Help Baro Ki'Teer raid an ancient Martian tomb for a mysterious treasure.
Starting the quest
To start the quest, the Tenno must purchase the Sands of Inaros blueprint from Baro Ki'Teer during one of his biweekly visits, for the price of 100 Ducats and 25.000 credits. Alternatively, the blueprint can be traded from another Tenno. Acquiring the blueprint through either means requires Mastery Rank 5.
The blueprint costs 5.000 credits, 5.000 nano spores, 400 oxium, and 1 Nitain extract to craft, and takes 6 hours. After claiming it from the Foundry, the Tenno will be able to set Sands of Inaros as their active quest in the Codex. After doing so, they will receive an inbox message from Baro Ki'Teer.
Inbox message:
A Solicitation of ServicesTenno,
I look forward to working with you.
Baro Ki'Teer (video message): "I have a rare opportunity for you. It seems there may be a tomb hidden on that forsaken rock you call Mars. Tombs mean treasure, and yet, sadly, my usual relic hunters are superstitious idiots who refuse to disturb this so-called 'sacred' place. You, Tenno, however, are more pragmatic, especially when it comes to Ducats, am I right?"
First Mission: Explore the Tomb (Ara, Mars)
The mission takes place on the Grineer Settlement tileset, with Infested enemies. The map is not random, but preset, and will remain constant every time the Tenno comes to the tomb.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Oh my. You can feel the filth and grit in every breath. This desolate rock is the former colony of the backward-thinking sky worshippers. Their stories are worth as much as the sand around you: nothing. The Grineer took 'pity' on their miserable existence years ago, returning this so-called civilisation to the sand. Yet, for some elusive reason, their relics have become quite fashionable, and thus valuable. Rare antiquities; that's why we're here."
The Tenno will eventually reach a large temple complex carved out of the canyon wall. The outside of the temple, as well as the interior walls, are decorated with golden hieroglyphics and stylised drawings.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Ignore these glyphs. Nothing but nonsense about their so-called god-king. Inaros, is it? How quaint. The only thing heaven-sent from Inaros will be the price his relics fetch at auction."
As the Tenno enters the temple, a disembodied female voice will speak.
[unknown]: "Hush, hush, my little dune. You don't need to be scared. There, there, that's right, shake out the sand, but remember, not all of it, and I'll tell you the story."
Baro Ki'Teer: "Tenno, what is this? How are you doing that?"
[unknown]: "Long ago, the lands of our colony were cursed. They were soaked in fear. The Golden Skymen would come and take our children away. Young and old alike cowered before them, afraid to lose their most beloved."
Baro Ki'Teer: "That voice… Tenno, stop this!"
[unknown]: "But then he came. The Fear-Eater. The Skykiller. He was called… Inaros!"
Inside the temple is a large central chamber with a raised platform. On the platform is a tall column with four giant Inaros statues standing around it, facing outwards. At the base of the column is a golden jar or container. The Tenno is prompted to pick it up.
Baro Ki'Teer: "A Burial Vessel! It will contain precious relics! There, there, you're not defiling a tomb; you're creating wealth! Return to your ship. We must examine this Vessel further."
The Tenno is waypointed to extraction, just outside the temple.
[on board Orbiter]
The Tenno will receive the blueprint for the Inaros warframe as a mission reward.
The sacred vessel taken from the tomb will be placed in the Landing Craft, on the floor next to the Codex terminal.
Baro Ki'Teer: "I could have never foreseen this. That vessel, it contains primitive etchings that seem to be a sort of blueprint. Was a warframe entombed there?"
Approaching the vessel and interacting with it will bring up a screen where the vessel can be examined closely. There will be a glyph prominently displayed on the vessel.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Look at it. It's exquisite. There's an inscription: 'Prove you are him. Destroy the ones who oppress.' Destroy who? Does this smudged glyph represent some enemy? You will have to carry that vessel into battle and prove yourself if we are to unlock these secrets."
The glyph will be a stylised picture of a Detron Crewman, Grineer Seeker, or Volatile Runner. The Tenno must equip the Burial Vessel in their Gear Wheel and kill 60 of the indicated enemy unit during missions. When an indicated enemy is killed during a mission, Baro will contact the Tenno.
(variant) Baro Ki'Teer: "The glyph, it's changed! You must be fulfilling some primitive rite of passage!"
(variant) Baro Ki'Teer: "Whatever that vessel wants you to do, I'm certain it's somehow connected to that smudged glyph."
(variant) Baro Ki'Teer: "I don't know how this happened, but that glyph on the Sacred Vessel, it's changed. I suggest you stay on this path."
