Litany of the Dead Lore

[DarkDyer]

Greetings, fellow DDO players!

Yesterday, my Druid managed to finish Tear of Dhakaan, scrape herself out of The Pit, and delved into Insanity to retrieve The Xorian Cypher. These quests are easily on my list of favorites, both from atmosphere and lore perspectives.

Today, I decided to tackle Litany of the Dead (Part 2)... and I have a few questions for anyone knowledgeable about them.

First question. When I took on Litany of the Dead (Part 1), I got a general feel of the story line. Taking down some mummies, breaking some seals, stopping some paranoid Vampire with WAY too many coffins. But... I don't really understand why. I understand it has something to do with immortality, but that's about it.

Second question. The second part of Litany of the Dead is even worse! I get a quest telling me a tomb is flooded, so I go there. More mummies? Who are these Shadow Guard, Shadow Lord people?

I feel like there must have been some sort of slip up during a previous update, because I am quite confused. Could someone please enlighten me to the lore behind these chains?

Thanks in advance.

[Sierim]

My understanding of the series is this:

EDIT: How did I forget the books? Anyway, Chi Ryu's description is far better and more accurate.


The Black Abbot has three vampire underlings in charge of protecting three altars, each connected to his ritual of ascension. The Emerald Claw and Silver Flame are both concerned about whatever the Black Abbot is planning, and thus give you a nugget tied to their respective deities to draw power away from the Black Abbot. Even if draining power from these altars isn't enough to stop the Black Abbot, perhaps your interference can delay his ascension for a time. All you have to do is place the nugget correctly on the altar.

Of course, as you've already noted, getting inside the crypts is anything but simple. Each crypt is protected by four seals in separate tombs, and these seals are guarded by a mummy that serves the vampire of the connected crypt. Only by killing the mummies and breaking these seals can you gain entrance to the crypt, which itself will contain additional seals protecting the altar within to stop any adventurer lucky enough to break the tombs' seals.

The Shadow Lord, Guard, Knight, and King are four entities who once guarded the second set of tombs in the Necropolis. After the Abbot overtook their tombs, they contacted the Emerald Claw to help them reclaim them. Why they asked the Emerald Claw is unclear; perhaps it is because the Silver Flame would be unlikely to work with the undead, but I digress. In any case, they meet you at the start of each quest and provide you with advice on getting through their tombs to remove the mummies placed inside, thus cleansing them. Unsurprisingly, these tombs are filled with shadows, creatures that transform anyone killed by them into shadows themselves. This may be how the Shadow Lord, Guard, Knight, and King gained their current forms.

If you'd like more information, I'd be happy to expand on this however I can.

[Chi_Ryu]

I feel like there must have been some sort of slip up during a previous update, because I am quite confused. Could someone please enlighten me to the lore behind these chains?

Thanks in advance.

It has been broken since Module 5, when Litany 3 and Orchard came out. I'd really love for it to be fixed, but am probably in the minority I made a thread about it a while back.

The original release notes (Module 2 patch 1, module 3 patch 2 and module 5) might help you to get a feel for the lore:

Litany I:
"Several centuries ago, a splinter group of the Blood of Vol settled near where Stormreach lies today. The leader of the group had great aspirations, and after following in Vol's footsteps and becoming a lich, he craved even more power and set out to become a god.

He recruited three vampire friars to write a sacred text for him, The Litany of the Dead. Each vampire would be responsible for a third of the book, The Heretical Path, The Twisted Apocrypha, and The Black Prophecy.

When all three works are finished and combined, the lich will arise from his rest and ascend to godhood. The first crypt opens now..."

Litany II:

"Several months ago the gates to the Blood Crypt opened and daring adventurers recovered The Heretical Path from the grasp of the vampire Brother Salasso. As a new moon rises over the hills of the Necropolis, Brother Nerezza, the second of the prophets, pens the final verses of The Twisted Apocrypha. The gates to the Shadow Crypt are preparing to open.

In addition to the Black Prophets, the Abbot has a council of four wise and intelligent mortals, chosen from each of the castes of society. These men advise the Abbot on how he may best infiltrate society and increase the scope and power of his cult. As part of their agreement to help him, the Abbot agreed to grant them eternal life by making them an unholy combination of wraiths and shadows. For centuries the Shadow Council has plotted, conspired and carried out plans to increase the size and power of the Abbot's humanoid cult. They are very clever, intelligent beings, who prefer mind games and subterfuge over straight out hack and slash combat.

With the arrival of the Silver Flame and Emerald Claw, and the loss of the Heretical Path, the Shadow Council has been very busy and active. Their intelligence network has discovered that Dame Calla Swiftmare is more powerful than even the lich realized. Research has uncovered that she may be able to restore the members of the Shadow Council to their former mortal selves. After centuries of servitude, they are now prepared to take that chance.

The members of the Shadow Council have agreed to open the gates of their tombs and provide players assistance in deciphering and solving the puzzles necessary to access and defeat the mummy guardians. With the guardians defeated, the Shadow Crypt will open. The council is bound to service as long as the Brother of Shadow, Nerezza, exists. Dame Calla has agreed to stand before the Black Prophet with the council, defeat the vampire, and free the Shadow Council from its bonds. Once that happens, the council will provide Swiftmare with vital details in defeating the cult and the Black Abbot.

