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Quest Instructions

(last solved and updated: September 2023)

NOTE: You'll need a torch during this quest to light something on fire. A wand of illumination will be your best option (since you may also need the additional light sources that the wand can provide for dark rooms).

1. From Center of Town (aka CoT), travel <2n, withdraw 2424>
2. <s, 2w, s, 4w, n, buy wand>
3. Travel to Fantasy to begin your quest - <s, e>
4. Or, see our Lights page.

1. From Fantasy, find the pebble - <portal, 12n, leave, 2n, 2e, path, sw, e, search stones>

   You search the stones carefully and find nothing. As you turn away in bitter disappointment you trip over a pebble and almost break your neck.

2. On this step, as soon as you complete it, within a few seconds battle will begin with Cernunnos - <get pebble, rub pebble>

   38k : Cernunnos
   
   You rub the pebble and the air in the centre of the circle goes quiet ...
   
   The stones begin to sing out, starting at a frequency you find impossible to hear. You know it's happening because your bones are vibrating in time with the stones ..
   
   The pitch increases in frequency and the volume increases. You fear your ear drums might soon burst!
   
   The pitch of the song rises out of audible range. Somehow you just know that the power being generated here is phenomenal and increasing rapidly!
   
   There is a loud *BOOM* of released energy. Something is here with you that shouldn't have brought to this plane ..

3. Travel to the Menhirs area - <e, nw, path, 2w, 2s, enter, 12s, 15e, leave, 10e, 2s>
4. <worship cernunnos>
5. While it may not appear to be an octogan, it is what this area seems to be. Travel <2w, sw, se, 2sw>
6. <2s, 3se, 2e, n, sw, w, 2nw, n, ne>
7. If there is any cleric that blocks your path on this step, kill them - <2se, n, rub pebble>

   You rub the meteoric iron pebble and the air in the centre of the circle goes quiet ...
   
   The stones need to be warmed somehow.

8. <build fire>

   Smudgy fires crackle to life at the base of each stone and send aromatic smoke upwards in offering to the stars. The standing stones begin to hum quietly with power.

9. <rub pebble>

   You rub the meteoric iron pebble and the air in the centre of the circle goes quiet ...
   
   A bolt of stellar energy surges out of the stones and blasts into your head with frightening power.
   
   With perfect hindsight, you think to yourself: I need something to channel all that energy away from my scrawny neck - yeah - that's the ticket.

10. Again, if there are any clerics blocking your path here, kill them - <w, nw, ne, e, se, sw, kneel>

    You kneel before the pool and a fenette, all dressed in white, rises from the centre of the black pool. She silently assesses you with green eyes, and finding you worthy, lays a meteoric iron torc at your feet and then disappears beneath the waters without a ripple.

11. Kill any clerics blocking your path. Once this step is complete, after a few seconds, battle will begin with Cernunnos - <get amulet, wear amulet, ne, nw, w, sw, 2se, n, rub pebble>

    96k : Cernunnos
    
    You rub the meteoric iron pebble and the air in the centre of the circle goes quiet ...
    
    The stones begin to sing out, starting at a frequency you find impossible to hear. You know its happening because your bones are vibrating in time with the stones ...
    
    The pitch increases in frequency and the volume increases ... You fear your ear drums might soon burst!
    
    The pitch of the song rises out of audible range ... somehow you just know that the power being generated here is phenomenal and increasing rapidly!!
    
    There is a loud *BOOM* of released energy ... Something is here with you that shouldn't have brought to this plane ...

12. Cernunnos gives you a sword upon his death.

    Cernunnos' earthly form blows away like aromatic smoke .. High in the air, you hear the hornsman blow as Cernunnos leads the wild hunt on to other game. In his hand, he wields the glowing meteoric iron warsword. The horned huntsman calls out and Persied meteors shower down on the menhirs on the tor and into the forest below. The stones pulse ..
    
    Cernunnos' voice whispers in your ear .. 'You alone are worthy of this sword .. do not let it leave your hand.'

13. <get crown> - Keep the crown and sword within your inventory. Once you leave this room, the menhir's come to life. They're transform into a living menhir, druid, or dogs that will attack you as you traverse through the area.
14. Read this step ENTIRELY prior to leaving this room so that you don't kill what you're looking for.
    Eternal Note: If you're an Eternal, turn off your eradication - <(toggle eradication>.

    You'll need to explore the area SLOWLY to locate the specific menhir with this rune on it;

    You peer closely at the glowing rune on the living stone:
    

    +-----+
    | +-+ |
    | |@| |
    | +-+ |
    +-----+								
    								

    As you move around the area, some rooms will have a menhir in the room (as an object, not a mob). Immediately after entering the room the menhir will either transform into an aggro menhir mob, or a pair of hounds. You will see a message when this happens:
    

    For the menhir:
    The ground trembles at your feet, and begins to heave around the base of the stone. The stone sheds all of its lichens and mosses and the runes carved into its sides glow with a dark violet power ...
    
    For the hounds:
    Glowing, the menhir topples over on its long side, and splits in two halves. The pieces whine with power and then form into a rocky whorl before you eyes. The whorl snaps and growls with a stoney voice and the hounds of the horned one are released from their stoney stasis ...

    These mobs are around 65k each (so if this size is a tiny mob for you, be sure to disable as much damage as possible so you do not kill it before you have a chance to review and trace the rune you need.) Warning: These mobs will hunt you. Travel slowly so that you do not stack more than two menhir's in one room as it's not possible to "look at rune 2".
    
    List of where the @ Menhir has been found (appears that location moves per boot):

    1. <e, sw, 2nw, sw, s, 2se, e, ne, s, 3ne, look at rune, trace rune>
    2. From Location 1, Travel <2n, look at rune, trace rune>
    3. From Location 2 - Travel <n, 3nw, 2n, 2ne, nw, 3sw, 3s, look at rune, trace rune>
    4. From Location 3 - Travel <4se, 3e, look at rune, trace rune>
    5. From Location 4 - Travel <2ne, look at rune, trace rune>
    6. please email if you found your menhir in a different room (and which room you found it in)

    
    If hounds or druids appear, kill them immediately as they are not relevant, but will hunt. When it transforms into a menhir mob, you need to type <look at rune>. If the rune is not the one mentioned above, finish killing the menhir. If the rune IS the correct one listed above, then quickly <trace rune> before it dies to complete the quest. You will be transported to the center of Tor, where the menhir will hunt and you can finish killing it.

15. Now that you've finished reading that step and know what to expect, find the correct Menhir!

    63k : Gray marl Menhir
    You trace your finger tip on the rune and the living stone hums ever so quietly.
    
    You have solved the quest (in case it wasn't already clear.)

Quest complete!

Return to Fantasy: <w, ne, path, 2w, 2s, enter, 12s, portal>
(If you turned off your eradication, turn it back on now.)

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