A History of Violence

Overview
Summary
 * 1) Free the bound souls of the Imperial guards from Shiro's constructs. You have freed .. of 3 souls.
 * 2) Speak to Imperial Guard Hao Li.
 * 3) Speak to Imperial Guard Kaichen.
 * 4) Speak to Imperial Guard Tiendi.
 * 5) See Imperial Captain Shi Wang for your reward.

Obtained from
 * Imperial Captain Shi Wang in Gate of Fear.

Requirements
 * None

Reward
 * 4,500 XP
 * 400 Gold
 * 100 Lightbringer points
 * Inscribed Secret

Followup
 * Bad Fortune

Dialogue
 * [Difficulty: Master] When I discovered that Shiro Tagachi lorded over this place, my rage burned hotter than a dragon's fire. Long ago, Shiro and I fought as brothers in the elite Imperial guard, and he was cold-blooded even then.  Even so, none of us believed our eyes when he turned on Emperor Angsiyan and slew him.  His treachery continues even after death... he has been binding the lost souls of this realm into his Shiroken constructs.  The spirits of my fellow guardsmen are being forced to serve their murderer! , please free the souls of my comrades.


 * Accept: I shall free your brothers' souls from this terrible servitude.
 * Decline: An elite undead mercenary, you say? Sorry, I like all my limbs.  Attached.

Intermediate dialogue (Imperial Guard Hao Li)
 * Thank you for releasing me from Shiro's treachery. You know, he did not always have such darkness in his heart.  Ambitious, yes, but loyal to Cantha and a true guardsman.  I believe that evil forces from this realm manipulated Shiro to assassinate the emperor.  How they managed to sway him is the true mystery.

Intermediate dialogue (Imperial Guard Kaichen)
 * I'm indebted to you, friend. Although it has been many years, I still cannot believe that Shiro alone committed the treachery against the emperor.  During preparations for the harvest ceremony he was on edge, talking about a fortune-teller and a choice he must make.  He made no sense at all, and the whole thing still doesn't.  But then again, perhaps it can all be explained by how far out of his mind my poor comrade had gone.

Intermediate dialogue (Imperial Guard Tiendi)
 * Ah, freedom. I will remember this compassion, hero. All of these years my anger has been focused on Shiro, but now find that darker forces were at play. Shiro can never gain forgiveness for his crime against the emperor, but know that a greater evil acted as the driving force behind his actions.  Abaddon, lord of this realm, sent a minion of his evil to entice Shiro's dark side.  Disguised as a simple fortune-teller, this avatar corrupted Shiro thoroughly and used his own black thoughts against him.

Reward Dialogue (Imperial Captain Shi Wang)
 * Thank you for liberating the other guardsmen. They fought too valiantly in life to deserve such a fate. You say a fortune-teller played a part in Shiro's treachery? Perhaps she ignited the spark of evil that always resided in him...or perhaps he was a pawn all along.

Walkthrough
This quest is most easily completed with the help of The Oddbodies as allies, before completing their quest in the Domain of Fear, The Last Patrol. With them in tow, it is relatively straightforward to defeat all the necessary enemies, considering this is a Master's difficulty quest in the Realm of Torment. Make sure they don't get stuck on shrines and such as you move around, you want to preserve the full group as long as possible.

If you first complete Kormir's Crusade, you can then enter the Domain of Fear from the Gate of Secrets, which is nearest to one of the three bound spirits. But there is no particular advantage to doing so, and if you follow the quest markers identifying the 3 locations in order, the first one is much closer to the Gate of Fear entrance. If you're getting help from The Oddbodies, they're also right at that Gate's entrance.

You MUST free all three spirits at the same time, without entering an outpost, or the quest will reset. They will be arrayed across the southern reaches of the Domain of Fear: Hao Li far to the south of the Gate of Fear, Tiendi just to the north of the Gate of Secrets, and Kaichen in between. Each is accompanied by a group of Margonites, but they are not attached - you can pull the Margonites away from the bound spirits to take them out separately.

The most difficult part of this quest is managing aggro on the creatures around each of the spirits. Tiendi is surrounded by four large groups of Demons, while Hao Li is at the back of an area filled with Chaos creatures including pop-up Grasps of Insanity, Wrathful Storms, and Torment Claws. Interrupts and hex removal are pretty much required - three of the four mobs around Tiendi are mostly Rains of Terror who like to use Deep Freeze, Blurred Vision, and Freezing Gust; the Wrathful Storms and Terrorweb Dryders around Hao Li use Meteor Shower, Fire Storm, and Mark of Rodgort. A party prepared to deal with all that should have little trouble with this quest.

Beware the numerous patrols of torment groups that constantly criss-cross the more open areas of this zone. Their patrols are wide-ranging and quick, and it's very easy to get adds while engaging one group. Patience is key, watch all the patrols, and attack them at the safest time & location possible.

Trivia

 * This quest's name is a reference to the graphic novel and movie A History of Violence.