Trailing the Coven

Trailing the Coven is the eighth quest in Act I of Diablo III.

Objectives:

1. Talk to Leah in New Tristram.
2. Enter the Caverns of Araneae in the Wortham Bluffs north of Wortham.
3. Search for the Chamber of Queen Araneae.
4. Talk to the woman trapped in the web in the Chamber of Queen Araneae.
5. Kill Queen Araneae in the Chamber of Queen Araneae.
6. Harvest the Pool of Venom in the Chamber of Queen Araneae.
7. Free Karyna with the venom in the Chamber of Queen Araneae.
8. Go out into the Highlands Crossing from the Chamber of Queen Araneae with Karyna.
9. Talk to Karyna in the Highlands Crossing.
10. Find the Khazra Staff on Karyna's Lost Wagon in the Southern Highlands.
11. Approach the Khazra Barricade with the Khazra Staff in the northern part of the Southern Highlands.
12. Find Leoric's Manor Courtyard past the Northern Highlands and Leoric's Hunting Grounds.
13. Enter Leoric's Manor at the peak of the Highlands.
14. Explore Leoric's Manor.
15. Kill the cultists.

Transcript

Core

• Leah: If only I could control this...power. I could have saved him.

• Class
  • Necromancer: I do not know. There were others who were responsible.

• Leah: Maghda...and her master, Belial. The journal speaks of an angel falling from the Heavens as the shadow rises from the Abyss. The Stranger is the key to all of this!

• Class
  • Necromancer: So it seems. I will search for him.

• Leah: When my power...erupted, I saw into Maghda's mind for an instant. She's fled to the Highlands. You can reach them through the caves above Wortham. You have to know she'll be waiting for you.

• Class
  • I am prepared for that.

• Follower
  • Templar: This is a matter of honor now. We must not hesitate.

• Follower
  • Templar: The air hangs heavy with the scent of terror. This does not bode well.

• Follower
  • Templar: Did you see those columns behind the webs? This place was built by ancient hands...

• Man: My mistress has accepted me...Come close and feel her loving embrace...

• Class
  • Necromancer: That was not going to end well.

• Karyna: Please, help me. It’s horrible. She sucks the innards from the victims. No! It's too late, I hear her! The spider queen is coming!

• Class
  • Necromancer: Spider queen?

• Karyna: You will need the venom to dissolve these webs. Please, hurry! I can't tangle like this a moment longer. I'll go mad.

• Karyna: Thank you, thank you...Can we please leave this horrible place?

• Karyna: It was terrible, being stuck in there like that. Thank the gods you came along. What are you doing out here?

• Class
  • Necromancer: I am looking for a man who was taken prisoner by the Coven.

• Karyna: The Coven? I saw them dragging someone into Leoric's manor house; perhaps it was the man you seek. Uhh...you might have a small bit of trouble reaching there, though. I’m not proud of this, but I stole the staff of a powerful khazra shaman. The khazra went mad and chased me to the caves. You can find the staff in my cart in the Highlands. If you take it to the khazra barricade, perhaps they will let you pass.

• Follower
  • Templar: These lands once belonged to the crown.

• Cultist: To me, you beasts! Let none touch me!

• Follower
  • Templar: Thank you for helping me fight the darkness. To contend with evil is the essence of what it means to be a templar.

• Class
  • Necromancer: In all things, there must be Balance.

• Cultist: He's/She's unstoppable! No mortal could slaughter our brethren with such ease!

• Cultist: He/She is here!

• Class
  • Necromancer: Your arrogance knows no bounds.

• Maghda: Delay him/her while I prepare his/her demise in the depths below.

Townsfolk Dialogues

• Leah: This damned power I have...Uncle Deckard said it came from my mother. He tried to teach me how to control it, using his Horadric training, but it never really helped. He never gave up on me, though. He was a great man.

• Myriam: Cain was a good man who saw beyond what his eyes showed him. This world is made poorer by his loss.

• Class
  • Necromancer: His death weighs heavily on the scales. Maghda went too far.

• Myriam: I am not usually one for vengeance, but in this instance, I hope you make her suffer.

• Covetous Shen: It's a cruel world that would take Deckard Cain away from us. His was never an easy life, and he gave much for us all.

Quest Journal

• Part 1
  • Barbarian: Cain is dead, and the angel has been taken to the Highlands. I will follow the cultists through the caves above Wortham, and butcher them like cattle.
  • Crusader: Cain is dead. On the Crusade, I have seen many friends fall, but it never gets any easier. I will honor his memory through word and deed. And the first deed is to rescue that angel. The coven has taken him through the caves above Wortham, to the Highlands.
  • Demon Hunter: Deckard Cain’s passing weights heavily on me. I never wanted this for him or for Leah. I can see traces of my sister’s grief in her eyes... But Leah is strong enough to go on without him. She already knows that we must confront Maghda. I’ll have to journey through the caves above Wortham to reach her.
  • Monk: Deckard Cain is dead. The angel has been taken. I am tested, but I will not fail again.
  • Wizard: I can barely believe that Deckard Cain is dead. He was a rare man and truly worthy of respect. I will follow his murderers through the caves above Wortham, rescue the angel, and make them pay for what they have done.

