Death's Depthless Dominion is a quest in Beast of Winter. Recommended party members are Vatnir and Ydwin.
Synopsis
Against their better judgement, the Watcher struck a bargain with Rymrgand: In return for access to the Void and finding the means to close the Vydmath, they will hunt down Neriscyrlas, a dracolich that bruises Rymrgand's ego with every moment she spends flouting his laws. The hunt begins by stepping through the portal.
Walkthrough
- After conversing with Rymrgand (and provided you didn't tell the god of death to fuck right off), enter the portal to appear in the Shattered Passage. Move north through the Soul Collector to meet the dracolich as she tears apart Rynhaedr. She will be amused, refuse to answer your questions, then promptly break through the floor and fly off. You're left with the task of putting Rynhaedr back together. Find the wandering souls at the entrances to all the three side areas, then talk to the fourth soul. Rynhaedr is surprisingly pleasant and engenders a lot of comments from Vatnir and Ydwin, if present. She will direct your searches to the three areas that persist in the White Void, each tied to major events across Eora's history: Ancient Huana, post-Ascension Engwith, and the Saint's War.
- Completing the quest hinges on completing the related quests: The Drowned Kingdom, the Endless Queries, and the Bridge Ablaze, each tied to a specific moment in Eora's history. The souls sustaining these decaying domains can provide magical aid to protect the Watcher as you descend deeper into Ryrmgand's domain. Alternatively, destroying them to please Rymrgand is another choice.
- After dealing with each of the three realms, you can jump into the void in the center, close to the heart of the god's domain. You appear in Neriscyrlas' Lair, built around an ancient Engwithan phylactery that keeps her alive (or deathless). Any souls that pledged themselves to aid you will appear and provide unique bonuses but only if you lure the beast close enough to them:
- Navixa will immobilize the dragon using chains.
- The King will call a powerful wave that will daze the dragon.
- Waidwen will call a firestorm onto the dragon.
- When you approach the center, Neriscyrlas will engage you in conversation. She will reveal a great many facts, including the fact that she's anchored to a relic that allows her to defy the Beast of Winter and that she knows the gods' real nature. You can talk her down with Insight 13 and Arcana 13 and suggest that you take her phylactery out with you if she joins forces and helps you destroy Eothas. If you are a wizard, after passing the previous checks you can ask Neriscyrlas to teach you how to make your own phylactery with Diplomacy 13 and saying you will use it for knowledge or to serve her. Otherwise, you will have to fight her. Once defeated, the game transitions into a scripted interaction, where you need to tear out her phylactery. With Athletics 15, you can have a character rip it out without taking damage.
- Or If you have enough " bluff " within you could actually send Neriscyrlas to fight Rymrgand. He'd be so pissed you'd actually be satisfied in doing so.
- Then the floor promptly falls out from under your feet and you're dumped in the heart of the White Void. Make your way to the northwest. Ydwin will act uncharacteristically nervous, while Vatnir will be quite impressed. Move forward and meet a partially-ruined spirit that will ask for release or at least ability to tag along to meet the Beast of Winter.
- Make your way further through the glacier, killing the scourges and dealing with the souls. Watch out for the winds, they don't cause injuries, but do deal damage and add afflictions. You will find the Beast of Winter in the northwestern corner. Rymrgand will take the phylactery from you and destroy Neriscyrlas. Then he will renege on the agreement and declare that he will let you free if you pledge your soul to him, so that it returns not to the Wheel, but the White Void. You can accept this trade, consigning your soul to permadeath, trade him Ydwin, the renegade Glamfellen (much to the utter horror of the rest of your party), or refuse to do so - and fight the Beast of Winter. It is a difficult fight, more so due to the fact that you are immediately attacked by shambling souls as well. If you defeat the Beast, Rymrgand will be amused and allow you to leave the Void intact and with no other obligations.
- You can safely ask the god why he is a jerk. His answer? It's in his nature. Perfect.
- Although the quest resolves at this point, the final ending takes place at Harbinger's Watch, where you meet Hafbjorn. Your choices here determine whether Vatnir remains in your party or not and the ending for the Watch, as you can convince the people of Harbinger's Watch to resettle at the White. You can also reenter the The Shattered Passage after killing Neriscyrlas and tell Rynhaedr that the dragon is dead. She will be pleased and finally give in to oblivion. Sadly, she leaves no loot behind.