Council Junior Researcher - Mercy

After speaking to A gnoll priestess in Lake Starfall, head to Eastern Badlands and find her on the South West shore loc (-3833 548 -56). Hail her and follow the dialogue while running with her. After she reaches the Plague Gnoll camp and you tell her you're ready, about 15 docile plague gnolls will spawn and follow a gnoll priestess. Shortly after, waves of A plague specter will spawn and attack the Gnolls. Be warned these hit for 200 and there are quiet a few of them in a wave. At least 3 waves. Protect the gnolls and the a gnoll priestess until they reach the shore.

Walkthrough

Mercy
Quest giver	a gnoll priestess (Lake Starfall)
Previous quest	Council Senior Assistant - Spirit Call
Starting Zone	Lake Starfall
Other Zone(s)	Eastern Badlands
Suggested Level Range	65 plus
Faction Required	Council of Innovation (Council Junior Researcher)
Positive (+) Faction	Deepwater Tribe
Related overview	Council Associate's Rank Heartland Plateau Council Associate - Nablet's Everburning Pedestal Council Associate - Thurkin's Goblin Problem Council Assistant's Rank Heartland Plateau Council Assistant - The Great Dryad quest Lake Starfall Council Assistant - Until Death Us Do Part Council Assistant - Spirit Call Storm Sea Council Assistant - Deepocean Exploration Council Assistant - Gnoll Wisdom Council Assistant - Graverobbing Shadowdale Council Assistant - Bits and Pieces Council Assistant - A Bug on the Wall COI - Drone-hunting in Highkeep Council Assistant - Spirit Ore Council Assistant - Study the Locals Council Assistant - To Play in the Forest Council Senior Assistant's Rank Thurgadin Council Senior Assistant - Harthuk Herding Council Senior Assistant - Dealing With The Snobolds Council Senior Assistant - Stalking the Widow Council Junior Researcher's Rank Lake Starfall Council Junior Researcher - Mercy Shadowdale Council Junior Researcher - Home is Where The Heart Is Storm Sea Council Junior Researcher - Mass Graverobbing Thurgadin Council Junior Researcher - Brother Mine Council Junior Researcher - Engage the Zaranth Council Junior Researcher - Study the Zaranth Cantankerous Cog Collection Council Researcher's Rank Underhill Councillor IX - converts excess faction xp to real xp Councillor's Rank

Note: This quest involves escorting a gnoll priestess and many a docile plague gnoll through several waves a spectre of plague. At the minimum a group, if not a small raid, is suggested.

Find A gnoll priestess (Lake Starfall) ([[]]) .

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Hail, <Player Name>. He is... at rest, now.' She hugs herself, ears flicking about nervously. 'After so long without him, it was hard to give him up again. I feel his loss more keenly than ever, but there is something I must do before I can join him. As for you, I have sent word to your Council of what you have done. They will no doubt reward you.'

You say, 'Wait, join him? You mean to kill yourself?'

The priestess refuses to meet your gaze. 'I would not put it that way, but... I have been ripped from everything I hold dear in this life. My home, everyone I knew or cared about--gone, taken by the plague. There is nothing left for me here. Given the option, I would rather rejoin my mate in the next life. Bark! However, my people need me.' She sighs. For a moment, her voice is bitter. 'They *always* need me.'

You say, 'What else is there to do?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'We must, at long last, save the plaguewind. I dared to ask your organization for help, and they surprised me with an offer of aid: They have posted a bill for a researcher, a high-ranking official, to come help. I would very much like it to be you, <Player Name>.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Seek me out along the Bad River, far to the west of the village.' She pauses a moment. 'And, <Player Name>--thank you.'

Find A gnoll priestess (East Badlands) ([[]]) .

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

A gnoll priestess scoops sand into her hands, then blows it off, watching it scatter out into the water. 'The time is right, <Player Name>. Bark! Can you feel it? The air is heavy with fate.'

You say, 'What must we do?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Make our way to the village. From there, I will weave an enchantment to dull their insanity. We'll then lead them out of the village. The plague will no doubt try to stop us.'

