Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire
Section	Primary Quests
Campaign	Nightfall (Elonian only)
Given by	Jerek in Plains of Jarin (Istan)
Preceded by	The Iron Truth
Followed by	War Preparations (Recruit Training), War Preparations (Wind and Water) and War Preparations (Ghost Reconnaissance)
Type	Primary quest (Solo Quest)

Present your charges of treason against Kourna in the Tribunal.

Quest information

Requirements

• Elonian (Nightfall) character

Objectives

• Present charges against Kourna.
• See Castellan Puuba for your reward.

Reward

• 1,500 Experience
• 125 Gold
• 15 Sunspear Promotion Points

Walkthrough

Speak to Jerek to let him know you are ready to go to trial. He will separate you from your party and send you to the Tribunal, which takes place in the Consulate.

Your witnesses will be already in place (including Ironfist and the various heroes acquired to-date, except for Tahlkora). You speak to Elder Suhl to start things off, choose a witness, and then respond to General Morgahn's questions. Your goal is to convince the panel of 11 Kournan Nobles and 11 Istani Nobles that Varesh is behind the recent episodes that have threatened Istan. Each time you present a witness, your score might go up or down; each time you answer a question, it will decrease.

However, your choices have no effect on the outcome of the trial, the campaign, or any rewards that you receive: Morgahn will have the same reaction, Tahlkora will show up late with Kormir, and she will demand that Varesh be tried directly. This completes the quest; you must map out and return to Puuba for your reward.

Regardless, should you wish to sway as many of the 22 jurists as possible, you will want to introduce witnesses that coincide with the question that Morgahn is about to ask. This maximizes the value of witnesses and minimizes the negative impact of your answers. Since this is impossible without having witnessed the trial before, you can follow the steps below:

1. Call Dunkoro as your first witness.
2. Give the second answer to General Morgahn's first question.
3. Call Ironfist next.
4. Choose the first answer to Morgahn's question.
5. Call either Melonni or Koss as your third witness.
6. Give the first answer to the General's last question.

NPCs

Allies

• 12 Tahlkora
• 20 Kormir

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

Jerek

General Morgahn has arrived from Kourna. Let me tell you how the tribunal will go. You will stand, alone, before twenty-two individuals; eleven from Kourna and eleven from Istan. They will ask you a series of questions and allow you to call people to present statements on your behalf. During the testimony, the tribunal members will be able to cast votes to resolve the truth of the matter. Once you are ready we will head there immediately.

I am ready.

This will separate you from your party. Are you sure?

We are ready. (this quest is added to your Quest Log and your character is sent to The Tribunal)

We are not ready yet.

I am not quite ready.

If you exit The Tribunal (via map travel, the portal to Kamadan, Jewel of Istan, etc.) and speak to Jerek with this quest in your Quest Log:

This tribunal will mean the difference between peace and war.

This will separate you from your party. Are you sure?

We are ready. (sent to The Tribunal)

We are not ready yet.

Intermediate dialogue

Introduction

Following entering the tribunal and approaching Elder Suhl and General Morgahn, they say the following:

Elder Suhl: "We are gathered here to answer allegations brought against the Kournan government."

Elder Suhl: "There have been claims of inciting aggressive corsair activity against Istan, and of summoning forbidden evils."

Elder Suhl: "You will represent your order, the Sunspears. General Morgahn will represent Kourna. As the accuser you will be asked questions, and may call individuals to make statements. As representative of the defending party, General Morgahn will have the ability to respond in kind."

General Morgahn: "Thank you Elder Suhl. It is Kourna's position that General Kahyet was acting independently of Warmarshal Varesh and the government of Kourna. The unfortunate events that occurred were merely a coincidence stemming from current Sunspear activity under the leadership of Kormir."

Elder Suhl: "Please summon your first representative."

Elder Suhl

Choose Your Representative

Ironfist

Tahlkora

Koss

Melonni

Dunkoro

Witness dialogue

Upon selecting a witness as a representative, following dialog is spoken for each of the selectable witnesses:

Tahlkora

Elder Suhl: "Tahlkora? Does anyone see Tahlkora?"

General Morgahn: "Hmm. Most interesting. Seems she isn't here. This evidence is clearly a bit lacking."

Elder Suhl: "Where could she have gone?"

Ironfist

Ironfist: "It's nice to see you again Elder Suhl; especially since this time I am NOT under arrest."

Ironfist: "As long as I get to walk out of here free and clear afterwards, I'm willing to tell you what you want to know."

Ironfist: "So, we had been receiving Kournan coin from an anonymous Kournan source for quite some time."

