A Little Help From Above

Kill Aily the Innocent.

Requirements

 * You must have completed the Riverside Assassination quest

Objectives

 * Travel to the Asuran Lab via the Secret River Passage in Talmark Wilderness
 * Speak with Livia to plan your raid on Shaemoor
 * Acquire the Key to the Fountain of Truth by killing Cairn the Berserker in Loamhurst
 * Speak with Zinn to find out what weapons he has prepared for you.
 * Clear the way to the Fountain of Truth by defeating Justiciar Sevaan and his forces in Shaemoor. [10...0] of 10 groups remaining.
 * Open the gate to the Fountain of Truth, and kill Aily the Innocent.
 * Return to Princess Salma for a reward.

Reward

 * 10,000 Experience
 * 2,000 Gold
 * 5 Royal Gifts
 * 1 Medal of Honor

Walkthrough
Begin at the Temple of the Ages and head west into the Talmark Wilderness. Once there, hug the east wall to reach the Secret River Passage which takes you to the Divinity Coast (1). Head west to Zinn's Laboratory to receive further instructions from Livia (2). Zinn's lab (4) will also function as a resurrection shrine should your party wipe.

Next, head to Loamhurst (west of 3) on the northern part of the map (this is the destination for the Chosen during Divinity Coast). As before, you have to traverse through the western swamps while battling Peacekeeper groups. Avoid fighting in the water, which inflicts poison. Cairn the Berserker waits at the drawbridge to Loamhurst's small fort (3) and can be pulled away from his allies. Vess the Disputant is inside the fort itself, but killing Cairn is enough to update the quest.

Once Cairn is dead, head back to Zinn's lab (4). Unfortunately, you will get ambushed 10 times along the return route until reaching the Villagers again. The hidden groups are random assortments of 4 White Mantles and 1 Jade construct.

When you get back to Zinn, he will give you an Asuran Beacon to carry. When it is dropped, it summons three Fire Bit Golems to your location that self-destruct using Bit Golem Crash, damaging all nearby enemies. (Zinn will keep supplying beacons as long as you need them, but you have to return to his lab to get them.) Take a beacon with you to clear Shaemoor (near 5) of the White Mantle presence. Follow the road east and across the long bridge, taking out enemy forces along the way. The gate is heavily guarded, so pull carefully.

Once the gate is clear, you have to clear out 10 enemy groups from the area. Seven are within Shaemoor proper, including Justiciar Sevaan's (5). The other three groups spawn outside the city and charge in later; pay attention to avoid getting pinned. Once all 10 groups are defeated, use the lever to raise the gate, and head up to the fountain to kill Aily the Innocent (6). Aily is guarded by 4 other Jade constructs and is a potent healer. However, dropping an Asuran Beacon at his feet will damage him enough to make him a quick kill. Any remaining Jade constructs die the moment Aily dies, so focus your attention on him. The party will automatically be brought to the western end of Talmark Wilderness 15 seconds after Aily dies.

Standard War in Kryta tips

 * Frozen Soil suppresses resurrection, which is carried by almost every type of White Mantle and Peacekeeper.
 * Proper pulling is critical; make sure that the enemy runs to you, so that they waste their first strike and their preparatory skills.
 * Target healers, unless you can quickly spike-kill key combatants.
 * Keep the party spread out; the enemies have lots of dangerous AoE skills.
 * Infusion helps, but is essential if you are having any trouble in the presence of Mursaat or Jade Constructs.
 * Retreat quickly if the tide of battle turns against you.
 * Take advantage of the environment: use choke points to increase the effectiveness of AoE skills (and slow down the enemy); use terrain to protect you from ranged martial attacks.

Tips for the 5 most difficult points
These are tips to getting through the 5 most difficult points of the quest:

Loamhurst gate
Two large groups overlap this area: one just in front of the gate to Loamhurst, one just behind it. Unless you can unleash extreme AoE damage (thus killing most of them at once) you must successfully pull them apart. Station/flag the group apart just around the corner (closer to the gate than to the last bridge along the route). Use a long- or flatbow and ensure that only the puller approaches. If your troops turn the corner too soon, you risk attracting the attention of the second group.

Cairn & Vess
Vess' group patrols close to the castle bridge, so they can easily be within aggro distance of Cairn's. Accordingly, pull Cairn's group away from the castle gate; they should go down quickly. If need be, you can pull Cairn's allies away from Cairn (or vice-versa). If you need to, use the gate area as a choke point to use AoE skills on Vess' team.

Returning to the lab
There are 10 groups along the way, but you can skip them all by allowing your team to die; you will resurrect at the lab. (Remember to flag those heroes without resurrection skills away, so they do not end up with death penalty.) You are not required to pick-up Asuran Beacons to complete the quest, but they are very helpful. However, if you are doing this using only heroes and henchmen, hold off on grabbing one so that it does not slow you down; once you have cleared Shaemoor, you can return to Zinn.

Clearing Shaemoor
Shaemoor can be difficult to clear for two reasons: (1) there are overlapping patrols and (2) reinforcements spawn right on top of you. Start out by making sure that you clear the patrols from the west gate into the village, lest they return before you have occupied that area. Next, take advantage of the terrain: the gate is an excellent choke point and it is also elevated from the surrounding area. Station your troops outside the village, so that they can pound the enemy as it comes up the hill and through the gate. By carefully pulling one group at a time, you should be able to clear 2-3 groups from this spot.