• Part 2
  • Barbarian: My path lies through the Caverns of Araneae. Skittering sounds echo in the caves, and I see crawling, shambling shades in the darkness.
  • Crusader: I'll have to go through the Caverns of Araneae. It is fortunate that spiders don't unnerve me. Perhaps I can befriend them.
  • Demon Hunter: I hate leaving Leah alone at a time like this, but some people prefer to nurse their grief privately. For me, action is easier than waiting. I’ll find Maghda somewhere on the other side of these caverns, and when I do, I’ll ensure that my bolts flying at her are the last things she’ll ever see.
  • Monk: The very ground beneath my feet seems to shift and move with the skittering of a thousand tiny legs.
  • Necromancer: The cultists are not in the caverns, so they must have pressed on to the highlands. I would have been closer behind them had I not stayed to speak with Leah...But I could not leave her in that state. Grief has already changed her forever.
  • Wizard: I have never quite been at ease with spiders. Unfortunately, this cave will allow me ample opportunities to confront my unease. I will hurry through and try not to look up.

• Part 3
  • Barbarian: Now that I freed Karyna from her bonds, our way to the outside is clear.
  • Crusader: Now that I have freed Karyna, we can get out of this cave.
  • Demon Hunter: The spiders in this cave trap human victims and feed upon them. It’s disturbing, to say the least. I was able to rescue one of them, though, a young woman named Karyna. Now that she’s free, we should leave this miserable place.
  • Monk: I have freed a young woman named Karyna from the spider’s webs. I will take solace that at least some good has come of my trek through this cave. But now it is time to go.
  • Necromancer: The spider has some talkative prey. No matter, she may know something useful.
  • Wizard: I have freed Karyna from the spider queen's webbing. We can now leave this place. As quickly as possible, I hope.

• Part 4
  • Barbarian: Karyna told me of a shamanistic khazra staff that I need in order to pass the goatmen's barricade. The staff can be found in her cart somewhere in the Highlands.
  • Crusader: Karyna says I'll need a khazra staff to pass the goatmen's barricade. Fortunately, just such a staff can be found in her cart somewhere in the Highlands.
  • Demon Hunter: Karyna’s seen the Stranger! Evidently, the cultists are holding him hostage somewhere in Leoric’s manor. But Karyna’s also caused me quite an inconvenience by angering the goatmen in the area. That’s not exactly what I came here to deal with...
  • Monk: Karyna has told me that the Stranger is being held in Leoric’s manor. Perhaps her gift of foresight brought her here in order to tell me this. Also, it seems she has a gift for causing trouble, for the goatmen here have been agitated.
  • Necromancer: There is no end to angry khazra in these parts. At least I am acquiring a certain skill at killing them with all of this practice. But every delay means that the cultists and the angel can move further beyond my reach. I must be quick.
  • Wizard: Karyna tells me that I should search Leoric's manor house for the angel. First, though, I must get through a khazra barricade, using one of their shamans' staves. The staff is hidden in her cart in the Highlands.

• Part 5
  • Barbarian: I now have the khazra staff. The khazra will open their barricade to get it, and then I will fight my way to Leoric's manor.
  • Crusader: I have the staff. The Khazra will open their barricade to get it, and then I can fight my way to Leoric's manor.
  • Demon Hunter: Now that I have the staff, I cannot imagine why Karyna wanted it. This thing reeks of... well, goat, and parts of it are caked with a dark substance that looks like blood. Oh well, as long as the goatmen are still interested in it, I’ll be able to get through their defences.
  • Monk: I have the khazra’s staff. I do not know how this will help me pass through the goatmen’s barricade. If they refuse me, I have other ways to gain passage.
  • Wizard: This staff clearly has a religious significance. This Khazra will open their barricade to get it back, I am certain. Then, the only thing between me and Leoric's manor house is an uphill fight against endless enemies.

• Part 6
  • Barbarian: I must cross the Highlands to reach the Mad King's manor house. I do not know why the Coven has brought the angel there, nor do I care. The cultists will die just the same.
  • Crusader: I must cross the Highlands to reach Leoric's manor. I wonder why Maghda's cultists chose to hide the angel there? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter where they hide him, I'll get him back in any case.
  • Demon Hunter: The Highlands...This is where Leoric would ride with his hunting parties, felling many a beast and, as time went on, any poor peasant he happened across. The tales say that a mere glance in the king’s direction was enough to earn a swift death during the height of his paranoia. It is fitting that Maghda has drawn me to this place of slaughter, for she will meet her death here as well.
  • Monk: I can see Leoric’s manor overlooking the Highlands. I am close now. As I near my quarry, my resolve is steeled.
  • Necromancer: The manor is just ahead. I can already sense the darkness and death that lurks within, but that has never deterred me before.
  • Wizard: The Highlands were once King Leoric's private hunting grounds. Now they are filled with mad Khazra and cultists who seek to block my way to Leoric's manor house. No matter. I will kill any who stand between me and the angel.

• Part 7
  • Barbarian: The Coven brought the angel through the Highlands to Leoric's manor. I will find the Stranger, and I will free him and kill any cultists and khazra who block my path.
  • Crusader: It's into the manor to find the stranger.
  • Demon Hunter: Maghda has based her cultists in Leoric’s old manor, and judging from the number of villager corpses near here, I can tell they’ve been practicing more dark magic within those walls. The Stranger may not be the only prisoner they are holding...
  • Monk: The angel is near. Wherever Maghda has hidden him, I will find him.
  • Necromancer: The cultists are here, yet their pathetic defenses will do little to stop me. It is clear that Maghda does not care whether they live or die, so long as they serve her. I wonder what the demons promised her? Power, wealth, or something greater?
  • Wizard: The Coven is holding the angel somewhere in Leoric's manor. I am surprised, after reading of Leoric's madness and meeting the creature he had become, that his house looks so...ordinary. Perhaps there is more to it than one can see from first glance.