As many of you know Death's Sting, in Gemstone IV, refers to the unpleasant after effects of death and resurrection. These affects can be viewed here [1] for those that are unfamiliar. These complications can be mitigated with special potions purchased from the wandering Priestess in each town. However, they can be expensive at higher levels and you will require many of them if you happen to decay or die without deeds.
Thankfully, there is another way to obtain these potions. When Death's Sting was introduced a new "quest" was added as well. This quest, when properly completed, will provide you with a means to acquire several potions free of charge. Unfortunately the in-game lore about this quest is very subtle and not easy to come by. Very few people seem to know the full process by which the quest is completed though many have stumbled onto parts.
While [2] contains a wealth of information about the Death's Sting Quest, the author admits the work is not a walkthrough and I had some sticking points while trying to puzzle through it. This work is intended as a complete walkthrough and will provide every bit of information I have been able to uncover. Be aware this will contain full spoilers and if you are someone who would prefer to figure things out on your own you should stop reading now.
The Priestess In each town there is a priestess whom you can purchase death's sting potions from. If carefully questioned she gives a few hints into the mystery of the quest.
A dark-haired half-elven priestess The priestess is clad in a long robe, dyed in a pattern of green and brown. Her eyes seem gentle, yet piercing. Around her neck, you notice a symbol of Imaera.
ask priest about dragon The priestess says, "You see but an illusion. Look beyond that which you wish to believe."
ask priest about wisp The priestess says, "Pray for them, sir. Please do."
ask priest about tonic/potion The priestess says, "My Lady's tonic is quite excellent. It is made of the hornet's jelly and a variety of other ingredients. I hear it does wonders for the recently revived." She adds, "I could probably get you some, if you wish it so."
ask priest about hornet The priestess says, "I'm not sure where to find hornets around here, but I am certain they are nearby."
ask priest about residue The priestess says, "The residue is of the hornet's jelly. It is a necessary ingredient in my Lady's tonic, and quite rare. Bring me some, and I'll mix you a potion at no cost."
ask priestess about cost The priestess says, "Dear sir, if you would be so good as to bring me some residue from the hornet's nest, I would make my Lady's tonic for you at no cost. If not, I suppose I could give you one for a small donation of 8800 silver?"
ask priestess about notes The priestess says, "My Lady prefers donations of silver. Paper is of no use to us-- that is-- her."
The Dwarf on Imaera's Path
Following the breadcrumbs from the priestess of Imaera might eventually lead you to Imaera's Path (WL - Trollfang map). Here you will find a unique structure and also a peculiar dwarf.
a red-headed dwarf The dwarf's hair is flaming red, with a double-plaited beard that goes down to his knees. Clumps of dirt cling to the braids, and small white flowers grow out of it in patches. His rumpled brown robes are embroidered in black and gold about the hems, and he smells a bit like old tobacco. A golden anvil hangs off a veil iron chain around his neck. He is holding a silver flask in his hand.
ask dwarf about dragon Mithka says, "He seems hungry all the time. Maybe he needs to eat something?"
ask dwarf about gnoll The red-headed dwarf says, "Aw, they're harmless enough. Dumb as a lump of ore, but it's not their fault."
ask dwarf about hut The red-headed dwarf says, "Nice place, ain't it? Gnolls do good work."
ask dwarf about mithka The red-headed dwarf points to his chest. "That's me."
ask dwarf about wisp Mithka says, "Wisps? You mean little glowing lights? Come in a variety of colors?" He winks. "Oh yeah...I seen 'em. Perty, ain't they?"
The Crystal Spire
A couple rooms away from the dwarf is the crystal spire and it provides our next hint along with the dwarfs obvious fascination with gnolls.
[Crystal Room] Crafted from rich oak and maple woods, this rickety dome-shaped structure seems even more enormous from the inside. Anchored on the floor in the center of the structure is a twisted crystal spire that stretches skywards, through a large hole cut in the ceiling. Surrounding the base of the spire is an ornate wooden bin etched with a golden anvil. You also see a small rounded door. Obvious exits: out
l spire Smooth and flawless, this spire appears to have been formed from a single translucent crystal of some unknown type. Extending far above your head, the top half of the crystal spire is perfectly straight, tapering slightly as it approaches the apex of the dome. The lower half has been spun around in a tight and somewhat irregular spiral.
l bin This ornate wooden bin has been built around the entire circumference of the crystal spire. Instead of having one large repository, the bin has had several holes carved in to it, each able to hold a small cyclindrical object. On the side of the bin is a detailed etching depicting a golden anvil.
l in bin All of the bin's holes are empty.
We'll come back to this!
