelmed.

The first of my objectives is to find out what House Aelfwar is actually planning. It seems that Prince Hylas has left the fae creatures in Wayward Thicket alone, (while trying to take over all the rest of Silverwood), and I am to venture into this area and root through the fae's belongings to find out why this is. To do this I need to collect Conniver's Satchels from Faerie Connivers, Deviant's Journals from Faerie Deviants and Trickster's Scrapbooks from Faerie Tricksters. This quest starts off easy enough. The Conniver's Satchels can be found around the perimeter of the area but, for the Deviant Journals and Trickster Scrapbooks, you have to venture deeper into the heart of the Fae-controlled forest, and in no time at all you are surrounded by fae patrols, flying creatures and satyrs.

At the same time that I am looking for this evidence, I have another quest to complete. Ramis Twistroot wants me to slay the satyrs in the forest because they are harassing the trade routes to Sanctum, interfering with the delivery of supplies. Luckily, the satyrs always move on their own, so this isn't too challenging; just a matter of waiting for a window when you will not be interrupted by someone else, and attacking.

When I finally return with the journals, satchels and scrapbooks, things take a turn for the sinister. Inside were faetouched pacts written in Aelfwar blood, which means Prince Hylas has entered into some sort of agreement with the faeries. This is odd, because the Fae are loyal to the Dragon God Greenscale and House Aelfwar, even though they are not on the side of the Ascended, are not thought to side with the dragon gods either. More investigations are needed to learn Hylas' plans.

To this end, Furias Tolwin has sent me to speak to Isilwyn Alrai at Silver Landing. Isilwyn is a former member of the High Elf ruling council, and is investigating Aelfwar activity. He might have information that would clear up what is going on. As I travel to meet him, Furias asks me to clear out any Aelfwar scouts I might run into along the way.

When I finally arrive at Isilwyn, he is troubled by the news. He sees there are "forces unsettling the woods", and he needs my help to unravel it all. Looks like this is going to lead to much bigger things.

Defiant

This week sees Anmar cleaning out the Abyssal from Lakeside Outpost, preventing them from using it as a base of operations to launch an attack on Meridian. I killed all the Abyssal Cultists at the docks (picking off the two protectors of each Abyssal Mystic first, and then killing the unprotected mage), and returned to Ziara Altanin, who is still lurking outside of Lakeside. He tells me that the cultists I just killed were only the foot soldiers, and that the more powerful leaders of the cult are still around, hiding somewhere before they launch their attack. He tells me to investigate a place called Old Meadow Farm, as he has heard there are strange goings on there.

He was right. The Dragon Cultists are swarming around the burned-out farm and I kill as many as I can while I have a look around. I discover piles of burning bodies in the building and decide to return to Ziara with an intelligence report. What I tell him makes him very unhappy indeed. Anmar tells him he saw the Mayor among the dead bodies, but Ziara knows for a fact that the Mayor is wandering around Lakeside Outpost. It seems the Abyssal Cultists have replaced most of the people in the village with magically created doubles.

He gives me something called a transmutation idol, telling me to use it on the townsfolk (and the Mayor himself) to unravel their glamor. Ziara also tells Anmar that the strange pressure in his head has been created by the Abyssal leader who has been torturing his mind. He plans to use this connection to track the creature down.

I use the transmutation idol on the villagers, revealing them to be those two-legged sea creatures, and kill them all. I leave the Mayor 'til last and, when the deed is done, return to Ziara. He tells me he managed to use the psychic connection to track down the Abyssal Fathomlord. His name is Budlopudlul, and he is waiting for me out in the ocean.

My first stop is to meditate at an Abyssal marker just offshore. This gives me phenomenal speed, sending me skimming through the waters in search of Fathomlord Budlopud-lul. I track him to a location deep in the sea and battle him in the murky depths, finally slaying him and returning to the surface. Anmar has done it. He has cleared out all Abyssal influence from Lakeside Outpost and stopped an attack on Meridian itself.

While completing these quests I level up and gain two new skills. Trick Shot which deals extra damage to up to 5 enemies, and Concussive Blast. (Interrupts up to 8 enemies, dealing weapon damage plus additional damage per Combo Point.)

I'll let you know next week where these two new skills come in my attack queue.