Order's Last Mission Quest

In a number of obscure texts and scrolls is passing mention of something known as the Order. Knowledge about the Order seems to have died along with the forgotten city Thalos, but a few clues have correlated it and a place known as Stonegaard Keep. The location was thought lost until Heroes discovered that it and accursed Shadow Keep were one and the same.

Every so often in decades past, a young scholar believing to have made a breakthrough in the study of the Order would make the trek to Shadow Keep, braving the ogres and hounds North of Ofcol, to meditate in the keep's library, hoping for an insight. They stopped making the journey when they gradually realized that nobody was returning.

NOTE: This quest is for heroes not of the "low" variety, though there is no sublevel requirement. Grouped players can participate together.

This quest, when completed, will grant Agent Of The Order Insignia. The quest can be repeated for material rewards, but the rewards tied to the insignia will not be granted again.

Quest Rundown

Disclaimer: My memory is frail and the following information may be incomplete, inaccurate or entirely made up. If you ran the quest recently feel free to update the guide. -- WinterRose 03:14, 11 September 2013 (EDT)

Quest starts with the players entering the Shadow Keep and locating the librarian's ghost. Upon getting his attention by <spoiler>meditating</spoiler> they are charged with fixing a book of the old order - book, and its lost page or pages (1 or 2 pieces, I forget) can be found on the Keep's main floor.

Afterward they need to complete the garb of the old order by getting the Ring Of Truth, and one or two other items (possibly Small, Silver Crucifix and something else, maybe).

They receive a Sceptre Of Controlling Shadows and need to clear up the shadows from three sets of places using this item. This is the funny part of the quest; at locations (do reference the map, it's helpful):

1. Cellblock in the basement - clear the skeletons,
2. Dead-End rooms in the tunnels further - clear the wraiths,
3. 3 rooms with zombies (iirc): Barred Watchtower outside the keep, northern ruined gate room, and I forget what else.

To clear the rooms, first equip the sceptre, brandish it (yes, even if archer), the mobs will register this by becoming vulnerable, then destroy them. I'm not sure what happens if the player can't brandish, maybe the command itself is sufficient - there is no actual brandish effect (although the brand does do something, but this is so it can have a limited amount of charges, 50 or so), it's rather controlled by mobprogs.

Once finally done, return to the librarian, repeat the starting social and get a reward of 2012 XP and the sceptre which can later be used to stop undead (rot cor and similar) from fleeing. You can rerun the quest (no XP reward but new sceptres are available) to get more of these tools - they help if you find the fleeing mobs annoying and you like soloing in the graveyard.