Ironfist: "It was really helping with morale, if you know what I mean, and our forces had grown steadily because of it."

Ironfist: "I was supposed to meet with this source...apparently Kahyet.... Boy, good thing I sent someone in my place. That could have been my body left to rot in the crypts.

Koss

Koss: "My...um...connections informed me about Kournans paying off corsairs and also of dark ceremonies involving demons."

General Morgahn: "Your connections? You're scarcely more than a corsair yourself. I hope you have better representatives, Suhl."

Koss: "Hey! I'm not a corsair! I don't look like a corsair? Do I?"

Melonni

Melonni: "I have seen firsthand the evil Varesh has wrecked upon the Elon and my village of Ronjok."

Melonni: "She dams the river and enslaves the Centaurs! She would strike at the very gods next!"

General Morgahn: "Ah, Ronjok! Were you not exiled from your own village for causing trouble at the waterworks, a project that keeps our crops growing, putting more food on the table for all Kourna?"

General Morgahn: "You wouldn't expect these wise and noble people to hold Warmarshal Varesh accountable for wanting to see her people fed and nourished rather than starving and dying?"

General Morgahn: "No wonder it is no longer "your" village."

Dunkoro

Dunkoro: "Those from Istan know me. Those from Kourna know of my work."

Dunkoro: "I cannot count the Kournan villages or the Istan fishing fleets I have personally protected against corsairs and monsters over the year."

Dunkoro: "I don't say this to brag. I say it because in all the years of fighting I have never experienced more evil than what Kahyet, and by association Varesh, released at Fahranur."

Dunkoro: "If you stand by and let Varesh continue, we will have more to face than merely corsairs and rabid plants."

General Morgahn's questions

General Morgahn will ask three questions of which there are three responses you can choose from.

First question

General Morgahn

Your first claim is that Varesh and Kahyet are responsible for what happened at the First City, Fahranur. What exactly was the Sunspears' involvement?

The First City of Fahranur was the home of the original Sunspears, back in dynastic times. Kormir ordered it excavated.

We responded to the evil that was released. Without us the Apochrypha [sic] would have killed hundreds.

We arrived and found many of our diggers decimated and consumed with some darkness.

Regardless of your selection, General Morgahn will respond with the following:

"As much as you would like to claim heroics, there is proof that your leader, Kormir, is responsible for the excavation of this area."

"It was cursed, and off limits for a reason. Yet in her hubris, Kormir felt the need to investigate something better left alone."

Second question

General Morgahn

Please explain the Sunspear involvement with corsairs in regards to these events surrounding Kahyet's death.

We stopped the next corsair invasion of Istan.

A corsair armada was being funded by Kourna.

Sunspears kill corsairs. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Regardless of your selection, General Morgahn will respond with the following:

"The information you obtained was through less than legal contact with direct enemies of Istan. In fact, Ironfist is here today due to an Istan bribe."

"The very fact you have dealings with these cutthroats throws doubt on all of your statements."

Third question

General Morgahn

What is your stance towards Kourna?

We are at peace with Kourna.

Kourna and Istan are kindred provinces.

There was peace, and hopefully there will still be peace.

Regardless of your selection, General Morgahn will respond with the following:

"Yet, one of Kourna's generals is dead. On Istani soil! If Kahyet hadn't been acting on her own accord...after the rest of Varesh's entourage had left...this would be grounds for war between our provinces."

"I see no standing for the Istani accusations at this point."

Final dialogue

After the final question, Tahlkora and Kormir arrive and the following is said:

Tahlkora: "I'm back! I heard Kormir was coming back to Kamadan, and I went to get her. Is that okay?"

Kormir: "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Why are my people being persecuted?"

General Morgahn: "Spearmarshal Kormir. Your followers have made some wild and baseless accusations...."

Kormir: "Quiet, general! I have seen firsthand these charges against Varesh Ossa are neither wild nor baseless. She should be standing here in judgment, not my Sunspears!"

Kormir: "Apparently, I have returned just in time. And I've brought allies from Cantha and Tyria. As leader of the Sunspears I demand that Warmarshal Varesh step down and turn herself over for our judgment! She has been trafficking with dark forces. For the good of all Elona, this must stop!"

General Morgahn: "Or else what, Kormir? War? You'll find the Warmarshal more than willing to face you in battle."

General Morgahn: "We are done here, Suhl. I must return to Gandara to speak with the Warmarshal. I don't know what will come of this, but if you value Istan's future, I strongly advise you to ignore Kormir's wild ravings."

Reward dialogue

Castellan Puuba

The clouds of war are gathering. Yet, if we don't wish to be dominated by the Kournans, so it must be. Come, we have much to attend to.