- Not to be confused with A Hidden Harvest.
The Hidden Harvest is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls Online: Orsinium. The Vestige is tasked with ridding the towers of Frostbreak Fortress of harpy nests and destroying the source of the Winterborn's briarhearts, accompanied by Eveli Sharp-Arrow and Alinon the Alchemist.
Background[]
The Orsimer army needs to get into Frostbreak Fortress to find and destroy the source of the briarheart warriors, but the Winterborn's defenses are too strong. Between the briarhearts and the harpies, they can't breach the walls. I need to report to Siege Commander Dulph within the siege camp to find out how I can help the Orc soldiers get into Frostbreak Fortress.
Quick walkthrough[]
- Speak to Chief Urgdosh to learn of Siege Commander Dulph's plans
- Report to Siege Commander Dulph
- Find Sergeant Rorburz and rendezvous with the Orc squads
- Destroy the harpy nests atop the fortress towers
- Find and talk to Alinon the Alchemist
- Get Alinon inside the fort
- Destroy the briarheart saplings
- Rescue Alinon
- Speak with Eveli Sharp-Arrow
- Destroy the briarheart tree
Walkthrough[]
While progressing through the quest stages of "For King and Glory," the Vestige is eventually tasked with finding a way to enter the besieged fortress of Frostbreak. King Kurog will tell them to speak to Chief Urgdosh, who will direct the Vestige to Siege Commander Dulph. When speaking to Dulph, he will tell the Vestige the following:
"You... You brought the king here? Then welcome to our siege camp. Sorry you had to see those damn harpies at work. I'm not sure King Kurog should be walking around in the open, but I've got a barrel full of my own worries to deal with."
- How can I help? "If you want to become bird food, I'm not going to stop you. And after losing more soldiers to the harpies, I'm ready to accept any help I can get. Besides, anything is better than what the little Wood Elf was able to accomplish."
- Little Wood Elf? "Sent her in with a squad of Orcs to deal with the harpy nests in the towers. Figured if the nests were on fire, the distraction would allow another squad to get in and put an end to the briarhearts. But both groups have disappeared without a trace."
- I can try to find your missing squad. "A volunteer. I appreciate that kind of go-get-them attitude. If you do manage to find either of the missing squads, remind them that they have their orders. I expect them to complete their missions. The outcome of the siege depends on it!"
After learning of Siege Commander Dulph's troubles, the Vestige is now tasked with locating the two missing squads of troops. Accompanied by King Kurog, they must enter the fortress, where they will be met by Winterborn troops; one Winterborn Mage and a Winterborn Savage will be guarding the fortress gate. After defeating them, the Vestige must make their way to a partially destroyed tower, where they will find Sergeant Rorburz and his troops. He will tell the Vestige the following:
"You and the king have come to our aid? We're honored. But we've been trapped in here for too long. We still have a mission to complete!"
- How did you wind up getting trapped in here? "Once again we underestimated the Winterborn's capabilities. They caught scent of us as soon as we penetrated the walls. Harpies from above, Winterborn from all sides. We lost a lot of soldiers before we were able to take refuge in this tower."
- What's your squad's mission? "We need to get our archer into position to mark the harpy aeries so that our catapults can target them and destroy them. We lost all of our archers. The Wood Elf's all we have left. I hope she's as good of a shot as she claims to be."
- Any idea where the second squad may be? "Our squads split off right after we entered the fortress. They're protecting the Breton alchemist who's supposed to be able to put an end to the briarheart threat. But it doesn't matter if they're dead or alive if we don't deal with the harpies."
- How can I help? "If we can clear us a path to the towers, we can get the Elf into position so she can loose her signal arrows. Then the catapults can do their work. We need to hurry. We've lost too much time already."
- What's your squad's mission? "We need to get our archer into position to mark the harpy aeries so that our catapults can target them and destroy them. We lost all of our archers. The Wood Elf's all we have left. I hope she's as good of a shot as she claims to be."
Eveli, readying her bow.
A harpy nest bursts into flames.
The Vestige must now take the stone spiral staircase up the tower, and speak to Eveli Sharp-Arrow, the Wood Elf archer Sergeant Rorburz described. The Vestige must speak to her, and direct her arrows towards the harpy-infested fortress tower. Speaking to her will give the option to make Eveli "Loose her arrow!," which will make her fire her arrow towards the fortress tower, setting the harpy nest alight. Having seen the signal, the Orsimer troops will fire their catapult towards the tower; a flaming projectile will hit the tower, destroying the harpy nest and all harpies present. This process must be completed twice in order to rid the towers of harpy nests. After successfully eliminating the harpy threat, the Vestige must now locate Alinon, the alchemist who is supposedly capable of putting an end to the Winterborn's briarhearts. Alinon is hiding in a camp on the higher grounds of the fort, in between some broken walls. When spoken to, he will tell the Vestige the following:
"I recognize that Orc standing beside you. That's King Kurog! I'm honored that you and the king came to find me. I just wish you had gotten here sooner, before the rest of my squad was lost."
