Dog Days

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Dog Days
Creators The Observer
Other Name GarretQuest
Quest Details
Quest Type Champion
Requirements 3 days have passed since the Tutorial or discovering the overgrown glade north of the Old Forest
Quest Giver(s) Garth
Level Range 1+
Location(s) Westbank (Old Forest)
Conditions and Outcomes
Can Fail? No
Has Combat? Yes (conditional)
Is Timed? No
Unique Loot Yes (combat route)
Multiple Outcomes? Yes
Completion Result
Other Information
Version Added 0.1.13
Changelog
Stupid, stupid, glory-seeking pup. By the time someone's wandered into the Frost Hound and told me what Garret was up to, he's already packed up and left. That was three days before you arrived. Neither him nor anyone else from the logging camp have shown their faces in Hawkethorne since, and with all the nonsense happening of late no one's been able to go in and check on them.

Garth


About two or three weeks prior to the Champion's arrival, there had been odd occurrences at the logging camp in the Old Forest. With the recent sightings of a warg, the strongest man in Savarra had taken it upon himself to take care of the problem. This was unfortunately three days before the Champion's arrival, and the camp's loggers nor Garret has been seen since, which has Garth a bit concerned.

As of version 0.5.0, this quest has changed from a side quest to a champion quest, as well as new Hethia sex scene - the unfortunate tradeoff being that Etheryn's contributions in this quest can no longer be accessed as the pathway to the Ruined Wayfort now requires the completion of this quest to open.

Quest States

Quest States
State Acquisition Description
0
  • Having received the quest from Garth
Garth has asked you to investigate the disappearance of his son Garret, who left for a logging camp before the blizzard hit and hasn't been seen since. The camp is situated on the western side of the Old Forest.
1
  • Having found Westbank
You've made your way through the forest and to the logging camp, but there's no sign of Garret or the loggers. Perhaps you should investigate further.
2
  • After discovering the loggers at the longhouses or getting the information from Garret
It appears that a pale elf druidess is holding Garret and the loggers hostage for her own reasons. You could attempt to confront her directly, or head back to town and see if anyone has anything to say about the situation. Either way, she'll have to be dealt with before you can bring everyone home.
3
  • Having gotten Brothers Sanders to talk things down
Sanders has agreed to parley with the druidess and get everyone home safely. He's asked you to meet him at the gates to the logging camp.
4
(completed)
  • Having failed in defeating Hethia
While you didn't manage to defeat Hethia, at least you managed to get everyone home safe. That's got to count for something, right? Maybe you'll take your lumps and learn from it.
5
(completed)
  • Having successfully parleyed peace or defeated Hethia

One way or the other, you've managed to free Garret and everyone else at the logging camp and return them safely to town. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Acquisition

It must be three days since the end of the Tutorial and the Champion must wake up at The Frost Hound. Alternatively, if the Champion has discovered the solid wall of roots and vines north of the Old Forest, they may ask Garth about their Gardening problem.

Characters Involved

Brother Sanders Garret Garth Gwyn Hethia
Brother Sanders
(conditional)
Garret Garth Gwyn Hethia
Norathar
Norathar

Companion Interactions


Companions
Agnimitra Arona Atugia Azyrran Brint/Brienne
Agnimitra-WikiHeadshot.png Arona-WikiHeadshot.png Atugia-WikiHeadshot.png Azyrran-WikiHeadshot.png BoB-WikiHeadshot.png
Cannot be recruited yet
  • Provides minor commentary
No unique interactions No unique interactions

  • Unlocks a route variation
  • Moderate dialogue and references to
  • Unique interactions with Garret

Cait Etheryn Kiyoko Quintillus Viviane
Cait-WikiHeadshot.png Etheryn-WikiHeadshot.png Kiyoko-WikiHeadshot.png Quintillus-WikiHeadshot.png Viviane-WikiHeadshot.png
No unique interactions Cannot be recruited yet Cannot be recruited yet No unique interactions Cannot be recruited yet

