Our Rotten Roots is the quest where the Isbrand thread pays off — or fails to. He has been found, but he cannot speak. The journal files it under The thirty days, records Rockfalls on the map and The Silts as its journal region, and names Brencis and Lacra as its people. The introduction explains the problem: “We found Brencis’s maker in horrible shape – he couldn’t answer any of our questions. Lacra is trying to help him. Hopefully, soon he’ll be able to give us something helpful in defeating the knyaz.”
Where the quest sits
It follows directly from Hive and Seek: Isbrand has been brought to the abandoned fort and Lacra asks for a day with him. The step list then moves into a plane of sandstorms where his memories are found, guarded by creatures and finally by an echo of Isbrand himself. The region band is the highest of the Isbrand chain, so this is the arc’s difficulty peak before the coronation chapter.
Journal objectives
The journal records these sixteen entries, in this order:
- Give Lacra a day — “We brought Isbrand to the abandoned fort – Lacra thinks she might be able to help him. She told me to give her a day – I should return tomorrow.”
- Meet Lacra in the fort at night — “I’ve given Lacra some time with Isbrand to figure out what might help him. I should go back to see them.”
- Search for Isbrand’s memories — “Isbrand isn’t capable of talking to us. Our best bet is finding his memories and looking into them to see if there are any answers or clues lurking within.”
- Pass the gate — “We must go through the gate and see what’s on the other side.”
- Enter the sandstorm — “Lacra said the sandstorm ahead harbours one of Isbrand’s memories. We must go in.”
- Defeat the creatures — “Our presence has drawn in hostile creatures of this plane. We must dispatch them before they kill us.”
- Enter the sandstorm — “Another sandstorm rages by the echo of an ancient mansion. We must look inside it.”
- Defeat the wave of creatures — “Another wave of enemies has emerged from the sands of the plane. We have to fight – and win. We can’t die here.”
- Enter the sandstorm alone — “Whatever the sandstorm ahead is hiding, Lacra didn’t want me to see it.”
- Enter the sandstorm with Lacra — “One more sandstorm ahead. The echoes made it sound important – like something we’ve been looking for. We shouldn’t waste time.”
- Step out of the sandstorm — “Time to move. We mustn’t spend more time here than necessary.”
- Defeat the echo of Isbrand — “What remains of Isbrand’s soul saw enemies in us and attacked. We must defend ourselves, there is no other way.”
- Search for the first of Isbrand’s memories — “Isbrand isn’t capable of talking to us. Our best bet is finding his memories and looking into them to see if there are any answers or clues lurking within.”
- Search for the second memory — “Isbrand isn’t capable of talking to us. Our best bet is finding his memories and looking into them to see if there are any answers or clues lurking within.”
- Search for more of Isbrand’s memories — “Isbrand isn’t capable of talking to us. Our best bet is finding his memories and looking into them to see if there are any answers or clues lurking within.”
- Search for the last memory — “Isbrand isn’t capable of talking to us. Our best bet is finding his memories and looking into them to see if there are any answers or clues lurking within.”
Before you go
This is the Isbrand arc’s final step, so run Hive and Seek first; the journal’s opening line assumes he is already at the fort. The Silts band runs roughly 18–26 and the quest is combat-heavy inside the sandstorms, with no shops or resupply once you are in. The mid-game walkthrough covers where this sits against the vassal arcs, and the Silts tower location guide covers nearby landmarks.