Overview
Hornsplitter's Guards are the personal guard of Kailok the Hornsplitter, the leader of the Goldleaf Merchant Guild. Comprised solely of Kailok's most trusted elite, these guards handle all but his most important dealings, since Kailok personally oversees only the gravest transactions. They are prepared to pay any price to protect his interests, and that willingness makes them one of the more dangerous groups players run into across Hernand.
As an extension of Kailok's will, the guards enforce his authority throughout the region. The Goldleaf Merchant Guild already wields enormous influence over trade in Hernand and across all of Pywel. The guards make sure that influence stays unchallenged. Anyone who threatens the guild's operations or crosses Kailok personally can expect these soldiers to show up, well-armed and ready to fight.
Details
Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
Type | Hostile faction |
Region | |
Leader | |
Alignment | Hostile |
Parent Organization |
Territory and Operations
The guards operate wherever the Goldleaf Merchant Guild has holdings. Their primary base is the Goldleaf Guildhouse in Hernand, though they also patrol trade routes and appear at guild outposts such as the Goldleaf Tradepost and Goldleaf Trading Post. Since the guild's influence stretches across all of Pywel, the guards can appear in locations well beyond Hernand when guild interests are at stake.
The guild itself prioritizes profit above all else, and the guards reflect that philosophy. If a deal is profitable, questions of right and wrong come second. This means the guards are just as likely to protect a shady shipment as they are to guard a legitimate trade caravan.
Route to the Guildhouse
The Goldleaf Guildhouse sits at the top of Unicorn Cliff. The path south of the Nas River leads to a large camp with cloth walls. The route near the site is heavily guarded, and the guards will engage on sight.
Players can choose to fight through the guards, though this consumes food and healing items before the Kailok boss fight. The alternative is to sneak around to the left of the camp and reach the back of the guildhouse. Striking a wooden post with your sword breaks it down and provides entry. A cutscene triggers once you enter the area.
A Small Camp sits nearby before the guildhouse, with a bonfire for cooking and an anvil for armor reinforcement. Players who plan to fight through the guards should stock up here first.
Combat Encounters
Players encounter Hornsplitter's Guards during the main quest "Cheers Echoing from the Edge." In this quest, Shakatu requests help to challenge Kailok to a Rakkash, a formal goblin duel, to remove him from power and take control of the Goldleaf Merchant Guild. Reaching Kailok means fighting through his personal guard first, unless you take the sneak route around the left side of the camp.
The guards themselves are well-equipped melee fighters. They appear in groups and tend to coordinate their attacks, so players should be prepared for multiple opponents at once. Blocking and timing counterattacks works well against their physical strikes. They are not heavily armored compared to some military factions, but they make up for it with numbers and aggression.
Boss: Kailok the Hornsplitter
Kailok himself is the culmination of the faction encounter. Despite having only one HP bar, he compensates with extreme agility and swift evasive movements that make him difficult to hit cleanly. His combat style revolves around fast rapier techniques and ranged wind wave attacks.
Attack | Description |
|---|---|
Overhead Strike | A downward slash that can be blocked for a counterattack opening. |
A ranged slash that sends a cutting wave toward the player. | |
A rapid four-hit melee combo. Blocking the last hit creates a window to punish. | |
A flurry of rapid cuts delivered at close range. | |
A heavy overhead attack with a brief windup animation. | |
Kailok bends low with his sword at his side, then performs a dash attack followed by a jumping overhead slash. | |
Three variants (front sword, back sword, ranged flurry) that include wind slashes and dash attacks. Kailok is shielded during the opening stance. |
Most of Kailok's physical attacks can be blocked. The recommended approach is to stay defensive, block his combos, and punish the recovery frames after his longer attack strings. For a detailed strategy, see How to Defeat Kailok the Hornsplitter.
Rewards
Defeating Kailok and clearing his guards yields the following rewards:
Reward | Type |
|---|---|
Weapon | |
Skill | |
7 Iron Ore | Crafting material |
Crafting material |
Story Impact
Kailok's defeat allows Shakatu to become the new leader of the Goldleaf Merchant Guild. This is a significant moment in the game's progression because Shakatu's leadership opens supply routes and forges connections that are essential for establishing the Greymane Camp. Without defeating the Hornsplitter's Guards and their leader, the Greymanes cannot secure the trade relationships they need to survive in Hernand.
The quest ties into the broader faction system and the player's growing influence across the region. Clearing this faction is one of the earlier steps in building the Greymanes' presence in Hernand. The victory concludes Chapter 2 and begins Chapter 3: Howling Hill.