Quick Summary

  • 1a. Sleep at The Frost Hound after 3 days since the start
  • 1b. Ask Garth about Gardening having discovered the overgrown glade, north of the Old Forest
  • 2. Gather all the information from Garth
  • 3. Travel to the Old Forest, specially the western part marked with an !
  • 4a. With a Hunter background, the Champion can directly find the camp without issue
  • 4b. Without it, they must fight a gauntlet of 3 encounters (Wolves, Effigies, and Hornets) straight, defeat or retreat will reset the count
  • 5. Travel east to the hall and speak to Garret

  • 6. Go west to the Riverside (between 1600 to 2000)
  • 7. Choose Fight
  • 8. Win

Detailed Summary

A Job, and a Bride


After getting their morning bearings, the Champion heads towards the Frost Hound's common room, where Garth calls for their attention. After taking a seat at the bar, Garth asks if they plan to head out of town again, to which they answer yes and ask in return if there's something he needs done. Garth nods and explains that no one has been heading into the Old Forest after that night, and since they are the only one heading into it, he has a job for them.

Garth explains the existence of Westbank, a logging camp located at the western side of the Old Forest. About two or three weeks before the Champion's arrival, there had been word of animals acting oddly and a series of close shaves with things in the darkness, too close together to be mere coincidence. Garth adds that there's something unsettling about a rabbit hopping up to the gates and just sitting there for hours, the feeling as if it's merely a puppet and someone else is looking through its eyes. It's something he's seen during his younger days on the road.

Garth offers them a drink, to which they take a big swig of, noting that if it's a bribe, it's working pretty well. Garth explains that while Hawkethorne is full of hunters, not much can actually fight besides him and old man Sanders. Since that time, they managed to assemble something of a militia to investigate, however, word came of a warg beening spotted prowling near the treeline. Garret caught wind of this and declared that he would take care of the problem himself. Before he could do anything about it, his son had left and that was three days before the Champion arrived. Neither Garret nor anyone else from the camp has shown their face in Hawkethorne since and with all the things that have been happening, no one's been able to check in on them.

Understanding the task, the Champion has a few questions before they head out:

Option Tooltip
Location Where in the Old Forest is the logging camp, exactly?
Troubles Animals acting strangely aside, was there anything that happened to Westbank?
Garret Why did Garret go alone ahead of the militia?

On the question of the camp's location, Garth repeats that it's on the western edge of the woods by the river. Most people who travel in that direction go by barge, but they would be better off following the old logging trails, and while it hasn't been used for a while, it's better than trying to convince anyone to pole them a barge upriver these days. Garth marks the location on their map and cautions them that the trail hasn't been used in quite a while and may have gotten pretty overgrown.

Will all questions answered, the Champion proceeds to depart, but is momentarily stopped by Garth as he hands them a pack of Camping Supplies. He states that it's the least he can do since they're going after his fool of a son and he wants them to be as rested as possible before facing down whatever is preventing him from coming home. He adds that if they want more supplies, they can buy some from Leorah.

In Search for the Camp


Navigating to the western section of the Old Forest, specifically that marked with an !, will allow the Champion to begin searching for the old logging trail.

The Champion begins hacking their way through the underbrush, and the further they progress, the feeling of apprehension grows as their instincts tell them of something. Eventually, a faint rustling has the Champion ready their weapons as something tangled in the thorny undergrowth barrels straight towards them.

The Champion must now succeed in a series of 3 combat encounters; that of the Wolves, the Effigies, and lastly the Hornets. They must clear the encounters one after the other, defeat or fleeing midway will have them fight the entire gauntlet again.

Having made it to the logging camp, they can travel through the trail without issue should they decide to leave and return at a later time.

Westbank


Map
Maps-OldForest-Westbank.png
1
2
3
4
Points of Interest
1
Riverside
2
Longhouses
3
Work Yard & Exit to the Old Forest
4
Hall

Having reached the camp, the Champion can begin investigating the whereabouts of Garret and the loggers. They may also leave and revisit the camp at anytime while the events of Dog Days have not concluded.

