Ardin Voss
Quest giver: Brittany Marginsong — Status: Complete
Summary
After an awkward situation involving Rowan Hearthwell’s journal left the party’s reputation in Eastguard bruised, Brittany Marginsong gave them a chance to make it right.
She had been researching a preservation theorist named Ardin Voss — a warlock who studied ways to shield settlements without fighting wars. She believed his final journal, left behind at his abandoned cliffside retreat north of town, contained a form of protective magic that could matter for Eastguard as the War of the Lance drew closer to the coast.
She needed that journal. And she needed it before the Black Briar Company got there first.
What Happened
The party left Eastguard on foot and followed the coastal road north to the Warlock Retreat — a compact stone compound perched near the cliffs above the New Sea.
The retreat had been abandoned for decades. Inside, they found Voss’s private study, sleeping quarters, and a stairwell leading to a basement puzzle chamber.
The chamber held a single book protected by a rotating arcane cube mounted above a floor sigil. Three objects — a stone tower, a brass key, and a small wooden ship — had to be placed in the correct sequence to dissolve the barrier.
The Black Briar Company had beaten them to the retreat and attempted to force their way through the puzzle. They failed. The party succeeded where the mercenaries could not.
They returned the journal to Brittany Marginsong, who read it carefully before closing it.
“So the question isn’t whether something can be saved. It’s whether we’re willing to move it.”
Key Figures
- Brittany Marginsong — Quest giver
- Arden Voss — Deceased warlock whose journal was recovered
- Varric Morn — Leader of the Black Briar Company, who demonstrated his power in Eastguard’s square before the party departed
Completed Objectives
- Speak with Brittany and accept the task
- Travel to the Warlock Retreat
- Navigate the puzzle chamber
- Recover Ardin Voss’s journal
- Return the journal to Brittany