The Crystal Mine
The Crystal Mine is located inside cavernhold. You will need to be able to get past two locked doors (one -35 and the other - 135) in order to access it. SuppaHobbitMage on the GS Players Corner provided these exact directions to get to the mines:
Once you search out the door to the entrance, it's really easy. Pick the door (I think a -130 lock), then, once inside the door:
go north (don't stay in the entrance room, the sand shifts and you can fall into a pit and randomly lose items on your person - I lost an 8x runestaff that way) north east southeast southeast (you will get random arrow shots in this room if you are not hidden or invisible) go bridge (again, random arrows unless hidden or invisible) go stair northwest (you'll need to pick the door here, it's hidden. -125 lock) Open door, go door west northwest north north northeast north north north go recess go bridge southwest northwest
[Cavernhold, Crystal Mine] The crystals sprouting from the far wall of this sprawling cavern give off a light of their own in a shifting rainbow of color. Drops fall in a quick, steady pace from the top of the cavern and land in a very deep puddle below the wall. The path leading towards the crystals has been well-worn by many gnollish feet. You also see a gnoll miner and a large crank attached to a heavy water wheel that pours out into a raised trough. Obvious exits: southeast
A gnoll miner approaches the puddle, but stops at its edge and stares at the crystals with longing.
l wall The wall stretches at least ten feet up and twice again as much across. The rainbow crystals here are pretty but of little real value, though the gnolls seem to mine them with care and precision.
A large drop of water splashes loudly into the puddle, its loud *PLOP* echoing throughout the cavern.
You tap a very deep puddle.
turn crank You push on the crank, grasping it with both hands, and it slowly begins to turn. The water wheel to which it is attached rotates with it, sending water trickling down the trough. Roundtime: 10 sec.
(Note: This was done SEVERAL times to get to the next point)
You tap a deep puddle.
You push on the crank, grasping it with both hands, and it quickly begins to turn. The water wheel to which it is attached turns with it, sending water shooting down the trough. Roundtime: 10 sec.
You tap a large puddle.
(Note: Much more turning)
You tap a small puddle.
The gnoll miner carefully picks away at the crystal wall for several moments before uncovering a small rainbow crystal. He seems delighted with his find and gingerly places the crystal in his shoulder pack.
From here the gnolls make a short trip up to Imaera's Path and to that Bin we looked at earlier.
The gnoll miner carefully removes some rainbow crystals from his shoulder pack and meticulously dusts them off before carefully placing them in the bin.
A gnoll miner gazes up, eyes closed, and mutters a few quiet words of prayer before heading out.
The miners seem to carry 6 crystals each and the bin fills at 30 crystals. You can kill the miners and take the crystals to drop in yourself but it strikes me as a very evil act. For the most part the gnolls will not attack you if you do not attack them.
l in bin There are thirty crystals in the ornate wooden bin. > A gnoll miner approaches the ornate wooden bin. He looks confused and, after a few moments, steps away from it and heads out.
The Trees and the Lens
Once you feed the dragon he will vanish and re-appear atop the Crystal Spire. If there are crystals in the bin the following will happen:
An inky darkness starts to gather around the base of the crystal spire.
The gathering darkness around the base of the crystal spire suddenly swirls into a whirlwind that climbs up the spire and out of the hole in the roof. It appears to be drawn to a shadowy dragon hovering high above the structure.
The swirling darkness issuing from the spire continues to expand until it fills the hole in the roof above you.
The swirling darkness issuing from the spire fills the hole in the roof above you. Occasionally you can see what appear to be small wisps of light swirling in the darkness above you.
One by one, the wisps circling the top of the spiral break free of their pattern and quickly skim down the side of the crystal spire. As they reach the bottom, they vanish into the base of the spire.
The crystals in an ornate wooden bin begin to glow faintly as the wisps trickle down the length of the spire.
As more wisps are absorbed by the spire, the collection of crystals glows more brightly, and the spire begins to emit a low droning hum.
The crystals in the ornate wooden bin begin to develop hairline fractures across each surface.
As the last few wisps float down along the spire, the crystals begin to rattle around inside the bin, and the spire's hum grows increasingly louder and deeper, until you are not so much hearing as feeling it. The facets of the crystals appear to be peeling up at the edges, like parchment in a fire.
The spire suddenly begins to glow with a heatless light that threatens to blind you! As the crystals in the ornate wooden bin suddenly fade away, the light rushes up through the spire, gathering at the top in a brilliant amorphous cluster of energy before streaking off to the east in a blue-white beam.
As you blink away the afterimage, the droning hum rapidly fades into nothing, leaving a conspicuous silence and a ornate wooden bin which is noticeably less full than it was a moment ago.
Following the beam off to the east you will find a grove of trees and a conspicuous Lens down a footpath off of the Tree Spirit area in Danjirland.
