Side step
| MIN LEVEL | START LOCATION | START REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 981 | Mount Volmar (Mouth) (9, 9) | Stone of Virmalthorn (Complete Breaking What Binds) |
InformationSteps:
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DetailsJamesina waves you over. Jamesina points at a dead dog at her feet. 'This dog is worries me. Not just that it is vicious and dangerous, although it is. But it reminds me of something that is far more unpleasant. I need to make sure before I jump to any conclusions. If I'm right, there should be a pillar with a Skull of a Wolf around here somewhere. Can you make sure that there is no Wolf Shrine in the realm.' The cold air within the Mountain bites deep and the dark seems to be a living thing. You find no Shrine in the Mouth, but eventually discover a small cave guarded by a hungry two headed wolf. The strange wolf rises to its feet as you approach. It gives a low rumbling growl from both heads. You can\'t help but be unnerved by the two pairs of malice filled eyes staring back at you, full of murder. You will not be able to pass the guard without a distraction. You hate fueled eyes glitter in the dark and they follow your every movement. You wave the meat in front of you and see the two heads snap onto it. Thick drool seeps out between the sharp fangs almost immediately. The thing must be starving! You throw it as far down the corridor to your right as you can manage. The foul thing scampers after the easy meal without a second thought.' You should enter the Den to see what the beast was guarding. You enter a small cave, at the end you see a pillar with a Wolfs Skull placed at its top. The Pillar has a strangely familiar air about it. You see runes carved into it but they mean nothing to you. Your eyes are drawn to the Wolf's Skull at the top of the pillar. As you stare at it, you hear a whisper within your mind. 'Warrior, take the Skull and return to the Seer and ask her for a Rune of Inscription. When you have the Rune, approach the Altar of GorGulGol found to the North...' The voice fades, but you are not sure if you should do as the voice asks. But Jamesina will need to know that you have found a Wolf Shrine. As you turn to leave, you pause. Then take the Skull on an impulse. As your fingers touch the skull, black fire ripples over your hand for a moment. You receive 1 x Wolf Shrine Skull Jamesina waits for you in cold the darkness. She hugs herself against the chill air, \'Did you find a Wolf Shrine? She stares back at you in shock at your simple reply. You shift nervously under her unblinking gaze. 'We must find a way to destroy the Shrine, but taking the Skull from the pillar is not an easy task.' You smile at her and hand her the Skull. Again she is stunned into silence. Jamesina shakes her head gently as if to clear it, 'I'm sorry, but is this the Skull you found at the Shrine?' You nod. She almost drops it in shock, then hands it back to you hurriedly. You receive 1 x Wolf Shrine Skull Then you describe the voice you heard in your mind, and it's desire for a Rune of Inscription from her. The Seer laughs mirthlessly, 'So you're now hearing voices...' Then she stops suddenly. 'You know it's Virmalthorn in your head don't you? That is not a good thing. Not a good thing at all. I think it might be that you are slowly falling under his control because you have been carrying that Stone for so long.' She begins to bite her lower lip, then after a moment she folds her arms in front of her and stares at you. 'Please describe exactly what happened when you took the Skull from the Shrine.' You shrug your shoulders, then say. 'Well I heard the voice, then thought it was a bad idea to obey a voice in my head. But as I turned to leave the Den, I reached for the Skull on an impulse. As I touched the Skull, black flames rippled over my hand for an instant. I then came straight back to you.' Jamesina frowns at you, 'Not good, you decided not to obey the voice, but took the Skull anyway. That tells me you were compelled to take it. We need this voice out of your head as soon as possible. But you were obviously protected from the Curse of the Shrine by that dark fire.' She hesitates for a moment, then begins to dig in her backpack. 'Just give me a moment.' Jamesina takes out a parchment and quill from her backpack. After a moment she hands you the Scroll. 