What Was Lost

Not to be confused with That Which Was Lost.

What Was Lost is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Background[]

I met a mage named Shatasha in Darkshade Caverns. She has asked for help investigating the Dwemer ruins to find Nervyna, the mine's owner.

Objectives[]

Find Nervyna Selos
Enter the Dwemer Ruins
Kill Grobull the Transmuted
Find the Engine
Destroy the Engine Guardian
Speak with Shatasha

Walkthrough[]

Return to Darkshade Caverns[]

Upon reentering Darkshade Caverns, the first thing you find is an Argonians from the Mages Guild. Her name is Shatasha, and her expertise is in the field of Dwemer relics. She was supposed to meet Nervyna Selos, the proprietor of the mines, who had apparently found an ancient Dwemer ruin which she wished to be surveyed by an expert. Unable to find Nervyna and shaken by the numerous Kwama corpses strewn near the entrance, she requests your aid in finding out what has happened here.

As you enter the main chamber, you will see the bodies of what appear to be miners, seemingly in a catatonic state. However, before they can be properly examined, the bodies reanimate with a strange blue aura emanating from their corpses. They attack you in a feral state. Deal with them, and it quickly becomes clear that the miners aren't the only ones that are afflicted. In deeper sections of the mine, Kwama and miners attack in unison, with both sporting the same characteristics. As you pass them, you come to the sight of a terrifying battle taking place between the reactivated Dwemer Automatons and the Kwama. Breaking up the fight is not enough, as a powerful Kwama Warrior, Transmuted Hive Lord, emerges from the ground, disturbed by all the commotion. Its power is greatly boosted due to the affliction and it is accompanied by Draining Scrib and Sedating Scrib, two scribs with debilitating attacks.

Overcome them and save Nervyna Selos. Although she is in a very foul mood, she recognizes you as the one who helped her kill Tervur Sadri, and reveals what has happened since the last time you were here. The Kwama continued digging through the Dwemer ruins, which resulted in them displaying feral instincts and inducing anger in those nearby. This incursion also awakened the Dwemer constructs, which turned the entire mine into a battlefield. Shatasha volunteers to explore the ruins further in an effort to find the source of the problem.

The Path to Rkugamz[]

You find yourself once more upon the outskirts of the unearthed Dwemer ruin. Shatasha and Nervyna went on ahead to the large cavern below. Shatasha identifies the ruin as Rkugamz and the pair is distracted by Grobull the Transmuted that has apparently been injured by the Dwemer constructs. As they approach, they are surprised when the netch suddenly reawakens and shocks them, rendering them immobile. Fight through the horde of constructs and face the hostile netch in combat.

Grobull has a damage shield that reflects all incoming damage and can summon large groups of netch calves. Attack it during the small windows of time where its shield wears off, rendering it vulnerable to attacks. Shatasha and Nervyna come to once more, and Shatasha figures out what is causing the strange behavior in the kwama and the miners. She reveals the legend behind Rkugamz, of how the Dwemer abandoned this city when their masterwork, known only as the "Great Engine," was seemingly cursed by the Aedra. She hypothesizes that destroying the engine would put a stop to the spread of the infection and beseeches you to hurry, lest they become infected too.

The Great Engine[]

The entrance to the room where the Great Engine lies is behind a veritable army of Dwemer constructs, composed of every kind imaginable, from spiders to spheres and even mighty centurions. Take on each contingent of constructs slowly, and don't bite off more than you can chew. After dispatching them, enter the engine room. You are confronted by The Engine Guardian, a massive Dwarven Spider kitted with many elemental attacks, including fire, electricity and poison.

After a grueling battle, the guardian is destroyed, which starts a cascading effect, destroying the entire room and the engine along with it. Escape the engine room and meet up with Nervyna and Shatasha, who are relieved that the nightmare is finally over. This incident has resulted in both of them receiving unexpected benefits. Nervyna is poised to get a tidy sum of money with the deal she intends to make with the Mages Guild, and she plans to retire from the kwama mining business forever. Shatasha expects to become famous for her research of Rkugamz, which would set her up for life.