High Ground

High Ground
LightsaberQuest
Creator	The Observer and Alypia
Information
Quest Giver	Brother Sanders
Requirements	Complete Winter Wolf
Level Range	6+
Quest Type	Side Quest
Reward	Dawnsword, Corrupted Dawnsword, or Guldring (conditional)
Location	Hawkethorne
Timed?	No
Can Fail?	Yes

"The Dawnsword dates from the Godswar, [pc.name] — an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

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With Gweyr returned to Hawkethorne, Brother Sanders has one final story about a special weapon — the Dawnsword. It's a magical hilt that, when activated, creates a saber of sunlig- it's a lightsaber. This is a quest to find a lightsaber.

The quest varies significantly depending on whether you've completed Land of Milky Honey and reunited Sanders with his daughter Liaden.

Quest States

State	Acquisition	Description
0	Visit Brother Sanders after completing Winter Wolf	Looks like you're not fully done with the miserable saga of Hawkethorne's dark past just yet. Sanders has invited you to the chapel to hear his side of the story — hear him out when you're willing and able.
1	Talk to Sanders about The Story with Liaden not present	Sanders has sat you down and told you about the Dawnsword, an artifact he hid away after his crisis of faith following Gweyr's exile from Hawkethorne. It's up somewhere in the mountains to the east of Harvest Valley, a search that could take weeks if not months and still turn up fruitless; he claims that if you're worthy of wielding it, the artifact will reveal itself to you. While you have no idea if it's even still up there, Sanders sounds earnest and he's not lying to you. If anyone knows anything about town lore, though, it'll be River. Maybe you can ask him if there's any light he can shed on the story.
2	Talk to Sanders about The Story with Liaden present	It looks like Liaden's roped you into her search for the Dawnsword, an artifact Sanders hid away after his crisis of faith. It's up somewhere in the mountains to the east of Harvest Valley, a search that could take weeks if not months and still turn up fruitless, but Liaden claims she's got something that might narrow down the search. Either way, you're invited to come along and she's promised to make it worth your while. Talk to her again in the chapel when you're ready to head off.
3 (failed)	Lose to the Gnoll Princess in combat	Upon arriving in the eastern side of Harvest Valley, you were quickly accosted by a gnoll princess and her entourage who took immense offense at your perceived trespass upon her little kingdom. Unable to overcome her, you were quickly sent packing back home; it's a small mercy they didn't do worse. If the Dawnsword's still around there somewhere, you're clearly not strong enough to be worthy of wielding it given that you lost to a pack of mangy furballs.
4 (complete)	Defeat the Incubus Blackguard	You've seen the story of the Dawnsword to its end, and hopefully with it the last chapter of Hawkethorne's ugly past. With it now in [Liaden's possession, perhaps some good will come of all this. / a fallen state, Sanders wants nothing to do with the weapon. Perhaps its bloodthirstiness can be put to use, if not good use... / your hands, perhaps some good will come of all this.]

Writer Credit

The Observer and Alypia

Acquisition

Once Winter Wolf is completed, visit Brother Sanders in the Chapel of Velun between 6:00-18:00. A conversation procs, beginning the quest.

Characters

• Brother Sanders
• Incubus Blackguard
• Gnoll Princess
• River (conditional)
• Gnoll Alpha

Guest Companions

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• Liaden (conditional)

Progress

Once you've seen the initial conversation with Brother Sanders, talk to him about The Story to advance the quest. Sanders tells you (and Liaden, if present) that he hid the Dawnsword somewhere in the mountains south of the Harvest Valley. He refuses to give any further information, believing that if you're fated to find the Dawnsword, you will.

If Liaden is present, she learns about a potential site from River, and you can Set Off from the Chapel of Velun to head out. If not, talk to River and Set Off from there. It's a day's journey, so any Boons you have will expire by the next leg of the quest.

