Drexxell's EQ Necromancer Epic 1.5 ScrapbookWhile this page can act as a "walk-through" to acquire the Necromancer Epic 1.5 Weapon "Soulwhisper", it is presented in story form, with real screenshots showing my progress toward acquiring the staff, similar to my Epic 1.0 scrapbook.
If you want a simple walk-through, please go to the walk-through on Allakhazam. If however, you'd like a more detailed look at how the quest fully pans out, then please walk with me through this quest. I hope you enjoy the journey.
Unless marked otherwise, all maps used on this page are copyright of EQAtlas, the greatest source for EQ maps and the sole reason that EQ was playable for many years. I highly recommend them.
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Kazen.
Opening my mouth to retort, I closed it, wondering, perhaps, if I
couldn't work this to my advantage. Who's to say that Kazen would
end up with this "most powerful staff"? Hiding my true plans, I bowed
low to Kazen and made good my exit.
Finding Biddliss ended up being something of a pain. While there's
no denying that a visit to the home country is good for the soul
(even a necromancer can get homesick), it seems that this clown was
something of a fly-by-night. Having heard rumors that he was known
to lounge to the east of the Steamfont windmills, I took up camp there,
waiting in excess of 3 hours for him to arrive. My mood was darker
than my soul when he finally made his appearance.
"Too bad Kazen didn't ask for this jerk's head",
I thought, as I muttered and made my way back to my laboratory to
research the location of Gleaming Zraxthil Ores...
A little time in my library, and I had the answer. Priding myself
on my astute research skills, I packed for a trip to Broken Skull Rock,
and the lost mines of Torgiran. As I made my way there, collecting
friends and comrades, I went over the details in my mind again....
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In the end, the sack from Biddliss was full (see left), and I combined the
4 pieces as instructed. (ed note: This yielded a
"Sealed Ore Satchel". See right.). It was now time to return
to Steamfont and deal with the other "gnome with an attitude"
(besides myself)...
Thankfully, Biddliss
did not keep me waiting when I returned to Steamfont Mountains. He was in precisely
the spot I'd left him, no doubt eagerly awaiting my return. His attitude could
have used some improvement though...
"Perfect", I thought, "time to give Kazen his 'reward'...."
Predictably, Kazen hadn't moved either. I began to dream of this
"most powerful staff", and reached down to make sure that Biddliss's
Research Tools were still in my pocket.
Not wishing to mince words, I simply handed the Tools to Kazen,
and began preparing a stealthy attack on my "master" as soon as I saw
the staff...
Kazen Fecae takes the tools from you.
He opens the case and pulls out a small magnifying glass. It seems to
faintly glow as he passes it over the surface of the staff piece. 'There
appears to be a small rune etched in the wood.' Kazen takes out a piece
of parchment and draws a picture of the rune. 'I am not familiar with
this rune. Take this drawing of the rune to Ruandia in the Plane of
Knowledge. She is an expert on runes and should know what it means.
From here on out I will want you to handle the research of this staff through
my assistant Tebarin in the Plane of Knowledge. I am busy and do not wish to
be disturbed further. Tebarin will communicate to me any progress you have made
with helping to recover the staff. (ed note: at this point he
handed me "Drawing of Rune")
Needless to say, Kazen's attitude and his inability to materialize the
staff irritated me beyond reason. Grudgingly, not wanting to lose the chance to
get my hands on this staff, I decided to play along....for now.
My first order of business was to locate both Ruandia and
(for future reference) Tebarin. (ed note: Of course,
the EQ coders didn't see fit to put Ruandia on the "find" command...sigh...).
A few well placed copper pieces in the grimy paw of some out-of-work paladin, and I had
directions to both of their locations.
You say, 'Hail, Ruandia'
Ruandia says 'Yes, what is it?'
You say, 'Kazen sent me' (no response)
(ed note: At this point I gave her the "Drawing of Rune")
Ruandia takes the drawing from you and studies it for a moment.
Her face turns pale as a look of fear overcomes her. 'You must stop your
quest for whatever this rune deals with. It will only lead to your demise.
This rune has many meanings; the main meaning essentially being 'discord'. I am
hesitant to tell you more about it, but I am sure Kazen would not be pleased.'
