Abyssal Depths
| Abyssal Depths | |
|---|---|
 Map of Abyssal Depths F1 | |
| Region | Glacial Rift |
| Level range | 6+ |
| Accessible from | Glacial Rift |
| Neutral Hub | No |
The castle's buried in trench wall, half of it jutting out like some kind of rock formation. The shattered remains of statues lie all about the ground: the remains of colossal heads and limbs lying strewn on the seabed, their features undeniably that of ice giants — jotuns. The closer you draw to the ruins, the more obvious it becomes that the castle is made for giants and not the smaller races of Savarra — everything is jotun-sized, and scaled to match.
As for the cult, signs of their presence are evident — scattered bits of rope, old bottles, rotting wood and more litter the rocky sand of the depths, strewn around without care and feeding whatever creatures that lurk this deep beneath the surface of the ocean. They mustn't feel particularly inspired to hide their presence here, and rightly so — what sort of creature could, or would, pursue them all the way down into the deep dark?
Far below the ocean, Master Tollus and those loyal to him perform their machinations. You and Gweyr have followed them to the furthest possible reaches, and it's time to deal with him and his cult once more.
Writer Credit
Residents
Guest Companions
Dungeon Clues
Depending on your actions earlier in Winter Wolf, the Quest Log will provide clues for tackling the dungeon. They help to avoid pitfalls, gain extra resources, and give you advantages in combat against certain enemies.
- Water seepage has weakened the mortar on the eastern bridge. In general, locations where water has gathered should be avoided lest the masonry crumble. (if checked Manifest on the Mage-Ship)
- There's a treasury within this castle that the cultists have been trying to crack for a while now. Apparently the password is "Issal Saal Craa Gas Iskar", some kind of ophidian phrase invented by Narevans. (if checked Logs on the Mage-Ship)
- You've acquired a number of metal circlets used by the avanai that shield their wearers from psychic influences; they're currently in Gweyr's possession. This should prove useful given the shenanigans you're suspecting Tollus to be up to down here. (if checked Cupboard on the Mage-Ship)
Points of Interest
Floor 1
Entrance Fork
The entrance hallway forks here, leading to two massive arched bridges spanning what might have been a chasm or moat in eons past, but now is no more than a deep saltwater pool. Not that it makes the crossing any less intimidating or maybe even treacherous... everything here is, unsurprisingly, giant-sized.
Both bridges appear identical, but you note that the eastern bridge has had several wide but flat and shallow pools accumulate in the pits and potholes. The roof above peaks downwards just above the bridge, and water continuously drips down into pools below, causing small corals and other life to flourish upon the bridge.
Just south of where you enter from, the hallway branches into two separate bridges. The Manifest from the Mage-Ship reveals that the eastern bridge is structurally compromised.
| Requirement | Result |
|---|---|
| Champion takes the western bridge | You progress unharmed. |
| Champion takes the eastern bridge | The bridge crumbles under you. Gweyr catches you before you fall to your death, but you both suffer Bruised and Beaten status. |
Cultist Gatehouse
Now that you've crossed the bridges, the actual entrance to the ancient jotun keep draws into view — and it's been heavily fortified. Would it be that it were a mere palisade, but alas, stone and mortar barricades have been built into the wide, jotun-sized gates, a properly entrenched position with a narrow killzone in front of it. Tollus' cultists have had a good long while to prepare for any kind of intrusion, and your arrival in particular has not gone unnoticed.
There's only one way to access the eastern half of the floor, and the cultists have fortified the entrance to the keep proper. Arrows and firebolts rain down as you try to enter. You and your allies are pinned down, and need to find a way to make your advance and engage the waiting Demon Cultists hand-to-hand.
| Requirement | Result |
|---|---|
| A consumable to break the assault: | The consumable covers your approach, with the Demon Cultists suffering the effects of the chosen item. |
| Someone to shield your advance: | Your approach is shielded, you fight the Demon Cultists without suffering damage. |
| None of the above | You take damage as you approach, you and your allies suffering the Bleeding status. |
However you approach, you then have to do battle with a range of Demon Cultists. Once victorious, you progress to the next area.
Gallery
What might once have been a gallery, judging by the looks of things — alcoves are set into the walls here at regular intervals, each one tall and wide enough to hold a life-sized jotun statue if it came to it. Bits of granite and marble rubble lie strewn within them, the remnants of art fashioned by a long-lost people, weathered by time to the point of being indistinguishable. This place is damper than most, with small puddles of water gathering on the ground forming something akin to tide tools with glowing creature swimming within them before darting into the honeycombed mortar at your approach.
One square east from the ambush site and then all the way north, you find the vault mentioned in the Mage-Ship Logs. If you have the password (or sufficiently powerful explosives), you can get past the vault doors. Sadly, the treasure within is largely ruined after centuries beneath the ocean.
| Requirement | Result |
|---|---|
| Speak the password Issal Saal Craa Gas Iskar | You enter the vault, looting 1x Gloves of Giant Strength. |
| Force Open the vault with a Ley-crystal Grenade | You enter the vault, looting 1x Gloves of Giant Strength. |
| None of the above | You are unable to enter the vault. |
Ambush Corridor
With the glowing crystals the demon cultists use for lighting conspicuously absent from this particular stretch of corridor, you're keenly aware that this is an obvious set-up for a trap. Can demons see in the dark? At this point, given how they've proven resilient to cold and pressure, you wouldn't put it past them. Every step you take is measured, every breath hushed; despite all this, though, you can see or hear neither hair nor hide of any of Tollus' posse in your immediate vicinity.