- What happened to your squad? "Well, we were supposed to wait until the nests were destroyed before heading inside to find the source of the briarhearts. But the Winterborn, they found us. Overwhelmed the soldiers. I ran. I'm not proud of it, but I'm alive. That's what matters."
- What's your mission exactly? "Someone has to destroy the source of the briarhearts and I've dealt with the Reach before. They're a rather unhealthy obsession of mine. I know their beliefs, the way they attune with nature. Those briarhearts? They're as natural as you and I."
- How can those monsters be natural? "I have an inkling, but I need to get inside to confirm it. I need to see how they're applying their magic. That will lead me right to the source of the briarhearts. But you'll need to keep me alive. A lot of people are counting on me to succeed."
- Are we ready then? "There's nothing else we can do out here. Let's get inside."
- How did you get selected for this mission? "I was the only alchemist available! I wish I wasn't, but here I am. Besides, they needed someone who had some experience with the Reach. Of course, I never expected to end up in the middle of a siege."
- How can those monsters be natural? "I have an inkling, but I need to get inside to confirm it. I need to see how they're applying their magic. That will lead me right to the source of the briarhearts. But you'll need to keep me alive. A lot of people are counting on me to succeed."
- Tell me more about the briarhearts. "I've encountered Reach magic before. I'm almost certain that these briarhearts are grown in some fashion—not unlike apples or grapes or juniper berries."
- What's your mission exactly? "Someone has to destroy the source of the briarhearts and I've dealt with the Reach before. They're a rather unhealthy obsession of mine. I know their beliefs, the way they attune with nature. Those briarhearts? They're as natural as you and I."
- But what are the briarhearts? "From what I've been able to observe, when a Winterborn warrior falls, the briar hearts are used to somehow bring them back from the dead. I'm pretty sure the hagravens are involved in the process."
And you can put an end to the process? "If I'm right and the briarhearts are grown, then I can destroy them. I'll know for certain once we get inside and look around. I want to make sure I mix the elixir correctly. Wouldn't want to inadvertently make them stronger, you understand."
Now that the Vestige has found Alinon and heard him out, they must escort him into the fort so that can destroy the source of the Winterborn's briarhearts. Eveli will join them.
Once inside, the Vestige will stumble upon a perculiar sight; the roots of a tree growing out of a decaying corpse. Alinon has the following to say about it:
"Now there's something you don't see every day. A tree growing out of a corpse. I'd say this is what we were looking for. This sapling is but a root, however, a small part of a greater whole."
- So the hearts grow on these tiny trees? "Reach magic corrupts nature. It uses its innate properties to forge terrible powers. The briar hearts require a larger plant to nurture them and make them grow. But this vile sapling is certainly connected. I can feel energy flowing through it."
- So what does that mean, exactly? "We need to destroy some of these saplings. Cut off their power to weaken the central tree. Once weakened, I can apply an alchemical solution to the central tree, wherever it grows, and hopefully destroy it, roots and all."
- Why don't we just find and destroy this central tree? "Reach magic invades nature the way a plague violates an infirm body. It changes its host, taking hold and letting its corruption grow stronger. It creates defenses, barries that can't be easily overcome. It needs to be weakened before we lay siege."
- So what do you want me to do? "Find the saplings and burn as many as you can. That will weaken the corruption and make the defenses more fragile. Meanwhile, I'll concoct a potion using clippings from these little ones. Leave the Elf here, if you would. I could use the protection."
- Eveli will stay behind and keep you safe. "Leave the sapling I found alone. I'll use it to prepare and test my elixir while you burn as many of the others as you can. By the time you return, I'll have developed a posion powerful enough to eat through the central tree's weakened defenses."
- Why don't we just find and destroy this central tree? "Reach magic invades nature the way a plague violates an infirm body. It changes its host, taking hold and letting its corruption grow stronger. It creates defenses, barries that can't be easily overcome. It needs to be weakened before we lay siege."
- You've dealt with this kind of Reach magic before? "No, not exactly. In some ways, it's the same, but in many others it's completely different. The last time I dealt with Reach magic, they were utilizing vines as big as you or I. This is an entirely new type of twisted magic—even for them."