Ruandia writes some directions onto the drawing. 'I am not responsible for the
outcome of your quest. Keep that in mind.' (ed note: At this
point she gave me "Ruandia's Instructions")
(ed note: At this point I can't read the instructions from
Ruandia, she hasn't told me where to go. After a while I figured that I'm
supposed to go to Tebarin.
Tebarin was easily enough found in the necromancer guild, though I wasn't at all
pleased to see him sitting at a particular table that I favored. "He goes on 'the list'"
I thought...In the meantime, I decided to see if he could help me with this whole
Ruandia issue...
You say, 'Hail, Tebarin'
Tebarin says 'What do you want?'
You say, 'Kazen sent me' (no response)
You say, 'Ruandia sent me' (no response) (ed note: at this point I gave him "Ruandia's Instructions")
Tebarin says 'Kazen informed me that you would be coming. Ruandia deciphered the
rune for you? Good. That witch better be accurate or Kazen will have her head. I need
you to find two balls of elemental clay and combine them in this box. Return them to me
when you have them.'
(ed note: at this point he gave me "Intricately Carved Box".
Make sure you've got an open slot as this is a container)
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A former guildmate of mine (gracias Kahmon!) had once tipped me of that Balls of
Elemental Clay were easily found in the Bazaar! Not wanting to risk a trip to
The Hole, and not yet flagged to enter the Elemental Earth Plane (this was prior to
the removal of the flag requirement), I thought that
this hint was worth investigating. Sure enough, piles of them were available.
95 pp later and I was that much farther along to acquiring a new staff. I combined the
2 balls of clay in the Intricately Carved Box. (ed note: It yields a
"Sealed Intricately Carved Box")
"Time to show Tebarin how simple his
tasks are" I thought, scoffing at this silly task...
Having spent all of 3 minutes and 95 pp fulfilling Tebarin's wish, I sauntered
up to him and threw the Sealed Intricately Carved Box in his smirking face. He
ignored my insult, infuriating me further...
...Figuring that Tebarin was little more than "book smarts" with
no "street cred", I had to believe that a trick that worked once had
to work twice. "The Hole?", I thought. "No, Tebarin...I think I'll check
the Bazaar..." 
I put the Strange Smelling Oil and the Ancient Tome of Lost Lore into the
Intricately Carved Box and combined them, as per Tebarin's instructions
of some 3 minutes ago.(ed note: it yielded "A Protected Tome")
Sighing, wondering if I'd be doing this idiot's grocery shopping
next, I stuffed the protected tome in my satchel and headed back to the
Plane of Knowledge...
Having spent another whole 3 minutes and 1500 pp fulfilling
Tebarin's other (stupid) wish, I walked up to him, spat in
his face, threw the tome on the table and told him where he could
cram his grocery list. Again, he was all business, not quite
realizing that ignoring a gnomish insult is an invitation for a
future of pain and suffering. He would learn...he would learn...
Although I don't relish fighting for no good reason, Tebarin's useless and
time consuming tasks were enough to make me seek battle with the bloodlust of a
barbarian. On a bright note, my research indicated that my first item, Gnarled
Wood, would be found in the Plane of Nightmare, a decidedly beautiful place for
most necromancers to vacation. The picture below shows you the first thing you
see when you zone in...you see why it's so pleasant...
As it turns out, Gnarled Wood drops
from Gnarled Treants, which are thankfully rampant in the forest
area near the zone-in to Plane of Nightmare. Watch out though! The
ravens and spiders are aggressive in this region and a simple fight
with a treant may turn into being jumped by 3 or 4 other mobs at the
same time.
It's hardly worth describing...gnarled wood seems to be thick on these
treants. At least every 3rd or 4th one had Gnarled Wood. Some fast
looting and I bid adieu to the Plane of Nightmare, promising myself a
return visit for my next vacation.
To the Plane of Innovation for Elaborate HingeIf I had known the PAIN IN THE BUTT which this particular item would cause me, I'm not sure I would have proceeded at all, let alone with the gusto with which gnomes normally approach the Plane of Innovation. Having searched my tinkering books, I was surprised to find that an Elaborate Hinge was not considered a generally good invention. Here's a quote from "Tinkering throughout the Planes":Having been to the Plane of Innovation repeatedly, I knew the place had its share of Nitrim's old Scrap Collectors, though they certainly weren't the most common creation to be wanding that strange plane. But what of this Elaborate Hinge? I'd never seen one before, though I'd disassembled my share of Nitrim's old creations. Were there any of the old versions of the Scrap Collectors even wandering about? I gathered my forces and headed to "the ring", a circular canyon in the Plane of Innovation where Nitrim's old creations wandered. I'd seen Scrap Collectors throughout the ring before.... 
