Sharpened Thorns

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Sharpened Thorns

Location

Overlake Haven
(Kessex Hills)

Race

Sylvari

Level

22

Storyline

Choosing an Order

Preceded by

A Splinter in the Flesh

Followed by

The Blossom of Youth
Secrets in the Earth

Maps

220px Click to enlarge

Sharpened Thorns is part of the Sylvari personal story for characters who choose Branthyn's plan during A Splinter in the Flesh. As a member of the Vigil, Branthyn prefers to defend the Haven with force and an army of soldiers.

Objectives

Defend Overlake Haven from the Risen.

• Meet Branthyn near Overlake Haven.
• Defeat the undead attacking Branthyn.
• Assault the undead at Overlake Haven.
• Protect the Haven.
• Order the Lionguard squads to defend key positions.
• Hold the keep until Vigil reinforcements arrive. / Time remaining: 3:00
• Rendezvous with the Vigil.
• Defeat the remaining Risen.
• Destroy the Veteran Abomination.

Report back to the order representatives.

• Speak with the Pale Tree.
• Decide your next course of action.

Rewards

• Variable 
  
• One of the following: Master Harvesting Sickle, Master Logging Axe, or Master Mining Pick

Walkthrough

At the end of the mission you have to decide how to find out what happened to Riannoc and the sword Caladbolg.

• Gather information with Cai from the Order of Whispers. This will lead to The Blossom of Youth.
• Perform the ritual with Iowerth from the Durmand Priory. This will lead to Secrets in the Earth.

NPCs

Allies

• Sylvari
  • Branthyn
• Human
  • Deputy Jenks
• Human/Charr/Norn/Asura
  • Lionguard
  • Vigil Crusader
  • Vigil Tactician

Foes

• Risen
  • Risen Abomination
  • Risen Brute
  • Risen Thrall Lvl 20/21
  • Veteran Risen Abomination

Dialogues

Upon arrival at the Pale Tree.

<Character name>: I have good news, Mother Tree. Overlake Haven is safe, and the undead have been driven away.

Trahearne: Valiant, I was told about the strange undead you saw on the battlefield. I think I can help you.

Trahearne: The creature sounds like a lich. From the description I was given, I think I can identify it as Mazdak the Accursed.

Avatar of the Tree: Mazdak the Accursed? I know that name. One of my firstborn, Riannoc, went to destroy Mazdak many years ago.

Avatar of the Tree: I armed him with a thorn from my own bough, a mighty sword named Caladbolg. Both were lost, never to return to the Grove.

Avatar of the Tree: Herald, it seems you have a chance to discover the fate of my lost son and perhaps even avenge Riannoc's death.

Cai: Legend says that Riannoc chose a human to be his squire. If that squire survived, the Order of Whispers could find him.

Cai: The Order is very good at tracking people down - even when they don't want to be found.

Iowerth: Untrustworthy, as always. I have an alternate suggestion. As you may know, the Durmand Priory specializes in researching and recovering lost knowledge.

Iowerth: This sounds like an exciting opportunity to experiment with a ritual we've uncovered. If cast, it lets you witness the last moments of a person's life.

Trahearne The mystery of Riannoc's death has pained the sylvari since the days of the firstborn. Knowing his fate would help to heal that wound.

<Character name>: Branthyn? Does the Vigil have any suggestions?

Branthyn Information-gathering isn't our strong suit. Instead, I'll go ask my superiors how to kill a lich. I'll meet you back here when you're done.

Avatar of the Tree: Very well. Herald, the choice is yours.

Notes

The decision here is NOT the final decision for any order. It will introduce the orders in the follow up quests.

My story

“ Overlake Haven was saved, but I saw a strange and terrible creature among the undead. No one there had ever seen anything like it. I wonder what that portends? I returned and told the Pale Tree about the creature I saw. Trahearne believes it is a lich called Mazdak the Accursed. Mazdak was involved in the death of Firstborn Riannoc, the first sylvari to die. The Pale Tree had given Riannoc a magic sword formed from her own thorns, but with Riannoc's disappearance, the sword has never been found. The Pale Tree has asked me to recover the sword, Caladbolg, and find out what happened to Riannoc. — My story

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Sylvari storyline

Prologue — Fighting the Nightmare

Part I — Waking from the Nightmare
	White Stag	Called to Service  → Hounds and the Hunted  → Discovering Darkness  → Hidden in Darkness / Saving the Stag  → Black Night, White Stag
	Green Huntsman	Mockery of Death  → Loved and Lost  → A Good Work Spoiled  → Hammer and Steel / Weakness of the Heart  → The Knight's Duel
	Shield of the Moon	Awakening  → Holding Back the Darkness  → A Sly Trick  → Deeply Tangled Roots  → Beneath a Cold Moon / The Heart of Nightmare

Part II — A Season of Growth
	Act With Wisdom	After the Storm  → Beneath the Waves  → Mirror, Mirror  → A Vision of Darkness / Shattered Light
	All things have a right to grow	Wild Growth  → Seeking the Zalisco  → The Direct Approach / Trading Trickery  → Eye of the Sun
	Where Life Goes	Where Life Goes  → An Unknown Soul  → Source of the Issue / A Different Dream  → Snuffing Out Embers

Part III — Branching Out
A Splinter in the Flesh  → Sharpened Thorns / Bramble Walls  → The Blossom of Youth / Secrets in the Earth  → The Bad Apple / Trouble at the Roots  → Dead of Winter / A Tangle of Weeds / Flower of Death