Lore:Featured Quest: Maze Engine

Drow Heretics
The Drow worship one goddess - Lolth. It is heresy for any Drow to worship a different god, and the price of heresy in Menzoberranzan is death. All of the Drow must be united in their worship of Lolth. All other gods will bow to Lolth's power, while the Drow are elevated in her presence.

Forces of Destruction
The Harpers have studied the Elemental Princes for quite some time and have come to one conclusion. The Princes have no desire to spread a new philosophy or to change the world.

The Princes hate the way the world was made and the laws of nature that keep their elements in check. They resent the gods who shaped the world, and the mortals for whom the world was shaped, especially mortals who seek to impose their will on the elements.

Any mortal who believes they have earned the "favor" of an Elemental Prince will discover that they are merely being used. Most who believe they have earned such a favor may never be convinced otherwise.

Lans Thuliaga - Baphomet's Pawn
Lans dropped a dagger as he retreated from you and Drizzt in the Drow Outpost. You touched the dagger and received a flash of memories, much like before with his greatsword.

The Mindflayers held Lans for many months under their will, until the demons invaded the Underdark.

Lans' weakened mind was touched by the madness of Baphomet. He saw his two choices: give in to Baphomet's demonic rage, or be a slave.

Lans chose his rage giving him the power to destroy his captors.

You see further images of Lans' mind fractured. Part of it mad, bent on serving Baphomet, the other kind, not remembering what happened in the Underdark.

Lans Thuliaga - Hero
You encountered Lans Thuliaga in the Chasm and he offered to be your ally.

Lans told you about a parade held in his honor after he and the Order of the Gauntlet saved a large group of slaves from Menzoberranzan.

However, you remembered no such parade ever happening in Neverwinter. Perhaps Sergeant Knox would know about this.

Lans Thuliaga - Lords' Alliance
Lucas Shaneway III informed you that Lans Thuliaga was both a member of the Lords' Alliance and the Order of the Gauntlet.

Lans was "eager" to join an expedition into the Underdark with the Order and promptly left the Lords' Alliance.

Not many people would be willing to venture into the Underdark, let alone leave a comfortable position within the Lords' Alliance.

Lans Thuliaga - Slave
You don't know how, but touching the greatsword caused a rush of memories to assault your mind.

You saw Lans being tortured by the Mindflayers and become their slave, doing their bidding and slaughtering anyone who crossed them.

The Mindflayers discarded his old greatsword, which has become too rusted to be of any use, and granted him a new, twisted weapon to do their bidding.

You think that perhaps something has attuned your mind to Lans, and that you may be able to gleam more information about the goliath if you were to come in contact with any more of his equipment.

Lans Thuliaga - Survivor
You asked Sergeant Knox about Lans Thuliaga, and he revealed that Lans did indeed set out with the Order of the Gauntlet to save slaves from the drow.

However, every single member of his adventuring party was killed, along with the slaves. They were a few miles out from Neverwinter with the slaves when the Drow ambushed them.

Sergeant Knox was sent in with Makos to greet them and instead came upon a grim sight - all of the slaves and most of the Order soldiers were killed.

Lans Thuliaga's body could not be found and he was presumed dead.

Lans Thuliaga - Unlucky
Makos informed you that Lans' Drow captors were slaughtered by Mindflayers, who then took Lans as their prisoner.

Makos wanted to continue the Search, but was ordered back to Neverwinter. He advised you to look for more clues wherever there are large groups of Mindflayers.

Lans Thuliaga's body could not be found and he was presumed dead.

Lans Thuliaga - Warrior
Lans Thuliaga dropped two emblems when he retreated from fight.

One is from the Order of the Gauntlet, and the other the Lord's Alliance. Both emblems are given to adventurers who have earned the favor of both factions.

Nature of the Kenku
You found some interesting notes on a group of Kenku.

It appears that the Sky Pirates were attempting to recruit the Kenku to join their crew in an attempt to give the Kenku something they've always wanted: the ability to fly again.

Clearly the operation failed. Whether or not it was by the Kenku's or Air Cultist's deception is yet to be seen.

Ogrémoch, the Mountain that Walks
Ogrémoch, the Prince of Evil Earth, is a 50-foot tall colossus of rock. Those whom he can't crush he endures and outlasts. He resents any mortal that dares to remove valuable minerals from the earth and especially those who build things from stone. Ogrémoch is keenly aware of every piece of gold or gemstone removed from areas under his influence.

The Prince of Evil Earth is a miser who sees everything found in the ground as his own, and he will do everything in his power to reclaim his lost posessions.

Power to Undo Wrongs
Those who follow the cult of the elemental air have called themselves the Cult of the Howling Hatred. They wish to use the power of wind to punish those who have wronged them.