Lest I get wordy or think the details are worthy of a good story, they are not. Let me be blunt. There were 58....count them 58...kills of "A Scrap Collector" over the course of 6 months, before I received the one drop I needed. And knowing that the one drop was used in a failable combine, I
wasn't even that thrilled when it finally dropped, knowing that a failure
at the forge would mean another 6 months of hunting for this one stupid piece
of gear.
Picture seeing this....
Followed by this...
Followed by this...
Over...and over....and over...and over... Six months of hunting...58 scrap collectors...and then finally: Hallelieuia!! Praise Bertoxxulous!! Now, I just needed to make
that %#$@!#$%$#@ box for Tebarin...
Creating the Glowing Box of ProtectionTebarin had given me the recipe...but how hard would it be to make? I was no slouch at Smithing. In fact, when wielding my Smithing Geerlok, I was generally considered quite skilled.
Holding the Elaborate Hinge in my hand, I felt a great deal of trepidation at using this extremely rare item in creating something I've never attempted before. "Bloody Tebarin!" I swore, staring at the Forge in front of me, my Smithing Geerlok in one hand, and the Gnarled Wood, Elaborate Hinge and Rune Covered Insert sitting nearby. How long I sat there, staring at the Forge, praying to Bertoxxulous, I can't recall. But eventually I realized that nothing good was coming from my delay. I approached the forge, and began to work... 
A few hours of work later, and...success!
Giving the Glowing Box of Protection to TebarinI returned once again to the Necromancer guild in the Plane of Knowledge to find Tebarin. This wild goose chase, the six months of pain spent in the Plane of Innovation...it was all reaching a boiling point and I was seriously contemplating paying him with the blade of my knife. Still, thoughts of the powerful staff kept me going and I decided to be patient a bit longer. With no fanfare, I stepped before him and lay the glowing
box of protection on the table, a smug look on my face.
Tebarin says 'This should do nicely. At least I hope so, for your sake. Now that the book is secure, I want revenge on the paladins who took the staff! Find all five of the paladins and take their heads! Once you have their heads, combine them in this sack and hand it to me. I will make sure they are reanimated and suffer for many, many years for what they have done. Now leave me. I must ponder the turn of events that have taken place here.' (ed note: He gave me Paladin Headhunting Satchel) I attempted a variety of questions on the location or name of these
paladins, but Tebarin failed to respond. I could have ended his life
right there for his insolence, but knew I'd never lay hands on the staff
if this occurred.
(ed note: FOUL on SoE. How the HELL am I supposed to
know which paladins to kill, where to find them, or anything?)
Hunting PaladinsI returned to the Guild Hall of the Wayfarers of Veeshan where an extensive library resided for use by our guild. Days I spent searching for a clue as to who these paladins were that had dared touch the staff which was rightfully mine. I was desperate for information, and had almost given up hope when
an idea struck me. Searching deep in my own archives, I dug out the
diary of the late Sir Edwin Motte, whose head resided with Kazen Fecae.
It was after beheading this fool that I had taken the diary, and long
forgotten it after a cursory look-through. But something in my memory
stirred, and I frantically dug through old boxes to find the lost book.
At last it was in my hands, and I turned to the page I remembered vaguely
seeing, back when the Scythe of the Shadowed Soul was alone my
greatest goal....
"Fool", thought I. These names, being the highest of the paladin
order must be the very ones who thought to take my staff. "Protectors
of the Karanas", I thought, "You might as well have just drawn a map to
their locations". Having names and locations in mind, I set out immediately
for South Karana...
South Karana - Sir Telian Mottsworth
As I headed out of the Guild Hall, a few of my more experienced
brothers and sisters of the guild agreed to aide me in my quest. All
told, about twelve Wayfarers (ed note: Average
level about 80) made our way to South Karana where the
trackers immediately found Sir Telian Mottsworth. He was walking
his assigned patrol route, which I have marked on the map to the
right. I approached him cautiously.
