The War Within Alpha - The Ringing Deeps Main Story Quest Preview

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The War Within Alpha - The Ringing Deeps Main Story Quest Preview
Today we are looking at the main story quest for the Ringing Deeps. Keep in mind this quest chain is missing context and will likely change over time. MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!

By Candlelight

• After taking the Coreway down from Dornogal, you and Speaker Brinthe meet some Machine Speakers at the entrance to the Ringing Deeps. She notices that the Nerubians have destroyed much of the location and wonders if the High Speaker is aware of this development.
• Brinthe decides to lend your aid to helping get Ironhaul Station back up and running. Foreman Uzjax, the Machine Speaker in charge at the location, suggests you move an overturned mine cart blocking the station's main junction.
• Upon investigating the blockage you find a Skardyn is responsible. Brinthe is concerned that the corrupted earthen have made their way down here, but Foreman Uzjax tells her to disregard it. Brinthe thanks you for aiding the Machine Speakers, but whispers that you should tread carefully as they are loyal to the "powers that be."
• Brinthe remarks that they need to find the High Speaker. He sent her to the surface because she was "reasonable." Therefore, she believes she might be able to reason with him to help do something about the Nerubian presence here. She asks you to meet her in the Machine Speaker city of Gundargaz further in the zone.
• Before you can head off, Magni, Moira, and Dagran arrive. Furthermore, the High Speaker appears before you. Brinthe introduces him, but he is pompous and indifferent to your presence. With nothing else to do, you continue to Gundargaz.
• You reconvene inside a building where Brinthe laments the failed encounter with the High Speaker. She says he seems distracted and obsessed. She suggests dealing with the challenges facing the Ringing Deeps to convince the Machine Speakers to turn their attention to help against the Nerubians.
• Brinthe grew up in Gundargaz, but says it has changed a lot since she left. She has you accompany her as she talks to some of the locals. You find out that they are losing a lot of their population, have stopped receiving shipments from a place called Taelloch, and are being pestered by Kobold raids.
• Back in Brinthe's house, you discuss your next steps. The Machine Keepers here maintained an Awakening Machine that recharges the Earthen, but it has been broken for a millennia. Because of this, the Earthen population has been dwindling.
• They used to have a mining operation northeast of the city, but kobolds have overtaken it. With the High Speaker ignoring the situation, it is up to us to fix the problems.
• After telling Machine Keepers of our intentions, we discover a kobold named Skitter shackled near the entrance of the mines. He is shouting that the Candle King is crazy and forcing the kobolds into war, but many want peace. Brinthe thinks this might present an opportunity.
• To deal with the kobolds, Skitter suggests you steal candles from the King to make him look weak. You enter the mines to deal with the threat.
• After lowering the hostile kobold numbers, stealing candles, and identifying some dead Earthen, you then are told to get a key from Cogchewer, the Candle King's muscle here. You also need to destroy the rigs he stole.
• You enter the mines and complete the tasks, then use the key to free Skitter. Brinthe then has you go unlock the gates to the Lost Mines so that you can retake it from the Candle King.
• Upon unlocking the gate, the Candle King interrupts you. He says he is aware of what you are doing and has his assistant Snootsnout summon a fire elemental to deal with you. He then retreats into the Lost Mines.
• There is now a fire shield blocking the entrance to the mines. Skitter says that before they came here, the kobolds lived in a city called the Warrens. He suggests you convince them to turn against the Candle King by distributing pamphlets around the Warrens from the air.
• Brinthe and Skitter set up camp outside of the Warrens while you do as instructed. You then must free some oppressed kobolds while collecting scrap.
• Finally, you must take out Torchsnarl and ruin some wax pots. Torchsnarl runs away crying before you defeat him.
• Next, Skitter suggests you steal the Candle Crown from the Darkflame Cleft. This is an ancient relic and a symbol of hope to the kobolds. The Candle King threw it away in favor of a new prize called the Darkflame Candle.
• This puts you in a Delve scenario where you infiltrate the Darkflame Cleft to retrieve the Candle Crown. After doing so, you give it to Skitter to help persuade his people. Brinthe laments not being able to stop the Candle King but hopes some of the kobolds can make a home in her city. Skitter also acknowledges that they have become friends, which is helpful.

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Dark Revelations

• Back in Gundargaz, High Speaker Eirich has finally decided to address his people. While the crowds have gathered, Moira suggests convincing the Machine Speakers to air their grievances. You do so, but Eirich has excuses for every problem.
• Brinthe now suggests we turn our attention to Taelloch. The town is responsible for ore production but hasn't sent a shipment in weeks and the foreman there has disappeared. Furthermore, the High Speaker is discouraging anyone from traveling there. Moira returns to Dornogal to tell the council what is happening, while Magni decides to join you.
• Upon arrival, you find Magni and Dagran tending to a fallen Machine Speaker. He says there are beasts inside before shutting down.
• The entrance to Taelloch is filled with deepflayers and other wildlife that we need to kill. We then enter the foreman's office with Magni and Dagran.
• You investigate the site until you hear someone shouting from a building. Upon breaking in you witness an earthen transforming into a corrupted Skardyn. After defeating it, the entire city becomes filled with more. Magni knows the void is involved in the transformation, and we decide to deal with the threat.
• You defeat Skardyn while searching for clues to their presence, finding tablets where the Foreman, Kol Brunkrag, claims she has met with the High Speaker and has been altered, perhaps even chosen.
• Other clues put together the story. Foreman Kol Brunkrag and her earthen fought off Skardyn coming from the Halls of Awakening only to start hearing the ringing music which eventually corrupted them. Something stirs in the deepest caverns, and the foreman locked it away there before succumbing to the ringing.
• You enter the mentioned cave and destroy the blockage to find the foreman turned into a void monstrosity. Sadly, you must kill her.
• You recover her memory shard and access it to reveal that High Speaker Eirich was convinced by Xal'atath to use an artifact to repair the Awakening Machine. Xal'atath claims the machine will become perfect and the Machine Keepers suffering will end. They will be improved.
• The foreman knew what happened, but couldn't warn anyone before transforming, so she trapped herself down here before she could cause any damage.
• You take this information back to Speaker Brinthe in Gundargaz. She says we must stop the High Speaker before he uses the artifact.

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The Monster and the Machine

• You meet Brinthe at the Earthenworks to find Moira has returned with Adelgonn and some Earthen troops to help stop the High Speaker from making more Skardyn.
• You defeat corrupted earthen while looking for a foreman to give you the access key to the Hall of Awakening. Most of them have become corrupted, but you find Foreman Uzjax hidden in a building. He is becoming corrupted but still has enough will to give you his access key.
• You return to Moira and she brings down a protective shield around Supervisor Varric, the one in charge of the Skardyn here. You then fly up to him.
• He tries to flee in his ironstrider before you defeat him, but you throw him from the flying vehicle before it crashes.
• After using the machine to defend yourself from forces protecting the Halls of Awakening, you enter it with Magni, Moira, and Dagran. Speaker Brinthe has already gone inside. This starts a scenario.
• You break through all Eirich's defenses and confront him at the Awakening Machine. There is a cutscene here that is not implemented where the High Speaker flees and Magni uses his body to stop the artifact from corrupting the machine.
• In the process, he is cleansed of his diamond form and becomes his old dwarven self again, greeting the new earthen that awaken from the fixed machine.
• Back in Gundargaz, Magni is no longer crystal. He and Moira suggest Brinthe take over as High Speaker, and she accepts the role., ending the main story of the Ringing Deeps.

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