Longhouses


Investigating the longhouses has the Champion peer inside the windows, despite it being boarded up, they think they can see movement within. After considerable knocking from the Champion, a voice asks who's there, to which they explain that Garth sent them to get them out. When asked how many there are, the voice answers that all ten of them are present; and while a little tired, cold, and stressed, they're alright. They had tried to sneak out before, but the magic of the elf prevents them from escaping. Since Garret arrived, he'd been taking the brunt of her attention, but with the things in the forest and the barges being full of holes, the loggers are not skilled to get out.

While they don't know why the elf still hangs considering she got what she wanted, she mostly leaves the loggers alone as she maintains her witchcraft. The loggers are hopeful that since the Champion got past her magic, they now have a chance on getting out.

The Hall


At the hall, the Champion can see a large iron-barred cage tucked in a corner. Investigating the dimly-lit cage has the Champion cautiously approach and about halfway, a voice from it calls out, stating that they don't have to do that, as he can hear and smell them from a mile away and it's not like he can do anything from inside the cage.

The Champion ponders if their abilities are being called into question, to which he explains that most people forget to disguise their scent, and that he's got a pretty good nose for a lupine regardless.

Conceding that he isn't going to hurt them, they step forward to the figure sitting in the cage and assume it's Garret, recognizing the family resemblance. Garret states that they're a new face, and when they reply that Garth sent them, his expressions sours, murmuring that he thought his old man would be glad to be finally rid of him. The Champion replies that Garth isn't and asks if he's okay, to which he answers that the elf isn't really out to hurt them, that he thinks she's just as stuck as they are, and since he agreed to be her pet, she's left the others alone. Unfortunately things won't last long as the camp's rations will eventually dry out, but no one wants to make the first move. For Garret's part, he's getting more high-quality pussy than he'd ever imagined possible, just not how most folk imagine it. The Champion then proceeds to ask Garret the following questions:

Option Tooltip
Garret So, just what's Garret's deal?
Elf Ask him about this elf witch he speaks of.
Cage So, does he have any ideas on getting out of this cage?
Workers Are they alright?

When asked what his present situation has to do with the loggers, the Champion explains to Garret that if they're going to formulate a plan to escape, they'll need all the pertinent information at hand.

Garret assumes that since his old man sent them, they know some of the story; that Garth said a bunch of choice things back then, that it was only natural for him to say that since he already had his fun when he was young and gets all crabby at Garret when he realizes he's not as spry as he used to be. Garret was pissed too, that if he could take down the animal that was getting everyone worked up, that his old man would be forced to admit that he wasn't the useless piece of dogmeat Garth thinks he is. When questioned on what made him think he could do what the militia couldn't, he answers that all they would have accomplished is scaring the beasts into falling back, only to return once they all went home.

Garret proceeded to travel to the camp, being smart enough to go around the twisting path rather than meeting it head-on. When he arrived at the camp, he saw the warg prowling the bushes, to which he proceeded to wrestle it. Despite the challenge, and the Champion's disbelief when Garret states that his entire body is a weapon, he would have succeeded if not for the witch's magic. She gave him an earful about hurting her pet, stripped him, and locked him in a cage because she wasn't sure on what to do with him.

Having given all the relevant information, he asks if the Champion has seen the witch wandering around the camp yet, to which they answer no. He cautions that she'll be back soon, so they should stay out of her sight unless they want a confrontation. He reminds them that he's more than willing to lend a hand if they want to fight her, but they should be careful as the last thing he needs is their would-be savior to end up beside him in the cage. A Bimbo Champion states that it's a date; else, they reassure him that they have no intention of messing up.

Riverside


If the Champion has learned about the druidess' communion at the river from Garret, checking the riverside (between 1600 to 2000) will have them use the undergrowth to sneak up upon the water's edge and spot the druidess and her warg; else, they will find nothing of significant interest. Having seen the two figures, the following options will become available:

Option Tooltip
Watch Watch the druidess for a moment and assess the situation.
Attack Go in and put an end to this!
Parley This doesn't have to get violent. Try and talk her down.
Key See whether you can slip past the warg and get the key to Garret's cage.
Leave You're not ready to face this obstacle yet. Retreat and reconsider your options.

