Unspeakable, Unknowable

Unspeakable, Unknowable
Section	Southern Shiverpeaks Quests
Campaign	Prophecies
Given by	High Priest Alkar in Sorrow's Furnace (Southern Shiverpeaks)
Part of	To Sorrow's Furnace
Type	Secondary quest
Map(s)
(Click to enlarge)

Help High Priest Alkar stop the Stone Summit gaining the Tome of the Rubicon.

Quest information

Objectives

• Return to the ancient ruins of the Great Destroyer.
• Destroy the Hierophant Morlog before he learns the true name of the Great Destroyer.
• Return the Tome of the Rubicon to the ancient ruins. Drop it where High Priest Alkar awaits.
• Collect 4 shards of Balthazate crystal and place them near High Priest Alkar. You have [4..0] shards remaining. Be sure to protect the High Priest from enemy patrols.
• See High Priest Alkar for your reward.

Rewards

• 8,000 Experience (You must collect the reward before leaving Sorrow's Furnace.)

Walkthrough

To acquire this quest, you will first need to locate High Priest Alkar in Grenth's Footprint. You'll find him towards the northeast. You will then have to lead Alkar into Sorrow's Furnace, taking down several groups of Stone Summit along the way. Simply head towards the quest marker and enter Sorrow's Furnace, regardless of whether Alkar managed to keep up with your party.

Getting the Tome of the Rubicon

Once inside, talk to Alkar again to accept this quest. Head past the large doors and down to engage the first enemy group. After taking down this group, Alkar will start moving on his own towards the Stone Basilica (taking a right at the first junction). It is important that the party keep an eye on Alkar, since his death will return the party to an outpost. Try to gather drops during a fight rather than after, since Alkar will immediately set off towards the quest marker the moment the last enemy falls.

Eventually, you'll see Hierophant Morlog, who is surrounded by many Summit Taskmasters. Pull the surrounding enemies to thin them before engaging the Hierophant, who will drop the Tome of the Rubicon upon defeat. Alkar will head back towards the stairs. Bring the Tome to him and drop it near him. Do not delay bringing the tome to Alkar because he will be attacked when he reaches the platform. You must return to defend him. The next (more difficult) part of the quest will start.

Gathering four Balthazate Crystals

The second part of the quest will require you to retrieve four Balthazate Crystals to help power Alkar's ritual to bury the Tome of the Rubicon. The Balthazate Crystals will drop from the four newly-spawned Dredge Blastrocks. Each of the Dredge Blastrocks spawn amongst a group of Dredge, but are not part of the group. As such, depending on your luck, it may be possible to pull the Dredge Blastrock away from the Dredge group.

Alkar will remain on the platform. The party must split up at this point - a smaller group to protect Alkar (he will get attacked), and a larger group to retrieve the Balthazate Crystals. The group protecting Alkar should consist of at least a tank and a healer, but no more than three, or there may not be enough firepower to take down the Dredge Blastrocks.

The quest marker will indicate the location of the next Dredge Blastrock, so use it to find them. Keep in mind that engaging and killing Dredge Blastrocks will trigger enemy spawns to charge down the stairs towards Alkar's position, so be ready to run back to help defend Alkar. Left alone, Alkar will fall very quickly.

The first Dredge Blastrock is a short distance to the southeast. The third and fourth are further beyond, to the southeast and southwest respectively (watch out for overlapping patrols). The second Dredge Blastrock actually requires that you backtrack up the stairs. The tricky thing about taking down the Dredge Blastrock is that enemies will spawn and charge towards Alkar's position the first time a Dredge Blastrock is attacked and when a Dredge Blastrock is killed.

In other words, when a Dredge Blastrock is attacked for the first time, a small group of usually three Stone Summit will attack Alkar's position. Upon killing a Dredge Blastrock, a larger group of about 5 or 6 Stone Summit and spawn and charge Alkar's position.

There are two things to keep in mind:

1. Kill all nearby Dredge before engaging a Dredge Blastrock and do not kill a Dredge Blastrock too quickly after engaging it (to avoid quickly overwhelming the defending group).
2. When a Dredge Blastrock is almost dead, if the party has multiple players, have some of them start running back. If using henchmen, run back to Alkar immediately after killing a Dredge Blastrock. Consider ignoring the Balthazate Crystal first and come back for it later, after defending Alkar from the assault. Running back only after Alkar starts taking damage usually means it will be too late.

For each Balthazate Crystal retrieved, just drop them near Alkar. Once you have successfully recovered four of them, a cutscene will trigger and the quest will be completed.

Walkthrough variations

• It may be possible to leave Alkar going one-on-one with Hierophant Morlog, possibly supported by just one healer. If they manage to fight to a standstill, it makes the second part of this quest much easier, since you don't have to worry about Alkar dying. You just need to know where the Dredge Blastrock will spawn (since they have not spawned yet), and also to keep your heroes, henchmen, or minions from killing the Hierophant.
• If only using henchmen, completing this quest will be tricky. The key would be in knowing how to trigger the enemy spawn that attacks Alkar. The idea is that you trigger a spawn, then immediately run back to defend Alkar. Having party-wide speed boost skills will be helpful (e.g. "Charge!").
• Leaving a single warrior with defensive stances and powerful AoE damage to defend Alkar is also possible, because Alkar is a powerful healer. A single trapping ranger would be even better. Covering the stairs in traps will decimate the enemies charging down it, or at least weaken them enough for the rest of the party to come back and help.