You say, 'You seem troubled.'

A gnoll priestess laughs. 'Maybe I am, maybe I am. But what've I got to be troubled about?' She shakes her head. 'Bark! No, this is the first day in ages where I should have a completely clear conscience.

You say, 'I'm ready if you are.'

A gnoll priestess says, 'Then let's go. Bark! Follow me.' The gnoll priestess eyes you strangely for a moment, ears askance. After a moment, she turns and begins to run.

A gnoll priestess begins traveling east towards the plague gnoll camp. She will stop several times along the way and needs to be hailed and spoken to before she will continue.

a gnoll priestess says, 'Hold a moment. Bark!'

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

a gnoll priestess says, '<Player Name>...' The gnoll priestess turns to look at you. 'You asked me before, about the history of my people. Bark! The run to the village is a long one. I would spend it telling you, if you wish it.'

You say, 'Not at all. I'd be happy to hear it.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Bark!' She bites her lip a bit before continuing. 'Our tale is a simple one, <Player Name>. Don't expect any particular revelation or insight that will be useful to your Council. The story is us, nothing more. It's how we came to be what we are.'

You say, 'Please, continue.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'The Ocean Lord rules my people, <Player Name>. They worship him, they make sacrifices for him, they need his blessing to survive. We live and die at his whim. It is his hand that kept some of us from the plague.'

You say, 'You don't sound very grateful.'

'I'm not.' A gnoll priestess rakes the air with her claws. 'A few days before the plague, one of the children in the village blasphemed against him. Our god was angry, sullen--in his petulance, he refused to answer my prayers when the plague came. I asked him for guidance when the very first gnoll fell ill.' The priestess growls. 'Four days, he waited. Four days before he deigned to answer. The plague grew from a few cases to an epidemic.'

You say, 'Why did you stay that long?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'I ask myself that each day, but the answer is always the same: we dared not go. We feared the plague, but we feared the Ocean Lord even more. If we asked him for guidance but did not wait for his reply... Bark! I doubt he would have let us leave at all.'

You say, 'That's horrible! Why do you worship him?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Because we must. We are in his gaze, now. We are his people. He would miss us if we left.' She shudders. 'He wouldn't let us go. We would have been better to never worshipped him in the first place.'

You say, 'Just who is the ocean lord?'

A gnoll priestess says, 'A monstrous thing that sleeps in the depths. It was weak and alone, cornered and mean and desperate. Now it's just mean. Who its people are, where it came from, nobody knows. Perhaps one day your Council can solve that mystery, too.' Her tone is bitter but you catch a glimpse of hope in her eye.

You say, 'when did you start worshipping the ocean lord?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Long, long ago, but well after we had split with the gnolls in Blackburrow. Our older gods had abandoned us when we needed them most. We were vulnerable, but stronger, too--our steps were uncertain, but they were completely our own. We had no masters.'

You say, 'Some were eager for a new god, but not everyone was?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Exactly. However, once a few worshipped him, the Ocean Lord wanted more. He flooded the crops of those who didn't worship him. He was generous to those who did, in his own fashion. The change was inevitable.'

You say, 'Shall we continue?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Aye, we've rested long enough. Bark!'

A gnoll priestess will continue a ways and then stop, waiting to tell more of her story.

a gnoll priestess says, 'There's more to tell, if you would hear it. The plaguewind have waited a long time. Bark! They can wait a bit longer.'

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Bark! I know you're not likely tired, but there is more to tell.' The priestess looks off toward the village. 'I would like the story told before we arrive.'

You say, 'So your people suffer under the Ocean Lord?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Yes. Many of the most religious of us--those who have had the most contact with the Ocean Lord--have the attitude of a kicked whelp. Fitting, since the Ocean Lord behaves like a drunken father.' Her tone is contemptuous. You detect an undercurrent of fear.'

You say, 'How is it you came to be a priestess, then?'

A gnoll priestess flicks an ear at you. 'That isn't about the history of my people, <Player Name>.' Seeing your expression, she continues. 'No, it's not that--I don't mind. Sometimes I forget you outlanders have a hard time reading us. I would be happy to tell you.'