[Tree Grove] The trees seem more carefully placed within this pocket of forest. Lush and resilient against the encroaching cold of Glatoph, they bring a welcome warmth to the wood. You also see a faint footpath. Obvious paths: up
[Above the Grove] The trees part to form a pocket opening on the hill just above the grove. Underbrush creeps into the path fullfilling nature's effort to erase the presense of past visitors. Situated at the edge of the overlook is a large grey pedestal with a massive lens mounted on it. A tall steel lever protrudes from the pedestal to the left of the lens, and a short grey mithril crank rises up on its right. Obvious paths: down
l ped You see nothing particularly unusual about the grey pedestal. Perhaps you want to look at the massive lens instead.
l lens A thick mithril pole rises almost a dozen feet above the wide circular pedestal which forms its base. Affixed to the top of the pole is a slightly concave lens, wider than a halfling's armspan. The view through the lens is of the scenery behind it, but images appear slightly brighter and livelier than they otherwise might.
To the right of the pole, a short grey mithril crank rises out of the pedestal, placed inconveniently close to the ground. On the side of the pole opposite the crank is a tall steel lever. Attached to the front of the pole is a concentric pair of shiny mithril disks, each marked with a series of numbers just inside its circumference.
The lens is currently aimed directly at the first tree in the center row of trees.
push lever You strain against the lever, and the lens tilts forward in its bracket ever so slightly.
The lens is now aimed directly at the second tree in the center row of trees.
pull lever You give the lever a tug, and the lens tilts back in its bracket.
The lens is now aimed directly at the first tree in the center row of trees.
l disk Affixed to the front of a large mithril pole, these shiny mithril disks are engraved along their edges with differing series of sequential numbers. A pair of thin rods frame whichever number is currently at the top of each disk.
The outer disk ranges from -30 to 30, and is currently set to 5. The inner disk ranges from 20 to 40, and is currently set to 20.
Turning the crank left or right adjusts the row of trees that the lens is pointed at, while pushing and pulling the level sets which tree in the row it points to. There are 5 rows of 5 trees. These most likely correspond in some way to which mound gets used (more on this later) but more study needs to be done.
When you feed the dragon and have crystals in the bin and have the lens properly pointed directly at a tree the beam of light will hit the Lens and then through to the tree:
Without warning, a thick beam of blue-white light blasts out of the western sky! The beam strikes the lens, which focuses it directly onto one of the trees nearby!
As your eyes blink away the beam's afterimage, a large pale flower on the tree's trunk suddenly begins to twitch. Moments later, the flower peels rapidly open, revealing a myriad of colors and a large green stamen on the inside.
A large wasp comes buzzing in and hovers near one of the trees. It grabs a flower stamen and casually buzzes away.
The Dragon and the Wisps Anyone who's ever hunted the Wehnimer's Landing graveyard has probably noticed the Shadowy Dragon flying around. You may also have noticed a strange altar just northeast of the entrance that Stormfront suggests you PRAY at. The priestess did tell us to PRAY for the wisps.
l dragon The shadowy dragon appears at once both indistinct and yet very solid, there is undoubtedly power in its inky black eyes. Wisps of light occasionally seem to shine through its scales momentarily only to be quickly swallowed in shadow. Its massive wings appear to keep it aloft with hardly any movement.
[Graveyard] The crypt casts fell shadows that block out any bleak light imparted by the heavens. They also seem to absorb all sounds and signs of life. The rough stone walls that enclose the graveyard stretch far to the northeast, sheltering the irregular rows of burial sites from unwanted intrusions. You also see a black altar. Obvious paths: north, southwest
pray You kneel down and begin your prayers.
For a moment, faint luminescence surrounds the altar. A flickering green wisp blinks into existence and flits about the area.
It's been suggested the dragon was hungry but no one knows what he eats:
Seeing the green wisp, the shadowy dragon circles once and enters a steep dive opening its mouth as rushes towards the ground. The gaping maw appears large enough to swallow a barn whole. When it seems impossible that the massive creature could pull out of the dive it suddenly banks its wings and swallows the green wisp passing just above your head.
Note: The dragon takes quite a bit of time to appear after you summon the wisps and will require a great deal of feeding. If you don't keep a constant supply of wisps he will fly around the crypt looking for more. It is much faster to keep feeding him yourself and keep him in that one spot. You will know when he's done eating by this message:
A flickering light issues forth from between the gaps of the teeth of the shadowy dragon and then runs along the entire length of the dragon. As the light works its way back to the mouth from the tail it begins to grow brighter and seems to obliterate the shadowy dragon as it progresses along the body. When it reaches the mouth, there is nothing left of the shadowy dragon.
Mounds and Acorns