The flight of stairs was built in a spiral-like manner, overlooking a small pond underneath.
Surprisingly, even if the Triune liked to worship demons, the water was crystal clear, and a few fish could be seen moving between the aquatic plants.
The system identified the area as the Horn of Komdor, and judging from the wear-and-tear on the stairs themselves, as well as the temple that just came into view, this location was very probably the playground of a force much older than the Triune.
Then, as time had its fun with the respective faction, the Triune ended up discovering and claiming this place for themselves, just like the monks at Orbei Monastery took over the playground of the Zakarum.
Moving his eyes away from the pond, whose beauty was very out of place considering the fanatics and demons he had just massacred atop the stairs, the Necromancer turned to look at the Dungeon entrance.
Its orange light shone brightly into the night, perfectly illuminating everything in its surroundings.
Spending another five minutes to inspect the damaged structures adorning the entrance, Michael finally gave up when he realized he couldn't find anything useful and entered the Dungeon.
[ Dungeon Quest issued - Komdor Temple
Objective: Slay the High Priests (0/3). ]
Taking a good look around him as he spent another 50 Essence points to summon his minions, the Necromancer raised an eyebrow at the architecture of the halls he found himself in.
'Another Hall of Hatred, huh?'
It was already the third or fourth Dungeon he entered, where the cultists sculpted large effigies in the worship of the Primes.
Not even fifty meters ahead, a group of goatmen noticed the interloper and were already charging at him, passing under the statue of a horrendous statue with four arms, probably Mephisto.
"Tsk! I like his dog form better. Engage!"
Not paying much attention to the incoming swathe of goatmen, Michael cast a Decrepify, followed by his Quarterback's taunt, then activated Corpse Explosion three times in a row.
The thick miasma cleared most of the mobs in less than a minute, leaving behind only a Unique Elite at around 50% of its Life Points.
[ Fatim, the High Priest (Elite) - Level 50
*Cold Enchanted: All attacks deal an extra 100 Cold damage.
*Frozen: Summons ten balls of frost. Upon explosion, they freeze and deal 250 fixed damage in a five-meter radius. Enemies affected by the explosion are afflicted with the Frozen debuff.
*Crystal snowflakes: Summons nine snowflakes in random locations around itself, targeting an enemy. The snowflakes have a homing modifier, allowing them to chase the enemy and deal 300 damage each. Enemies affected by the snowflakes would be inflicted with a Chilled debuff, slowing them by 15% for six seconds.
*Supressor: Create an eight-meter range force field that blocks the use of spells and prevents ranged attacks. ]
Much to his surprise, the High Priest was five levels lower than himself but had four different modifiers, making him capable of outputting quite the damage.
Surprisingly, though, for its high level, the damage dealt through the modifiers was much lower than even Elites with a single modifier he met in previous Dungeons.
"Does this have to do with the Dungeon's description? 'A Triune sect cursed to walk the Sanctuary as goatmen,' was it? Does this curse somehow extend to their level and the prowess of their modifiers?"
With a painful bleat, the goatmen named Fatim fell to his minions, dropping only one item.
It wasn't a Legendary item box, but rather, a small page covered in a bluish glow.
Something Michael was more happy to find than any other type of equipment.
[ Blood-written Sermon
Agony is the divine catalyst! Thy bones shall crack as they lengthen and twist. Thy flesh, rent asunder to be molded anew. Fur, fang, hoof, and horn!
Drink thee now of the blood and bile. As Humanity bleeds away, let Hell take its place!
Al'Diabolos! Dul'Mephistos! Tor'Baalos! ]
Slightly surprised at the revelation, the Wanderer continued roaming the halls infested by goatmen as he pondered the meaning of the sermon.
'Judging by the words written in blood, this was more of a choice the Triune sect made rather than a curse placed on them by others. Strange... why would the Sanctuary misrepresent what happened to them? Especially since the Dungeon would drop this collectible showing the truth.'
Confused, he contacted Beatrice and Tekrin to ask about it, but neither knew the answer.
According to the duo, it was one of the Steppes's mysteries.
