Items you need before you start this quest:
- Rope and Grapple
- 1 Runic
- Magma Amulet
- Wooden Skiff, Silverbark Canoe or Log Raft
In a Nutshell:
- Go to Balthazar and ask him about work.
- Ask Balthazar journey
- Kill the King Crab and equip his claw.
- Go to Seher'Sahham
- Ask Seher'Sahham about fee
- Ask Seher'Sahham activate
- Get the golden idol from the chest in the wrecked ship
- Head to the earthen catacombs and abandoned temple
- Kill the deranged priest in the lost city
- Go to the gaunt one messenger and greet him
- Go to the gaunt one elder
- Ask gaunt one elder agreed
- Kill the aged earth dragon and take the severed claw back to the gaunt one elder.
- Ask gaunt one elder claw
- Find the room near where you killed the dragon that dead ends from an east exit. From there, go north and east, then north and west. Say "tharamon dur slamen".
- Kill Fire Knights until you get a red rock key.
- Kill the Red Demonling and get the polished key.
- Kill Lesser Efreetis until you get a feathered key.
- Kill the Dark Phoenix
- Return to Balthazar
- Ask Balthazar news
Your reward: 30,000,000 experience and a loyal quest cloak.
Now, for the details:
ask bal work
Batlhazar waves you away, seemingly annoyed at your presence. Just then a courier garbed in black rushes in, bows before Balthazar and presents a scroll. Balthazar snatches the scroll away, and with a snarl dismisses the messenger. The white fanged man reads through the scroll intently, then lets loose a string of gutteral curses. His face turns dark red and he continues to curse and stomp around madly. He bellows something at his lieutenants who are all scurrying around like headless chickens. Finally he turns to you and as you wince in the expectation that he is about to strike you he stops dead in his tracks.
His red eyes staring right at you he says,
"It would appear I have work for you yet youngling. I have just recieved a message that my third scout party still has not returned news in three fortnights, and are presumed dead."He crinkles up the scroll and it turns into ash. "In case you haven't been keeping with current affairs, some usurper has come from out of somewhere, the abyss for all I know, to usurp my throne!"
With his last words he pounds his fist on the table, splitting it down the middle.
"I don't know who, what or where this thing is, but I promise you now if you find it and bring me news of its destruction, then you will feast with me at my table that day!"
He waves his hand in the air and a black portal springs out of the earth, inside the portal you see a great river rushing to meet a waterfall, across the waterfall is a net that seems made of some type of fine silk.
"Your journey begins here, at the mouth of the waterfall along the Silvermere river. I can't tell you anything more other than this trecherous thing, whatever it is, resides deep in the heart of a volcano."
ask bal journey
Balthazar grins menacingly, his eyes glowing bright red, "Before I send you on your way, " he says, "I will also tell you that if you do not slay this maggot-ridden usurper, then you can consider yourself marked for death by me!"His fanged grin vanishes, and he lets out a grim laugh, suddenly the portal lurches forward to swallow you up, and you find yourself clinging to the net, on the waterfall of the Silvermere river!
greet gaunt
"Greetings stranger, I can sense that you have come very far. I can only assume some magical force has sent you this way to aid my people in our time of need. Many days ago a great evil was awakened which had been dormant, and now the caverns under the mountain are not safe! Even now I am recovering from my wounds. I was sent by my elder to search for someone to aid us, but it looks like I did not have to travel far at all! Please I beg of you to visit my elder who resides deep below and do what he says. I must heal my wounds here."
Then the messenger goes into a meditative trance and is silent.