Realizing how little of a threat these paladins presented, we proceeded on our tour of the Karanas....
East Karana - Sir Gregon Sulltor
In East Karana we met Sir Gregon Sulltor, who refused my hails and had little to say besides:
It was off to West Karana, saving North Karana for last. (ed note: On purpose...we knew ahead of time that
the North Karana paladin is the only one with anything unique to say)
West Karana - Sir Arlindo Goldheart
In West Karana we met Sir Arlindo Goldheart, who refused my
hails and didn't even speak to us upon engaging in battle! All
I ever heard from this pompous fruitcake was:
It was now a total of 15 minutes since setting out, and only one paladin stood
in the way of me getting my staff (or so I thought at the time). We made our way
to North Karana....
North Karana - Sir Gerwin Thunderblade
Finally, in North Karana we met with Sir Gerwin Thunderblade,
who was the most verbose, and therefore informative, of the
quartet. He refused my hails, and engaged us as the other four had:
"Natimbi", I said to myself. "A place I've never traveled. This will take some research."
(Ed Note: Combining these items together, yielded the "Full Paladin Headhunting Satchel")
Leaving the last corpse rotting for the carrion feeders, I returned to
the Plane of Knowledge to talk to Tebarin and plan my trip to Natimbi...
Giving the Full Paladin Headhunting Satchel to Tebarin
I returned to the Plane of Knowledge yet again to find Tebarin. My mood was not improved to find that he had chosen to take up residence at the Evil Shaman guild. Chasing down his trinkets had been enough to drive me out of the lands of Norrath for 20 months. I didn't appreciate chasing him down personally when I returned. Having finally located Tebarin, he acted as though we'd never met
before. A look at the full satchel I carried was enough to jog his
somewhat intelligence-challenged memory:
You say, 'Hail, Tebarin'
What did I want??? I wanted to rip this
Erudite's brain right out of his shiny forehead, that's what I wanted! Nonetheless,
I handed him the satchel, biting my tongue.
His mood improved greatly...
Tebarin says 'Your donation will please my masters greatly. I
have a special reanimation spell reserved just for these do-gooders.
Now you are to travel to Natimbi and find the paladin who has the staff.
You might want to talk to any dead you come across as they often have valuable
information. Take this orb to help enhance your natural abilities to communicate
with the dead.'
(Ed Note: I received "Orb of Deathspeaking")
I now began my plans to travel to Natimbi in earnest....
To Natimbi to Speak to WhiahdiWithout much to go on, I gathered my guildmates and headed to the continent of Taelosia...specifically to Natimbi, The Broken Shores. Upon our arrival, I immediately sought out the various dead which I sensed to the Northwest of our entry point. (ed. note: I couldn't find a good hand-drawn map of Natimbi, like those in EQ Atlas, so there isn't one presented here. The cartography system maps available at Map Fiend work well, though Whiahdi isn't marked on them). I moved through the shadows, unseen by most creatures, though nothing
aggressive was found between me and the field of undead souls I found to the
Northwest. One particularly sad looking soul caught my attention, and I
approached her with curiousity.
You say, 'Hail, Whiahdi'
Whiahdi says 'You speak to the dead? Not many have that talent.
What is it you want from me, mortal?'
You say, 'I want the staff'
Whiahdi says 'Yes, I did see a paladin with a staff. Before
I give you any more information however, I wish for you to perform
a task for me. I need you to travel to Barindu and find my most precious
possessions from when I was once alive. A muramite in Barindu killed me
and took all I owned. If you can get my earthly possessions back, I will
help you in regards to the location of the paladin. Find my brother,
Taiandao in Barindu. He is still among the living, but is a slave of
the vile muramites. Ask him if he knows of the muramite that killed me.'
"Barindu" I thought....yet another place in this wide world that has never
been blessed by my presence. Time to rectify that situation! Consulting the
maps of Taelosia I'd collected, we moved swiftly to the other side of the
continent; to the Hanging Gardens of Barindu.
