Temple of N'cthail

Difficulty:  Minimum to survive
Level Restriction:  100+, 150+ to wield reward
Timer:  4 Weeks
Can be Solo'd?  No
Rewards:  Helm of Isin Dule, 46M XP

Grael's home island is hidden beneath the waves near Vissidal Isle.  A crystal shard of massive power is the only thing keeping it there.  Since we cannot attack Grael while his seat of power is below the waves, our only hope is to attack and destroy his crystal.

Step 1:  Preparation.  This quest is long, hard, and dangerous.  You will need at least one full fellowship to be able to survive the quest.  Everyone on your quest needs to be able to self-buff - there are numerous dispel traps and even if you know where they are, you will undoubtedly hit at least one.  Everyone questing with you will also need to be able to quest for up to three hours to complete the quest.  Aside from those requirements, everyone will need slashing or fire and bludgeoning weapons.  As the quest leader, you should portal tie to Bandit Castle Prison's exit portal.  You will need to come back to this location repeatedly.  When your group is assembled, summon the portal and look for Kiriel Shadowborn.  Everyone will need to talk to him to be flagged for the quest.

Step 2:  Eastern Temple Catacombs.  After you talk to Kiriel, it's time to buff.  You will need to protect against all damage types, bane against physical damage, and buff your weapon.  When you are ready, head to 70.4N, 50.5E, where you will find a portal leading to the Temple of N'cthail.  The temple itself is overgrown with lots of Slithis tentacles.  Don't bother fighting them.  When everyone has materialized, run up the first ramp, turn right,  and look for the Eastern Temple Catacombs.  This first dungeon is very mazy and is a royal pain to navigate.  Make sure everyone knows to hug the walls - don't run down the middle of you will be likely to hit dispel traps. Some people recommend hugging the left wall, but that method is unnecessarily long.  When you arrive, go straight ahead and you will see a pair of ramps leading down.  Go down either one and then hug the left wall until you reach a T intersection.  Go either way and you will go down a ramp.  Now switch to hugging the right wall.  After winding around quite a bit, you will find another ramp leading down.  Hugging the right wall will be a bit indirect, but it's still the best way through this lowest floor.  Ultimately, you will reach a room with many, many Slithis Tentacles, several Undead, and the Vault Mistress.  Kill her as quickly as you can and then loot her body for a key.  That key opens a door at the very north end of the Vault Mistress's room.  Unlock that door and have everyone go past the door.  At the far end are three stone tablets on the floor.  Everyone needs one.  When everyone has their tablet, summon Bandit Castle and have everyone head through the portal.  Return the tablet to Kiriel and he will flag you for the next section.

Step 3:  Western Temple Catacombs.  Again head back to the Temple portal north of Bandit Castle.  This time, go up the first ramp and turn left.  This dungeon isn't as mazy, but there are a good number of levers to play with.  Using the PKL trick to get through doors might not be a bad idea in here.  Once inside the dungeon, go straight ahead and down a pair of ramps.  There is a dispel trap in the next hall that you cannot avoid by hugging the walls, so you will have to jump.  At the end of the hall is a pit leading down, so jump down.  There are four lever doors at the bottom of the pit.  Have everyone kill while you open doors.  There is a lever in the main room.  Hit that and proceed N, E, W, and then S.  Make sure everyone gets through the S door when you open it.  Follow the path down into the next series of levers.  When you pass a lever, hit it and then go W, E, and then N.  Get past the N door and make sure everyone else does too.  There is a pit to jump down just past the door.  You will now be in the last lever series.  This one is by far the most annoying, so if you want to do the PKL trick, this is the place to do it.  Hit the lever as you pass it and then find the open door to the N.  Then hit the N, S, and then E levers.  Quickly get everyone as far through the pair of W lever doors as you can.  If you can't make it through the second one, use the PKL trick.  You will find another pit just past the final lever door.  Jump down.  Now head northwest and you will find the Vault Mistress's room.  Kill her and check her corpse for another key.  Use it to unlock her door, which is again to the far north.  Again, you will find a room with three stone tablets.  As before, everyone needs one.  When everyone has their tablet, summon Bandit Castle and have them turn in this second tablet to Kiriel.

Step 4:  Northern Temple Catacombs.  Yet again, go back to the Temple portal north of Bandit Castle.  Go up the ramp and make your way to the north face of the temple, still on the first floor.  When you arrive, hug the right wall as you go down.  When you reach the first large room, you will find a couple of lever doors to open.  Hit the lever at the far north end of the room to open the west door.  Then hit the lever inside and go through the east door.  Follow the corridor to a second large room.  There is a lever in the hall just prior to the room which opens the west wall.  Be fast this time - there aren't any escape levers in these small rooms.  The west lever opens the east, which opens the central door.  Bug the central door and make sure everyone gets through.  The rest of the dungeon is linear enough that you will know quickly if you come to a dead-end.  Just continue going up and you will reach a portal to the Vault of Eternal Slumber.

Step 5:  Vault of Eternal Slumber.  The final dungeon is a short one, but it isn't devoid of danger.  Make your way north from the drop and you will come to a ledge.  Have your ranged characters shoot as many Slithis tentacles before you jump, then have everyone go down.  Be very careful to stay away from the ledge - there are dispel traps all along the ledge (the map doesn't show them).  When the tentacles are dead, have everyone jump over the ledge into the room below.  Don't be afraid - although it looks like a big acid pit, there is an invisible floor over the whole area.  The only creature left is the Crystal of the Dark Isle.  This thing will take you quite some time to destroy, but it isn't particularly nasty, so no one should die.  CS/CB Bludgeoning weapons are the way to go, but failing that, use your slashing weapon.  When it is destroyed, check its corpse for Crystal Shards.  Everyone needs one, so you may need to kill the Shard more than once.  When everyone has their shard, summon Bandit Castle again.

Step 6:  Rewards.  Hand your shard to Kiriel and he will reward you with 10% of your XP to the next level, capped at 46M XP, and a Helm of Isin Dule.  If you were lucky enough to be on the quest when it was first completed, you would have received an Empowered Helm of Isin Dule.  That helm had 20 extra AL and Major Leadership in addition to the normal spells.