Deep within the lush, dangerous expanse of Avowed’s Emerald Stairs, a silent challenge whispered through the leaves. The Totem of Defiance lay scattered, its ancient power waiting to be reborn. For any adventurer bold enough to chase its fragments, the rewards were legendary: increased damage against the skeletal dead, boosted Constitution and Dexterity, and a feeling that the land itself now fought at your side. But finding seven hidden relics in a realm filled with twisting paths and cryptic riddles was no small feat. This is the story of one such seeker, a patient soul determined to gather every piece and unlock the shrine’s full glory.
The First Steps: A Merchant’s Riddle
Instead of wandering aimlessly through emerald canopies and decaying ruins, the seeker learned that clues could be bought. In the Farmer’s Market southeast of Fior Mes Iverno, a trader offered not map markers, but poetic fragments. For a handful of coins, he handed over a weathered parchment that spoke of “bones that remember rebellion” and “a dagger resting where fields lie abandoned.” The riddle would not point and glow — it demanded interpretation, a true test of wit.
Note: If the seeker had progressed too far in the main story and found the trader displaced, his new location was the Coastal Farms. Adaptability was the first lesson of Emerald Stairs.
The Core: Shrine of Skaen
Every totem needed a heart. The core piece always rested upon the map’s shrine, and for the Emerald Stairs, that sacred place was the Shrine of Skaen. West of the Delemgan Glade, a lone tower pierced the sky. The climb was treacherous — wooden platforms clung to stone, demanding nimble leaps and a head for heights. Parkouring up the outer wall, the seeker slipped inside, climbed a few more tired steps, and there it was: the Core of Defiance, glinting in the muted light like a promise.
With the core secured, the real hunt began.
Sacrificial Dagger: The Abandoned Farms
The first fragment’s clue led north of Fior Mes Iverno to the Abandoned Farms, a place the seeker would visit anyway during the main story’s climax. The painted map showed large yellow structures, and the trick lay behind the top-left building. There, pinned to a sheet of weather-beaten paper, a dagger waited. Its blade was blackened with old blood. To claim it, the seeker had to angle their vision just right — the game often confused the grab with a desire to read. A patient hand, a steady click, and the Sacrificial Dagger came free.
Idol of Covert Plots: Grim Wetlands Secret
The northwestern edge of Emerald Stairs held a place of rot and silence: the Grim Wetlands. A small shack, barely standing, hid more than cobwebs and bone dust. The clue whispered of a “hidden door beneath the lantern’s flame.” After fending off a few skeleton guardians, the seeker examined the statue beside the shack. Its lantern held a switch. A soft click, a grinding hinge, and a secret entrance yawned open. Inside, next to another stone figure, rested the Idol of Covert Plots. The fragment’s surface was unnervingly smooth, as if worn by centuries of secret prayers.
Idol of Secret Hatred: The Ancient Grotto
This clue was a trap. “Where the owner decays” pointed to graves and grief, but the real decay lay far to the southwest. The Overgrown Homestead concealed the entrance to the Ancient Grotto, a cave that seemed simple until its depths unfurled into labyrinthine darkness. The seeker moved with purpose: straight through the first chamber, down the left path, across a chasm via careful jumps on the right side then up left. When the tunnel finally forked, they turned left and spotted a tiny opening low on the right wall. Crawling through, they found the former owner of Fior Mes Iverno — a skeleton clutching the Idol of Secret Hatred in a final, eternal grip. The riddle’s bitter truth now lay in their hands.
Idol of Violent Rebellion: The Ranger Headquarters
The clue was clear: “At the high point where watchers once stood.” The Ranger Headquarters on the eastern edge of the region was that high point. A multi-storey building that had seen better days. The seeker started beneath its southern wall, climbing onto a small awning where a ladder waited. From there, parkour led them sideways along the facade, up onto a protruding beam, and finally to a second ladder that scaled straight to the top. On the wind-scoured roof, the Idol of Violent Rebellion gleamed, battered but unbroken, much like the spirit it represented.
Obsidian Prayer Beads: The Hidden Ruins
“Among verdant ruins where heart-magic blooms.” The clue was maddeningly vague, for ruins dotted every glade. But the seeker remembered the western secluded area of The Delemgan Glade, where the Adragan Heart was recovered in the main quest. Teleporting to the beacon at the entrance, they crossed a broken bridge, took the right-hand path into an open clearing, then pushed forward into another tight trail. A low, gnarled tree offered a route from its far side. Up the trunk, onto a mossy platform, and then a desperate jump to a ledge on the left. The Obsidian Prayer Beads hung there, black as a night without stars, whispering of vigils held in silence.
Effigy Necklace: Naku Tedek’s Secret
This fragment was locked behind the main story. Only with Giatta’s help could the seeker open the secret passage inside Naku Tedek. Down the revealed staircase, through a heavy door, a locked chamber on the left taunted them. An electric generator clung to the wall. A crack —Giatta’s power or a well-aimed shock weapon— brought the machine to life. Inside the hidden room, a frozen fruit on the wall allowed the seeker to create a platform of ice on the water below, then leap to a tree on the right. Perched like a jewel, the Effigy Necklace was finally theirs.
The Reforged Totem
Back at the Shrine of Skaen, the seeker carefully fitted each piece into the Core of Defiance. A hum resonated through the stone. The buffs activated — Constitution surged, Dexterity sharpened, and a spectral aura now harmed any skeleton that dared approach. The Emerald Stairs felt different. The Totem of Defiance was complete, and the land’s deepest secrets had yielded to one patient, intrepid soul. Other adventurers would follow, but this path through riddles, ruins, and heights had been well and truly walked.