- So what does that mean, exactly? "We need to destroy some of these saplings. Cut off their power to weaken the central tree. Once weakened, I can apply an alchemical solution to the central tree, wherever it grows, and hopefully destroy it, roots and all."
- How confident are you that this will work? "I'm completely confident of my abilities. That's just my nature. At its core, Reach magic is all the same. They just employ different vessels for their perversions. Once you know how to kill one vile and twisted plant, you can kill them all."
A briar heart sapling, set alight.
Leaving Eveli and Alinon behind, the Vestige must now search for other briarheart saplings and burn them. While searching the fortress caverns for saplings, the Vestige will have to face several Hagravens and Winterborn troops, this can include Winterborn Archers, Winterborn Icecasters and Winterborn Blade-Bearers. After burning all the briarheart saplings, the Vestige must return to Alinon and Eveli to determine their next step. However, once returned, the Vestige will find out Eveli has lost sight of Alinon:
"So... I don't suppose you... maybe... might have seen Alinon... on your way back. Maybe?"
- What happened to Alinon? "Listen, it wasn't my fault. Alinon sent me to get some moss that grows on the walls down here. When I got back, the alchemist was gone."
- We have to find the alchemist. "Right! That's an excellent plan! But you should take this. Alinon said it was the last ingredient he needed to finish the elixir. I don't see his alchemy bag, so he must have the rest of the components with him... if the tree hasn't eaten him yet."
- The tree ate Alinon? "What? No, of course not. At least, I don't think it ate him. But he told me that the Winterborn plant briar heart seeds in dead bodies. The seed eats the body, sprouts roots, and nourishes the tree. Or something like that. I wasn't really listening."
- You haven no idea where we should go to look for him? "Well, I went that way to gather the moss, so he must have gone the other way. Probably turned right at the bend ahead. Let's split up. We can cover more ground that way. Besides, I kind of feel it's my fault, since I left him alone and all that."
- We have to find the alchemist. "Right! That's an excellent plan! But you should take this. Alinon said it was the last ingredient he needed to finish the elixir. I don't see his alchemy bag, so he must have the rest of the components with him... if the tree hasn't eaten him yet."
Alinon, lifted above a fire.
With that, the Vestige must now search through the caverns of Frostbreak Fortress for Alinon the Alchemist. Alinon can be found in a cage, lifted above a fire, urging the Vestige to aid him once they enter the room:
"Don't just stand there and watch me roast! Do something!"
- What are you doing up there? "What am I doing...? I'm being roasted alive! What does it look like I'm doing? What's worse, they have my alchemy bag. The elixir was nearly complete when I... stumbled into that Winterborn patrol."
- Let met see if I can figure out how to lower the cage. "No, no. We're running out of time and you have more important tasks to complete. You have to destroy the central tree. Otherwise, the briarheart warriors will eventually overrun the Orcs. I'll ...I'll find a way out of here. Somehow."
- What do you want me to do? "Find the hagraven that snatched my alchemy bag and grab the elixir. I couldn't wait for Eveli so I found the moss on my own. Of couse, that's when I ran into the Winterborn. Anyway, get the elixir and destroy that tree! Finish this. For me."
Ice-Heart's Journal.
The Vestige must now speak with Eveli, who has found a way to rescue Alinon from the cage. With a few well-placed arrow, she should be able to break the chain holding the cage. Assured that Alinon is safe, the Vestige must now make their way to the briar heart tree and destroy it.
While making their way to the central tree, one may run across Ice-Heart's Journal, which contains Urfon's whereabouts and views on the Orsimer siege of Frostbreak Fortress.
The central tree burns down.
Once the Vestige has reached the central tree in the courtyard of Forstbreak Fortess, they must apply the elixir on the tree and lower its health by attacking it. This can be a quite challenging task, however, because it will constantly be defended by Winterborn troops. Additionally, the Winterborn have also placed Tree Tenders around the tree to heal it. The Vestige must defeat the Tree Tenders to ensure the tree gets destroyed. After a lengthy process of lowering the tree's health, the tree will be destroyed, causing it to burst into flames.
After destroying the tree, the Vestige must exit the fortress and speak to Alinon:
"The Wood Elf got me out of that cage with a damn fine strike. Damn fine! And you, you handled the briarheart tree perfectly. Well done!"
- Did the elixir work? Is the source of the briar hearts destroyed? "Indubitably! I watched the roots burn with my own eyes! The siege commander needs to hear about this so he can press the advantage and put an end to the Winterborn threat! As for me, I'm going to relax. Somewhere in Orsinium with a very large drink."
Afterwards, the quest will be completed, and the Vestige will receive their reward.
Reward[]
- Winterborn Gardbrace
- 73–302
Journal[]
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Gallery[]