You say, 'A hard time reading you? How do you mean?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'When I flicked my ear like so,' she does it again, 'it's a gesture with meaning. It's, ah... hm. Bark! How should I put this? It's bemusement with a question mark. A little confused, not serious, and it's an invitation to talk more.'

You say, 'Fair enough. How did it happen?'

The priestess sighs, looking out over the water. 'Some will tell you they were duped into it, that they blindly worshipped the Ocean Lord and only learned the truth after they joined the priesthood. It may be true, for them. Priests who tell the truth about the Ocean Lord are struck mute more often than not--he sees himself as benevolant and will not tolerate our 'slander'. Bark! In public, we praise him, and some may be fooled by that.'

You say, 'But that didn't happen with you?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'No, not with me.' The gnoll priestess shudders. 'I knew the Ocean Lord's nature from a very early age. I had no illusions.'

You say, 'What happened?'

The gnoll priestess's tone is matter-of-fact. It's as though she's commenting on the weather. 'My brother took a fish from the offering bowl. The Ocean Lord tore him in half.'

You say, 'He killed a *child*?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'He wanted the fish back.' Her gaze is far away. 'He broke my brother as easily as I might snap a twig, took back the fish, then threw the bloody mess to the piranha.'

You say, 'That's--that's awful! How could the villagers let that stand?'

The gnoll priestess, trapped in memory, ignores you. 'I was there when it happened. We were waiting for my parents to return home to fix dinner. Our family's offering sat in our bowl for hours, temping us both. We were young, then--neither of us really thought anything bad would happen. We feared our parents more than the far-away and possibly make-believe Ocean Lord. My brother took the fish, but had he not, I probably would have.' Her hands unconsciously move to her stomach.

You say, '-Wait quietly.-'

a gnoll priestess says, 'I screamed for a long time after the Ocean Lord left. My parents found me like that, huddled in the corner, covered with blood. The villagers pretended not to hear me. My parents, when they finally calmed me enough that I could say the truth, said I must have been mistaken. They told me that their son must have fallen in. They knew he could never have smashed the grate over the piranha pit, but they ignored the warped iron bars. They believed what they wanted to believe. Deep down, they knew, but fear compelled them to lie.'

You say, '-Let her finish.-'

The gnoll priestess looks back to you. 'Bark! I became a priestess to protect my people. I worship the Ocean Lord, I make sacrificies to him, I do whatever it takes to blunt his wrath. I meekly accept his rages, his paranoid rantings, his abuses, but I know that won't be enough. Someday, when the time comes... when the Ocean Lord is in a mood, and nothing I can do will calm him, and some innocent is about to feel his wrath... then I, too, will take the fish.'

You say, 'I will find a way to help you, if I can. I don't know what else to say.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'We don't often share our story with outsiders. Each time we do, we risk the Ocean Lord's wrath. Few outsiders would even try to help. But you are here with me, on our way to the plague villiage--at the very least, you deserve to know. I fear there will be nothing here for your Council, however--no sweeping tales of old magics, no new information about the dread plagues, no grandoise consequences for the world. Bark! We are small and unimportant. When the Ocean Lord finally takes us all, who will miss us? who will know we passed? That, above all, is why I share our story with you.'

You say, '-Continue to the plague village.-'

A gnoll priestess continues to the plague village and stops just outside.

a gnoll priestess says, 'We have arrived.'

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

a gnoll priestess says, 'It is time. Bark! Are you ready?'

You say, 'I am ready.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'Then we shall begin. The plague will no doubt try to keep the gnolls in its power. I will be too busy controlling them to fight--you must keep the plagued gnolls safe.'

The gnoll priestess's chant takes on a melodic tone, shifting more to a true hymn. The plagued gnolls listen quietly.

A herd of a docile plague gnolls will surround a gnoll priestess.

The gnoll priestess begins to run. The plagued gnolls follow.

Specters of plague burst forth from the village!

