Sands of Solitude

Sands of Solitude is the first act of Cyno's Story Quest, the Lupus Aureus Chapter. In order to unlock this quest line, the player needs a Story Key, must have completed Chapter III: Act IV - King Deshret and the Three Magi, and reached Adventure Rank 40.
During the story quest, the Traveler helps Cyno investigate a secret organization causing problems for the Sumeru Akademiya.
==List of Quests==
# Suspicious Smuggling Case
# Chain of Interests
# All Returns to Silence
==Summary==
;Suspicious Smuggling Case
Walking into the Akademiya, the Traveler and Paimon find a person in trouble and asks them what's wrong. The person introduces himself as Nabil, a Matra. He tells them that there's been a case of smuggled Canned Knowledge, although the Matra are unable to muster enough people to investigate the issue, as it came up just as Cyno had left. Alongside the main reason that Canned Knowledge is banned, he also explains that taking too much of it also causes health issues. The Traveler offers to assist, which Nabil gratefully accepts as he tells them that they might be selling outside the city right now.
Heading to the outskirts of the city, the two find Cyno there, who was also investigating the smuggling situation. Cyno tells them that he learned where the smugglers were and allows the Traveler to accompany him.
Arriving at the secret location, they eavesdrop on the two smugglers, Amainu and Amenzu talking with the buyer, Mutair and get the drop on them. The smugglers explain that they don't have a lot of stock since their main contact abandoned them due to Cyno's investigation, who likewise anticipated such a response. Cyno does not arrest them, but warns them not to commit the deed again. Paimon nearly mutters out Dori's name when Cyno considers finding a merchant who sells Canned Knowledge, having bought some from her before. Cyno tells them to meet them at Caravan Ribat if they have any new information for him.
As Cyno leaves the scene, Paimon suggests they speak to Dori as she might have some information on the smuggling ring. They head to The Palace of Alcazarzaray and inform Dori, who thanks them for not ratting her out to him. Dori explains that she already cashed out of the Canned Knowledge section due to them, as she only wants the Mora for herself, not a meager share, along with regulations making it harder for her to get clients alongside the other issues the Akademiya posted. Dori then tells them that the ring is actually trying to get information on the Court of Desolation, a ruin which is said to allow those to see beyond life and death, although research on it has been banned by the Akademiya. She heard that there would be an auction in the desert regarding Canned Knowledge on it and that that the mass dumping is a distraction. Dori then proceeds to sell them a desert survival kit with the location of the auction, although she charges the expenses to Cyno.
Meeting up with Cyno, Paimon tells him what they learned. He does not question them over the source of the information, but explains about the origins of the Court of Desolation and with Paimon's information, believes the smugglers are trying to find those interested in the ruins, as legends claim that along with what Dori had told them, the court could also revive the dead. Due to the dangers, research on it was banned, although there were always those trying to investigate it. After confirming the location of the auction, Cyno reveals that they're being followed, but promises to eliminate their pursuers.
Leaving the outpost, they're immediately set upon by Jhuba and his Eremite group, who were hired by the smuggling ring to stop him from entering the desert. Cyno is unfazed by their threats and with the Traveler, repels them, causing Jhuba to remark that there will be others coming for him as he and his group flees. Cyno apologizes to the Traveler for making them a target, explaining that his alertness came when he and his superior were attacked by mercenary remnants during a mission that resulted in his superior, Taj Radkani, being injured and forced out of live missions, although he is still well-respected in the Matra and offers to introduce him to them if possible.
----
;Chain of Interests
As the three make their way to the auction site, Paimon begins to complain about the scorching heat and asks Cyno how he's accustomed to it, wanting to take a break. Cyno explains that he focuses himself to get through and complies with Paimon's request to rest, but they would need to find a safe spot first. Suddenly, scorpions emerge and attack, although they easily kill them. Cyno inspects the scorpions and quickly deduces that they were raised by someone and hired by the smuggling ring to keep outsiders away. However, with no roads nearby, Cyno briefly ponders how they knew where they were before finding a tracking device on the Traveler, which Jhuba's men might've placed on them earlier and wonders if someone in the Akademiya was involved, as he recognizes the handiwork as Kshahrewar. Paimon suggests destroying it, but Cyno decides otherwise, as it might be useful to them later.