Deciding to temporarily drop the matter until he could collect more information, the Necromancer continued on his Quest to eliminate the former High Priests of the Triune while also dealing with a Cursed Shrine Event on his way to the next hall.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The Greater Radiant Chest dropped the usual two Rare item boxes, 5 Angelbreaths, 7 Bundled Herbs, Iron Chunks, Rawhides each, 8 Gem Fragments each, and 18 Murmuring Obols.
This chest and the Event he just completed were found in the Prime Halls area, a passage of sorts between the Halls of Hatred and the Halls of Destruction.
After collecting his loot, he walked past the statue of Diablo while searching for the second High Priest.
It didn't take long to locate the little shit, as the MAP showed only two paths separating from the Prime Halls and a large door sealed by ancient glyphs.
Picking the southern corridor first, he found the second Unique Elite, Kellam.
[ Kellam, the High Priest (Elite) - Level 50
*Fire Enchanted: All attacks deal an extra 100 Fire damage. Enemies hit are afflicted with the Burning debuff and might take additional damage per second if Fire Resistance is low.
*Mortar: Randomly throws eight fireballs around itself. Each fireball deals 250 damage. Enemies hit are afflicted with the Burning debuff and might take additional damage per second if Fire Resistance is low.
*Explosive: Explosions send shockwaves around the creature afflicted with this modifier, dealing 350 damage to its surroundings. Enemies hit are afflicted with the Burning debuff and might take additional damage per second if Fire Resistance is low.
*Teleporter: Teleport randomly in a nine-meter radius range to avoid taking damage. ]
This Elite should've been a significant pain in the ass; however, due to the nerfs it suffered from, its otherwise OP modifier combination wasn't sufficient to deal with his minions, much less their owner.
The Necromancer returned to the northwestern corridor, pondering the reasons for the limitations the mobs of this Dungeon suffered.
'Could it be that the 'curse' the description was talking about wasn't the 'polymorph' spell I initially thought, but rather these severe restrictions instead? After all, having to deal with Wanderers five levels above their own, and even their 'commanders' suffering from these limitations in terms of modifiers... is this Dungeon even profitable for its owner? Could it be that the devil behind it managed to trick the Triune members and earned a considerable amount from the souls of those dumbass cultists, while after, he couldn't be bothered with it anymore?'
Looking at things from an objective perspective, Michael arranged the sequence of events in his mind like the following:
1. The devil tricks the Triune sect into becoming goatmen, probably through a demonic ritual.
2. The cultists believed their master, went through with it, and suffered the consequences.
3. Through the ritual, not only did the devil collect their foolish souls, but also the location itself, transforming this place into a Dungeon.
4. The Sanctuary noticed what happened and imposed the 'curse' upon the Dungeon and its mobs.
Shaking his head at the lack of information, Michael decided to leave things at that for now, as he discovered the last High Priest a bit further away.
[ Umbri, the High Priest (Elite) - Level 50
*Poison Enchanted: All attacks create a poison puddle on the ground. Enemies affected by poison are dealt 100 damage per second for a duration of six seconds.
*Vampiric: Each successful hit on an enemy heals for 85% of the damage dealt.
*Summoner: Creates nine summoning circles through which demonic creatures can be called upon every three minutes.
*Plaguebearer: Upon death, detonates its Corpse and soul to deal 450 fixed damage, as well as 250 Poison damage per second, for a duration of four seconds. ]
Funnily enough, after dealing with the Unique Elite and its minions, he discovered another Event where he had to protect three adventurers from the assault of the goatmen.
It went fairly well, prompting another looting session in which he gained the same two Rare item boxes, 5 Angelbreaths, 7 Bundled Herbs, Iron Chunks, Rawhides each, 8 Gem Fragments each, and 18 Murmuring Obols.
However, an extra orange item box stood on the ground, prompting a large grin to appear on the Necromancer's face.
[ Conceited Ring
Legendary Ring
578 Item Power
-----------------
* +5.0% Resistance to All Elements
* +5.0% Poison Resistance
------------------
* +1 Essence on Kill
* +21.0% Vulnerable Damage
* +3.5% Critical Strike Chance
Legendary Aspect: Deal 20% increased damage while you have a Barrier active.