Note: The first wave of a spectre of plague will come at a gnoll priestess. Gathering them before they get to her is suggested, though someone should remain with her incase any get by. A gnoll priestess and the herd of a docile plague gnolls will continue west towards far bank of The Bad River after the waves are defeated. The begining and end of each wave group is announced by an emote.

With the first wave of plague dispatched, the gnoll priestess feels it safe to continue.

The priestess moves the gnolls further down the road.

The last spectres spill forth from the village!

As the last spectre falls, the gnoll priestess saves the remaining gnolls.

The gnolls move to the shore.

The gnoll priestess's hymn moves down a key as she leads the gnolls to the shore.

The priestess's hymn quiets as the last plagued gnoll walks into the water to drown. She beckons to you.

You say, 'Hail, a gnoll priestess'

The gnoll's voice is hoarse, her ears are limp, and her eyes are puffy and red. Even so, there is a sense of grim relief about her. 'It is done, <Player Name>.'

You say, 'You... you killed them?'

The gnoll priestess flinches. 'I did what had to be done. You saw they way they lived, what the plague had done to them. You yourself slew my own mate to end his torment. There is no cure for this corruption, no happy ending to this story. This death is the best our meagre strength can hope for.' Her tone was resentful, but softens near the end.

You say, 'Is there anything I can do?'

The gnoll priestess laughs once, a forceful, choked thing. Her voice wavers, nearly broken. ' `Is there anything I can do?`.' She shakes her head incredulously. 'Not `what's wrong`, not `I'm sorry`, not even silence, but `Is there anything I can do`. No, <Player Name>. Bark! You've done everything I could ever have asked and more besides.'

You say, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--'

The gnoll priestess cuts you off. 'We've welcomed outsiders for generations and never once has anyone tried to help us. While our village shrank and our people withered on the vine, outsiders came and went, trading with our merchants but nothing more. You are the first. Bark! Nothing I could say, no words I could marshall would describe how much that means to us, even if most gnolls never meet you.' Her eyes continually dart to the water while she speaks.

You say, 'Then why...?'

a gnoll priestess says, 'I am not strong enough.' The priestess gives a great sigh, like the last air let out of a sack. She weeps openly now. 'Everyone is gone. Everything is gone. And the water calls to me, <Player Name>. It has ever since you put my mate's spirit to rest. I stayed strong knowing my duty, but that is no longer enough. The water calls. The Ocean Lord may be a monster but the water itself has always been good to us. Our dead live there, and among them my mate. His loss threatens to drown me. If go down there, I abandon my people to the Ocean Lord, but I'm simply not strong enough to stay up here.'

Alignment questions

Lawful Good

You say, 'You must *find* the strength. Your duty demands it. Use mine, use your false god's, but find *something*. There is never an excuse to abandon your responsibilities, no matter how heavy your burden. I will speak with the Council and demand that they act, but even should they not, you *must* stay alive.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'MISSING TEXT'

Neutral Good

You say, ' ...I may not understand it, and I may never, but if it means that much to you, then rest. You've more than earned it. You've done so much for so long--no one could ever ask as much, let alone more. I would rather you stay, but if you go, rest knowing that I will find a way to help your people.'

a gnoll priestess says, 'MISSING TEXT'

D3 Unknown

You say, 'If not duty, then use hope. Things can be better. Much of what you had is gone, yes, but some remains. Your people believe in you, and not without cause. Together, we can free your tribe. I don't care what it takes to make the Council act, I will do it. You were right: it's not enough to learn alone--we must act on our knowledge. '

a gnoll priestess says, 'MISSING TEXT'

Chaotic Good

You say, 'It's your choice. If I tried to compel you, I would be no better than the Ocean Lord. I won't lie: I want you to stay. But... if your heart is in the water and your mind is set, I will not keep you. I may disagree, but in the end your soul belongs to no one but you, and I will work to help your people no matter what happens. Even so, if it means anything: Would you stay? Things will be better, I promise.'

The gnoll priestess waits a moment, considering your words.

You gain faction experience!!

A gnoll priestess says, 'Shalara.' When she sees your expression, she flicks an ear at you, smiling wanly. 'My name, for what it's worth. Please, remember it. Save my people.'