After killing more scorpions, they arrive at the auction site to find no one except a lone Desert Sumpter Beast drinking water. Cyno wonders if the smugglers simply ran off with the Canned Knowledge on the court, but asks the Traveler to leave, explaining that there was still value in the leftovers and that if they left, someone might come back for the leftovers. The Traveler agrees and heads a fair distance off before coming back, where they find Cyno with one of the smugglers, Bahari. Bahari admits having returned to take whatever he could as everyone fled upon learning that Cyno was coming, having believed that he had been working alone.
Bahari agrees to help in the investigation and suggests meeting at Aaru Village, although Paimon is initially skeptical it could be a trap. Once they arrive, they're greeted by his daughter, Simin, who prepares tea for them. As they drink, he explains that Simin was afflicted by a chronic disease which he could barely afford and felt helpless seeing his daughter struggle. When the smugglers came to him, he obtained plenty of Mora, which made him happy. As such, he asks Cyno not to interfere. Cyno sympathizes with Simin's plight but tells Bahari that he could not ignore the smugglers, so Bahari concedes and takes them to the back of his house, as the smugglers had just given him a new shipment.
Investigating the shipment, the pair find a strange marking which Cyno recognizes of that of a Matra, explaining how such a large amount of goods could have left the Akademiya without requiring an additional inspection. He decides that they would need to access the repository to find out who was responsible, although his arrival would cause unexpected problems. He therefore writes a letter and asks them to give it to Nabil.
Returning to the Akademiya, the Traveler informs Nabil of the situation, who agrees to help. They head to Utayba, who accepts the letter so they could search the repository. Looking at the information, they find someone by the name of Murtada Radkani having investigated the Court of Desolation. Utayba tells them that Murtada was Taj's only son and was sent to prison for investigating the Court of Desolation. He then committed suicide shortly afterwards, leaving Taj devastated. Connecting the information they have, Utayba has reasonable cause to believe that Taj might be the suspect, although Nabil is surprised that someone of his standing would do such an act. Nonetheless, they decide to investigate the recent shipments.
They learn from Payam that a Kshahrewar researcher had been sending larger shipments out with less outdated machinery, which had caught his attention alongside the Matra seal, but Taj told him to let them through. Unwilling to accept it, Nabil fetches Usem, who tells them that he saw Taj in his Eremite attire and left with a group of Eremites. Nabil decides to pay a visit to Taj's home, although he is not there. However, the door is unlocked; although worried about rudely entering, Nabil decides to enter with the Traveler due to the circumstances.
Leaving with many papers, they discover the smuggling operation is far more complex than they were led to believe, with many famous people being involved in it. Returning to Cyno with the information, he is left surprised by Taj's betrayal and decides to confront him for judgement.
----
;All Returns to Silence
Making their way to the Court of Desolation, they find Taj, who is still heartbroken over his son's death. After a brief spar, Cyno realizes that Taj had not betrayed them as he had led them to believe. As the court begins collapsing, Taj explains why he appeared to have betrayed the Matra; the organization had members in the Akademiya, coupled with the fact that his plan would have been rejected otherwise due to the ban, and thus hoped that Cyno could close the case. The Traveler worries about Taj's safety, but Cyno lets him be, as he has no life left in him. Quicksand submerges both the court and Taj, while the Traveler, Cyno and Paimon escape.
Outside, Cyno decides to handle the situation himself and asks the Traveler to meet him at Caravan Rivat four days later. After the days pass, they head to Caravan Ribat and find Nabil outside, who was overseeing the last of the smugglers being taken into custody. Nabil explains that a mysterious person took down the mercenaries on the list, causing the higher ups in the organization to pressure the Akademiya and put it to a standstill. However, when the Matra learned that Taj sacrificed himself on the case, they were riled up and arrested the researchers on the list; some tried to escape, but the same mysterious person that took the mercenaries down also brought them into custody. He suspects the person to be Cyno, as he couldn't think of anyone else who could do the job. He also saw him with someone else and asks him to send his regards as he leaves.
The Traveler soon finds Cyno with Tighnari, who gives him some paralyzing traps in the future should he need them, as he had no use for them. Tighnari also reveals to the Traveler and Paimon that he sent Collei out for some ad hoc lectures about the dangers of Canned Knowledge to increase awareness. Cyno thanks the Traveler for their assistance and plans to plant some flowers at the Court of Desolation as a tribute to Taj. Cyno then asks them if they knew anything about someone demanding Mora from him for "survival packages", which Paimon quickly denies.
==Characters==
==Soundtracks==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:Arenas solitarias
ja:砂は静寂へ
pt-br:Descida às Areias Solitárias
vi:Cát Chìm Tĩnh Lặng