Just across from the gate is a set of stairs with a group that spawns out of reach of the gate; take them out. Now, clear the lowest level, hugging the western wall, so that you do not attract aggro from other groups. Defeat the guards at the remaining open gate and then use this gate to defend against the reinforcements that will approach from outside the village. You will not need a bow to attract these groups; just take a few steps outside the gate and they should approach you. After clearing them out, you should be able to defeat all but the boss group from either this spot or the stairway nearest the western gate.

The boss group should not be much harder than any of the others, but if you have trouble, you can use one of the stairways as a choke point and pull the group down the stairs.

Aily and company
Players that are un-infused are at risk and should take a back seat to heroes, henchmen, and players that are infused. If you need to, it is worth the time for each player to return to the lab and grab an Asuran Beacon.

Avoid going up the stairs: it is all too easy for the party to get snared together and be easy pickings for the final group's AoE. Instead, take a left before the stairs and head up the path. Position the team as you turn the corner, well away from aggro range. This position gives your team full view of the approaching enemies and requires them to waste time walking to you, which costs them initiative and some of their buffs.

From this position, pull Aily's group by using a non-line-of-sight skill; you might need a bow to maintain aggro, so that they continue towards you after rounding the corner. Wait until they reach range for all party members before dropping any beacons (any sooner, and you lose initiative and waste some of the beacon power as your team moves in). You do not need to defeat Aily's allies, so concentrate all power on the boss. If things go well, 1-2 beacons should weaken him enough that you can kill him. On the other hand, if any of his teammates are near death, kill them and retreat quickly; Aily alone is not much of a threat (if you have made it this far).

Allies
Asurans
 * 20 (20) Blimm
 * 20 (20) Zinn

Constructs
 * 29 (29) G.O.X.
 * 20 (20) Golem Sentry

Humans
 * 10 (20) Merchants
 * 20 (20) Livia
 * 10 (20) Villagers

Foes
Dragons
 * 20 (26) Grand Drake
 * 18 (25) Lightning Drake

Humans (White Mantle)
 * 20 (26) Shaemoor Gate Guard
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Knight
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Zealot
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Scout
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Seeker
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Abbot
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Priest
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Fanatic
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Ritualist
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Sycophant
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Adherent
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Savant
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Enforcer
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Ritualist
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Champion
 * 20 (26) White Mantle Devotee

Imps
 * 13 (24) Inferno Imp

Jade constructs
 * 24 (26) Jade Armor
 * 24 (26) Jade Bow
 * 24 (26) Jade Cloak

Plants
 * 11 (24) Spined Aloe

Bosses
Human (White Mantle)
 * 24 (30) Justiciar Sevaan &rarr; Power Block
 * 24 (30) Vess the Disputant &rarr; Elemental Attunement

Jade constructs
 * 28 (30) Cairn the Berserker &rarr; Forceful Blow

Mursaat
 * 28 (30) Aily the Innocent &rarr; Aura of Faith

Objects
Levers
 * Lever

Initial dialogue

 * Princess Salma
 * "Rumors among the residents of Shaemoor suggest that the White Mantle are sheltering one of their Unseen demons inside the town walls. Our agents have concluded this is most likely the laughably named Aily the Innocent. We must continue chipping away at the White Mantle's leadership. The Mursaat are few in number, and each one we slay is a great blow to our enemies. But this is not a task for the light of heart, as the Mursaat will be heavily guarded. If you choose to undertake this challenge, make haste for Divinity Coast via the Secret River Passage in Talmark Wilderness, and be sure to check in with Livia at the lab. She has been gathering intelligence on White Mantle forces in the area and can help you plan your assault. This is your mission; do you accept it?"

Intermediate dialogue

 * Livia
 * "Greetings. I hope you are prepared for what is ahead, this task will not be easy. The Mursaat, Aily the Innocent, is hiding behind a locked gate at the entrance to the Fountain of Truth, in the hills above Shaemoor. The reinforced door is only opened with a key that is held by a particularly fierce Jade Construct called Cairn the Berserker who is currently spreading terror in Loamhurst. I've asked Zinn to whip up a little something that will help you penetrate the forces guarding Shaemoor, but he demands more time. Go kill Cairn the Berserker, get the key, and come back for Zinn's weapon. It should be ready by then."


 * Zinn
 * "Yes yes, don't pester me! Okay, I'm done. I had to do a bit of a rush job, but it should suit your needs just fine. Here's how it works...I'll speak slowly and use small words so you might understand me. Take this beacon with you, and when you are in need of some extra firepower, simply drop the beacon on the ground. That marks the spot for the golem bombardment. Fear not the falling golems; I've calibrated them to harm only your enemies. I can give you one for now, but return here once you've used it, and I will deliver you another beacon."

Reward dialogue

 * Princess Salma
 * "We could see the smoke from Shaemoor all the way over here! Clearly, Livia was correct about Zinn and Blimm's abilities, though I hope those Asura didn't cause too much collateral damage in the process.  Thank you, my friend.  The death of Aily the Innocent is a serious blow to our sworn enemies, and another step toward recovery for our people."