Emyprean Cloister

Difficulty:  20+ to survive, 40+ recommended.  Run and jump must be over 200 to survive!
Level Restriction:  15+ 
Timer:  3 Weeks
Can be Solo'd?  No
Rewards:  Obsidian Dagger, Barbed Fletching Tool, Empyrean Scalemail Shirt, Skull of Avoren Palacost

The Emyprean Cloister was originally restricted to characters between 15 and 30, making it the most difficult of the three quests to organize and complete.  For a character in his high teens to low twenties, the acid pit jumps can be harrowing!  The quest itself is a raid into a Dericost crypt where the skull of the Hopeslayer's son Avoren has been preserved.

Step 1:  Preparation.  Unfortunately, the dungeon itself cannot be tied, so grab the nearest portal to the dungeon.  Your best bet is probably the Wi Badlands community portal out of Al-Arqas.  Now gather your team.  During the quest, you will need to break up into two groups, so plan accordingly.  Make sure everyone knows the length of the quest depends on how many people go along.  The quest takes about 30 minutes plus 5 minutes a person, so make sure everyone has the time and has the comps!  When you are ready, summon the portal and run to the Cloister portal, located at 23.3S, 5.8E.  Enter when you arrive and wait at the drop (which is safe).

Step 2:  Empyrean Cloister.  When you are inside, buff up if you really feel it's necessary.  The highest level monsters inside are Lich Lords, so unless you have people below level 60 or so, buffing really isn't necessary.  If you do decide to buff, get all your protects, ignore your banes, and buff a fire weapon.  When you are done, head straight ahead out of the drop room and take the left corridor.  You will follow this path for some time without any turns.  Eventually, you will head down a ramp and into a divided large room.  Continue through and down the ramp until you notice pits to either side of the path.  Jump down here.  Continue in the direction you jumped and you will find a pit in the middle of a larger room.  Jump down, being careful of the exit portals.  Follow the path out of the room you fell into and you will come to a four-way intersection.  Head either E or W and down another ramp.  You will come to another four-way intersection, where you will turn to the south.  Head down a final ramp and you will find yourself in a large U-shaped room, complete with two portals.  Divide your group here - one will head into the Lower Mausoleum and the other will head into the Upper.

Step 3:  Communication and Levers.  Make sure you and the other team's leader stay in contact once you have split up.  Each team will have to hit levers for the other team so they can move on.  If one team misses a lever, both teams are pretty much out of luck.  I know where the levers are, but to be safe, I sweep the area using the [ and ] keys to make sure I haven't missed anything.  When the other team gives the signal, you (and you alone!) should hit the button.  Wait until the whole group has made it through before you leave, in case you will need to hit the button again.

Step 3a:  Lower Mausoleum.  The drop inside is hot (if you can call a couple liches hot).  When everyone has arrived, run straight ahead and follow the corridor.  There is a lever on your left very quickly, so pay attention as you go.  When the other team is through their first door, press on.  You will soon come to your first lever door, which opens up into the first acid pit jump.  The jump looks suicidal, but so long as you have 200+ run AND jump, you will be fine.  Aim carefully, then do a full power jump straight across toward the hall on the far side.  There is a ledge extending into the pit, so the jump isn't as difficult as it seems.  If you miss, recall out - you are done (if you survive).  Once you all clear the jump, move on.  Follow the corridor until you see two small rooms to either side of the main hall.  Your next button is in the left room.  Hit the lever when the other team is ready, the move on.  You will pass through a larger room and reach your next lever door (and acid jump!).  Have the other team open your door and jump across, just as before.  Continue on, ignoring the rooms leading off the main path, until you come down a ramp and reach a four-way intersection.  Head straight (South) and find the exit leading out of the small room.  This corridor leads directly to the final room and the Mausoleum Guardian.  Kill the Guardian and loot his corpse for all the rewards except the skull.  As soon as the room is secure, find the lever (which is shaped like a torch) and hit to so the other team can make it through to their last room.  Now comes the waiting!  The Guardian drops one set of rewards and he doesn't spawn too quickly.  You may have to rebuff.  When everyone has their rewards, either portal recall if this is the first time through or head home.

Step 3b:  Upper Mausoleum.  Again, the drop is semi-hot.  When everyone has materialized, follow the corridor until you reach your first lever door (which is an acid pit jump, just like on the lower side).  Make the jump and press on.  The first small room off to the right has your first lever.  When the other team is clear, head on, ignoring the small rooms off to the sides until you come to a ramp.  You will quickly come to a four-way intersection.  Head east and find the exit path in the small room and follow it to your second lever door and acid jump.  Make the jump and continue on until you find another four-way intersection.  This time, head north to a lever in a small room.  When the other team has passed their jump, head south back to and then through the four-way intersection.  You will come to one final four-way intersection, where you will again head to the south.  Fight through the last corridor to the final room, where you will find the Mausoleum Warden and the Skull of Avoren Palacost.  Grab your skulls and then either portal recall to switch sides or portal out.

Step 4:  Switch Sides!  Portal Recall takes you back to the drop just after the split.  Behind you are two portals - Empyrean Cloister Entry and an exit portal.  Take the Cloister Entry portal to return to the last room in the Entrance section, right where the two groups split up.  Now each group should go into the section they haven't done yet.

Step 5:  Rewards.  The four rewards really aren't that terribly useful unless you are planning a SoLH trip.  Avoren Palacost's Skull is only really useful as a decoration or if you are planning on going into the Hopeslayer's lair.  If you don't want your Skull, ask around - someone is likely hoarding SoLH gems!  The Obsidian Dagger was only useful back when Multi-strike daggers were the flavor-of-the-month, since it saved Dagger users a hilt.  Now they are pretty much obsolete.  The Barbed Fletching Tool was never really useful.  It lets you create Barbed Arrowheads, which make piercing arrows and quarrels that have a higher max damage, but with a wider variance than AP heads.  If you like big hits or are too poor to afford AP heads, I guess they have a use.  The Scalemail Shirt is practically worthless, thanks to its low AL and silly spells.