Creeping a little closer allows the Champion a better view of the druidess and what her communing entails. The Champion first watches the druidess, then turns their attention to the warg, and they wonder how she manages to feed it adequately. Their eyes then move to the druidess' laid-out possessions; an intricately carved bow, armored robes, the warg's leather saddle, and a metal keyring containing a single key. Having seen the key that can unlock Garret's cage, the Champion formulates that they might be able to sneak across and filch it.

As their observation wraps up, they may decide to watch the druidess a little longer;

Given the present situation, they simply have no time to stand around and ogle eye candy.

Confrontation


Combat Route


If the Champion was successful in freeing Garret, he will deal with the warg while the Champion fights the druidess.

With the druidess knocked down, Garret also succeeds in defeating the warg. Despite the new scars he's gained, he still stands. With danger out of the way, Garret moves to loot the druidess, quoting his old man on seeing to looting this body. The Champion interjects that she's not dead, to which he answers that her actions haven't warranted her death. If present, Arona baits Garret by stating that he liked the druidess' pussy so much that he isn't willing to off her for good, to which Garret almost falls for it and replies that if Arona wants sloppy seconds, she's free to have her fill once he's done; else, the Champion finds his response odd, to which he replies that he did kinda volunteered for it. Regardless, while the Champion can't make use of the armored robes, they will take her bow. With that, Garret begins to depart for the longhouses and to find some clothes.

An idea enters their mind as they look between him and the druidess; maybe it'd be worth it to give her a taste of her own medicine. The Champion notes that they don't need to feel bad about it considering she forced herself upon Garret.

Regardless, the Champion is left with the option to sex the downed druidess or not (see sex options for details). Regardless, the Champion heads towards Garret and the loggers (see The Return Trip for details).

Parley Route


Seeing that a peaceful solution is possible, the Champion steps out from the undergrowth with their empty hands out. The warg immediately charges for them but is called off by a sharp whistle from the druidess. The Champion explains that unlike Garret, they have come to talk and they introduce themselves. Having dried herself with a towel, the druidess dons her robes and introduces herself as Hethia, asks what they wanted to talk about.

(With the removal of resolve, each incorrect question/answer the Champion states will deduct 10% of their HP instead).

Through observation, they note that Hethia is rather on edge and looks a little ragged. With a Cunning of 60%+, their intuition tells them that she isn't really a bad person, but they'll need to wrangle the exact reason behind her actions and get her to admit it. With that, they Inquire about who Hethia is, and while defensive on the question, she states her full name as; Hethia Runasdottir, servant of the Old Wyld, grower of the first circle. Stating that position once held importance to the pale elves of the Winter City. Keeping Silent, allows her to explain that worship of the Old Wyld fell out of favor in the Winter City. This was due to the fact that during the Godswar, the Living Gods had descended in the flesh to help combat the scourge across the lands, and since the pale elves demanded immediate action; the royal line had decided to abandon the guiding force of the Old Wyld in favor of those new, visible gods. Rather than waiting for opinion to be publicly stirred up against them, the druids who still worshipped the Old Wyld left and retreated into the forest. Hethia asks the Champion if they think it's a sad story, to which they Agree, causing Hethia to reply that the hard life of the forests molds hard people, and she is glad to be hard, especially with the days to come. When asked about the druids' expulsion to understand where she's coming from, she asks the Champion to explain theirs first. They explain that they have a very kind friend whose son is amongst the trapped in Westbank, and so they are here to bring him and everyone back. They're sure that she also has people she cares about, to which she agrees, and while they've caught her interest, she states that she'll explain about the druids if she's in a good mood once this parley is over.

