TGIH03A Heads to the continent of Kunark

Drexxell · **Posted:** Fri Apr 18, 2003 5:40 am

Dearest readers...

I enclose the following map for your perusal, and consideration. It is a map of LEVEL 3 of Dalnir, with all Level 1 and Level 2 relevant locations, shown on the same grid system. Read this puzzle, while keeping the map handy for reference....Consider well the following puzzle....

There are three levels to Dalnir. One Kly Imprecator exists on level 2, and the other two exist on level 3, in separate rooms. The following non-sensical conundrums occurred during the night:

1) Nobody was in Dalnir besides us

2) Standing at the entrance to Dalnir, Tali detects no Kly Imps. (This would seem to indicated that, at the very least, there probably isn't one in level 3, room 5, as it is almost directly below us, maybe 200 feet, though this is just a guess)

3) Standing at the Level 1 Pit room, Tali DOES detect a Kly Imp, but we don't check direction. We drop to level 2 and go to the Level 2 Kly Imp room, but find he is NOT there.

4) Dropping down to level 3, we go clear out the blacksmith room and Tali again detects a Kly Imp, to the NORTHEAST. This can ONLY be possible if he is in the Level 2 Kly Imp room. We presume he has popped there while we were coming down to level 3. So Tali evacs us up to level 1, we drop down to level 2, go to the Kly Imp room....and it's not there.

5) Frustrated, we go down to level 3, find the blacksmith is up, kill it, and Tali re-checks tracking. NO KLY IMP on track.

6) We decide to just go look then. We head to room 3 of level 3. It is FULL of Kly (6 or 7 of them, and NO Kly Imps). Tali confirms, standing at the door to the room, that there are NO Kly Imps on track.

7) We go deeper, THROUGH the one-way door of room 6. After we clear room 4, Tali re-checks tracking. The Kly Imp IS ON TRACK! It is EAST of us. That would seem to indicate it's either in the room we just checked, or back on level 2 again.

At this time, everyone was angry, tired, and confused. We evac'd out and called it a night, hoping to think on this puzzle and figure out how this mob eludes us.

We're open to all idea and theories about tracking, moving mobs, popping-and-depopping mobs, etc etc etc.

Drex

Drexxell · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2003 4:37 am

<zoom in on Drexxell...torn, ragged, panting...it is the darkest dark of night...Drexxell is scribbling with frantic hand onto a scroll, as 3 disparate artifacts are laid out before him in the light of a flickering lantern...>

"7 days...it's been 7 separate days in Dalnir, and we're not even done yet...

"Last night was our best and our worst night in Dalnir yet. The very stink of the place is on our clothes and in our food. But, as often happens, when the very bleakest outlook is on the horizon, a ray of light comes through the clouds. Such was our 7th (but not final) hunt into Dalnir last night.

"Last night, I nearly stepped over the portal to the throne of my Lord Bertoxxulus, twice. If it weren't for the voice of my good friend Xandamir calling me back each time, I would have been under the whips and brands of my Master. Curse and praise Xanda for the dilemma of choosing between that joy and the joy of living. But I think my time as a mortal must continue, especially with this unfinished business of The Visceral Dagger.

"Even now, I have spread out all I have found and all I know about this accursed blade. From notes found throughout the Crypt of Dalnir, I know how to find and even how to combine the fractured pieces of the Dagger. I see here the weighty Forge Hammer of Dalnir, taken from the undead blacksmith early in our Dalnir trips. I see also the Dagger Hilt, whose lore was revealed to me through divination as to be the Hilt of the Visceral Dagger itself, taken from one of the three Kly Imprecators who make their home in this blasted hole in the ground. We've seen his face often enough, but until last night, had not seen either of the other two.