Unlike other cults, members of the Howling Hatred see their beliefs as a means to an end. They believe that the goal of destruction is to earn that which they've been denied, for vengeance, or other means.

Many members of the Howling Hatred are illusionists, spies, and assassins, favoring those who deal in deception.

Recovery of Menzoberranzan
There are rumors that Menzoberranzan was thrown into chaos due to the sheer amount of demons that roamed its streets. Weaker houses were wiped out as chaos erupted all throughout Menzoberranzan.

The Chaos came to a head when Demogorgon appeared in the center of the city and carved a path of destruction out of it. Many Drow breathed a sigh of relief that the Master of the Spiraling Depths did not stay in their city.

Some say the city hasn't recovered, but no one has been able to survive long enough to prove these rumors true.

The Battlerager
Bruenor Battlehammer's return to the throne of Gauntlgrym has prompted the return of many loyal dwarves. A portion of this group are the battleragers, known as Kuldjargh (literally "axe idiot") in Dwarvish. The early battleragers were trained by Thibbledorf Pwent in his chaotic form of fighting, creating a full suit of armor covered in spikes and throwing himself at the enemy.

Some say becoming a battlerager is an act of sheer bravery, while some believe battleragers are too fool-hardy and willing to throw their lives away. There is one thing that everyone agrees on — you don't want to be on the receiving end of a battlerager's charge.

The Court of Aerisi Kalinoth
Aerisi Kalinoth is the slender moon elf who leads the Cult of the Howling Hatred. Her wings are actually illusory, created by her powerful magic.

Aerisi refers to the cultists beneath her as followers and subjects and herself as their prophet and queen. She gathers musicians to amuse herself and her court.

All of this evidence indicates Aerisi was raised in a noble upbringing, but it is not known how she ended up as the leader of the Howling Hatred.

The Foolishness of Lolth
You found a torn parchment from the writings of Vizeran DeVir.

”I, of course, was a far more powerful mage than Gromph Baenre ever would be. I had reached a level of intellect where I saw worship of Lolth was foolish and only for the feeble-minded.

The Drow must know Lolth's treacherous nature. Once they know, they - ”

The rest of the parchment is missing.

The Gates of Gravenhollow Library
You found a torn parchment from the writings of Vizeran Devir.

”... a visage I cannot begin to explain. The past meets the present meets the future. Gravenhollow Library contains untold knowledge. If only I had more time, I would stay there with the Stone Giants and pour over their tombs.

I was quite fascinated by the ”echoes”. Gravenhollow ”remembers” all who have walked its halls, as well as those who 'will' visit the library. I had conversations with many interesting figures. Alustriel Silverhand and Elminster were very interesting, and I was quite surprised to thee the echo of Graz'zt, the Dark Prince.

I wonder... has someone already encountered my echo?”

The Hatred of Lady Vanifer
Vanifer, leader and prophet of the Cult of the Eternal Flame, was a mysterious figure for some time. Recently, the Zhentarim came upon intelligence about who she is and what potentially motivates her.

Vanifer was born amidst poverty within Calimport. She became the concubine of a powerful pasha and eventually robbed him of a small fortune,and setting fire to his palace before fleeing.

She fled from Calimport to Zazesspur to Baldur's Gate, where Vanifer founded a cult devoted to fire. She received a vision of a powerful weapon and journeyed north to recover Tinderstrike, a dagger imbued with the power of Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire.

The Zhentarim are unsure of who made this weapon and how exactly Vanifer received this "vision".

The Wicked of the World
The Cult of the Eternal Flame seek power to burn away the "corruptions" of both civilization and nature with volcanic eruptions, forest fires, heat waves, and droughts, creating a wasteland of ash and cinders ruled by fire alone.

Eternal Flame cultists believe the world and all its peoples are wicked and malformed, and they consider it a sacred duty to 'purify' everything around them by reducing their surroundings to smoking cinders.

Viconia DeVir
”I had thought every member of my house was killed by the merciless Drow, but I was wrong. I have heard tale of another, Viconia DeVir. Not only has she survived, but it seems she has helped to save the Sword Coast from the threat of the Bhaalspawn.”

Visage of Imix
Imix, the Eternal Flame, the All-Consuming Fire, is the Prince of Evil Fire.

He rarely speaks and burns alive any he can catch if only to watch it die within his flames.

Imix is fickle, temperamental, and highly destructive. The cultists would require a good reason to worship suck a fickle elemental.

Yan-C-Bin: False Savior
Yan-C-Bin, the Prince of Evil Air, is a being of great wisdom and of malice. Some believe his plots began at the forging of the worlds. Yan-C-Bin is subtler than the other elemental princes, willing to bide his time to strike.

Some have mistakenly believed that Yan-C-bin's wisdom means he is more caring than other elemental princes. These poor souls eventually discover this is wrong, usually within the eye of a hurricane.