Lambs to the Slaughter

Lambs to the Slaughter
Section	Kaineng City Quests
Campaign	Factions
Given by	Guildmaster Luan in Kaineng Center (Kaineng City)
Preceded by	The Shadow Blades
Type	Secondary quest
Map(s)
(Click to enlarge)

Eliminate the rival guild meeting in the Undercity.

Quest information

Objectives

• Rendezvous with the Obsidian Flame and prepare for the assault on the Shadow Blades.
• Lead the Obsidian Flame to the place where the Shadow Blades are meeting. Destroy the rival organization.
• See Guildmaster Luan for your reward.

Reward

• 3,000 Experience
• 175 Gold
• Imperial Commendation

Walkthrough

There are three ways to complete the quest. The first two reduce the number of foes before meeting with your allies, while the third attempts to reduce the threat on the Obsidian Flame (the "lambs") by exploiting the game mechanics. Following the most direct route tends to end in failing the quest because the assassins are not very durable. Only one of your assassin allies need to survive to get credit for the quest.

(1) From Vizunah Square (Local Quarter)

Exit Vizunah Square (Local Quarter) into the Undercity. Proceed across the bridge, killing the afflicted mob. Follow the route on the map to the north, avoiding The Afflicted Miju, then west (along the passage pointed to by the quest marker), and turn east. This provides enough time for the afflicted to pop out of the ground around the monk boss and approach the party.

Kill the nearest two mobs of afflicted and then the monk boss; being careful of Miju's Ray of Judgment, which can easily wipe your heroes or henchmen. Slowly kill the afflicted in the corridors leading to the west, luring mobs to avoid dual aggro. Once you reach the tunnel with the water droplets falling into a pool on the ground, return to the corridor where you fought Miju to fetch the Obsidian Flame Assassins.

Lead them to the tunnel you just cleared, and beyond to the waiting Shadow Blade Assassins. Flag any heroes or henchmen into the mob of Shadow Blade Assassins. They will remain friendly until the end of a brief dialogue, after which they will attack both the party and the Obsidian Flame Assassins. If you have flagged the team well, you can defeat the Shadow Blades with little or no Obsidian Flame casualties.

(2) From Marketplace — South

Non-Canthans without access to the Local Quarter can enter the Undercity from Wajjun Bazaar. You can speed things up considerably if you have Seek out Brother Tosai in your quest log, since this makes the Am Fah in the bazaar friendly. Once inside, proceed north and defeat the Am Fah within the Undercity on your way to the tunnel with the dripping water (near the quest marker on the map). Otherwise, follow the the same steps above.

(3) From Marketplace — North

This method is the most direct, but depends on a well balanced team of heroes and/or henchmen that you will micromanage. Take the north exit from the The Marketplace (toward Bukdek Byway), then head east, cross the first bridge, and head to the Undercity portal (only two foe groups are en route). The Obsidian Flame assassins are allied immediately on entering the Undercity. Instead of leading your allies into danger, flag the heroes ahead to engage foes while the quest holder remains safely behind with the assassins. Repeat this process until you reach the Shadow Blades and defeat them. The Obsidian Flame will say, "Come and face your nightmare, Shadow Blades", even though they are not within aggro range. As soon as the last Shadow Blade dies, the quest log will update and you can return for your reward.

NPCs

Allies

Humans (Obsidian Flame)

• 20 (20) Obsidian Flame Assassin

Foes

Humans (Shadow Blades)

• 20 (26) Shadow Blade Assassin

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

Guildmaster Luan

"The Shadow Blades have made a grievous error. I have ordered a group of our most skilled assassins to meet you in the Undercity. You will lead them to the Shadow Blades and destroy them. Show no mercy."

 Accept: "No mercy will be shown. You have my word."

 Decline: "Fight your own battles."

 Ask: "Now is the time to show your loyalty to the Obsidian Flame. Descend into the Shenzun Tunnels and lead those who await you to the Shadow Blades."

Intermediate dialogue

Shadow Blade Assassin: "Once we assassinate Guildmaster Luan, we will cut through the rest of them with ease."

Shadow Blade Assassin: "Nika is mine. Her blades took three of my fingers!"

Shadow Blade Assassin: "The Obsidian Flame has found us! Kill them all!"

Obsidian Flame Assassin: "Come and face your nightmare, Shadow Blades."

After you defeat the Shadow Blades:

Obsidian Flame Assassin: "We will remain here and deal with any others who arrive. Report back to Guildmaster Luan. Now!"

Reward dialogue

Guildmaster Luan

"You have done well. The Shadow Blades were a dishonor to all Assassins, giving thought only to their coin purse and not the art of the profession."

Notes

• It helps to eliminate the Afflicted along the route between the two groups before speaking with the Obsidian Flame Assassins, to prevent the assassins from being killed along the way and forcing you to restart the quest.

Bug.It can sometimes take several minutes after the first Shadow Blade assassin turns hostile for the rest to follow suit. Backtracking to the Obsidian Flame's rendezvous point may help to resolve this problem when it occurs.

Anomaly.Some of the dialogue is misleading:

• All the action takes place in the Undercity, but the Ask dialogue directs you to Shenzun Tunnels.
• Although a Shadow Blade Assassin states, "her blade took three of my fingers", he appears to have all ten fingers intact.

Trivia

• The name of this quest is a biblical quotation from Jeremiah 51:40.