Overview
The Pororin Forest Guardians are the Shai people who protect the hidden village of Pororin within the Pororin Forest in the Grace Estate area of Hernand. The Shai are a race of small, childlike beings who use magical teapot guardians and sleep darts to keep outsiders away from their home. Their quest line is one of the most memorable in the game, involving a unique multi-stage encounter, a giant friendly Ent, and ultimately unlocking access to Pororin Village and the nearby settlement of Florindale.
Unlike most faction quests that are picked up from notice boards or NPCs, the Pororin quest line triggers automatically when you enter Pororin Forest. You do not need to be at a specific point in the main story, though having access to the Grace Estate area of Hernand is required.
Quest Chain Summary
Quest | Location | Rewards | |
|---|---|---|---|
Trembling Woods | Pororin Forest entrance | Get darted by the Shai three times to trigger the quest | None (trigger step) |
Outcast's Hearth / Trembling Gorge | Retrieve the Pororin Relic from the Ent | Palmar Pill x1, Astrid's Lesser Elixir x1, Pororin Village access | |
Pororin Village | Reveal Pywel's Map | ||
Pororin Research Institute | Gain access to the research facility | Access to research projects |
Trembling Woods
When you first wander into Pororin Forest (located in the Grace Estate region), the floating teapot guardians and Shai children will knock Kliff unconscious with sleep darts. You wake up at the Outcast's Hearth camp on the outskirts of the forest. This happens every time you try to enter.
Walk into the forest a second time. The same thing happens, and you wake up at the Outcast's Hearth again. On the third attempt, a scripted event occurs. After waking up, you find that a Shai named Arkin has appeared nearby. This triggers The Unreachable Village quest.
The Unreachable Village
After waking up at Outcast's Hearth for the third time, head slightly southeast to find Arkin sitting on a tree stump. A small group of Shai children and animals are gathered around her. Speak with her to officially start the quest.
Arkin explains that the village chief's hat, called the Pororin Relic, was stolen by a giant Ent (a massive walking tree). She asks you to retrieve it. In exchange, she will grant you free passage into the village.
Finding the Ent
The quest marker leads you east of Pororin Forest, toward the Trembling Gorge near The Ironwood area. This is a fairly long ride, so summon your horse and follow the marker. When you arrive at the marked area, look for the Ent: a massive, slow-walking tree creature that towers above the landscape. It is impossible to miss.
Retrieving the Relic
The Ent is friendly and will not attack you. The Pororin Relic sits on top of its head. To reach it, climb the Ent's arms (not its legs). Work your way up the arm branches until you can reach the top of its head. Grab the relic when the interaction prompt appears.
After collecting the relic, return to Arkin at the Outcast's Hearth. Speak with her one final time to complete the quest. She grants you permanent access to Pororin Village and the nearby Florindale settlement.
What Pororin Village Unlocks
Gaining access to Pororin Village opens up several useful facilities and follow-up quests:
Dyehouse: A facility where you can dye your equipment different colors.
Pororin Research Institute: A research facility where you can unlock projects such as medicinal herb cultivation, ginseng research, Shadowleaf Disguise crafting, and Palmar Pill formulas.
Children of the Woods: A follow-up quest line involving the Shai children of the village.
Abyss Nexus fast travel point: An Abyss Nexus near the village that allows fast travel to and from Pororin.
Toll of Pywel
After gaining access to Pororin Village, the Toll of Pywel quest becomes available. This quest tasks you with finding and ringing bells scattered across the continent of Pywel. Each bell you ring reveals a portion of the world map. Completing this quest reveals the full map of Pywel, which is extremely useful for navigation and finding undiscovered locations.
Pororin Research Institute
Visiting the Research Institute inside the village allows you to access various research projects. These projects take time to complete but unlock valuable recipes and crafting options. The institute is a long-term resource that rewards repeated visits as new projects become available throughout the game.
Tips
Do not fight the teapot guardians or try to resist the sleep darts. The knockouts are scripted and unavoidable. Just walk into the forest three times and let the sequence play out.
The Ent in Trembling Gorge moves slowly but continuously. If you fall off while climbing, you will not take much damage. Just approach it again and start climbing from an arm.
The Palmar Pill reward is one of the best healing items in the game. Unlocking the Pororin Research Institute also gives you access to Palmar Pill crafting recipes for an ongoing supply.
Toll of Pywel is a lengthy quest that spans the entire continent. There is no rush to complete it all at once. Ring bells as you discover them during your normal exploration.
The Pororin Village area is safe from enemy spawns, making it a good resting point during exploration of the Grace Estate region.