"Then, last night, after my 2nd dance with death (which came after we foolishly attempted to kill the Kly Overseer himself, while he was surrounded by his minions), as our strength and resolve were waning, Talinoth made a most remarkable statement. 'I see faint Imprecator tracks....recent, but faint...there is an Imprecator wandering these halls'. It was late...we were tired. But friendship triumphed over it all as we stood up, brushed the dust from our clothing, and prepared ourselves for yet one more invisible run into this hole, to see if Tali could track down an elusive Imprecator. Talinoth painted on our camoflage, and in we went, straight to the first pit and dove in, smashing painfully into the shallow pool at the bottom. (We're becoming rather proficient at making this jump). With baited breath we waited...Talinoth's only word was "West". A WOOOT of joy went up, as we had long ago realized that a "West" Imprecator, tracked from the 2nd floor pit MUST be one of the 2 elusive *3rd floor* Imprecators. Down the next pit we went, maintining our camoflage. OUCH. [/ooc There are few quicker ways to give yourself 300 hp of damage than to jump the two Dalnir pits back-to-back]. Down to the 3rd, lowest, level of the Crypt and Tali says again "west", thus leading us back toward the Overseer's room where I had only recently tempted eternal damnation. In we went...right to the Imprecator's laboratory...but what was this? A Kly was blocking the hallway and I was the only one small enough to run past and see the Imprecator, nearly taunting us! There was no way around, and so Thunderhart sprang out of hiding, whacking at the Kly that stood between my 3 friends and the Imprecator. A few other fellows joined the Kly in death, and soon we 4 were running to the Imprecator room together. He was a tough opponent, but no match for our combined might and when he fell I greedily looted his corpse while Thunderhart dispatched his two lesser companions. Stuck deep in a pocket I found it...The Jagged Metal Shard...3rd of the 4 missing pieces of the Visceral Dagger.

"Then Talinoth said something that I'll never forget....'Guys...thought you should know...there were clearly two Imprecator footprints crisscrossing this dungeon before we killed that last one. There *can* be two Imprecators in this Crypt at the same time! This was news to us, and I believe we are the first to discover this fact. I'll make a note of it...

"Talinoth pulled out his crucible and evacuated us to safety where we were considering the possibility of taking on the last Imprecator, not knowing which of the other 2 it was. But at that time, Tali passed out, [link]dead to the world from exhaustion. I was all a-tither, and begged Thunderhart to stay for one last run. Xandamir sighed, nodded and putting some sort of whistle to her lips, blew a silent note. Not sure what this meant, I turned to see that Perisai, Xandamir's big sister was here, and said she'd help track down the last Imprecator, as Talinoth clearly was unwakeable.

"Thunderhart and Perisai then quickly downed invisibility potions, while I gathered shadows about myself, and we went in, only to find that the Imprecator was none other than the same one we've seen 5 times now, on the 2nd floor. We fought our way out to the teleporter, and that is how I find myself here, 3 of 4 artifacts in hand, bleeding, bruised, but resolved now to finish this quest."

<Drexxell pulls out a tome labeled "Mysteriis zu Kly inpassia Dalnir avec Artifactio by R.U. Pickman, Esoteric Order of Dagon" and opens to a paragraph stating 'There are rumors that the Imprecators have an internal power struggle and won't visit the Crypt if another Imprecator is currently on site' and makes a margin note "Untrue...confirmed by Imprecator tracks interpreted by Druid 5/6/2003". Then he passes out>

Nealyn · **Posted:** Sat May 10, 2003 1:36 pm

This just has to be a test. A test of our resolve and fortitude if nothing else. Eight nights. We have been here for eight harried, uncomfortable and horrendously foul nights, searching for that vile creature called the Kly Imprecator. We have tried every conceivable and many inconceivable plans to get him to come out of hiding. Granted this time we have spent here has not been a total waste, for we have managed to acquire three of the four items we need for Drexxell to complete his quest for the Visceral Dagger. Two of the Kly were foolish enough to fail to heed the warnings of their brethren and came out into the open. Taliâ€™s quick announcement of their presence, lead ultimately to their even swifter death. This last one however, he has certainly leading us on a merry chase. If I were of a more blood-thirsty bent, I would be more than inclined to leave it to Drexxellâ€™s imaginative torture techniques as a fitting punishment for the irritation he has caused us. May Tunare forgive me for my unworthy thoughts on this particular matter.

I will admit that I am a bit restless here in Dalnir. I am chaffing at the restriction we seem to have here. There are so many wonderful places to see, places that will more than challenge our abilities, places that will allow us to grow in skill and competence. This place is just a drain on my emotions. Nothing but foul smells and horrid sounds. Death, torture, subjugation and more death.

I am sorry. *wiping a weary brow*

I have digressed from my mission here this morning. Let me continue with my storyâ€¦

As I have said, we have tried so many plans to get that Kly to feel safe enough to come out so that we may put an and to our unpleasant visit here in Dalnir. We have already conquered the one on the second level. He was the first one to fall. The one that resides near The Overseer was next. It was from his death that we acquired our latest plan.

