by Darkgolem on Dec 22, 2006
By
Darkgolem
The Second Fire Caves quest, Brood
of Flame, is an excellent quest, and the first "fire creature" quest
found that players experience with their characters at lower
levels. Set in Three Barrel Cove, it is a follow up to the quest
"The Stones Run Red" The Brood of Flame is the second of the Fire
Caves quest chain, the heroes returning to the fire caves after
defeating high shaman Mak-Murung, who worshipped the legendary dragon
below, Khyber. Mak-Murung had summoned some fire creatures before
being dispatched by the heroes, and now the fire creatures are
summoning more of their kind from the plane of fire, Fernia.
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Replete with creatures of fire, fire
resistance (and perhaps protection) is a must in this quest. Not
only are the fire caves awash with mephits, hell hounds and fire
elementals, the majority of the caves have narrow walkways in many
places, most placed above lakes of lava. Beautiful, but deadly.
Again, it's very good to have
a rogue, for the only shrines in this quest have locked doors barring
them (though who exactly it is that walked back into the caves and
locked them since the heroes last left is an interesting
question). Jump is useful, because there are areas where jumping
from stepping stones over lava; and up ledges and similar obstructions,
is nescessary. An organized party that thinks before it moves is
the most important ingredient for success here, the foolhardy almost
always die a hot, burning death, usually bringing their companions with
them.
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album22&id=Map_Brood_of_Flame&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
alt="Map of Fire Caves"
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size="-1">The fire caves are best divided into 3 sections.
The entrance starts with a short tunnel which leads to a large lava
filled chamber. The party of adventurers will arrive at the top
portion of this chamber, with a bridge crossing across the chamber to a
large distant platform. There are 5 fire mephits here, and note
they are hard to see because they are sneaky. At the far side of
this platform is a lever which must be pulled. Another bridge of
stone crosses from this platform to another side of the gigantic
entrance area. The side of the cavern (at the end of the 2nd
bridge) has a small series of stone steps leading up into a room on the
side of the entrance chamber.
A chest is well concealed below the pathways, in an area only reached
by extensive wading in the lava. It is located on the far east of
the lava lake here, on a small stone platform.
This room is reached from the steps by a
narrow opening, and the side room has a
size="-1"> large fire elemental which must be defeated, along with a
few fire mephits. The fire elemental uses fireball, and because of the
narrow opening at the top of trecherous steps, it can be very difficult
to win this combat without cautious planning.
size="-1"> After defeating the fire creatures, pull the switch on the
far side of the room. Proceed through the
opening near this switch up to another room. Once in this room,
look for a opening in the room wall (not the one you came in from)
which looks down upon the giant entrance chamber. Take a leap of
faith and carefully step out of this opening, you will fall a short
distance to a flat plat platform which exits the entrance area through
a (now open) doorway.
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alt="The Hidden Lava Chest"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album22/Lava_Chest.sized.jpg"
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The middle area of the fire caves consists of an
entrance to the far area of the fire caves (found to the right once you
enter the middle area), and the lava hallway (found forward and down,
once you enter the middle area). The lava hallway starts in a
large lava filled pit directly past the entrance to the middle
area.
Step down and forward and turn right along a natural staircase leading
down to the lava. Forward and left is a shrine, which can be
reached by jumping from stepping stones in the lava. The end of
the stepping stones; the entrance to the shrine, is blocked by a locked
door. A rogue can unlock this door and open it. This shrine
is perilous to use because of the lava jumping that needs to be used to
reach it.
Often, death at low levels is caused by
the necessary movement around lava, and it is a good idea to have a
single rogue with fire protection or resistance, unlock and open this
door, so ghosts can later run into it without anyone who wishes to
avoid this shrine (because they don't need it) having to go to and
unlock this door.
Forward and to the right from the lava pit
leads to the lava hallway proper. This hallway leads forward to
an intersection, where one sees a large fire elemental. Right and
left in this hallway are levers which must be pulled to continue to the
far area of the fire caves. Unfortunately, these side hallways
have fire mephits, who will attack when the fire elemental does,
leading to a very fiery encounter. Be prepared by placing a
warrior or two with fire protections in front, and have the remaining
party behind providing ranged support and healing.
Past the elementals and mephits, after flipping the two switches, is a
lava chamber. Out of sight in the lava chamber is a second
chest.
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alt="End of the Lava Hallway"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album22/At_The_End_Of_The_Lava_Hallway.sized.jpg"
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Afterwards, return back to the top of the lava area and prepare for the
last portion of the quest. Two elementals down, one to go.
The final area of the Fire Caves is a set of
three hallways. The short winding tunnel to this intersection of
hallways has four hell hounds. One hallway leads to the right to
a locked shrine. Best to open this now, to
have available later. One leads straight ahead to a lower
platform. Several mephits, including greater fire mephits, are found in
the hallway leading to this platform, along with some more hell
hounds. Similar tactics as used before for these creatures work
well enough, often pulling them back to the doorway at the intersection
closes them up into close enough an area to use area spells. The
platform, above a lake of lava, at the end of the hallway has the last
large fire elemental, and again beware it's fireballs.
If you should be unfortunate enough to drop into the lava (and
survive) you can reach this ledge by swimming to a low stone series of
steps which return to this altar from below, allowing you to return to
the intersection. The left tunnel from the intersection leads
down to another series of natural stone bridges crossing a gigantic
lava chamber (the same one mentioned in the previous paragraph).
A single hell hound is in this hallway.
This large chamber is empty aside from a few fire mephits. Upon
defeating them, cross (carefully) to the far side of the chamber to
reach a chest (in the first quest, this is the location you found the
high shaman). Remember to watch your footing, some of the
pathways are narrow and have gaps leading to a death in lava without
protections if your not cautious. On the far ledge, a way leads
up (with jumping) to an exit, if you should chose to use that method
rather than just finishing out.
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