The glyph on the vessel will fill in with colour as a meter of the Tenno's progress, and can be viewed at any time while in the Orbiter. Once the 60 kills have been completed, Baro will indicate this to the Tenno.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Tenno, look, the glyph. It's completely clear. And there's a new inscription: 'Return for him.' Return to the tomb so we can get past this superstitious nonsense and on to something worthwhile."
Second Mission: Return the Burial Vessel to the Tomb (Ara, Mars)
The Tenno must return to the tomb on Mars.
Baro Ki'Teer: "I'll be grateful when this is over. I cannot stand this barren place. Even the Orokin could not have enlightened these sand skates."
Baro Ki'Teer: "Remember, we're here for relics, not stories, so I'd appreciate if you kept your Tenno soma-Void-resonance 'thing' to a minimum. I've had enough of this culture to last a lifetime."
Inside the tomb, the Tenno is waypointed to a corridor off of the main chamber.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Take the Vessel to the door. What happens?"
[unknown]: "Little one, after this, you must sleep…."
The corridor will lead to a sealed door. The Tenno is prompted to place the vessel down before the door. Upon doing so, blue energy will swirl from the vessel and wash upon the door, causing it to open.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Not again."
The door leads into a small chamber, with another sacred vessel, which the Tenno must take.
[unknown]: "Inaros began not as our king, but as our enemy; a warrior of the Golden Skymen. But for each child the Skymen took away, Inaros grew ever more angry, until one fateful night. Another child had been taken and the villagers had gathered in a mourning circle, weeping… until they heard a small voice. By the dunes! It was the child, returned! As he approached, the people gasped in horror as they saw that he was drenched in blood. His father rushed to the boy and embraced him and saw that he had no wounds. 'Whose blood is this?' he asked. The boy looked to the sky and said, 'This is the blood of the Skymen. This is the work of Inaros!' By the sand and the stars, the Skymen raged. They set upon Inaros with their armies, but none could prevail, for he commanded the sand. He commanded death. Inaros ate their fear and became stronger."
Baro Ki'Teer: "None of this… none of this could true. Could it?"
[unknown]: "And so they left us, and took with them our fear. On that day, Inaros became our king, and, in a great whirlwind of sand, ascended to watch over us from his throne in the sky."
Baro Ki'Teer: "What if…? It… it can't be."
Upon leaving the room and entering the main chamber, several dozen feral Kavats will attack the Tenno. They must all be killed before the Tenno can extract.
(upon clearing the feral Kavats) Baro Ki'Teer: "That voice… return to your ship. I… I must collect myself."
[on board Orbiter]
The Tenno will receive the blueprint for the Inaros neuroptics as a mission reward.
Baro Ki'Teer: "I'm beginning to think this Inaros myth was drawn from… an actual warframe."
The sacred vessel will be placed in the Landing Craft, this time with a different glyph: either a Railgun Moa, Hyekka Master, or Brood Mother. Much like before, the Tenno must equip the Vessel in their Gear Wheel and kill 20 of the indicated enemies.
(when viewing sacred vessel) Baro Ki'Teer: "Oh, I see. Another glyph, another challenge. See if you can figure out which enemy it represents."
(upon filling the vessel) Baro Ki'Teer: "This wretched place. Why did I even come here? I keep telling myself it was the treasure but…. Push it back, stupid Baro, there's no wealth in these memories. Tenno, we need to open that next chamber. Go."
Third Mission: Return the Burial Vessel to the Tomb (Ara, Mars)
This time, the Grineer are present on the map, having eradicated the Infested. Curiously, they are standard Grineer units, not Arid Grineer.
Baro Ki'Teer: "By the Void, the Grineer have picked up our scent! They'll take me… uh, it… Inaros! You have to stop these animals at once!"
(upon entering the tomb) Baro Ki'Teer: "So where is she? That voice? I… I think I need to hear the rest. I think I've needed to hear this for a long time."
The Tenno is waypointed to another sealed door off on the other side of the tomb complex. Setting the vessel down will again prompt the door to open, revealing another small chamber with another sacred urn.
[unknown]: "And so for years we lived in peace and our little dunes were our own to keep. But the sands of peace are ever-shifting. Years later, a plague came to the desert. The Infested. Desperate, our people called out to sky: Inaros! Inaros! But they could not wake him… and so they were consumed by the ravenous horde. With all lost, the few remaining villagers gathered in the mourning circle to prepare for the end… when suddenly, a storm rose about them, a colossal spiral storm of sand, piercing the sky! The villagers huddled, trapped within the storm's eye as the beasts charged them. In moments, the beasts were torn apart and the Infested plague was swept away, never to be seen again. As the storm subsided, the people ventured out into the desert, hoping to catch a glimpse of their saviour, their beloved Inaros."
Baro Ki'Teer: "Get ready!"
