Part 21: I Fell In To A Burning Ring of Fire

Soundtrack - Khosani Stronghold

We return to Saanavarh with the Khosani scrolls. The Ulsadana and a few elders are waiting for us at the entrance. They are tired of this demon shit.



Ulsadana: But we have no time for rejoicing. Give us the scrolls.

*The first elder accepts the scrolls. She selects one, and presents it to the second elder, who unravels the scroll for the Ulsadana. In her hand, the Ulsadana holds a ring of gold with a brilliant red stone. She reads from the scroll in a low, droning voice. As she speaks, the stone begins to glow brighter. A deep, humming sound emanates from the ring.*

*As the ritual unfolds, the stone shines so intensely you are unable to look at it. The vast cavern of Saanavarh fills with red light. The Ulsadana closes her eyes and chants the incantation.*

Ulsadana: Ih rhos uf vaarhaev dagikh uf ivarhi ulvi sategh danae rhe aesa odosahu deh avurikh muda, ra vilah iol etikh.

Elders: *The elders respond.* Vafek, sidaera ikaani deh sateghi, gaas averhi!

Ulsadana: *The red light fades away, and the Ulsadana holds out her hand.* Sahugani, I give you the Ring of Fire. Go now to the labyrinth and battle Pyrul. As he weakens, the Ring will gain strength, until the demon can no longer resist its lure. If you fail, the Khosani will perish, and fire will consume the world. If you succeed, the Rings of Light, Darkness, and Stone will be yours.

Some of the Khosani will actually talk to us now that we have returned their scrolls to them.



Elarh the merchant: The 'Seeds of Aahur' are no good. They won't grow at all!

What can I do about it?

Elarh the merchant: You must go to Lenele and ask Beelon how to make them grow.

Lenele has been destroyed.

Elarh the merchant: Don't trouble me with details. If you learn the secret of these seeds, I will reward you with 100,000 gold pieces.

So what Lenele is destroyed? I got a bag of cash if you get Beelon's corpse to divulge the secret of the seeds!



Kiva the priestess: These are names of cities built by the Khosani before the flood.

Show Kiva the map.

Kiva the priestess: You have found a fragment of an 'Ohmedilosi' or 'Map of cities'. These were made thousands of years ago. The map to which this piece belonged was of exceptional quality.

Ohmedilosi?

Kiva the priestess: The map would have a carving of each city placed in the tablet. Some Ohmedilosi had writing that described the city. These maps are treasured by the Khosani. We would offer you a great reward if you were to find the carvings of Umakil, Dehilos, and Muhul. Many of the Ohmedilosi were destroyed. Even the fragment you have is quite rare.



Quest of Rhukha?

Keeper of Lore: Rhukha fought the demons and captured them within the Rings. Thus, the Chaos came to an end. The fate of our hero, however, remains a mystery.

Give him the helm.

Keeper of Lore: This is the helm Rhukha wore on his quest of the Rings! You have returned it to Saanavarh! We are grateful for this gift, Sahugani! Please accept this magic bow in return.

Give him the sword.

Keeper of Lore: *The keepers eyes widen with astonishment as he examines the blade.* You have found the sword of Rhukha! Nothing in the vaults of Saanavarh is as precious as this! In our gratitude, let us give you these magic garments!

There was a third and final portion, however I completely missed it both times I went into Wolong cavern, there is another ghost down there that will tell a bit about Rhukha.



Saato the priestess: We have waited for thousands upon thousands of years. Our rites hold the stones together, but they have not returned our god to us. For some, the legend of the horn gives us hope.

Legend of the horn?

Saato the priestess: The legend says that the Khosani will leave Saanavarh and return to the ruins of their cities. Then, in the Valley of Ghosts, the Ulsadana shall sound the horn, and Vadagar will return. Those who have sought the horn have returned empty-handed, if they returned at all. Many have lost faith in the stories our elders once told. Few will even speak of the horn.

Where is the horn?

Saato the priestess: The horn was sounded last by Urath, god of the Sudani, and the blast sealed the prison of Laharah, the realm below Khosos we know as the Kingdom of the Dead. If we could find the portals to her infernal realm, we might find the hunting horn of Vadagar. If you hear even a whisper of the truth we seek, bring me news, and I will reward you.



I promise.

Athodi the priestess: A Khosani warrior who calls himself Haenul now leads a band of renegades. They have left Saanavarh and are hiding in the mountains.

A band of renegades?

Athodi the priestess: Haenul desires the death of all Sudani. He blames the people of Medeva for our starvation, the demons' liberation, and the loss of our past glory.

Well, I mean 1 and 2 are understandable, but 3? That's just looking for excuses.

Loss of past glory?

Athodi the priestess: Worst of all, Haenul has turned against the Ulsadana. He denounces her and the priesthood of Vadagar. He blames them for all the Khosani have suffered.

Tell me about Haenul.

Athodi the priestess: Haenul is strong. His followers have sworn to fight to the death for him. He might have become Guardian of the Stone Portal had he not rebelled.

What about his followers?

Athodi the priestess: They have raided villages near Saanavarh. They are brigands and thieves with no honor, but our warriors have failed to stop him. Our warriors are afraid of Haenul. They are too proud to ask for your help, and this is why no one else will speak of him. I am hopeful you can defeat him.

Defeat him?

Athodi the priestess: Haenul has stolen the gemstone of Eraekor. It belongs in Saanavarh. If you are victorious, return the gemstone to us, and we will be grateful.



Soundtrack - Ice Theme

We go for a little hunt after Haenul, it seems unlikely that the Khosani civilization will be destroyed at this point, so might as well get in a bit of symbolic slaughter while we can.

Every Ring of summoning has a secondary summon unlock after 60k experience is put into the ring.
The dragon rings give the more Final Fantasy style summons at 60k, while the Ring of Fire gives the Blood Elemental.
Overall, he is a bit squishy for what he brings to the table. I give him a 6.5/10
Though he has a great summon and desummon.



Joseph gets soaked in blood!



The Crimson Shamoo.



Thanks to the Rhukha quests we got both the Ring of Fire and the Ring of Jade above 60k xp. Let's toast some Khosani.







Pretty cool. But, I don't think we will be using him against Pyrul!



This map is neat. It goes all the way up to this high cliff in the snow down to the river and bridge below where we first arrived.



Haenul is the one unique Khosani warrior here. This was his final moment.



I expected something a little more impressive, oh well.



Athodi the priestess: The Ulsadana will be pleased to hear how the Sahugani helped the people of Saanavarh once again. You have slain Haenul and returned the gemstone of Eraekor.



Down we go to face Pyrul.

Soundtrack - Khosani Labyrinth



He really trashed the labyrinth. And it is absolutely filled with enemies now.



Burning Bone Knights.



More members of the salamanka family.



And a metric fuck ton of Khosani!



Finally, we reach the bottom where Pyrul is hiding though. Let's get our property back.

Soundtrack - Boss ~ Pyrul

















It is a good idea to beef up the magic and fire resist as much as you can for this fight as it is almost non-stop fire spells.



So, let's throw some water on his party with the water dragon!



I only use the dragon summons in the demon fights because I like the theme! Another side benefit of the water dragon is a wonderful full heal for the whole team!



He has fast sweeping area attacks and powerful spells, it's a good idea to have someone constantly running team heals throughout this fight.



And although the demons can't be tripped, they can still be backstabbed for a moderate chunk of health.