We had been taking a tour of the lower levels of Dalnir, when we all decided that we just had to see how difficult that Overseer really was. We set up shop in the room outside the Overseerâ€™s abode and Tali camouflaged us. We knew a teleporter was located directly behind the Overseerâ€™s room so we knew we had a way out in case he and his minions became too much for us. What we didnâ€™t count on was that the room behind him was an automatic teleport. I had been under the impression that there was a series of intricate motions that had to be performed before we could get out. At the minimum, I thought we had to find the right button, or secret book or whatever. I told the boys this and I felt we would be safe. Unfortunately, it didnâ€™t work that way. Apparently, we just had to step into the teleport room to be transported out. We found that out when we all rushed in. Thunderhart attacked from the front, as is his normal style, while the three of us ran BEHIND the overseer to hopefully stay out of his line of sight (as is OUR normal style). Talinoth stepped into the teleport room and disappeared. Drexxell stopped, apparently frozen in shock at Taliâ€™s disappearance. I started to heal Thunderhart and gained their undivided attention. They immediately took off after me, which in turn led Thunderhart to my rescue. He stepped too close to the teleport room and off he went back to the entrance with Talinoth. This left Drexx and I to fight the rear-guards by ourselves.

I cannot confirm all that happened next, as Drexxell informed me that I just stood there with a glazed look in my eye. All I personally remember from the incident was this detached feeling of affection for the Overseer. That memory in itself would be enough to give even the stoutest of heart nightmares for years to come. I saw the Kly all swarm Drexxell under. I clearly saw him lying there at my feet, but it was like I was in a waking dream. There was nothing I could do for my friend, but listen to him scream as he died and then watch the blood slowly seep out of his tiny body and pool onto the stone floor. It is a vision that will haunt me until my dying days. When I woke from the dream and gained control of my senses, I stumbled into the teleport room and vanished back to the entrance. Talinoth and Thunderhart were both there, safe and sound. Drexxellâ€™s spirit however was hovering just beyond the edge of my vision. His angry expression told me everything in a glace he would never say out loud. He didnâ€™t need to say a word, I had let him down. I stood by and watched him die without lifting a finger to try to help him. In my guilty state, I gave Talinoth the money to purchase a coffin for Drexxell to summon his body back to us. We did not even contemplate attempting to physically retrieve that corpse from where it lay at the Overseers feet.

Drexxell summoned the corpse and I resurrected his spirit back where it belonged. While we were resting, Tali checked the entrance way for tracks and discovered that an Imprecator had come this way recently. After we were ready to go, we headed back down to follow the tracks to the Imp. This execution was very easy. We all had a score to settle at this point and the various creatures we ran into on the way were little more than a delay in getting to our objective.

From this exercise we decided that if in the future we cleared out the area where the Imp was supposed to show up, then head down and rough-up the Overseer, the Imps may come out in defense of their master. The only Imp we still needed was the one that showed up in the Church. I guess he was a member of the clergy here in the crypt and he led services for the other inhabitants. We talked Perisai into helping out yet again. She went down into the room outside the Overseerâ€™s chambers and waited for our signal. We headed down to the church and proceeded to wipe it clean of denizens. When it was clear we let Peri know and she went in to challenge the Overseer. She ran in, whacked him a few dozen times and ran out to the teleport. Alas for us, we spent the rest of the evening trying to get the Church Imp to show. He never did. He had learned his lesson from the demise of his kin.

Thankfully, My Mistress Tunare has seen fit to call me home for some work in the Temple. I say thankfully because I need some rest. My heart is heavy and I can no longer bear the thought of fumbling around in those dank holes with the Kly and their coerced helpers. Maybe a few weeks in the sunlit fields of Felwithe will raise my spirits.

Drexxell · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2003 5:07 am

[Begin with close-up shot of Xandamir bidding a tearful farewell for her two week hiatus to be spent in the service of Tunare....pull back...long shot....fade to black]

---------------------------------------------------------

[fade in...we find a chance encounter between fellow Wayfarers Nealyn and Kahmon in the Bazaar of Luclin]

Kahmon: So how goes your sister Xandamir's group down in The Crypt of Dalnir?

Nealyn: It's starting to fall apart. Drexxell's quest for The Visceral Dagger has hit a stumbling block. They've found 3 of the 4 pieces, but they just can't seem to get that 4th piece, and morale is low. And now, Xandamir has to take 2 weeks off of the hunt. It looks grim.

Kahmon: Which piece were they missing again?

Nealyn: Sharp Metal Something-or-other

Kahmon: "Sharp Metal Shard". I feel their pain...It's the rarest piece, and the one I spent the most time acquiring too when I did that quest (patting the hilt of Greenmist, in memory)

[at this point a vendor walks by...peddling his wares, and shouting loudly]

Vendor: Useless weapons for sale! I've got useless weapons for sale! Rusty daggers! Cracked Staves! Sharp Metal Shard!

[Kahmon's head snaps around to the vendor]

Kahmon: How much for the Shard?

