Every role-playing game has a healthy population of non-player characters (NPCs) to improve the immersion factor of the story and help the protagonist out with some useful information or funny dialogue. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has several of these types of characters. Some of them can be recruited as party members, others serve the hero as advisors, colleagues, friends, or vendors.
The Storyteller is a recurring NPC that fills a few of these roles, and despite how important he is to a variety of events and quests, sometimes he can be difficult to track down. When it feels like this character has dropped off the map, there are a few reliable places to look in order to find him. There are always clues if the player has the time and patience to talk to as many other NPCs as possible.
Who Is The Storyteller?
What's the real identity of this person and why does the protagonist care? That's actually a part of the mystery and motivation of pursuing him. Nobody really knows who or what he is.
The Storyteller is an Elf, and the game makes that abundantly clear with a detailed description of him, but he's ancient beyond belief. Elves retain their youthful countenance for thousands of years, the lore notes, so in order for this old fellow to look so grizzled says something about how long he's been wandering around Golarion.
There's an ongoing fetch quest that starts in the first chapter called "Notes for the Storyteller." The party will come across random pieces of paper in their travels that will look plain with the simple title "Elvish notes." If these find their way back to the Storyteller, he reveals more of his ancient and often checkered past.
Where Is The Storyteller?
Searching The City Ruins
The effort to retake Kenabras has several different steps, and one of them is to find the Storyteller. At first, the only clue that the Pathfinder player is given is that he must be somewhere in the ruins of Kenabras. This is a nice bit of foreshadowing for future dealings with this character. In each chapter of Wrath of the Righteous, the Storyteller is in a different location and it's not always clear where or how to find him.
Blackwing Library
After exploring the city and crossing the canyon that blocks the way through what's left of the town square, there's a place called Blackwing Library. Irabeth in Defender's Heart mentions it as part of the "Common Cause" quest, which requires the player to seek out and recruit allies and mark it on the map.
There's a lot to do here, including either recruiting some Crusaders or killing their imposters depending on the timing, and looting the shelves for some handy items. This is also where the Storyteller first appears, and it's a fairly dramatic entrance.
Defender's Heart
After the Storyteller is rescued from Blackwing Library, he's given a comfy seat in the relative safety of Defender's Heart. This makes him much easier to find, and once he's here the protagonist can start a dialogue with him about a number of different subjects.
It's at this point that the Storyteller can examine other items in the party's Common Stash and reveal the mysteries behind them. These include, but are not limited to, other old artifacts that turn up in the course of the adventure, the talking sword Finnean, and the remains of the city's defender, the silver dragon Terendelev.
The Crusader Camp
With Kenabras retaken, the Storyteller will move to the Crusader Camp where the player can find him and talk to him with many of the same dialogue choices as in Defender's Heart. However, he won't be there for very long. As soon as the army advances and the camp moves, he disappears, and word of him doesn't come to the party again until they reach Drezen.
The road to Drezen is littered with different locations of varying importance and detail. Expect to pick up some ancient, unknown items that might look like junk at first. Don't drop or sell these items until the Storyteller can examine them, and since he doesn't appear again until Drezen and storage space is limited, this could be a challenge.
Artisan's Tower
The Storyteller is absent from the story until the siege of Drezen has completed and the city is orderly enough for the Half-Measure Tavern to open again. Visit to have a friendly chat with the barkeep or to buy a Pathfinder recipe and while you're there, look for a Dwarf named Greybor. The party already came in contact with him while attacking Estrod Tower in the previous chapter.
This time, instead of demons, Irabeth tells the hero that a dragon needs to be dealt with. Greybor is an expert for hire and you can find him relaxing at the inn. He must be in the party in order to track the dragon that's been harassing the army, and eventually, the trail leads to the Artisan's Tower, a location that's not accessible until Drezen is safely under Crusader control.
It turns out that the Storyteller has some ancient connection to this place and in the process of looking for his old books and papers, he ran afoul of the dragon. What artifacts survive this encounter hinges on whether or not the dragon lives or escapes, and both options are possible.
Drezen
Upon being rescued from the malicious dragon, the Storyteller returns to Drezen, where sets up a comfortable spot outside of the citadel. It's at this point that the player can come to him for consultation on mysterious artifacts, other dragon remains, and other ancient pieces of paper written in ancient Elvish script.
Opening a dialogue at this point with the Storyteller gives the player some new choices depending on the content of their inventory. If they're carrying an item of interest, an option will appear to ask about it. Artifacts can't be restored without other required materials, and the Storyteller will list what's needed if the player doesn't have it yet.
Why Look For the Storyteller?
The Storyteller is an important character in Wrath of the Righteous and seeking him out isn't always optional. There's no obligation to keep visiting him after he's been saved. If the player ignores him, however, they'll miss out on a lot. This refers not only to the Artifact collection but also includes essential parts of the story and even one of the hidden Mythic Paths.
- Scales of Terendelev. Bring the Storyteller the scales of Terendelev, which are found underneath the city under various bits of rubble, and he'll recount her epic backstory.
- Claw of Terendelev. Find this claw in Leper's Smile and the Storyteller will direct you to Terendelev's Lair, where the Golden Dragon Mythic Path is unlocked.
- Ancient Elvish Texts. "Notes for the Storyteller" is a quest that never ends. The player can give these papers to the old Elf no matter when they find them.
- The Artifacts. After Kenabras is secured, the party starts to travel along the long road to Drezen, and they find several mysterious treasures along the way. Only the Storyteller can identify some of these items and start the restoration process.
- Finnean the Talking Weapon. If the Storyteller seems strange, then you need to meet Finnean. The Storyteller can also help reveal some of his tragic tales provided you're carrying the weapon when talking to him.