To Barindu to Find Whiahdi's Earthly PossessionsBarindu was no Natimbi...from the very moment we entered this "garden", we saw aggressive and highly dangerous creatures all around. Our choices were to sneak past them, looking for this "Taiandao" or fight thru. A quick survey of the power my guildmates wielded, and the decision was clear. Cleaving a path of death through mastruq eviscerators, noc bloodlusters,
kyv heartpiercers and ra`tuk decapitators, the trackers in our group led
us directly to Taiandao.
You say, 'Hail, Taiandao'
Taiandao says 'What is it you want? I will be beaten if I am seen talking to you.'
You say, 'What muramite killed Whiahdi?'
Taiandao says 'Yes I know the one who took her life. His name is
Viarglug. I hate him with every fiber of my being. If you kill him,
I will forever be in debt to you. He should be somewhere nearby making
life miserable for a slave.'
Presuming that Viarglug would have Whiahdi's Earthly Possessions, we
in fact found him standing right near by. (ed. note: My
speech with Taiandao triggered him to spawn)
At first, I stood back and gave the "kill" command, but some strange force was
surrounding Viarglug, preventing our forces from attacking. (ed. note: He's
unattackable until I hailed him). Curious, I approached him to see if I could
figure out what the problem was. That was a mistake, but thankfully my guildmates
quickly came to my aid...
You say, 'Hail, Viarglug'
Viarglug says 'I wonder how much I could get for the tongue of a blithering fool..leave before I decide to find out for myself.' Battle was quickly joined, and 47 seconds later... Viarglug's corpse eyes glisten as it loses itself in the pleasure of pain and death.
I rooted through Viarglug's stinking pouches until I found the treasures so
close to Whiahdi's heart. Before departing, I noticed Viarglug kept a treasure
chest nearby, so rooted within it to find an interesting headpiece, which was
put aside for examination later.
Back To Natimbi to give Whiahdi her Earthly Possessions
I returned to Natimbi while my guildmates returned to our Guild
Hall, awaiting either my call of success or a further call to
arms. I found Whiahdi in the same field of dead souls and
approached her, handing her the pouch I'd found on Viarglug.
You say, 'what power?'
Whiahdi says 'I have come to know many spirits from other
realms. They speak of a being known as Tarlang who resides in
the Realm of Discord in an area known as the Nobles Causeway.
He has wronged many of my kin and I wish to see him pay for what
he has done. If you bring me his head, I will reward you with a
weapon of great power. He believes himself to be indestructible,
be he is not. In fact, I think you have what it takes to destroy him.'
I thanked Whiahdi, and put out a call to my guild to meet me
in Noble's Causeway...though in the back of my head, I couldn't
help but wonder if I should one day pursue that 5th paladin...
To Noble's Causeway to Kill Tarlang
Having never traveled to the Realm of Discord, I only had vague rumors as to how to get there and what to expect. My good friend of whom you've read, a druid by the moniker "Talinoth" had traveled there extensively and led me through mysterious magical pathways until arriving at the Gates of Discord. Landing at Dranik's Scar, we made our way to Noble's Causeway,
taking a winding path, but keeping a wall on our left at all times.
This rule of thumb led us to Tarlang himself, who stood immobile,
and confident. Our guild assembled itself silently and invisibly
until 24 strong we stood behind a large boulder at Tarlang's flank.
The time had come for action. Revealing myself, I walked boldly up
to Tarlang to begin the fight which I knew could only end one way.
Tarlang says 'You dare speak to me? I do not talk to lesser creatures. Prepare for death!'
Tarlang says 'I wonder how much I could get for the tongue of a blithering fool..leave before I decide to find out for myself.'
Tarlang launches itself in your direction.
Back to Natimbi to Give Tarlang's Head to Whiahdi
Exhausted from nearly two years of questing, I dragged myself to Natimbi yet again, holding the bloody, dripping head of Tarlang by its topknot. My exhaustion was complete, as I didn't even feel like talking to Whiahdi. Imagine that...a necromancer at a loss for words when surrounded by dead souls. I walked up to Whiahdi, and dropped the head of Tarlang at her feet,
expecting yet another wild goose chase. What would it be this time?
"Bring me the feet of Howard the Duck"? "Bring me the head of Alfredo
Garcia"? I hardly cared. Whiahdi, however, surprised me:
Whiahdi had given me Soulwhisper!
My New Toy (and the new pet that comes with it!)
Quest Complete, Jan 29, 2009.
Questions/Comments: drexxell@ymail.com |