Tomb of the Shadow Guard
Being the lowest ranking of the Black Abbot's Shadow Council, the Shadow Guard's tomb was allowed to fall into disrepair. When the Necropolis was hit with an earthquake several decades ago, all of the tombs were repaired, except for the Shadow Guard's. The quake shook and split the foundation, and revealed an underground river that flows beneath the Shadow Guard's Tomb. Additionally, the quake caused many of the hallways and floors to collapse. Advancing through the tomb will require getting a little wet.

Tomb of the Shadow Knight
The Shadow Knight is the second lowest ranking member of the Shadow Council. When the council requires someone to go out into the field, the Knight is often the one sent, due to his impressive combat abilities. As such, the Shadow Knight is not often in his tomb and available to guard the mummy, so he shares this place with the Shadow Rogue, a creature who isn't actually a shadow but something just as insidious. The obvious is very rarely the safest.

Tomb of the Shadow King
The Shadow King is the second ranked member of the Shadow Council. He serves the Abbot without question, but often thinks back on his previous life. He prefers to do so in complete darkness, thus the residents of his tomb have become very powerful while lurking in the shadows. The vampire's guardian also only awakens when the tomb is pitch-black. The mummy guardian has become quite powerful in the darkness, and in fact under the King's tutelage, is invulnerable while cloaked in shadow. Only a bright blast of intense light renders him vulnerable

Tomb of the Shadow Lord
The Shadow Lord is the leader of the Shadow Council. Taken from the highest ranks of Sharn's elite houses millennia ago, he is cunning, ruthless and insidious. His tomb has been designed as a playground for shadows. Creatures of a corporeal nature will find themselves forced to split up, then only moments later be looking at each other through the bars that segment this tomb.

Shadow Crypt
The Shadow Crypt is the residence of Brother Nerezza, who has been busy working on the Twisted Apocrypha. Nerezza has a soft spot in his blackened heart for tricks and games. His crypt has been built with this especially in mind. Not many details are known about the Shadow Crypt; only that it stretches and tests the sanity of even the most seasoned adventurer. The Twisted Apocrypha lies at the bottom of this crypt. Recovering it is of the highest priority."

Litany III and IV:
"As the gates of death open, the Black Abbot beckons Stormreach's finest to witness the birth of a god. The hour of ascension is upon us! Can Eberron's newest deity be defeated?"

[DarkDyer]

Thank you very much for the explanations!

I have been playing this game since around Update 1 or 2. I had no idea the chains had been broken since before I started! I agree with the fact that there should definitely be a definite quest chain to start each series. While I do enjoy the quests very much, I felt like they were missing the sort of kick that I find with other quests. A good example of what I believe is a very well done series would be the Vault of Night quest pack. That one sucks you in and immerses you well.

The biggest thing that sticks out is the Shadow Council. Your explanation makes so much more sense! It's been a while since I played "The Shadow Crypt" but I could have sworn you had to kill the Shadow Council before you got to Brother Nerezza. Why do we end up having to kill them in the end?

I think I need to do some research into The Silver Flame vs The Emerald Claw. I'm not 100% sure about their lore, except that The Emerald Claw are pretty... rude.

Again, thank you for your time and information.

[Chi_Ryu]

You are very welcome.

The biggest thing that sticks out is the Shadow Council. Your explanation makes so much more sense! It's been a while since I played "The Shadow Crypt" but I could have sworn you had to kill the Shadow Council before you got to Brother Nerezza. Why do we end up having to kill them in the end?

I think I need to do some research into The Silver Flame vs The Emerald Claw. I'm not 100% sure about their lore, except that The Emerald Claw are pretty... rude.

The Emerald Claw are the paramilitary wing of The Blood of Vol (a sect revering Erandis Vol, who are natural foes to The Silver Flame). The two groups are typically hostile to each other, so it is very odd to see them working together.

The two camps in Necropolis were originally led by Dame Calla Swiftmare (The Argent Fist) and Kai-Teng Fairuza. In Necro II, both these were approached by the Shadow Council who hinted that they would help them access and confront Nerezza if they would set them free afterwards. There was more about this in her journal that used to be on the website:
http://m.ddowiki.com/page/Dame_Calla...alla_Swiftmare

Dame Calla went into the crypt and never came back. When our party meet her at the start of "The Shadow Crypt" she explains:

"Thank the gods you've come. The Shadow Council turned on me as soon as we entered this place. I tried to outrun them, but ended up back here, I don't know how."

This suggested that they had betrayed her and were still loyal to Nerezza and the Black Abbot. This was further confirmed when you reach the end, and unlock the levers and then the council tell you:


"Shadow Knight: Ahh, gentleman. I do believe our guests have arrived.
Shadow Lord: I do believe you are correct. Welcome to our meeting room.
Shadow Guard: Nerezza is expecting you, but asked us to make sure you felt at home first.
Shadow King: We told you that he bound us, actually, it's the opposite. While we live, he cannot die.
Shadow Lord: Now now gentleman. Calm down. I doubt they'll make it past her anyway. Oh, here she comes now.
Spectre of Calla: My new Master says you must die."

[DarkDyer]

First of all, sorry for the late reply!

Second, I didn't even notice that was Dame Calla until today when I did The Shadow Crypt. I was scratching my head and wondering why the Shadow Council was taunting me. Then I destroyed their Wraith forms, and it all made much more sense!

Thank you again for the explanation. I'm going to take some time to read the Journal entry on the wiki.