Now go down the Undermountain to the bottom. There you'll find the gaunt one elder.
greet gaunt one elder
The elder says nothing, but a strange voice sounds in your head.<I can see by your thoughts that you were sent by my messenger, I will have to lecture him for he is far to trusting of strangers. However I can also read by your thoughts that you have traveled here for a purpose, and I know this purpose crosses paths with the task I have for you. If you agree to this task, and help us, we in turn will help you on your journey, agreed?>
ask gaunt agreed
<Very well. Ages ago a dragon of this earth awoke and began to terrorize these caverns. As is always the case, many denizens came and inhabited the caves with it. Finally, we were left no choice but to do battle with the dragon, and a long costly war ensued. We were able to force it to retreat slowly, for it was still young, until at last we trapped it in an old lava tube and locked it away in magical stone. However, days ago the volcano that was once dormant has now become violently active, and the aged dragon is free to exact its revenge on us. Many of our most powerful spell weavers and magi were lost in the battle long ago, and there is no hope for us to trap it in stone once again. I ask you now to slay this dragon, and return to me a claw as proof of its death. If you do as much, I can help you continue your quest to its completion, whatever that may be.>ask gaunt one claw
The gaunt one smiles slightly and takes the severed dragons claw. His voice speaks in your mind:
<Ahh, very excellent, now with the dragon slain, the path which you seek is unveiled. Go now to where you slayed the dragon, look for a path that comes to a room that dead ends from an east exit. From there go north and east, and then go north and west. At that spot speak the phrase "tharamon dur slamen" and the door shall open. This shall lead you on your path to it's end.>
The voice pauses for a second before it continues, <Know this last thing adventurer, there will be barriers in the destination you seek, barriers which require an item of that element. If you bring me the hide of a beast from there, I shall fashion out of it an item to counter act the magic of the barrier. I do this for your great deed. Leave now and may your quest be glorious.>
When you kill the dark phoenix, you get this message:
With the fatal blow to the dark phoenix, the massive bird shattering cry that bounces off the stone walls. Fire shoots out from the bird on all sides, and you have to take cover to avoid being burned.
Finally the dying bird is almost consumed when it suddenly explodes in a flash, leaving only bits of darkened feather behind. As the feathers fall to the ground, a tall figure dressed in black robes, carrying a bleached bone staff, appears in front of you, at first you are stricken with fear, for the robed figure could be a replica of the grim reaper. Then he speaks and you realize he is something more terrifying.
"I know not who sent you weakling, but tell them that they can not avoid my wrath," the figure says, in a voice that sounds like a crypt opening. A long boney finger stretches out from the folds of the robe, and points towards you.
"I have prophesised my return, and your meddeling has done nothing but bring it closer to hand, this realm will be plunged into darkness, and I shall be ruler of death!"
The figure then vanishes, leaving only a smell of decay behind.
<Congratulations you have slain the dark phoenix! You gain 2,000,000 experience for your efforts. Now return to your quest leader!>
Balthazar mutters to himself.
He then turns his full attention over to you. You noce his teeth seem extra sharp as he says,
"What news do you bring? I hope it is to tell me you have slaughtered the usurper and burned the remains in hellfire!"
Hesitantly you describe your journey through the jungle, and chavers to your final battle in the volcano with the dark phoenix. As you describe the death of the phoenix, Balthazar grins evilly, sending a chill down your back, for as you tell of the dark figure that appeared and what he had told you, Balthazar's face turns grim and stone-like.
You end your story and look for a reaction, but you can't tell if he is about to obliterate you, or applaud you. An eternity of seconds pass by before he speaks:
"A prophecy, indeed, so the dark phoenix was just a pawn for this scum, to draw me out."
Then Balthazar suddenly glares at you.
"Unless your one of his pawns to, and he sent you back with this dragon stool of a story and you are to assassinate me!"
He calms down and a slow smile creeps over the dark lord's face, showing off his bright sharp canines.
"No I think not, I have done plenty enough for you to know that I still have your loyalty. Regardless, you have done waht I asked and no one could have forseen who the real power was. I shall have to check with my, shall we say "connections" to find out more about this fellow who thinks he can rule the evil minions of this realm. It is unfortunate for him that I am doing that already," he says with an evil sounding chuckle. Then he makes a gesture to one of his dark-garbed servants who runs off, shortly after he returns with a bundle of black cloth.
"For your continued good service for the forces of evil, I give you this little bauble that has been gathering dust, now take your reward and leave me in peace, I have some scouting to do about this worm who would be king."