'That is a Rune of Inscription. It uses components found in a specific Realm that can be bound to a specific purpose. I will guess that Virmalthorn will want out of that Stone. Just don't draw the Rune on yourself! Be careful Hunter. Now, go get that voice out of your head.' You receive 1 x Rune of Inscription Recipe Before you is a dark altar built from Skulls. Your first instinct is to run from the foul altar, but when a hooded figure manifests before it you know running would be a mistake. The figure steps slowly towards you, \'Why have you come here mortal? Few do so and live.\' Within your mind the voice of Virmalthorn whispers urgently, \'Give the Stone to the Guardian immediately.\' You stretch out your hand, the Red Stone rests on your palm. The Guardian stops, then tilts his head to one side like a cat. You see curiosity within the movement. A skeletal hand picks up the object, and the Guardian immediately straightens, nods, laughs and gives the stone back to you. You receive 1 x Stone of Virmalthorn. You are shocked to see the Guardian bow to you. 'Forgive me Mortal. I did not know that you were in the service of Lord Virmalthorn. I shall give you what you require. If you do not have the required items... Things might not go well for you. This should not take long.' The Guardian then turns and faces the Altar. The Guardian stands before the Altar of Skulls. You see a glow emanate from the altar, then the Guardian reaches forward and picks something from the evil altar before him. He turns slowly around and hands you an ancient scroll bound with a red cord. \'This is for you.\' The Guardian nods slowly, 'When you have completed the task allotted, return to your Seer.' The Guardian folds his arms before him then says in a low hiss, 'Death Awaits.' A cold shudder runs through you when you realize that he is not threatening you. But simply saying goodbye. You blink, stunned, then mumble, 'Yes.' You receive 1 x Wolf Skull of Virmalthorn Recipe Jamesina glares at you, \'Have you got Virmalthorn\'s voice out of your head?\' She looks at the Wolf Skull, 'Didn't you give this to me before?' Before you have time to answer an insidious voice whispers from the skull, 'I am Virmalthorn.' Jamesina screeches in surprise and drops the skull. She glowers at you, 'Why do you keep giving me your creepy things!?' She then kicks it towards you with her foot, 'You take care of it! Why can he suddenly speak when he couldn't in the stone?' The skull spins on it's side, 'If you continue with such horrendous behavior Seer, I shall lay a hex upon you so vile that it shall cut through the veil of death itself!' You back away from the skull as if it was on fire. Virmalthorn continues, 'But to answer your question, as a Loremaster of Necromancy I have complete dominion over the flesh. So my will can be manifest through this bone with ease. The stone was a different matter, but it does come at a price. I may be able to speak but my Spirit is now trapped within the Skull, as is the nature of our incantations. I tried cursing an item, but you kept trying to destroy it. Now that I am within this skull, destruction of the vessel will not be so easily attained. But my ability to dominate others is now taken from me. Now Warrior, pick me up so we can continue.' Jamesina takes a step away from the skull on the floor, 'Why would we take you anywhere?' The skull then giggles. You both stare at each other in astonishment. Virmalthorn whispers, 'Because you cannot stop him without my help, and all life within the Realms will be taken. I cannot allow that to happen. Only GorGulGol has the right to decide the time of ending. Not him!' Jamesina throws her hands up in the chilled air, 'And who would 'HE' be?' The Wolf Skull stops its turning, 'The Dreadlord rises, his minions try to weaken the very fabric of the Realms to free their master. But we shall stop him. I have seen into the mind of the Warrior, you have done his bidding without knowing it. But he has miscalculated my will to serve my Lord and we shall defeat him because of this. Now pick me up so we can continue. We do not have much time. The Elemental Locks must not weaken, the Dreadlord must not return.' Jamesina frowns, 'The Dreadlord has been lost to history, but there is some compelling evidence that there is a connection between Mount Volmar and the undead tyrant. Hunter, take your friend here. If he were going to take over your mind he would have done so already. Frankly, when going up against a threat so great that history itself tries to forget it existed - you need all the help you can get.' You receive 7,498,767 Xp + 1 x Wolf Skull of Virmalthorn |
