Level 15 - 750,000 exp plus a Phoenix Feather.
This is the brief, no-nonsense version, designed to help, but not give it all away. If you need more info, just ask! The items in this typeface are the ones you need to do to complete the quest. The others are fun, and offer a lot of clues, but have no bearing on the successful outcome.
Hints:
Details:
greet old man
The old man looks at you curiously, as if not expecting to see you here.
"This is unexpected, " he says with a slight grin, "the only visitors I normally get are nightmares and lunatics who run amok in this haunted place. I have been locked up here for years uncounted, and no one of right mind would would come here. People are put here to be forgotten, not found."
ask old man forgotten
"Yes, I am here because I know something I should not. Undoubtably I should have been slain long ago, but shortly after being imprisoned in this asylum, some strange force warped the reality holding this place together, and now it is a shifting nightmare realm. It must be that those who would have killed me no longer can find me. The Shadow Fist brotherhood are not forgiving."
ask old man shadow fist
"Once, I was a powerful and respected member of the Shadow Fist brotherhood,
second only to the grandmaster himself. Long did I revel in the power
afforded me, and used it to my own profit and to further the evil cause of
the brotherhood. One day, however, I happened upon an ancient scroll in the
secret library which only the master may enter. Inscribed upon this parchment was a prophecy long forgotten, which told about a magical creature named the
Phoenix, whose name is Bel-Lai."
ask old man phoenix
"As I began to read the scroll, I learned that the Phoenix would be
instrumental in the struggle between the forces of the light and the dark.
However, before I could discover more, I was taken by force and imprisoned
here until I could be trasported to higher authorities for punishment and
execution. Of course, as I already told you, the asylum became warped and I
was lost and forgotten."
ask old man prophecy
"As I began to read the scroll, I learned that the Phoenix would be
instrumental in the struggle between the forces of the light and the dark.
However, before I could discover more, I was taken by force and imprisoned
here until I could be trasported to higher authorities for punishment and
execution. Of course, as I already told you, the asylum became warped and I
was lost and forgotten."
"If you would reveal the secrets of the prophecy, you must infiltrate the Shadow Fist brotherhood in Rhudaur and find the hidden library. The front entrance to the brotherhood's temple is impenetrable, but there is a secret way through the sewers. Even this gate is locked, but there is a skilled thief in the thieve's guild who may be able to forge you a skeleton key."
Now, exit the realm, and re-enter.
Go to the thieve's guild and buy a skeleton key.
Go to the Shadowfist temple and kill the dread mystic and flesh golem.
Take the wire key, and use it on the door to the north. Enter the library, and read parchment.
read parchment When the light in the sky flies once again this shall be a sign of the Dark One's return. The light is of such beauty that it appears with the grace of a bird, and is given the name Phoenix. The light of such elegance that many a man fell to his knees in awe of her. For the Phoenix represents the rebirthing of the ages. The ages come and go but the light remains. It is this bond that links all the events of this reality. It is the change and the growth of all beings. It is the power that challenges us to change, and forces us to understand. For it is the universe's tool of change, and is a tool of great power. Towards the end of the last Great War, the great light vanished, gone from the world of mortals, until the time when the darkness would rise again. For the Dark One knew of the Phoenix and knew if he were to catch her that this would be a testament to his power and a challenge to the other gods. The Dark One had long been beguiled by the beauty of the Phoenix and became obsessed with a desire to possess her. The great Legends knew of the desires of the Dark One and requested of the Phoenix to assist them in their quest to defeat the Dark One's Armies. The Phoenix, knowing of the danger that the Dark One represented, agreed in assisting them in their battle against the Lord of Shadows. For many months the Legends managed to distract the Dark One with the Phoenix, until he became obsessed enough to divert his Avatar away from Silvermere and towards the Phoenix's home, The Stronghold of the Templars of Golden Light, an ancient society of warriors who gave themselves to the Phoenix as guardians of her and her ultimate destiny in the realm. There the Dark One's Avatar besieged the fortress in a futile attempt to capture the Phoenix. While this occurred, it gave opportunity to the Legends to bring their scattered forces to bear on the Dark One. Unfortunately, on the eve of the Legendary Heroes' assault, The Dark One, who had grown furious at his Avatar 's failure, intervened and violated a sacred law of the realm, using ancient technology long lost and forbidden in the realm. He succeeded, breaching the walls of the stronghold and overwhelming the Templars, who in the heat of the battle were unable to stop many of the dark one's heroes from entering the Phoenix's lair. Many of the Legends, knowing that they had failed the Phoenix, retreated with their forces back to Silvermere to await the final conflict with the Dark One's Avatar. Orfeo Talespinner remained with a small band of his henchmen and managed to fight his way into the catacombs where the Phoenix lair was located. Orfeo to this day speaks not of this experience, only knowing the pain of his failure in stopping the Dark One's army from taking the stronghold. With the destruction of the Stronghold, the Dark One's Avatar turned his attention to the great city of Silvermere, his last obstacle in conquering the realm. Little did he know that the Legends had been given the time to bring their fragmented armies together. Forces of Light from across the realm had signed an alliance to either defeat the Dark One or be vanquished in the attempt. At this last battle the Legends defeated the Dark One's Avatar. The great mage Morukai, using magics bestowed upon him by the gods to counterbalance the Dark One's forbidden intervention, countered many of the Avatar's unholy protective powers. Vulnerable and surprised by the combined forces of the Armies of Light, the Dark One's Avatar was overrun and destroyed by Dorshar Lightblade and the other legendary heroes who still survived. This resulted in the beginning of a new age, the Age of Tranquility. With the Dark One's power temporarily broken, the hosts of shadow fell into disarray and were scattered about the land like chaff on the wind. The armies of light, decimated by the terrible war, returned to their homelands to rebuild and begin the process of healing the scars wrought during this time. Only time would will tell the fate of the realm, as the forces of darkness slowly regathered to fuel the Dark One's unrelenting hunger to control the realm.Now, head for the smuggler's lair under Silvermere, and kill the smuggler boss.
Then head for Orfeo Tailspinner in the Misty Valley, greet him, and ask him about Morukai.
greet orfeo
Orfeo smiles slightly, saying, "Welcome to my inn, wanderer. For a modest
price, you may rest upstairs, or have a warm meal. Ale and wine are available if you so choose. For the musically inclined, I have a selection of fine instruments for sale. By the way, there are bandits patrolling south of the swamp, and packs of wild dogs to the north. The northern route is longer, but easier. The gypsies across the road are friendly as long as they are respected. The old woman is a powerful seer, and causing her or her family harm would incur her considerable wrath. Once a bandit tried to strike her, but she laid a deadly wasting curse upon him. He didn't last the day."
With that, he waves a hand and sits back. For one with such an illustrious background, he has oddly little to say. Perhaps he is a man of few words, or he is trying to forget the past.
ask orfeo morukai Orfeo looks at you quizzically. When you tell him about your discovery of the prophecy, Orfeo sighs resignedly. "It has been an age since our battle with the Dark Lord. I had hoped that, perhaps, the cycle would not repeat again, and that the lord of shadows would remain just a shadow. But if what you say is true, and the prophecy scrolls are once more being found, then my hope for peace is shattered. The forces of darkness must once more be mustering in secret. I fear for the worst... you must go and see Morukai the Black, in his hidden tower deep in the Elder Darkwood grove. Only he can destroy the barrier in the Templar's ruin, since he is the one who created it. Go now-- he will know you speak the truth when you say I have sent you. Little can be hidden from Morukai's piercing gaze."
