Orentius, the Necromancer

*You may be looking for Orentius, the page about this character.*

Thyrsus will help me meet with Orentius if I make it worth his time and trust. *(or)* Helvius will agree to introduce me to Orentius if he decides I have proven myself to be a trustworthy ally of his tribe. *(or)* Thais wants to get rid of the undead that serve Orentius, the priest of White Marshes.

After this quest, not much can be done in White Marshes (if any), so be sure to complete Hidden Pouch and Read the Letter (if desired) before *completing* this quest. Other relevant quests are Bronze Rods (quest) and Cask of Cider (quest).

## Preparations

You can choose to work with one of Thyrsus, Helvius or Thais. Pretending to work with Thais opens up options for the other two paths.

### Thyrsus

Talk to people about White Marshes, including Thyrsus. Eventually you will be able to ask him about the problem of the undead. In the subsequent conversation it is best to say that (1) the undead will turn dangerous (2) you want to understand Orentius' motivations. To attain enough friendship with Thyrsus for him to introduce you to Orentius, the following are helpful:

* Distanced attitude when the option comes up
* Bring Thyrsus a message from the forest speaker
* Return Thyrsus' Wand to him, and tell him "Just doing my job."
* Resolving Cask of Cider by leaving the cask with Thyrsus (for Helvius)
* Getting Thais to tell you her plan to raid White Marshes, then telling Thyrsus about it
* Buying Bone Hook and/or Withering Dust from Thyrsus
* (Inefficient) Paying Thyrsus to enter White Marshes multiple times
* Once you have sufficient friendship, you have the option of giving Thyrsus the Corpse Eater's Blood or Asterion's Cloak or the Tool of Destruction to convince him fully.

Thyrsus then tells you to find him when you're ready to talk to Orentius. Be sure to do this with enough time to travel to White Marshes and spend the night.

### Helvius

Obtain enough White Marshes reputation, then ask Helvius to introduce you to Orentius. Major ways of improving your White Marshes reputation include:

* Telling Helvius about Thais' plan to raid White Marshes
* Telling Helvius about Glaucia's hideout, then asserting that Glaucia needs to be stopped
* Giving the Woman from White Marshes 10  (as part of Hidden Pouch), then telling Helvius about your good deed
* Agree to read Valens' letter and do not lie to Valens that the letters are too distorted. Also, ask Iason about Valens and bring Iason's update back to Valens. (The order of these two actions does not matter.)

Once that is done, speak to Helvius at most 1 hour before dusk to trigger the meeting with Orentius.

### Thais

First gain enough Howler's Dell reputation and friendship with Thais. When you then ask her if she needs your assistance, she will suggest a raid on White Marshes. You must recruit at least one ally among the following:

* Pelt of the North. Speak to Iason.
* Gale Rocks. Speak to Severina.
* Glaucia. You must have enough friendship with Glaucia, including completing the Runaway quest in her favor.

The other settlements will refuse to collaborate.

Once that is done, go to Howler's Dell and make sure you have vitality at least 3 and at least 10 hours left in the day. Speak to Thais to trigger the raid.

## Talk to Orentius

If you follow Thais' plan and then choose to "avoid risk" by banishing Orentius (without attempting to convince him), skip to Outcomes. In all other paths, you need at least 6 of the points below to convince Orentius to abandon necromancy.

### Undead are dangerous

* Point out that Orentius used to reject pagan magic. This information comes from Thyrsus, who will reveal this after some back-and-forth between him and the forest speaker.
* Suggest using Eudocia's golems instead.
* Question Orentius about his blood rituals. You can learn about said rituals by spending some night at White Marshes. Then you must explain that while it may be necessary to accept blood magic and necromancy, this does not make them right.
* Question what happens when Orentius is gone. Do not avoid Orentius' follow-up question. This requires that you ask Aeli from The Monastery about necromancers.
* Confront Orentius about using shells which are scavenged from the wilderness. This information comes by asking Glaucia about undead in the North. For an extra point, highlight the possibility of unforeseen consequences of this behavior.

### Forbidden rituals

Being a scholar or being appropriately religious will net you a point here. Alternatively, if you have enough experience lying and enough friendship with Orentius, you may lie about the strength of your faith.

### Caius

This option is available if Caius in Foggy Lake has told you about his visions. Ask Orentius how you are to know who speaks the truth, among those who claim to be guided by the Wright.

### The people of White Marshes

* Rat out Helvius. You can do this if you have completed Cask of Cider (quest) by leaving it with Thyrsus (for Helvius), and witnessed Helvius' cruelty towards the undead.
* Assert that locals have left or are trying to leave. This information comes by asking Dalit from Pelt of the North about the necromancers. Alternatively, you can unlock this by giving the Woman from White Marshes 10 (!)  (as part of Hidden Pouch).
* Question Orentius about Thyrsus. This option is available if you ask Thyrsus whether he was forced to move to the peat fields.

### Good reasons

Tell Orentius to forget the past and start anew, then tell him that you did your best to learn about White Marshes. This requires that you have asked Foggy about White Marshes and learned about White Marshes' history of hunger from Severina.

Alternatively there is a risky lie + Orentius friendship check (+1 if success, -1 if failed). Your appearance and wearing the Winged Hourglass may help here.

### Can't you see I'm trustworthy?

Only do this if you are allied with Thyrsus or Helvius. Furthermore, this will only have a positive effect if you have sufficient friendship with Orentius.

## Outcomes

There are four possible outcomes for Orentius: convinced, unconvinced (and alive), banished or killed.

### Convinced

Successfully convincing Orentius to abandon necromancy is best for trade and friendship with most characters across the Nameless Peninsula. If you are working with Thais and Glaucia is an ally, then Glaucia will attack you if you ask your allies to drop their loot.

### Unconvinced

If you fail to convince Orentius, you have the option to kill him (provided you brought a weapon to meet him). Even if you spare him, Glaucia will kill him anyway if she is present. Otherwise, if Orentius is spared, then White Marshes cuts itself off from the outside world. Most characters will be unimpressed by this outcome.

### Banished

This outcome is only possible if you are working with Thais. In this scenario White Marshes also cuts itself off from the outside world. If Glaucia is present, she will attack you if you ask your allies to drop their loot.

### Killed

If you or Glaucia kill Orentius, then you and your allies (if any) have to fight your way out of White Marshes. White Marshes and its people are no more. Most characters are angry with you for causing this mess.