Back in the central room of the temple, a giant stone golem called a Tomb Guardian will be waiting and will attack the Tenno on sight. It resembles one of Atlas' Rumblers, but is larger and made of sandstone similar to the temple itself. Like the Rumblers, it can attack with both melee strikes and thrown boulders. Upon death, it will split into two smaller Tomb Guardians, who themselves will split upon death, and so on. Altogether, there will be six generations of Tomb Guardians, including the first. All must be killed.
(upon killing the tomb guardians) [unknown]: "They found his glorious metal body, broken and still, lying in the sand. Did they mourn? No. They knew his spirit had returned to the sky to watch over them once again. They gathered his body to keep it safe from thieves and raiders. They placed the pieces within the sacred vessels and entombed them in secret… knowing that one day Inaros would reclaim his body and rise again. So now, my sweet dune, you have no need of fear. Take these grains, and keep them under your pillow. Inaros will watch over you."
Baro Ki'Teer: "Find extraction. We're done here."
[on board Orbiter]
The Tenno will receive the blueprint for the Inaros chassis as a mission reward.
Baro Ki'Teer: "The story isn't just a myth, is it?"
(when viewing sacred vessel) Baro Ki'Teer: "Look at this sacred vessel: one of four, just as she described. And the challenges – you must prove you're Tenno."
The sacred vessel will display a glyph of either a Denial Bursa, Manic, or Infested Juggernaut. Only 5 kills are required to complete the glyph.
(upon filling the vessel) Baro Ki'Teer: "The Grineer are returning in force! Tenno, I don't care about the money anymore, just stop those dogs from getting Inaros!"
Fourth mission: Return the Burial Vessel to the Tomb (Ara, Mars)
The Grineer will again be present on the map.
Baro Ki'Teer: "Cut them down, make them fear this place! The Grineer should be swept away."
(upon entering the tomb) [unknown]: "Quickly, my sweet dune, they're coming…."
Baro Ki'Teer: "I tried so hard to forget."
(upon taking the sacred vessel) [unknown]: "Quickly, in here. Don't make a sound, Baro. Here. Hold these grains in your hand, tight. Inaros will protect you."
Baro Ki'Teer: "It wasn't me I was worried about."
A variety of overlapping memory-voices will be heard, as Baro's mother confronts the Grineer while young Baro hides.
[sounds of young Baro breathing]
[unknown] (distantly): "What do you want?"
Grineer soldier (distantly): "Targat akoroitier! [Target acquired]"
[unknown] (distantly): "No. You have no right!"
Young Baro: "Inaros… Inaros… Inaros!"
Grineer soldier (distantly): "Koss huut! [Kill it]"
[unknown] (distantly): "No! You… ha-have no right…."
Grineer soldier (distantly): "Rans tet klem, keterai! [Don't let them get away]"
[unknown] (distantly): "No— it's just me…."
Young Baro: "Inaros… Inaros…."
[unknown] (distantly): "No—"
[sounds of gunfire]
Baro Ki'Teer: "But Inaros never came. You've shown me why I came here, Tenno. Not for riches."
(upon taking the sacred vessel) Baro Ki'Teer: "The doors are closing again. Prove that you are worthy of Inaros' strength one last time."
In the central chamber of the temple, a Tomb Protector will be waiting. The Tomb Protector is essentially an avatar of Inaros, armed with the Mutalist Cernos and the Lesion. The Tomb Protector can create sand shadows of the Tenno's warframe using its Devour ability. Upon losing enough health, the Protector will enter its sarcophagus and animate the giant statues of Inaros in the temple – labelled as Tomb Protector Effigies – to attack the Tenno. This will happen three times before the Protector can be defeated for good.
(upon killing the Tomb Protector) Baro Ki'Teer: "My mother's call will be answered. Inaros will rise again. Come home, Tenno."
[on board Orbiter]
The Tenno will receive the blueprint for the Inaros systems as a mission reward, as well as a Sacred Urn as an Orbiter decoration, and an inbox message from Baro Ki'Teer.
Inbox message:
I am eternally grateful, Tenno; thank you for what you have doneBaro Ki'Teer (video message): "She was gone, but somehow you let her speak again. You made me face my past. Made me remember who I was. Take his relics and let him rise again. I couldn't think of selling them, anyway; for me, these few grains of sand are all the treasure I need. Both of us know why Inaros couldn't have saved her. He wasn't able to listen then. But things are different now, I am right?"
Sincerely,
Baro Ki'Teer
When shopping from Baro Ki'Teer during his fortnightly visits to the Relays, the Void Trader will have different, more respectful dialogue lines if the Tenno visits as the Inaros warframe.
This quest cannot be replayed, even if the Tenno purchases and crafts the Sands of Inaros key from Baro again.
[Navigation: Hub → Quests → Sands of Inaros]
