Online:The Concealing Veil

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to Verandis Ravenwatch at Lorkrata Hills.
# Find a way into the Lorkrata Ruins.
# Examine the tear in the veil.
# Manipulate the tears and locate the Ayleid artifact.
# Talk to Verandis.
# Exit the ruins and talk to Verandis again.

Detailed Walkthrough
Into the Ruins
|thumb|right|The Count waiting for you outside the ruins
When you finish talking with Countess Eselde Tamrith at the end of the previous quest, you will notice Gwendis standing nearby. If you speak with her, she will tell you that Verandis Ravenwatch needs your help at the Lorkrata Ruins and wants you to travel there as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may start this quest by speaking with Gwendis at Northpoint or with Verandis himself at the ruins' entrance. Either way, you should talk to Verandis at the Lorkrata Ruins to learn what has led him there and how you can help him:
:''"Ah, I take it Gwendis found you? And I assume that you dealt with Reezal-Jul? Then we are ready to begin. Let's find out why they tried so hard to hide this place from my memories."
:What is this place?
:"A forgotten tumble of ruins in the desolate Lorkrata Hills. I found a trap door that should grant us access to the chambers beneath, but it's locked tight. Look around for a way to open the trap door and I'll meet you at the west tower."
:I'll try to find a way to open the trap door.'''

Although a quest-marker points towards the trap door key, the ruins' layout can make it somewhat tricky to figure out how to get there. Enter the ruins past Verandis, then head east towards another exit (beyond which a nearby wayshrine stands) until you see some stone stairs to your left. Ascend both these stairs and the others that follow and you will soon find yourself standing in front of a ruined tower that holds a backpack from which you can take the desired item. Once you have obtained the key, make your way to Verandis - who is standing inside another tower which should be much easier to find - and unlock the trap door that he is idling next to.

An Imperfect Veil
|thumb|left|The veil is not the only obstacle within these ruins
As soon as you enter the ruins, it becomes evident that something is amiss. An unnatural, purple glow is omnipresent and a strange, brightly shining anomaly hovers above a chasm that seems to block your path. Follow Verandis to the chasm, where he quickly concludes what is going on in these ruins: Lleraya Montclair has been here before Verandis remembered about the ruins, and she has placed an illusory veil over them in order to prevent Verandis and his wards from delving deeper inside. Speak with Verandis to learn how he thinks that you should proceed:
:''"As I feared. The delay caused by my missing memories allowed Montclair to reach this place before us. This veil … it has Lleraya's deft touch about is."
:Veil? What do you mean?
:"Lleraya has placed a veil upon these ruins. It's a simple illusion spell that she amplified using the power of the Lightless Remnant. It hides the true topography and makes us see exactly what she wants.  She set the trap and we walked right into it."
:So what do we do now?
:"We push forward. Lleraya's veil is far from perfect, and she made it specifically to hinder me and my vampiric charges.  She wasn't expecting you, however. You should be able to guide us through the veil using the tears that litter the illusion."''

The anomaly, which actually is a tear in Lleraya's veil, becomes interactable at this point. Activate it to break the particular part of the veil that is preventing you and Verandis from moving past the illusory chasm:
:Count Verandis Ravenwatch: "You did it! You were able to widen the tear so that we can see the path ahead, as it truly is!"

From this point onwards, you will need to explore the ruins with Verandis whilst searching  for tears to get rid of other seemingly impenetrable obstacles blocking your path. There are some skeletal foes guarding the ruins, but none of them are particularly challenging and Verandis, who acts as your follower, will help you to deal with them.

Tearing the Veil
|thumb|right| "This way! With the veil torn, I can see a way up over there."
The way through the ruins is fairly straightforward. Follow the path until you reach another tear, with which you will need to interact in order to reveal the way deeper still into the ruins, along with some fire-based traps that Lleraya tried to hide from Verandis and his allies. Make your way past the traps and continue to head deeper into the ruins until you reach yet another obstacle:
:Count Verandis Ravenwatch: ''"A real chasm or another illusion? We probably shouldn't chance it. See if you can locate another tear."

Backtrack a little bit until you reach a fork that leads to a side chamber with another tear in the veil. Interact with the tear to reveal some rubble at the other side of the chasm that allows you to make your way up to the other side, while Verandis conveniently uses a vampiric ability to teleport himself past the chasm altogether. Once you have joined him on the other side, you can either ask him some questions about the Montclairs and what he hopes to find in these ruins or continue to explore the ruins with him. Either way, you will soon find yourself confronted with yet another obstacle, at which point Verandis will want to have a word with you:
:"We need to clear this portion of the veil so that we can move forward. See if you can rip open a tear and shred this illusion."
:Is this real or an illusion? Should I find another tear?
:"We're close to the end of the veil. I can feel it. Beyond that door lies the oldest section of the ruins—a section that dates back to the ancient Ayleids. We just need to locate another tear. If there isn't one, our quest may come to naught."''

As with the last chasm, you will need to trace your steps a bit and enter a sidepassage that will soon lead you to a tear in Lleraya's veil. Interact with the tear to clear the rubble blocking the door. As soon as you make it back to the door, Verandis will compliment you on your proficiency in shredding Lleraya's veil and will make his way to the other side of the door:
:Count Verandis Ravenwatch: ''"Well done, my friend. I'll meet you on the other side."

Follow the Count through the door, to yet another part of the ruins, where he will continue to act as your follower. This portion of the ruins is once again guarded by skeletons, so either run past them or fight your way through their numbers in order to reach that which you and Verandis have come for, an ancient Ayleid text that appears to contain some insights into the Remnant of Light and its powers that might just help to even the odds against the Montclairs.

|thumb|left|"I wonder … Is this book real or just another of Lleraya's illusions?"''
Enthusiastic though Verandis is about the book, the possibility remains that it is merely a part of Lleraya's illusory veil. As such, he asks you to find a final tear in the veil, so that the two of you can escape from her illusion and the nature of the book can be revealed. The final tear is in a chamber near the small library where Verandis has found the Ayleid text. Interact with it to find both yourself and Verandis teleported back outside the ruins. Fortunately, the book is still there, proving that it is not at all an illusion. Speak with Verandis to learn about his plans for the book, and to finish the quest and receive your reward, which consists of a pair of   and some leveled gold:
:''"Well, my friend, it appears that the book is real and not part of Lleraya's illusion. I believe it will be of great help to us in the trials ahead.  That said, I have much research to do. Ancient Ayleid isn't my native language, you know."
:Is this book really going to help us?
:"I believe so, yes. I have much more reading to do before we get to that point, though.  Know that we wouldn't have this advantage if not for you. I could never have navigated Lleraya's veil without your help."''

Quest Stages