+Empty Socket ]
Shrugging, he tossed the ring in his inventory, planning to salvage it later.
Now, the third High Priest had died, and the next Dungeon Quest became available.
[ Dungeon Quest update - Komdor Temple
Objective: Open the Chamber Door. ]
Returning to the Prime Halls, he stood in front of a door made out of gold - probably - with two horned humanoid creatures he presumed to be depictions of demons sculpted on it.
Unsurprisingly, after pushing the doors open, he entered the Boss Room, where he was greeted by the familiar Khazra Abomination, prompting him to wonder if the devils had some 'templates' for Bosses and Elites that they shared with each other.
The creature was a slight pain in the ass due to its poison modifiers, but it still fell to Michael's onslaught nonetheless.
Then, it happened!
"What the--!?"
Among the dropped loot, there were three golden item boxes, and one a fourth showing a strange faded brown color.
With his heart rate increasing tremendously, Michael quickly picked it up, ignoring everything else.
He had previously seen two items among Helen's equipment. It signified a higher rarity: the Uniques!
[ Penitent Greaves
Unique Boots
600 Item Power
-----------------
254 Armor (+30 compared with the currently equipped item)
* Evade grants +75% Movement Speed for 1 second
-----------------
* +10.0% Movement Speed
* +5.0% Crowd Control Duration
* +16.5% Cold Resistance
* +8.5% Slow Duration Reduction
Legendary Aspect: You leave behind a trail of frost that Chills enemies. You deal 15% more damage to Chilled enemies.
Description: Remorseful devotees of the Cathedral of Light must undertake a grueling pilgrimage, journeying across the frigid glacier known as Serac Rapture. Only then may their gravest sins be forgiven. ]
It was the first item he found after the Sanctuary decided to 'update' all Affixes based on their item's rarity, where there were four instead of the usual three for Legendary.
After he returned from his 'vacation' in the Burning Hells' Nightmare Dungeon, the system modified all items, prompting major changes in the Wanderer community.
Their equipped items became Legacy sets, retaining the upgrades and the number of Affixes they held previously.
However, the new drops after the 'update' were much more different.
Rare items offered only two Affixes, and Legendary ones provided three.
'However, the fact that you could add a fourth Affix through Tempering made Wanderers much happier. The girls said the same thing since now they could collect Tempering Manuals when raiding Dungeons and attune their preferred items to their skill build.'
Looking at the Affixes, they weren't anything too crazy, while the Legendary Aspect on this Unique pair of boots was pretty good, as it both slowed and increased the damage he dealt to enemies chasing him by 15%.
On the other hand, his capability of transforming into a cloud of bats and applying a Vulnerable debuff on enemies through his currently equipped item... was much better from a personal perspective.
Coughing awkwardly at his childish behavior, he continued reading the details on his first Unique item, prompting his expression to change after seeing its description.
"*Sigh* The Serac Rapture, huh..."
Remembering the pilgrimage he went through before meeting Inarius to ask for his blessing, as well as the foolish Knight Penitent who sacrificed himself to wash away his sins in Rathma's Necropolis, Michael's mood significantly soured.
He was supposed to be happy, as this was the final Dungeon he had to clear in the Dry Steppes region. However, he couldn't bring himself to smile.
Exiting the Dungeon, he checked his Renown points and saw them at 2,520/3,055.
He had uncovered all eight Waypoints, completed 2/3 Stronghold Events, finished 35/39 Side Quests, discovered 46/51 areas of this region, and 21/21 of the Dungeons available.
"*Sigh* I'll come with the girls soon to collect the Altars of Lilith. For now, I guess I should find the third Stronghold Event."
Until now, from Fractured Peaks to Scosglen and into the Dry Steppes, the system would mark three Stronghold Events on the MAP for him to clear.
The other Wanderers wouldn't see them, but he could bring allies after accepting them.
Moving his gaze to the only area in this region still partially covered by fog, Michael theorized his final Stronghold Event should be somewhere in there.
"Back to the plains infected by Hatred, huh?"