Loremasters' Rivalry

Loremasters' Rivalry is one of the quests in The Age of Decadence.

Lore

Common Quest for all Backgrounds. Feng wants you to get rid of Cassius, a rival Loremaster. He's just arrived to Teron and is probably still at the inn.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Haggle with Feng over the price of the contract.
2. Talk to Cassius in Teron Inn
3. Decide his fate
4. Go for reward

Detailed Walkthrough

1. Talk to Feng in Feng's House.
   • Ask "How much" to begin haggling.
     • Base: 50 GP.
     • 75 GP (Assassin background)
     • Barter for the price (Trading)
       • [2] Failure: 60 GP.
       • [3] Success: 100 GP.
2. Talk to Cassius in Teron Inn.
   • Take him to Lord Antidas
     • Speak to Dellar. (Word of Honor -1, Gain 2 SP.)
     • Cassius lives to speak to later.
       1. Asks to speak to Lord Antidas
          • "I thought I've already proven my value." Nod at Cassius.
            • Persuasion+Charisma=13 "Common sense is a rare commodity these days. You're lucky Feng asked me and not some thug..."
              • Success gains an audience to Lord Antidas. You may swear fealty to him, or show him items.
              • Failure means you need to prove your worth to Dellar first.
   • Lure him to an abandoned house
     • Base dialogue: He offers the secrets of transmuting metals.
       • Free him:
         • Speak to Dellar. (Word of Honor -1, Gain 2 SP. )
         • Cassius lives to speak to later.
     • Kill him: Begin combat.
       • Gain [[Word of Honor] +1, 1 combat SP if you win.
       • Loot him for Bronze 2 lbs, Iron 1 lb, Loremaster's Garments, 23 GP, Sefet (Iron).
     • At several points in the dialogue, there are opportunities for a sudden strike (Critical Strike)
       • [3] Success: Kill him instantly and loot as above.
     • Scare him into leaving. Intimidate (Strength+Constitution=[13]) or Body count:[6]
       • He flees Teron completely.
     • Convince him to leave Teron (Streetwise)
       • [1] Failure: Combat.
       • [2] Success: He offers to leave. (Also Persuasion:[3])
         • Gain Word of Honor +1
         • Perception:[8] to notice he will go to Antidas as soon as he leaves.
           • Critical Strike:[2] to kill him as he heads out the door.
     • Return to Feng for your reward.
       • 2 SP plus the agreed-upon gold.
       • Feng offers Galbo's Ring.
       • Feng mentions the Abyss and his old master Enarion, prompting your interests in the Mysteries of the Abyss.

If you're a loremaster, you gain/lose Loyalty instead of Word of Honor.

If you're a praetor, if you lure Cassius to abandoned house, your only option is to kill him.

With Critical Strike skill of 3, you can instantly kill Cassius if you have a dagger in your inventory.

Note that if you don't kill Cassius, Feng will run away to serve as advisor to Meru, influecing your impression when you meet him.

Rewards

• 2 SP

Feng

If you tell him Cassius was being taken care of - real or otherwise

• 50-100 Imperials
• Word of Honor Reputation +1
• Galbo's Ring Quest
• Mysteries of the Abyss Quest
• Raise skills (Trading, Streetwise, Persuasion 15 SP total)

Cassius

• Word of Honor Reputation -1
• Raise skills (Lore,Crafting,Etiquette 15 SP total)
• Blue Steel - 1 lbs (Optional)
• Steel - 2 lbs (Optional)

If you're a loremaster, you gain/lose Loyalty instead of Word of Honor.

Tips

• Even if your Critical Strike skill isn't at 3, choosing the option will leave Cassius at "Wounded" for the start of the fight.
• It is possible to get skill training and their quests from both Feng and Cassius by choosing the Streetwise or Persuasion option after luring Cassius to the abandoned house, and letting him leave town (even if your Streetwise is high enough to see he intends otherwise). Then telling Feng that Cassius is no longer a problem and training with him. When you go to the Teron Palace, you're invited in to be kicked out of town. Persuasion:[4] to convince them to let you stay, and work your reputation with House Daratan up to 10, and Cassius will train you inside his castle room. Getting to 10 reputation is going to be hard unless you pledge fealty and find some other way, given that you'd start with -3 for letting him live and alerting them. Finishing Dellar's and Commercium's quests supporting the House would make your reputation just 8 .