Gnoll Encounter

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"Gnoll bandits," Azyrran spits. "You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy in all of the Marches."

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After a day of travel, you reach the site River mentioned. Before you can descend into the sinkhole the Dawnsword is supposed to be in, you are stopped by a surprisingly articulate Gnoll Princess and her pack. She's claimed these lands, and demands tribute for your passage.

• Fight: You aren't having any of this blatant extortion. Fight the princess and her horde of gnolls.
• Sex
• Liaden: Since Liaden's offering herself up, there's no reason you shouldn't let her have her moment. (requires Liaden to be present)
• Toll: Pay the 10,000 EC the princess wants. (requires 10,000 EC)
• Cait: You know someone in your party's generally amenable to using her body to pay her way. (requires Cait to be present)
• Tribute: Pay the gnolls tribute not in coin, but in items that they actually can make use of. The value to meet will be less than if you paid coin, but you don't know just how much the princess will be satisfied with... (requires you to donate 2,000 EC worth of Pupper Pale Ale, Brazenberry Ale, Naptha, Ley-crystal Grenade, Leananstone, or Wyvern Venom. Otherwise, leads to combat)
• Use Item: (requires Pupper Pale Ale, Brazenberry Ale, Naptha, Ley-crystal Grenade, Leananstone, or Wyvern Venom)

If you choose any option other than Fight or a failed Tribute, you get past the gnolls with no issue. If you Fight or offer an insufficient Tribute, you enter combat with the Gnoll Princess and a Gnoll Alpha. If you win, you have the option of having your way with the Gnoll Princess before continuing on. If you lose, you, your companions, and Liaden if present are thoroughly used by the gnoll pack before being expelled from the lands. This leads to failing the quest.

Sinkhole

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He takes a measured half-step towards you, keeping the point of angry crimson light trained in your direction. "Truth be told, I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... older."

And he's shorter than you'd have expected.

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Once you've dealt with the gnolls, you journey onward and find the sinkhole River referred to. Making your way down, you're confronted with oppressive heat. If you have Liaden with you, she offers you a drink from a bottomless flask of heartlands brandy that helps you deal with the heat.

Otherwise, you need to use an item to help you and your companions cope — a Glowing Ice Shard, Pupper Pale Ale, Conjurer's Concoction, Steadfast Tonic, Ice Wine, or Lustful Liquor. If you have none of the usable items, your party loses health and resolve.

Moving onward, you encounter an Incubus Blackguard. He's claimed the Dawnsword, and his malign influence has turned it into the Corrupted Dawnsword. Rounding on you, he offers you the opportunity to duel him alone to claim the relic.

• Duel: If you think you can trust the demon and beat him head-on, battle him in single combat. (leads to you claiming the Dawnsword)
• Not Duel: You came here as a team, and you're going to fight as a team. (requires Liaden, or companions. If Liaden is not present, leads to you claiming the Dawnsword)
  • You: Take the Dawnsword and finish the demon in epic style. (leads to you claiming the Dawnsword)
  • Liaden: Tell Lia to save the Dawnsword while you defeat the demon. While you won't receive the Dawnsword as a quest reward, you will receive a different enchanted item instead. (leads to Liaden claiming the Dawnsword)

The outcome depends on your Personality, and whether Liaden is present. See Notable Loot and Rewards for details. Once you've defeated the Incubus Blackguard, you return to Hawkethorne to let Brother Sanders know what happened and complete the quest.

Once two days have passed, paladins from Sanders' order appear in the town square. If you let Liaden claim the relic, they will reward you for your service with a Guldring.

Notable Loot and Rewards

Your reward depends on your personality, your choices during the Incubus Blackguard encounter, and whether you brought Liaden with you.

If you claim the relic and have a Champion or Bimbo personality,

• 1x Dawnsword

If you claim the relic and have a Dark Knight personality,

• 1x Corrupted Dawnsword

If you have Liaden claim the relic,

• 1x Guldring