Today Valnyr talks about Cyril Kalmar, the current leader of the Guardian Ascended, and Anmar makes it his personal quest to reclaim Smith's Haven.

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 #14: Gods and Souls!

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Guardian

After last week's travels through Wayward Thicket, dealing with the Fae menace, I am told to return to Sanctum to report my findings to Shyla Starheath. I head inside the Sanc-tum of the Vigil, finding Shyla, Cyril Kalmar, and Borrin Gammult waiting inside their alcove. Shyla is ready to give me a quest related to Lord Twyl, the leader of the Fae, but before I get into that, I realized I haven't talked about Cyril and Borrin, two heroes of the Shade War.

Today we will touch briefly upon the deeds of Cyril, the current leader of the Guardian Ascended.

Cyril Kalmar was the very first of the Ascended. Even before Prince Zareph went to war against his Prince Aedraxis, Cyril's deeds were known throughout the land. And it was this legend surrounding his name that helped rally the people to Zareph's cause. Because, although Zareph knew Aedraxis was a dragon cultist, the Mathosian people didn't, thinking their fight nothing more than a squabble between two siblings.

Because Zareph could not gain support for his fight against Aedraxis, he eventually found himself besieged at what is now Shadefallen Keep in Gloamwood.

Aedraxis looked to be the victor. From a distant hill, surrounded by his dragon knight bodyguards, Aedraxis ordered the final charge. He watched as his men scaled the walls of the Keep.

But then Cyril Kelmar arrived, cutting his way trough Aedraxis' elite bodyguards, sending them flying through the air as if they were children. He and Aedraxis faced off against each other and fought a battle that went down in legend. But Aedraxis was no match for Cyril, and he was forced to reveal his hand, uttering a necromantic spell that raised his fallen soldiers from death.

This was the moment when the people of Mathosia saw what was at stake and they realized Prince Zareph had been right all along.

Things looked bad for Cyril, but then Prince Zareph appeared at his side and together they fought off the undead.

After Aedraxis had shown his true colors, civil war broke out, leading to the final battle when Aedraxis opened the Rift at Tedeor Fields. Cyril Kalmar died on that day, but the Vigil's Messengers brought him back to lead the army against the Blood Storm.

That is Cyril's story, an important moment in the battle against the Dragon Gods.

Meanwhile, I talk to Shyla, and she has a very important task for me. "I believe my Prince kneels to the faerie lord only as a means of seizing the Crown of Seasons and the power it gives," she says. "If we destroy this artifact we can deal a blow to Greenscale's minions and prevent Hylas from further succumbing to the sinful pull of the green beast. There is an old ritual, of life and death and mirrored thrones. We may save Silverwood, Telara and the fae realms. Won't you enter Twyl's domain?"

Shyla wants me to enter the Realm of the Fae, take the Crown of Seasons from Lord Twyl, and then burn it in the Brazier of Winter's End. This will, she hopes, free Hylas from Twyl's influence.

I agree, even though it is for a much higher level than I am currently at.

What else can I do?

Defiant

After defeating the Abyssal Cultists in Lakeside, Anmar finds himself moving up the coast to Trawling Post where he is told of more danger in the area. Apparently, the forces of Jakub have put the town of Smith's Haven, Freemarch's capital, to the torch. It is burning uncontrollably, and normal methods of dousing the flames aren't working.

But there might be a way to stop the flames. Nearby elementals have absorbed magic from the Plane of Water and there is a plan to use that link to try and put the fires in the town out.

To do this I have to kill Living Oceans, releasing creatures called Living Waters, then use something called the Band of Tidal Sway to capture them and put them in a Hydrotech Vessel.

I succeed, and am told my efforts will help save the town. Meanwhile, I am asked to find a lost package and take it to Marius Wenden in Warden's Rise. Once there I am called upon to further help the beleaguered town of Smith's Haven. Wenden wants to liberate the town from the enemy, but to do that I must clear the nearby hills of Endless Court cultists, otherwise Wenden's men will be trapped between two enemy armies. The cultists are swarming all over the area, and are led by a man called Iriri the Merciless. Anmar is told to assassinate Iriri, hopefully sending his troops into disarray. At the same time I am to act as saboteur and light Kerosene Urns that have been hidden in the camp by one of Wenden's agents, sending the whole encampment up in flames.

This is a tricky one. The cultists are all gathered around a relatively small area, and there are constant patrols of two cultists that you have to take care of to get further up the hill. Also, the enemies respawn behind you, meaning if you don't plan your route properly, you might end up retreating straight into cultists you thought you'd already killed. I eventually succeed, and find Iriri at the crest of the hill. I kill all the cultists around him before taking him on. He's not too difficult to defeat, and I return to Warden's Rise for my reward.

Now I've taken care of the quests around the perimeter of Smith's Haven, it's time to travel to Denegar's Stand, just outside the capital, and speak to the leader of Freemarch himself, March Warden Denegar. He is a gruff soldier who admits he made a mistake by not welcoming Defiant help when it was first offered. Now his people have suffered because of his pride and he wants to fix that. With Anmar's help, of course.

Anmar's quest? To reclaim Smith's Haven for the people of Freemarch.

Written by Paul Crilley