[Zone Name]: Astirin Proper, The Orthis Project

[Difficulty]: 8 , 10

[Overview]:

This section of the city of Astirin was supposedly where the first stone of the city was laid, and was the center of the city for quite some time until the city center gradually shifted far eastward. The name is a reflection of this, although this section of city is cut off from the rest now. The curse of Astirin haunts this place as well as horrible monsters and restless undead that lurk in the shadows, and the city itself is ruled by an iron-fisted man named Dyaclecius.

Directions

First, make your way to the Kingdom of Astirin Waygate.

- 10n5w7ne from New Manetheran Waygate
- 5n4w2n,ent gate,2e from the Sylvan Terrace in Hy-Brasail
- Wander your way through Steam Tunnels

From there, head ws2e2s4wses2wsw2swsw3se4sw. Kill the Myconid King for a key, unlock and open the door west, then 3wd. You'll have to kill 3 Living Webs, who block, but are otherwise weak. After the last web, head up. Then 3w2s2wse, (rather up, then, wwsswwse,) and enter hidden. Ignore the Orthis Cultists (they stab and scanhunt), and go sd2n. Go north and Septhis will appear. Kill him and loot his key.

Septhis, Hand of Orthis:
- a black cloak marked with the symbol of an eclipse (1dam, 1hit, 1dex, !good, take neck)
- ? silver chain attached to a nose ring (5mfire, -6ac, dsight, take head)

Head back out the way you came, and head west when you can. You'll eventually reach a pair of Knight Templars, kill them, loot their key, and open the door leading west. Go all west, up, and kill a third Knight Templar, for yet another key. Unlock and open the door leading west, head all west until you reach Dyaclecius the Pardoner. Say "orthis". After a long speech, he'll give you a key. You may kill him, but he loads nothing of value.

While you're in Astirin Proper, you may as well kill all the Aberrants you find. There should be four. Aberrants will pelt, making a 2dam, 20hp, faeriefire, ranger-only cloak. You can also kill the Hendyar, who is located 2w2sesu from the end of the Living Webs.

the Hendyar:
- a barbed, black leather harness (2dam, -2hit, silence, mino only, take head)
- a thick, iron-studded collar (1dam, detinvis, take neck)

Head back towards where the third Knight Templar was, and head down. Open the door leading down, and go dwdwsdw, running past all the mobs. Wear FeatherFall, as there is a DT in there.

If you're feeling really adventurous, you can try your hand at Nautilus Demon, located ed from where you're standing. He's in an !exit, underwater room. ??He casts no spells??, but hits really really hard. When you're finished, enter the hole, and head west to return to where you started.

Go sw3nw, unlock the trapdoor and go down. South of you, there should be an illithid high priest (they use mindlash and soul shatter). Kill him for a key, go all south, and open the west door. Go wnd2n, and be prepared for another illithid high priest, only this one will block for most of combat. When he's dead, take his key and head 2s. Kill the two blocking illithid low priests, then kill the blocking high priest to the north. Go north, unlock the door, go nd, then head south and kill the high priests that will appear. After the last priest, go wn and kill another priest, take his key, and go west. Unlock the door and go south.

You will no have to kill Elder Brain, who is located inside the archway of granite. He is extremely weak in combat, but has roughly 20,000 hp and vengeance shroud. He will also summon vampire illithids and psychic phantoms(both who gore) periodically in combat. The easiest way to kill him would be to kill him with charms, or poison him.

When he's dead, take his key and head back up. Unlock the plate and go up until you reach another door. Open it. Go u2ses and kill the Artificer Lich for a key. Unlock the door right next to you. You will need it later. Go nw2n2wsw and open that door. Then back en4ene and open that door too. Now go ws2w2nwn, open that door, and go east.

Say "XADAPFACY" to the Ethereal Sentinal and go west. Say "HJUENYDAR" to it(it should have moved over with you), and go south. Say "DUMANILYT" and go east. Say "HJUENYDAR" and go south, do this twice. Say "UFFENDYAR" and go up, do this twice. Say "XADAPFACY", then open the switch to get ported. If you dont get ported, close the switch and open it again. Get the key from the telescope, as well as the key lying on the ground. Unlock the door and head back out.

Now go 2d2seswu and unlock and open that switch. Head denw2n2enesun and open that switch. Now sdnws4wswnus and open that switch too. Go ndsen4enesu and open the final switch. These switches must be opened in that order. Should you make a mistake for any reason, close all the switches and try again. You may now junk all the 15 or so keys you picked up on your way. Go back dnws2w2u and pick up that key. This will allow you to bypass all the illithids when you want to do the zone again. The door east leads back to Astirin Proper. Go dn, put on your FeatherFall and enter the portal to enter the Orthis Project.

written by: Avris