The Utraean Circle

The Utraean Circle
Gather all of the eight Townstones, representing all of the towns of the Circle, and bring them to Utraean High Priest Kavaren in Hiroth.
Quest Icon
Campaign	Utraean Peninsula
Location	Elddim
Quest Giver	Utraean Priestess Kelti
Reward	Trial of Gallus (Book) Utraean Helm 37 Defense Adds 1 to Intelligence +3 to Armor Adds 3 Mana per hit +2 to Dexterity
Type	Primary Quest

Main article: Quests (Dungeon Siege)

The Utraean Circle is the primary quest on the Utraean Peninsula, the multiplayer world in Dungeon Siege.

Overview

The Peninsula's primary quest, spanning from the very beginning to the epilogue, concerns the The Utraean Circle, a landmark in the castle town of Hiroth. The Utraean Society dedicated to the study of this place, and the extinct civilization behind it, guides the hero through each of the eight towns in the realm with the notion in mind to inquire on the situation there, recover the Townstone, and get further directions. The journal entries are below (with the first one being the meat of the campaign):

• Gather all of the eight Townstones, representing all of the towns of the Circle, and bring them to Utraean High Priest Kavaren in Hiroth.
• Place each Townstone on its corresponding dais in the Utraean Circle on the north edge of the town.
• Return to Utraean High Priest Kavaren.
• Destroy the Maljin by placing the Legion's Tenstone in the inner sanctum of the Utraean Circle dungeon. Return to High Priest Kavaren when they are defeated.

Secondary tasks, such as Travel to Crystwind and Crystwind Townstone (Quest), will be issued in the course of the adventure, and when in doubt, you can always query townsfolk for directions to a new place.

Because the Utraean Peninsula was designed to accommodate players making and leaving game sessions at will, the quests on the peninsula are item-driven. Your progress on the primary quest will be sitting in your inventory from game to game. For instance, as long as your character owns a Signet Ring of the Utraean Protectors, you can speak with Utraean Society priests in a game you have just entered, and as long as you have a certain Townstone, you do not need to retrieve that stone again. Moreover, when a Townstone is found, the game will spawn a duplicate on-the-spot for each connected client.

After receiving the signet ring in Elddim, you may run the towns in any order. The caveat is that going off the "storyline" path and into the bush might throw you in over your head. From Elddim for instance, it's fine to head south for the second town of Crystwind with the Elddim's Sunrise Stone in hand, but heading west to Lang at this moment would be extremely dangerous.

History

A hundred years prior to Ehb's Seck Resurgence, the Utraean Peninsula has been in a slow decline since the days of the Empire of Stars. With the mysterious disappearance of the Utraeans, their once-proud monuments and cities have fallen into disrepair and the surrounding settlements struggle against unnatural forces to maintain their own existence. Elddim is beset by Krug rampaging through the farmlands and the mines of Crystwind are out of commission, also infested with Krug. Undead have started crawling out of Hiroth's own castle and the small oasis of Grescal has almost dried up. The 10th Legion remnant is now largely stuck to defending the towns and barely has the resources to secure the once-safe roads. Routes extending from Fallraen, Meren, and Lang have become lawless. The demihuman Droog and Goblins are on-edge and militarizing.

Convinced that it will be their salvation, the Utraean Historical Society has called for the reunification of the Townstones in Hiroth in the belief that the ancients once hid away great weapons, magic and resources for dire times such as this. Players fill the role of those Marked with Fire, strange youths who can travel to the Basilicus and even reincarnate under Azunai's protection, who promise to realize the Society's project.

Finale

When all of the Townstones reunite around the Circle, the truth is revealed that it was some sort of warding mechanism deployed against a race of martial demons, the Maljin... and the Townstones actually serve no apparent purpose other than to release the seal and turn the entire Peninsula into a sulfurous, red hellscape facing an impending invasion. The heroes Marked with Fire are tasked at this time with carrying the Legion's Tenstone into the bowels of the Utraean Catacombs to suppress the demons.