Additional tips

• The key to taking down Stone Summit groups is to take down any Priests of Sorrows first. The Summit Dark Binders will exploit corpses, so it may be useful to take them down early as well.
• Similarly, for Dredge groups, take down the Dredge Spirit Keepers first, as they have Resurrect. Also, the Dredge Spirit Guards possess a Resurrection Signet.
• There is a resurrection shrine close to Alkar's position. As long as Alkar is not dead, the quest is not yet lost.
• Leave a minion master with Alkar to take advantage of the corpses and to have minions providing additional firepower and targets for the Stone Summit.
• If using a minion master, Alkar will follow you in an attempt to heal the minions for all but the second Balthazate crystal.
• Ward Against Melee may be a good skill to have when defending Alkar, since most of the attacking spawns will consist of Summit Deep Knights and Enslaved Ettins.
• Alkar may start to follow your minion master and heal his minions. You can lure him away from Stone Basilica this way. He also may get stuck on the wall and stop moving till your minion master comes back.

NPCs

Allies

Dwarves (Deldrimor)

• 20 (?) High Priest Alkar

Foes

Dredge (Sorrow's Furnace army)

• 24 Dredge Brute
• 24 Dredge Spirit Guard
• 24 Dredge Scout
• 24 Dredge Spirit Caller
• 24 Dredge Spirit Keeper

Dwarves (Sorrow's Furnace army)

• 24 Summit Deep Knight
• 24 Summit Surveyor
• 24 Priest of Sorrows
• 24 Summit Dark Binder
• 24 Summit Taskmaster
• 24 Summit Warden

Ettins (Sorrow's Furnace army)

• 24 Enslaved Ettin

Boss-like foes

• 24 (26) Dredge Blastrock

Bosses

• 28 (30) Hierophant Morlog → Crippling Anguish

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

High Priest Alkar

The Stone Summit are dangerously close to uncovering the Tome of the Rubicon. Inside is the true name of the Great Destroyer, the bane of the living and nemesis of the Great Dwarf himself. If the seals that bind that book are dispelled and the true name spoken... well, let's just say there is no worse thing that could happen in this world.

I could use yer help gaining entry to Sorrow's Furnace and stopping the Summit from getting their hands on the Tome. Will you help me?

Yeah, I think that's a pretty good cause.

You Dwarves and your dramatic stories. Sorry, I can't help.

When asked about quest:

Initially:

"Move those long legs of yours, human. If the Summit uncovers the Tome, there will be dire consequences."

After reaching the temple:

"It's much worse than I thought. The Summit already have the Tome of the Rubicon. We must kill that Hierophant before he deciphers the name!"

After defeating Hierophant Morlog:

"We must bury the Tome of the Rubicon by destroying this temple!"

After dropping the Tome of the Rubicon next to Alkar:

"I need 4...1 more Balthazate crystal(s). If you kill those filthy Dredge Blastrock, they'll drop the Balthazate crystals when they die. Keey an eye out for Summit patrols, and make sure nothing happens to me!"

Intermediate dialogue

High Priest Alkar: "Long ago, the Great Dwarf took from his greatest foe the one thing that give him his power...he took from him his name, sealing it away until the time of their final battle."

High Priest Alkar: "To ensure the name was unspeakable to all but the Great Dwarf, the name was sealed within the Rubicon. There are few left with the knowledge and power to open the Tome."

High Priest Alkar: "If the true name of either is spoken aloud, it would mean the end of the world as we know it. We must not allow that which is unknown to again become known. Not now."

Reaching the temple:

High Priest Alkar: "The Great Destroyer is reputed to be everything the Great Dwarf is not...evil, malicious, and greedy to the core."

High Priest Alkar: "If that Hierophant reads the Great Destroyer's true name, he will summon upon this world the most malignant creaure ever seen by mortal eyes."

High Priest Alkar: "We must hurry. That Hierophant will not take long to dispel the enchantments protecting the Tome."

On placing the book:

High Priest Alkar: "We must bury the Great Destroyer's true name. The best way to do that is to consecrate the old temple and bring it down atop the Tome. Some of you should stay behind, just in case."

High Priest Alkar: "Balthazate crystals are highly explosive. If you find enough of them, I can destroy the Temple. They're mined by an unruly lot known as the Dredge Blastrock. Kill them and collect the Balthazate they drop."

High Priest Alkar: "This ritual will likely attract us some unwanted attention, so at least one of you should stay here with me. I won't be safe here all on my own, and if they kill me, they will get the Tome. When you find a crystal, bring it back immediately and drop it here."

On placing all crystals:

High Priest Alkar: "Great Dwarf, I invoke thee. Lend me your strength."

High Priest Alkar: "Release from the deep the power of these crystals."

High Priest Alkar: "Bring down the walls that we may protect the world from the evil of the Great Destroyer."

Cinematic depicting the collapse of the temple plays.

Reward dialogue

High Priest Alkar

The Tome of the Rubicon is once again safe. Maybe one day, when the Great Dwarf returns from his eternal slumber, the world will be ready to uncover what we have buried here today.