The Heart of the Hollows

Defeat some Trolls

I have watched your exploits inj teh Hollows for quite some time, Red Tomax. Yes. I know everythign that goes on in the Gollows. Almost everythign, that is. I have not yet been able to locate the mighty gateway that calls to all of magic blood. But rest assured, I will. The only thing standing oin my way is this cursed infestation of evil-doers. At the moment, the greatest threat is the Trolls' continued tunneling. Will you defeat some of their members, to show them that their kind is most unwelcome here?

The Trolls tunneling continues to destabilize Chery Hills and the area nearby. If the Trolls were to accidentaly expose teh gateway, it would be devastating. The Circle would descend like a knife.

Excellent. The Trolls have felt your might, and they have become afraid. Red Tomax, I believe you can do great things for the Hollows. I am sure I will have need of you again shortly.

Destroy the Trolls' Superadine

If you are willing to help, I have urgent work for you. The Trolls have been using a pair of local caves as storehouses for their Superadine shipments. If you could infiltrate their warrens and destroy that Superadine, it would put a quite a crimp in the Trolls' drug distribution ring. That means less violence in the Hollows, and a chance for me to finally locate that gateway. Will you help me?

The Trolls will not part with their narcotics easily. You have a long, hard battle ahread of you.

Empty Superadine ampoules litter the cavern floor.

Objective: You destroyed the Superadine.

Objective: You found a page from a strange diary!

Page from a strange diary

You found this scrap of paper while clearing out a Troll Superadine storehouse. It reads:

''Aga' means 'our'. I am sure of it. Day by day, I understand these minions of Igneous more intimately. They will not leave my dreams!'

Mission Complete: You have destroyed the Superadine in the first Troll base.

Moisture seeps from the cavern walls.

Objective: You destroyed the Superadine.

Objective: This diary was written by Sam Wincott!

Page from Sam Wincott's diary

This tattered diary is missing many pages. The last entry is dated one week ago, and reads:

'They're moving me again tomorrow. To another slave camp? I don't know why they've singled me out, but I'm determined not to let them frighten me.

Maybe it's the tension, but my dreams are getting stranger now. In them, I have deciphered another word from the strange language of the Igneous: 'Golapo'. I believe this is the name of their species.'

The passage is signed 'Sam Wincott'.

Mission Complete: You have destroyed the Trolls' Superadine.

It will take the Trolls some time to recoup their losses from today. That diary you found certainly is interesting. Didn't you tell me you were looking for a young man named Sam Wincott? We haven't found him, but at leats we know he's probably still alive. I'm sure that in itself will be quite a comfort to your old mentor, Lt. Wincott.

Defeat Igneous in Grendel's Gulch

Are you familiar with the creatures known as the minions of Igneous? They are most insidious. They disguise themselves as simple rocks, but when approached, they become fearsome monsters. I would like you to go out into Grendel's Gulch and defeat these creatures. The area is deadly enough without them.

Your Paragon City police are already fighting a war on two fronts in the Hollows. The Igneous creatures can only exacerbate that problem.

The Igneous are deadly creatures, never forget that. You have made great strides today, but it will be some time before the threat is truly contained.

Defeat the Trolls' leader, Atta

I have spent the morning at divination, Red Tomax, and I have uncovered a most valuable secret. I know where the Trolls' leader, Atta, makes his home. it is a cavern deep within the Hollows, where many of Atta's bravest Trolls dwell. If you can defeat Atta, the Trolls will have a hard time recovering.

Atta is one of th few Trolls with any reason remaining. For that reason, he is far more dealy than his brethren. I must recommend putting a strong team together before facing him.

In my mind, I have seen Atta's den, Red Tomax, and I must warn you. It is a death trap. Be ready for anything.

You sniff the air. Superadine, Troll sweat, and a burning scent you can't quite identify.

Objective: You found a badly burnt shoe.

Burnt shoe

Why the Trolls would keep a smelly, burnt shoe is a mystery to you. The leather has turned entirely black, and the rubber sole is melted.

Objective: You found a singed notebook.

Singed notebook

The Trolls seem to have found this notebook worth preserving. Most of the pages are gone, and the rest are blackened and charred. Only a name is still legible: Inglebert Maahs.

Mission Complete: You defeated Atta!

Atta's story

After you defeated Atta the Troll, he told you:

'Ok, ok. Yeah, we had boy. But, see we lost him. You heard of Circle? Scary magic dudes? They said they give us big magic in exchange for boy, but then they just take him! I no know what they wanted with him, but that's where he gone.'

Atta's loss is one the Trolls will feel for a long time, my friend. But if Sam Wincott really is in the Circle's hands, then we had better move quickly. I don't know what the circle wants with that young man, but I know they have only ne goal here in the Hollows: finding the Cavern of Transcendence. Perhaps they plan to use Sam Wincott in a dread ritual to uncover it's loacation.

Retrieve Sam Wincott

We need to move quickly on the information you got from the Trolls' leader, Atta. If Sam Wincott really is in the Circle's clutches, we've got to retrieve him at once. The Circle has been seeking the Cavern of Transcendence for years. It could be that, in Sam Wincott, they've found their key.

More than one person has died in the search for the gateway at the heart of the cavern. I'd hate to see Sam Wincott join their ranks.

Elegant bronze statues lend some elegence to these caverns.

Objective: One of the mages you defeated spat, 'Come for Sam Wincott, have you? Well, you're too late!'

The mage's story

One of the Circle mystics you defeated told you:

'From the moment Sam Wincott stepped into the Hollows, we could taste the magic in his blood. That's why we manipulated the Trolls into capturing him. Sam's magic blood keeps reaching out to all magical creatures around him. Creatures like the minions of Igneous. The entire time he's been here, he's been learning about their culture through his dreams. Eventually, he learned the gateway's location. It was then a simple matter to perform a ritual that would extract this secret from him.

But we didn't realize that the creatures would respond to his distress. We performed the ritual, we learned the secrets, but we lost the boy himself!'

Mission Complete: You defeated the Circle and learned the fate of Sam Wincott

Sam Wincott's story

After you rescued Sam Wincott, he told you:

'Those crazy mystics said they could sense the magic in my blood. They put me into some sort of wierd trance, and I drew all these crazy maps. That's what started this whole battle! I'm lucky to be alive!'

So, the Cricle used Sam Wincott's inherent magic abilities to uncover the location of the Cavern of Transcendence. This is bad, Red Tomax. This is awful! As we speak, the Circle is probably moving on the cavern. And Sam Wincott remains in the hands of the Igneous!

Go to Karsis

It was difficult, but I have managed to subvert the will of one of the Circle mystics. He will remain under my control long enough to guide you to the Cavern of Transcendence. Please go to him now, Red Tomax. He cannot harm you, though I expect he would wish to.

Do not be afraid of Karsis. He is under my control, at least for now.

Excellent. As I expceted, karsis is fully under my control. You will have to gather a full team if you expcet to enter the Cavern of Transcendence. But at least now you will have a guide.