Dialogue

Just about every NPC on the peninsula makes a unique exclamation when the world turns red. The only exceptions are Shana Tullen and Priest Lagreth, whose locations are safe from the miasma, and Loern Ignus, who is not in a place where such weather is unusual. Below are the thoughts of the quest-related NPCs (who also have concluding remarks):

Utraean Priestess Kelti - Elddim

• "So, you are up to the task of aiding the Society, are you? I'm sure you've heard of the Townstones and how nearly all have been lost over the centuries, yes? Well, it's time for them to be found. The Circle has called for the unification of the Townstones in Hiroth, and all must be present."
• "No! This cannot be! High Priest Kavaren has thoroughly studied the Circle! Oh, what have we done?"
• "Your courage has saved us all. The Kingdom is forever in your debt. If there is ever anything the Society can do for you, please let me know."

Utraean High Priest Kavaren - Hiroth

• "Welcome, friend. Your task is considerable, but you have proven your fortitude to the Society time and time again. I have placed Hiroth's own Crown Stone in the Utraean Circle; it is ready to receive the Townstones. We of the Utraean Society are praying for your success in placing them correctly. Soon, we shall learn the secrets of the Utraeans."
• "As you know, the Utraeans disappeared centuries ago, leaving behind only the ruins scattered around the land and the mystical temple we call the Basilicus. While I have not traveled to it myself, I am told that Hiroth's own ruined Circle is remarkably similar to the Basilicus. I have done much research into the two, and it is obvious that the Utraeans were fascinated with rapid methods of travel. I am convinced that they built our Circle to leave this land for a better place. When you place the Townstones in the Circle, we will see where the Utraeans went!"
• "By the gods, what have we done? I have never seen such creatures as these Maljin! We should never have completed the Circle, oh, this is a catastrophe! Can you hear the screams of people dying? I don't think the air is safe to breathe, all filled with ash and brimstone. We must do something!!"
• "I killed three Maljin that crawled in through the windows. These creatures are not natural! We must destroy them all -- they seem to be coming up through the Utraean Circle, which means there must be a way down through there as well! I have a Tenstone from the legion I've been holding all these years. Take it and carry it to where the Maljin gather their power beneath the Utraean Circle. You were able to slay the Dragon Queen and recapture the Grescal Townstone. Only you have the courage and skills to save us from the Maljin. Please, do not fail us now!"
• "How could we have known the Circle would release such demons? You must destroy the Maljin before they kill us all!"
• "You...you have returned? The Maljin are dead? Oh, thank the gods. The entire Utraean Peninsula is safe again. You will be eternally remembered as the one who saved us from our own ambition."

Utraean Priest Sarden - Crystwind

• "You! You are still alive? It's a miracle! How could we have misjudged the Townstones so tragically? How can anyone even think of what to do with the air so full of ash and brimstone?"

Utraean Apprentice Flessan - Fallraen

• "The Legion are sure taking their time returning Priest Lagreth to us! I don't know what this red sky means, but it is surely not good!"

Utraean Priest Tas - Meren

• "I have seen red tides, but never red skies! By all things Utrae, what have we done?"

Utraean Priestess Janeira - Lang

• "So you have returned? The priests are fools as you can see, toddlers cavorting with pretty baubles of which they do not understand the danger. I can understand the secrets of the Utraeans, but the world is not yet ready for them to be revealed. Go back to Kavaren in Hiroth, and end this madness as you have been ordained to do. You and I will meet again someday, and then we shall see who dares ignore an old woman's fancy."
• "Order is restored to the land, but the spirits are still restless. There is yet unfinished business to attend to, in another time and place. There are lessons still to be learned from the Utraeans, but not yet, not now. Enjoy your life, Adventurer, until we meet again."

Utraean Priest Ferdl - Quillrabe

• "Uhm, er, what? This is, ah, not supposed to happen! Oh dear, I, um, fear for us all! The Droog will, er, not take kindly to this surprise. Best leave while you, um, still can!"
• "I must thank you, friend. I did not, uh, believe I would survive another night with the, er, Droog, so suspicious. You have my, um, gratitude."

Utraean Priestess Kylira - Grescal

• "We are doomed! I should have known that red tinge to my dreams was ill-fated. It is my fault for not heeding the warning! It was not a lake of water, but poison!"
• "You are truly a hero. Perhaps we will change our town name to honor you as is fitting. If there is ever anything I can do for you, I am at your service."

Sarden, Flessan, Tas

• "You have done well, friend! Mayhaps you will have a career in the Society someday, eh?"