With some questions answered, the Champion Interrogates her on what she's doing at the camp. Hethia immediately takes on a hostile attitude as she answers that she doesn't feel like explaining herself, that she knows her words will be deliberately misconstrued as it's the only thing she's ever experienced from the short-lived lot; the last would-be hero immediately attacked, and she asks how will she know that they actually care. They remind her of what they previously discussed; their effort into trying to understand her point of view has them interject that she is the only that's being blatantly hostile. She settles down, explaining that she's been on guard since the night of the blizzard, that she initially took it as a portent from the Old Wyld to teach the loggers a lesson for disrespecting its needs and powers, however, she couldn't not let the things that sprung up from the forest to get at them. Once again the Champion Keeps Silent, which has Hethia continue explaining that she had to commune every evening due to the difficulty for a single druid to maintain such a spell of misdirection. It was then that the would-be hero almost ruined everything by wrestling Norathar, so she locked him up and has no regrets about using him. With the truth revealed, they Sympathize that she isn't actually a bad person, that she never really meant to hurt anyone and that a lesser person would have abandoned the loggers, that she didn't have to stay and protect them until help came, but she did. Finally convinced, Hethia smiles just a little and asks for the Champion's name again and states that she thinks they can talk.

Hethia asks if she's correct in the Champion wanting the loggers, to which they affirm but state they'd like Hethia to explain about the druids leaving the Winter City. She settles down and explains that for a millennia, the teachings of the Old Wyld had guided the growth of the Winter City and its lands. During the rule of a couple of substandard queens, a military setback and the start of the Godswar; it had taken fifty years for a new queen to rebuild the army, fight back the wraiths, and reunite the realm. Unfortunately, too many of them had died, trade routes had been destroyed, and the entire administration had to be rebuilt. Through that reformation, the virtue of the pale elves, the real power of the Winter City, was over as they had tasted the rotten fruit of the wraith's temptations. The druids had desperately wanted to restore the pale elves to their previous virtuous, strong, just, and hard-working nature, however, those born of the Godswar were fickle, only interested in sex and entertainment. Barely any literary works were created, nor were there efforts in forming families to replace the dead from the war. It was then that the teachings of the seven deities began to seize the minds of the Winter City. When the druids confronted the queen about this madness, the truth for their power to drive back the wraiths was revealed; that in exchange for said power, she had sworn an oath with Lumia to turn the pale elves as a people to her worship. Hethia does not blame the pragmatic queen for what she did, and as soon as the druids left, the queen declared worship of the Living Gods as the official religion of the pale elves. She further explains that unlike the Seven, the Old Wyld is a force rather than an entity; that it does not live or die depending on how many people believe in it, however at least for now, its time of influencing any kind of civilization has passed.

With that, Hethia states that they are the first outsider in so long to hear the tale, however, she interrupts herself in though. She changes the topic by clarifying that she'll leave the loggers in their hands and warns them that her spell will quickly fade once she leaves. When asked about Garret, she tosses an iron keyring at them; stating that he was a fine doggy dick, and that they should remember to feed him twice and change the water in his bowl thrice. With that, Hethia bids the Champion safe travels and perhaps they will meet again. With key in hand, the Champion wastes no time in returning to Garret.

At the sight of the keyring, Garret's eyes widen slightly as he asks if they got her. They explain that they convinced her to leave peacefully, that she wasn't a bad person, just under a lot of pressure. He raises an eyebrow, asking if they're defending the witch that put him in a cage and used him as a dog, to which they answer that they recall him volunteering for that task and that he did get some pussy out of it. With his cage unlocked, Garret stretches and flexes, thankful to be finally freed. Unlikely that Hethia kept aside his clothes, Garret departs towards the longhouses to find clothes and the loggers.

They state that they don't see a problem in people walking around nude, especially if they're sexy people. Garret shakes his head and mumbles something under his breath.

Aftermath


The Return Trip


With the loggers in tow, Garret and the Champion guide them through the forest. While there are occasions of rustling in the bushes and branches, the trip back is peaceful. Sometime after midnight, the group safely reaches Hawkethorne's gates, much to the surprise of the guards. As the group dissipates, Garret is restless of having to return to his dad in his current state, so he decides to wait a few hours to compose himself. The Champion wishes time luck as he tromps off into town.

