- Deianeira: "I'm not convinced, but this does throw a gnome wrench into things. I don't believe that there is such a thing as evil. Look at me: I was raised to believe Qeynos was a horrible place filled with mindless drones. Once I cam of age I realized that the Overlord's minions were spreading lies."
- Player Character: "So you moved to Qeynos?"
- Deianeira: ""Moved" is such a polite way to say it. I betrayed Freeport to do what I felt in my heart was right. And yet...not everyone in Qeynos accepts me or my decision. So I came here, where I could help remove this island's taint. The honorable Qeynosians won't work with me, so I've had to devise my own theories."
- Player Character: "You were wrong about the toxic crawlers' poison."
- Deianeira: "We all make mistakes. Hopefully, this is not a mistake I'll live to regret. Are you willing to help me test another theory?"
- Player Character: "Sure."
- Deianeira: "The Tainted Forest is key. Look for the Forest Keeper, a treant who lives in a nook in the hillside just beyond these trees. It was a guardian of this place and has resisted the taint. It may be willing to speak to you. It chooses not to speak to a betrayer like me."
- Player Character: "I'll check into it."
- Deianeira: "It's up to us to find the answers; they're never handed to us."
- Player Character: "Glad to be of service."
I must seek the cause of the corruption in the Tainted Forest. The Forest Keeper is a treant who is resisting the corruption spreading through the Queen's Colony.
- The Forest Keeper: "I must remain strong and vigilant against this! I will not give in to the corruption!"
- Player Character: "Are you the Forest Keeper that Deianeira spoke of?"
- The Forest Keeper: "Eh? Who's that? Oh, that betrayer! She should go back to Freeport! Yes, I was once a Forest Keeper, maintaining this wood. But look around you! The other treants have succumbed to the evil that pervades this island. They've become ghosts, trapped between this life and their rebirth."
- Player Character: "Is there anything we can do to stop it?"
- The Forest Keeper: "Trapped in those ghostly forms, they are contributing to the decay of the Forest. I've been able to stave off the taint myself, but with so many of my brethren gone, it gets more and more difficult. They must be set free, so that they can be reborn into the earth. Without rebirth, there will be no living saplings!"
- Player Character: "I will set them free."
I've spoken with the Forest Keeper. The Forest Keeper asked me to release the ghostly treants so they can be reborn.
I've released the ghostly treants. I should return to speak with the Forest Keeper.
- The Forest Keeper: "I must remain strong and vigilant against this! I will not give in to the corruption!"
- Player Character: "I've released many of the ghosts, but there is no end to them!"
- The Forest Keeper: "Alas, the decay runs too deep. You must learn what horrors those naughty goblins have released! There are still a few of them that are as yet untainted at the Last Stand, northeasterly of here. Speak to the soothsayer there; he may have ideas. We were friends in the old days."
- Player Character: "I'll do what I can. Stay strong!"
I've spoken to the Forest Keeper. The Forest Keeper suggested I speak with a soothsayer at the Last Stand, the old goblin base northeast of the Tainted Forest.
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Grexx promises us and his promises is kept!"
- Player Character: "The Forest Keeper sent me to ..."
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Forest Keeper, big tree! Yes, yes, waiting for you. Big tree, big promise! Water is needed, yes! Three waters, fallen from skies and the roots from deep beneath! Fetch the waters! Gather the roots!"
- Player Character: "But what..."
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Nothing more to say! big tree sends you to me to help! Big tree keeps promise! Bring waters and roots first, then sayings will I sooth! Must bring to me, or nothing more will I say!"
- Player Character: "Well. Okay."
The Forest Keeper referred me to a Sapswill soothsayer. The Sapswill soothsayer suggested that if I gather some roots and bring him water, he could remove the taint from the Colony. I must get water from the Hope Falls waterfall. I must get water from the Razortooth Falls waterfall. I must get water from the Sapswill Falls waterfall. I must gather some roots. They're scattered around the ground in large clumps and should be very easy for me to locate.
I've collected some water from Hope Falls. I've collected some water from Razortooth Falls. I've collected some water from Sapswill Falls. I've gathered some roots. I've gathered the resources Sapswill soothsayer needs. Now that I've done what the Sapswill soothsayer asked, I should return to him at the Last Stand. I must speak with the Sapswill soothsayer and give him these items so that he can remove the Colony's taint!
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Grexx promises us and his promises is kept!"
- Player Character: "I've gotten the items you asked for."
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Yes! Yes! Freshest waters! Tasty roots! Now will I tell you what you want to know. What you want to know?"
- Player character: "The Forest Keeper said you'd know how to stop the corruption of the Colony."
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Me? No! Grexx knows all, no sayings need to sooth on that! Ha! Why tree tell you such a joke? Ha! Evil things creeping up on poor gobbies, long time now! Big tree is wrong, nothing to know about that. Happy you came to help us though!"
- Player Character: "Then what was all that stuff for?"
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Ah, tasty roots! Mash them up, grind them up and soak in the waters. After the moons are new again, ready to drink, it is! Helps to forget, helps to remember. Tasty roots!"
- Player Character: "You mean you're going to make a brew out of them?"
- a Sapswill soothsayer: "Yes, yes! Tasty brew! If you knew there was no sooth to be said, would you have got tasty roots and fresh waters for us? No! So now we have them and now you will know as much as Sapswills! Even trade! Even trade! Share with you, we will, too!"
- Player Character: "I don't think that's very even."
All that work for nothing!? Never trust a goblin!
Releasing the ghostly treants did not lessen the corruption seeping through the Tainted Forest, so the Forest Keeper sent me to consult with a Sapswill Soothsayer. After gathering some roots and water that I thought would be used for divination, I returned to find out he was only using me to get things to ferment!
And there are really rare!