Down on the Bayou

Overview
Summary
 * 1) Meet Vidaj in Lahtenda Bog.
 * 2) Lead Vidaj to the relics in Lahtenda Bog. There are (5..0) area(s) left to explore.
 * 3) Lead Vidaj out from the bayou.
 * 4) See Guard Kovu for your reward.

Obtained from
 * Guard Kovu in Blacktide Den.

Requirements

Reward
 * 1,500 XP
 * 125 Gold

Dialogue
 * "Are you heading out to Lahtenda Bog? if so, there's a Vabbian historian named Vidaj who wants to investigate the ruins in the area. I told him not to go alone because the corsairs have been lurking around again and some of the creatures out there would love to munch on some bookworm who doesn't even know which way to point a spear. Vidaj said he'd pay for the escort, but none of my men have time right now. If you're interested, he said he'd be doing some research outside the gates."

Intermediate Dialogue

At the first area:
 * Vidaj: "This area links to all the other areas. I wonder if the builders camped here. It seems to be a good location to protect people from the weather and the exits can be blocked for safety. It looks like a natural formation. Perhaps this is what drew the ancients to this spot in the first place."

At the second areat:
 * Vidaj: "Hmm...these skulls seem to be scattered all over. I wander why they placed them in this spot? There are exactly three skulls. That may be significant. I will have to ask my colleagues if they have seen a placement pattern like this before."

At the third area:
 * Vidaj: "Well this is interesting. These huts seem to be recent, like someone is still living here. I hope they don't come back. Or if they do, I hope they're friendly. And if they aren't, I really hope you're as strong as you look."

At the fourth area:
 * Vidaj: "What is that? I've never seen anything like it before. Amazing! I simply must make a sketch. I wonder what that symbol in the center means? I will have to present this finding to everyone to see if anyone has ever seen it before."

At the fifth area:
 * Vidaj: "Oh my. This is fantastic. Look at these pillars. It's like whoever build these, never completed consruction. If the weathering of the stone is any indication, this could be an artifact from the time of the Scarab Plague. I wonder if all these areas were built at the same time...."

After visiting all five areas:
 * Vidaj: "Well this has been a most interesting adventure. I believe I have enough information here to keep me busy for a long time. Thank you so much for escourting me. I never would have made it on my own. Now we need to get out of here. So let's head back, shed back, shall we?"

Reward Dialogue
 * "Vidaj must have gotten more than he expected out there. I barely saw him as he ran through. He did ask me to give this to you for protecting him while he did his research thing. He was rambling quite a bit and I wasn't paying close attention, but he did seem really excited to get back to Vabbi. I wonder what got him so riled up? Oh well, I've never understood people who get excited over a pile of rocks anyway."

Walkthrough
Vidaj will join your party as an ally. This means he will engage enemies and take damage. Since he is only level 10 and the monsters in the area level 15, he will likely die unless healed feverishly. A safer approach would be to leave him at the door and then clear out the circular area in the eastern side of the bog. This is where all 5 points will be.

After clearing that area of monsters, go back and speak to Vidaj and then simply move from point to point. After you reach the third point, a small contingent of low-level Corsairs will attack. There will be no more surprises after that and you just need to escort him to the portal to get your reward (be careful not to zone in before the Vidaj comes close enough to the portal and the quest log updates).

Trivia

 * The three skulls in the second area are those of First Spear Janah, Kojolin the Conciliator and Sogolon the Protector.
 * The architecture in the fourth area is very similar to the architecture in Champion's Dawn and The Astralarium.