That just makes it all the worse.
Just north of the eastern staircase, the Demon Cultists have marshalled their remaining forces into another ambush against your party. If you take this path, you face a repeat of the bridge ambush, although it's not your only option...
Blocked Staircase
A downward stairwell, spiraling into the darkness. It doesn't look like this gets much use, even with the cultists having taken up residence in the sunken castle — dust coats the stairs, and there aren't any light crystals to illuminate your path forward. Progress is limited by what illumination you have on you, and the darkness is thick and cloying; it doesn't help that the steps are worn and uneven, several of them even missing.
To the south of the staircase, just past the mushrooms, you find an unused staircase blocked by rubble. If you're able to clear a path here you can avoid the waiting ambush to the north.
| Result | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Use an appropriate item to clear the rubble | You clear a path with no penalty. |
| Have two people in party capable of clearing debris with Gweyr, and Camping Supplies | You clear a path with no penalty. |
| Have two people in party capable of clearing debris with Gweyr, but no Camping Supplies (same requirements as above) |
You clear a path, but everyone takes damage clearing rubble with your bare hands. |
| None of the above | You are not able to clear a path. |
Vestibule
The upper landing of a staircase, this time part of a vestibule. Here, the telltale signs of the castle having being lived-in by the cult start to fade — a restricted area even to Tollus' followers, perhaps, or maybe they just don't want to head past this point without very good reason. Silvered sconces adorn the walls, giant-sized, and the archways that adorn the landing are covered in plenty of glittering tiles that upon further inspection turn out to be small gem chips. How ostentatious were the jotuns of old? Not that it matters; several show obvious signs of having being pried out, no doubt to finance Tollus' schemes.
The staircase down to the second level. Here is where you encounter Master Whisper, and have to defeat him to proceed.
Floor 2
| Floor 2 | |
|---|---|
 Map of F2 |
Living Quarters
What looks to be a private bedroom, with three simple cots of canvas stretched over wooden frames laid side by side. The last embers of a charcoal fire burn in a brazier, a luxury in this air-starved place; the warmth of the dying flames provide at least a miniscule amount of respite from the cold and dark.
To the square off to the east, you find the living quarters for Master Tollus, Leold, and Master Whisper. There is a wordlock chest here, with a Kaelirra's Tears located within.
Chamber of Worship
A chamber of worship, apparently, to whatever gods the jotuns used to honor in ancient times. You don't recognize any of the symbols that adorn the walls here, but the fountains and altar, though worn with salt and age, still have an air about them that lingers despite the sanctity of this place having long been fouled. Murals line the walls here, depicting jotuns of all walks of life going about their daily business — cooking, sewing, fishing, counting coin — all the simple acts of life that together add up to the daily grind. It's interesting that the jotuns would honor such simple acts like these in so grand a fashion, but then you're no expert in theology.
Two squares north of the staircase, you run into Master Tollus and Leold. You have to do battle with them to proceed, though they seem interested in drawing you further into the cavern rather than fighting to the death. Almost like they have something else planned...
There's a magical fountain in the square as well, where you can restore the health of your party.
Lureling's Cavern
The gargantuan cavern that lies before you is slick — with water, with cum from the sapphic orgy that until recently was taking place here, with more grey goo and other unsavory things that coat the walls, the floor, the stalagmites. It pervades the air, drips down from the ceiling, sticks to your skin and coats the insides of your nose and mouth, madness given physical form and invading your flesh, permeating your bone and turning your organs inside-out. Though the selkies have long fled the chamber, constant whispers echo in the dark eaves, clearly words but never distinct enough to make out what they're saying...
In the midst of it all, a large pool of dark water, its surface completely smooth with nary a ripple, its depths infinite, stretching beyond the mere physical into... into... something that cannot be expressed with your limited language alone.
As you first enter the room, hundreds of Selkies fill the room, under the thrall of a discordant melody and engaged in a sapphic orgy. Master Tollus and Leold set them on you to make their escape, forcing you to act quickly.
| Header text | Header text |
|---|---|
| Use a consumable to defend yourself from the selkies: | The Selkie Marions are dealt with and do not bother you further |
| None of the above | You are forced to do battle with the Selkie Marions, having to defeat at least 6 to progress |
Tollus and Leold have made their escape by the time the Selkies are dealt with. However, there is something else in the room drawing your attention. Before you can chase after them, the psychic pressure in the room only intensifies, you and your allies struggling under the weight of your repressed traumas and fears being brought to the surface.
- Pool: Something... something within the pool is drawing you closer. You simply can't disobey...
The Lureling appears. If you gathered the Avanai circlets from the Cupboard on the Mage-Ship, their mind-shielding protects you and gives you a key advantage in the boss battle ahead. If not... well, you need to defeat the Lureling anyway, so good luck with that. After defeating the Lureling, a path to the west opens. Be sure to gather the Notes and Dream-Plate from the square to the east of the Lureling, and make your escape.
Waystone Pillar
A dead end here — save for a pillar of blue crystal shaped by giant hands, emitting the same resonance as all the other entrances to the Ways Between that you've encountered on your travels. This must be how Tollus, Leold and Whisper managed to escape — and you too, if you don't want this place coming down around your ears.
As the Lureling brings the ruin down around you, the Waystone is your exit from the dungeon. Access it to end the dungeon.
Chest Puzzle
Really easy to fIgure the aNswer, riGht?
Quest Related
Winter Wolf
This is the final dungeon of the Winter Wolf quest, where you travel with Gweyr to thwart Master Tollus's ambitions in the Glacial Rift once and for all.