Books of Grael

Difficulty:  Minimum to survive, 60+ solo
Level Restriction:  40+ 
Timer:  30 Days
Can be Solo'd?  Yes
Rewards:  5 Rage of Grael Gems, 400,000 XP

Long, long ago, before the Millenium War between Dericost and the Yalain/Haebrous alliance, there was a devestating rebellion in Haebrous known as the Grael Rebellion.  Grael was evidently a Ruschk warrior who was captured by the Haebrous and made to fight in their gladiatorial games.  Ultimately, he and his gladiator friends lay waste to a great deal of the Haebrous capital.  The rebellion was ultimately put down, but Grael escaped and somehow was transformed into a shadowy entity known as the Spear of Mukkir.  Of great interest to both Queen Elysa and the Viamontians is how he went into a blood frenzy.  Your job is to check out several old libraries and gather as much information as you can.

Step 1:  Preparation.  Before you start, you should be aware that you will receive the gems for completing the third library and that you can skip the first two if you like.  If you are over level 70 or so, the XP rewards for the first two books are paltry, so I'd suggest skipping those two dungeons unless you want to explore.  Regardless of how many dungeons you want to visit, you will need to visit a Sclavus named Ssavish in the Blackmire Swamp.  His cave is located at 23.2S, 58.3E, which is about equidistant from Sawato and the Imuth Maer cottages out of Yanshi.  If you are high enough to go on this quest, you shouldn't need to buff for this run (or any of the other runs, for that matter).  Talking to Ssavish will flag you to enter all 3 libraries.

Step 2:  Lost Coastal Archive.  Once you are flagged, head to Arwic and take the South Beach Pass settlement (at 35.3N, 64.9E) and run to the dungeon at 37.4N 67E.  Once you are inside, you might as well buff for the remainder of the quest.  You will be fighting Undead in this dungeon, Golems and Gromnies in the next one, and Ruschk in the last dungeon.  That means fire and bludgeoning weapons if you have them (slashing would be a good all-purpose choice), all protects, and physical and frost banes.  If you are a lower level melee, bane your shield against frost and bludgeoning.  When you are ready, head south.  You will pass through a large room with an exit at the south end and then down a second ramp into a large room with a small enclosure in the middle.  Take the east exit from this room and you will come to a four-way intersection.  Continue east and down a ramp.  The final area in this dungeon is a series of small rooms - look for the first book on the ground in this area.  When everyone has it, recall out (if you are in PoA, hit allegiance hometown, as you will want to go to Al Jalima next).

Step 3:  Lost Desert Archives.  The second library is located at 4N, 2.4W in the desert near Al Jalima.  It's not a particularly long run, but you can shave off a little time by using the Bay of Sands settlement at 5.7N, 4.3E.  This dungeon is fairly linear, although there are a few divergences here and there.  Hugging the right or left wall will be sufficient to get you through.  The final room is a large rectangle - the book will spawn on the floor here.  When everyone has the book, you can leave.

Step 4:  Frozen Cenotaph.  The final dungeon is on Traitor's Island, the Halaetan Island where Silyun is located.  The fastest way is to buy a Silyun portal gem from Luressi di Maki in Sanamar.  Hand him a V note and he'll give you a gem.  When you have arrived in Silyun, head northeast to 90.6N 66.7W.  This dungeon is about as complicated as the Desert Archive, but you can navigate it by hugging the right wall the whole time.  You might consider running through this dungeon - Ruschks aren't fun to fight and there aren't enough of them to clog the corridors.  If you properly follow the right wall, you will ultimately reach the exit portal.  When you do, turn around and take the first turn you see (to the north) and follow that corridor up to the final area.  You'll know you're in the right place because you will see the only Ruschk Sadist (redheaded guy) guarding the last book.  Grab it and leave.

Step 5:  Rewards.  You have a choice to make now.  You can either return the books to Ssavish in the swamp to aide his 'Mistress' (Nuhmudira maybe?) or you can side with Queen Elysa or the Viamontians.  If you want to help the Queen, go to Cragstone's Library and give the texts to Edobar the Esoteric.  If you'd rather help the Viamontian Throne, find Gallatria du Ressetta in Sanamar.  The rewards are identical and there don't seem to be any repercussions of dealing with one side over the other at the moment.  The final book from the Cenotaph will earn you your gems.  These buff your currently equipped weapon (melee and missile only!) with a stackable +3 to damage that lasts for 2-3 hours.