Hope for Hallowhall
Hope for Hallowhall is a quest in Secrets of the Frontier's Watcher Beyond the Walls module.
Opening
Some distance to the top-left of the core worlds is Mia's Star, a yellow star. Around this star's hyperspace anchor, the player can find a warning beacon glowing in aquamarine and emitting a higher-danger ping. Entering Mia's Star is the first step to beginning the quest.
Warning Beacon
| "WARNING: Access to this system by unauthorized parties is forbidden by rightful order of warnet crux Ardent-Annex-Seraph, acting as an extension of the Domain Ministry of Intelligence. Vessels and fleets found trespassing will be subject to stop-and-search procedures and potential obliteration. Glory to the Cause." | ||
– beacon message | ||
Entering Mia's Star
Upon first entering Mia's Star, the player will find it patrolled by warfleets of the Dustkeeper Contingency. Soon after, the nearest one of these fleets will intercept the player. Depending on what fleet, or if the player visits Holdout Forgeship at the system's gas giant before they are intercepted, a few different scenarioes can occur. Once any of them are experienced, the player won't be hassled again.
Meeting Seraph
Being intercepted by Seraph's Ardent Castellans or one of the proxy warfleets will result in the hassling fleet preventing the player from disengaging and requesting a comm link.
The player is soon routed to Ardent-Annex-Seraph, who will admonish them for trespassing with their transponder off (even if their transponder is on) and demand they submit to a cargo scan. Allowing the hassling fleet to perform the scan results in it detecting the presence of a planet-killer device (even if they don't have one).
The player's response is irrelevant - she will order another scan (which turns up clean, even if the player has a planetkiller) and apologize before clearing them to leave. If asked, she will explain she is protecting a dicivilized population at the world of Hallowhall. The player can receive the quest from her there if she is spoken to by proxy, or immediately if intercepted by her actual fleet.
Blithe
Being intercepted by Blithe's Neutron Wyrms will result in the fleet preventing the player from disengaging and requesting a comm-link. Upon acceptance, they will be connected to Heretofore-Annex-Blithe, who will sarcastically inform them they are being subjected to a cargo scan, and pretend to perform one.
Upon the false scan's completion, they will be allowed to leave. Blithe will recommend them to visit Ardent-Annex-Seraph at the world of Hallowhall and also to check in at Holdout Forgeship.
Inadvertent
Reaching Holdout Forgeship before being intercepted will result in a comm-link request from Rigging-Echo-Inadvertent. He will request a reasoning for being in-system and will accept any that the player gives, although one is required as he will reject their docking if they refuse. Afterwards, he will recommend speaking to Ardent-Annex-Seraph at Hallowhall.
Receiving The Quest
Upon speaking to Ardent-Annex-Seraph via her fleet at Hallowhall, the player can ask what they can do to help the holdouts at Mia's Star.
This grants the player the Hope for Hallowhall major event. The player needs to gain 600 event points ("points of trust") to complete the quest. Points can be accrued by:
- Destroying ships in fleets of the Luddic Path or Sindrian Diktat anywhere in the Sector. Double the points are earned for Lion's Guard fleets. Points are earned based on the hidden fleet point value of the ships destroyed - on average, a frigate gives just over half a point while capital ships give about three points.
- Destroying Luddic Path stations supporting Pather cells. Orbital stations earn 60 points, and battlestations earn 120.
- Colonizing Hallowhall. This grants 75 points, and an additional 75 each time the colony increases in population (up to 300) total.
- Restoring Hallowhall's astropolis for 50 points.
- Selling a nanoforge to Holdout Forgeship's surplus market. This grants 75 points for a corrupted nanoforge, and 150 for a pristine nanoforge (75 if a corrupted nanoforge was previously sold).
- Turning in AI cores to Rigging-Echo-Inadvertent. This grants 10/30/60 points per gamma/beta/alpha core. The total trust gain from AI cores is capped at 240.
- Completing missions for Inadvertent, for 30 points a mission.
Purifier Raid
At at the 350 point mark, the track notes that major AI activity is bound to attract unwanted attention. When the track hits this point, a force of Luddic Path purifiers will prepare to raid Mia's Star, attempting to perform a saturation bombardment of Holdout Forgeship and any colonies within. Note that Holdout cannot decivilized or be destroyed, but player colonies can.
The raid generally comprises of two large Pather fleets. The Dustkeeper defenders can sometimes hold them off but it is advised the player aid in the defence, as it is a good opportunity to gain event points - an extra 75 points are earned if the raid fails.
Rewards
Rewards are earned at several point thresholds:
- 125: Proxy broadcast code injector - Hyperwave Transmitter combat objectives controlled by the player spawn Dustkeeper Proxy drones instead of normal derelict drones, greatly improving their combat effectiveness.
- 450: Proxy patrols - Player colonies will spawn a Dustkeeper proxy warfleet consisting of several of their upgraded drones. They are equivalent to medium patrols and fight as part of the player's faction. At size 6, colonies gain an extra patrol.
- 600: Ardent oathkeeper - Ardent-Annex-Seraph becomes available for recruitment once the event track is fully completed. By speaking to her fleet, the player can ask her to join. This requires the Automated Ships skill. She will bring her flagship with her, typically the ODS Last Light, a Respite-class drone battlecruiser. Seraph cannot be recruited while her personal fleet is destroyed. It respawns in 20-30 days, but ceases operation after she is recruited.