As Garret disappears under the town's gates, an unnatural rustling from a bush has then tense and ready their weapon. What emerges is Hethia, with a hand out suggesting peaceful intent, and her warg. She states that there's no need to be so tense as she could have seized the opportunity long before they reach the forest's edge. She attempts to be subtle by stating she plans to make it up to the Champion in some measure, however, when they doesn't understand her intentions, she bluntly asks if they want to have sex. She reasons that they showed her more courtesy than she expected, that she has to give them credit for trying to work things out peacefully with her instead of resorting to simple violence. When asked why sex, Hethia spreads her empty palms, rhetorically asking if she has anything else to give them.

She tells them to take it or leave it; she had thought the willingness to get naked and put herself in a vulnerable position would have proven her intentions well enough, but it's certainly no skin off her nose if they refuse her offer. The Champion ponders on her offer:

Sure, why not. You'll get to pick exactly what you want to do with the druidess after you've agreed.


(See sex options for details and options).

Brother Sanders & Hethia


If Brother Sanders had talked Hethia down, returning to visit him at the Chapel of Velun will have them inquire on what happened to him.

Brother Sanders comments that he has been wrong about people before, but he wasn't wrong about her. A Dark Knight Champion will mentally note that while his outlook on life is more than a bit naive, he does clearly posses enough skill and power to have lived through those bad decisions. Regardless, he explains that they discussed of joining forces to combat the corruption, and while receptive to the idea, she can't speak for the other druids of her circle. She had departed to return to them, and that it's unlikely they've been untouched by the spreading corruption. As for Westbank, she has allowed him to determine where the sacred site is to keep away from it in the future; that she has no problem with proper forestry. He plans to get a new logging camp up and running, but this time at the edge of the forest. On a final note they ask if he had a hand in the return trip being uneventful despite the things in the forest, to which he affirms that he and Hethia helped and that he's simply glad that everyone made it home safe. While it will take some times for things to get up and running again, Garth has formed a collection going to tide things out for the loggers and their families until they can get back to work.

Garret & Garth


Once the events of Westbank are over, regardless of how things played out, the Champion may eavesdrop or stumble upon Garret and Garth arguing over what happened at Westbank, at the Frost Hound.

This scene occurs the next day, after the events at Westbank are resolved.

Back at the Frost Hound, the Champion takes a seat at an empty table, when the door bursts open and Garret, wearing the same clothes he found in Westbank, trudges in. As he passes by the bar, Garth calls him, and the two begin a spat about the things he should learn from Westbank. Garret answers that they shouldn't do this in front of the guests, to which he calls for Gwyn to mind the bar while they have a talk. With that, the two head upstairs, and the Champion is given the choice to eavesdrop on the two or not;

The Champion finds a nice hidden spot on the second floor to listen in on the two. Garth complains about the trouble Garret caused, to which he replies that he'll be sure to apologize to Sanders tomorrow, and despite his father always finding fault in everything he does, Garret went to Westbank to prove himself. Answering if he's supposed to be honored by it considering Garret failed, Garth then states that he made Gywn worried sick. Garret snaps back, to not use Gwyn against him. After some pondering, Garth admits that he may have crossed a line, and tells Garret to meet him in the yard as they'll need to work off his son's aggression. Much to Garret's skepticism as his father praises his actions against the warg, Garth states that experience trumps youth any day. With that, the Champion returns back to their table just in time for the two to return and pass through the kitchen, to exit out to the yard. Gwyn for her part is completely unperturbed by their commotion, calmly polishing a mug like her father would.

Result & Reward

With the loggers freed, they can assist in destroying the ever-growing vine wall that blocks the path to the Ruined Wayfort. Upon completing the quest, Garret can be regularly encountered at The Frost Hound.

If Hethia was defeated in combat, her Whitewood Bow is the Champion's for the taking. It should be noted that the bow can be returned to her later on.

Bad Ends

Frenetic Rage


How to encounter?
Losing when Hethia is defeated, but not her warg
Author The Observer
Version Added 0.2.8
Characters Involved
Warg-DCL-Headshot.png
Norathar

Without its mistress to contain the beast; the warg devolves into a bestial, frenetic rage. The last thing the Champion feels is a sharp pain as the warg rips through their throat.