Vendor (with a sneaky grin): Um...25?

[Kahmon eagerly hands over the cash, takes the Shard, and they both turn away with huge grins on their faces]

Vendor (to himself): sucker

Kahmon (to himself): sucker

[fade to black....]

-----------------------------------------

[fade in on Drexxell, meditating at the entrance to Dalnir. A magic portal opens and Talinoth walks through]

Talinoth: Drex, I ran into Nealyn yesterday at the local Elks lodge. She had an early birthday present from Kahmon for you....

Drex: Kahmon the all-giving, all-powerful? (shameless plug and thanks here)

Tali: The one and only. He thought you might find this useful [handing over the Sharp Metal Shard]

[Drexxell, never one to faint at the sight of blood and gore, falls unconscious briefly....awakes, panting and gasping with a smile that won't wipe off his face]

Drexxell: Wooooo hoooooo! Now it's just a quick trip down to the Forge in the basement of Dalnir, I combine these 4 items, and we're done. We can do it safely while Xandamir is away....so...um....where's Thunderhart? I don't think we can safely forge this thing without taking him down with us as bodyguard.

Tali (shrugging): Beats me...

[frequent shots to clock, then Drex kicking dirt, then Tali foraging up some mold, then the clock again ... the clock's hands spin faster...3 hours go by...Drex and Tali are clearly agitated and eager to do something]

Drex: Tali...what do you think of our chances of sneaking into Dalnir, just us two, and me forging this thing and us getting out alive?

Tali: Well, if we do the whole thing invisibly, I'd say pretty good. Beats sitting on our haunches another 3 hours....

[With that, Tali and Drex buff up....camoflage themselves....and following the same path they've taken for 6 weeks...get deep into Dalnir, invisible, undetected, and make their way to the Always Works Forge of Dalnir where Drex quickly puts in the Dagger Hilt, Forge Hammer of Dalnir, Sharp Metal Shard and Jagged Metal Shard, forges them together, while remaining invisible, and receives <a href="http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=689">The Visceral Dagger</a>. A quick run, invisibly, past the Kly Overseer and out of the teleporter.]

<a href="http://www.kreative.net/smith/pages/dru/games/eq/tgih03a.theplan.txt">The Great Item Hunt of 2003 (Part A)</a> is now 4 for 4 out of <a href="http://www.kreative.net/smith/pages/dru/games/eq/tgih03a.wishlist.txt">8 items</a>.

(And after 6 harrowing weeks, The Crypt of Dalnir can kiss our big behinds goodbye)

Drex

Kahmon · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2003 10:32 am

Talinoth · **Posted:** Mon May 19, 2003 7:09 am

Great Mother Tunare preserve me! These many weeks in Dalnirâ€™s Crypt have indeed taken their toll on my once ordinary and Elvish sensibilities. Constant inhalation of the stagnant and charnel airs of Dalnir have produced in me a manner of foreign perspective and almost fairy-like proclivity to reckless and giddy action. I must admit that, at unreasonable risk to life and limb, I not only acquiesced to Drexxellâ€™s increasingly obsessive demands that we enter that hideous realm to try to forge the accursed thing without the strength and wisdom afforded by our two companions; I insisted upon it.

The repugnant hordes inhabiting the vile crevasses were oblivious to our mission and presence. Their minds bent toward untold evil, we passed in shadow and spell to the very threshold of their inner sanctum. There, veiled in foetid mists and confused torchlight, Drexxell forged the Visceral Dagger. I took actual delight in the wicked form of the thing as Drexxed tested the heft and balance. The crescent tipped blade arcing with subtle twists.

â€œTo the exit!â€ Drexxell cheered, caring no longer that we might be discovered. â€œTo Runneyeye!â€ I demanded, exuberant from our success, mind-muddled from the experience.

And for the rest of the evening, I was no longer a creature of woodland wiles and cultured craftâ€”I was a wild and subterranean thing. Caution was unknown to me, and it was only Drexxells constant and carefully spoken words, piercing the whispering darkness, that certainly kept me from wholly loosing myself and drawing death down upon us.

--From the Birch Bark Memoirs, Vol 2, pg. 11
By Talinoth, a humble druid of 40 dank chasms.

Drexxell · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2003 4:35 am

Before I put my "Dalnir file" to rest, I thought I'd show a few special pix I took. Iroverde was with us one night in there and gave us a little extra tankage to speed up the pulls.

Drexxell · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2003 4:39 am

This thread continues on Norrath:

http://www.wayfarersofveeshan.com/phpBB ... php?t=1669

Wayfarers of Veeshan

TGIH03A Heads to the continent of Kunark

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