Approaches to the Palace

Find Black Bird the scout near the Crystal Mountain

When the dead speak, the living ought to listen with respect. If Che-Rez has blessed us in our war with the Immortals, so be it. It's time to overthrow the false gods and return to the ways of our ancestors.
There is only one thing I still find troubling: your stories about the illusory world. So many impossible things have happened recently that I really am beginning to question my reality. However, even if all you say is true... Let me ask you - what is reality? If we feel alive in the illusory world, if we feel pain and joy... does that not mean that we are truly alive? You say that our world is but a cogwheel inside some magic machine... but perhaps that machine and your entire "real" world are also insignificant parts of an even larger machine, in an even more "real" reality?
These thoughts are making my head spin, but the takeaway is very simple - remember us! When you fight the Immortals, take care that you don't accidentally destroy our small but precious little world. Don't forget that we still live here.
And now let's get to work. I have already sent our best scout to the Foothills. Her name is Black-Bird. Find her and find out what she was able to learn. May Genlun be with you!

There you are. I already scouted the area - this is going to be a tough job. You can't just stroll into the Crystal Palace. They say that when the Ancients lived in the Palace and Tekyans were welcomed there, the approach was guarded by stone guardians. But since the Immortals moved in, a strange magic that can't even be described in words blocks the way. Only those invited by the Immortals may pass through the mirage... And they will hardly do us that honor, don't you think?